"I'm starving!" Luffy yelled out, to no one in particular.
"Just goes to show, Captain. If you gorge yourself one day, there will nothing to eat the next," I answered, not looking up from my sewing. I was determined to make myself a cross-body bag, smaller than Usopp's but very similar, to hold my things when going ashore.
"Gorge?" Chopper asked.
"It's another word for stuffing yourself," Usopp answered, and I smiled at him.
It had started innocently enough, with him explaining words I had used to Luffy, and now it was a little bit of a game; me, trying to use new words that he hopefully didn't know, and he, always winning by knowing and explaining their meaning. I asked him once, and he said his mom used to read to him, helping him expand his vocabulary, and it became something we bonded over.
"Oh," Chopper replied. "Well we certainly gorged ourselves yesterday, didn't we?"
"Well, we had to celebrate getting away from those marines," Luffy defended, and I chuckled.
"That's true, we did."
"You know Kia, you don't always have to agree with him," Nami complained, and I looked up.
"Well, he is the captain after all."
"Ugh," Nami said with a roll of her eyes. She didn't comment further, as we heard the whooshing and splash of a cannonball coming at us. Several of us looked behind to see a marine vessel trailing some distance behind us.
"Can we outrun them?" Usopp asked, and Nami nodded.
"They can't catch us, not with the wind we've got."
Usopp took her at her word, and continued to fish, even as Nami adjusted the ship's trajectory slightly to increase our speed. I looked around, noting that we had been dogged so frequently by the marines, that it hardly fazed anyone anymore.
Sanji hadn't even come out of the kitchen at the call, Zoro was cleaning his swords, Robin was reading at her small table up on deck, and Chopper and Luffy were laying on deck alternatively asking Usopp if he had caught something yet, because they were starving. Even at the worst of times, these people were so much fun to be with.
Sanji walked out of the kitchen, holding a tray, and approached Robin with it. "Robin my love!" he called, "I have your tea, and a special snack I made just for you!"
"What?!" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper cried out, running for Sanji who held them at bay with a hand on Usopp's face, and a foot on Luffy's.
"You've been holding out on us!" Usopp yelled indignantly.
"Yeah, we're hungry too! Sanji, you meanie!" Chopper added.
Luffy tried to say something I'm sure, but with Sanji's foot in his face, no one could understand him. Robin solved the problem by having arms appear on Chopper and Luffy, and tickling them, causing them to roll around on the deck, laughing.
"Uh, hello!" Nami called out. "There are still marines behind us! This is no time for having fun!"
"We know," Zoro said back. "The cannonballs are so annoying."
"Nami!" I yelled back, before she could yell at Zoro. "Fog ahead!"
"Hmm," she mused. "Maybe we can use it to give the marines the slip, but it'll be tricky! Sanji! Hard to port!"
"Of course, Nami sweet!" He cooed, as he ran for the kitchen.
We followed Nami's directions, and were able to lose the marines in the fog, which had Luffy ready to celebrate again. But before anyone could inform him that there wasn't any food to have a feast, Usopp called out, "Island! Dead ahead!"
"Yeah!" Luffy cheered as he started salivating. "I hope there's food!"
"A new island, huh?" Zoro said as he stood up. "Should be fun."
"Kia! Let's go!" Luffy called out, and I looked back at my half finished bag.
"I'll stay and watch the Merry," I said, and Luffy pouted.
"What? Why? I'll protect you, just like I promised."
"I know Captain," I said with a smile. "I just have some things I need to finish up here. But you should go, have fun!"
I chuckled to myself as I watched the rest of the crew disembark. Little did they know, the surprise I had planned. It had started as a thought, when Chopper and I were creating everyone's medical records. I had realized how close Luffy's birthday was, we had just barely missed it. And Usopp's was only about a month before that, Sanji's a month before that, and Robin's a month before that. Plus, Nami's was about a month and a half away from now. True, my own was several months away, and Zoro's and Chopper's were at the end of the year, but still, I wanted to have a birthday party.
Who knew how many birthday parties any of my crew mates had ever gotten, having been raised in crazy circumstances, but instead of celebrating one, we would celebrate them all, and have a great cake to go with it.
I wasn't much of a cook, though I was a much better baker. I definitely had a sweet tooth, and enjoyed making all sorts of confections back home. I had gone to Sanji days ago, and had gotten ingredients, saving them in a box with my name on it in the cupboard, which he thankfully left alone. Now, that I was alone on the ship, I could finish my preparations.
I didn't have money to buy presents, so I had drawn everyone a picture, using the times when I had been on watch to work on them in secret. I had a few finishing touches, but they were mostly done. I rubbed my hands together in excitement, and got to work.
I later decided it had been a good thing we had practically run out of food, because now there was plenty of room in the fridge for my cakes. Halfway through the mixing process, I had decided to make individual cakes for each of them, rather than one large one to share. The image of Luffy scarfing the whole thing in one gulp had me worried, so I changed the plan. Now I had six small cakes and one large one in the fridge cooling, while I whipped up some frosting.
There had been a couple of close calls, where I had almost been caught as different members of the crew came to visit and tell me of their exploits with an old man named Zenny. It was sad that he was so close to dying, and I completely understood that the crew wanted to stay and make his last days comfortable.
However, three days in, I had had enough of the waiting. I had done every possible chore I could think of aboard the Merry, and needed to stretch my legs. I climbed down the ladder, and made my way up the trail, not going far before I ran into Zoro.
"Hey Zoro," I called, and he turned from his training.
"Thought it would take some sort of miracle to get you off that ship," he said sarcastically, and I bristled.
"I'm not scared or anything," I defended myself. "I just like being there."
"Uh-huh," he replied, not at all convinced.
"Besides, I'm a trouble magnet," I said, a little more quietly, but he just gave me look.
"Not any more than our captain is."
I looked around, wanting to change the conversation. "Uh, so what's taking so long? I thought you guys said we would only be here for a day or two."
"Yeah, we did."
"Zoro, it's been three days already," I pointed out, which had him standing up, looking at me in thought.
"You sure?" he asked, and I nodded. "Hmm, all right then, I'll go get the others. We don't want to spend forever tending to the old man."
"Okay then, see you back on the Merry," I said and turned back. Though I couldn't see him, Zoro shook his head at me, and headed back up the hill.
As I got back to the shore, I was startled to see a Marine ship in the cove. When did that get here? I thought as I backed up, determined to hide. It didn't do me any good, as I was surrounded quickly by the marines that had already come ashore.
Up on the deck of the marine's ship, I was tied tightly and gagged. I tried wiggling out of the ropes, moving my wrists and arms to try to make some leeway, but to no avail. The only good news was that the marines were ignoring me, but I couldn't blame them. I wasn't any sort of worry for them.
The sergeant, a complete tool named Minchy, was notified once the crew came to the shore, and he walked forward to speak to them, yelling to them about how they were free to go, and he was only here to inspect the island. I could hear Usopp agree and run off to gather their supplies, and I shook my head, wishing I could yell loud enough that they could hear me.
"You're not the boss of me! I'll leave when I'm good and ready!" Luffy's voice came clearly across the water, and I grinned at the anger on Minchy's face. I listened as Nami accused him of lying, and heard the gasps as the fog finally burned away in the morning sun, and the crew could see the ships that were hiding behind Minchy's, waiting for his signal.
"Hold it right there, or the long nose gets it!" someone yelled, and I started scooting closer to the edge of the deck, wanting to see what was happening.
"Sorry guys, they got the drop on me," Usopp said, and I heard Chopper yell out.
"You dirty creeps!"
I could still hear voices, but since they weren't shouting, I couldn't hear what they were saying, and as I kept scooting closer, Minchy finally saw me, and gave a kick that I barely dodged by rolling to the side. The marines all around me came forward, pointing their guns at the shore.
"Big deal! I can handle bullets!" I heard Luffy say.
"But we can't!" Nami yelled back angrily.
"Ha ha!" Minchy the tool, laughed. "I'll get the treasure of Zenny the moneylender, the heads of the Straw Hats, and all the credit, once I send you to hell!"
He moved, so that his men could fire, but a loud cracking sound stopped us all in our tracks. Sliding down the top of the mountain, was a ship, following the path all the way to the shore and into the water.
I heard Luffy shout, "Yay old goat man!" followed by, "Don't encourage him!" from some of the others.
"Be careful old man! He's after your treasure!" Usopp shouted.
I tried to move out of the way, but was kicked a few times as the marines rushed by me. I huddled at the railing off to the side, hoping that I could avoid getting hurt. I looked up, as a movement caught my eye, seeing Luffy's hands grab onto the rigging, and I grinned as best as I could. Not a moment later, as I heard his battle cry coming closer, a marine sliced through the rope with his sword, and the cry was cut off with a loud thump from the front of the ship.
Luffy's in the water! I thought desperately. I tried with renewed energy to get out of the ropes around me, thrashing around in desperation. I could only hope that someone was going after Luffy, hoping that Zoro or Sanji had seen him fall.
Nami, Sanji, Chopper and Usopp ran for the Merry, and pulled up the anchor as quickly as they could.
"Bring her around!" Nami yelled as she ran downstairs yelling for Kia.
Chopper stood up on the railing, as Usopp readied the cannon, yelling, "Hurry! Hurry!" before Sanji reached up to grab him and put him back on the deck.
"We know, we'll get there soon," Sanji replied as he lit a cigarette, the Merry heading straight for the other ships.
"Did we hit something?" Usopp asked, and the other two shrugged.
"Guys!" Nami yelled breathlessly as she reached the top deck. "I can't find Kia!"
"What?!"
Minchy grabbed onto my braid, and started dragging me across the deck. I used my legs as fast as I could to scoot with him in an effort to avoid having all my hair pulled out.
"Now Zenny," Minchy said to the old man in front of us. "Tell me the truth- or this girl will die, and then so will you."
My eyes went wide as he pulled out his sword and pointed it at my head, and I stared at the old man pleadingly.
"You may not believe it, but I'm broke," the man replied in defeat. "I treasure my life, and my friends! I don't have two coins to rub together!" The defeat had come and gone, and he smiled triumphantly at Minchy.
"Fine, have it your way," he said as he raised his sword up. Something flew at him, striking him in the face, causing him to whirl around, and I followed to see who it was.
"It seems I broke your abacus," Robin said with a smirk. "I'm sorry."
"You think you can defy the marines?!" Minchy sneered as goats started running up from the hold.
At the same time, the Merry came up and bumped into the ship, causing us all to fall over. Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper all jumped over to us.
"Old man!" Chopper called. "I'm here to help you!"
"I almost died!" the man complained.
Usopp and Sanji both ran toward me, but I saw Sanji veer off as he spotted Robin.
"Are you okay?" they both asked each of us.
"Yes, I'm fine," Robin answered and I nodded.
Usopp untied me, and removed the gag from my mouth, and I was so happy I jumped him, giving him a huge hug. "Thank you Usopp! Thank you, thank you!"
Robin giggled at Sanji's depressed form, since he realized that could have been him getting hugged, if he had only gone to me instead.
"Robin! So this is where you've been!" Nami said as she tied up Minchy. She looked over at Zenny, "Old man, are you okay?"
"Yeah, but are they okay?" he replied, and we followed his look, seeing Zoro and Luffy, soaked and hurt, panting on the deck.
"Zoro!" I called out, running over as they sat up. "How'd you get that bump?" I asked, seeing a huge knot on his head.
"Someone, hit me with a ship!" he yelled at Usopp, who flinched.
"Luffy!" I cried as he sat up, looking all right, just wet. "I was so scared when those marines grabbed me! I'm so sorry I got caught!"
"What."
Luffy looked over at Minchy, adjusting his hat, and looking at the sergeant. "You grabbed my little sister?"
"Your… your sister?!" Minchy squeaked.
Luffy picked him up by the ropes around him, and said, "Be sure to tell your friends, that we're waiting for them!" He reared back his other arm, ready to send him sailing through the air.
"A little higher on the aim, Luffy!" Usopp called out from the crow's nest.
"Thanks! Gum gum… Pistol!"
"Good form… nice trajectory!" Usopp called down.
"What was that? Your little sister?" I asked him wryly. "I'm fairly certain I am older than you."
"Well, yeah, but you're new to being a pirate, so you're like… the whole crew's little sister!" he said with a grin, and everyone else just shrugged and ran with it, as usual. I smiled, and said, "it's a nice thought."
Chopper bandaged Zoro and Robin's heads, and gave me some ointment for the rope burns I had. As we headed away from the island, Luffy yelled out to Zenny, that we'd see him out on the seas.