Cotton Candy
Shakky fished a coin and a few notes from the wallet of the guy she'd thrown out the door the night before. He hadn't made it to the main grove of Sabaody. Just as well—she had to pay the News Coo.
"Coo!"
"Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses."
She tucked the notes into her back pocket, took the paper and unrolled it. Good. The supplement was there. Ray got cranky without his weekly Sora. All these great pirates and their adoration of a fictional marine, though Germa 66 were something else. It paid to know what the kids were reading.
Ho-ho. And then. The paper was thicker than usual. Bounty posters. She didn't show her interest. Morgans made enough from her, and those seagulls—had to give them credit— they scavenged pickpockets they'd already fleeced.
The gull beaked the coin she offered and slipped it into its messenger bag, flying away with a cry that was more insult than bird.
Inside the bar, Shakky put the paper to one side and smoothed the posters over the counter. She glanced at the peonies at the end of it. Even faded, they were prettier than most of the patrons. Picking up the vase, she ran the tap water and filled it and a glass for herself. When she returned the flowers to their place, petals floated to the panelling. She left them. Nicer than the dust.
Lighting a cigarette, she studied the figures. There must be some truth to Enies Lobby. The underground was abuzz. Garp's grandson upsetting the cart. Seven pirates, seven bounties, 667 million and fifty beri in total.
Did the crew have a pet? A tanuki? Sweet. And that weird blond looked like that kid, Duval. Pfft. That one. Aimless as the froth of a wave. Ray planned on getting captured by him.
Sipping her drink and ashing the cigarette, she contemplated the mugshots. Sogeking. Masked man with a bounty of thirty million. Orange haired girl, another thief, and there was an outlier too. Cyborg. Interesting. Was he connected to them?
Zoro was known, of course. The Demon Child—good that they hadn't killed her. And Monkey D. Luffy. He'd made a name for himself. That family. Shakky ran a hand along her arm and remembered a few close calls.
Others sailed the Grand Line. Nine posters of supernovae were stashed under the counter. All believed Roger's words, and thought they were good enough for the New World. Greater men and women had tried and failed. The only way for pirates to get there was to stop at Sabaody and attempt sailing under the Red Line. The depths ate the majority of them. Or the sea monsters.
Ray coated the vessels of those he liked, or those who had money, or both. She was sure she'd meet this generation sooner rather than later. Gathering the new intel, she put it away with the other bounties. And then surveyed the room. What did she need for the bar? Booze, snacks, peonies, cotton candy.
A/N: This was my piece for the Women Wanted Zine.