Shivered Timbers
by Kaline Reine

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story. I do own Shiori, she is my character. I also own a few other original characters in this story (not affiliated with One Piece), which will be introduced as they are needed. c;

WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, possible violence, gore, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD

Also... The beautiful cover image for this story is by my friend, EzariaUmiko on DeviantArt. All credit for the image goes to her. c:

Chapter 9: Nakama

Yesterday had been quite an adventure. As it stood, Shiori wasn't sure how she felt about everything that had happened. Her new friend had a presence that was very comforting... She wasn't sure why Sabo had freaked out about her being in their clubhouse though. It wasn't like she was doing anything bad. And besides, he shouldn't have been upset about her eating their food, since he was from a wealthy family and had plenty. She'd been trying to figure out why he was so angry with Ace at first, but she couldn't think of any logical reason.

She did understand that they couldn't feed her all the time. She wasn't the type to ask anything from anyone in the first place though. Shiori preferred to rely on herself. She was the only one she could really count on. She'd learned that long ago.

Even though her clothes were tattered from the tiger attack, she didn't pay it any mind. There were plenty of people she'd seen around Gray Terminal that were in much worse shape than she was. She ignored all of it and got out her spears to go catch some fish in the river. After entering Midway Forest, she felt a lot better about things. It would probably be okay...

She was pretty happy when she'd managed to get a bigger catch than usual. The small albino child was walking back to her car, when she noticed that someone was already there. She wondered what they wanted. There wasn't much left for anyone to take, so she wondered what people were hassling her about this time. When she got closer, she noticed that they were both kids. The blond boy in the blue overcoat was clearly Sabo. At first, she'd thought the black haired kid was Ace, but it wasn't him. He was too scrawny and his hair was cut differently. This was someone she didn't know.

After briefly considering just hiding in the woods, making a fire, and cooking her meal by herself, she decided she would eventually have to go home even if she did that. Against her better judgment, Shiori cautiously approached the boys.

"Shiori-chan!" The blond greeted her cheerfully, despite his cold demeanor yesterday. "Glad to see you made it home safely last night."

"Yeah," She looked at the ground, gloomily, holding the silvery fish she'd speared over her shoulder on a bit of fishing line that she'd found earlier. "What d-do you want?"

"Don't be that way. We're still friends, right? I thought I'd come see if you wanted to play with us again today?"

"Well, I don't know..." The girl looked at the other boy, the one she didn't know, curiously. He was currently chasing around a small yellow butterfly. "Who is h-he?"

"That's just Luffy, don't worry about him." Sabo said, as it that explained everything.

"Hiya!" The younger boy shot her a big wide grin, which startled Shiori.

She took a few steps backward. Her fishing spears clattered to the ground. He stretched out his arm unreasonably far, grabbed onto the frame of the car she was standing near, and pulled himself over to her. For a second she thought she'd just imagined it. Had Sabo just seen the strange thing his friend had done? If he did, he didn't react to it in any way. She thought that was really odd.

"Oh m-my..." Her red eyes widened.

"Don't worry," The boy with the short tousled black hair told her. "I won't hurt ya! You look cool. My name's Luffy!" His smile reached from ear to ear. He just kept staring at her, in an oddly warm and welcoming way.

Shiori now noticed that he had a scar on his face. It was shaped like a crescent moon but he'd clearly had to have stitches in the past. She wondered how he'd gotten it... She kind of wanted to ask, but didn't want to risk being rude or bringing up a sore subject.

"It's n-nice to meet you. I'm Sh-Shiori..."

"Shiori-chan is really shy." Sabo explained. "Be nice to her."

"No need to be shy. Big brother Ace told me all about you last night. What you did to that tiger was so cool! I wish I could've been there! Hehe!"

She had no idea what to say. This was all really weird to her. Her friend was right. Shiori had always been somewhat shy and frail. She was easily intimidated by all of these headstrong boys. She didn't know what they wanted. It's not like she had anything left for anyone to take... All of her possessions had already been stolen. Maybe they wanted the fish she'd just caught? That was all she could think of.

"You should come with us," Sabo said suddenly, trying to move things along.

"T-to where?"

"To our clubhouse!" Luffy cut in, getting all excited and running around them in circles like a crazy person. "It'll be fuuuuunnnn! Yay new Nakama!"

"What is that?"

"You've already been to our clubhouse," Sabo smiled as they walked along, already heading into the forest in their little group. "Ace-san is waiting for us there. He was pretty mad at me because of yesterday. I'm sorry about that. We thought we'd surprise him by coming here and getting you first. It's the one in the tree, you know?"

"No, I mean... What's a N-nakama?"

"Uhh... It's better if we all explain it together. It's sort of like a friend, but much closer and deeper than that."

"Yeah!" Luffy chimed in, excitedly. "But you can't tell anyone about our clubhouse, okay? It's super secret!"

"Oh I see..."

Shiori didn't say much, as they went to meet Ace at their secret hideout. It was pretty neat having a secret like this. She'd never had that kind of thing before, she'd always been so open and honest about everything. She never revealed information to anyone unless she was asked. But if she were asked, she always answered truthfully right away. She just felt so happy to be included in something secret and private like this. It shouldn't be a problem. It's not like she was interesting enough for anyone to really care about her secrets. However, it also made her nervous, having to carry such a burden without telling anyone.

She was fidgeting with her hands the entire way there. She was even more nervous because she knew the tiger they'd encountered yesterday was still around somewhere. They'd already passed the place where it had fallen down, partially frozen, but it wasn't there. So it had lived, after all. Somehow, that made her feel happy and yet apprehensive at the same time. She wondered what the Nuns would have thought about it. They did sort of worship and idolize cats, after all.

The trio made their way through thick vegetation and fallen branches, dodging spiderwebs and other minor hazards now and then. It didn't seem like it took as long for them to reach the clubhouse today. Probably because she'd been there before... She waited to see what was going on.

Sabo put a finger to his lips, to indicate that she should be quiet now. He spoke to her in a low whisper. "Wait right here, and don't make a sound, okay? We're going to talk to him first, then we'll call you to come in. It should be safe here, but if anything bad happens, hurry and climb up the ladder."

"A-alright." She whispered back, with a firm nod.

Sabo and Luffy scurried up the rope ladder. Shiori could hear faint voices coming from inside the small building.

"Hey, where were you guys?" Ace was asking them.

"Just running a little late today," It was Sabo's voice. "We got a surprise for you, Ace-san! It should be here any minute now..."

Shiori wasn't sure what they were planning, or what the point of all this was. She had a vague feeling that Sabo might just be using her to win his friend back over after he'd upset him. The thing is, she wasn't even sure if he himself were aware of that fact. She couldn't tell whether he was doing it on purpose or not.

"What do you think of that girl from yesterday?" Luffy stifled a laugh, indicating that he was in on the plan too. She had to admit, it was a clever idea. No one would suspect someone who acted that silly.

"Don't bring that up right now, Luffy-kun... It's kind of a sore subject for him." Sabo played along, dropping subtle hints.

"It's fine," Ace finally interrupted them. He seemed to buy it. "Well, she was okay. I mean, for a girl."

"I think she sounded pretty cool! Hehe!" Luffy chuckled. "I bet she looked cool too!"

"Eh... I don't really see what's so great about her though." He admitted.

"It's a shame to hear you say that," Sabo sounded mildly alarmed. "Since she should be here any second. Okay, you can come in now!" He called to the girl who was still waiting.

Outside, Shiori was struggling to pretend she hadn't just heard any of that. She felt that she shouldn't have been that hurt by it, I mean he barely knows her... But on the other hand, it was sort of painful to hear that. He was probably just trying to act tough around his friends. She tried to find some way to dismiss it, but it was hard to.

She didn't know what to make of the expression on his face when she entered the room. The boy seemed fairly neutral to her presence.

"Oh," He remarked. "Cool."

'That's it?!' She wondered how she'd even let them talk her into this in the first place. He'd done a kind thing for her yesterday, but she didn't expect anything more from him, nor from any of them.

It was mostly Sabo who'd had a problem with her being here yesterday, not Ace. And he appeared to be in better spirits today. Right now, she just wanted to put all of that behind them and hopefully make some new friends. After all, it was better to have allies by your side than to go it alone. Especially when everything was already so terribly difficult. She'd really been having a hard time lately and this wasn't making it much better.

"N-nice to see you again guys..." She mumbled, playing with her hair.

Ace was leaning backward against a windowsill on the far wall, while Sabo tried to make them something to eat.

"Um... Sabo-kun..." She addressed him informally, and he didn't seem to mind.

"Hm? What is it?" He mumbled, without turning around.

"Th-this morning I... um... I caught some fish... I was thinking we could find some way to cook it? That is, if you want. I b-brought them with me. Here, see?" She held up a fishing line with a sizable string of fish dangling from it in neat little rows.

"If you were smart, you'd stash that away somewhere," Ace interrupted. "And save it for another day... Preferably before some animal catches the scent. You're lucky nothing followed you here."

"Fish sounds great!" Luffy grinned, oblivious to anything else that was going on. Or maybe he was just trying to soften any conflict that might come up? It was hard to tell.

"Well yeah, but the smell still might attract predators."

"There are four of us here," Sabo pointed out. "And all of us have experience in combat. I'm sure we could handle it. And anyway, it'll probably be fine. We have to eat something, right? Think you guys can go build a fire and find something to cook it on, while I clean it?"

"Eh. I guess so." Ace was already leaving.

Shiori awkwardly went over and put the fish on the small table, line and all. Sabo took out a huge pocket knife and started carving it up, removing the scales and bones. She hated the smell, and the sight of blood, and rushed to follow Luffy out the trap door exit.

The three of them left him to his task and went a little further into the woods. Luffy was looking around excitedly. Every time he spotted a low-hanging branch, he would stretch his arms way out and snap it off, bringing it back to where they were. She didn't think he'd be of much use to them, but he'd proven her wrong.

"H-how are you even doing that?!" The little girl freaked out. She wasn't used to seeing someone do such unnatural things. No one could really reach things that far away and still be human, could they?

"Oh, it's easy!" His grin somehow widened even more. "When I was just a little younger, I ate a Devil Fruit!"

"A D-devil Fruit?" She blinked. Ace had mentioned that to her once before, but he'd never explained what it was. "What's that? It sounds s-scary..."

"Nah, it's not scary!" Ace laughed at her. "Are you stupid or something? How can you live on the Grand Line, and not know what a Devil Fruit is? Especially when you've eaten one yourself, that's just too funny!"

"I-it is not! Baka!" She insulted him. She didn't like being laughed at. "I've never eaten one, I swear... I didn't even know what they w-were until you said something about them yesterday."

"Whatever," The older freckled boy shrugged it off, picking up some branches and sticks too, while they walked. "It's not like it matters. They're just fruit that grow on the Grand Line. When one is eaten, it grants you certain abilities..."

"H-how do they work?"

"You just eat one and they give you cool powers! And that's it!" Luffy explained. "Oh, but you can't swim. They're cursed or something. And you can only eat one. That's really important. So if you did eat one, make sure you never eat another or you'll die! Haha!"

That was probably the first truly intelligent thing she'd ever heard him say. So the youngest of their group was actually wiser than he let on...

"Where did you g-get yours?" She asked, still curious.

"I'm friends with a Pirate who's really strong!" The young boy boasted. "Ever heard of red-haired Shanks?" She shook her head no. "No? Well, he's a really famous Pirate Captain! He has one of the strongest crews ever! And someday, I'm gonna be just like him! Anyway, I got it from him. It was sort of by accident though."

And just like that, the memories came flooding back to her... Memories of the Monastery, the Nuns who lived there; of Chiaki and Michiko who had so kindly taken her in and raised her as one of their own. She remembered when Michiko had told her about her family... She would never forget the time her big sister had confided in her about Pirates and what they'd done to her loved ones. She knew what they were capable of. They were heartless villains who stole from people, and hurt and killed people. They'd hurt someone that she deeply cared about, and she wasn't sure if she could forgive them for that. Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach.

"A Pirate?!" Her face scrunched up in disgust. "That's awful!"

There was a pause.

"What's so awful about it?" Ace asked, hesitantly. "Just because they're criminals?"

"W-well... It's just not right! All they ever do is hurt people. They're worse than criminals, they're murderers!"

"At least they're cool, and get to go on exciting adventures." Luffy sulked, crossing his arms, despite the bundle of wood he was carrying.

"Murderers, maybe..." Ace scowled at her. "But for a good cause. At least they aren't slaves to society, like most of the general population. They don't have to suck up to all of the Nobles or obey the Marines. They can do whatever they want and don't have to listen to anyone else but their Captain, who they get to choose. And if you happen to be that Captain... Even better! Being a Pirate is the ultimate freedom..."

"I... I n-never thought of it that way..." Shiori hesitated for a moment. Then Michiko's face flashed through her mind, covered in blood... She knew she hadn't been killed by Pirates, but her parents had. And she imagined them dying in a similar fashion. "B-but that still doesn't justify the horrible things they do!"

"Hey! You shouldn't talk about Shanks that way!" Luffy scolded her. "He's my Nakama, you know!"

"I keep hearing that word, but I d-don't understand what the heck it means!" She normally wouldn't yell like that, but she was getting very frustrated with this whole conversation. It was getting tiresome.

"Your Nakama are like your family, but it's a lot deeper than that..." Ace told her the same thing Sabo had said earlier. "We're like a family. The three of us are like brothers."

"So you're f-family... But you aren't related?"

"Are you deaf? I just said we're brothers."

"Y-you don't have to be so mean about everything..."

Ace winced. He hadn't realized he was being mean. The others never complained when he talked to them this way. Why was she so different? He wasn't sure how it was supposed to make him feel. Usually they didn't let any outsiders into their group because they always judged them harshly. And there were other factors, like the rest hadn't been through the same things they had. With this strange new girl, this outsider, he suddenly felt judged all over again. But it was a different type of judgment. He felt like he wanted to impress her and he wasn't sure why.

"I'm not being mean," He countered. "Just making a point. I'm being realistic. There's nothing wrong with Pirates. I'll let you in on something. That's our biggest dream... To sail away from this place someday and become Pirates..."

"Yeah!" Luffy jumped into the air, a never-ending aura of pure excitement surrounding him. "Just like Shanks-sama!"

"Exactly." Ace gave a firm nod.

"I don't get it. But being f-family and not related... I think I understand that part though."

She was just grasping for straws, at this point. Anything she could do to find some way to understand them better. She really didn't want to lose anymore friends.

"Why is that?" Luffy asked, curious.

"I g-guess I sort of have Nakama too... Or I used to." She thought of all the Nuns she'd become friends with back home. It brought a smile to her face, just knowing how much they'd cared for her and that she'd cared for them too. "They were very kind to me and accepted me into their family. They're gone now, but I'll always have them with me, wherever I go. R-right here!" She pointed to her heart.

Ace didn't say anything. He just looked at her... She reminded him of something.

"So they're not around anymore?" He realized that he'd never really asked about her past before. "Did they have to leave or...? What happened?"

"I r-really don't wanna talk about it."

"Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" Luffy chanted.

"F-fine..." Shiori sighed, seeing that she clearly wasn't going to get anywhere today until she did. They'd all stopped gathering firewood when the argument began. "I'm from a Monastery. I was a Nun before I came here... The other Nuns, they... They t-took me in. They all l-loved me like family, like their Nakama... Especially Chiaki-sama and Michiko-tan. They were the best!"

"Wow... So you're religious?" Ace blurted the words out, without thinking.

"K-kind of..."

"That's boring stuff," Luffy commented, anxiously adding more branches to the pile they had already accumulated. "Nuns just believe in peace and they're against fighting. No wonder you hate Pirates so much!" He laughed, as if that explained everything.

"We don't e-exactly believe in peace. I mean, we do, b-but... We are willing to fight for peace. Or we were... before... B-before..."

Before she could continue her story, she collapsed onto her knees on the ground. The tears came forth and there was nothing she could do about it. She hit the leaf-covered ground with her fist out of anger, her frustration rising forth.

"I t-tried... I fought so hard! B-but there was n-nothing I could do!" She cried, her voice shaking. "They had us out-outnumbered a-and..."

"Just calm down," Ace rolled his eyes, trying to play it off in front of his little brother. He gently patted her back. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it w-won't... It can n-never be okay a-again!" The girl continued to cry, letting all of her pent-up emotions out.

She didn't want to do this. Not here, not right now, not in front of the only people who had treated her somewhat decently since she'd arrived here. She felt so vulnerable. It didn't feel right breaking down like this in front of others. Yet, she couldn't stop it.

Both Ace and Luffy were at her side, just trying to comfort her and not make things worse. They gave her a moment of silence, exchanging glances, something that unconsciously told her that they could relate to her pain. She wasn't alone. She appreciated the kind gestures from both of them, but... No one could help her right now. There was no one else who could truly feel what it was like to carry all of this darkness within her.

"I'm s-sorry..." She sniffled, eventually finding her own way out of her misery.

"Take my hand." Ace insisted, holding out his palm to her.

She wondered if she should do it or not. Accepting help from someone was not easy for her. But it was a kind gesture and it would probably be rude not to, at this point. Besides, she was having a moment of weakness, and there was something about his strength that made her want to keep going.

Hesitantly, Shiori took his hand. He helped her to her feet. "Th-thanks..." She also felt the need to explain things a little more. "I had a sister once too, but I l-lost her. It's been really tough since then."

Ace assumed that the reason for her overly strong reaction was obvious... He got the sense that she'd probably lost her loved ones to Pirates. He wasn't sure about what her exact situation was, but he knew it was not a good one. She normally seemed so cheerful and upbeat for someone who had been through so much... Then again, he, Luffy, and Sabo were all in the same boat.

"It's going to be okay," He told her. "Let's work on getting that firewood though. No more sad stuff, okay?"

Shiori nodded, one last small sniffle escaping her.

Luffy tried to make things better, in his own lighthearted way. "Ya know what we should do after this? We should have a sparring match! We could see who is stronger, your Devil Fruit or mine!"

"I t-told you I don't have a Devil Fruit power," She actually laughed this time, taking it as a joke. These guys just wouldn't give up on that idea, no matter how much she argued. "But that still sounds like fun, m-maybe..."

"I've got an idea!" Ace said, getting excited over his little brother's idea too. "Maybe tomorrow, all of us could go to the ocean? Then you could prove it to us."

"S-sounds fun..."

They'd continued to gather pieces of wood through all of this. Luffy had gotten the most, but then again he did have an advantage over the others. Shiori helped to hold the sticks they'd gathered, when he couldn't manage to hold anymore. They carried them back to the clubhouse.

"There's a little area back here," Ace explained. "We can use it to build a small fire. It should be alright to cook something, as long as we don't leave it for too long. Hopefully it won't attract too much attention."

The other two piled the wood and debris into the middle of the small clearing, where a dark charred area stood out. Once they were dumped into a pile, some were removed and put to the side for later. Silently, Luffy cleaned off a small pan and brought it over. It looked like this area was already set up. They'd obviously done all of this before.

"Ehehehe! What an awesome breakfast!" The rubber boy giggled excitedly. "Thank you for the fish, Shiori-chan!"

"You're welcome. Actually it's more of a lunch, r-right?"

"Whatever, I'm just getting started!" He said, with a laugh.

"Luffy," Ace instructed him. "Go get Sabo-kun and see if he's done preparing the fi-"

Right then, their friend walked up with a tray full of fish filets, already cut. "I heard you guys coming back. You were really loud!"

"Oh sorry..." A bead of sweat appeared on the back of Luffy's neck, showing his remorse. "Oi, Sabo-kun, did you get all of them prepared? What about seasoning?" He was already drooling at the thought.

"I took care of that too," He said, placing the tray on a tree stump. "So who's cooking this? I've done my part, haha..."

Sabo had been half-joking, but the dark haired boy with the freckles stepped forward. "I will, of course."

Shiori wanted to speak up. She didn't really mind cooking for everyone since she was used to having to cook for herself anyway, but he'd beaten her to it. She was wondering how they would get the fire started, but then Ace took a lighter out of his pocket and it sparked right up. Soon, he was frying the fish while the other two started sparring already.

They'd moved a safe enough distance from the flames so no one would get hurt. She noticed that both Sabo and Luffy were pulling their punches, to avoid doing any serious damage to each other. She was content to be just a spectator, not quite enjoying the bloodshed and pain associated with fighting. She watched the way they stood and how they braced themselves, already taking note of what they could improve upon. At least her training at the Monastery would come in handy, even if she hadn't been able to complete it and learn the full ferocity of Baransu Jujitsu... She wished she could show them that, it would have been so cool!

The fish was done in no time and the four of them ate together. It was really good. They were fairly quiet, just enjoying the meal that they had all worked hard on. Teamwork had made things go by so much faster than they normally would have. And it was nice to have someone to share a meal with again. Shiori was getting tired of doing everything alone...

The next day, things went a bit better. Shiori's new friends had cheered her up a lot yesterday, even when they'd seen her breakdown crying. It had shown her that she wasn't over the loss of her family as much as she'd like to believe she was. Even the places where the tiger had scratched her had already begun to scab over.

'Some wounds take a lot longer than others to heal...' She thought, as she ran her tiny fingers over the deep scratches, with a heavy sigh. 'But they all heal... In time.'

She didn't like the scars that her wounds were probably going to leave. It was a sign of her weakness and defeat, but more than that... They were a sign of her mistakes. There was a long one running along her hip bone, several on her back, and a few more on her arms and legs. Luckily her clothing managed to hide most of them. It looked like the majority of them would heal okay though.

Right now, she mostly just wished that she had better clothes that would hide her injuries more. She knew that many of the inhabitants of Gray Terminal were ruthless criminals who would not hesitate to prey on someone weaker than them.

She was relieved to see her three new friends walk up to her that morning.

"Oi! Wait for us!" Luffy slingshot himself over to her.

"Oh, g-good morning you guys..." The young girl greeted them warmly. "I d-didn't think we were going to hang out today too."

"You should know better than that," Ace chuckled. "Remember what we said yesterday?"

"Yeah," Sabo patted her on the back. "We thought we'd take a walk down to the ocean today and visit the beach. If you want to?"

"W-well I don't know..."

"Awww, what's wrong?" Ace challenged her. "Afraid you won't get to prove to me that you're really a 'Valkyrie'? Afraid I'll prove you wrong?"

"No, that's not it at all..." Shiori snapped, indignant at the way he was patronizing her. "I've just never been to the beach or anything and-"

"What?!" Luffy's jaw dropped. "You mean you've never been swimming before? You're missing out, big time! I used to love it before I got my Devil Fruit powers. You should come with us, the beach is still tons of fun!" He grabbed her arm and dragged her along. "Let's go!"

"What, r-right now?" Her eyes widened. This was a surprise. She knew they'd talked about it, but she hadn't thought they were really serious.

"Yeah, why not? It'll be okay." Ace assured her.

The group of kids headed in a different direction through the forest this time. The boys seemed to know exactly where they were going. Shiori had a feeling that they'd done this many times before. She was nervous, but also kind of excited.

She'd never even been in water before, other than when she bathed. Even while she was on the ship with the old man Graham on the way here, she'd never so much as set foot in the water. She'd been so close to it, and yet, unable to reach it. She'd been nervous about that too, at first. The boat had kept them safe from the rough waves and everything turned out fine. There had been many times while on board his small vessel that she'd wanted to dip her hands into the water or something, but it was too far out of her reach. All she could do was look at the smooth, shiny reflective surface in awe.

But she had always imagined what it would be like. She'd seen some other children swimming in the sea when they'd stopped at some ports along the way... All she thought was that it looked like it must be a lot of fun. She was too busy working on deck and helping Graham to be able to take a break to play though.

"What was that?" Sabo suddenly stopped the others in their tracks. "Listen... It's been following us for a while now."

They could hear something moving quietly through the underbrush. They'd been going somewhat quietly anyway, taking care not to alert any predators to their presence. It wasn't a long way, but it figures they would run into something...

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if it would attack. They moved closer together for safety. From where they were, they couldn't see what it was. It seemed to move closer and stop, as if it were watching them. It sounded too small to be the same tiger that had attacked Shiori and Ace before. It was almost like it was pausing to see what they would do, while they waited to see what it would do. Whatever it was, it moved farther away, after several minutes had passed.

The kids breathed a collective sigh of relief. It seemed the danger was over.

"I w-wonder what it was..." Shiori was the first to speak up.

"I don't know," Ace narrowed his eyes, the onyx orbs becoming little beads. "But it's not good."

"It should know better than to mess with us! Ehehe!" Luffy chirped, gleefully.

"At least the beach isn't much further," Sabo told them. "Come on." He beckoned them with one hand.

The others followed him, eager to get away from whatever was lurking out there. They kept moving, trying to get through everything as quickly as possible. Eventually, they came to a large stretch of sand that stood before the crystal blue shores. Waves crashed upon the sand, splashing everywhere and foaming up, before rolling away, seeming to be dragged backward by some unknown force.

Shiori's stomach growled again. She hadn't eaten anything since the fish they'd shared yesterday. But they were already here and she didn't want to be rude.

"What are we gonna do about food?" Luffy also realized, with alarm. He must have heard her stomach.

"Oh, I brought us some snacks from home," Sabo opened a small knapsack and sat it in the sand. It had many kinds of cookies and cakes in it, along with some sandwiches. "I made them myself. Dig in!"

"A-are you sure it's okay?" Shiori asked, waiting politely.

In answerance, the blond boy stuck a cupcake in her hand, placing it right in the center of her palm. It was yellow with white frosting and clear sugar sprinkles that gleamed in the sunlight. It looked so delicious in that moment.

"Better eat it fast," Ace advised, also taking his own share of the food. "Before a seagull snatches it up."

Ah, yes... Seagulls. Shiori knew the annoying aquatic birds and their habits well. She'd first become acquainted with them during her travels with Graham. They'd been quick to grab up any scraps that were thrown out, and even tried to steal her food a few times. Knowing he was right, she devoured the cupcake in seconds.

"C-could I please have some more, Sabo-san?"

"Of course!" He grinned. "Take as many as you'd like!"

"Thank you." She bowed her head in thanks, and scooped up several more.

"The only downside is we'll have to wait a while before going in the water now." He pointed out, also enjoying some of the snack cakes.

"That's not even true!" Ace argued, through a mouth full of food. "Just an old wives' tale."

"Nuts to that!" Luffy chuckled. He was already done stuffing his face. He'd eaten quite a lot for such a little boy. "I'm going in right nowwww!"

And he took off, sprinting toward the ocean as fast as he could go.

"Stop! You idiot!" Sabo yelled at him.

But it was too late. He'd already gotten to the edge of the water. Luffy dipped his feet in, and felt how refreshing it was to have the sand erode from beneath his toes. He went in further, not seeming to care at first. He started to feel uncomfortable, but he ignored it. The other two ran over to him and Shiori dropped what was left of her food and ran after them. She didn't know what exactly the problem was, but knew he was in danger.

Luffy dove into the water, but then he froze. Bubbles came up to the surface, and she could see what was happening underwater. All of his muscles went rigid and he stopped moving. His eyes looked completely blank. It looked like he was in terrible pain, but there was just an emotionless expression on his face. He started to turn a faint shade of blue.

"Ow..." Was all he said, in a flat tone.

"We warned you, baka!" Ace punched him in the head, as they dragged his limp body across the sand. "You're so stupid! Idiot!"

Shiori trembled in fright. "What j-just happened to him?" She'd also frozen in place. She didn't know what to do.

"Those are the side effects of eating a Devil Fruit," Sabo explained, helping his brother haul Luffy out of the ocean and back onto dry land. "That's what happens to you if you eat one and then go swimming. Even years afterward... For as long as you live, the sea will hate you. But he'll be fine in a little while, once he dries off."

They sat him down on the beach. Luffy looked like he was going to be sick, and he lied back, looking up at the clear blue sky. If the expression on his face was anything to go by, it didn't look like fun.

"...Oh."

She really didn't know what to say to that. How was she supposed to react? Shiori just kind of stood there, staring at Luffy.

"Remember when I explained all of it before?" Ace asked. "Well, if you're really a... whatever you claim to b-"

"A Valkyrie."

"Right. If you're really a Valkyrie as you say, then you should still be able to swim. Or at the very least, you can go into the water without a problem. If it's a Devil Fruit, well... That will happen."

He pointed to Luffy, who was panting and trying to regain control of his limbs. It seemed like there was no way he could even use his powers right now.

"But otherwise," Sabo smiled, and began removing his jacket and top hat. They were discarded onto the beach next to where the youngest brother sat. "You can do cool stuff, like this!"

He rushed toward the same forbidden shoreline that had just devastated his friend, and dove right into an oncoming wave. The splash almost reached them but it fell short.

Shiori's chest tightened up... 'What if the same thing happens to him? What if he doesn't come back?'

She held her breath, watching until she saw him come back up. When his blond head appeared from the surface, she exhaled a sigh of relief. Sabo was just fine. He swam in small circles, careful not to stray too far from the shore. He seemed to be able to swim with ease. It didn't bother him at all.

"Stay here Luffy," Ace told him, before hastily joining Sabo without even removing any clothing. "I'm gonna go swimming too! Shiori-chan, you should join us... Unless you're afraid... Heh." He taunted her.

She really didn't see the harm in it. It would be like washing her clothes and getting herself clean all at the same time. She could always dry them out later, while she slept or something. Although just walking in the sun all day should be enough to dry them afterward. It didn't look so bad. And besides, they were doing it and it looked like they were having a great time.

Shiori watched the ebb and flow of the waves for a few minutes, while Ace and Sabo splashed around, a few feet away. It made her nervous... They kept waving her over, to try it for herself. With a little prompting from her friends, she finally decided to go for it.

"Come on!" Sabo called to her. "It's fine, just get in."

"O-okay, here goes n-nothing..."

She wasn't fooling anyone. They could tell how nervous she was from the way her voice trembled. She pulled off her shoes and felt the sand make its way between her toes. Then she ran for it, jumping into an oncoming wave, just like Sabo had. The cold seawater hit her right in the face. For a minute, she thought she would be alright. It felt like a smooth caress enveloping her entire body. It was nice...

"See?" Ace smiled. "I told you it-"

It was nice until the moment she realized that she could not move. At that rate, it didn't take very long for her muscles to lock up completely. Terror and panic swept across her face. There was nothing she could do about it. Her mouth opened, her jaw going slack, and she almost inhaled the water that surrounded her. It was like she could hear- No, she could feel voices whispering to her. They said only the most hateful things. She'd never felt so loathed, so absolutely despised, as she felt in that moment. It was like there was no more hope left at all. All she could see was despair.

'It's like...' The young girl tried to liken it to something, but found that it escaped her. 'It's like looking into the eyes of the Devil...'

"Shiori-san? Shiori?!" She could just barely hear Ace calling her name...

He and Sabo were at her side in a flash. Even Luffy, as out of it as he was, sat up from the shoreline to see what was going on. The two pulled her up out of the water. She felt almost weightless, until they'd dragged her fully back onto the beach. They placed her on the sand next to Luffy. Anyone could tell that she was in the same state that he was.

"Th-that was..." Her head turned to one side. She gagged, choking on seawater as she coughed it up. "Bleh! It was awful!"

Tears had gathered in the corners of her eyes. They could tell she was frightened. Ace was just staring at her, his almond eyes wide with a mix of confusion and concern.

"Oh wow..." Sabo was the first to speak. "I never expected that!"

"Well I did," The freckled boy had finally gathered his thoughts enough to speak. "I told you this would happen. Maybe next time you'll believe me."

'That isn't what I need to hear right now,' She glared daggers at him. 'Especially not after what I just went through.'

"It's not about being right or wrong," Shiori was quick to point out. "I... I don't..."

She trailed off. They gave her some space to recover.

Ace kicked some sand, shuffling his feet around. "Well, either way. Looks like the verdict is in. You've definitely eaten a Devil Fruit."

"But h-how? I don't underst-stand..."

"I don't either," He shrugged, sitting down beside her and picking up one of the small sandwiches that Sabo had made for them.

"If you don't remember, then there's no way to know how or when it happened... But it certainly happened." Sabo also assured her.

She was clearly very shaken up. It would be better if they got her out of there. The problem was, the two remaining children wouldn't be able to carry both her and Luffy back through the woods. It was way too far.

"Wh-what now?"

"We'll just have to wait it out," Ace explained. "And you'll have to avoid contact with the sea at all costs. Or else."

Shiori just nodded, fighting back the tears that once again threatened to fall. She was fed up! This wasn't a blessing at all, it was a handicap! She'd had more than enough of today. She felt so stupid... She'd been so sure that the Nuns were telling her the truth.

"W-well what i-if... The Nuns were t-telling the truth. And m-maybe that happened because I've never been swimming before? I mean, I d-don't even know how in the first place."

"No," The freckled boy shook his head. "There's no mistaking it. If we had some sea prism stone, I'd prove it to you."

His answer made everything seem so final; so absolute... Shiori sighed. This was going to be a long day, but now she would just have to make the most of it. This was really confusing. For some reason, there was a part of her that just could not accept this. There's no way she'd been lied to for her entire life. It was ridiculous... And yet, she feared there was a deep truth in what they'd discovered today. I mean, she'd seen Luffy's odd abilities. They seemed to work sort of the same as hers.

She just lied in the sand, while the other two boys ran around the beach playing. They hadn't left her there alone. That was all she could really ask for, at this point. It was nice that they weren't treating her any differently. She'd expected people to hate her for being different. Yet, they also seemed to accept Luffy so easily.

Gradually, she began to feel like she could move again. It had been like all the life was sucked out of her, all of her energy was sapped for most of the day. She noticed that Luffy was on his feet running around. Maybe it wouldn't take much longer for her to get better too... Despite her high hopes, it took several hours for her to really get back to normal. She finally sat up.

"Oi, snow-chan..." He referred to her by a strange pet name. The rubber boy was walking around her in circles, and had been for some time. He seemed bored. "It'll get better. It's always really bad the first time."

She just nodded, still not feeling much like talking. It was getting late as the day dragged on. It meant a lot that she wasn't going through it alone. There were apparently other people with the same abilities too. Well they were different, but similar, from what she understood of it.

"Well," Ace titled his head to one side. "We should really head home, now that you're feeling better. It's getting late and we don't want to worry anyone."

"Where do you guys live anyway?" Shiori finally summoned the strength to get up.

"In a place called Foosha Village. We stay with someone our grandfather arranged for us to live with, before he had to leave."

"Wow, and you came a-all this way? Thank you! Today was really fun." The little girl beamed a bright smile at all of them.

"Don't mention it," He smiled back at her. "Although I doubt it was much fun being paralyzed for half the day."

"It was still fun spending time with my friends... My Nakama." She smiled, as she tested out their word.

"Yeah!" Luffy sang, clapping his hands eagerly. "It was a blast!"

"I have to admit, it was pretty fun." Sabo agreed.

All of them began to make their way back toward Gray Terminal. They would split up and go their separate ways from there. Shiori had to admit that today had taken a lot out of her... But she would never tell them that. She hoped they could have more days like this. She really enjoyed spending time with her new friends, even in spite of the bad things that had happened. They would face any difficulties they met together, with their heads held high.

The four of them walked along the path, oblivious to anything else. A set of golden eyes watched them from the edge of the woods, narrowing dangerously...

A/N: Okay, so they got to have a little bit of cutesy fun here, lol. You're probably wondering... Why didn't Ace use his abilities to light the fire? It's because he didn't have them yet. He was still just a kid when this took place, so yeah. I'm trying not to spend too much time getting through their childhood and backstory stuff, but I have several important plot points to make for later. Thanks for bearing with me! ;w;

-Kaline