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 17: Great White Secret

The next few days that followed were nowhere near as light and playful or as laid back as the previous few had been... One morning, Shiori woke up on her own, due to the harsh beeping sounds from her alarm clock. She was already starting to grow accustomed to it.

Unfortunately, she was already beginning to face some challenges. Chouko had been showing her how to navigate for the enormous Icebreaker, and she'd learned a lot already. Enough to know that she wasn't perfectly suited for being a navigator, but she was decent at it. It was clear that her friend was an expert at her craft, however.

Today, Whitey Bay was supposed to be training her herself. She didn't really know what her new mentor had in store, but she was nervous about it. She'd never even dreamt that someday she would be here, way out in the middle of the vast ocean, being formally trained by an Ice Witch... And on a Pirate ship, no less! It was amazing!

As the days dragged by, Shiori began to find herself thinking about Sabo more and more often... The more she pondered his untimely death, the worse she felt about it, but the more it made her want to move forward with her own life. The tragic events that unfolded had affected her greatly and now she knew for sure that there was a great injustice in this world. The way it was run was deplorable. She also knew that she would have to get much stronger, in order to do something about it, and even just to protect herself in a place like this. The Nuns' training had helped, but it wasn't enough alone. So she was really looking forward to her training with Miss Bay.

"So wh-what are we d-doing today?" The normally shy girl asked, as she walked up onto the training deck, along the back of the ship.

"Awfully eager to learn, aren't we?" Her expression gradually softened. "I'm glad to see such an attitude in you. It's about time! Alright... We are now entering the Ice Oceans, a frozen part of the sea. It will make things much easier for ice and snow elemental users, like us. The first thing you need to focus on is learning to control your Devil Fruit ability. From there, we will hone your skills."

"And h-how do I do th-that?"

"Watch your stuttering, please!" Whitey Bay began to rub her temples, as if she were already exasperated with her new pupil.

"S-sorry..."

"It's okay. I'm sure you'll get better with time."

"I have a q-question..."

The young albino cringed at the thought of interrupting her already, but she'd given a lot of thought to it since she'd been here. She hadn't wanted to ask before, simply because it was none of her business, but now she felt the need to know. She grew nervous, as the Captain turned to give Shiori her full attention.

"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow, interested.

"H-have you eaten a Devil Fruit?"

"Hah!" The Ice Witch laughed, in a dry barking tone. "Never! To tell you the truth, I have not eaten a Devil Fruit of any kind..." Her frown twisted into a confident smirk. "My abilities are good enough on their own merit, as you'll soon find out."

"Oh... I see..." Shiori sighed. At least she hadn't stuttered that time. "Then I hope you d-don't mind if I a-ask how you're going to teach me?"

"My dear..." Bay placed a hand on her back, between her shoulder blades, and led her over to the far side of the ship. "Listen. I am from a group of legendary Pirates who make the ice their home, and as such, I was naturally born with my powers."

"S-so there's n-no hope for someone like me then..." Shiori lowered her head, crestfallen. It was not a moment later that Whitey Bay lifted her chin, forcing the girl to lock eyes with her. And what she saw within those depths astounded her. When she leaned forward, the frilly crinkled purple decorations hanging from the Captain's bandana tickled her nose.

"It does not matter how you obtain them... You have just as much natural capability as I do. It just so happens that I am adept at using ice magic and manipulating it to my every whim. You have a gift for the snow, it's like it's calling to you. Because of this, you and I share a very special bond."

Suddenly, she finally understood... It was like everything just clicked into place right then. The girl pulled back a little, once the Captain lowered her hand.

"I'm ready. I'll do all it t-takes!" Shiori nodded firmly, as she stood with the wind at her back, causing her striped sweater to flutter in the wind, catching like an unfurled sail...

"Good. I know you are, of course."

Whitey Bay walked over to a large tarp that was cast over some human-sized lumps. She removed it in one swift movement, like one would use to pull a tablecloth from beneath priceless china. Under it, there was a long row of pale practice dummies, each with a large target painted right in the center of it's chest.

"I want to see what you can do," She explained, wasting no time in returning to her pupil's side. "So first, I want you to try attacking these dummies we've constructed. You can hit them in any way you like... But try to use your Devil Fruit abilities more than physical attacks."

Shiori summoned all the strength she could muster... Gradually, snow began to fall. It was only a little, but it was enough to give her the edge she needed. She formed a fist of snow, using it to punch one of the dummies. In just one hit, she'd knocked it to the ground. The second one gave her a bit of a tougher time. She tried controlling a small patch of snow and lifting it to hit the target, but she missed. On the second try she hit it, but it didn't go down.

"Wow, very good..." Whitey Bay remarked, encouraging her.

She turned her entire arm into snow and wrapped it around the targeted dummy, but it did little good. Unlike humans, dummies were not really susceptible to the cold. So it did nothing, as freezing them was useless... She clearly needed to get more physical with her attacks.

Getting frustrated, Shiori let out a growl. She kicked it, and it went flying backward into a wall, hard. At least she was finding some way to knock down the targets. Her movements were clumsy, and she lost her footing. If it had been a real enemy, she could have been seriously injured or worse. She stumbled for a few steps, but righted herself, partially thanks to the black leather boots that she was now wearing.

"Stop, stop... I've seen enough." The Captain sneered at her. "I like what I see, speed-wise. You've very fast. However, you're also very clumsy and not graceful at all!"

"I know that already," For once, she didn't stutter. "It's something I've been w-" She concentrated hard, intent on not messing this up. "Working on." She finally managed to get the sentence out properly, in spite of her speech impediment.

Whitey Bay's features softened a bit, the moment she'd gotten out the sentence... Maybe there was still hope for her, after all.

"The trouble is... You move like a snowball, when you should be more like a snowflake."

"I see."

"Don't be discouraged," She gave her student a reassuring pat on the back. "That is the last thing I want. I'll teach you to be a little more dainty, but also stronger. It's an irresistible and deadly combination, and will win you many battles, I can assure you."

"I b-believe you..." Though she was listening, Shiori's head was down. She stared numbly at the wooden deck, unable to feel better until she had gained her new teacher's approval. "Thank you Bay-sama. I'll do m-my best..."

"As I said, your physical attacks are pretty good already, but your Devil Fruit abilities are where you are sorely lacking. But it's okay, nothing to be ashamed of... That's why you're here, after all. And at least it's something that I have experience with. So that's what we'll work on first."

Shiori nodded, just absorbing the information. And before Whitey Bay could say anything else, she was already attacking the other dummies. In a flurry of kicks and punches, she sent many of them ruthlessly to the ground. The small meek girl clearly had a lot of rage inside of her, but also... She had the strong desire to do well. This made the Captain smile.

"You fight well when you're frustrated," The blue haired woman was telling her pupil, as several other crew members passed by. "And your speech problem improves then too. You just have to learn how to channel that rage into something more useful, to be able to direct it more efficiently."

"That m-makes sense." She agreed, pausing for a moment to catch her breath.

The other crew members walked on past, after regarding the newcomer with mild curiosity for a moment... Shiori didn't like it when she was watched during something like this, and they seemed to know it. It wasn't until a few more minutes had passed that she realized she'd probably been glaring at them. No wonder they'd moved on so quickly...

"You've done well, very good my dear!" The Captain ushered her over to a new side of the deck, where a rubber mat had been placed down. "We should move on now. Next is a trust exercise... But first, there's something I want to show you."

Her heels clunked across the wooden floor. She didn't want to frighten the girl too much, but she figured that a good scare was in order. Shiori followed her around the corner and to a small door embedded in the deck. There was a flight of wooden stairs and then they were in what looked like some kind of cellar. It was dark and very hard to see.

After her eyes adjusted for a few minutes, she began to see that there were faces everywhere. It wasn't until Whitey Bay plucked a lantern from the wall and lit it, that she was able to see the terror that truly lied beneath the deck of their ship. The albino girl gasped, taking a staggering step backward. She bumped into something. Whirling around, Shiori let out a stifled shriek. There were hundreds of people, all of them encased in solid ice! They were immobile, and some even had horrified expressions on their faces... They'd been frozen!

Although she was trying to remain calm, it was very difficult. "Who are all of these people?!"

"Hey! You didn't stutter that time!" Bay called out in a singsong voice, mocking her. "You see? You're getting better already!" She finished off with a sadistic laugh.

"No, s-seriously... Who are they?"

"Did you think being a Pirate would be all fun and games, dear? It's not. These," She gestured with a swoop of her well-manicured hand. "Are all of the prisoners that I've taken, over the years... All of those who dared to cross swords with me."

"That's h-horrifying!" The Valkyrie gasped, her jaw dropping in abject terror. She couldn't believe that such a nice woman had done all of this. "There are so m-many of them..."

"You haven't seen anything yet... This isn't even the horrifying part. The really bad part is... Sometimes we take no prisoners at all." She winked, a single beady blue eye vanishing, then reappearing once more.

Shiori took a moment to absorb this new information. She'd known there would be difficulties on her journey, but this was unexpected. Whitey Bay seemed like such a kindhearted person! Any previous illusions she'd had about her had just been shattered.

"Why d-did you b-bring me here?"

Bay saw that she was starting to worry now. 'Heh. Good!'

"To show you what we do with our enemies..." She circled around to another area where there were more hapless victims, each of them frozen solid. "The poor souls trapped in this section are Devil Fruit users. I know a special trick for dealing with them... Can you guess what it is?"

Shiori shook her head no, unable to speak.

The Captain leaned in close and whispered... "We use ice made from sea water."

The girl stumbled her way through the dark, following her teacher, who had turned away, blindly. Mauve eyes widened in shock at this new tidbit of information. She certainly hadn't been expecting that. This whole time, she'd been so close to potentially being killed at any moment, and she hadn't even known... It made her wonder just what these people were planning. Were they going to hurt her? Would she end up trapped like this too? She had so many questions, but none that she would dare to ask.

"I d-don't know what I'd e-even do if that happened to m-me! That's an a-awful way to be st-stuck!" She fidgeted with her hair, which was already starting to grow longer since they'd departed from Goa Kingdom. Shiori was beside herself with worry. "It must be so t-terribly painful..."

It really was a horrible torture. Sea water was the only thing that could stop a Devil Fruit user in their tracks. It was also very painful for the person afflicted. She'd learned that firsthand, the hard way. And it had since been confirmed plenty of times. It gave her a sick feeling that nestled in the pit of her stomach just thinking about it. She'd heard tales circulating about some people using sea prism stone, namely the Navy, but those were probably only rumors. Either way, the fact that people were even capable of such cruelty continued to astound her.

"I could probably thaw them out at any time," Her mentor was quick to inform her. "But I've never done so. And there may still be some permanent damage, depending... I know it's horrible but I've brought you here to explain one thing to you. Above all else, you must be cold and ruthless toward your enemies, at all costs!"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Shiori thought she sort of knew what she was getting at, but she wanted to be sure.

Her voice suddenly darkened. She leaned in close, cornering the frightened girl once more below deck. "I mean that I only noticed one mistake during your fight with that mossy-headed little freak..."

She knew that her Captain was referring to the fight she'd had with Monet that day on the beach. The day they'd first met... She felt that she'd done pretty well. At least she'd been able to hold her own. But what did the Captain mean? She'd made tons of mistakes during that fight!

"And what was that?"

"The fact that you didn't finish her off," Whitey Bay's trademark smirk was now apparent. "When you should have shown no mercy, killing her instead."

"K-killing her?! Why on earth w-would I d-do that? She used to be a f-friend, she-"

"Trust me... It's much better to cut your problems off at the head. I once learned that the hard way... It's perhaps my greatest secret. But if I'm going to teach you properly, there should be no secrets between us."

To her surprise, the Captain reached down to unbutton her own blouse. She undid all of the buttons in the front, and then reached up to unzip the back. Shiori was mortified! She hadn't expected this to turn into something weird... It was making her feel terribly awkward. She covered her face, and tried to avert her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to l-look, I-"

"No, I want you to see. You need to see this." Whitey Bay's once vibrant voice had gone down in pitch, and she now seemed lackluster... There was a distant sadness there somehow.

The hapless girl could only watch in horror as she turned around and dropped the royal purple cloak from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. There was an enormous gash that ran all the way across her back. Covered entirely in scar tissue, it ran diagonally between her shoulder blades. It was an intimidating deformity. It didn't even look like it would have been possible to survive something like that...

Shiori stayed silent. Her jaw dropped, and all she could do was stare at Whitey Bay's nauseating, shameful secret. Only she and the petrified victims of the Captain's terrifying power bore witness to it.

"H-how..." One hand covered her face, unable to look away, even as she struggled to find the words. "How did that h-happen...?"

"I got this during a grand battle with my arch nemesis," Blue eyes peered over one shoulder, studying the girl's reaction carefully. "He got the better of me. I nearly died."

"What's an a-arch nemesis?"

"Oh, you'll know them when you meet them... They'll make everything within you just bubble over with pure fury. All you will feel is unadulterated, blinding, unstoppable seething rage! They'll bring out everything that is dark within you. It will feel awful in every way. They're the worst kind of enemy you could ever have."

"I see... D-did they do this t-to you?"

"Yes," She admitted, here where no one else was watching, in this dark place where she was safe from the scrutiny of the rest of her crew. "I made a nearly fatal mistake... I turned my back on him, showing him mercy instead of killing him off like I should've. He was not so merciful, and continued to fight me, slicing open my back; giving me... This. I almost bled to death and my enemy, my nemesis, got away. Truth be told, I'm still looking for them..."

"Who were they?" Shiori's interest was now piqued, and there was no going back. "How did they m-manage to do an awful thing like this?"

"I cannot reveal that, I'm sorry. It's beside the point. Anyway," She cleared her throat, putting back together her dignity and gathering her discarded cloak from the floor. "Had a good enough peek?" The Captain wore a wry smile.

'Is she flirting with me or...' Shiori still stared in wonder, her mouth agape. 'Is it just my imagination? Then again, she probably takes that kind of attitude with everyone.'

As a sheltered child who had been through a lot, she sometimes found it very hard to read people... So she was always trying to pick them apart, overanalyzing them. She really didn't know what to make of this latest revelation, or why she'd chosen to tell her all of this. All she could do was watch as her newfound mentor replaced her cloak and rebuttoned the front of her short pinstriped dress.

She could tell Whitey Bay was ashamed of this, and had probably kept it hidden from most of her crew. The only other witnesses to this terrible secret were the stone cold eyes of her victims, forever unmoving... But she'd managed to make a very good point with all of this, and the lesson was not lost on Shiori.

"We should go back outside now," The Captain instructed her, becoming more serious. "You have more training to do."

Shiori led her up the stairs, barely remembering the way through the narrow corridors, and they closed the trap door that led down into the mysterious cellar. She never would have imagined this ship held such secrets beneath it's creaky wooden deck.

"Stand right here, okay?" Bay squared her shoulders, holding her steady to offset the waves' turbulence.

Shiori nodded, showing her willingness to do anything that was asked of her by her Captain. She may not know much about being a Pirate, but she did know to listen to whoever was in charge. It had been a common theme at the Monastery where she was raised, and it was no different now. She stayed on the rubber mat like she'd been told. Her eyes darted around, questioning everything. She was definitely on her toes after what had just transpired.

"Now I want you to stay there, and trust me, no matter what happens. Alright?"

"I-I understand..." She stammered, nervous.

"I can tell that you don't trust people fully. Someone in your past has hurt you deeply... But in order to be my student, you will have to trust me, fully and completely."

"Y-yes Bay-sama..."

Truthfully, she was right. She had been hurt in the past. Many times. But during her travels, she'd come to realize that nearly everyone had. There was hardly anyone that she'd met that she could honestly say hadn't experienced some kind of horrible tragedy in their life. There were no saints in this world who were not also sinners... No truly unmarred souls. No purity left.

"Okay. Here we go." The Captain placed a silver mirror on the ground next to her, then she began a series of complicated hand gestures. "I need you to remain perfectly still, while I create a sculpture around you. Don't worry, there will be plenty of air. You won't be able to get out until I let you out, however... Unless you can think of something else to do? Above all else, just don't panic."

Shiori nodded. 'I can do this!' She told herself.

She waited, holding her breath in anticipation of what was to come. Soon enough, spirals of ice rose from the mirror, coiling around to encircle her. She couldn't get away, but she didn't try to. She hadn't been instructed to fight back, only to wait and hold still. That didn't seem to be too much of a challenge. It was a mental test, not a physical one, so this seemed a bit unconventional. When she thought about training, she'd always imagined having to brutally fight her way through all of it. She was a little relieved to see that was not the case, but it also unnerved her.

Soon the ice had completely encased her and there was no way out. It didn't shrink around her, and wasn't touching her body at all. It was just like being sealed in a very small room. Shiori craned her neck to be able to better see the inside of the sculpture. It was sort of dome-shaped, but it appeared to be in the shape of something very distinct. She could tell it was something with feathers, although the details were hard to make out, since the ice was several inches thick in most places.

Shiori was having a much harder time with this than she'd originally expected. Now that she was sealed in, all she had left to do was think... It was cold but it wasn't dark, since the sun was still out. It wasn't doing anything at all to melt the ice, however.

She understood why this was meant to be an exercise in trust. In order to keep herself from panicking, she must trust her Captain not to let her freeze. Even a snow Devil Fruit user could still freeze to death under certain conditions, if she weren't careful. She also had to trust her enough to know that she would eventually release her from this icy prison. That was a task in and of itself, after seeing what she'd witnessed below deck earlier...

Outside, Whitey Bay was smiling as her pupil slowly figured it out... She'd fashioned the ice crystals into the shape of a large and graceful swan. It was ironic, since Shiori reminded her of a story she'd read once, about an ugly duckling. She intended to make her wait for a while, so she just left her there and walked away.

"You think she's ready for this?" Chouko asked her, in passing. She'd been secretly watching as her friend's first day of training wore on.

"She'll figure it out."

It had taken her several hours of being encased in solid ice to learn that she couldn't always rely on her comrades to get her out of difficult situations. Sometimes the only person she could really depend on was herself.

Whitey Bay had not come back to help her. None of the crew members had bothered to come to her aide either, not even Chouko. Shiori was starting to get really cold. She was shivering, and she soon discovered that the ice shield was so close to her body that she could not even sit down or wrap herself up to keep warm. The temperatures continued to plummet as the massive Icebreaker neared a sea full of glaciers.

Knowing there wasn't much time, Shiori knew she would have to come up with a plan of some sort. She couldn't very well just stay there and freeze... Even if the Captain had said to. It was very cold, but at least she hadn't used seawater for this. That would just make things much more uncomfortable. At least she didn't have to deal with being seasick on top of it.

"Anyone out there?" She called, but got no response. "Hey! Are you j-just gonna leave me here? Huh?!"

No one answered. She knew they'd left her alone. The only thing the imprisoned girl could do was try to figure this out.

She had already noticed that there were tiny holes along the rubber mat, that were directing oxygen into the inside of the sculpture. That was a huge relief. She was sure she would have already passed out by now, if it weren't for that. Then there would be nothing left to do but lie there and freeze.

Taking a deep breath, Shiori struggled not to panic. Keeping her wits about her was important. If it was only made of ice, there had to be a way out. She'd already tried hitting the strange sculpture from the inside. It didn't work... She would have to think of something else. Making it snow wouldn't help either, since that would only help make the ice that much denser. She knew she could turn her own body into snow as well, but she didn't know how she could use that to her advantage.

'Think, Shiori! There has to be a way...'

Suddenly, her head snapped up. Her scarlet eyes alert, she scanned the sides of her temporary tomb to see if there were any cracks or breaks in the ice. She found none, but she had to try anyway... Giving her new plan a shot, Shiori let her limbs transcend into beautiful, fine crystalline powder. It wasn't enough, so she let herself go completely...

She'd never actually transformed her entire body like this before. It was a foreign feeling, but she actually kind of liked it. She hadn't been certain she could pull it off until now. But there was no other choice. Her mentor had backed her into a corner, forcing her to draw out her true inner strength. It must have been Whitey Bay's plan all along. Shaking with the effort of her first transformation, her small body faded into the sparkling white dust effortlessly.

Luckily, there was enough there to create an adequate amount of snow. She felt herself reaching out, going everywhere at once and dispersing... The swan was filled to the brim, and it was difficult to manage staying in this form. The mass of snow seemed to be in the shape of an egg, ironically enough.

It still wasn't enough to break the shell, however. To get out, she knew she would have to concentrate her energy enough to move the snow around. She found that it was almost as effortless as moving her fingers and toes... It was enough to give her the edge she needed. She couldn't really see herself, but she could sense her body's scattered mass along with all of her surroundings. She didn't like being contained.

Shiori gave one mighty shove against the wall of ice, and the sculpture cracked open. Fragments of ice scattered everywhere, the shards partially penetrating the rubber mat. At first she thought it was there for her own protection, but now she supposed it was also there to help protect the deck from damage. The pile of snow fell from the sculpture, emerging like sand from an hourglass...

She felt her essence slowly coming back to herself, no longer needing to maintain her frigid form. And just like that, Shiori was whole again. It was like magic...

She was a little disappointed that it had taken her so long to figure out how to escape from her mentor's trap, but Shiori wasn't discouraged. To the contrary, she was excited! It had only been a few days and she'd already learned a lot just from the short time she'd spent training with Whitey Bay. Once the shell broke open, she realized that it was actually night time already.

'No wonder it was so cold...' She thought.

"So the duckling finally hatched! I was wondering what was taking you so long," Chouko's familiar voice caught her off guard, as she walked up behind her. "Thought maybe you were a goner already! Haha!"

"No w-way!" Shiori protested. "I would never go d-down that easy..."

"I see that. Well you've come a long way and done us all proud. I've had the cooks save you some dinner. You should come with me to the mess deck and eat. You've been in there all day, so you're probably starving."

"Eh, I could eat..." The Valkyrie shrugged. She still wore a smile, showing that she was immensely proud of her latest accomplishment. "B-but where's Bay-sama?"

"She said to keep an eye on you until you completed your task. She's probably already drunk or asleep by now... Or both."

Chouko noticed that her friend was stuttering a lot less than was normal, but she chose not to comment on it. Some things were probably best left unsaid. She just walked with her toward the galley, guiding her through the large maze-like ship. She remembered how tough it had been trying to find her way through it back when she was new and they'd first gotten this vessel. Her anklet chimed as she walked.

She watched while Shiori ate her dinner. All the while, the moth girl made do with some drinks. She'd chosen a glass of straight vodka tonight, since she'd gotten a late start. She noticed that the newcomer decided to go with lemonade again. It wasn't like she drank every night, but she found that sometimes it helped to pass the time. Some people could even go mad from spending so much time out at sea...

"So congrats!" Chouko toasted to her once she'd finished her meal, their glasses lightly clinking against each other, despite the differing natures of what they contained. "Bay-sama said she's gonna teach you about swordplay tomorrow!"

"S-swords? Really?" It was as if her eyes lit up with pure mischief right then...

"Yeah, it'll be great! Wanna sip to celebrate?" She winked, offering her a sip of her vodka.

"I don't know... I'm pretty tired. Need to get to bed quickly."

"Don't tell me you're going already!" A familiar voice called out from the far side of the room. It was the white haired guy who had introduced himself as Sam. She'd seen him around here and there, but he always seemed busy. "Without even so much as a drink? It's not going to hurt you any."

She felt his striking eyes glaring at her, almost accusingly. Shiori knew she'd sworn never to partake of alcohol or anything like that. But sometimes she felt like if she did, then maybe everyone would finally leave her alone about it.

"Leave her alone, Sam-san..." Chouko waved a dismissive hand at him, taking another sip of her own drink. "I was only offering her a friendly little sip. It's not nice to pressure her like that."

"What are you, a prude or somethin'?" He leaned in close to the small shy girl, who turned away. "Or maybe you're just a scared little girl. Pathetic. Don't make me laugh..."

"I... I j-just..."

Shiori couldn't come up with anything. Her mind was drawing a blank. There really was no good comeback for something like that. She knew he was probably only doing this because she was kind of rude to him before.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Chouko rolled her deep brown eyes, putting down her glass for the help to pick up, not caring that it was still half full. She'd already drank a fair amount tonight. The crew members who were assigned kitchen duty would always take care of it. "Don't pay attention to him. He's always like this when he's drunk. Let's go Shiori-chan..."

Taking her friend's hand, she began to lead her toward the exit. She'd practically dragged her halfway across the room before she could even blink.

"St-stop it!" The little albino smacked her hand away, causing her friend to jerk back in shock. "Don't make my decisions for me!"

It was like everything completely stopped for a moment. She spun on her heel, and before anyone could stop her, she grabbed the remnants of her friend's drink and downed it all in one shot. It burned terribly going down, and tasted like the most horrible bile she'd ever experienced... Being straight vodka, it was really strong. The sour look on her face was testament enough to that fact, not to even mention the way one hand immediately flew to her burning throat. But she drank all of it.

Then she began scolding the one who'd made her do such a horrible thing.

"There!" She shouted in her bewildered crew mate's face. "I broke the sacred vows that I once made as a Nun! I've given up everything that was ever dear to me! Are you h-happy now?! Are you satisfied?!"

Sam didn't say anything. He left his own empty mug on the table, turning to leave. He stared at her silently, taking one last glance over his shoulder. Shiori could have sworn that she'd seen a smile there, at the last minute.

Chouko was genuinely surprised at her outburst, as well as her brash actions. She could have tried to stop her, but she'd already done it before there was time. And in doing so, Shiori was also taking a stand for herself. It seemed almost like she was starting to crack under all the pressure. It made her wonder if bringing her along with them really was a good idea...

She frowned... Her friend was beginning to change.

Ever since her slight slip-up that evening, Shiori had made sure to avoid alcohol at all costs. Although Chouko had stayed with her in her room that night to make sure she was alright, it hadn't been a pleasant experience. Even the small amount that she'd ingested had been enough to make her feel strange for days. Her body wasn't used to it. Or it may have been that her moral opposition to it was just that strong, but she also didn't see the point in drinking something that was essentially poison. There was no reason to do so.

She didn't get what was so appealing about it. It tasted awful and felt horrible.

When the Captain had gotten word of what happened, she'd had a good long laugh about it, at Shiori's expense. Then when she saw the state she was in, she'd excused her new pupil from her training until she felt better. She wasn't used to having crew members who couldn't handle their liquor.

Once she'd had a little time off to clear her head, Shiori had tackled the rest of her training head on. She was actually glad to feel the weather getting colder, as they approached the enormous glacier she'd been promised. After Whitey Bay's vivid descriptions, she really wanted to see it. Sometimes, the Captain sounded almost homesick when she spoke about it. It had taken several months, but they were getting closer to their destination all the time.

"You did really great today," Whitey Bay commended her. "I'm proud of you. I mean, we haven't even arrived to our destination yet, and you've already come so far..." She seemed to have a faraway look in her eyes then.

"Thank you, I try." She smiled.

It was in the early hours of evening when the dusk finally settled in and she could see that the sky was different out here... A shiny aura of swirling green and blue lights filled the sky. It was like every shade of cyan and turquoise all at once, and even had a little bit of pink mixed in. It flickered and shimmered in the distance. It worried her. The albino girl tilted her head back, staring up at the spectacle in wonder.

"Oh m-my... What is that?"

Her mentor looked to where she was pointing. "Ah, I see that you aren't familiar with this phenomenon. These lights are known as 'Aurora Borealis'. It's something you'll see a lot at night, and they'll get brighter the closer we get to the arctic. Don't worry, it's harmless, although it's pretty to look at."

"Wow..." Shiori was speechless. Her breath was taken away... "I don't think I've e-ever seen anything so beautiful in all my life..."

The Captain was just looking at her, smiling happily. She was quite pleased with how her pupil was coming along with her training. The girl excelled at speed, and she was decent with combat too. The only thing she'd been lacking in was using her Devil Fruit abilities, but she'd been making lots of progress with that since she'd been here.

"I've seen them for as long as I can remember," She admitted, removed her tri-cornered Captain's hat. "When I was a small child, they were always there. I would stare up at them in wonder, until one day my friend told me about them."

"What are they though? I mean... What are they really?"

"Well, it's complicated. They're caused by the magnetism in the Earth's atmosphere. When rays of light from the sun hit it, they cause electrons in the atoms to move to a higher energy state. When the electrons drop back down, they release light particles. And that's what creates the beautiful aurora. But to me... They're a sign that I'm almost home."

Whitey Bay had that faraway, dreamy look in her eyes again. It made Shiori smile. She didn't argue or question it, content to simply accept the answer she'd been given.

When she didn't respond, her Captain placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You've done well for today, Shiori-chan. I have high hopes for you in the future. We can start with your sword training tomorrow."

"I'm n-not sure if I can manage to use a sword... I'm clumsy, r-remember?"

"Don't start that again," Ever vigilant, she chastised her pupil for her stuttering, along with her low self-esteem. "You'll be awesome! And I will have you know that I intend to make you into a master swordswoman, clumsy or not!"

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at Shiori.

"Well... All I can say is... I'll t-try my best."

"The first thing we'll do is add a little weight training to your regimen. You'll have to be able to lift a sword, after all..." Bay paused, regarding her pupil thoughtfully. "Yes, I think you'll be able to pick it up fast enough. And eventually we'll move on to more complex things, like summoning snow from the sky and slicing it in half with your blade, for target practice. I know lots of tricks to help you improve."

"There's just one problem with that," Shiori sighed, moving her hair out of her face. It clung to her cheek, since she was still sweaty from practicing all day. "I don't own a sword."

"That's okay! I've got plenty I can lend you until you get one of your own. I'll even help find one for you. Consider it a gift."

"But you've done so much for me already..." She protested.

"Stop it. I'll have none of that kind of talk on my ship!" The Ice Witch hissed. "We've already been through this. There will be plenty of time for you to repay your debt to me. And having such a capable person on the crew won't be a bad thing either."

"Alright... I'll humbly accept your kindness." She bowed. "Thank you, Bay-sama."

"Don't." She pulled the girl up, as soon as she started to go down on one knee before her. "Don't ever bow to anyone! Not even me."

"What? B-but why?"

"I know it's supposed to be a sign of respect, but... You're a Pirate now. So act like one."

There was great truth behind her words. Shiori took a moment to reflect on that... She knew Pirates were supposed to be mean, but did that mean she would have to be rude too? To her, they were two separate things. She knew she would have to toughen up, but she wasn't ready to let go of herself completely, in the process.

"I'll work on that."

"Good," Whitey Bay seemed pleased, offering her a pleasant smile. "You should get some rest. We still have lots to do."

Shiori nodded, taking her leave. "See you tomorrow, Bay-sama."

Exhausted, she headed downstairs to her room. She had some light snacks stored away in the compartment under her bed, and she would eat some of them tonight instead of bothering to get a warm meal. She was too tired to even bother with it, and there was no time.

Taking out a granola bar, she munched on it while she laid out a pattern on her bed. It might be getting late, but there was no reason she couldn't still make use of the time that she had left. Most of her shipmates would be on the mess deck enjoying their dinner, but Shiori had more important things to do. She didn't even want to pal around with Chouko tonight. She was grateful for everything, but there were other things on her mind.

"Now let's see..." She muttered to herself, under her breath. "H-how did Ruhi-chan do it before...? I remember she used to... Hmm..." Her murmurings trailed off.

Without even giving herself any time to rest from her training, the girl was already hard at work, adjusting the paper pattern to a size that should fit her over time. She had a lot of things she intended to make, but this one was different. This particular garment was going to be very special to her, and she didn't want to make any mistakes. She also wanted to size it so that she could wear it now, but also wear it later when she grew more. She needed to be able to keep it for a long time. It had to be just right!

Unconsciously, she'd begun whistling some made up tune to herself while she worked. The pattern was nearly adjusted to her measurements. All she had to do was pin it and start cutting the fabric.

She placed the remnants of her old torn blanket onto the bed, laying the finished pattern out on top. It was a struggle to arrange it in such a way that the tear wouldn't affect the finished piece. Turning it every which way and adjusting it, she finally began to figure it out. After she'd laid it all out, she started pinning everything into place.

The next morning, they found her lightly snoozing with her back to the wall and a great big half-finished bluish gray sweater in her arms...

A/N: I really appreciate all of the feedback I've gotten for this darling little ficcy... Personally, I love this chapter for so many reasons! The revelation of Whitey Bay's secret, Shiori finally starting to make her sweater, her little outburst and her first time drinking, so many things happening! I don't want to bore you with too many details of her training... So I'll leave it kind of vague for now. Also, just a note, I made up all of Whitey Bay's backstory for this fic. I had to, because so little information is given about her character in the series. So I did the best I could with it. Now who's ready for Shiori to finally grow up? ;D Hehe...

-Kaline