ONE PIECE
Two Worlds, One Family
A young woman struggling to find her place in the world wakes up to find a bunch of cats in her room...cats that turn out to be the characters from her favourite TV show, One Piece! Bound to each other, whether they like it or not, and trying to figure out a way to find a certain somebody's lost Nakama and get everyone back to their home, what follows is bound to be chaos, friendship, tears, romance - and, adventure! (Kind of a re-write of Straw Cat Pirates).
CHAPTER EIGHT
Everybody Wants To Be A Cat
The next morning, Emma woke up from an uneventful sleep, to find that it was still dark outside. "Hmm..." She smiled, wriggling around in her bed, and burrowing under the soft sheets. "Ah...wha...?" She realised that she was not alone in the bed...her hand reached out, and touched something...somebody...a male body, to be exact...luckily, she was pretty sure that it was only his hand, but still...
"AAAAAAAA!"
None of the men would claim responsibility for it - she hadn't dared to look at who it was, and had disappeared out the back, regaining her composure before coming back inside. There, she found all three men waiting for their breakfasts, and she resisted the urge to make them go without until she got the truth. Instead, she just cooked pancakes and bacon, and fed the Baby Den-Den Mushi.
"Mmm...what are you gonna do with that thing when you're at TAFE?" Ace asked her, through a mouthful of maple-syrup-drowned-pancakes.
"Umm, I'm gonna have to leave it at home." Emma replied, shrugging, and it blinked up at her. "i mean, it freaked my sister out a bit, so I can't take that risk when I'm out at TAFE..."
Ace glanced up at her. "Well then, in that case, we're coming too."
"You're not." She replied immediately.
"Look..." Ace began, and promptly fell asleep.
"Aww, come on!" Emma groaned, before turning to Law for help. "Law-San, you guys can't come with me - you'd attract way to much attention! Here, let me show you something." She dragged her laptop out, and called up an episode of Sailor Moon. She made them watch a scene. "The probability of this happening is almost a hundred percent - very high odds, in my book." She added, closing up the laptop. "Do you want to go down that path?"
"Would that really happen?" Luffy wanted to know.
"Luffy," Emma had her head down but, when she put her hands on his shoulders, she looked up at him with a dark Look that made him flinch. "I can guarantee it."
Luffy cringed. "Umm, on second thoughts...I think that I might stay here and, uh...train!" He jumped up and, after remembering that Ranger was in the garage (he was going to spend the day in there, sleeping in Bruce's car, where he felt secure), Luffy ran outside.
Emma gasped. "No hen-hunting!" She yelled after him.
"Aww! All the other pirates get to do it!" Luffy complained.
"NO!" Emma turned back to Ace, who had just woken up, and said: "Somebody has to keep an eye on Luffy so he doesn't commit gallus-cide?"
Ace nodded, and then paused. "Wait, so, who's...?" He glanced sideways at Law, as Emma busied herself with making a coffee.
"Well, I suppose one of you has to come with me," Emma said, her back still to them, so she didn't see the glaring that was going on between the two male pirates. "And, whoever's left behind can keep an eye on Luffy." She turned around, smiling brightly. "So...who's coming with me?"
"I am!" Law and Ace said in perfect unison.
Emma nearly dropped the milk, blinking in surprise. What the...?
Law and Ace were glaring at each other, something akin to loathing or, at the veryleast, a deep hatred sparking in their eyes - Ace's a somewhat fiery rosewood brown, and Law's a cool and stormy grey like silver. Emma was standing in the kitchen, just staring at them glaring at each other, when she noticed something behind them.
A long, rubbery-arm suddenly shot through the sliding doors which the arm's owner had left open, and the hand grabbed Ace by the beads, making him nearly choke on nothing.
"Ace, you have got to see this spider!" Luffy called, from somewhere outside, as his arm retracted, bringing Ace with him. "It's huuuuge!"
"Luffy, let me go!"
"No way, come and see - it's eating a praying mantis!"
Law and Emma watched this in silence, and then Emma took off her Baby Den-Den Mushi wristwatch. "Well, that was easy. Law-San, shall we go?" She asked brightly, setting the animal down on the bench.
Law was smirking. "Oh yes, let's."
At the train-station, Emma was soon presented with a problem. How to get Law onto the train without him paying for a ticket. She didn't really want to turn him into a cat again and, apparently, Law wasn't too keen on the idea, either. He told Emma not to worry about it, and assured her that he'd be fine, and that she should just go on ahead, which she did, feeling perplexed.
She tagged on with her Smart-Rider, and rode the escalator down to the platform, where she waited at the very far end so that she'd be sure to get the seat that she wanted. The train arrived, and Law stillhadn't shown up - Emma was starting to wonder where he went, and even felt a little bit panicked. What's wrong with me? She wondered, staring vacantly off into space as she tried to get a grip. I should be able to manage just fine without them, like I was this time last week. But...then again...when have I ever been fine?
She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice when a shadow fell over her, until the owner said: "This seat taken?"
People didn't usually ask, they just sat, so why was...?
Emma looked up, and nearly had a heart-attack - a really tall blonde-haired guy was standing there, a strange look on his face and slight smile - it was that smile that mostcreeped her out. Eek! Stalker, stalker, stalker! Emma thought, having no idea of how to say no when, just then, somebody appeared next to the guy, just as the doors were closing (accompanied by something that had always reminded Emma of the Psycho theme).
Looking up at the new guy that was now leaning down to look at her, Emma realised that she had never been more relieved to see Trafalgar Law. "Law-San!" She breathed, realising that she probably said his name to sound like 'Larson'.
"Sorry it took me so long." Law smirked, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as he sat down next to her. He glanced up at the blonde-haired stranger, and calmly said: "Problem?"
The stranger cringed. "Sc-scary!" He muttered, and beat a hasty retreat, all the way down to the other end of the train.
When he was gone, Law lightly tapped Emma on the top of her head with his fist. "There, you see what happens when you space out like that?" He asked her mildly.
"Oh, uh, I was?"
Law nodded. "At least pay attention when you're by yourself, or it'll be your own damn fault when somebody kidnaps you." He lectured her.
"Right. Sorry." Emma nodded, knowing that her ADD was often to blame for her lack of focus. She did her best to stay focused as the train glided along steadily.
Law sighed. "I said when you're by yourself - you can space out as much as you want when you're around me."
"Huh?" Emma glanced at him, blushing.
Law had to backtrack in his mind, slightly. Wait, did I REALLY just say that to her? He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, and noticed that she had taken out a book and started reading. Curious, Law read along with her, until they got to Perth Station. She was really absorbed with her book, but managed to remember that they had to get off here, and so they did.
Walking along, side-by-side, Emma had to realise that people were looking at them. Mainly, the girls looked at Law, and Emma was no idiot - she knew exactly why. Because, well, he was hot, to put it mildly. There was also something confident and sure about the way he carried himself, something that Emma could never hope to achieve.
People often told her to hold her head up when she walked, and throw her shoulders back, but she had a hard time doing this. They also told her to stop dressing down...today she was wearing her short black pleated skirt over stockings and her ankle boots, a black singlet and a black and grey hoodie. The necklace was always around her neck, and now the compass bounced along as she walked.
On the escalator, Law muttered something that she didn't quite catch. "I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked, looking up at him.
"I said they're all looking at you." Law replied.
"What?! Who is?!" Emma was frantic, and nearly tripped getting off the escalator - Law had to grab her arm to steady her, and he didn't let go.
"The men." Law replied, shaking his head. "Come on." And, he kept a hold of her arm as he walked her through the train station.
Her heart was pounding, but she had to clear something up first. "Umm, no Law-San, all those girls were looking at you..."
Law just sighed. "Well then, let's give them something to look at." He said, and pulled her into his chest, hugging her.
Emma's face turned red, and her heart began to pound so hard that she wouldn't have been at all surprised to discover that Law could hear it. She remained frozen to the spot, as he drew back from her, and then whispered in her ear: "Remember, I'm still going to take what you owe me later on." He turned and walked off, raising one hand in farewell, and leaving Emma standing there, feeling shocked, and getting glared at by jealous girls.
For the next two and a half days, Emma found concentrating really hard. She made a mental list of the possible reasons why:
1. Law came with her to the city on Monday, Ace came on Wednesday, and then there was a huge argument on Thursday which resulted in Emma just grabbing Luffy and taking him with her.
2. She was trying to figure out why Law had hugged her, and what she owed him.
3. Between training with her martial arts class, and the absolutely horrendoustraining she was forced to do with Grandpa Garp, she was too tired to even think.
4. Everyone at TAFE was really concerned about Georgia - it seemed that Georgia's sister had gone missing, just like what you always see on TV but you never imagine that it can happen to you.
5. There were those TAFE assignments...
6. They were going to get Zoro on Friday!
Perhaps that was why Emma's nights had not been plagued with journeys to the other world, because she was so tired. She had also taken to locking the door to her room, to avoid another incident.
She was also looking forward to travelling to the other world. Her training with Garp, and a quick call to Marco via the Baby Den-Den Mushi, had led Emma to start experimenting with her powers, though she knew that it would take years for her to fully master these techniques.
The Ribon-Ribon No Mi was known as the Ribbon-Ribbon Fruit. It was a Paramecia-styled Devil Fruit, that allowed the user to use ribbons for a variety of different things - the main one being shields and teleporting. It didn't make any sense to Emma, since ribbons had nothing to do with teleportation but, then again, Nico Robin's Devil Fruit was the Hana-Hana No Mi, known as the Flower-Flower Fruit, and it allowed her to create any part of her body as many times as she wanted anywhere in a burst of flower petals. What flowers had to do with body parts, nobody knew, but that was how things were. Flower petals for body parts, and ribbons for teleporting and shields.
With Garp's help, as well as Luffy's, Law's and Ace's, Emma was able to use her power intentionally. She could create the ribbons at will, though she wasn't sure how to use them effectively yet. One thing she coulddo, however, was something that she did completely by accident, but it turned out to be pretty handy!
Luffy was in his cat-form, and playing by the pool - he was stalking a blue-tongued lizard.
Meanwhile, Garp was watching Emma, Ace, and Law play darts. They had invented the game to try and get the lowest score possible in twenty turns.
As Ace expertly threw his dart, which landed on the one, right where he'd wanted it to go, Emma complained: "I think you two should have a handicap, like being blindfolded or something." She had just found out that her score was over two hundred.
Ace just laughed. "We should've bet on this - that would've made it more fun!"
Emma just groaned, and set down her darts, before turning to the pool area to check on Luffy. "Luffy, be careful! That may just be a lizard, but they're like snakes - they'll bite you!"
Luffy laughed. "Shishishishi! Don't worry Emmy, I'll be fine!"
Ace sighed. "He usually says that right before something bad happens."
"AAA!"
CHOMP!
"See?" Ace dead-panned, as Luffy ran around with the lizard on his nose, and his frantic running took him to the edge of the pool.
"Ah!" Emma, Ace and Garp all yelled, as Luffy began to slip.
It all seemed to happen in slow-motion. Luffy was falling and Emma, who was the closest, was running. She felt her powers activate before she even knew what was happening and, in a desperation like no other, she yelled the first thing that came to her mind: "Ribon-Ribon No Body-Swap!"
Why she yelled that, thinking back on it and realising what would happen when she did, she had no idea.
However, the next thing she knew, she had switched places with Luffy (and the lizard) and she herself was now headed for the water. Luckily, she managed to send one single red ribbon out from the palm of her left hand, which wrapped around the bars of the pool fence, as she hit the water with a splash.
Emma's first instinct was to swim upwards. After all, she was an Australian girl born in Perth, and had spent her childhood either swimming in the pool at home, or swimming in the waters off the coasts of Cottesloe, Rockingham and Dunsborough. In Bali, she'd practically lived in the massive swimming pools as a child, and had swum every day in the pools there as a teenager and last year as a young adult. Her Mother had taught both her and Sarah to swim at a young age - at the age of two, both girls had been able to stay afloat.
So, it was disconcerting and panicking for Emma to discover that she could no longer do it.
No matter what she did, or how she tried to move, she just couldn't. She couldn't move her arms or legs at all, and her lungs felt like they were about to burst, since she hadn't taken a deep enough breath after yelling out Luffy's name. The only thing connecting her to the surface was that one red ribbon, which was suddenly grabbed and pulled by Garp, freeing Emma from the confines of the suffocating water.
She gasped, landing on the pavement, and fell onto all-fours, coughing and spluttering and just generally breathing, because breathing was wonderful, she decided. She had only just realised how fantastic it could really be and, for a few moments, she was a being focused solely on respiration.
Then, she realised that everyone was crowded around her. She looked up, the wet hair falling across her eyes, and met Law's gaze.
He knelt beside her, and pushed the wet hair back from her eyes. "Just take it easy." He commanded her, and she nodded, glancing over her shoulder at the water.
What had once seemed so beautiful and inviting just a week ago, now seemed cold and formidable - her greatest enemy, forged from the one thing she had absolutely nocontrol over, whatsoever.
Emma shivered. "I'm sorry..." She muttered.
Law sighed. "Why do you like apologising so much? Just be more careful next time." He stood up, and murmured something about finding her a towel.
"No need." Ace said suddenly, and grinned at Emma. "Well, if I'm gonna hug somebody, the cuter the better." He said, and reached out, wrapping her into his arms, and using his powers to steam-dry her.
Show off. Law thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He should put on a shirt, as well - this ain't no nudist colony...shameless exhibitionist...
While all of this was going on, Luffy was saying: "The Ribon-Ribon No Body-Swap? That's so cool!"
"Yeah, I guess so..." Emma said uncertainly, and then she finally smiled. "As long as I don't do it near anymore water..."
"Shishishish..."
Emma drew back from Ace once she was dry, and smiled at him. "Thank you, Ace - you might come in handy over winter."
Ace grinned at the prospect, as he stood up and then pulled her to her feet. "I'll remember that." He assured her.
She just laughed, and then walked over to Garp, surprising the Marine with a hug. "And, thank you, Grandpa Garp!" She told him.
The Marine was surprised, and then he blushed slightly - he'd always wanted a granddaughter, although he'd never admit that to anybody. He just patted her on the head, and told her: "Just keep practicing with that power of yours, so that you can use it to transport yourselves to the other world."
She looked up at him in surprise. "Huh? You mean...you're not coming with us?"
He shook his head.
She considered this, and then grinned. "Oh, I see then..."
Garp looked down at her, suspiciously. "What?" He asked her.
"Oh, nothing..."
Luffy suddenly said: "Oh, I know! This means that we can cause as much trouble as we want in Logue Town, am I right?!"
Ace face-palmed, as a vein appeared on their Grandfather's forehead. "Oh God...RUN!" He grabbed Emma and Luffy and bolted, as Garp chased after them, yelling something unrepeatable.
Law was speechless. The entire family is insane. He decided, not wanting Emma to get dragged in too deep.
Friday finally came, much to everyone's anticipation.
Everyone was ready to go early, which was a surprise - well, not really...Emma had to transform Ace into a cat and run cold water on him in thei sink again, but at least he didn't try to claw her face off this time. She was starting to feel that, maybe, they were getting to be very good friends.
Emma came out of her room, dressed in black jeans, a black singlet underneath a black long-sleeved turtleneck, and her black ankle boots. The necklace and the compass were safely around her neck, and the Baby Den-Den Mushi (that she was seriously considering naming) was around her wrist.
"Okay!" Luffy announced, when he saw her. "All ashore that's going ashore!"
"Now you sound like my Dad." Emma muttered, swallowing slightly as they all walked outside. She was nervous, there was no doubt about it. She had only one day to help Luffy to find Zoro - they had to be back by dinnertime so that she could feed the dog, because she didn't dare try and call her sister again.
Sarah was no longer speaking to her, it seemed. Lee, meanwhile, was furious that Emma had lost her phone. She kept on calling her irresponsible, and a whole bunch of other things, and saying that she didn't want to come home after all.
Good. Thought Emma, although she missed both of her parents - a lot...
However, she had bigger things to focus on, as she stood out the back with Luffy, Ace and Law.
Emma had practiced transporting herself and other things...she could do it...nine out of ten times.
If this turned out to be that one other time, then...well, she was probably going to end up splinched, and the boys would end up dead.
According to Law.
Emma wordlessly held out her hands, and Ace took one while Law took the other. Luffy took that as his cue to take their hands, and then Emma closed her eyes, and began to concentrate, trying not to get distracted by the fact that she was holding onto both Law's and Ace's hands - that was how she had messed up in the first place.
It also occurred to her that both Luffy and Ace would be the most eager to find Zoro, since he was Luffy's crew-mate (his first-mate, she reminded herself) and, since Luffy was Ace's brother, Ace would naturally want to help him find his friends.
But, why was Law going along with all of this?
He didn't have any ties to these two brothers of D...not really...
Hmm...D...
Determination...Emma was determined to reach Logue Town, all of a sudden...
Ribbons began to snake out from her chest, wrapping around her shoulders (including her injured one) and down her arms, wrapping around the hands of both Ace and Law, and then extending out from her chest to reach Luffy.
Destination...That was Logue Town...the birthplace of Gol D. Roger...the final place the Straw Hat Pirates had visited before reaching the Guiding Light that marked the entrance to The Grand Line...
Deliberation...move without haste...do not hesitate...just go! Just do it!
"Ribon-Ribon No Teleport!"
Destiny dragged Faith by the hand, going at about eight kilometres per. hour and moving at roughly the same speed as a rip-current. Faith kept up with her, and Cupid jogged behind them - mainly because Karma was marching behind him, glaring at him. Fate followed behind at a more leisurely pace, smiling to herself.
They marched straight up to a doorway marked BOSS, and Destiny knocked on it angrily.
"Unless you're bringing me my Boss Coffee, get the Hell out of here!" Boss yelled, throwing the door open.
"I've not got your Boss Coffee, Boss - this is more important than that!" Destiny yelled back, throwing Faith towards him. "She just broke the rules - again!"
Boss sighed. "I already know that, Destiny." He pointed to the sign on his door, which at the moment read SSOá—º. "I know everything but, what I don't know, is why you did it!"
Faith crossed her arms. "I not sorry."
"Me either!" Cupid giggled. It sounded strange for a full-grown-man (albeit, one wearing a toga) to be giggling, but that was just him. "This is going to be very fun!"
"Not once Twister gets through with them." Boss replied flatly, causing both Faith and Cupid to gasp.
"Boss...you, you not serious!" Faith exclaimed, her face paling slightly. For the first time since she'd started this chapter, she was showing signs of worry. "Boss, please, Emma is so happy with them! She be even happier to fall in love with them!"
"Yes, but which one of them fell in love with her?" Boss wanted to know.
Faith glanced at Cupid, who at least had the grace to look sheepish, as he shrugged and replied: "Umm...both of them?"
Boss groaned, as did most of the others, except for Fate.
She just continued to smile, and muttered to herself: "Well...whatever happens, happens..."
Ace, Luffy and Law landed with a thud on the ground, surprising everybody around them, especially since they were covered in ribbons.
"Augh..." Ace muttered, standing up. "Everybody in one piece?" Oh God, I can't believe I just said that.
"Yup..." Luffy stood up, and stretched, before adjusting his hat and beginning to pick the ribbons off of him. "We're all here! You, me, Law and..."
They all three of them stopped, and looked around them.
"Umm..." Ace was getting a bad feeling about this. "Where's Emma?" Oh no, we lost Ems - she's been splinched!
Ace was further panicked, when Law stooped down, and riffled through the ribbons, before straightening up and holding up two items on chains - Emma's locket, and her compass, too!
"Oh no!" Luffy cried. He looked horrified. "We lost her!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the compass lit up, sending out a tiny pinprick of a beam, pointing due-north.
"Maybe not..." Ace murmured, his eyes travelling in the direction of the beam. "Maybe Emma accidentally transported herself to where Zoro is...after all, she's the only one who saw where he was, so maybe that has something to do with it." He reached out, and took the compass and locket from Law, before the other man could protest. "Come on - with a little bit of luck, this can lead us to the both of them." He set off, followed by Luffy. Ace raised a hand over his shoulder. "Come on, hurry up!" He called to Law, who gritted his teeth, and didn't obey - he decided to explore elsewhere, for the time-being at least.
Emma awoke groggily, shaking her head and finding herself lying in a tangle of ribbons. She began to struggle, finally managing to break free from the ribbons, to look up at a clear blue sky.
Okay, she thought to herself, standing up and stretching. Now, to...wait a minute...Emma felt her heart-rate begin to increase, as she looked around her. Why is everything so big...? Wait, why am I standing on all-fours? Emma didn't want to look down at herself, but she knew that she had to.
A pair of white paws were what she saw. She lifted them up, noticing the soft pink pads underneath of them, and then heard running water. Leaving the pile of ribbons, which disappeared behind her, she scurried over to the water, stumbling slightly as she was clumsy on all-fours, and dared to look at herself in the water. Her reflection stared back at her, only...it wasn't her reflection...
A very dark brown, almost black, cat with a reddish hue stared back at her. It had white markings on its face and (she turned around) a white tip on its tail...(she looked under her) all four of its paws were white...there was a red ribbon tied around its neck but, more importantly, where its eyes...they were her eyes...
This was her...she had...been turned into a cat...
"AAAUUUGGGHHH!"
Zoro wasn't sure what made him go to the docks that day. Maybe he just felt like taking a walk. Or, maybe, it was intuition...no, he definitely only did it for the exercise.
He walked between people, already used to his new surroundings and his new body...well, maybe only his body. Okay, he was lost.
Or, the sword shop had just moved. Either one.
Zoro was furious, and also mildly panicking. They had...those people had taken his swords! In his cat form, he'd been virtually helpless!
His claws were out as he worked, and people gave the angry-looking cat with the black bandanna around his neck a wide berth. That was good. If one more person said something about his green fur, he was going to claw them, regardless of their age or gender.
Zoro sighed, and jumped up onto a wall. He looked up at the sky, noticing that it was such a nice day...maybe he should have another nap before trying to find the sword shop again. Zoro stretched, and closed his eyes...he then opened one lazily, and took note of a pile of ribbons on the ground, which was odd.
What was even odder, however, was that the ribbons vanished as soon as Zoro got a good look at them! He blinked...and, his attention was drawn to another cat, which had walked from the pile of ribbons and over to the water.
Zoro watched as it peered down into the water, and seemed to look at its reflection, but...normal cats didn't do that...right?
Zoro watched as the cat, which was a dark chocolate colour colour with white markings, did the same thing he had done a few days ago - looked at its tail, looked at its paws...
What it did next, however, was notsomething that Zoro had done.
"AAAUUUGGGHHH!"
And, as Zoro watched, she - for, it was definitely a female - tumbled head-first into the water. It wasn't moving water (the bay was very calm today) but, as Zoro watched on from the wall, the cat began to thrash.
"HEL-!" She screamed, thrashing about in a very Luffy-like way.
Help...
Zoro jumped up. Somehow, he just knew, this cat - if that's what she really was - was a Devil Fruit user, and she was about to start drowning.
Zoro made a split-second decision, and rushed to save her. He sped to the edge of the water and, as she came up again, he leaned out and grabbed the ribbon around her neck, not wanting to bite down on any part of her. Unfortunately, she was struggling too much and, before Zoro knew what was happening, he was in the water as well.
Luckily, he could swim and, resisting the urge to just leave the other cat there, Zoro swam under her, until she was resting on his back.
"Hold onto me." He said gruffly, and felt her sink her teeth into his bandanna, which was better than his neck, he guessed. Pulling himself up onto the docks again, he walked a few steps, before letting the she-cat slide unceremoniously off his back.
She lay there on the ground, coughing and spluttering, her ribbon askew, and then she stood up, and shook herself dry - all over Zoro.
Zoro glared at her, and she flinched. "S-sorry..." She whispered, looking down at her paws. "It's just...hey, wait a minute!" She looked up suddenly. "You're a green cat!"
Zoro growled, and resisted the urge to attack her. The fact that he was having a conversation with her meant that, like him, she was not supposed to be of this body, and her next statement proved it.
"We've been looking everywhere for you!" She exclaimed, her yellow eyes glittering. Her ears twitched. Her tail swished. She looked like she was going to pounce on him at any second.
To avoid this, Zoro narrowed his grey eyes at her, and said: "And who's 'we'?"
She looked at him, and smiled - it was so strange to see a cat smile but, then again, strange things tended to happen to them. A lot. "Luffy."
Law sauntered along, taking his time and enjoying the sights.
"Hey there, swordsman!" A voice called to him. Law turned, recalling that he had his nodachi with him now. It was amazing how some thing tended to appear with them when they transformed, like at the battle on the beach. It seemed that things appeared only when needed.
Law walked over to the man, who led him inside his sword shop. Ippo-Matsu...he'd heard that name before...
Ippo-Matsu himself was a short man, with black hair in either side of his head, like wings. He had tanned skin and a red nose. He wore a blue shirt and black pants.
"You seem to like swords a lot, so I have a deal for you." Ippo-Matsu said, and motioned to two swords in a display cabinet. "A fair trade - that blade you carry there, for these two fine specimens here." He gestured grandly to the swords.
Law examined the two swords carefully, without even looking like he was. It was time to play this well. "Well, I do like them," Law said, wiping the smugness out of his smirk so as to appear as naive as possible. "But, I don't know much about them." That was one of his more outrageous lies. "Can you tell me about these blades?"
"Well," Ippo-Matsu said, a greedy look coming into his eyes, one which Law recognized only all too well. "This one is Shusui," he gestured to the black sword with the rope tied around the upper part of the sheath. "It is considered legendary in the Wano Country."
"Mmhmm." Law pretended to look interested. That sounds familiar, though...
"And, this particular specimen," Ippo-Matsu went on. "Is Sandai Kitetsu..."
Law's eyes flashed briefly. The Cursed Blade?
"I suppose its last owner must have come to some terrible fate." Ippo-Matsu confided.
Law nodded. "Who was its former owner?"
Ippo-Matsu motioned him closer, and muttered, conspiritorially: "It belonged to Roronoa Zoro."
This piece of information lodged itself firmly into Law's mind, in the time it took him to nod curtly. This was a perfect situation, now...how to play it... "I'll think about it, and let you know." He replied.
"Well, don't think too long, these swords won't stick around forever." Ippo-Matsu replied, as Law turned to go. "I had another sword, gotten from the same, err, source, shall we say, but I sold it to a Marine Captain with glasses...a pretty little thing she was, too..."
Suddenly, the door to the back of the shop burst open, and Ippo-Matsu's wife came in. "I heard that, you! Damn these cats!" She shouted, and she was holding two struggling cats by the scruffs of their necks. "I've seen this green one snooping around lately!" She added, throwing both of them down onto the counter.
Law's back was still to them, and he was almost at the door, when he heard one of the cats speak.
"No!"
Law turned around fast, looking not at the big green cat, but at the much smaller ebony and white cat that had spoken. She was wearing a red ribbon around her neck, and the fur on her back was standing straight up. She was glaring at Ippo-Matsu, who was holding Zoro up by the scruff of the neck, but was also staring at the talking cat in shock.
Law was shocked, too - that cat was...Emma?!
Law made his decision in an instant. "Room." He muttered, creating his blue room quickly, startling everybody else. In an instant, Law was in possession of Emma, the green cat, and the two swords, and he was running from the shop, with the swords under one arm and the green cat in that same hand by the scruff of his neck, and Emma safely tucked under his other arm.
He didn't stop running until he was far enough way that they would be safe. Also, the green cat began struggling, and then he bit Law's hand, much to Law's annoyance, so he dropped the cat, and the swords.
The green cat nearly had a heart attack. His fur was standing on end, and he hissed: "Swords that aren't yours should be treated with more respect!"
"Hands too." Law replied coolly, before holding Emma out in front of him. "You are in big trouble, young lady." He told her.
"Me?!" She protested. "What did I do?!"
He just raised an eyebrow, and didn't say anything, which annoyed her.
"Anyway, what about you?! You lost Luffy and Ace again, didn't you?!"
Zoro's ears pricked up. "Okay, look, Emma, you said that you knew Luffy, so where is he?"
"That's what I'd like to know." Emma moved her paw up, placing it on top of Law's hand, where the bite-mark was. "Law-San, where are they?"
"They followed the compass' light," Law replied, much to Zoro's confusion. What compass? "But, since they didn't find you, then it means that something bad has happened."
Emma looked worried. "I need that compass to change Zoro back into a human."
"And you." Law pointed out.
"I don't know if it will work on me, but I can try." Emma replied carefully. "But, what about Zoro's third sword - what happened to Wado Ichimonji?" She looked into Law's eyes, knowing that he knew.
Law nearly laughed - there was just something about a stubborn cat-Emma that reminded him of a little child, or a kitten. He returned her gaze. "You'll owe me doubley for this."
She blinked. "Fine. Whatever you want. Just tell me where it is!"
Zoro was listening to this in shock. Why did she care so much, anyway? And, since she said that she knew Luffy, did that mean that he was working with Trafalgar Law? But, for what reason? For now, he just decided to go with it.
Law sighed. "The shop-keeper mentioned something about selling it to a person from the Government." He said, and Zoro flinched. That was not good.
"Did he...say anything else?" Zoro spoke up, and Law glanced down at him. Zoro tried not to cringe. He didn't like being in this vulnerable state around somebody as powerful as Trafalgar Law. Zoro's onlyconsolation was that, for now, Law seemed to be helping them. It was a very smallconsolation.
Law nodded. "Something about her being a beautiful young woman with glasses..."
Emma and Zoro both gasped. "TASHIGI!" They both cried.
Zoro gritted his teeth, and dug his claws into the pavement. That WITCH! That Kuina-doppleganger! How DARE she buy my sword!
Emma came to a conclusion. "If Tashigi's here, then, wuite possibly, that Smoker guy is, too. Which means..."
Zoro adjusted his position slightly. "Luffy and Ace are in trouble."
Tashigi was on Cloud Nine. She was humming to herself. She couldn't help it. She finally had Wado Ichimonji, and it was finally away from that pirate, Roronoa Zoro! Tashigi giggled to herself, and hugged the sword to her chest.
Smoker, walking beside her, sighed, and tried to ignore Tashigi's happy humming. She was about to start singing, he just knewit.
However, before she could, something very interesting happened.
Smoker and Tashigi walked into the square, where the execution scaffolding had once been.
At the same time, two people walked out of an alleyway next to them.
"Hmm?" All four of them said, looking at each other.
Then...
"Aaah!" Tashigi cried, nearly dropping Wado Ichimonji.
"You!" Luffy sounded surprised. "From before..."
"Straw Hat!" Smoker realised. "And Fire-Fist!" He tensed.
Ace grinned. "Hello again..."
Smoker and Ace activated their Devil Fruit powers at the exact same time.
People began screaming, and started running away.
"What are you two doing back in Logue Town?" Smoker wanted to know, as the smoke from his Devil Fruit powers drifted around him. He spoke around his cigars.
"Oh, just taking a stroll." Ace replied casually, fire dancing around his hands and feet.
"Heh. That's pretty big talk for somebody that was just on death-row last week." Smoker commented.
Ace smirked. "Well, let's just say I've found a new source of power." He turned to Luffy. "Hey, little bro - think you can handle the swordswoman?"
"Uh-huh." Luffy nodded confidently, facing Tashigi, who suddenly looked ready.
"I've been waiting a long time to use this sword, Straw Hat." Tashigi told him, unsheathing Wado Ichimonji.
Luffy's eyes followed her movements. "Wait a minute, that sword..." He gasped. "It's white!"
Everyone around him groaned.
Ace sighed. "Yes, Luffy. Just try not to get your blood on it."
Luffy grinned. "Don't worry, I won't."
Tashigi glared at him. "Don't be too sure of that, Straw Hat!" And, she attacked!
Law ran through the town, with Zoro, his swords, and Emma. He had a pretty good idea of where to go, and so headed in the direction that the commotion seemed to be coming from.
When they got there, somehow, they weren't at all surprised to find the battle.
"That's Luffy!" Zoro realised, twisting out of Law's grip. He landed on all-fours. "Fighting against Smoker!" He added, grimacing.
"Law-San, we have to help them!" Emma exclaimed.
"And, how do you plan to do that, given your current state?" He asked her mildly, watching the fight without much concern.
He's still as cold as ever. Zoro realised.
Emma looked around. "If only I could...ah! There it is!" She had just spotted her necklace and, more importantly, the Tomodachi No Konpasu. Ace had them. "Okay!" She suddenly leapt out of Law's grip and took off running into the square. Law felt a sudden thrill of fear when he saw her disappear into the smoke-screen caused by Smoker's attack.
Meanwhile, Ace was fighting Smoker, and the two were still as evenly matched as ever.
"Look, I don't know how you managed to escape from Marineford, but that won'thappen here!" Smoker told him.
Ace was still smiling. "Strange, but I thought that there were a whole lot more Marines there than just two. Unless you've got them hiding in the shadows." He added, just as a red and white cat jumped out of the smoke, landing on his chest by digging its claws in, ever-so-slightly.
Normally, Ace would have reacted on instinct, except that the cat looked up at him with those shining hazel eyes - and he knew that it was Emma.
His mouth fell open in shock, as she bowed her head slightly, and touched the tip of her pink velvet nose to the compass that was around Ace's neck.
At once, a reddish-pink glow burst forth from it, reaching out past the smokescreen.
Ace was confused - until he heard a vaguely familiar voice yelling: "Yes! Finally!"
Smoker glanced over his shoulder, and then turned back around. "I don't know what that was, but it doesn't concern me!" More smoke began to form, and Ace suddenly felt worried about Emma - she was not safe here! "The fact that you're the Pirate King's son is reason enough for me to want to capture you - you're a danger to this world."
Emma's eyes flashed, and she turned, jumping down so that she was standing on the ground in front of Ace, between him and Smoker. "That's not true!" She cried, her usually soft voice suddenly ringing. It sounded like a thousand bells were on fire - she was angry. "You people all talk about Ace as if you know him, but you don't! Just because his Father was Gol D. Roger, doesn't mean Ace is anything like him! It doesn't mean he's as bad as you all say he is! I know because...because I..." Her entire little cat-body was quivering now, from both rage and emotions. "Because I love him!"
Okay, so, she had not meant to say it like that but, somehow, those words had just come spilling out before she could stop them, and she clamped a paw over her mouth but, by then of course, it was too late. She had just said that she lovedAce...she'd actually said it out-loud, and in front of him!
Smoker stared down at her for a second, trying to process what the cat had just said to him. That's no ordinary cat...wait a minute...that ribbon... His mind recalled what he had been told, by Marine HQ.
The Demon Of War is to be apprehended at all costs. She is to be taken alive. Her current whereabouts are unknown, but she is powerful. She is not to be underestimated, and her abilities are many - expect anything and everything.
Smoker didn't know how he came to that conclusion - that The Demon Of War had somehow transformed into a cat - but, considering how she had clung to Ace, there was suddenly no doubts about it.
Smoker extended his smoke even more, and tendrils of it wrapped around the cat's little white paws.
Ace realized this too late, as Emma was grabbed, and Ace suddenly felt the need to kill the man trying to take her from him! A furious and ferocious flame swelled up from within his heart, and burst forth as his attacks intensified beyond what they had been before.
Emma, meanwhile, struggled for breath. What was happening?! She was wrapped up in...something...Smoker, he was...was he trying to suffocate her?!
Emma gasped, and tried to breathe, but felt herself blacking out...slipping into that blissful darkness...
"Nanna." A little girl with (then) dark brown hair that reached well below her waist held out the story-book. "Why did the witch try and claw the Prince's eyes out?"
Hazel "Peg" Grace took the book from her granddaughter, setting down her knitting as she sat in her favourite rocking-recliner-chair. Her rose-coloured Dachshund, Kelly, slept beside the chair, and a cup of tea sat nearby. The fire was lit, and it was warm and cosy in the small house in Willetton. "Hmm, let's see..." Hazel said, pulling her granddaughter into her lap. "The witch was angry that Rupunzel and the Prince had fallen in love, Little Lamb."
The little girl frowned, her hazel eyes curious. "How come?"
"Because she didn't want Rupunzel to get her happy ending." Hazel replied calmly.
"But, why?" Emma was wearing a purple and pink nightie with Esmeralda, from The Hunchback Of Notre-Dame, on it. "I think that everybody should fall in love and get a happy-ending!"
Hazel smiled. "Well then, let's keep on reading, shall we?" She suggested.
Emma snuggled down against her Nanna. "Okay!"
Emma half woke up, but her head felt so groggy that she couldn't. Where was she, anyway?
Why was she pressed up against some guy's chest...? Oh, wait...right. She was a cat, and she'd just professed her love for Portgas D. Ace...great...Emma tried to faint again, but then found herself hearing Ace's voice.
"Why?" He was saying. "Why would somebody like you give a damn about somebody like me? Why would you even care? Hardly anybody else does...all because...I'm his son...you say that it doesn't matter, but how can you say that?"
"A-Ace..." Emma whispered, putting her paws up as best she could and resting her head against his shoulder. "Think about Sabo...think about how...how different hewas, to all of them...it doesn't matter who you are or what...what others want from you...what matters is...what you want..."
Ace didn't say anything for a moment. Emma was vaguely aware that the battle seemed to have stopped around them. Had Law finally stepped in? What about Luffy and Zoro?
"Emma..." Ace said finally, looking off into the distance, at something that only hecould see. "Everyone's fear of me...was only proof that they ever really saw me for what I was...people would look down on me by looking down on him, or else they'd expect me to be just like him...can you understand what that's like?" He asked her.
"No." She replied, tears leaking into her eyes. "No, I can't understand what that must've been like for you. I can't understand how people could be so cruel. But...but...I want to understand, Ace! I want to try and understand! From now on...I want to be there for you when you're troubled...I don't want you to suffer alone in silence...because, in the end, that last level of Impel Down really was your Hell. Because..." The tears leaked out now, and dripped down her face, landing on Ace's shoulder. "Because isolation and self-darkness is the truest form of torture! I won't let you! I won't let you suffer alone anymore! Whatever your pain...whatever your fears, your insecurities...we can always work them out...together! I want us to be together...to live together, to learn together...to figure out what life's really about! You...me...Luffy, and Law, and Grandpa Garp, and Whitebeard-Sama and Sumi-Chan and Marco...I just want us all to be together!" She was sobbing now, her entire little-kitty body shaking with uncontrollable sobbing.
Ace's eyes were wide open in shock, and he was surprised to find unaccustomed tears pooling there, and he was dragged back to a day that he remembered...
"Hey, Makino." Ten-year-old Ace addressed the green-haired lady.
"Hai, Ace-Kun?" Makino smiled at him.
"What's a girlfriend?"
If Makino was at all surprised by the question, she didn't show it. Instead, she just sat down on a crate, smiling thoughtfully as she mused. "Well...it's somebody very special to you. Somebody that you have to take care of, and spend time with, and love and cherish. You have to accept her for whom she is."
"Is that it?" Ace rolled his eyes.
Makino shook her head. "No. In turn, she'll feel the same way about you, and she'll always be there for you (hopefully). She will laugh with you and adore you. You'll feel clingy when she's not there, and want to spend every single second of the day with her, because she'll be the person that will always know your heart. She'll know you better than you know yourself."
"Really?" Ace was disbelieving, and didn't at all understand Makino's dreamy-looking smile. Probably thinking about a certain red-haired Captain, or...? "That doesn't sound very believable - nobody could everknow the real me..." He mumbled, looking away, but Makino heard him anyway.
"Oh, trust me, Ace-Kun," Makino's eyes sparkled - they were a beautiful shade of deep, rich brown. "When you meet her, you'll know it..."
"I'm such a fool..." Ace murmured, closing his eyes briefly. "I never thought...that I would hear somebody say...those words to me, and yet...here you are...telling me what I need to know before I even know that I need to know it...and then, suddenly, all that fear and uncertainty just faded away..." He sighed. "Why? Why would somebody like you...stay with somebody like me? Why would you cry for me? Why would you wish for this? I really don't...deserve your faith in me. No good will come from sticking with me...and yet, without hesitation...you tell me that I'm important to you...that you needme, but...in a way that's different from Luffy...and, in a way that I never thought I'd have...you tell me that you want to stay with me, and I...I'm so selfish, but...I won't ever let you go..." He promised.
"Ace!" Emma cried, nuzzling against his neck. She was still crying.
Ace held onto her. "Daijoubu...Emiko..." He said, suddenly fashioning a nickname for her, out of the blue. He had just taken a big risk, and he knew it - he had by-passed most of the steps, and just gone straight for a nickname that would ever get him everything...or, nothing.
Emma purred. "Ace-Chan..."
Ace felt his chest swell with something...what was it?
Suddenly, through the smoke, there came a figure.
He was dressed all in a black - a long black robe - and he held a giant sickle in one, pale-skinned hand.
Ace was up, immediately, holding Emma in one arm and using his other hand to create flames. Every ounce of his being told him that this stranger meant them both very real danger!
The stranger, however, stopped, and held up his other hand. "It ssseemsss that I would be breaking one too many rulesss if I wasss to earassse both of your memoriesss now..."
Ace's heart was pounding. Emma wouldn't even look at the stranger.
"Ssso, I'm jussst going to do one thing, and one thing only..." The stranger hissed.
"And, what is that?" Ace demanded to know. He was prepared to fight if he had to but, it seemed, that wouldn't be necessary.
The stranger merely held up his sickle, and brought it down slowly. At once, a soft reddish-pink glow surrounded Emma, and she gasped.
Ace gasped, and glared angrily at the stranger for a second but, just then, Emma's body changed and, without warning, she was human again, and standing by his side, staring at herself in shock. She looked a little bit surprised to be a human again.
Ace glanced up at the stranger, a silent question in his deep brown eyes.
The stranger bowed his head, a little bit. "I am known asss Twissster," he stated, straightening up. "The god of change. Dark timesss await you, children Of Legend...you mussst find the ssseven othersss that can help you to defeat the Dark One..."
Emma dared to glance at him. "Wait! T-Twister, do you..." She swallowed. "Do you know a scary lady with blue eyes?!"
Twister nodded once. "Yesss. The lady in which you ssspeak of isss Faith. Ssshe isss one of the godessssssesss of the Celestial Planes...remember thisss, young onesss..." And, with that, he vanished into a black abyss.
Emma and Ace just stared after him, not sure what to make of all of this.
Then, suddenly, and without any warning, Emma threw her arms around Ace. "Ace-Chan!" She cried, shaking slightly. "What are we going to do? I'm...well, I'm..."
"It's okay to admit that you're afraid." Ace replied calmly, as the smoke began to clear, and it was revealed that Law had, indeed, stepped in to help. Right now, the Surgeon Of Death was currently glaring at Ace. Ace knew that it was childish but, for some odd reason, he just couldn't resist the urge to smirk back, smugly. "We're going to do this together, Emiko..."
If Looks could kill, then Ace would've been dead on the spot under the glare of one Trafalgar Law...
Author's Notes:
. Here's the episode of Sailor Moon that Emma showed Law and Luffy a part of. watch?v=VsFezva7JWs
. As a cat, Emma looked a bit like one of these kittens, the dark brown and white one, only darker. /oliver-company-1988/#/
. Ooh, an intensely DEEP moment between Emma and Ace. Everybody together now: Awwww...
. Ace and Emma aren't names that are usually broken up, being single-word names. Due to this, Ace, in a matter of about 0.148 nanoseconds, came up with his own unique nickname for Emma, by combining Emmy (which is what Luffy calls Emma) with -Ko, which usually means "little" or "cub". Emma simply calls Ace "Ace-Chan", which is a very cutesy, somewhat childish name, but seems to suit them both just fine! XD
Cocoa Liddell - the excitement never ends with this lot! Yes, Law-San can be surprisingly cute when he wants to be, but at the same time he's dark and always scheming! Jealousy is a green-eyed monster, isn't it?! ^^
MsWildLuck - yes, that picture came in handy, now, didn't it? :D Meanwhile, Emma just keeps turning people into cats...oh well. *Shrugs*