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 THIRTEEN
Chopper And Usopp's Excellent Adventure
Emma sat in her car the next morning, staring at her Baby Den-Den Mushi, which was snoozing on her wrist. She reached for it, and withdrew her hand...she reached...and withdrew.
"Do I call them...or not?" Emma muttered. "I have to...I have to tell them what the compass showed me, but...what if Law-San answers? I can't believe that he kissed me!" Emma shook her head. "Augh, give me a sign!"
Garp suddenly appeared from the bushes at the back of the driveway, startling Emma. She got quickly out of her car and walked towards him.
"Grandpa, what are you doing here?!" Emma hissed. "With my parents home..." She was cut off by being wrenched into a nearly bone-crushing hug. "Iw-wi-be-bwd-nws..." (It will be bad news).
"Is that any way to greet your concerned Grandpa?!" Garp fairly shouted, as Emma struggled for a bit.
She managed to reach up, and brush her hand against the compass, which turned Garp into a cat. She was left holding him in her arms, and he was heavy! They looked at each other. Just then, Emma heard the door to the garage open, and her Mother's voice call out: "Emma, are you still here?"
Emma gasped. "Oh, no! It's Mum!" She practically threw the grey and tan cat she was carrying onto the floor of the driver's side of her car, before jumping into the driver's seat and slamming the door shut. "Uh, yeah, Mum, but I was just leaving!"
"You'll be late if you don't hurry." Lee advised her.
"I know, I was on my way out!" Emma snapped.
"Don't yell at me." Lee said.
"I'm sorry." Emma replied contritely. "Are we still going shopping on the weekend?"
"Well, I don't know, now." Lee admitted. "I mean, you've got Ashlee's party tomorrow night. You might just have to use one of our old phones and SIM cards."
"Yeah, that's okay." Emma said distractedly, because Garp was currently pressed up against her legs, and seemed uncomfortable. "Umm, see ya!" She drove quickly out of the driveway, stopping only at the end of her street, to pick Garp up and put him on the passenger seat.
Garp looked at her as she drove, and said: "So, you're not going to be able to continue with your martial arts lessons anymore?"
Emma gasped. "Ace-Chan told you?!"
"No, you did, just then." Garp replied. "And, what's with this Ace-Chan all of a sudden?" He suddenly looked thrilled. "Don't tell me..."
"It's not like that, Grandpa." Emma replied, rolling her eyes, as she drove towards the round-a-bout. "Ace-Chan and I are just friends."
Garp didn't respond to this, and instead what he said was: "Turn right here."
"But I..."
"Just do it!"
"Okay, okay, jeez, keep your fur on." Emma muttered, obeying his orders and driving up the hill on Warton Road. "Where are we going?"
"Turn right here."
"But, this is..."
"Now!"
"Okay!"
And, Emma had to admit, that sneaking onto the shooting range of the Banjup Pistol Club for some very intense training was better than going to TAFE, although she wondered what she would be missing out on, and hoped that it wasn't another assessment. It didn't matter, though, because a few hours spent running through the bush, dodging bullets and Garp's 'Fist Of Love' was both challenging and exhilarating and, by nine o'clock, she was feeling a lot better, as she sat in her car with the door open, and Garp treated her various scratches and scrapes.
Garp then suggested that they go out for an early lunch, which sounded fine to Emma especially after he said that he would be paying.
They sat at a seafood restaurant after driving to Fremantle, eating fish and chips (health food!). They watched the fish swim by in their tanks as they talked about her training, and what she still needed to learn, until they realised that it was probably easier to just list the things she had learned, much to her chagrin. Sitting here, like this...it reminded Emma of when her Granddad had been alive. She couldn't keep the smile off her face, despite all of her various aches and pains, and adjusted her sunglasses and red beanie as the waitress came to give them their cheque.
"Thank you." Garp smiled at her, and then glanced at the cheque as she left. He furrowed his brow, and then held the cheque out to Emma. "Emma, what's that symbol that's just before the 55.90?"
Emma stared at him for a second, before she groaned. "That's a dollar sign, Grandpa...wait...don't tell me...you don't have fifty-five dollars and ninety cents?" He shook his head. "Well then...what were you intending on paying with?" She had a feeling of dread in her stomach.
"Umm...Belis?"
"Grandpa, we don't use Belis in this world!" Emma gasped, trying to keep her voice down, as she noticed the waitress whispering to an official man that looked like the manager, whom suddenly approached their table.
"Sir, is there a problem?" The manager asked Garp, who just stared at him for a moment, before standing up and motioning for Emma to do the same.
In unison, Grandfather and granddaughter both bowed, drawing in the attention of every patron in the dining establishment. And then, to the utter astonishment of the aforementioned, Garp and Emma both stated: "Thank you for this meal."
They then bolted from the restaurant as fast as they could, much to the surprise of the manager, whom quickly recovered and shouted: "STOP THOSE TWO! THEY DIDN'T PAY THEIR BILL!"
When Emma arrived on the Moby Dick at lunchtime, everyone was surprised to see that she had a huge red mark on her forehead, and appeared to be seething.
"What's the matter with you?" Nami wanted to know, and all she got in reply was: 'Garp' and 'Dine And Dash' and 'Dead Meat'. Whether that last part applied to Emma or to Garp or to both, Nami knew not. It appeared that Emma had been banging her head against a wall for quite some time, and Nami didn't question this, given the circumstances.
She just helped Emma to locate Zoro (asleep at the other end of the deck), and then the three of them went looking for Luffy and Ace.
They found the two brothers waging an all-out battle - on the kitchen.
A new recruit scurried up the steps, looking horrified as he tried to wipe the potato peels off his face. "Hurry up and do something!" He begged. "Those two...they're insane!" He looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Please, oh God, please, they've...they've already taken the milk hostage, and are threatening to throw all of the tea and coffee overboard!" He took off, wailing. "Won't somebody please think of the coffee!"
Nami rolled her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me." She groaned, as she stalked downstairs, and Zoro grabbed Emma's wrist, advising her to stay put.
From the kitchen, there was sudden two very audible thunks, followed by Nami yelling something unrepeatable, and then she reappeared, with the two brothers in tow.
They were both sporting red marks across their faces and dejected expressions, which brightened once they saw Emma.
"Hey, it's Emmy!" Luffy exclaimed.
"You came back!" Ace added, as they both hugged her, one on either side.
Emma blushed, and looked questioningly at Nami.
"They got worried when you took off yesterday without telling anybody, and you weren't answering their calls." Nami explained, smiling in a knowing way.
"Oh, that." Emma looked down. "Yeah, well...I had...a lot on my plate...oh, which reminds me!" She looked up again. "I got another, uh, vision-thingie from the compass!" She held it up, and tapped it with her finger. At once, the hologram appeared, showing the two cats from before. The only trouble was... "Oh no! That wolf's chasing them again!" Emma gasped, seeing the predicament that the two cats were in again. "They should really try and avoid him..." She added, as the two cats ran up a staircase together, and the scene swung out to reveal more of their surroundings.
Nami gasped. "Hold on, go back a second..."
Zoro rolled his eyes. "I don't think it can."
Nami ignored him, an said: "I think I know that island...yes...I'm sure, it's..." She pointed her finger at the image of a disco ball. "Mirrorball Island!"
"Mirrorball Island?!" Everybody else repeated.
Nami nodded. "Hai, I'm sure now. Remember when the Marines chased us all over that place?" She asked Luffy, glaring at him.
Luffy ignored her glare, and just smiled. "Oh, yosh, now I do - that was so much fun!"
Nami just sighed. "Well, anyway, it looks like those two Allies could use our help, so we'd better go."
"Hn." Zoro nodded.
"Yeah, let's go and help them!" Luffy agreed.
"You in?" Emma asked Ace.
He grinned at her. "Mochiron, Emiko."
"Me too." Said a voice from behind them, and Emma jumped, recognizing that it was Law.
"Oh, you're c-coming t-too?" She stammered, not liking that smirk on his face.
He nodded, and noticed as she paled slightly. "Why? Are you trying to get rid of me?"
YES! Emma sighed. "Of course not, Law-San." She replied, in a small voice.
Hmm. Ace thought, as he followed everyone out onto the main part of the deck. What's this all about?
Just then, Sumi jumped down from the crows nest, landing on top of Ace.
"What the...Sumi?!"
"Oh, Ace-Kun, I'm so sorry!"
"Hmm, hey, where's Ace?" Luffy asked, looking around.
Nami glanced over. "He's over there, talking to Sumi."
They all looked over, to where Sumi and Ace were having a hushed conversation. Every so often, Sumi would point over at them and, one time, she grabbed Ace's hands and shook her head vehemently, as a very angry look crossed his face.
"I wonder what they could be talking about..." Nami muttered, just as Ace patted Sumi on the head, before walking over to them with an unreadable expression.
"Shall we go?" Was all he said, as he took Emma and Luffy by the hands.
Emma nodded, and took Nami's hand. She took Zoro's hand, and then Ace and Law glanced at each other.
No, not glanced...glared.
Emma sighed, and began focusing her powers. "Hold hands unless you want to die..." She warned in a sing-song voice, and Law and Ace had no choice but to obey her.
Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Ace and Law arrived as per. the usual - covered in ribbons and Emma-less.
This didn't worry them as much as the huge crowd that was crowded around a giant visual screen, and watching in excitement what was going on on-screen.
As they walked closer, they could hear what people were saying.
"This is absolutely the best!"
"I never would have thought that cats could act this way!"
"Oh cool, this is the part where Patches saves Antlers from falling!"
Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Ace and Law stared up at the screen with varying degrees of shock now, as the patchy cat onscreen held onto the smaller cat's neck-scruff, trying desperately to keep him from falling. It didn't show the bottomless ravine, however - they were all pretty sure that there was an airbag there or something, but it was still exciting to watch.
"It's a...movie?" Zoro face-palmed. "I don't believe it..."
"Oh, you'd better believe it, swordsman." A nearby man said. "This is a new form of entertainment established by none other than Moonbay Fox!"
"Moonbay Fox?" Nami thought about this for a moment.
"Huh, somebody you know, Nami?" Luffy asked her, his eyes glued to the suspense on-screen, which was being filmed live via Surveillance Den-Den Mushi.
"No," Nami shook her head. "I've just heard Sanji mention her a few times. Moonbay Fox used to direct plays, but now she seems to have moved onto live-action movies. She directed Sanji and Robin's favourite play - 'I Saw What You Ate Last Tuesday'." She added.
"Oh yeah, I almost saw that one." Luffy remembered.
Ace was watching the screen as well, as a flash of light and ribbons suddenly appeared, making everybody gasp, especially the ones that actually knew what those ribbons were.
As they watched, a small (but not as small as the cat with antlers) red and white cat appeared in a flurry of ribbons, crashing straight into the two other cats.
Everyone gasped now, as the three cats fell over the edge together.
"Ribon-Ribon No Grab!" Emma called out in desperation, as ribbons shot out from her paws.
"CUT!" The woman with long dark red hair and scarlet eyes shouted, and the crew quickly worked to disable the connections. Moonbay Fox's eyes flashed. "Get over there now! Get me my actors and that other cat!"
The crew nodded, and took off running, not wanting to invoke the director's wrath any further.
Fox sat down in her chair and frowned, considering what she'd just seen and heard. Another talking cat? And, one with powers? This could be very interesting...
Fox happened to glance down then, and saw something shining in the grass by her booted feet. She picked it up, and saw that it was actually two somethings - a heart-shaped necklace, and what appeared to be a compass.
Fox stared at them in her hand, before pocketing them.
Moments later, the crew had returned, holding all three cats, and leading the wolf (which was actually a trained dog) by a leash.
Fox stood up, and said: "Take all three of them to my trailer - I will be there shortly."
The crew nodded, and walked away holding the cats in their arms.
Emma, who hadn't dared to speak after announcing the name of her attack, now glanced worriedly over at the other two cats, but found that they looked perfectly at ease.
She waited until they were safely shut away in the trailer, before turning to them and asking: "Are you two alright?"
The little cat with the antlers opened his mouth to answer her, but was cut off when the bigger and patchier cat nudged him. "Don't interact with her, Chopper! We don't know who she is!"
"Oh, right, Usopp. Sorry..."
Emma's mouth was hanging open by this stage, as she stared at the two cats in front of her. "Chopper? And Usopp? As in...the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Usopp gasped. "Aah, you see, Chopper, now she knows who we are from out Wanted posters!"
"I'm really sorry!"
"Don't be!" Emma interrupted them. She sat down and regarded them both. Usopp was an orange and brown patchy-looking tabby cat, while Chopper was a dark brown with lighter brown markings including reindeer spots - and, of course, that blue nose and those antlers. "I actually know who you are because I know Luffy! He's here looking for you, along with Zoro and Nami!"
Usopp looked excited. "Really? Luffy's here? Is he okay?"
Emma nodded. "Yeah, everyone I just mentioned is doing fine. It's kind of a long story, though..." She added.
"How long is long?" Chopper wanted to know.
"Like, really long, so if you were to write it all down, it would take about twelve chapters of a book." Emma explained.
Usopp settled down onto the carpet. "Well, we have some time - Fox always takes her time when she's doing things, so we might be here for awhile."
Chopper lay down as well. "That's right." He said.
Emma sighed. "Okay, well, it started out when I bought this necklace..."
"Where should we start looking?" Luffy said, looking around.
"We need to start by finding somebody that knows where this Moonbay Fox is." Ace suggested, just as the sound of running footsteps could be heard.
"Nami! Nami!" A voice yelled, and Nami turned around, to see a flurry of blonde hair and blue dress launch itself at her. Sugar wrapped her arms around Nami's waist. "Hello!"
Nami looked a little bit shocked, but smiled, as she hugged Sugar back. "Sugar, what are you doing here?" She wanted to know.
Sugar smiled back up at her. "Visiting my big sister, of course!" She nodded. "I need to get my bracelet."
Nami rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right."
"What are you guys doing here, anyway?" Sugar wanted to know, putting her hands on her hips.
"We're looking for somebody named Moonbay Fox." Nami explained, and Sugar looked excited.
"That's my big sister!" She cried. "One of them." She added.
Nami raised an eyebrow. "Umm, exactly how many sisters do you have, Sugar?"
"Oh, well I've got two." Sugar held up two fingers. "Fox-Neesama's twenty-five." She added, like that made a difference.
Wow, big age gap. Nami thought. She knelt down, and asked Sugar: "Do you think that you could take us to see her? We'd really like to meet her."
Sugar nodded, her blonde curls bouncing. "Okay! She's doing some filming at the moment, about..." She glanced around, and then whispered, conspiratorially: "Cats."
"Ah, I see." Nami whispered back, straightening up.
Sugar took her by the hand, and led her down the street, leaving the others to follow.
Ace, however, lingered, and said: "Hey, Trafalgar."
Law turned around, raising one eyebrow. "Hmm?"
Ace's expression remained neutral, but his gaze was angry. "You stay away from Emiko, you got it? She's mine. And no one is taking her away from me."
Law smirked. "Then, we have a problem, don't we?"
"Seems that way." Ace nodded grimly, just as two hands stretched back, grabbing both of them by their collars and yanking them down the street, courtesy of one Monkey D. Luffy.
"...and, that's everything that I know." Emma finished up.
"Wow." Usopp and Chopper said in unison.
"You can say that again." She muttered dryly.
"Wow."
Emma smiled, and stretched. "Anyway, so what's your story? How did you two end up working for Moonbay Fox?"
"Oh," Usopp blinked. "Well, what happened was...one minute I was in the Boin Archipelago..."
"What were you doing there, Usopp?" Chopper asked innocently.
"Never mind!" Usopp snapped. "Anyway, so there I was, minding my own business and, the next thing I knew, I was teleported here, and transformed into a cat!"
Chopper nodded, and turned to Emma. "That's like what happened to me, except that I was in the Torino Kingdom at the time..." He looked down at his dark brown paws. "Being a cat is really, really weird for me..."
Emma nodded. "I get it. What I don't get is how you ended up in a movie."
"Perhaps I can answer that question."
They all three of them turned towards the door, where Fox was leaning. She was a beautiful woman, dressed in a short white dress with a black scarf and tall white boots. She had on a long black coat. Her nails and lipstick matched her hair and eyes. The tips of her hair were dyed black.
Emma immediately pressed her paws to her mouth.
Fox said: "Don't worry, I already know that you can talk." She came inside, and shut the door to her trailer. Facing the three cats, she stated: "I also heard everything that you just said. If the World Government is indeed after you, then you should probably leave before they arrive. No doubt they will put two and two together after seeing my movies."
"No, Fox-San!" Chopper looked upset. He bounded over to her. "I liked acting in your movies! It was fun, because the danger wasn't real and you took care of us!"
Fox looked down at him, her expression not changing. "Be that as it may, Chopper, I cannot allow you to continue acting in my movies if it will draw the Government here." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the compass and necklace. "I believe that these belong to you." She told Emma. "I was planning on making you work to get them back, but the longer you all remain here, the more danger you put my crew in. I'm sorry, but you'll all have to leave. Find your crew-mates, and leave this island quickly." She suggested, just as there was a knock on the door.
"Fox-Sama!" A man's voice called from outside. "The Marines are here to see you!"
Usopp and Chopper gasped, and Emma felt a thrill of fear - they'd found them!
Fox looked irritated, as she shoved the necklace and the compass back into her pocket. "Stay here!" She hissed, hurrying from the trailer, managing to make it look like she wasn't hurrying.
Chopper scurried back to Usopp and Emma. "I wish that Luffy were here!" Chopper whimpered.
"Me too." Usopp admitted.
"Me three." Emma added, jumping up onto a table, followed by the other two cats.
They cautiously peeked out the window.
"I'm telling you, I don't know." Fox said, and sat back in her chair, completely at ease.
"She has to be here! The first thing she said she'd do on this island was come and find you!"
Fox held up her hand. "Calm down, Pechapai-Chan." She smirked.
Her younger sister blushed furiously, crossing her arms across her chest as she stated: "Look, Fox, just because you're older and just because you have a D-Cup and just because you don't wear glasses, doesn't mean you get to boss me around and such!"
"Ah, yes it does." Fox smiled. "Calm down Tashigi, and relax - I'm sure that Sugar's fine."
"That's what you said last time, and she nearly got herself killed by pirates!" Tashigi threw her hands up in the air.
"That was Uncle Nezumi's fault, if I remember correctly." Fox pointed out. Tashigi was glad to hear that Fox's tone of voice implied that she didn't like their Uncle anymore than Tashigi herself did. "At least I didn't lose her as soon as the ship docked."
Tashigi gave her a Look. "Are you going to help me or not?"
Fox shook her head. "No, sister dear, I'm not."
Tashigi looked angry. "Oh, why did I even bother asking?! I'm embarrassed to be even related to you! Ever since Mum and Dad died, I've been doing all the work while you've been sitting pretty here making your movies, and..."
"Tashigi." Fox said, still smiling. "Sugar's over there." She pointed.
Tashigi was still ranting. "And they told me back at HQ...wait, what?" She turned around, and spied their little sister's familiar head of golden hair.
Sugar was running up the hill towards them, and waving. And, right behind her were...
Fox stood up quickly, her brilliant scarlet eyes taking in the situation quickly, as she whipped off her jacket.
Next to her, Tashigi's eyes had glazed over, and they were focused on one man in particular, a green-haired man carrying three swords with him.
Sugar suddenly stopped running, and stood in the middle of the two groups, just as Tashigi's subordinates appeared behind her and her sister, guns cocked and at the ready.
Sugar turned back to look at the Straw Hat Pirates, and then covered her hand with her mouth. "Oops, I'm sorry...I didn't realise that Tashigi-Neechan was here, too..."
"Oh, now you tell us that woman's your sister?!" Zoro cried.
Nami whacked him upside the head. "Don't yell at her!"
"Well, what did you expect?" Ace said calmly. "Her Uncle is a Marine officer, after all." He readied his Devil Fruit powers.
Tashigi fixed her gaze on Zoro, but addressed all of the Straw Hat Pirates. "Any last words, pirates?" She asked them, unsheathing her sword.
"Yeah," Luffy turned to her, and then pointed at Fox. "Can I have your autograph?"
Emma, Usopp and Chopper watched in shock as the battle commenced, and the wave of Marines at Tashigi's disposal just kept on coming.
The Marines kept Nami, Ace and Law busy.
Tashigi fought against Zoro again, and everyone seemed to move back and give them room, for fear of getting in the way of the two enemy swordsmen.
Luffy was about to jump into the battle, when a flash of red appeared by his side, which he only barely dodged.
"Oh no!" Chopper cried. "Fox-San went into her Hybrid-Form!"
"Her...Hybrid-Form...?" Emma repeated, and watched as a half-human, half-fox began to engage in a ferocious battle with Luffy. "Oh my God...she's got a cool Devil Fruit power..."
"Don't call it cool when she's fighting against Luffy!" Usopp scolded her. "This is bad, I can't believe Fox is doing this..."
"Well, I can..." Emma murmured. "After all, we're pirates, and her sister is a Marine, so..."
"Yeah, but Fox-San seemed so nice to us." Chopper sniffled. "She gave us a home and took care of us, even though none of us knew what was going on..."
Emma turned her thoughtful gaze back to the window, just as a fireball came flying at them. "HIT THE DECK!" She shouted, crashing into Usopp and Chopper just as the fireball hit. "Ribon-Ribon No Shield!" She added desperately, as the heat seared the fur on their backs, and debris began to fall all around them.
Gold and red ribbons manifested from her back, creating a kite-shaped shield of ribbons bound closely together, which protected them from the falling debris. Once the immediate danger had passed, Emma crawled out of the pile of rubble, followed by Usopp and Chopper.
The battle had continued whilst all of this was happening, and it seemed that nobody noticed the three cats that made their way out of the wreckage and towards a safer place.
The only one that noticed this was a black-clad figure with pale skin, sitting high up on a nearby building and watching all of this from his vantage-point.
A figure appeared next to him.
"Hello." Twister said, without even having to look at the newcomer. "I didn't expect you to show your faccce, Little Death."
Little Death frowned, and crossed her arms. "I don't get why you help that girl, Mr. Twister - she and those pirates are evil."
"That isss a matter of opinion, my dear." Twister replied, still as calm as ever. "I've been worried about you. Do you know that? Do you know how worried that we've all been about you?"
"I don't care." Little Death whispered angrily. Her gaze was fixed on the red cat that was making her way across the grass, a streak of red on green. "I hate her...I hate all pirates..." She vanished without another word.
Twister didn't say anything, though the young goddess' words sent a tiny spike of fear into his chest. These were not Little Death's words...these were not the words of the mischievous and playful little she-devil that had caused all of these problems.
These were the words of that other one...the one that they all feared...
Emma dashed across the grass, dodging marines and bullets like she had that morning at the shooting range. She was heading towards a black jacket that she knew that Fox had been wearing before the battle started, and that was where her necklace and compass were most likely to be.
She was about two yards away from it, when a hand grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.
Oh no! I'm being picked up!
Emma turned around slowly, to come face-to-face with none other than Smoker.
She recognized him instantly, and began struggling, knowing that it was futile. She suddenly knew where all of the extra Marines were coming from.
"It's Vice Admiral Smoker!"
"We're saved!"
"Heh, you Straw Hats are dead meat now!"
"I won't hurt you if you just come quietly." Smoker told Emma, speaking around his cigar as usual.
"Yeah?" A voice said from behind him, and he turned to see Ace there, his hand ablaze with fire. "Guess what? I won't hurt you if you let my girlfriend go now."
Smoker regarded Ace with the same stoic expression he usually had. In one hand he held Emma and, with the other, he started to create more smoke around him. "A battle between us would be as pointless as it was months ago in Arabasta but, I suppose, I have no choice." He raised his hand. "Howait..." He began but, just then, a stray bullet came flying at him, scraping along the knuckles of the hand that was holding Emma. Normally, it wouldn't have done anything - except that it was sea stone.
Sugar? Ace wondered, in shock, as Smoker grabbed his hand, letting Emma go in the process.
She hit the ground running, disappearing into the sea of legs again.
Ace smirked, and set his other hand ablaze as well. "Oh, and guess what? I'm also a chronic liar." He leapt at Smoker, who immediately reactivated his powers.
Gotta get the the compass! Gotta get the compass! Gotta get the compass! Emma thought, as she ran, and the jacket loomed up ahead of her. Yes! She dived into the jacket head-first, digging around within its folds until she found what she was looking for. She managed to slip the necklace on over her head, before her paw touched the surface of the compass.
Those that saw the jacket saw the pinkish-red light emit from it, and expand all the way out to reach Usopp and Chopper, who suddenly found themselves back to being a human and a reindeer, respectively.
They stood up, looking surprised, and suddenly a red fox was at their sides.
"Fox-San!" Chopper cried.
"Hurry, you two, you need to get out of here!" Fox said, her voice coming out in a low throaty growl.
"Why should we trust you?" Usopp wanted to know.
Fox glared at him. "Who just took care of you for the past week?!" She snapped, accentuating this with a snap of her jaws.
"Yeah, but we just saw you transform, and attack our friends." Usopp pointed out.
"If I'd wanted to kill your Captain, then he'd be dead by now." Fox told them impatiently. "I'm a former Marine, after all - I disliked pirates, right up until a red-haired Captain saved my life. I owe my life to him, and that kid with the straw hat reminds me of him! It was then that I decided to lay low."
"By becoming a director of world-famous plays?" Usopp asked dryly.
Fox didn't grace that with an answer, and instead let out a soft, yet loud, howl-like bark.
A few moments later, Sugar appeared from within the smoke and the crowd, dragging Nami and Luffy by their hands.
"Usopp! Chopper!" Luffy cried, when he noticed them.
Sugar nearly pushed him into the bushes along with Nami. "Fox-Neesama will take care of you!" She promised.
"Sugar, give me that gun." Fox snapped, transforming back into a human and holding out her hand.
Sugar pouted, but handed over the pistol, just as Law appeared, holding Emma in his arms.
"Sugar!" Emma cried. "Did you really shoot Smoker with a sea-stone bullet?!"
Sugar nodded, looking around. "Where are those other two?" She wanted to know.
Emma looked back out, noticing that Ace and Zoro were still fighting. Ace was taking on Smoker by himself, their powers expanding and growing in strength. Zoro and Tashigi were still crossing blades - Tashigi was strong, but Zoro was, too.
"What are we going to do, Luffy?" Nami asked him.
Luffy hesitated, and then glanced at Fox, as if asking her if they could trust her or not.
"Just give it a few more seconds." Fox muttered, and then a massive explosion of smoke and flames was caused by the powers of Ace and Smoker. "Now!"
Luffy stretched out his hands, grabbing onto both Ace and Zoro, and dragging them back.
"Luffy, what the...?!"
"Zoro, time to go-lo!" Luffy said, in a sing-song voice, as he and the others started running. "Don't worry." The Captain added, more seriously now. "We won't be making a habit of this."
"Good." Zoro replied, sheathing his swords and untying his bandanna before retying it around his left arm, even as he ran.
Fox, who had Sugar clinging to her back, led them all further into the city, until they reached a square, where a fountain shaped like a really scary-looking lion-crab-demon thing was.
"You can transport yourselves back to that other world from here!" Fox told them, and all eyes were immediately on Emma, who was lying in Law's arms.
"What?!" She asked them all, looking offended. "She overheard me telling Usopp and Chopper about it!" She looked up at the fountain then. "What is that thing?"
"That's a creature from ancient legends." Fox explained, her hybrid ears coming out and one of them flicking back, to listen. "It represents everything and nothing. Now, hurry! The Marines are almost upon us!"
"Right..." Emma nodded, just as they all spotted the black-clad figure that was Twister, coming towards them. Emma jumped out of Law's arms and trotted over to meet him, at the foot of the fountain.
Twister looked down at her...well, at least she assumed that he did, because the black hood covered his entire face. He was holding his sickle out, which she knew would transform her back into a human.
"Emma," Twister told her, in that same, snake-like voice. "You have done well, but you mussst get ssstronger, or elssse you cannot hope to sssuccceed."
"Umm, at what?" Emma questioned, peering up at him. "I mean, I know about finding my Allies and awakening some ancient power, but I..."
"There isss ssstill ssso much that you need to learn, Emma." Twister told her, bringing his scythe down and she felt her body change, and become human once more. "You still have four to find, and one other...you mussst not fail...you mussst get ssstronger to be able to handle coming here asss a human."
Emma nodded. "I...I understand...I think...anything else?"
Twister hesitated, and then raised his hand. "Give me your hand." He said, and Emma did so, feeling confused.
As soon as her hand touched the cool skin of Twister's hand, Emma's world went black, and she heard a voice, one which was familiar and yet foreign, and almost singing:
Allies united, under friendship's fire,
Bring light to evil's vain desire,
Alone you fail, but you will be aligned,
Under the rule of a Princess you have yet to find,
When you find her, you will know,
The light that guides you, she will show,
A power needed, for the thirteen,
To save the worlds, seen and unseen,
Then venture forth into the lair,
Of monster from an ancient nightmare,
Stand together in the darkness' face,
Stand united under Grace.
Emma shook her head as her sight came back, and realised that Twister was gone.
Luffy, Ace, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, Nami and Law were suddenly by her side.
"Are we going now?!" Nami cried, as the sounds of the Marines could be heard.
"Huh?" Emma shook her head slightly, and then nodded. "Oh, yes, of course! Everybody take my hands!" She instructed, and pretended to ignore the half a second silent battle between Law and Ace, before she just grabbed both of their hands.
"Luffy, wait!" Sugar cried, as they all started to disappear. Sugar sprinted up to them and thrust a piece of paper at Luffy, just as they all vanished.
When they arrived back on the Moby Dick, two things happened.
One, Nami turned to Luffy and asked him: "Luffy, what did she give you?"
And, Luffy unfolded the piece of paper, and grinned. "Alright! I got Moonbay Fox's autograph!" He held it up and waved it about, and many of the Whitebeard Pirates crowded around.
"There's even a photo!" One of the guys cried. "Se-xy!"
"Yeah!" The men standing there cheered.
Nami rolled her eyes. "Men are baka." She mumbled, and many of the women agreed with her.
The other thing that happened, was that Emma immediately began saying: "Paper! I need paper! And a pen! Or a pencil! Quickly!" She was waving her hands about, her eyes unfocused, and she looked frantic.
Marco suddenly appeared, holding a large pad of paper and a black texta (yes, that black texta).
Emma immediately grabbed it, and began writing. Everyone watched her, wondering what she was doing, and then Nami came and stood behind her, and began to read. "Allies united, under friendship's fire, bring light to evil's vain desire...Emma, what is this?"
Emma finished off the last part, and nodded to herself, capping the texta. "It's something I heard, when Twister reached out and touched my hand. We have to fight some ancient evil that's going to destroy the world..."
"Not just our world..." Nami said, narrowing her eyes at the messy hand-writing. "From the sounds of it...all the worlds are in danger. Seen and unseen...it must mean this world and our world...plus, the other dimensions that are out there that we haven't been to." Her lips moved, as she read through the lyrics. "Alone you fail, but you will be aligned, under the rule of a Princess you have yet to find...so, on top of finding four more Allies, we have to find a Princess...when you find her, you will know, the light that guides you, she will show...I think she's the one who can use the ancient power that we're supposed to awaken..."
Emma looked up at her. "You think?"
Nami shrugged. "I'm just saying..." She read the entire verse out to everybody, and Emma joined in - it sounded very strong when they both said it.
Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking about this.
"But, what's this monster that we have to fight?" Usopp wanted to know, looking a little bit pale. He'd just gotten here, and already there was talk of fighting monsters and saving other worlds!
"I just hope it's not that thing from the fountain that Fox told us about." Nami muttered, and she, Usopp and Chopper shivered.
"Hmm..." Emma thought about this, and then noticed that Ace was at her side. "What?"
"Can I talk to you?" He asked her.
"Sure." She grinned, and walked over to the other end of the ship with him.
They didn't know that Luffy, Nami, Sumi, Usopp and Chopper followed them. They peered around the side of a wall, all of them at different levels, and listened.
Ace turned around to face Emma, and stated bluntly: "I know what he did to you."
"What? Who?" Emma asked him, blinking. "Law-San?"
Ace looked away, frowning. "You say his name with so much respect, but after what he did..."
"How did you find out about that?" Emma wanted to know.
"Sumi."
"Ah, Sumi-Chan..." Emma nodded. She looked away as well, and leaned her back against the side of the ship. "Was she worried about me?"
Ace nodded, as well. "Yeah...I was, too...Emiko, I...I don't know how to say this..." He swallowed, a bit nervously. Come on, Ace! He scolded himself. You took down entire fleets of Marines and Pirates alike! You survived Level Six of Impel Down! You survived a battle at Marineford...because of her... Ace rubbed the tattoo at the top of his arm, the way he sometimes did when he was nervous, and noticed that Emma was biting on her nails. He came over and took her hands in his, and looked at her. "I meant what I said to Smoker during that battle, but...only if you..."
"If I want to be your girlfriend?" Emma looked pale. "M-me? Me?"
"I don't see anybody else standing here."
"But..." Emma blinked, sounding confused. "A-Ace-Chan, I...why me?"
"I should be asking the same thing." Ace shook his head. "Emiko, you are one of the, if not the most, amazing and incredible person I've ever met. You care about a bunch of people you've only ever read about in comic books, and even though we've made your lives miserable, you still keep on coming back to help us!"
"Miserable?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Ace-Chan...think you I am miserable, when I'm surrounded by people as awesome as you lot are? This is all I've ever dreamed of...to have a group of incredible and amazing friends like you!" Not that I don't love Krystal and Mayling, but they're not men. "I'm weak and cause more trouble for you than anything, but you still keep me around! I don't understand why, but I'm just so afraid of losing you!" She looked up at him. "Ace-Chan...you don't know how amazing you really are..." She was still pale, but a very faint blush was at her cheeks. Ace liked that blush - it made her bruise look less blue and, more importantly, it made her look adorable.
Yes, Ace had decided it. Emma was adorable. And, her devotion to him was adorable...
"You...you think that I'm amazing?" Ace questioned.
Emma nodded, smiling. "Yes...you're strong, caring towards your little brother, funny, confident, handsome..." She blushed even more now.
Ace smirked, and leaned down to her. "Handsome, huh? Am I...the most handsome?"
She swallowed. "Y-yes?"
His face was right up close to hers. His eyes were on fire...hers were bright. "Then...shouldn't I have the most beautiful girl?"
"Sure, I'll go and get her."
Ace chuckled softly. "Emiko...was what happened yesterday your first kiss?"
"...Yes..."
"Then, I hope that this makes up for it, okay?"
"... ... ... Okay."
He closed the space between them, pressing his warm lips against her slightly shaking ones. At once, a thrill of excitement coursed through him, coupled with the fact that her body was touching his. Ace let go of her hands, and ran his hands up her arms, snaking them around her back and resting them on her waist.
Her hands were shaking, but she reached up, looping her arms around his neck.
Ace's kiss was different from Law's. It took her awhile to figure it out. It wasn't the cold vs the heat. It wasn't the scent of medical disinfectant vs the scent of ash (considering that they just been in a battle).
It was because she'd okayed it.
Law had just taken it.
Ace had asked.
Emma liked that, and she liked Ace...no, wait...she loved Ace...she'd said so herself. She wanted to know everything about him...she wasn't sure how or why it had happened so soon, but...it had.
Emma and Ace drew apart, with Ace grinning and Emma smiling in a shy way, ducking her head in embarrassment.
She happened to glance at her left wrist, not at her Baby Den-Den Mushi or at her golden sister ID bracelet, but at her watch.
It was six-fifteen.
"Oh, shite!" Emma gasped. "I'm late!" She looked up at Ace, panicked. "My Mum's gonna kill me! I'd better go!" She reached up to touch her necklace, and then added: "Oh! Ace-Chan! I wanted to ask you, even before...umm...that..." Ace smiled, and waited. "Tomorrow night, my cousin's having a party." Ace's eyes lit up. "It's her twenty-third...did you...maybe...wanna come?"
"Will there be alcohol?"
Emma had to laugh. "Of course there will be, it's a Mexican Fiesta Party!"
"What does that mean?" Ace wanted to know.
"It means tequila, with agave worms and scorpion exo-skeletons." Emma explained.
"Sounds good." Ace nodded, and then kissed her forehead. "I'll be there."
"Great," Emma blushed. "I'll come and get you tomorrow night and say that you got dropped off by friends. This'll be perfect - you can meet my cousin before you meet my Mum!"
Ace smiled. "See you tomorrow then, Emiko."
"Bye, Ace-Chan." Emma said, and took a step back. Ace resisted the urge to reach out and grab her, as she said: "Ribon-Ribon No Transport." She vanished in a flurry of ribbons.
At that point, Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Sumi fell out of hiding, and Ace jumped, turning around in shock.
Luffy was laughing. "Shishishishi! Ace has a girlfriend! Ace has a girlfriend!"
"They were kissing!" Chopper added gleefully.
"I didn't expect that!" Usopp admitted.
"Well done, Ace-Kun!" Sumi cheered, and she and Nami exchanged a high-five.
Ace looked shocked. "You were...you all saw that?! Heard that?!" They all nodded. His face darkened, but he smiled all the same, and set his hands on fire. "Okay, time to play my new favourite game - Burn The Straw Hat Pirates To Crisps...you too, Sumi." He added.
They all gasped, and took off running in separate directions.
Ace gave chase.
Luffy was happy, however, despite being faced with being torched by his older brother. "Ace loves Emmy! Ace loves Emmy!" He declared, dodging a wave of fire that was directed at him.
Law stood up in the crows nest, his expression unreadable. His thoughts were racing, however. This isn't over, Fire-Fist...I'm not letting you win this one...
Georgia Brown looked nervous, as she sat at the police station.
Bradley Cates sat down across the desk from her, and regarded her kindly. "Okay, Georgia - what is it?"
"I think...I think I have some information..." Georgia began, wondering why she was feeling so nervous. "About...Carmilla..."
Bradley leaned forwards, suddenly looking interested. "What?"
"Well..." Georgia said, shifting uncomfortably. "It's..."
Just then, a man came in, holding a sealed bag. "Officer Cates, the fingerprints you requested have been confirmed." He said, handing the sealed bag to Bradley, before walking back out again.
"Those are Emma Pax's fingerprints, aren't they?" Georgia said suddenly.
Bradley looked up at her, before glancing back at the bag. Without even opening it, he leaned forwards and said: "Why don't you tell me what you know, Georgia?"
Author's Notes:
. I drew everyone as cats!
fav . me / d61l4lo
(This was meant to go in the last Author's Notes, but I forgot.)...
. Thanks to elevnarchress for writing this s/6315703/1/Second-Division-Prohibitions and giving me the ideas for Ace and Luffy waging war on the kitchens and Sumi jumping down from the crows nest and landing on top of Ace.
. Usopp. flowerstar5 . webs blackeye . jpg
. OMG, her second surprise kiss in two days! Yay!
qwaszxedc9 - I hope this chapter was Ace-ChanxEmiko enough for you! And, yes, Law is too forceful, but he's also about to get really jealous! Thanks for your review!
Mugiwara Otome - this chapter had some AcexEmma. ^^ Thanks for reviewing!
MusicOfMadness - don't worry, it'll get better for Emma. ^^
WindWhistle21 - Garp would be the coolest Grandpa EVER! ^^ Thank you for liking my writing. Hmm, LawxEmma...you'll have to wait for that...
Cocoa Liddell - yes, Emma did say that she loved Ace, and she meant it! ^^ Ace's reaction about Law kissing Emma isn't finished yet, by the way...
MsWildLuck - I've kept on writing, so keep the crazy (beautiful) snake-lady away from me! You vote Law? ^^ You'll have to be patient.
KaiF . Raphaella - because cliffies make the world go around! XD Thanks for the review!
AiSoraix3 - Thank you! I'm glad that you love my story! :)
KatieTheDragonRider - ooh, don't worry, I've got an idea. I just wanted to know everybody's opinions...it's all good. ^_^
Reader - I agree, they're very cute together. Thanks for reviewing.
Mugiwara Wolf Spirite - yup, it was Usopp! ^^ Heh, AceAceAce not Law... *tries to resist being controlled by you*