Author's Note: I'm so happy and surprised by the positive reception and followers for this story. Thank you all so much. ?
Chapter Two: Escape
It was the first time her husband looked at her coldly without a trace of affection. There was always a softness reserved for her and other people he was close to even when they first met. God, it felt so long ago when they met….
"Miss, it's going to be fine," he said gruffly. "You're safe now."
She was lying down on her side, half her face on the floor, and arm draped over her the other half of her face. She barely registered his words. Her head was fuzzy, objects were spinning, and her hearing was muffled. She was aware another human being was there, but he was touching or roughly throwing her around. What is this?
"Can you move?"
She moved her arm shakily to see who was asking her that. Their eyes locked, and she saw concern there. It was odd. She hadn't seen eyes like that in months. Was she dreaming? Was this her imagination trying to protect her from the horror.
He reached for her arm, and she flinched, trying to get away.
"I'm going to pick you up to take you to the hospital."
Hospital…
She peered up hazily, seeing the marine captain coat. It wasn't a dream. Marines raided the place and were rescuing victims in the slave trade. That explains what felt like a war going on all around her through her dulled senses.
So she let him.
His large hands slipped underneath her. She hissed at the stinging pain. There wasn't much clothes on her, and normally, she'd be quite uncomfortable, but there was no room for shame right now. He apologized gruffly as he tried in a gentler way. When he got his hands under her, he lifted her easily as if she was a feather. She might as well given how underweight she was. It still made her gasp softly and clutch his jacket with shaking fingers.
"You're trembling," he said.
She didn't answer as she buried her face into his coat and tried to block out everything to cure her sensory overload.
She didn't realize she passed out until she woke up in the hospital with several tubes in her nose and veins. Another thing she noticed was a jacket around her almost nude body, the same marine jacket from the marine who saved her from that ring. She would have to return it and thank him when she could. Right now, she just wanted to pass out and forget, forget everything.
It took several days of healing in the hospital to be well enough to leave. They gave her basic clothes thankfully. She continued to wear the giant marine coat. It smelled of smoke from a campfire and cigars. It wasn't an unpleasant combination. She didn't have to wonder if she'd see him again. He showed up with other marines to gain info about the trafficking ring. She didn't have much to give, but it seemed enough for them.
After the others left, she said, "Thank you for letting me borrow your jacket."
She went to take it off to give it back to him, but he placed his hand on top of hers. She looked up to his eyes curiously. When their eyes locked, he immediately averted them. If she was correct, she was sure she saw color in his cheeks.
"You can keep it," he gruffed, "until you get your normal clothes back."
"Oh. Thank you," she said softly. And, she had to swallow her pride to ask, but she asked nonetheless. "Can you walk me home?"
"Yes."
It was quiet which was fine by her. She didn't know what to say to him given his exterior. She wasn't afraid of him. He didn't intimidate her simply because he wasn't trying to.
They arrived at her door. Their eyes locked, and she worked up the courage to say:
"Thank you."
He nodded his head once in acknowledgement as he turned away to walk on. Why was her face growing so warm? Why was her heart beating faster than normal? It had been awhile since she felt attraction for someone. Is that what this is?
CRASH!
She was thrown out of her thoughts when a cloud smoke smashed into her abdomen. It knocked the wind right out of her. She hissed in pain and fell over. She knew it was useless unless she had a sea stone weapon. His devil's fruit didn't allow any damage down to his person. It was why he was so successful.
She got back on her feet just in time to see her husband throw Sanji across the street and Luffy got shoved to the floor and sat on. She ran over and once more she was shoved across the street. She skid across the cobbled street and cried out as her skin was cut up.
Moments passed before she heard, "Sanji, get Silas!"
"Fine."
Suddenly, she felt an arm slip underneath her stomach and lift her easily. Her face felt hot at the realization that she's been lifted and carried like a football by a stranger. She noticed Luffy was being held by Zoro in a similar fashion.
She looked around, noticing that rain was beginning to pour and pound down from the sky. She suspected it was going to rain given the air around them, but she didn't expect it to storm this badly. She had a feeling this wasn't the worst of it.
When they came to a stop, she stood on her own. She looked up to see two other members of the crew: an oranges haired girl, and a boy with a long nose. They were screaming to get them onto the ship. All of them complied and off they were. No longer were they in LogueTown, sailing away the second they got on the ship. The wind was wild, propelling them forward at a rapid speed.
"Look, there's the light," she said, grateful they could see it through the clouds and darkness.
"Is that a lighthouse?" the long nosed boy said.
"It's a guiding light for the grand line entrance," the orange haired girl explained. Then, she frowned. "Wait, who are you? Luffy, did you recruit another person?"
Luffy smiled and let out a short laugh. He was unabashed as he gestured to Sienna. The crew stared at her, and she straightened up, putting up her tough boy persona.
"This is Silas."
"Hi," she said simply, mustering some of her confidence back.
"Zoro," the green haired swordsman said.
"Sanji," the blond said, trying to light a cigarette despite the rain.
"Usopp," the fearful long nosed boy said.
"Nami," the orange haired girl said.
They were an interesting group. It was a small crew and a small ship. She wondered how they would fare in the grand line. If she knew her husband as well as she thought she did, he wouldn't just let them leave just like that. It was going to be a hard fight. It should scare her, but why did that thrill her? She should've quelled that long ago.
"Let's do the ceremony for entering the ocean," Sanji said, throwing away the cigarette, haven given up on lighting in this rain. She nodded. He put his heel on top of the barrel. "I want to find All Blue."
Luffy knocked his heel on the barrel too. "I want to be the Pirate King!" he declared.
Zoro was next. "I want to be the best swordsman."
Nami's heel smacked onto the barrel and said, "I want to draw a map of the world!"
Usopp was next and declared, "I want to become a brave pirate."
Now, it was Sienna's turn. They all looked at her expectantly. Fine, it seemed she could finally voice her dreams. It felt nice. She couldn't before. People usually just laughed or dismissed her. She wouldn't let the opportunity pass to say it out loud and be acknowledged.
She slammed her heel onto the barrel, puffing her chest, and shouting with determination, "I wish to be a legendary blacksmith!"
All of them shouted, "Let's go to the grand line!"
Everyone went inside the kitchen as the rain poured down harshly. She wished she understood what this day would turn into so she would have packed properly for the weather. She would've grabbed her blacksmithing tools, clothes, and materials. She would've—
"Alright, we may have a problem," Nami said, slapping the map on the kitchen table. "The entrance to the grand line is a mountain."
"A mountain? Even if there was a body of water that ran through it, how are we supposed to go up the mountain?" she asked.
The last time she was on the grand line, she was a child and barely remembered much of anything. But that sounded like an impossibility. And, she had gotten a brief look at the ship so far, and it was already damaged. She hoped for the crew's sake, the ship didn't have any structural damage.
"It's a magic mountain!" Luffy declared as explanation.
"It might as well be," she said. "Wait, do you hear rain anymore?"
Nami gasped and ran out of the kitchen immediately. The rest of the crew followed, and they were sitting in the middle of the ocean without any wind, rain, or other weather except the unobscured sun. They were just floating on the calm belt.
"Welp, I guess someone is going to have to row," Nami said, looking at the boys.
She realized that she was a part of the boys now. It was a strange adjustment, but she can go along with it. Of course, Zoro, the head strong one, challenged her unabashedly.
"Why do we have to row back to the storm? Let's go through the calm belt to get to the grand line."
"Bad idea~," Silas said in a sing-song voice to mock him.
"Why?" Zoro said, turning his irritation towards her.
"That," she said simply, pointing at the sea monsters that emerged from the ocean.
Everyone except for Silas screamed in terror. They immediately ran to the lower decks to get to the rowers and the rudder up top. Nami and Usopp immediately clung to each other, screaming still. They fled from the calm belt back on course for Reverse Mountain.
She watched as the giant sea monster dove back into the water, only giving a glimpse of its tail before disappearing completely. She forgot how dangerous the sea could be. She'd lived a boring, privileged life for several years in ignorance. Though, the need for excitement wasn't hindered by it. Quite the opposite in fact.
"Whoa! Is that the magic mountain!?" Luffy exclaimed.
"Well, I'll be damned. It is a magic mountain," she chuckled drily as she looked over to see the water climbing up the canal through the mountain.
She also noticed that they were on the track up the mountain due to the current underneath The Going Merry. However, it wasn't a steady current though. The ship rocked violently, heading straight for a column.
Immediately, she ran to the rudder along with Sanji and grasped onto it, trying to keep the ship steady. It was far too strong. They tried as they must, but the rudder broke under the pressure. Everyone balked at that.
"Well, shit."
She braced herself for impact, closing her eyes tightly. However, it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. She opened her eyes and saw that Luffy ballooned himself against the column to cushion the blow. He then stretched his arms to grab the next column to cushion the next impact from the ship.
Everyone let out a breath of relief as they finally started climbing reverse mountain up the canal. She smiled as the rest cheered in victory.
It was late now that they were out of danger. Everyone was exhausted, especially Silas. She wasn't just physically but emotionally drained. She dragged her feet when Luffy showed her where they slept. The hammocks swung in the air and immediately swung down. Without a second thought, she flopped down onto the lower level hammock.
"Oi, that's my hammock," she heard Sanji exclaim angrily.
She ignored him as she slept on her stomach with her face covered in the pillow.
"I still want to be a blacksmith!"
"Why would you want to be that?" her den mother said, frowning. "You're going to be a high ranking marine's wife. You're not hideous. He'll want you. Most importantly, he'll provide for you, and you'll be safe from those disgusting pirates."
"I don't think they're disgusting."
Her den mom frowned at her.
Smoker frowned at her.
"I, uh, I was wondering what you, um, thought about me being a blacksmith?" she asked softly, bumping her pointer fingers together.
"Why? We have plenty of money," he said.
"It's not about the money," she said, looking up into his eyes.
"Then, what is it?"
How could she explain why she wanted something? It was hard to describe her desire and need to create things with her own hands. She wanted to make weapons and other metal works. She wanted to craft, make things with her hands. She wanted to do something that held meaning to her.
Just before she would try to explain herself, he said, "Let's go home. It's getting late."
She deflated. She walked along beside him. She looked over and saw other married couples holding hands. It was sweet and affectionate. She brushed her fingers against his large hands, causing him to flinch, and she withdrew her hand. After a beat, she felt him grasp her hand. She looked up, but he didn't look her in the eyes. She smiled and flushed nonetheless.
She woke with a start.
Guilt creeped inside of her. Yes, she didn't intentionally leave, but she could've said no and refused to be a pirate. She could've come clean to her husband that she was cross dressing as a man to keep her actions a secret and be taken seriously in her field. No, the allure of being a pirate called to her, and she took the opportunity to sail away with a sweet kid and his colorful crew. She was a terrible wife and person. She knew that.
She dragged herself out of her hammock. She rubbed her eyes as the boys continued to snore in slumber next to her. Fine, she'll make everyone breakfast. She was hungry anyway. Her arms stretched above her head as she walked to the kitchen. She noticed dazedly that the fridge was padlocked. Without hesitation or a change of expression, she took a crowbar behind the fridge and broke the lock with ease. Good, now, it was open to her.
She opened the fridge and looked around at the supplies. Hmm, The Straw Hats have eggs, milk, raw bacon strips, a variety of vegetables and fruit, and fish. It'll work just fine.
She found the frying pan and began scrambling eggs on the stove. Then, on the other burner, she poured the pancake mix she stirred. The sizzling was a familiar sound, and it was somewhat comforting. She could kind of pretend she didn't just abandon her husband and set out with strangers.
"What are you doing in my kitchen?" she suddenly heard from the cook.
"Making breakfast," she said. She turned around and saw the irritation breaking through his normal stoicism. Then, she looked around at the mess she's made from pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Oh…. Right. "I'll clean it up when I'm done. Don't be so uptight."
"Uptight?" he said. "This is my kitchen."
"Wait, isn't this technically Captain Luffy's kitchen?" she teased.
"I'm the head chef, you—"
"Ooh, head chef? Wait, does that make me your sous-chef?" she continued to pick at the wound that was beginning to fester.
She knew she was being annoying, but he was being annoying as well. He greeted her with hostility after all. The difference between them is she was unbothered and playful, and he was upset and snappy. She knew her attitude and words only added fuel to the fire, but he shouldn't be so stingy with cooking. She knew he was capable and didn't have to do anything, but old habits die hard, and she actually liked cooking for herself and others. He truly shouldn't be that upset.
"As if I would let some rookie be my so—" she took a spoonful of her eggs and shoved them into his mouth. She waited with raised brows and a smirk as she took her spoon back. He looked reluctant. "… you're cooking isn't complete garbage… but you're not my sous-chef. Clean this up."
He left, looking disgruntled with a few backward glances as she tried her best not to burst into laughter. When the door shut, she started laughing openly to herself.
As The Straw Hats ate breakfast, Silas noticed that Sanji was still disgruntled and salty. He was glaring at her as he ate the bacon. She just smirked at him to make him bristle further. It was obvious he was quite territorial and protective of his cooking and cooking space. He clearly didn't like men either. Jokes on him though.
When they left the kitchen out in the open decks of the ship, it started to take a downward trajectory. They were barreling down the mountain. Excitement blossomed in her chest as Nami and Usopp screamed in terror as the speed and momentum grew.
"Hey, where's that crowbar?" Silas asked as she looked at the broken rudder.
"Crowbar?" Usopp said confusedly.
"Yeah, I used it to break the padlock," she said casually.
"You what?!" Sanji said.
"It's fine. I can repair it," she said casually with a wave of her hand.
She could feel the seething anger in the crew's cook. It was easy to make him angry. She understood that to a degree, but she never experienced it truly since her husband didn't cook or put the dishes away. A hollow pang ran through her at the thought.
"Huh? What padlock?" Luffy asked.
"There's no padlock. He's lying."
Just as she restrained a laugh, Usopp ran over with the crow bar. She walked over and took it. She stuck the straight end in first, connecting it with the wood. It'll make a more effective rudder for now until she has the tools and material to repair it properly. Usopp, on the other hand, wasn't too thrilled by it.
"Don't break Merry any further!" he shrieked.
She didn't even address him with words or a look. She simply braced herself on the railing much like the other crew members for their downward rush to the bottom of the mountain. As everyone began screaming in terror her and Luffy were screaming in joy. It had been so long since she'd had a thrill. Her life with Smoker was safe and comfortable, but she'd always had a liking for excitement and chaos.
As they grew closer to the bottom of the mountain, they were greeted by a wall of black. Was there just a barrier to murder all who enter the grand line? What the hell?
"Wait, is that a…?" Zoro began.
"Whale?!" Nami shrieked.
Silas looked up and finally saw the round eye near the top of the whale's face. She laughed incredulously before grabbing the crowbar and tried to pull back effectively to brake. Zoro joined and began to pull as well. She could hear the creaking underneath the pressure. The two of them exchanged a nervous look. She braced for impact. But, it was merely a bump against the whale's body.
Everyone simultaneously let out a soft sigh of relief. That is until the whale looked down at them with its giant pupil. Then, it opened its mouth and let out a cry, causing them to get sucked in. Well, as far as dumb ways to die, this was pretty interesting as far as they went.
"What do you think?" Zoro said.
They were standing at the head of the ship. Silas and Zoro had their arms crossed over their chests. Sanji had his hands in his pockets as he puffed on a cigarette. Usopp and Nami stood there in awe. No one knew what exactly to say.
"What do I think?" Silas asked casually, raising her brows.
"Nevermind what any of us think. We're swallowed by a whale," Sanji said, mirroring both their apathetic tones.
"Is this a dream?" Usopp breathed.
"I'd believe that," Silas said.
"Maybe, that house on the island is an illusion," Usopp continued.
"Do you believe that's an illusion?" Silas asked casually, pointing at the squid that emerged from the water.
Nami and Usopp screamed at the top of their lungs and clung to one another. She, however, began to stretch, warming up her joints, preparing to take on the squid despite being weaponless. The other two beside her readied themselves as well. They smirked just like her.
"Where's Luffy?" Nami whispered frantically.
"He's— whoa!"
SKEWER
Several harpoons pierced through the giant squid, knocking it down, killing it in an instance. She pouted slightly as Sanji and Zoro relaxed with her. She was hoping to prove her skills and worth to her crew mates. After all, they hadn't met her before Luffy accepted her as a crew member. They were probably wondering why she was here and saw her as some leech. It was a similar feeling she held when she was with Smoker, sitting home after her minor chores were done. She wanted to prove her worth.
The person who skewered the squid came out, reeling it in by the rope the harpoon was attached to. He was an older gentleman, probably in his fifties. He didn't look particularly friendly nor did he look especially intimidating either. He plopped down on his lawn chair after he was finished and pulled out his newspaper.
"Hey, man, what's up?" she shouted casually, realizing that her man-voice in a shout was rather straining.
"Don't speak to that crazy old man," Usopp hissed fearfully, tugging at her unmoving arm.
"He doesn't look crazy. He looks like my old neighbor," she said dismissively, brushing his hand away.
She wouldn't look away from the old man who gave her a hard glare. They wouldn't break eye contact. She knew this was a typically masculine trait, not backing down from a challenge. If she was going to keep up the rouse, she needed to play the part. Plus, it was ridiculous to glare at a stranger whomst he's just met. Who knows? If she was that old and wanted to live in a shack undisturbed, she'd be mad as well.
"I'm Silas. What's your name?" she shouted, trying again.
A smile grew on his face. "My name is Claucus. I'm seventy-one, a Pisces, AB blood-type, and I'm a lighthouse keep—"
"I'm gonna kill him," Zoro hissed.
She rolled her eyes playfully and placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him to calm down. Thankfully, Usopp stepped up to the plate and spoke to the old man.
"What is this place?"
"Are you dumb, deaf, and blind? You've been eaten by a whale. There's the exit," he said casually, pointing.
Everyone looked over and saw the door sitting there. Odd, still, it wasn't as odd as the blue sky above them. How did this old man project a sky in a whale's belly? She was about to ask, but the question died on her tongue. Her desire to know just faded into the wind.
"Alright, let's go."
Just before they were to take off the entire stomach started to thrash. She grasped the railing. She looked over at the old man and noticed that it wasn't an island but a stylized ship made of iron. That made sense. She'd imagine the stomach acid would erode just about anything else.
"It's made of iron…. Wait, that means Going Merry could dissolve in this if we're here long enough," Sanji said.
"What's going on?!" Usopp shouted.
"This whale smashes his head into the red line," the old man explained.
"Why?" she asked as Zoro and Sanji asked, "What?"
"There were so many scars on the whale's head. I assume he's spent years smashing his head in that mountain," Nami said, frowning and pouting. "The only reason I can think of why he does it is because he's sad."
A sad aura befell the Straw Hats. The thought of a depressed whale, hurting himself was something. However, the violent tremors continued. How were they going to navigate this? She looked over between her crew members and the old man.
"Whoa!" Usopp said, pointing at the old man who dove into the watered down stomach acid. "He could burn down there."
"Whatever," Zoro said. "We've got to row to the exit."
Just before they ran to the rows, three people from the 'sky' dropped down. One person was familiar: their captain who was screaming as if he was going to die. The other two, on the other hand, weren't familiar whatsoever. And maybe, Luffy was right to scream like that since he belly flopped onto the water and sank like a rock.
"Well, anyone going to jump in after him?" she asked, somewhat amused as she looked amongst the crew. They didn't say a word and ignored her statement. "I guess it's going to be then."
She shrugged her long, leather overcoat off and dove in. Nami and Usopp were correct about the water not being pure water. It was combined with the stomach acid of the whale. Any prolonged exposure was extremely dangerous. She found Luffy, grabbed him, and pulled him up to surface once more.
"Found him," she said casually.
She grabbed the back of his vest and threw him over her head with ease. He landed on the deck with a dramatic squeak. She then climbed on top and back onto the ship. Before she approached their captain, she looked at the rest of the crew briefly and saw the shock on Usopp's and Nami's faces and the sizing up on Zoro's and Sanji's faces. She shrugged and squatted down uncaringly. Normally, as a woman, she wouldn't be so flippant and open when it came to posture or displays of strength. After all, she would get comments of it not being ladylike, and the pressure of being Smoker's wife was a little suffocating. Now, no one knew her, and she posed as a man on a pirate ship. It was freeing. No one better embodied that freedom than Luffy.
She poked Luffy's cheek repeatedly. "Captain?" she questioned flippantly.
He groaned softly.
"Okay, he's alive," she said smiling slightly, standing up straight again to look at the rest of them.
"You're really strong," Usopp said incredulously.
"I guess," she shrugged, poking her own bicep. "I could be stronger."
Suddenly, the violent thrashing stopped, and the whale was calm. Everyone blinked in confusion and looked around.
The two people who fell with Luffy climbed on board. They both held bazookas. Immediately, Sanji was simping for the blue haired girl with the high center ponytail. She eyed them curiously.
"Now's our chance, Mr. Nine!"
"Yes, let's destroy the whale from the inside!"
They lifted their bazookas. Without hesitation, she kicked the bazookas away with ease. They flew out of their hands, and Luffy stood and punched both of them in the head, knocking them down.
"Well, that settles that," she shrugged.
They were on the old man's island. The two people who wanted to kill an innocent whale were tied together and disarmed. She watched the old man as she sat down with the bottom of her shoes placed together and her arms crossed over her chest. Luffy was busy climbing the palm tree in attempts to get to the fruit, living up to his last name.
"I feel you all should understand this whale," he began. "He's the largest whale in the world from the West Blue. His name is Laboon. These two brats want to kill him because his meat can feed an island for two to three years. I won't let them though. I love Laboon despite the fact that he smashes his head into the red line every chance he gets. He does it because he wants to see his old nakama again. They left him here about fifty years ago because the sea is incredibly dangerous. It's been fifty years, and he desperately wishes to go back to them. He believes that they're still alive."
It was so sad. She couldn't help but feel for the self-mutilating whale. He just wanted his family back. She understood the pain. For so long, she'd been alone. She found Smoker, but he was distant. She found the Straw Hats, but she'd only known them for a couple of days. Could she consider them a family? Was this temporary? Would she be dragged back to LogueTown by her husband? She didn't think this through long term. The promise of adventure and living out her dream were so tempting. She kind of liked the crew so far. They were filled with so much personality and definitely one of a kind. She didn't know what her future held, but she was hopeful.
