Author's Note: The term domestic housewife implies the existence of a feral housewife which is now what Sienna is. Shout out to Zezazez.
Chapter Eight: Drum Island
Like a mirage, the cyclone disappeared. It just dropped like a hot potato, including the rain. Instead, what picked up was an intense snowfall. Giant globs of white, fluffy, cold glorified water fell onto them. The ship was still warm, so the snow melted immediately.
"Ahhh!"
Usopp wiped out on the wet deck. Silas laughed to herself softly to which he blanched and rounded on her.
"I-I meant to do that," he said.
"I believe you," Luffy said straightforwardly.
Silas continued to laugh. She then took a run, sliding across the deck much like she used to across waxed floors in socks. On her slide, she grasped both Usopp and Luffy's hands to pull them along with her. All of them laughed until all three of them slammed into the railing. They groaned in pain. And then, something caught the corner of her eye, making her straighten up.
"Sad clown, turn that frown upside down," she murmured, pouting back at him from a distance.
"What?"
They seemed to have noticed the jester in sad makeup standing on the water too because they blanched. So, it seemed she wasn't hallucinating this time either. Or perhaps, they were concerned about the things she saw. It wouldn't be the first.
"You can see him too?"
"Yeah…," both of them said, clearly confused as to why she asked that.
"Good."
Then, as if they were waiting for a cue, beneath the jester's feet a strange dome began to rise beneath the water's surface. So he wasn't a jester-wizard walking on water? That was a shame. She would've liked to keep believing that.
The water displacement from the rising object caused the ship to veer. She let herself slide backwards across the deck until she smacked into one of the walls. It earned her an odd look from Zoro, and she just gave him a smile.
She'll admit it. She was getting drunk on freedom. For so long, she was kept on one island with her husband with the exact same day passing by. She loved Smoker, but he liked his routine and when she would suggest trying something new, he seemed confused and didn't entertain it. Even though she felt suffocated there, she really did feel badly for ditching him. She doubted any other marine's wife would run off with pirates and enjoy it so much. Not to mention, she had a whole other gender presentation that she didn't tell him about that started as a way to go behind his back to be a blacksmith. And the worst wife of the year goes to… Sienna.
When she pulled herself out of her thoughts, she saw that it was a giant ship that had emerged instead of a dome. It sure dwarfed The Going Merry. Then, again, size wasn't everything. She snickered to herself at that thought.
Soon, a large, hulking man with tin body parts entered the Going Merry. He had a smug look on his face as he snapped his fingers to which his lackeys immediately appeared at his side. He was an odd sort, especially when he pulled off a rail from the ship and ate it. She's heard of pica, but that was a whole other level.
She wasn't the only one who blanched.
"I am Wapole. Do you have a Drum Island eternal post or a log post?"
"No," Luffy said.
"Then, I am robbing you."
He leant forward to take a bite out of Brogy's shoulder plate.
Without hesitation or a change of expression, Silas walked over and kicked Wapol in the chest. She watched as he flew off The Going Merry somewhere she didn't care. She looked over, blinking blankly at the incredulous and shocked faces of the crew members of that glutton, who tried to take a bite out of her shoulder plate mind you. Her fellow crew members gave her similar looks, especially poor Usopp and Vivi.
"What?" she said, shrugging. "He tried to eat my gift."
That seemed to be the trigger for the rest of the Wapole crew as they screamed about their captain being disrespected and retreated from The Going Merry. She snickered to herself as they pathetically scampered away, claiming revenge eventually. How brave.
"What a bunch of idiots," Sanji said.
"Agreed," Silas said. "Hmm, it's cold and dark. I'm going to bed."
All of them ended up camping out in Nami's room on the floor. They had to drop anchor because they couldn't go anywhere at night without Nami's navigational skills, so they might as well have a big sleepover. It means it'll take longer for them to reach land, but it was safer. She didn't mind waiting; she just hoped Nami could hold out a little longer….
When she awoke, she noticed that mostly everyone was gone. The navigator was still sleeping in the bed uneasily due to the fever of course. Usopp and Luffy were snoring loudly on the floor. The others must be up and ready for the day. The ship felt like it was moving. Maybe, they'll be at Drum Island, was it, soon.
She stretched and yawned silently. She stepped out and up to the upper decks. It was just as cold, maybe even colder, as last night. Snow decorated the ship. She shrugged on her long coat, slipped into snow boots, and put on a red beanie that covered all of her hair and the back of her neck. She probably looked like a cone.
She looked over and saw Zoro practicing his swordsmanship on the highest peak on the ship. The balancing act was almost impressive.
Quietly, she climbed up. She was slow, silent, taking practiced steps. Was this a little stupid? Yes, he was wielding one sword and had two more at his hip. But she felt like pestering him. Zoro was so stoic, so it would be a treat to scare him, much like Sanji who acts all detached and unflappable (except when a pretty woman was around). It just felt fun to bother one of them a little.
When she was directly behind him, she tapped his shoulder gently. He turned around with a questioning sound, but she had followed his back. He didn't see her. So, once more she tapped his shoulder. He was quicker this time, but she managed to stay behind him. An annoyed sound left him as she continued this dance with him.
"Dammit, show yourself!"
She laughed to herself as he made a swipe with his blade, but she ducked. It did end up revealing that she was the one pranking him. He looked incredibly annoyed and seemed as if he was ready to fight or give her an earful.
"Silas, why are you—"
"Enough, we're approaching land," Sanji said.
She flipped backwards before Zoro could say another word and landed on her feet lightly before heading to the front of the ship. Sanji was right. Through the fog and flurries, there was an island with several mountainous peaks. There was a thick blanket of snow that decorated the land. Finally, she could find a whetstone and some other tools. Yes!
"I wonder if I can jump that far?" she said abstently to herself.
"Don't be ridiculous," Sanji said.
"I was just thinking about it. I wasn't gonna do it."
She looked around, and it seemed Luffy and Usopp finally emerged to the outside decks. Luffy complained about the cold, hugging his bare arms to himself. Sanji scolded him for just now noticing.
As they grew closer and closer to the island, it became more plausible for her to actually jump it. She looked over her shoulder to see if any of the crew was looking. They weren't.
She didn't know why she was acting like this. Back home with her husband, she didn't act out like this. If she started acting goofy and tried to prank Smoker, it wouldn't go well. Besides, she didn't have the desire to do so to him. He had a maturity to him that didn't evoke the need to pester him. Not only that, her meds muted everything including her good and bad traits. She wasn't a doctor, but perhaps she was going through withdrawals from her medication. That seemed likely.
She managed to make the leap. She suppressed the shiver creeping up on her as she stepped through the heavy snow. No one seemed to notice her thankfully. She walked along the docks, and that was when several people ran up with guns. Automatically, she put her hands up as she tried her best to keep her face neutral. Maybe venturing alone wasn't the best idea.
"Good, you came early. Isaiah has an extra rifle. Take it."
"Uh."
Isaiah tossed it regardless. She caught it and followed the crowd curiously. She managed to get to the front, and an incredulous noise escaped her. They were all pointing their guns at the Straw Hats standing on The Going Merry. Sanji seemed to notice her and gave her a dirty look for it, and she shrugged her shoulders. She blended in with the crew and joined them didn't she? Was it so shocking she infiltrated another group?
She didn't raise the rifle. None of the others noticed since they directed all their attention to glaring and pointing their firearms at the Straw Hats.
Suddenly, whomst she assumed was the mayor appeared, standing tall and filled with righteous anger. Hmm, Drum Island must be one of the islands against pirates. Maybe, they were robbed recently or something like that. Just their luck right?
"You, pirates, are not welcomed here!"
Luffy, of course, yelled back, "Give us a doctor! One of our crew is dying!"
"No!"
"You son of a—"
She saw Vivi grab him and say something to him that she couldn't hear from this distance. He probably got an earful about being a better diplomat. Violence and aggressive demanding didn't always work especially when there's a town full of people who already didn't like him for what he was. She'd imagine Vivi undergone several courses about diplomacy as a princess and had some insight.
Luffy, Vivi, and the other Straw Hats kneeled and bowed.
"Please, one of my nakama is dying. Please let her see a doctor."
There was a silence. It was tense. She looked back and forth between Luffy and the mayor and waited for what felt like forever. Nothing was happening. Why wasn't something happening? She had to intervene.
"Straw Hats, Straw Hats, Straw Hats, Straw Hats, Straw Hats, Straw Hats…."
Silas chanted with growing volume and fervor to encourage the crowd to join. Several voices grew with her chanting and soon almost everyone began to cheer for the Straw Hats. It was loud and passionate. She saw the look on the mayor's face, and eventually he relented.
"Fine, I allow you on my island."
Silas smiled.
The crew came onto the island, and they reconvened. She saw the smirk on Sanji's face as he carried Nami on his back. Oh, so that's how this was going to go? Fine by her. If he wanted to play it that way, she already knew she was a terrible person. Ask her ex. She was a ladies man who didn't want women. She had to bite her lip to keep in the laughter.
"I did it," she said casually.
They were exasperated with her.
"Come on, let's find a doctor," Silas said.
She walked ahead of them and didn't look back to see if they were following.
Walking through the small town, someone finally came by. He was a tall man in a thick fur coat with a crew cut, and a triangular goatee. She blinked at him as he blocked their path.
"Hello, I'm Dalton," he said. "Come inside."
He gestured to a cabin behind him, and they all went in quickly. There wasn't wind and a fire was blazing in the fireplace in there. It was an improvement. She wasn't used to the cold like this. She preferred the hearth.
"Where's your doctor?"
"Up a mountain. She's an old woman who only comes down to town when she feels like it."
"Do you have any other doctor?"
"No."
Silas frowned as she looked at Nami who was fighting to stay awake on the cot she was placed on. The fever was getting worse. If she was a guessing man she'd say the poor girl had a few hours. This has to be solved now.
"Guys, Nami can't wait. She needs that doctor now."
"I'll take her up the mountain," Luffy announced.
"It's extremely dangerous and steep. One slip could mean the death of you and your friend Nami," Dalton said.
"We can't wait for the doctor to come down the mountain," Silas said. "But it's ultimately up to Nami. What do you think?"
She crouched next to Nami who was barely conscious. Luffy did the same next to her other side. They waited for some kind of confirmation or rejection. Through several hard breaths, she stuck a thumbs up. Luffy cheered and gave Nami a high-five as Vivi and Sanji expressed their worry. She didn't blame them. It was dangerous, but they couldn't wait if Nami was to survive this.
"I'm going with you," Sanji declared and then glared at her. "Silas can't."
A smirk pulled at her face. He was so bothered by her presence. It reminded her of grade school bullying or boys who had a crush and expressed it badly. The difference is Sanji is an adult and didn't know she was born a woman. Why would he mention her when Nami was a priority? It was what amused her that she was on his mind so much.
"Don't worry, sweetheart," she said gruffly, still smirking, patting his shoulder in passing out the door to which he bristled. "I'm getting a whetstone while we're here. And, I'll keep an eye on Vivi and Usopp."
She felt Sanji's anger behind her. And, he seemed as if he was going to try to attack. But, Luffy yelled at Sanji to hurry up. He had Nami piggybacking him and already climbing up the mountain. Sanji ran over to catch up in a huff. Everyone saw them off outside of the cabin.
"Why don't you have other doctors?" Silas asked casually as she put her folded hands behind her head.
"We just recently overthrew a tyrannical king named Wapol who didn't allow any other doctor on the island and he didn't—"
"Oh, you mean that guy I kicked into the ocean?" Silas asked casually, not meaning to interrupt.
"You what?" Dalton said incredulously.
"Terrible guy, tried to eat my armor," she said simply. "Well, I'm going to find a whetstone. See you later."
As she walked on, she heard astounded sputtering from Dalton and snickered to herself. It never failed to amuse her how people reacted to her flippant behavior. Without her reputation as a well ranked marine's wife, she could be herself without impunity.
"Is he—"
"—Odd?" Usopp said. "Yes."
"I think he's kind of funny," she heard Vivi say, and she could practically hear the blush in the princess's voice.
"What?" Usopp said incredulously.
Silas was far enough away that she could laugh to herself. Why was she so good with women as a man? Was it because she didn't try to sleep with them? That was how she felt. She didn't feel attraction all that easily. It usually took more than a really attractive person to make her feel something. It hadn't ever happened with a woman, so she didn't think it would ever happen. She wouldn't be against it if it happened. The whole scenario cracked her up though.
She wandered through the town. She saw a sign of an anvil and hammer hanging above the door. Ah. She stepped in and saw a variety of weapons and armor hanging. Excitement lit up in her.
"I'm looking for a whetstone, an anvil, a forge, tongs, thick gloves, a metal work helmet, and a hammer."
"100,000 bellies."
"Wow, what a deal," she said, putting the cash on the table.
"Our blacksmith died. No one else buys from here anymore," he sighed. "I'll end up being a bartender or something. Any place you want to drop this stuff off?"
"The Going Merry. There's a green haired guy with three swords at his hip. Just tell him Silas sent you, and he shouldn't cut you," she said casually.
"That's comforting," he said sarcastically, giving her a look.
"He's a cool guy. Don't worry," she said, giving him a grin. She then turned to leave. "See ya."
She walked along the streets once more. She needed some clothes for different climates. This simple coat and beanie wasn't cutting it. She walked through and looked for clothes that she liked. Her style was very much the same since she was a teen. Though, now, she liked showing off her abs. That wasn't winter compatible though. She picked out a variety of clothing that suited her taste. She then checked out.
"Your wife is going to be pleased," the clerk said.
"I'm sure she will be."
She snickered to herself quietly as she left. She ventured onward, needing some toiletries. That three and one wash made her skin crawl literally. She walked into the general store and looked around. She found the hair and skin section. She wondered: should she get the male or female or male items? The apple cinnamon stuff was drawing her in which sat in the female section. That was it: she was getting whatever smelled best.
When she stepped outside, she heard loud screaming and footsteps in the snow. A confused sound left her before a pile of snow started coming her way. She didn't have time to react. She just closed her eyes and braced for impact. But for some reason, it didn't come. She wasn't bombarded with it. What happened?
When she opened her eyes, she was quite surprised that someone grabbed her and saved her. Who stepped in? Usopp and Vivi were out. Maybe Zoro? She looked up: a man in a dark, long coat, combat boots, and a black cowboy hat with beads that decorated the band was holding the nape of her coat. She couldn't see his face because the angle and hat obscured it. She just stared, somewhat baffled still as he set her and another person he grabbed down. Who was he? Why did he help her? And what happened?
She finally got a look around and saw a giant avalanche from the large mountain range to the north of the town had snowed in and possibly ruined a large section of said town.
"Who—"
She stopped short because when she looked back at the guy who saved her, he wasn't there any longer. She couldn't see a trace of him and shrugged it off. She stood as the woman next to her ran off, clearly panicked. Silas stood and picked up her stuff. She should check on the others and make sure they didn't, you know, die? Yeah, she should do that.
She walked around in the high snow with varying success. She didn't feel like yelling. It would be futile in this windstorm. While looking around in between towns, she eventually came across a figure that jumped in front of her. He was shivering and shuddering which made sense he looked as if he might be topless. She blinked several times before recognizing who it was.
"Zoro? What are you doing here? Where's your shirt and shoes?"
"I went for a swim, and I followed a fish. Then, I ended up here."
He came closer as he continued to shiver. She could see icicles starting to form from the water dripping from his body. How was he not dead from hypothermia? She noticed a massive scar along his torso. Hmm, it made sense that a swordsman would have scars from combat. But for some reason, the toplessness, ripped body, and scar reminded her of Smoker….
"Stop staring and give me your coat," he said, practically growling.
She pulled herself out of her thoughts. Without a word or a change in demeanor, she tossed him her new coat. She walked down the frozen lake, not caring if he followed. Right now, she was in a weird mood. She didn't like being reminded of her predicament. She wondered if she hallucinated that man who stepped in to save her from the avalanche, or she somehow did it herself, or if some tall, dark stranger just saved her out of the goodness of his heart. What's real or not real? She was having trouble discerning, and she also found herself not caring either which should be troubling. Her life was a mess. She should care.
"Hey… wrong… you…. Where… crew…. Why… answer… me… freak?"
Oh, was someone talking to her? Maybe, Zoro was. Again, she didn't care to pay attention. It's definitely what made him mad right now. She held back a smirk, enjoying that she found something that got under his skin. It seemed he didn't much like being ignored. Well, too bad. She was a little skeeved out that, for a moment, he reminded her of her husband, and she didn't want to deal with him right now.
Just when she felt he was going to strike her, she stepped forward and pointed at the finally found a town. She heard a crunch of his knuckles and supposed he punched something else – maybe the tree to her left. He hissed in pain and cursed at her. It served the violent dummy right.
"Look! It's a town! Maybe, it's warm there!" she said with a grin as she ran over there.
When she got there, she saw a large group of people surrounding a part of the avalanche. She looked around curiously trying to figure out as to why people were around one particular spot. She wondered if—
"Silas! Silas, is that you?"
She looked over and saw Vivi and Usopp running over to her. Good, they didn't die. She could feel a small smile growing especially at the relief she saw on their faces for finding her. It made her feel appreciated.
"Hi, what's going on?" she asked, gesturing to the crowd with a tilt of her head.
Both of them shrugged.
"Silas, you son of a bitch."
That would be Zoro barreling in who said such kind words. She could feel his anger and wondered what took him so long. Don't tell her he got lost. She sucked in her lips to keep from laughing at the thought. She didn't bother looking at him though, her focus was now on the group in front of her. What were they doing? Could it be that they were beating someone up?
"Everyone, stand back! Dalton dies today!"
"Dalton?" she said. "Alright, I'm beating him up."
She casually stretched and cracked her joints despite her crew members yelling about the safety and stealing of honor. She ignored them and leapt into the fray. Her foot landed into one of the men's head, knocking him out cold. She landed next to the others who just stared as if they were just absolutely dumbfounded. She gave them a smile. Then, she punched another in the gut, watching him fly.
"Silas!" someone said incredulously, probably Vivi or Usopp.
She went to turn around and deliver another blow to another lackey, but Zoro beat her to it. She smirked at him, and his clear desire to one-up her. It seems he was still butt hurt about her ignoring him. She wanted to get the last guy standing, but he intercepted her and grabbed her like a football across her stomach to take the last guy. She frowned. That wasn't fair to use the fact that she was shorter against her. Besides, it made her feel quite infantilized.
"You're a sore loser and a cheater," she said simply, looking up at him.
She saw a bizarre look pass his face before he let her go. She belly flopped onto the snow and giggled softly to herself at the expression on her crewmate's face. It was difficult to discern what it was, but she always managed to get the last laugh.
She stood up and brushed off the snow. She walked over and bent down next to Dalton. Immediately, she saw that he was frozen, not solid, but hypothermia will probably kill him. He was clearly in pain. She couldn't think of any methods to really help him as he shuddered and shivered, turning blue.
"Is he okay?" Vivi asked.
"No," she said bluntly. "He's probably going to die."
There was a gasp of shock. Ooh, was she too callous? She had trouble with sensitivity sometimes especially when it came to practical strangers. Then, she looked over and saw a large group of men with stethoscopes and bags. Doctors? Where were they when Nami was in town?
"It's the twenty doctors!" someone in the crowd shouted.
"Let us take care of Dalton," one of the older men said. "One quack told us years ago to never give up hope."
She nodded and moved away.
Author's Note: So… I can't wait for your thoughts and opinions. I hope you caught some of the setups. Also, I have a DeviantArt page with the same username that has some images of Sienna/Silas.
