Disclaimer- I don't own any of this 'cept for Reia and the book. coughs. Whoops!
---Chapter Nine---
Sanji collapsed happily next to Zoro. Zoro inched away quickly and Sanji sighed.
"Another beautiful girl. I'm so joyful!" Sanji exclaimed. Zoro grimaced and drank some more. Sanji sat up suddenly and looked around.
"Where's Reia?" he asked in a panicked voice.
"Nami's quarters," came the reply. Sanji narrowed his eyes at Zoro.
"How do you know that?" Sanji asked. Zoro shrugged.
"Saw them. Why do you care?"
"Well, Nami-san's mine. You can have Reia, but you have to share," Sanji told Zoro, who rolled his eyes.
"Whatever, Lusty Cook."
"What?! DID you just call Nami-san a WUSSY ROOk?!!" Sanji growled and launched himself at Zoro. Zoro sighed tiredly and dodged Sanji easily. Sanji tried to kick him, and Zoro kept dodging, finally getting hit. Zoro gritted his teeth. He had had enough. This cook needed to be taught a lesson.
Zoro started to advance on Sanji. The rift between them grew smaller by the millisecond.
------------------------------------------
"This is your room, which you share with me," Nami told Reia. Reia looked around and soaked in the couch, bookshelves, a…bar? Reia shrugged. Nami reached up and pulled down a hammock located by the stairs.
"You can sleep here," Nami told Reia. Then Nami looked around.
"Here, you should get your stuff while I go look for something you might like," Nami said amiably.
"Sure," Reia said and proceeded up the stairs into the storage deck. She opened the doors to the main deck and stepped into brighter sunshine, where the Straw hats were still dancing. And fighting.
Zoro and Sanji were running at each other with faces contorted with anger. Reia giggled at how silly they looked. They both turned to at the sound and made contact. A loud "CRUNCH" was heard and they were both knocked backwards, holding their heads and groaning.
"Ugh..." Sanji muttered.
"Bastard cook." Zoro growled painfully. Reia grinned and stepped lightly up the stairs into the lounge and took her small blue bag of items. When she went outside again, everything was calm and the crew were back to doing what they were doing.
Not the crew, she reminded herself. Her crewmembers. She smiled happily as the thought ran through her head. Crewmembers. She sighed.
"What's wrong?"
Reia squeaked and spun around. Zoro looked at her peculiarly. She relaxed.
"Nothing. Just happy I'm part of the crew, I guess." Zoro shrugged and laid a hand on his katanas as they looked at the sea in silence. Reia looked down at his swords and noticed one of the hilts had a circle and dot in the middle.
"What's that katana called?" Reia asked while pointing at it. Zoro seemed to snap out of something.
"Huh? Oh, this katana." He patted it and looked at the sea again.
"I got it in Logue Town. It's cursed, y'know," he said glancing at her.
"It's killed all its previous owner, and goes by the name Ghost."
Reia started and raised an eyebrow. Zoro grinned and drew Ghost. Ghost came out of its sheath with a "hiss" and glinted purple. Reia's eyes skimmed it over.
"Ghost…" she murmured. She touched the tip and went "pop". She reappeared quickly with a "whiff" and stared at a drop of blood on her finger.
"It's sharp!" she said in wonder. Zoro nodded and sheathed Ghost.
"Amazing…" Reia murmured. Both of their heads turned when they heard Nami call Reia, who spun and disappeared with a faint "pop". Zoro glimpsed a small blue bag disappear into the storage deck.
-----------------------------------------
Reia placed her folded clothes in the closet and turned to look back at Nami. Nami handed her a thick book. It was bound in red leather and inlaid with golden swirls and tendrils along the binding. They resembled vines, and they framed the opaque glass circle placed in the middle of the cover. Reia took it uncertainly and looked at Nami in puzzlement.
"Your book. It has all sorts of fighting styles in it. Or so the merchant said. Do you want it?" Nami asked Reia. Reia's eyes widened and she clutched it to her chest. She bowed.
"Thank you!" Reia said, smiling. Nami also smiled.
"That's three hundred berries," Nami said sweetly. Reia's jaw dropped.
"Uh…." Reia started to say.
"Hmmmm….Never mind. It's free. This time," Nami said pointedly. Reia blinked, gave Nami a weak smile, and sprinted up the stairs. She emerged out to the main deck and floated up to the roof with the orange trees. She sat down, soaking in the evening sun, legs dangling off the edge.
Reia traced the golden tendrils and rubbed the glass circle. Then she opened the book. It opened to a page full of loopy writing.
---To whom this may concern:
You are about to embark on this journey in an attempt to reach and master the perfection of various martial arts. I emphasize on "arts". All of the methods this book will mention are seamlessly connected in a dance that will adapt to you.
Oh yes. This book is not what it seems to be. Inside of it are instructions, yes, but you cannot go on without passing the tests it will present you. The blurry glass on the cover will aid you.
Many have started this journey, but have never witnessed the end of the path. They strayed and never came back. Others succeeded and now use their knowledge for greatness. I hope you will be one of the few, Reia. ---
Reia gasped and dropped the book. Her hair on her skin rose, and she swallowed nervously. Her thoughts tumbled wildly.
How did it know my name? Weird…is it dangerous? Will it end up killing me?
She grew nervous and, with slightly shaking hands, turned the page. There were numbered instructions listed. The edges of the page were gilded in gold.
--- 1. Place a drop of your blood onto the glass. The book will be able to "adapt" to your fighting ability.
2. Follow instructions carefully. Consult glass when needed.
3. Tests will come spontaneously. This does not apply to Section 1.
4. If you do not want to depart from this mortal coil so quickly, stay on your toes. (Figure of speech).
5. This book is not losable. It will follow you everywhere. Good luck. ---
Reia gulped, looking at the book strangely. This was more then what she had bargained for. Or was it exactly what she needed? She pondered, and then decided. She'd do it. Closing the book with finality, she floated down to the rail, by Zoro, who was snoring. She poked him and he inhaled sharply and abruptly sat up.
"DAMN YOU LUFFY! I'm gonna beat the SHIT outta---!!" Zoro focused on Reia. Luffy sprang up from the bow and started running away.
"Whaddya need? Can't find the bathroom?" Zoro asked, smirking. Reia scowled and shook her head, hair flying.
"Can you draw Ghost for me?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow, looked in her blue eyes, then obliged. Reia took her finger and touched the tip while flickering with a "pop" and "whiff". She looked approvingly at the drop of red on her finger. Zoro shrugged, sheathed his sword, and started to run after Luffy around the ship.
Reia smiled and flew back up to the roof. The shadows grew longer and the wind moving the ship grew just a bit colder. Reia shivered and positioned the pricked finger above the glass on the book. The drop gathered, and then hung at the end of her finger. Gravity yearned for it, and so did the drop of red. It fell, fell, and didn't even splash.
The glass bended and the blood pooled. It shone briefly red and started to spread on the cover, following intricate grooves she hadn't noticed before.
Reia fell on her bottom and stared at the book. The tendrils adjusted themselves, and the blood was absorbed. The book glowed faintly, and then stopped.
"Uh…." Reia managed to say. She cautiously reached a hand out, held the book as far away as possible from her, and started running to her quarters. Reia burst in and startled Nami.
"What's wrong" Nami asked worriedly. Reia dropped the book on the table and pointed at it.
"That." Nami frowned and bent over to pick it up. Her hands moved through it. Nami gasped and looked up at Reia.
"How---?" Reia described quickly about the blood. Nami's eyes widened in shock. Reia laughed weakly and was thinking hard.
"It's not dangerous. I guess you'll be all right," Nami said reassuringly. Reia nodded in agreement.
"You didn't know about this, did you?" Nami shook her head.
"I had no clue." Reia took the book and went up the stairs to the main deck. She went back to the roof. The sun hung lower in the sky and the air started to bite. She opened the book and brushed against the tendrils. They quivered slightly. She shivered, and it wasn't from the cold.
The light dimmed as the sun sank lower. Reia squinted as she tried to read the page. The book suddenly started to glow slightly with an eerie green light. Reia grinned and kept reading.
The first page emphasized on mind abilities. Reia nodded thoughtfully and read on. The names of the moves were creeping her out.
For "Spectral Swipe", it was described as a punch using her mind. For beginners, you only use one mind punch. As you progressed, the number of immediate swipes could be increased.
Reia glanced at the orange tree and hesitantly "swiped" it with her mind. She, in turn, was showered with oranges.
"Ow!" she yelped as one smacked her on the nose. She reached out and caught every orange with her mind. They stayed in the air as if an invisible cup was under each orange. She floated them in a small pile on the ground, and then returned to her book.
"Unseen Wind" was more like a charging-up ability throughout battle. As you fought it would power up, and then be unleashed at your command. It cuts a swath through crowds or impacts a person painfully. Reia made an orange hover and waited for a very long minute, then willed the wind to move. It sliced the orange, but only cut halfway into it. Orange juice dripped to the floor. Reia grinned.
"Phantom Fling" was just a seizure of the opponent with an invisible hand and "throwing" them. Reia looked at the oranges on the floor and picked one up, then left it floating in the air. She concentrated and it flew off into the darkness. She caught it. The orange dropped to the floor as Reia gaped at what she just did. What she could do.
"Sweeeett…." she murmured. Reia looked down suddenly when she heard a crash below her, which was the lounge. She glimpsed a flash of red right in her face and backed up quickly. She fell on her bottom.
"Reia!" Luffy exclaimed while grinning. He snapped up and landed next to her.
"Reia! We need music! You have some?" he asked. Reia quickly snatched her book and closed it. Luffy paid no heed.
"Yeah, I have some…" she said hastily.
"Can you get them now? It's dinnertime---"
"Almost dinnertime!" came a growl from below. Reia nodded to Luffy and jumped down to the deck, pale-green pants poofing and her airy blouse fluttering. Her hair streamed down after her. Her feet padded down the stairs, her head turning. Suddenly, her feet stepped on air, she squeaked, and fell, not before seeing a flash of green a far ways off.
She landed with a "pop". Her devil fruit powers kicked in on reflex so she wouldn't get hurt. She turned onto her back, staring at the suddenly visible opening. She examined the ceiling.
To her left were many hammocks. Two couches were also in this room. This must be the men's quarters. Reia stood up and dusted herself off. She proceeded to go look closely at a nearby couch.
As she bent over to look at the couch and started when she felt something go through her.
"Damn Luffy. Running over my face…" Zoro growled as he kneaded a slightly reddened cheek. Reia stifled a giggle as Zoro laid down on the couch and promptly fell asleep. She turned to leave, but Luffy's request echoed in her head.
Since she transformed already, she slowly placed a hand on Zoro's chest and lowered her hand into it. She felt around for her pipes, grimacing at the awkwardness. This felt funny….