Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own One Piece or it's charaters, Eiichiro Oda does. Hana is my own character though.
---------
"You know we should go into port," a green haired boy said, "We can't go to the Grand Line with out getting supplies first"
"Zolo's right Luffy," A blonde haired boy agreed, "There's hardly anything in my kitchen." Luffy laughed from under his straw hat.
"Alright then, we go into port! Where is the closest place Nami?" He asked looking over at his red head navigator.
"If you need food for Sanji's kitchen then we should probably go to..." Nami paused to consult her map, "Ridgembol. It's a small village, but it's more likely to have a
ton of food. Most of the town is shops, and it's only an hour away from our given position"
"Set sail for Ridgembol!" Luffy laughed again.
"Aye aye Cap'n!" Nami yelled and left to man the tiller, "Come on Usopp." She called back to a curly black haired boy with a yellow bandanna. He rushed after her. Zolo leaned back against the ships railing.
"Looks like it's gonna be awhile..." He said closing his eyes.
"Only an hour," Sanji said. Luffy smiled, he knew that Zolo was asleep by now. Zolo hated to wait for anything. "Chopper how are you feelin'?" Sanji asked a small blue nosed reindeer. Chopper looked up from under the rim of his red hat.
"Like a rock," He said, "A whole nother hour? We've been sailing for two weeks without having docked, and last time Luffy forgot to get any food!" Luffy looked angry for a second and then settled down.
"Well, it's just an hour. Don't you like being a pirate Chopper?" He asked.
"I-I..." He started, "I LOVE IT!" He finally shouted. Luffy and Sanji bothbegan to laugh, and before they knew it Ridgembol was in sight, and then they were docked there.
"Hey, Zolo, wake up," Luffy said tapping Zolo on the shoulder, "We're here! Don't you wanna see the town?" Zolo didn't stir.
"Leave him, Luffy," Nami said, "He'll catch up." Luffy poked Zolo again.
"We should have someone watching the ship anyway," Usopp said, "The Black Cat had ship guards." He said thinking of the Meowban Brothers. Luffy shrugged.
"Fine. Bye Zolo!" He said and jumped off the ship. Sanji jumped off behind him and Nami and Usopp used a rope ladder. Luffy stretched his arms to roll it back up and put it back on the ship. They walked into town to get supplies. Zolo woke up some time later.
"Unn.." He said as he got up. He wondered briefly how long he had been sleepingand then walked over to the side of the ship. He figured that everyone else had already left into town. He was about to jump off when he saw a mud blonde haired girl standing
in the ocean. The waves were up to her neck. She looked like she was fighting the current. He saw her jump backwards and then run at the waves again. For a moment it looked like the current would over power her, but she straightened up again and repeated her process. Zolo smiled. It almost looked like she was training, not just playing a game. He watched three boys run across the sand. They yelled something at the girl, but he couldn't hear it over the waves. It made her whirl around though, so he guessed it hadn't been good. She was charging at them now, much faster than against the current. He had to strain to watch her, almost like watching scene by scenes, except some one had pulled out a few in between each slide. He was interested to see what she would do next, but the wind blew something into his eyes and he shut them while he tried to get it out. By the time he opened them again the boys were laying face down in the sand and the girl, who he now noticed was wearing a red sash, was walking away with her things, which she picked up off a nearby rock. Four swords, and a red bandanna, which she had put on her head. He jumped of the ship after grabbing his swords. The girl saw him, then his swords and broke out into a run. Zolo began to ran after her. Who is this girl? What did she do to those boys? Four swords? That's nuts! These thoughts raced through his head as he ran, but she was fast and he wasn't making much ground.
Luffy grabbed a bushel of apples out of a cart and flipped the man a piece of silver. A girl in a red bandanna ran past him, huffing and puffing. Zolo wasn't far behind, but he was breathing even harder. "Hi Zolo. Bye Zolo." He said as Zolo ran past him. Nami looked concerned.
"He was running pretty fast, do you think he was chasing that girl?" She asked. Luffy nodded.
"You're right Nami, Zolo wouldn't run for no reason," He handed the supplies they had been looking at to Sanji. "Lets follow him." Luffy ran off.
"I didn't get a good look at her!" Sanji exclaimed handing the supplies to Nami and running after Luffy. Nami's eyes got big.
"Maybe she stole our treasure!" She worried, and handed the supplies to Chopper running like it was her life and not treasure that depended on catching up. Chopper looked sad.
"Wait for mmmeeeeee!" He cried and threw the supplies to Usopp, running after the others. Usopp began to follow when a shop keeper put a hand on his shoulder.
"You haven't paid for all that yet!" The man snapped and Usopp's eyes dropped half distance.
The girl rounded a corner and came to a stop in an alley. She sighed in relief, she had lost him. She peeked back around the corner just in case.
"So, what did you do on that beach back there?" A voice asked from behind her. She whirled around to see Zolo. She took a step back and ran into Luffy. She thought he looked familiar, but couldn't put her finger on it. She recognized Zolo though. The infamous pirate hunter. Her eyes narrowed into slits.
"What do you want Pirate Hunter?" She hissed, "How did you find me?" She pulled out two of her swords. She glanced back at Luffy. Why did he look so familiar? "Now you got a lackey... I see." She jumped up onto a building, "If you wanna take me in, you'll need a whole army not just a couple of lame lackeys!" Sanji settled back against the wall of the alley.
"You don't understand!" Zolo yelled up to her, "I'm a pirate now, not a pirate hunter"
"A likely story, but can you prove it?" she scowled. Zolo began to pull out a sword. Sanji stepped in front of him.
"Hana he's not a pirate hunter." He said flatly. Hana lowered her swords slowly, then sheathed them. "He's a member of the Straw Hat Pirates." She hopped down of the building.
"The Straw Hat Pirates, huh?" She saw Luffy's hat, "Then you're Luffy," she said, "I thought you looked familiar." She turned to Zolo, "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, I tend to overreact." She at last turned her attention to Sanji, "I haven't seen you since the Baratie incident, so you're a pirate huh?" Sanji nodded. "Thank you, good bye," She finished and sped off to avoid Zolo's questions. Zolo sighed and instead turned to Sanji.
"What no flirting Sanji?" He asked, half-joking. Sanji smiled.
"Some girls you just stay out of their way. Zolo," His face turned serious, "I suggest you do the same." At that moment the others caught up, so they all headed back to their ship. Sanji immediately went to make dinner while the rest of the crew discussed the days events.
"I can't believe you left me to pay for all that," Usopp complained. The others ignored him.
"Who is that girl? Dang it!" Zolo said angrily, no one had an answer for him.
"She's cool!" Luffy said, "Where did you meet her Sanji"
"I met her on the Baratie," He answered, "She needed a good meal"
"Do you think she can use all four of those swords?" Luffy asked.
"I don't know," Zolo said, "I've thinking about it and it almost seems impossible. Unless she can balance one on her foot." Chopper looked up from the new medicine he was working on.
"Maybe she just holds two in each hand," He suggested. Zolo seemed to consider this.
"That's a very good possibility Chopper," He said, and patted the reindeer's hat. At the moment Sanji came back in carrying two trays of food. Luffy's eyes got big.
"Steak!" He yelled and began to eat extremely fast. When he finished he noticed an extra plate, "Who's that for Sanji?" Zolo answered for him.
"He made it for our guest," Zolo said and two swords caught the moonlight. He pulled out his swords just in time to block Hana's attack. Zolo looked at the red hilted swords she was holding, then at the two black ones at her hip. Did she ever use them? He wondered this a moment to long as she moved back to attack again. He barley managed to block her and then moved his swords into a scissors position. She jumped up to avoid it and landed on top of the swords. She smirked. He returned it and then pulled his swords apart, causing her to lose her footing. She fell to the ground, landing on her feet, but in a squatting position. For a moment she stayed there and Zolo thought she was giving up, but then she flipped backward, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. 'She's like a cat,' Zolo thought to himself.
"This looks bad!" Usopp trembled, "Shouldn't we be helping Zolo! She seems
tough!" He looked back at the others who were now sitting down.
"Popcorn is perfect for times like this," Sanji said putting a bowl in between them.
"Popcorn!" Luffy yelled and Nami took a handful. Chopper raced over.
"Give me some!" He said. Usopp looked flabbergasted.
"How can you be eating popcorn!" He asked shrilly, "Our friend is in a fight to the death!" Luffy looked over, confused.
"Whadda ya mean?" Luffy asked, "Don't you trust Zolo's abilities?" Usopp said that he did. "Good." Luffy's gaze went back to the battle. Hana was up in the crows nest before she dived down, Zolo wasn't sure what to do. She had put her swords to her sides and had closed her eyes. It didn't look like she could stop herself, or that she had any intention of stopping herself. Zolo lowered his own swords, as if he was the one diving. She was two feet above him now, but she still hadn't moved out of her dive. Zolo put his hands out, his swords grasped between his fingers, his palms facing up. He caught her before she could hit the ground. She lay limp in his arms, her eyes still closed. He couldn't feel her breathing. She began to breathe normally and her eyes snapped open as she smirked. She pulled a sword up to his throat. He thought about dropping her, but didn't. Instead he lightly tipped her onto her feet. He sheathed his swords. Hana smiled.
"That was fun Zolo," Hana said. Zolo seemed disapointed that he had put his swords away, "Don't worry Zolo, that wasn't a real fight, so it can't be a real loss." Zolo's face relaxed a bit. Hana walked over to the plate Sanji had prepared for her. She leaned back against the mast as she ate. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the juicy steak.
"Wow, you're tough," Chopper said and Hana's eyes snapped back open. She searched out Chopper and began to drool. She sat down her empty plate. "Not again!" Chopper yelled and she began to chase him around the ship.
"Just one bite!" She said evilly, "One bite!" She got close enough to grab one of his horns. Chopper looked back at her angrily. The small reindeer immediately changed into a large monster. Hana was so surprized that she allowed herself to be thrown back against a wall.
"Devil fruit?" She asked, astounded, "A reindeer ate devil fruit?" Chopper nodded as he returned to his normal form.
"I ate the Human-Human fruit," He said. Hana smiled, then laughed. "What's so funny!" Chopper yelled.
"I'm not laughing at you," She said through a fit of laughter, "You see," She began to untie her bandanna, then her sash, two black cat ears and a tail were revealed. "I ate the Creature-Creature fruit." Everyone's eyes got wide and their mouths dropped.
"Cool!" Luffy said at last. Zolo regained his normal composure.
"'Creature-Creature'?" He said, "Why not just 'meow-meow' fruit or something"
"The creature-creature fruit allows me to use the abilities of other creatures, I use a cats most, so I always have cat ears and a cat tail." She looked like she was concentrating, and then two full black wings sprouted from her back, "Raven." The wings disappeared and her eyes turned gold, "Tiger." She turned back to normal, "Pretty much anything." She sighed, "Well, anything except fish, can't do fish. At least, not very well, I can breathe underwater but I still can't swim so, I'd eventually die on the sea floor. Sad huh?" Luffy nodded that he understood the feeling. "Anyway," She said looking cheerful again, "I had better get going, I have to get some sleep tonight!" The crew said good bye and Hana hopped off the ship. Once she left they began to talk.
"We should get her to join our crew," Luffy said. Usopp nodded.
"She's good with those swords of hers, and that power might come in handy sooner or later." He said, Nami chimed in.
"I agree," She nodded, "She would be a great asset to he team"
"I think it would be fun," Zolo said. There was something about her, that made him want her to stay with them. He couldn't understand it. Sanji smiled.
"You like her Zolo," he said. Zolo looked irritated. He didn't like her. Did he?
"I'm surprized you left her alone," Zolo said. Sanji's smile faded.
"I told you, you just don't mess with some girls," He said. It was silent for a moment.
"Something was strange about her," Chopper said finally.
"Not any weirder than anyone else on this crew," Zolo sighed.
"No, that's not with I mean," Chopper said seriously, "When she grabbed my horn, she had a strange temperature"
"Maybe her temperature is like a cats," Sanji offered, "That would confuse you"
"Maybe," Chopper said, but he didn't look like he believed it. Luffy decided to change the subject.
"Lets talk about it tomorrow," He said, "Then we can ask her to join our crew!" The rest agreed and then went off to bed. What they didn't realize, was that Hana was still listening as she hid in the shadows. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She wished she could go with them. Without a sound she slipped off into the night. She sneaked
through the city streets, quieter than a grave, until she finally came to a small house on the outskirts. She opened the door and ran inside, hoping to see an empty house. She wouldn't be so lucky. Over in the fire place a bonfire blazed merrily, an armchair facing it. She knew all to well who was sitting there.
"Where have you been Hana?" The voice was cool and even, "Why would you worry me that way? It's not very kind." She heard the voice sigh, "What am I going to do with you? You've been a very bad kitty, defying you're master like this. Tell me, how should I punish such a bad little kitty?" Hana didn't say anything, and the chair turned around.
"I'm sorry, Nakatsu," Hana said, her head bowed.
"You're right you're sorry," Nakatsu said, he patted her head, and rubbed her cat ears as she sat on the floor near him. "I love only you, and yet, you chose to spend your time away from me." His cold eyes hardened, "Who were you with?" She thought of Zolo, and the others, her heart dropped when she thought of what Nakatsu would do to them.
"You know me," She said, "I hate people, and people hate me, you're so untrusting." She put on her best mischievous smile, the one that he loved.
"Yes, my heartless little alley cat, always ready for a fight, but never for love." He eyes softened back to their normal iced over look. Again Zolo's face passed through her mind. Don't come near me again, she thought desperately, please. Nakatsu ran his hand through her hair again, and pulled out some sand. "It would seem you went to the beach today," He said, sprinkling it on the floor. "What were you doing there"
"I was training," She answered him, "I can't allow myself to get rusty." Nakatsu smiled. Hana tried to return it, but it ended up half hearted. "I'm sorry," she said, "I must be a little tired"
"You're tired?" He said, surprized, "I thought you were nocturnal, my love." She smiled at the joke, he waved his hand towards the hallway, "You can go to bed," He turned his chair back around to face the fireplace, "I'll be going to my own shortly"
"Yes, Nakatsu," She said, and bowed slightly. She knew he would have rathered, 'Good night, my love,' but she was too tired to care that much. She walked down the hall to the second door on the right, then went in and collapsed on her bed. She began to cough violently. She grabbed a handkerchief off her bedside table just in time to catch
some blood. After a moment she calmed down and fell onto her back. She was so tired, but she couldn't sleep as thoughts of the Straw Hat crew raced through her head, bouncing off the walls of her skull, and playing tag. How she wished she could go with them. She eventually fell into a restless sleep.
-------------
And that's the end of chapter one! I hope you liked it!