Sadly, I don't own One Piece, or it's characters, Eiichiro Oda does. I did make Hana though.
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The next morning, Zolo woke up with the dawn. He grabbed his swords and quietly made
his way away from the others cots, then once he was out, had to tiptoe past Nami's room,
once on deck he moved around normally. He grabbed one of his dumbbells and began to
use it as a sword, swinging it as easily as he would a feather. After awhile he grabbed a
bigger one and began to repeat the process. Each time he got a bigger dumbbell until he
got to one he could barely swing around. Then he held it up for as long as he could before
he could feel it over straining him and he sat it back down. He sighed and walked over to
the railing, looking out at the beach, so empty and peaceful this early in the morning. He
looked out toward the ocean. Hana was out there again, practicing against the waves.
Zolo watched for awhile, before a big wave came and knocked her over, she was beginning to be pulled out to sea. He yelled, "Dang it!" and jumped off the ship to save her. He grabbed her struggling body and swam fighting the out going current back to shore. He laid her on her back in the sand and she coughed up some sea water, "Moron, if you ate devil fruit, you should stay away from the ocean! At least Luffy has the sense to stay on the ship!" She turned away and continued to cough, this time a bit of blood came up with the sea water. She moved the sand to cover it. She turned back to Zolo smiling.
"Thank you for saving me," She said, she didn't mentioned that she could have
used her power to make gills, and she could have walked along the sea floor to get back
to shore. She looked up at the sun, she didn't have much time before Nakatsu woke up. "I
really have to get going." She said and started to stand up, but Zolo held onto her wrist.
"Why are you always in such a hurry?" He asked. She didn't answer, but gave him
a worried look. He let go of her wrist.
"Thank you," She said, "Please, just stay away, you don't know what you're
getting yourself into." She whirled around and began to run. Zolo watched her until she
rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Sanji leaned over the ships railing.
"Zolo," He yelled over the waves, "come get some breakfast." Zolo nodded and
made his way back onto the Merry Go. Sanji had already set out ham and eggs and bacon,
Luffy was already done and trying to get some of Usopp, Chopper, Nami and Sanji were
eating slowly. Zolo sat down at the table and filled a plate. He stayed silent for a long
time.
"There is something wrong with that girl," Zolo said, "She's always in hurry.
Hana, I mean, I saw her this morning. Kid nearly drowned." Sanji didn't meet
anyone's eyes. "I wonder what she's hiding. She can't be more than sixteen, and yet
she's a good fighter and almost like she expected to see a bounty hunter. She was ready to
fight like I would turn her in. I wonder what she did." Sanji looked up, his face serious.
"It's not my way to talk about others pasts," He said, "but maybe you should
know." Luffy leaned in closer, "When I meet Hana on the Baratie, she was twelve
years old, and completely alone. She was starving and didn't have any money to pay. I
remember she ran right into the kitchen and snagged something, right off of a customers
plate, and then ran out, Patty chasing behind her. She managed to give Patty the slip, but I
found her and gave her a meal." He paused to let this sink in.
"She was only twelve?" Chopper asked, "Twelve years old and alone on the high
seas"
"That close to the Grand Line?" Usopp uttered, amazed.
"That's right," Sanji said, "As she ate, she thanked me and I asked her what she
was doing out there, and how she had got out there. She pointed to a small dinghy and
said she was running away." Sanji paused again and Luffy scratched his head. He
continued, "I asked her what she was running from and she said 'Nakatsu'. I kept asking
who Nakatsu was, but all she would say was that if Nakatsu caught her, she was in big
trouble." He shook his head, "I had thought that Nakatsu was a relative of hers, and that
she meant she would be punished for running away. I convinced her that it would be
better if she just went back, much better than if he caught her." Sanji leaned back in his
chair and looked up at the ceiling.
"It sounds like good advise," Nami said, "Did she go"
"Yep," He said, looking around the table, "She went back. Sure, the advise
seemed good at time, until I found something else."
"What?" Zolo asked. Sanji stood up.
"I still have them," He said, "I'll go get them." A walked out of the room and into
the room with their cots. He came back a moment later, "These." He put two wanted
posters down on the table, the one on top said 'Hana Mieji, 50,000,000 berries, wanted
for theft, piracy, and the assault of a naval officer'. Over these words was a picture of a
mud-blonde haired girl that did seem to be about twelve. The girl was smiling and Zolo
could tell that this was Hana. "I thought that was strange," Sanji said, "And then I
found this," I lifted up Hana's wanted poster to show the one under it. The picture was
of a boy about thirteen years old with light brown hair and icy blue eyes, he wasn't
smiling at all. They looked down at the words. "'Nakatsu Kirsh, 100,000,000 berries,
wanted for theft, piracy, treason, and murder.'" Sanji read out loud. "Apparently, I sent
her back to a fate much worse than getting lost, and possibly starving out at sea." It was
clear to the others that Sanji was done.
"Can you imagine?" Zolo muttered, "To be twelve years old with fifty million
berries on your head"
"What about this Nakatsu person?" Usopp asked. Sanji shrugged.
"Probably beat he crap out of her," He said, "Poor kid"
Hana closed the door behind her as she entered her house, Nakatsu must of still
been asleep. She sighed in relief. She walked back to her room, she would act like she
had overslept and never left the house. She looked around her room as she came in. No
surprises, thank goodness. The door slammed behind her. She whirled around to see
Nakatsu standing there, one hand still on the wood of the door.
"Where have you been?" he asked, his voice as cold as his eyes.
"I- I went on a little walk," She said, "Just around the area, nowhere near town"
Nakatsu took a step toward her and raised a fist, looking at it. "It saddens me to
think you would do something like that." He took another step forward, and she stumbled
backwards. "Now you're running away from me? How sad." He raised his hand, and back
handed her cheek. She fell backward, putting a hand up over her stinging cheek. She
glanced back behind her at the window. She had left it open that morning. Good. She
looked Nakatsu in the eye and then flipped backward out of the window.
"I'm sorry Nakatsu," She said and began to run towards the town.
Zolo wandered aimlessly through the town. How could he have not figured it out
sooner? He gave the shops sideways glances as he meandered by. Nothing really caught
his eye. Even a shop full of katana swords seemed dull to him. He stopped for awhile,
leaning back against a building and watching people walk by. It amazed him now how
simple life was for some. For a moment he wished he had been like that, but memories of
Kuina and all the people who helped him to get to where he was flashed through his
mind. He saw something run past him. He snapped back to reality. Only one person could
run that fast. Only one person could have a spotted cheetah tail. He ran after Breanna until
he couldn't run anymore. She stopped running soon after on the beach. He saw her walk
over to the cliffs, and then disappear between the rocks. He saw Luffy walking along the
beach. Luffy looked over at the rock and saw Breanna hiding there. He began to go over
to her. Zolo decided to let Luffy talk to her. Luffy walked over to see Breanna coughing
like mad. Blood covered the immediate rocks and sand around her. Try as she might, she
couldn't hide them from Luffy's gaze. He looked down at her and then nealed down
himself.
"Are you okay?" he asked, "Why is there so much blood?" Hana tried to stop
it, but another cough came out. She looked up at Luffy as the blood dribbled down her
chin.
"I'm fine," She said, whipping the blood away "Leave me alone, it doesn't concern you"
"Yes it does concern me!" Luffy told her, "You're my friend." This information
hit her like a bullet. She sat there stunned. She felt herself compelled to tell him
everything.
"I have a rare illness," She answered, "If I'm too active, I begin to cough
uncontrollably. If I have over done my limits way to much, blood comes up. Kinda makes
it hard to use my powers." Luffy looked like he understood.
"What were you doing?" He asked, "To make you cough up so much blood"
Hana turned her head, and he saw the redness of her cheek, which was quickly turning
into a bruise.
"I was running," She said, she showed him the cheetah tail before returning it to
its normal black coloring. Luffy refrained from asking about her cheek.
"Chopper is a good doctor you know," He told her, "He might even have a cure
for your illness." Hana smiled, but shook her head.
"I doubt it, besides, even if I was completely healthy, I can't leave this place," She looked down at the blood stained sand.
"Because of Nakatsu?" Luffy asked.Hana looked up, wide eyed.
"How do you know about that?" She asked, "How could you possibly know"
Luffy told her about the wanted posters Sanji had found. When he finished the silence
was long and awkward. Finally Hana spoke again, "I... I never killed anyone..." She
said stiffly, looking back at the ground. Luffy nodded. She looked up with tears in her
eyes, "Luffy... Help...?" she said. Luffy nodded again his eyes shadowed by his hat. He
helped her up. She smiled through her tears. They walked back to the Merry Go. Zolo
stood up as they boarded. He saw Hana's cheek as they walked over.
"What happened?" He asked. Luffy walked past him to get the others.
"Grab your swords," He said after he was past. Zolo didn't ask why, but did as he
was told. Hana leaned back against the ships bulwark and Zolo looked like he might
ask her something, but he stopped and instead rubbed her cheek until she couldn't feel it
anymore. She wanted to thank him, but she found she couldn't talk. Luffy came out with
Sanji, Usopp, Chopper and Nami following behind. Luffy jumped off the ship with out a
world. Hana jumped off, but didn't lead them to her house. 'What am I doing?' She
asked herself, 'I'm sending these fools to their deaths!' Zolo could see her hesitate. He
walked over and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry," He whispered in her ear, "We've done the impossible before." For
a moment the real world and her fears all disappeared. It felt good to not have to worry
about anything. The real world snapped back into place as he took his hands off and she
felt her worries returning. She blocked them out of her mind, and began to lead them to
her house. She knew Nakatsu was waiting.
Nakatsu sat on the porch looking up at the sky, "I wonder what my love is
planning?" He thought aloud. 'If you love her, stop doing this to her,' a voice told him
inside, his other personality. "I will do as I please," He answered it, "In the eyes of this
world, you no longer exsist." The other Nakatsu sighed, 'You ruined everything I worked
for!' Nakatsu laughed, "Worked? You? You're pathetic." 'She loved me,' it answered,
hitting Nakatsu where it hurt, 'She hates you, she won't say it, but she does. You hurt
her.' Nakatsu concentrated for a moment, and the voice died away. He sighed, maybe it
would stay quiet for good now.
"Hey," A voice interrupted his thinking, "You Nakatsu?" He looked up and
smirked.
"Who want's to know?" He asked, He looked at the group. Zolo had his bandanna
on and all of his swords at the ready. Usopp had his sling shot out and was tossing some
of his special 'stars' up in the air, then catching them again. Nami pulled out her pole and
stood in a good position to attack. Sanji stood there with a smug look on his face, but he
was ready to use his leg technique at any time. Luffy stood in front of them all with his
arms at his sides, his eyes shaded by his hat. Nakatsu found Hana standing behind
Zolo. All four of her swords were out, she had one in each hand, one in her mouth and the
last one she held with her cat tail. She was trembling, but she was ready. Nakatsu
laughed. "I see! This is rather interesting."
"It's okay," Zolo whispered to Hana. She stopped trembling and nodded.
Nakatsu's eyes flashed dangerously.
"I guess I'll just have to kill you!" He snapped. Hana's eyes got wide. Her legs
began to shake and she discovered she couldn't move. Luffy smirked right back at him.
"We're not gonna die!" He said and charged in. Nakatsu jumped up to avoid
Luffy's punch Sanji took advantage of this and kicked him in the stomach. Nakatsu stood
his ground, not even taking a step backwards from the impact. It was Usopps turn.
"Shooting stars!" He said and fired three pellets at Nakatsu. The pellets were
easily dodged. Nakatsu ran over and punched Nami in the arm, causing her to stumble
backwards. Zolo stormed over with his three swords in a six pointed star formation.
Nakatsu mearly dissapeered. When he reappeared he was standing in the doorway of the
house, a sword in his hand.
"If that's the way you want it," He said, "A swords fight would suit me just fine"
Zolo smirked.
"You honestly think you can beat me?" He asked, but from Hana's expression
he guessed that it was more than likely that he would. Nakatsu answered the question by
running in with unbelievable speed, the pupils of his icy blue eyes becoming slits, flecks
of red beginning to overpower the blue. "What the...?" Zolo muttered as he moved
quickly to block the attack. 'It's all over now,' Hana thought. The flecks became a
solid color, and the attacks became constant and more fierce. Hana could see the
flames beginning to come from his sword hand. The sword became engulfed in the
flames, making it twice as deadly, without damaging the blade. Zolo's swords were
knocked away and he was knocked to the ground. The sword found it's way to his throat.
Hana pulled a dagger out of her sash and threw it between them to get Nakatsu's
attention. He looked over at her.
"Don't touch him," She said slowly, her voice laced with venom.
"Or what!" He asked, his red eyes blazed. Hana put a sword up to her own
throat.
"What's the point of fighting if you get no prize?" She asked. Nakatsu came
towards her, the tip of his sword dragging along the ground. He lifted her chin so that she
looked him squarely in the eye.
"Killing him would be a great constellation prize, my love." He punched her in
the stomach. She began to cough, the blood coming up with it. The flame disappeared
from his sword and his hand. His eyes returned to their normal blue, but they didn't seem
cold anymore. "Hana?" He asked, even his voice sounded softer now. "Crud...! What
did he do?" Zolo stood up and took a step towards him. Nakatsu threw his sword down at
Zolo's feet. "This fight's over! Get some medicine dang it!" The crew looked confused,
Chopper came over to take a look at what was going on.
"You idiot!" He yelled slapping Nakatsu across the face, leaving a hoof mark.
"She's got Marikima! She must've had it for years! I've never seen it this bad!"
"What do I do?" Nakatsu asked, his voice was frantic.
"We need to treat her!" He waved back at the road, "We can take her back to the
ship! That's where my supplies are! I don't carry around stuff like that!" Nakatsu slung
her over his shoulder and began to run, Zolo right beside him. They arrived at the Merry
Go in record time. "Lay her down in one of the hammocks!" Chopper ordered and began
to search through his chemicals. He finally found what he was looking for. He poured
some purple and some yellow liquids into a beaker. It fizzed and then settled into a
concoction that barely bubbled every now and then. He poured it down her throat. "I need
some way to keep her mouth shut!" He yelled. Zolo immediately offered his bandanna.
Chopper tied it so that it caught the medicine she coughed back up. He sighed. "Now we
need to wait," he said, "All of you go out onto the deck, she needs to rest!" He ushered
them all out of the room. Zolo glared over at Nakatsu.
"You moron! How could you let her get like that!" He yelled. Nakatsu looked up
from where he sat leaning against the mast.
"Believe me, if I had had any control I would've stopped it all!" He snapped. Zolo
looked like he might say something else, but Luffy silenced him.
"What do you mean?" He asked. Nakatsu sighed.
"You see," He said, "I have a split personality, I can't help any of it, when I snap, I'm someone else intirly." He sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes. "I don't think I've had full control in, hmm, four years..." Sanji's sucker fell out of his mouth, breaking on the wood of the deck.
"That's nuts crap-kid!" He yelled. He pulled another lollipop out of his pocket
as he settled down.
"What was up with those flames earlier?" Usopp asked. Nakatsu raised a hand and
a few flames licked his fingertips.
"What, these?" He asked, "I ate the fire-fire friut, I have the ability to make and
control fire. Wherever there is oxygen, I can make flames. He closed his hand into a fist
and the flames were smothered. They heard a crash come from the room Breanna was in.
"Stop it! You need to rest!" They heard Chopper yell. This was followed by a
bunch of angry shouts that they couldn't quite, nor did hey want to, understand. "What do you mean! You
can't eat me!" They opened up the door to see Breanna with Chopper's foot in her mouth.
Chopper was whining. "Help me!" He yelled and Luffy and Zolo pulled Hana off and
put her back in the hammock.
"Dag blammit! Why didn't ya wake me up!" She roared, "I HATE medicine"
Nakatsu smiled at her. She blinked. Once, and then twice and then she hugged him.
"NAKATSU! I..." She looked him in the eye wistfully, then changed to a look of
outrage, "I HATE YOU!" she smacked him. "How could you let them give me
medicine?" Nakatsu laughed.
"Good to see you too," He said. Hana felt like she might cry so she hit him
again. He'd had her worried. They both laughed and then settled there. Zolo walked out
onto the deck. Within a few hours, Hana was able to walk around normally, but she
wasn't allowed to run or do anything really active just yet. She wasted no time
disappearing so that none of them even knew where to start looking. Zolo sighed as he
went to check the beach. Nakatsu was checking the house and the immediate area of it
and all the others had spread through the town, with the exception of Chopper who was
waiting on the ship just in case she came back. 'What am I going to do?' Zolo thought.
'She obviously likes Nakatsu. I have no chance!' He pounded his fist into the cliff wall.
"Dang it!" He breathed. He heard some one laugh.
"Wow, anger managment much?" Hana said. Zolo sighed.
"Everyone is looking for you," He said, Hana's face turned serious.
"I know," She said, "I wanted to get you alone, you seem depressed or
something." He looked sceptic.
"How did you know I would look on the beach, maybe I would go into town and
Luffy would look on the beach, or Nakatsu." He didn't meet her eyes as he said the last
words.
"What is it with you and Nakatsu?" she asked, "He's completly changed now, yet
you still treat him like an enemy." Zolo looked into her eyes reluctantly.
"Beacause, for me, he still is," He said. She looked confused. "He.. likes you.
alot." He answered her gaze.
"He'd better!" Hana shouted. Zolo sighed again.
"I knew it..." He said, then thought, 'she likes him to'
"He is my brother after all!" She said.
"WHAT!" He shouted so loud that it shook the entire
world. (Yep, loud huh?) "B-b-but your last names are different... How...?" Breanna laughed.
"You should see you're face!" She giggled.
"Oh, you were joking?" Zolo asked. She sat there with the smile frozen on her
face.
"No, no I wasn't." She said evenly. Zolo lost a life and she laughed again. "What I
mean is, We've been together since we were two years old. I've always thought of him as
my brother, he thinks of me like his sister"
"B-b-b-but, the other Nakatsu said that he loved you!" Zolo said confused. Hana's face was carefree.
"He doesn't think of me like his sister, more like his pet kitten." She said, "I don't like him much, but I put up with it waiting for my Nakatsu to come back." Zolo sighed in releif. "Why do you care"
"I care because," He averted his eyes, "I like you alot... too." She smiled and
hugged him.
"I think..." She started, "I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."
"How cute," Sanji said watching the two.
"Can't split them up now," Nakatsu said. Luffy smiled. Breanna pulled herself away from Zolo to look at the others.
"Breanna," Luffy said, "You're jioning my pirate crew!" It was a statment, not a
question, but Hana nodded anyway.
"Yes sir, cap'n!" She said happily, then looked it Nakatsu. "I'll miss you big
brother"
"Why?" He asked.
"Well, who knows when I'll be back to this village again, if I ever come back at
all?" She pouted, "How can you be so rude"
"You think I'd let you go off with these weirdos?" He said, his eyes hard, "With
out me!" He smiled again, his eyes soft, "Heck no! I'm comin' along, but no more of
this 'big brother' crap. Just Nakatsu, like the olden days"
"Back then it was captain Nakatsu!" She laughed, Nakatsu laughed to.
"I don't think I could handle this crew!" He smirked.
"THIS KID HAD HIS OWN CREW!" Usopp yelled. Nakatsu looked slightly
irritated.
"Yer piont?" He asked, "I was fourteen, I had already been a pirate for a year. And
who are you callin' 'kid'? I'm older than you."
"You're all nuts," Usopp said and walked away in a daze. The others stared after
him for a moment.
"Anyway," Luffy said, "It would be great to have both of you come along"
"Besides," Chopper said, "Hana still has four more treatments before her
illness will be completly cured"
"I HATE MEDICINE!" Hana yelled and began chasing Chopper again.
"I feel sorry for that reindeer," Nakatsu shook his head, "He's going to have his
hands, er, hooves full." Nakatsu dissapeared, reapearing right behind Breanna grabbing
her arms, letting Chopper get away. "No running around Hana, doctor's orders." Zolo
shook his head, 'I'm the one I feel sorry for, this girl is nutts.' Hana came over and
hopped on his back.
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Yay! Thanks for reading!