Hello everyone, here is the second chapter ! As always One Piece is not mine, only Stella Star.
Thank you for reading my story ! Don't forget to leave a comment if there's a problem of translation !
See you soon !
"Don't worry Usopp, I'm not going to eat you" I say with a soft voice, which makes Usopp stop shaking. "At least for now" Putting on a toothy grin, which makes the poor boy swoon. Hooo, I'm going to have fun with him. ~
I couldn't help but laugh out loud at this scene, damn this vacation is off to a good start.
"But you're not done messing with me!" Usopp yells.
"No." I say with a neutral voice and face. This causes Usopp to cry in the corner of the ship, muttering about me being a demon. This situation makes me smile, then I turn to Nami.
"How long do you think it will take us to reach Logue Town?" I know the answer but I want to assess her navigational skills, after all the survival of this crew depends on it. Nami looks at her map and compass.
"In a little less than two hours." That's the right answer, at least she knows how to navigate on the Blues, now let's see about Grand Line.
"Do you mind if I evaluate you on your knowledge of the Grand Line?"
"Uh... No, go ahead. You can tell me if I'm missing something" Nami answered with a little smile, even if she felt uncomfortable.
" Very well, first of all, how do you get to the Grand Line? "
"We go through the Reverse Mountain" Nami answers easily.
"Why?" Raising an eyebrow. It's the right answer, but if she doesn't know why this is the only way, she might make some bad decisions.
"Well... Um... because the Grand Line is surrounded by the Calm Belt, which cuts off the Grand Line from the rest of the Blues. And Calm Belt can't be crossed because there is no wind or current to move the boats. Plus it's the breeding ground for the Sea Kings." I let a smile appear on my lips, which relaxes Nami.
"Indeed you are right. Now you've passed Reverse Mountain, what are you doing?"
"I'm heading to the first island." Now it's the moment of truth, because either she knows about the Log Poses or she doesn't.
"And how do you get there?" Nami frowns like I'm stupid.
"I use my navigation skills and the map of the Grand Line we managed to get." I raise an eyebrow when she mentions the map, it's something that must be very rare on the Blues.
"Can I see the map?" Nami gives me a long look before heading to, I guess, her cabin and comes out with a piece of paper that she hands me. I take it gently and glance at it. On the map I can see the name of some islands of Grand Line. This is only one of the many ways to cross the first part of the Grand Line, the Paradise.
"Okay, what equipment do you use to navigate the Grand Line?" Nami frowns more and shows me the compass in her hand. OK. She doesn't know about the Log Poses.
"What is the particularity of each island on the Grand Line?" This time Nami raises an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?"
"If you're asking the question, you don't know." I let out a sigh, thank goodness I'm here. Otherwise they would have died as soon as they entered the Grand Line.
"You have big gaps in your knowledge of Grand Line navigation. You are probably the best navigator on this sea." I say as Nami starts to get upset. "But on the Grand Line you'll be defenseless against the elements and you'll never reach the first island. At least, not until you get yourself a Log Pose." Nami is thoughtful before straightening her head towards me.
"What's a Log Pose? I've never heard of it before." I smile.
"A Log Pose is a special compass that only works on the Grand Line. It detects the magnetic field of the islands, which allows you to go from one island to another by following its needle. An ordinary compass only goes in circles on the Grand Line." Nami widens her eyes slightly, realizing that her ignorance would have led to the loss of the crew.
"I see... And where can I get a Log Pose?"
"You can find some in Logue Town if you look hard enough. But be careful, a real Log Pose is in a glass bubble and the needle wiggles around. It will calibrate when you get back to the Grand Line." Nami nods her head, a sign that she understands.
"Thank you very much Stella."
"No problem, as your teacher and elder it's the least I can do"
I turn to Zoro.
"Zoro, I have a little question for you." Zoro raises an eyebrow.
"Go ahead, I'm listening"
"Luffy said you fight with 3 swords but I only see one, where are the other two?" Zoro sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "They were destroyed, I plan to find two new swords in Logue Town." I raise my gaze to the sky then close my eyes in silent prayer. Destroying one's swords is the worst thing for a swordsman, especially if one has formed a bond with them. When I return my gaze to Zoro, I notice that he is staring intently at me, probably waiting for my next words.
"How did this happen?" My voice is neutral to hide my emotions and especially my anguish. If anything happens to one of my swords, I destroy and torture the person responsible over several generations. But Zoro seems to have managed to see through my mask.
"I fought Dracule Miwalk and... I lost." He said this with great bitterness, it's true that he wants to become the best swordsman in the world, so he wants to take Miwalk's title.
"And he left you alive?" I say with astonishment. Knowing Miwalk he probably saw something interesting in Zoro, otherwise he would have killed him with a wave of his hand. At worst I'll give him a call.
"Yeah, but he left me a little souvenir." He says while lifting his shirt showing a deep scar that bars his torso diagonally, I notice that it is still quite pink, sign that it is recent.
"Indeed he didn't miss you. Are you still in pain or a feeling of discomfort?" Zoro frowns at the question, he must think I consider him weak or fragile.
"No, I don't have any problems. I can fight without any problem." He said dryly as he pulled his shirt back on.
"Good, because it's your turn to be evaluated." I reply, crossing my arms and flashing a small smile.
"Let's see what the one who will succeed Miwalk is worth." At my words Zoro's face lights up, the fact that I see him as a potential successor to the best swordsman in the world must lift his spirits. But his expression is quickly spoiled by Sanji.
"WHAT! But Stella-chan! You can't fight this brute! And you Marimo! You better not hurt her in the slightest!" I cast a stern look at the cook and release a tiny dose of haki on him, which nails him immediately. I was about to reprimand him when an idea came to me. I stifle my anger and put on the most charming smile and aura I can display.
"Sanji-kun~, I have a small favor to ask you. Can you get me two pieces of rope, please? ~" Taking a suave voice and flickering my eyes. This made Sanji fall under my spell right away, totally forgetting the feeling of fear that was running over his skin.
"Of course Stella-chan! I'll be right back my island angel!" And off he goes towards the holds, whirling around. I turn to Zoro and wink at him, which makes him raise an eyebrow. Soon Sanji returns with two pieces of coiled rope.
"And this is Stella-chan! I hope your desires are fulfilled!" I smile at Sanji and take the two ropes gently, touching his hands.
"Thank you Sanji-kun, this is exactly what I need." I turn away from a blushing Sanji and go to the middle of the bridge. I throw the first rope with a wrist movement to form a circle of about 2 meters in diameter. Then I wrap the second rope around my hands and pull violently on it, which makes it snap with a thud. Silence falls on the ship. I slowly turn to Sanji with a smile that must be slightly terrifying. Sanji stops smiling and swallows hard.
"Sanji-kun ~ I have something very special to ask you." I say in a soft voice while taking a step forward. Sanji takes a step back.
"Wha...What is it Stella-chan?" His voice trembles slightly, which increases my amusement. I take another step forward, he takes two steps back. Hooo, he's getting scared. I tilt my head to the side and take a childish voice.
"Why are you backing out Sanji-kun? I'm not going to hurt you..." I move forward again. Sanji sweats and tries to back up again but he bumps into the wall behind him. Before he can do anything, I place one of my hands next to his head and the other next to his hips, the rope pinning him to the wall.
"Uh... S... Stella-chan..." Sanji's eyes desperately search for an exit.
"Shhh... Sanji-kun. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm an ally and your teacher after all." I get close enough to practically stick to him and whisper in his ear. "I just want to play a game with you, will you? ~ " Hearts appear in Sanji's eyes and before he can respond, he finds himself tied up from head to toe and lying on the deck. He sees me walking away from him, rubbing my hands together.
"Stella-chan?" I turn to him.
"Sorry Sanji but this is the only solution I found so that you don't interfere during this fight." I turn to the others who look at me with round eyes.
"If he ever screams too much, gag him." I say in a voice that leaves no room for protest. Zoro flashes a smug smile as he stares at Sanji.
"As for you, get ready for your evaluation." Zoro returns his gaze to me with a frown and places his hand on his sword.
"My evaluation? Are you going to ask me questions or are we going to fight?"
"You're going to fight, but there will be some rules to determine who the winner will be. And to better balance the fight." I walk to the rope circle and step inside.
"First of all, I'm not allowed to leave this circle. If you ever manage to get me out, then you win the fight." Zoro frowns at this rule.
"I don't need that kind of handicap to succeed in beating you!" I cross my arms and lean on my leg nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry, but I do. Otherwise you won't have a chance to touch me." Zoro draws his sword.
"I'd like to see that!" Without a word I stand behind him. I place a finger at the base of his neck and gently run it down his spine. A shiver runs down Zoro's back, then he swings his sword in a circle, turning around hoping to hit me, but he only encounters a void.
"You see, you can't touch me under these conditions." I was back in the circle. Luffy's eyes were glowing, Nami was showing a shocked face with her hand in front of her mouth and Usopp was hiding behind Nami. As for Sanji, he was still tightly bound but he looked shocked and impressed.
"Second rule, you have to touch me once to win. As for me, I have to touch you 10 times to win."
"You've got to be kidding me! If you can't move you just become an easy target! I don't see how this is a fair fight!" Zoro replies, visibly upset with me.
"Talk to him better than that, swordsman shit!" I kick the deck causing a wave of haki, which silences Sanji.
"Sanji, this is my last warning! Don't say anything else until the fight is over. Is that clear?" Sanji looks at me then turns to Zoro. He opens his mouth but in front of my look he closes it and nods, sign that he has understood.
"Good! Zoro, I can understand that you feel frustrated, but you'll soon understand that these handicaps are necessary. Now stop acting like a child and show me your skills that you are so proud of!" I say while drawing my weapon which is a simple katana like you can find anywhere, my main weapons are on my ship in Logue Town.
"Okay, but don't come crying to me after I beat you." Said Zoro before getting into position and charging at me. A frontal attack, too bad... But you'll soon realize that you shouldn't underestimate me. Zoro makes an attack from above, trying to cut me in two. With a simple movement I parry his attack and hit him in the cheek. But I didn't measure my strength well because Zoro's arm was violently pushed back, so much so that Zoro had to move back two steps not to let go of his sword. But even after that, Zoro's arm is shaking slightly because of the shock.
"What the hell was that!" Zoro looks at me incredulously. I get back into my fighting stance.
"That's the difference between us. Keep going, unless you give up." I tell him in a provocative tone with a sadistic smile. Zoro scowls and undoes the blindfold on his arm, tying it over his head before flashing a demonic smile. A smile that would probably scare the average person.
"No way! I'll take you down before you touch me ten times." My smile widened.
"Well, come and prove it to me."
He continues to attack me in different ways, exploiting the fact that I can't move too much. But despite that, I keep parrying his attacks and inflicting damage. Zoro has strength and techniques to spare, but he has no concept of dodging. I duck, I jump, I parry and I continue to evaluate my opponent, on his techniques, his balance and his strength. And 30 minutes later, a slightly out of breath Zoro is standing in front of me, with a multitude of small cuts, 9 of them.
"The score is in favor of Stella! Is this the end of our swordsman!" Declares Usopp on the balcony of the ship with the rest of the crew watching. They moved when Zoro started to do different techniques more or less destructive to try to hit me, but without success.
"Come on Zoro! You can do it, I'm counting on you!" Luffy encourages. Zoro takes a deep breath and stares at me, analyzing me from every angle. Finally, he uses his head.
He starts circling around me looking for a weak spot, to help him I leave him a very visible one. Yes I know it's a bait but what do you want? And it didn't fail, Zoro tries to exploit this weak spot, but I'm too fast for him and when his blade is close to my hip, I grab his arm and make a grab to find myself in his back, my blade under his throat.
"Well, it looks like I won" Zoro growls at my retort.
"Yeah! Zoro you are so strong! You won!" Declares Luffy as he comes down from the balcony. Zoro and I stare at him as if he tried to make a bad joke.
"What are you saying Luffy ? I lost." Says Zoro as he walks away from me. Luffy tilts his head to the side like we said something stupid.
"But Stella is out of the circle though." At him statement, we both look down at the floor and indeed I have my foot outside the circle. I must have moved too much during the last attack. We straighten the head and we look at each other, Zoro shows an incredulous face and I show a smile more and more big, until I burst of laugh while holding my belly.
"Ha ha ha ha! You've done it! I can see why Miwalk left you alive! Ha ha ha!"
"Stop messing with me! I didn't win! It's just you who didn't pay attention earlier, this victory has no merit!" Says Zoro irritated and he walks away from us with an angry step. But I grab his shoulder before he gets too far.
"It's okay Zoro, don't be angry. My laughter isn't there to make fun of you, it's just that I'm proud of you." I say as I wipe away a tear.
"Proud! How can you be proud! I only won because YOU made a mistake!" I give him a big smile.
"Exactly, you won against an opponent stronger than you, thanks to the mistakes he made!" Zoro frowns and replies curtly.
"I don't see how it's good to exploit your opponent's mistakes!" He gets out of my grip with a shoulder strike. I raise my eyes to the sky.
"And you think that an enemy who wants to kill you won't mind? What if someone stronger than you threatens your friends? Let's say Miwalk or a navy admiral and you find yourself in the position of hurting him because he wasn't paying attention or underestimated you. Aren't you going to take that opportunity?" Zoro stares at me and his jaw twitches. He knows I'm right, but doesn't want to admit it.
"Come on Zoro, don't sulk. You won! It was within the rules!" Luffy declares with a big smile on his face, before turning to me.
"Now it's my turn!" I smile at him and sheathe my weapon.
"At your orders captain." Then I hand my weapon to Zoro, who takes it with a puzzled look.
"Why are you giving your gun to Zoro?" Luffy asks, tilting his head to the side.
"Simply because you are fighting hand-to-hand, so I would use my fists. That's the best way to assess you." Luffy nods and walks away to get into a fighting stance.
Zoro goes to join the others on the balcony, taking my sword with him. I walk back into the circle and stand on guard.
"For the rules, you just have to try to get me out of the circle or get me on the ground. As for me, I have to knock you down 10 times." Luffy nods with a serious expression. After seeing me fight Zoro, he knows that I am not an easy opponent to take down.
He contracts his fist and pulls his foot back behind him.
"Gomu gomu no jet pistol!" He throws his fist at high speed while stretching his arm. I shift my body to let his fist pass, then I grab it and pull violently on it. This makes him take off and I throw him to the ground. But he twists his body and lands on his feet. Hooo not bad! My sadistic smile stretches even wider. He pulls on his arm to get it back, but I don't let him. As a result, he decides to let his body be dragged, wanting to headbutt me.
"Gomu gomu no rocket!" I grab him and throw him against the mast with a spin. "Gomu gomu no ballon!" It bounces off the mast. He deflates and lands on the deck holding his hat. "Um, this is going to be harder than I expected." I smile more at his statement.
"Come on kid, give it all you got." Luffy smiled at me and returned to the attack. 30 minutes later, Luffy is out of breath. I managed to put him down 7 times. As for him, he managed to hit me a few times but didn't inflict much damage. Of course, I don't use haki, either weapon or observation. I want to assess him, not hurt him.
"Uh... guys..." We turn our heads to look at Nami.
"I'm sure you want to keep having fun, but we're arriving in Logue Town in 15 minutes and I'd like us to get organized before we get there." She says as she points to the island that was starting to come into view. I turn to Luffy, who has disappeared from his position to come to the side of the ship.
"Yaouuuuuu! Logue Town, finally! The last island before Grand Line!" Says Luffy jumping up and down, totally forgetting about our fight. I laugh at his behavior and decide to end the fight by leaving the circle. Luffy immediately stops jumping and raises his eyebrows, obviously annoyed.
"Why did you come out of the circle? The fight isn't over."
"Sorry Luffy, but I think we can stop here. I've assessed your level enough to form an idea of your strength." I walk over to Zoro and hold out my hand. He looks at me and then at my hand as if wondering what I want. I roll my eyes at his lack of response.
"Can you give me my sword back please." He blinks and holds out my blade, which I hang from my waist and walk over to Sanji who is still tied up. I can't stop my smile from appearing on my lips seeing him in this position and I'm sure Zoro appreciates it too, given his expression.
Sanji looks at me from his position with a look full of admiration but also fear.
"Stella-chan, can you release me now? Please..." I crouch down next to him and start to untie him.
"I hope you understand that I am not a princess to be protected and saved. You can do that with anyone, but not with me. Okay?" I say in a soft voice like a mother or a big sister. He widens his eyes.
"You're not mad at me?" He said in a hesitant voice as he straightened up and rubbed his wrists.
"No. I don't know why you act like that with women, but you have to understand that there are women who don't appreciate your behavior or will use it against you, to hurt you or your friends." Sanji lowers his head, his bangs know his eyes but I can see that he is internally conflicted. I place a finger under his chin to force him to straighten his head and look at me.
"I'm not asking you to change. That's the last thing I want, but I hope you'll think about my words when you're in combat with an enemy." Sanji gives me a long look before nodding, I smile and take him in my arms.
"Come on Sanji don't sulk!" But I feel Sanji's body shaking in my arms before he flies away from the blood gushing from his nose, luckily I was able to dodge the blood.
"Stella-chan! ~" I could only blink at this most bizarre sight. Note to self: don't touch this pervert. Sanji landed on the deck, sprawled on the ground with two bloody streaks under his nose and his eyes in a heart. Well, I know where I'm going to start with him. Self control with the opposite sex. I turn away from this spectacle and walk over to Nami.
"So, what's the program?"
"Well... First we need to buy some food and a set of logs. Then we'll need some supplies that we're missing and some other things. Better not attract the navy either. With Luffy bounty, they're probably on alert." I turn to Luffy.
"You got a bounty, congratulations! How much is it?" Luffy puffs out his chest, all proud.
"I got a bounty of 30 million berrys! I smile at his behavior.
"Not bad for East Blue, it's a good bounty to get back to the Grand Line." I rub shoulders with and fight against people who have bounties of over 1 billion Berry, so well... I'm slightly biased, I don't even know if 30 million is a big bounty or not.
"And you have a bounty? It must be very big considering your strength!" Declares Luffy with a big smile, waiting impatiently for my answer.
"Sorry Luffy to disappoint you but I don't have a bounty on my head." He puts on a disappointed face but Nami squint and Zoro frown.
"How come? You are a pirate though?" I cross my arms and think quickly of how I can explain to them without them thinking I work for the world government.
"I'm an explorer, I've never done anything legally wrong, but... I also have some kind of deal with the powerful of this world." Nami's face paled and she began to back away from me and Zoro moved into position, probably more to reassure himself than to actually attack me.
"S..So...Y...You're a high ranking navy officer?!" Says Nami with tears in her eyes. I roll my eyes.
"Of course not, even though I sometimes have drinks with the admirals and play Shōgi with Sangoku. I have nothing to do with them. I do the same thing with the Yonkos and Dragon. So no I'm not navy, let's say I have a neutrality or non-aggression agreement."
"A neutrality agreement? What does that mean?" Luffy asks with his head to the side.
"It means that no matter what the situation is, I am not allowed to attack first. I am not on the side of the marines, pirates, civilians, revolutionaries. I am not part of any group. In exchange for this agreement, the world government leaves me alone. And this agreement applies to all other groups. I have no right to open hostilities."
"Even if your friends are in danger?" Luffy asks. I look at him with a sad look and sigh.
"Yes even in that case, but that doesn't mean I'm standing idly by. Besides, if it ever involves a member of my family, then it's considered an attack on my person and therefore I have the right to retaliate."
"But I don't understand. Who are you? How do you know all these powerful people? The admirals, the Yonko, Dragon?" Nami asks, her hand over her mouth. Should I tell them? Shanks is counting on me to keep an eye on them, but if they're afraid of me... Shit! I close my eyes and rub my face in my hands in frustration before running them up my neck. I take a deep breath and open my eyes.
"Yes, I know them... I have parties and binges with Kaido, Whitebeard and Shanks. And occasionally banquets at Big Mom's house, although she always tries to set me up with one of her sons or daughters... And for Dragon I like to play chess with him. I just want to have fun, enjoy life and since I'm neutral, they have no more reason to hate me than that." Sorry, but you'll have to wait to find out my secret.
Everyone stares at me like I'm an alien, well almost everyone.
"BUT IT'S SO AWESOME!" Luffy yells as he throws himself into my arms, which I reflexively grab in total surprise.
"You know Shanks!" Declares Luffy with the biggest smile I've ever seen, totally blinded by the stars in his eyes.
"Uh... I...I.. Wha... Wha... What!" I managed to say, not expecting this reaction at all.
"You know Shanks, right?!"
"Yes, I know Shanks and his crew. To tell you the truth, he's the one who asked me to look after you." Luffy's eyes widen before he pouts, but he doesn't pull away from me for that.
"Shanks worries too much, I can take care of myself. I'm big now." I shake my head and ruffle his hair.
"Don't worry, I'm just here to keep an eye on you. I would never interfere with your adventure." Luffy looks at me with cocker spaniel eyes.
"Promise?" I couldn't resist his overly cute face and I hug him tighter.
"Yes, I promise." We stay in that position for a few seconds before pulling away. I turn to the others.
"I hope you'll accept me despite the little sneaks, but I promise never to hurt you. You too are under the protection of my neutrality agreement if that makes you feel better." Nami approaches me and holds out her hand. I look at her in surprise and shake her hand.
"We accept you and I trust you, I just hope you never betray us." She lets go of my hand and gives me a sweet smile.
"Thank you." I couldn't say more. Then Nami turns to the others.
"Well, Logue Town is right in front of us. Get moving you lazy bastards! We're about to dock!"
"Yes Nami-swan! I am at your command!" And they disperse to their posts. As for me, I think about what just happened.
Shanks, what the hell did you get me into? I look at the city that is close by. I hope that this vacation won't become a nightmare.