Chapitre 6 : Meeting and training
Hello everyone! Thank you for joining us! How is the start of your vacation going?
Stella: Do you really think they're going to answer you?
Me: Do you know the politeness?
Stella: The what?
Me: Anyway, go back to pissing off the straw hats, you're breaking my concentration.
Stella: I read your chapter and I have to say I'm having more and more fun. Mouahahaha!
Me: Sadistic.
Stella: Rhoooo... You know me too well ~
Me and Stella: We wish you a good reading!
Nami moves towards Vivi and Igaram with an angry step, but still holding her shoulder. I'll have to think about giving her some ointment to ease the pain, after all I'm the one responsible for this injury.
"Well, that's not all, but we have to leave now. The agents can't be far." Says Igaram as he picks up his 4 dummies and takes the lead of our group. We follow him through the streets, until we come to a small cove with a boat moored, ready to set sail. Igaram puts the dummies in the boat and then returns to our group. I stay a little apart and especially a good distance from Nami, she must not be comfortable in my presence.
"I entrust you the princess, I count on you." Says Igaram looking at our group and glancing towards me. I give him a small nod, reminding him of our agreement. Igaram smiles and reaches out to Vivi.
"I hope the crossing won't be too painful, be careful."
"Thank you Igaram. You too, take good care of yourself." Vivi responds by shaking Igaram's hand. Personally, I would have given a hug, or something more friendly than a handshake. But hey, they have to act according to their rank, which I hate. Igaram gets on the boat and we see him off to the horizon. Let's hope he will be able to manage this boat on the Grand Line by himself.
"There, he's gone... Too bad he was fun!" Says Luffy with his eternal good humor. Vivi nods her head.
"He may not look it, but he's a trustworthy man." Says Vivi with a smile on her face, as she continues to watch the boat leave.
"Well, maybe it's time for us to leave too." Said Nami, looking at the Log Pose. "Let's go get Sanji and Usopp, then we'll go..." But her voice fades away as a huge explosion is heard coming from the sea. Igaram's boat has just exploded before our eyes, everyone loses their colors. I concentrate on Vivi, to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid.
"This is impossible! The men from Baroque Works are already here!" Nami shouts. Quickly, the guys go to look for the two sleepers and Nami approaches Vivi.
"Vivi! We have to hurry up! If they fall on us, Igaram will have died for nothing!" Nami touches Vivi's shoulder to make her react, but she refuses to move. Nami's face is shocked as she looks at the princess before hugging her. I get up and walk over to them, in case Vivi has passed out from the shock.
"Hang on! We'll walk you to Alabasta, just like we promised!" I am now close enough to Vivi to see that she is biting her lips to the quick to keep from bursting into tears. I return my attention to the burning boat and notice that Igaram is still alive. There is also another person with him, probably the one who blew up the boat.
"Igaram is still alive." My words instantly woke up Vivi, who is clutching my jacket.
"What! Is he really alive?! We can't stay here! We have to go rescue him!" I grab her wrists without hurting her and look her in the eyes.
"We can't do that, or else what just happened will have been for nothing. The agents will catch us and you can say goodbye to your chance to get Alabasta back!" Vivi's eyes narrow and the dilemma dances in her eyes. Either we save Igaram or we save her kingdom. "You are the princess of Alabasta, act for the good of your people." I know my words are harsh, but we have no choice. Vivi continues to look at me before finally releasing her grip. She opens her mouth with trembling lips wanting to answer me. But Nami pulls on my arm to turn me towards her. And I receive a huge slap on my cheek. My cheek tingles slightly, which surprises me, much more than Nami's gesture.
"HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT? HOW CAN YOU ASK HER TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HER FRIEND AND HER KINGDOM! YOU HAVE NO HEART!" Nami yells at me, tears in her eyes. Her face is red with anger and pain. I put my hand slowly on my cheek before looking at Nami with surprised eyes. She instantly turns pale and starts to back away realizing what she just did.
"I... I'm sorry... I acted impulsively... Please... Don't hurt me..." Her words are a thousand times more painful than her slap. Thousands of needles sink into my heart. To see someone afraid of me, when he is not an enemy, it hurts me horribly.
"Nami... It's okay... I'm not going to do anything to you. I've done enough harm today. I'm sorry." I bow to her before turning around and leaping into the sky. I need to get some air to clear my head. Nami yells something at me, but I ignore it, it's probably insults of some kind.
I float in the air looking at the moon. My eyes close as I recall my memories, when I was discovering the world for the first time, the joys and sorrows I went through with my friends. But over time, the people who sailed with me disappeared one after another. They disappeared from my life because of who I am. Add to that an extraordinary power and you have the perfect cocktail for being a loner who only rubs shoulders with the greatest in the world. A tear rolls down my cheek and I think about my dream. Exploring all the islands of the world. A nervous laugh escapes from my lips. This dream is almost complete, there is only one more island to discover. But first, I must find someone, someone who can finally free me from this curse. I've been looking for her/him for so long, I don't even know if I'll find her/him one day...
I sigh and slap my cheeks, opening my eyes wide.
"Come on, girl. Don't get depressed just yet, you have a long way to go!" I turn my attention back to my surroundings and head for the port. We need to get off this island quickly. I run into the sky and see the boat still in port.
"I'm not leaving without Stella! Captain's orders!" Luffy stands in the middle of the pond, arms crossed in front of a frustrated and annoyed Nami.
"But I'm telling you that Stella has gone to the sky! I don't know where she is!"
"I don't care! Stella is a nakama and I wouldn't leave without her!" I am touched by Luffy's words. I land with a loud noise right next to him.
"Stella! You're here!" He throws himself into my arms, wrapping his arms and legs around me. Tying me up tightly.
"Sorry Captain for being late, but we can go now." He smiles at me before pulling away from me.
"Yoch! Let's go !"
"Luffy! We have to go through the river, it will save us time!" Said Vivi. Immediately, the crew pulls on the ropes and sets sail. I look at Nami who is still holding her shoulder and walk over to her.
"Nami." She turns her head toward me and frowns, wary. I rub the back of my neck, guilty and embarrassed.
"I have a first aid kit in my room with what you need to fix your shoulder. Do you want me to fix you?" She continues to stare at me.
"Vivi can take care of it if you don't want to, but you shouldn't leave her like this." Nami looks away and bites her lip, before looking at me again.
"Okay..." I blink at her answer.
"Um... Okay what?" I ask stupidly. She rolls her eyes with a mocking smile.
"Okay for you to fix me, old woman." I raise an eyebrow.
"What did you just call me, redhead?" Nami's smile widens and she places her able-bodied hand on her hip.
"You heard me, white hair." I smile at her demeanor.
"Rapiat."
"Sword nut."
"Crappy navigator."
"Failed teacher.
"Manipulator."
"Sadist."
Oh, thank you for the compliment, I'm very proud of it." I cross my arms and flash a wide smile. I'd rather have a Nami like that than one who is afraid of me. We look at each other intensely before bursting into laughter. The others look at us as if we were completely crazy. We eventually calm down and I wipe away a few tears before reaching out to Nami.
"I think introductions are in order. My name is Stella Star, I like to make jokes, I'm sadistic, I tend to overdo it and I'm currently a pest on this crew. So feel free to slap me on the wrist and set me straight. " Nami smiled before taking my hand.
"Hi I'm Nami, the navigator of this crew of broken arms. I love tangerines and money, but I'm not that cheap, I'm willing to lend money, with some interest of course." We look at each other, a smile still hanging on our lips. It seems that things have worked themselves out.
"Shall we go to our room and treat your arm?" I ask her as I release her hand. She looks around, probably assessing whether the ship can steer itself without her at the controls.
"Not right away, it's better to wait until we're in the open sea. Otherwise those idiots will impale us on the rocks." I nod. It's true that it's not the best time, but we also have to take care of her wound, otherwise it could have after-effects.
Sanji and Usopp finally wake up and look around totally disoriented, before jumping to their feet.
"EH! What the hell is this?! Why are we moving again?!" Shout the two idiots.
"Come on! We're staying one more night! There are lots of pretty girls and the city is great!" Sanji argues.
"He's right! We have to enjoy it! We're pirates! Damn it! We have plenty of time to enjoy it! Besides, the sun isn't even up yet!" Said Usopp, shaking Luffy.
"Let's go back!" Both men say at the same time. Nami and I look at each other before going behind the backs of the two men and knocking them out with a punch to the head. They end up lying on the ground, stars spinning around their heads. It must be said that Sanji has a hard head. After this little show, Nami goes to the front of the boat.
"The fog has lifted... It's almost daybreak." Indeed, the sky was beginning to lighten. I look at the horizon enjoying the view, but I detect a presence approaching our boat from the sea. I approach the rail of the boat and take a look. Ten meters behind us, there is a giant turtle with someone on its shell. This person is the same one who blew up Igaram's boat, but strangely, I don't feel any malevolence emanating from this person. I continue to look at her, leaning against the railing, the stranger lifts his head and stares at me. Our visitor is a woman with straight black hair, cut in a square. She gives me a small smile before disappearing from her seat in a trail of pink petals. Her presence moves to position herself on the balcony railing.
"Be careful not to hit the rocks. I'm glad you managed to escape your pursuers." Says the strange woman. Everyone is surprised by her presence on board.
"Who are you? Where did she come from?" Shouts the others.
"I just met Mr. 8... Miss Wednesday..." Vivi drastically loses her color.
"No... You're the one..." says Vivi in a sweat. Visibly, I don't need to add that this girl is responsible for blowing up Igaram's boat.
"Who cares about that? I want to know what you are doing on our boat!" Luffy asks, stamping his foot. Vivi shakes her head to put her thoughts back in place.
"That's right, what are you doing here. Miss Allsunday?!" Nami looks at Vivi with concern.
"Who are we dealing with this time Vivi? Whose partner is she?" Vivi steps back slightly, in an effort to get away from the woman.
"She's Mr. 0's partner... she's the only one who knows his true identity. It was by following her that we found out who their leader really was!" Miss Allsunday smiled at his statement.
To be more specific... I'd say it was me who pushed you to follow me." Luffy tilts his head to the side.
"You're not evil then?" I chuckle at Luffy's naive question.
"I knew it! I also know that you were the one who told your boss that we had discovered his secret!" Vivi shouts. The agent chuckles at Vivi's behavior.
"Such a young princess, flying to the rescue of her country and taking on the bad guys at Baroque Works... It's so ridiculous!" She says in a suave, mocking voice. I frown and cross my arms, beginning to dislike this person less and less.
"I FORBID YOU TO MOCK!" Vivi screams in pain. Like a red flag, Usopp and Sanji are on either side of the agent, pointing a gun at her, holding her at gunpoint. But obviously, this Miss Allsunday is not more worried than that. She lets out a bored sigh.
"I would ask you not to point those dangerous objects at me." Hands come out of the railing, grabbing Usopp and Sanji and throwing them to the deck below.
"What did she do?!" Visibly, the others didn't see the hands at all. More hands appeared on Zoro to make him drop his weapons. Luffy, Nami and I are spared because we showed no hostility. At least, in Nami's case, it's more like fighting with one arm isn't the easiest thing in the world.
"A devil fruit! What kind of power is that?!" Usopp and Sanji straighten up on their elbows after that forced landing. Sanji stares at the intruder and a heart appears in his eye.
"WAHHH! She's damn pretty, the lady." I pinch the bridge of my nose to keep myself from kicking him in the stomach.
"Don't be so snippy. I have no orders concerning you and I have no intention of fighting you." A hand appears on Luffy's back and grabs his hat before sending it towards Miss Allsunday. I clench my jaw and fist around the strap of my bag, at the slightest sign that she plans to damage it, I knock her out.
"So you're the captain in the straw hat. The famous Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy, who had remained passive, instantly becomes angry.
"GIVE ME BACK MY HAT! IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A FIGHT, YOU'LL GET IT! GIVE IT BACK!" I stare at the brunette intently, spying on her every move, but seeing that she only puts it on her head, I relax slightly.
"Luck seems to have fallen upon you, for you have taken under your wing a princess whose life is threatened by the Baroque Works. And you, my dear, have only this small crew to protect you." She says in a sarcastic tone. The whole crew stares at me, I don't give them a single glance.
Miss Allsunday of course notices the behavior of the others and glances at me. She sees only a young girl whose face is hidden by her hat, but she feels his gaze on her. Curious, she waves her hand to reveal a hand behind this strange person. Her new hand reaches for the cowboy hat but is caught in an iron grip. Miss Allsunday winces in pain and makes her hand disappear in a trail of pink flower petals.
"I wouldn't advise you to try to find out who I am. Friendly advice." I glare at the brunette. The smile is gone from the agent's face and she is now scowling.
"It doesn't matter, you're headed to an island called Little Garden anyway. Baroque Works won't even have to deal with you. You'll be off the face of the earth before you see Crocodile's face." I frown. So our destination is Little Garden, thankfully I took some Eternal Pose with me.
"That's what you think, you witch! Give me back my hat!" Luffy continues to bellow. The brunette grabs Luffy's hat, looks at it for a moment before throwing it at Luffy.
"Your little bluster is for all to see, you don't scare anyone. At least... most of you." She adds as she looks at me. I don't move from my position and still stare at her with a neutral look. The brunette smiles a little and reaches into her pockets. She pulls out an Eternal Pose and leaves it with Vivi.
"Admit that it would be silly to run headlong into danger, right? " Vivi takes the Eternal Pose and examines it from every angle.
"This Eternal Pose will save you a lot of trouble, it points to a deserted island just before Alabasta. No one knows of its existence, so you'll be safe." Vivi straightens her head abruptly.
"W... Why are you giving us this?!"
Zoro is skeptical of her generosity toward us. Even if her attentions were never hostile, we must not forget that she is our enemy.
"The ball is in your court princess..." Vivi looks carefully at the Eternal Pose, she must be thinking of the best way to reach Alabasta quickly. It's true that this Eternal Pose will solve a lot of problems, especially dismaying the Log Pose charging time which is 1 year on Little Garden.
"To hell with your advice!" Luffy grabs the Eternal Pose from Vivi's hands and shatters it in his fist. I let out a groan of frustration and put my face in my hands in a vain attempt to tell myself that what just happened never happened.
I feel a rush of air behind me and my hat begins to leave my head. Instantly, I try to hold it back, but too late, it is no longer on my head. It lets my white hair cascade around my face. My hat floats in front of my face and with a quick gesture I recover it, but my eyes are already in contact with those of the brunette. She looks at me with slightly wide eyes, but keeps a neutral face. If I wasn't so good at reading people, I might think she's not looking at me with surprise and with something I can't figure out. Her eyes are slightly glassy, a sign that she is in her memories.
I straighten up completely, run my hand through my hair to pull it back and replace my hat. The brunette has not moved from her position. I appear before her face and look at her intensely. Miss Allsunday flinches almost imperceptibly but still doesn't move, even though she is on guard.
"I hope your curiosity is now satisfied? I told you not to try to find out who I am..." I say in a threatening, irritated tone.
"Who are you? Why are you in this crew?" She backs away slightly and I see her hands flutter imperceptibly, but nothing appears.
"That's none of your business, darling." I straighten up and tower over her with all my height.
"If you decide to attack me, it will be the last thing you do with your life. Is that clear?" The agent clenches her jaw before nodding slightly. I smile and turn my back to him.
"Well, given that Luffy destroyed the Eternal Pose, we don't really have a choice. We'll have to go through Little Garden. Right Captain?" The tension that had been weighing on us disappeared instantly. The brunette's gaze burns the back of my head.
"Yes! We don't need your help, witch! Get off my boat!" The brunette lets out a sigh and starts walking towards the side of the ship.
"You know, I've always had sympathy for intrepid young people like you, we'll meet again Luffy, at least if you're still alive." She turns to me.
"As for you. I'm sure I'll see you again and I hope to have a little discussion." I raise an eyebrow.
"If it's that important to you, Miss." She gives me a small smile and hops off the ship. Everyone leans over the edge of the boat to see the brunette land on her turtle's back and start to walk away.
"Wow a turtle! It's huge!" Luffy exclaims. An amused smile dances on my lips, Luffy is a real weathervane. But in reality, this person was not hostile and even offered to help. Vivi collapses to the deck.
"This woman... what does she want at the end?! I don't understand anything anymore!" She looks at me. "And you, who are you? How can you be so fast and so intimidating? So much so that even Miss Allsunday didn't do anything against you? " I look at Vivi, then at the others who are watching me. I scan the boat to make sure there are no other intruders.
"I can't tell you who I am, but I'm willing to say my name. I am Stella Star." I hold out my hand to her. She grabs it and I easily pull her to her feet.
"Stella Star?" She scans my face. "Why do I feel like I've seen you before?" I smile at her.
"You have, but I won't tell you in what context. You'll have to remember that yourself, princess." I let go of her hand and walk away from her to join Nami.
"Now that we are at sea, can we take care of your shoulder?" Nami nods and we head for the bedroom. Vivi looks completely lost, I look at Nami and give a small nod in Vivi's direction. Nami turns to her.
"Vivi, are you coming?"
"Uh... I... I don't know... I'm just going to disturb you." We look at each other before smiling and turning back to Vivi.
"What? Are you planning to rip her arm off?" I ask gently but with a hint of sarcasm. Vivi immediately panics.
"What?! Of course not! Why would I do that?!" Nami giggles.
"Or set the ship on fire?"
"No! I..."
"Or steal all our clothes?"
"No! I... Wait what?" Nami bursts out laughing at the look on Vivi's face, who seems to have realized that she's being slightly mocked.
"Ha ha ha! Come on, come over here! We can have a quiet girl talk." I say, waving my hand to encourage her to follow us.
"Ho my sweet doves! Your knight servant will accompany you!" Sanji declares in a pirouette accompanied by a trail of hearts. We look at Sanji with a totally bored expression.
"Why? Are you a girl now?" I say in a sarcastic tone.
"Huh? Uh... no, but..."
"Then it's settled, you're not coming with us." And I push Vivi into our room, accompanied by Nami. I close the door in front of the cook and we hear Zoro bursting out laughing at the rejection Sanji just took. Followed by Sanji asking Zoro to be quiet and Luffy asking for his breakfast.
"Will he be ok? He won't take it too hard?" Vivi asks innocently. I giggle at her question and place Hisui's cover on my bed, then search my closet for the care kit.
"No, don't worry. It's perfectly normal. You'll soon understand that Sanji always acts like this." I say as I approach Nami who is sitting on her bed.
"Let's see your shoulder, can you take off your T-shirt? Or do you need help?" Nami tries to take off her T-shirt by herself, she manages to pull out her able-bodied arm but has a little trouble getting it over her head.
"Um... I need a little help." She says with red cheeks. I giggle and gently take off her T-shirt and put it next to Nami, then I take out a cream and bandages from the medical kit. I crouch down in front of Nami and touch her shoulder, Nami winces in pain as I press on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry I hurt you. I shouldn't have reacted like that, but as soon as someone touches my stuff, I tend to see red" I apply the cream to the shoulder in a thick layer.
"Stop making excuses, but admit it's frustrating not knowing who you are." She lifts her arm so I can bandage it.
"Yes, I know, but it's for your own safety." Nami rolls her eyes and her gaze lands on my cover.
"What's in there? You always walk around with it." I tie the bandage and step away from Nami.
"There's a sword inside." Nami reacts sharply.
"You almost ripped my arm off for touching your sword?!" She looks at me with wide eyes and a red face of rage. She grabs my shirt with one hand and pulls me towards her.
"You're kidding me!" She spits at me inches from my face. I put my hand on her face and push her away from me.
"Contrary to what you think, it's better to lose an arm than to touch that sword. There's a good reason it's in a sheath." Nami pulls away from my hand and glares at me.
"And what is that good reason?!" She crosses her legs and arms. I walk over to my bed and place Hisui's case on my lap.
"What is your knowledge of swords?" Nami frowns and Vivi is circumspect.
"Swords are swords, I don't see how they are different from each other". I let out a sigh.
"That's the case for 99% of swords, but the remaining percentage are not ordinary blades. They are named swords, there are 83 of them in the world. All powerful people have at least one. Like Zoro who has 3 or me who has 5. When a blade has a name, it develops a consciousness that can only be heard by people who have learned to listen to them." The two girls listen intently to me, which surprises me slightly. "Of course, just like the people, the personality of these swords will depend on how their original bearers were. Some will be more quiet and passive, but others will be aggressive with those who try to wield them. They will try to control the wearer to kill as many people as possible around them, or by absorbing their life energy. And that is the case with my two swords." Taking Seima and showing them blue and silver scabbards. "As long as you don't draw the blade, there is nothing to fear. With a few exceptions, like the sword in this sheath." I look at them gravely.
"Never touch that sword, or you will die instantly. That's part of the reason I acted so violently, because you would be in danger if you ever opened it. I'm sorry, Nami." They look at me with wide eyes and Nami lunges for the cover and pulls on it. I grab the strap and hold it tight.
"Can I know what you're doing?! Didn't you hear me?! Drop it right now!"
"No way! This sword is way too dangerous! We have to get rid of it!" My body freezes and Hisui screams in rage, his scream echoing back to me. I close my fist and bite my cheek so as not to hurt Nami again.
"Nami?! Stop it! Didn't you hear her?! As long as she's in that bag, we're safe!" Vivi grabs the strap in turn and pulls in my direction, although appreciating the gesture, I would rather she let go.
"Nami. What is the most important thing you own on this boat?" I ask, not moving an inch from my position.
"What business is it of yours? Let go of that strap!" I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself.
"Nami. Are you planning to wield a sword one day?"
"Huh? Of course not!"
"Are you going to steal Zoro's swords to sell them?"
"I'm not that vile, and Zoro will kill me if I ever do that!"
"Then what's the problem? I have no intention of wielding this sword in your presence. Now that you know how dangerous it is, you are in even less danger than the people who might try to steal it." Nami stops pulling and looks at me carefully.
"Are we really safe?" I nod.
"I will always keep it with me. You've seen how strong I am. So yes, you are safe." Nami looks down at the cover and then at me, slowly letting go of the strap until she lets go completely. I breathe a sigh of relief and place the cover on my lap, stroking the leather to calm Hisui who grunts in frustration.
"I... I'm sorry I reacted like that. But you have to admit, it's a little creepy knowing there are things out there that can kill you just by touching them. "I shrug.
"No more than a poisonous plant or a dangerous animal." I replace the strap on my shoulder and stand up.
"Good! We better get out of this room before the boys cause a disaster." Nami and Vivi stand up, and the redhead claps her hands.
"You're right! I hope those idiots didn't do anything stupid!" We open the door and see the guys around Kaloo drinking cocktail after cocktail.
"Kaloo! What the hell are you doing?!" Vivi yells as she approaches the boys. The men turn to us and Sanji approaches with a pirouette with a tray containing 3 cocktails.
"Ladies, you're finally here! Here are your cocktails that I protected from those thugs!" We each take a cocktail and Nami looks at her Log Pose.
"We're still on track." Then she holds her glass up to me with a small smile. Understanding her gesture, I clink my glass with hers.
"But... But... This is not right at all! This is Grand Line, not a cruise! You have to be constantly on your guard on this sea!" Vivi starts to get excited. Nami puts her hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down, sweet lady. They will react quickly if there is any danger. They don't want to die, you know."
"I know... But... It's a little scary to see them so relaxed." Nami and I look at each other before chuckling.
"Soon you'll have forgotten your worries, you'll see. That's how it is on our boat!" Vivi looks at us, then at the men who continue to encourage Kaloo.
"Yes, it's true... I feel more relaxed." I finally taste my cocktail and I am surprised by its taste. It is fruity, sweet but also slightly acidic which enhances the taste of fruit. I drink it with great pleasure. There is finally something to save in this pervert.
"Hey look, there's a dolphin!" Said Sanji while sitting on the railing. Indeed a dolphin jumps in front of our boat, the small problem is that its shadow plunges the ship in the dark.
"IT IS A GIANT DOLPHIN! EVERYONE TO HIS POST!" Shouted Luffy. Immediately, everyone on board the ship mobilizes.
"YES CAPTAIN! "I lean against the wall watching everyone try to get out of this situation. The dolphin dives creating a huge wave that pushes us at high speed. We run away from the dolphin who chased us for a good 10 minutes, but he finally goes away leaving us alone.
"That was so cool! Let's do it again!" Luffy claps as he bounces off the boat. I giggle, walk over to Sanji and hand him my drink.
"Thanks Sanji, your cocktail is delicious." Instantly, Sanji makes hearts appear.
"Thank you my sweet Stella-chan! Your compliment goes straight to my heart!" I smile at him and approach the others.
"So guys! Are you too tired today to start your training?" Zoro who was lying down immediately stands up.
"Seriously! You're finally going to train us!" My smile grows at his enthusiasm.
"Yes! And we are going to start with a little theory lesson." Zoro's smile disappears and he falls back to the floor.
"Boring." He says in a bored tone.
"Don't look so bored, Marimo shit! Be honored that Stella-chan deigns to teach you anything!" Said Sanji as he kicked Zoro in the stomach, who managed to block it at the last moment with the sheath of one of his swords.
"Shut the fuck up, Cook shit!" We watch them fight, until Nami knocks out both men.
"Thanks Nami."
"You're welcome, it's a pleasure." I clap my hands.
"Alright, listen up. This lesson is going to be pretty short. First of all, do you know what haki is?" Everyone looks at each other and shakes their heads in unison.
"I see... So haki is divided into 3 main categories. There's weapon haki, which allows you to make your body extremely strong, to the point of blocking blades. It also allows you to make your attacks much more powerful, it's the only way to hit a logia without sea granite." I take off my jacket and turn my arm black. "You can also use it on weapons." I draw my regular blade and turn it black, then approach the edge of the ship. "Coupled with another technique, swordsmen can make attachments from a distance." I strike a blow towards the sea, a black blade comes out of the sword and cuts the sea in half about 2 meters wide before continuing towards the bottom of the sea. I turn to the others, resting the blade on my shoulder. Everyone's eyes are bulging and their mouths are wide open. Zoro has a demonic smile on his face, he is totally excited by my presentation. I sheathe my sword.
"The second haki is the observation haki, it allows us to sense our surroundings, to see further and even to see the future actions of our enemies. "I turn to Zoro. "Take out your blades and attack me. " Zoro stands up, a smile on his face, and draws his 3 blades. He places the white one between his teeth and the other two in each hand. I approach Sanji.
"Stella-chan, are you sure of yourself? I know you're strong and all... But, I don't trust the moss head." I smile at him and place my hand on his tie and gently loosen it. Sanji blushes slightly at my gesture. "Uh... Stella-chan?" I pull his tie over his head, drop my hat behind my back and place the tie around my eyes before putting my hat back on.
"Calm down Sanji, trust me." I run my finger under his chin before pulling away from him and facing Zoro, ignoring Sanji who just collapsed to the ground with a chirp.
As you can see, I can't see anything. However, Zoro will never be able to touch me. Come on big guy, come over here!" Zoro tightens his grip on his blades and carefully approaches me, trying to make as little noise as possible. But too bad for him, it's not my ears I'm using. He goes around to be at my back, I don't move from my position. Zoro rushes forward giving a violent blow on my left. I dodge easily and he follows up faster and faster. I jump, I bend, I turn and I even have the luxury to kick Zoro's butt, which makes him even angrier. The others clap as they sit around us. "Usopp! Use your ranged attacks, I think your swordsman needs a hand." I say in a mocking voice as I face Zoro, who grunts at my words, but doesn't protest.
"Uh... okay." Usopp straightens up and bands his gun, then fires a first marble into my right shoulder. I turn slightly, letting it crash behind me.
"You're gonna have to do better than that, kids." With a toothy grin on my face. Zoro throws himself at me again with Usopp helping him. But they can't touch me, I scoff a little more until I step on several marbles that tip me backwards. I twist my back to do a back flip, but Zoro has guessed what I was trying to do and stands in my way, arms wide open to surely catch and immobilize me. Except that I stop in the middle of the headstand and land on my feet. Being careful not to step on a marble, I face Zoro and straighten up. I turn my head towards Usopp.
"Good job Usopp! I don't know if it's attentional but you managed to throw me off my game." Usopp arches his chest as he rubs his nose.
"Nothing is impossible for the great Captain Usopp!" Zoro grunts in frustration, I turn my head to him and give him a small smile.
"If you want to give me a hug, just ask you know. I wouldn't say no." I'm sure Zoro blushed at my retort. He was about to retort, but the boat lurches violently to the left. To the right of our boat, a sea monster has just emerged from the ocean. It's big enough to eat half the boat in one bite. Everyone starts screaming. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji immediately get into fighting position. The sea monster roared, showing its big razor-sharp teeth. I take the tie out of my eyes and throw it at Sanji who receives it in the head. I walk quietly towards the sea monster.
"The last form of haki is the haki of kings. Unlike the other two, this one can't be learned, you have to be born with it." I face the monster who looks at me before charging at me. The others shout at me to dodge. A mocking smile dances on my lips before disappearing and unleashing a wave of haki on the sea monster, which stops a meter away from me. I place my hand on its snout.
"Don't move." The monster looks at me with wide, frightened eyes and nods slightly. I turn to the others who are all on the ground, looking at me and then at the sea monster who hasn't moved an inch. Nami swallows.
"How... How is this possible? You just stopped a sea monster without touching it." I lean on the snout of the monster behind me.
"Didn't you listen to what I just said? This is the haki of kings, it allows you to bend your opponents by sheer force of will."
"But that's so classy! You just tamed a sea monster with one look! I want to do the same thing!" Luffy shouts as he jumps on me. I laugh at his enthusiasm.
"It's true that it's so cool, but you have to be born with it. And since it's a very rare gift, I don't know if you have it. It's the same with the others." Luffy lets go of me and pouts.
"That's not fair! I want to have it." I run my hand under his hat and ruffle his hair.
"Patience, you'll know if you have it or not, when you've mastered the other two forms of haki." Luffy smiled instantly.
"What are we waiting for then! Let's start now!" He sits down across from me and looks at me with wide eyes, attentive to what I'm about to say. I chuckle and turn to the sea monster.
"You can go." Without wasting a moment, he instantly takes off at high speed towards the sea floor. I look at the others.
"I'm warning you, the start of training is going to be very frustrating and quite painful." Nami and Usopp turn pale, Sanji lights a cigarette, Luffy continues to stare at me, and Zoro sneers.
"A training without pain is not a real training." Zoro replies, crossing his arms.
"Well, since you're being a smartass. We'll start with you." Zoro snorts and walks over to me.
"I'm not going to complain, then? What do I have to do?"
"You'll sit down, blindfolded, and you'll have to dodge my attacks." A toothy grin graces my lips, Zoro scowls but goes to sit cross-legged on the deck.
"And what's that for?"
"The blindfold is to activate your observation haki and taking hits will force your body to defend itself with weapons haki." Zoro looks at me with a flat expression.
"Your method seems a bit shaky to me."
"Maybe, but it's the most effective." I retrieve Sanji's tie and toss it to Zoro.
"Come on, put it on, and stop complaining." Zoro looks at the tie in his hand before tossing it back to me. I catch it and frown.
"Are you giving up already?"
"There's no way I'm touching the Cook's stuff, you never know what he might have on the pervert's stuff." Sanji lets out an indignant howl, but Zoro ignores him, undoing the scarf on his arm and tying it around his eyes.
"It's okay, I'm ready." Sanji rants in his corner and holds back from hitting the swordsman. An idea pops into my head and another smirk appears on my face.
"Alright, can someone go get me a stick, a piece of wood or even a plank?" Nami bends down and grabs three pieces of wood from under her clothes and puts them together.
"Will that do?" she asks as she hands it to me. I take it and give her a small smile.
"That's fine, thank you Nami." I turn to Sanji and give him a small wave to come closer but I put my finger to my lips, making him understand to be discreet. Curious, he silently approaches me and I hand him the stick pointing to Zoro. Immediately a bad smile appears on his lips, he takes the stick and approaches Zoro in his back. Without warning, he gives him a violent blow on the head.
"HA!" Zoro holds his head in pain. "It doesn't feel right to hit the head that hard!" Sanji inhales a puff of smoke and exhales it on him.
"Shut up Marimo and suffer your training in silence."
"Cook?!" Zoro tries to stand up, but I stamp my foot.
"No Zoro, you just sit there and dodge Sanji's attacks like a big boy." Zoro turns to my voice.
"Are you serious? This guy only wants one thing! That's to kill me!"
"Well, that gives you extra motivation to avoid his attacks. Come on Sanji, let's go back." Sanji smiled wider as he looked at Zoro.
"With great pleasure teacher." And he delivers another blow to Zoro's shoulder. Zoro swears from the pain. I turn to the others.
"Who's next?" Usopp immediately goes to hide behind Nami and Nami behind Vivi. I raise an eyebrow then notice Luffy who hasn't moved and is still staring at me intently.
"Can you try Luffy?" Luffy flashes a huge smile.
"Yes! That sounds like fun!" Luffy bounces on the spot while sitting still. I turn to the fearful one.
"Do you have another stick?" Usopp nods briskly and disappears into the hold, returning with a piece of rough wood.
"Pass it to Nami." I turn to Luffy, who now has a slightly more strained smile, and hand him Sanji's tie.
"Is everything okay?" He takes the tie, looks at me, then looks at Nami.
"Uh... Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine." He puts the tie on and stands still, but I can feel that he's tense.
"Nami, if you don't mind?" Nami has the stick over her shoulder and approaches Luffy with a feline gait, like a cat in front of a mouse.
"But of course, Professor." She holds the piece of wood like a baseball bat and delivers her best blow into Luffy's head. It flies off before returning to Luffy's shoulders.
"Ouch ouch!" Luffy complains.
"Luffy, you're made of rubber. Those blows shouldn't hurt you." Says Nami in a mocking tone.
"Oh yeah, that's right!" Nami lets out a sigh and delivers another blow to the back of the skull, sending Luffy's head to the deck. I turn to Zoro and Sanji, and see the swordsman covered in bumps and bruises.
"Come on you two, you have to dodge the attacks, not eat them like snacks".
"If you think it's easy, the sadist!" Zoro complains as he receives another blow to the head. This time Zoro's head shifts slightly to the left to dodge the stick, but it's not enough at all.
"Stop talking and dodge, moss head." I let them practice for a good fifteen minutes. Zoro has improved, although he still can't dodge the attacks, but he pretty much knows which direction they come from. On Luffy's side, it's not conclusive, probably because Nami's attacks don't do much damage. I clap my hands.
"That's enough, let's take a break." Zoro takes off his scarf and catches the stick blow from Sanji, who had tried to hit Zoro one last time.
"Didn't you hear Cook? Have you gone deaf?" Sanji sniffs and rests the stick on his shoulder.
"I heard just fine, moss head, but I thought hitting the grass more would make it more docile." He says mockingly, then walks away from Zoro and pirouettes toward me.
"Thank you, my sweet Stella-chan. ~ You have made my day so much brighter!"
"You're welcome Sanji, did you have a good time?"
"Yes! I'll do it again whenever you want!" I smile at him and hold out my hand, he gives me his staff and I walk over to Zoro.
"How about you? Did you have a good time?" Zoro glares at me, rubs his head to make the pain go away and stands up.
"Fuck you, old woman. It was just for fun admit it!" An amused smile forms on my lips and I hold my chin as I look up.
"No, but since you're grumpy, I think I'll let you rest. While I handle Sanji's training alone. Too bad ~." I hum as I pretend to leave.
"What! No wait! I'm sorry! Let me take care of Sanji! I'll do anything you want!" I bite my lip to keep from bursting out laughing, it's so easy to play with him.
"Hmmm... Anything I want?" I say as I turn to him in a sultry voice. Zoro shivers, he doesn't know why, but he feels like he's making a deal with the devil. He swallows and hesitates to answer. I can't hold back any longer and burst out laughing to the point of losing my balance, while continuing to point at Zoro, letting the stick roll.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! If you could see your face! Ha ha ha ha!" Zoro blinks until he realizes that I was laughing at him. He walks over to me, who is still rolling around on the floor, and pounces on me and starts tickling me.
"If you like to laugh so much, I'll give you something to laugh about!" I squirm under his hands trying to escape, my laughter getting more and more uncontrollable. He tortures me for a few seconds before stopping. I take deep breaths of air to calm myself, Zoro is still on top of me, flashing a victorious smile.
"So, you're ticklish? You, who can stop a sea monster with a glance, become defenseless against tickling?" I chuckle and look at Zoro with a smirk.
"Usually my enemies don't get close enough to me to try to tickle me, they try to skewer me instead. " Zoro moves closer to me.
"Ho... Should I feel honored?" I raise an eyebrow, still smirking.
"Who knows?" I wrap my legs around Zoro's waist and deliver a powerful hip thrust to the side, causing Zoro to roll onto his back. I find myself sitting on my opponent's stomach and leaning right over his face and stand there for a few moments. Zoro looks me straight in the eye and a small sparkle shines in his eyes.
"Too bad for you but... You're a little too young for me." I stick my tongue out at him and stand up, Zoro blushes at my remark.
"What! But what are you thinking! I didn't... I'm not... But I... Arg!" Zoro rubs his head in frustration, it's way too funny to see him like this. The others stare, the girls and the sniper are red, Luffy tilts his head to the side and Sanji is passed out on the floor.
"If you see your faces." I say with a small laugh.
"You're not going to make babies? " Luffy asks.
"LUFFY!" Everyone roars. Zoro is peony red, he glances at me before looking away. I shrug, they can think whatever they want.
"No Luffy, because I'm not interested in Zoro, or any of you for that matter." Usopp puts his hand on Zoro's shoulder and shakes his head.
"Poor Zoro, it's always hard to accept rejection. If you want, we can talk about it, I'm an expert on disappointments in love." Zoro glares at Usopp.
"Oh yeah? Probably because you've received nothing but rakes, long nose" Usopp falls into a depression in the corner.
"Alright, enough playing, let's get back to training but let's switch places." Zoro turns to Sanji with a toothy grin.
"Are you ready for your training Shitty Cook?" Sanji inhales a puff of smoke.
"If you think you scare me, Marimo. I'm sure you hit like a wimp." Zoro's smile tightens, but he eventually holds out his scarf to Sanji.
"If you ask so nicely. Come on, put this on so I can show you who the wimp is." Sanji wrinkles his nose at the scarf.
"If you think I'm going to put on your sweaty, germy thing, you can always run." Zoro's smile widens.
"Too bad for you, it's all you've got. Unless you want to trade with your beloved Nami?" Sanji tenses and clenches his jaw, looking at the scarf and then at Zoro. Zoro still has a sadistic smile on his lips, a smile that widens as Sanji snatches the scarf from his hands and holds it with his fingertips in front of him.
"Don't feel so smug swordsman shit or I'll kick your ass." Sanji growls before looking at the scarf again, then his face unclenches and heads off in the direction of the kitchen.
"Ho Cook! Where are you going?" Sanji doesn't even bother to turn around.
"To the kitchen to wash your disgusting stuff." Zoro grunts at Sanji's response and crosses his arms. I approach Zoro standing next to him and tilt my head towards him.
"Why are you so grumpy? You so wanted to see Sanji with something of your own, saturated with your manly scent. Do you want some handcuffs maybe?" Zoro turns his head towards me not understanding my retort until he sees my face with a big Cheshire cat smile. Zoro immediately takes on a disgusted look.
"But that's not right! How can you imagine such things!" Zoro lets his tongue hang out as if he had eaten something particularly disgusting. "Don't ever say that again or you'll make me sick." To emphasize his words, he holds his stomach. I roll my eyes at this scene. But what a Drama Queen. Sanji returns with the washed and slightly damp scarf. I can't help but glance at Zoro who once again puts on a disgusted face and walks away from me.
"Come on Cook! Stop making excuses and come over here." He picks up the stick from the ground and starts walking away.
"Rhooo ~ But it's that we are in a hurry to be alone with him ~ " I can't help but add with a coo. Zoro abruptly turns to me.
"SHUT UP! " I burst out laughing as I pull away from him.
"Be careful not to make too much noise. " Zoro gives me a big blow with his stick which I easily avoid, I continue to giggle as I approach the others. Behind me, Sanji gives a big kick to Zoro for yelling at me. In front of me, Luffy has Sanji's tie in his hand and hands it to the others.
"So, who wants to practice?" Luffy asks with a big smile, ignoring the pale faces in front of him. I roll my eyes and approach the others.
"I don't think the others are too eager to take a beating. Am I wrong?" Immediately, the others nod sharply. Luffy tilts his head to the side.
"Well, why don't you want to train?"
"WE DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE HOSPITAL!" Shout the wimpy ones. I take my chin in my hand, looking for a solution.
"Hmmmm... If the stick is wrapped in a cloth, will that do?" I ask the others, they look at each other not more reassured by my suggestion.
"Um... Isn't there another way to learn? " I let out a sigh.
"There's regular combat or meditation, but the latter will only develop the observation haki. Of course, the other methods take a lot more time and don't necessarily yield results."
"But I'm a sniper, I would only use observation haki, right?" Usopp asks as he steps out slightly from behind Nami. I cross my arms and tilt my head to the side.
"Yes that's true, but that's no reason to give up on learning the weapons haki. It could save your life if an enemy managed to get close to you." Usopp lowers his head, obviously he's not going to be able to escape the blows of the stick.
"Come on! Don't be depressed! It's better to get beaten up during your training, than by an enemy who wants you dead." They let out a long defeated sigh.
"Usopp, you go first, Nami will be your partner, then you will switch. As for me, I'll take care of Luffy." Nami and Usopp look at each other and sigh again, the sniper goes back to the cargo hold to retrieve a cloth wrapped stick and a loose piece of cloth to use as a headband. Luffy puts Sanji's tie back on and sits down, hopping on the spot.
"Uh... What about me?" Vivi asks, I look at her and smile.
You keep an eye out and make sure there's no danger coming." Vivi nods softly and walks away from us a bit. I turn to Luffy.
"Ha us both, Captain!"
"Aye!" Luffy says with a big smile. I raise my staff, breathe in a little bit of weapons haki, and give it a big jab to the side. This sends Luffy flying and he crashes into the mast with a thud. The mast shakes under the blow and Luffy falls back to the ground.
"Ouch ouch!" I sneer as I approach Luffy.
"If you thought I was going to hit like Nami, you are sorely mistaken. You're going to suffer." I say in a dark voice. Luffy gets back into a sitting position with a serious face.
"I didn't feel anything! Do it again!" A toothy grin appears on my face and I raise my piece of wood.
"Aye, aye, Captain. " And I send it back two meters away. We practice for 15 minutes until I ask for the exchange of places, of course I continue to deal with Luffy. We continue until lunch time. Sanji went to prepare lunch with a multitude of bumps and bruises. I then put Zoro and Luffy together and am currently watching Luffy punch Zoro, leaning against the railing next to Vivi.
"Uh... Stella?" Vivi asks.
"Hm?"
Can I try?" I stare at her, raising an eyebrow. So the princess wants to learn to defend herself. Vivi squirms under my gaze.
"I know I'm a princess, but I lived in Baroque Works for several months. I had to learn to fight on my own against people who didn't ask for anything, and I killed people to cover myself. So I'm not as weak as you think... I just... I want to become stronger so that my people don't suffer anymore." Vivi looks at me with determination without looking away. I blink calmly, evaluating if this is a good idea. I turn to the others kicking themselves and let out a sigh.
"Alright princess, you can start after you eat." Vivi smiles as she jumps up beside me.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll do my best!" I nod my head in encouragement. The kitchen door opens violently.
"TO THE TABLE!" Sanji shouts. Immediately, everyone gets up and rushes into the kitchen.
As we enter the kitchen, we see a multitude of various dishes in huge quantities.
"EAT!" Luffy yells as he sits down and starts eating. Sanji immediately kicks him and yells at him for his table manners. I sit at the end of the table next to Vivi and start eating quietly, jabbing Luffy with my fork when he gets too close to my plate.
I watch everyone smile and laugh at the antics of the captain and the sniper, the verbal sparring between the swordsman and the cook, and the quiet discussion between the navigator and the princess. I feel my heart clench.
I love to see them happy and carefree, but I know that nothing lasts forever, right?
What did you think of it? Did you like this chapter? The mystery surrounding Stella is as thick as ever.
Who is the person Stella is looking for? Do you have any idea? And what is Stella's real goal?
The next chapter will reveal who is the most important person for Stella, and you all know it.