AN: Sorry about that everyone, there's a bug in the document uploading feature for FFN. It likes to do source code and if I don't catch it that's what it gets published as. I'll rewrite everybody's reviewer replies momentarily and throw out the updated version in a moment. HUGE thanks to capalot3 for letting me know it did that.
Ok, reviewer replies! For those of you haven't read my work before, I like to reply to comments at the beginning of my chapters. Ask me anything, if it ain't too spoilery I'll answer.
Capalot: Glad to hear you enjoyed the first chapter, thank you again for notifying me about the upload glitching out.
KingOfPOwers: More you say? More you shall have!
VoyagersUnite: Welcome back! Glad to hear you're enjoying!
mekyaku: Glad you like! Yes unless the anticipated Kaido/Yamato flashback proves him to be an even shittier parent than we've guessed, he's going to absolutely flip his gazoo. It surely is shaping up like one hell of a reunion ain't it? :D
Monxu Aki: Hooray! My curveball ending packed the appropriate punch and shock! :D Glad you're enjoying, and wait no more for the next chapter is here!
Xanxouz: Well I certainly hope you're alright after falling off your chair, and I'm delighted to hear you're enjoying. Please, have some more!
GJO1088: I interpret Oda's meaning of what Judge did to the Vinsmoke siblings as turning them into artificial sociopaths. They still have emotions, they're clearly no Spock-knock-offs, so I think them being basically sociopaths makes the most sense. In that case, Reiju is a high functioning sociopath, she's been taught how to be normal even if she wouldn't naturally be, and the results of that sociopathic nature being artificial mean she may very well be able to get over it now that she's away from Germa and can afford to. Even if she can't, high functioning sociopaths are quite capable of being just as normal as anybody. They just have some different things going on in their heads. As for Spacebattles/SufficientVelocity, I might, but it's rather unlikely since this story may have NSFW content later on which is against those chatrooms' policies, and I really don't feel like moderating such a thing. Super glad you're enjoying, yes I think it's got quite a lot of promise too. Please enjoy the new chapter! :D
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Chapter 1
Reiju sighed as she watched Bones' boat slip over the horizon with the small spy glass she'd picked up when she and Bones separated to buy supplies, "I'm sorry Bones, but I can't believe you. Not yet." Then she knelt and started pulling out the other items she'd bought as she muttered, "But that doesn't mean I can't find out the truth for myself in a hurry."
She smiled slightly as she pulled out the string and magnet before glancing up at the sun, You may not be from another world Bones, but you're definitely not from the Grand Line. A quick glance back at the magnet revealed it to be pointing in exactly the direction North should be and holding stable. Reiju nodded, And that proves that I'm at least definitely not in the New World. The magnet could be fake, but I doubt it, and even if it was, it wouldn't matter for this next step.
She quickly pulled out the rest of what she had in the bag and sighed a few minutes later as the needle in her improvised compass settled to a stop in exactly the direction North should be. So I'm not in the Grand Line at all.
She glanced up and then around, Definitely not the North Blue, too warm. And the serving sizes are much too small to be South Blue. That just leaves West and East. Also very easy to figure out.
She gathered the items she'd bought back into her bag and casually bounced off the rooftop, landing lightly on the street thirty feet below. Her eyes darted about as she rose to her feet, noting the numerous expressions of shock from those who had seen her.
A pair of Marines quickly ran up to her, "Miss! Are you alright?!"
Reiju smiled slightly, So you WERE telling the truth about us being in the East Blue if nothing else. Then she turned her attention to the two Marines, "Yes I'm quite alright. As it happens, I'm looking for someone. Do you suppose you could help me out?"
She paired the question with her cutest smile and the two poor Marines were nearly reduced to stammering stuttering wrecks, "Uh sure! Sure! We'll help any way we can!"
Bones might be the finest actor alive, but filling an entire city with actors of that caliber would be impossible.
"I'm looking for a friend of mine," Reiju explained, "He's rather famous, so I'm sure you've heard of him. Does the name Roronoa Zoro ring any bells?"
Both men went ghostly pale immediately and Reiju noted the reaction, feigning concern, "Oh no, he hasn't been causing trouble has he?"
The two men glanced around and were about to reply when a voice that made Reiju's skin crawl piped up, "Oh my, you know that ruffian? A friend of his you say? Perhaps you'd like to make a little deal for his freedom?"
Reiju turned and the glare she gave the blonde wretch behind her reduced him from swaggering to sniveling in an instant. "I'm sorry," she declared icily, "Did you say something?"
Said blonde wretch immediately scrabbled back to his feet, honestly, falling over from being glared at? How pathetic can a person be? I don't even have Conqueror's Haki. Reiju mused as the blonde fled loudly proclaiming that he said absolutely nothing.
She turned back to the two Marines who were bowing. "We are really sorry about him," one declared, "He thinks he's hot sh-stuff because his father's the Captain."
"If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," his partner added, "The look on Helmeppo's face just then was worth any favor you might ask shy of risking the Captain's wrath."
Reiju raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Is the Captain that fearsome?"
The Marines nodded, "Yes ma'am, Captain Axe-Hand Morgan. He's quite infamous in these waters for his strength and temper."
Reiju thought for a moment, "Let me guess, Zoro picked a fight with him?"
The Marines shook their heads, "No, not quite."
"Helmeppo there had some rabid mutt he was going through town with, letting it attack whoever and using his father's authority to keep anyone from shooting the damn thing," one explained, "It went after a little kid when he took it into a restaurant and we weren't allowed to stop it, that's when Zoro stood up from the bar."
"He came out of nowhere and just shick-shick-shick!" his partner added, miming sword strikes with his hand, "No more dog. Helmeppo was furious and tried to attack him with a sword. Zoro kicked it out of his hand into the ceiling and had his own sword at the little twerp's neck in an instant. Probably would've offed him right then and there if Helmeppo hadn't started threatening to have the kid and her mother executed if anything happened to him."
"And you Marines let this happen?" Reiju asked sharply.
They both flinched. "It's not like we're happy about it," one declared.
"But if we go against Captain Morgan, he'll kill us," the other explained, "Even if we somehow survived, he'd have us court martialed. Basically unless someone of higher rank shows up and does something about it, we're completely powerless to stop him."
"Not like the raging bastard would accept it even if Garp the Hero himself court martialed him," his partner muttered.
"Come on man, don't be a wet blanket," his partner grumbled, "Keep the hope alive."
Reiju sighed, these two are either genuine as hell or as good of actors as Bones, "So where's Zoro? I can't imagine he just left it like that."
The taller of the two shook his head, "No ma'am, Helmeppo struck a deal with Zoro. Zoro survives one month, strung up in the courtyard of the base with no food or water and he goes free with no harm to come to the kid or her mother."
"We'd take you to him," the shorter one declared, "But Captain Morgan would be after all our heads in an instant."
Reiju nodded, "I see." Just like Bones said, "Thank you gentlemen, this has been informative. Don't worry," she added with a smile, "I'm sure things will be fine. Out of curiosity, how long has Zoro been hanging there?"
"A week?" "Nah, it was a week yesterday."
"So, eight days?" Reiju asked.
The two swapped a glance and then nodded in unison, "Yes'm. Eight days."
Reiju nodded, "I see. Well, I'm sure I've held you two up long enough. Have a nice day." She turned and walked away. So tomorrow I get to find out just how accurate Bones' predictions actually are, assuming they actually are predictions and not just a preview of some script.
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…
.
"So a wish granting form huh?" Yamato asked with a curious grin, "What was it like?"
I blinked as the question took a few seconds to register through the shock of seeing her, "Were you under that tarp the entire time?" Granted the tarp had been quite lumpy, but I didn't think it was lumpy enough to hide a beautiful eight and a half foot tall woman with horns half as long as my arms!
Yamato pouted slightly, "Yeah. You and Reiju were so focused on each other it was easy to stay hidden, and since she was so wound up, I figured it was probably for the best to just lay low until you both calmed down. I mean, bullets don't work on me either, but I'm like you, I don't really want to know if poison will do anything to me. Oh and one more thing…" WHAP!
I only narrowly managed to get my hand up in time to catch her fist as it shot out towards my face like a cannonball. The back of my hand stopped two inches short of my face and I knew immediately that I'd have been nursing a bloodied if not broken nose had I not caught it.
She actually raised an eyebrow that I caught it before pulling it back with a grin, "Nice reflexes. Now as I was saying, no dying. You got me out of there so I can live my dream and see the world, so absolutely no dying until I can repay the favor. As strong as you are, you'd probably have a tough time finding death anyway, but no seeking it out."
I nodded, "No intention of it, and yes, you're right. The only thing in the East Blue aside from poison and Sea Kings that could kill you or me is named Monkey D. Garp. That or drowning. I still can't swim to save my life."
"You have a devil fruit?!" Yamato asked excitedly.
I shook my head, "No, I just can't swim. Too tense, don't like not being able to feel the ground under my feet. If I can't trust what I'm standing on with my weight I start to panic. It's an instinct thing. Should be better once I get the hang of Geppo, but in the meantime…"
"So, you're afraid of heights too then?" Yamato mused.
"Not so much heights as falling," I declared, "You gotta understand, people are fragile as hell where I'm from. A fall of six feet can kill somebody if they land wrong."
Yamato took a second to register that and then threw back her head and laughed. She laughed for several minutes, the cackling starting fresh when she was able to look at me and my dead serious expression. It wasn't until she got her breath back that she was able to reply, "Wow, you really got me there. I was not expecting that, and you said it with such a straight face! A fall of six feet if they land wrong," she chuckled, "you're really funny for someone who was so serious last night."
"I am also deadly serious right now," I replied flatly, "Land on your head from six feet and your neck goes snap. It doesn't take much. Some people have survived freefalls from as much as ten times that high without preparation or something to catch them, but they are very lucky, very rare and never uninjured by the landing. I wasn't kidding when I said people where I'm from are horribly fragile, and extremely slow healers as well."
"No, really, you can stop n…" Yamato's smile faded and she went almost as pale as her hair, "Oh my god, you're actually serious."
"Indeed," I replied dryly, my flat dead eyed gaze never leaving hers.
She lasted almost a full minute before she started snickering again, "Wh-what's that fa-a-ace? D-don't look at me like tha-ha-hahahat!"
I waited patiently for her giggles to subside and when they did, she straightened up, "But seriously, that is ridiculous. You really expect me to believe that your people are so fragile something like falling down the stairs can kill you?"
I twitched, "Quite easily yes, and you might want to tread carefully around that particular cause of death when we meet Zoro, who is by the way tied for the title of the third strongest person in the East Blue that has not been in this boat over the last twenty four hours. His rival died that way, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's got some lingering bad mojo over it. He certainly won't take it being laughed at well."
Yamato blinked and then went pale, her eyes wide and smile suddenly becoming a very fragile thing, "Wait, what?"
I smiled thinly, "You're used to the New World right? You can't fathom the difference in power level. Didn't Ace tell you anything about his home sea?"
Yamato blushed, "I, I knew he was stronger than normal, but… there's no way the power gap's that much is it? P-people can't be that weak! Even Oden-sama never wrote about people that fragile!"
I nodded, "I'm not sure Oden ever left the Grand Line either. So, time for a little crash course in geography. Welcome to the East Blue, the most peaceful and absolute laughably weakest sea in the world. The climate is warm and tropical for the most part, the weather is almost always calm. A big storm here is known as 'a piddly drizzle' in the Grand Line. Even the Sea Kings are tiny around here, well, tiny for Sea Kings anyway," I added before continuing, "Devil Fruits are rare enough to be considered myths by the vast majority of the population, and running into anything other than a garden variety human is a rare enough event to be the stuff of tall tales for generations. It is a perfect spot for a peaceful, relaxing vacation.
"The highest bounty currently in the East Blue," I continued, "is twenty million, and even though the fishman holding it is probably more like a sixty or eighty million beri threat since he's been bribing a local marine to keep his activities under wraps, he's still regarded by most of the inhabitants of this sea in about the same way the residents of the New World would view Kaido."
Yamato was still for a moment while that sank in and then she sat forward, "You're seriously telling me that Ace, Ace, came from a sea where the strongest guy around, a living juggernaut of apparent invincibility to everything that crosses him, is less than half a percent the strength of his equivalent in the New World?"
I thought about it for a second, "Number one, very impressed you did that math so quick. I couldn't have done it that fast. Number two, he might be a full percent due to the whole 'bribing a marine to avoid attention' thing. I wasn't kidding when I said that the East Blue is laughably weak. People here think a seventeen million beri pirate, who thinks being worth seventeen million makes him hot shit, is strong enough to become Pirate King. The average bounty in the East Blue is three million beris, with ten million being considered impressive. Someone like you, or me now that I've got this new body, might as well be a god of war in this sea.
"You get a few oddballs here and there like Gold Roger, Garp the Fist, Ace and Luffy," I mused, "but it's pretty fair to say that ALL the East Blue's proverbial eggs are in those baskets, and keep in mind, they'd never, and I do mean NEVER, have gotten anything like what you would consider strong if they hadn't headed into the Grand Line. You've heard of the frog in the well that can't imagine the sea? Welcome to the well. Congratulations, you are now a Sea King in a pool of goldfish."
Saying Yamato was merely floored by the revelation would've been understating it. She didn't talk again for what felt like almost five minutes. When she did finally speak again, it was to hollowly ask, "Cannon fodder is unstoppable here?"
"You are going to learn a whole new meaning to the word 'weak' before we make it back to the Grand Line," I replied solemnly. I let that hang in the air for a moment and then smiled, "You know the bright side to that?"
Yamato made a little lost, sad and confused noise with a thousand mile stare that made me want to hug her.
"That means that there is absolutely nobody here who can stop you from going, seeing and doing whatever the hell you want," I declared with a smile, "And as long as we make our rendezvous with Luffy and Reiju and the others at Loguetown, I'm not particularly fussed about following you anywhere you want to go. So, ready for your first vacation?"
It took a few moments for that to sink in, and then the color started to come back into her face. When she finally picked her head up, she gave me the most wonderful smile. It was like a child on Christmas morning the first time they're old enough to understand the phrase 'Santa brought presents.'
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…
.
Zoro woke up to the feel of a soft hand on his forehead that slid down to the side of his neck. His eyes popped open in surprise as he felt his shirt being lifted and another hand start checking around his torso.
"Shhh…don't talk, your throat's too dry to whisper," murmured the pink haired woman feeling him up. It was the middle of the night, but there was just enough light from the crescent moon overhead as Zoro's eyes adjusted for him to tell she was beautiful.
"You are badly dehydrated, hungry too I'd wager," she murmured, "Your symptoms line up with the soldiers' story so…" she mused before trailing off. She shook her head, "Alright, a few questions. Just nod or shake your head. You're Roronoa Zoro, correct?"
Zoro nodded.
"You've been here for eight days?" Another nod.
"You're hanging here for the rest of the month?" Another nod.
"All because you protected a little girl and her mother?" Two nods.
"From Helmeppo's giant cat?" Zoro blinked in confusion and shook his head. He glanced around and then mouthed, 'dog'.
The pink haired woman nodded, "Good." She knelt down and Zoro's eyes widened as he saw the little bag at her feet. She straightened up a moment later and held a small bottle up to his lips, "Drink."
Zoro drank, wincing as the liquid hit his stomach like a punch in the gut. The woman was quiet as she continued to feed him the rest of the bottle. When it was half gone, she asked quietly, "Do you think you can eat?"
"Hell yes," Zoro breathed back, "I'm hungry as hell."
The pink haired woman nodded and quickly pulled a small fruit out of the bag, "It's not much," she murmured, "but it should go down fairly easy."
"Thank you," Zoro mumbled, "I promise I'll find a way to make this up to you."
The woman paused and gave him a searching glance that made him wonder if he was missing something, and then she smiled faintly, "If that man's predictions aren't correct and you're still hanging here tomorrow night, I'll spring you myself."
"Why not now?"
"Because," the woman declared with a little heat entering her still very quiet voice, "I met the most infuriating man last night who saved me from a very bad situation, claimed to have spent a miracle on it, and that he did it simply out of the goodness of his heart before telling me what he claimed to be the future. I'm not someone anyone in their right mind would help out of the goodness of their heart, I don't believe in miracles, and I don't believe in people who claim to know the future, especially as far out as he claimed to."
"So he said I'd be freed tomorrow?" Zoro asked around the mouthful of tangerine she fed him.
The woman nodded, "And that joining the young man who frees you would set you on a path to encounter Hawkeye Mihawk. He said something about it being your dream to surpass him and a once in a lifetime opportunity to face him without having to head to the Grand Line."
Zoro's eyes went wide and he only narrowly managed to keep his jaw from dropping and spilling the fruit she'd given him. He swallowed, "A-are you serious?!"
"Shh!" She hissed, "Keep your voice down! Yes I'm serious!" She glanced around to make sure she wasn't about to be spotted, throwing a glance up at the tower to make sure nobody was at any of the windows, and then continued quietly, "I sent him away so that I could verify the truth of his words without him around to influence events. If his predictions come true, then I'll believe him whole heartedly and thank him appropriately when I see him again, as well as apologizing for not believing him. If not, and I find out he was lying to me and kidnapped me for some nefarious purpose, I'll kill him."
Zoro thought about that for a moment and then a vicious grin crossed his face, "If he's trying to hurt you, I'll help you kill him."
The woman blinked at him and then smiled, "My my, you do live up to the rumors. My name is Reiju, it's nice to meet you."
Zoro smiled as she gave him another piece of fruit, "Pleasure's all mine Reiju."
Before she could reply, the crunching of gravel heralded the arrival of one of the Marine patrols. Reiju disappeared between blinks and Zoro hurriedly swallowed the fruit in his mouth before feigning grogginess as the two Marines strolled into the yard chatting amiably amongst themselves.
The two marines froze as they felt Zoro's glare land on them. "I'd advise you two to go around," Zoro snarled, "You're disturbing my sleep. SCRAM, or I'll pull this cross out of the ground and beat you with it."
The two marines swapped a glance and then did an about face and marched right back out of the yard.
As soon as their footsteps faded, Reiju was back, grinning from ear to ear in the moonlight as she gently tickled his cheek, giggling, "Oh my, scary scary." Zoro frowned at her over the teasing but she raised another piece of fruit to his mouth and declared, "I think you and I are going to get along just fine."
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…
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When morning rolled around, Reiju had set up on a rooftop to stake out the wharf. She took a moment to review Bones' predictions for the day as the sun came up.
…
I don't know exactly what time of day he'll arrive, but it will be nine days after Zoro's imprisonment. The guy you're looking for is wearing a simple straw hat with a red band. He is most likely wearing a red shirt, shorts and sandals. He has a scar under one eye, a big smile, and is visibly carefree as can be. He'll be arriving on a small boat, about the same size as the one you and I were on. This is Monkey D. Luffy. He has devil fruit powers, the Gum-gum Fruit which turned him into a rubber man. He stretches and is completely immune to blunt attacks including bullets.
He should be accompanied by a small pudgy kid with glasses and pink hair in a white shirt who looks like he'd wet himself if a dog barked at him. The kid is named Coby.
Once they arrive, they'll head straight for the Marine Base, and on the way they will mention both Zoro and Captain Morgan. Both names will elicit overly dramatic reactions of terror from everyone within earshot.
If these two do not arrive by day 12, then it is IMPERATIVE that you free Zoro before Helmeppo can renege on their deal and have him executed on day 12, although Luffy and Coby should arrive on day 9. Luffy is set to have an extremely close brush with drowning in a whirlpool between setting out and arriving at Shellstown. If he doesn't make it in time, then we have to assume he drowned. If I don't see the events I'm expecting in the papers, then I will head for upcoming locations to try to preserve as many lives as I can, and I will hope to see you and Zoro there. If things pan out as expected, then I'll see you in Loguetown.
When Luffy and Coby reach the Marine base, they will hoist themselves up to try and spot Zoro. Once they do, the little girl that Zoro saved will arrive with a ladder and sneak into the yard. Luffy and Coby won't stop her because they don't know the danger. The little girl is there to feed Zoro rice balls she made with sugar rather than salt because she likes sweets.
Zoro will try to get her to get away before she's caught and refuse to eat the rice balls even though he's extremely hungry because he doesn't want her to get in trouble. She won't leave in time and Helmeppo (blonde, purple suit, gold chain, swaggering, you can tell at a glance he's a worthless idiot) will arrive with two Marines who he's forcing to be his bodyguards.
He will nonchalantly mock Zoro and take the rice balls out of the little girl's hands. He will take one bite, spit them out and declare them terrible before throwing them down and stomping them. He will then order the marines to throw the little girl over the wall. The marine won't want to but when threatened with Axe-Hand Morgan's wrath will reluctantly comply. Luffy will catch her.
Once the little girl is safe and Helmeppo's left, Luffy will go into the yard to speak to Zoro. Zoro will refuse to join Luffy's crew, but ask Luffy to feed him the rice balls and tell the little girl that he ate every bite and they were delicious. If you go to Zoro and feed him earlier then he may not do this, but I think he would even if he wasn't starving to spare the kid's feelings.
After that, the little girl will lead Luffy and Coby elsewhere to explain the situation to them. As she's explaining about the situation, Helmeppo will arrive and declare his intent to have Zoro executed by firing squad in 3 days (Day 12 of Zoro's imprisonment). Luffy will be outraged and slug the hell out of Helmeppo before deciding that he definitely wants to recruit Zoro.
After this, Luffy will go to Zoro to negotiate his joining. Zoro will refuse unless you tell him beforehand that following Luffy will put him on a collision course with Hawkeye Mihawk. THAT will probably make him all for it, perhaps even on the first encounter with Luffy, although he'd join anyway even if he doesn't know once Luffy saves his life.
On that note, Luffy will offer to get Zoro's swords back from the Marines if Zoro will join his crew. Zoro will still refuse, but he'll change his mind once he's put in a 'fight the Marines or die' situation.
Luffy will use his abilities to catapult himself to the top of the tower, where Axe-Hand Morgan is forcing his men to erect a giant statue of him. Luffy will crash into it and send it hurtling to the ground, breaking it into a million pieces and driving Morgan into a rage. Morgan will come down to the yard with his men upon spotting Coby, who will at this point be trying to untie Zoro.
Morgan will order them shot, firing squad style. His men will comply, only for Luffy to drop out of the air and take the bullets, revealing his Devil Fruit powers in the process.
Morgan will order his men to use swords, Luffy will give Zoro his swords and Zoro will intercept all other blades present before agreeing to join Luffy's crew on the condition of killing Luffy himself should Luffy interfere with his ambition. Luffy agrees and the two proceed to wreck all comers.
Helmeppo will attempt to take Coby hostage with a pistol once Luffy puts Morgan on the ground. (A very pitiful hostage taking mind you, he hasn't even got the sense to grab Coby to keep him from moving out of the gun's way or attacking him.)
Coby will tell Luffy to let him die if it means defeating those corrupt Marines. Luffy will say 'You're a good guy Coby' and then throw a punch into Helmeppo from across the yard. As he is throwing his punch, Axe-Hand Morgan will get up and attempt to cut him down from behind. Zoro will carve up Morgan like a pork roast before he can do so.
Upon being asked if anyone else feels like trying their luck, the Marines will burst into cheers that Axe-Hand Morgan is finally down.
Afterwards, Luffy, Zoro and Coby will go to the little girl's mother's restaurant for a victory meal. The marines will arrive shortly after they finish eating, asking if they are pirates. Luffy will blatantly admit that they are, and they will be asked to leave town. Only asked mind you, the marines are very grateful for being rid of Axe-Hand Morgan, and they will show their gratitude by not reporting Luffy and Zoro's involvement.
Coby will beg to join the marines, but the marines will be skeptical, wondering if he might be a spy. I think Luffy might slug him or something to prove they're not comrades. Something happened, can't recall what, but the marines accept Coby as Luffy and Zoro head for the dock.
As they're pulling away from the shore, Coby will run down to the shore to thank them with a salute, which he will be surprised to see every other marine on the island joining him in.
If everything goes as I've written here, then a prime time to insert yourself with minimal repercussions/alterations to events would be after Axe-Hand Morgan is defeated. Perhaps go meet them while they're at the restaurant?
This concludes my knowledge of the events at Shellstown.
…
Reiju exhaled slowly and glanced up at the wharf for sign of any new boats which might or might not be carrying the straw hat wearing rubber man Bones had claimed could lead her to Sanji.
He was clearly racking his brain yesterday, Reiju mused as she thought back to her careful observations of her savior/kidnapper. It had almost been amusing to watch him fret and strain his mind to recall as many details as he could over the two hours he had spent scribbling down notes with sheets of paper strewn all over the floor of the hotel room as he tried to get his timeline straight. It would've been far more amusing if she hadn't been watching for any slip up in his acting, but if it was an act, then he had perfectly portrayed a man struggling to remember a story so he could transcribe it as best as possible.
And he tried so hard to make this as legible as possible, Reiju thought as she compared the painstakingly neat script on the papers he had instructed her to use to verify his knowledge vs the near indecipherable chicken scratch on the pages he'd used to get his thoughts in order. He'd also left decent sketches of everyone mentioned.
"Well," she declared as she stretched out on the towel she'd brought up and spread close to the edge of the roof, "Nothing to do now but wait."
.
…
.
That afternoon, Zoro sat up a little straighter in surprise, "Oh hey Reiju."
Reiju smiled as she pulled out a chair and sat down, "Hello Zoro, and Luffy, and Coby."
"Hey Zoro, is this a friend of yours?" Luffy asked around a mouthful of food before looking at Reiju, "How do you know our names?"
Reiju smiled slyly, "Well, aside from the fact that I've been following you and Coby since you arrived this morning, I also heard from an apparently reliable source that you'd be arriving and given a very accurate description."
"Really?" Luffy asked, still chewing, "Is that so? Who was it?"
"Oh a tall fellow, blonde hair, very strong," Reiju replied, "Maybe you know him? Goes by the name of Bones?"
Zoro and Coby noted the immediate sharpness of her gaze, but Luffy just kept chewing, "Bones huh?"
"Bones?" Coby asked, a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice.
"Never heard of him," Luffy replied, "How'd he know we were coming?"
"He claims to know the future," Reiju declared after deciding that Luffy and Coby weren't going to give anything away at the mention of Bones' name, if they were hiding something to begin with. Bones' assessment of Luffy as completely guileless and a bit of a moron had seemed quite accurate thus far.
Luffy went still, then frowned and asked very seriously, "What did he tell you?"
Reiju sat forward, now immensely intrigued while Zoro and Coby sat back, now immensely worried. "He told me that Monkey D. Luffy could help me find my brother."
Luffy blinked and the air of tension disappeared instantly, "Oh is that all? You just need a ride and help finding your brother?"
Reiju blinked at the sudden dissipation of tension and then sat back, forcing a small smile, "Yes. My brother and I were separated several years ago, and I'd very much like to find him. It's my understanding that he's one of the finest chefs in the East Blue, and a terribly fearsome fighter as well. Bones seemed to think you'd want my brother to join your crew, in which case I'd like to join you as well."
Luffy's eyes shot up and he immediately swallowed to give Reiju a large excited smile, "You want to join my crew?!"
Reiju nodded, "At least until we find my brother, and if he joins your crew then I'll stick with you too. I'm a skilled assassin, marksman, and hand to hand combatant trained with over a dozen melee weapons, as well as being more than proficient enough a navigator for the Four Blues and I have a degree of medical training, on top of my other abilities. You'll find me to be quite a valuable asset."
Luffy grinned, "Well that's great! Welcome aboard! Um, what did you say your name was again?"
"Reiju, Reiju Vinsmoke," the runaway princess replied, her gaze immediately sharpening ever so subtly for any sign of a flinch or recognition. There were none, so her gaze softened back immediately, "But I'd like to be just Reiju, my family name wouldn't make me any friends."
Then Coby started stuttering, "V-v-vinsmoke?! Y-y-you mean like the Germa Double Six?!"
Reiju turned a casual, almost pitying smile on the quaking boy across from her that belied her immediate wariness, "Oh? You know me?"
Coby's eyes went wide, then wider, then so wide their edges were visible around the rims of his glasses as he turned ghostly pale, "Oh god…it's Poison Pink…"
The poor boy now had Reiju's full attention and she sat forward, crossing her fingers under her chin and giving Coby a smile that many only saw immediately prior to a painful demise, "Oho, you know exactly who I am."
"Y-y-y-you can't be Poison Pink! She's just a made up character from that comic strip!"
Reiju blinked in surprise. As absurd as it seemed, Coby honestly believed that.
Reiju sat back, allowing the subtle menace to fade from her expression, "I assure you Coby, I am very real."
"B-b-but, then that means…" Coby stammered.
Reiju nodded, "The Germa Double Six is real as well, as are my brothers and father. Aside from interactions with a Marine named Sora, I've never seen any of my exploits or abilities falsely reported."
"But, but if you're really Poison Pink," Coby asked, sweat fairly pouring off him now, "Then what are you doing in the East Blue?!"
Reiju snorted lightly, "A fair question, and one I'd like answered myself. The man who told me about you three somehow managed to transport me from the other side of the world to a boat a little ways offshore from this island without waking me up. When I asked him how and why, he claimed he was just trying to do something nice for me because he thought I'd had a frankly terrible life. I shot him when he admitted he was trying to help me find my little brother."
"Y-y-you shot him?!" Coby asked in horror.
"Oh relax," Reiju replied dismissively, "It bounced off him. A point blank shot to the back of the head and it didn't even scratch him. It was about like shooting Luffy, except the bullet didn't fly back in my face. We then had a stand off for the rest of the night while he rowed us here. He was very excited about the prospect of meeting you," she added with a glance at Luffy.
"He was?" Luffy asked curiously, "So, where is he?"
Reiju grimaced, "Apparently earning my trust meant more to him. I asked him to leave so that I could make sure he was telling me the truth. He left me these notes about your journey," Reiju lifted a bundle of papers out of her bag and waved them before sticking them back in the bag, "Detailing the crew members you'll find, the enemies you'll face and a few other surprises. He mentioned you wouldn't want me telling you about any of it," Reiju added.
Luffy nodded, "Of course not! If you tell me what's going to happen then it won't be as much fun!"
Reiju smiled thinly, a little pang of doubt shooting through her, "Yes, he said you'd say something like that."
"Speaking of," Zoro mused, "How did today go? Everything play out like he said?"
Reiju nodded solemnly, "To the letter."
Then the door opened and in walked a Marine, swiftly followed by several more, "Excuse me…you gentlemen are pirates correct?" The hair on the back of Reiju's neck stood on end as she realized there were a lot of people outside.
"Yep!" Luffy replied excitedly, "I've even got two crewmates now! That makes me an official pirate captain!"
The marine shifted his hat uncomfortably, "Um, you saved our base, and this town. For that we are truly grateful, however, we are still Marines. We can't shelter pirates." He exhaled, "I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave. Out of gratitude though, we will not report you the Navy."
Reiju narrowly suppressed the urge to jump as the crowd outside erupted with outrage. Then Luffy and Zoro calmly stood, "Alright. Guess we'll be leaving then." He bowed to the woman who owned the restaurant, "Thank you for the meal."
Then he, Zoro and a quickly following Reiju headed for the door, Reiju silently wondering if she had just seen the first mistake in Bones' predictions. Then the Marine spoke, "Hey, aren't you with them?"
Luffy and Reiju paused in the door, Zoro already outside, but all three turned to watch Coby as the poor boy forced out, "I...I'm…I'm not with them."
The marine turned to the three in the door, "Excuse me, pirates?"
A very nasty chill slid down Reiju's spine as she saw a grin spread across Luffy's face, the same kind of grin her brothers wore when they were about to do something abnormally cruel. Reiju stepped out from between Luffy and Coby, wondering in a sort of horrified daze if her best hope for finding Sanji was about to turn out to be just as bad as being stuck with Germa still.
Then the look vanished and Luffy pointed at Coby, "Oh yeah, I know all about his past." Reiju noticed Coby's eyes go wide in horror as Luffy continued, "You see there was this big fat pirate lady named Alvida. She kinda looked like a duck," he mimed the waddle of an extremely overweight woman as he went over to poke Coby's cheek with a grin, "She swung around a big iron mace, and for two whole years this guy…"
"SHUT UP!" Coby suddenly screamed, his fist slamming into Luffy's jaw with every ounce of strength the pudgy boy could muster. Reiju's eyes widened and the entire room froze for a moment. Then that awful look returned and Luffy retaliated, blows flying so fast that Reiju doubted anyone but her and Zoro could see more than a blur as they both quickly crossed the room to haul Luffy back.
"That's enough!" Reiju snapped angrily.
"I AGREE!" shouted the marine in charge, "STOP DISTURBING THE PEACE! IT'S CLEAR THAT YOU ARE NOT FRIENDS! PLEASE LEAVE TOWN AT ONCE!"
Reiju's anger evaporated as the marine's words registered. Coby's eyes went wide and she all but heard it click with him as well behind the bloody nose and missing tooth. He was trying to clear Coby's name of association with pirates?!
Luffy turned and left the restaurant without another word, Zoro and a stunned Reiju falling in step behind him. While Zoro playfully taunted the Marines outside, Reiju glanced back through the window and saw Coby jump back to his feet and beg to enlist in the Marines. Reiju's blood ran cool, Just like Bones said…Luffy slugs him then he joins the Marines!
She followed Luffy and Zoro to the docks, But there's no way an entire garrison of Marines, even Marines who had just been saved from a tyrant, would salute pirates…
Ten minutes later, she stared in shock as the Marines of Shellstown proceeded to do exactly that.
She immediately dove for her bag and the notes within, Either this really is the biggest conspiracy I've ever even heard of, with the most impossibly skilled actors, or he was telling the truth!
.
…
.
"Bones! Bones! I see an island!" Yamato exclaimed excitedly as she peered through the spyglass.
Bones tugged the map from inside his jacket and did some quick figuring before approximating their location, "Park Island. Well, sounds pleasant enough." He rolled the map back up and stuffed if back into his interior pocket, "Guessin' you wanna check it out?"
"Of course!" Yamato exclaimed, "What's a park?! Is it like a shark?! Ooh! Ooh! Is it like a polar shark?! Oh! No! A piranha shark!"
Bones blinked in confusion, "You don't know what a park is?"
Yamato blushed slightly, "Um…"
"It's like a garden," Bones explained, not willing to let her stew in embarrassment for one second longer than she had to, "A park is a big, nice, public garden. So, if that's 'Park Island', then it's probably a nice peaceful island with lots of pretty plants and a laid back atmosphere that's perfect for taking afternoon naps." He yawned, "Speaking of, a nap sounds like a fabulous idea, so when we get there, if it lives up to the name, I am all for finding a nice soft spot to curl up and doze for a bit."
"Whaaat?!" Yamato groaned, "But it's a new island! New! ISLAND! How can you not be excited about that?!"
"I am excited," Bones replied with a smile, "I love seeing new places, and I love relaxing. Park Island sounds like a perfect combination of both. We're not in a big hurry, so if we want to take our time and explore at a leisurely pace, we can do that as much as we like! Alternatively, if it's boring or a total shithole, we can book it out of there immediately!"
"Don't worry Yama-chan," he soothed, "I ain't gonna impede your fun."
"It's Yamato," Yamato pouted.
Bones blinked, "Does Wano not have honorifics?"
"It does," Yamato pouted, "But 'chan' is for girls isn't it? I'm Oden, and Oden's a man."
"A man's man to be sure," Bones agreed smoothly, "and also someone who didn't like being admired even though he always was."
Yamato blinked as though slapped, "What?"
"That's not to say it's wrong to do so, hell everyone who knew him's wrong if it is, and proud of it too," Bones mused, "But he'd probably tell you to be you rather than him. After all, you don't have to be somebody in order to carry on their will."
He gave another heave of the oars, "Ahhh what do I know? It hardly matters to me whether you're a boy or a girl or a spotted pink yak. You're my friend. That's what's important, so you do you Yamato-chan. Ah," he grimaced, "too many syllables. Are you sure I can't call ya Yama-chan? It rolls off the tongue really well."
"Wha…why not call me Yamato?!"
"Because," Bones replied dryly, "I give my friends nicknames as a sign of affection. Might be a reference to a running joke, might be something about a physical attribute or maybe just some quirk of theirs, if they've got a respectable position or title I might refer to 'em by that, but anyone who I consider a friend and comrade gets a nickname of some sort. You're very attached to the culture of Wano, so tackin' an affectionate Wano honorific onto the end of your name seems appropriate, buuut if ya'd rather I go with something else…I suppose I'll come up with something sooner or later."
"But, doesn't that mean mountain-chan?" Yamato asked quietly.
"You're tall, strong, sturdy, white on top, and quite frankly very beautiful," Bones replied simply, "Besides, I like mountains."
Yamato blushed slightly, but didn't protest the nickname any further after that.