Her hands wouldn't stop trembling.

The gun was cold, and slimy with a fresh layer of sweat. Her finger was shaking, barely even pushing down on the sleek, ominous trigger. She couldn't do this. How could she ever do this?! The bound, older boy wasn't even shaking. He looked bored, tired, ready to take a nap. How. How! She was about to kill him! Well, she could kill him. Just one little push…

Bell-Mère… Her sweet, smiling face. Blood dribbled down her chin, as she fell into the grass. Pirates. Evil, wicked pirates. They pillage, they hurt, they kill. They enslave. Nami's tattoo burned her skin. She wanted to peel it off with her nails. She wanted to stab it over and over, until blood covered her whole arm. Pirates did that. They hurt her. Her sister. Her mother.

If she killed him, there would be one less.

No. No! She couldn't kill him, no matter how much she wanted to. The straw hat boy may be a pirate, but if she killed him… If she really did pull the trigger… She'd be no better than the pirates who murdered her mother.

To kill, or not to kill. That was the question. A question that had so many, too many twists and turns, bumps and divots, mountains and cliffs. Nami's morals were already so warped, so twisted, and she didn't want them to snap. Killing. She couldn't kill anyone. Could she?

Her hands were shaking, her heart rate skyrocketing, tears filling her amber eyes. Orange hair covered the top half of her face, and the eight year-old felt her knees buckle under her own weight. Nami could feel every bump, every bruise, every cut, every fracture in her body. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was. When was the last time she slept? Last time she had something to eat? To drink? Nami just wanted to close her eyes and never wake up. Never have to face the ugly mess someone might call her life. But she couldn't.

For the town, she had to do anything.

"Just shoot." Nami's eyes snapped open, focusing on the ten year-old. He just smiled, eyes blank. "You won't be a pirate if you shoot, you won't even be a criminal."

"W-What are you talking ab-about?" The red head stuttered out, earning an empty grin from the bound child in front of her.

"What else do I mean?" Straw Hat smirked, his body lax, uncaring. "You'll be a hero, someone to be praised until the end of time. Not a murderer, not a pirate, not even a criminal. You'll be the saviour of the world, loved by all." The boy's voice turned dark as he kept going, making Nami even more confused.

"Everyone will be better off if I'm gone, no one will miss me. I'm just a no good pirate, someone who shouldn't have ever been born. So do it, shoot me. I dare you, thief." That was all the eight year-old needed. One little push to fall off the fence.

If I hadn't been born…

If I was never adopted…

Bell-mère would be…

Nami squared her shoulders, opened her watering eyes. She clenched the gun in her hands with new vigor. Her eyes zeroed in on Straw Hat's binds, aiming right beside his arm. Sure, he could be telling the truth. He could actually make her a hero, a saviour. But Nami was no saviour, no hero. Nami was a thief, nothing more, nothing less. And a thief steals things which aren't theirs. So she would just have to steal the boy too.

All the pirates cheered when Nami pulled the trigger.

Everything froze when a green blur moved in front of the bullet, sending the small piece of metal flying up and away. No one spoke, or commented on yet another child jumping onto the scene. He had vibrant green hair, tanned skin and a wicked smirk on his face. The boy looked like a small, sadistic demon, holding two swords in his scarred hands, with another one still in its hilt. Nami was left speechless by the entrance, too stunned to speak. But she did have enough sense to listen in on the conversation between Straw Hat and the Green Demon.

"Do I always have to come and save you, Captain?" The demon spoke in a mocking tone, seemingly oblivious to the dozens of angry pirates in front of him.

Straw Hat's cheeks flushed a bright red, and he started shouting at the green-haired boy. "What do you mean, 'always saving me?' I saved YOU from the chopping block, Zoro! And what's with this 'Captain' bullshit? I am a Captain to no one except…" The raven faltered, but held his ground, even in such a vulnerable position.

So the green demon was Zoro? Nami filed that little piece of information away. Not because she was going to associate with him! Obviously not! She only did it because she could've sworn she had heard that name before… "Ha! Sure, you saved me. You tell yourself that. Who was the one who saved you from drowning, Captain Ace." Zoro retorted.

Aha! So his name was Ace! She finally had it! Mwahahaha, now she could… Wait, what would she do with that information? Why did she even care? "Shut up Zoro! Just-Just get me out of these ropes!" Ace snarled, his face contorting into a menacing scowl. It didn't faze the green haired boy in the slightest, he just snorted and pulled out his third sword, placing it into his mouth.

"Sure, I'll let you out. Right after I kick these pirates' asses." Zoro's voice was muffled, and he had a heavy lisp, but was still able to be understood, which amazed Nami. He bent down slightly, squaring his shoulders, making marks on the roof with his dirty feet. That was another thing which irked Nami. Why the hell were both of them not wearing shoes?!

She had dropped the gun a while ago, as soon as the mini demon had whooshed onto the scene. That was something Nami was concerned with. She wanted to steal the map, no, she needed to steal it. Of course, she wasn't going to kill anyone, but she never expected to be ordered to. So now, since she wasn't able to explain very improvised plan, the eight year-old was in a very awkward situation.

She had to pick a side.

"Hey, little girl. Get out of my way." The greenette growled out. There was saliva dribbling down his scraped up chin, making him look like a wild beast. His stance was low, and spread apart, ready to attack. Nami looked at him with wide, brown eyes. He was really going to attack?! Did he want to die that badly?!

Nami stamped her feet and failed her arms around in a haphazard manner. "Are you crazy! These are the Alvida Pirates! They're a new group of rookie pirates who have already become one of the East Blue's most dangerous crews! You're just asking to be killed!" She yelled out, her hands trembling, knees shaking. Nami didn't want to be here. The eight year-old wanted to be anywhere but here.

Maybe if things were different, she wouldn't have ended up here. Maybe, she would've been running through the streets of Cocoyashi Village, with her sister, Nojiko. Maybe she would be stealing books and trinkets and food because she felt as though she needed to. Maybe she would have sore spots on her head from where her mother had bonked her for being naughty. Maybe… she would be smiling. Maybe… she would be happy. Maybe… just maybe… she would've been free.

A man.

A gun.

Red.

Yelling brought Nami back to reality. Zoro had shoved her to the ground and was now engaged in a fight with that Alvida woman. She was swinging her comically large mace around like a lunatic, knocking out some of her own men in the process. All the while Zoro doged and parried her blows, but you could tell he was straining to do so. Alvida was ruthless, tearing through everyone and everything in her way like a natural disaster. The greenette was holding his own, but slowly losing his stamina to the giant beast of a woman.

Sweat was shining on the boy's face as he rolled to the side to narrowly avoid a deadly blow from the spiked mace. He tried to get up and charge, aiming for Alvida's legs, but he was too slow. She swept her mace across the ground, and slammed it into Zoro's side, making him go flying. A large hole was created in one of the nearby houses, making the large person laugh, their belly jiggling with each chortle.

The dust cleared, showing no signs of the small green demon. Just rubble and debris, scattered around the battle area. Dammit, Nami warned the idiot, and now he was dead because he was too stupid to listen! Pirates, they were all the same. This violence… It was meaningless and grotesque. All it did was hurt people, people like her mother.

Nami chose this moment to flee. She would come back for the map later, but right now, she had to escape. The little girl picked herself up off of the ground, and made sure that no one was looking at her. All of Alvida's grunts were too caught up in the murder of the moss boy to pay attention to anything else, so it was now or never. As Nami began to run off into no particular direction, she spotted a mop of wild, scruffy black hair.

Ace. Ace was still in there!

She hesitated, for only a moment. Looking right at her were cold, grey eyes, and a mean-looking scowl. Clad in a tattered off-white shirt, and grey pants, with a battered straw hat dangling from his neck. Ace, the boy who saved her only a few hours ago. Ace, the aggressive and mysterious raven who fell from the sky like a meteorite. Ace, the boy who seemed a lot like her… Maybe, she should help-

No! No, no, nonono! Ace was a pirate. He said so himself! With no shame, no disgust, that he was the scum of all scum. Selfish, sea-dwelling scum who were so self absorbed they couldn't even see from how far their heads were up their own asses.The thieves of the seas, the murderers of the innocent, the criminals who destroy the lives of others. Who destroyed her life, and condemned her village to be slaves for as long as they lived.

Nami's fists clenched, her jaw set. She wouldn't kill anyone, not even a filthy pirate, but she sure as hell wouldn't save one. Instead, the little girl set off into the nearest alley and didn't come back out.

When Zoro was slammed into the wall, he didn't see it coming. That fat woman he was fighting didn't have any skill, but she had brute force and experience on her side. Sure, Zoro had trained vigorously, every single day, but it wasn't enough. He needed experience, and a lot more practice. The greenette hadn't used three sword-style very much either, since he had only got Kuina's sword a couple of months ago.

He was weak, and there was no excuse.

Sure, he was nine years old, but he still took pride in beating people four times older than him, and three times his size. He was called a wild boar, always rampaging, getting to his opponent's weak points before they'd even notice. But none of his opponents had been so… big. The mace had taken him by surprise, and he was lucky he didn't get sent flying into the building head first.

The first thing he noticed when he snapped out of his daze, was the sharp pain in his chest. Even the smallest movement, slightest breath, sent an awful pang throughout his body. There was dust and grime in his eyes, making them water. Through the tears, Zoro could see red, lots of it. When he reached out to touch it, the substance was warm, and gooey. His unfocused eyes settled on the red which he brought up to his face, and he couldn't quite remember what it was. It dripped onto his face, running down his nose and lips, and he tasted copper on the tip of tongue.

Oh. It was blood.

That didn't matter, though. What mattered was the battle, and his Captain. He couldn't quite figure out when he decided Ace was his Captain, but he decided to roll with it for now. But first, as the first mate, he had to save said captain from being murdered.

Ignoring the horrific pain in his left side, and his arm which was bent at a funny angle, Zoro got up. He felt liquid run down his body, and face, but he ignored it. The boy's mind kept flashing back to that stupid, grumpy face, and grey eyes which contained so much hate. The laughter, the anger, the friendship, the resentment. As he took in a breath, which rattled his lungs and shook his small frame, he saw Ace's small smile. The smile he only gave when looking out into the sea, into the unknown.

He took one step, then another. This was nothing! He had had much worse from his rival. Compared to those beatings from Kuina, his injury was just a scratch! Two steps became three, then four, and so on. He kept walking. Past the rubble, past the pain, past any small amount of sanity he may have had left. He ignored the pirates, for now, and focused on the elder boy who was writhing around in the dirt, trying to free himself from the ropes.

A small patch of fire was flickering in his hair, which usually meant that he was either pissed, or couldn't use his devil's fruit. Probably both, and Zoro couldn't exactly blame him. The nine year-old staggered up to his new found friend, comrade, and grabbed the rope with his beaten hands. The little swordsman quickly shifted his weight onto his right side, cautious of his injuries, and hefted his Captain onto his shoulder just like a sack of flour.

Ace kept wiggling and yelling out protests, while Zoro let out a guttural yell, feeling his bones creak under the weight. The sound of trigger happy pirates and drunken criminals celebrating thundered in the duo's ears as they evacuated the area, heading for the closest secluded place they could find. As they made their escape, Ace spoke up. "Oi! Put me down, Zoro!" The raven squirmed in his grasp, making the greenette loose balance. "Just untie me so I can walk!"

"Why should I?" Zoro kept walking, his steps wobbly and staggering. "You should be able to free yourself just fine, right? Since you're made of fire or whatever." The comment made Ace stop struggling, and Zoro just knew that he was as red as the fire he controlled.

A moment of silence passed until the ten year-old mumbled a very quiet retort. "It's hard to control a devil's fruit, bastard." Zoro didn't say anything to that, he just kept his concentration on the road ahead, and not collapsing no matter how much he wanted to. For some reason, as their little escape continued, Zoro kept seeing the same houses over and over, all of them completely identical to ones he had seen only moments ago.

Just great. This island was just like his! With everything looking the same, and moving around spontaneously. Couldn't anything stay still?! "Just… Stop over there." Ace's voice was strained, and Zoro just obeyed, knowing that now wasn't a time to object. He was the Captain, after all.

Ace was unceremoniously dropped onto the hard, dirt path, landing with a thud and a soft groan. Zoro collapsed right where he was standing, the coarse road feeling like soft, fluffy clouds to his battered body. The greenette just wanted to lie there for the rest of his life, not ever getting up again. His ribs pushed against the compact earth beneath him, sending spikes of pain up his spine, but he couldn't care less. He wasn't going to move, that was the end of that.

The only sound was heavy breathing, and soft sighs coming from the two boys. Ace had stopped struggling when he hit the ground, most likely concentrating on his fire. "...You okay?" The ten year-old's voice was small, and reluctant.

Zoro didn't respond, for a moment. "I just need a nap, don't worry. Your first mate isn't dying here." The nine year-old couldn't help the smile which tugged at his lips, when he heard Ace's sounds of protest.

"I-I wasn't worried, bastard! And you're not my first mate, and I'm not your captain! I don't need a crew! Or anyone!" What started as a flustered denial of caring about someone else, ended as a rant, which left the raven out of breath. When Zoro looked over his shoulder, he could see Ace's flushed cheeks, and sweaty forehead, which had strands of hair stuck to it. There was dirt and ash and grit all over his face, and small flames licking at his clavicle. His black, oily hair had twigs and mud and feathers in it, which Zoro would end up helping him get out. He had done it before, when they were on their boat, and he remembered being left dumbfounded by the amount of shit in the elder's hair.

There was blood on his cheek, from a cut he had gotten from one of Zoro's katanas only a few hours ago. His straw hat was still on his back, crushed by the weight of his captain, dulled from how much it had been scrubbed in salt water. The swordsman also remembered Ace cleaning that hat, he did it a lot. Dunking it into the ocean and using a piece of his torn shirt to wash the old thing. He also recalled the dark stains on it, which never went away.

It felt like he had been looking at Ace for hours before he noticed. Before he looked. The eyes, his eyes, so full of hate and blood and pain were filled with tears. They fell from his eyes and rolled down his freckled cheeks, onto the stained, ratty hat he called his treasure. Zoro, at that moment, wanted to say something. Ask if he was okay, if he was hurt. But his throat felt so dry, and he was just so shocked. Even if he had only known Ace for a week at most, it had felt like a lifetime.

That was it. That very moment in time, when Zoro knew it. Half dead, bleeding out on a road in some town he didn't even know the name of, with his Captain by his side. His stupid, arrogant, fire cracker of a Captain who picked fights and never apologized, never backed down. That was his Captain. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, wanted to hate the dumb raven who pissed him of so much, he couldn't. That was his Captain, and always would be.

And that Captain was crying.

"Are you-" Zoro started, but was cut off by something, a noise, from the alley they had just left. Footsteps, small and loud, coming towards them. Breathing, short and quick, loud and obnoxious. A small girl emerged from the alley, one hand on the grimy brick wall, and the other on her knee.

Her hair was a dull orange, covered in who knew what. The girl didn't have any severe injuries, just some scrapes and bruises. She was visibly shaking, and there were tears dripping down her cheeks. From what Zoro remembered, that was the girl who had tried to shoot his

Captain.

He wanted to get up, he really did. Get up, and slash that stupid girl to pieces if he could. But his side screeched at him with every miniscule movement, and he just couldn't move. The duo was completely helpless, if she still had the gun. Two shots, and that would be the end of that.

That thought scared Zoro more than he would ever admit.

His promise. His swords. Kuina. He couldn't meet her just yet! She was still stronger, he was still weak! He had to be the World's Greatest Swordsman, no matter what it took. All the blood, tears, pain, and loss. He could suffer through it all if that meant keeping his promise to the girl he should have had to fight for that title. For the girl who met an end too early and too quick to seem real.

What had he even done until now? All he had done was train and train and train. Sure, he set sail, and he hadn't been executed. He had taken down small bounties for food for a few months until Ace came along. But that was it. One measly mace to the side and a gunshot to the head would be his demise? No. No! That couldn't, wouldn't be true! Never!

Zoro strained to look at the distressed girl only a few feet away from him, his mind traveling too fast to form coherent thoughts. The anger, the laughter, the frustration, the tears. His whole life felt like one ball of raw emotions ripped out from someone's guts. He didn't want to die. He was afraid to die, because he'd just become a dissapointment.

When the swordsman studied the girl, waiting for her to make a move, he noticed something. Something, which he really should have noticed before he had an existential crisis.

She didn't. Have. A fucking. gun.

One tonne of emotional discourse left Zoro just like that. He let out a breath, and relaxed, knowing there wasn't a potential threat anymore. So, he just yawned, and slipped into darkness, completely forgetting about his concern for the crying captain.

Nami didn't notice them until she calmed down. She was too busy calming her frantic heart, and wiping the tears which kept building up in her eyes. Running wasn't one of her strong suits. It was easier for her to deceive and trick than to run for long amounts of time. Her legs were sore, and her mouth was filled with the taste of metal. She wanted to be unpredictable, so she ran all over the place, making sure to use the mind of someone who had no navigational skill whatsoever. So when the red haired girl spotted the two people she thought had already bit the dust was more than alarming.

There was blood. A lot of it. The sickly red had dried, becoming a rusted brown colour on the dirt. The splatters created a trail, which had looped around and doubled back several times. The greenette, Zoro, seemed to be the cause, with the very noticable, horrific injury that was still bleeding out. Ace was still tied up, and wasn't really injured, besides a few small cuts.

Nami was so close, so close to disappearing back into the dark alley, when she heard his voice. "Hey, you." The girl stopped, freezing in her tracks. Well, she couldn't just keep walking, so Nami decided to turn around. Grey eyes met her hazel ones, and they made her hairs stand on end. Would he want to kill her? For leaving him there to die?

"M-Me?" The eight-year-old stuttered, biting her lip, angry at herself for how pathetic she sounded.

"Yes, you." Ace snarled, and even from the distance between them, Nami could clearly see his rather sharp canines. "Come over here."

It wasn't a request, it was an order. Even if Nami was the one who had every single advantage possible, she quietly obeyed, her head ducked low. She kept looking down, down, finding her feet and the small pebbles and earth surrounding them very fascinating. The little crook didn't look up until she reached the duo who she abandoned not even a half hour ago. However, when she did look up, she saw something which changed everything…

"There's a puppy!" Nami ran forward, stepping on Ace's right hand in the process, but she couldn't have cared less. She hadn't seen a dog in so long, and this one looked so fluffy! The dog in question only blinked their beady little eyes at Nami, and then looked away, not bothered by the little girl.

But someone else looked very bothered by the red head. Little sparks flying off of his body. "Hey! I told you to untie-" Nami ran forward, ignoring the commands from the ten-year-old and went right next to the little dog.

Nami's eyes sparkled as she crouched down in front of the small white dog, hands poised to stroke the top of their head. And in an instant, the animal growled and snapped at the girl, getting a firm grip on her hand. Nami shrieked, flailing around helplessly as the vicious little dog held onto her hand, their teeth sinking into her skin.

"Hey, Chouchou! What do you think you're doing?" A mysterious man came running up to the trio, the clanking of his bronze armor loud and brash. Nami held back as many tears as she could, but it was no use, her tears were all over her face, as she tried to rub them off with her free hand. It hurt, she could feel each and every tooth digging into her skin, and the blood bubbling to the surface. It hurt, and she wanted it to stop.

The man skidded to a halt in front of Nami, and was able to pry the mutt's jaws open so she could free her left hand from the trap. "Oh no, that looks bad, I'm so sorry about that." The man fretted over the sobbing girl, using some of his shirt to tie up the garish wound. "Are you alright"

Nami didn't say anything, she just sniffled and nodded her head, putting on a brave exterior. The older man sighed, letting his shoulders sag. At least, until he saw what was behind the little girl…

"Ah! More bleeding children!" He ran over to the two boys who were on the floor, one bleeding out, and the other tied up with ropes. "We need a doctor!"

So, Nami watched as the adult took Zoro into the nearest hospital, but sadly said that all he could do was bandage him up for now, since no doctors were present. He also untied Ace, who just growled out ''bout time' and went to sit on the ground, staring up at the sky. It was probably the most peace Nami had had since she left her town. So she enjoyed the gentle breeze, warm sun, and fluffy clouds that lazily blew past.

"Alright, now tell me, what are you youngin's doing here? Didn't you evacuate with your parents?" The mayor, Boodle, asked them once everything had calmed down. The duo had just learned about Chouchou, and why he was so aggressive towards Nami. Apparently, he was guarding the pet food shop his master owned, while he evacuated with the others. Chouchou was adamant about staying, and protecting his master's treasure, so when he saw Nami approaching, the little dog saw her as a threat. The story warmed the young thief's heart, and made her sore hand hurt a little less.

Ace answered first. "I don't have parents." It was blunt, but also obvious from Nami's standpoint. What kid who had loving, kind parents would ever leave and become a pirate? But Boodle wasn't satisfied, he sent a pointed look towards Ace, asking him to elaborate.

He put a thumb to his throat, and dragged it across his jugular, making the sound of a sword slicing through skin.

That seemed to shut the mayor up, his skin turning pale, and a dark look crossing his features. "I see.." The man stood up, standing tall, defiant. "Well don't you worry, I'll fix this mess. I'll drive these god forsaken pirates out of my town even if I die trying! This is my home, I helped build it with my own two hands, and I'll be damned if I let pirates take my home away a second time!" Nami couldn't believe his words. Was he insane?! These were the Alvida Pirates, the powerful upstarts which rocked the East Blue with their terrifying power! One old man couldn't do a thing against them!

The small girl got up from her spot, just as the mayor began to run off, ready to chase after him and stop him by any means necessary. He was a nice, honest man, who didn't deserve to die, in Nami's eyes, at least. "Hey wai-" She reached out her arm, halfway through her first step as he disappeared behind a corner. That's when she heard it.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Something was coming, and it was big. Vibrations traveled up Nami's legs, making her wobble around like jelly, her brain fuzzy, fear crawling up her throat. Pots broke, windows shattered, dust gathered in the air. A large, looming shadow approached, covering Nami's body in a cool shade. The thief slowly, very slowly, turned around, her eyes wide, limbs stiff. And when she did, she felt the nausea and bile and utter terror slam into her head like a steamroller.

She didn't think lions could get so big.


I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if its not one of my best ones. But stay tuned, because the next chapter will have Luffy shoved into the spotlight!Thank you all for over 1000 views and over 60 kudos, I couldn't be more gobsmacked! You're reviews have been awesome to read and amazing to receive!Until next time, have a lovley day!