5. Break a leg... or an arm

"What's whit your left arm, brat?" Zeff asked while preparing the food for the 5th table. The restaurant was full so everyone had to work in the kitchen. The old man didn't lie when he said that the previous waiters quit because they were scared - I was the only one available for serving the customers and taking orders from everyone.

Meanwhile the topic of my soon to start training came up, and with that the case of my left arm.

"Rea, Rea, hihihi! I love you so much!"

"It's a little handicap of mine," I frowned as I sat on the table. I swear to god if Sanji was staring at my butt instead of cooking that steak-

"Ho? Care to tell the story?" Zeff cut the vegetables on his desk. All of it. Man, that's some speed!

"It was an accident," I shrugged and started swinging my legs. "I was four... maybe five, and I was playing with my little brother and dad," the memories put a smile on my face. It was a bit easier to think of my family and friends now. It still hurt that I had no way of seeing them for now, but... it was easier. "We played tag, dad was chasing us. I tripped over my little brother's foot and bumped into the wardrobe. My left arm broke then." I unconsciously squeezed the place where the bone broke. "The doctors said that I didn't need surgery and that I will be fine. It healed, alright, but a couple years later my parents noticed that something was wrong. The bone wasn't in his place and was constantly moving."

Zeff was listening, meanwhile focused on his knife and meal.

"The bones fused wrong. Through the years I had pains and aching in my arm after strenuous activities, and a couple cases when the bone moved if I put too much pressure on it or I worked too hard with it. Of course, that excluded weightlifting or other exercises with my arm. That's why I asked you to train me," I looked into the head chef's eyes intensely.

"I need to get stronger."

The response to my motivated face was a plate full of delicious seafood. Well, okay.

"Table five, go."

I refused to admit the pout on my face and went to the tables to serve the dish to the only kind lady in the whole restaurant. The rest were all men.

And they deserved a beating if the looks in the direction of my ass were any indicators.

I started to suspect that the few weeks long experience as a waitress in Syrup village wasn't nearly enough for this place. The shifts were driving me crazy and the pace in which the customers came, ordered and left was so quick I couldn't even take a minute for a break at all. At the end of the day I was panting and on my knees in front of the door of the fish-like ship. The fresh air and the view of the sea helped me calm down and relax a little after the long day. I sat down and put my feet into the water. The cool, pleasant sensation was like Heaven for my tired soul and body.

Zeff came out of the door and pulled me up off the ground by my clothes.

I'm CHOKING, you old man!

"What the heck?!"

"You said you wanted to train, didn't you, brat? It's time!" Zeff started to pull me towards the back of the ship, where there was more room for moving. Oh no.

I gulped loudly.

"...Now?"

The man rolled his eyes.

"No, when my funeral comes. When do you think?"

"I don't know, maybe when my lungs are back to normal and I'm not as good as dead?" I scoffed quietly. Zeff heard it.

"If you want to get stronger, no more whining. We have work to do if you want to give a good kick to people who are staring at you while drinking our wine."

I don't know, why, but that sentence instantly put me on my feet. Newly gained motivation flowed through my veins.

Fear me, pervs, because I Am Here! Oops, wrong anime.

Where is mom? I want to show her my new drawings...

I stood there in our kitchen and tried to reach the window to see if my mom was outside or not. I couldn't get a glimpse of our yard though, so I had to do something else.

Maybe if I brought a chair...

As I was trying to climb the furniture, I heard little footsteps from behind me. I turned around at the excited voice.

"Rea, what are you doing?" my brother asked with sparkling eyes. I smiled at him and got down from the chair to ruffle his short blonde curls. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the tickling sensation with an angelic smile.

"I'm trying to find mom. Do you know where she went?"

After the question, Ronen gained a serious, focused expression, thinking about the possible hiding places for mom. I giggled and waited for him.

"Maybe she is hiding in the bathroom!" his face lit up like a christmas tree. I decided to go along with it and play my part. A playful smirk found its way to my face.

"Well then, we should check! But be quiet," I put my finger on his lips. He nodded with an excited smile. "we don't want to scare her away, right?"

"Yeah!" He laughed loudly despite my warnings and started to run to the bathroom.

I caught up with him and we started to walk more slowly. Sneaking around the house was our specialty. It was so much fun!

I motioned him to go in slowly and he nodded. He moved quietly, with little, careful movements and opened the door. That's when I jumped.

"Tickle time!" I shouted and put my plan into action. I heard a surprised gasp from Ronen and started to tickle his sides and neck. Laughing filled the empty bathroom and house as we played and wrestled together. We were at it for a good half an hour at least, then we got tired.

I sat up and decided to try again with the window, but before I could do anything, my brother spoke again.

"Rea, Rea, hihihi! I love you so much!" And then the little menace hugged me more tightly than ever. My eyes widened and I began laughing too.

"Me too! I love you really, reaaaally much!" I beamed at him, and hugged him back.

I put my arms around him protectively, and squeezed them tight. And then I froze in fear.

'Crack!'

Just a little too much pressure. That was all it needed.

Pain instantly found its way to my arm and bones. The air was stuck in my lungs at the sudden surprise and fear, and the world started moving. But not just the world. The bones in my arms... Oh no...

"Rea?" came Ronen's worried voice. He didn't know what was wrong. He didn't see the bump on my arm. Oh god, why is it that big...?

I let go of him and started to run. It hurt. It hurt so much, I couldn't breathe...!

I slammed the front door open and ran to the garden. Mom was there.

Too much...!

TOO MUCH...!

"Rea!" came her surprised voice. She let go of the garden tools and started to run towards me. "What's wrong, what happened?!"

Too much... I just wanted to hug him...I just...

"I just wanted to hug him, mom..." I started crying. Finally.

- Ten months later -

"Boss, she is at it again! Stop her, please! At this rate we won't have any customers left!" Patty burst through the kitchen door with a bewildered and angry expression on his face. Carne followed him. Zeff looked up from the new recipe he was writing down and sighed for the hundredth time these past months. This could only be one little brat. Again.

"What did the brat do this time?"

Patty motioned to the tables and the commotion in the halls and the dining room. "She beat up a customer again! This is the third time this week! And he had a lot of money too! That girl... She is worse than Sanji, Boss! And that's saying something!"

Looks like Zeff didn't have a choice. He got up and went to the dining room to see what happened.

The situation was mildly familiar. It happened many times - when a wandering hand became too close to the target, or words of a fine gentleman after a few bottles of wine reached the curly-haired cutie's ears. Or just simply someone looked at her funny, as she liked to say.

Zeff became irritated, but not angry nor disappointed.

"What happened again, Rea?! What's this commotion?"

A tall girl in a lime green little apron, with poison green eyes turned towards Zeff. She had blood spots on the left side of her face, her legs tensed and a wide smile on her face - if the man didn't know her, he would think it's almost angelic.

Well, more like a fallen angel, Zeff mused.

In front of the legs of Tabel 7, a blond man was laying in his own blood with a broken nose and a feral look in his eyes, directed at the girl standing in front of him with the cheaky attitude. On the table layed a brown bag full of gold and jewels. Zeff noticed the way the opening was facing and put two and two together in a second.

"I'm sorry, Old Man, I really am! But what could have been done?" Rea shrugged. Almost looked apologetic. Almost. "You see, this fine gentleman here wanted a night with me on his, uhm, what was it? Oh, Private ship! Look, he even offered me money!" The girl then pointed excitedly at the bag full of treasure and values. As if she was five again, waiting for Santa and presents. The smile was still on her face. "It was sweat, really. The only problem is that..." she dropped the smile and walked towards the man, who was still shaking - from anger or from fear, nobody knew. "I'm worth at least as much as One Piece, so he couldn't afford me. I put him in his place."

Rea then grabbed the blonde by his hair and slammed her knee in his face. Hard.

Nobody paid attention to the other blond with pink hearts as his eyes, muttering "Mellorine~" again and again in the corner of the room.

"Can't you do that quietly, and more importantly, OUTSIDE?" Zeff swung his peg leg in the direction of the girl. Rea dodged quickly, but soon came his prince on a white horse too and Sanji joined the party with a kick of his own, directed at Zeff.

"Don't try to hurt Rea-chan, Shitty Geezer!"

"I didn't kick her once in my entire life, Eggplant! Go back to the kitchen or remain still!"

Patty then started shouting, to the pleasure of the other clients.

"Boss! I think he isn't breathing!"

All the heads turned to the beaten up blonde. Nobody prayed for his wellbeing. Somebody spoke up.

"May he rest in peace in hell."

Everyone repeated that sentence in their heads and the regular customers beamed at the lime-apron-wearing, innocent looking girl.

'That's our Rea-chan for you!'

The man was taken care of and the people continued their meals.

"Don't leave me, Rea-chaaan!" I heard Sanji from the hallway as I packed my things into the bag I got from the Old Man. I turned towards the blonde and smiled at him apologetically.

"I have to, Sanji. But I told you that we will see each other again, didn't I?"

Sanji stopped his tears and hurried over to me with those famous noodle legs and pink hearts.

"I will be waiting for you here, Rea-chan! Oh, our love doesn't know any boundaries~"

I laughed out loud and replied.

"Yeah, it really doesn't." I stood there, wondering what should I do, and told myself, fuck it. I want a hug, Sanji needs a hug, and we will both get our hugs. I stepped in front of him and wrapped my arms around him. I squeezed them tight. I couldn't stop myself before I raised my arm and I ruffled his hair. It was soft and fluffy. We remained like that for a few seconds.

Sanji dropped his cigarette in his surprise and started blushing madly as he stared in my eyes. I froze and didn't move my hand after that.

"Is it... not okay?"

"No... no," he replied and his features softened. "It's really nice."

...

"What is this smell? It's like... burnt wood..."

We snapped out of our little world after that. Damn cigarettes.

I got in my boat and put my belongings in the back. The compass I got from Zeff was on my arm, and the map we found in Sanji's room right next to me, on my seat. I nodded, everything was in its place. It was time to go back to Usopp.

My brother.

We were constantly writing to each other after I ditched Thatch. The only reason he didn't got on a little dinghy himself and came here was because he was charmed by my convincing and charismatic personality. And the mentions of the two blond chefs on the ship.

Usopp's birthday was almost here, so I had to move quickly, before Luffy came to his island. I wanted to meet him, and I wanted to see Usopp again.

To set sail with him.

I was training for the past few months, and I can proudly say...

... that I'm nowhere near ready for anything. Fights in the restaurant and a few months of working hard aren't nearly enough. I knew that very well. But I could easily get to the starting point at least with this. From now on, I have to improve and train myself. I can't stop just because Luffy will arrive, or because I'm leaving the restaurant.

I got to the startline, now I have to run the marathon.

The cooks and Zeff came out of the restaurant to say goodbye. Just as I was starting to cut the ropes of my boat, my eyes widened.

All the regular customers that I served were there, waving and shouting and holding cartons and papers with 'Goodbye, Rea-chan! Have a nice trip home!' signs. I couldn't believe my eyes.

The head chef of the restaurant turned towards me with a little smile on his face. He looked me in the eyes and for a brief moment didn't say anything.

"They really love you, huh, brat?"

My eyes started watering as my boat moved away from the ship I called my home for the past couple months. Zeff's smile widened and my breath was taken away.

"Don't catch a cold," he said with a shaking voice.

I nodded while I cried myself out, then just like that, with a teary face and smile, I shouted at the people all standing there to see me off.

"Everyone! I will be back!"

And then the waves and the wind embraced my boat and I was already headed Syrup Village's way.

I entirely missed the other ship coming towards the Baratie, so I couldn't see as the long, black-haired man got out of the boat and stepped on the wooden floor of the ship. The wind almost got ahold of one of his maps hanging out from his jacket. In the last second he grabbed it and slammed it in his pocket. He was a stubborn man after all. If he gained something, he kept it. If he gave something, he got it back. That's the kind of man he was.