8. Starting line

- a week ago, in the mansion -

"What are you saying, Rea?!" shouted Kaya from across the coffee table. I didn't even flinch at her loud voice, I expected her to blow up after all. "What are you talking about? This... this is insane! I know that Usopp tells wonderful stories, but... but lying like that isn't good at all! How could you-"

"Kaya, listen to me, please," I pleaded with tired eyes. I had three hours of explaining behind my back. When it came to the evil butler part... well, things got a little heated. I was too tired for this shit... why can't she juts believe me? Everything would be way easier. "I know that what I'm saying is... nonsense, really. I know it looks like a huge, fat lie to you, bullshit with a cherry on top. I know, Kaya. And frankly, I can't think about a damn thing to prove that I'm telling the truth," I looked down to my feet with a sight.

I was really tired.

I could use a hug from Sanji right now. Or my brother.

Kaya's eyes were a storm as she listened to my words. Klahadore - that asshole - was her butler for a long time. Such news suddenly... she just couldn't believe it. Didn't want to. But...

Rea did look tired. Tired of something, but not phisically...

"Please, Kaya. Just listen to what I have to say. I'm not lying."

I looked into her eyes. Only when my vision started to blur before me did I just realize that I started crying. Damn it, I didn't plan on breaking down now. Not the time for that. When I get home, Usopp will help with the shitstorm inside of me.

"I just want to protect you all. Why is it so hard?" I whispered.

Kaya looked taken aback. She obviously had her doubts, but we were friends. Friends since our first meeting with each other. And I sat there, with my cards laid out, my secrets exposed and crying.

From another world, knowing the past and a future...

Plain crazy. But crazyness comes with me, doesn't it?

Other Kaya would've been weak and naive, refusing to accept anything else than what Klahadore said to her. But this one... This one knew me since a lot of months now.

If that doessn't change someones worldview, then nothing will.

So the blonde girl reached out to me and pulled me in a hug. She was conflicted and upset still, but put things aside for now. She waited for me to cry my heart out in her room. Later, she accepted my terms - she will believe me if she catches Klahadore doing something out of line when he is alone. Until then, everything will be the same.

Oh, but evil butlers tend to talk to themselves about their grand plan all the time. Long story short, the next day I came to open the door and faced a furious looking girl with terrifying fire in her eyes. She flashed me with her most demonic smile I've ever seen on that cute face.

"So what's the plan, Ms. World-traveller?"

I gulped and invited her inside. Usopp came running to me that day, hiding from her girlfriend. Apparently, she was chuckling to herself and wouldn't tell him, why, but was asking about different torture techniques from his darker stories...

... and then saying with a deadpan look that those weren't even close to effective. I couldn't possibly blame Usopp for chickening out of that night's date.

"Are you sure we can't just put explosives in his changing suit?" Kaya asked while sipping her tea I brought her at the food place.

I gave her a look.

"Okay, jeez," she started sulking in her seat.

"I think letting the guys take care of everything would be a better idea. Kuro will be still defeated, and Luffy and his crew can get to know Usopp and I better."

"Through fighting?" she frowned.

"A lot of men are that way," I shrugged and sat down to the table with my coffee. "The day they arrive to the island, you can tell that bastard that you'll be having a sleepover at me. That way he'll have no way of hurting you. I doubt he will remain in the mansion if you aren't there."

Kaya hummed and drank all her tea.

"Great. What about the fight? What will we do?"

"We?" I asked, smirking behind my cup of coffee. "We kick ass."

"I'm gonna stick with throwing rocks behind the bush, sophisticated. That's more like my style. You can kick ass though, that'll be badass."

Kuro fired his gun and I fell to the ground, next to the feral looking Billie and the unconcious Merry.

My heart skipped a beat when the shot happened. It was a weird feeling. Not bad per se, but weird. The anime and manga didn't do the experience justice. My vision didn't change at all, and it wasn't just the plain knowledge of what will happen next. Observation haki, huh?

It was a weird combination of knowledge of a fracture of the future, phisical skills and instincts. Survival instinct, coded into my DNA, making my body move. Giving me the first little push for the movements.

I avoided the bullet entirely. When I fell to the ground, my face slammed into the center of a blood-puddle. I froze immediately. This move proved to be quite useful, because Kuro left the house when I didn't show signs of still being alive. Looks like the ex-captain didn't like to check if his enemies were dead or not.

Well, that's good enough for me. Now, about Merry...

This will be a pretty dang long night. First, I need to clean the wounds.

Billie tilted her head at the side, but understood what I needed. She ran upstairs and came back after a quick minute with a medical box.

I blinked a few times, then shrugged and patted her head.

"Thanks, girl. You're the best. Try to keep yourself out of trouble in the future, okay?"

"Meow!"

"Rea!" I heard two cheerful voices calling my name. It was too early for me... But that kick to the face DID feel good.

I felt my brother and two rubbery arms grab me and pull me into a hug. I was a little surprised at the actions, but with a laugh I was easily lost in the warm hug from the two. I needed that after the night.

Doing stitches on a screaming butler without anything to numb the pain wasn't my dream job.

"You messed him up real good, huh?" I squeezed the two with a tired smile.

I got a laugh from Luffy and a teary face from Usopp. Kuro was eliminated, so to speak. Well, knocked out on the ground with all his crewmembers. I winced a little, seing the men with the claw marks. Those weren't from Luffy, or Usopp - hell, not even from Zoro's swords, if I was right.

It was sickening. A captain who cut his own men all he wanted, because they didn't rise up to his expectations.

Luffy fell backwards and looked at the sky with a deep frown on his face. Nami came up to him, holding his hat in her hand. Meanwhile I was reassuring the crying Usopp and Kaya that the blood on my face wasn't my own. I missed the interaction between Luffy and Nami, but somehow knew what it was about.

We were headed to the food place, mostly because Luffy screamed for meet and food. The Straw hat captain and I were walking next to each other. Usopp was squeezing Kaya's hand as hard as he could, Nami and Zoro were walking behind us. I looked at the captain and spoke up with a quiet voice.

"There are tons of captains like that on the Grand Line."

Luffy looked at me and frowned upon my words. I could easily tell that he didn't like what he heard. I continued.

"But not every one of them. The world isn't just black and white. Am I right?" I smiled at him.

The raven haired boy stared at me with surprised eyes and laughed out loud. He nodded his head and grabbed my wrist.

"C'mon, Rea, to the food place! I'm hungry!"

Too fast, you dimwit!

"WHY ME?"

"YOU ARE THE WAITRESS!"

And so we arrived at my workplace with superhuman speed. My curly hair was more like a haystack now.

Merry's wounds healed quickly after a proper doctor came and took care of him. Well, I knew that my work wasn't proffessional, but it held out until someone with more experience came.

Our gang was together the whole day after Kuro's defeat. Usopp told stories to Luffy and Kaya, both of them listening closely with excited faces. Whenever Kaya laughed or smiled, Usopp's cheaks turned pink and he smiled too. Oh, those two lovebirds...

Zoro was mostly sleeping the whole time. Nami checked if anything was missing from her stack of treasure, after that she joined me in the living room. I was working on one of my drawings and gave Nami paper to draw too. She was doing the outline of the island - drawing one of her maps. We talked and vibed with each other a lot. At the end of the day we were telling stories about our significant idiots to each other - Luffy and Usopp.

The pirate captain was eating of course - eating Kaya out of her money.

...was that even possible with her fortune? Oh well.

Three days passed by and the crew was ready to set sail once again, leaving Syrup village behind.

I was packing my things. With or without Luffy, but my brother and I decided to set sail today. It was a pretty big milestone for the both of us. I was at sea once, but I wasn't the one doing the sailing - I was more like a stowaway. As for the trip to home, that wasn't really long. But after we set sail now, we will be at sea for possibly years.

It's strange to say at least. One year passed by already since I came here. I missed my world. My family and friends, my home.

But I had another home now. It wasn't land, or even a house. It was Usopp, my brother. And I had an adventure in front of me.

An adventure of a lifetime, in a world full of excitement, injustice, beautiful sights, merciless people, kind souls, cool places and so much more!

It was intriguing.

And if I wanted to see my family and friends once again, I had to find a way back - or at least the way how I got here in the first place. Answers were waiting for me on the Grand Line. If I couldn't find anything there, it was over for me.

But I didn't want to sail just because of being homesick. This world had a lot to offer, and I often thought about Luffy's crew. A crew of dreamers. I made up my mind when I worked at the Baratie and I listened to the waves and the sea at cold nights.

Now I had a dream too.

Usopp and I arrived at the foot of the hill. I could finally see the Going Merry in all of her glory. She was beautiful. Looking into the figurehead's eyes I could tell that she was already a part of Luffy's crew. She already accepted them as her nakama and loved them dearly. Strange, how I could tell this just by looking at her, but a fealing coming from the ship just told me I was right. When I looked at her, the only thing that came into my mind was just one sentence.

I look forward to carrying you all to everywhere you want to go! I'm so happy!

Meanwhile I couldn't see Kaya anywhere. That was strange. Did she and Usopp say their goodbyes already? Damn, I wanted to see a goodbye-kiss...

I was lost in thoughts, so I didn't catch what Luffy was saying before.

"Rea!"

"Huh?" I looked at him with questioning eyes. Luffy smiled eagerly and pointed behind his back.

"Aren't you coming? We keep telling Usopp that you are coming too, but he doesn't want to get on without you!"

I was nearly moved to tears. Nearly.

I stretched my neck a little, got my packages on my shoulder and waited a few seconds in silence, thinking about the road before us. The dangers. The adventures. All of it.

I was ready for it.

"Is Billie already making a nest on the figurehead?"

The crew looked at said place and was shocked to find my little furball doing exactly what I said.

"Since when do cats make nests?" Nami asked while leaning on the railing of the Going Merry.

I shrugged and got on the ship, dragging my brother by his clothes.

"When did I say she was a cat?"

"But...," Zoro started with a questioning look. "Doesn't she say... like... meow?"

We all looked at the sleepy looking swordsman at once. He was startled and instantly became redder after his words.

"That... was really cute," I stated.

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not!"

"Hey, Zoro, back away from my sister! A lovey-dovey blonde cook was enough for a year, not you too!"

"I WASN'T THE ONE STARTING THIS!"

And our jurney started.