Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I only own my OC, Aurora.

Oh my goodness! It has been months since I updated this story. I'm sorry! I just couldn't get myself to do anything for it. I just got soooo lazy! That, and I had school to worry about.

But, I finally managed to finish this chapter! Enjoy and please review!


Chapter 14

"We need to plan things more!"

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked Nami.

"Are we going to the "Grand Line" like this?"

"Oh, that's right! Although Uncle Cabbage gave us plenty of fruits, we don't have any meat on this ship!"

"I am not talking about the food supplies!" Nami retorted.

"And we don't have any grog to drink either! How boring!" Zoro added.

Aurora sat off to the side, watching the verbal ping-pong match. Her gaze drifted over to their temporary navigator, who looked about ready to explode.

'Three… two… one…'

"Let's not worry about the problem of food and drink first!" Nami shouted, a vein popping up. "The place we're going, the "Grand Line" is the most dangerous place in the world! Every pirate in this world wishes to get the treasure there, so we need to get a better ship first!"

"We're also short on crew members." Aurora added, deciding to contribute to the conversation. It was best to keep on Nami's good side.

"Right! And this ship doesn't have any equipment. No matter what you think, we can't possibly be safe!" Nami continued.

"Oh! What do we do then?" Luffy asked.

"We have to prepare first, and plan for the journeys ahead. There's a village due North. We should go there first! First thing to do when we get there is look for a better ship!"

"AND EAT SOME MEAT!"

Aurora sweat dropped. 'Typical Luffy…'


"Wow! There's really an island here!"

"So what did you expect? We followed the map, so it won't be wrong!"

"Is there a village here?" Aurora asked, making her way off the boat and onto the beach.

"Uh huh! Looks like there's a small village!" Nami answered, looking at the map. The boys got off the other boat, Zoro stretching when he did.

"Been a long time since I last stood on firm ground…"

"That's because you were sleeping all the time!" Luffy said.

Aurora faintly heard what her captain was saying, but was more focused on something else at the moment. She could sense at least four other presences aside from their own. Her gaze slid to where a teenage boy and a group of three little kids were.

Aurora frowned in confusion. "Who are they?"

The others followed her gaze up to where the group was.

"WAAAA…! WE'VE BEEN FOUND!"

"HEY! YOU… DON'T RUN AWAY!" one boy yelled. His curly black hair was just above chin-length and he had a beige checkered bandanna over it. He was wearing dark brown overalls that came just past his knees, a white sash tied around his waist, and beige boots. On his left wrist he wore a blue and white striped armband, and he also carried a bag slung around his right shoulder. He had large round dark eyes and his most noticeable feature was his long and skinny nose.

The pirates stood and stared at the boy that hadn't run away. He slowly turned to face them and came up to the four with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I am the great pirate fleet leader, Usopp, who is in charge of the security of this village! I'm also known as "Captain", "Captain Usopp"! It's best if you don't try to attack this village, because my 80 million men are not going to forgive you!"

Aurora blinked slowly, sensing a bit of blackness with her holy powers. That could only mean one thing…

"You're lying." She stated.

"Waa! I've been caught!"

"See, you even said it yourself!" Nami added.

"Arghh! Did I just say that? Bad planning! Bad planning indeed!"

"Hahahaha!" Luffy laughed. "You're so funny!"

"Hey! Don't underestimate me! I am a man with high-self esteem! And everyone calls me the "Honorable Usopp"!"

Aurora blinked slowly once more before saying, "Liar."

"Not again!"


A small tavern in the village…

"What? So you're looking for companions and a big ship?"

"Yup!" Luffy answered, as he dug into the meat that sat before him.

"Oh! Sounds like a big adventure! There's only one place where you can find the stuff you want in this village… although it's not a very big ship, but it's not that small either."

"Where?" Nami asked, her curiosity piqued.

"There's a mansion not far from the village that belongs to a wealthy family. The ship belongs to the mansion's owner. Although we say that she is the owner… she is a pitiful young girl… a weak and sick girl that always lies on the bed…"

"That poor thing!" Aurora cooed, her inner angel briefly surfacing.

"Eh? Then how come she's the owner of the mansion?" Nami asked, paying no attention to the angel.

Luffy interrupted though. "Oba-san! Another plate of meat!"

"I want some more grog…" Zoro added.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!"

Aurora flinched at Usopp's loud tone. She was still getting used to the outbursts people gave in these parts. She couldn't remember anyone being like this in Skypiea. It had a much calmer atmosphere and hardly anyone ever shouted.

"I think it happened around a year ago… that girl's parents died of sickness, leaving her a large inheritance, a mansion, and over ten servants… even if you are really rich, it doesn't exempt you from sorrow."

Nami looked at him before bowing her head, her hand falling to the table. "Never mind…"

While the others gave Nami a questioning look, Aurora puzzled over the girl's response. Something in Nami's aura had saddened, but she couldn't figure out what or why.

"Let's forget about searching for a ship in this village. We'll go and search somewhere else…"

"Okay!" Luffy agreed. "But we're not in a hurry anyways, I still want some more meat! Let's buy some more meat for our supply!"

"Oh yeah, you… said earlier that you're looking for companions?"

"Is there somebody who wants to be our companion?" Luffy asked Usopp.

"Let me be the Captain, and I'll join you!"

"Never mind!" the four answered, their heads bowed.

"What kind of attitude is that?" Usopp seemed bewildered before he got a look on his face. "It's that time again."

He got up and exited the shop. Aurora watched him go in confusion.

'I wonder what he meant by that?'

The others didn't seem to mind Usopp's missing presence. Now it seemed like they could finish their meal in peace. The door to the tavern slammed open and Aurora jumped, the noise breaking her from her thoughts.

"USOPP PIRATE GROUP IS HERE!"

"What…?" Nami wondered, glancing at the three boys from before.

"I don't know." Luffy said. "Who are they?"

Aurora answered her captain. "They were with Usopp earlier, remember?"

The trio came over to the pirates table. "H…Hey pirates! What did you do to our Captain Usopp? Give us back our captain!"

Obviously ignoring his surroundings, Luffy set his cup down and sighed contentedly. "Yum yum! What delicious meat!"

"Huh… meat?" the boys gasped in horror. "He… he ate the captain…?"

From next to Zoro, Nami held back a snigger at the conclusion the boys had jumped to. Meanwhile, the swordsman took the opportunity to mess with the boys minds.

"Your Captain…"

"Wh… What? What did you do…!"

"We just… ate him!"

The boys screamed, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets. "GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! ONIBABA! AAAA…!"

"WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?" Nami roared. Aurora glanced worriedly at the three boys when they fainted and catapulted herself over to them. The half-angel laid their heads on her lap, using her powers to gently wake them.

"Why did you tell them those weird things?" Nami continued, turning to face Zoro. The swordsman said nothing and merely laughed.

Aurora let out a frustrated huff as the boys began to wake, trying her best not to glare at the green-haired man.


"It's that time again…?" the boys chimed. After they had woken and asked if Aurora was an angel sent from above, to which she blushed and Nami seethed, the four pirates told the boys the real story of what had happened.

"Yup… after he said that, he left the shop." Zoro told them.

"Oh, so it was time to go to the mansion." Pepper realized.

"Mansion? The place where the sick girl lives?" Nami questioned.

"Yup." Carrot answered.

"Why does he go there?" Luffy asked.

"To tell lies!"

"Isn't that a bad thing to do?" Aurora asked, her brow raised in confusion.

"That's not bad! Actually, it's great!"

"Yes! It's very good!" Onion agreed with Pepper.

"Eeeh?"


"Wow! He's a great guy!" Luffy exclaimed.

"So to restore her spirits, he's been going for a year to amuse her with made up tales?" Nami asked, after listening to the boys' explanation.

"Yup." Pepper answered.

"I like his 'nosiness'." Carrot commented.

The other two decided to speak up after hearing that.

"I like the Captain's 'cowardice'."

"I like his 'lies'!"

Zoro sweat dropped. "What kind of strong points are those?"

Luffy decided to interrupt. "So the lady is feeling better already?"

"Yeah, and it's all thanks to the Captain!" Carrot said.

Luffy suddenly stood up, pumping his fist in the air. "All right! Then we shall go to the mansion and ask for a ship!"

Aurora sweat dropped while Nami voiced both their thoughts. "No! Didn't you just say you'd give it up?"


Mansion…

Both Usopp's Pirates and the Straw Hats stood before the gates to the mansion some time later with Luffy talking up at the home itself.

"Good afternoon, please lend us a ship…"

Aurora stared up at her captain in disbelief, barley managing to keep from shaking her head at his antics.

A slight rattle was heard as Luffy began to make his way over the gate that kept them from entering.

"Let's just go in…"

"Then what's the use of that greeting?" Pepper asked.

Nami sighed in frustration. "We can't stop him!"

"Since we can't stop him, we'll have to follow him." Zoro said, glancing up at their Captain.

Aurora sighed, not wanting to intrude without being invited, but released her wings from her back and quickly flew over the gate to the other side. Glancing behind her before following after Luffy, Aurora saw that the three boys were gaping at her in shock. Not ones to be left behind, Nami and Zoro followed after their crewmates whilst ushering the shell-shocked boys along.

"CAAAPTAIN!" the boys called out.

Usopp got up from his perch against a nearby tree, looking at the group in shock. "Huh! Why are you all here?"

The boys pointed at Luffy. "We brought this guy here…"

"Who's that?"

It was then that Aurora noticed the girl leaning through the window that Usopp had just been facing. She was fairly tall, thin and had blonde hair. She was quite pretty, but unlike most rich people, she had an aura around her that said she was a caring person.

Aurora smiled, taking an instant liking to the girl.

"Oh! So you're the Ojou-sama?" Luffy asked, immediately brightening.

Usopp came over, putting his arm around Luffy's shoulders. "These guys heard of my reputation and travelled far to see me here. They are the new members of the Usopp Pirate Group!"

"Yeah!" Luffy agreed, before realizing what he'd said. "No! That's not…!"

The others said nothing, standing back and letting Luffy explain their reason for being at the mansion.

The girl, Kaya, spoke up. "A request? Of me?"

"Yeah, we need a big ship-"

"What are you doing here?" a voice interrupted.

Aurora flinched, her gaze trailing to a man heading their way. He was a man of relatively slim build with glasses and slicked green-and-black hair. He wore a standard butler's uniform with striped shoes.

"You can't just barge into the mansion like this!"

Usopp froze. "Urg! The butler!"

"Klahadore…"

"Who's he?" Luffy asked.

"Listen Klahadore, these people are…"

"You don't have to explain!" Klahadore interrupted. "I will ask you about it later." He turned to the pirates. "Please get out! Or is there something you need to say?"

"I want a ship…"

"No way."

Luffy moped at the blunt answer, Zoro patting him on the back. Klahadore took this time to notice a certain someone.

"You… you're Usopp-kun…"

Kaya was frozen, glancing between the two. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but held back.

"I've heard some rumors about you… the villagers talk about you all the time."

"Oh… oh, thank you. You may call me Captain Usopp. Everybody calls me that…"

"The guards said… you were lurking outside the gates. What do you want here?" Kuro asked, pushing his glasses up with the heel of his hand.

"Errr… err… there's a huge mole inside the mansion! So I wanted to see it for myself."

"Hahaha… I see that you can certainly lie well!"

"What?"

"I have heard about your father too… you're the son of a filthy pirate. I'm not surprised that you turned out this way, but you had better stay away from my Ojou-sama!"

The Straw Hats looked at Usopp in shock, Luffy speaking for all of them. "His dad was a pirate?"

Usopp, on the other hand, was angered. "Did you say filthy?"

"You and the Ojou-sama belong to totally different worlds. Is it money that you're looking for? Name your price."

Aurora turned when she felt a spike of anger in Kaya's aura. The girl glared angrily at the butler. "THAT'S ENOUGH KLAHADORE! APOLOGIZE TO USOPP-SAN AT ONCE!"

"There is no need for me to apologize to this uncivilized person! I'm just telling the truth!"

Klahadore turned back to Usopp. "I feel sorry for you… you hate your father, don't you? Because he's a "dumb treasure hunter" who deserted his family and village!"

"KLAHADORE!"

It was then that Usopp finally spoke. "I WON'T LET YOU SAY ANOTHER BAD THING ABOUT MY FATHER!"

"Why are you so angry? You're not very smart, are you? You should have just told your usual lies… and say that your real father is a travelling merchant… or that you and him are not blood-related…"

That was the final straw.

"SHUT UP!"

Usopp charged at Klahadore, delivering a powerful punch to the butler's face. Kaya covered her mouth, her eyes wide in shock.

"Captain!"

Klahadore sat up, adjusting his glasses. "Uh… grh! See… you're so violent! Like father, like son!"

"SHUT UP! I'M PROUD THAT MY DAD WAS A PIRATE! I'M PROUD THAT HE WAS A BRAVE WARRIOR OF THE SEA! YOU'RE RIGHT THAT I LIKE TO LIE, BUT I'M PROUD OF HAVING A PIRATE'S BLOOD IN ME! I DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND THAT I'M NOT! I AM THE SON OF A PIRATE!"