Cześć! Happy Halloween! And since it's the glorious spoopy day I decided to upload another chapter for the few generous readers. Here I sit eating cookies and candy...sitting in my Jack Skellington pajamas...watching Ghost Adventures...lovely day isn't it? Muwahaha...haha...Have fun!


Passage Three: What the Soul Yearns for Most

"What...in hell's anus happened to the ship?"

Kiris stood before the pirate's ship, seeing the wood splintered and shattered in multiple places. She had changed into her work clothes consisting of long pants tucked into heavy boots and a long sleeved shirt. She also hard her bangs tied up. Kirsi let out a short breath and climbed up the robe ladder to the main deck, having an intriguing impression of the ship.

The bottom of the mast and figurehead had metal bindings from being broken. It didn't even look to be a sea worthy ship. How is something like this even floating? Kirsi wondered to herself. Her attention went up to the straw hat wearing Jolly Roger fluttering softly in the breeze. As weird as it sounded to her, she felt like this ship was...alive.

She traced her hand over the torn wooden railing, feeling an odd sadness. But despite it's tattered state, there was a sensation of happiness. This ship had been through a lot and Kirsi knew for a fact she and the dock hands would only be able to do just enough to keep it sailing. Tahgu would be a better person for this job. It also surprised her that a small ship like this was called a pirate ship. The many vessels she had seen in her life on the island had been several times bigger. Some were towering over the town.

From a young age, Kirsi loved the idea of traveling over the seas and discovering untouched lands. Yet the times she had talked to previous captains, they all laughed in her face and told her a woman like herself wouldn't last long. A few even said they would allow her to join if she did favors for them. She gave that up and stayed with Tahgu as an apprentice blacksmith. It wasn't a terrible life. Lackluster at times, yet not bad.

Kirsi froze when she felt electricity run up her spine. Something was telling her she was in danger. Something behind her wanted to attack. There was an audible sound of a blade being unsheathed and she raised her arms above her head in a non-threatening manner.

"Who the hell are you?"

It was a growl of a voice, steady and low. Kirsi's heart beat quickened. She slowly turned around, meeting the dark gaze of a green haired man. His brows were furrowed and he was staring her down like a predator eyeing its prey. His sword was unsheathed by his side.

"Are you deaf?"

"What? Oh no sorry. I'm harmless."

The man before her raised his sword, making the tip of the blade level with her eyes. "You didn't answer my question."

"I don't feel comfortable answering when you're threatening me. Maybe put that sword down and we'll talk like civilized people."

"You would feel the exact some if some random ass stranger appeared on your ship without a word."

Kirsi pursed her lips. "Fair point. I didn't know anyone was on here."

Without warning, the green haired swordsman swung his blade at her. Kirsi ducked down and quickly scrambled away from her assailant into a crouching position. He wasn't done yet. He charged her, giving her little time to react. She purposely fell back on her butt as the tip of the blade sped just centimeters from her nose. She felt the force of the sword over her. It was a swing meant to kill.

"Hey hey hey what are you doing?! Are you fucking crazy?" she shouted.

He didn't answer as he unsheathed a second blade. Kirsi felt like her life was in serious trouble. He was powerful and his presence alone frightened her. It reminded her of the times she sparred with Tahgu. A raw primal aura like a beast, menacing. She rose to her feet with her arms raised again. He was giving her an odd look though. Like he was partially surprised at her reflexes.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, but I'm not an-"

No time to reply as the blades came down. She crouched down and immediately jumped into a backflip onto the upper railing before he could strike again. His eyes narrowed at her. He jumped as well right in front of her with his two blades poised to strike. Kirsi felt her leg muscles bunch as she readied to take another leap. She let out a shaky breath and pounced as the whoosh of the swords breezed past her. She jumped over him, twisting her body to kick him in the side. He let out an annoyed growled as she landed behind him on all fours. Her blow was enough to catch him off guard. Instead of directly attacking her again, he kept his distance when he landed.

"I'll answer your question if you stop attacking me!" Kirsi pleaded with the swordsman.

"Where'd you learn to fight?"

"Huh?" This time she was caught off guard with his question.

"Your reflexes are of someone that has fought against another swordsman. And your reactions are that of a seasoned fighter," he told her as he raised the blade in his left hand. "Who the fuck are you?"

His tone was more threatening this time and deeper. The air felt cold around her. She definitely felt like he would kill her this time and that he was just holding back to test her before. This was an alpha predator that would not hesitate to devour her. Words just tumbled from her mouth out of fear.

"M-my name is Kirsi! I was asked by Nami to c-come to this ship! To check it! Forgive me for t-the intrusion!"

The green haired man looked confused at her speedy speech. He lowered his sword before sheathing the both of them. Kirsi relaxed, but didn't feel like she was in the clear. That dangerous aura of a hungry animal stayed around the man before her. He was a seasoned fighter. A man that has had countless battles in his travels.

Kirsi heard something suddenly whizz pass her ear and that same something slammed into the swordsman's face, knocking him down. He let out an angered shout as he stood up and Kirsi heard Nami's voice from behind her. She whipped around as she saw the redhead stomping towards her. She passed the blonde and started to berate the man on the deck. She was just ripping into him.

"Oh hey it's the flower lady!"

Kirsi noticed Luffy behind her with a grin. "Is the green haired guy a part of your crew?"

"Yup! That's Zoro. Why's Nami yelling at him?"

"I...don't know actually."

"Unbelievable! You boys always act like such children!" Nami huffed when she faced Kirsi and Luffy. Her expression changed when she noticed the blonde. "I'm sorry about...oh no you're bleeding!"

"I'm what?" Kirsi looked over herself, seeing nothing until she noticed dark red seeping through her pants. There was a long cut about four inches long on her left thigh. It looked deep. "When did..."

She reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a roll of gauze to bandage herself. Nami went right back to chastising the man named Zoro. The pain of the injury didn't hit Kirsi until she saw it. She ended up using the entire roll before she stopped seeing crimson leak through. He could have cut clean through her leg if she didn't react as quickly as she did. The question was when did he cut her. She started to silently thank Tahgu for teaching her to defend herself.

"Kirsi?"

Her head snapped up to Nami. "Sorry did you say something?"

"I asked if you need a doctor."

Kirsi shook her head. "No it's alright. I'll take care of it when I get home. I'm sorry if I caused problems with your swordsman."

"Zoro? He's always like that. Oh! We talked with the workers at the lumberyard like you asked. They said they'll be here later tonight to start working. Do you know how long it'll take? And how much will it be?"

"A few good days. No more than five hopefully. You can just wait until after we're done. You guys seem decent enough not to skip out on payment unless you want to deal with Tahgu," Kirsi replied, chuckling at Nami's expression when she mentioned the blacksmith's name. "How a small ship like this has managed to survive is surprising. Where are you from?"

"The East Blue. Our doctor and an archeologist tagging along are from the Grand Line."

Kirsi's eyes widened. "You're from the East Blue?"

Nami nodded. "We've had run ins here and there. Before arriving here, we were attacked by a large ship of bounty hunters. We were lucky to escape them. Until we ended up in the Doldrums."

"How long were you guys stuck there?"

"About four days. We've been at sea for nearly two weeks before showing up here." Nami rubbed a hand over her face with a sigh. "Hopefully we can stay without incident. What's this place called anyways? I don't think I asked."

"Oh this is Dustan Town on Carbona Island. We'll have you ship patched up by the time the log sets then you'll be on your way. Until then, enjoy this humbling little mining island."

Nami smiled at her. "Thank you. We'll leave our ship in your care."

Several other voices came from below and more people showed up. A weird animal looking thing with a pink hat, a tall dark haired woman with a mysterious aura and a blond man in a suit. When the blond saw Kirsi, he instantly grinned like a man deep in love and pranced over to her. He knelt down and took one of her hands, kissing the back of it softly. Kirsi just stood there, slightly embarrassed and unsure of what to do.

"What a stunning lady! I am your humble servant Sanji. Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?"

"Um...Kirsi. N-nice to meet you."

"A name fitting for a pretty gem eyed woman! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

His excitement for meeting her was making her feel tired. She took her hand away with a nervous laugh and saw Nami giggle at her. Kirsi just nodded her head at the kneeling man Sanji's comments as he continued to praise her. Nami told her that it was normal for him to get all romantic with any woman he comes across. The little brown animal hid behind Nami, albeit poorly, when it noticed Kirsi. She waved.

"This is Chopper," Nami said, moving aside. "He's our doctor and a talking reindeer."

"Talking reindeer doctor? He ate a Devil Fruit?"

"Yup. And he helped me recover when I was sick a while back. That's how he came to join our crew. He's a scaredy cat."

Kirsi smiled at him. "Hi it's nice to meet you. I'm Kirsi."

He scampered from behind Nami to behind the metal wrapped mast. He didn't say anything though. Just stared at Kirsi. Next was the dark haired woman. Kirsi couldn't read her. She felt a little uneasy, but kept her smile.

"Hello I'm Kirsi as I'm sure you know already."

"Robin. I hope you can take care of the ship."

That sounded ominous and she said nothing else as she left through a door on the upper deck. Kirsi heaved a breath. She seemed more terrifying than Zoro. She noticed Nami was looking around from the corner of her eye

"Where is he?"

"Where's who?"

Nami meet Kirsi's gaze. "Oh Usopp. He's the final member and was on the ship when I left."

As if on cue, a long nose frizzy haired guy was dragged out by Sanji from the lower deck door and tossed in front of Nami. He jumped up, took one look at Kirsi and let out a scream before joining Chopper in hiding.

"He was hiding in one of the empty barrels in the storage room," Sanji told Nami. "He said the cabbage headed bastard told him to hide when an intruder showed up. He heard fighting and stayed there."

"T-that's the in-intruder!" the newcomer stammered out while pointing at Kirsi.

Nami sighed and Sanji dropped kicked him into next week. Kirsi found this crew to be quite amusing and completely different from every other one she had come across in the past. They're jovial and carefree. Kirsi wasn't sure it that was a good thing or not. She also wondered how Zoro wasn't the captain.

"That's everyone," Nami said. "We'll leave the ship in your care now."

"Of course. Please remember we aren't professionals. We will fix the damage the best that we can. But I advise you to find an actual shipwright in the future."

"We've been told that several times already. Anyways, we'll be going now."

Nami gathered up the pirates, some with an iron fist and they disembarked one by one. The last one to leave was Zoro. He didn't leave right away though. He stopped just before the ladder and looked back at her. His gaze took a quick glance at her injured leg.

"Sorry about that."

He went to join the others without another word. His face was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. They don't seem to be popular pirates since she hasn't seen any wanted posters. But pirates are pirates. They have the freedom to travel the great blue seas. She made her way towards the back of the ship and stared out at the open waters. Fishing boats were still out for the day's catch. Seagulls played in the updrafts.

Kirsi sighed. Sure it'd be easy for her to stowaway on a ship and see where it takes her. But somewhere deep inside her soul, she wants more than that. She wants more than just going out to sea and travel. It's the adventure that calls to her. Traveling the unknown and discovering what others fear. She would like to see what sort of flora and fauna islands of the Grand Line and beyond have to offer. All she would have to do would ask the pirates if she could join.

But her own fear of being useless was stopping her from asking. The pirates look happy with one another and Kirsi doesn't feel like she'd have anything to offer to them. She turned away from that deep desire and left the ship.


What a great way to start a friendship. It's a bit stale I know. That's all for this one. Sorry for mistakes I may have missed. Happy Halloween and stay spooky! Have a weebtastic day you lovely snowflakes owo/