"Ow!"
Kaku closed the kitchen cabinet and rubbed his nose.
"Ay Paulie! Would you mind closing the cabinets? It's pretty dangerous ya know!" He rolled up the sleeves of his denim jacket, his white v-neck t-shirt thinned from several uses kept him cool in the heat. As much as he'd like to wear shorts-it was a requirement for him to wear carpenters denim pants at all times.
Paulie lit a cigar and sat back in his chair. It was 6:00AM, and the Galley La foremen were in the company kitchen preparing for the day.
"It's not my fault your beak always gets in the way!"
Before Kaku could reply Hattori flew in-between them.
"There's no more coffee!"
Kaku laughed.
"Don't worry I'm on it!".
Not only was Kaku the youngest of the Galley La members, but he had only been there for 3 years. This being the case- he usually was the one to run odd errands.
As he started to exit the kitchen Paulie called back to him.
"Hey! If you're going to be jumping around with the drinks, make sure you're careful this time! I'm gonna need more than 2 sips of coffee to make it through the day."
The long nosed shipwright replied with a wave.
The sun quietly rose above the calm water. It was going to be a sunny day in Water 7.
Kate carefully stepped off of the train. She wore a tight pink off the shoulder dress, white wedge sandals, and a white sun hat.
She brushed her black hair out of her face, her brown eyes adjusting to the light.
"Wow, it's even prettier than the pictures!"
She took in the designs of the buildings. The city was still quiet as it was early, but seemed to give off a life of its own.
Kate pulled a map out of her bag, trying to pin point where she was.
"I think it's this way..."
Kaku couldn't contain his laughter as he leapt from building to building. Coffee runs meant having to go to the cafe across town, and that meant Kaku could soar even more than usual. While him and the other members of CP9 had been instructed to conceal their true skill set; none of the citizens were suspicious of Kaku's ability to "fly", even giving him the nickname "The Mountain Wind".
Being a member of the Galley La Company had its perks, but being part of Dock 1 granted the members celebrity status within the city. They were highly regarded due to the reputation of their products on the Grand Line, and each member had their unique set of skills. Kaku figured the people had accepted his unique ability due to his position in the company. He was grateful for this, as 'flying' was one of the few things in life that made him feel free.
He closed his eyes, feeling the wind blow past him as he started to descend lower onto a building rooftop below.
Whoosh!
Kaku opened his eyes as a white object came flying towards him.
"What the?!"
The object crashed into his face, making him lose sight.
He quickly ripped it off, landing less gracefully than planned on the roof. He examined the item in his hand.
"A hat?"
-
Kate looked towards the sky as she ran frantically through the streets of Water 7.
"Aw crap, my hat! It took so long to find that one too!"
She had seen the direction where it flew, and figured it would have to land soon.
Kaku continued to examine the hat when he heard quick footsteps below.
Oh my stars.
The shipwright had never seen her before. Citizens of Water 7 knew not to wear heels due to the uneven roads, so any woman wearing heels was usually from out of town.
He admired her dress, which complimented her curvaceous body. Her legs were larger than most women, but he found it incredibly attractive.
She looked up towards his direction and he felt himself blush.
Golly what a looker!
Kaku snapped out of his trance and looked at the hat, then back down at Kate.
Could it be hers?
He jumped down in front of Kate causing her to scream out of surprise.
"Hello Miss!"
Kate fixed her hair as she tried to regain her composure.
"Good morning."
She smiled shyly at Kaku before averting her eyes back to the ground. Even with heels on, he was much taller than her. Without heels, she was around 5 feet and he was definitely over 6 feet. His voice was sweet, and his energy was contagious. She took in the size of his nose which was much larger than most, but did not make him any less handsome.
The orange haired man held the hat out to Kate.
"Would this happen to be yours?"
Kate beamed as she failed to contain her smile.
"Oh my gosh! Yes, thank you so much!" She took it from him carefully before giving him a quick bow.
He examined her once more. "You're not from around here are ya?" He smiled at her cheekily, not wanting to admit how he knew.
She shook her head, a shade of pink beginning to show across her face. "Is it that obvious? It's probably my outfit isn't it?"
Kaku laughed nervously and waved his hands.
"No, not at all! I think your outfit is great really." It was his turn to blush.
Kate could feel herself beginning to sweat. She never did handle awkward situations well.
"Thank you again for finding my hat. I'd better get going now."
Kaku felt his heart begin to pound harder. A strange sensation came over him. He had seen many attractive women, but there was something different about her.
At least get her name, or invite her for coffee, lunch, maybe even dinner?!
He waved his hand in almost a salute like fashion.
"No problem at all, miss!"
Kate waved before walking away.
Kaku shook his head before leaping back up on the roof.
It would have been pointless anyways...
Becoming a member of CP9 was never a choice. Either you were taken as a child, or you had a family member who was part of the World Government. The training was cruel, and only a handful of students made it into a Cipher Pol division, let alone survived.
He was lucky to have his first large mission be this one. It was a secret of his that he had always had an affinity for building ships. When he was assigned to go under cover as a shipwright, it was a dream come true. He was able to relive a part of his life that only existed before he was taken by the World Government.
Being a member of Ciper Pol 9 meant your life no longer belonged to you. Your sole purpose was to complete each and every mission.
It took Kaku a while to accept this fate, and some days were harder than others. He had so many dreams, and one of them was to start a family one day. Unfortunately, he knew it could never happen.
His usual smile faded from his face as he made his way to the coffee shop.