The lost ones story

by BombBoyxD

We all know the story, a person from our world is put into a fantasy one. But what if the person has no clue what to do? What if their insert has affected them deeply? This is a story of Monkey D Lucy a person who doesn't even know if she should exist, as she struggles to figure out what to do now. A realistic approach to the whole conundrum of SI in my opinion. Dif devil fruit Luf

13. Childhood arc 5

I'm back, it's weird trying to sit down and work out the story when you've lost momentum. Anyway, now that I've been made redundant again, I can now devote time back to this story. I had some nice comments about the sorry note I posted, they will be addressed later. I have however made this chapter longer than most by far to make up for my absence.

Son of whitebeard: I haven't had one in ages, writing it made me hungry. Unfortunately, all the pubs and restaurants were closed then. Maybe in the future.

Kokos: Thanks for the feedback, this isn't really the childhood arc yet proper, while it will follow the basic story I intend to spice it up. At the start Lucy was really depressed, and still hasn't fully recovered, by being put in an unfortunate circumstance beyond her control. I had to deal with it at the start, with Shanks, otherwise, as a character she would be doom, gloom and misery for a large chunk of the childhood arc. A true emo. Considering I wrote her to be as far away from a Mary Sue as I could, it's funny how I fell into that slippery slope by trying to avoid it. If I gave her the Gum-Gum fruit it would be unfair because it would provide Lucy with an asset that she knows a lot about, by giving her a different fruit it forces her to actively grow to learn how to use it. Therefore it gives her a mini hurdle that she as a character must overcome. P.S I too am annoyed with all the Logia/legendary Zoan that seem to fall into Luffy's hands in Fanfics, for extremely rare fruits they seem to be dime a dozen, especially logia's.

Simfriek: I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, but thanks for the good feels

Writing is in italics

Techniques and devil fruits in underline

Daily fun fact (not for me): Wet cement is alkaline, if left on the skin for a long period of time it will cause a burn that will itch to no end. I learned that the hard way.

I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE, and I never will

Chapter 13 start:

Ace was the bringer of fate. Well, that was Lucy thought, whenever things were going right or wrong…bang! And there would be Ace, standing their smugly with his stupid little grin, holding his pole. If Ace was the bringer of fate then Lucy had all the more reason to curse 'fate' and the 'gods' even more for leaving her a cold, antagonistic and downright d*ck of a standard-bearer.

True to his nature of not waiting around Ace started the conversation the moment after he had introduced himself to the room, stating ''Dadan is getting annoyed at you Dog, just come back and save me the trouble'' in a cold and uncaring manner. Dog? Dog? Did this annoying littl- did he seriously just call her a dog? It wasn't just her who noticed as both Makino and Mayor Wood-slap both turned to the boy in surprise. Out of both of them, it was Makino who broke through the now awkward conversation.

''Dog? Dadan? What's going on Lucy? Who is this young gentleman?'' She asked in a confused but polite manner, turning to look at the young raven haired girl to her side. Lucy at this point was more focused on trying to figure out a way to deal with the pole wielding menace in a way that would allow her to stay in Foosha village, but at every point, she realized that Ace was too good of a fighter to overcome. Not that she wanted to fight him in the first place. He was also a stubborn mule who would not stop until he reached his objective. It seemed all D's were so heavily on the autistic spectrum that they broke it.

In her silence, Wood-slap who had been silent in his surprise at Ace's comment, turned his attention not on Ace but her as if wanting to ask someone he already knew for reassurance that his knowledge was correct ''You haven't broken any rules have you in that new place, Lucy?'' Now faced with two confused adults and one demanding child, in a conversation she didn't want, Lucy was forced to enter the conversation.

For once in what was a long time, she had finally found a way to get what she wanted. At long last she had managed to finally stop being the person everyone trampled over to get what they wanted, and had finally achieved her desires. She had finally gotten home, away from the uncaring bandits and the unending list of chores. Finally, she could do what she wanted, and for a day it seemed that all was going back to normal…but then…but then! It was all being taken away from her again!

In that moment a dark burst of hatred for everything that had wronged her came welling up from somewhere in her heart, like a black tar that latched onto everything and stained it all in a greasy, tarnished coating. ''I…'' She started, cautious if she should let the feeling control her actions, but soon that cautiousness was overridden and she blurted out to Ace who stood there with his dead-eyed look, staring at her with such selfish arrogance what she truly thought ''I refuse to go back there!''

Her ferocity caused both Makino and Wood-slap to take a second to readjust in the conversation as they flinched back in shock at her anger. Makino even took a step back from the girl by her side, gasping a little ''Lucy'' into the silence that followed her outburst.

Ace however didn't even bat an eyelid at her spiteful comment that she shot in his direction. He did however seemed to tense his body, shift his feet slightly into a crouch as if he needed to spring away at a sudden moment. It was done in a fluid motion that if one wasn't putting all their attention on him, they would not even notice. Even Ace didn't seem to notice the slight shift in his stance. The only reason Lucy did was because she had focused all her gaze on the battle-hungry eleven-year-old.

While his body had started to revert to a battle stance, born from what was likely to be a life of constant fighting, Ace himself was uncaring for her outburst and brushed it off with a simple shrug and commented ''What you want is irrelevant'' Then in the small silence created lifted his hand out towards her as if offering a hand and carried on in the same dead manor ''Now come with me before I drag you back kicking and screaming''

Once again the feeling of overwhelming anger born from the depths of her being bubbled out, begging to be set free. For a moment she almost did, almost for a second let it control her and state her mind, control her limbs. To punch the supposed bringer of fate in his stupid face. Then with a simple breath, Lucy managed to put a lid on the boiling over pot, after a couple more deep inhales and exhales it simmered down. She had but a moment to worry about why she was feeling this deep anger so powerfully before Makino finally got over her shock and rejoined the conversation.

''Young man…'' She started cautiously ''I know it's none of my business but what's going on? ...If you don't mind me asking?'' At the end, she paused for a second before her manors kicked in and she finished it with a reassuring question. It seemed to work because Ace instead of ignoring everyone but his intended target instead managed to hold a civil conversation for once ''Lucy ran away from Dadans hideout in the middle of a 'deal'.'' However, he very almost didn't, seeing that no one wanted to respond top him he carried on in a lazy tone ''I've been tasked with bringing her back''

Mayor Wood-slap then rejoined the conversation, which surprised Lucy considering she forgot about his existence as she managed her temper ''Dadan? Dadan? ...where have I heard that name before?...wait…'the' Dadan, Curly hair Dadan the bandit leader?'' At Ace's sharp nod the mayor almost jumped out of his skin in shock, it didn't help that his face lost several shades of pigment. With a quick turn of his head, so fast that for a second Lucy thought the ageing mayor might break his neck from whiplash the Mayor of Foosha was interrogating her ''Dadan the mountain bandit leader! She's very dangerous! What are you making deals with her Lucy?!''

All eyes were now on Lucy, and for once she couldn't find the words to respond. Every attempt she made caused the words to get stuck in her throat, and no matter how much she tried all that happened was air tumbled out her open mouth. It was all falling apart again, like sand through her fingers that never stayed even when she clenched her hands into fists. What broke through her attempts to defend herself was a small voice to her side that carried on the wind.

Makino who at this point had her hand up to her mouth whispered into the silent air ''…So that's where you've been for the last three months… I was wondering why you had such firm calluses on your hands…and your knees, what have you been doing?''

The dream of staying here, away from everything her life had seemed to become. Where everything could go back to normal, just like it always was. But what she hadn't realized was that all it would take was a simple needle to pop her dream. Now who knew what would happen, the blissful ignorance of what she had become was gone. What would the villagers think now that they knew she was in cahoots with Bandits? Most likely they would think of her as more of an outcast than they already did, no amount of explaining would change their mind. Once it got into their heads that she was someone to watch out for they would always unconsciously distrust her. Human beings were like that, she had seen it growing up and th-

No! No! She wouldn't let it! To be so easily defeated by her own fear, to not even try to fight it. That was something she had gotten over; she refused to be that week snivelling coward, scared about the future, scared in the jungle. Was that not why she had gotten Shank's hat? To remind her to get up and fight her battles, the ones inside her head. Right now being in Foosha was all that mattered, even if everyone but Makino hated her, that was enough. That was her desire, and she would follow it no matter the consequence.

If she could see herself in the mirror Lucy would have noticed how for once her shoulders were square and her stance solid. But most importantly she would have noticed the steely look that crept into her black irises, one born from determination. Out of all the people in Party's bar, only Ace took notice as the girl who he had dismissed as a hopeless coward, constantly second-guessing herself suddenly stood firm. In her place was one who, while not to the degree of many, looked capable of standing on her own two feet.

Lucy didn't notice or care about what the others thought about her, she was focused on putting her feelings into a sentence that reflected her desire. When one formed in her head she tested the waters starting with ''Ace, I will only say it once again. I refuse to go back to that hell hole'' Said boy tried to get a word out in protest to her statement but she refused to let him ''this is my home. No amount of threats of violence or otherwise will take me back there''

In response, the son of the Pirate king scoffed into the air stating '' You act like you've got a choice in the matter.'' This time it was his turn to cut off her protests as he carried on without stopping, causing Lucy to close her mouth with a distinctive clap as her teeth smacked into each other ''What about when Garp shows up huh? You've seen how our 'Grandfather' is, in a single day you'll be back to the hideout. When that happens you'll have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Dadan is even worse to those who cross her…just come back now and deal with the mess you've caused. I'd rather not have to be there when the fallout happens if I can. I'd rather not do this stupid chore either to be honest''

Lucy quickly raced to get a word out in protest but stopped when she realized the boy was right. Not about the chore, he was still being a twerp about it, but about Garp. It's expressed in the manga and anime that he comes about several times a year, and he is undoubtedly the type to not care about any argument in opposition with his ideas. He was an Ace, except the size of a giant and several magnitudes more stubborn. When he finally did arrive it was foolish not to believe that he would pick her up by the scuff of her shirt and Shave her back to Dadan in a heartbeat in some idiotic idea of training his Granddaughter. She just had to get a Grandfather that was nuts didn't she? Considering he left her to thrive or die in a jungle that would be a solid yes. When he did come all her hard work to achieve her desire would be undone and she would be thrown back to the wolves again, this time they would hostile.

Ace seemed to enjoy her silence because he smiled a small smirk at Lucy and said in a condescending tone ''finally figured it all out 'Dog'?'' It was not Lucy that responded to his taunt, neither was it Makino, Mayor Wood-Slap who till this point had been keeping his ideals aside in the conversation exploded on to the scene ''A young man should treat a young lady with dignity! Stop calling her a 'Dog' and learn some basic respect brat!''

In response the pole wielding boy scoffed whilst rolling his eyes before saying ''Shut up you shity old geezer'' Mayor Wood-Slap almost suffered a heart attack by how much his blood pressure must have increased, in fact at the response he started to go red in the face. Lucy was almost surprised to see the normally withdrawn Mayor respond in such a way to speak out on her behalf, it made her feel better inside. The old mayor would have most likely ripped into Ace about his lack of respect if he wasn't interrupted by Makino firmly interrupting between the two before they could argue in earnest ''Lucy is this true, you have caused an issue with Dadan the bandit?''

Both Ace and Mayor Wood-Slap at this both turned to her, one with bored eyes and one with curious eyes, in that order. For a moment Lucy wanted to deny all knowledge of the bandit leader, say that Ace was making it all up, that it wasn't true. But then she thought what good would it do her at this point, Ace was right, no matter what she did Garp would inevitably ruin it for her and she would be stuck with thirty-two angry bandits. So with great reluctance, she bobbed her head once to her only friend around.

In a brief moment, Lucy was sure that a wave of concern flashed across the green-haired woman's eyes, and then Makino smiled kindly and put a reassuring hand on Lucy's shoulder giving it a little squeeze. At that moment she said the worst thing Lucy wanted to hear ''Well you will just have to sort it out then…''

For a brief moment, Lucy had to comprehend what her guardian had just said then in a second after that she automatically started to protest ''But Makino I don-'' before the woman cut her off again with a hard pinch of her shoulder, right on the nerve. The sudden silence from her actions allowed Makino to carry on talking as her smile stuck to her face like syrup despite her previous action ''And I will help you''

This time it was Ace who interrupted into the conversation. Which was for the best considering Lucy was raking her brain around how this managed to get to this point and what was going to happen. ''Old Lady, You're not relevant so sod off'' Naturally his tone of voice and language set off Mayor Wood-Slap who was probably waiting for the ideal moment to vent his frustration again ''you little br-''

Only he would off if Makino hadn't once again taken control of the situation in a way that made everyone look like squabbling school children ''It is okay Mayor Wood-Slap, I'm sure he meant no harm'' She started as she smiled at the dissatisfied mayor before turning to the only non-Foosha native ''By the sound of it Lucy has created quite the issue, I'm sure Mrs Dadan would enjoy all of these problems being sorted out'' At this she paused, and her smiled became sharper ''Plus I would like to talk to this Dadan''

At her statement of wanting to meet Dadan, Lucy almost spoke her mind by shouting 'No way in hell!' to the green-haired barkeep. Instead just as she was going to swivel around to confront her friend on why meeting a deranged orange-haired murder was a stupid idea, the woman in question once again squeezed her shoulder. This time it was not a soft reminder to let the woman talk it out, no, it was a nail digging into her muscles so hard that Lucy was sure that if her shoulders were bare, small streams of blood would be oozing out the five holes Makino's nails made. It stung so much that for a second the only thing Lucy could do was squeeze her teeth together and try and fight the sharp sting.

Ace who didn't have this issue was most happy to take Lucy's place in trying to talk the green-haired woman out of seeing the bandit…well, he tried, but must have realized somewhere between his mouth opening and any words coming out that at this point he might as well go with the flow. So instead of taking the barkeep out of going to see the mountain bandit he instead crossed his arms, pole kept under one armpit, and with a sigh said ''Humph, have it your way''

Much to Lucy's displeasure this was followed by Mayor Wood-Slap announcing ''I'll just hold down the bar till you youngsters get back'' The old Mayor did also think about talking Makino out of it, but like Ace he caved like bolder clay before a winter storm in the overwhelming presence of the woman. With his bit said the oldest person in the establishment slowly walked towards the bar area to complete the hundreds of little tasks that needed to be done.

And then there was only Lucy, left to try and talk her best friend out of visiting a den of mass murders and criminals. Once Makino let go of her shoulder the raven head took a couple of steps forward to prevent any encores of shoulder pinching, twice was enough for her, and stared into the brown eyes of the person who meant the most to her in the world. The only thing Lucy found was warmth and determination, the determination to fix her problem. Why? Why? Why would Makino go this far for her, this was a problem of her own creation. One that she had made willingly, consequences be damned. Lucy knew that running away would cause an issue, even during her anger somewhere in the back of her mind figured that out easily enough. So why did her best friend have to get involved in her problems like they were nothing, did she not see the danger! She was willingly going to walk into the lion's den, for her…and Lucy didn't know what to feel.

The joy of finally running away, to finally be back home was fading. If she knew that her actions would bring harm, or potential harm, to the people she cared about then would she do it? At this point, even Lucy was second-guessing her decision, but a small sliver of hope emerged, one that said that if she could just convince the green-haired woman to stay then Lucy could be free and Makino would be safe. With that determination born from hope she awkwardly attempted to move the immovable object ''Makino, Dadan is…..She's not the nicest person in the world, to put it bluntly. In fact, she's pretty far down the list.'' At this point it was all Lucy could do to beg the brown eyes staring back at her to see reason ''I don't want to drag you into my problems''

An uneasy pause permeated the bar, and for just a second those eyes seemed to be considering her admission, then whatever consideration the woman felt faded like mist to the rising sun. Lucy watched as her final attempt to convince Makino failed, where there was consideration was now an easy smile, much like one a mother would give a child before telling them that 'while your input is appreciated, I have already made up my mind'. For the first time in a while, ever since the rainforest incident, she panicked as her dream seemed to be falling apart.

While Lucy was having an internal crisis over how to convince her friend not to walk into a danger zone, said woman had closed the small gap between them. The first thing that alerted her to the outside world was the sudden addition of a hand on her head; it was large, smooth but also possessed the firmness of a person who used them to work. The sudden weight snapped Lucy out of her thoughts as all of a sudden Makino's face popped into view, the woman kneeling down to Lucy's height. The woman gave her hair a little stroke before saying in a calm motherly tone ''don't worry Lu, I know what I'm getting into''

Sensing this was the most likely the last time to convince the woman to reconsider she open her mouth to say 'Makino please don't' but was stopped at ''Ma-'' before said woman put a finger on Lucy's lips to silence her.

''Lucy don't you trust me?'' She asked, her head tilting in a small manner to the side. With a finger barricading her mouth, Lucy couldn't speak her mind. But even then she probably would struggle. That small sliver of hope was now gone, and in its place was the deep pit that said 'If you don't go with her, then they might do something horrible…and then would your 'dream' be worth it'. At that point the fact she was back in Foosha village didn't matter; everything was becoming a mess in her brain. Did she go back knowing it might lead to her being stuck with the bandits again with no chance of escape, like a sheep among wolves? Or did she stay here; back in the place she wanted to be, knowing that her best friend would be left with what would most likely be a group of furious killers all alone to deal with a problem she caused?

On her cheek was a hand, slowly directing her gaze to a pair of smooth amber eyes. At that moment Lucy realized in her internal debate she had managed to start to look down at the floor. Not only that but she had managed to start clenching her teeth so hard that her jaw hurt when releasing it, her hands slowly unclenched from their white balls. Makino didn't say anything she just continued to stare into her eyes, and quite successfully, talk through the emotions they conveyed. Happiness. Trust. Determination. Kindness. Hope…Love.

Before Lucy even realized she was doing it, the woman received an answer in a small but still discernable nod. That was all the woman needed as she stood up from her kneel, stroking Lucy's hair slightly in the process, then she patted down her apron of all the invisible dust on it. In a single motion she once again put her hand on Lucy's shoulder giving it a small squeeze of reassurance, thankfully this time, and said ''Well that's all settled, let's meet Mrs. Dadan…I want a chat with her''

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It wasn't until around six in the evening that they finally made it back to Dadans hideout. Unlike Lucy's journey through the forest the day before, this one was slightly faster as Ace just walked over the hills directly to the path, naturally cutting the hour-long coastal walkout. Still the path was just as meandering as ever, the animals just as loud and the smell of dampness and flowers just a prevalent. Talking about the pole wielding adolescence he didn't talk, at all, instead he would walk ahead of both Makino and her by a significant amount only stopping to turn around to check if they were following. Perhaps he imagined they would magically poof into nonexistence at a drop of a hat. Makino and Lucy didn't care either way, after they left the earshot of the nosy villages the barkeep had been politely digging to find what Lucy had been doing the last three months. She also wanted all the information possible about Dadan and after a while trying to divert the green-haired woman's attention Lucy just gave up and told her what she wanted.

Still both went silent as they entered the little clearing just outside the hideout, for a moment Lucy paused hesitating to go back inside. Now that she was here again, some of her agitation against its inhabitants had slightly subsided, just slightly, as she started to remember some of the times they had helped her. Dogra, Magra and Dadan were jerks at the best of times, but they also had redeeming qualities. To be honest, she wasn't sure what she thought about anything anymore, and that annoyed her to no end. Once again a hand to the shoulder broke through the mental debate she was having, and as she looked up at Makino she found the green-haired woman smiling back down in a reassuring manner. Lucy gave her a halfhearted smile back, one that probably showed her discomfort of being in this mess.

Ace, being Ace, simply ignored what was going on behind him and shouted ''Dadan, she's back!'' Into the open clearing. If there was one thing that Ace had inherited from the family D it was his lung capacity. The boy could shout to save his life.

Silence descended for a second, as nothing seemed to stir from the hideout. Then, just noticeable for those focused on the doorway, came a small lifting of the curtain as out came Dogra looking exactly the same as he always does. The dwarf looked out from the gap, and after confirming it was actually Ace and not some imposter that sounded exactly like the deranged boy walked out to greet them. He waddled to Ace first saying ''Well done Ace'' to which the boy responded by muttering something under his breath, it sounded very much like 'what a waste of my time', and walking off into the jungle.

Makino, Lucy and Dogra all stared at the raven-haired boy as he disappeared into the all-encompassing green hell. Out of all of them Dogra recovered first, most likely used to Ace's antics by now, and turned to look at both of them. When he gazed at Lucy, she seemed to notice…guilt? Just slightly, but still present in his eyes before he covered it up in a professional manner and started to inform them of the situation saying ''Dadan is inside, you best not keep her waiting Lucy…and whoever you are''

Makino probably expecting a lot of confusion of her identity took it in her stride, offering out a hand to the dwarf who took it awkwardly clearly not used to giving someone a handshake. ''My name is Makino, Lucy's guardian. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance'' with that she finished with a small smile.

Dogra simply kept shaking her hand in a comically confused manner until the Makino let go of his hand. With his hand free the dwarf took a couple of seconds to readjust before the sound of ceramics breaking was heard from the hideout through the rug door. When that happened the Dwarf snapped out of his surprise over having a handshake and muttered to the both of them ''Let's get this over with, she's been drinking heavier than usual today, there's already several broken bottles and a floor panel that have been destroyed in her wake.''

He didn't wait for their responses, instead he walked back to the front entrance of the hideout. Lucy noticed the slight hesitance in his strides indicating that the bandit didn't want to be in the same room as his drunken boss, if that wasn't a warning sine then she didn't know what was. With nothing else to do both her and Makino followed behind the dwarf to the front door, however, they both stopped when he paused in the small tunnel between the outside and rug. When both of them got closer he gave a small motion with his hand to get them closer to him as if he were going to share some top-secret information. Lucy and Makino paused, shared a look, then leaned in Makino more than Lucy.

''Just be glad we convinced her to listen to your side of the story'' He started, voice barely a whisper ''When she really started drinking it got in her head that she should drag you back herself and be judge, jury and executioner of your punishment'' The thought of a drunk, deranged Dadan chasing her down to Party's bar, club in hand, dragging her off to enact revenge was not a thought Lucy wanted to think about. Say what you want about the woman, she was dangerous if provoked not amount of comedy in the anime could overlook that fact. It made Lucy slightly conflicted that the bandits had stepped to her defence, did they hate her or not?

Like usual Makino took control of the situation by saying a small ''thanks'' to the dwarf which Lucy followed if more hesitantly. The dwarf nodded his head in acknowledgement, then disappeared under the rug without looking back. With him gone it was only the two of them standing outside, and for a second Lucy paused hesitating to lift the cloth that served as the front door and face the music. She took a couple of deep breaths in and out, then looked towards Makino. Said woman looked back from her spot just to the side of her, then a reassuring grin and a head nod gave her all the pushing she needed to slowly open the door. With a swish, she had entered into the dark eating hall of the bandits.

The first thing she had to do was adjust to the darkness, objects moved around in the shadows that could only be the bandits. After her eyes adjusted slightly the first thing she noticed was that all the bandits in the hideout, sat in a semi-circle opposite the front door around the central fireplace, were staring at her. The wok had been removed from the fireplace giving a perfect view of the person Lucy wanted to see the least, apart from Garp. Dadan was clearly intoxicated, a virtual sea of ceramic remains extended out from her indicating that the woman had been smashing all the bottles that she drank from. Based on the number of shards, that was an awful lot of alcohol. To her side sat Magra, still looking like a chicken and very on edge to be next to the drunken woman. To her side was an empty mat that was soon filled as Dogra walked over with a spare mat to put next to the single one the other side of the fire pit. The only one this side of the room. It didn't take a genius to realize that the room looked like a courtroom, with the accused on one side and the judges on the other. When he had put the second mat on the ground next to her intended seat he walked over to his, on the left-hand side of Dadan and promptly sat down.

At this point, Dadan seemed to finally stop drinking from her bottle of some sort of alcohol and turned to look at Lucy. The woman was red in the face, not just blushing but so red it outshone her ginger hair. She had wet patches that ran down her body from her upper torso to her green and gold trousers. The smell gave them away as alcohol stains much to Lucy's disgust. But what really made Lucy nervous was the woman's eyes they were unfocused and in the back of them it seemed Dadan was well and truly out of it. The fact she flamboyantly extended her arm out in a manner only seen in speeches while saying ''So she finally returns, the Granddaughter who ran away'' belittled that fact. Then Dadans unfocused eyes looked past her to what Lucy took a second to realize was Makino and muttered ''and who the hell are you?'' On her face was a look of confusion, made especially apparent now the woman had lost any inhibitions she might off ever had to begin with.

It was not Makino or Lucy that answered her question, Dogra, slightly more jumpy than Lucy had ever seen the dwarf, cut into the conversation stating ''Her name is Makino boss, apparently Lucy's 'guardian''

At that response, the bandit leader raised one of her thin eyebrows, the creases on her forehead born from stress and age coming to life. Instead of an outburst like the usual Dadan would do this just muttered ''Oh? Is that so?'' into the air.

As perhaps the only person who didn't know what type of person Dadan was Makino took it in her stride politely bowing her head a respectable distance and then with a smile said ''Yes it is. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mrs. Dadan''

In response Dadan only snorted before saying ''don't call me Mrs., makes me feel my age.'' Which made no logical sense to Lucy considering Mrs. was to do with marital statement and not age at all. She was going to correct the woman when she caught the eyes of Magra and saw a small amount of fear, the chicken man simply looked her in her eye and shook his head just slightly as if to talk her down from commenting without opening his mouth. At that point Lucy kept her opinions to herself, something had clearly set all the bandits on edge and she was sitting in the middle of the room, bottle in hand.

With another swig from the glass bottle Dadan once again took control of the room by saying to Makino ''I hope the brat said good things about me''

Makino obviously just making small talk, and either not seeing or refusing to acknowledge the unspoken agreement around the bandit leader, quipped back ''She was most passionate about singing your praises'' with a smirk on her face.

The room suddenly got a lot tenser as the bandits all looked in shock at the green-haired woman for her snappy comment. Then they all looked at their boss to see if she would explode like a bomb on a small timer. Said woman only let out a small laugh though it was more like a grunt in Lucy's opinion and sarcastically shot back ''I'm sure she was, now then to business please sit down the both of you'' Considering the emotional state of the woman in question both of them obliged and soon they were level with everyone on the floor.

''Any drinks or food…Mabio?'' Even when drunk as a skunk, the bandit leader seemed to honour the societal agreements about what a host should offer. Despite having her name completely butchered Makino shook her head in a negative and said ''No thank you to both'' with a polite smile on her face.

Dadan pinched the bridge of her nose and said ''I see, I see'' in acknowledgement, then she got started on why they even came up the mountain ''Lucy I would like to hear a good reason why you decided to run away. In the middle of our bet no less''

Now the room was on her and the small push she had been relying on to get her through started to shrivel and die. Staring back at her were thirty-three eyes not including Makino's and the words she been practising to say all the way up got stuck on the way down. The silence dragged on for a couple of uncomfortable seconds to the point that Lucy would just rather have the vanish-vanish fruit and escape from existence. She opened her mouth but couldn't find the correct words, in the end after around five seconds of oppressive silence she got so angry at her lack of speech that she ground through ''I've had enough of living here, I don't want to spend another day in this place'' on self-anger alone.

What followed was an even greater oppressive silence as the drunk bandit leader absorbed her complaint and the bandits in the background held their breath. Then a smirk crossed the woman's face and she in a highly amused tone said ''Oh? And why is that?''

Lucy once again tried to word it in her head and get out the sentence she wanted desperately to say to the woman. It felt like the great weight on her chest was being transported up to her oesophagus and the size of it stopped any sound escaping her throat. This time no amount of cursing her sudden stuttering would budge the blockage and in the end she ended up stating ''I….I….I get'' under her breath.

What happened next was like an elastic band snapping in your hands, sudden with no motive with the ability to shock you into cowardice. Dadan who seemed so calm before snapped, the glass bottle in her hands met the rest of the ones on the floor in broken misery as she shouted ''Speak up and stop mumbling!''

All the bandits on the outside semi-circle flinched back as if struck, Dogra and Magra almost seemed ready to jump up and make a fast getaway. Lucy to flinched away for a split second then the blockage in her throat started moving, she didn't know why but with a sudden burst of energy she managed to get over her stutter and tell the woman exactly what she thought ''Every day I get up at a stupid time, work myself to the bone, with little to no breaks while everyone sits around doing nothing. All I get is a small meal that doesn't even put a dent in my hunger. I work myself raw every day for no reward and I get no appreciation or thanks for it!'' At first, the words were said in a growl, then as she found her moment they transformed into a shout, not loud like Ace's all loud and overbearing, but it had the anger she felt towards the woman. By then end of it, she was panting, each exhales and inhale echoed across the room but she didn't care. It felt good to get that off her chest.

Dadan did what Lucy least expected, instead of getting violent and aggressive like she originally thought after her brain caught up to what she was saying…the woman…laughed? It was deep and rough, born from most likely the woman's smoking habit, and it grew and grew until the ginger-haired woman was laughing so hard her entire body was shaking. Then just as quickly as it disappeared like a mirage in the desert and the woman calmed down. With the burst of giggles gone the woman spread her thick meaty arms out wide and said ''that's life brat, welcome to the real world. You work awfully hard, get little in return and you learn to live with it'' Then one hand went to the side of her face as she started chuckling again. Through her deep rumbling she animatedly said ''What you expect to be showered in praise 'Lucy's polished a boot, let's all cheer for Lucy, let's give her a five-star meal'. Grow up brat, this is how we live, look around you, you think we got mountains of food, do you think we live in luxury… well? It's hard, it's miserable and we barely have enough to get by''

The feeling of that unknown emotion surfaced again. Lucy didn't understand, wasn't she angry at these people for mistreating her, wasn't she angry at them for ignoring her, using her for their own gain. And yet she couldn't help but feel…pity for them. Despite choosing to live this lifestyle they were just trying to get by, always on the edge of annihilation from just one bad turn of events. She didn't like them, but she was starting to understand their mindset however much she despised it punished her.

Considering Lucy was too busy trying to work out where she stood in this whole debacle, it was left to Makino to answer the woman's rhetorical questions. Once again showing no sign of fear in the face of the emotionally unstable dunk she once again took a firm stance ''Mrs. Dadan, please understand, Lucy's appetite is comparable to several adults. Not only that but as a child, she requires much more relaxation and sleep than an adult. Her body is not suited to what you are pushing on her''

Dadan didn't laugh, or shout at the challenge to her statement instead she tried to grab another bottle to her side. Considering she had shattered all of the bottles, based on the fact there where non around her, she spent a couple of seconds confusedly grasping thin air. When she finally realized there was no more alcohol to be had she muttered underneath her breath, frown on her face and told Makino exactly what she thought ''We hardly have enough food to feed that endless pit…'' she started pointing to one of the corners of the room. Everyone turned to look at the empty corner then back to the woman in confusion. It took Lucy longer than she'd rather admit that she meant Ace, who the woman had most likely poofed into existence in her intoxicated state. Still Dadan rambled on ''I understand your concerns, but I am not in a position to waste a resource that is willing to work''

This time it was Makino's turn to frown as she asked a question with a rather obvious answer ''Then why did you accept to take her in? It sounds like a stupid decision'' the answer was obvious she didn't accept of her own accord. Dadan was more than happy to explain that fact as she did a one-eighty again and almost excitedly started jumping in her seat. ''Finally, someone gets it! We are mountain bandits, scourges of mount Colombo! AND YET GARP SEEMS TO HAVE GOTTEN IT INTO HIS THICK SKULL WE ARE BABYSITTERS!'' Halfway through the overweight bandit had started shouting at the top of her lungs. Considering it was so unexpected Lucy could only put her hands over her ears so quickly she was sure she had popped them, the fact she could still hear Dadan shouting through her hands proved otherwise. She was not alone as almost everyone in the room, especially Dogra and Magra who were sitting next to the woman were in the same position, hands over ears.

Just as quickly as it came the woman calmed down and after a couple of tense seconds, where Lucy was sure the woman was waiting for everyone to let their guards down to deafen them again, everyone went back to uncomfortably waiting on Dadan to talk. And talk she did as she babbled on ''who else would think that way? I just wanted to spend my life stealing and living it up, but no 'Take care of my stupid grandchildren Dadan or I will arrest you' and 'if I hear that you committed any crimes then I'll end our deal. I don't want a bad role model for my grandkids'. I just want to be left alone to do bandit stuff, I never wanted to be a mother. How do you deal with the tykes?''

By the end of it the woman was almost crying, disgustingly much like the manga a small bubble of snot was starting to drip out the woman's nose. Lucy almost physically cringed away at the sight of it, sometimes she really hated Oda's comedy sense. It was funny on screen, much less so in real life.

Makino was the first to recover from the outburst, showcasing a complete lack of sense of danger as she nodded her head and stated ''so it was Garp who made the decision, forgive my assumption Mrs Dadan'' in a tone that showed the woman had now understood all the context to the issue. Though considering Dadan had made it obviously very clear about what had happened, and what she thought of it that wasn't very surprising.

Dadan didn't care what Makino thought however and continued her mumbling ''I'll admit it, the brat has shown a respectable amount of work ethic. Usually, I despise children, they're too needy and winy'' Then she pointed one finger right towards the centre of Lucy's forehead, causing the girl to go cross-eyed staring at it ''this one shuts up and deals with it''

Whatever pity Lucy had was overshadowed by the annoyance at the woman, could she not understand that she didn't want to work for her? Did it ever cross her dunk mind that she had other goals besides simply wanting to work for her? Did the woman even realize she was a human being and not a resource? By the end of her rhetorical questions Lucy had worked herself into a wave of bubbling anger at the woman. She understood her Grandfather was not a man you said no to, but still that didn't warrant her treatment by Dadan. Before she knew it her mouth was working without her consent ''Not anymore. I refuse to work for you again. I'm going to be back to Foosha village to live my life out in peace''

Dadan stopped for a second as if to quantify what had just been said to her and while she sat there the bandits all sat behind their leader with anxious faces as if they expected their leader to explode at any minute. It was uncalled for as the woman let out a crooked grin towards Lucy and with a knowledgeable twinkle in her eye the belittled her drunkenness she mirthfully said ''Well go then, but don't be surprised when Garp delivers you right back here''

It was the one thing that Lucy was scared about right now. The jungle could wait, destiny even more so. She didn't want to be here but it seemed that everyone was certain that Garp would just pick her up and drop her off here, with no amount of reasoning making him consider otherwise. It was not Garp that scared her, it was the fact that no matter what she wanted to do, there always seemed to be a person who would force her into a position she didn't want to be. Why could she just live a nice, peaceful, normal life? Was she forever cursed to be dragged into things she wanted no part in until she just went with the flow? For the questions above Lucy blamed the Gods, and Ace, and Garp and everything. Was she cursed to sink or drown?

Makino who until this point had been listening, content to let the muttering bandit take the brunt of the conversation suddenly inserted herself back in ''Perhaps a compromise can be met, one where Lucy can have…less stress and responsibility while you still achieve your desired goals'' At this Lucy turned to the green-haired woman, what was she thinking? She had made it very clear that she didn't want to be here so why was Makino folding on the topic? Wasn't she on Lucy's side? So why was she giving up the point?

Dadan took the comment just as poorly as Lucy, but in a different way. The once calm woman was now on edge with anger, veins popping along her forehead. Naturally this set off the rest of the room as they all tensed to deal with the sudden outburst of the woman. Just before she exploded however she managed to catch herself and groundout through clenched teeth ''I was already being generous by giving her a compromise three months ago. Look at how that got repaid, she spat on my generosity'' By the end the woman was practically vibrating as she pointed a finger once again at Lucy.

Lucy would have replied in defence of her decision if Makino didn't jump in. The green-haired woman also seemingly starting to get argumentative as for the first time in a long time the woman was almost snarling. It took her a couple of seconds to even fathom the calm and collected Makino could get angry. Never had she seen her truly angered to the point of lashing out verbally, she was always smiling and patient. Then as Lucy looked over towards Dadan she started to realize just how far out of her depth she was as these two towering giants came to verbal blows. ''Please understand that even with your earlier compromise you overstepped your boundaries'' Makino started though seemed to calm down with each syllable said, the same could not be said for Dadan as the woman got more agitated with each syllable ''While I appreciate allowing Lucy to not participate in 'theft, looting, swindling and murder' what you asked of her was equally as reckless. I have never seen her seem so exhausted, not to mention how thin and pale she is. If you carry on treating Lucy this way it is very likely you will permanently damage her''

After the first outburst Makino had fully controlled her anger to the point that it was hard to detect, her tone was calm and she had a thin but notable smile. It was clear to Lucy who had spent all her life with the woman that she was just better at hiding it than most. The same could not be said for Dadan who leapt to her feet, almost falling back over when her legs swayed and with the fury of a storm shouted ''you barge into my house and question my methods?!'' At once the room became a mess of action as Dogra and Magra also shot to their feet both trying to hold the woman back from storming over and pummeling Makino. The bandits along the outside fell into a barely contained chaos as many sprang backwards away from their leader. Lucy flinched as the woman shot up, and even questioned if she should grab Makino and run out the hideout to seek some sort of shelter from the ginger-haired woman. She never got the chance as Makino also stood up, but instead of running out of the house, she did something that Lucy would always remember. She stood in front of Lucy, facing down the furious Dadan without fear and hesitation. Dadan who was desperately trying to get out of Magra grasp calmed down only when Makino started talking again, and even then it was clear she just wanted another reason to validate her actions in her head ''Yes, it is clear you have no idea how to raise children in a safe and secure manner. Based on what Lucy has been telling me about her time here, as well as my observation of the boy, Ace. Instead, you treat them like your underlings, and it's clear both have been negatively affected by this fact.''

Despite the immense danger she was in Lucy never heard Makino's voice reflect any fear or anger. She simply stood straight and tall, her back reflected a virtual mountain, unyielding to Lucy. And her opinion of the woman who was already so high in her books became so giant it blotted out everything around it. If it were Lucy she probably would have clenched her teeth in anger and refuse to talk to the person ever again. But Makino never raised her voice or threatened with violence, even when Dadan screamed ''I have half a mind to show you what happens to those who disrespect me!'' in her face. Dadan was being held back by over ten people at this point, and despite her staggering uncontrollably she seemed intent on spilling blood. Even Dogra and Magra shouting ''Boss no!'' didn't faze her.

Makino was not finished however and continued to lay on the facts to the drunken bandit with the efficiency of a scientist ''I came here to find out if Lucy's stories were true and for fill my own curiosity. It seems that everything I've been told is based on the truth. Mrs Dadan, you are incapable of raising children. However, I believe I am in a position to help you''

This set off Dadans temper again as she shouted ''You think I need your help? You green-haired brat!'' Lucy couldn't see, with her view being blocked by Makino's back despite being on her feet as well at this point. If she could she would have seen a calm smile cross the bar keeps face as she quietly said ''of course Mrs Dadan. If what you say about Mr Garp is true then it is an inevitability that Lucy will end up in your care again. I have, due to my position as Lucy's guardian for eight years, developed skills capable of dealing with children with….issues. If I may be so bold, I can help deal with that part of your responsibility or teach another so that they may take up my role. Would you not like help Mrs. Dadan?''

It seemed that the volcano had run out of steam at this point because instead of an outburst, Dadan took several deep breaths in and out. She grunted once or twice as she wheezed like a pig. She went calm in the bandit's hands, they stopped to observe her for a couple more seconds before letting go uncertain whether the bandit leader would rush over and inflict an injury on a silent Makino. Dadan wobbled once then twice and after the third finally let gravity drag her back to her seat with a muffled bang. Everyone stared at her for a couple more seconds before returning to their seats, all glad that the ginger-haired woman was not so gone that she could not listen to reason. Even Makino still slightly hesitant to let Lucy be unshielded eventually got back into her seat, giving her with a wink and a small smile to Lucy, before looking back to the muttering Dadan.

This carried on for around a minute as Dadan mumbled to herself under her breath then turned to face the ceiling and said ''Why couldn't I just be a normal bandit leader, and not have to worry about two stupid brats.'' Then she sat silently staring at the ceiling. In the silence that followed everyone seemed hesitant to talk to the matron but Dogra almost stuttering tried to break the silence ''Boss, it's ok your just drunk'' He was successful in breaking the silence as almost instantly he set Dadan off again ''Shut up! I know!''

This time however she controlled herself and didn't rush to her feet, instead her head snapped down from the ceiling and looked at Lucy, then Makino and then back to Lucy again. After she finished her observation she muttered ''Tell you what I'll make you a deal brat….Mantino'' She would have continued but was cut off by Makino correcting her by saying ''Makino'' At her interrupted the drunken bandit squinted in annoyance then carried on as normal ''Whatever, if Lucy can finish my challenge by super tonight, with every item ticked off then you will get your compromise. I'll even make sure the brat gains a significant portion of money from the selling of her crafts, enough to allow her to eat to her heart's content. How is that Mabilo, you should know I'm a woman of my word.''

Lucy at this point was trying to figure out how this had all gone so wrong from earlier today, it didn't make sense how it got so confusing. The one thing she did understand is that this was the last time she could get out of staying with the bandits, so she opened her mouth to contest the offer when Makino to the right of her chimed in with ''That is most acceptable Mrs Dadan'' The sudden comment shut off any response Lucy could have given and the only thing she could do was stare at Makino as the woman sealed her fate once again.

Well, that took forever to finish. This is where I find out that Dadan is a sleepy drunk, though it was fun writing her. Well this was a wrap. Till next time. Bye Bye