The bed was built into the wall, bunk-style, and that made it easier for Tsulle to huddle against the protecting wood boards. She lay on her side, curled into a ball, watching through teary eyes. There were a lot of men here. Was she to satisfy all of them? She could see the way the man with the swords looked at the black haired woman. The woman didn't seem intimidated by him; she looked him right in the eyes often. Tsulle couldn't quite figure out whether the woman belonged to the sword man or the other way around. It was strange. It reminded her of something she couldn't put her finger on.
The red haired woman—the one who'd been with her—was clearly in charge of the blond man. That was even stranger. It was obvious to Tsulle that the blond man served her…why? What power did she have over him?
Topping the list of strange things was the fact that there were so many men on this ship: the huge metal one, the skeleton, the man with the big nose, the sword man and the blond one, and the man who'd been with Tsulle and the red-haired woman, plus that little animal (Tsulle couldn't decide if he was a man or a child)…and not one of them seemed to take either of the women. Perhaps they did so behind closed doors somewhere, but…Tsulle suspected they didn't at all. Trying to figure out the nature of this crew was making Tsulle's head spin. How could any of this be?
"Hello, little one," the skeleton sat down beside her; Tsulle stiffened. The time had come at last.
"Yes, sir," she quivered. She sat up and began to unbutton the nightgown the black-haired woman had given her.
"Hush now, none of that." The skeleton placed his hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to worry about that here."
Tsulle looked at him. It was hard to read his expression without flesh, but he seemed kind…concerned, even. "Sir?" she ventured.
The skeleton gestured with his other hand, encompassing the ship. "See this?"
"Y-yes," she answered, confused. What was he driving at?
"I must confess…I was a bit frightened when I first came here. Perhaps I would be laughed at or not accepted." Brook looked down at the girl. "Perhaps I would be hurt, or sold on to some high bidder. A talking skeleton, after all…"
Tsulle swallowed, and nodded slightly.
"But I have to tell you, child, that the people here did not laugh or reject or do any harm to me. And clearly I wasn't sold off at the next port." He moved his arm to wrap around Tsulle's shoulders, gently tugging her near to him. "What I found here, with these people, was something much more incredible than anything I would have imagined. Would you like to guess what it was?"
Tsulle looked up at him, eyes wide, saying nothing.
Brook smiled. "I found friendship and love. I found people who cared about me and were willing to go to any length for my sake. Dear child," Brook momentarily tightened his grip then loosed again, giving Tsulle a half-hug. "You are quite safe here. What was done to you in that pit of despair will not be done to you here. No one will touch you in any way that makes you uncomfortable; no one will engage you in any cruel act. I assure you, little one, that no harm will come to you."
Brook sat with her a few more moments in silence. Tsulle wasn't yet ready to relax in his presence, but she did feel less like a spring ready to pop. Was there any truth to his words? He sounded truthful, yet…Tsulle had learned not to trust silver tongues.
After a time, Brook squeezed her in another half hug, then got up, turned to her, removed his hat, and bowed deeply. "Welcome to the Thousand Sunny. We are truly glad to have you here." He smiled, turned, and strode off.
She stayed quietly on the bed even when the others gathered for a noon meal; the blond man brought her a bowl of clear soup that smelled wonderful, but Tsulle long ago figured out not to trust things that seemed too good to be true. This appeared very much to fall into that category.
As evening crept on, though, and dinner was served, Tsulle's stomach outweighed her fears. She followed the merry sounds and delicious smells and crept to a room that turned out to be a dining hall. The large table was crowded with people, all talking and laughing and eating. Tsulle looked on in wonder.
"Hey, look who decided to join us!" the metal man shouted happily. "Come on in, sit down, have some dinner!" He had jumped up to pull out a chair and gestured for Tsulle to sit. "Rice? Fish? Oh, noodle salad. Fried bean sprouts? Spicy tofu? Here's some soup. Yakitori chicken? Obviously dango. Dried squid and daikon, and wagashi for the ladies." Tsulle's eyes were wide as the metal man piled her plate high with food. She stared.
"Whatcha waiting for?" the straw hat one asked. "It's good—Sanji's the best cook ever. Eat it!"
Tsulle hesitatingly picked up the chopsticks beside her plate and considered which item to try. "I—I don't…am I…?" the fearful questions nearly spilled out against her will. Tsulle clamped her mouth shut, eyes moistening as she blinked back tears.
Everyone around the table became quiet. Food was swallowed, chopsticks set down. All eyes were on Tsulle. She gulped. "What I mean is…my purpose here. Am I…am I to be…" a lump rose in her throat. "Am I to be…of service…to you all?" she looked downward. Fear gripped her. She might as well know it now, but the thought still made her blood go cold.
"Look, little girl," the straw hat one said. "We know what happened to you before. It sucked. It's not going to happen here. You're worried we're going to have sex with you and make you do stuff?"
Tsulle closed her eyes and nodded.
"Well, we're not, so quit worrying about it. I wouldn't have anybody on my crew who would do that to somebody who didn't want to, and especially to a kid. It isn't going to happen." The straw hat man spoke directly and firmly, staring right at her. "All that dumb stuff that they did is done with—forever. You're totally safe here. You're surrounded by friends. It's dinner time. So…LET'S EAT!" At that the straw hat man dove back into his plate, devouring the incredible meal, and everyone else around the table nodded, doing the same.
Tsulle jumped as the black haired woman covered Tsulle's right hand with her own. "It's true, you know," she spoke in a soft voice. "The people here will protect you. They care, deeply, more than anyone I've ever known. It's all right to eat, to relax. It's even all right to be happy."
Tsulle considered that. She'd heard it from so many now…that she was safe. She saw no evidence of any cruelty directed at anyone, besides occasional arguments between the blond man and the one with the swords, but even that seemed to not be in earnest…playful, almost. She looked around, and was met with friendly smiles and honest faces. It was all right to be happy the woman had said. Was it? Tsulle took a timid bite of the yakitori. Her taste buds seemed to explode—food had been only sustenance, tasteless gruel for so long. This was…this was good! Delicious, even! She took another bite, more eagerly this time. Maybe…maybe it would be okay to feel happy, just a little bit. Not let her guard down completely, of course, just…just feel…Tsulle took another bite and another…perhaps…satisfied? Not the right word. Perhaps…safe.