I made a mistake in the last chapter and I already edited it. Thanks GUEST for reviewing! If you didn't comment about it, I wouldn't have seen it!
Anyways, to answer guest's question... Yeah, I absolutely realized that she was waaaay more older than Roger and Rayleigh. There's a reason for that and i will reveal it SOON. It has something to do with her race.
THANK YOU FOR WELCOMING ME BACK 10th Squad 3rd Seat!
here's another chapter for you! ENJOY!
disclaimer: One piece is not mine...
Her body ached terribly and the lulling hands of fatigue threatened to dim her senses. She felt her eyelids beginning to droop as she glided on a soft air current and had to fight to keep them open.
Stellar had been flying for almost a full week now at a lower speed than she was used to due to her injuries. But she'd had no time to heal herself; all of her energy and effort had been put into the long journey. Her eyesight was getting hazy now though and the attempts to keep alert were getting less and less effective. She hoped desperately that she'd cross paths with Mugiwara-kun so that all the pain would be worth it.
She needed to get to Impel Down, she needed to stop this oncoming threat of war. If Whitebeard got onto the battlefield and got himself killed trying to protect Ace then the Fire Fruit users dream would never be accomplished. She couldn't let that happen.
She flapped her wings hard, pulling out of the current and gaining more height with each wing beat. She looked down, spotting a small shape below her.
'A Marine ship?'
She blinked twice and squinted her tired pearly eyes.
'A Marine ship?!'
Her eyes widened a fraction and her mind panicked. She couldn't fight a ship again especially in her condition. She'd been fighting both pirates and Marines on and off now for a week. She knew she couldn't handle another fight; her body was too weak.
But she couldn't exactly surrender either; she could see clearly the Gate of Justice from here. It was no time to begin complaining.
She tilted her wings, diving down and ordering the violet crystals to form a spear. Holding it firmly in her grasp, she pulled up slightly and scanned the ship with alert eyes. She was all prepared to throw the spear when she saw an unexpected person turning the wheel of the vessel. Scratch that, it was a Fishman.
What in the world was a Shichibukai doing driving a Marine ship?!
She flitted her gaze over the ship once more, stopping at a very familiar straw hat that was standing at the railings with other people she didn't know personally but did recognize. Like the man with the large head and horribly thick make-up, Ivankov, the infamous Sir Crocodile and the all too familiar red nose and blue hair of Buggy.
She smiled at the last one, "So Buggy-chan is alive."
Allowing the spear to shatter, Stellar let her arms fall to her sides and she observed the pirates from above, jumping slightly when a loud chorus of shouts took up the air.
"BON-CHAAAAAN!"
"BROTHER BON!"
"BON BOY!"
"MR. 2!"
Stellar frowned in thought, 'Bon-chan?'
Lost in the odd display, she failed to notice the sand rapidly advancing towards her until it was but a few mere meters away. She gasped, twisted in the air and narrowly avoided it.
Suddenly a sharp crashing sound split the air as crystals exploded in a bang of violet and Stellar found herself with only one wing to spare. Below her, the pirates looked up puzzled. She lost her balance and fell from the air, no time or energy to form another wing, and she closed her eyes bracing herself for the pain of the impact. She let the remaining useless wing shatter and plummeted to the wooden deck.
She'd expected pain, but not bouncing.
She opened her eyes at the sensation to see the face of Monkey D. Luffy looking up at her.
He retracted his body into normal proportions and held her upright in his arms so that they were face to face. Luffy didn't look amused, the dampness of tear tracks on his cheeks and he was sniffling slightly. He managed to quirk an eyebrow though at her, "You're- you're the girl I saw on Shabaody."
Stellar blushed, realising how close the young captain was holding her in their position and the seven pairs of eyes locked on her. She swallowed and nodded at a loss of what to say.
Gently, Luffy lowered her to the ground, shooting her a confused glance, "How the heck did you fall from the sky?"
Suddenly, before she could answer, a gruff voice cut in, "Who are you?"
Another voice, "Are you a girl? Or a Newkama like us?"
"What type of man are you into?" A particularly flirty question, followed by another, "Are you married?"
"Would you like to be a Newkama? I can help you dear!"
"You're a pirate?"
The same flirt piped up again, "Oi, oi, pretty girl, are you a virgin, eh?"
Stellar blushed furiously at that question and said, "I-I prefer not to answer that silly question."
"OI, BREAK IT UP GUYS!"
All the pirates immediately fell silent, eyes darting between each other for the source of the voice.
"Stop harassing Stellar nee-chan, idiots! That's a Captain's order!"
The men fell into uproar, "NEE-CHAN?!"
Stellar began to laugh silently, she knew that screeching and demanding voice anywhere. After all these years, she'd never expected for Buggy to jump to her aid. It had always been the other way around when he was younger. She softly smiled, 'I guess he finally found some courage' she thought. Pride surged through her at the idea of the young boy she'd known finally growing up- almost like a mother in a way.
The pirate, now Captain, emerged looking different to when she'd last seen him but also the same. He was older, maturity had changed his face and some of his looks, but his ridiculous blue hair and red nose were still all him. Without a second's hesitation, she dove right at him, pulling him into her arms,
"Buggy-chan!" She cooed and she could practically feel the heat of his blush.
"N-nee-chan?"
"I missed you! Where have you been all this time? The last time I saw you, you were only this high!" she gestured vaguely with an arm, the other still clamped tightly around him, "Look at you, all grown up!"
Buggy laughed, embarrassed. "Well, it's hard to explain actually, a bit complicated and all that..." He said nervously, prising her off him.
"Buggy-sama knows her?" A tall, bald man murmured.
Stellar turned to them with a proud glint on her eyes. "We used to be in the same crew for a while, many years ago," she explained, deliberately avoiding the name 'Pirate King'. She sent the group of men a polite smile and bowed, "I apologize for the late introduction. I am Stellar Stefwill, it's my pleasure to meet everyone."
"To be in the same crew as a gorgeous woman! Buggy-sama you are truly amazing!" One man exclaimed, looking at the captain with utmost awe as did the others. Stellar giggled at his compliment.
Before anything else more could be said, they were all interrupted by a bang as Luffy opened a door at the base of the mast and dipped his hands in, pulling out a Den Den Mushi that was thrumming as it rang. The atmosphere fell tense.
"Luffy... J-just ignore it..." Buggy suggested, nervousness apparent in his body language. But talking to Luffy was like talking to a brick wall... No, actually there was more chance of a brick wall actually listening.
The strawhat snatched up the receiver eagerly.
"Moshi Moshi," he chirped.
Everyone groaned in unison as Stellar stared at the pirate captain in shock, "He picked up!"
"This is Navy HQ."
"Oh? Hello, this is Luffy."
The whole boat screeched, including Stellar this time, "Don't just give your name like that you idiot!"
"We are aware this ship has been taken by escapees. We received report from the Fleet Escort Force at Impel Down. We have determined who the two main suspects of this great escape are from the insider information before contact was lost."
Stellar narrowed her eyes, 'Escapees... From Impel?'
"A pirate named Mugiwara Luffy and his accomplice, Buggy the Clown."
Pride surged through Stellar again at that. Her ex-apprentice was finally making a name for himself just like Shanks had: Roger and Rayleigh would be proud.
"Tell me, what is a legendary pirate like you doing in a place like this?" Stellar froze as a deep, cold, baritone voice hissed in her ear and she spun around to face Crocodile who was looking at her with narrow, calculating eyes.
She looked at him and answered carefully, "I'm here to save someone."
He scoffed as if mocking her reasons. She bristled visibly, "What about you, Crocodile-san? What's your reason?"
The ex-Shichibukai smiled coldly, "I'm going to kill Whitebeard."
A sense of hate washed over her and Stellar glowered, just managing to contain the crystals that longed to cut the man before her into tiny shreds. He openly laughed at her,
"Itching to kill me, eh... Violet Demon?"
She glared but tried to calm herself down- she promised her powers wouldn't be used for her own gain in that way. She wouldn't break an oath like that to Roger. Ever. She was tired and antsy that was all. That was all.
She took a deep breath and asked the question that was bothering her ever since she landed on this ship. "Where is this ship going?" she asked.
He blankly stared at her with a cigarette loosely dangling on his mouth. He smirked, "So you haven't heard, woman?"
She smiled thinly, her patience running low. "I have to admit, I am not listening to the news for the past few days."
"This ship's destination is Marineford," he paused and Stellar noticed his eyes glint dangerously. He opened his mouth again. "Whitebeard plans to save his kid. Now Stefwill, isn't it a perfect place for the old man to end his life—" he removed the cigarette from his mouth – "by my own hands?"
This man was trying to rile her up with his words. His words are controlling and it's taking all of Stellar's patience not to throw him out of the ship. Stellar's hands clenched on her side and she immediately forced herself to count from one to ten. She bit her lip and willed herself to turn away, choosing to ignore him. She was above him. He wasn't worth it.
She nodded to herself eagerly. This ship was heading the same direction as her, so she'd rest here, gather up some strength and hopefully heal her wounds. Luffy's wounds included- she'd noticed the marks on his body. She vaguely heard shouting somewhere outside of her thoughts.
"THAT MEANS STELLAR-CHAN ALSO SAILED UNDER THE PIRATE KING?!"
The shout shattered through her wall of thinking and she blinked dumbly as the words registered in her brain. She looked around to see pair after pair of eyes locked on her, each pair more shocked than the last.
"Is there something wrong, gentlemen?"
Trafalgar gripped the Den Den Mushi in his hand with a knuckle-whitening grip, the other paused over the support bandage strapped to his elbow. He ground his teeth, "What did you say?"
There was a deep sigh on the other end of the line and Shakki's smooth voice rolled out into the Captain's Quarters, sounding as bored and uninterested as ever, "I told you already. She's gone- left some days ago. It's not like asking me the same question again is gonna change the answer, you know."
The surgeon gripped the receiver so hard his fingers protested against the force and sharp bursts of pain bolted into his already injured elbow. His free hand moved from the bandages and moved up to pinch the bridge of his nose, "My instructions were very clear- she was not to leave until she was fully healed. Her condition would not allow-"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever; some doctor crap and all that. But I can't tell her what to do you know, she's a fully grown adult not a child. I'm not her mother, you know, I can't just tell her what to do. She's old enough to do what she wants... She's older than you'd like to think, Doc."
Law snarled slightly at the shortened down phrase of his official title- he hated it when people did that- and closed his grey eyes, trying to hold in the temper that flared in him, "That's beside the point and you know it. I gave you specific orders and you couldn't even follow them!"
His nails were digging painfully into the flesh of his nose but he was too angered to care right now. People were so useless! So unnecessary and dumb! He tighted his lips; he should have stayed on that damn island because at least then he wouldn't be in this mess, "I hope you understand the trouble you've caused me," He hissed, voice threatening, and opened his eyes to glare at the technology in his hand.
"Oh, I understand, Doc," Shakki said and he could hear clearly the coy smile in her tone, "But what I don't understand is why you're getting so worked up over one person."
Law almost dropped the receiver at that, the statement completely throwing him off guard. He hadn't thought of that. Why was he so angry? It was just a patient. After he'd treated them he didn't really care what they did after that- their health was in their own hands from then onwards. He'd never cared before so why now? Why was he so concerned for Stellar yet again?
He snarled into the receiver, "Damned woman..."
His frustration only seemed to rise as Shakki's far too amused laughs barked into the air and he snapped, "We have nothing more to discuss. Bye."
His tattooed hand made to slam the contraption back into the hanger when Shakki spoke, "Look, I don't where she is right now, but I can tell you where she's headed."
Something in the surgeon's chest squeezed harshly at that and it almost felt like pain, a small jolt of hope emerged in him, "Where?"
The bartender chuckled softly, "Marineford."
"What? Why?"
"She has her reasons, but it isn't my place to tell them to you. Just head there, you'll find her."
Trafalgar nodded even though the woman he was talking to couldn't see it, "You've been most helpful."
"Anytime, Doc."
He winced at the nickname again, "And stop calling me that."
He placed the receiver down and pushed up out of his chair to head straight for the control room.
He had a submarine to turn around.
Bon-chaaaan! He is the best Okama! You rock, Bon-chan! You rock!
I love to write Buggy as someone who has a soft spot for Stellar fufufu. Do you think Buggy-chan looks cool in a ponytail?! Coz dude it suits him so muuuch.
Anyways, thank you for the reviews! Thank yooouuu!