Chapter Two
Sold and Saved
Aries lifted her head as a group of female pirates entered her cell. They were large women with thick arm muscles. She knew that they could easily stop her if she were to try and escape. Too bad she just didn't have the energy to fight back anymore. They easily hoisted the teen to her feet and drug her out of the dungeon part of the ship before coming to the prep room. The ladies stripped her, then tossed her in the shower, before preparing her usual costume for the auction. The blonde girl washed herself with the fresh smelling soap and washed her greasy hair for the first time in weeks. She finished quickly and took a towel from one of the prep team.
The blonde girl slowly slipped on her strapless fleece dress, the soft material warm and familiar against her skin. Next was her pale blue knee high socks and fleece legwarmers. Finally she put on her fleece arm warmers and her brown lace-up boots. One of the larger women pushed her down in a chair and the team started putting on her makeup and doing her hair.
After a few minutes, they finished dolling the young girl up. Slowly, Aries turned to look in the mirror that hung in the room. For this auction, they had curled her hair into bigger waves and pulled the blonde tresses into a side ponytail that started just under her spiral horn. Her makeup was very natural and light. She stared at her reflection with an emotionless face, eyes void of any feelings. The female pirates pulled her back onto her feet and tied her hands behind her back. The largest woman gave her a rough shove and led her out into the hall.
At the top of the steps that lead out to the deck stood a tall man. His skin was tan from a life on the seas and his arms were littered with scars. His hair was short against his head and the same woody brown as the planks of the ship. But it was his eyes that scared Aries. His irises were tiny and black. His gaze felt so sharp she thought it would cut her. This was number three on her list of most frightening men, Shin. He was the first mate of the captain that held her prisoner.
"Off to another auction then, eh Lamb?" His words were slurred. Not surprising seeing as he was never sober.
She cast her eyes away, chills shooting across her skin. The drunk let out a loud laugh and started to walk away. "I might be a little late coming to get you this time! Gotta make the most of the bars while we're on land, ya know?! But don't worry, I'll come get ya eventually!" He laughed louder and entered the town. The blonde girl shuddered and clenched her fists, her wrists straining against her rope bindings.
The walk off the ship and through town was a blur to the blonde teen. She had kept her eyes on the pirate in front of her, but she wasn't really seeing anything. She had retreated into the depths of her mind, wishing for her freedom. When she finally came back to reality, she was being shoved onto a dimly lit stage.
Nervously, she walked forward a few steps before a spotlight shone down on her. She winced at the sudden bright light, but her eyes adjusted quickly. The audience was still too dark to make out, but she could feel their evil eyes wandering over her.
A loud voice rang out from her left, "Next on our auction list is a devil fruit user! Her name is Aries the Sheep. Her fruit powers come from the Wool-Wool Fruit: Ram Model! Bidding will start at two million beri!"
Aries let her head fall, allowing her bangs to hide her eyes, as auctioneer raised her price with every bid. Someone please. Save me.
"LAND!" Luffy shouted from the Going Merry's figure head. His cheer stirred Zoro, who had been napping against the ship's railing. The green haired swordsman glared up at his captain, before grunting and closing his eyes again.
Nami stood from her chair and started yelling orders to the crew to prepare for docking. Soon, the caravel was docked at a pier out of the way. The crew gathered on the deck to listen to Nami's orders.
"Alright! We aren't going to dock here for long! We are here to get food rations that will last us until we reach Logue Town in a couple of days. So some of us need to stay with the ship."
Sanji slipped his hands in his pockets. "Well obviously I'm going." He paused before wiggling towards the orange haired navigator. "Would you like to come with me, Nami-swan?"
Nami took a slight step back. "I'm staying here and finishing up some maps. Plus two of them should go with you to help carry the rations."
The captain's hand shot into the air. "Me! Me! I wanna go!" He jumped a little, his grin stretched from ear to ear.
The blonde chef sighed in disappointment and ruffled his hair. "Fine, Luffy. You can come along."
Usopp adjusted the strap of his satchel. "I'm gonna tag along. I want to talk to the local fisherman about what bait I should be using."
Nami nodded and started making her way back to the helm. "Then that leaves me and Zoro with the Merry. Don't stay out too long! I want to set sail again before dark!"
The dark haired captain's grin grew, which Usopp thought was impossible. He ran and jumped of the railing and onto the wooden dock below. Sanji and the sniper followed calmly behind their energetic friend.
The auction didn't last long. They never did. The faster the bidding occurred, the faster the people involved could get out undiscovered by the Marines. Aries was sitting in the holding cage with a few other girls. She couldn't remember how much she went for this time, and frankly, she didn't care. She kept her head down, ignoring the sounds of sobs coming from the room's other occupants, until one of the workers called her name.
The young girl lifted her head slowly and peered out from under her bangs. She could makes out three figures on the other side of the bars. Two of them were auction workers, she could tell by their scent. They smelled of sweat and perfume. The third figure must have been the one who won her auction. The corners of her mouth twitched in disgust. His scent was a mixture of fatty foods and rose soap. This time she had caught the eye of a crooked noble.
She walked gracefully over to the cage door and let the workers tug her out. Their grip on her upper arms was hard, but not as painful as the grip from the ladies on her prep team. She stood in front of her new master, her deep blue eyes hard as stone. She stared up at his ugly face. His toothy grin was grotesque. He pulled a knife from a sheath at his side and cut the ropes that bound her hands behind her back.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. His knife against her side. He leaned down and breathed on her neck. Aries had to force herself not to shudder. "Let's go home, Aries."
The sheep girl tried her hardest not to gag. His breath reeked. His mouth was twisted in a snide grin. He pressed the knife harder against her. She could feel the sharp blade digging into her skin through the warm fleece of her dress. She winced and the man dragged her from the building.
After a few hours of shopping for food (and Sanji beating Luffy for trying to eat it all), the boys were ready to head back to their ship. Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke into the air. Both he and Luffy were loaded down with bags of food. The chef had gotten a little carried away with the shopping. And now, they had lost Usopp.
Sanji groaned and took another drag of his smoke. "Where the hell did that long nose run off to? He was right here a few minutes ago."
Luffy blinked cluelessly and looked around the fish market. "Maybe he went back to the Merry."
"Or he could be talking to more fishermen about his inability to catch fish." The chef lit another cigarette, smirking.
The black haired boy laughed and shifted the bags he was carrying. "Yeah, maybe."
"Guys!" The sniper came running up carrying a bag of his own. "I talked to some fishermen and got some good bait." He hung his head as he paused. "But they said that bait is only half our problem. Apparently, I suck at fishing."
Sanji tried hard to choke down his laughter while their captain openly laughed at their poor friend. "We could've told you that Usopp!"
The curly haired coward yelled, "Thanks for the support, Luffy!"
Sanji let out a few chuckles as he stamped out his cigarette. "Let's head back to the ship."
The others nodded and they started making their way back to the pier.
The noble shoved Aries against the wall of an alleyway just off the main strip of the market. His large hand on her shoulder, keeping her pinned to the stone wall behind her. He moved his knife to press against her pale neck. Her eyes widened in fear and her voice was lost in her throat. The gross man snickered and pressed his nose against the soft flesh of her jaw.
"You're prettier than the other girls I've bought. I think I'll take my time when I have my fun with you. Too bad I have to kill you when I finish."
Her heart dropped into her stomach. Her eyes watched his every movement. No more wishing for a savior. I have to escape now. Shin isn't going to save me in time, so I have to do something.
She glared at him, her eyes sparkling with her determination. She growled and smashed her forehead against his, knocking him back. She pushed off the wall and started to run towards the market, hoping to finally be free.
"Oh no you don't!"
Suddenly, she felt a hot flash of pain in her left side. She let out a shriek and looked down to see that the noble had sliced her with his knife. She quickly placed her hand over the wound, white fleece slowly being stained red. In her moment of distraction, the noble was able to knock her off her feet and onto the ground. He loomed over her, angry and ready to kill her. His eyes were hidden by his oily bangs, but she could feel the heat of his glare on her face. Fearfully, she rolled over onto her back and sat up, trying to scoot away.
"Stay back! I'm warning you!" she shouted at him, hot tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She didn't want it to end like this.
Sanji turned around, staring at the street behind them.
"What's up, Sanji?" Luffy asked from a little bit ahead.
"Did you guys hear that scream?" The chef frowned deeply.
"Scream?" Usopp the coward sunk down closer to the street, knees shaking.
"It sounded like a girl."
The Straw Hat's captain stuck a finger in his ear. "I didn't hear anything."
"Well I did." He quickly shoved the bags he was carrying into Usopp's arms before running back down the street.
The noble stepped closer and sneered. He pressed a hand against the side of his head. He was bleeding slightly. One of her horns must have scratched him.
"How dare you attack me and make me bleed! A noble! Your master! Now be a good slave and di-"
A swift kick to the face shut him up real quick. A blonde man in a nice black suit stood over Aries, foot still raised. "I'm sorry, but any man who hurts a lady doesn't deserve to live."