Chapter Nine
Crew Introductions
Aries was overwhelmingly lightheaded. She felt her knees buckle and her weight shifted to fall almost completely on Usopp. The olive skinned boy gripped her arms, trying to keep her upright.
"Aries! Are you okay?" Usopp asked again, his eyes scanning her injured side, trying to gauge how much blood she had lost.
The young girl groaned, unable to form a more intelligent response.
Nami rushed to the pair's aid and helped him carry her into the bathroom. The navigator kicked Usopp out once they propped Aries against the tiled wall.
"Go get the first-aid kit from the kitchen while I clean her up."
Usopp nodded quickly, his black curls bouncing with the jerky movement. He turned on his heel and rushed out of the room, almost desperate to complete his given task.
Nami shook her head before returning her attention to her new crewmate. She ran warm water from the tap, wet a rag, and started gently cleaning her numerous cuts.
Usopp returned about five minutes after he scurried out. He knelt down next to the two girls, the crew's first-aid kit clutched tightly in his hands. Once Nami had cleaned all of the open, bloody wounds, the sniper had had time to prepare a clean rag, the disinfectant, the suture kit, and several bandages of varying sizes.
Nami set the now rusty colored rag aside and laid her hand on Aries' shoulder.
"This is gonna sting," she warned sympathetically before pouring the disinfectant directly onto the gash on the blonde's forehead.
Aries clenched her eyes shut tight and visibly grit her teeth. She let out a sharp hiss of pain, her muscles tensed and awaiting the next dose of the stinging sensation.
The rest of the process passed in a blur of pain, the occasional tug of stitches, and the feeling of soft cotton bandages. Her smaller scratches were left uncovered, while most of the others were hidden under layers of bandages and gauze. Luckily, the only wound that needed stitches was her original stab wound. Nami made sure that the sutures were holding well before reminding Aries not to move too much.
"I'm not a doctor, so you are going to have to visit one when we get to Loguetown. Just to make sure everything is okay." Nami said as she and Usopp repacked the remaining supplies back into the first-aid kit.
Usopp gathered up all of the dirty rags and towels, and once again exited the bathroom.
After the boy was gone, Nami asked, "You ready to change your clothes?"
Aries grimaced at the thought of needing help undressing and dressing, but knew that she would be hard-pressed to even stand unassisted at the moment. It took a few silent seconds for her to respond to the navigator with a hesitant nod.
The older girl moved gently yet quickly knowing the blonde was embarrassed. Aries moved her wool top and gloves down her body to form a roll on the floor. Nami then helped her pull a light blue shirt over her head. Then off came her ruined shorts. Tugging on the new black pair of shorts over the numerous bandages along her legs was a slow and uncomfortable process.
Aries leaned back against the cool tile, letting her strength gradually return to her limbs. Nami held her hand out in front of the sheep girl's face, giving her a broad smile. Aries slid her hand in hers, allowing the older girl to pull her to her feet. The two made their way back out to the deck, where the rest of the crew still sat. As they drew closer, the sounds of someone yelling excitedly became apparent.
Upon opening the door leading outside, Luffy's loud voice rang out as he bounced animatedly around the open space.
"And then he howled and it was really loud, which caught me off guard, so he was able to knock me back down. And then Aries jumped on his back and tried to choke him with some rope and it was awesome because she came out of nowhere. But then he threw her across the street and I jumped in and he didn't last too long once he got a taste of my Gum-Gum Bazooka."
Luffy waved his arms around excitedly as he spoke, causing Sanji to chuckle as he went back into the kitchen.
Usopp, in an effort to not be out done, started to tell the captain about their adventure on board the Coyote Ugly's ship.
"We were ambushed by at least 20 pirates! I, of course, took them all out with one attack before I rigged the whole place to blow sky high!" he lied easily, his hands finding purchase on his hips. He tilted his head back, allowing his nose to stick straight up into the air in a semi-arrogant manner.
Luffy gasp in amazement and clapped, "That's amazing, Usopp! I thought you would be too scared to fight that many guys at once." The dark haired boy laughed through his large grin.
The sniper let out an indignant noise, crossing his arms in a pout. Nami rolled her eyes at the pair, her arm still wrapped around Aries' waist in order to support her. Aries pulled away from the older girl and slowly limped towards Usopp.
The olive-skinned boy opened his eyes at the sound of approaching uneven footsteps and when he realized his injured new crewmate was shuffling to him, he rushed to meet her halfway. Aries reached out and clenched her hands around the sniper's slightly larger ones.
"I didn't get to say thank you earlier, so," she paused, a shy blush dusting her cheeks, "Thank you. For everything."
Usopp flushed and returned her strong grip. "Really, it was nothing."
Nami heaved a dramatic sigh, walking past the duo towards her lawn chair on the rear deck. Luffy sat on the railing beside the tangerine grove, smiling his toothy grin. Suddenly, the captain gasped and leaned so far forward, he almost fell from his perch on the railing.
"Waaaaahhh! We haven't properly introduced ourselves to Aries yet!" he yelled, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Aries blinked slowly, her confusion evident on her face. She heard Nami and Usopp groan to themselves.
The young man leapt down from the railing, his broad grin returning to his face.
"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" he shouted cheerfully, never losing his smile. He turned his eyes to the other boy on the deck expectantly.
Usopp nodded erratically, a matching grin growing on his lips. He took a few steps back from Aries, dropping her hands as he moved, and thrust his thumb into his chest. "I'm the Great and Powerful Usopp! Sniper Extraordinar! I never miss my shot." he said, looking up at the sky, striking a "mighty" pose.
Aries giggled at his antic before turning towards the only other female on board.
Nami looked up from her newspaper, one of her eyebrows raised in an unamused arch. She rolled her eyes at the hopeful and expectant looks from the others. "Nami. I'm the navigator. Don't touch my tangerines without my permission," she stated, returning her attention to the paper in her hands, using its pages to hide the hint of a smile appearing on her face.
Aries nodded, her lips still pulled into a small smile. She noticed Luffy whip his head around. As suddenly as he started his "frantic" search, he stopped. He reached out, stretching his arm across the short distance to Aries, grabbing her hand, and dragging her behind him as he rushed to the main deck. They jerked to a stop in front of a napping Zoro.
Luffy crouched down next to him and proceeded to tug on his ear.
"Zoro! Wake up! You need to introduce yourself to Aries!" he shouted, his voice carrying a whiny tone.
The green haired man leapt to his feet, snarling as he shoved the captain away from him. "Geez, Luffy! What gives? I was taking a nap," he grumbled. He rolled his shoulders, his eyes observing his newest crewmate.
Aries shuffled her feet shyly, glancing between her bandaged feet and his dark, steely eyes.
He sighed, defeated, after a moment's silence, and ran his hand through his short hair. "Roronoa Zoro. Swordsman." he said simply. He crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk tugging at his lips when he noticed the pair's still joined hands. Aries followed his line of sight and felt her face heat up with a bright red blush. She pulled her hand from Luffy's as gently as she could, before offering the swordsman a small, embarrassed smile. He chuckled quietly as he walked away from the railing and down to the mast, hoping to continue his nap in peace.
The sheep girl glanced around the deck, seeking out the one member that was missing from the group's activities. As she opened her mouth to ask for the other blond's location, the kitchen door opened, revealing Sanji carrying a tray with two glasses filled with colorful fruit.
"And I, my lovely princess, am Sanji, the cook and resident love expert," he said bowing at the waist in front of Aries as he handed her one of the two glasses that he carried. He grinned at the pink flush that once again graced her cheeks.
He danced away, still smiling when he handed Nami her glass.
Aries popped a piece of kiwi into her mouth happily, a feeling of contentment washing over her. She ate a few more pieces, humming a little under her breath. Her dark blue eyes fluttered open, not sure of when she had closed them, and was met with an expectant look from her new captain who had lowered his face to be only a few inches from her nose. She felt her cheeks heat up once again and her eyes cross in order to watch his face more closely.
"Well," he stretched out the word and paused, his gaze centered on her. "It's your turn."
The young girl blinked slowly and leaned away from the dark haired boy.
"Wha-what?" she questioned, lowering her glass to rest against her thighs, her blue eyes wide with nervousness.
Luffy also leaned away, one corner of his mouth tugged down in a semi-frown. "It's your turn to introduce yourself."
"Oh," she responded, pausing briefly as she processed his words. "Ooh!" she exclaimed after a moment of awkward silence. "Okay!"
Both hands grasped the glass still in her possession, and the cool temperature was soothing against her sweaty palms.
"My name is Aries the Sheep!" she shouted, her voice cracking slightly due to her nerves, "Thank you for accepting me as part of your crew!" She bowed deeply and gave the crew a bright smile when she straightened up.
Luffy and Usopp cheered, grins stretching across their lips.
"Welcome!" Usopp shouted, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He squeezed her carefully, still aware of her injuries.
Aries looked at the group in front of her, a sudden frown pulling her lips down. She turned to the olive-skinned boy who was still holding her close, and said, "I'm sorry, I don't have a skill or anything special to contribute to the crew."
"That doesn't matter," Usopp reassured her still smiling, "You have plenty of time to figure that out."
The sheep girl couldn't resist returning his smile before sitting on the deck, her back to the wall next to the kitchen door, and started picking at her fruit cup once again. A peaceful silence swept over the Going Merry's deck, everyone basking in the bright sunlight for a brief moment.
An unexpected shout broke the peacefulness that had fallen over them. Aries couldn't stop the surprised bleat that escaped her throat as she watches the sniper bounce from foot to foot excitedly.
"Speaking of time, I think it's time I try out my new fishing equipment that I picked up on the island!" Usopp said, while rushing towards the hatch by the mast that lead to the boy's room.
Everyone watched the excited long-nosed boy haul a large bag from below deck in a stunned silence. He began to unpack the sack and lay out everything on the wooden deck in an organized manner. A few of the pieces looked familiar to Aries causing memories of her father to sweep through her mind.
She handed her empty cup to Sanji with a grateful smile and trotted down the steps toward her new friend and his new toys. She watched him attach a lure and some bait to a new light-weight pole. She blinked as she stared at his choice of attachments before casting a glance to the water that surrounded them.
"Um, Usopp, I don't think that lure is gonna attract any fish in this part of the sea," Aries informed him gently, her eyes observing all of the other pieces of equipment that was still laid out.
Usopp looked up at her in confusion, "What?"
She pointed to the water around them, "We're out in the deep waters, and that lure is only for shallow water fish. That bait also won't work out here. Most of the fish in the deep sea only eat other fish."
The curly-haired sniper remained silent as he continued to stare at her.
Aries flushed in embarrassment and shrugged her shoulders, "I still remember some of the things my dad taught me."
Usopp frowns down at this rig, "The guy at the stall said this rig was fool-proof."
The sheep-girl raised an eyebrow, "Where exactly was he from?"
Usopp shrugged before jumping to his feet. He pointed the tip of the pole at Aries, the plastic end almost brushing against the tip of her nose. "If you think you know better than the guy who sold me all this stuff, then let's have a contest! The one who catches the bigger fish is the one who knows what they're talking about!" He grinned excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He rushed over to the side of the ship, casting his baited hook far out from the Merry.
Aries rolled her eyes, smiling at the boy's antics, and turned back towards the remaining equipment. She picked up a single ball weight, rubbing it between her fingers. Satisfied with the feel of the small sinker, she placed it back in its container, before making her way over to Nami.
"Nami," she addressed the navigator, "What part of the East Blue are we in?"
The orange haired girl raised her eyes from her newspaper, one of her thin eyebrows arched. "We're in the west part of the East Blue headed towards Loguetown and the entrance to the Grand Line. Why do you need to know?"
"Great!" Aries smiled and turned to face Sanji. "Sanji, do you have chicken or lean meat pieces that I could use as bait?"
"You can have anything you want, Aries-hime~!" the blond cook danced away from her, disappearing into the kitchen. He emerged from the room holding a plate littered with small chunks of a light pink meat. He bowed deeply, holding the dish in front of Aries.
She smiled, gently taking the plate from him and setting it on the ground next to her chosen equipment. She quickly threaded the fishing line through a hook, tying a tight knot around the loop, and clipped two weights to the line a few centimeters apart. She baited the barbed hook with one of the larger pieces of meat, giving the whole rig a satisfied once-over, before limping over to the side of the ship.
She allowed her gaze to drift over the small waves that marred the smooth blue water's surface for a moment. She took a deep breath, gave the line a bunch of slack, and flung the hook only a few feet out from the side. She allowed the hook to sink before handing the pole off to Luffy, who accepted it with a confused face.
"I won't be able to reel in a fish with these stitches in my side," she explained, smiling at her captain.
He returned her grin enthusiastically, happily sitting on the railing, eyes trained on the bright yellow float that was keeping the line visible.
A minute passed with no change on either line, until Luffy's arms jerked towards the water. He let out a yell of excitement as he started his battle with whatever was on the line. The entire crew's attention was on their captain as he fought with the sea creature, even
Usopp whose grip on his own pole had grown lax in shock.
Luffy got to his feet as he struggled with the weight of what was caught on the line, his body bending backwards as he tried to pull the line above water. Finally, after what seemed like a long struggle, the body of a large deep blue fish breached the water's surface as the dark-haired boy yanked it over the rail and onto the deck. The fish was massive, almost as long as Aries was tall, and flopped on the deck relentlessly; it's body thudding against the solid wood planks.
Everyone simply stared at the fish in a stunned silence. Nami was the first one to speak, turning to the sniper, "So did you catch anything?"
Usopp let out a garbled cry as he rushed back to his pole. When he finally got his hook reeled all the way in, he found that the bait was untouched with no sign of any nibbles at all. He hung his head in defeat.
Luffy cheered, bouncing from one foot to the other, while Sanji examined the fish with an appraising eye.
"This fish will make some really great dishes," Sanji said around his cigarette, rubbing his chin in thought. "I should go ahead and start cleaning it for dinner tonight." He grabbed the fish by its tail and dragged it into the kitchen.
Usopp shook his head, his curls bouncing wildly at the motion, and made his way over to Aries, who was laughing at Luffy. He held out his hand, an easy smile on his lips.
"I guess you really do know what you're talking about when it comes to fishing. Your dad must have been a great teacher," he said.
She gave him a grin and shook his hand, "He was."
"I GOT IT!" Luffy suddenly shouted, throwing his hands into the air.
Everyone around him jumped slightly at the sound, turning towards the captain with wide eyes.
"What do you got, Luffy?" Usopp asked.
"Shishishishi," he laughed, bouncing over to Aries, "I know what Aries' position is gonna be!"
Aries tilted her head back slightly in order to look the rubber man in the eye as she fought off the heat that was warming her cheeks. He slapped his hands onto her shoulders, his grin wide and toothy.
"You're gonna be our fisherman!" he exclaimed, his gaze locked on hers.
The sheep girl blinked dumbly a time or two, letting his words sink in. Once the initial shock wore off, she couldn't stop herself from returning his smile just as brightly.
"Of course, Captain. I will gladly be our crew's fisherman."
Luffy, once again, laughed through his teeth, then dashed towards the kitchen. "Sanji! We gotta celebrate tonight! So make sure you cook a lot of meat!"
"And booze!" Zoro chimed in from his spot leaning against the mast as he also made his way to the kitchen.
Nami stood from her chair, and held her hand out in front of Aries, "Just so ya know, meal time gets a little crazy with this crew. Make sure Luffy doesn't eat all of your food, okay?"
The blonde placed her hand in Nami's and responded, "I think I hold my own. Or at least I can try."
Nami and Usopp chuckled, then proceeded to drag their newest addition into the already rowdy kitchen for her first meal aboard the Going Merry.
I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I HAVE NO EXCUSE. I AM JUST LAZY WITH HARDLY ANY MOTIVATION. I AM TRYING TO DO BETTER I PROMISE!
Stay tuned for the next one, where we enter actual One Piece canon territory! Don't forget to follow me on twitter/tumblr for updates! Both are JayBirdVanna!