Chapter Ten
The Island that Birthed an Era
Aries awoke early in the morning, as she usually did, rolling over in the bed to face Nami, who was still sleeping next to her. The orange haired girl had the comforter bunched up in her fists and had the material tucked under her chin. The sheep girl smiled at her companion before quietly exiting the room. She lifts the hatch that concealed the entrance to the girls' room, stopping in the bathroom to splash some water on her face, and bounced out to the open deck.
She couldn't suppress the grin that tugged at her lips at the sight of the almost cloudless sky. She walked over to the white railing, leaning her body heavily against the smooth wood, watching the waves lap against the sides of the ship. She allowed her gaze to scan the horizon for anything interesting in the distance as she propped her elbows up and rested her face against her right palm.
I can't believe it's been a week since I joined this crazy pirate crew, she thought to herself with a smile. Minutes ticked by slowly, the only sound was the wind playing with Nami's tangerine trees, the occasional squawk of a gull, and the gentle smack of water against the Going Merry's hull. Her attention was yanked away from the peacefulness of the sea when the hatch that lead to the boys' room opened with a squeak.
"Good morning, Aries-hime. You look lovely this morning," Sanji greeted, his first cigarette of the day already lit between his lips.
Aries couldn't help but flush in embarrassment as she looked down at her apparel. She was dressed in a pink shirt that had ridden up to expose her mid-section, that was still covered by white bandages, and a pair of grey cotton shorts that were a little too short for her liking, but she was still borrowing clothes from Nami until they reached the next island.
The sheep girl gave the cook a shy smile, pulling her shirt back down, before offering to help with preparing breakfast. He accepted her help, letting her lead the way to the kitchen.
Once the morning meal was over, the crew moved on to do their own things for the remainder of the day. Usopp was on the back deck making new ammunition, Nami was with him reading her newspaper. Sanji was in the kitchen, while Zoro napped in the Crow's Nest. Aries and Luffy had decided to spend their afternoon fishing for dinner. The pair sat on the railing, eyes on their floats, while they talked about nothing in particular.
Suddenly, Zoro's voice called out from the Crow's Nest, "Hey, I see an island up ahead."
Luffy leapt from the railing, thrust his fishing rod into Aries' hand, and rushed to his special seat, cheering the whole way. Usopp was quick to follow the captain with Nami walking calmly behind him.
Aries floundered with the rods in a flustered manner before she got a better grip on them. With her hands full of the equipment climbing over the railing was impossible, so she settled for turning her body to face the others, her wide blue eyes locking on the island just becoming visible on the edge of the horizon.
Nami folded her arms and rested them on the railing as she spoke to the group, "That island is proof that we're close to the Grand Line! On that island, there's a famous town called 'Loguetown.' It's also known as the town of the beginning and the end. It's the birthplace of the Pirate King Roger… as well as his execution spot."
"So that's the town that the Pirate King died at…" Luffy said to himself, leaning forward on the figure head.
"Shall we go?" Nami asked.
"Yeah." Luffy nodded, his face taking on a more serious expression.
"Whoa! What a big town!" Luffy shouted as he stared at the town's entryway. He raised his arms above his head as he cheered.
Sanji walked up behind the still cheering rubber-boy, "So the Pirate Age all began from here, eh?"
Aries looked around the area in amazement as she stood in between Usopp and Nami. "There are so many people here!"
"Ok then! I'm gonna go see the execution stand!" the captain said as he bounded down the road.
Sanji turned to look at one of the side roads and said, "Seems like I can get some good ingredients and food here."
Usopp nodded in agreement, "I'm going to go look for some equipment to buy. Do you need anymore fishing gear, Aries?"
He turned to look at the sheep girl who was still staring at the moving crowd in a daze. He frowned slightly and gently poked her in the arm. His frown got a little deeper when he saw her visibly flinch and move away from him. When she turned to face him, she offered him a shy smile, her hand raising to cover the spot where he had poked her.
"I'm sorry, you asked me something, Usopp?" she replied, trying to push away the small jolt of fear that had rushed down her spine.
"Do you need any new fishing gear? I can pick up some things while I am looking for myself." he answered, his frown still tugging at his lips.
"I think I'm okay with everything. Thank you for asking, Usopp," the blonde smiled at the sniper, the tension in her expression disappearing as she relaxed.
Usopp nodded and walked off in a different direction than both Luffy and Sanji. When Aries turned to look for the other members of the crew, she noticed that Zoro had also left at some point, leaving her with Nami. The orange haired girl placed her hands on her hips and stared at her newest crew mate.
"Well, let's go," she said.
Aries blinked in confusion. "Go where?"
Nami rolled her eyes and pointed to the bandages that covered her mid-section. "I told you that I'm not a doctor. We need to get you looked at before we get to the Grand Line. So we are going to get you a check up."
"So what seems to be the problem, Miss?" asked an elderly-looking man as he entered the examination room the girls had been told to wait in. He had a large, bulbous nose that held up his thick-rimmed glasses. His grey hair was wispy and thin and was styled in an obvious combover. However, a warm, inviting smile graced his thin lips, tugging his wrinkly skin upwards.
Nami placed her hand on Aries' exposed shoulder and leaned forward, her eyes glistening with tears. "My sister was attacked by pirates on the last island we visited. I got her out of there and treated her as best as I could, but I'm no doctor," she paused, placing a hand over her mouth as if to stifle a sob, "I did my best, but I have to make sure that she is okay."
The doctor looked at Nami, then at Aries, before nodding absentmindedly. "Devil Fruit users are often targeted by pirate crews, so the fact that you were attacked isn't shocking."
Aries straightened up, her eyes wide in alarm. "How did you know I have Devil Fruit powers?" she asked, her voice laced with apprehension. Her blue eyes watched the doctor's face for any sign of ill-intent as her hand inched up to grip Nami's that was still on her shoulder.
The doctor smiled and tapped one finger against the side of his head. "I only assumed that you weren't born with those horns."
The blonde's hands flew to cover the rough bone horns that spiraled out from her skull. Her face flushed in embarrassment; her chin tucked down into her chest. She only flushed more when she heard the old man's gentle chuckle.
"Let's see these injuries, hm?" he said, tugging on his latex gloves.
He started with the small scrapes along her cheekbone, nose, and her busted lip. He then moved down to her scabbed over knuckles before looking at her knees and the bottoms of her feet. Once he was satisfied with the way the small wounds had healed, he gestured to the large gauze bandage that wrapped around her mid-section.
"I take it that this was the worst injury?" he asked.
Aries nodded silently as Nami elaborated, "I stitched it once, but they ripped as we were running away so I had to do them over again."
He nodded in understanding as he rolled his stool over to cabinets in the corner of the room. He pulled out a pair of medical scissors and a roll of fresh gauze. "Have the stitches been removed?"
"No/Yes," Nami and Aries said at the same time. The orange haired girl whipped her head around to look at the younger girl in disbelief. Aries shrugged sheepishly. "They itched, so I pulled them out while I was in the shower."
Nami opened her mouth to chastise her, but the doctor interrupted. "How long have they been out?"
"A few days. I kept the bandage on to keep the cut clean."
He nodded again, rolling right up next to the table. "Lean back please. I need to cut off the bandage and really look at the laceration."
Aries did as she was told, her eyes locked on the ceiling. She felt the cold steel of the scissors as he snipped the gauze away. The sudden chill sent a shiver up her spine. The bandage fell away, revealing the almost completely healed wound.
The doctor ran a gloved finger over the raised pink skin, inspecting the damage and the healing process. He let out a small hum as he poked and prodded, testing if the area was still sensitive to pain. When Aries didn't show any obvious signs of the injury still hurting, he rolled his stool back towards the cabinets.
"The knife that cut you must have been a sharp one. The skin was cut cleanly, no tearing, which is a good thing. All of your injuries are almost healed completely. I don't think that cut will leave much of a scar either. Your body healed remarkably well," he said.
Aries smiled, rubbing one of her own fingers around the small scabs on her opposite hand's knuckles. "Yeah, the cook on the ship was very adamant that I ate a lot of iron packed foods."
He nodded again, rolling back over with a tube of something in his hand. "Smart man." He smiled at both girls and handed over the tube. "This is a medicine that should be applied to the cut before bed, preferably after a shower. Just to make sure you don't get an infection. Let me just apply some real quick and put another bandage on. You can probably stop start leaving it uncovered in a few more days"
Aries took the tube out of his hand gently once he was finished dressing her side, returning his smile. She and Nami stood to leave, but stopped when the doctor called to them.
"You best tell your captain that he needs to recruit a doctor to your pirate crew if he knows what's best. Otherwise, you won't make it very far into the Grand Line," he shouted after them, a knowing grin on his lips.
Both girls flushed and rushed out of the office, nervous laughter falling from their mouths. Aries looked over at Nami from the corner of her eye as they sprinted down the crowded street, spotting the cheeky smile on her face that she was sure matched her own. The pair quickly darted into an alleyway, checking both ways for Marines. When they didn't spot any, they allowed themselves to fall back against the stone walls and let out their bottled up laughter.
Aries examined the tube of medicine in her hand, her smile falling slightly. Nami seemed to notice the change in her friend's mood, but stayed silent, waiting for her to be the one to open up.
The sheep girl turned to stare at the sliver of cloudy sky above. "Is this what having a sister feels like?" she said softly, mostly to herself.
Nami fondly touched the gold bangle that hung from her wrist. "Yeah, it is," she responded, also casting her gaze upwards.
Aries leaned her head back to lean against the cool stone and returned her stare to the navigator. "Do you have siblings, Nami?"
"An older sister, Nojiko. She is back in my hometown taking care of our mother's tangerine orchid." she answered, resting her back against the wall, crossing her ankles.
The younger girl hummed in acknowledgement. She rubbed her thumb against the medicine tube, her fleece gloves almost too warm against her palms. "So what are your plans? For while we are here on the island," she asked, getting to her feet and sliding the tube into her shorts pocket.
"Well, both of us need new clothes, so I thought that we could go shopping together." The orange haired girl said simply, pushing off the wall and reaching out towards her companion.
Aries smiled at her, placing her hand in hers. "You know I don't have any money to pay for anything, right?"
Nami gave a visible wince, but relaxed her tense shoulders quickly. "Then just think of it as a welcome present. But it won't happen again." She pointed at Aries' face, her finger almost touching the shorter girl's nose, and a sly smirk painted on her lips.
Aries stood in a small dressing room, tugging on a light blue sundress that Nami had all but thrown at her. "I don't think I need something like this," the sheep girl said with a slightly raised voice, so Nami could hear her in the next stall over.
"Non-sense. Every girl needs a few dresses."
Aries rolled her eyes, turning to appraise how the dress fit. Smiling, she pulled it off, and hung it on the keep hook. "If you say so."
The blonde girl ended up trying on several pairs of shorts, numerous styles of tops, and even more dresses and skirts at Nami's insistence. She even added pajamas and several pairs of underwear and bras.
The navigator entered the tiny stall, gathered all of the clothes that Aries wanted, and hauled them up to the counter. "Now go get shoes. Several pairs. A girl can never have too many shoes."
Aries laughed into her hand and did as she was told. Once Nami was happy with her selection, she bought everything. The woman behind the counter loaded all of the items into 2 large sack-like bags. Each girl took one and made their way outside, shouting their thanks to the attendants as they left. The pair started walking down the main thoroughfare, heading towards the city square, when Nami spoke up.
"I need to get a few things for myself. Do you need anything? Or would you like to come with me?"
The blonde shifted the bag in grip, resting it a little farther up on her shoulder. She frowned as the bag settled oddly against the wool spool that was still tied around her back. "I think I need to find a bag or something to keep my wool in. I don't think walking around with my only weapon exposed is gonna be a good idea in the Grand Line. Might as well look for more wool while I'm at it."
Nami nodded and pointed down one of the side streets. "Well, I am heading this way. Don't forget that we need to meet up at the Execution Stand in a few hours. The air pressure is changing which means a storm is approaching. I would really like to leave before it gets here."
"Right," Aries nodded, giving her friend a little wave before heading off down a different side street.
About a minute into her walk, Aries saw a cloth store a few shops in front of her. The sign above the door was brightly colored with large letters that she couldn't make out, but she did recognize the image of an oversized spool of thread.
The teen shuffled forward towards the shop in a haste, eager to see what it offered.
She pushed open the door, a bell jingling above the threshold, and stepped into the cluttered interior. The sight of rows and rows of fabric of all kinds. Some glittered in the light; others caught her eye with their dazzling patterns. She walked forward down the aisle directly in front of her and allowed her fingers to trail across the soft cloth. She stopped at the end of the aisle, looking around the back wall for any sign of wool.
"Need help finding anything?" A voice asked directly next to her ear from behind her. Aries jumped in fright, whipping around to face the person that had invaded her personal space, and in the process, bumped into a barrel of material.
There, standing inches from where she had been, stood a boy about her age. He was a few inches taller than her with shiny black hair styled in a low ponytail and dull brown eyes. He was wearing a green button-up shirt covered by a navy suit vest with matching dress pants. He reminded her of Sanji in a way.
"Do you need any help?" he asked again, one of his thin eyebrows arching.
Aries started to stutter, her words lost amongst her surprise. She finally pointed to the roll of wool tied to her back, and choked out the words, "I need more."
He eyed the white fleece, still with his eyebrow raised, before walking away down another aisle. "The wool and fleece are on aisle 6."
She nodded, muttering a thank you, mostly to herself seeing as the boy had disappeared through a doorway behind the counter.
She weaved through the aisles until she found Aisle 6 and stopped in front of a rack of different colored fleece. She ran her fingers over the plush wool, her fingerless gloves fluttered against her skin as her abilities reacted with the material before her. Trying to contain her grin, she scooped up two rolls of the fleece into her arms, and started to make her way to the counter.
The boy from before emerged from the back room and met her at the register. He arched an eyebrow at her as she eagerly placed the fabric roll on the counter. He rolled his eyes then began to punch some buttons on the register. "Okay, that will be 100 beli," he said blandly with a hand outstretched.
Aries looked at him with a confused expression for a moment before she began to pat her pockets blindly. A cold chill of panic crept up her spine as she cursed mentally.
Nami forgot to give me money. Shit.
A nervous laugh followed by a quick bleat escaped her throat. She forced a smile on her face, well aware that her feelings were obvious to everyone.
"I-I guess I left my wallet with my friend," she said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.
The boy took the rolls of fleece off of the counter and placed them somewhere out of sight. "No money, no product," he said in a dull tone.
Aries sighed, resigned that she would have to go find one of her crewmates to borrow some money. As she walked towards the door, a frantic woman with a bundle of clothes in her arms burst in.
"Hiro! Please tell me your mother's hand has healed! I need her magic fingers to repair these! They are irreplaceable!" she squawked. She dumped the wad on the countertop, the desperate expression on her face was borderline painful.
The boy behind the counter, Hiro she now knew he was called, paled and stepped back from the divider that separated him from the practically hysterical woman. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am, but my mother is still unable to return to sewing. It is going to be another few weeks until she is healed completely. My deepest apologies."
The woman let out a sob-like sound, her forehead landing on the wooden surface with a loud thud. "This can't be! My first grandchild is going to be born any day now and I promised my daughter that my grandmother's quilt would be ready for the nursery when they brought her home." The woman continued to make choked sobbing sounds as she hit her fist against the surface by her head.
Aries noticed that Hiro was awkwardly backing away from the distressed woman with a panicked look in his eyes. He cast her a helpless glance before, once again, disappearing through the door behind the counter.
"Um… Ma'am?" the sheep girl asked in a quiet voice as she carefully approached the lady's shivering form. "What is the quilt made of? I might be able to help some."
The woman shot up to a standing position and bolted towards the teen with frightening speed. She grasped Aries' fleece covered hands in her own, her eye makeup running down her face.
"Really? You can help me? Are you a tailor as well?"
"Um.. not really. But if your quilt is made of sheep's wool, I can repair it for you."
The woman released her hands and sighed sadly. "The quilt is made of very old cotton fabric. So sadly, I don't think you can help."
Aries frowned and touched the woman's shoulder. "Can I at least take a look?"
The woman gave a reluctant nod as she shook the blanket out to cover a large portion of the floor. The majority of the fabric was a pastel yellow that was littered with hand-stitched multi-colored flowers in varying sizes. Aries spotted several holes in the panels that looked like a moth, or another bug, had eaten at it.
The teen girl ran her fingers over the holes, and squinted her eyes in thought. She walked briskly to the wool and fleece aisle, letting her powers pull palm sized balls from rolls of purple and pink dyed wool. She rushed back to the spread-out quilt, started gently pulling small balls of the colored wool off of the source ball, and placed them carefully in the holes. Once all the holes had appropriately sized wool inside, she knelt on the floor and rested both hands against the edge of the blanket.
She closed her eyes, picturing the delicate hand-stitched flowers that decorated the fabric. A wave of warmth rushed down the back of her neck and to her fingers as she imagined the balls of wool blooming like petals. She pictured how tendrils of wool would sew the holes closed as they formed larger and brighter flowers.
A pair of loud gasps sounded from somewhere behind her, and, as the warmth in her hands faded, she opened her eyes. The holes in the quilt had been covered and repaired by new bright flowers, just as she had seen in her mind. She looked over her shoulder at the woman and Hiro, who were watching with slack jaws, and offered them a wide grin.
"There! I'd say it's ready for the baby's room now." she said warmly, slowly getting to her feet. She was startled when the older woman roughly pulled her into a tight hug. Aries laughed nervously and patted her back as the woman muttered countless thanks to her.
The woman pulled away, fumbling with her purse, and said, "How much do I owe you, young lady?"
"Oh no! No, no, no, no, you don't owe me anything! If anything, you owe Hiro for the wool that I used!" Aries answered frantically.
The woman glanced at Hiro, nodded with a frown, and continued to insist, "But you've helped me with something so important. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't pay you something."
Aries went to open her mouth to object once again, but Hiro's dull voice interrupted her. "She was trying to buy some material when she realized that she forgot her wallet. You can pay her back by buying that for her."
The woman didn't hesitate in handing over the money for Aries' two spools of wool and for the few pieces of wool she used for the quilt. She kissed Aries on the cheek before rushing out the door with the repaired quilt bundled up carefully in a bag.
The sheep girl stood in place, stunned, for a few moments before the sound of Hiro clearing his throat next to her snapped her out of her daze. She looked at the boy, prepared to be run out of the store for good. Instead, he held out a leather over-the-shoulder bag wordlessly. Aries took it from his outstretched hand carefully, a confused expression on her face.
"It's a thank you gift from me and my mother. My mother broke her hand weeks ago and felt bad about not being able to help that woman. She has been in here at least three times a week since my mother's accident. So just accept it."
The blonde nodded and examined the bag. It was made of a soft brown leather that looked worn and old, but well cared for. There was even a cluster of small stars in the left bottom corner of the front flap. She traced them with a fingertip and smiled at him.
"Thank you, Hiro!" she chirped. She walked up to the counter and placed her wool spool next to her new ones. She held her hands over them, watching them ripple and shift to form two blocks of fabric about the size and weight of a thick photo album. She placed them into her new bag, thanked Hiro again, and rushed out the door and back onto the street.
Aries walked down the road, heading towards the town's center, when she noticed that the sky was turning gray.
"The air is starting to feel kinda heavy. Nami wasn't kidding when she said a storm was coming," she murmured to herself.
When the sight of the road opening up into the town square came into view, the sheep began to jog towards it. She skidded to a halt just before running smack into Zoro's back. He glanced at her over his shoulder, gave her a short nod, and continued walking forward. Aries moved to walk beside him, her steps wider to match his long gait and her eyes scanning the crowd for their friends.
"Hm?" she heard Zoro hum as he came to a stop at an intersection. She turned her eyes forward and saw Nami with the large sack of clothes on her back and Usopp and Sanji carrying an overly large fish.
"Ah." Nami said simply, glancing between the two approaching pairs.
"Oh!" she chirped, smiling at the sight of her friends.
"Hey," Usopp chimed in, leaning to the left slightly to see around the long ears of the fish that was perched on his shoulder.
"So, where is he?" Zoro asked in a bored tone.
"He said he wanted to check out the execution stand…" Nami replied, trailing off at the end of her statement.
"Isn't the execution stand right here in the town square?" Usopp questioned, looking around the immediate area.
"He hasn't gotten himself into any trouble, has he?" Aries asked, wringing her hands in front of her.
The blonde girl stood on her toes and scanned the crowd around them for her rambunctious captain. When she failed to spot his signature straw hat anywhere nearby, she noticed that everyone was facing the same way. "What is everyone looking at?" she wondered out loud, loud enough for the others to hear and turn their attention to the crowd as well.
A moment of silence fell over the group as they all followed the crowd's sight line to the top of the execution stand where Luffy was trapped under a stock.
"WHA!" Usopp screamed. Beside him, Sanji grit his teeth, grinding his cigarette accidently between his molars.
Aries gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, while Nami sighed heavily, her head dipped low.
Zoro took a step back in shock, his face a mixture of confusion and anger.
"WHY THE HELL IS HE ON THE EXECUTION STAND!?"
I am soo sorry this has taken me so long. This chapter had to undergo sooooo many edits and rewrites until I was happy with it. Next chapter, we get our fight with the Buggy Pirates! I am looking forward to writing a group fight scene.
Thank you guys so much sticking with me! And thank you to all the new people who have recently followed! Don't forget to check out Friendships at Sea for some side stories with Aries and her crewmates! And don't be afraid to leave requests in the reviews or in a PM to me!
~Vanna