Chapter 2: In What You Say
"A monster, huh?" Lucy asked slightly interested.
Nami sighed; her arms wrapped around the giant bag of treasure next to her, as if guarding it.
"Yea, Roronoa Zoro is also known as the "Pirate Hunter", he's a really scary person..." Coby adjusted his glasses and gave the girl a serious look. "Rumor says, he's like a blood thirsty hound, wandering the seas, hunting down fugitives. He's a monster in the form of a man..."
The ravenette looked out into the horizon in thought. "Well, a rumor's a rumor. Some are true, some are almost true, and some are so utterly ridiculous that it's a wonder how people could actually believe it. But..." She scratched her slightly flushed cheek. "That rumor sounds kinda cool, even if it is only that... I think somthin' like that is..."
Lucy's face turned scarlet and she covered her mouth with her hand. "I wish the rumors about me sounded that mysterious..."
She closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Ugh-huh... something like; 'Cross-Stitch Lucy: Rumor has it, she's like a ghost wandering the accursed sea all alone, searching for vengeance against the world that justly killed her. Hey, did you hear? When she was just nine years old, she set fire to a government facility and trapped the inhabitants inside, laughing as they slowly burned alive. But when authorities went to investigate... all they found, were the shadows of marines being hung by a nose, scorched onto the walls... and an eerie sob echoing everywhere and nowhere... "You did this... You did this..!"'."
Lucy watched Coby squirm in his seat, face blue, and sweating. She smirked and creepily grabbed him from behind. "It was you!"
The pink-haired boy screamed out his lungs and unintentionally fell backwards out of the boat and into the ocean with a *plop*.
Nami jumped on her and tried to strangle her. "That's not a rumor, it's a ghost story!"
"...Wait, there's a difference?" Lucy honestly asked, but still gave her a somewhat apologetic smile anyway as she sat back up on her knees and made her way to the swimming boy.
She hung one leg over the side of the boat, and easily hoisted the waterlogged Coby back into the dinghy. "Hehe... S-sorry, my bad. Here..."
Without permission, she pulled his shirt over his head, and unwrapped the midnight blue sash that bound her upper torso and began to dry his hair. "Its bad luck to catch a cold at sea, ya' know?"
Lucy wrung the sash and his t-shirt out and shook them against the wind, drying the sopping garments.
Pressing the somewhat dried fabric against her face, she affirmed that they were no longer water logged, then pulled Coby's shirt back over his head, and wrapped her sash around Coby's neck like a scarf.
"There! All better!" She exclaimed, patting his head. "Now… let's see…" Lucy closed her eyes in thought, then stood up, tousling the rocky boat. "To make up for it...-"
The ravenette took a gulp of air and dived into the cold, brackish water; she didn't dare resurface until she was blue in the face.
Immerging from the cobalt depths, Lucy inhaled a long awaited breath, combing her salty bangs backwards through cold fingers. She shook her head from shoulder to shoulder, and pulled herself back into the crowded dinghy.
"I very sorry for troubling you…" The ravenette amended as she bent to her knees and bowed her head. "Please forgive my incivility; at times, I tend to over think things and then end up not thinking it through at all. So, in case I don't get a chance to say it in the future…."
Lucy looked back up at the two passengers, who both couldn't help but stare in muddled confusion, with a bright, yet apologetic smile. "Sorry…! My bad! ~"
Lucy all but ran off the dingy, escaping the awkward silence that had fallen over it.
"LAND!" She shouted with her arms raised high in the air, relieving her mind of heavy tension.
"Yep! Finally!" Coby happily cried, looking around him at the new setting before turning to complement Nami on her navigational skills; only to realize she'd disappeared.
"Wahh! She's gone!"
Lucy bent over backwards, facing Coby with her head upside down. "Yea... She left the moment we moored. I don't think she likes me…"
"Ah-ha ha, I ugh... wonder why…"
"Well whatever! I'm hungry let's go eat!" Waving her hand in a hurried dismissal, Lucy quickly started off, following the scent of her next meal.
Coby sweat-dropped at her sudden change in tune, but quickly ran to catch up when he realized that she'd left him behind.
"Hey, Toby? How many berries do you have?" She asked, stopped in front of a tavern and bouncing on the heels of her feet.
The boy sighed and pulled out his wallet, glumly staring at its near emptiness. "Coby… and I have about 2,000 berries; if we spend it wisely we could prob-"
"Great!" Lucy exclaimed happily, grabbing the entirety of his wallet. "Hey, hey! Bar lady! Get me as much food as this can buy!" She shoved the money into the bar keeps hand, sitting down on the nearest chair.
Coby just curled into a ball on the floor, depressed at how easily she had just stolen his life savings without a second thought. Girls are supposed to be polite and gentle... he thought miserably. I either have the worst luck or my whole world is just one giant lie...
Lucy looked at the boy, confused at his actions. "If your upset I took your money than just protect it better, you're the one at fault for letting me nab it..."
A plate of food was placed in front of her and she immediately started digging in, blocking out all external communications.
Coby could only stare at the table in thought as he let himself get lost in the wood grains.
The ravenette leaned back in her chair, downing a jug of water before roughly placing it back on the table. "Hah, much better than bread..."
She glanced over at Coby from the corner of her eye and groaned. "Here…" She stated coolly, handing him the last plate of what remained. "D-don't you f-ing dare even think about thanking me…!" Lucy stuttered, tightly gripping her tomato red face. "I'll punch you got it?!"
Jumping to her feet, the long-haired girl all but stumbled out of the bar. "We-we'll go our separate ways here! Th-thanks for the meal!"
The pinkette shot his head up, only for a sweat drop to slowly roll down the side of his face as the bumbling girl tripped and knocked a table over, sending the contents atop flying into the air. Thankfully, Lucy skillfully caught each of the platters and placed them back on the table as if nothing happened. A lone patron clapped at her display of nimble acrobatics.
Lucy placed her hand on the door and opened it slightly, but stopped and looked over her shoulder to see the boy who was still sitting at the table dumb founded. "Oi! You… do your best to be a great marine, yea?"
Coby shot his head up and looked at Lucy, tears forming in his eyes.
"I will...! Thank you so much Lucy, you really-"
"OK! I wonder if Zoro is still being kept at the Marine Base…?" Lucy asked aloud to no one in particular, completely ignoring Coby's words of friendship.
At the name Zoro, the whole tavern flipped over and its occupants braced against the wall in panic.
"…Must be somthin' in the water supply." Lucy mumbled with a smirk as she left the premises. "Idiots…"
Coby just watched her leave, sinking into his chair and giggled sheepishly.
"It looks pretty ugly up close..." Lucy said as she gazed up at the towering fortress, and began feeling around for any presence.
Lifting herself up to the top of the wall, she let her eyes wander slightly, spotting a person tied to an execution post in the center of an, otherwise empty yard.
She pushed up and prepared to lift her leg to hop the wall when a squeaky voice shouted her name.
"Lucy! Wait!"
Lucy turned her head to see Coby running towards her panting heavily. Standing in front of the wall, he fell to his knees, gasping for air.
She sighed, turning her attention back to the yard. "Sheesh, Doby, your cardio is awful..."
Coby shrugs the statement off, instead focusing on climbing up the wall to position himself near her; but as soon as he was up, he was down.
"It... It's him! It's Roronoa Zoro! Th-Th-That black bandanna and haramaki around his waist... and that intimidating aura...! It's Zoro!"
Lucy, for the most part, had ignored his outburst of fear, and just continued to observe the man. So that's Zoro...
Nodding her head confidently, she swung her left leg over the wall. "All righty then, I'll just head on over there, untie him, and be on my way."
Coby narrowed his eyes, not believing what he was hearing. "S-Stop joking! If you free him, he could make a mess in the town and even kill you!"
"Hey, you!" Called a deep, tired voice.
The ravenette snapped her head toward the speaker, her brow slightly raised.
"Could you fucking... shut up? I've been tied up for over two weeks and I'm exhausted... Better yet..." He looked up at them, clearly annoyed. "If you come over here and untie me, I could hunt down a bounty and give you the rewards. I'm not lying... I keep true to my words..."
"No... Don't do it Lucy! Don't be tricked by his words! If you free him, he'll kill us and escape!"
Lucy gave a bemused smirked, leaning her chin in her palm. "Oh…? ~ So I guess you're a bounty hunter then? That's cute…" She looked around the execution grounds, rhythmically tapping her fingers on the stone wall. "What's even cuter is the fact that the marine's thought it was a good idea to leave such a notorious and deadly man such as yourself, out in the open without any guards posted." She smiled brightly, and looked up the towering blue building. "I mean, just about anyone could-"
*clunk*
"Hmm?" Coby and Lucy looked to their right to see a little girl with brown hair climb up the wall next to them.
"Shh!" She held a finger to her mouth motioning them to be quiet as she hopped over the wall and fell the ground, clutching a bag to her chest.
"Ah...! Don't do it! It's dangerous!" Coby yelled out to the girl who was already making her way to the captive Zoro. "Lucy, go stop her! She could be killed!"
"If you're so concerned for her safety then do it yourself..." The girl muttered watching the scene with interest.
The bounty hunter clicked his tongue. "Do you want to die or something...? Get lost!"
The little girl smiled and held up her untied bag revealing two rather round, onigiri. "U-Umm, big brother, I made some onigiri for you! You haven't eaten for a long time, right?" She walked closer and held it up, offering it to him. "This is the first time I've made them but-"
"I'm not hungry!" Zoro quickly exclaimed. "Go away!"
"But..." The girl started, trying to think up an excuse to make him eat.
"I don't want it! Leave me alone! I'll kill you if you don't beat it!"
Two Marines entered the yard, accompanied by a strange looking man who thought it was a good time to ruin the mood.
"Roronoa Zoro!" The man called teasingly. "Don't pick on little kids or else I'll have to report to my father about it."
Zoro shifted his glare away from the girl and directed it towards the newcomers.
Lucy rested her chin on the top of the wall, arms dangling over the edge, and sighed. "Some weirdo came..." She stated monotonously, also becoming irritated.
The man child was pale and lanky, who strut around like he owned the place. Sporting a unique purple dress suit and an outlandish banana-blond bowl cut, you could tell he had serious issues.
"He must be someone important in the marines... Thank goodness, now the girl will be safe..." Coby said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Lucy's head crashed into the top of the wall. Is he... serious? She turned to face him, seeing his thankful expression and relaxed body. There's no way, he's this delusional... That sleaze ball is obviously not good news!
"Tch... If it isn't the lieutenant's bastard son..." Zoro tsked, averting his iron gaze from the strangely dressed man.
"Bastard? Don't get cocky. My dad is a Marine Lieutenant!" He scoffed, and turned to the young brunette. "Well hello, little girl. These onigiri look pretty tasty!" He said snatching one of them and shoving it in his mouth before immediately spitting it out. "Blegh! Horrible! You put too much sugar into it! You're supposed to put in salt! Salt!"
The girl looked down sadly at her first ever cooking attempt. "But... But I thought they'd taste better sweet..."
As the man raised his hand to slap the rest of the food out of her hand, as if out of nowhere, a three gold needles as thin as paper and as long as a pen, lodged themselves into his elbow and neck, rendering him unconscious.
Lucy hopped over the wall and casually sauntered over to the downed man. "Oh my, I guess someone has come down with a sudden case of narcolepsy, how dreadful!"
She covertly removed the nearly invisible needles and slid them back beneath her arm guards. "I recommend some aroma therapy and acupressure to cure his sleepless nights... Well come along then you lot, bring him to his room." She said, motioning the marine triad over to Helmeppo. "You strapping young men aren't going to leave the heavy lifting to a frail young woman are you?" She shook her head in disappointment. "How unseemly."
The marines rushed over and grabbed the unconscious man. "We'll ugh... take it from here then..." They assured as they ran off to the base, leaving the three bystanders to their own devices.
Lucy turned around and gently patted the girl on the head. "What a scary experience, you okay?"
The girl sniffed and rubbed her eyes free of any forming tears. "Y-Yea... Thanks, for saving me."
"Oh, no there's no reason too. He fell asleep all on his own" She smiled calmly, taking the girl's small hand in her own. "C'mon I'll lift you back over the wall."
"Wait... can you give this to big brother for me? I'm sure he's really hungry, even if he says he isn't..."
Lucy smiled at her and nodded, taking the carefully wrapped onigiri from her hand and helped her over the wall.
"Hey, Coby?" She asked, calling the pink-haired boy back to reality. "Walk her home 'kay? I've got business to finish here." He nodded his head slowly, processing his jumbled thoughts, and the two dropped down behind the wall and out of sight.
She turned around quickly, feeling the "Pirate Hunter's" merciless green eyes, piercing into her back, studying her curiously. She grabbed her sunglasses from her bra strap, and replaced them over her eyes.
Lucy put on a quick smile and began walking closer, forcing his ever-present scowl to deepen.
"Why are you still here? Do you want to cause trouble with the Marines?" He closed his eyes and leaned back against the post.
She stayed her ground, and began to unwrap what remained of the girl's gift.
"Eh… been there, done that." She said holding the round onigiri out to him. "Want it…?"
Zoro clicked his tongue and turned his head away from the meddling teen. "Not hungry..." He replied, though his stomach said otherwise.
The ravenette hummed, thinking up a dubious plan of attack. "That's a real shame… What? Don't tell me you're just a big bully who'd let the gift some poor girl poured her heart and soul into making go to waste~" Lucy teased, back turned to him.
She shrugged. "Oh well… I guess I'll just go back and tell her that 'big brother' Zoro hated her lovely first attempt at cooking… She'll probably want to cry, but'll hold back the tears as hard as she can a say, "I-it's okay! I'll j-just have to try again! This time for sure…! He'll-"
"Shut up, I fucking get it already! Jeez…" Zoro tsked as he turned his head to the side, a small blush hiding under heavy layers of blood and grime.
Lucy smiled in her victory, and twirled around, carefully cramming the round onigiri into the green-haired swordsman's mouth, which he'd begrudgingly opened at last.
She watched him choke it down, only shuddering once from the overwhelming amount of sugar.
"…It… was very good. Tell her I said thanks…"
Lucy bit down on her knuckle, trying hard to suppress the urge to giggle. "pfht…"
He glared at her, enveloped in a dark aura that seemed to go unnoticed by the younger girl.
"So…" Lucy shrugged it off, and gestured her thumb to the base. "Need me ta' break you out, or what?"
Zoro tsked and turned his head away from hers. "What are you going on about? I don't need anyone to break me out. I've got it covered."
Lucy's eye twitched. "…You're right… how silly of me… I was just thrown off by the lack of movement, but I guess everyone's got their own pace and we need to be respectful of that."
"Has anyone ever told you, that you're a real bitch?"
"Has anyone told you you're insults are boring and over used? Seriously, is 'bitch' like, the only word a man can call a pretty young lady who's just hurt their pride?"
"…" Zoro's brow furrowed into knots. "I'm… too tired to think of anything better…"
"Right… I can understand just how tired you must be, what with all that progress you've been making."
"I WILL FUCKING CUT YOU!"
"Yep, I'm scared now… Ooooh~ the swordless swordsman wants to slice me in two~" Lucy chuckled behind her hand. "Well, after all, you can't cut me, until someone cut's you down first."
The ravenette smirked and turned her attention towards the seemingly quiet base. "Now I could be the one to fix that little dilemma of yours, but you're not playing nice."
Zoro grumbled curse words under his breath before letting out an annoyed sigh. "What do you want?"
"Oh…? What do I want?" The raven haired girl asked holding her own hands behind her back. "You've got it all backwards. I don't want anything."
"Then why bother?"
"Well…" Lucy twisted her lip and looked up at the sky. "If you knew beforehand, that no matter how hard you tried, or how long you practiced, that you'd eventually fail… then would you even bother trying in the first place…? Any human with half-a-brain would say 'no', and quickly move on to something they will succeed in, but…" An awkward chuckle escaped her lips, "-for some reason, no matter how much I reason my way out of it, I can't help but keep trying. If in the end, all I have left are my scars, does that make me a loser…?"
