Author's Note: So I realized that I didn't put an author's note in any of the other uploaded chapters, but better late than never right? Originally this fanfic was created for a friend of mine, hence the OC and Zoro shipment. But I hope you like it! I'll try to upload a new chapter or two every couple of weeks. Thank you so much for reading and for your support! Don't forget to favorite, follow, and leave me feedback on your opinions of the latest chapters from this fanfic!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece in any way, shape, or form. Just like writing about it, thank you very much.

Chapter 6

Palace Visit to See Zoro!

The Memory of Liam!

"Hey, Ari, it's time to wake up. I made us some breakfast," Marguerite says. "I know you had a bad day yesterday." She walks into Ari's room and sets a delectable breakfast spread on her nightstand.

Ari rubs the sleep out of her eyes and looks over at the tray splayed out beside her. There's a tall glass of pomegranate juice, whipped cream with strawberries, and thin, crispy pancakes. There's even a tiny pitcher of syrup and a saucer with blueberries. "Thanks, Marguerite, you didn't have to do this!" Ari jumps out of bed and throws her arms around her friend. Marguerite returns her embrace.

"You know what I tried to tell that pirate yesterday?" Marguerite shakes her head at the thought. "I told him there was no way to convince you that these pirates aren't so bad. He was determined though, I have to give him credit for that." Ari pulls away from Marguerite and sits back down on the bed and places the tray on her lap. She dives into the pancakes, sprinkles on some blueberries, and pours syrup on them. She carefully cuts straight to the middle in order to save the crispy edges for last. "He… did he change your mind by chance?"

Ari swallows another mouthful. "Well…" she says and thinks back to yesterday's events. She remembers his warm hands on her face, his solid body inches away from hers. His green eyes boring intently into her own.

"Hey, wait a second. What exactly did that pirate say to you? Or shall I say do to you? You're face is redder than those strawberries right now." Marguerite gives her a mom look and places her hands on her hips.

Ari raises her hands up in defeat. "Do… um… he didn't do anything. Just told me that I shouldn't group his captain in with the rest or something like that," she says. "He also helped me with all those pomegranates over there." Ari points to a large bag by her nightstand.

"Wow. That was nice of him." Marguerite notices Ari's other bag that she usually takes with her for picking next to the larger one. "Oh yeah, when did he give you back your bag?"

"Huh? Oh, he didn't." Ari gives her a confused look.

"Then how did you get it back if he didn't give it to you?" Marguerite scrunches her face up. "I saw him go into the palace with it and then he probably put it in his room and… ARI! How exactly did you get it?"

"I just took the liberty of getting it myself, that's all."
"By breaking into the guy's room?!"

Ari just shrugs at this. Now finished with her breakfast, she climbs out of bed. She grabs her handbag, which is fully equipped with brushes and canvas. She exits the room and calls to Marguerite, "I'll be back later. I'm going to go and get some more painting supplies, so cya! Thanks again for breakfast!" She pops out the door without another word.

At first, she intends to go straight for her sun spot on the cliff's edge, but somewhere along the way, her feet carry her in a different direction. Before long, she realizes that she is heading to the palace. She strolls through the town and the village is already alive and animated. One girl chops meat here, another weaves, and so on. The voices of her neighbors fade as she walks closer toward the palace.

When she finally arrives at the gate, she stands there and is unsure of what to do next. There is some sort of loud noise on the other side, but she reaches out for the brass snake knocker on the left side of the gate anyway. Just as she's about to knock, a rubber ball flies through the other side of the gate.

"Heyy… Hancock, sorry I kinda messed up your gate thingy," Luffy shouts over to the palace. He chuckles and turns to Ari. "Hey, sorry pink haired lady, didn't mean to almost hit you."

"Don't worry about it," she says and waves it away with her hand. "I actually need your help. I was wondering if Zoro was here?"

"Zoro?" Luffy confirms, and she nods. "Dunno." He shrugs.

"Ok, thanks anyway." She leaves the palace and, slightly disappointed, trudges along the uneven forest floor to her sun spot.

Ari makes it to the cliff's edge and sets down her canvas and brushes. She puts herself to work making paint out of the herbs available to her. It's still early morning, but the sun's rays roll across the horizon and touch the clearing. Her favorite pomegranate tree is solid and sure. Flowers thrive around this part of the forest due to the constant supply of sunlight. She kneels down by the tree and picks the tiny, yellow flowers around the base of it. She takes out her mortar and pestle and grinds the petals up until they're small enough to add to her paint base. After she finishes making the yellow paint, she sets up her easel and brings out the blue and red that she made last week. As she paints, the strokes of her brush animate her canvas, and bring it to life in front of her very eyes. She creates an image that she hasn't seen since she was ten years old, and hasn't dared to think about since she was fourteen. She lets the colors and the morning air whisk her away into her memories...

The air is cold and crisp and the clouds drift over the sun, leaving the dojo in a faint glow. Ari always loved afternoons like this: the sun lighting the earth as if it were nothing but a small candle. The autumn leaves sail on the wind and gradually rest on the weathered grass. The wind combs through her brown hair gently and welcomes her into its caring embrace, bringing her scented gifts from their fruit plantation upwind. Ari sets her bag down on the dojo's porch and picks up her sword in its place. She walks down the steps to the grass, where her brother is impatiently waiting for her.

"Ari!" Liam whines and tugs on his sister's sleeve with one hand while holding his bamboo sword in the other. "Come onnn! Let's battle already!"

"Alright, alright." Ari stretches her own sword out in front of her. "Take… THIS! HIIYAA!" She locks her sword with her brother's, both of them engaged in competitive play.

Liam springs back from her attack and the spiked bracelet on his wrist almost slips off. He recovers and charges at her full force. "HEUH!" He swings his sword down above her head. She dodges his attack and slips to the side. He fumbles to regain his balance and totters from one foot to the other. They skirt around each other for a couple more seconds before their swords clash again. Liam's strength almost matches his sister's. Their bamboo blades slide off of each other time and time again. CLONK! HIT! SLIDE! SCRAPE! The sound of their battle echoes off the outside walls that surround the dojo. She's beaten me every single time. Up until now that is! Today is the day I'll beat her! He swings his sword around to her side, hitting her and she doubles over in pain. He flicks her sword out of her hand and claims his first victory.

"YEAH! Did you see that sis? Now who's gonna be the world's greatest swordsman?" He laughs and does a victory dance, pumping his sword and fist up in the air. His black hair flips this way and that.

"It was a good fight," she says calmly and walks away.

Normally sis is more competitive than this… wait… Liam wonders and is now furious. "ARI! Did you let me win?!"

"It's our last match; I figured you deserved a victory." Ari smiles halfheartedly.

"What do you mean last match?" Liam's eyes water. "WHY is it the last match, sis?"

"I… have to move away and travel for a while," she says, "but I'll be playing my music for audiences all around the globe. My teacher thinks that I really have what it takes to be a professional musician!" She smiles happily at the thought of it.

"Buttt.. but Ari." Liam drops his sword and the sound echoes off the walls and silences everything in their midst. "It's not fair!" He gives her one last stubborn look and stomps up to the door of the dojo. As he steps inside, he kicks a rock off the top of the stairs. Ari watches as it hits each step on its way down. She loves sword fighting and how close her and her brother have come because of it. She's been mastering and tuning her sword skills even longer than the dojo owner's daughter. It's true that she would miss the dojo, but music was her real passion. It was the thing she did best.

He'll be okay… I just need to give him some time I guess. Ari plods up the steps to the dojo's porch and takes her bag down with her to the grass. To pass the time, she takes out her painting supplies and sets them down gently in front of her. She turns to face the dojo and begins to paint, taking reference from the building in front of her. Afternoon turns into evening as she finishes painting the building and adds her and her brother in. She holds the canvas out in front of her and evaluates her work. Good. Something for him and Skyler to remember me by when I leave. She stands and walks toward the dojo with her painting in hand and is on her way to give it to Liam as a parting gift. There's a clop clop clop on the road and she sees a horse carriage approaching the dojo. She stops walking when she's about halfway to the stairs, watching the mustangs and the wooden coach come nearer with each step.

"Miss Flutter!" The coach comes to a stop and Ari's teacher/recruiter tumbles out, hurriedly rushing over to her. He grabs her by the arm and pulls her over to the carriage. "We're going to be late! I told the music director that you would be there at 6 on the dot! And it is now…" He looks at his watch, and his face drops with disbelief. "It's already 5:55! Come, come we have to go!" He grabs ahold of her again, causing her painting to slip out of her hand and drop to the ground below.

"Wait a minute! Hold on!" she calls out and reaches for her painting. Her recruiter continues to tug on her arm and she interjects, "I thought we weren't leaving for another week or so!"

"Come, come, no time for that now. We have to go, we're going to be late! Late, not good. Not good at all!"

"Ari?" Liam rushes out onto the dojo's porch.

"I'll see you in a few months, Liam!" Ari is pulled into the carriage and the whip cracks, signaling for the horses to go.

"Ari…?" Liam stumbles down the steps and falls on his face, cutting himself on a sharp rock, resulting in a deep cut above his right eyebrow.

"LIAM!" Ari sticks her arm out the window and reaches toward her brother.

"ARI!" He ignores the wound and stumbles to the carriage as it's pulling away. He grabs ahold of the window ledge, desperately trying to reach into the carriage to her. His oversized spiked bracelet falls off onto the carriage floor and his legs become too fatigued to run alongside the carriage anymore. He slows down to a stop and watches as his sister is taken away from him.