So, in celebration of Zoro's birthday, I decided to give a hand to all of my awesome followers, favoriters, and readers with one final chapter for tonight! This chapter includes a memory of Flutter's in which her crew dies right before her eyes. Very sad, I know. Please let me know what you think! This chapter is one of my personal favorites! Believe it or not, a part of it is actually based on a true story. But I'll leave it at that. Enjoy!

Also, warning there is some slight slander in this chapter that I understand may be offensive. That is the character in the story talking, not me. Just thought I'd let you know.

Disclaimer: Once again, I own the words, not the series. Eiirchiro Oda gets the credit for that /)^3^(\

Chapter 12

The Memory of Pheonix! The Fluttering Swordswoman's Painful Past!

They have the same spirit as my old crew… I miss them. Emi… Chloe... all of them. Ari sits with her knees tucked against her chest on the cliff's edge. This is where I first washed up to the island on that fateful day. The day I killed them… The sound of the waves crashing against the cliffside take Ari way back. Back to five years ago when the sea challenged her ship and crew at every turn, each enemy greater than the last…

"Set sail! They may have captured her today, but she won't stay at Impel Down! Not if we have anything to say about it!" Flutter shouts to her crew. They cheer in response, but many carry worried expressions on their faces.

"But isn't that like, a very dangerous prison or something?" Chloe asks.

"No, it's totally safe," Emi counters with her sarcastic specialty. "We won't get a single scratch on us, rainbow head."

"What did you say to me, lesbian?!" Chloe shouts in her face.

"Our own quarrels aren't important right now," Flutter says. "Our main priority is to save Pheonix."

"Why should we have to save the blonde in the first place?" Emi challenges.

Flutter flashes out her sword, the slash whipping through the air and down to the crew. It gives Emi a prompt slice on her nose and knocks her glasses to the deck, shattering them. "She has her moments, but her flames have saved us countless times. Don't any of you ever disregard one of your crewmates again! Is that understood?!" Her confident voice shakes the mast and floorboards of the Grey Symphony.

Her crew, including Emi, salutes in respect. "Yes, ma'am."

Emi takes out a spare pair of glasses from her coat and slides them onto her nose. Damn that Pheo.

Chloe feels just as strongly about saving Pheonix as the Captain, but still looks worried. There's no way we'll get out of there alive.

The crew continues sailing along the current, and Flutter sits down to rest. She leans her head back on the side of the ship and her mind drifts along to a couple months ago, when Pheonix was still on the Grey Symphony with them…

The crew is busy eating dinner in the kitchen with Flutter, Emi, and Pheonix sitting at the head of the table.

"I know a lot of big words!" Pheonix protests to Emi, who is teasing her on her blondeness once again.

"Oh yeah, like what?" Emi leans on her hand, clearly amused with the conversation.

"I know what extraction means… I know what exaltation means… I know what abortation means…"

"You mean abortion?"

Phoenix's face comes to a standstill and she looks utterly dumbfounded. A silence fills the room, until everyone bursts out with laughter. Pheo's face turns bright red.

"That's what I meant!"

"Whatever you say, Fe-oh."

"Hey! Don't call me 'ugly' in spanish, Les-bo!" Pheonix shouts and points a fork threateningly at Emi. "And by the way, Flutter, pass me some of your Asian smarts, would ya?"

Flutter takes a swig of her sparkling pomegranate booze. "Sorry, but I think you're a lost cause." The Captain chuckles and the room erupts into another round of laughter. Pheonix takes a moment to stop eating and pointedly pout by stomping a black-heeled boot to the floor. At the same time, her hair ignites into flames.

"You're gonna set the kitchen on fire again, you know," Ashley states calmly.

"See, guys, Ashley agrees with me! I'm on firrrreeee." She licks a finger and touches it to her butt making a 'tssss' sound.

"Yeah right!" the crew exclaims. Pheo shrugs off their dismissal and continues laughing heartily.

Flutter is suddenly snapped awake from her memories by a large commotion at the front of the ship. A crewmember scurries to the side of the ship that Flutter is resting on.

"Captain! A fleet of marine battleships are headed this way!"

"Alright," Flutter says, getting to her feet. She stretches and feels the small picture frame in her pocket jab at her hip. "Let's get this over with."

The marine fleet inches closer and closer to the infamous pirate ship. Orders are heard coming from the battleship and the marines scurry about, no doubt getting ready for the battle ahead.

"Prepare yourselves and ready cannons on all ships!" Momonga orders, both to the subordinates in front of him, and into a transponder snail transmitting to the battleships behind him.
"Yes, sir!" the marines all salute in unison. The flagship is now face-to-face with the Grey Symphony and Vice Admiral Momonga has his sword extended out at the front.

"Fluttering Swordswoman," he proclaims with his eyes glaring at her. "I, Momonga, stake my pride as a Navy Vice Admiral on stopping you right here!"

"Is that so?" She takes out her own sword and extends it toward the enemy. "ATTACK!"

Her crew advances past her and onto the enemy ship, erupting into complete and total chaos. Flutter unclips her cloak, revealing her leather corset and white flowing cotton skirt underneath. She runs along the bowsprit and leaps over to her opposer, locking their swords. He pushes her off of him and she teeters toward the edge of the battleship's bowsprit. Flutter flips forward onto her fingertips, and launches herself over Momonga and onto the marine deck. She sees a flash of another Vice Admiral, Monkey D. Garp, but is soon distracted with her former opponent. Momonga charges at her and she whips around to face him, just barely blocking his attack. They skirt around each other like this for a while, sliding and clanking their swords against one another. Canon fire from the other marine ships explode, and the fire from the explosions crackle on the Grey Symphony.

I don't have time for this. She looks over to her ship. I have to hurry and finish him off. "One sword style… Daibutsu Giri!" A series of powerful sword slashes fly past the Vice Admiral. This is my most powerful sword attack… This battle will finally be… what- he's dodging all of my attacks! She puts more force into her blades, and pushes herself harder and harder, but it's no use.

"You're as persistent as ever, I see." He attempts another attack, but is hastily blocked by Flutter.

I only have one option then. She jumps back from Momonga, and slides her sword back into its sheath. She hurriedly pulls her flute out of her waistband and places it by her lips. Her victorious smile cocks high up on her face as she glares at the Vice Admiral.

"Get down men!" Momonga says. "Don't get in her line of fire!"

"Everyone! Get down!" Flutter commands to her crew. I don't have any more time, I need to act NOW!

Another order from farther down the ship is heard, "Stay up!" the voice barks.

This is for you, Pheonix… "The song of the Firebird!" She closes her eyes and absorbs her musical energy. Her devil fruit powers breath life into her instrument, the inner workings coming alive right before her eyes. The harsh and quick notes pour out, tugging the heartstrings of everyone in her path. Their hearts are tugged so harshly, that the music slices their hearts in mere moments. Fire from both the canon fire and the music flares up on all ships, pirate and marine alike. One by one, bodies thud against the deck, dead. She tucks her flute back into her waistband and opens her eyes. All of a sudden, she feels her stomach violently twist and drop down to her feet.

"What-" She drops hopelessly to her knees. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" She shouts up to the Vice Admiral towering above her.

"Him? He didn't do anything," a voice that she recognizes as Monkey D. Garp's says, "I just did a little bit of Conquerors Haki on your crew, that's all." He chuckles.

She looks all around her, the marines are still down and out of the path of her music notes, alive and well. Her crew, on the other hand…

They stayed up… even though I ordered them to stay down… and now… now…

Flutter cries out in agony at the loss of her crew. The fire that had erupted on the Grey Symphony reaches the gunpowder barrels and her pirate ship explodes. Splinters and planks of wood scatter all around the Marine Flagship. The flag itself, landing directly in front of her kneeling form, the corners burning to ash right before her eyes. She frantically grabs at the scrap that used to be her flag, their flag. This… can't possibly be real… this has to be a dream! A very bad dream! Nononononono! NO!

"NOOOOO!" she sobs holding the burning flag to her chest, not caring if it scorches her. Her grief completely immobilizes her as she takes in the dead bodies surrounding her. The images of her crewmates' still-opened eyes and their weak and empty corpses are burned and ingrained into her memory. She kneels there, her spine arched back and her head lolling behind her body. Her eyes empty and drain of all emotion. Her arms fall lifelessly to her sides and her hands lay on the splintered wood. Her hand develops into a tightly wound fist as she desperately grasps onto the remains of her flag. Momonga delivers the final blow across her chest and blood sprays out from the freshly inflicted wound.

So… this is how it ends. So be it. She closes her eyes and allows her limp body to be toppled over the edge of the ship by the Vice Admirals. She lands on a splintered plank of wood and her ears can barely make out the orders shouted from above and the cheers that follow. The deafening sound of her crewmates' bodies hitting the water's surface as they are thrown overboard overwhelm her. I'm… sorry… Emi… Chloe… Pheo... you guys… I… failed you. Forced to relive her crew's death in her mind over and over, she falls unconscious and drifts aimlessly along the sea, barely staying alive, but, at the same time, tortured to still exist at all.

I hope you all enjoyed the three chapters I put up today to celebrate the birthday of the one and only three-style-swordsman, Zoro! Happy birthday, Zoro, we love you! (but not in a creepy way) And to my readers, until next time!