I woke to find that it was still dark. I rolled over onto my stomach on the cabin floor. Finding myself unable to go back to sleep, I pushed myself to my feet and left the cabin. The early morning air was cold as I looked out over the calm seas that lay in front of us. Despite the darkness, I could see everything perfectly. The horizon slowly grew brighter as I watched. The sky turned pink, turning the edges of some nearby clouds pink as well. I watched as the sun lit up the sky. It was always nice watching the sunrise at sea. No one is usually awake at this time so it's peaceful and quiet. After the sunrises I have to wait quietly till someone wakes up. I never had enough heart to wake someone up in the morning unless I had to. The sun slowly climbed and the sky turned the lovely shade of blue that matched my eyes.
"You're awake earlier." I peered over my shoulder to see Nami looking at me. I took a seat at the front of the boat and looked back at Nami.
"You are too, it seems." I laughed quietly, trying not to wake the boys in the boat beside us. Nami noticed me looking over at them.
"I guess we should be quieter." Nami laughed beside me, quieter than she had been before.
"Did you get to see the sunrise?" I asked, looking at the sun which was farther up now.
"No, woke up just after." She stated, scratching the back of her head as she yawned.
"Well, it's a beautiful sight. It changes everywhere you go, but on the sea it's just more beautiful. The sun slowly reveals the calm ocean and the light clouds floating above. It's... peaceful." I finished, leaning against the edge of the boat and basking in the new warmth.
"You sound like you've done this a lot." Nami pointed out, I shrugged.
"My father was a pirate. I traveled at sea with him for as long as I can remember. I got into the habit of waking up before anyone and watching the sunrise." I stated. There was a silence as we both watched the sun climb, the boys snoring in the boat next to us.
"About yesterday. I'm sorry for provoking Buggy while he was holding your ankle." Nami said, staring down at the ground. I glanced over at her. I didn't reply for a moment. Instead I stood up to give her a giant hug.
"That's alright." I giggled, pushing her away and looking into her eyes. "As long as you promise to be my friend." She smiled and nodded.
"Sure, why not." She laughed.
"Through thick and thin, nothing will keep us apart. Got it?" Nami laughed in reply, which I took as a yes.
"Our first mission, if we choose to accept it, is to mess with the boys until they wake up." Nami stated after she finished laughing. I nodded and we went into the cabin to look for things to poke them with.
It had been close to an hour and the boys still weren't awake. We had thrown books at them. Poked them with loose boards. We had even rocked their boat. Everything we had tried failed.
"Man, they can sleep." I groaned, collapsing to my knees after another failed attempt.
"There's always one more thing we could try." Nami said, suspiciously. She walked over to the area between our boats. She bent over the side of our boat and pushed down on the edge of theirs. Suddenly she stood straight back up, water flying up with her in a giant splash. The water rose above our heads and splashed onto the boys on the other boat. Luffy's eyes shot open at the touch of the water.
"WATER!" He screamed and flailed before falling limp to the deck. He had fallen back asleep within seconds. Zoro on the other hand groaned and started waking up. He looked over at us then back over at Luffy. He pulled out one of his blades, still sheathed, and hit it against Luffy's head.
"Time to wake up." He stated. Luffy woke up once more and rubbed the top of his head. I noticed Nami disappear into the cabin. I walked over to the railing of the boat.
"Morning. How'd you both sleep?" I asked, a smile plastered on my face.
"Well aren't you just wide awake." Zoro groaned, he then yawned and stretched his arms above him.
"I've been awake for at least an hour." I stated as I gave him an annoyed glare.
"I had this dream where someone splashed me with water." Luffy said, his eyes wide. I stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing at his remark. I continued to laugh as I fell backwards onto the deck. Nami exited the cabin and walked over to me.
"What's so funny?" She asked. I slowly tried to catch my breath before sitting back up
"It's nothing." I stated as Nami walked over to the cabin wall and leaned against it.
"There's absolutely no way we'll make it to the Grand Line in this condition." Nami blurted out, after a moment of silence. I looked up and over to her and heard Luffy and Zoro do the same.
"You're right. We're gonna need a whole lot more meat." I abruptly turned my head and looked over at Luffy as he popped an apple core in his mouth. Luffy was sitting on the bow of his boat. "Eating fruit everyday is for the birds."
"We'll also need some booze." Zoro began, an apple was thrown at him. His head flew back at the sudden hit and the apple was sent flying up and away.
"Shut up, you bone heads." Nami groaned. Luffy reached out and grabbed the apple as it fell back down. I was actually getting hungry myself so I walked over to a barrel and grabbed an apple from inside of it. I took a bite of the apple before wandering back over to my spot on the deck. Nami herself had an apple.
"That's not what I mean. The Grand Line's a dangerous place. We'll need more than beer and meat to survive there. Not to mention the place is crawling with pirates who are also in search of the One Piece, and they all have ships that are way better than this." Nami finished her rant.
"And we don't have a crew." Luffy said, through the apple in his mouth. I swallowed the bite I had.
"Yeah, we at least need a doctor and a chef. Luffy also needs to decide who he wants to be his first ma-" I began.
"Takara!" Luffy suddenly yelled. I looked over at him confused, he had a happy smile on his face. "I forgot to tell you that you're my first mate now." He declared laughing.
"You really couldn't tell me that earlier!" I shouted, throwing my unfinished apple at him. It sent his head flying back like Zoro's before it dropped into the ocean. Luffy looked back at me with a pout and rubbed at his forehead as he turned to look at the apple floating away.
"Well, we don't have a proper crew, we don't have any equipment, or even a real ship for that matter." Nami continued her rant. "There is no way we'll ever make it like this."
"Yep. We'll need a cook, and maybe musician to keep us entertained." Luffy commented.
"A musician?" Zoro asked, before bursting into a fit of laughter.
"So stupid." Nami muttered at the boys. "A little to the south of here is an island with some settlements on it, and it looks like we might be able to get our ship and some of the supplies we need there."
"Fresh meat at last!" Luffy cheered.
"Lots of booze as well." Zoro added.
"Is that all you think about?" Nami questioned.
"Most likely." I answered.
"What am I gonna do with you two?" Nami fumed.
"A bigger ship might be in order to deal with them." I stated.
"How long have you known these two?" Nami asked suddenly, aiming a thumb at the two boys as she looked to me. I looked past her to see Zoro with his eyes closed, leaning against the side of the boat, and Luffy staring into the distance, still on the bow.
"I've only known Zoro for a little while now, but Luffy's been my best friend since childhood." I replied.
"How in the world could you have dealt with Luffy for so long?" Nami groaned, slumping forward and staring at the deck.
"Easy, keep him occupied with pointless things." I laughed, but that trick didn't always work. I looked up and out at the sea in front of us. The sun was now up in the sky. "So who's doing what when we get to that island?" I asked Nami as she looked back up.
"Well, we need to stock up on supplies and get a proper ship." Nami stated, she still wasn't smiling though. "With those two with us we'll end up with a tiny ship, just you wait and see." She groaned.
"I'm sure we'll find something proper. I can…" I stopped when I noticed the island in front of us. Nami turned around as well.
"Land!" Luffy cheered. "Let's go find some meat!" Luffy laughed.
"Stop being in such a hurry." Zoro groaned. "It'll take us another ten minutes or so just to reach the shore." After that we all stared intently at the island as we got closer. Luffy was practically jumping up and down. Soon our boats came to a stop on the shore and we all jumped out of the boats.
"It feels good to be on dry land again." Zoro announced as he stretched his arms above his head.
"There's a village around here somewhere, right?" Luffy asked as he turned to Nami. I looked down the beach to see a cliff lining it. Ahead of us stood a slope that lead up to the top of the cliff.
"Yeah. It looks like a small one though." Nami explained as she looked at her map.
"Oh, oh! Then there's meat! There's meat! There has to be a place to eat meat in this village." Luffy exclaimed excitedly.
"Just forget about meat for a minute, would ya?" Nami suggested.
"Can't forget it now that it's on his mind." I stated as I stretched my arms down to my toes. I could hear Zoro yawn in front of me as he stretched. It was suddenly cut off and I stood back up to look over at him.
"Careful." Zoro began, placing a hand on one of his swords. "We're being watched."
"Huh? By who? Where are they? They got meat?" Luffy questioned as he looked up and down the beach frantically. We stood still for a moment and waited.
"Look out!" Zoro called. Almost immediately Luffy began hopping between feet as something shot at them. Nami screamed before running over to the boats. Before I could follow the shooting stopped and so did Luffy. Seconds later flags began sprouting out of the bushes on the cliff above us, and on each one was the same, simple, Jolly Roger.
"Aw… That's so cool!" Luffy cheered as he waved his arms.
"Is this supposed to be when we're impressed?" Nami questioned from behind Luffy's boat.
"Nope, just him." I said with a smile.
"Hah, hahahahaha!" We all looked up to see a man at the top of the cliff. He had his arms crossed as he laughed and looked down on us. He had a bag by his hip that hung off his shoulder and a flag beside him. His fuzzy black hair was held down by a bandana and his nose was unusually long. "I am Usopp, leader of the invincible nation of pirates who reign over this island." The man declared. "You stand before a living legend. The most revered pirate who ever lived. I am the great Captain Usopp." I stepped back and tried to think. After a moment I gave up because I only knew one person with a name similar to his, and he certainly wasn't a captain. "Surely you know that plotting an attack on this island means certain death. My army of eighty million super mean pirate soldiers would squash you like bugs!" Usopp announced as he threw his arms out in reference to the flags.
"AWESOME!" Luffy gawked, his mouth wide.
"You expect us to believe that?" Nami asked.
"Ah! She knows." Usopp stated as his hand flew to the sides of his head and he freaked.
"Yup… Well, now I know." Nami smirked.
"How could I have been so dumb? I practically told her I was lying. I am such an idiot. So stupid." Usopp continued as his body wobbled. I slowly walked back to stand by Nami.
"Why are people so creepy? First Buggy and now him." I stated.
"What? He was lying?" Luffy questioned as he turned to us.
"Luffy, how could eighty million pirates be waiting for us on that cliff?" I asked sarcastically.
"Curse you, you crafty tactician." Usopp shouted. "Eighty million may have been an exaggeration, but I have a great many men under my control."
"My guess is three." Nami said. Suddenly three boys popped out of a couple of bushes as they screamed.
"AH! SHE DOES KNOW!" The three boys screamed. They quickly took off running.
"Hey! Where are you guys going? Come back!" Usopp yelled after the boys. Nami then walked past and picked something up out of the sand.
"A pirate using a slingshot, huh?" Nami wondered. I looked over her shoulder at the metal ball between her fingers. "Well now I've seen it all."
"I doubt it." I muttered causing Nami to turn and glare at me. "You've seen at least a clown pirate and a pirate who uses a slingshot. I bet there's way more you haven't seen."
"How would you know?" Nami questioned.
"Because I just know things." I answered.
"That's pretty cool." Luffy laughed, most likely having missed my continued conversation with Nami.
"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you." Usopp announced. He reached towards his bag and began digging around. "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it." Usopp then pulled out a slingshot and a ball, aiming it down at us. Luffy's laughing stopped and we all stared up at Usopp. "This is your last warning, or you'll get to see why they call me Proud Usopp and not Push-Over Usopp. Is that clear?" Usopp asked as Luffy lowered his head and held onto his hat. "You've already seen for yourself just how good I am with this thing, so you know I can rival anyone carrying a pistol."
"Now that you've drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?" Luffy asked, his voice low as his head raised. His hat was pushed down so his eyes remained covered. Usopp gaped at the statement. "Guns aren't for threats, they're for actions. Are you willing to risk your life?" He was totally using my father's line. I heard Zoro let out a soft chuckle and I rolled my eyes. Zoro pushed his sword out slightly and turned to look up at Usopp.
"I can assure you we're real pirates. Consider your next move carefully." Zoro explained. Then everything was at a stand still. Luffy and Zoro stood their ground and Usopp seemed to shake from his spot on the cliff. In this time, all the flags seemed get blown over. Then Usopp's slingshot shot forward, but the ball fell to the ground. A second later he collapsed to his knees.
"Real pirates definitely have a lot more punch behind their words because they can actually back 'em up. That's so cool." Usopp mumbled as he watched us.
"Oh my god, he's like another Luffy." I mumbled as I looked back at Nami. Her eyes went wide for a moment as Luffy and Zoro started laughing.
"I stole that." Luffy announced.
"Huh?" Usopp said as he moved to the edge of the cliff.
"I stole those words from Red-Haired Shanks. A pirate I know." Luffy continued. I then stepped forward and smacked the back of his head. He glanced over at me with a pout as he held the back of his head.
"What? You know Red-Haired Shanks?" Usopp awed. "You really are a real pirate. Wait, you gotta be lying. Do you really know him?"
"Yup." Luffy smiled.
"You have no idea." I shouted up to him.
"I know you're dad too. His name's Yasopp, right?" Luffy continued. Usopp looked confused for a moment before leaning forward and falling down the cliff and onto his head.
"You're right." Usopp said once he was looking back at us as he laid on the ground. "My old man's name is Yasopp, but how… uh… how in the world do you know him?" Usopp asked as he sat back up, a frown on his face. Despite his frown I started to laugh.
"I'm going to go find a ship." I stated, cutting my laugh off abruptly. I then started walking past Zoro and Luffy towards the slope. I came to a stop at the base of the slope and spun around to look at Luffy. "Don't you dare mention anything about my father." I ordered Luffy. I then spun back around and took off running up the slope.
It felt nice to finally stretch my legs. I enjoyed the breeze that blew across my face as I took a deep breath in. The island smelled like trees and freshly baked bread. Someone in the nearby village was bound to help me. My father had said I always had a knack for making friends in the most unlikely of places. I ran up the path and followed it for a ways before I finally came upon a village. Nothing much, just a couple of houses. No one was out and about or walking around. Strange, it was such a nice looking place.
"Hey!" I screamed as someone called out to me from behind. I spun around and looked back to see a man coming out of his house. "Never seen someone like you around here." He stated. Y'know, I bet it was because of my hair… I haven't met too many people with this color, let alone shade, of hair.
"Oh, I'm just passing through with my friends." I mentioned, walking over to the man. "It's nice to see someone in such a sweet looking town. My name's Takara." I held out a hand. The man looked me over before taking it and shaking it.
"You seem like a nice girl. Would you like some bread? My wife just made it." The man offered. I shook my head.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'm looking for someone. Is there anyone nearby that could supply me and my friends with a ship. You see our boat isn't big enough and we can't use it to travel very well." I explained, keeping my voice calm and steady. The man was silent for a moment, he then pointed down the road I had been taking.
"Follow this path and you'll come to a mansion that belongs to Miss Kaya. She might help you." I nodded to the man before running down the path.
"Thank you!" I yelled as I ran. I followed the road for awhile until I left the village. I did as the man said and followed the road until I came to a mansion. I turned down a small road to a set of gates.
"You there." I looked over to see a man in a uniform.
"What is your intent?" A man beside him asked. I walked over to the two and smiled.
"I would like to speak with Miss Kaya. Is she home?" I asked.
"Miss Kaya is busy. Come back in a few days." The first guard stated.
"I need to talk to her about a business proposition. Do you think she could slid me in for ten minutes or so? Please?" I requested, putting on a pair of puppy eyes. The two looked at each other before looking back at me. They stepped aside and pushed the gate open. I walked past them towards the doors to the mansion. "Thank you for your kindness." I nodded to the two guards before running to the door. I pushed the door open and entered. There was a large foyer with a staircase directly in front of the doors.
"Now if I were the owner of this house where would I be?" I asked myself, tapping my foot against the tile I stood on.
"Can I help you?" I jumped slightly before turning and to see a butler. The butler was tall, wore a tuxedo, had shiny black hair that was slicked back, and glasses. He readjusted his glasses by pushing them up with his palm. He looked awfully familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I quickly broke out of my thought and smiled at the man.
"I'm here to see Miss Kaya. The guards let me in. Can you show me where her room is?" I asked politely. He looked me over for a moment.
"Miss Kaya is sick, but I will allow you to see her for a minute or two." The butler then led me up the stairs and down a small hall to a room. "Would you like some tea while you're here?" He asked, adjusting his glasses again, with his palm.
"No, but thank you." I then walked around him and into the room. The butler entered with me and walked over to a desk. I stood off to the side of the doorway to wait. A girl sat on a bed next to a window. The girl had light blonde hair and pale skin. She looked very sick. She clutched a pillow to her chest as the butler took out a glass and poured water into it. I assumed this was Miss Kaya, but for a moment I was thrown off by her age. How could someone so young have so much money?
"You wish to see Usopp?" The butler said, probably continuing a conversation from earlier. He stopped pouring the water and turned to Miss Kaya. "Don't start this again."
"May I see him? I like talking to him." Kaya replied, looking up at the butler. The butler sighed and pushed up his glasses.
"No ma'am. That man is without a doubt a chronic liar. For someone in your weakened state Usopp's outlandish stories might be too much to handle." The butler stated simply.
"But I-" Kaya began.
"Your late parents instructed me to protect you to the fullest of my abilities." So, she must have been the new owner and her parents had passed it all down to her. That explained why she was so young. The butler adjusted his glasses as he continued. "It would be against their wishes for you to see him Kaya. Now then, I'll leave your medicine right here. Please be sure to take it." The butler addressed Kaya. He then turned and left the room.
"Killjoy." I heard Kaya mutter before the butler left.
"Killjoy will do. A name I'll bear if you are kept safe." The man stated before finally leaving. I left my place beside the door and walked over to her bed. I took a seat at the end of it and crossed my legs under me.
"Hello, Miss Kaya. My name's Takara." I smiled at her. She looked up at me and smiled a bit.
"I don't get very many guests. Now, what can I help you with?" She asked, her voice was soft and gentle.
"In time I would like a ship for me and my friends. Right now I would like to know more about this Usopp guy you two were fighting over a minute ago." I chose not to mention that I saw him earlier. Kaya looked nervously towards the door before clutching the pillow she held tighter. I looked over before smiling and moving closer to Kaya. "Don't worry about him." I added.
"Well, Usopp is a boy from the village that comes to visit me sometimes. His mother died awhile back, and his father left to join a pirate crew. He's a pirate too, and he tells the greatest stor-" A rock suddenly hit the window we sat by. Kaya's face grew into the picture of happiness at the sound. She then got up and threw open the windows. I looked past her to see Usopp sitting on a tree branch just outside the window.
"Usopp! You came!" Kaya exclaimed.
"Of course. How are you? You seem a little down." Usopp replied. I moved over next to Kaya, and peered out at him with her.
"I guess I am. I'm tired of talking like this. I'd like to invite you inside like a proper guest. But there's just no way Klahadore would ever allow that. He's not a bad person though." Kaya finished.
"Don't sweat it. Remember I'm a brave warrior of the sea who likes endless oceans and the open sky. Houses weren't made for rogue's like me. I'd probably just feel cramped in there." Usopp laughed. Usopp glanced over at me and before he could say anything I placed a finger to my lips.
"So, what adventure are you going to tell me about today?" Kaya requested. Usopp leaned back.
"Hmmm, well let's see. Oh, I know! What about the story of me fighting a giant goldfish at the South Pole when I was only five years old?" Usopp asked.
"A goldfish?" Me and Kaya questioned.
"A giant goldfish. What first astounded me was the immense size of it's poop. It was so big that when I landed on it I thought it was solid ground. It looked like an island!" Usopp began his story, stopping there so he could laugh along with us.
He really was a liar, but he seemed like a nice guy. It was obvious this story was a lie, but he used it to make Kaya happy. That was a good enough reason as any to lie in my opinion.
As Usopp continued his story I couldn't help but think of what Kaya had said. His father had run off to be a pirate and his mother had died. I had already figured out who is father was. Of course, Yasopp would always go on about how amazing his son was. If only Usopp knew how much he was like his father.
Usopp continued on with his story and I watched as Kaya seemed hooked on every word. She really did seem happy around Usopp, despite having not known her very long at all. Every so often Usopp would say something that caused Kaya to burst out laughing. Usopp would then make faces that caused them both to laugh.
"Gum gum!" I quickly broke away and peered out the window as I heard someone yell. Seconds later something shot up from the other side of the fence as screaming was heard. The screaming became distant as it traveled up over us. What on earth was Luffy doing?
"So, after that terrifying and traumatic little incident we escaped into the sky riding on a giant slingshot ball." Usopp laughed.
"What's that?" Kaya pointed up to something falling out of the sky. I peered up to see the figures falling out of the sky. Usopp began screaming as the things that were in the sky crashed to the ground just below the tree. A giant cloud of dust forming along with them. I could tell instantly that it had been Luffy, Nami, and Zoro, but I also noticed a few other figures with them as they had fallen.
"Hey Rubber Head! You okay?" I leaned out the window and called down to Luffy. The dust had cleared revealing three pairs of feet in a bush, Nami sitting on the ground, Zoro on his back on a concrete path with his swords spread out around him, and Luffy laying on his stomach on the same concrete path. The concrete around Zoro and Luffy both had craters and were cracked.
"That worked well." I heard Luffy groan.
"Yeah! Real well!" Nami growled at Luffy.
"My goodness, are you okay?" Kaya asked, looking down at them worriedly.
"Ah, don't mind them Kaya. This happens to me all the time. That's just the price of being a famous adventurer. They're just new recruits who heard about me and came to join the Usopp pirates." Usopp tried to explain the situation.
"They're gonna be fine." I assured.
"There you are Takara!" Luffy suddenly sprung up and smiled up at me. I grinned back as I leaned out the window. "Stop running away." Luffy suddenly ordered me before he turned his attention up at Usopp. "Nope. Not me. I came here to see you. I wanted to ask you a favor." Luffy began, changing his tone.
"A favor? From me?" Kaya questioned.
"Uh-huh. I was wondering if there was anyway you could help us get a boat." Luffy answered.
"You there." We all turned our heads and looked over at Kaya's butler, Klahadore, as he walked towards the group below. "What do you think you're doing?" Klahadore demanded.
"Klahadore…" Kaya muttered.
"Get out." He ordered before fixing his glasses. "I'll have you know that this is criminal trespassing." He told us after we didn't do anything. Then everything went silent for a moment as the tension grew.
"Hey guys." Luffy said, breaking the silence. "Who's he?"
That was a nice chapter.
I had a lot of freedom so I improvised.
That's all for today.
REVIEW for me. I like hearing reviews. I like hearing what you all think.
Thanks for reading.