When Michelle woke up that next morning she looked around. The scenery had changed. 'Oh yeah.'

Flashback (MUAHAHAHAHA!)

"Would you please train me so I can defeat the man who destroyed my life?"

Shanks stared at her. As did everyone else. "You'll have to come and stay with us. Being a pirate means we can't hang out on land forever and wait for the navy to come and get us."

"I know that. I'm willing to put up with something I hate. If I can do that I can live with living with all of you for now." Michelle stared Shanks in the face. "I already know how to fight in hand to hand combat just a bit but I know it could really help if you agreed to train me."

Shanks looked at Mihawk. "You'll have to train her in the swords field. Beckham can train her in hand to hand. That ok with you?" Mihawk nodded in response and then turned his gaze to Michelle's friends.

"What about you two?"

Becky and Anna glanced at each other. "We're coming too! There's no way we're leaving her alone with a bunch of guys!" Becky and Anna wrapped their arms around Michelle. They were protective of her.

"Then that settles it! We'll help you with your luggage then." Shanks walked over and picked up Michelle's bag. Mihawk did the same with the other 2 bags sitting next to Michelle's.

'Guess I'm hanging with pirates for a while.'

End Flashback

Michelle climbed out of the bed she was laying in and saw all of her stuff lying at the foot of her bed. She searched out a black tank top with a navy blue jacket. She put on a comfortable pair of blue jeans that she stepped on when she walked with her black combat boots. She left the room and walked down a long hall. When she exited the hall she was welcomed by a very bright light. 'Damn sun.'

"Welcome to the ship lass!" a red head pirate practically ambushed Michelle when she came 5 feet away from the door.

"Wait Shanks!" Becky was standing on the upper deck. But her warning was too late. Michelle reacted and in a bad way. She ended up jumping into mid-air and kicking him to the side. "I tried to warn him. Michelle is strongest and reacts faster when she's still half asleep. Hey, Anna can you go get the first aid kit? I'm sure she did some damage to him." Anna nodded and went to go and get the kit.

"That actually hurt! Mihawk I don't think you should-" Shanks was clutching the left side of his ribs and now Mihawk was probably in for the same fate……pretty true.

When Mihawk came up to Michelle he actually attacked her perpously and she fought back! The amazing thing is at one point her stomach growled rather loudly. "Where's food?" She saw a punch coming toward her and she dodged and punched him right into Shanks. "If you would please show me where the dining hall is?"

"This way hon." Anna was the first one there to guide Michelle to where she could find food.

"I told ya she was faster and stronger when she was half asleep. She could even beat you 'oh great swordsman'. Which means she should be an interesting student." Becky smiled and went to check their wounds…….that her best friend had just inflicted upon the two men.

"I really don't see what needs to be worked on in her hand-to-hand combat skills." Beckham had appeared from behind the wooden door to the ship cabin. "She seems strong in that field."

"Only when she sleeps," Becky explained for the third time, "is she actually able enough to take on a strong opponent."

Shanks jerked when she put some alcohol on the wound on his cheek. "Ouch! That hurts!" He jerked away and placed a hand over the small bruise.

"….baby." Becky turned to Mihawk and saw that he was already standing and walking the same path Anna had lead Michelle in.

"I want to see how good she is at swords." He vanished through the door and out of their sight.

"Good! I'm glad I hurt those good for nothing pirates!" Michelle said through mouthfuls of food.

"Aw, c'mon Michelle! They're being very kind to you and they're going to help train you….even though you really don't need help in the hand-to-hand combat…" Anna looked at her friend and realized it was useless trying to reason with her about Shanks and Mihawk.

"I don't care! My home town was attacked and ambushed by pirates! For heaven's sake! I was raped by them! I won't forgive any pirate. Ever!" Michelle finished her final bite of food and then hurried to gather up all of her food. "They don't deserve it!"

"Who doesn't deserve what chica?" Michelle froze and Anna merely looked up and waved at the pirate now standing behind Michelle. "Mind telling me?"

"In fact, I do mind. If you would, please move out of my way." She turned and faced Mihawk. At first she could have sworn she saw a hurt expression behind those deep golden eyes of his. She shook it off mentally and stared back at him coldly. He moved aside and, with her gathered up food, walked away from the two.

Becky waited up on deck for her friend. When she emerged from the galley she was being followed by Anna and Mihawk. 'Uh-oh….' She took a wild guess and knew her friend got into some kind of fight with Mihawk. "Hey!" Becky waved at her friend and Michelle smiled happily and waved back.

Becky ran up to her and seemed to be bouncing in mid air. "Sugar high…." Michelle grew worried that her friend would be acting scarier than usual in her current …attitude.

"Go up to the crow's nest….or whatever it's called! I need to talk to ya about something k?" A devious thought ran through Becky's mind but would not let her friend in on her plan. "Promise!"

"…Okay. But don't go off and push me off the mast." Michelle made her way farther from Mihawk and toward the tall mast that had the crow's nest higher up on it.

When Becky knew her friend was out of hearing distance and she couldn't pay attention to her, she went straight toward Mihawk and Anna. With the two of them on either side of him he was trapped.

"Oh Mihawk!" Becky bound toward the now mournful looking pirate. "I have a proposition for you!" An evil little grin lit her face. "Well, we have a proposition for you."

"This better not be some kind of trap." Mihawk wanted to back away from the crazy looking girl but knew he was pinned between Anna and Becky. "What is it?"

"Well you were wondering if Michelle still liked you right?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "What if I do? What could you do about it?" He stared directly at her.

Now Anna spoke up. "We could get that information for you on one condition."

Becky finished up the rest of the compromise. "You have to kiss her tomorrow…..or at least after a few days." She smiled up at him and then spotted Anna's non-stop gesturing to finish the rest of it. "Oh! And we have to have full proof that you held your side of the bargain. So? What do you say?"

Mihawk stared at her for a long moment and then switched his gaze to Anna. He was a hard shell to break with that "die now" stare of his. "Fine. But you have to tell me the night you get her answer." The girls squealed with delight.

"Deal!" He shook their hands and Becky ran to find Michelle in the crow's nest.