Chapter One: Of Lost Paradise.

"Diederich Ambrosius-Bartoli Van M.D. Hancock was-is- swift, powerful, agile, intelligent, fiercely formidable, and, above all else, the first and only human male to call Amazon Lily his homeland and his current place of residence. His biological mother, Boa Hancock, the previous empress of Amazon Lily, broke a deal with the Purity God, Lilium, by giving birth to male human on the islands of Amazon Lily.

The legend has it that his mother and Father struck up a deal with the devil so the islanders wouldn't be succumbed to the wrath of Lilium: For the soul of Boa Hancock, their child would be the fairest of all living creatures, in every conceivable aspect. Making sure that her son would be so fair that his exalted grace would allow him to live on the islands in tranquility, without fear of Lilium's wrath. And the devil, wearing a smirk of evil malice did spake: 'of course, Boa Hancock, will your child be fairest of all earth bound creatures, and fairer still than some of those lofty in Heaven, but prone to love, far more prone than ye. And if Love will not take him under protective wings, then his life will pay the forfeit.' The devil to Luffy, the boy's father, now turned, awaiting the promise for the Pirate King's soul! The devil would grant any two promises for Monkey D. Luffy, for the man's soul was already being guarded by Heaven, so it was only natural how the Devil lusted after it.

Luffy gave his two commands to the Devil, who paid closest attention: First my son shall have the mark of a Deity-he will be the symbol of Sin, Cruelty and Death on Earth. You will feed him your heart, Satan. And from it gain all of yourself. Second, he will be given the Strength to reign dominion (conqueror's Haki) and from that, gather mighty friends of the purest heart! The devil was taken aback at the commands of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who was so pure in his youth, asking for such an affront to heaven be earth bound! Such an outrageous offer, but a scheme that the devil would not pass up, for he, himself was bound by his word, and God would be in Dismay. So he agreed with these charges, and, at the boys birth, fed him the beating fruit of his own body. Then the Devil vanished from his existence forever more!" Robin-Blue finished her story to the expected shocked and excitedly intrigued expressions plastering every face in the small huddle of girls around her.

The group started into a massive cacophony of hissing whispers and undertones. It never changed: how the youngest group of Kuja girls reacted to the story of the elusive Diederich it seemed would always be with squeals or hushed whispers, and Robin-Blue was no different. She was a counselor-of some sorts. It was her job to watch the kids, and tell them the histories of Amazon Lily, starting with the most important, the Laws, and the lives of the Empresses. By the ages of Seven or Eight-sometimes younger-the stories of legends can be told to the girls, and it's up to them to find their sense of adventure by taking it upon themselves to search for proof of these legends being real. Technically, it was a fast and easy way of sorting out the extraordinary from the ordinary. After one story was given, all Kuja pirates were to hold their tongues for one months and a moon cycle before they could tell a second legend. Since most of the legends were true anyway, they wanted the girls to find evidence of proof, and return to the group the next day to tell of their findings: If too many stories were to travel around, then, the girls might not know what to believe, and would become far less motivated.

It just so happened that the story of the islands only male was the most sought after for fact or myth.

"Miss. Robin," one of the older girls beckoned while tugging lightly on Robin-Blue's lower skirt, "have you ever seen Diederich-samma before? Is he really as beautiful as my sister says he is?" The question took Robin-Blue by surprise. Honestly, no, she hasn't seen him, seen him, but she has...you know, seen him out of the corner of her eye.

"Err...Yeah, I've seen him before!" Robin-Blue falsely confirmed, rubbing the back of her head as if it were itching something maddening. "Who is your sister; maybe I know her."

"Fiammetta Inferni. She's really strong: I want to be like her when I turn her age!"

If that wasn't the dream of every Kuja, then Robin-Blue didn't know what was. Fiammetta Inferni, Velia Vitalia, and Diederich Hancock were the big celebrities on Amazon Lily, and they knew how to keep everyone wrapped around their finger. What with Velia and Fiammetta as the Grace and Glory duo; adding the most sought for and elusive person on the whole of Amazon Lily in the mix and you would have the edible gossip news of the day.

"Your sister is really strong, but I think if you train hard enough, you can surpass her!" Robin-Blue cheered! But the girl looked somber staring pointedly at the ground. "What's wrong, Red?" The girl, Red, pursed her lips as if to say ' I'm not suppose to tell'. Robin-Blue kneeled down, placing her hand on the girls shoulder, looked directly into her eyes, and made the proper facial adjustments to mimic the girls expressions: She had found that mimicry, the best form of flattery-subtle, mimicry, that is-was a better way to establish a psychological bridge with someone else, and it was making quick connections with the girl. At Robin-Blue being eye level and at her gentle touch, Red's shoulders dropped their tensions. 'How long as she been tense like this?' Robin-Blue found herself wanting to voice the concern, but, as Nyon tells them,
"baby steps".

"I'm not allowed to tell you, Robin-sensei!" Red whined. Her cute face contorted between confutation and confession.

"Why aren't you allowed to tell me? You can tell me anything, that's why I'm here, Red. I won't tell; I promise." Red flashed a quick smile and then fiddled with her dress. The mothers came to get their kids and one by one the crowd dispersed down to Robin and Red. Red looked around at the emptiness and gave another smile, but she still didn't say anything. A good ten minutes of patient silence seemed to break her, and she clutched the pink frills of her dress, addressed Robin-Blue's left foot then, stated very clearly,

"Fiammetta left last night on the Kuja ship-Nyon saw them off." It felt like someone had just taken her virginity. What did this child mean left? With the Kuja, Kuja ship, or just some ditsy raft?

"I'm sure it's nothing big, Red. Fiammetta-samma will come back, they always do." The last part was not entirely true: Boa Hancock didn't come back. This was something to take up with Empress Nyon! "Run along now, Red. I have to go get food for later." Red smiled widely. Apparently the subject was awkward for Red to talk about. Robin-Blue guessed that Fiammetta told her not to tell anyone, and Red, being a good sister, was keeping her mouth tightly sealed, for an eight year old. The Kuja ship left daily for fishing and sometimes patrol against foreign vessels, so it being used by Fiammetta was nothing too out of the ordinary. But still... Why would she tell her little sister not to tell anyone?

'Oh well, it probably doesn't matter anyway.'

She spun round on her heels and stretched her arms widely, giving a loud descending sigh:

"Now, it is time for some me time!" Robin-Blue bolted down the dirt street in an all out sprint. She was not about to be late for today's matches! The fighting would start in five minutes! Especially with the grudge matches that were taking place. Ooh, if she missed this, she might just hang herself.

"Out of the way, people, I'm not about to miss the arena matches!"

-.. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The sound was tremendous throughout the stadium. The clapping and cheering of rabid fans was almost loud enough to drown out the sounds of warriors fighting. The large score board was showing the bets for and those against both contenders fighting. Every time a hit landed or an offence was dodged, the large red or blue numbers would raise accordingly.

It was a truly irksome sound to anyone who didn't want to listen. Frankly this was more important...Elder Nyon had refused to make any new Kuja Pirates, but at the rate that this off shore battle against the world government was going, she-the Amazon people-would need all the help they could get. She wanted to slap herself for not arming more forces. But who would have thought the World Government would go into a buster call simply to eradicate Pirates, some of which were no real danger! Nyon was assured by Garp, that no harm would come to Amazon Lily, so long as they had Boa Hancock, but she died five years ago and the Pirate Hunts were only progressing in violence.

"Dear me, Dear me; there's nothing to do now but sit back and hope time will wither me away before a hailstorm of Navy cannons!" She laughed at her little joke. As if a hailstorm of explosive cannon balls could kill her! Ha, ha...What would Hancock say to her if she were to find out that because of Nyon's lenience her Son and two other girls were off sailing the open ocean, in the Kuja Pirate ship, as a new pirate crew! Oh, that was an easy answer. Hancock would have turned Nyon into stone, then shattered her into thousands of pieces! What was she going to do now!

"Ugh, I Cleopatra, you lucky snake."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ...

Mai glided her fingers up and down the wooden bar in irritated rhythms. She hated this job like she hated cold Sea King ribs. It would have been a great job; if there was anything decent to look at! But everyone here was old, fat, hairy, arrogant, horny, disrespectful, and, she had no trouble in assuming, they didn't know how to get rid of their disgusting body odors. If the people weren't so bloody rich, she would have killed one of them by now...

Mai heaved out a sigh while loosening the ribbon holding her hair in place, and let her black hair dance around the sides her face. Bored out of her mind, she twirled the stray strand of hair around her pinky finger. 'God, I need a hobby! Oh, that's right, I have one; and a fat load of good crap that's hauled in, right? Ha!...as if! Here I am with no one-' the bar door chimed open and Mai glanced up to stare at the dented bronze bell. She sighed her head back into her hands-'decent looking enough for me to want to have a conversation with!' She fumed loudly, to herself. She picked up one of the dirty glass mugs that a customer had left at his seat and peered in it. The smell was pugnacious: More rancid than a dead woman's period. apparently this man couldn't hold his alcohol; nevertheless, the putrid vomit in the mug killed the humor. She scrunched up her nose and carelessly tossed the stinky mug in the sink with the rest of the dishes. The water turned to a shade of icky yellow. She spun back around, gaining as much distance from the sink as possible, taking a huge gulp of air when she thought it was safe.

"Ah, sweet, sweet sweat infested air; how I so did not miss you!"

"And Jesus Christ on a crutch at a Gay pride parade: That is one sexy, tight ass!" Mai sang aloud. It really was she couldn't stop staring at it-it was just so...perfect. That girl must get a whole lot of Hunk- hey, it's a guy! She watched closer, moving around the decorous stacks of wine glasses for a better view. Though why there were stacks of wine glasses here, in this dump, was beyond her, but they served as good cover for her little spying escapades.

Fawn-tinted ivory satin swooped down his neck, around his ears and stopped to linger hungrily over his eyebrows, the perfect hazel arches that they were, and kissed his cheeks, leaving patches of wild carmine Anemones in th' soft strewn curls' wake. His structure was angular, yet no angles visible only grace was present to besmirch Grace. Neither pore nor blemish, like animated ambrosia, melted down and molded in the heavens exalted sat, now raised pious beauty upon this boy. Never had she seen flesh of porcelain made by the white- beige sand of untouched islands. And never had she seen a person so Hellenistic in presence and beauty, that his simple appearance would charm the wind from out her chest. Never had eyes of azure and honeydew placed an ocean atop her head-an ocean that fell on her-, Mai thought those eyes would crush her...she couldn't breathe-couldn't move. Never had I seen a smile of blushing lavender with a shape more awe-inspiring than a crescent moon. Splashed in deep gold-tinted scarlet-it was like watching a god strut. He was wearing a deep burgundy top, and no bottoms, the top was decorated with a gold collar and sleeves, he had a silver tie that wrapped loosely around his neck, and the shirt only covered down to his lower thigh...It was more like a million dollar bath robe than anything else.

"Does he mean to get raped?" Inquired Mai. Hell, if she were a horny jack ass, she would put her thing in that tight-looking hole. She shrugged her indifference to her own question, but kept up her observation. The boy was solid muscle, and those muscles were chiseled. But he was so lithe and his movements graceful. Had he not been wearing such revealing clothing, she wouldn't have been able to tell. she knew he was strong because he carried himself with dignity...and the way his ass moved-'enough with his ass!' Other than that, there was something alluring her to this boy besides his looks...he seemed dangerous-mysteriously so. She would need to find out more about him.

"Hey, princess," The voice of Gregory, her boss, slithered into Mia's ears, "what you staring at?" Gregory was a ruthless manager, who made sure to get rid of everything that threatened his business. Mia swore that if he was a high ranking military official, Pirates wouldn't exist anymore. She loathed the man more than she hated this job. He was cold blooded, and would as soon kill a man as look at him. She watched him wipe the sweat off of his brown, and comb back his straight brown hair. Then he looked into her eyes and she did not like the feel of that look at all. She felt naked. She backed away but not fast enough because she felt him grip her arm. He looked angry. Gregory pulled Mai closer to him and clapped his hand over her moth, pinched her nose shut and spoke to her. Spoke in a very low and dangerous undertone,

"You listen Maya, and you listen good, got it!" it wasn't a question. She shook her head. He was holding her too close, to tightly, she couldn't get away, she wanted out-out of this cage that he was holding her in! Her forehead felt hot and wet her hair was sticking to her face. Her heart would rival a hummingbird's-God, she wanted this creep to let her go!

"Now, stop staring at customers and scaring them away, you worthless third rate tart, and do your Job!" Smack! The back side of Gregory's hand stung, but the bitch's mouth was bleeding.

The world seemed to stop for a second: The bar was quiet, the blood was dry, her mouth was fine, and her cheek didn't burn. But then it all went away and her self control vanished...

"Who the hell do you think you are!" Mai howled. She launched herself into the air. Her feet were at head height with Gregory's face and she kicked out. Her left foot caught his eye, but her right foot hit home, and she felt his nose cave in under the pressure. Using his face for support, she sprung off and into a back flip and crashed into the stack of win glasses. The bar went into an uproar. People were throwing food and swearing at the top of their voices and trying to kill each other in displays of drunken fighting. Then there was Gregory, aiming a pistol at her chest. Mai reacted instinctively to the notion, groping behind her for the two weapons that defined her will to fight. The two weapons that were locked away, safely, in her apartment...

"Fuck!" She swore, rolling out of the way when she heard the air split with a loud crack. The chair leg next to her ear splintered off. Then there were several loud cracks: The idiots who were in the bar were shooting, too? She was forced to duck and weave her way around a hail of misfires and the occasional aimed bullet by Gregory.

A hot streak of bright orange flew past her head, taking a sizable chunk of her ear with it. Blinded in her moment of pain, she picked up one of the wooden chairs and hurled it in Gregory's direction. She heard him scream and started walking towards him. Behind the bar? Of course, where else would the sniveling coward hide.

Three thin lines of orange passed by her, two striking her ribs and the third, missing her eyes by a couple of centimeters; it took some skin off of her nose. He wasn't hiding at all, the bastard had joined in the rowdy fights! Trying to get close enough for a point blank blow: She couldn't let him do that. She ducked as a full glass of beer very nearly took off her head. The glass shattered on the support beam she had been hiding behind. Mai's ear was already growing back the epidermis, now, but she couldn't see-Gregory went flying past Mai's ear, blood spilling from his mouth, failing like a broken rag doll. Gregory's back smashed against one of the support beams, broke through, and hit the wall opposite. She watched his limp body slid down the wooden wall and onto bits of broken glass. She looked around frantically for whoever it was that did that so she could personally thank them: She owed he-or was it a she?-a lot. She had to leave now before the Patrol got here.

Mai ran out, breaking down the door, diving for cover in one of the many side alleys. It was darker than normal, dank, and smelled horrible! She didn't much fancy it. She couldn't hear the whistles, the hooves, and she could imagine the nightsticks swinging. Black like giant dead flies without wings. The police were coming to stop the pandemonium in the bar and would probably end up killing her if they got the chance. Her father wasn't really a good man.

"Hey you, there, freeze! In the name of Justice we will kill you, stop moving, now!" It was a marine! He was yelling at Mai to stop moving, but she didn't. The air exploded in loud cracks, and orange streaks of molten metal lit the air ablaze.

"A Gatling gun-Whoa!" Something pulled her away from the noise, away from the gunfire...

AU: There aren't enough Characters yet, so Keep posting! Next time: Mai and the Scarlet Blockade Captain find themselves running away from the Cops.

Sorry for the Gramer mistakes and the spelling mistakes! REMEMBER I'm still taking characters until you ALL are given further notice! SO KEEP THEM COMING!