The work of One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
"You know that Klabautermanns usually only appear on DOOMED ships right?" Mara says as the ship she was currently standing on seemingly steered itself.
"He's not doomed, Happy's perfectly capable of staying afloat." Elza's stubborn voice floated back to her from her perch on top of the goat's head.
"Uhh, that's debatable…" Mara mumbles as she watches ropes fly through the air and the steer rudder move on its own accord.
"So Mara, what's your dream?" Elza asks as she takes in her small friend's ragged appearance. A loose gray t-shirt covers her upper half, while a loose fitting ripped pair of black pants hung off of her tiny hips. A knit wool cap sat atop her head, and from the way it bulged it was apparent that she stuffed all of her hair inside. Not a single strand peeked out.
"My dream? I don't know… Well it's not to be a pirate, that much is obvious. My goal however is to find my parents. The Tenryubito who I escaped from sold them…" she trails off, staring into the space above the ocean.
"Hn, well then it sounds like you need me."
"Wha? Why would I need you?" Mara's indignation rises.
"Well, you couldn't save yourself from those people on that island. Sounded like they were gonna take you back from where ever you escaped." The cool tone which Elza uses is slowly fanning the fire of Mara's temper…
"LIKE HELL THEY WERE GONNA TAKE ME BACK, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE STOOD A CHANCE IF I COULD HAVE GOTTEN MY HANDS ON A SWORD!" Mara picks up a slender piece of wood that had fallen off of Happy's railing and charges at Elza.
Elza laughs as she flips off of her perch and onto the deck. She grabs the piece of wood out of Mara's hands as she lunges, holding it over her head and out of Mara's reach.
"You won't be beating no one with that kind of attitude," Elza taunts, laughter evident in her voice. "How old are you anyway?"
"Why should I tell you, huh?" Mara attempts to climb Elza to get her "sword" back. This doesn't work out in her favor as Elza tosses it into the air and pins her to the ground. A rope snaps out to grab the stray piece and pull it away from the scuffle. With herself pinned on the ground, her face in the wood, Mara says "I'm fifteen alright? Now get offa me…"
"Fifteen? How'd you escape from these Tenryubito people in the first place? They've gotta be tough if they've got those Marines looking for their respect."
"Pfft. Hell no, those fuckin fat asses aren't tough at all. They're the 'World Nobles.' They claim that they are the blood of the people who built the current government so they have money and social status. They act like they own the world, they buy and sell people on a whim. Mostly pirates, Fishmen, and Merpeople, but also just normal citizens walking down the street," Elza lets go of Mara at this point, going to go lean on the mast, and Mara decides to sit up. "They all walk around with air bubbles around their heads because they claim that we are not worthy to breathe the same air as them. But honestly, the way they act, they are the ones who aren't good enough to breathe the same air as the rest of us. And guess what, those are the people who are in charge of us." She huffs indignantly at the end of her speech, and Elza just stares into the distance, taking in what she has heard.
"So, your parents. Are they pirates?" Elza looks to Mara who sighs.
"My father was for a time. Not notable, so he was able to settle down with mother after a good amount of time had passed."
"Okay then, so where are we?"
Elza's blunt curiosity takes Mara by surprise. "You don't know where we are?"
Elza shakes her head, "Nope, don't even know where this 'Grand Line' is either. What is a Grand Line?"
This is Mara's time to laugh. "Really? The Grand Line is an ocean current that is surrounded by these things called the Calm Belts." She takes a charred piece of wood and begins to draw a map on the deck in front of her. "It runs from north-west to south-east across the middle of the world, perpendicular to the Red Line. The Red Line is a vast continent that circles the globe from north-east to south-west. These two lines divide the rest of the Blue Sea into the Blues: North Blue, East Blue, West Blue, and South Blue. Currently we are here in West Blue." She points where the letters WB sit on her vague map.
"So we're trying to head here?" Elza points to the Grand Line.
"Yes, yes we are." Mara nods her head slowly, like she's talking to a mentally disabled person.
"So…. I guess we've gotta find a person who can fix Happy up first right?"
"That would be good. Or we can find an entirely new ship." Elza snaps her head up and glares at Mara defiantly.
"Okay, finding a person to fix Happy up…." Mara looks down at her doodle. "Um, I heard from the Marines that there is an island nearby with a bunch of out of work shipwrights. Let's start there."
"That sounds PERFECT! You hear that Happy?" Elza shouts over to the rudder, "There's a good island nearby! Do you know where this island is?"
"Not really," Happy's spirit takes form and floats over, "did they tell you where?" he directs the question at Mara, who leans away.
"Um, they said it was east of our last island. That was it though…" her eyes are wide.
"Okay, well that was the direction we were heading…." Happy seems to have deflated a bit.
Elza's stomach growls, "Um, I think we need food. Happy do you have anything stored?"
"Nope, no food since before my crew died." He forlornly fades from view.
"Well, looks like we need an island anyway so-" Mara's statement was cut off by a cannon shot. Both girls rush to the bow of the ship to see a big ship firing on a little barge-like ship. There was a jolly roger on the big ship, and they were only about ten feet away.
Elza looks to Mara and asks, "Wanna have some fun?"
"If those are pirates firing on civilians, sure," her reply comes immediately.
"Happy! Straight ahead!" Elza cries, standing tall on the masthead. They head closer, closing the gap between Happy and the pirate ship. Once there was only five feet between Happy's bow and her goal, Elza flipped onto the other deck. Immediately she was greeted by three faces. One at the wheel, and the other two wielding two wicked looking blades.
Mara was right up behind her, but the few seconds had already allowed Elza to flip one of the men, effectively relieving him of his sword at the same time.
"You say you fight with a sword? Let me see it then," Elza says as she passes the blade to Mara.
The clumsy way Mara had gone at Elza was nowhere to be seen as she weighed the blade, and then parried the blade of the other man who came at her. A few flashes of her blade later she had stolen the sword of her attacker as well, and dealt a fatal blow to his neck, effectively slicing through his neck. Elza had dealt with both of the other men on the deck in the meantime. They lay unconscious against the wheel of the ship, as she looks at Mara disappointedly.
"If you're not a pirate why'd you kill 'im?" she asks pointedly, looking down at the pool of blood, and the wild look in Mara's eyes.
"My dad says if you don't kill them when they mean to kill you, they'll just keep comin back at you," she replies with a challenge.
"If you kill 'em, their friends have a right to come and kill you. And just a warning, you never know if those friends are stronger than them or not." Elza turns away from Mara's stunned face to the port side of the ship and shouts, "Ahoy there! You guys okay?"
Two men trying to re-tie down some large pieces of lumber look up at her. One was an old man, clearly well into his fifties with his gray hair and wrinkles. The other was a young man with shaggy brown hair, close to Elza's age, but his brown eyes said he had lived his fair share of life.
"Yeah, we're fine," the young man replies, as the old man drops his gaze. "Thanks."
"Not a problem, anythin else we can help ya with?" her innocent face takes in the old man lifting a piece of lumber, at least three times his size, into place.
"No, there is nothing you can help us with, girl." The old man's reply was short and curt. His tone implying that he wanted nothing to do with them.
"Oh… well, would you mind if we escort you back to your island? We kindof would like a place to dock for tonight. We also need to find food…" her rambling trailed off as it was obvious the old man wasn't listening.
"That'd be great, but our island doesn't have much to offer in ways of food," the young man's reply brings Elza's and Mara's attention. "It's completely rock. No trees or crops grow."
"Oh… then what do you eat?" Elza's head tilts and her dark blue eyes shimmer in the moonlight.
"We fish, and bring in enough produce from the nearby island to somewhat sustain us."
"Nearby my ass…" Elza picks up the old man's grumble, and he continues on with, "We din't bring back enough to sustain the two a you. Kay? Just head on off now."
The two ships had drifted apart, but Happy was just aside the enemy pirate ship so the girls hopped back on and Happy brought them back closer to the men's barge.
"Um, well, I know how to fish, I could do all of the fishing for the night and feed the whole island," Elza absurdly offers. The old man scoffs and Mara rolls her eyes at her.
"I can't promise produce, but I will gladly give you fish if you help us get back safely. The whole reason my island is in dire straits right now is because of the fleet of pirates in the area and most people who go out to get supplies never come back," the young man sounds pleading.
"We don't need no help from no girls, Gale," the old man shouts at him.
Ignoring the old man, Elza asks, "Why would they do that?"
"They try to tax our people for supplies, but the rates are outrageous, and we can't get any work so we have no money. Most of our people were shipwrights, but since these pirates, most of the men have died. Which is why it's only my dad and I here," Gale explains.
"So they have you trapped? Like slaves?" Mara pipes up.
"Yeah, you could say that," Gale answers with a small half smile. They work to get their ship moving again, the cargo having been successfully re-tied, and Happy cruises along behind them.
"Well, I'm Elza and this is my first mate, Mara. We're pirates of our own, and we'll stand up for you and your island!" Elza proclaims proudly. Gale's face is priceless in his shock.
"Pirates! Well, that's not much of a pirate ship you got there! If you help us maybe we'll build you a better one," Gale stands tall. "I'm Gale and this is my father Pali," he gestures back to his father, and then promptly brings his hand to his face in a gesture that shows he is sharing a secret. "Oh and by the way, please ignore the way my father and the other men treat you. They don't put much stock in what a woman is capable of."
"We'll keep that in mind. But you won't be building us a new ship, you'll be fixing this one up. Right Happy?" Elza asks as Happy materializes next to her on the railing. He stands only about one and a half feet tall, his arms crossed and his legs spread. Gale's face takes on a new form of shock that slowly fades into sadness.
"I'm real sorry miss, but the fact that the little man has shown himself means that ship's days are numbered," Gale's statement brings a sound of agreement from Mara.
"Well, I'm gonna sail 'im 'round the Grand Line 'fore those days are up," Elza states adamantly.
"BOY! We're 'ere, come on and dock us!" Pali shouts from the bow of his ship. They have arrived at an island, and Gale was right. It is made entirely of rock. Massive black cliffs with sharp jagged tops rise up in a ring around the north, east and south sides of the island. A forest of buildings, pathways and covers clumped together at the center, everything made of wood. There was no dock, just two other ships docked along the beach. With our two ships, four ships in total.
"I thought you guys were a bunch of shipwrights?" Mara asks curious. "Wouldn't you have like a fleet and a proper dock?"
"We used to, the pirates burned the dock and supposedly sunk any ship that went out to get supplies and work," Gale replied gravely.
"Ah, well that sucks," Elza replies bluntly. "So, I'm gonna get some fish," she says just before diving off the back of the ship.
"Umm… I think she's hungry. She's usually less rude than that," Mara says sheepishly to Gale.
"It's no problem. Could you help us with moving this stuff though?" Gale asks, but his father immediately intervenes.
"No, this is men's work. The other men in the village are already here." Mara deflates and rests her chin on her arms on the railing. A second later a fish flies out of the water and plops onto the Happy's deck. Gale and Mara look at it curiously. A moment later about twenty more fish join it and a soaking wet Elza leaps out of the water and onto Happy's railing.
"Either of you two know how to cook these things?" Elza asks. Her clothing, soaking wet, clung to her body and in her hand she held something else. Pali looked at the girl like she had three heads, and Mara and Gale doubled over laughing.
"What?" Elza looks back and forth from Gale to Mara, her eyes wide, not comprehending their laughter. Gale regains his composure first.
"Yeah I do, once we move all this crap, I'll come up there and cook ya'll dinner," laughter still colored his tone.
It seemed to take forever for the men to finish unloading. Elza spent the time lying on the masthead, and Mara took the time to clean the swords she had stolen from the men. Eventually though, Gale climbed up onto Happy's deck and went into the cabin. Elza and Mara followed him in, it was the first time they were inside.
Within Happy's cabin, there was a room off to the side that held a king-sized bed, a stairway that led down into the hull, and right in front of them, a very poorly taken care of kitchen. Gale tuts at its condition, and quickly begins cleaning it. The fish are still out on the deck, but apparently much had to be done to the kitchen before it could be used. Elza and Mara stand in awe at the speed and skill Gale displays while he tightens a few connections, checks a few valves, and has the whole place sparkling clean like new.
"How did you do that so quick?" Mara asks as Elza stands dumbfounded.
"My mother was a chef and she refused to cook in a destroyed kitchen. And she was also very impatient and insane. She would make the kitchen a mess and then blame it on me," Gale's response comes as he takes a newly sparkling pan and newly sparkling knives out, gets a few of the fish from the deck, and begins filleting them.
"Um, I do not want to meet her…" Mara says, hiding from Gale behind Elza.
"I DO! Where is she?" Elza says emphatically.
"She died when I was ten," Gale's tone was cold, and he kept his eyes on his work.
"Oh.. I'm sorry…" Mara comes out from behind Elza, her eyes on her feet.
"Damn." Elza crosses her arms. Gale laughs, and Elza gets a curious look. "Would you like to join our pirate crew?"
Gale nearly cuts himself at her question, and turns to look at Elza, disbelief in his eyes. "Why the hell would I do that?"
"We need a shipwright, Happy's probably not gonna hold together with only one fix up. And neither of us know how to cook. We need someone like you," the honesty in her voice softened Gale's glare. He looked down and went back to fixing the meal.
"I'm needed here. Without me the pirates will kill everyone."
"Why?" Elza's brows meld together.
"I'm the last young man here. Everyone else has been killed or absorbed into the pirates. I'm the last piece of proof that we can continue work," he finishes with the cooking, "but enough of that. Here, eat." He holds up a plate to each of the girls, and both take it, sit on the floor and begin eating.
"Oh my god, thank you!" Elza says after she finishes. "So there's still a lot of fish left out there, think they'll be of use to someone else?"
"Yeah, I'll take them to the council. They'll distribute them," Gale says.
"You know, once we deal with these pirates, you won't have to be their protection," Elza says from the doorway of the cabin, she is speaking to Gale's back.
"Yeah, IF you can deal with them. They're pretty strong. There's at least five ships in the fleet. They sprung up after the battle of Marineford. There's a marine base just past the other island we get supplies from. We can go there and ask for help tomorrow," Gale says as he gathers up the rest of the fish in a fishing net.
"That sounds like a plan, why haven't you gone to them before?" Elza asks.
"Elza, we're pirates!" Mara hisses from behind her.
"We have, the people sent to get help never came back," Gale's reply came as he jumped off of Happy's bow. "See you tomorrow!"
"Yeah, see ya!" Elza calls, "Come on Mar, let's get some sleep."
"But we can't go to the marines! They'll arrest us!" Mara protests.
"We haven't done anything yet to warrant us to be pirates yet. Plus, we'll do what pirates do best. Lie." Elza replies, lying down on the very old bed.
Mara sputters, "Wha-What? Don't you remember me being in the custody of marines?"
"Oh yeah, oh well." Elza says, then immediately starts snoring. Mara curls up on the edge of the bed, worrying what the morning will bring. In Elza's hand she still holds what she brought out of the ocean earlier. Mara takes a closer look, and it is an oyster shell with a huge hole in the middle.
"Well that's weird, wonder why she kept that…"
Mara: Why is it that I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO EVER GETS CUT OFF!
Elza: Huh?
Me: Oh hush little one -pats hat-
Mara: What do you mean "-pats hat-"?! I have a head you know!
Elza: Really?
Me: But you're always wearing that hat?
Mara: ...