Chapter 6: Meeting Whitebeard
Ace came out on deck to see Valerie leaning on the railing with the biggest smile on her face and he couldn't help but smile to.
"Hey are you sure you should be running around like that?" Ace asked getting a confused look from the girl.
"I mean you're friends collapsed because they weren't fed anything for awhile." Valerie nodded in understanding before swallowing up some air.
"You eat air?" Ace asked with a raised eyebrow and Valerie nodded.
"You do know that eating air and fire is not normal right?" he asked getting a grin from the girl.
"And being made of fire is?" Sherbet asked.
"Did you eat a devil fruit?" Ace asked get a no from the girl.
"But then how…" she shrugged indicating she didn't know and the cat kept silent.
"Alright Ace help her on to the boat. There aren't anymore prisoners so we should get going yoi."
"Yeah alright, where's the others."
"Off looking for an egg, they should be here soon yoi."
"An egg?"
"Come on Val. I'll take you to the boat." Sherbet said picking the blonde up and carrying her down to the boat.
"In here I know that smell anywhere." Lexi mumbled as she went into a bedroom.
"Lexi there you are, you know you really shouldn't run off on your own. It's dangerous."
"Don't worry about me Blondie."
"It's Sabo."
"We can take care of ourselves. The only reason we were captured was because they took us when our guards were down." She spoke as she looked around the room.
"If you don't mind my asking, what's so important about this egg?"
"I promised it, I would protect it." She answered. "I found it abandoned, and I know what it's like, so I promised I'd be it's mother." She smiled as she found the purple egg and cradled it in her arms.
"Wow. It's huge. I've never seen anything like it." Sabo observed.
"Yeah, me neither, thankfully it's still alive."
"So Valerie looks like you're back to your old self?" Rachel noted with a smile as the group was rowing back to the Moby Dick.
"She's just really excited." Sherbet said.
"You know she reminds me of Luffy." Sabo said.
"Yeah she does, hope she's not as much trouble though."
"Luffy?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah our little brother." Ace said with a smile, Valerie turned around to look at the two brothers with a huge smile on her face. "What do you know him?" Ace asked and the girl blushed in response.
"Ohh do I smell a romance here." Sherbet purred dodging a whack from Valerie.
'Shut up we haven't even met yet.'
'So.'
"Oh that's an interesting answer." Sabo smirked. "Do you like our little brother?"
'Well from what I've seen of him.' She thought with a thoughtful look on her face.
'So you do like him, I'll do whatever it takes to help you.'
'But how can I tell them that I've been dreaming of the three of them, and started getting a crush on Luffy.' He cheeks then turned red in embarrassment causing the brothers to smile.
'You're not dreaming of him your having visions. That's your power you get visions from the future so you can see them, as well.'
'It doesn't matter it seems Luffy is asexual. It would be impossible to get him to fall for me.' she thought as the bush disappeared and she frowned.
"Hey what's wrong?" Sabo asked Valerie shook her head and sighed.
"Well if you say so, but you can talk to us if you need to. We know how Luffy is after all." Ace suggested.
"Really then answer me this. Is Luffy asexual?" Sherbet asked flying away from a blushing Valerie who looks about ready to strangle the cat.
"Huh?" Came Ace's intelligent answer as Sabo burst out laughing.
"Is that what you're worried about." He asked the red face blonde who reluctantly nodded her head.
"Don't worry It's not that he's asexual it's just he hasn't found the right girl yet. He said he'd know her when he sees her. Whatever that means." Ace shrugged.
"And with that we wish you good luck." Sabo said.
"One question though what do you see in our little brother anyway." Ace asked curiosity written all over his face.
The blush never left her face as she thought about all of Luffy's good qualities not noticing her friend was answering the question for her until it was to late.
"She says he's cute, funny, strong, kind, amazing, and…" Before he could continue Valerie blew him away with a gust of wind. Ace and Sabo smiled at the description of their little brother, not really caring that the cat was blown away.
"Alright, we're almost there Oyaji is probably going to want to speak with you yoi."
"Oyaji?" Lexi asked.
"Whitebeard strongest man on the seas." Sabo answered looking at the grinning Valerie.
"That's right." Ace said with a grin. "Your excited aren't you? You know normally people are afraid to meet him."
"She likes the old man, so of course she's not afraid of him." Sherbet explained as he landed on the boat.
"Why would they be afraid?" Rachel asked as she watched the bouncy girl looking excitedly at the approaching ship.
"You'll see. But you shouldn't worry he won't hurt you unless you hurt his family yoi." Marco answered.
"Family?" Rachel and Lexi whispered.
"Yeah, everyone who joins the crew is his son, or daughter, and he's our Father." Ace explained.
"You're father." Rachel and Lexi repeated hair shadowing their eyes.
"So you've heard of Pop's?" Ace asked Valerie.
"Yeah, like I said she knows all about you guys." The cat answered cryptically, but before anyone could question it they arrived at the ship.
"Hey Oyaji we're back yoi." Marco announced as they helped the girls get on board.
"Welcome back my sons, so it was a smugglers ship after all."
"Yes they only captured four women, who should probably go see the doctor after this."
"Right, bring them forth." He boomed. Marco and Sabo carried Rachel and Zena, who tensed the moment they saw the man, forwards while Ace walked by a tense Lexi.
Valerie however eagerly ran up to Whitebeard despite his all-powerful aura followed by a carefree cat.
'Wahhh So this is Whitebeard huh? He's even more badass in person, but if those dreams were real then, he'll die because of one of his former sons. I'll have to prevent that.' Valerie thought.
'It's not a dream it's a vision. So it will happen unless you prevent that. However you're going to have to tell him.' Sherbet informed.
"What why me.' the were pulled out of their mental conversation by booming laughter.
"Gurururu What's your name brat?" Whitebeard asked the blond she was just about to answer completely forgetting her voluntary silence before fear flashed in her eyes and she quickly covered her mouth. This action worried her friends and the pirates. Lexi gently put a hand on her shoulder getting a flinch in return before Valerie calmed down.
"This is Valerie sir, until she's able to speak again I'll be her voice." Sherbet answered for her.
"What's wrong with her is it a throat injury?" Whitebeard asked.
"No she's a voluntary mute."
"I see." Whitebeard frowned at the news. 'She must have been severely traumatized to refuse to speak.
"I'm Sherbet by the way. I'm an exceed."
"And I'm Lexi."
"Rachel."
"And what's your name?"
"My name is Zena."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Whitebeard, do you mind telling me how you were captured."
"No sir, we were on an uninhabited island and they took us while we were asleep." Rachel recapped.
"Yeah those damn cowards." Lexi added.
"Did they hurt you in any way?"
"Nothing I wasn't already used to." Lexi and Rachel said simultaneously looking at each other shocked.
"What do you mean by that?" Whitebeard asked the girls bit their lips before Rachel answered.
"Nothing… Just didn't feed us is all." As Rachel spoke her eyes grew distant as she unconsciously clutched Marco's shirt, who pretended not to notice but was still concerned all the same. "Whitebeard ignored the lie for now and continued his questioning.
"Would you like me to drop you off somewhere?" He asked instead knowing they'd rather not talk about it.
"Yeah uh, but first where are we exactly?" Rachel asked.
"We're in the New World yoi."
"The New World?" Lexi echoed confused by the look on her friends face they weren't the only ones. Well Valerie seemed like she knew what they were talking about.
"Yeah it's in the second half of the Grandline." Ace elaborated.
"The Grandline?" Rachel and Lexi repeated totally and completely confused.
"Alright I know I never went to school but I've never heard of those places before." Lexi said.
"And I went to school as much as I could and I never heard of them either." Rachel followed.
"Um excuse me, I'm sorry but I was forced to study geography, and I have also never heard of these places. Moreover we're from a landlocked country so I don't know how we ended up on an island let alone the ocean." Zena stated her trembling hand clutching on to Sabo's jacket.
'Well isn't that interesting.' Whitebeard thought eyeing Sabo, who nodded his head back but before they could say anything.
"Um I'm sorry but could you just drop us off at the closest town." Rachel asked wanting to get away from the weird people as fast as possible.
"Yeah we can take it from there." Lexi added.
"Alright then but it wouldn't be any trouble to take you home. Your family is probably worried."
"Well I don't know about these two." Lexi said pointing to Rachel and Zena. "But Val and I don't have family to worry about."
"Yeah and my mom she… I well what about you Zena what of your family?" Rachel asked obviously not wanting to talk about her mom making those around her curious.
"What about them?" Zena asked.
"Will they be worried?" Rachel asked.
"Worried? I don't think so just mad." Zena said.
"Huh? Why?" Ace asked before getting elbowed by Sabo.
"I don't understand your question?" She responded.
"Why would they be mad at you?" Ace elaborated.
"Why wouldn't they I went missing for a while missing the chance to marry the Prince and increase our family status." She answered without any emotions.
"Wait you're a Noble?" Sabo asked.
"Yes I suppose if you want to call us that." She continued in the same voice.
"Oh no I completely forgot about that!" Rachel said holding her head in distress. "My mom's going to kill me or she'll probably think I abandoned her or or…."
"Relax, you were supposed to go to Mount Sacrran if you don't return then they'll just think you were killed, why don't you use this chance to escape." Lexi suggested.
"I guess." Rachel mumbled.
'Mount Sacrran?' Sabo thought. 'Then these girls really are the ones.'
"Wait are you a noble too yoi?" Marco asked.
"No, but the contest was opened to anyone and my mother wanted me to go. She said it would make her happy."
"And is that what you wanted?" Whitebeard asked.
"No it wasn't but when I told her that she thought I didn't love her anymore and that I was going to abandon her." Whitebeard considered this information before asking Zena the same question.
"What I want?" Zena asked looking confused.
"Yes is that what you wanted to do?"
"I didn't have a choice. I'm not allowed to want things. I'm can only do what I've been told nothing more?" Zena answered. "Or else…" she stopped fear flashing in her eyes as she dug her fingers into Sabo's shoulders. 'Well that'll leave a mark he' thought.
"Well then how about you all take up my name and roam the seas. Become my daughters!" Whitebeard boomed.