Updated: 10/20/16

Chapter 3: Introductions

The moment Liara woke up she knew something was different. No longer did she feel cold and drenched from the formidable storm she'd just faced, but instead felt dry and safe. A sense of panic flew through her as she quickly came to the conclusion that she was lying down in a stranger's bed, wearing clothes that were definitely not hers.

Her first instinct was to get up and run, but where would she go? She had no concept to where she was, nor what awaited her outside the four walls that sheltered her. She scanned her surroundings to get a feel for where she was, her eyes wandering casually around the chamber. The walls were lined with vertical wooden panels, and the floor covered with coral carpet. Placed precisely in the middle of a wall was a pink makeup table with a mirror in the center of it. Two identical ivory bureaus were symmetrically placed adjacent to each other, and in front of them was a modest square table with two scarlet lounge chairs. The room seemed rather cozy, and had a strong feminine feel to it.

"Oh hey, you're finally up!"

Liara's thoughts had been so preoccupied with checking out the room that she didn't even notice the person sitting on the right side of her; a woman with long orange hair and light-brown eyes regarded her with a warm smile.

"It's about time you got up. You've been out for several hours."

"Several hours..." Liara blinked a couple of times, attempting to evade the headache that was gradually spreading behind her eyes. "Might I ask where I am?"

"Sure! You are currently in my bedroom, aboard the world-famous Straw Hat Pirate's ship, the Thousand Sunny!" She stated it all so proudly that Liara couldn't help but wonder if she had heard things correctly.

"The Straw Hat Pirates? As in, the ones led by Monkey D. Luffy?" She'd overheard her parents conferencing about the Straw Hats before, mostly in disbelief on how they'd taken on the World Government and grumbling over the trouble the group of nine always caused.

"You got it. I'm Nami, by the way. I share this room with Robin, the Archaeologist in our group. I'm this ship's Navigator. Anyways, where were you going? We found you floating on a piece of wood with just a bag and a big bump on the back of your head."

Liara winced as she touched the back of her skull, her fingers trailing over a considerable-sized lump. "That explains why my head hurts."

Before she could answer the Navigator's question, the bedroom door, which was placed not too far from the foot of the bed she currently occupied, suddenly opened, and in walked a tall woman with lengthy raven hair and bright azure eyes. She gave Liara a polite smile as she closed the door behind her. "Good afternoon. Dinner will be ready soon. Are you hungry?"

The sudden growl emitting from Liara's stomach answered the question, her face flushing in embarrassment. Dinner? No wonder she was so hungry. She'd missed breakfast and lunch. The woman, who Liara assumed was Robin, let out a short chuckle over the reaction. "I'll certainly be taking that as a yes. Would you like to come down and say hello to everybody?"

Liara shyly agreed. "Um, sure. I suppose it's only fair since you've all taken such good care of me so far. I'm Liara."

"Robin. A pleasure to meet you. You're welcome to stay with us as long as you'd like. I think it's best you eat and rest a bit before deciding what to do."

Nami followed Robin to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob as she waited for the brunette. "Sorry that I changed you without asking, but we figured we'd do it before those wet clothes made you sick."

Their new guest promptly pulled the blankets off and weakly stood. She stared down and noticed that she was clothed in an ebony halter top and baby blue flare pants, both of which perfectly fit her figure. She thanked her lucky stars that decent people found her instead of another pirate group that would've probably thrown her into a cellar. Appreciating the care of her rescuers, Liara donned a grateful smile and accompanied the two women outside.

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The Straw Hats were one of the most formidable and infamous pirate crews on the Grand Line. Known for their superb teamwork and declaration of war towards the world government, they had painted Liara a rather fearsome image. Even as she trailed behind Nami and Robin up to the deck, she felt herself growing more and more apprehensive. Sure, the girls had been friendly, but what about everybody else? Had they fought her parents before, and how they would feel about rescuing the daughter of two Marine Admirals? She gulped and stepped onto the deck, preparing herself for the worst.

"Guys, this is Liara. Please try not to make asses of yourselves."

Nami's announcement nearly caused Liara to trip over her own feet.

A petite reindeer, a man with a long nose and clown-like features, and another guy who wore a straw hat over his jet black hair appeared to be engaged in a game of tag; all three were cantering around and laughing like children. Their playing ceased to a complete halt after Nami's broadcast, and they enthusiastically sprinted forward to meet the person they had retrieved. Liara timidly stepped behind Robin, unsure as to what she should say.

"Oi! It's about time you're awake!" the young man with the straw hat jovially laughed. She could only assume he was the one and only Monkey D. Luffy. "We're playing tag! Wanna join us?"

"Now, now Luffy, she just woke up!" the reindeer admonished. "She still needs plenty of rest!"

"Yeah, but she's been sleeping for the past six hours!" Luffy childishly wailed. He stretched his neck out to peek around Robin and get a better view of Liara, who squeaked in surprise at his ability. "Hey, why are you all quiet and hiding?"

"Probably because you're scaring her!" The long-nosed pirate scolded with an eye roll before jabbing a thumb into his bulky chest. "By the way, I'm the great Captain Usopp!"

"I'm Dr. Chopper!" the reindeer professed in a high pitched adorable voice that instantaneously melted Liara's heart.

"And I'm Luffy! I like meat!"

Nami huffed and shoved her captain. "Nobody cares, idiot."

Not feeling as intimidated, Liara casually stepped out from behind the Archaeologist and respectfully bowed her head. "Nice to meet you. I'm Liara. Thank you so much for rescuing me. I'm sorry for all the trouble."

Chopper hopped up and down excitedly. "Hello Liara! Let me know if you don't feel good, okay?"

"What about me?! I'm the Captain!" Usopp argued, only to be met with a growl from Luffy.

"No you're not! I am!" The two of them tackled each other and began rolling around the ship while Chopper raced around in a panic until Nami forcefully separated them. She punched them both on the head, earning groans as they collapsed before their eyes met and they proceeded into a fit of laughter.

Liara regarded the scene in disbelief until Robin's hand rested on her shoulder.

"You'll get used to such displays very shortly. Here, let me show you everybody else," the older woman suggested as she strolled around the ship and pointed out individual members. Liara attempted to remember all their names.

A muscular person with a scarred eye, green hair, and three swords attached to his side propped up against one of the masts, vehemently snoring without a care in the world. She never would have imagine that he was the threatening Roronoa Zoro. Robin assured her he was a loyal comrade to have in battle, and deeply cared about his crew mates, which alleviated Liara of any caution she felt towards him.

A blonde man with a dark goatee, curled eyebrow and mustache skipped out of the kitchen the moment he set eyes on the brunette through the circular window. Sanji was charming, charismatic and skilled at flattering, even causing her to blush as he knelt down and held her hand to profess his undying love to her. However, she was pretty sure that she wasn't the "angelic princess of beauty" he proclaimed to be searching for his entire life.

When Franky was introduced, he let go of the helm to pose and address her as Liara-sis. She found him amusing, and the fact that he was a cyborg who ran on Cola to be quite intriguing, not to mention how impressive it was that a push of his metal nose could morph his azure hair into a numerous amount of different styles.

And then there was Brook. He stayed off to the side, strumming on his fish-shaped guitar while humming to himself. He displayed a gentlemanly bow when the ladies approached before straightening up, causing the surprised brunette to have to strain her neck in order to peer up at the towering skeleton who had to be at least nine feet tall. Robin politely announced their guest.

"Liara, hmm? A pleasure to meet you. I am Brook, but you might know me as the Soul King." He chuckled proudly and strapped his guitar onto his back, unaware of the her blank stare.

She had never heard of the Soul King. How was a skeleton even talking?

"Might I ask you a serious question?" the skeleton inquired.

It was going to be where she was from, wasn't it? She bit her lower lip and clasped her hands behind her back. "Okay."

Brook tilted his head to the side. "Might I see your panties?"

Out of all the questions she'd expected him to ask, that had been the furthest thing from her mind.

Her face turned crimson as she grew flustered and threw her hands out in front of her, as if she was trying to keep him from walking any closer. "N-no! You can't!" she stammered as she hastily shook her head in protest. Nami's fist swung into the Musician's skull, inducing him to somersault backwards and crash against the railing.

Feeling worried, Liara glimpsed around Nami's vigilant stance to confirm he was uninjured. He was sprawled on his back with his gangling legs angled in the air and chuckling as if he'd heard the funniest joke.

"Yohohohoho!" the skeleton belted out, his jaw moving up and down to accommodate his laughter. Liara let out a sigh of relief that he was at least okay, though how he wasn't hurt after such a powerful punch was beyond her. Still, she couldn't help but feel the corners of her lips curl upwards at the skeleton's laugh.

Nami glanced over at the brunette with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, don't let that pervy skeleton freak you out or get to you okay? Just go ahead and kick his ass if he bugs you."

Robin giggled to herself, obviously amused by all the clamor. On that notion, Sanji took a protracted drag on his cigarette before flicking it into the ocean. "Oi, dinner is ready you shitty bastards," he announced in a gruff tone while addressing the men. His expression metamorphosed completely when he wiggled over to the ladies and stared fondly at them, his pupils converting into pulsating hearts. "My dears, your dinner is ready for you! Please, follow me!" he cooed out before speeding over to the door and holding it open for them.

Liara seemed slightly hesitant, almost unsure if she should follow. A tug on her hand caused her to look down. A pair of large, innocent eyes stared back up at her. "This way Liara! Come eat with us!" Chopper innocently suggested.

"Okay then. Please show me." She allowed the diminutive reindeer to guide her forward, his hooves clamped gently around her right hand. They managed to avert being stampeded over by Usopp and Luffy's inconsiderate rushing, both of whom collided into the kitchen door that Sanji slammed in their faces. Brook managed to erect himself up and follow everybody else while strumming a catchy tune. Franky joined the others, calling out to the still napping Zoro along the way. With a sluggish grunt and yawn, the Swordsman got to his feet and bobbed his head respectively towards Liara before he also ventured through the doorway.

Liara arrived at the conclusion that the crew was distinctive and unique, and although she had only known them for barely an hour, she could see that they were all decent people. As the door shut behind her, and Chopper let go of her hand, she found herself smiling fondly.

Maybe being rescued by the Staw Hats was good luck after all.