The Pirate King and the Rose Queen
Chapter 5
~Be My Queen, Cereza!~
The boy smiled at Cereza uncaringly but warmly at the same time...
"Don't be stubborn. We'll take your friend to the Thousand Sunny and get him fixed, until then, let's not fight."
Luffy speaks to Cereza with a calm but controlling voice, the type of man gives to a woman when he's trying to explain something clearly. Cereza is impressed by this and decides to trust them.
Spade is carried by Zoro and Sanji back to the Thousand Sunny, but on the ship, Nova and Cereza's feelings changed. They were silent and sat on the rails of the ship away from the others but not far enough to where they couldn't watch over Spade. Zoro notices Nova's hesitation and mild worry, he walks up to her.
"Hey, name's Zoro, what's yours?" Zoro speaks to Nova kindly but she remains cold as expected.
"That's okay, you don't have'ta talk to me. But I give you my word i'm not a bad guy, I just want to start meaningful conversation." Zoro stands next to Nova, she chuckles.
"There is no such thing as man that simply wants conversation, my name is Nova...Nova Catalina, it's nice to meet you, Zoro." Nova introduces herself.
As Zoro and Nova began to speak, I look up to the dark blue sky that seemed like it was encrusted with diamonds because of those stars. Then I saw him, that boy in the straw hat. He seem very complacent before, was it something I said?
Maybe I was being too weary of Spade's health, he's been my friend forever so it's only natural.
That guy, Sanji, walked up to me with a cup of juice.
"Here, it's orange. I figure you've been out at sea for a while, nothing sucks worse than scurvy." I nodded and took the juice from Sanji and drank it sip by sip.
After a few more minutes, Sanji began to speak.
"So,...you killed Sir Stewart?...If I may be so bold as to ask, how did ya kill'im?"
The ship became silent, apparently, this information was greatly wanted.
"That Evans man was arrogant and he deserved his death by my heel against his chest, nothing more, nothing less."
The ship was little bit disappointed by Cereza's answer but that's not the thing that interested them, it was the way she said it. She spoke with a false voice, like a man. Everyone on that boat sees that she is indeed a woman but she's speaking with a man's voice, deep and masculine.
Luffy immediately found this out when they were still in the tavern, she spoke like a man and stood on her toes to be tall, she's in fact two inches shorter than Luffy!
Spade yells out in pain which makes Nova and Cereza move to his location, then Luffy noticed something else. Everything about her was boyish, the way she worried, the way she dressed and even the way she walked! It all resembled a man, it confused Luffy.
After Spade comes down in pain, Nova and Cereza leave his side to go speak with Zoro and Sanji again, they seemed to be getting along fine. But Spade was waking up, when he opened his eyes he found something very beautiful waiting for him...
"Ugh...Hmm...C-...Cereza...No-...Nova!" Spade groaned and called his friends in agony. I took a warm washcloth and put it over his head to calm him a little bit.
"Don't worry, you're safe." I pat the arms for muscle tenderness, I went to his chest and he grabbed my wrist reflexively.
"Eek!" I yelped when I did, his eyes snapped open and glanced at me.
"Who are you?" Spade whispered out of lack of strength, I gulped.
"My name's Nami...I-It's nice to meet you, Spade..." Spade's eyes widened.
"How do you know my name?" He squeezed my wrist, I hissed at the pain.
"I know your friends, Nova and Cereza. They brought you here, honest!"
Spade looks at me with empty eyes that were full of a strange malice, he sighes and lets me go.
"No matter, leave me. I must rest." He turns over on his side, What does he take me for?! Some type of maid! I could've let him die! The least I could get is a thank you!
"You're lucky I helped you at all! You would've been toast had I not came along with my medical skills and genius!" I chuckle proudly, what a doofus! I bet he's never even seen a girl as amazing as me! Ha ha!
"If your genius is what's currently keeping me alive, than I have more to fear that I thought."
...
WHAT HE SAY TO ME?!
"How dare you? I'm the one who saved you!" I growl at Spade, he turns over and glares at me.
"Ugh, are women from the Red Line as loud as you? What horrible luck!"
"You are disrespectful!"
"You are annoying!"
Spade and Nami growl at each other like cats and dogs, but it isn't long before Sanji steps in.
"Hey, now! What's going on here?" Sanji says, trying to calm the situation down. I can't believe that bastard spoke to me like that! I'm the one who saved his sorry ass! Grr! I'll get him back for this!
Spade scoffs at Nami as he dresses himself, he walks out of the cabin to see that Zoro is steadily flirting with Nova. A type of jealousy comes over him but he turns back to an enraged Nami and gets a feeling that takes away his jealousy and turns it into power. Cereza and Nova see Spade is safe and well-rested, he doesn't tell them about the spat between Nami and himself. Cereza chuckles as Nova pokes Spade mockingly in his still aching gut.
"So, why exactly did you guys want to come to the Red Line?" Sanji cuts the fun and games with his question, I turn to him hesitantly about to answer the question. I glance at Spade, since he's fine, I guess that can be trusted.
"Well, I inherited the Rose Queen ship about three years ago. A few weeks earlier, we felt that there must be more that just the Loanan Seas out there, so we decided to set sail and see what we could see."
"That ship is inherited?" Zoro seems to be amazed, my ship was rather large so it is uncommon for something like that to be passed down.
"Yup, it belongs to my mother, she held the title of Rose Queen before me and her mother before her and so on and so forth." I explained, Nova cleared her throat.
"We all created the Rose Queen crew while just sailing around one day." Nova chuckled.
"But there's only three of you, what about the rest of your crew?" A man named Usopp questioned.
"We only need a chef for food and a navigator so we don't get lost, that's all we've needed in the past. Too many people and it becomes a drag." Spade explained.
"So, Cereza, what kind of sea is the Loanan Sea?" Nami asked, I laughed.
"It's...calm and tranquil. During the Newnteht Holiday, the ocean will turn color some times...I've only seen it in lavender, though."
The other crew seemed shocked, "Turn colors?" they exclaimed.
"Y-Yeah! But not really, it only turns colors because fifty years ago, some of the elders poured in a few gallons of Newnteht poweder in the sea so whenever the sun hits the ocean a certain way once everywhere yeah, it's turn colors because the powder is shifting." Nova says, Nami and the others seemed impressed.
"It's nothing big, of course...Ahem...Well, I guess since Spade's all fixed, we'll be out of here." I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly, Nami was a bit disappointed that were leaving.
The Straw Hat pirates said their farewells to the Rose Queen and her crew, but on the top foremast, Luffy wasn't ready to say goodbye. Matter of fact, he had somethings he wanted to state.
Luffy jumped down from the top foremast and landed right in front of the Rose Queen, Cereza was taken back by his sudden appearance and prepared for the worst.
Luffy slowly looked up at her with the same innocent lust and determination-filled eyes.
He brought his arm up and pointed at her.
"You are woman!" Luffy shouted, Cereza has a shocked and angry look on her face, Luffy continues "You're a woman, right? Why do you act like a man?"
Cereza's face turns beet red but then she is quickly angered by Luffy's statement and accusation, she feels disrespected but it's obvious Luffy doesn't know what he's talking about, she thought. He looked dumb and retarded in that hat and that empty-headed expression didn't make it any better. Cereza chuckles.
"I'm sorry but you have me mistaken, if you talk to me in such a tone again, i'll break your neck. Got it, little man?"
Cereza threatens Luffy and lets him off with a warning. As she tries to walk past him, he takes her by her forearm, Cereza stops abruptly and glares at his hand.
"I'm not finished talking yet..." Luffy excuses himself but Cereza is still angry.
"As long as i'm not listening, as far as I know, you are! Now, unhand me, ruffian!"
Cereza's deep voice cracks underpressure, making Luffy bring her all the way back.
"Get outta my way, dumbass, before you get hurt!" I put my hand over my waist where my pistol was cased, Luffy glances at my hand and smirks.
"My name is not dumbass and it ain't ruffian. My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I said i'm not done talkin to ya yet!" Luffy states, Nami steps up with worry.
"Let the woman through, Luffy!" Nami exclaims, "What's your problem?" she asks.
Luffy tips his hat on his head and crosses his arms, "Sorry, I just think it's a waste for a girl like her to ruin her image by acting like a guy."
Cereza is automatically outraged by Luffy's statement, she quickly draws her pistol and points it into Luffy's face, Luffy takes no offense to it and neither does his crewmembers.
"Kya! Cereza, calm down!" Nova steps up behind me and tries to pat my back in order to cool me off, but there's no turning back now. He's gone too far! How dare he insult my honor!
"It isn't worth it, Cereza, it's just words, they don't mean anything!" Spade edges towards me, I put my finger over the trigger. They know what that means, i'm ready to kill this guy!
"Any last words, monkeyboy." I taunt Luffy before his imminent death.
Luffy glares down the Ebony Lion's barrel and scoffs, he glances at Cereza as he slowly takes the barrel in his hand and points at his center, he licks his lips and winks at Cereza.
"Hm...Oh well, you would've suffered less if it was the head but so be it."
Nova and Spade look away...
In quick and subtle motion, Cereza pulls the trigger...
A loud, thundering roar comes from Cereza's pistol, The Ebony Lion.
"W-...WHAT THE-?!" Cereza shrieks.
Luffy's body stretches out as the bullet is trying it's best to penetrate him, Luffy yells out as he tightens his body and thrusts his chest forward making the bullet bounce off his body.
The copper bullet zooms pass Cereza's head by mere inches and hit the boat in a rail on the opposite side.
Cereza's mouth is agape as she slowly turns and sees that the rail has been completely destroyed, but Nova and Spade are even more surprised.
Never before had they even seen a bullet ricochet off of somebody's body! It was unheard of!
Cereza's slowly turns to Luffy with wide eyes and racing heart, she sees that he is grinning as his straw hat covers his eyes from view. She turns to the rest of his crew for confirmation, Nova and Spade are speechless.
"What...the flapjack just happen?" Nova squeaks.
"My name..."
Cereza whips her head to a slowly panting Luffy that was glaring at her with a gaze that's never frightened her so good.
"...is Monkey D. Luffy, and i'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
Luffy points at Cereza abruptly.
"...and I'm gonna need a queen..."
Cereza freezes at the last word that passes Luffy's lips, her face turns from mortified and to pricelessly laughable.
Cereza breaks out laughing uncontrollably, Nova and Spade look at each other quickly knowing what this meant.
Cereza smacks Luffy's hand away sharply and points back to him.
"My name is Cereza Ann Lucrezia the Sixteenth, I may be the Rose Queen but that will never make me your queen!"
Cereza applies pressure to her heels, she jumps in the air with the power of small cannons pushing her up and dives back to the dock. Zoro and Nami see that Nova and Spade are no longer on the boat.
Luffy runs to the rail but before he makes to the port, Cereza is already long gone with only a dethorned rose left in her wake.
Luffy slowly walks up to the rose and picks it up.
He laughs...and turns to the starry sky.
"...that's what you think..."