The Pirate King and the Rose Queen
Chapter 9
~The Bed-Wetter and the Beads~
~Flashback, Ten Years Ago, Islands of Loana~
Nova and I were tigerfish-hunting near the River of Riaola, the sun was going down and it was time to bring in our catches to Chieftess Almirierre. She'd give us money for the fishes we caught if they were good.
I remember that day being one of my better ones because that day Spade told me that he had found enough spare wood to build a raft off of Loana, I was so happy that we were finally getting off that island.
Nova and I rushed to the Den of Mitiella, a huge mead hall that doubled as place where people gave their blessings to Chieftess Almirierre in hopes of having a good harvest that month, I believe it was Ivalice Prayer Day. It was an important event, not one for children like me and my friends.
But no matter, we went into the Mitiella and snuck into Almirierre's room which wasn't a first for us. We were always stealing money from her but we always made sure it was the blessings and dreams of others.
Almirierre found us sure enough, she laughed that fake motherly laugh and gave us our money. But back then, I was quite the greedy little girl no more than Almirierre was, so I went back and claimed that Almirierre down paid us in front of the entire crowd.
People started to doubt Almirierre's fairness when they too started to check their pocket, I had no idea back then but, Almirierre really was low-balling people out of their cash. There was an uproar, I got out of there fast with Nova and Spade but the next day, Almirierre summoned us.
We were given an audience with her and only her, no guards and no sentinels to be seen.
Almirierre came at us with the truth, something about not having enough to give to the gods, of course I didn't believe her initially but I was a kid and I was a freakin idiot so I gave her back the money at the very loud protest of my friends.
Almirierre grinned and took the money, I wanted to be a good girl for once and give back what I had stolen. But a week later, I go into Almirierre's room and see her doing away with an entire buffet of food and whatever she didn't eat was thrown away!
Back then, times were rough for the people of Loana, I couldn't even afford to steal! Almirierre let it slip that she was using the "prayer" money to buy new junk, that the people of Loana were the greatest payday her family ever had.
I got pissed so I went around town telling people the truth, a few believed me and a few didn't. Almirierre is a saint they said, she'd never do anything like that. But apparently saying that you saw it wasn't enough, they thought I was just lying like I always did but this time it was for real.
Almirierre took care of me until I started to do good on my own, true. But I'll be danged if she eats better than my friends and I do.
So, I took this matter to the village elders and they brought out Almirierre who could barely explain herself but I'll be darned if she actually does and those old farts believe her! Almirierre had enough of my accusations and labeled me with treason against her, Nova tried her best to vouch for me and so did Spade since his word meant a lot more.
Almirierre wasn't having any of it, I was a proud girl and she saw that. What better way to rid a woman of her pride, honor and vim then to take away what gives her the most of each?
Almirierre held me face down with some sheers, and in two quick snips, she took off two feet and a half of my once long and beautiful black hair. I was mortified, Nova was furious and Spade was mostly dumbfounded.
In Loana, a woman's hair is her crown and glory. To see a woman with short hair is rare, even for a baby!
Almirierre forbid that I ever grow my hair out ever again and if I did, I'd be banned from the Islands of Loana. Nova was so angry that she punched Almirierre straight in the nose, Spade dragged us both out of there...
~Flashback End~
A lot of time has passed from then and now, Almirierre and I speak more often when I'm there but there is always that slight twinge of anger...
...Bitch, how dare you cut my hair?!...
But I calmed down from back then, I was treated completely differently when the people saw my tresses but nonetheless I still have that same old anger still raging on inside of me. So, I promised myself that if I was to ever release this brand of anger, it'll be on the one who created it.
I decided to at least try to calm down my anger when I went out to the open sea, the smell of the salty water, the misty air, the smell of petrichor and for reason to have my friends and crew laughing in the background.
It all made me happy and bright but that anger came out of me very easily when I tried to kill Luffy, I'm upset now that it didn't take much. I made a fool out of myself and hid it with selfish excuses. Honor my butt, that was unacceptable!
I stood up from the bench and went back up to the deck to see that Spade and Zoro were in the middle of a fist fight and Nova was trying in vain to break them up, I gasped and growled.
"Spade! What the flapjack are you doing?!" I yelled, Spade glared at me and immediately backed off of Zoro. Zoro scoffed and backed off for Nova's sake.
"Cereza, this freak show dared to talk down to me because of my whip!" Spade explained angrily, Cereza's eyes slightly widened as she glanced at Zoro. Zoro looked at her and she just sighed.
"Look, Zoro, you aren't a part of my crew so you aren't in my jurisdiction. But let me tell you that if you were a part of my crew that I'd probably be giving you an old-school scolding right now. Both of you..." Cereza looked at a pouting Spade and groaned.
"Where is Luffy? I'll let him deal with this."
Nami pointed to the bowsprit where I saw that Luffy was fast asleep, ugh, I'd hate to wake him but these types of things have to be resolved immediately. I tapped Luffy lightly but he continued to snore the day away, then I took his straw hat which covered his eyes away from him.
His eyes snapped open right as the sun hit his face, he was calm and he looked at me with a fully awake expression. He snorted two times before he spoke.
"Hey...I like you a lot and all Cereza but next time, you should ask before taking my hat," Luffy gently grabbed his hat from my hands and covered his face, "It's special to me and I don't want you to get it all dirty." Luffy snorted once more and lay back down. I took in a deep breath and sighed heavily.
"Luffy,...Spade and Zoro got into a fist fight on the deck, I can't really punish Zoro since he isn't a part of my crew and I'm not his captain. So, I want you speak with him about fighting with Spade. Kay?" I stood up and took my leave, "Wait a minute!" Luffy shouted making me freeze in my steps..
Luffy yawned as he sat up and jumped down from the bowsprit, he rubbed his eyes. He took my side and pulled me close, "You're a part of this crew just as much as Zoro is. I don't really care about what went down between Spade and Zoro, but if it bothers you, you go fix it." Luffy pat me on the back and went back to his nap on the bowsprit.
I took in a deep breath and went back down to the deck, Nami was waiting for me there. "Welcome to the crew?" she asked, I laughed. "Yeah, nice to be here."
I turned over to Zoro who was talking to Sanji and Spade who was complaining to Nova about her boyfriend, "Spade...dude, Zoro. L-Lemme talk to ya in the hull." I said as I questionably scratched the back of my neck, Zoro scoffed at Spade who notably didn't make eye contact with Zoro for fear of punching him in the face.
We all sat down at the table in the hull, Zoro sat to my left and Spade sat at my right.
"Well, boys,. What was the big idea on the deck? What was said? Who threw the first punch and who caused it?"
Both men were silent for a few minutes, "He started it." they both accused.
"What?! Me?" Zoro complained, "That's right, you dimwitted dolt! Cereza! This fool thought it would be funny to get all suave on Nova's backside!" Zoro was surprised.
"Oh, really? I thought this was about me calling you out on trying to look up Nami's skirt?! And besides, I wasn't getting suave or whatever you call it on Nova! She was in the way and I had to slide behind her to get my honing stone!" Zoro explained himself loudly.
"A likely story! And I was not trying to look up Nami's skirt! I saw a beli on the ground and I feel trying to get it and Nami just so happened to be there standing over me!"
The two men began to argue over what was true and false, I was quite disbelieving of both of them, actually. Spade claims he fell and Zoro claims he was just getting his honing stone.
"Enough!" I bang my palms on the table and they both silence themselves, "I don't care what's true or false. The only thing I have a problem with is...how you two dare fight on this vessel?!" I brought my voice down to a whisper, "Despite what you may think of me, I know the truth. Zoro, Spade has a crush on Nami. Spade, Zoro likes Nova. Okay?"
The two look at each other in a new light and I smile, "So, since we're all crew family now, how about a handshake and meat?" Zoro and Spade laugh as they shake hands, I chuckle and leave the premises.
However, after Cereza leaves, Zoro and Spade glare at each other.
"So, you like Nova?" Spade said, Zoro closes his eyes and chuckles as he glares at Spade. "Yup,...she's a lot of woman and sassy." Zoro chuckles again, Spade sighs.
"And you want a slice of Nami, is that right?" Zoro says. Spade shakes his head and looks at him, "Nope. I want the whole damn cake." Zoro laughs at Spade's metaphor.
They then looked at each other seriously, "Nami's a hardheaded woman and she's greedy. She might be using you to get that ship of Cereza's." Zoro explains.
Spade chuckles. "I know that and she is. She talks about the ship way too much not to be. But I don't care, I'll make her want me soon enough... But I'll warn you, Nova is a Loanan woman even if she's from the East Blue. She's a very monstrous thing and is easily angered just like Cereza but she's more kind with an little bit of arrogance mixed in."
Zoro laughs with Spade over the women that they love, Cereza stands outside the door with an amazed but glad face. She chuckles as she takes her final leave. Luffy is still lying on the bowsprit taking a much needed nap, but he begins to dream...
...A white rose garden...blue birds going through the sky...the smell of bamboo water...
...Cereza washing her long hair in a lake...she notices me...she smiles..."Luffy!"...what is it?..."Come on over, the water is great!"...her laughter sounds like the chirp of a bird...she splashes water in my face...
...A ocean current splashes my face hard and Cereza's face vanishes...the Thousand Sunny is in stormy seas...the sky is black and the ocean is dark...Nobody is on the ship but me...I hear Cereza's screams but I can't find her...
...Cereza!...Cereza!..."Please, Luffy, I'm so scared!"...Cereza is in the hull crying...Why are you crying?...It's just a storm..."We're all gonna die! We're gonna die! Luffy, it's pointless!"...
In his dream, Luffy doesn't know what to do when Cereza is hopeless afraid. Luffy's experiences with women do not help the matter at hand, he tries to hold Cereza but she continues to cry. He thinks harder, he tries to kiss Cereza but she only cries louder. Luffy is then fed up with her cries, he stands up and Cereza looks up at him with glassy eyes filled with tears...
"I promise I'll make this storm go away! Stop crying while I go kick this storm's ass!" Luffy punches his palm and goes back up to the deck, he hops onto the bowsprit as the storm still roars and rains over his hat and ship.
"Hey, you stupid storm! Stop making all that racket! You're making Cereza cry!" Luffy yells at the storm but it continues to rain, he turns around and sees that Cereza is still weeping, he becomes angry and yells out.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! King of the Pirates! And I say shut the hell up!"
...the sky becomes blue...the clouds have left...the sea is sparkling while the air is new...
Luffy is very proud to have gotten rid of the clouds, he turns around and sees that his friends and family are all fine. A strange person taps him on the back...a woman.
She smiles at him as she flips her long black hair out of her eyes, she looks at him with a kind gaze and laughs. "Thank you for watching over her." The woman smiles at Luffy who is very confused at what he saw...
Next thing he knows, he's in his hammock laying down...It's night-time and everyone's asleep but him. He turns to his right and hears a voice, "Oh, Luffy?..." a highly seductive voice that comes with a warm aura. Luffy turns back again to see Cereza wearing a red silk spaghetti strap dress and a robe that was barely covering her body... Luffy gulped, his cheeks and nose felt hot at the sight of Cereza in her new...attire.
"W-What's this about, Cereza?...Everyone's trying to sleep!" Luffy objected only to see that he and Cereza were now alone in a big room filled with candles, he was officially blushing now as Cereza sat on top of him.
"C-C-Cereza! Hold on! I have to use the bathroom!" Luffy exclaimed, Cereza leans down on him, "Go ahead..." she kisses his cheek and Luffy goes into a ghost-mode as he faints.
"EW! LUFFY! THAT'S GROSS!" Nami screams.
Luffy snaps out of dream state and sees that he's on the Thousand Sunny's bowsprit...in a puddle of his own pee. Nami goes off disgusted, Zoro comes through and is equally disgusted.
"Aww, man!" Luffy complains as he gets out of his lake, Sanji sighs. "Don't worry, there's an island not too far from here. You can wash your clothes there."
Cereza walks up to the forecastle deck and to the bowsprit, sees Luffy's mess. Luffy is embarrassed by his puddle but, "Don't worry, the sound of the sea is probably was set you off. It happens to the best of us."
"Yeah, right, when you're two or three! This is so gross!" Luffy complains, Cereza laughs. "Don't be so hard on yourself. We'll be at that island soon enough, until then, just try to air-dry until we get you to a proper pond or something." Cereza walks off from an embarrassed Luffy, Luffy slightly thinks about his dream but the only part he really thought about was the end. Luffy never thought about something so hard before as the end of a dream he barely remembers.
Luffy was dumbfounded and couldn't find a reason for such a weird dream.
I like Cereza and all but not like that! It was way too weird and way too impossible! There's no way that Cereza would wear something so inappropriate! It wasn't her, it couldn't have been! Cereza is a pretty cute girl even if she wasn't wearing all that whorish stuff! She's pretty no matter what she wears!
Luffy ranted to himself over the dream he had while Nova and Zoro were talking on the side of the ship.
"So, why did you hit Spade? He's my friend, Zoro." Nova said.
Zoro blushed, "I'm sorry, I just got annoyed. I didn't mean it besides me and he patched things up earlier. How have you been doing? Is the Thousand Sunny good enough for ya?" Zoro asks.
"Yeah, it's nice. But I want to know something, why do you have three swords?" Nova questioned him innocently, Zoro looked at his swords and sighed.
"Nova,...these swords have a lot of history in them. They are dear to me and...Nova, why are you a pirate?" Zoro asked straight out. Nova laughed at his modesty.
"Well, Zoro, I come from a very strict background. Pirates are the best lawbreakers there are so...I decided to become a pirate so I could be free and make my own decisions, use my own voice. I hated the way women were treated on Loana, it was oppressive and passive aggressive."
"That was a lot of -ives." Zoro comments, making Nova laugh at his observation. Zoro and Nova walk to the other side over the boat and continue talking alone. Zoro gets close to Nova and she notices the Look, the look all men make when they are checking a girl out.
She blushes and looks away from Zoro nervously, he notices she's unbalanced. Zoro chuckles when he realizes why she was being so closed.
"Don't think I'm just playing you, I like you, Nova." Nova turns to Zoro, shocked at his statement, he continues "You are beautiful and very fiery. I like watching you walk around the ship all high and mighty but I notice that a part of you is longing for something else. You want something from me, don't you first?"
Nova tried to walk away from Zoro but he took her wrist and pulled her into him, Nova gasps. "I want to know you...Whether or not you want me, I think this is the beginning of something real sweet between you and me." Zoro whispers into her ear.
In the distance, Cereza calls on Nova "Hey, Nova! Get in here! Help me with this, girly!" Cereza's voice cradles Nova in relief and happiness, she takes in a deep breath. As she escapes Zoro grip, he pinches her arm, she turns and he winks at her. Nova escapes with her face beet red and with her heart pounding like thunder.
"What's wrong with you?" Cereza asks, Nova shakes her head desperately, "O-Okay..." Cereza smiles at her nervous and traumatized friend.
That day was very surreal for everyone, but soon their lives and truths will all be tested when they see mercy and the lies it holds.
Author's Note: Woo! That was awesome! I just felt like writing today! I know, I spoil you guys but still! Reviews = Chapters! So start reviewing before Luffy gets morbidly obese! XD