Edited on the Date of March 25th, 2013
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything else that I may reference, besides my own ideas, of course.
Summary: What do you do when a portal of some type suddenly appears out of thin air? Do you shut your laptop? Do you throw your computer out the window? Or do you jump in the portal without absolutely any thought what so ever? What do I do, you may ask?... Well, you'll just have to read on and find out for yourself.
Flying High
by
Kine X
I was laying down, napping, with my arms around my head, like a pillow, facing the sky. A large tree was positioned a foot or two away, covering me with shade.
Suddenly, it brightened, I opened my eyes and looked towards the tree. It was gone. I was, then, overshadowed by something else. I looked. Sighed. It was only Shinobu.
"You scared me, Shinobu-chan." I said to her.
"Hehehe." She giggled. "That was what I intended to do, Silly."
"Oh~. Why don't you help silly, ole me up, then?" I told her, reaching out my hand.
"Hmmm. I suppose I can." She said, reaching and clasping my hand. Once I had a good hold, I pulled, bringing her down on top of me.
"Kya!" She let out a small scream on the way down. "Shinichi!" She exclaimed. "Be careful, you might hurt one of us." She said, gesturing to her bulging stomach. I had almost forgotten. Shinobu had been pregnant for almost seven months.
"Oh." I exclaimed in worry. "Are you alright?" I asked.
"Yes. You just surprised me, is all." She replied with a small smile on her face, then she continued. "It's almost time for my doctor's appointment."
"Ah. That's right." I said. "You wanted to be there a bit early."
"Yup. I cannot wait to find out what the little bugger is. I'm guessing a boy, what with how much it kicks." She said. And it did kick a lot. The little thing kept her up at night quite a few times. We were originally supposed to find out it's gender a couple of months ago, but we were a bit indecisive about knowing it. We decided to find out on her next appointment.
"Yeah. We should get going. Otherwise we're going to be late." I said to her. I stood up after laying with her by my side for a few more minutes before getting up.
"Here," I said. Holding out my hand. "Let me help you up." She held out her hand and I pulled her up. Though, suddenly, it was like she grew tonnes. She was now towering over me by two feet.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked, looking down at me. Seemingly not noticing the height difference at all.
"W-w-w-w-" I couldn't get a word out, this was all so bizarre.
"Is something wrong?... Shinichi-kun?" She asked again. Though, this time, her voice distorted, deeper, upon saying my name.
I blinked. Were those FANGS growing up from her bottom two canines?... Yup. FANGS.
"Is something wrong? Shinichi-kun?" This time her voice only distorted once, though it was mostly deeper, instead, this time.
Suddenly she started growing taller. She grew from seven feet to Twenty. Her breasts popped leaking out a bunch of air and the dress that she was wearing was shredded. I was, suddenly, capable of seeing her bulging stomach and something... some things dangling in between her legs.
"SHINICHI-KUN!" The thing's voice came out in a boom. "IS SOMETHING WRONG?"
I looked around for a place to run. But everything was black. I knew there was no point in running, now. There was nowhere to go.
"SHINICHI-KUN!" It picked me up, it's whole hand fitting around my chest and waste, and held me close to it's face. "IS SOMETHING WRONG!" It roared out and started squeezing.
"SHINICHI-KUN!"
"SHINICHI-KUN!"
"SHIIIINIIIICHIIII-KUUUUN!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly I awoke in a loud scream, gasping for air and sweating like a faucet on full blast.
BAM The door was suddenly slammed open. A Marine was standing there with his rifle held up. He was looking around wildly. Like someone had screamed bloody mur-... Oh, wait... He looked towards me, seeing the state that I was in.
"Yeh ukay, bud?" He asked me with a small frown on his face, bringing his rifle down. "Sunded like sumune screamin like they gut thur jewels choped off."
"Y-yeah." I gasped out, trying to bring my breathing levels back to normal. "I-I'll be fine"
"Yeh sure?" He asked, then continued. "Luuks like yeh had une helluva scaaary dream."
"Y...yeah. I'll be fine." I was able to get out.
"Are yeh really, really sure, lad? If yeh dun mind talkin abut it, I dun mind listenin." He asked me again. He seemed like a really cool dude. Being worried about me n' all.
"Yeah, I'll be okay." I got out better than before. "I just need a few minutes and I'll be fine. It's not the worst nightmare I've ever had."
"... If yer sure." He said. "I'll be ut here fer a while, yet. If yeh be needen me, I'll be there t' talk." He, then, turned back and walked out of my room with a wave over his shoulder.
"THANKS!" I quickly called to him before he could shut my door.
He stuck his head through the crack. "Nu Prublem." He said, before closing the door.
'Awesome guy. Seems like not all Marines were douches.' I thought, before reflecting on my... Nightmare. It was one of the scariest dreams that I've had in years. I mean, Shinobu being a giant, pregnant, du-... 'SHINOBU-CHAN'S A DUDE. SH-HE KNOCKED ME OUT.'... It would really explain the headache that I had. Though, I couldn't get my head around Shinobu being a dude. It was, really, quite a surprise. I didn't expect someone that... cute to be an Okama. 'I wonder if she knows about Ivankov?' I... wondered to myself. 'Or of Kamabakka Kingdom on Momoiro Island? I'll have to ask Her.' I decided. Why not address him as her. He clearly wishes to be a female, or, at least, to act as one in some way.
'I'll leave all of that for later' I thought to myself. I got up off of my bed and looked towards the Clock. It was around four or five in the morning, I didn't have my glasses on so I couldn't tell. I was, most likely, knocked out around five or six. I got plenty of sleep for the night. At least eight hours. I looked out the window and noticed that the courtyard Zoro was contained in was illuminated rather well. Zoro was tied to his cross rocking his head about back and forth, like he was listening to some music or something. I'd imagine being stuck there for twenty something days does get to be boring. 'It's almost time for Luffy and Coby to make their appearance' I thought, suddenly. 'They should be here really soon. Maybe a day or two.'
I opened my window and sat on the seal, lifting one of my legs to prop my head and elbow on. I might as well get some practice with my telekinesis, that seemed like the smart thing to do at the moment, I had to get stronger with it. As I looked out, I noticed that only a few windows held light and it was quiet- except for Zoro's humming, that I just noticed. I sat there for a minute and then picked up one of the rocks that were under my window, twirled it in a small dance around my bare foot and I also did other things with it, like rolling it across my toes. After a while of doing this, I looked up at Zoro, who was still humming, 'I didn't know he hummed', and a grin full of mirth was brought to my face.
I took the index and middle finger of my right hand and held them out, tucking my other two fingers in and laying my thumb flat. I made my rock fly over to Zoro and above his head. I brought my fingers down like I was tapping a desk.
-Thump-
Zoro stopped humming and looked up just as I made the rock go behind him. I did it again, only in the back of the head this time.
-Thump-
Zoro growled. I let out a small laugh, which seemed like a stupid thing to do cause it was so quiet out. He snapped his head towards me with a glare on his face. The only thing I did was wave my fingers about and gesture for the rock to come around to the front of his head, where he was, still, staring towards me. This time I flicked my fingers towards his head multiple times.
-Thump-Thump-Thump-
The last time was a bit harder, though. It caused Zoro to raise his voice at me.
"Stop it!" He, as quietly as he could, hissed towards me. I ignored him and did it again, which got a scowl out of him.
-Thump-
I snickered. This was ammusing. I had no idea annoying someone like this could be so fun. I stopped, suddenly, and thought of the situation that he was in. 'Being annoyed by a random person while being tied up, hungry, and, probably, thirsty, for over twenty days' To say the least, I stopped. It was kinda mean. I'd hate someone doing that to me.
So, instead, I sighed and dropped the rock, got off of my perch, and went back into my room. I slumped down onto my bed for a few seconds before coming up with something else that sounded fun. I stood back up again. I looked for a piece of paper, or parchment, or whatever they used here and, after a few minutes of looking, found some paper in a drawer. I, then, folded it into an airplane, I went back to my perch, and I threw it out the window. I guided the craft around the courtyard. I made it fly up, around, and let it fall and glide, I made it do barrel rolls and dive bombs. I did this for about twenty minutes before I got bored. I went for one last loop and accidental hit Zoro in the head... 'Whoops'... I noticed that Zoro had his head leaned back and... was snoring. I sighed.
I brought the plane back to my self and put it in my backpack. I took out my Dr. Pepper. I only had half of it left, so, I decided I might as well finish it off. I could rinse the bottle out later and fill it up with fresh water.
I sat back up against the bed frame under the window and drank my DP. I was really, really bored. So, I decided to practice again. But with something heavier. I wanted to stress myself today.
I took my Geta and kinda did the same thing that Andrew, from Chronicle, did with his camcorder. It wasn't really to hard. Though, after an hour of twirling and tossing it about I finally got bored of practice and stopped.
I was getting a bit better at it- Making something go where I want it to go and holding it up for a long time. I'll try something a bit heavier later. Maybe a full bottle of water.
'Hmmm' I thought. 'I might as well go take a shower', I hadn't been able to get one before going to sleep cause, well, I didn't sleep, I was knocked out.
I got up, grabbed a pair of clothes, and went into the bathroom to take my shower.
'I still have to talk to Shinobu later' I thought, just before getting in. 'I hope she'll come around later'
'After all, I'll be leaving soon... Hopefully'
The Room I Am Occupying, Marine Base, Shells Town, East Blue
It's Noon, now. I had been laying in bed messing with a rock practically since I had gotten out of the bathroom. Shinobu still hasn't stopped by. I was starting to get worried. 'Maybe she hates me' I thought at one point. 'I discovered her secret- I doubt anyone on base knows about it'
The Knock Knock at the door interrupted the funk I was in. I bolted into a sitting position, hoping that it was Shinobu, I was wanting to apologize about accidentally ripping the curtain open on her. But, alas, it wasn't to be. It was the same Marine from earlier this morning. I never did learn his name, so...
"Hey, uh...?" I spoke in a questioning tone with a confused look on my face.
"Yah?" He asked. I sat there for a minute with wide eyes. I didn't think he didn't know I didn't know his name.
"Ah... Um... W-what's your name?" I asked, then continued quickly. "If I may ask, I mean."
"Hu? Ahhh! Yah. Yeh cun call meh Watanabe." He said, with a grin on his face. He had graying, frizzy hair poking out the sides and back of his Marine's cap and he looked to be around 5 and a half feet.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Watanabe-san," I said, with a smile on my face. Watanabe's been a kind dude, so far. "So, did you need something?" I, then, asked.
"Hmm~" He grabbed his chin with his thumb and pointer finger and looked down, thinking, for a few seconds. "Ah!," He exclaimed, pounding his right fist into his right hand. "I came tuh see if yeh wunted t' gu ut?"
I looked at him with a horrified expression- before it quickly morphed into realization. 'He wasn't asking me out' I thought in relief. 'He was asking if I wanted to go out'
"Uh... Sure." I said. "I might as well get some fresh air today."
On our way out of the Base, Marine Base, Shells Town, East Blue
So, we went outside. It was quite a sunny day. Just like it had for the past few days that I had been here. It was getting a bit boring. As we were walking out towards the front gate I saw that Zoro was still sleeping. Of course I should have expected that, but, whatever.
"Tha's Rurunua Zuru." I heard from next to me. "He was put there... It'll be... three weeks since then, tumurruw."
"Roronoa Zoro? Who's he?" I asked.
"He's uh pirate 'unter. It's uh real shame he was tied there." Watanabe said. "I've spuken t' em quite uh few times. He's uh pulite fella."
"Ohhhh~, Do you know why he was tied there?" I asked. Even though I already knew why he was tied there, I wanted to here a different side to the story. I like knowing all the parts to a puzzle, even the solved ones. They're, almost, all unique- Oh, and I had to make it seem, to the Marines, like I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I suspected some of them knew that I wasn't amnesiac, but, whatever.
"Ah." He started before taking a large breath. "He wus put there cause of that stupid Helmeppu"
"Helmeppo?" I asked, already understanding how he talked.
"Yuh. Tha Captain's son." He said, with a sneer on his face. "Captain Murgan's son, eh iz. Captain Murgan's a 'orrible fella. Practically taken all tha civilian's fer all their wurth- thugh, dun't let anyune knuw I said tha'."
"Captain Morgan..." I said aloud. "I've never had the... pleasure of meeting him."
"Hu? Never had thu pleasure?" Watanabe looked at me like I was crazy. "Why tha hell wuld 'u wunt tha pleasure 'f meetin em?"
"Uh... It's a figure of speech." I told him. Even though Watanabe seemed like a kind due, he wasn't very bright. "An-" I was cut off.
"Uh figure 'f speech?! Tha hell's that?" He asked me. "Sum surta fancy Edumacatiun thingy?"
"N-no. It's not a fancy anything. I believe that regular people use them, too," I told him. "And besides, I never said I wanted to meet him. I said that I never had the pleaseure of meeting him."
"Haaa~" A noise came out of his mouth. "I knuw tha', bub. I never said yeh wunted tah meet em."
"O-oh... Okay." It looks like I was mistaken about something, oh well. "So, back to how horrible Captain Morgan is."
"Heh. Like I said, Captain Murgan's uh right bastard, yes eh is. Eh's as currupt as they cume. I can' wait until tha day tha' eh's thruwn uver." Watanabe looked furious with Morgan.
"So... Why hasn't anyone done something?" I asked, truly curious. 'They have more people than Morgan does. He was, most likely, all by himself. Well, except for those who were more cowardly than the others. Maybe that's why'
"It's cause he's strunger than us." Was an answer that I didn't expect. Though, Morgan was really strong and the Marines, here, didn't look too strong.
"So... there's... no one strong enough on this Island to defeat him?" I asked.
"Yup. Tha strungest une 'ere is Cummander Ripper, but eh's nut as strung as Murgan."
"Hmmm. So, what did Zoro do to Helmeppo?" I asked. Getting back to my original question.
"Eh killed 'is pet wulf." Watanabe said.
"Why did he have a pet wolf?" Seriously. Why would you have a pet wolf on an Island like this. It was stupid... Well, Helmeppo is pretty stupid. All I got for my question was a "Dun nu." By the time we were finished with our conversation we were at a bar. A really, really, familiar bar.
I looked towards the bar once we were inside. It was Ririka. My eye's went wide. Why the hell were we in here?
"Yu, Ririka." Watanabe said upon entering the bar. Ririka looked up and smiled towards him.
"Ah, Watanabe-san, please make yourself at home." She, then, turned back to what she was doing.
"I cume 'ere fer jus' abut every meal. It's like a secund hume fer meh," He said, quietly, to me, as we headed over to sit at a table. "An this is prubably where yeh 'r gunna be wurking." I stopped just as I was about to sit down and I looked over to him.
"What do you mean this is were I'll be working?" I asked him, incredulously.
"Well, yeh gutta du sumtin when yer released tumurruw, and this is a fine place." I just looked at him for a moment to gauge whether he was serious or not.
"I'm being released tomorrow?" I asked him.
"Ha?" He looked up, before continuing. "Uf curse yeh 'r. Why wuldn' yeh be?"
"W-well... this is the first time I've heard anything of the sort."
"Ha...? Shinubu-chan didn't tell yu?" He asked in exasperation, then continued. "She was suppused tu tell yu yesterday."
"Uh... Oh. I was, kinda, uh, indisposed, then." I said, looking anywhere but at him.
"Hmmm. Well, whutever, I'll tell yeh nuw. Yer bein released t'murruw," He told me, pointing his index finger at my chest, then added. "yu were deemed healthy by the duc."
"I...see. So, you came here to see if I could get a job from Ririka-san?" I asked him. Working for her didn't sound so bad, though, I hated doing dishes. Those are vile, vile things.
"Nu, I asked er tha uther day. I knew yeh wuld be fine ta wurk." He said to me. "I knew yeh were fine since tha first time I saw yuh."
"O... oh, then, this is my interview?" Watanabe held his head on his hand and replied.
"Nupe, this is yer first day." He said, unexpectedly.
"W-WHAT?" I yelled. Just then, I felt a presence come to the side of us.
"Watanabe-san is correct." Ririka said, then continued with a smile. "You'll be starting soon, that is, if you wish to work here."
"E-ehhh~. B-but you don't even know me!", 'Why would she even hire me without knowing me? She looked like a cautious person in the Anime' But, that was only when things got violent. 'She... seems like a good mother, then, if that's the reason'
"Ah. It's okay." She said, "Watanabe-san has told me a bit about you, how you're always so polite, among other things."
"Oh. I hope he didn't say anything bad." I said, sitting up straight and scratching my cheek.
"Of course not. Only good things," A mischievous grin came across her face, "or at least I think."
I blushed, wondering what, all, Watanabe said about me. Hopefully it wasn't anything embarrassing. Then a thought crossed my mind, 'Where will I be staying? If I'm being released tomorrow, I'll be needing a place to live' So, I voiced my concerns.
"Ah... Um. Watanabe-san, if I'm being released tomorrow, where will I be staying?" I asked him with a worried look on my face. I couldn't just sleep in an alley.
"Ah, Shinichi-san, you may stay in my guest room." Ririka spoke up. "At least until you have enough room to rent a place from someone." I looked to her in thanks. She really was nice. I stood up and gave a bow.
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH." I shouted, then I stood up straight in realization, pointing my finger up, "Ah! We should introduce ourselves, Boss. I'm Shinichi. It is a pleasure to meet you." I held out my hand for her to shake. She grabbed my hand, lightly, and we shook.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Shinichi-san. My name is Ririka," She said, while shaking my hand. "And it's about time we get to work, you can wash dishes at the moment, right?"
"YES, Boss Lady." I exclaimed, both excited and put out, even if this was my first job, I still hated washing the dishes. "I used to wash dishes every day when I was a kid. I will do my best."
"Then, I might as well show you to the back. Right after I take Watanabe-san's order." She said, before turning to Watanabe.
"Hmm." His eyes were a bit glossy looking, like he was remembering something, before coming to. "Ah. I'll have the usual, Ririka."
Ririka just nodded before heading into the back, gesturing me to follow her.
"I'll just show you how to use everything before letting you loose." She said before taking on a stern tone. "You will be working until two-o'clock and then you may do whatever you wish for the rest of the day, If you go somewhere please be back before dark, and the hours you work will be from six-o'clock A.M. To two-o'clock P.M. Do you understand? Or do you need anything repeated?" She asked. I gave her a grin.
"Six to Two every day, come back before dark, and I don't even drink. I understand."
"Oookay, you will start your schedule tomorrow. You do have to be released before you are able to stay here, you're just working a little bit today, to get the ropes, of course." She told me.
"I understand." I said. "Once I'm fr-released tomorrow I will come by and start working right away."
"Good," She said to me. "We'll start now."
The room I am Occupying, Marine Base, Shells Town, East Blue
It had been a while since I got back from 'Ririko's Bar'. So, it's around eight or nine-o'clock. It was already quite dark out and dinner was just brought to me. I ate most of it before thinking about Zoro, he hadn't had anything to eat for close to three weeks. I took the small loaf of bread that I had on my small plate before putting it in my pack along with my Dr. Pepper bottle that's filled with water, I finished it earlier. I took my tray and opened the door and handed it to the guard that was staying there.
"Oh? You're done already?" Asked the guard, Eiji was his name. "I didn't expect you to finish so quickly, you've had a long day, huh?"
"Yeah, I just got a job and I'll be working there for a little while." I told him.
"Yeah? Well, good luck, then." He said, before setting the tray down and continuing. "Have a good night, Shinichi."
"Thanks, Eiji, Good Night." I replied. I came back into the room, turned off my light and waited a half hour before putting on my Geta. I took out the loaf of bread and bottle of water. I decided to give Zoro something to eat and drink. It seemed like something that I had to do. 'I couldn't just watch a man starve' I thought.
I opened the window as quietly as I could. But, before I could climb onto the seal and jump off, I remembered that I was kinda distinctive, what with my height of six feet and three inches, and how I was known for wearing shorts only.
So, I grabbed a pair of dark blue trousers. Dark blue trousers that were provided by the Marines... They also provided a shirt, another pair of shoes, a blue neckerchief, a cap with the word "MARINE" printed on it and a form. Eiji, the Marine outside my door, gave me a package that was filled with the things and he said that I had a few more days to decide whether I wanted to be a Marine, even though I was leaving the Base, I wasn't leaving the Island, yet. Then he closed the door. I will decline, of course. Though, being illiterate of their written language, which was, somehow, the Japanese written language, played a small part of my decision in being able to fill out the form that was provided.
Then, I grabbed my hoodie and turned it inside out, putting the water bottle in the, now, inside pocket. I, then, threw a white shirt on over that, I didn't want to be recognizable, and hopped up to the window seal. I jumped off of the seal and was guided down to the ground by my telekinesis, which has progressed a lot, I was able to pick up the bed that I've been sleeping in, though, to be fair, the bed only weighed, at least, thirty to fourty pounds.
The building that I was in was connected to the courtyard that contained Zoro and my room was the closest to him.
Once I landed on the ground, I looked around to see if anyone saw me. There was no one guarding him for some weird reason, though, there were Guards guarding the Large Entrance Gate.
I ran, as quietly as I could, over to Zoro.
"Roronoa Zoro," I whispered, "Wake up!"
Zoro didn't wake up, he just let out a snort.
My eye twitched.
"ZORO!" I, quietly, yelled into his ear.
He still didn't wake up.
I sighed. It was time to go with my back up plan. I put the small loaf of bread into my other, inside pocket. I dusted my hands off-
-And then...
…
…
…
I went for his sides...
Needless to say. He woke up, laughing.
DEEEHAHAHAHAHA~
"OI," I yelled quietly, "SHUT UP!" His laughter grew to snickers and he glared at me.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR" He shouted, drawing the attention of some Marines that were guarding the gates. I, quickly, so as to not get caught, hid behind the cross that he was hung on. I heard someone approaching and I seen light from a lantern. Then, after a minute of sitting still, I heard them walk away.
"Come on out," Zoro said quietly, "The Marine's gone."
I got up and and peeked out to the side. Whoever was there is gone now.
"So, what did you want?" He asked, "I was having a good dream." I came out from behind his cross and stood in front of him.
"Sorry about that." I said, "I'm Shinichi. Nice ta meet you." Zoro just looked at me for a moment and replied in kind.
"I'm Zoro... So, what do you want?" He asked again, "You're lucky the Marines don't really care about doing their jobs. That one Marine was looking right at you." He said with a smirk, while I looked shocked.
"R-really? He looked right at me?" I asked him, aghast.
"Ah. He looked at you, smirked, and left. You're really lucky he didn't take you in."
"Hmmm," I... hummed, slumping my shoulders. 'And I thought I was well hidden'
"So?" Zoro said with a raised eyebrow. I just looked at him before my eyes widened.
"That's right." I exclaimed, "I wanted to hear your side of the deal with Helmeppo."
"Why?" He asked, "It doesn't really matter, I'll be out within the next two weeks."
"Why does it matter?" I asked, incredulously, "It matters because I say it matters... It doesn't really help that I want to know, does it?" Zoro just looked at me, thinking, before sighing.
"Fine." He started, "There's not much to it, but, His little pet-sama was about to attack," He looked at little peeved, here "and maybe even kill, a little girl. I couldn't let it do that. So, I killed it. Helmeppo threatened to have the civilians that were involved killed and I threatened him this time. We made a deal, I get tied here for a month with no food or water, and he wouldn't have those people killed." It felt kinda awesome having one of the Straw Hat Pirates talking to me. I almost missed his whole little speech.
"Is that so?" I said aloud, grabbing and holding my chin with a pensive look on my face, then I asked him something. "Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, right?"
"Ah." He replied with a large predatory grin on his face. I looked at him for a moment.
"Then, I gotta do the same." I said, pulling out the loaf of bread. Zoro widened his eyes, correctly assuming what I was intending to have him do.
"I can't eat that." He said with clenched teeth.
"Yes you can," I said, "What Helmeppo doesn't know won't hurt him." Zoro looked me in the eyes, probably deciding whether he should take it or not.
"I still can't take it." He finally told me. "I would be going back on our deal." I looked at him before sticking the bread under his nose, causing him to get a whiff of it and jerk his head back. "DAMN IT" He, as quietly as he could, yelled. "I'll not eat the damned thing."
I could tell that he was just being stubborn. He was, most likely, really, really hungry. I could also, practically, see the droll that was piling up in his mouth. I thought on a way to make him eat it before my eyes widened. 'Maybe...' I thought.
"Don't tell me you're embarrassed?!" I asked in exasperation. He just looked away. I snickered and smirked. "So the great Roronoa Zoro is embarrassed of being fed?!"
It was hilarious the way he snapped his head towards me. And so was the reply that I got.
"O-OF COURSE NOT!" He shouted, and any louder someone would have came and checked on him again, then asked. "Why the hell would I be embarrassed?" I snorted.
"So you are embarrassed?"
"Of Course Not, you Idiot!"
"Then you'll eat it?" I asked and then pulled out the bottle of water, "And you'll also have some of this, too, right?"
Zoro just looked at me like I was the devil himself.
"Damn it." He said in a resigned tone and slumped shoulders in what was, probably, resignation. "I'll take it. Heck maybe even some of that water." He leaned his head up a bit and I followed with the bread. He took a bite and kept on till he was finished. I, then, had him tilt his head back to drink some.
"Gochisousama deshita." He said when he was finished.(1)
"So," I said. "Think you can last for at least a little longer?"
"Of course I can." He said with a smug grin. "I could have lasted the whole entire month."
"Mhmm. Of course you could." I told him, breaking him out of his good mood. "I'll probably see you tomorrow night, I'll bring some meat, then. Good Night, Zoro." He was silent for a moment with his head down towards the ground.
"Ah. I'll hold you to it. Though, once I get outta here I have to pay you back somehow. And that's non-negotiable." He said, looking up at me, with fierce eyes. I was, kinda, surprised. I hadn't expected him to say that, not at all. Heck, at most, I only expected an 'Ah' or something like that. But, I only nodded my head in response and ran back to my room. It was getting pretty late and I had to be up early in the morning. Once I got to my room I put everything back where it was supposed to be and hopped in bed, falling asleep almost as soon as I closed my eyes.
Ririko's Bar, Shells Town, East Blue
I woke up early that day, around five A.M., and was quickly released. I got dressed as quickly as I could. I hurried over to Ririka's place, along with my stuff, I wanted to start as soon as I could. Once I got there she gave me a small notepad and assigned me a few tables that I would be waiting on, told me what to ask them when they sat down, and I quickly put my stuff up in the guest room, it was a Two-Story building, before taking a seat at the bar, I had to wait for someone to sit at one of my tables.
I had been working for about five hours when Ririka gave me a break. "You're off for half an hour," She said, "And I was wondering if you could go find Rika for me, it's about lunch time." I nodded with a 'Yeah, sure' thrown her way. Rika had left not that long ago, a few minutes, really, carrying a plate of Onigiri and I knew just where she was going. I was excited, I was, most likely, about to see Monkey D. Luffy.
I hang up my waiters apron and took off down the street towards the Marine's base, hoping to be there before everything was over.
I had just arrived when Rika jumped over the wall and slid down on the rope. To the left of the ladder were Coby and Luffy. I ran over near Luffy and jumped up to the wall, guided by my telekinesis, and grabbed it, pulling myself up to look over.
"UWAAAA. THAT'S DANGEROUS," Coby yelled, "Luffy-san, Please stop her! She'll be killed!"
"Don't worry about her," I said. Both Coby and Luffy looked over towards me.
"WHY THE HECK SHOULDN'T WE?" Coby yelled at me this time.
"Cause Zoro won't hurt her." I said, simply. "Zoro's an honorable guy, he wouldn't harm a child, let alone kill one." Luffy looked over to me with wide eyes.
"Ohhh! So you know him, huh?" He asked excitedly. "Can you tell me about him?!"
I looked to Luffy and back to the courtyard. Helmeppo would be arriving soon and I wanted to mess around with him, like I did to Zoro.
"I know only so much about him. I talked to him last night and, well, besides him being honorable, he's..." I thought next on what to tell him before a smirk came to my face. "...Zoro's particularly ticklish on his sides."
"HOW THE HECK WOULD YOU KNOW THAT!?" Coby, again, yelled while Luffy just laughed. A small moment later we turned towards the confrontation that was going on with Zoro and Rika. Coby was a bit grumpy while Luffy had a smile on his face.
While Zoro and Rika were talking I looked around for a rock, I found one that was flat and about the size of a golf ball. I took the rock and made it fly over to the gate that I knew Helmeppo would come in and I kept a tag, I guess you could call it, on the rock.
I made up the tag when I was messing around with a pebble and threw it. I diddn'twant to lose it so I, subconsciously, kept a small piece of my Awareness attatched to it. Now, when I say awareness, I mean that it's like a piece of my consciouness, though, it's only a small piece. Or, at least, something like that.
I turned back towards them when I heard from Rika, "Here, this is my first time... But- I made them with all my heart." Zoro looked taken aback.
"I'm not hungry!" He said, "You're annoying. Hurry up and go home!"
"B-but..." Her shoulders slumped.
"I don't want any. Don't make me hurt you!" Zoro warned.
"You shouldn't be bullying kids." Helmeppo suddenly interupted them from the open gates. He appeared there with two other Marines, holding his collar with one hand and his fingers up. "Hehehehehe. Looks like your still doing well, Roronoa Zoro."
"And another weird guy appears!" Luffy said from my side. 'Does that mean I'm weird?' I thought.
"Thank Goodness," Coby said, relieved, "They're Marines, I'm sure that girl will be fine now."
"Ohh~, those Onigiri look pretty good." Helmeppo said, bending to take a better look at them. He, then, snatched one from her hand. I sniffed and held my nose up. That was really rude, taking something out of her hand like that, he didn't even ask. I took the rock that was over by the gate and made it go towards them. I jumped up to sit on the wall and took the same position that I did the other night and, just as Helmeppo put the onigiri in his mouth, I hit him in the back of the head. Like I was reprimanding him.
-Whack-
"ITAII!" He yelled, dropping the onigiri. He turned toward the guard that was standing to his right and my rock went behind his head. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YOU IDIOT!" He yelled. The guard put his hands up and took a step back.
"I-I didn't do it." He quickly said.
"THEN WHO THE HE-" I interrupted him by hitting him in the back of the head again. I didn't like anyone cursing in front of children. It was uncouth.
"ITAI!" He yelled again, this time dropping into a crouch and holding the back of his head. He rubbed the spot where my rock hit and stood back up. "YOU," He yelled, pointing at the other guard, who I noticed was Eiji, "THROW THE BRAT OUT OF HERE! NOW!"
Eiji looked shocked, he had his mouth opened and he was sweating. "H-HAI, RIGHT AWAY" He yelled. He turned towards Rika and bent down. "Sorry, Jou-chan, for hurting you." He picked her up and walked to the edge of the courtyard. When he saw me his eyes widened, he sighed, and a small smile came to his face. He got ready to throw her and it was like he was saying 'Here. Catch'. So, once he threw her towards me, I got into a crouch on my perch and caught her. I flew back, cushioning both of our falls with my telekinesis. Though, upon doing so, I gained a bloody nose.
"A-are you okay, Waiter-nii-chan?" Rika asked me. She looked panicked.
"Yeah, I'm okay." I said, hurrying and trying to soothe her. "It happens every now and then." I told her. I didn't like seeing children have to worry.
Luffy and Coby hopped down off of the wall that they were clinging onto.
"A-are you okay, you two?" Coby asked when he rushed over, Luffy alongside him. "That looked like it was a hard fall."
"No, we're okay." I said, "Right, Rika?" I looked down to her and she nodded her head.
"Still, though, what a horrible guy." Coby said, checking over Rika. Luffy looked towards the wall and ran and jumped over it.
"How could he do such a horrible thing? Luffy-san!" Coby turned from where he was inspecting Rika. "Eh. HE'S NOT HERE!" Coby yelled, looking around.
"He went over the wall, Coby!" I told him. Then I turned to Rika. "It's about time for lunch, Rika. We were supposed to be back ten minutes ago. Your mother will be worried." She looked up towards me.
"Okay, waiter-nii-chan, let's go."
"I'll see you later, Coby." I waved to him.
Back at Ririko's Bar, Shells Town, East Blue
It's been about half an hour since we got back, we had lunch, and I was just about to start my shift when Helmeppo and a few Marines came in.
"OI!" He yelled, slumping down into a chair and throwing a foot onto the table. "I'M HUNGRY. We're all going to eat for free. Heeeehehehehehe." He gestured to the Marines that were at his side and laughed. I noticed they had grimaces on their faces and their hats were pulled down to hide their eyes. 'Maybe they're ashamed?' I thought. 'I would be too if I had to be around him all day'
"Oi." He continued. "Hurry up and bring some Sake... What's taking so long! HURRY UP" He yelled the last part. I sneered and was about to step forward to tell him to fuck off, but Ririka stopped me. I looked towards the door where Luffy just came in.
"It's fine." She whispered. "He does this every now and then." She brought out a bottle of wine and gave it to one of the Marines who, then, poured some into a glass for Helmeppo.
"Ah, that's right," Helmeppo said, "Since I'm tired of waiting, I've decided- I'm going to execute Roronoa Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it, everyone." He took a sip of his drink.
I looked towards Luffy once again. He had this look in his eye. He ran forward and hit Helmeppo, making him fly into a wall and tossing a table over.
BAM
"WH-WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" He demanded, holding the side of his face where Luffy punched him. Luffy went to attack Helmeppo again, but Coby held him back.
"LUFFY-SAN, STOP IT!" Coby yelled.
"HE'S TRASH!" Luffy yelled back. He had this disgusted look on his face.
"Y-you hit me!" Helmeppo yelled, shocked. "I'M CAPTAIN MORGAN'S SON!"
"SO WHAT?" Luffy yelled back.
"I'LL TELL MY FATHER AND HAVE YOU EXECUTED" He yelled.
"WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF!?" Luffy yelled again. "WHY DON'T YOU DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF INSTEAD OF HAVING YOUR FATHER DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU!" I didn't expect to see Luffy pissed off so early. He looked, genuinely, mad, though he is a simple person. Helmeppo got up and ran out of the bar with his Marine guards following him.
"LUFFY-SAN!" Coby shouted, struggling to hold Luffy back, "CALM DOWN. YOU SHOULDN'T MAKE THE MARINES YOUR ENEMY!" Luffy stopped struggling and coby let his arms drop.
"I've decided, Coby!" He said suddenly, "I WILL HAVE ZORO BE MY NAKAMA!"
Then he ran off. Coby hesitated to follow him.
"Go on, Coby." I said. He turned to me, confused. "Follow him."
"E-eh?"
"You want to be a marine, don't you?" I asked him. He looked at me for a moment before a resolved look came across his face.
"Yes." He stood straighter than the slumped position that he had earlier. "I do want to be a Marine."
"Then, you have to start somewhere." I said. "You could start by doing the right thing. Freeing this Island of someone like Morgan would do good, and freeing a man that did no wrong would be even better."
Coby looked at me and nodded.
"I understand." He, simply, said and then ran off after Luffy.
I turned around to help Ririka clean up the mess that they created. We worked in silence, or as silent as a bar could be, for a few minutes before it was broken.
"That's a nice thing you did." Ririka said. I turned my head towards her. "Helping someone like that. Giving people courage to do what they think is right. It's an amazing ability." I turned my head back around and continued with wiping down the table.
"Really?" I asked rhetorically, then answered my own question. "I don't think so. The ability to turn and twist people's words into other things, to be able to turn and shape logic, to manipulate people. I hate it." I whispered the last part. "Messing with people is fun, yeah, but making them do things they may or may not want to? It's horrible."
"Then don't do that." She said. "Don't make people do things they don't want to." I looked at her before smirking.
"Yeah. That's what I usually do." I told her. "I just love having fun."
"Well, let's get back to work." She said, pumping herself up. "I expect that they'll be back within the next hour." I just looked at her. More work, great. I was getting a bit tired, already, it's been a harrowing day.
"You got it, Boss." I said, before going back to work.
It was about an hour later that they came in, all three of them, and I was to be off work in Ten Minutes.
"Welcome back!" I yelled out with a huge grin. They turned towards me. "Go ahead and take a seat, I'll be right with you." They went over to the empty table that I was pointing at and sat down. I went over after I was setting down the dishes that I had recently picked up, got their order, and brought it over. In all, it took about the time until my shift was over to finish bringing them their meal.
"Ahhhh~ I'm full." Zoro stated with a giant grin. "That meal was worth not eating for a full three weeks." I smiled and Coby, Rika, and Ririka laughed.
"Eh? Is that all you're going to eat?" Luffy asked with a mouth full of food, and it seemed just like him to do so.
"I have no idea how you can eat more than me!" Zoro said, pointing to the plates that are on the table.
"Cause it's good... Right, Coby?" Luffy looked over towards Coby, who had, also, stuffed himself.
"A-ah. I apologize," He started, looking towards Ririka with his hand on the back of his head, looking sheepish, "I helped myself, too." Ririka had a big smile on her face.
"It's no problem," She said, "The three of you saved our town."
"Ah. You were really amazing out there, onii-chan!" Rika said to Luffy, who was still eating.
"Ahh. I'm great. I'm gonna become even greater. I'm gonna become King of the Pirates." He said through his full mouth and turned his head towards Zoro, "I found a Nakama, too." I was sitting at the bar, next to Coby, throughout all of this.
"So?" Zoro said, reclining back in his chair a smile on his face, "How many do you have now? I remember you saying that you were looking for Nakama. To become the Pirate King, you probably have a crew already, right?"
"Nope, just you." Luffy said, putting another piece of meat into his mouth.
"E-EH?!" Zoro exclaimed, pointing towards Luffy and then himself.
"Yup. Just us two." Luffy said.
"Can we even be pirates with just two members?" Zoro asked incredulously.
"Ehhh. What does it matter, We're strong." Luffy said, carelessly. Zoro sighed, putting his arm on the table.
"Fine. What about our ship?" He asked another question.
"That." He said, pointing towards a large dinghy, or small boat if you want to be optimistic. Zoro got up and leaned against the window seal.
"...That?" Zoro asked.
"Ah." Luffy said, "It's small now, but I'll get us a g~~iant one later!" He threw out his arms, not letting them stretch, exclaiming how big the boat was going to be.
"DEEHAHAHA," Zoro laughed and brought up a rhetorical question. "And how do you suppose you'd do that?"
"I want a flag, too." Luffy said, ignoring Zoro. It's been funny watching it in person, but if I wanted a ride I'd have to ask, soon. "Mm. Mm. Mmm. It'll be so~~ cool!" Zoro pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Luffy was born without being able to plan." Coby said. I snorted at that and interrupted Zoro when he was about to say something.
"Yup, So far, it looks like he's just spontaneous." I said, leaning back against the counter while on my stool. Zoro snapped his head towards me.
"YOU!" Zoro yelled, pointing at me. I jumped up from my stool.
"ME!" I yelled back, pointing at myself. "RORONOA ZORO!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. "YOU ARE TICKLISH!" He jerked back, as if he were struck.
"WAAAAHAHAHAHA!" I roared in laughter.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" He yelled again.
"I work here." I said with a huge grin on my face.
"Eh? Zoro. Someone you know?" Luffy asked him. Even though we saw each other earlier.
"A... Ah. This guy... gave me something to eat and drink last night." Zoro said.
"Oh~~. So he's your friend." Luffy said.
"OF COURSE NOT!" Zoro yelled at Luffy, then sighed. "He's an acquaintance!" Luff laughed.
"So," I spoke up, interjecting into their conversation. "Where ya heading, now? To the Grand Line?" I asked.
"Ah." Luffy said. "How'd you know?" He, then, asked.
"Cause, you gotta go to the Grand Line to be the Pirate King. I've read a bit about the place." I answered his question.
"Ehhh~ Is that so?"
"Yup," I said. "And I've got a favor to ask you." He looked at me contemplatively for a moment and then nodded to go ahead.
"I want a ride." I said, surprising everyone in the bar, though, there weren't that many people there. "I've been a bit bored, lately. I can't stand staying cooped up in one place with nothing to do." I said and, as much as I like the People here, I didn't want to stay here forever. I clenched my hands and gestured about. "I want to have an adventure- I want to go out and explore the world."
"Hmmmm." Luff hummed, eyebrows knitted. "And what do I get?" He asked.
"I'll tell you what I know about the Grand Line." I said. I would tell him what I know, or a lot of what I know, about the Grand Line. Luffy looked like he was thinking, then he got up, walked towards me, and held out his hand.
"You've got a deal."
(1) "Gochisousama deshita" is used to express appreciation for the food, after eating. "Gochisou" literally means, "a feast."
Thanks for reading and sorry it was up so late. I did the best I could with this chapter. I, also, expected this to be up two days ago but things got in the way. If this isn't as good as you expected, please review, and if you have any questions, or wish to point out any mistakes to me, please review, otherwise, Have a Good whatever... xD