Hello faithful readers! Sorry it took so long to update. I ran out of stuff I had already written and you definatly don't get alot done with your parents breathing down your neck making sure your not on MySpace or whatever stupid thing their paranoid about now. So anyway, I convinced them to put my computer in my room, so maybe I'll be able to update alot more often. Once again, Sorry! Okay! On to responding to the very well loved and faithful reviewers! Lets hear a round of aplause ladies and gentlemen!
Garra's Pyro RACCOON- rofl Garra's Pyro Raccoon! That is amazing! Really, I laughed for half an hour imagining Garra with a pyro raccoon. Just another peice of evidence that, yes this may shock you, I'm truly insane.
Dani-chan- Man, everyone is reviewing under different names! Oh well, adds to the chaos I guess. Guess what? YOU GET A BROWNIE! YAY! Okay then... Aly was just kinda tired during that last part, but I'm trying to make her as sarcastic as possible without driving Zolo up the wall. After all, how horrible would it be if they didn't get together...eyes angry mob Sorry, sorry, I was only joking. Anyway, sorry about the mistake. The descriptions are from a different fanfic that was written in a different style. I just copyed and pasted . Sorries!
13thShadowKnight- I love toe socks! I have, like... oh, I only have three pairs... I thought I have more...oh well, I don't have a spinny chair yet, but I hope I will soon! Their so much fun, in a non awkward way of course.
Icold5- Yay! Everyone's in character! I'm always worried about that cause somedays I can't capture the bad ass attitude. Thanks!
xX-Avast-Xx- Yep, I love answering questions! It means people are paying attention to my story. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I've never heard of an aero bar, but I'm glad you think of my story when eating candy. Sugar is my crack... That was random...
Mischievous Sin- Another one that changed their name! We should have a name changing party or something...I love rum! Even though I'm not old enough to drink yet... yeah...
Mirathin- Sorry I kept you waiting! Man, I feel horrible about this...oh yeah. bows for applause
DreamergirlxXx- This will turn into a Zolo romance fic, but very v e r y slowly. Draw out the drama for as long as possible and all, makes a better story. Though I promise there will be warm and fuzzy and sweet parts towards the end. Promise.Yay! I got added to a fave's list! Does small scary dance Okay I'm done.
Blizzardrake- More is here! More is here! Once again, sorry it took so long to update!
BinkaWV- wow... I like wows.
mechanical kitten- cries for joy An offcial fan... sobs my life is complete. Yes, Zolo is the bestest ever! And no, Aly isn't Mihawk's daughter, though she does have a connection with him. It's gonna be so funny to see his reaction when he finds out she's Mihawk's- oops! Almost gave it away! Keep reading. All will be revealed.
Man, I feel sooooo bad about not updating sooner. Really I do. Hope you can all forgive me. Anyway, here's the new chapter! Everyone who reads it and leaves a review will get a virtual cookie!
Edit: Another feared Oni Giri edit. You know, the more I think about Zolo running around yelling 'Rice Ball' the more it entertains me... Sad, isn't it?
Chapter 6
Playing with Fire
I've seen a lot of bizarre things. My days as a bounty hunter always proved interesting. Joining up with Luffy only made life weirder. The Grand Line was in a category of its own. But a mere girl blocking my Oni Giri, then blowing away a storm with her bare hands… Just who the hell was she?
I watched with a scowl as Sanji helped the girl down from the crows nest, holding her arm as she shakily climbed the rigging. Hair and clothes plastered with rain, she looked more tired than when I fought her on the ship.
"Wow!" Luffy yelled, running over to her when she got to the deck. "That was really cool! How did you do that?"
"Very carefully." She said, casting an eye over him. "Gum-Gum Fruit, right?"
"Yeah! How did you know?" Luffy asked, pleasantly surprised. I only glared.
"Umm…"
Before she could answer, the door of the ship flew open. Chopper and Usopp came running across the deck.
"What happened guys?" Usopp asked when they reached us.
"And just where were you?" Nami said. "Hiding under a hammock while we're out here risking our lives? At least Chopper was doing something useful."
We had sent Chopper to make sure the medical supplies were safe. With such a sudden storm, he hadn't had time to secure them like he usually does, so he had to protect them himself.
"I was doing something useful!" Usopp said indignantly. "I was down in the hull patching leaks."
"Right…" Nami said, crossing her arms.
"It's true." The girl said, standing on her own with a death grip on the railing. "I left him down there before I came up to the deck."
"Wow Aly, you look tired. Are you okay?" Usopp finally seemed to notice the extra person in our midst.
"Aly? Is that your name?" Luffy asked, obviously missing the part where she had been addressed as Aly. I shook my head at our 'captain'.
"Enough! You're coming with me!" Chopper yelled, growing bigger so he could push through us. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her into the cabin and slammed the door.
"Boy is she in for it." Nami giggled. "I'm going to find something dry to wear. Can you have a warm meal waiting for us Sanji?"
"For you, my princess, I would swim the Grand Line to find you a hot meal."
Hearts practically popping out of the air, the cook raced into the ship. Nami giggled once again and headed back into the cabin.
"Alright! More food!" Luffy yelled, bouncing below deck.
I followed without too much thought, my focus still on what kind of trick that girl was playing. Finding her on an abandon ship in the middle of the Grand Line was just a bit too convenient for my tastes. And having the power to control the weather? With the Devil Fruit, Luffy's power was believable… But who was to say Aly… no, don't get too familiar, the girl hadn't eaten one too?
"Hey Zolo, what happened to the storm?" Usopp asked, ignoring Luffy as he sang a song about food.
"She blew it away" I said, changing into dry clothes. "She controlled the air somehow."
"How bizarre…" Usopp said.
"Yeah, that was pretty weird but totally cool!" Luffy said. "I defiantly want her to join my crew!"
"Luffy, you don't know a thing about her, other than she can control the weather." I said. Luffy's grin got bigger.
"All I knew about you was that you were a demonic beast, and I asked you to join my crew. And look how that turned out."
Yeah. Look how that turned out…
"Umm… guys? She can control more than the air…" Usopp said.
"What?" I rounded on the marksman, who shrunk back.
"Yeah… during the storm, she dragged me down to the hull and there was a huge hole! Water was already up to our knees! But I, the Great Usopp, wasn't afraid!" Usopp went into story teller mode, meaning half of what he said wouldn't be true. "I said, 'Never fear, I'll fix that hole!' Aly drained the water out of the ship and held it back while I patched the hole! But then she ran off in fear and I, Usopp the Brave, stayed behind to made sure the ship wouldn't sink!"
He ended his story by strutting around and nodding to Luffy's 'cool's. But at this point, I could care less about his delusional little stories, but he had said something a bit more important. She could control water…
What the hell was she?
We all sat in the kitchen, relaxing after our latest crisis. Sanji had made some sort of soup and was currently stirring something in a pot. Nami had informed up Chopper was giving Aly an earful about exerting herself when she should be resting. Usopp was telling the crew about his brave act in the hull, which everyone listened with a bit of a smirk.
"And then I, Usopp the Brave, patched a hole that was as big as three, no, four men!"
"Yeah, that's exactly what happened."
I felt my head snap towards the door. Chopper came into the room and plopped next to Usopp. Aly walked in behind him.
She had her hair done up and a long braid that still fell to the middle of her back. She wore a plain blue skirt with a soft, cream colored shirt. She crossed the room quietly, taking a seat near Nami. Apparently, she thought meals were calm on this ship, considering everyone was quiet. Calm? That's laughable.
Immediately, everyone began shouting at once while Sanji swooped on her with hearts and food. I glared at the girl for a moment. She didn't seem at all disturbed that five people were clamoring for her attention. In fact, she acted like it was completely normal, slowly eating her soup. Growling softly, I must have caught her attention because she glanced at me from across the table.
Those blue eyes… for a moment I stared, then it became obvious what I was seeing. There was more than blue in her eyes. There were flecks of gold hidden in the sea of blue…
Shaking my head, I yelled,
"SHUT UP!" Everyone quieted, staring at me. "One at a damn time, you're giving me a headache."
While everyone was facing me, I saw Aly give me that same stare like just a moment before. Scowling, I glared back, refusing to be caught up like I had been only seconds ago.
"Me first, me first!" Luffy was bouncing up and down, so much that the straw hat on his head fell off. Without missing a beat, he stretched an arm and plopped it back on his head, the other arm still waving in the air. "Can I, can I, can I, can I?"
"Luffy, just ask the stupid question already!" Nami yelled.
"Will you join my crew?"
Silence. Nami shook her head. Usopp's eyes bulged out of his head. Chopper sweat dropped. Sanji just closed his eyes. I put one hand on my forehead. All of these things could have clued Luffy in on our opinion, had he been paying attention. Instead, he was fixed on Aly, who was staring at him like he had a second head.
"Join your crew?... ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?!?!?!? I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO WANDERING THE WORLD WITH A BUNCH OF-" She cut herself off there, taking a deep breath and started again. "Gods… Who are you anyway?"
"I'm Luffy and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
"Great…" she said, clearly thinking Luffy was a psychopath. Some days I was bound to agree with her. "Well, other than the fact I don't know you, you don't know me."
"So what's there to know?" I asked, leaning back.
"Depends on what you want to know and whether it's public knowledge or not." She said, finishing off her soup.
"I have a question! Would you like some hot chocolate, fair maiden?" Sanji asked, handing her a mug.
"Please and thank you… um…"
"Sanji."
"You're so sweet Sanji." Aly said, allowing her hand to linger on his as she took the mug from him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nami shoot her a murderous look. Smirking inwardly, I made a mental note to remember that for future ammo.
"I have another question!" Luffy said, beginning to bounce again.
"Better ask it before your crew rips your head off." Aly said, sipping her hot chocolate.
I picked my own mug up, savoring the warmth. At least the cook knew how to do his job…
"How did you know I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit?"
She was silent for a moment, looking at Luffy from over the rim of her mug. For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in those odd eyes of hers. Was that… sadness?
"I have… my…" she stumbled with the words for a second. "Blake, my younger brother, also ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. On accident, of course."
"Really? Awesome!" Luffy yelled.
"My turn." Nami said. "How did you blow away the storm?"
"Yeah! And control the water?" Usopp added.
Aly was silent, putting together what would be an acceptable and believable answer no doubt. I leaned back in my seat. This should be good…
"I'm…an Elemental. It means that I was born with the power to control the four elements. You know, water, earth, air, and fire. That's how I could do all those things."
"You know what I think." I spoke up suddenly, surprising everyone. "This whole thing is some sort of trick."
"How could you doubt the word of a fair maiden? You must really be an idiot…" The cook said, glaring at me.
"Maybe you're just a lovesick fool who's too blind to see the truth staring at him in the face!" I said, momentarily distracted from the girl.
"What would you know about truth cabbage head? All that hollow head of yours has in it is rocks!"
"Well, I guess that means yours is too full of perverted thoughts, straw hair!"
"Roronoa Zolo."
My name was softly spoken, drawing my attention from the argument. Aly was sitting in front of her empty bowl, staring at me as if for the first time.
"Three swords, black bandana. Now it makes sense why you don't believe me. Faith in anything but your abilities and swords is pretty much non-existent, huh? But now instead of a bounty hunter, you're a pirate." Aly smirked. "Well, I can see how you would need solid proof put right in front of your face, with a head full of rocks after all."
I glared, trying to come up with a suitable comeback and failing miserably. Damn girl only smirked and got up, taking her dishes to the sink.
"Wow Zolo! I didn't think you would just let yourself get yelled at like that!"
"Shut up Luffy!" I yelled.
"What are you doing?"
Sanji's slightly panicked question drew my attention back to Aly, who was now standing in front of the stove, a burner spitting up flames at her, only inches away from her hand. Her smirk had transformed into a full daredevil grin and… her necklace was glowing red?
"Hey Luffy, I have a deal for you. If you give me a ride home, I'll think about your offer. But there are some things I have to do at home before I can completely say yes. Deal?"
"Sure Aly!" Luffy exclaimed. "But what are you gonna do with the fire?"
Without warning, she muttered a word and put her hand in the fire. I was half out of my seat, before I realized there were no screams, no indication of pain whatsoever on her face, only a satisfied smirk. Walking over to where I was half standing, she waved a handful of fire in front of my face.
"Is that proof enough for you, swordsman?" she asked, her necklace glowing red and a ball of flame resting in her hand. "Looks like we're gonna be shipmates for a while."
"Just because you have special powers or whatever doesn't mean I trust you." I said, scowling and standing up. She closed her hand, extinguishing the fire, and looked at me with a smirk. I only glared, sure she was hiding something.
"I never asked you to trust me." She said, an emotion I couldn't define in her voice. "Just to take me home."