Declaimer: I don´t own Harry Potter nor One Piece
Words: 3 109
A/N: I´m back! Enjoy. :)
Water is everywhere. In the soil, the plants, the skies… It´s an essential part of the life on Earth, just as important as the light and air. A natural resource that comes in many forms; be it vapor, liquid, or solid. Important, and yet so often forgotten.
It is said a drop of water can travel the world, go to placed humans could never access. A single drop will one day become ice, or maybe a cloud. It can enter a plant, an animal, or even a human… Or so people say, so people think.
"Just a little bit more…" A drop of water thought, traveling along side with her new friends towards the plants leafs, were they would reestablish the balance the organism need to survive. That drop however, wasn´t the same as others. She wasn´t going to participate in the photosynthesis, nor help maintain the osmotic levels of the plant. No, she was just a temporary guest, using the ride to reach her destination.
"And here we go…" No one heard her, because no one could. Drops of water did not talk. That one, however, could think, could move as she wanted. "Light." The round drop of water left the leaf, forcing herself through the water channels, even though they tried to stop her. Nevertheless, she was too strong for them, easily breaking through.
The light hit the drop immediately, and her instincts said to retreat towards somewhere with more shadow. For a single drop, light could be dangerous. Secondly came the image of a room full of people, the tense atmosphere between then even perceptive for the small drop. No one turned her direction, waiting for something. The drop retreated, hiding between the other leafs, becoming even more invisible to the group.
Someone appeared to sense something though, turning around carefully as they analyzed the room. Nothing was out of place, and the intruders presence went unregistered, because she was only a drop, nothing more, nothing else.
"Where is the admiral?" One of them asked with irritation, shifting in their position. "The meeting should have started half an hour ago. This is irresponsible!" A door opened, and two people walked in. The drop recognized one, shifting even further into her cover.
"I apologize." The other man stated, glaring at his companion. "Garp was wandering around the city again. It took a while to find him and bring him here. We can start the meeting now. How are the preparations going?"
"Almost finished. The execution place had been built, and will be in clear view for everyone." The person speaking had a low, controlled voice, but something behind it burned with hatred. "There will be marines posted around the place, and even more at the possible entrances. When the day comes, we are expecting about 100 000 marines and 50 battleships."
"Yea, not to mention that we are going to be there too." A blond man chuckled, repositioning that horrible pink coat he was wearing. "You´re expectation about that old man are high I see. I guess the rest of Shichibukai are making their way here?"
"Indeed. Boa Hancock will be here in a day or two. Never underestimate Whitebeard, it´ll be your last day. Are there reports regarding pirates moves?" A piece of paper was placed in his hands, and the man frowned. "Every one we send to check never said anything back... Judging by this, he´ll come… What about the unhappy soul's who´ll have the duty to execute the pirate?"
The drop tensed, moving forward to hear better. This was extremely important. "They were chosen. You´ll see their name´s at the end of the report. Two others have also been chosen in case something happens to the first two."
"Okay." The drop needed to see those names, immediately. Looking at the rest of the room, she noticed a plant right behind the man. It would be a challenge to move without being noticed, but she had a feeling that even if they suspected someone was there, they would never find out it was actually a drop of water.
Travelling down the plant, she looked at her biggest obstacle: the floor. It was made of stone, and unlike wood, that still had residues of water, it had none. Luckily for her, the floor wasn´t only made of stone, existing cement holding each individual block together. "Here comes nothing."
Taking advantage of the speed she was traveling with, the drop jumped out of the vase, splashing one the floor. Good thing for her she was small, and it didn´t hurt, otherwise others would already be staring at her, listening to her cries of pain.
"When is Portgas being transported here?" The drop moved with difficulty on the stone, relaxing only a slightly when she slipped into the cement. Despite having water, it was only residue, and slowed her down considerably. Oh, well, so it be. "We need to assure nothing happens while we are transporting him, so double the security."
Just a little bit more… The drop finally managed to reach the plant, joining the water that was moving through the leafs. Contrary to before, she was weak. Moving through the cement took more energy than she had expected, but it was all worth it. The old man, whomever he was, was holding the papers in the right angle, and she easy read the so awaited names. Great, one obstacle cleared.
"Now, we need to discuss additional protection. How are the constructions going? We don´t have much time before he comes." Damn, they were building something more than walls? It would already be hard enough to sabotage that…
"Everything is on schedule. The cannons are working perfectly, and more ammunition will arrive tomorrow. Civil people being moved, so there will be no civil casualties. Some are trying to stay, but so far everything is going smoothly."
"Good." No civil people… It would make it harder to move if the drop wanted to stop being a drop. "Any more questions? No? Everyone leave. Garp, you stay, I want to have a word with you."
Everyone stood, moving without making a sound. If not for the fact the drop knew there were people in the room, she would have thought it was deserted. Supposedly, it was her cue to run away too, but the prospect of knowing exactly what would be said to Garp… she decided to stay, if only for a little bit more.
"Garp, I need you to promise me not to interfere." The old man whose name the drop still didn´t know stated, with a heavy voice. "You are a marine, remember that. One wrong move and you´ll be branded as a traitor. Neither one of us wants it."
"Don´t tell me something I already know Sengoku…. I would be more worried about the Shichibukai. No one knows where their loyalty is. If they notice the war is going bad for you, I don´t doubt they will change sides…" The drop had never seen Garp like that, and it made her inexistent heart tighten. That expression to be so sorrowful, while all she could remember were his smiles… "Remember only this, I will do nothing. Not for them, not for you."
"And I expect no less from you."
Humans were quickly walking by, never stopping, never averting their eyes from their task, and for a certain drop, it was exactly what she needed. Jumping from her place by the window, the drop grew in the darkness, gaining a human shape.
A petite girl with long black hair stood on the ground, emeralds shinning with excitement, as she searched the area around her. No one had seen her, which was excellent, and she had interesting information with her. That, however, would come after she finished a certain business.
Moving quietly through the building, wondering where everyone else was, she stopped at a certain room. It was empty, with innumerous tables and chairs. A canteen, if she judged right, and at three pm, no one had time to eat. Well, almost no one.
Shifting to the left, she noticed a slender, if not a little short, marine. His face was almost blue, as he stared at the food before him without actually seeing it. "Good afternoon." She stated, and the man jumped on his seat, the food spilling everywhere. "I couldn´t help but notice you don´t seem to be feeling well."
"Ha… yes, good… Who are you?" The marine had blue eyes, easier to reproduce than black. "I never saw you here before." And those eyes were at the moment narrowed, glaring holes at the smiling girl.
"Me? I came here with Garp-san. He promised to give me a tour, but suddenly he was called, so he asked me to wait here." The marine instantly relaxed at the mention of Garp, smiling sadly. "I noticed you here all alone… Is everything alright?"
The man shook his head, starting to clean the food. "I… I was just chosen to do something… and I´m not feeling up to it." The girl sat in front of him, titling her head to the side confused. "Don´t tell anyone but… I am supposed to be one of the people to kill Portgas D. Ace."
Blinking surprised, the girl waited for him to say it was a joke, but the man never said it. "Wow… I don´t know what I would do in your shoes. I heard a lot about that pirate… He´s under Whitebeard´s wing, is he not? Sucks to be you…"
"He is. And I am worried what will happen if they find out I was the one to…" The marine grew even bluer. "At least I don´t have to help with the preparations. I think I´m going to spend the last few days in my house. Maybe even try a disguise or something. As long as they don't know it´s me…"
"Oh, I know a lot about disguises!" The girl grinned, walking towards him. "It´s a hobby, to disguise as other people. Not that it ever comes in hand, but I think I can help you. Let me see…" Her cold hand was placed against marine´s cheek, and the man blushed, realizing she was a pretty young girl. Not to mention her eyes were hypnotizing. "Have you told someone you aren´t going to come tomorrow?"
"Y-yes, they said I only need to report at the day…" Was it his expression, or did the grin on her face change? "A-anyway, I should be going. I bet Garp-san is already looking for you too, so it´s bette…"
The man never had a chance to answer, as a bubble of water surrounded his head, and he couldn´t breathe anymore. Unable to think clearly, his hands rose to his face confused, but eyes never left the girl´s. She was smiling, grinning even, eyes shining with such intensity he had never seen before. His vision grew dark, fuzzy, but those eyes remained the same. Green burning emeralds…
"Good night, marine-san."
Marcus was on the lookout that night. He just couldn´t calm down, too many thoughts running down his mind. First, there was the issue with Ace. He knew he should have stopped him, but Ace left when no one was expecting. Any other day he would have followed because the second fleet captain disrespected direct orders, but pops said it was fine. Yea, fine… and now Ace was about to be executed.
There was, however, another thing occupying his mind: Ace´s sister. Reina had departed last day, in a rather spectacular way, by throwing herself out of the boat. He had expected her to walk on the water or something… but the teen had melted with the water, never to be seen again after her last goodbye…
Reina unnerved him. He couldn´t put his finger, but something about her was different. Her devil fruit, for example, did not react to water the same way others did. She could swim in the water, and kairoseki had a weak effect on her. Marcus feared the day she lost her mind. Logia type were already hard to defeat, but if a logia type grew immune to water and kairoseki… He couldn´t imagine how somehow would stop her.
Not to mention this with Ace… Marcus didn´t agree with pops when he allowed Reina to help. The girl loved Ace too much, she was his sister, and siblings never knew how to make the most rational decisions. It was obvious she would do her best to save him, but what would happens if Ace couldn't be saved? Marcus didn´t want to know, because that meant imagining the worst outcome possible.
Sighing, the older man turned around, staring at the dark sky. Only a few more days and the war would start… Marcus knew it would turn out to be a war. Judging by the amount of people pops called to help, the old man was awaiting it too. Good, at least he could make someone pay for his worries.
"Hey, help out!" Startled by the sudden sound, Marcus almost fell down. However, he was almost used to unexpected situations, and managed to keep his cool as he looked around. There was no one else around. Could it be he was starting to hear things? "Down here."
A chuckle from the sea caught his attention, and as he gazed down, amused green emeralds met him. Green amused eyes without a body. "Reina?" Letting a rope fall down, he watched amazed as a pair of delicate hands came out of the water, slightly transparent. It was the most surreal thing he had seen so far. The sea seemed to swallow the body that just came out of the water, becoming corporeal as soon as the last bit of her messy hair left the sea. "Wow… that was…"
"Cool right?" The girl inquired, hopping into the ship. "I think I´m going to start freaking out people this way. Wonder how many will scream as babies…" The girl seemed tried, more tired than he had seen her before, but something about that twinkle in her eyes gave him hope. "Is everyone asleep?"
"Yes. Do you need me to bring you new clothes…" Vapor was already surrounding her, and in seconds, she was as dry as a desert. So her power wasn´t just about controlling liquid water? "Forget it. Yes, everyone is sleeping, but pops said to awaken him if you arrive."
Nodding, Reina started to make her way to the room, when her hand was caught by someone. Confused, she stared at Marcus, who looked unhappy for some reason. "Didn´t you say he wanted to be woken up?"
"He did, but you look ready to fall at any moment." It wasn´t only his impression, she did look half dead. "It´s better if you rest for now. I don´t think Ace would appreciate if his sister died from overworking herself."
Rolling her eyes, the girl grinned, forcing him to let her go. "Don´t be an idiot, I am not overworking myself. Once I report everything I found, I´m going to rest. You grown-ups can figure everything else."
Still not content, Marcus followed her slightly annoyed. Well, at least this time she was walking straight. "So, how did it go? Met someone interesting?" The girl shivered at something, and he knew it wasn´t just the wind. "Who? Were you recognized?"
"I met Mihawk… but no, he doesn't even know me." The meeting, however, had been interesting. "I think he knew I was up to something, he did question me. However, I was in disguise, so even if we meet in the future, he´ll never know I was there."
"Oh, that one is one crazy dude." Marcus had met him once… and it wasn't a nice experience. "Wait for a moment." They had stopped before a big door, and he knocked, looking inside. "Pops is up. You can enter."
Reina took a deep breathe to calm herself down before she stepped in, smiling at the giant man. God, he really was tall. "Good night. Sorry for the intrusion." Whitebeard said nothing, but she could see he wasn´t happy. Honesty, what was wrong with everyone? It had to be a day of unhappiness or something.
"Have you found out anything?" If she hadn´t, she wouldn´t have returned. The teen wanted so much to talk back, but it was pointless.
"Yes, plenty." Sitting down at the chair Marcus offered, she relaxed first time in days. "Every Shichibukai will be there, as well as the admirals. Gramps… I mean Garp, will also be there, but he won´t do a thing." If they forced him, they would pay the price. "As for numbers, 100 000 marines and 50 ships. I think there will also be cannons everywhere, and they are building some short of wall or something."
Marcus whistled. Damn, the marines were actually going all out. No wonder, every captain that had a connection to pops was on the move. Just as he feared, a war would break out. "Now that are some interesting number…"
"Yes. Ace will be executed on a specially made stand, and the executer guards were already chosen." Whitebeard said nothing, waiting for her to finish. "I will be posing as one of them, making sure they don´t execute him before we can save him. Not to mention I might have tempered with some of the cannons, and added some slow acting, not deadly, poison to the food…"
"Wait, what?" Interrupting, Marcus felt himself grown angry. "You are planning on taking a marines place? Are you crazy? They will check them beforehand, how are you plaining to pull that off? Pops, I think she helped enough, it´s better if we leave her here…"
Frowning, Reina interrupted. "Don´t you even think of it. I´ll be there, even if you don´t like it. Should I remind you that you have to means of restraining me? There is no way I am just going to wait in the sidelines. This was not our agreement."
The pirate wanted to talk back, to make her understand how dangerous it would be, how lucky she had been earlier that no one spotted her, but Whitebeard finally spoke. "You seems to be rather confident you´ll succeed, young one. What is your plan?"
Reina grinned evilly. "There is no room for mistakes. If we want to get Ace back alive, we need to play dirty, because the marines already are. I do have a plan, and I assure you it´ll catch them by surprise. All of them."
Smirking too, the old pirate concentrated all his attention on the girl. "You have my attention, young one."
A/N: Hello. :) So, as you can guess... the war begins in the next one XD I will change almost everything, so don´t expect to read a summary of what happened in the anime. I am planing on making the marine cry, because I hate them. :)
Every Shadow: Thanks. I am a little pressed by my collage, but I´ll try to post it as soon as possible.
tamashiyuki: To be continued... ;)
Elfin69: Oh my, you have some interesting ideas. :) Just a little bit more, and everything will be revealed, promise!
Thanks for reading and putting up with me... :D
Kaggami-chan