THE CHILDREN Set Sail!
Disclaimer: I would like thank my readers for continuing to read my story (even though so far it has been rather boring)! And if anyone is still wonder, I still have no ownership over One Piece or Zettai Karen Children.
"WHAT?" Everyone, aside from cheering Luffy, shouted in surprise. "YOU AGREE TO JOIN?"
"YAHOO!" Luffy cheered, "We got new crewmates…"
"On one condition," Aoi suddenly added, stopping everyone in their track, "please don't treat us like kids…"
"Eh, that's it?" Luffy immediately stated, "Sure, no problem…"
"Wait a minute," Nami raise her voice, "what you mean by 'don't treat us like kids'? Aren't you all …?"
"We know," Shiho huffed, a tad annoyed, "We know that we are ten years old! We know that being a pirate shouldn't be what we should do! We know as 'grownups' you should worry about us and we know that we are being kind of rude by asking you to think otherwise but…"
"To be blunt," Aoi intervene, adjusting her glasses in the process, "We are tired of being looked down upon and not get to do some of the stuff that 'grownups' can do…"
Kaoru nodded in agreement. "Yeah like staying up pass 9 o'clock, playing certain high rated games, read porn magazine…"
"Uh Kaoru," Aoi interrupted, "the last one won't count. For starters, you are already doing it…"
"Yeah there's still a limit on the quality I could get, you know…"
The Straw Hat Pirates sweat dropped as Kaoru tried to explain herself.
"Err," Shiho rushed to speak, literally knocking her redhead friend aside, "please don't pay her any attention right now! That's just how she is…"
"Anyway," Shiho continued, "that's all we are asking! Just treat us how you are already treating each other. We don't want something strange happening again…"
That was when something clicked in Sanji thought. "Are you saying something like that happened to you all right before you end up here?"
The three hiccupped a bit before slowly and shamefully nodded.
"Yeah," Kaoru admitted, "but now that I think about it was kind of a silly thing…"
"Mind telling us then?" Usopp offered, "It could help us understand your point…"
The three ponder for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"I guess we should tell you our story…" Aoi stated, "…just don't laugh…"
"Laugh?" Chopper wondered.
"You'll see," Shiho began, "but before we begin, there are a couple of things that you should know about to really understand…"
"First of," Kaoru began, "believe it or not we are actually government agents back home…"
"REALLY," Luffy exclaimed in surprise, "THAT'S AMAZING!"
"Agents?" Vivi pondered, not really believing it, "Really?"
"Yeah," Shiho responded, knowing full well that most of the information they'll be giving will be startling, if not unbelievable, "we know it is strange for three ten year olds to be already working for the government, but we're different…"
"You see," Aoi began, ready to show them her vast knowledge over her world, "in our world, there are people who has Extra Sensory Perception, or ESP, that allows them to do unbelievable tasks ranging from solving crimes in a snap to destroying a whole army at will. But, fortunately or unfortunately depending on your own opinion, there are only a handful of them that had awakened. There are even fewer whose power level are higher than average…"
"You see," Shiho continued, "in our world, ESP levels are classify between Level 1 to Level 7. The higher the level the more powerful or dangerous the ESP ability become…"
"How so?" Sanji puffed, getting rather interested in the topic.
"Well," Shiho ponder for a moment, "A Level 3 Psychometrist can recall only recent events from an object while a Level 7…"
"Like Shiho…" Kaoru added only to have the mention glare at her.
"…Yes, like me… recall events that had happen over a number of years…"
"Handy," Luffy chimed before being punch in the face by Nami who mumble about 'quit interrupting'.
"However," Aoi began again, "there are people in the world who see people with ESP as a danger to society, either considering them weapons of mass destruction or down right social outcast, monster, or inhuman creature…"
"WHAT?" Vivi exclaimed, clearly outrage that such could actually exist.
"Then there are people with ESP power that believe they are a superior and/or a new race. They aim for the benefit of ESP user only, while killing 'Normal' people in the process…"
"Well, where have I heard that before," Nami grimly huffed, remembering her own incident.
"And then there are 'normal' people who use people with ESP for their own profit, targeting both ESP user and/or normal people alike. We recently encounter an organization called Black Phantom that brainwash ESP user for assassination, some which are only children like us too…"
Every one of the Straw Hats (not including Luffy who does know the meaning of it) shivered at the thought that people could be using kids in line of assassin.
"Sound like a pretty harsh world you live in," Zoro noted.
"Yeah," Shiho sighed, "but there is an organization that wish to shrink the gap between normal people and ESP user. They are known as the Base of Backing ESP Laboratory, or B.A.B.E.L. for short. They help ESP user by letting normal people understand ESP better, providing aid to survive and live, and even helping them learn to use their gifts. B.A.B.E.L. also help normal people by hiring ESP user to do society benefit jobs like saving hundreds of lives to fixing damages cause by other ESP user…"
"And we're part of it…" Kaoru interject.
"Yes, we are part of it…" Aoi sighed at Kaoru interruption, "Anyway, since the three of us are Level 7 ESP user from the very start of our lives, many people fear use and would allow use to live our lives like normal kids. So B.A.B.E.L. took us in and…"
"Wait hold on," Nami suddenly voiced, catching everyone's attention, "You mean even your own parents was afraid of you?"
Everyone jerked their head back at the three, who seem to be on a hot spot at the moment.
"Well, it's not that they are afraid of us…really…but it more like they didn't know how to cope with our gifts," Aoi fumbled, "I wouldn't say they didn't want us but…"
"In other word," Sanji finalize, "they left you with someone that can handle you…right?"
The three just simply nodded.
"Well, it looks like we can leave it there for now…please continue…"
"A-Anyway," Aoi shook out her resurface sad memories as she continue, "as I was saying, they took us in and form us into a team called the Children (ironic really) and with our supervisor Minamoto-han, we perform task to help other…but, just recently…
Flashback…
"Psychic…Setting It On Stable Ground!" Kaoru roared as place the final pillar under what seems to be a very busy bridge.
With that, the said bridge that was predicted to collapse and killed five family in the process was now stable.
"Good job Kaoru," Aoi compliment, giving some quick taps to the new support to test it, "Looks like this 78% prediction won't be happening anytime soon…"
Shiho placed her hand on the bridge to see if it was indeed stable.
"Heh," She chuckled lightly, "This bridge will indeed be of no further trouble for another fifty-five years per say…"
"Sweet," Kaoru cheered, "Mission accomplish…"
"Hold on Kaoru," a voice of a serious, yet kind man in his early twenty over her communicator spoke, "This wasn't the only part of the prediction, remember?"
"Oh come on, Minamoto," Kaoru shouted into her transmitter, no doubt giving the person on the other side ear pain, "how do you expect a freak traffic accident to happen on a bridge that can kill over a hundred people?"
"Well, that's what the prediction said Kaoru! Like it or not, we have to stay put…"
"Screw that already! Aoi teleport us back to the helicopter already! We're done!"
"Yeah, the heats getting to me too…" Shiho added.
"No problem," Aoi chimed ready to teleport them.
But just then, a red car on the bridge suddenly roared to a stop.
As soon as it did, a little girl hurryingly got out and ran across the road as the driver got out as well to give chase…a gun in hand!
As this was happen, two charter bus was speeding across the suddenly and surprisingly 'empty' road…right on a collision course with the seemingly frighten girl.
"HOLY GOD!" Aoi screamed, causing the other two to turn to see the same sight.
"OH NO!" Shiho exclaimed and immediately came up with a plan, "Kaoru…stop those speeding buses! Aoi…take care of the girl! I got the gunner!"
Rushing to do as Shiho suggested, Kaoru got between the running girl and the buses, which were now trying desperately to not hit the girl.
"P-Psychic…Green light, Red light!" Kaoru commanded, using her power to instantly stop the two large vehicles.
Shiho, meanwhile, use her personal pistol to accurately blast the weapon out the man's hand, catching him off guard.
Aoi, at the time, had teleport the little girl to the safety of the B.A.B.E.L. copter.
"Hands up," Shiho commanded the man, who then tried to pull out other gun only to be shot out of his hand as well, "I SAID HANDS UP!"
Still in denial, the man turned back to his car hoping to drive away only to find that Kaoru had already compresses it into a metal block.
"I think Shiho already made it clear," Kaoru grinned before angrily slamming him down into the concrete road with her power, "SHE SAID 'HANDS UP'!"
The poor man was out cold instantly as people began to exit the two charter buses, daze and more or less injure but overall alive.
"That," Aoi breathed in relief, "was too close…"
Later on, the police arrive and arrest the man.
The paramedics arrive as well and attend to both the little girl and the injure charter buses' passengers.
As soon as the situation had calm down, the Children in the copter began their way back to base.
"As it turns out," Shiho explained to her two friends in one of the copter's room, "it seems that the man was a kidnapper who kidnap little kids from rich folk for ransom. After getting the ransom, he kills the kids and provides false information to the family on their whereabouts. He has done this about four time so far this year and the little girl was going to be his fifth victim. Unfortunately , he got overconfident and the girl used the crowbar in the car to hit him, thus stopping the car. I already gave the cops the location of each of criminal's previous victim's actual burial sight, the rest is up to them…"
"How horrible," Aoi shivered, "and you saw all of it when you read him?"
Shiho sadly nodded as the room's door open.
In came a very decent looking man with well comb brown hair, a pair of glasses, a kind yet serious face, and dress in a business suit. He's Minamoto Koichi, the Children's supervisor and guardian.
"Good job, you three," Minamoto smiled, "you not only stop an accident of such a huge scale but you also prevent a serial criminal from causing any more pain to other family…well done!"
"Well done?" Kaoru asked incredibly, "is that really all you can say? Couldn't you say something like 'you three were amazing! I love you!' or sometime like that?"
Minamoto rolled his eyes. "The first part…maybe, but the second part won't be happening!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? OF COURSE IT WILL HAPPEN, HOW CAN YOU BE WITH US ALL THIS TIME AND NOT SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"
"OF COURSE I WON'T! I'M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND!"
"Minamoto," Shiho interrupted suddenly, "why didn't we get sent out?"
Everyone stare at Shiho, unsure what she had meant?
"What do you mean, Shiho?" Minamoto responded.
Shiho glare at Minamoto as if saying 'I think you already know what I mean'.
"I'm talking about the case concerning the criminal we just caught!"
Minamoto hiccupped but didn't respond.
"When I touch him, I found out that he has been doing this for over four years, with a total of fifteen victims already!"
Aoi and Kaoru gasped at the new information.
"And you been with us for at least a year! B.A.B.E.L. Prediction System should have predicted the entire crime for the past four years and yet not only had we not heard about it but B.A.B.E.L. hadn't even been able to stop it! If we were sent in to do this, we could have prevented at least three more lives! So why haven't we been told about this?"
Aoi took it all in before turning furiously to Minamoto. "Hey that's right! What's going on here Minamoto-han?"
Kaoru just merely stared at Minamoto, unsure how to react.
Minamoto, meanwhile, had straightened himself out ready to explain himself.
"Well," Minamoto sighed, "for starter, the police force insist that they will tackle the case themselves for the past four years. Your own father, Shiho, had asked me to keep it a secret from you as well."
Shiho hiccupped at the mention of her father.
"Secondly, B.A.B.E.L. had sent some agents to some family that had been predict to be threaten, but every time we do a situation arise that allow the kidnapper to kidnap the kids under the agents' detection…"
"But that still doesn't explain why we hadn't heard of it at least," Kaoru reminded.
"Well," Minamoto began to confess, "it was a really serious case…so…"
"Because he believe that kids shouldn't get involve in such a serious case he kept it hidden from us," Shiho finished, having silently went over to him to read his mind.
"ACK! SHIHO!" Minamoto shouted in surprise.
"AGAIN THE KID THING?" Kaoru angrily exclaimed, "HOW MANY TIME DO WE HAVE TO TELL YOU NOT TO TREAT US LIKE KIDS?"
"WELL, IT'S KIND OF HARD WHEN YOU ALL ACT LIKE SPOIL BRATTY KIDS! THIS WAS A SERIOUS CASE THAT FRUSTRATE EVEN GROWN UPS! IF I SEND YOU KIDS IN, YOUR FRUSTRATION CAN CAUSE LOTS OF DAMAGE! BESIDE, KIDS SHOULD EVEN BE INVOLVE SO VOLUNTARILY IN SOMETHING LIKE THIS ANYWAY…"
During the entire time, all three of them began to fume from continually refer to as 'kids'.
"For the last time," Kaoru growled, as her hand began to glow as well as Minamoto, "DON'T CALL US KIDS!"
With that, her psychic power slammed Minamoto into metal wall…painfully!
"Minamoto-han," Aoi growled as well, "YOU BIG JERK!"
In an instant, she teleported herself and her friends outside in midair. Still using her power, she quickly and rapidly teleport them further and further away from the copter, which was trying desperately to keep up.
Within two minute, though, the copter was nearly beyond eye range.
"Uh," Shiho began to wonder, "don't you think we're taking this a bit too much?"
"Heck no!" Kaoru huffed, "We could have save lives if we were called on…but no~!"
"I know," Aoi agreed, turn to them and leaving the flying to Kaoru's power, "A case that we can actually help out and he kept it from us because we're kids! How could he still think like that, honestly?"
"The way I see it," Kaoru rejoined, turning to them, "the only way for him to see us any way different is if we do something outrageously difficult even using ESP power…"
"Maybe," Aoi hummed in thought, "But wouldn't Minamoto just yell at us instead for something 'so reckless'…?"
"Yeah, but maybe if we try…"
"KAORU…STOP!" Shiho, who was the only one paying attention to where they were going, suddenly exclaimed in panic.
"What?" Kaoru huffed, not knowing what Shiho knows, "At least I'm trying to…"
"NO, NOT THAT! LOOK OUT!" Shiho warned, pointing forward (or behind Kaoru and Aoi).
"Eh?" both Aoi and Kaoru noted as they turn around.
Too little, too late…and a bad move too! You see, while Aoi and Kaoru were thinking of a way to be more 'adult-like' in Minamoto's eyes, they had unwillingly drop their altitude and since Kaoru was paying attention they end up heading straight toward a metal bridge.
Worse yet is that they were fly at ten meter per sec, so it will be like pedaling a fast moving bicycle into a concrete wall…without a helmet.
By now it was…
BONG! BONG! BONG!
…Too late! All three members of the Children found themselves face-planted on the side of the metal bridge.
"O-Ouch!" they managed before they found themselves falling down to the water…fifty feet below.
"K-Kaoru," Shiho manages, "stop us from falling…QUICKLY!" Forty feet…
Kaoru immediately tried, but her hand, let alone their body, didn't glow.
"I-I can't use my power!" Kaoru screamed in panic. Thirty feet…
"I try to teleport us out of here!" Aoi reassured. Twenty feet…
Her hand began shine as Aoi commanded, "EMERGENCY TELEPORT!" Ten feet…
Suddenly, Aoi's hand shinned abnormally brighter then ever before.
"What the?" Aoi manage before she and her friend disappear…five feet from hitting the water.
Flashback…End
"The next thing we knew," Aoi finished up, "we still end up in the water only it was out at sea and no where near land. Worse yet, we end battling the furious sea to keep together. Fortunately, the sea became calm moments later so we all just floated there, wondering if we were going to shark food or not before falling unconscious. And…you know the rest…"
As soon as she finished, however, the Children found the crew was trying hard not to giggle.
"Hey," Shiho whined, a tad embarrass and pissed, "you promise not to laugh!"
"We're not laughing," Usopp tried, his mouth grinning slightly and twitching, "We're not laughing…"
"YOU'RE LAUGHING!" Kaoru yelled at the poorly constructed lie, "YOU'RE LAUGHING!"
"Don't worry," grunted Zoro, "if we really were laughing, we would have done it regardless…"
"Why?" Aoi spoke crossly, "don't you find this funny?"
"Well," Nami began, "we see Luffy charge head first into things all the time! So you all ramming into a bridge isn't even in the same league…per say…"
"Uh…okay?" Shiho sweat dropped.
"So…now that we join," Kaoru timidly began, "are you still going to treat us like kids?"
The Straw Hats thought about it for a while before Luffy grinned.
"If that's how you want it," Luffy laughed, "then we'll treat you as equal then…"
"REALLY?" the Children exclaimed, not believing their own eyes and ears.
"But just to make things clear," Sanji interjected, "you three do something stupid, we'll treat you like how we treat Luffy instead…"
"Yeah," Luffy grinned, before wiping his mouth clean follow by burping, "whew~, those plates of food were good!"
That was when Aoi and Shiho stared down to find their plates empty of food.
"AH!" they cried as their tummy's began to growl from being reminded of food, "OUR FOOD! WHEN DID HE…?"
"Ugh, he even ate a part of the plate," Kaoru commented as she held up what remains of Shiho's plate.
"Sorry, you three, I was hungry," Luffy chuckled, before being sent across the room by Sanji's kick.
"YOU'RE ALWAYS HUNGRY, YOU GREEDY PIG!" Sanji lectured before placing three new dish in front of the Children (Aoi and Shiho's being double the size), "here, sorry about that! Hurry up and eat before he recover to steal them…"
The Children stare at their food for a moment before lifting their head to Sanji with a smile. "Thanks Sanji!" they cheered before woofing down their delicious food.
The rest of the crew smiled as they watch their new crewmates stuff themselves.
"Whew!" the Children gapes after finishing their share of food, "That was delicious! Thanks again Sanji!"
"It was my pleasure," Sanji smirked before, without a warning, Usopp blew a whistle which caught everyone's attention.
"Alright everyone," Usopp declared as Sanji handed out mugs of brew to everyone, "Lets make this an official recurrent celebration then…"
"Brew?" Aoi asked, looking down at her mug.
"Of course," Zoro chuckled, "now that you three are pirates and had to be treated as adults, you can drink like the rest of us…"
"Sweet!" Kaoru cheered.
"ALRIGHT!" Luffy cheered as he raised his mug, "A TOAST TO KAORU, AOI, AND SHIHO: OUR NEW FRIENDS, ALLIES, COMRADES, AND ABOVE ALL CREWMATES!"
"KANPAI*!" Everyone cheered at once as they joyfully smashed each others mugs. ('KANPAI' is a Japanese cried during a celebration that closely associate with 'Hooray')
Normama: "Another chapter had been updated..."
Shiho: "Yeah...but we still aren't geting enough reviews..." :(
Normama: "Don't sweat it...a few reviews are still better than no reviews..."
Kaoru: "Yeah, but no one is making much comment on the story..."
Aoi: "Or about us..." :(
Normama: "...ok, please readers...you want me to beg...no problem (getting onto my knee) to all my loyal readers, please send this story some reviews. You can even bad mouth it, just send something to help make this story better...and make the Children happier..."