Sunny Trouble

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece

--

The three of us stayed at the Baratie for...what was it, weeks or months? Strange, I don't exactly remember most of the time. I suppose with all the stuff in my life, I tend to forget the minor details of other events in my life. Well, the time spent isn't exactly important.

What is important is that while we stayed, my crew and I healed, ate some of the best food, I got to know Sanji and Zeff, I even got to learn how to use Red Leg a little bit, and during our stay, we met two new people. One of these people would become the youngest member of the well-known Death Root mercenary crew and the other one...well...you all will find out soon enough.

--

As the sun began to set behind the horizon, Kairi lowered the shoulder part of her shirt to see a scar, more like a bump, where she was shot back in Kohaku. Nodding, she pulled the shoulder up and stretched, "Well, at least our time here is well spent. We're both on the mend," she winced a little, "Shoulder still stings a little, but at least the bullet hole's healed up,"

"When are we gonna leave, already? We spent enough time here, I'm getting bored and I'm getting tired of looking at all the great food without eating!"

Kairi smiled at Toby's whines, "You mean you're getting tired of looking at the great food and not being able to swipe them off people's plates? I tell you, Zeff and the others really knocked some manners into you, Toby,"

The werewolf rolled his eyes and lay back on the bed of the room the three of them shared on the residential level of the Baratie, "Think they knocked some things out of place, too. I can't believe for a guy his age, who is also missing his foot, can still kick like that!"

"I was too, but I was also surprised to hear his and Sanji's story," she sat down next to Toby and looked up at the ceiling, "A feared pirate cook raids a boy's ship, the boy nearly gets himself killed for attacking him but then gets knocked into the sea, and that same pirate dives in after him and sacrifices his own leg to save the boy, and then he gives all his food to the boy while he starves until they're rescued!" she shook her head, "I tell you, I know not all pirates are bad, but that is one of the best examples of good-natured pirates I've ever heard in my life,"

"Yeah," Toby nodded slowly, "Some guys, huh? I do hope he gets Sanji on our crew, he's great!" he cast a side-glance at her and grinned, "I think he likes you,"

"Oh, be quiet, he likes every woman that walks through the door of the restaurant,"

Toby chuckled, "Good point. But still, it'd be great to have him on the crew,"

"If not him, then at least someone that works here. I really don't want Patty or Carne though," Kairi shook her head, "Patty insults you without knowing it and Carne...well, I dunno, both he and Patty just throw me off,"

"I know what you mean,"

--

"Damn old fart...I offer to help and he's working me like a damn dog...Sanji's the permanent help, why does he get less than me?!" Axe mumbled under his breath as he wiped the empty tables clean with a rag.

The floating restaurant had closed, and his friends were in their ship, taking in a break while Axe stayed and helped out around the eatery. As he cursed old man Zeff out, he caught sight of something from the corner of his eye. There, standing in the doorway of the Baratie, was a small girl. She looked pretty young and those big eyes of hers were filled of fear.

Axe put the rag over his shoulder and walked over to her, bending down to her level, "Hey kid, I'm Axe, what's your name?" he asked nicely.

The girl looked at him fearfully, "Penny," she said in a quiet voice.

"Well, Penny, I'm sorry but we're closed right now, so why don't you go ahead and wait-," Axe started, reaching over to usher her out the door. But before his hand even touched her shoulder, the girl shrieked and ran by him into the eatery.

"Dammit!" Axe rose his feet, scanning for the tiny intruder, "Sanji, Help me!"

The tall blonde sea-chef walked out of the kitchen, drying his hands off with a towel, "Forget it, Axe, if you try and get out training today-,"

"Shut the hell up and help me catch that girl!"

Immediately, Sanji's face changed from his normal look, to a love-stricken look, "A lady?! Where?" he asked, looking around.

Axe growled, "A girl, Sanji, not a lady, a little girl!" he caught sight of the big eyes and pointed to them, "She's right there!"

Following his finger, Sanji saw the small child, "Where she come from?"

"I don't know exactly, but my first guess would be from two people who had sex!" Axe hissed, "I dunno, man, I was cleaning tables and she was standing right the doorway!"

Sanji walked over to the child and looked kindly at her, "Hey there, I'm Sanji. Would you like something to eat?"

After what looked like moments of thinking, the girl picked up a nearby plate and smacked Sanji right in the face, and took off running into the kitchen.

"AHHH! PERVERT!"

Axe fell to the floor, snickering loudly while Sanji glared at him, rubbing his face.

"What's so damn funny?!"

"Even small children can tell you're a pervert!"

"Shut up, get off your ass, and help me get before the old shit finds her!"

Stifling the remaining laughs, Axe got to his feet and followed Sanji into the kitchen. As soon as they passed through the doors, they caught sight of the small girl looking up at the intimidating figure of Chef Zeff.. Clearing his throat, Axe walked over to the duo, "Sorry, boss, we'll get her out of here for ya,"

Before he even had a chance to take hold of the girl's shoulders, Axe, as well as Sanji went flying through the air and straight into the nearest wall. Sanji was used to this, so it was easier for him to get out than Axe.

"What the hell was that for, old man?!"

Axe pulled his head out just in time to see the girl run up and kick Sanji in the shin before hiding behind Zeff again.

The old chef crossed his arms, glaring at the two young men, "This is my grand-niece Penny...she'll be staying here for awhile,"

That night...

"Wow, Zeff has a niece?"

"Apparenlty," Axe rubbed his neck, "Damn, why does he always kick?"

"You know why, stop asking that question!" Sanji snapped as he lit a cigarette, "But I'm just as surprised as Kairi-san is here, over the years I've been with Zeff, he's never mentioned a relative," he took a drag and exhaled, "Wonder why she's staying with us?"

Axe shrugged, "I don't know, I ain't a mind-reader!"

"Alright, boys, calm down," Kairi sat down between them, "The point to this whole thing is that Zeff has a relative who is staying here for who knows how long. Now, Captain," she turned to Axe, "Toby and I are healed, you've learned some of Zeff's fighting style, and we even got some cash. When are we leaving?"

"Hmm, soon, I'd say. Since we pretty much accomplished every goal we had here, I guess...," he shrugged, "The earliest we could do is tomorrow, and the latest is by the end of the week. Sanji," he turned to the chef, "Last chance, man, you wanna come or not,"

"No. I got better things to do," Sanji took another drag, "Besides, with the kid here, I'm probably gonna have to keep an eye on her,"

"Why you?"

Sanji scoffed, "Out of the cooks here, I'm the youngest and the most kid friendly. Can you imagine Patty or Carne babysitting Penny?"

Axe winced as the mental image made itself known, "I see what you mean. She'd be horrifically scarred for life,"

"Damn straight,"

---

Axe's prediction was more or less true. The last day of the week had come and they hadn't left the Baratie yet. So, after that day's business hours, he and the other two would be off on their journey once again. They had enjoyed the lengthy vacation and recuperation, but they really needed to get back on the open sea in hopes of finding One Piece.

That day was a normal day, like any other day. People came in, they ordered, they ate, they paid and then they left. Kairi helped watch over Penny that week while Axe and Sanji worked, and Toby still tried to steal food from other people's plates, despite Kairi's belief about him learning his lesson thanks to Zeff's peg leg upside his head most of the time.

As he helped out in the kitchen, gathering food on a serving tray, Axe heard a loud shouting come from the eating place downstairs. By the sound of it, it was Patty and Carne again. Axe shook his head, placed the last plate of food on the tray and began the walk downstairs to serve the food. As he walked down the spiral staircase, he caught sight of what Patty and Carne were screaming about. They were both standing at a table where a single young woman was sitting, a couple of empty plates stacked onto each other, and the woman picking out her teeth with a toothpick.

After delivering the food to the people who asked for it, Axe was able to look back and get a better look of the woman who was making Patty and Carne so angry.

One word.

Hot.

Very hot.

Okay, maybe two words.

She had a head of long, beautiful blonde hair, a pair of light blue eyes, and from what he could see of her body that wasn't hidden by the table, she was even hotter than he thought at first glance.

"Hey, Patty! Carne!" Axe slowly made his way over to the two workers, "What's going on here?"

Before the two had a chance to answer, the young woman plucked the toothpick out of her teeth and pointed at them.

"I barely finish my meal and these two ...gentlemen...come up and harass me,"

Axe shot a glance at the others.

Patty scoffed, "She ate and she says she doesn't have any money on her! She expects to just sit there and eat for free!"

The woman shrugged, "I can't help it if I'm low on money, big boy, it's just bad luck,"

First the little girl and now a chick who can't pay? I like Zeff's way of thinking, but how does it make money if no one can pay? Axe shook his head and reached into his pocket, "How much does she owe?" he asked.

Carne handed him the bill.

"Alright, no biggie," Axe pulled out a wad of cash and paid the tab with his own pocket money, "Your meal's on me, Miss...?"

"Ripley," she gave a wink, making him suddenly blush, "Arden Ripley, but you can just call me Ripley if you want to, honey,"

Axe stared at her, feeling his face get even redder, then turned back and cleared his throat, "Uh...I'm taking my break now...," he hissed before heading back to the staircase. Patty, Carne and Ripley watched him leave.

"What the hell's gotten into him?"

"Kids...,"

Such a sweetheart... Ripley smiled and began to check her teeth again for any bits leftover, About time I run into a nice guy.

--

"So, you just paid for her bill?" Kairi asked after Axe told her and Toby about the freeloader, "It's a nice gesture, Axe, but that's our money to get started again,"

"I know! I know!" Axe tugged at his hair, "But she was so hot! I'm a fourteen year old boy, Kairi, I don't expect you to understand what it means to see a hot girl and just...," he snapped his fingers, "Really, I don't expect you to. Unless...you know...you were...?"

Kairi threw her boot at his head again, "No, I'm not like that, Axe,"

Axe rubbed his face, "I was just making sure,"

"Well, I know what Axe means," Toby muttered as he sat down on the floor and began to scratch his head with one of his feet like a dog, "I saw her, too. I thought the same thing, but not as long as he did,"

"How come?"

Toby paused in his scratching, "Because, I noticed what she had behind the chair,"

"Which was...?"

"A huge hammer-looking thing," Toby lowered his foot, "It looked like it was about almost as tall as her or just as tall. It's got a big metal head on the end with a hook on one end and a flat part on the other end. How can she lift that thing? Does she have a Devli Fruit or something?!"

Axe shrugged, "I'm not a mind reader, but by your description, it sounds like she's carrying a war-hammer,"

"How do you-?" Kairi stopped in mid-sentence and shook her head, "Right, you read, of course,"

"I wonder how Sanji's gonna behave when he sees her?"

"Why do you keep asking questions to which you already know the answers?"

"I dunno...fun, I guess,"

"Seriously?"

"I dunno...,"

--

As the evening rolled around, the sun hanging low in the air, Axe and his friends were prepping their boat for departure, their destination Roguetown. With some help from the cooks, they had a steady supply of food, some money from working and even a map that would get them from the Baratie to Roguetown. During the prepping, Axe tried desperately to convince Sanji to join up, but all he got were repeated "no's" and kicks from the young chef.

Muttering under his breath and rubbing his face, Axe took one last walk through the Baratie, so he wouldn't remember the temporary workplace/home that he and the others had during the beginning of their journey together. As he wandered around, he noticed that Penny was tailing him, so he came to a halt and turned around, hands on his hips.

"You'd make a very bad stalker, kid,"

Penny tilted her head, "What's a stalker?"

"Uh...someone who loves women,"

"Like Sanji?"

Axe thought for a moment, then nodded, "yeah, like Sanji,"

"So, Sanji's a pervert and a stalker?"

The treasure hunter tried his best to keep from laughing, "Y-Yeah, he is," he bent down to her level, "Why're you following me, Penny?"

"I wanted to say goodbye," Penny said quietly, looking down at the floor.

"Oh, really?"

She nodded, "Yes,"

"Well, then," Axe rose to his feet, walked over to her and picked her up into a hug, surprising her greatly, "Goodbye, Penny. You be good for Uncle Zeff, okay? If Patty or Carne give you any trouble, tell Sanji right away and he'll kick their asses for ya, okay?"

Sniffling, the little girl nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I'm gonna miss you, Axe. I'm gonna miss you and the others,"

Strange how well she likes us after spending short time with her... Axe patted her on the back, "How about we go find them and you can say goodbye to them yourself? Sound good, Penny?"

Again, she nodded and broke out of the hug, smiling from ear to ear.

"There's a smile," Axe chuckled just before a loud noise was heard below, followed by panicked screams.

That doesn't sound like the usual screams of shock when Sanji deals out with a bad customer...what the hell's going on?

"C'mon, Penny, let's go see what's up. Stay close to me, alright?"

"Okay,"

--

When the two of them hit the kitchen level, they saw a couple of the chefs standing on the stairwell, looking down at something on the lower level. As they got closer, one of them turned, spotted them and waved at them frantically.

Something's wrong... Axe set Penny down, "Go find a shady spot, kid. Stay up here until one of us calls for you, okay?"

With a quick nod and no argument, Penny bolted for some cover.

With her safe, Axe walked to the chefs, "What's going on?"

The one who signaled him earlier nodded to the lower level, "It started out as another payment problem. That woman whose meal you paid for? She ordered a new meal, but guess what?"

"She didn't pay," Axe sighed, "Great. Is that what's wrong?"

The chef shook his head, "No. The real problem came a little bit later. These pirate bastards came onboard and burst in, demanding free food and cash, but when the leader saw the freeloader, he about lost it and face went red! I couldn't make out some of the words he said, but we all know he's got some beef or something to do with her,"

"Alright," Axe shoved him out of the way and started to make his way down, "Watch Penny, make sure she's okay,"

"Yeah, good plan since I don't wanna die by Zeff's foot,"

Axe quickly walked down the stairs and onto the eating level. There was Ripley, Toby, Kairi, Sanji, the others and then there was the considerably large force of pirates standing in the front of the restaurant, giving everyone the evil eye. The leader, a man with a few teeth missing (at least a few), barely glanced at Axe before turning his gaze back to Ripley.

"It's time that you pay back what you did, bitch! Our trip was cut back because of you, and don't think I've forgotten what you did to my face!" he pointed to his teeth.

Must've hit him good with that hammer of hers...I'm surprised he's still alive... Axe noticed his weapon against the wall behind the pirate, Alright, guess I'll have to do hand to hand in this fight.

"Damn, I probably shouldn't have stolen those maps," Ripley sighed and shook her head, "...oh well, can't be helped now,"

"Hand the girl over, along with every bit of food and money this place has and we might leave without spilling blood!" the leader barked as multiple subordinates aimed their guns at the workers and patrons (who were looking very scared right now), "Now!"

Sanji lit a cigarette and stepped forward, "It's not nice to point a gun at a lady, shithead,"

"It's also not nice to come in and demand food like that," Axe added, placing his hands in his pockets, "Say please,"

The leader of the pirates glared daggers at him, "Shut your mouth brat!"

"Nah, don't feel like it," Axe turned to face his nakama, "You guys worried about me?"

"No," the two of them said at once.

"Good, watch out for the customers, would ya?" Axe turned back to the invaders, "Pal, you just entered the wrong place," he cracked his knuckles.

"You know, I can't help but feel somewhat responsible for this," Ripley pulled her hammer out and spun it around with one hand, which was impressive for the size and weight of the weapon, "Ossan,"

Zeff looked at her, "What?"

"If I take out this trash, can I have a free meal?"

Patty and Carne glared at her, "YOU MEAN THE SECOND ONE YOU'VE HAD TODAY?!"

Zeff shrugged and took a seat on an empty table, "Do what you want, kid,"

"Thanks, ossan," Ripley stopped her spinning and gripped her hammer with both hands, "Alright, boyos, you've met Titan's Fist once before...ready to meet him again?"

"What kind of gentlemen would I be to let such a beautiful woman take on a group of assholes by herself?" Sanji dropped his spent cigarette and ground his foot on it, killing the flame.

Axe grinned, "Don't think you're getting all the fun, blondie,"

The leader of the pirates glared at the three challengers, "You ignorant brats! Don't you know who we are?!"

"Nope,"

"Don't know, don't give a shit,"

Ripley chuckled, "I like you boys. These guys are the Grudge Pirates, and that asshole yelling at the top of his lungs is Ivan, the leader,"

"Grudge Pirates?"

"Yeah, they hold grudges against anyone who crosses them,"

"Ah...well, one point for original name, minus one point for a stupid reason,"

"GET THEM!!"

--

Kilnorc: Man, this chapter was long! Hope ya'll liked!

On the next chapter of Origin...

Axe: Wow...she's strong and tough!

Ripley: Oh, I stole some stuff to help my cartography.

Kairi: Without Sanji, I guess we're going out now, huh?

Ripley: What is it you kids want to do with your lives?

Ripley's Dream! Strength Behind the Hammer!

Axe: HOLY CRAP! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! THIS IS FANTASTIC!!