Pointless Report:
Gyahahaha~! Welcome to my first 'Pointless Report'. I'll be putting this mini section in before every chapter. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT THE STORY! So feel free to ignore it and just read the story!
Anyway, I just wanted to acknowledge (and thank) my friend Franny, for coming up with the idea (and name) for Honjin Island! *claps* Isn't she amazing folks? Well that's all I have to say this PR see you next chapter~!
P.S. I lied. I really do have something else. Vote on my poll located on my profile! It'll really help!
P.P.S. I lied again. I FINISHED A CHAPTER IN 4 AND A HALF DAYS!!! *Maniacal laugh*
'Law did you hear something?' 'No why?'
Mariko looked out the window. 'I thought I heard someone call my name just now… It's probably nothing though.' She said taking a bite of her toast. Law smiled. 'The sea sometimes plays tricks on you.' He said and took a sip of his coffee. Mariko smiled darkly. 'Wait for it…' she thought.
Law's face paled and dropped his cup. The shattering sound caught the crew's attention. 'Captain!' they yelled running to Law. Law was on the floor shaking. 'He's been poisoned!' Jean Bart yelled. 'Who could've…' he looked up at Mariko, who was peacefully nibbling on her toast. 'What did you do?!' he demanded. She smiled sweetly. 'I think it's obvious, I poisoned him just like you said.' She said in a sticky sweet voice.
'Give him the antidote!' Bepo yelled. She laughed. 'The only person on this ship I have to listen to is Law~!' she sang. Jean Bart growled. She grinned. Only when she thought they'd suffered to her satisfaction, the crew through uncertainty and Law through poison, did she produce a small vial.
'Here's the antidote, I hope you all learned your lesson~.' She said tossing the vial to Bepo, who immediately poured it down Law throat. Law gasped. 'What…lesson…?' he asked through gasps. 'That next time you get drunk, you leave me out of it!' She said stuffing the rest of her toast in her mouth.
Law blushed, she was talking about the party they'd had 2 days ago. They'd all had a little too much to drink and Mariko had been the only one sober enough to make sure they didn't kill themselves, then in the morning she had to manage the ship and deal with the entire crew's hangovers. Needless to say, she'd been plotting her revenge.
Law only nodded numbly as they heard a voice yell, 'CAPTAIN!!! I SEE AN ISLAND!!!'
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
Law breathed in the salty morning air. It was going to be a good day. Sure he'd been poisoned, but they were off to their first island in the New World. Mariko leaned over the side. 'It's beautiful,' she breathed.
The island had lush mountains running around the island, except for a small entrance that opened up slightly, revealing the valley paradise inside. As they came closer they realized that there weren't any towns or villages…
'How are we going to get supplies?' Jean Bart asked. 'We'll just have to hope there are animals or fruit trees that we can get.' Law replied.
They docked the ship near the entrance and made landfall. The valley was even more breath taking then what they'd seen at sea. Green grass as far as the eye could see. A crystal clear lake right in the center of the valley and the mountains rose so far up into the clouds that you couldn't see the top. The crew rushed off the ship, eager to see the island, only Mariko stayed onboard.
'Aren't you coming? We might be here for a while.' Bepo called. Mariko shook her head. 'I've been to many islands on the Grand Line, and if there's one thing I've learnt, it's that nothing is as it seems.' She said looking out towards the mountains. 'Besides,' she said as she watched a few flashes disappear from the side of the mountains, 'I don't think we're alone…'
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
'Law, get up.' Law opened his eyes a crack, Mariko was shaking him awake. 'What's wrong, can't it wait until morning?' he yawned. 'I feel a heavy tension nearby… I think something's about to attack us.' She whispered. She kept glancing out the window. 'We need to wake the crew up.' She whispered again pulling off his sheets. The night air clawed at his skin and made shivers run up his spine.
'Alright, how many are there?' he asked, grabbing for his hoodie and pants. Mariko covered her eyes. 'I'm wearing boxers and a t-shirt. You don't have to cover your eyes.' He said slightly amused. 'Yes I actually I do!' she said, her voice slightly muffled. 'You're one strange woman, did you know that Miss Mariko?' he asked pulling on his boots. 'You don't know the half of it.' She said sighing. If only he knew.
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
Her heartbeat was thunder in her ears and the tension was unbearable. The wind blew through her short wavy hair. Her clothes were a dark blue, matching her hair.
They were almost at the pirate ship, she and the 20 other volunteers. The pirates were all probably asleep. They'd been running around the valley since they'd arrived. 'Pirate scum,' she muttered under her breath. What right did they have coming onto the island like they owned it?
She fingered knife, the pirates wouldn't know what hit them.
A cold sweat rolled down her tanned cheeks, as she gave the signal to the others. Even though she wasn't the oldest or strongest of the group, she had been chosen to lead her group because of her brains.
Pretty soon their mission would be all over. She froze as she saw a figure walk on deck…Was that a bear?
The bear stood there as if waiting for something, or someone. 'Impossible,' she thought, 'they couldn't possibly have known we were coming!' The bear looked around one last time before going back.
She let out a sigh of relief. She turned to signal her group and found herself looking down the barrel of a gun. 'Good evening, how nice of you to visit our ship.' The girl said smiling. Everything went dark.
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
'So what're we going to do with them now?' Law asked looking at their prisoners. Mariko shrugged. 'We shouldn't hurt them. We need them to take us to their village so we can stock up on supplies. It doesn't send a good message to the locals if we kill a few of their best fighters in cold blood.' She said. Law sighed.
Still, he had to give her credit. When they'd woken the rest of the crew, they were able sneak off the ship. Then, when Bepo walked on board and the attackers were distracted, they knocked them out.
'I still don't understand why I was the distraction.' Bepo yawned. He was one of the few crewmen who hadn't gone back to bed. 'Because~ Bepo, you're a walking, talking, kungfu action polar bear! If I had to be distracted by anything, it'd be you.' She said exasperated. Law laughed, the girl had a way with telling people exactly what she wanted to say. 'STOP LAUGHING!!!'
The pirates turned their attention to the glaring girl. 'We'll never take you to our village you pirate scum!' she yelled again. Mariko flinched. 'I'd watch my tongue if I were you.' she whispered walking up to the girl. 'If you're trying to intimidate me, I'm not afraid of you.' The girl retorted. Mariko gave a sly smile.
'Oh really, you're not? That's interesting, considering the fact that you haven't any weapons, brains or brawn to beat me, I'd think that's reason enough to be scared.' Mariko said in a hostile tone. 'Where I come from we have a whole town of people scarier then you.' The girl growled. 'Yoko…' one of the men whispered, the last thing they needed was Yoko pissing of the pirates to defend her pride.
Yoko, of course, ignored him and was staring eye to eye with the pirate girl, her mint green eyes against Mariko's dark purple ones. Neither of them blinked. Law put a hand on Mariko's shoulder. 'Be nice, we need their help remember?' he whispered in her ear. Mariko only nodded, never shifting her gaze. He stood between the girls.
'We don't want any trouble. All we need is supplies, than as soon as the log sets we'll be on our way.' He said firmly. 'Like I'd trust a pirate, you'll kill us all before you keep your promise.' Yoko snapped standing up. Mariko pushed Law aside. 'If we wanted to kill you, I can assure you that we'd have already done so.' She said coldly.
'You want to fight, bitch? Cause I'll kick your ass.' Yoko said raising her fist. 'The outcome is already obvious, I hate fighting pointless battles.' Mariko replied. 'Mariko, we need her help whether you like it or not, now swallow your goddamn pride and let it go.' Law said grabbing Mariko's arm. 'Mariko?' Yoko thought.
It couldn't be, there was no way this girl could be the same kid she knew years ago. There was only one way to find out. 'Daiyomondo Mariko?' she asked cautiously. Mariko whipped her head around. Yoko gasped. This couldn't be happening, how could this cold teenager, be the quiet friendly little girl she remembered. 'How do you know my name…?' Mariko asked.
Yoko looked deep into Mariko's eyes. There was no doubt about it. No one else in the world could have that particular shade of purple. 'It really is you.' Yoko whispered. Warm tears began to streak down her cheeks. 'What are you doing here with these pirates Mariko-sama?' she asked. 'You should be home, where you belong.' Mariko's eyes widened. 'How do you know me?' she asked shaking. 'WHO ARE YOU?!' she screamed.
'I used to work in the kitchens, we used to talk after I was finished working.' Yoko explained quickly. Mariko shook her head slowly. She looked from Yoko's tear stained face to Law questioning gaze. She couldn't stop herself. She ran.
She ran out of the galley, off the ship and through the valley. She could hear the shouts as she ran but the only sound that mattered was her thundering footsteps.
'You can't run from the past forever, it always catches up to you one way or another.' Yukio had told her.
She didn't care, just as long as she just kept running.
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
'She's gone,' Law said quietly coming back into the galley. 'I'm sorry.' Yoko said. 'It's just that it's been so long since I've seen her…Since anyone's seen her in 10 years.' Law looked at Yoko suspiciously. 'What do you mean by that?' he asked. 'I mean exactly what I said. 10 years ago she and her aunt just disappeared. No one's seen or heard of them since…We all assumed they had died.' She finished grimly. 'Her aunt?' 'Yes,' she said sadly, 'Yukio.'
The room went silent. Yukio was Mariko's…aunt? Law groaned. It was bad enough that she'd been sold as a slave, but having her aunt sell her? No wonder she was so anti-social.
'Just who is she? Why would she and,' Law hesitated, 'Yukio, just disappear? Did they do something wrong?' he asked. Yoko squirmed. 'I don't think I should be the one to tell you, especially if Mariko hasn't. She'll tell you when she's ready.' She said avoiding Law's gaze. 'Well is there anything you can tell us?' he asked cautiously.
She sighed. 'Only that on our island, she's someone of great importance. I don't know that much about her personal life. I only worked in her family's kitchen and moved here to Honjin Island 5 years ago.' She replied.
'Do you think she's alright?' she asked to no one in particular. No one answered. Law looked out the window. Somewhere, he knew, in the distance, Mariko was screaming.
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
Mariko came back a few hours later. Everyone was still in the galley. 'Good morning.' Law yawned. He'd been up all night. 'Sorry for running off, I needed to clear my mind.' she responded. Law looked up from his coffee, Mariko was dripping wet.
'I went swimming,' she mumbled, answering the unspoken question. 'You went swimming in the lake?! How could you?! The water's poisonous!' Yoko exclaimed, waking up the others in the room. 'I considered swimming there, but I decided not to. I swam in the ocean.' She said dryly. She turned to look at Law. 'Did she tell you?' she asked. 'No, she said it was your choice whether we knew or not.' He said evenly. She nodded.
'I'm going to bed. Later we can go to Yoko's village to get our supplies.' She murmured. Law watched her leave and felt compelled to stop her, but didn't. 'I think it's time we all got some sleep.' He sighed.
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
Mariko was already in bed when Law came in. She looked up at him with suspicious eyes. 'Well?' she asked expectantly. 'Well what?' he replied taking off his boots. 'Aren't you going to order me to tell you everything?' she asked suspiciously. Law paused for a moment. 'No,' he whispered, 'I'm not.'
'…Why? I can see that you want to know, and if you ordered me, I'd have no choice but to tell you.' She continued. 'I know, but it's your past and it's your decision whether you tell me or not. Besides if I did that you'd hate me forever.' He said casually. She turned away. 'I wouldn't hate you…' she thought before she closed her eyes.
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
'Is it because the water in the lake's poisonous that you live inside the mountains?' Law asked peering around at the underground tunnel. 'That, and because it's too out in the open, pirates could attack us and corner us easily, so we've made our home in these natural tunnels connecting the mountains.' Yoko explained. Mariko silently observed to tunnel walls. She didn't feel like talking.
'It's amazing.' Jean Bart commented. Yoko smiled. 'Thanks!' she chirped. 'We're here!' someone yelled from upfront. They stood there in awe, drinking in the sight.
The village was incredible. The houses were scattered everywhere. Rays of sunlight streamed through a hole near the top giving the cavern an unearthly glow. There were people everywhere. Their voices echoed and bounced off the walls and warm laughter surrounded them.
'The marketplace is in the center of the cavern, you should find everything you need there.' One of Yoko's men explained. After saying their thanks, the Heart pirates (and Mariko) descended into the village. 'By the way,' Yoko shouted as they left, 'if anyone gives you any trouble, tell them Yoko invited you!'
'I'm going exploring.' Mariko said quickly. She turned and dashed through the crowd, before anyone could stop her. 'Let her go.' Law said without turning around. 'She just needs some space for a while.'
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
Mariko didn't slow down until she was at the opposite side of the market. She wandered around the stalls, randomly browsing at the strange curios. Every now and then she'd overhear the gossip being swapped behind her.
'…isn't that the pirate girl…?' '…must've gotten into an argument…' '…looks so gloomy…' '…don't want her around…' '…pirate scum…'
Her pride wanted desperately to lash out and scream at them whenever she heard them talking, but she remained silent. 'Don't cause a scene.' She'd mutter to herself.
She couldn't afford to be noticed by the marines. If they found her, they'd take her back home, bring her to Father and Mother, she'd just be a burden to them. When the time was right she'd go back.
'Hey Miss, you gonna buy something?' The voice brought her back down to earth. 'Uh, no…I'm just browsing.' She said lamely. She took a quick look around her. Somehow, she'd wandered into a tent. 'We've got a large selection.' The merchant said gesturing at the counters and tables. She peered at the merchandise, she smiled. The only thing in the entire place was jewelry.
'I'm sorry but I really don't need any more.' She explained. He paused at looking her for a moment and smiled. 'You mean you don't think any of it comes to standard with the ones you have, is that it?' he asked kindly. She felt the face burn with shame. 'Well missy, I can see you know good quality when you see it…I have one item that might catch your interest.' He said disappearing under the counter.
When he came up, he was holding a small velvet box with gold leaves crisscrossing the border. 'This,' he said proudly, 'is the best I have. If this doesn't come to your satisfaction, well I might as well retire.' Dramatically, he opened the box.
Inside was a small bracelet, but it without a doubt, surpassed everything else in the shop. Medium sized silver balls were strung together by a thin string of white gold. The light made the bracelet sparkle in the most intriguing way, making rainbow lights dance on the ceiling. The craftsmanship was flawless. Each ball was the exact same size, polished to perfection and made with delicate care. There was only one place in the world that could make such a beautiful creation.
'Made and imported straight from Hōseki Island.' He whispered. 'But, how did you get it? You can only get these on the island itself!' she stuttered. He smiled. 'My friend who lives on the island gave it to me when I visited him.' He explained. Mariko was speechless. 'It's been a while since I've shown anyone this, but after meeting you, I think you should have it. It'll be of more use with you then sitting on a shelf collecting dust.' He said handing it to her.
'Sir, I couldn't possibly,' 'Go on,' he interrupted, 'it was made for you.' He insisted. 'Thank you…' she said blushing. She undid the clasp and put the bracelet around her wrist, it fit perfectly. As she turned to go, the merchant yelled after her. 'You should look at the design on the clasp! It's really something!' he yelled. She turned it over and froze. The clasp had a nightingale craved onto it.
Her body went numb. 'No,' she thought, 'it's just a coincidence. However, it might be best not to look suspicious…' She turned to him and flashed him a smile. 'It's beautiful!' she yelled. She forced herself to walk.
-This is a time/scene skip…this is the only way Fanfiction'll let me divide things…Ignore this-
'I swear that's all I know!' the bounty hunter pleaded. The man tightened his grip around the throat. 'Surely you could be…a little more helpful.' The man said calmly. 'Pl…ease…I…ca…n't…br…ea…th…' the bounty hunter choked. The man let go and watch the bounty hunter collapse.
'Bishamon, sir, please, we may still need him!' one of his men reasoned. 'You say she got on a pirate ship. There are thousands in these waters. I need more information.' Bishamon growled kicking the man. 'It was dark so I couldn't see the mark or the captain!' the man howled. Bishamon was silent.
'Well,' he said slowly, 'there's no point keeping you here if that's all you know.' The man's bloodied face looked up at him with a mixture of hope and fear. 'Unfortunately my lord has ordered me to keep this mission from the public, too bad for you.' He said smirking as the man's face twisted into pure horror.
A single shot echoed through the night.
