Chapter Five - Marines at The Bay
There was no way she was going to go back to the Spade Pirates. After what happened, Ace would make sure he'd kill her himself and she didn't want to fight. The marines were already after her, and now so were the Spade Pirates; life was not going well for her at the moment. Kuzan's bit of sympathy did nothing to help her, it only made it clear to her that if he was chasing after her she would have been dead. Emilia let out a breath and hopped onto the ship which was docked by the port, not knowing whose ship it was. But that didn't matter at the moment, what mattered was her escape. Not only from the marines, but mainly from Ace.
There was a rough textured brown box which looked big enough for her to hide inside and Emilia hopped inside it without thinking twice. Luckily for her the box had nothing but thermocol inside it, and throwing it out and making it seem natural didn't take a lot of effort. The box was beside the mast of the small ship and along with it was many other boxes but none the size of the box she huddled inside, and they resembled a pirate ship but it didn't have a jolly roger to be called one. That didn't matter, if she stayed hidden, at least until she was sure Ace was out of the island, getting past the marines wouldn't be too hard. It wasn't as if she hadn't ever done such a thing before. Emilia let out a breath and held onto the gold bracelet, and stayed on guard.
Footsteps. She could hear footsteps. Emilia didn't panic; she remained calm and quiet inside that box, wondering who the footsteps belonged to. One slip and she could die; Emilia had this in mind when she hid herself inside that box, nothing at the moment could stop her from trying to get away. "Where'd she go? I was sure she was here!" Emilia didn't recognize the voices, but she was sure they were looking for her. Who else could they be looking for? She was the only one on that ship. "If we don't find her, then the boss will have our head!" Another voice said and Emilia gulped.
"She couldn't have gotten far. She can't swim, so that's our advantage." Emilia frowned. They didn't know of her Wind abilities. She could fly for practically twelve seconds, but twelve seconds of flight wasn't going to save her life. A quiet whimpering could be heard behind her, and Emilia thought it must have been a bat or a squirrel or some winter animal that got stuck in that ship. She ignored the whimpering and continued to stay out of sight. She didn't know how long she would have to stay there, or how she would get a clue as to whether Ace left the island or not. But, the right decision at the moment was to wait. And Emilia was patient.
The footsteps disappeared and Emilia peeked through the bunch of boxes to see if the men were gone. They weren't on the ship anymore, which meant they had gotten down a minute ago. She waited for another two minutes and let out a sigh of relief, but stiffened when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned quickly, a knife in her hand and her eyes stared into the eyes of something small, something looking straight at her, something that looked afraid and alone. "Please," that something said and Emilia's stomach dropped. The light now shone at where she was, and that something revealed itself. It was a girl, not older than six or seven, wearing ragged clothes and looking dirty all over. "Please, help me…"
Emilia didn't know why she did what she did next, but she pushed the little girl to the ground, knife just below her neck and said, "Were those men after you?" The little girl almost shrieked, but she controlled herself, knowing the shriek could kill her. "Yes…my-my master sent them after me…" Emilia cocked her eyebrow. Master? Was this girl a slave?
"What do you mean?" Emilia asked, her voice callous, her hands not lowering her knife. "I was bought by master two years ago…I hated working…he always beat me, he always told me that whatever I did was not good enough…he lied to me telling me I could see my mama again…I ran away because…" The girl didn't have to reason herself. Emilia felt her insides churn, but she could not allow herself to feel pity. No one had pitied her; she had no obligation to do the same. Emilia released her and said, "You're a slave," it wasn't a question, but a mere observation. The girl nodded.
"Please, lady…please I beg you! Please help me…" The girl begged, tears now streaking down her dirtied cheeks. Emilia wondered how much of torture the girl must have gone through, how much of pain she would have seen, how much of misery she must have lived through, and yet…yet nothing phased her. "I can't." Emilia said and looked out of the ship. It was nearing nighttime, and Emilia knew that was no reason for her to let her guard down. Here she was, haunted by her past, chased by the marines and wanted to be killed by the Spade Pirates.
Emilia turned to the girl and said, "Where's your home town?" The girl blinked once, the light in her eyes could never be mistaken and said, "Drau." Emilia cussed. Drau was a little island four or five islands from where she currently was. Getting to Drau was the only way she could move forward to the New World. Could she risk her life trying to save the little girl, when she had not even risked her life to save anyone before? Emilia didn't know what to do. She turned to the girl and said, "I can't help you," and with that, the devil-fruit user dropped back down, trying hard to forget about the slave girl she had seen minutes before.
The moon looked magnificent that day, too white for her liking. Emilia ignored everything as she hid behind a building, the cold was not getting to her but she could feel chills down her spine. She had the black cloak around her, her brown shorts and black top concealed well enough, it was almost unrecognizable. All that could be seen was her jaw, but one cannot recognize someone with just the jaw. Emilia knew that the only way to get out of the island was to steal a ship. And what better ship was there to steal than the Spade Pirates? If she stole their ship, they wouldn't be able to follow her, at least for a while, and that would reduce her burden by one. She would only have the marines on her back, like before. But, for that, Emilia had to reach the Spade Pirate ship without being caught.
She knew it was almost close to impossible.
"Captain, there's no sign of the girl here!" One of his crewmembers yelled and Ace grumbled. He turned to Joel, who was the calmest at the moment and said, "Where do you think she is?" Joel shrugged. "Captain, I still think-""Save it, Joel. We know you liked her. But, she betrayed us. She's a murderer too. And that doesn't stop me from going after her. We need that gold." Joel knew the gold wasn't what was making the captain talk like the way he was. "We don't know that, Captain. She's running away from the marines, and if we believe what the military is saying then that means-""They can't be lying about this. Trust me, I know military people. Not all of them are bad." He immediately thought about his grandfather.
Ace smiled slightly, but no one could see it. The moon wasn't kind enough to show them the smile Ace had. "Besides, that Bristoff guy was supposed to be a strong Vice Admiral. She killed him in cold blood." That was not what he was after. Joel saw it. He knew it.
Ace was interested in her past. He used the gold simply as an excuse. If she was being pursued by the marines, then that was enough reason for him to be curious. She was supposedly the killer of Vice Admiral Bristoff, and she was supposedly a spy. "Check near the docks! Come on men, this island isn't that big!" There was a loud cheer and Joel followed his captain. Ace knew what he was doing, but more than that, Joel feared for the outcome. "Why do you still think Emilia is a good person?" Ace asked and Joel didn't answer right away.
"There was something about her that reminded me of myself, Captain." Ace was intrigued. "What do you mean?" he asked, turning to the larger male. "Emilia the Sylph…she's being chased down by the marines, she is no pirate, yet the navy wants her dead because they think she killed Bristoff. But…something about her tells me that she isn't a killer, Captain. She can be a con artist, she can be a cheat for all that matter…but a killer, she sure ain't one of those," Ace wouldn't say anything to that.
"Even if I was the one who did most of the talking, I noticed how her face was when I talked about dreams, Captain…I'm sure the girl has some of her own." Ace smiled a little at this. Joel might be a big, sturdy looking man, but he sure had a heart of gold.
"What are we gonna do once we find her, Captain?" Joel asked and Ace sighed. "What we do best. Run away from the navy."Joel smirked and said, "I'll look over by the docks, Captain." Ace nodded. He walked over to the edge of the island, where most pirates would dock their ships and he noticed a group of men walk out of a ship which didn't look too much like a pirate ship. "I can't find the damn girl!" Ace's ears perked up. "Girl?" He muttered and walked over to them and said, "Well, can you kind men tell me what girl you're looking for?" the men grumbled at Ace and said, "None of your business, kid. Beat it." Ace chuckled and turned his right hand into fire.
"No, you see, I can't do that. I'm also looking for a girl. So, if you men can tell me…" The two men in front of Ace fell to their knees and screamed. As Ace's fires got closer to them, one of the men gave in and said, "There's a slave girl! A s-slave girl escaped f-from her master! We were asked to retrieve her! Honest!" Ace sighed. He didn't have time for side tracks. With that, Ace grabbed the collars of the two men and pushed them away, "Get out of here." They did as they were told. Ace sighed and brushed a hand through his hair, muttering to himself how hard it was to find Emilia. If she were a successful con artist for a reason, then it had to be because she couldn't be found once they let her out of their sight.
It was a second later he noticed something shimmer from the ship that the men got out of. Ace frowned slightly and walked over there, slowly, cautiously, not knowing what was in store for him. He jumped on the ledge of the ship and noticed a few boxes lying on the deck and he hummed. "Looks like those men didn't really want to search for the girl…" He reached his hand out and pulled the girl out with ease. "You're right here." The girl shivered with fear and tears welled in her eyes. "You're the slave girl they were talking about." The girl shuddered. "Hey, relax… I won't hurt you." Ace said, honestly and the girl almost believed him. "Please help me…I want to find my mama…" Ace's heart went out for the girl.
"Where is your mama?" He asked, holding the girl more comfortably now. She adjusted herself in his grasp and said, "Drau…" Ace smiled. "We're heading that way. Don't worry. My men and I will keep you safe." The girl smiled widely and hugged Ace, the male blinking with confusion. "What's your name?" He asked her, seating her on his shoulders. "Tash..." Ace nodded. "My name's Ace, okay? And, did you happen to see another girl here? Black hair, black eyes, barely enough clothing for a winter island-""Yes! She came here not too long ago…" Ace froze. "Where'd she go?" Tash sighed and said, "She just hopped off and left…she didn't want to help me…" Ace frowned.
"I have to find Joel and have him take you to the ship." Ace muttered and Tash didn't say a word. Tash was a girl with brown hair and green eyes, dirt smeared all over her body, a scared looking face. The most prominent feature that could be seen even in the dark was the freckles on her nose. The minute Ace told her he'd help her, she trusted him with her life. "Joel!" Ace yelled as he saw the male not too far off. He ran toward the larger male and said, "Take the girl to our ship. We're dropping her off in Drau." Joel didn't even ask him who the girl was. He nodded and carried the girl, before muttering, "One of our crewmates reported seeing an Admiral in this island, Captain." Ace's eyes widened. "Do you think…?" Joel blinked. "They're sending Admirals after her now?" Ace cussed and Joel didn't say a word. "Captain, I think we should…" He didn't like saying it either, but there was no other option. For the safety of his own crew, Ace had to voice it himself.
"Call off the search. We're getting off this island." Joel didn't smile. "Aye, aye, Captain." With that, the big man ran off to the ship with Ace following closely behind. Once they did reach the ship however, Ace's eyes widened. Emilia was there, but she wasn't alone. "What the hell…"
With her were five other marine men, and one of them, grey hair and black glasses, had her bound with Kairoseki handcuffs, and he held her by her neck. He choked the girl as he noticed the Spade Pirates. "Ah, very nice to see the pirate Captain that led Emilia the Sylph to us," Ace didn't know why he was angry. "You see, we've been hunting her down for a long while. She murdered one of our own men, when she herself was part of the marines!" Emilia made a choking sound and the man holding her shushed her. "Bristoff was one of the only ones she was closest to. It's a shame she killed someone who considered her a friend." Joel's eyes widened. He saw something his captain didn't.
"She's been running for a whole year, this woman. Now-"He increased the grip around her neck, "-we finally have her thanks to you." With that, one of the five marines threw a smoke bomb, and they were enveloped in a gust of black smoke. "Damn it! Joel, can you see-""No, Captain!" He didn't even have to think. Emilia was gone. As soon as the smoke cleared, a dead silence had them in. "Captain…" Joel said, holding onto the girl as firmly as he could. Ace didn't reply. "Emilia she…when the marine spoke about her killing Bristoff, she…" Ace groaned and jumped on his ship. "I know, Joel." He said and the big man was sure his captain had seen it as well.
He had seen the streak of tears that was flowing down Emilia's cheeks.
"What now Captain?" Ace didn't even think twice. "I'm sorry Tash, but you've got to wait a little." Tash blinked. "We're getting that damned con artist back." There was no cheer. There was no motivation. There was simply a dead silence that wanted nothing more than the head of that marine cut off.
Emilia ran to the ship as fast as she could. She found no one there, something about that seemed suspicious, and she sighed. She hopped onto the deck and looked around for anyone who was left behind to watch the ship. "Is Ace that big of an idiot to leave his ship unwatched?" She muttered, not expecting any answer. "Oh, no. Ace is rather smart. Only that the ones who he left behind weren't that strong." A voice said and Emilia froze. She knew that voice anywhere. "Cancer…how nice to see you." She wasn't happy. "Ah, don't be so unhappy now. I'm taking us back home, Emilia-"Emilia pushed her hands in front of her and said, "Miasma!" A large gust of wind flew right out of her hand and pushed the grey-haired male down the ship. The wind turned into string like creations that presented themselves right next to where Emilia stood.
"Cancer, you know very well that you're no match for me, so don't even try to fight me." She said her voice low and dangerous. She had to get out of there before Ace and the rest of the crew found her. Cancer got back up, his smirk not leaving his face. In one quick moment, Emilia's hands were pulled behind her and handcuffed. "What the-"She felt weak all of a sudden and the girl collapsed onto her knees. Cancer, the Vice Admiral, walked toward her and clicked his tongue. "Bristoff was a fool for trusting you." Emilia cussed. "Also, doesn't that teacher of yours love to watch you suffer?" Emilia's eyes widened and not a word exited from her throat.
"Keep in mind, Emilia…greed is good. Go find that man. Bring him back to me. You don't care about your village anyway."
"If you stray from your path Emilia dearest, I will hunt you down and kill those closest to you."
"Don't think we don't know, Emilia the Sylph. We know just who you are." Emilia felt a gush of wind flow, her body shivered with the cold which was a very unfamiliar feeling, since the Kairoseki made her weak. Cancer grabbed her by her neck and choked her. "Well, well, look what we have here…" Emilia turned her gaze to her left and noticed Ace stand down near the ship. Things were done for her.
With the smoke bomb, Emilia felt herself dragged down the ship and taken to another. The Spade Pirate ship was untouched. She couldn't think of anything about them at the moment, the only thing she could think about was escaping the madman that held her by her hair. "Ugh…" Emilia grunted when Cancer tugged her hair once more and threw her inside the iron cage that was especially built for humans. She felt her entire body tremble with the wind that never once hurt her before, and Cancer's grin made her blood boil. "Don't look at me like that, Emilia dearest," he said, putting his hands in front of him. "I'm just taking you back home,"
Home? The Navy Headquarters' was definitely not home. "You must feel very weak by now, don't you?" Emilia didn't answer his question but she knew he knew she did feel weak. "The handcuffs are made of seastone, the stone that repels those devil fruit abilities of yours. And also…" Cancer leaned in closer to the cage she was inside, Emilia leaning back against the edge, "…so is this cage," Emilia let out a bitter laugh as she watched Cancer adjust his glasses. "You act all rough and confident with that ability, but trust me, there are much better pirates and fighters than you-""What are you here for, Cancer? Other than capturing me? You're here to give me a headache as well?" Emilia spat, the smirk on her face not reducing.
Cancer's smirk didn't die. It simply grew. "Cockiness has never been an attractive quality for girls, Emilia." Emilia nodded as she said, "So I've been told." With that, Cancer walked off muttering something incoherent, and Emilia's smirk vanished. Seastone was impossible to escape out of. Escaping this at the moment was going to be hard. There was no way she could pull this off on her own. There were so many things she still had to do, and she knew if she was taken to the Navy headquarters, then death was what followed. The time was past midnight, there was a small window that let her see the dreaded moon from inside. She turned her gaze away.
"It's awkward to see you inside the cage, Emilia," A soft voice said and her ears perked. Her eyes searched for the source of the familiar voice and her eyes remained narrowed. "Don't look so furious," a silhouette entered out of the shadows, holding a broom stick, "It's just me." It was a girl, almost her age, sky blue hair and eyes that matched. "It's good to see you after so long, Emilia." Emilia knew who the girl was; it was a friend from long ago. A friend she still considered close. "Jaclyn?" Emilia whispered, wondering what the blue haired girl was doing there.
Jaclyn approached Emilia's cage and whispered, "When I heard that they were sending Cancer out to search for you, I had to hop in to help. I know it wasn't you, Emilia…you'd never kill anyone. Especially not Bristoff… not after he-""I'm glad you believe me, but you have to get me out of here." Jaclyn shut her eyes and shook her head. "I can't. We're at the middle of the sea. I know you can fly off, but there's a time limit. You're only going to die if I let you go. And so will I." Emilia understood that. "I can do one thing though," Jaclyn raised her hand, revealing another set of handcuffs. "Handcuffs?" Jaclyn smiled as she said, "Not seastone, just…handcuffs." Emilia's eyes twinkled.
"There will be a trial in a week, for your sentence. They'll take you to the judge and…you know the whole procedure, right?" Emilia nodded. "The trial's your only chance at escaping. During the trial, all you'll be cuffed with are these; you can break free and jump off the building and escape, like you usually do." Emilia was grateful.
"Why're you helping me? You're a marine, I'm a p-""You're my friend. And I'm helping an innocent woman who's been framed. So, don't tell me what to do, got it?" Jaclyn released Emilia's handcuffs and replaced them with the normal ones. "I'll bring you some food." Emilia sighed. She only hoped that no harm would befall Jaclyn for trying to help her. A minute later, the one who walked down wasn't Jaclyn. "Food, eh?"
"I'll tell that idiot girl to go sweep elsewhere. Pitying you is a mistake," Cancer said and walked off. Emilia sighed. He didn't know about the handcuffs. For that she was glad.
Author's Note: Whoa. Took me a hell lot of time to update this time. I've been busy with college and considering the lack of reviews I haven't been all that motivated to write this. But, I shall not stop for I love One Piece and Ace more. Hahaha. Anyway, as you've noticed there are a lot of Original Characters in this fanfic, and I personally believe OC fics are better than Reader Inserts because there's only a limited characterization of a reader, but with an OC there is much more depth and background. I've tried that with Emilia, she is very enigmatic as of now.
Jaclyn is a friend of Emilia's, which has to be clear and they've known each other from when Emilia was in the marines. Cancer isn't my character, he belongs to Oda and as some of you might not know, Cancer actually exists in the anime and manga. He fights during marineford as well. I've hit writer's block and writing has been a little hard, but One Piece is just too lovely, I've intentionally stopped watching it for now since I don't want to watch an episode per week, it kills me. I'm waiting for my (other) bae Sabo. Huehue~
Please read and review, you have no idea how much that can motivate me to update faster. :)