Pocoya: I'm really sorry! This chapter took too long... T^T
Luffy: Hey, don't worry! At least you made it ^^
Pocoya: Again, I'm really sorry. I had a major writer's block, then I had the term exams.... Sorry
Luffy: I want to thank everyone who has supported this story, the Straw Hats really appreciate it ^^
Pocoya: Yeah, and thank you for reviewing Deadlyluv and silverlodi!! You get some cookies =D
Luffy: Pocoya doesn't own One Piece or its characters, only this story ^^
Pocoya: Anyway, reviews are much appreciated! n.n
Beyond The Waves
Chapter 2: Rebel
She gritted her teeth with fury. That Helmeppo, how can he be so… so… miserable. They had returned after the meeting with Zoro at the cross. Helmeppo had left saying something about telling his father how much he loved him while she had gone back to her bedroom. She now sat on her bed, past memories passing through her mind again.
Her violet eyes glared at the pink wall in front of her. Helmeppo wanted her to have a feminine and pretty bedroom. Dumbass. She took a deep breath, trying to cool her self down, but that guilty feeling didn't leave. Rika... She could have stood up for the little girl but she couldn't. She felt so bad, leaving a little girl on her own...
She sat up having decided, her eyes confident, she was going to check on Rika. She was free to go to the village but she couldn't go on her own, but this time she needed to go alone... Her eyes wandered as she thought about it, her hand on her chin. She snapped her fingers cheerfully.
"That's it!" she chirped
In the wink of an eye she had run down the long corridor and opened a rather large door. She smiled when she saw that nobody was there, in the laundry. With quick steps, she searched through the clothes: Dirty, dirty, dirty, clean! Oh no, there's a stain on it...
"Bingo!" she raised an old white uniform that one time belonged to a young soldier.
The blue eyes of the little girl lit up with happiness.
"Really?"
The boy with the straw hat grinned at her as he answered.
"Yeah, he ate everything!"
"I'm so happy!"
She closed her eyes in bliss. She was so happy, Onii-chan liked her Onigiri! Her childish thoughts were cut off by a soft voice calling her by her name.
"Rika!"
The little girl glanced at the voice. She giggled to the older girl.
"Steph! You look like a soldier!"
The redhead was wearing an old marine uniform: an unbuttoned white jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, along with some trousers which were too big for her. She even had the cap over her bun, making her look boyish. But her feminine features didn't go unnoticed. She smiled nervously at the younger girl.
"Yeah, I guess so" her face turned serious "But it doesn't matter now. Are you okay? You are not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Rika just smiled.
"I'm fine Steph, Luffy caught me before I hit the ground"
She glanced at the boys sitting on the barrels.
"Thank you for saving Rika, I couldn't stop it"
"No problem!" replied the one with the straw hat.
The boy with the pink suddenly remembered something.
"You! You're the girl that was with that guy from before!"
"...Were you spying on us?" she quirked an eyebrow.
"W-Well, more or less, yeah"
The redhead just shrugged it off.
"Oh! I haven't introduced myself. My name is Stephanie Dubois, I work at the local Marine base as a maid"
"Nice to meet ya! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, but you can call me Luffy!" exclaimed grinning the boy with the straw hat.
"And I'm Coby, nice to meet you"
"The pleasure is mine" replied Steph smiling
"Um... Steph? Is Zoro really an evil guy like they say?"
The redhead blinked a couple of times.
"Of course not!"
"No!"
Both girls replied confident at the same time. They looked to each other, who would tell them the truth?
"Well, he is in jail because of us" said Rika looking to the ground.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" asked Luffy.
"Everything is Helmeppo's fault!" exclaimed Steph
"Captain Morgan's son..."
"Move, move! Clear the road for my cute pet!"
A big wolf was trotting along and destroying everything it could get his paws on. It wasn't cute, it was hideous. Stephanie was scared of the wolf but she couldn't leave Helmeppo's side, mostly because he had grabbed her arm in a tight grip.
"Anyone in the way will be executed!"
It was then when the wolf entered the pub which Rika's mother owned. Everyone rose up and stood out of the way of the wolf. It was eating the food on the table. Rika grabbed a broom and began to shake it to scare the wolf away.
"No! Stop it!"
"Hey, you. Do you have a problem with my pet?"
Stephanie grabbed his arm.
"Helmeppo stop. It's only a little girl, leave her alone"
He ignored her.
"Rika, stop it. You're going to get in trouble" said Rika's mom.
"Helmeppo, please, don't do it!" Steph shook his arm lightly.
She went to do it again when he grabbed her wrist. She then felt a stinging feeling on her cheek. He had slapped her. She fell to the wooden floor with a 'thump'. Stephanie touched her arching cheek with her hand as she looked up at him.
"No, no, my beloved Stephanie" He made a 'tsk' sound "I can do everything I want, I am the Captain Morgan's son!"
He began to laugh as the wolf pounced on Rika. The little girl screamed.
"Rika!"
Suddenly, all of a sudden, a stool hit the wolf and sent him to his owner's feet.
"Inugata!" exclaimed Helmeppo "Who did that? I won't let you go!"
The man who threw the stool sat there calmly. Stephanie glanced at him from the ground. Who was this man?
"Who the hell are you?!"
Helmeppo approached him, aiming a sword at him.
"Oh!... You can't be... Pirate hunter Zoro?"
Zoro? The famous pirate hunter? The one that is supposed to be a demon? He did have three swords at his side, so maybe...?
"So what?" replied his deep voice.
"Why the hell is a pirate hunter bothering the Marines?"
"Let me eat in peace"
Steph would have smiled at that if it wasn't for her arching cheek. Helmeppo glared at the man and swung his sword.
"You!"
With a quick movement, the pirate hunter disarmed him. Helmeppo gaped at his sword, now in the ceiling, while the swordsman took this opportunity to punch him, which sent the Captain's son against the wall of the pub. The man with the green bandana unsheathed his sword and held it against Helmeppo's throat.
"You're annoying..." said the swordsman "Your pet too"
Helmeppo shuddered and then began laughing.
"Don't you understand? If my father finds out about this, those people will be executed"
Rika hugged her mother tightly. Steph glared at Helmeppo, how much she despised him... He rose up.
"What do you think? Why don't we make a deal? Why don't you go to jail instead of them? Let's see... one month. If you survive for one month, I'll let you go too"
"What about her?" The swordsman tilted his head towards Steph lying in the ground.
Helmeppo glanced at her for a moment.
"She'll be free too. She'll be able to go with you. What do you say? All yours. She'll belong to you"
Steph looked up at the swordsman and they connected their eyes for a second. She could see that this feared pirate hunter was a good person. The swordsman turned his eyes to the Captain's son.
"How about it?" asked nervously Helmeppo.
"One month, right?"
With those three words, he let his sword fell to the ground.
"It's been three weeks and... I..." Steph closed her violet eyes "I-It's my fault. I-If I had stood up for myself then he wouldn't be--"
"Hey, it's not your fault" said Coby trying to calm down the older girl.
Rika hugged her middle.
"Steph... Please don't cry! Onii-chan said it wasn't your fault!"
The redhead wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"B-But Helmeppo punches a-and kicks Zoro while he's tied there... I-It's not fair!"
"So that's what happened..." Coby thought out loud.
There was a person who didn't talk. He was thinking about what happened, his straw hat covering his eyes. Then with a determined mind, he looked up.
"You want to repay him, right?" Steph nodded.
He grinned, his white teeth sparkling in the sun "Then come with me!"
Suddenly, sound of broken glass came from down the street. Everyone glanced at the pub that was close by. Steph grimed at the whiny voice that was coming from there. Please, don't let it be...
"I'm hungry! We're all going to eat for free"
...him.
"Hey, hurry up and bring some alcohol!"
Coby frowned realizing something.
"Wait, isn't he...?"
"Yes, it's him. Helmeppo"
Steph sighed, sitting herself on the stone stairs. Her white trousers were going to get dirty. Oh well, like that matters. Helmeppo's whiny tone could still be heard.
"What's taking so long? Hurry up!"
Luffy stood up, his intention was going to the pub and clear some things up. As he walked, Coby and Rika followed him. But the little girl glanced back.
"Steph, aren't you coming?"
The redhead looked up, feeling three pairs of eyes on her. She went to say something but decided against to. She said something else instead.
"No Rika, I'm sorry. I would love to, but if he sees me here, in town, by myself I would get in trouble"
It was true. If Helmeppo or someone else from the base found her, that would mean one week drinking water and eating nothing by the nice shade of a cell. And with those hated cuffs too. Thinking about it made her cringe.
"Okay! Do whatever you need to do"
Steph nodded smiling. The boy with the straw hat made her smile easily, it was like he was some kind of light.
"I'll be waiting at the base for you!"
"All right, see ya!"
"See you later!"
"Bye Steph!"
When she saw their figures entering the pub, she rose up. She tried to clean those dark dots of dirt off her white trousers. She had to return to the base to prepare herself. She gave up, seeing the grey stains never leaving.
As she walked back to the base at a slow pace, enjoying the calm walk, she gazed towards the clouds. She wanted to be free, just like them. Without even realizing it, she thought back at the pirate hunter.
His green hair that defied natural colors, his sharp features made him look aggressive but something in his eyes made her comfortable. When they looked at each other, back when they met, she could see he was reliable. She smiled again.
"Who knows? Maybe today..."
Maybe today, they would be free.