"Shakedown"

Letting Beth's hand go, now that she wasn't trying to float away, I sighed in disappointment. "I can't believe they held back that much. I mean I've sparred with Brogi and Dorry, but that attack is magnitudes more power than anything I can do, or anything I've seen them use." I supposed their giant 100 million belli bounty might be justified.

The woman next to me laughed, sitting on the deck floor. "Ya-ha-ha-ha! We almost got swallowed by a gigantic goldfish! It's a great day to be alive."

Carue quacked in agreement. He hadn't been worried; we'd been swallowed by Laboon before.

The Going Merry continued from the shore of Little Garden, the tsunami waves created by the energy spike from the weapons of giants fading into the ocean of the Grand Line. This was my shakedown trip, and I needed to befriend, or failing that, understand, the crew I'd adopted as my weapon against Crocodile.

I noticed the five person crew had gathered at the end of the boat which would have been swallowed first by the island sized goldfish. Even Usopp, who struck me as a coward. That spoke of unity, of faith.

"Come on, Carue." I motioned my duck over, and Beth followed too.

"I have one last introduction to make." Reaching into Carue's ducky pack, I pulled out my juvenile Den Den Mushi. "This guy is not for eating."

Holding up the sleeping snail, whose shell was purple, slowly darkening to black, I introduced Hercules, and told everyone the sequence needed to contact him on the Snail Network. I warned them the marines monitored that network, so discretion was a must. The only ones interested were Sanji, who muttered something about letting a 'crappy old man know he was alive', and Nami, who grabbed the snail to try and contact a 'Nojiko in Cocoyashi village'. I told her to return Hercules to Carue's ducky pack when she finished. That was his home.

So, now we were voyaging, adventuring even, and I barely had connections with my comrades. That wouldn't do. In the near future, I'd be putting my life in their hands, putting my faith in their abilities. For such a degree of trust, I wanted, demanded to know more, their histories, and personal quirks which might change the flow of dangerous situations. Their dreams and goals.

I started with 'The Black Leg' Sanji because of familiarity. At one point, we were rivals, and that affords a certain degree of respect and comfort. I am particular about those I respect, but one of the qualities I respect is power. That man had it.

"Hey cook, come here, I need to tell you about my eating utensils."

As if he teleported, Sanji appeared in front of me with a steaming fish entrée. "Just for you Vivi-schwan!" He announced in a warbling, flirtatious voice, removing a tray lid, and I thought the steaming filet looked delicious. Carefully, I used my own chopsticks, which I'd taken out from their wooden and leather case.

"Very good." I said. "I wanted to let you know I only use these chopsticks, and this drinking straw in consuming food." The mouthpiece my retired blowgun now served again as a straw for liquids, and I displayed my implements and their cases to the chef. "I take care of these myself, so please don't bother arranging a place setting for me."

This didn't go over well.

"No! It is the responsibility of a chef to take care of every aspect of the meal, including the utensils!" Sanji sounded imposing, authoritative, like a man should sound. "Please, Vivi-chan, entrust your dining needs under my care."

That was an unexpected plea. Unlike my necklace of log poses, I would have an excruciating time living without my seastone chopsticks and drinking tube. I had a spare eternal pose for Arabasta hidden inside Carue's ducky pack, but I'd never seen other seastone eating utensils in my entire life. Ultra rare. They let me actually taste the food I consumed, and I'd never accidentally poison myself by biting through them and chewing, unlike varnished wood, ceramics, or metals. I cultivated an aura of mystery, but it can backfire; Sanji didn't understand the level of trust he was asking.

"Then give my your word as a man and a chef - no else touches my chopsticks or straw. They are irreplaceable to me, both in function and in sentimental value." The seastone straw had been a personal going away present from my father when I left the island. Sometimes, when I was younger, I'd wondered what Dad would think about my blowgun.

"I swear it as a chef and a man!" Sanji exclaimed, and I could almost see a burning aura surrounding him.

When he put it like that, I could only bow out gracefully. After I finished the fish, I handed over my seastone with reverent care. Sanji understood exactly what they meant to me in that moment; any true chef would.

"Why'd you leave the Baratie anyway? Did Zef kick you out?"

Sanji told me, about how that shitty pirate (he pointed at Luffy) fought off a shittier pirate named Don Krieg, who wanted to plunder the Baratie. Reading between the lines, it had the kindness of chefs and saviors, in addition to battle armor and heroic burning kicks. Luffy had gotten old man Zef on his side regarding Sanji, and that told me the rubber-man had a type of charisma I'd only read about in storybooks. He also mentioned a shitty swordsman lost a battle, but Zoro didn't hear or acknowledge the taunt if he did.

"Sanji, I'm thirsty!" Yelled Nami as his story wound down.

"Nami-schwan, I'll be right there!" The chef disappeared again.

Walking over to the navigator, I had my next target. She was sipping on a fruity drink with an umbrella, and Sanji was occupied with Beth now.

"So how did you join this crew of pirates? You don't strike me as a pillaging type."

Nami smiled, but her eyes filled with sadness. "I used to hate pirates. My mother, Bellemere wasn't really my mother, she was a retired marine, but she raised my sister and I. She loved us, and deep inside her closet was the type of jacket I've seen marine captains wear, so I thought she was the strongest person in the world. Then Arlong, and his gang of fishmen pirates conquered our island. They captured my sister Nojiko and I, and all the fight went out of Bellemere. Arlong made a big show of it, and in the end he let us go and shot her in the head. She died…"

"Wait." I interrupted Nami. "If your mother had that level of fighting power, being shot wouldn't have killed her, especially if she was captain-class."

Nami shook her head. "She died. Arlong did complain about losing his 'lucky' bullet on my mother, after he forced me into working as his navigation slave. We had a deal; if I could pay him enough money for the entire Cocoyashi village, he'd leave us in peace."

"My guess is that deal held a large amount of double-crosses in it." For a bullet like that to take out a marine captain, who always had a fruit ability or knew of six fighting arts, it wouldn't have been a simple iron bullet. Perhaps it was a seastone bullet, or maybe it was a weaponized zoan shot. Otherwise, the story didn't make sense. By it wasn't my story, and I listened.

"That would be a good guess." Nami looked irritated, her hindsight giving her a moment of 'If only I had known then, it was obvious!' "To make a long story short, Arlong lied, I got Luffy involved, he saved my village, and I decided to become his navigator. It's always been my dream to draw a map of the world."

I had no doubt I'd hear the rest of Nami's story in the coming weeks. "Your circumstances aren't much different from mine. Though my island is bigger, and a Shichibukai is more dangerous than an East Blue pirate captain. I too, served my enemy in order as part of a plan to save my people. If Luffy can also come through for me, I'll support his dream."

"I expect you to find end of the Grand Line with us, after your homeland is safe." Said Nami, smiling.

"It's a promise."

The wind began blowing, and Nami took up her position as navigator. I walked down the ship, looking out at the ocean, smelling the sea breeze. I noticed the moss-haired guy blink briefly, before closing his eyes again. If he wasn't asleep, I could also hear his story.

"So what about you?" I asked Roronoa Zoro, who was laying against the mast.

"Greatest swordsman in the world."

"I only want to become strong enough to protect my people. I've tried swords in the past. At first they stuck in other weapons or armor, and when I got better, they kept breaking on me. They are unreliable. While I use the Peacock Slashers for now, my weapon of choice is the Rokushiki, the six great fighting arts. It's my dream to master them, though so far I've only mastered one."

"I've had problems with finding good weapons, but I trust the blades I carry." Zoro patted his swords.

"On the Grand Line, there are those who have a Devil's ability or immense strength which can destroy swords. I am one of those people."

Zorro didn't actually ask the question, but I could tell he wanted to.

"I bite them in half." I smiled. It wasn't a nice smile; I'd practiced in front of a mirror until it could reliably terrify random trashy pirates.

"Oooh!" Luffy, who was sprawled on the figurehead of the ship, overheard, stopped scratching Carue behind the ears and grabbed a steel bar with a stretch of his right arm. He handed it to me, and in two bites it was over. I spat the acidic mess in my mouth over into the ocean, and it sizzled on the water.

While my head was turned, the man handed me another, thicker, steel bar, fascinated by my existence.

"Once was enough." I told him. "Hate the aftertaste."

"You can bite anything in half?" He looked at me intensely, as if in love.

"Anything but seastone, and it has to fit around my mouth. It's an irritating ability that's caused me more harm than good. It's not like I can turn it off, and I can't digest metal."

"You're not as cool as the duck, but you can join my crew too!" He proclaimed, pumping his fists at the heavens.

"She already did!" Nami yelled it from the middle of the ship.

"Is that so? I am going to be the next Pirate King." Luffy smiled.

"And what type of king will you be? A responsible king leads his people, makes them listen. I've met hundreds of pirates on the Grand Line, and none of them were as kind as you. How will you make them stop hurting people for fun? You can't be everywhere."

This actually made the rubber-man think. He wasn't very good at it. The entire point of the title of 'Pirate King' as a wiser self-proclaimed pirate king had explained to me, was the ideal of freedom. The Pirate King was the freest man alive, for he ruled the oceans and his crew, and that was his kingdom of happiness. By accepting a responsibility for others beyond the timbers of his ship, a pirate king lost his 'Freedom's Crown.'

"I don't know." Said Luffy, after a minute. "I'll do what ever Gol D. Roger did."

"Not even Roger stopped pirates from pillaging or exploiting the weak." I said. Obviously Luffy hadn't heard the stories I had. Perhaps I'd share them one day.

"Then I'll become an even better Pirate King, a pirate who helps people!"

"I'll support your rule, if you are that kind of King."

"Thanks." Luffy went back to scratching Carue, who warbled in pleasure when just the right spot was rubbed. I noticed he didn't find it strange that I instantly accepted his grandiose proclamation. I'd met many 'future Pirate Kings' on the Grand Line, and my policy was always to humor them if not kicking their punk asses. It worked well.

The weather calmed, an unusual lull on these waters, and I'd spoken with nearly everyone. With nothing better to do, I found the last member of the crew I'd forced myself into, Usopp.

He began telling me a fanciful and embellished story, about how the crew joined him. Parts were entertaining, but what I took away from it was Usopp had mostly came along because his (girl)friend, Kaya, had given Luffy this pirate ship. Reading between the lines, part of the condition of patronage was the pirating education of Usopp.

"…and so that's what happened." Usopp finished. "It's how the might Captain Usopp joined the crew of the future Pirate King." Usopp stood proudly, unashamed. Then he winced and rubbed where his ribs were taped up.

"It's all a pack of lies!" Nami did seem to like control, but that was a good trait for a navigator.

"But…" Usopp tried to defend himself.

"Lies." Said Zoro, half-asleep.

"But…" Usopp tried to defend himself again.

"Lies." Called Sanji, from the kitchen.

"It might have been more fun if that happened, but it didn't." Said Luffy.

Usopp looked miserable, and I upgraded him from 'dead-pirate-walking' into 'odd-jobs-bitch'. That meant I'd try to help him instead of letting him kill himself on the Grand Line.

"Courage and misdirection allow even the powerless their victories." I comforted him with an empty platitude. Kohza bought it when we were kids. "Power without wisdom is unfocused and helpless. An indiscriminating explosion, damaging friends in addition to enemies. Still, you should know better than telling lies to your Nakama."

Usopp blushed and crept away. He grabbed a hammer and started shoring up the mast, which looked like someone had ripped it out. Maybe someone had. This was the Grand Line.

Adapting to life on the Going Merry was hard for me. I enjoyed wide open spaces, setting my own schedule, the constant motion and action of a troubleshooter and courier. With rotating sleep shifts on the seas, I often shared the girl's room with either Nami or Beth; there was barely enough space for the three of us, together. It was a great relief to me when Beth made progress in her seduction of Sanji.

Still, I kept reminding myself this was the Grand Line, the boring times were unusual. Kept reminding myself how badly I had wanted this. Once upon a time, I was alone, proud. I nearly destroyed myself with that brittle selfish pride, until I found Carue, found my friends throughout Arabasta. Whenever these new crewmates annoyed me, I let my mind occupy the past, focused on how foolish I had once been, and the anger faded.

Nami and I became friends. As young women of similar ages, we had much in common, though our outlook on life remained different. She'd been a little upset when a 'Genzo' told her not to tie up his Den Den Mushi, but over concern regarding danger was his personality, according to Nami. True, if she called regularly, an eavesdropper could attack those she cared for. Still, Nami never used Hercules again, after that one time.

The period of peace ended soon. It started snowing, and we encountered a lone man standing on the sea.