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"Gold Roger bar? You want us to take cover at a bar?" Usopp asked, reading off of the hanging sign. Sakura smiled softly.
"I'm acquainted with the bartender," she replied, ushering them in.
The dim bar looked exactly as it had when Luffy had visited. It was completely deserted except for Raoul, who sat hunched over at a table. He looked up to see the party of three slowly make their way in, with Sakura at the front.
"Oi, what are you doing here, Sakura? And who else did you bring in now?" he groaned. Sakura jumped over the bar and retrieved her cloth sack. She took a pencil and blank piece of paper from it before roughly shoving the rest of the contents back under the bar table.
"They'll need to stay here for a while," she said as she began to quickly sketch, her hand making rapid strokes across the paper, "It won't be for too long though, I promise. Nami, Usopp, this is the bartender, Raoul."
Raoul grunted and rose from his seat. He stared wordlessly at Nami and Usopp, the latter of which began to sweat profusely.
"Umm...sorry for the intrusion?" Usopp mumbled. Raoul grinned.
"Well, if Sakura wants you here, I guess you can stay," he said, before settling back down. Sakura stuffed her pencil back into her bag and presented her sketches to Nami and Usopp. It depicted two men, and despite the short amount of time spent on drawing, they were extremely detailed.
"This guy at the top is Captain Smoker and the guy on the bottom is Valier," she explained, pointing to the men, "Know them well. I can fight against regular marine soldiers, but I'm afraid you'll be on your own if you ever have to face them." Nami and Usopp stared, their mouths open in amazement.
"Did you really just draw that right now? It's so realistic!" Nami exclaimed, "How did you put so much detail into these?" Sakura blushed, ducking her head.
"I've had experience with drawing," she muttered, before handing the paper to Usopp, who continued to ogle it, "I'm gonna head out. You need somebody to be on the lookout, and I'm the only one here who can stay undetected without a problem."
"Wait!" Nami grabbed onto Sakura's wrist, "Thank you for doing all this for us."
Sakura stared at Nami's hand on her wrist before clearing her throat. She nodded once before exiting the bar. Both Nami and Usopp watched the bar door swing shut.
"Geez, what's wrong with her? First, she acts nice at the cooking competition, then she's running away, then helping us, then running away again!" Usopp muttered, exasperated.
"Don't take it too seriously." Raoul said, smiling, "Brat sucks at making friends." Both Nami and Usopp turned around to look at him in confusion.
"You guys and that boy with the straw hat are the first ones I've ever seen her be so close with," he continued. Usopp scoffed.
"She looked like she was gonna kill one of our nakama because he called her Sa-chan," he muttered, "That doesn't sound like being close."
Raoul sighed. "Don't blame her for that. She's just a little touchy on that name."
Nami raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"
Raoul leaned back on his chair, staring out the window. "The last one to call her that…..Sakura blames herself for that person's death...for a lot of people's deaths."
Both Usopp and Nami widened their eyes, not knowing what to say.
"What exactly did she do?" Usopp stammered.
"That's her business, not yours," Raoul replied brusquely. Nami glared at him.
"You go and say that and then expect us not to be curious?" she protested. Raoul raised an eyebrow before chuckling.
"I can see she's taken an interest in you, whether she wants to believe it or not." he muttered dryly, "You guys don't seem like the type to be afraid."
"Afraid of what? And what do you mean, interest?" Usopp asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Afraid of Sakura and what she's done," Raoul replied, "and trust me, she's interested in you all. Just won't admit it."
Usopp nervously backed away. "Why would we be afraid of she's done?"
Raoul sat silently, obviously reluctant to share any details.
Nami pursed her lips as she stared at the tabletop. "Please tell us, Raoul-san. Maybe we can understand Sakura better if we were to know more about her."
"We may not know her that well, but we want to help Sakura in any way we can," Usopp chimed in, "She's done a lot for us."
Raoul sighed and bent his head, looking deep in thought.
"It's not my place to tell you," he said slowly, drumming his fingers on the table, "But it's a miracle in itself that she trusted you all enough to bring you here, and for that, I believe that you deserve to know. It was quite some time ago…"
8 years ago on a Kaihana Island of East Blue~~
She had been watching the two sailors for some time now. It was a miracle that they hadn't noticed her crouching by the the bar, her knees tucked under her, her bag on her lap.
"But man, lemme tell ya', that huge sea monster had teeth the size of meself! One chomp and I woulda' been dead!" the first sailor yelled, banging the table.
"Ahhh that ain't nothin'. Listen mate, my captain took us sailin' on the Calm Belt once! Oh, tha' was a sight to see! No wind whatsoever, and sea kings big enough to make ya' wet yer pants!" the other sailor laughed, wiping sake off his beard.
Sakura would have loved to keep listening, but she felt a sharp nudge to her side. She looked up to see the stern barkeeper, Garu.
"Oi, child. Ya' want to go home by now? Yer sister's probably expecting ya'" Garu growled, though his twinkling eyes gave away his kindhearted nature.
Sakura playfully wrinkled her nose at Gary before getting to her feet. The two sailors started in surprise.
"A brat?! Don't tell me you've been listening this whole time!"
"Hey hey little boy, ya' better get out. This is a talk for adults, not some wet-eared little boys, you hear?"
Sakura shared a smile with Garu before standing up.
"Don't worry sirs. I's about to leave anyhow," she called out as she pushed through the bar doors.
Most little girls would have been thoroughly offended for being called a boy, but 9 year old Sakura felt nothing but pride for her achievement. She carefully touched her cap, making sure that none of her long, brown hair had been spilling out the sides. Glancing down at herself, she took her in muddy brown shorts and ripped t-shirt. To any casual onlooker, she was the perfect picture of a scruffy young boy. The only ones who knew it was really her were Garu and, of course, Keri. With a heave, Sakura shouldered her pack and jogged away from the bar, keeping her head down.
At the edge of the village, overlooking the ocean, stood a small cottage. Sakura eagerly ran up the path, and burst through the door, yelling at the top of her lungs.
"Keri-nee-chan! I'm home!"
A lone figure sat at a table, reading a large novel. She had straight brown bangs, and wore a plain brown sweater and skirt. Strangest of all, she sat placidly in a wheelchair, with both legs covered in a small blanket. Putting her book aside, she turned to address Sakura.
"Sa-chan! My, where have you been?! And wearing those clothes again?" she laughed, looking Sakura from head to toe.
"Whaaaat? I like them, Keri! And besides, I have lots of new stuff to tell you!" Sakura replied as Keri laughed.
Minori Keri had been crippled since birth, unable to develop any feeling in her legs. To the best of both of their knowledge, their mother had died after Sakura was born. Their father, a wandering seaman (according to Keri, since Sakura had no memory of either), had never really been in the picture to begin with other than occasional visits that stopped shortly after. At 15, Keri had had to look after her sister Sakura, a 6 year old at the time. The two lived in their old home, managing to scrape by on money made from a small sewing service they made. Keri would sew and patch up the old clothes, and Sakura would deliver them to the townspeople. It was a frugal lifestyle (and one that relied on the village's kindheartedness), but the two sisters had each other, and that was all that really mattered. However, because Keri couldn't get around without her wheelchair, it was Sakura who mainly did the errands and shopping. To keep her sister from getting bored, Sakura loved to listen to the conversation of travelers and the townspeople and draw any pretty things she happened to come across. She would bring her bounty of information and entertain Keri with her tales.
Sakura carefully withdrew a stack of drawings from her bag and spread them out on the table. Keri wheeled herself over and listened as Sakura described each one.
"This is a wonderful little meadow I found! I might take you there tomorrow. It's full of flowers and butterflies!" Sakura said excitedly, "And this is a picture of some of the birds that I saw in the forest! I gave them a few bread crumbs so they would stay."
Keri laughed, gazing in wonder at all of the pictures.
"You're really turning out to be a great artist, aren't you?" she asked, amazed, "These are so amazing! The birds here look so realistic!" Sakura blushed, studying her feet.
"Whenever I show you my pictures, you get really happy, nee-chan," she mumbled, "Since you can't always get where you want to, it's nice to be able to share all I see with you."
Keri gazed at her Sakura, her love for her little sister obvious in her eyes. She carefully reached over and ruffled Sakura's hair.
"That's lovely of you, Sa-chan, but you said you'd pick up some food while you were out. Did you forget again?" Keri asked. Sakura giggled nervously.
"Well….."
"Sakura...don't tell me you were hanging out at the bar again…."
"What's wrong with the bar? Garu's a good person! He wouldn't let anybody hurt me. And besides, he always sends us something to mend for him."
"Garu's a good person and I know that, Sakura," Keri replied, "But I also know that we need groceries."
"Ehe...sorry.." Sakura muttered.
"Ah it's fine," Keri smiled, "Let's just go together right now."
"Really? Let's go let's go! I'll push you so don't worry about a thing!"
"But you better change. You look a little...scruffy right now."
"Oh, right."
An hour and a change of clothes later, Sakura found herself happily pushing along Keri's wheelchair through the village. She was now wearing a pretty purple top and green shorts, her hair tied up a ponytail. They stopped at a produce cart and Keri leaned forward to observe the fruit. Sakura eyed Keri.
"Whatcha looking for huh, nee-chan?"
"Which apples look tasty, Sakura."
"How do ya' know, nee-chan?"
"Good apples are nice and red with no bruises."
"Ahhh I see...that's cool, nee-chan."
"I suppose it is, Sakura."
As the two sisters studied the apples, a pair of boys ran down the path, laughing as they chased a ball. So focused on the ball, one of the boys ran headlong into Sakura and fell back groaning. Sakura turned, her eyes glowing with anger.
"Hey what do ya' think you're doing ya' bas-"
"Sakura! Language!" Keri warned, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"….con…...bacon.." Sakura finished lamely, "ya' bacon.."
The boy stared confused at Sakura before scampering off without a word.
"It wasn't my fault, Keri!"
"Still, you need to learn how to speak more politely," Keri replied patiently, "Remember, you should never call a person a bad word. It's the easiest way to hurt somebody's feelings."
"Whaddaya' mean? I didn't curse. I only said bacon! Nothing else," Sakura retorted.
Keri chuckled. "Yes yes, I understand, so hurry up and finish peeling your potatoes," she said.
Sakura scowled and resumed with the dinner preparations. Keri sat at her wheelchair sewing clothes. All in all, it was a typical afternoon for the two. When Sakura finished the cooking, they had dinner and talked.
"The sailor said that the teeth were as big as him! Can you believe it, Nee-chan? There are monsters out there that big?" Sakura sighed, amazed.
"That's the vast ocean for you," Keri laughed. Sakura beamed back at her.
"I'm glad you like my stories," she giggled.
"You are my eyes and ears on this island, Sakura. Who else would I go to to hear all these stories from?" Keri replied warmly. Sakura laughed and leaned back against her chair.
"This is nothing! One day, Keri, when we make enough money, I'll take you all over the world. North Blue, South Blue, even the Grand Line! You won't even need drawings from me, because you'll be able to see everything with your own eyes!" Sakura declared, "We'll go everywhere! And I'll protect you from any bad guys we come across!"
Keri smiled sadly at Sakura. "Yes, I suppose someday we might," she replied softly.
After clearing the table and washing the dishes, Sakura tugged on Keri's sleeve. Somehow, to Keri's surprise, Sakura had quietly changed back into her scruffy street clothes.
"Come on," Sakura whispered secretively, " I found this really cool place by the sea. I'll push you there!"
Confused but curious, Keri allowed herself to be wheeled outside the house. Quietly, the pair travelled away from their home, eventually reaching a small rocky outcrop about a five minute walk away. Sakura was careful not to wheel Keri over any rocks as they picked their way into a small cave within the center.
"Ta-da! Look, nee-chan! You can see the sea and the stars from here! It's like our own little hideout," Sakura threw her arms up, smiling as the warm night breeze ruffled her clothes. She was pleased to hear Keri gasp and murmur in awe behind her. She rummaged around her pocket and withdrew something, hidden from view by her fist. "Ok, nee-chan, close you eyes. I have a gift."
Grinning, Keri did as she was told, and felt something placed around her neck. She heard Sakura saying it was ok to open her eyes, and did so. To her amazement, there, around her neck, lay a beautiful half of what seemed to be a metal rose pendant.
"It's wonderful Sa-chan, but where did you find the money to get this?" Keri asked, eyes wide with astonishment. Sakura giggled.
"Garu and some other townspeople have been giving me extra money for errands and I saved it all up!" she opened her own hand to show the other half of the pendant. Taking both into her hands, Sakura carefully fit them together. "They're like us, see?" We need each other if we want to accomplish anything, just like this necklace needs both halves to be whole. I take this one, and you take the other!" she said, giggling.
Keri smiled softly at her little sister. "That's how it is, isn't it?" she asked.
Sakura beamed and nodded before hugging Keri's neck. The sisters gazed at the vast sea before them.
"The sea….it's huge isn't it, Nee-chan? I want to travel it with you. And show you everything that the world has to offer." Sakura murmured.
Keri chuckled. "I know you're strong enough to do it, Sa-chan," she said, "but I'd only burden you. It's hard enough getting around this island in a wheelchair. How are you supposed to lug me around?"
Sakura scowled "It's super easy to push you around in a wheelchair. If you didn't have one I would have to carry you on my back, and that might be harder 'cause I'm so small, so I would have to eat more to get bigger. Besides, it doesn't matter. I told you, didn't I? We need to be together if we want to accomplish anything."
Keri smiled. "Alright, then Sakura. Take me to see the whole world," she giggled.
Caught up in their own happy thoughts, and secluded from everyone else, the pair of sisters failed to notice that ships that rapidly approached the other side of the island.