It's harder to know
Just where to go
If only the stars aligned,
The sunsets glowed
I don't need
A calm in the storm
Or something to scream about
With empty lungs
~ Anthem of the Lonely-Nine Lashes
Eve was left with the blue haired man and she would have felt awkward but Franky sat down in front of her, with his legs crossed. He smiled at her and began to speak.
"So you're joining the crew huh?" Eve fiddled with her hands, a habit she seemed to do when she was nervous
"L-luffy says so, but i-im n-not very s-strong a-and I'm a m-monster" Franky's light-hearted smiled seemed to disappear at this.
"How old are ya girl?"
Eve frowned and he was surprised by the fact she seemed to have to think about it
"1-17"
How could she think she was a monster? To him she seemed like a normal 17 year old, maybe a bit too shy and nervous for her own good, but other then that their didn't seem anything different about her.
"And you're saying you're a monster?"
She nodded
"B-Because I-Im n-not normal"
Franky grinned and flexed his arms
"Neither am i! I'm a cyborg! "The redhead's mouth fell open "I'm powered by cola too! "As if to prove his point he opened his stomach to reveal a refrigerator with three bottles of cola.
Eve smiled, her gold eyes twinkling in amazement
"W-wow! That's a-amazing!"Franky grinned and then began to show her weapons, he finished his display with his super pose, Eve smiled and even laughed at him not that he minded.
"Now then. How is that you're a monster"The smile was completely off her face at this point.
"Because i-m a witch"Franky unlike his crew mates burst out laughing, that is until he realised that the small girl was serious.
"REALLY! THAT'S SUPER!" he paused "So why are you a monster again?"
Eve decided to ask the question that had been plaguing her.
"Why?" she paused and look the cyborg in the eye.
"Why d-don't your c-crew treat m-me l-like a m-monster?" franky smiled, glad his nakama had thought the same as him.
"I- e-verybody, a-always s-aid I was"She almost look broken, as if all she knew was crumbling before her.
"I-if I'm not a monster, i-if I'm not t-the u-gly r-redheaded w-witch,i-if I'm not a c-curse" she paused and turned to face the sky
"W-who a-m i?" Franky felt his anger brew just under the surface. This girl been treated like a monster for her whole life? Was that who she identified herself as? Did she not know who she was.
"You''re you! From what I see, you areyoung woman who has her whole life ahead of her! You're my- no your our nakama now! You have a dream right?"
Eve frowned
"Dream?"
Franky nodded
"Yeah a dream y'know? Luffy's dream is become pirate king and find one piece, Zoro wants to become the strongest swordsman, Nami wants to draw maps of the whole world, Usopp wants to be a brave warrior of the sea, Sanji wants to find all blue,Chopper wants to be a doctor that can cure all disease, Nico Robin's dream is to find the rio poneglyph." He paused "And my dream is to create and travel with a dream ship"
He shot up.
"Don't you think it would be SUPER?"Franky went on to explain how awesome a ship that would withstand any battle or hardship as well as travel to the end of the grand line.
The red head felt a pain in her chest, a feeling she usually kept to herself when she was berated by the she was alone,with no one but snow for company.
The feeling of envy filled her being.
"Eve?"
Snapping out of her thoughts she turned her attention to the kind man before her.
"I-I'm s-sorry, d-did you s-say something?"
Franky looked at her with concern, before repeating himself
"I was asking, what's your dream kid"
Suddenly franky though not being known for being the smartest or the most sensitive in his crew, he felt that he had asked something he wasn't supposed to ask. Not that he would usually think that, but the look on her face was not one of a look of sadness or pain. No, even that of these emotions would have been better to be seen.
It seemed to Franky that all traces of feeling had left her eyes. Her glasses acting as an invisible barricade, blocking off the empty void that her eyes had become. A look of numbness, an emotionless look had filled her bright eyes.
And her answer made the emotional cyborg shed tears, for her answer broke his heart.
Luffy walked slowly through the village, not even stopping for his beloved meat, the villagers though noticed that the goofy idiotic pirate they had seen the day before was a distant memory, and unconsciously they made a path for the solemn straw-hat man. His crew were leaving the forest, Chopper had changed into his heavy point form as he carried the few belongings that she eve had belongings which were in a medium sized was holding snow and she couldn't help but admire how cute the small fox was and Usopp were talking about Luffy's surprising anger they had seen with Nami who was also frowning in had once again began to compliment robin, when he had noticed her carrying the fox, exclaiming how beautiful she looked whilst holding the small animal.
And Zoro? Zoro was silent, narrowing his eyes and the villagers, his mind flashing back to the bloody chains,an unwelcome reminder Why was he so concerned about the redhead girl? The fact he didn't know only pissed the swordsman off even the villagers chained her up? And if so.. How had she escaped? She couldn't have used magic could she? No he thought. That wouldn't explain the blood on the chains, if she had used her magic, surely she wouldn't have been injured? …Then he thought of the scar on her wasn't a small one like luffy's, and he couldn't imagine her inflicting that wound to herself.
"LUFFY!"Zoro snapped out of his thoughts as usopp called for their captain, who was walking through the raised his head.
"Usopp, minna"He only acknowledged them with that, and zoro knew that the goofball was as pissed as Zoro was. Luffy saw the same feeling he had, reflected in his first mates eyes. Taking his eyes off Zoro he gave his orders.
"You guys go back to the ship, Franky's there with Eve." They nodded though sanji eyed the swordsman, noticing that the marimo hadn't moved a shift in the then he remembered the redheaded angel back on the ship.
"Hai! I'M COMING EVE-TAN!"
Zoro clenched his fists
"DON'T GO NEAR HER ERO COOK!"
Sanji eyes widened slightly but then he smirked
"You better hurry back then Marimo" a tone of seriousness was laced in the cooks words and he stared at the pair before he followed after his nakama, shouting his usual flattery to the two women before him.
Rumour had spread around the village that the pirates had taken the monster away and the party at the local bar was in full exclaimed their joy of the special idiots those pirates were, for they had taken a curse with them, the redheaded monster would most likely be their undoing.
Suddenly splintered wood flew from the door way, as two silhouettes stood at the door, walking ominously into the bar. A man foolishly assumed that they had come to join the celebration
"OI LAD'S YOU WANT A DRINK?"
"…drink?"Luffy asked slowly his eye covered by his hat.A tense air surrounded the dark haired and green haired men, however the patrons seemed oblivious to it all.
"THAT'S RIGHT, THE WITCH IS FINALLY LEAVING!SOME STUPID PIRATES ARE TAKING HER!"
"O-OI those are the pirates, Cal"The man known as cal laughed and even patted Luffy on the shoulder
"REALLY? WELL THANKS!"His laughter was cut short by a rubber fist to the face, knocking the man to the ground.
"Who was it?"He asked slowly, his head slowly rising and Zoro gripped his swords.
"Which one of you bastards called her a monster."He trembled in his anger
"WHICH ONE OF YOU BASTARDS CHAINED HER TO THAT HOUSE" Zoro pointed his sword at another patron who had gone pale, silently backing up his captain's outrage.
"I'd start talking, we don't have a lot of patience"He growled, his sword piercing the skin of the man throat, a dribble of blood flowing down his throat.
"We all said she was a m-monster"Muttered a brave soul "B-ecause i-its true"
"But w-we never chained her up!"The pair were about to attack and destroy the bar when shana spoke up.
"We could never even get near her house until recently!"Gato added
"Her house was guarded by large metal golems!" People nodded and spoke in agreement
"You lying bastards!"Zoro snapped his sword cutting the man slightly deeper
"HONEST!"
Luffy and Zoro paused…
Golems? If that was the case…Who had kept Eve prisoner? And why had they not seen any of these metal monsters?