Author's Note - Not my best chapter title...
Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece or any of the other fandoms from which names, places, abilities, or references are taken! Imaginary points to anyone who catches said references throughout the story and PM's them to me. Dunno if you'll get anything real, but i give sneak peaks and deleted scenes to my repeated reviewers, so it isn't unthinkable.
Chapter 09 - Crazy Girl in a Boat
"You know this is stupid, right?" Cora said aloud to her reflection in a nearby mirror.
"Of course I do, but I still have to try it." She responded as if it were natural to talk to oneself.
"You'll fall to the rocks below and die." She pointed out. She inched to the edge and looked down at the jagged ground hundreds of feet down.
"N-nonsense... I'll be fine. This will work. I'll at least make it to the water." she flapped the makeshift wings experimentally.
"Where you will immediately be eaten by a Sea King. Don't you remember trying to hitch a ride on one? They are not misunderstood creatures who actually want you as a friend, they are hungry, and you are barely a snack." The Cora in the mirror criticized her counterpart. The Cora standing on the edge of the castle's highest tower rolled her eyes and looked over her wings.
"It worked for the guy in that story! Why not give it a shot?" She glanced over at a discarded book.
"Do you recall what happened to him? He fell into the sea and drowned. And he was a brilliant inventor, not a second rate musician who decided to get serious with arts and crafts time."
"You'll see. When I'm sailing away to a far away land and you're still stuck here, I'll be the one laughing."
"Cora, I'm your reflection. I go where you go."
"I have been alone too long, haven't I?"
"Seems that way, yes." Cora's conversation with her reflection ended then as a sudden gust of wind caught her wings and flung her off the tower's edge.
"We're here! Alabasta!" Kuina shouted to her friends. They were finally within sight of the desert island. Ace leaped to his spot on the figure head and grinned excitedly at the approaching shore. They would make land by mid day! Ace stood and faced his crew as the last of them walked out on deck, some just waking up.
"Alright! This island has it's own monarchy, mostly independent of the world government for the past decade. The ruler, Queen Nefertari Vivi , was a friend of the Straw Hat crew, and remains a safe port for any pirates that don't cause her trouble. In addition, one of the poneglyphs is here. We're going to restock supplies, gather any information we can, and set sail again, and try our best not to start any fights." Ace looked over his crew, receiving nods of acknowledgment from them. He knew the chances of not getting into trouble were low, but the least they could do was make a point of avoiding it if they could.
"Ace! We've got company! Marine ships dead ahead!" Roger shouted from the upper deck, pointing toward the island ahead. It was partially surrounded by marine ships, but the ships were facing the island, not the pirates. "Something is going on here... Captain, do you want us to fight through, or circle around and find a clear place to land?"
"Circle around, and keep an eye out for any sign of what might be going on. If the island is under attack, then we fight." Ace looked through the spyglass that Kuina passed to him. "Wait. There's a ship leaving the island. Cut it off. We'll find out what is going on from them." He indicated the ship to his navigator, who immediately went to set the course.
With their superior ship, it took them very little time to catch the ship. There was no sign that the marine ships had noticed anything suspicious yet. The ship was small, and only had three people aboard. One of them was familiar.
"Chopper?" Ace dropped to the deck of the doctor's ship. "What's going on? Why are the marine ships here?"
The reindeer man shook his head. "Queen Vivi has refused to take sides between the World Government and the Revolutionaries. She says she will help anyone who comes to her peacefully. The government is trying to pressure her into joining them. They think it looks bad when one of the twenty kingdoms that founded the government won't take their side." He then smiles and looks over the crew. "It's nice to finally meet you all!"
"It's an honor to meet the doctor of my father's crew as well. Is there somewhere on the island that we would be able to land without causing a fight?" Ace glanced at the island, making sure the marines weren't coming for them.
"I think, the way things stand, you could sail straight up between the marine ships. They know if they fire the first shot, then Alabasta will take the side of their enemies. They want to antagonize someone else into making that move. But I wouldn't bet on the patience of the marines. They will only try passive tactics for so long before they turn to violence, so don't let your guard down."
"Thank you for the advice. Oh! This is our doctor, Olivia. She wanted to meet you most of all." Ace introduced the young woman, who was nearly bouncing with excitement.
"I've read your books on medicine and your work is amazing!" Olivia almost squealed at her predecessor. "Have you been able to continue your research?"
"Not recently. Between consulting for Drum and Alabasta, I don't have much time anymore. Most of the research I still need to do is in the New World, as well, which is not a trip to take lightly." Chopper looked back at the island sadly. "I hope everyone is safe... Be careful. And if you learn anything out there, be sure to let me know!"
The doctor parted ways with the pirate crew. He had to continue his own journey. As the most skillful and knowledgeable doctor in the world, his services were in high demand, and if he delayed, lives could be at risk.
Cora vomited sea water on the rocky shore, as she shook on her hands and knees. She looked at herself in a puddle and shook her head. She looked like a cat that had fallen in a bathtub.
"Told you so." Her reflection mocked her. She sighed and coughed up the last of the ocean still sloshing in her lungs. As she struggled to her feet on her unsteady legs, she noticed the wings she had so carefully crafted had been shredded. At least they had saved her from being a Sea King's snack.
"Well, Me, lets hear your idea for how to get away from this place." She glared into the puddle, hoping for some amazing inspiration. Nothing came. "So I can't ride a Sea King, I can't fly, I'm rubbish at swimming. I guess my only options are to build a boat on an island with no wood, or wait for visitors on an island that no one knows about..." She screamed in frustration, kicking at the small rocks at her feet, sending small crustaceans skittering away in fear.
"Calm down Cora! We'll come up with something. Maybe you could chop off your hair and tie some sea turtles together to make a raft?" Cora's reflection suggested, unhelpfully. Cora tossed a rock into the puddle.
"Why'd my father have to choose such a useless rock to abandon me on?" She walked over to one of the large rocky protrusions from the ground and sat on it, swinging her feet restlessly. "He's been gone for over a month. We don't even get mail here. The world could have ended, and I'd still be here, none the wiser."
"You could break into the basement." She heard her own voice in her ear. That was how she always imagined it when there wasn't a reflection nearby. She closed her eyes.
"Never. I am never going down there again..."
"There could be everything you need down there. A boat. Maps. Navigational equipment. Maybe weapons, or a devil's fruit... He'd never know, and would you care if he did?"
"I'm scared..." Cora pressed her palms to her eyes, refusing to cry at the memory. When she was ten, her father had caught her sneaking into the basement. He had been beyond furious. He had used his power to take her apart, and locked her eyes, ears, tongue, and nose in a box and put it in the basement. No light. No sound. No taste. No smell. No words. For nearly a month. When he had finally put her back together, she never went within sight of the stairs again. She rarely ventured to the ground floor if she could avoid it.
"He isn't here to punish you. It might be your only hope of escaping this place. Or would you rather stay here for the rest of your life, living off of fish and not-quite-clean water?" Her voice whispered. She gritted her teeth and stood up, turning toward the crumbing castle.
"No. We're getting out of here." She forced herself to ignore the fear clawing at her and walk toward the place she had been forbidden from going her entire life.
"Pirate scum. We should be destroying their ship and killing the crew." One of the marines snarled to his companions as they were ordered to allow the Straw Hat crew past. The second marine nodded his agreement, scowling deeply at the pirates.
"There is no excuse for some stubborn woman to get in the way of justice. She should be arrested too."
"Watch your mouths. These orders are clear. We are to establish an alliance with the kingdom of Alabasta, and right now, that means holding our fire. As soon as the higher ups realize that there is no chance of convincing the queen, we'll be authorized to arrest or kill the pirates, and her as well, most likely. Who knows? The Gorsei don't like to be told no. They may even authorize a Buster Call. Just be patient. You'll get justice soon enough." Their commander walked away, leaving them in slightly higher spirits. They might be involved in a Buster Call? That would be the highlight of their military careers.
Inside the town, Ace and his crew were approaching the palace. They were asked to wait in the palace entry way while their arrival was relayed to the queen. Several minutes later, they were invited in to meet with the woman in person.
"I wondered if you would stop here with all the marines in the area. Nami wasn't kidding when she said you were the reincarnation of your father." The woman smiled warmly at them and offered them seats and food. "I'm glad you were able to stop here before the country turned to a war zone. I don't think I will be able to maintain neutrality for much longer."
"I'm sorry that our actions put you in this position..." Ace felt disappointed that he was responsible for the violence that was bound to erupt here.
"Nonsense. The government has wanted me to completely ally with them for years. You were just an excuse for them to press the issue. And you can't be afraid of this sort of thing happening. Not if you're going to shake the world." The woman grinned at him. "Your father would have had the same dilemma. But I think you may just be a bit wiser than he was. I'm sure you'll figure it out. He did."
"What did he figure out?" The pirate captain asked.
"Quite a bit more than he ever let on, I think. But you'll learn on your own. Now, tell me what you've been up to! It's been too long since I heard any good pirate stories!" The queen leaned in expectantly, and the crew told their story in as much detail as they could. They were just relating their roller coaster ride down reverse mountain when they heard the first cannon shot. A man burst through the doors before anyone could make it to a window.
"Your Highness, the marines are attacking! I'm here to escort you to safety! Pirates, you should go before they get fully organized, or you'll never make it through their blockade! Pell is organizing the defense." The man looked over his shoulder to be sure there was still a clear escape. "We must hurry."
"Ace, you and your crew should go. There is no need for you to get involved in our fight. You have a long journey ahead of you." The queen began to follow her guard, then turned back to them. "Look in the top drawer of that desk. There is a false bottom. You may be interested in what lies inside. I know I can trust you with this." Without further explanation, she left the pirates alone.
"Kuina, go check it out. Olivia, take Roger and Soul and get back to the ship, now. Don't let the marines set foot on board. Defend it till we catch up." Ace sent his crew into action, then went to the door, keeping an eye on the development of the attack. Kuina went to the desk and opened the false bottom, pulling out a small book.
"Ace, I have it. Let's go. We can read it on the ship." She ran to his side and grabbed his arm, but he held up a hand.
"Hold on. Take us to the room at the end of the hall." He gestured to it, and his navigator nodded, directing her power to the room in question. When they arrived, they could hear loud shouting.
"What do you mean it's gone?!" A man shouted.
"We found rubble that must have been it. I thought they were indestructible!" Another responded defensively.
"They are indestructible! You were ordered to recover the information on it! You will be demoted for this!" The first man snarled.
"There was nothing I could have done! It was torn apart! It had claw marks in the stone, and we could never have read the remains!" The second man was angry now too.
Ace turned to his navigator and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you think? Poneglyph?" He asked. She nodded.
"Something valuable, indestructible, and located on the island. It almost has to be. But he's right. They are indestructible. That was why they were made. So the World Government couldn't destroy them. Anything that could destroy them... Wait... Claws... You don't think it was the monster Soul mentioned, do you?" Kuina looked panicked. She didn't want to think what Soul might do if he found out they had been that close to the thing.
"Maybe, but it is too soon to tell. We should check out the remains ourselves. Up for an interrogation?" Ace grinned at her as he gave the next room a pointed look. She nodded and jumped them into the next room.
After a few moments of polite conversation between the two marines and the two pirates, a mutually beneficial agreement was reached. In exchange for telling the pirates the exact location of the destroyed Poneglyph, the marines would be allowed to keep their shins. Their toes... Not so much.
Kuina and Ace found the cavern quickly, and immediately recognized the gray-blue stone that had once been a solid block of history. Closer inspection revealed deep gouges in the stone that could not have been made by anything but an animal's claws.
"If this is the same monster, it is a bigger danger than I had realized, and it is not on the side of the government. If it was, it would not have destroyed this thing. We should get back to the ship before the others think we've been captured." Ace was reaching for the navigator's hand when he saw a shadow shift in the darkness.
The shadow moved closer into the light of the entrance and seemed to take form out of nothingness. It opened it's eyes, and a soft red glow shone on the rocks near it. Ace looked at it's feet and watched it's claws sink into the stone like soft butter with every step.
"Kuina, we need to get tot he ship now." He took her arm, then looked at her. They weren't moving. "Kuina? Kuina, are you alright?"
She looked up at him, eyes filled with panic.
"I can't jump... Ace I can't jump!" She was gripping his arm so hard her knuckles were turning white.
"Alright... I'll have to fight then... Get out. Make a run for the exit, and get to the ship as fast as possible." He began to step toward the monster, but she wouldn't let go of his arm.
"Ace, you can't fight that thing? What if it's claws go through your haki? You won't last a minute! We have to get out of here together. I'm not leaving without you!"
He turned to face her for a moment and pried her hand free.
"Kuina, do you remember what Soul said? About it devouring people with abilities? Once you are away from it, you may get your powers back, and you can bring help. I can at least hold it off. Make sure Roger brings his sword. Now go!" Ace gave her a shove toward the exit and jumped between her and the monster as it leaped forward.
She stayed long enough to see his haki hold under the creature's claws before running from the cavern.
Cora looked around in the dim light cast by her torch. At the end of the spacious room, a yellow submarine sat, abandoned. It was clear her father had used his powers to move it inside the room, because there was no way it fit through the door.
"Alright... We're here now... What are we looking for?" She walked along the wall, glancing over items shoved on shelves from floor to ceiling. There was no sign of navigational equipment nor devil's fruit, but there might be enough wood on the shelves to build a small boat.
"Weapons... You can't just set sail on the Grand Line unarmed!" Her voice berated her. Of course. Weapons. Did she know how to use any weapons? Of course not. "It isn't that hard! Pick something mean looking that you can lift, and try to hit the person trying to kill you with it!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure that is all it takes to survive the Grand Line. 'Stick them with the pointy end', right?" Cora rolled her eyes at herself and pulled a long, thin sword off of a shelf.
"That suits you. Looks like it could be snapped in half by a bulky sea gull. Well, except you probably could be, it just looks like it."
Cora swung the blade back and forth once, then, gaining confidence, tried to swing it at a dangling spider web. The blade stuck firmly in the low ceiling. She sighed and tried unsuccessfully to tug it free, then abandoned it where it had stuck. A few meters down the room, she jumped in freight when it fell to the ground behind her.
"Well done. You're jumping like a little girl afraid of monsters under her bed." Cora gritted her teeth and tried to ignore her own thoughts buzzing in her ears.
"There's a bow, maybe I could try that." She picked up the bent piece of wood, and had barely begun pulling back the string when the bow snapped under the strain, leaving her hand stinging and her inner voice laughing.
She continued to search, and found a pistol. She began to reach for it, then thought better of it. No, there was no way that would end well. Instead, she picked up a heavy, well balanced knife. Lot of good that would do. Wait for the Sea King to be swallowing her, then stab it in the tongue. It'd probably just bite her in half to make her behave. She tossed the knife back toward the way she had come, and looked back in surprise when it stuck firmly in the wooden door frame.
"Well, looks like you can do something right after all." Her inner voice tried not to sound too impressed with herself. Cora walked to the knife and yanked it free, looking it over. That might just be her best option. She found five more identical knives and a special strap for her leg that they all slid into. She pulled on a pair of boots that left her walking awkwardly, so used to moving about the castle barefoot. The girl laughed when she found a three cornered hat, pressing it on her head.
"There, now maybe the Sea Kings will think I am a fearsome pirate and leave me alone." Her inner self sighed, but made no comment.
Now armed with boots, knives, and a hat, Cora set about prying the boards out of the shelves and taking them out to the beach to begin assembling them. It took her hours to get the materials out, and it was well into the night when she decided it was sufficiently sized to carry her and some food out into the unknown.
She slept her last night in the castle, then began at the top floor and stripped anything of value on her way down. When she reached the shore, she had enough food to last two weeks, and enough valuables to buy a log pose, if she ever reached land. More than likely, she would be eaten in a week.
"Alright, Cora. Are you ready for this?" She asked herself out loud. It was a beautiful day on the Grand Line, which meant by night fall it would either be beautiful, torrential down pour, or a blizzard. Very comforting.
"As ready as ever. So, no. Not really. Let's do this." She answered herself this time, not bothering to wait for her inner voice to supply some snarky remark. She hopped into the small boat and waited. It held under her weight. That was a good start. She checked her feet. No water rushing in. Her water proofing job had been reasonable then. Check number two. She stuck her bag of food, her bag of valuables in at either end, then picked up her guitar and shared the center of the boat with it as she lifted a make-shift sail and slotted it into the base of the boat.
It hung limply in the weak breeze. She sighed and began paddling.
Ace noticed immediately that the creature had no interest in him, set on devouring the girl with the ability. He knocked it aside once, then made to let it slip past him, grabbing it by it's tail at the last instant. He tried to through it, but it felt like it was made of stone, barely dragging along the ground under his efforts. When it turned on him, he tried to ram his haki covered fist down it's throat. It snapped it's teeth shut just in time and his punch didn't even chip the beast's teeth.
The fight was not going anywhere fast. The creature could not penetrate his haki, and he couldn't do any damage to it's body. They ran each other around the cavern, now both intent that the other not leave alive. Ace finally gained the upper hand when he clamped himself to the creature's back, holding on with all his strength.
The monster rolled and flailed, but was unable to dislodge the pirate, who had a death grip on the ridges of it's skin. It rampaged around for several minutes before sitting in the middle of the cavern, waiting for him to make a move.
A rock smacked the beast's nose. Both it and Ace looked in surprise at the cavern entrance to see the rest of the Straw Hat crew standing there, ready for battle. The creature looked like christmas had come early. Ace was finally flung off it's back as it launched at not one, but three ability users.
Soul planted the poll of his scythe into the ground and swung around it, planting both feet and his full weight in the creature's side, rolling it across the ground and into a wall. It stood up, shaking off the sudden impact and darting in for another attack, only to have the steel poll belted suddenly angle down, catching it in the throat and vaulting it over the pirates and into the opposite wall. Now wary of it's adversaries, the monster stalked closer slowly. When it was sure it had an opening from the scythe, it lunged at the throat of the nearest twin girl.
Roger's sword raked down it's side, leaving a gleaming gash in it's black flesh. The monster roared in anger and pain, then backed away, eying the sword with fear and hatred. When it had room, it turned and ran into the shadows, vanishing in an instant.
Ace stumbled over to his crew, thoroughly worn out by the wrestling match with the creature.
"Are you all okay? Do you still have your powers?" He looked at Kuina. She nodded, jumping to his side to demonstrate. "Alright. Back to the ship, everyone."
The twins transported the crew back to the ship and everyone immediately set to work leaving the island. The marine ships were rapidly closing the gaps in their blockade, and it was looking like a fight was inevitable. Soul and Olivia helped Ace to the medical room, and Soul went back out to the deck, coordinating the rest of their escape.
"Roger! Take care of the sails! I'll get the anchor! Kuina, get us on course!" The first mate smiled when his nakama didn't hesitate to follow his commands while Ace was recovering. He raised the anchor and then helped Roger finish dropping the sails.
"We're on course, but we need to take out at least one of their ships if we want to make it through!" Kuina called down from the upper deck, pointing to a marine ship that was on a collision course with them. Soul considered the ship. It would be a foolish risk to try and combat a fully armed marine battleship with only the three of them.
Then he remembered, their ship was something special as well.
"Get in the kitchen and shut the door! Don't come out until the ship is out of the way!" Soul shouted to them both, then sprinted below deck. The navigator and cook shared a questioning look, then did as they had been ordered, closing the door and looking through the thick glass at the ship that blocked their way.
Below deck, Soul ran around in a panic, carefully adjusting dials and levers until he was satisfied the system was properly set up. He looked toward the bow where the system's output was built into the inner frame. A dragon... Not just for show.
He pressed the activation dial and stumbled as the entire ship lurched back from the force of the flames that exploded from the mouth of their figurehead. He ran to the upper deck to see the marine ship sinking, the hull split on one side and water rushing in so fast it was sweeping the soldiers off their feet.
"Yosh! Let's go! Coup De Burst!" He ran to his nakama in the kitchen, then to the medical room, warning them all to brace themselves. He made sure he had a clear view of the marines and their expressions as he activated his improved system, blasting the ship beyond their blockade before any cannons could be fired.
Cora was panicking. Water. She hadn't brought anything to filter water. She was nearly crying with frustration. The cruelest death nature had for pirates was dehydration in the middle of the ocean.
"Alright, calm down Cora. You can make it a few days if you eat all of your fruit and fish a lot. There is water in that. Avoid the dried meat, that will just dehydrate you. What can you filter water with? Think, Cora! Think!" She walked in tiny circles in the small midsection of her boat, tugging on her hair.
"You need to do better than filter it. You could take the junk out of it with your clothes. You need to evaporate the water to separate the salt, and it's the salt that will kill you. It is very humid, you might be able to use one of those shiny cups you took to condense some water into. By the time your fruit runs out, you might have a mouth full."
She sighed and sat down, taking a look in the bag of valuables. She selected a cup and a bowl, and placed the cup inside, then set them both on top of their bag. She sat back and leaned against the wall of the boat.
"I'm an idiot... I'm going to die out here, and by the time a Sea King eats me, I'll be human jerky. Gross."
"I'm pretty sure you are gross now. You haven't showered since... When?" Her inner voice criticized. She scowled but didn't bother arguing. She probably was pretty gross.
Movement on the horizon caught her eye. It might be marines, who would kill her for her father's crimes. It might be her father, who would kill her for going into the basement and steeling from him. It might be a pirate crew that would kill her for fun. But at least they only might kill her, which was quite an improvement over definitely.
She began paddling the boat toward the movement, and was relieved when it appeared to be coming her way as well. She looked at the golden cup and bowl, and stuffed them back in the bag, deciding it would be best not to give them a reason to shoot first.
As she approached, she could make out the flag. She sighed in relief. It wasn't her father, at least. And not marines. Definitely pirates, but she couldn't be sure of more than that. She saw a few people moving about on the deck, but was still too far away to make out any details.
"Well, Cora, try to make a good impression. You want them to want to save you." Cora nodded to herself, and stood up in her boat, waving at the ship.
"Soul! There's a girl down there!" Kuina called to the first mate, pointing over the edge of the ship at a small boat bobbing on the waves. Soul came down the stairs and to her side, looking at the girl in question, then jumped over the side, pulling the Striker out of nowhere as he fell. He positioned his feet and took off toward the girl.
"What are you doing on the Grand Line in a boat that small?! Are you trying to get eaten?!" Soul shouted when he got closer. She smiled at him, and while it may have been meant as friendly, it looked like she was crazy. "Come on, I'll help you on board..." Soul leaped to her boat and quickly vanished her bags. He picked her up as she began to panic slightly, and leaped back to the Striker, taking her to the ship.
Kuina jumped the girl to the deck, and Soul soon climbed over the railing, letting her bags and guitar fall out onto the boards.
"So, are you going to tell us who you are?" Soul asked, crouching down next to her. She looked at him, then at the navigator, then at the cook who was coming over to see what was going on.
Come on, Cora. Make a good first impression! She smiled, giggled lightly, then vomited on her saviors.
Cora brings me smiles :)
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