Okay, I did a quick fix-up of this chapter. I'll be going through this story and picking out any typos I find, if anyone would like to help point them out, go ahead! Your help would be a godsend! Anyways, I own nothing besides my OC's. Trust me, One Piece is not mine. I checked.

Read & Enjoy!

I left a month later.

Originally I had planned to leave three weeks after that, since I was still recovering and Maria and Boris wanted to make sure I had everything and knew everything I needed to for when I left. That and Maria had demanded that they adopt me, and that I write her whenever I could. Plus Boris wanted to make sure I knew what I could and couldn't eat, especially fish and coral and plants and everything, along with learning a bunch about herbal teas. That was fun.

Anyways the reason why that didn't happen was because someone found out, who told someone who told someone else who overheard it and you know how gossip goes. So, before the day was over -which was really something because it was three in the afternoon- everybody knew I was planning on leaving soon, which meant there had to be a party.

Three days later, there was four days of partying. People from the other islands came around and said their hellos and goodbyes. Which meant more socialising, but for the most part everyone just had a good time. Most got drunk at one point or another, and it was games galore. Music was ever present and if you wanted to sleep you had to go to the next town or be passed out. Half the time I was hiding in some alley or went off into the forest, enjoying the cool and somewhat quite atmosphere before I was found again and pulled back into the fray. Most of the time it was Boris, the man should have been a tracker I swear, and us two would just sit and talk. A few times Maria would find us both and join in.

Then finally, finally, the day of my departure came and I was boarding a ship to head to the next island away from The Islands. The whole island, and then some, had come to see me off. I looked up at the large structure, and the weight of my pack became more evident. It wasn't overly heavy, but it was impossible for me to forget it was there right now. Taking a deep breath, I turned towards my mother and father.

"I'll write" I said, my voice wavered and I smiled as Maria wiped her tears.

"You better, or I'll come around and give you such a scolding" her voice cracked and her tears came anew. Boris wrapped a supportive arm around her before he turned to me.

"You take care of yourself, and stay away from cliffs" he tried to joke, to be light-hearted, but it came out weaker than intended. I smiled and waited for a few seconds, and then when I realized they were stalling, I scoffed and rolled my eyes before stepping forward and hugging them both tightly. They returned my embrace just as fiercely and we stayed like that for a few seconds.

"Okay, the ships gonna leave- mum can you- Dad! Put me down- oh no, no, nonononono! God dammit woman! Okay, okay. More hugs, there, happy? Now I really need to go- don't you dare use the puppy eyes on me! I will run away!" I finally said, after trying and failing to escape the couple that had become my family. We all laughed and I was finally released. I stepped away slowly, their hands slipping from my grasp.

Finally, I turned away and walked up the gangplank. My steps were light, but they felt heavy. They were filled with sadness, yes, but they held excitement and joy and filled with the rush of the first steps of an adventure. My adventure. Wow, I like the sound of that.

Stepping onto that deck was like stepping into the first rays of sunshine after a long winter. People were bustling about, getting ready to head set sail. I turned to face the crowd below me. It was silent, and I felt a little awkward. Was I supposed to make a speech? Eh, why not?

"Thank you everyone for everything you've done for me!" I started, my voice ringing out and echoing amongst the crowd "I understand that I may have not met everyone, or have not known everyone as much as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve" she said, and fought back a fit of giggles while everyone looked about each other, but a few cracked a grin or shook their head at my antics. Got to love Lord of The Rings

"But all that stuff aside…" I paused and took a deep breath "I will truly miss you all, and I would like to stay, and no doubt many of you would rather I do" she gave a pointed look to my family, who didn't look the least bit sheepish "However, I would like to see this world, to go on an adventure. My adventure" I finished, and god did it sound so good, so I'll say it again "My adventure" Yup, still good. The sails were unfurled and the anchor was hoisted, I turned away for a moment to scan the deck before we began to move, I turned back to the crowd, trying to think of something to say.

"It's goodbye for now, but not forever!" I finished, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Wow. I never thought myself as a public speaker but… just wow. I quickly ran towards the rigging and climbed up to the crow's nest, I stared at the island until it was lost to the horizon. Finally, I stepped down from the crow's nest and sat down on the wooden frame that held the sail.

"When it all feel like, everything's impossible, and you don't fit right in a crowd go out and break the mould…" I started to sing Brave by Action Item. I continued to watch the horizon, occasionally looking down to watch the crew scurry about or laze around. They seemed pretty content. Everyone knew one another and their conversations came easily, with little prompt. I wonder if I'll ever find someone to be able to do that with. I knew that I had to be careful, lest I accidently slip something about my world to someone and that could lead to problems.

For the next month I was at sea, learning about sailing and becoming quite familiar with the crew. They were pretty ordinary, and talked about family and friends and events. It was nice, but at the same time I felt like something was missing. I guess with my knowledge on how weird and crazy and wonderful this world could be that I was expecting something a little more abnormal. Maybe it was just the pirate crews that were stranger than others, which suited me just fine. Since, chances are, I would be involved quite a bit with pirates and criminals.

In that month, I had sent letters to my family back at The Islands, and received plenty. Those weird birds that deliver newspapers acted like messengers, I would give them some coin and tell them the location and poof, mail sent. Though the gaps between sending and receiving mail were few and far between, but it was still nice to wake up and find that a letter was delivered for me.

When we finally docked, it was only to restock, but even that would take a few days. So, I hoped off and started exploring the island. It was a reasonably sized one, with big part towns that was full of trade. I took a deep breath and smelt salt and spices, drinks and meats, I smelt sweet things and smoky things and some things I couldn't quite identify. Pulling the straps of my pack tighter, I turned to the first mate of the ship I was on.

"I'll head out from here" I said, and he gave me a surprised look. Obviously he had expected me to stay with them until they reach the very end of their trip before they headed home.

"But… Boris and Maria asked us to take you all the way" he reasoned, proving my theory correct. I laughed a little and face him fully.

"Aye, you did. But I'm a traveller now, and this will be good practice at the very least. Thank you for taking me this far" I stuck my hand out; he paused for a second before sighing and shaking my hand.

"Maria is going to throw a fit" he muttered, and I laughed at his sour face.

"When doesn't she? I'm sure Boris will save you, give my regards!" I said as I began walking away, waving before I vanished into the crowd. Weaving through the rush of people and making sure nothing was stolen. I would stay for three days; first would be to find my bearings, next would be to sell my wares or enter competitions, and the last would be so I could find a ship that's going wherever. I immediately set course to town, and looked for cheap but decent lodgings. It took the better half of an hour, but I was able to locate a place that didn't look like it was a brothel or was ridiculously priced.

I sighed as I fell onto the bumpy bed. I stared at the ceiling for a few long moments, and then decided that staying still was not going to be a thing with me, and promptly rose and exited the establishment that was my hotel. Taking my wallet with me since I might decide to buy something, like food or provisions or something along those lines, who knows?

It was around noon, so it was lunch hour. Which meant that going to get a bite to eat would be a waste of time, since I would have to wait in line and since I recently discovered my restless nature that idea was quickly repulsed, and instead replaced by the happier idea of browsing some shops that sold travellers equipment. But where would that be?

"Eh, I'll just go looking" I shrugged to myself before heading off in a random direction. My mind went onto more annoying figures: finance.

I knew that I had enough for about three weeks' worth of provisions, which included lodging and clothes. Plus hygiene and first aid, herbs for teas and other small bits and pieces, and maps and pretty much anything meant for survival. I do plan to spend a lot of time out in the wild, after all. Currently I had clothes and a first aid kit (Which held way more than the standard stuff) and… some hygiene stuff, but beyond that I had barely anything else.

I sighed in disappointment and turned a random road, which just happened to be a more shady part of town. I rolled my eyes as a bunch of guys looked at me suddenly, and shoved my hands in the pockets of my maroon hoodie and continued to walk, my ponytail swishing slightly with my movements. My feet were mostly bare, with only some bandaging covering the soles and the heel while the rest were bare. My black cargo pants scuffed the ground, which was paved with concrete but cracked and had pieces missing.

A group of three males intercepted my previously pleasant walk with lecherous grins and haughty attitudes. I raised a brow at them, and immediately knew what they were after. They weren't exactly hard to figure out. One opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off.

"No"

"What?" he asked obviously confused.

"I said no, whatever you were gonna say I'm not agreeing to it. Excuse me" I sidestepped, but it seemed they were intent on ruining my walk and refused to let me pass. It seemed I may have ruffled their feathers, since they seemed a little affronted by my decisive dismissal.

"You little bitch!" the apparent leader spat, his stained teeth glistening and his eyes flared with unveiled anger. Wow, touchy much?

"Woof woof" I quipped, which seemed to stun them again. But they recovered pretty quickly.

"Oi, don't you know who you're talkin' to? His dad is a gang leader" one of the leaders' buddies supplied. I smiled at him and gave an appreciating nod.

"Thank you for that information" my words seemed to shoot panic amongst them, and I chuckled at them. "Hey, I won't say anything about your behaviour if you take me to you daddy" I offered. But really I was just baiting him.

"I ain't scared of my dad!" he announced and swung his fist. I leant back a bit to avoid the hit, and grabbed his swinging arm. Giving a sharp tug the boy stumbled forward and I let go of his arm to drive my fist into his gut. The force caused him to traverse through the air for a few metres before skidding and rolling to a stop. I blinked at my strength, and how easy it was to predict and counter the boys attack.

'That's right, Death upgraded my skills so I could skip ahead a bit and wouldn't spend so much time training' I remembered and returned my hand to its pocket. I looked on bored for a moment, while everyone else stared in shock, before looking to one of the lads following the gang leaders' son.

"I have a message for this boys' father, could you please take me to him? And you" I turned to the other one, and he flinched "Take your buddy to a hospital or something, I'm pretty sure I felt something break" when neither one moved, I glared and took a menacing step forward. They scurried to obey, and I followed my escort further into the slums.

"Uh, Richard won't be happy about what you did, or about you coming around like this" the older man warned as he walked into a building, nodding at the guard as he passed. I took that moment to scan the building. It was large, and looked more like an office building than a mansion.

"I would be disappointed if he wasn't" I returned, he nodded but other than that didn't react. I continued to follow him as he led me up stairs and down halls until we reached a set of large double-doors. I raised a brow at that, but schooled my features again a second later. The doors opened and I was lead into a spacious room.

It had a sofa and coffee table in the middle and on the other side of the room was a large mahogany desk and large leather seat, two tall back chairs in front of that. They looked comfortable enough, though I didn't like the idea of being boxed in like that. The man sitting at the desk looked like a real pimp. Violet suit with a fedora of the same colour, a red tie and shoes, to finish the style, I mean he even had a damn feather!

"And you would be?" he asked, arrogance and a little bit of curiosity lacing his tone. His displeasure at being interrupted was all over his face. I caught sight of two swordsmen on either side of him, standing against the wall in the shadow of the large window behind the desk, one had long black hair kept in a low ponytail while the other had short, straight, brown hair.

'A decent sniper could deal with you easily' was my immediate thought, but I kept my features calm but slightly bored. I walked around the furniture and stood a little ways from the desk, the bodyguards stepped forward a little and I couldn't help but praise the fact that they actually took their jobs seriously.

"Alexandra… Kenly" I said, remembering that my last name was no longer the one I was born into. My surname was Kenly now; the one from my old world was… no longer a part of me.

"Well, Alexandra Kenly, why are you here? Interrupting my work no less" the man said, and mentally scoffed at his behaviour. Well, that explained why his son acted as he did.

"Isn't courteous to give your own name once someone has given you theirs?" I asked calmly, somewhat mocking, completely ignoring his question. The man seemed to choke on his surprise and hissed at me.

"Watch yourself girl, you might find yourself losing that tongue of yours" he said and I only raised a brow at him, to which he growled at. God, it was so easy to ruffle this man. His swordsmen grabbed their swords, prepared to draw them and cut me down. I was slightly worried about the potential fight. I had never fought anyone with a sword before, and I would be fighting two.

"I had come on friendly terms, but if you would rather skip the pleasantries…" I paused, cocking my head to the side and stared at him contemplatively. He smirked at me, obviously believing he had the upper hand. He gestured towards his two guards and they stepped forward, I only gave him a deadpanned stare.

"I have a business proposition for you" he raised a brow at that, but indicated for me to continue "I want you to be an informant of mine. You won't have to do much, just give me the gist of the comings and goings of this island and then report to me when something odd starts happening" I finished evenly. He lent forward and laced his fingers together in front of him.

"And in return?" he asked, obviously expecting something big.

"You live"

He did a mix between a scoff and a choking sound before his face went red. Standing angrily he slammed his hands on desk "You'll do what?" he spat, before gesturing for his guards again with the order of 'kill her' being the only words needed to be spoken. I stayed calm, my hands still tucked away in my pockets. I wanted to show off a bit, and beating two armed men with no hands would do just that.

Both ran around the desk, swords drawn, and both swung horizontally. One swing was higher than the other; the top sword would probably take my head while the other would open up my stomach. The blades glinted silver in the light from the window, and I saw my opportunity.

Stepping forward, I pushed my legs up and to the side, bringing my body with it and allowing my form to remain straight while being horizontal in mid-air. Time seemed to slow as my body twisted, as the blades passed above and below me I was facing the ceiling, and as I descended I was facing towards the amazed gang leader. One bare foot touched the cool wood floor, performing a half-twirl I kicked the back of the brown haired man's knee, I retracted my foot for a moment before striking out like a snake. My heel made contact with his head and he was out cold.

I ducked and side-stepped a diagonal high swing, and performed a handless cartwheel to avoid the second swing aimed at my legs. Again I kicked for the knees, but this was a side sweep that hit the side of his right knee and there was a distinct 'pop' sound. He fell onto his knees with a surprised scream, I had probably dislocated it. Stepping forward I brought my own knee up to collide with his jaw, sticking my foot out I pushed his chest and he fell back. Not dead, but he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

I looked down at my opponents, a deadpanned look crossing my features, though I hid my smugness at beating these guys without hands pretty well. I looked to the man who was now shaking like a leaf.

"I think you'll find that killing me is far easier said than done. However, I understand my mistake. For such a long term deal, both sides must give a certain amount, and you will already be risking your business and life in helping me. So" she paused, to make sure he was actually listening "I owe you a favour, just give me a call and I'll see how I can help you. I'm not asking you to do much really, just report to me anything out of the ordinary. If the Marines become edgy all of a sudden, I want to know. If trade notably changes, I want to know. If a new pirate crew or gang pop up in the area, or you hear of one, I want to know" I said, commanded, and waited patiently for a reply. It didn't take long, since it was obvious that I could kill him (Not that I would, I'm not that bad yet) and that I could be a potential ally.

"A-alright… How do I contact you?" he asked, still a little shaky but calming down. I looked around, idly wondering how I was going to solve this one. I actually hadn't thought of a way of communication.

"Letters, send me letters. Basic reports, really. But if anything big happens, especially with the Marines… do you have a small Den Den Mushi?" he nodded at my question and went to a large wooden display case; he opened the glass doors and searched for one that would work for them.

"How far are you planning to go?" he asked, his demeanour had changed from his arrogant persona to one of a professional businessman. I smiled for a moment before putting back on my calm façade. I was glad that I had made the right choice in investing in this man; he would be a good informant.

"To the New World at least" I said, he paused in surprise before pulling out a small red transponder snail. He handed it to me and offered me a seat, to which I obliged. My demeanour became friendlier as we sorted out the details. He would send me a basic report once a week of the basic activities, comings and goings, and behaviour of the major and minor factors of the island. The Marines, the harbour, trade, business (Both legal and otherwise) and had even offered to set up a few spies in the navy. I had told him that it was up to him, since it was his men he was risking. He seemed to take my words to heart, but said he would still work out a few things.

As I rose to leave, I left a weeks' worth of money on his desk. When he asked about it I pointed to his injured men "for their medical bill, it won't cover all of it but it should help. Oh, and can you point me to the nearest travellers shop?" had been my answer. He had called for the man who escorted me here, and gave him instructions to take me wherever I wanted to go and to make sure I was treated properly.

Two hours and one long trip back to the hotel, and I was back at my sleeping quarters. Dumping all the stuff I bought on the floor, I began to pull everything out and sort them in groups. Food, clothing, first aid and so on, and then I started to put them in my backpack. I the larger stuff away and put the smaller things in the pockets, a roll-up swag was tied at the bottom of the pack by straps and I even added a few clip-ons.

By the time I was finished, it was dusk and I was tired. I would be selling herbs and teas at the plaza tomorrow. I had seen a bunch of people doing it, and wondered how my first selling endeavour would go. Maybe I could give a few free lessons to bring them in? Eh, who knows? I'll just see how things work first.

I got into my bed and stared at the ceiling; it was wood and had water stains in the corners and chips from whatever had caused them. It was old, and had seen a lot of things. I always found old things charming, like old buildings and old books, or old toys. I wondered what I would see on my own journey, what would happen and how things would change, if they changed at all. I wasn't plagued with panic and doubt like before. My eyes closed and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle? Again, if you find any typos or mistakes, please point them out so I can fix them!

Hoped you enjoyed this chapter.

R&R!

Imma outta here!