Feeble hands brushed over hollow cheeks and stopped at dry lips. Bonney sucked at her thumb. She bit at her nails. She tried to remember what it was like to be full. To be safe from starvation. Her jaw felt weak. It hadn't chewed on anything in a week. Sure, it'd been bad before, but this was awful. She was desperate to eat anything she could get her hands on, just to fill her stomach. However, in the cold, stone city, there were no berries or fruits to consume. 'It's better than being beaten' she reminded herself. She couldn't remember how long ago it was that she had run away from home, but it was a distant past she only wanted for motivation.

Bonney wasn't so low as to steal. But… This was her breaking point. The smell of fresh pizza drifted into the dark alleyway she called 'Home'. From across the street, through a musty window, she could just barely see a portly man tossing pizza dough. She crept out of her alleyway and onto the sidewalk. The man was maneouvering the saucer of dough with ease. It spun around several times in the air before falling back onto his fist. It was beautiful, and it was a shame it was all being hidden behind closed doors. Bonney looked both ways before crossing the street. She hopped onto the sidewalk, and pressed her nose against the window. She peered inside to not avail. The man had dissapeared. She squinted her eyes, trying to see if she could spot a glimpse of him. The sudden chime of store bells startled her, and she jumped away from the window.

"Bambina," the portly man called her, smiling widely. His moustache was covered in flour, and he had a smear of bright red tomato sauce on his apron.

"Come in, won't you?" he asked her, gesturing to the inside of the shop. Bonney hesitated, but the smell was too tempting.

She walked into the store, and shivered. The store was warm and inviting. It was a stark difference from the cold she'd been forced to endure. T he store was brightly lit by both a large ceiling light, and a roaring oven. Four small, wooden tables were placed near the street-side window, each with two metal chairs tucked into them. The man pulled out a chair near the doorway, and Bonney took a seat.

"I saw you were watching my pizza-making," the man said, grinning at Bonney. "I'm pretty good, no?"

Bonney nodded in agreement.

"Oh! I haven't even introduced myself! I am Giomar, and you are?"

"Bonney," Bonney mumbled, "Jewelry Bonney."

"Ah! My sweet Gioielli! You look so affamato, so hungry! Will you have something to eat?"

Bonney nodded, anxious to fill her stomach with anything.

"I give you pizza?" Giomar asked.

"Yes please," Bonney smiled.

"Good!" Giomar rushed to the oven, and pulled out a large peel, on which rested a golden looking pizza. The room immediately smelled heavenly. Bonney could see steam rising off the crust, and the cheese bubbling over tomato sauce.

"It's fresh, and it's hot," Giomar said, sliding the pizza off the peel and onto a large platter. "We wait 5 minutes before we eat, ok?" Bonney nodded, salivating at the mouth.

5 minutes had never taken so long in Bonney's life. As soon as the clock had shifted from 6:30 to 6:35, Bonney hopped off her chair and nudged the mezzaluna on the counter towards Giomar.

"I know you're hungry, Gioielli," Giomar chuckled, taking the utensil into his hands and rapidly cutting the pizza into even slices. He slid a triangle spatula underneath a slice, and slipped it onto a plate.

"Here you go, Bambina," Giomar laughed, as Bonney wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She looked over the pizza, taking in its appearance. Giomar had sprinkled in some herbs with the cheese, which was still steaming. Bonney lifted the slice to her mouth, not caring that the crust was still burning hot. She took a bite, careful not to burn the roof of her mouth. Her mouth exploded in flavor, and she had to wipe her mouth to prevent the sauce from dripping onto her clothes. She pulled the slice away from her mouth, and it left strings of cheese behind it. She chewed on the bite of pizza, her jaw aching with pleasure. She quickly devoured the rest of the slice, and looked to Giomar pleadingly for more.

"I give you more on one condition," he raised an eyebrow. "My shop is not so good-looking you see?" Bonney nodded. "And I need a little helper to clean it up for me. Will you do this?"

"Yes," Bonney said sincerely, "as long as you teach me how to make that!" she exclaimed, pointing at the pizza.

"So mio Gioielli is a litte spunky, is she?" Giomar laughed, a twinkle in his eye. "Alright then, I shall teach you my trade."

A.N.: Woohoo! And with that, we kick off our September birthdays! I hope you guys enjoyed that one, 'cuz I sure did! Bonney's awesome to work with, but I wanted to write her a bit more quietly than her usual brash self. As such, I went back to the roots of childhood~ I also recently visited Rome, so I drew a bit of inspiration from there as well. Can you tell (haha)?

As it is September, I must post my list of birthdays for the month! For all you new readers who don't know the purpose of this list, it's for you guys to check and make sure your favourite character is getting their one-shot this month! If you don't see them, or you see that I've gotten their birthdate mixed up, please Review or PM me with the mistake, and I'll be happy to fix it! Now, without further ado, here's our September list:

Sep 1- Jewelry Bonney

Sep 2- Boa Hancock

Sep 3- Boa Sandersonia

Sep 5- Crocodile/ Boa Marigold

Sep 6- Moria

Sep 9- Basil Hawkins/Shyarly

Sep 11- Montblanc Cricket

Sep 16- Laboon

Sep 19- Don krieg

Sep 21- Pappug/ Kuzan (Aokiji)/ Erika Peterson

A little lengthy isn't it? I'll be busy all month with school and such, so I might not respond to some of your reviews like I normally do. But please know that I appreciate and treasure them dearly! You guys are what motivate me to keep writing this, and hearing from you all makes my day! So thank you! Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, Reader Birthdays, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! I'll see you in the next chapter for Boa Hancock!