Disclaimer: I do not own One-Piece nor any of it's characters. Those belong to Oda Eiichiro.
Nunya Bizniz
Chapter One: Kansas
Rachel reached the town port first. Missy wasn't too far behind. Rachel cut the engine and just let the wave runner drift up to the dock. She took a hold of the edge and waited. Missy went to the other side of the dock. She tied a rope to one of the posts and then stepped onto solid wood. She had an extra rope with her for the rear of her boat to be tied off, but she figured it wasn't that important. Rachel needed to tie her craft to the dock as well.
Rachel looped one end of the rope around the handles of the wave runner while Missy tied it to the dock. Rachel then lifted herself up to join Missy. She started to take off her life jacket then tossed it into the speed boat. She was wearing a wet suit with blue stripes on the side. On her feet were a blue pair of river shoes. Missy was wearing a pair of khaki shorts, white sandals and a purple bikini top.
Rachel unzipped her wetsuit and let the top half fall down, showing her wearing a blue bikini top. She turned around to face Missy and stopped short. Missy was looking out to the town. "I think we landed in a bad old west movie," she muttered.
"I have a question," Rachel started. "Since when have you started to look younger?"
"What?" Missy turned to look at Rachel. She was now staring at her as well. "I'm not the only one, I guess. You look exactly like you did when you were sixteen."
"You look like your late teens to early twenties," Rachel informed. "What kind of messed up storm reduces the age of people? I need to figure it out and pantent it. I could make a fortune."
"That's what you think of?"
"I'm a business woman," Rachel shrugged. She started heading off the dock.
"You're an opportunist," Missy followed.
"It's the same thing," Rachel shrugged. She looked over her shoulder to Missy with a grin. She never saw the person she bumped into. She ended up taking a step back from the sudden stop. "I'm so sorry," she started to face forward.
"It's fine," a deep male voice said. Both girls blinked at the man in front of them. He was tall with broad shoulders, short green hair and a tanned complexion. He wore a white long sleeved shirt with red stripes going down the sleeves. He had on black capri pants and sandals. He looked worn down and tired. At his hip was a single sword in a plain sheeth. There were three earings in his left ear that dangled and moved slightly as he looked at Rachel. "Just watch where you're going from now on." The man then walked off.
"Holy shit," Missy muttered. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto." Rachel narrowed her eyes at Missy and glared at her. "Sorry," Missy muttered. "But seriously, we're a long way away from home. That was Roronoa Zoro."
"You don't think I know that?" Rachel asked. She closed her eyes with a sigh and put a hand to her forehead. "I introduced you to it after all."
Missy developed an evil smirk. "You should see yourself Rae," she teased. "You're as red as a tomato."
"Who asked you?" Rachel turned her head back towards the town. "So, first off we need to find out which town this is and what ocean. Second, we need jobs."
"Jobs?" Missy followed once Rachel started walking again. "Why do we need jobs? Can't we just find a way back home?"
"How?" Rachel asked. "Do you know how we got here, why we're younger and how to go home? Once we get home, will we be the same as we are now or will we be returned to our natural age? If you know how to get home, how long will it take?"
"Okay, okay, I get the point. You really need to take a chill pill girl."
Rachel stopped and looked at Missy with wide eyes. "They don't have any soda here."
"Tell me they have coffee," Missy grabbed Rachel's shoulders.
"Old fashioned," Rachel nodded. "But no creamer and no flavorings."
Missy fell to her knees and grabbed her hair. "Oh the humanity!"
Rachel gave Missy an extremely bored look. "Are you done?" she asked.
"Just one more," Missy said. "We're all gonna die!" At this point, several people were now looking at the strange girls. This included the man that Rachel bumped into.
"Just you," Rachel sighed out. "And most likely by my hand." She began walking again, not waiting for Missy.
"You're no fun," Missy jumped up and chased after the younger girl. "You could at least humor me." The two were now walking through the town, trying their hardest to ignore the stares of the people.
"I think we also need new clothes," Rachel muttered so only Missy heard. "We need to maintain a low profile until we find a way home."
"How do you suppose we go about that?" Missy asked.
"There's only one way I can think of," Rachel said. "We need to figure out what the missing history is, we'll need a way to get around to do that."
"That will go against the government," Missy pointed out.
"It's corrupt anyway." Rachel went into a clothing shop. "Excuse me miss," she addressed the clerk. "My friend and I got caught in a storm and ended up on this island, separated from the main ship. We need some new clothes, but we don't have any Beri." Rachel took off her watch. "Would you be willing to trade two dresses for this item? It's one of a kind."
"What is it?" the woman asked.
"It's called a watch," Rachel continued. "It shows the time and what day it is. If nothing else, it makes a very unique and interesting fashion accessory you could sell at a high rate."
The woman took the watch and stared at it. "You can choose two of the dresses from that rack," she gestured. "Those are the dresses from last year I've been trying to get rid of."
"That works for me," Missy muttered. She took the blue dress over the brown one.
"I'll take that one," Rachel said.
"Why do you get the prettier one?" Missy asked.
"It was my watch," Rachel pointed out.
Missy rolled her eyes, but conceded the point. "Fine, but this whole bossing me around thing is going to end soon."
"As soon as you offer useful information I'll be willing to listen to it." The two changed in the dressing room. Once they were finished they thanked the clerk, who Rachel assumed was the owner since she gave them the dresses so quickly. The two of them left the store to continue walking through town.
"So we need to find a job," Missy said. "Any idea where to start looking?"
"We need jobs and information," Rachel pointed out. "The best place for both..." Missy saw Rachel staring at one building in particular.
"You want us to work in a bar?" Missy asked.
"Flowing drink makes loose lips," Rachel nodded. "It will be a job where we can also get the information that we need."
"If they hire us," Missy added. "They might not need any more help."
"Only one way to find out." Rachel headed into the building without another word. Inside there was a group of rowdy men sitting at a table close to the door and furthest away from the bar. At the bar two guys were sitting, trying not to be noticed.
There was a husky looking man behind the counter drying a glass. "I'll handle this one," Missy stepped in front of Rachel. "Excuse me sir," she started off. "My sister and I are stranded. We were hoping that you would be kind enough to give us a job."
"Why should I?" the man demanded.
"I'm good with drinks and know how to make a few you might have never heard of before. My younger sister isn't too bad in the kitchen and she bakes really good. She could be a waitress if needed."
The man stepped back and looked the two up and down. "Prove you've got the skills," he challenged.
Missy rolled up her sleeves and moved behind the counter. She studied the different beverages for a moment and then got to work. She mixed a few and then handed the man a mug filled with her concoction. "I call this one a Hurricane," she said. "It's got a lot of alcohol in it without a lot of the burn. You should be careful or it will knock you out."
The man took a careful sip. "I've never tasted alcohol like this before," he said. "But it doesn't taste like anything a sailor would drink."
"That's exactly my point," Missy said. "If you were to start serving drinks like this then you would start having more women coming in to drink. It will increase your sales. More women will equal more men. More people will want drinks."
The man nodded in agreement. "I can see that now," he said. He then turned to Rachel. "What exactly can you do?"
"Where's your kitchen?" Rachel asked sweetly. The man pointed towards the back. "Give me a few minutes please." Rachel disappeared behind the door.
"What will she do?" the man asked.
"Knowing my sister, she'll probably make some type of food that will make people want to drink more," Missy said. She noticed the man go to drink more of the Hurricane she made. "You might want to save that to wash down her food, just in case."
A few minutes later Rachel came back carrying a plate on a tray. She set the dish down in front of the owner. "They're called Hot Wings and French Fries," she said. "The wings," she pointed to the meat. "I used various spices to make a hot sauce coating after I fried them. I then fried a potatoe after cutting it a certain way to get the french fries. Please enjoy."
The owner bit into a fry first. "Lightly salted, but not bad." He then took one of the wings and started to bite into it. He didn't notice the smirk that took over Rachel's face. After the owner swallowed his face started to get red and sweat poured from his hairline. He grabbed the drink that Missy had made and downed it.
After taking a minute to collect himself the owner looked at the two. "You're both hired," he managed. He then looked to Rachel. "I don't really need another cook, do you think you could teach that to myself and my wife while you waitress out here?"
"Not a problem," Rachel agreed. "I prefer to stay out of the kitchen at any rate."
The two stood next to the bar as the man tried to compose himself a bit more. "Okay then, I'll..."
He was interrupted when the door opened loudly. The man that Rachel had run into earlier, Zoro, walked in. He gained everyones attention at that point. Rachel did her best not to stare. "Give me some food," he said as he sat. He placed is single katana on the bar.
"Any money?" the owner asked nervously as he started drying a plate.
"None right now," Zoro admitted. "But, I'll make some when I collect the bounty on the guy behind me."
The men that were sitting at the table stood up quickly, knocking a few chairs to the floor. The green haired man showed no sign of acknowledging their anger. He just continued to sit calmly with his right hand resting on his sword.
"What a rude thing to say," the biggest guy said. He then started running at the newcomer. "Before you can make a cut in me I'll rip you apart!" He then raised his overly large sword over his head.
As he brought the sword down the two men at the bar, Johnny and Yosaku, let out startled shouts. Rachel and Missy took a couple of steps away from the fight.
In a movement that was too fast to be seen, Zoro moved his sword above his head, the blade barely coming out of the sheeth. He blocked the attack without flinching or even moving an inch. Billy, the attacker, was struggling to get his sword through while Zoro's arm remained steady and unmoved.
As Billy let out a growl Zoro started speaking. "Don't make me exert myself so much," he calmly ordered. "I'm too hungry." The bartender started wiping his plate more quickly, an expression of fear on his face.
Billy growled again as he tried to get Zoro to show signs of moving. "Answer me something," Zoro continued in a calm voice. "There a bounty on your head?"
Billy let out a short laugh. "Yeah, get a load of this," he boasted. "My head's worth five million beri!"
"Oh yeah?" Zoro's voice changed pitch. To Rachel and Missy it sounded like he was being sarcastic. "That should be enough."
"What!?" Billy started. Before he could continue Zoro pushed his sword back. The movement caused Billy to loose his balance. For the split second that he wasn't on guard Zoro took advantage and attacked. Billy was on the floor, bleeding, before anyone could realize what had happened.
The room was in stunned silence as Zoro resheethed his sword and sat back down. "There's your money," Zoro said to the bartender. "Now get me some food."
"Y-yes Sir!" the bartender put down what he was doing and started for the back. "Right away!" The two men that were with Billy shouted in fear and ran out the door.
Yosaku was flipping through wanted posters frantically while Johnny stared at the now seated Zoro. "That guy," he muttered, "he's good."
"Well I don't see him in the wanted posters," Yosaku said. "If he's a bounty hunter the locals should have recognized him."
The bartender returned with a plate piled high with food. Missy and Rachel took this as their cue to talk to the man. "Could we start tomorrow?" Missy asked. "I need to find us a place to stay."
"F-fine with me. If you're looking for a place, the mayor should be able to help you out. He's usually found fishing at the docks around dusk."
"Perfect timing then," Missy smiled. She took hold of Rachel's hand and started rushing towards the exit. "We'll see you in the morning then."
"I saw you two earlier." Zoro paused in his eating for a moment.
"Yes, we had just arrived," Rachel said. "I'm sorry again for running into you. I hope that you enjoy your meal." Zoro nodded at them as the two headed out the door.
The two of them went back to the docks. There was a crowd staring at the speed boat and wave runner that they had tied up. "Well that's just great," Rachel said. "Now we have to come up with a story for why we have two odd looking boats."
"I've got an idea for the speed boat," Missy said. "It's engine is covered and can't be seen so we can pass it off as a paddle wheel. The wave runner is a little more complicated."
"Ya think?" Rachel slowed her pace as she tried to think of a good story. "I'm at a loss except to say it's an experiment and I haven't worked the kinks out so it's very dangerous."
"Like they'll buy that," Missy put in.
"If I let someone try to get on they could," Rachel nodded. "After all, if someone gets on incorrectly it will tip and they'll fall in."
"Good point," Missy agreed. "We'll do that if any of them question it." The two came up to the crowd. Missy cleared her throat to gain their attention. "We're looking for the mayor," she told them.
A tall and lanky man stepped up. "I'm the mayor," he said. "Are you two the girls that came with these strange sea vessels?"
"That would be us," Missy nodded. She then gave the story of them being stranded and needing a place to stay. "We start a job in the morning, we just need a place to sleep."
"You can stay with me," an elderly woman stepped up. "I have the room and I could use the help with house chores as payment for your stay."
"I'm assuming you mean cleaning, laundry and other household chores?" Rachel asked.
"Of course," the woman nodded.
"That sounds good to us," Missy said. "I'm Melissa, or Missy, and this is my little sister Rachel."
"It's nice to meet you two," the woman said. "My name is Edina Corins."
"Thank you for letting us stay with you Miss Corins," Missy said.
"Just call me Edina."
"Now that you have a place to stay perhaps you could answer our question," the mayor said. "What are these two sea vessels?"
"The bigger is a new type of life boat. It has a small paddle wheel to move away from a sinking ship," Missy explained.
"What of the little one?" the mayor asked.
"It's a work in progress," Rachel spoke up. "It's still not perfected and very dangerous. If you could all please not touch or try to ride it that would be best. I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt or fall into the water."
Once the crowd had dispersed, Edina led the two to her home. Once they were in a room that they would share and had some privacy they talked more freely. "That was easier than I thought," Missy said.
"That's a good thing," Rachel said. She let out a sigh and sat on the only bed. "I suppose that we either share the bed or play rock, paper, scissors for it."
"We'll need a good night's sleep to start work in the morning," Missy pointed out. "So we'll just have to share the bed. What I want to know is, what were you talking about before we went into the clothes shop?"
"The missing history," Rachel nodded. "I'm assuming that there once was a technologically advanced society in this world, but the world government destroyed it and set back the world by centuries. A slightly similar civilization to the Atlantis myth if I'm any judge. Any way, if we can find out some of the history, maybe a few of their devices and tools, we might find a way home. Of course it's definitely not going to be easy, the government has made it's research illegal after all. To keep it a secret as much as possible we'll need to have our own ship. We need money for that."
"I wouldn't want just any ship these people can build," Missy said. "I want one with an engine and a decent propellor system."
"It will need to be armed," Rachel added. "Pirates roam all of the waters. Cannons aren't going to cut it, not in my book."
"So, we take my mechanics mind and build the ship to my specs. We then take your gunsmith mind and arm the thing. This isn't going to be a small task."
"The best ships come out of Water 7," Rachel pointed out. "We need lots of money to do this. Being a bartender and a waitress alone isn't going to amount to what we need in a lifetime."
"So we start small," Missy said. "We'll use this job to save a bit of money. We'll use that money to buy material. I'll start building useful things for the town, solar panels for energy and such. You start by building security systems and early detection devices to fend off pirates. It will be a lucritive business once we get it going. Then we'll head to the Grand Line. If there are any towns that could really use security against pirates they will be in that sea. We'll make even more money there."
"You know how to build solar panels?" Rachel asked. "How and what for?"
"We've been working on solar powered cars and prototypes for a while now," Missy admitted. "We sill have a few bugs to work out."
Rachel looked at Missy with a smirk. "So we have a plan of action," she said. "You do realize that this is going to take us a long while?"
"Anything worth doing or having is bound to take some time," Missy agreed. "It's not like we can do anything else about our situation."
"Very true," Rachel nodded. "So we should get some sleep. We need to be well rested for our new lives."