The Wild Rover Chapter 5: And Found!, an one piece fanfic

Chapter 5: ...And Found!

A/N: I made a mistake in the last chapter. I should have used 'drop anchor' instead of 'weigh anchor' when Shanks was docking at Foosha Village. There's a few more chapters before skipping 10 years. Thanks for reading!

Dev sits; shivering and trying her hardest to not just lay down and give up; by the pile of rotting leaves that she fell into when she fell down into this subterranean cave. After spending several days exploring the cave, she discovered that there is only one way in...and out. She then returned to the hole she originally fell through and tried calling for help, hoping that somebody would hear her. She yelled until she lost her voice.

That was yesterday...at least she thinks that it was yesterday...she's not entirely sure how much time has passed since she has no way of telling time down here. Now Devlin is sitting on the ground with the strange jewel lighting the area around her. She's cold and very, very hungry and she's beginning to lose hope that somebody will find her.

"This is where we stopped to have lunch," Ace says as he comes to a stop after leading Shanks and Benn Beckman to the place where he had last seen Dev.

Shanks holds the lantern he's holding high in the air in order to get a better overall look at the area. Even in the dim light, he can tell that things aren't looking very good for finding Dev's trail. The grass around them has been trampled flat by the feet of so many people walking around for five days.

Benn grimaces, "Which way did she go?"

The blonde hair boy with the missing front tooth, Sabo, points to the west. "She headed in that direction, but we lost sight of her in the trees when she went about half a mile. After that, we don't know what direction she went."

Benn nods and walks in the direction that Sabo indicated. He lowers his own lantern then crouches down to examine the ground more carefully. "Has Luffy been on any of these searches?"

Ace answers him, "A couple, but he usually stays close to us or Makino."

"I might have something...but then again it might be nothing more than a false lead from one of the days these boys were searching."

"We have ta take the chance, lil' Devi has ta be close ta starvation by now."

Benn nods, "The trail leads this way. Follow me." The three fall into line behind the older man: Sabo directly behind Benn, then Ace, and Shanks brings up the rear with his free hand close to the hilt of his sword in case of danger.

They continue following the trail for almost two hours; during which they change directions frequently and unexpectedly. At one point, the trail zig-zags so badly that Shanks wonders if Devlin had managed to snatch a bottle of rum somewhere.

Benn finally stops and looks around, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "The trail's gone."

Shanks feels his heart clench, "What do ye mean? Was it washed away by the rain?"

Benn shakes his head, "No, it's just gone. Like she vanished into thin air."

Ace shushes everyone, "Can you hear that?"

They all remain quiet and listen carefully until they finally hear a very faint, "Help!"

"Dev!" Ace and Sabo start shouting the little girl's name.

A louder cry of, "Help!" can be heard this time and the two boys begin to frantically search the area.

Benn's frown deepens, "I don't like this, captain."

Shanks looks at him, "What is it, Benn?"

"I don't like how the trail just disappears...there could be pitfalls around here."

Something clicks inside of Shanks' head and he rushes forward to grab the two boys by the collars of their shirts just as the ground crumbles beneath the boys' feet.

Shanks sits the boys back on their feet, "Thanks." They both say to the red headed man.

An indignant cry is heard from the newly exposed hole and an angry feminine voice yells, "Hey! I asked to be rescued not buried alive!"

"Dev!" Ace and Sabo shout happily as they move cautiously to the edge of the hole. "What happened? How long have you been down there? Are you okay?" The two boys start asking the girl questions one after another.

"I'm cold, hungry, and thirsty." Dev whines.

Shanks takes off his black cloak and the canteen full of water provided by Makino. Raising his voice so that Devlin will be able to hear him Shanks says, "Lass, are ye hurt? Anything broken or are ye bleeding?"

"Shanks?! Is that really you?!"

"Aye, luv. Benn and I are both here. Now I need ta know if yer hurt."

"No...at least nothing major. I have a few cuts and bruises, but they're not serious." Dev falls silent for a moment then says, "I don't know how I only have scrapes and bruises though...I only fell into a pile of dead leaves."

Benn speaks up, "Devlin, do you think that you can manage to start a fire?"

"I don't know...it's kinda damp down here."

Benn reaches into his pocket and pulls out some matches, "Here, captain, add these to the bundle you're making." Shanks takes the matches from his first mate and puts them on his cloak next to the canteen. Benn then turns to Ace and Sabo, who are now pestering and teasing Dev. "Boys, help me gather some kindling, but be sure to stay close to me in case there's more pitfalls around." Benn starts to walk off with the two boys on either side of him.

Meanwhile, Shanks continues to put together a small care package for Dev. He searches his pockets for anything that could be useful. He finds some string, which can be used to bundle the kindling together. He also finds the present he had made for Dev; a sliver bracelet with a charm of his jolly roger. He puts the gift back into his pocket for now.

"Hello?! Hello?! Is anyone still there?!" Dev's voice is now panic-stricken, "Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!"

Speaking loudly Shanks answers her, "It's okay, luv. I'm still here. The others just went ta get some firewood so ye can warm yerself up, okay?" As he's trying to comfort Dev, he rolls up his cloak, and ties the ends together. "Devi, I'm sending my cloak down ta ye. Inside ye will find water and some matches. Now this is very important, luv, make sure ta sip the water. If ye drink it too fast you'll get sick and throw up and that will make ye even more dehydrated."

"Okay."

"Tell me when it hits the ground." He drops the cloak over the edge of the hole then waits. "Devi? Luv?"

A soft thud is heard and Dev shouts, "Okay, it hit the ground!"

Shanks furrows his eyebrows and frowns; this situation isn't good but hopefully he's wrong. Maybe the hole isn't as deep as he thinks it is.

Benn and the boys return each of them carrying an armful of wood. Ben says, "Thought we could make a fire of our own for warmth and to keep the wild animals away." He sees the worried look on his captain's face and asks, "What's wrong?"

"The hole is deeper than we expected," Shanks replies, while using the string to tie Sabo and Ace's pile of sticks together.

"How deep?"

Shanks holds the bundle of kindling out over the hole, "Devi, luv? I need ye ta get ta a safe place. I'm about ta drop some kindling down and it will hurt ye if it hits ye. Just let me know when yer out o' the way."

Thirty seconds pass in silence and then a faint "Okay," is heard.

Shanks releases the bundle and they wait for a couple of moments until the bundle hits the ground with a thud.

There's a sharp intake of breath from Benn Beckman. "Captain...that's at least a seventy-five foot drop. At least."

Devi picks up Shanks' cloak then starts to untie it. She finds the matches, but sets them aside for now. She picks up the canteen and is about to take a huge gulp when she remembers what Shanks told her and takes a small sip instead.

She throws Shanks' cloak on and it completely engulfs her, surrounding her in his scent. It's a strange smell, but a very pleasant one; a mixture of the ocean, pine wood, and something else she can't quite put her finger on. Most likely rum or sake.

Dev then turns to the bundle of kindling and begins trying to start a fire. After several failed attempts, she finally manages to start a small fire. "Okay, I got a small fire going...what now?!"

Shanks let's out a frustrated sigh, "I was hoping I was wrong about it being that deep."

Ace and Sabo look at the pirate captain with desperate looks, "What's going to happen next? We can't just leave her down there!" Ace shouts.

"First, we wait 'til we find out if Devi can start a fire down there. If she can, ye two will go with Benn back ta town where ye will wait 'til the morn when my crew will gather some rope."

The two boys start to protest with, "But we want to stay with Dev!" and "Why do we have to wait until the morning?!"

Benn flicks his cigarette into the pile of dead leaves underneath their own stack of wood and slowly a fire starts to spring to life. "You have to go back to town because the last thing the captain needs is for one of you boys to wander off and fall into another pit."

Shanks sighs, "And we have ta wait 'til the morn cause the only length of rope that can reach the bottom of the pit is in the rigging of our ship. The crew will need ta see what they're doing fer that."

Benn looks at Shanks, "You mean from the main sail? Taking that down will be simple enough, but putting it back up will take weeks. Which means we'll be stranded here for that time."

Shanks nods, "Aye, I know. But we can't leave the wee lass down there much longer. And I doubt anyone on this island has any rope over 30 feet."

"Okay, I got a small fire going...what now?" Dev's voice carries up to them.

"That's great, luv. Benn is going ta take the boys back ta town, but they'll return when it's light out."

Dev starts to panic and whine, "Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!"

"I'm not leaving ye, luv. I'll stay right here with ye 'til we get ye out o' that hole." Shanks looks at his first mate, "When ye get back inform everyone that we've found Devi and that she's not hurt."

Benn nods, "Of course, captain."

Ace frowns at the two men and stomps his foot, "I'm staying right here with Devlin."

"Ace, the captain has enough to worry about," Benn tells the black haired boy.

Shanks looks at the stubborn boy and sighs, "It's okay, Benn. I'm sure Ace won't cause me any problems. Besides he seems ta cheer the lass up."

Benn nods at his captain then looks at Sabo when the boy says, "I'll go back to the village with Mister Beckman. Someone needs to keep an eye on Luffy."

Once this is decided, Benn and Sabo begin to head back to Foosha Village while Shanks and Ace huddle close to the fire. Without really meaning to Ace falls asleep. "Is anyone still there?!" Dev calls out.

"Aye, luv. Ace and I are both still here."

"My fire has gone out. I think it's too damp down here."

"That's okay. Try and get some sleep, luv."

There is silence for about ten minutes before Dev speaks again, "I can't fall asleep."

"Maybe a little shanty will help ye sleep, luv." Shanks says before starting to sing causing Ace to jolt awake and sit up.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho

Making a delivery, bringing it across the sea

Bink's sake in the hold, as we sail through the breeze

Far across the eye can see, the sun is shining merrily

As the birds fly in the sky, as they sing out with glee

Bid adieu to everyone, as we sail under the sun

Sailing on from dusk 'til dawn and singing out as one

Cross the gold and silver waves, changing into water sprays

Sailing out on our journey, to the ends of the sea

Making a delivery, of Bink's sake through the sea

Let be shown that we are known, as pirates sailing free

Time to raise the flag up high, of Jolly Roger in the sky

Raise the sails and tell the tales, that never pass you by

Somewhere in the endless sky, a storm has started coming by

Waves a-dancing, sails a-prancing through the wind and rain

If we let blow winds of fear, then the end of us is near

Even so tomorrow the sun will rise again

Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho

Making a delivery, of Bink's sake through the sea

Through today and through tomorrow, all your dreams will lay

Say goodbye should we depart, and keep your memories in your heart

Don't you frown and don't feel down, but live to seize the day

Making a delivery, of Bink's sake through the sea

Sailing on from dusk 'til dawn, and singing out as one

After all is said and done, we all end up as skeletons

Tales unending, rules a-bending, journey just begun

Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho

Yo-ho-ho-ho, yo-ho-ho-ho."

Shanks finishes the song and Dev yells up, "I like that song!"

"Me too," says Ace.

"I thought ye might. Now both of ye should try ta get some sleep."

Ace lays back down on the ground, but can't get comfortable. Seventy-five feet bellow Ace, Dev is having the same problem, even though she's wrapped up tightly in Shanks' cloak. She finally gives up trying to sleep and sits up. Dev decides to ask Shanks the question that's been on her mind since she fell down into the cave. "Shanks?"

"What is it, luv?"

"What if the reason that I survived the fall is because I'm a monster?"

A frown appears on both Ace's and Shanks' faces. Shanks asks her, "Where would ye get the idea that yer a monster, luv?"

"That's what my family called me when they tried to kill me."

"What!" Ace shouts in astonishment.

"Do ye want ta tell us what happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure what exactly happened. I remember that as we got close to the island a Sea King attacked our boat, but then I blacked out and don't know what occurred. The next thing that I remember the Sea King was dead and my family was looking at me in fear and calling me a monster. When we landed, my parents attacked me with daggers and my older brother beat me with an oar. They left me to die in a pool of my own blood and sailed away. When I was sure they were gone, I managed to get to my feet and made my way into the woods and that's when Mister Garp found me."

Shanks' straw hat is pulled down to cover his eyes, but the hat cannot hide the huge scowl on his face. He takes a deep breath to calm down before telling Devlin, "Humans, monsters, heroes, villains- these are words people throw around all the time. It's all a matter of semantics; someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens, but someone else could be labeled a villain for trying ta stop them."

"But what if I really am a monster? And what if I hurt those that I care about?"

"We are all monsters in someone else's eyes, Devi. Marines and most o' the population o' the world see pirates as monsters. And pirates see marines as monsters that want ta limit their freedom. The thing ta decide is what kind of monster ta be. The kind who builds towns or the kind who breaks them. It's all up ta you, luv. Only you can decide whether ta be someone who protects or someone who destroys."

"I want to be a protector."

Shanks grins, "Then become strong and tame that so called monster inside o' ye, Devlin." There is a couple of moments of silence before Shanks speaks up again, "Do ye know what yer name means in my native language, luv?"

There's a loud yawn from down below and then Dev's voice asks, "No, what?"

"Fierce courage."

"Cool!"

The three fall into a comfortable silence and after about five minutes Ace falls backwards on to the ground, fast asleep. Another five minutes pass by and Shanks can hear snoring coming from the hole. As he watches the slowly dying fire, Shanks yawns and closes his eyes, making sure to use his kenbunshoku haki to stay alert to any danger that could be around.

A couple of hours later, Dev wakes up shivering from the cold. She sits up and wraps the cloak tighter around her small body. "Shanks?!" she calls up to the pirate captain, but receives no answer. "Ace?!" Again no answer. Dev gets shakily to her feet and pulls up her pants, which are now too big for her. "Shanks?! Ace?! Is anybody still up there?!" When nobody answers, she stumbles over to one of the cavern's walls and, in a blind panic, begins to frantically climb. She gets about ten six feet up when the rocks under her hands crumble causing her to fall back down to the hard ground. She lands on a large rock and a sharp pain goes through her body as a couple of her ribs break. Dev cries out in pain and just lays on the ground sobbing for a while. Then, sniffling, she sits up wincing from the pain in her right side. "If I can't even get myself out of this silly little hole then I don't deserve to be a pirate," she says out loud to herself. "How can my future nakama trust me with their lives...when I can't even protect myself!" She slowly stands up then balls both of her hands into fists in determination. "I've decided! I'm going to become stronger and join Shanks' crew!"

Dev pulls her pants up again before taking off Shanks' cloak and wrapping it around her waist like an obi. She then kicks off her flimsy flip-flops, knowing that they will only impede her during the climb. She walks over to the cave wall and glares at it with a determined look on her face. "The first step in becoming stronger is to get out of this cave by myself!" She looks at the strange glowing jewel in her hand before putting it in one of her pockets. The cave is instantly devoured by darkness, but to Dev's great surprise she can still see even though it's now pitch black. "I will get out of this cave! And I will join the Red Hair Pirates!" She places her hands on the wall and starts to climb.

A/N: Did you know that there's at least four different versions of Bink's Sake? I chose this version for a special reason which will be revealed soon. I also want to Thank Everyone who followed and favorited this story. And an extra special to Sakurapm38, and KingCreations, and surgeonlaw for your comments!