AN: Hey all. Sorry about the late posting. I had a rough night and had a long day at work and didn't realize that I had forgotten until I had already left the house.
If you haven't read the Whole Cake arc, this chapter may have some small spoilers in it. I kept thinking about the first filler chapter and about how it was such a shame that I hadn't introduced this version of Karmen to Sanji, thus spurring another chapter. There may be more in this line, and other filler chapters with side story, but not for a while. On the 15th were back into the two-year gap with Karmen's first mission. I hope you enjoy!
Alternate Beginning, Filler Chapter 2
The dingy bobs across the waves as Luffy continues to gush about how cool Parvati is and tries to get Karmen to tell him more about fish riding. Usopp looks on apologetically and Nami asks how much prize money could be won. Zoro rows quietly, pretending to be uninterested in participating in the one-sided conversation while listening intently. She can tell. Karmen sips her tea, answering very little. She tries to distract herself from their attentions by curling her still-damp hair around her fingers, trying to get the ringlets to dry smoothly with little success. She keeps her face stony in an attempt to not let on how much their questions unsettle her. Every now and then her eyes will turn to the ocean. If she tries to jump, would Luffy snag her again? She could always dive in when he's distracted, if he'd ever turn his back. His gaze is intense. The way his eyes sparkle when he gets excited unnerves her and makes her spine crawl. She sighs and gives in, setting her cup aside. Maybe if she answers some of his questions he'll go do something else.
"The most dangerous creature I've ever competed with was a three-headed shark. It ate four of my competitor's mounts and I was barely able to keep it from decapitating my rival Braylynn. She wouldn't speak to me for months because I kept her from getting an eye-turning scar. I won one hundred thousand in that competition, but only because my top competitors all lost their mounts. I split the prize money with them to help replace their equipment," she says, shrugging apathetically. It had been a bloody competition, her mother's favorite, but Karmen had taken no joy in winning. She'd rather end nose to nose, not trying to figure out which body part went to whom so the surgeons could try to save it, or that the right pieces could be sent home with the families.
"What would a three-headed shark taste like?" Luffy muses, drooling on the deck.
Karmen can't keep her nose from curling at the sight. "Ask your chef friend when we get there," she says. Her eyes seek over his shoulder, looking for some saving grace, when she spies Usopp preparing his hook to fish. "You won't catch anything like that." He looks up, surprised as she stands and steps past Luffy to reach him. "At this speed, nothing hunting by scent will go for bait that small. You need something visual and flashy. Here." She digs in her bag and pulls out a long silver feather. "This will reflect light and catch a predator's eye." She ties it deftly to the hook, creating a fly lure.
He grins and presses his thumb to his jawline. "I knew all along. I was just testing your fishing knowledge. You pass the Great Usopp's test." He throws his line in and she can't help but give a small laugh. There was something about all his airs that she finds relaxing. She listens as he continues. "There was a time that I caught a fish with three tails. It was struggling to get along, poor thing, because it couldn't ever get where it was trying to go. You see, each of its tails always tried to swim in different directions and one was longer than the others, so it swam diagonally to where it was trying to go. Feeling sorry for it, I invented an attachment that it could strap to its smaller tails so that it swam evenly. After that, it could swim faster than a sea king. I never saw it again, but I've always been blessed with the ability to catch my dinner afterward."
"A fish that always swam in a different direction than where he was trying to go," Nami repeats, eyes sliding over to Zoro. His ears redden and his teeth clench, but all he can do is look away.
Karmen notes their trajectory in comparison to where they'd come from and frowns. She moves to port and stands on the railing so that the boat listed on that side. As Zoro continued to row, their course alters a few degrees before she steps down. When she looks over, she finds Zoro watching her and winks. You really are terrible with directions, she thinks in his direction. He must have picked up the thought in the thinness of her smirk because he closes his eyes and his cheeks flush, but she takes the lessening tension in his jaw as a silent thanks.
She inhales deeply, noting the change in the salinity of the air and the slightest reduction in humidity. Her eyes watch the deep blue of the water become a dark blue with hints of green. Along with these subtle changes, a seagull flies overhead. Nami notices them too and they come to the same conclusion. "We're close." They come in sight of the other island in less than an hour. The harbor is bustling with traffic and it takes thirty minutes before they can make out individual ships.
"Wait until you see her," Usopp drawls, dreamily. "A beautiful caravel with a ram's head and a jolly roger painted by yours truly." He places a modest hand on his chest for emphasis. "She was a gift from the generous, beautiful Kaya from my home island." This is the third time Usopp has mentioned Kaya and the second time he's described the ship, but it's the first time he'd listed the model.
"A caravel, huh?" she asks, voice a little airy. "I like small ships."
"Because they're cute?" Nami asks.
She winks at the navigator. "They're faster, easier to maneuver, they can't hold a lot of people. It's also easier to kick people who annoy you into the water." Nami and Luffy laugh. She gets a small smirk from Zoro and an anxious uncertainty from Usopp.
"Do you kick people off the sides of ships often?" Zoro asks. His tone is passive but a glint in his eye suggests he's prying, testing the waters.
She gives half a smile. "Not as much as I would have liked. Apparently, some cultures consider it a rude alternative to small talk."
"You travel a lot, then?" he continues.
"Less than some, more than others."
His left eyebrow twitches upward a millimeter. His mouth stays shut as he begins to realize he's only going to get vague answers from her and that further interrogation is pointless. Still, he considers her and she finds herself gravitating back towards Usopp.
"Tell me more about this ship," she says, wishing to shift the attention away from herself.
Usopp's eyes sparkle and his face gains a dreamy expression that makes her relax some. "She's called the Going Merry. She was designed by Kaya's most loyal servant. Merry's served Kaya's family for most of his life and never had the opportunity for much travel other than small errands." Karmen's face slowly drains of all emotion as he describes the woman's home life. "I'm not sure if Kaya ever set foot on deck, but she inherited it after her parents died. We saved her from being killed by pirates and she gave the Merry to us. My men and I took out five thousand of them by ourselves. These three took out a couple dozen."
One of Zoro's oars narrowly misses Usopp's head and Nami rolls her eyes. "Usopp likes to tell tales, but the part about the pirate attack is true. We took the pirate's treasure too, but you can't turn down a perfectly good ship."
Karmen forces a thin smile. "It must be nice, being able to protect the people you care about." Her voice is small and matter-of-fact. Her face, eyes, and tone betray nothing, but the change in her is noticed by everyone except the captain.
"There she is!" Luffy yells, leaning heavily on the bowsprit and pointing out across the water. And there she was. A beautifully small caravel, her main and aft masts adorned with folded sails. Her anchor chain hangs stiffly down to the water and her gangplank bobs gently against the dock. Before Karmen can say anything to commend the craft, Luffy stretches his arm out over the water and grabs the bulwark at the front of the prow.
Eyes widening, Zoro grunts as he drops the oars on the deck and grips the side. Nami does the same. Karmen simply hefts her bag onto her shoulder. Usopp is too busy taking a breath to gush about his beloved Kaya's gift ship to notice that he's in any kind of peril. There's only half a second for them all to react before tension returns to Luffy's arm and their dingy is being rocketed across the waves. Usopp is pitched forward, breath forced from his chest as his arms wheel to keep his balance. Karmen banks easily with the bouncing boat and grabs Usopp by the overalls to steady him.
Unconcerned with the welfare of his crew or their borrowed vessel, Luffy allows the boat to slam into the dock as he leaps aboard the figurehead of his ship. Everyone else is propelled forward. Zoro's grip saves him from falling, but he still hits his head on the dock. Nami is flung off her feet and skids across the dock on her stomach. Karmen allows Usopp to fall gently onto the walkway as she lightly steps over the fast-approaching structure and toe-steps to a halt a little behind Nami.
"Sanji! Food!"
A pleasant chuckle sounds from the open door of a room Karmen suspects is the kitchen, given the delightful aroma coming from inside. "Oh? Welcome back. Lunch is almost ready. Be patient." It takes all her willpower to keep her stomach from rumbling. How long had it been since she'd had a hot, cooked meal? The taste of her fresh raw fish breakfast, straight from the ocean, that morning still hangs heavily on her tongue.
"I hope you made extra," Zoro calls, rubbing his swelling temple. "Usopp fished us up a guest."
"A guest?"
Everyone seems unphased by their abrupt arrival and she wonders if this type of thing is commonplace for this crew. They've already picked themselves up and are walking up the dock towards the gangplank. Nami waves her forward. "You might as well meet him. His food is amazing and he's always willing to treat a pretty girl. Though, he tends to come on a little strong. Consider yourself warned." Her tone is apologetic, but her face is light with amusement.
Usopp steps by her, patting his stomach. "I'm starved."
"Sanji! Feed us and meet our new crew member!"
Karmen rolls her eyes. "I said I'd travel with you across the Red Line, not that I'd join your crew." No one seems to hear. Despite her words, she's starting to feel fairly comfortable with these people. Their care-free nature is something she'd rarely experienced and it's a nice change of pace to traveling underwater. If she isn't careful, she could get used to this.
She follows them onto the ship and feels the gentle sway of the waves beneath her. As Usopp had described, she's a good, sturdy vessel. She wonders what the chef is like. No one had taken so much care with his description. She allows her curiosity to draw her eyes to the doorway from which she'd heard him speak. It takes her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness of the open doorway, but she can make out a tall, slim figure standing by a lit stove covered in boiling pots and pans. He wears a half-apron and his long blond hair hides his face as he concentrates on his work. "Wait there, I'll bring out some drinks." He turns his back to them and collects a large tray full of stylishly cut glasses filled with iced, fruity beverages. They look delicious and refreshing and she's relieved he didn't make anything with grapes.
When he turns back in their direction the features of his face are still in shadow. She can tell he has long limbs, a strong torso, and square shoulders. His hair hangs over his left eye. His face lifts in her direction and he slows slightly, just before the sun crosses his face. She sees the stubble on his chin first, followed by a gentle and pleased smile with full lips showing no teeth. This is followed by a thin nose and a dark eye set under a very curly eyebrow. "Karmen, meet Sanji."
A dagger flies towards Sanji's face with deadly force and he blocks it with the silver tray, catching the drinks deftly on his arm, not dropping a single one and hardly spilling a drop. The weapon sticks where it hit, still vibrating in the metal as he blinks in bewilderment. The whole crew follows its trajectory back to Karmen. Her body is in a low lunge and her arm is still outstretched from the attack. Even she looks surprised that she'd thrown it. It had been a knee-jerk reaction. Her eyes are wide with shock and it's taking every muscle in her being to keep her mouth from hanging open. She's shaking, and she can't tell if it's with fear or fury. Her eyes glare daggers in Luffy's direction. "Just what kind of stunt are you trying to pull?" she hisses. She backs up slowly towards the gangplank. "I'm leaving. Don't try to follow me or you'll regret it." She turns and runs, hiking her bag higher on her shoulder. In her panic, it feels heavier than usual.
"Sync." She puts on a burst of speed and leaps ten feet into the air to reach a balcony. She lands lightly and leaps again, making it to the roof this time. She sprints across the shingles, onto the next rooftop, and doesn't stop running until the harbor is far from sight and she's sure no one is pursuing her. She drops down into a locked alleyway and leans her forehead against the cold brick wall, panting. She slams her fist into it and slides down until she's crouching, trying to keep herself from hyperventilating while she spouts a string of curses.
"Are you ok? You're pretty fast. You sure did run a long way."
Karmen gasps and flings her bag away from her. It slams into a trashcan along with its stowaway. Luffy rubs the back of his head as he sits up, pulling a bruised banana peel off his shoulder. "I told you not to follow me," she growls, making sure she sounds threatening even though she'd just flung all her weaponry along with him.
"I didn't follow you. You carried me here," he says, grinning widely. "I was trying to get your attention when you started to run and my hand got stuck on your bag." He laughs heartily.
Karmen sighs and leans into the corner, shoulders drooping in defeat. "What does it take to get rid of you?" she moans. "Why can't you just leave me alone?" She can tell he's not about to attack her, and he doesn't seem to want to capture her, at least for now, so she slides down into a crouching position that she can easily spring from. She lets her shoulders droop forward and her head hang low to hide the fact that she's watching him very carefully. "Please leave me alone." She says this softly, somewhere between a warning and a plea.
"No." His answer is straightforward and solid. He grunts as he stretches his legs and sits cross-legged in front of her. The determination on his face holds her attention. "Not until you apologize to Sanji."
Karmen gives a choked laugh of disbelief. "What do you even know about that man?" she asks. Even now she can't get that eyebrow out of her head. He looks just like his brothers. His carefree smile reminded her of his sister. His quick reaction was just like his father's. His family had claimed him dead at a young age. She'd seen nothing to disprove those claims. They even had a memorial in place for him. She'd seen it. And yet, if they had lied, if he had been cast out before he could even properly fend for himself, what would she know about him? She'd acted rashly, instinctually. Maybe she'd acted too hastily. She looks up expectantly at Luffy. The captain seemed too dim-witted to lie, too happy-go-lucky to even try. Meeting someone as pure as this boy has been a rare experience. "Please," she says in a softer tone. "Tell me about him."
Luffy talks about meeting Sanji at Baretie, how he watched Sanji feed starving men when others tried to turn them away, how he had nearly given his life to defend the man who'd saved his, the man who had raised him. How he'd defended the honor of a bunch of rough-necked fighting cooks against a man who boasted power and dominance, how he'd saved Luffy from drowning. Luffy goes on to tell her how he'd fought fishmen to help Nami, whom he'd only had a brief encounter with, how his food melted in your mouth.
Here Luffy devolves into describing all of Sanji's dishes he'd eaten containing meat until he begins drooling. This time she can't keep her stomach from growling. He comes across as genuine and she can't sense any lie in his words or face. "You're coming back to the ship with me," Luffy declares after she'd started to lose interest. "Sanji's a nice guy. You'll like him."
Karmen is about to argue but she's begun to feel bad about throwing the dagger. If anything, she could try to get it back. Blades are expensive. "I suppose I should apologize."
Luffy gives a wide-grinned laugh with closed eyes. "It's settled then." As if he'd really given her much of a choice. She could get away from him if she really, really tried, but something inside her says that it's not worth wasting the energy. She sighs as she collects her bag and stands and they leap back up to the rooftops. Luffy loops his arm around her waist securely. "Gum-gum…" She recoils at his sudden touch, but doesn't have much time to protest before "Rocket!" and they're flying through the air back towards the harbor. She keeps her face deadpanned and her mouth closed until they land back at the dock. When he releases her, she quickly steps away and wipes her hands over where he'd touched her. Luffy doesn't notice. He's too busy pacing jauntily back towards the ship. While she'd like to smack him for touching her without her permission, she bites back her instincts and follows, remembering why she agreed to come back in the first place.
When they reach the Going Merry again she sees that everyone's been given their drinks and are standing around looking bewildered or exasperated. Embarrassment floods Karmen. She hadn't meant to show these people that side of her, not after the pleasant, if tiring, morning she'd spent with them. She doesn't even know how to start explaining why she'd done it. She can't tell them too much, but they deserve something close to the truth. If this Sanji guy is who she thinks he is, and she has little doubt in her mind, he probably doesn't want his past dredged up nearly as much as her. If he was like the rest, he had her in a tight spot. Revealing him revealed herself, and that leaves her in precarious waters. She'll be careful, but she won't be trusting.
She's surprised when everyone looks relieved as she follows Luffy back onto the ship. Nami even gives a sigh of relief and places a hand on her chest saying, "We were worried about you," to her. Her. After she'd nearly killed their friend. What kind of crazy did this crew have to deal with? Her gaze falls on the back of Luffy's straw hat. She can only imagine.
Usopp gives a nervous laugh and rubs the back of his head. "You really surprised them there," he says. "I myself can throw a dagger twice as well, but your aim was nearly as good as mine."
Zoro leans against the outer wall of the kitchen, one eye closed and arms crossed. His face is passive and unconcerned, but the set of his shoulders and the tilt of his head suggests that he'd be willing to use his three blades if she did pose a serious threat. Sanji watches her curiously. He's still holding the impaled tray with the remaining drinks stacked back on it, as if her dagger is some sort of showpiece.
Karmen rubs her arm sheepishly and shuffles her feet as she forces herself to meet his eye. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw the… The dagger was… I shouldn't have…" She takes a deep breath. "I shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry. It's just… you remind me of a group of people that are allied with people who've tried to kill me before." The words flood out in the span of a single breathe. "I know now that it would be practically impossible for you to be affiliated with them, so again, I'm sorry." She gives a small bow and waits for his response.
His eye closes and he smiles happily. "Don't worry. I'm not angry."
Karmen blinks. "You're not?" This could be a trap. She tries to remind herself that she's only just met the man and she shouldn't make any more rash judgments, but it's hard with that eyebrow bobbing at her.
He pries her dagger out of the tray and sets the drinks aside gently. Her body tenses in anticipation that he'll turn her own weapon on her, but he merely extends it to her handle first. Before she can decide if she wants to grab it or not he smoothly drops to one knee and takes her hand, thumb caressing the back of it. "Might I say, Lady Karmen, that your throwing arm is dazzling for one as fair and elegant as yourself. What a lucky man I am to have seen such a splendid display of skill. Your beauty is stunning. Your brown eyes are like-"
Karmen's dagger is in her hand and flashing a distraction as her knee meets his chest. He falls backward and she moves with him, pinning him to the deck and holding the blade to his throat. The same look is in her eye and the same panic runs through her body. She realizes what she's doing and backs off him, holding her hands out to the sides of her head and limply grasping the dagger like a bomb that might explode. "I'm so sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have my dagger." She glances around and her eyes fall on Usopp. "Here. Keep this away from me." He fumbles the blade as she hands it off to him, but manages to clasp it in both his hands. She looks apologetically down at Sanji, but all her concern is lost when she sees he's still sprawled there with hearts in his eyes and a drop of blood threatening to drip from his nostril. He'd let her attack him, that much she knows, but he made no move to counter it or strike her. He really isn't like the others. Still, she doesn't trust him in the slightest. "Maybe you'd better stay five feet from me at all times. And no poetry and flirting or… talking." She knows she's being unfair, but she can't imagine any other alternative to keep herself from attacking him. She picks up her bag again. "Well, I've said everything I wanted to. Good luck out there." She turns and starts walking again but a familiar hand latches onto her shoulder. Karmen groans, but can't help smiling.
"You agreed to come to the Grand Line with us," Luffy reminds her.
She glances at him and raises her eyebrow. "I can't stop attacking your chef. Are you sure you want me to come along?"
"That idiot won't mind," Zoro mutters. "Trust me."
She blinks. "You're all ok with this?"
Nami shrugs. "We've run into quirkier people."
"And if I said I preferred being on my own?"
"Then you'll have to convince Luffy," Usopp answers, finally lowering her dagger a little. The captain grins.
She shakes her head. "I can't trust myself on this ship. I'll make other arrangements."
"At least stay for lunch. It's hard to travel on an empty stomach," Sanji says as he pushes himself off the deck while giving her an annoyingly pleasant smile. He opens his eye and gives her a look of concern. How he can do this after she's nearly impaled him twice is beyond her. It makes her chest feel tight and she hates him all the more for it. "I can tell by the color of your skin that you haven't been eating well."
Her chin tucks slightly. "I have nutrient-rich tea to make up for my lack of cooking skills," she says. "I'll be fine." The wind changes, sending the delicious smells from the kitchen wafting towards her nose and her stomach gives a loud growl in protest. She drops her bag with defeat. "I'll stay for lunch. That's it."
Sanji grins and Luffy whoops, throwing his fists into the air. "Let's eat!"
The cook returns to the kitchen and Karmen picks up one of the drinks off the tray he'd left behind. "Careful," Zoro says in a teasing tone. "He may have poisoned that."
Karmen gives a boastful chuff and takes a deep drink of it. "Poison doesn't concern me, Roronoa." He gives a soft snort and a satisfied smile. "Do you expect me to be dainty and squeamish?" she asks. "Because if you do I believe I'll leave you sorely disappointed."
"It's not that," Nami pipes in, fixing Zoro with a stern glare. "It's just that most people would hesitate to dine with pirates."
"Unless they're pirates themselves," Zoro adds. More leading statements. She might throw a dagger at him as well before the day is through.
Karmen gazes out at the ocean, eyes softening with a distant memory. "I've dined with pirates before. I know enough to remain cautious when I need, but I prefer their company to others."
Zoro's eyes scan his companions, missing Sanji completely. "I know what you mean." She's not sure if he does, but he'd recently made a drastic life change in order to be here too, so maybe, in some small way, he does. "You said someone's tried to kill you?" The jump into the new topic is so sudden she's jarred out of her carefully composed demeanor.
She quickly falls back into a wry smile. "Some have tried, few have gotten close," she says, gaze lowering as she recalls the memories. Her eyes fall back to Sanji and she changes the subject again just as fast. "He doesn't expect me to be able to sit down at a table with him, does he?" Karmen asks Nami who follows her gaze.
The navigator winks. "I've got you covered." She cups her hand to her mouth. "Sanji, can we eat out on deck? I want to enjoy the island a little more before we leave."
"Of course, Nami-swan!" comes the response. "I can always expect such lovely ideas from you."
"Just how twisted around your finger is he?" Karmen asks.
"He's just twisted," Zoro answers for her.
"Ignore him," Usopp says with a smile, leaning his elbow lightly on Karmen's shoulder. She notices he'd tucked her dagger into a belt loop. "Sanji's just a gentleman." Karmen scoffs. "You don't believe me?"
"I think it's the tallest tale I've heard you tell yet," she responds. "I've met many a man who've claimed themselves to be a gentleman and very few who live up to it."
"Keep watching," Nami says. "He may surprise you."
Karmen had found in the past that if you expect nothing and everything from people you do not trust, you are very rarely surprised. She keeps this to herself but reflects on it silently. She hopes very few of her closest confidants hadn't been unpleasantly surprised by her. She hopes there isn't a single case. The likelihood of this, she knows, is very slim. It's easier to not get close enough to anyone for them to trust you. But even then, it's unlikely that no one will ever get hurt because of you.
Sanji heads back into the kitchen and stops with just his head poking out of the doorway. "Please make yourself comfortable," he tells her. "I'll bring out your plate."
She follows Zoro across the deck to where he sits against the bulwark. She seats herself a few feet to his right, close to the bow where Luffy is chanting about food and clapping. "Planning your escape or just looking for someone to talk your ear off?" the swordsman asks jokingly.
"You and the chef seem to dislike each other, which I assume to mean that you argue a lot, so this seems the safest place for me," she tells him. "He has to go through you in order to flirt with me."
"You're not wrong there." Usopp sits against the mast and leans forward, hungry for details. "So, what about Sanji made you want to attack him?"
Karmen's mouth thins and she presses her teeth together before responding. If he isn't anything like his family, he probably wouldn't appreciate her drawing attention to them. Luffy had said he'd been raised by someone else. She should know that you can't pick who you're born to, only what you decide to do after. "I just really hate flirtatious men." It isn't a lie, but it's not entirely the truth. Hopefully, they won't push the subject. She doesn't want to attribute it all to post-traumatic stress, but it would be a lie if she doesn't fly into a panic every time he gets close. Half the time she attacks him she doesn't even realize what she's doing until he's pinned. She'll accept the meal, and then she'll go. There's no way she can go to the Grand Line on this ship, if only for his safety. She'll find another way.
Usopp cocks his head at her. "But he didn't say-"
"Lunch is ready!" Usopp is interrupted by a cheerful voice. Sanji comes out with his tray filled with plates of braised cabbage wraps. From the smell of it, the filling consists of pork and vegetables. It's drizzled in a red-orange pancetta sauce. She notices that Luffy's are larger and look like cabbage burritos. He gives Nami hers as he passes and she thanks him with a pleased smile that nearly causes him to melt. He completely passes the men to deliver Karmen's food next.
Sanji stops exactly five feet away. She sighs. "You have my permission to approach when food is involved," she says. She feels she should be extra courteous in continued apology, so she allows him a rare window of openness. "You were right when you said I tend to not eat very well. This will be a pleasant change."
"Then I'm glad that I'm the one to present you with a hot meal." She expects him to rush forward, but he takes careful, deliberately slow steps. She'd done nothing but badger and attack the man and he's taking extra regard to ensure she feels comfortable with his presence. Her mind screams that it's a trick, some sort of trap, but she keeps her hands still and her legs planted. He stops about even with Zoro's feet. He bows forward at the waist and extends her plate at arm's length. He gives her a pleasant and friendly smile that makes her skin crawl and she hesitantly accepts the plate.
She looks down at it as he hands out plates to everyone else. She really doesn't expect it to be poisoned. No chef worth his salt would do that, even a pirate chef. Looking at his food, there's no question of that. He'd prepared a five-star meal and presented it as a simple lunch, but she can see the effort he'd put into it. Even the way he'd folded the cabbage is precise. Uniform. Almost loving. Instantly her brain tells her that no one from that family is capable of love, but almost just as quickly she contradicts herself. She won't compare him to them. She can't. She'd been nothing but horrid to him and he hadn't raised a finger against her or even lashed his tongue. If it weren't for that eyebrow of his, for his flirtatious nature, she wouldn't even know who his family was. She would be treating him much more fairly. What's wrong with her?
She pushes these thoughts aside. She can think hateful thoughts about herself when she's alone again and not while her aromatic food is growing cold. She picks up her fork and tears off a bite. The filling is just as she'd expected, perfect and appealing in every way. She's not sure if even the great chefs who serve the nobles could compare to this man's skills. She puts the bite to her lips and tastes it for the first time. Electricity runs through her and she slumps forward over her knees, lips still closed around her fork. It's all she can do to keep from whimpering. This taste. This food. Holy Kudra this is heaven. Footsteps rush in her direction and a strong hand is gently placed on her shoulder. "Karmen, are you alright?" Sanji asks.
The concern in his voice and the gentle worry of his actions completely melt her apprehension. She looks up into his caring gaze and smiles as she lowers her fork and blinks back the moisture in her eyes. "I'm fine," she responds in a quiet voice. "It's just really, really good. I was a little caught off guard."
His concern melts into a wide, happy grin. "Do you love me now, lovely Karmen?"
Her elbow connects with his chin, sending him off balance long enough for her to place her hands on the deck and kick with both feet. Her attack connects with him square in his chest. He flies backward, over Zoro's legs, and straight into the wall of the kitchen. While he slides into a seated position, she wheels to her feet and flings her fork. The utensil narrowly misses the artery on the left side of his neck and pins his collar to the wall.
"You just had to go and push your luck, didn't you?" Karmen growls with frustration and throws her hands up around her head. "Gah! At least defend yourself when I attack you!"
He lights a cigarette and a small smile spreads across his face as he exhales smoke. "A gentleman never strikes a woman," he says, lifting his face to her. "If I were to injure you while blocking one of your blows, I could never forgive myself."
Karmen growls and turns her back on him. "And stop being so nice to me! It's confusing and unnatural."
His voice becomes soft and unnervingly insightful. "Is it that rare for you to be treated kindly?"
It feels like the ocean breeze itself is holding its breath. When she's turned back to him, all the emotion has left her face. She takes steady steps forward, stopping by his knee in silence. She wrenches her fork out of the wall and begins walking away. "I'm going to finish my meal in the crow's nest, if you don't mind." She picks up her plate and reaches the yardarm in three easy leaps up the ratlines. With one more she's seating herself in the wooden bucket beneath the flag.
She eats slowly, keeping her chin lowered and her eyes off the sky. Keep your head down and eyes pass you by. The philosophy hadn't worked so well recently. She'd certainly chunked it aside with this crew. Something about them makes her abandon nearly every safety measure she'd made to barricade herself from other people and keep attention away.
She exhales slowly, leaning over her knees. Her thoughts float to someone she'd been forced to leave behind. She wonders what he's been given to eat today and feels guilty for dining on something so delicious without him. "Pierce," she says the name under her breath, hesitant to even say it out loud. "Can you tell that I have no idea what I'm doing?"
"Of course I can," a voice above her says as she's suddenly cast into shadow. "Meals are supposed to be enjoyed with friends, not alone way up here."
"Hi, Luffy." She's grown to know him enough to not be surprised that he'd followed her. She leans back and looks up at him. His straw hat ruffles in the wind, making the beams of sunlight haloing him dance in radiant paths. Something about him…
He looks at her plate and deflates slightly with disappointment. "I was hoping you'd have some food left."
She can feel footsteps along the yardarm and sees Usopp poke his head over the wall. Her little, private bucket is starting to feel very crowded. "I'll take your plate if you're finished," he offers.
She shrugs and hands it up to him. "Tell Sanji that if he keeps his mouth shut I'll help with the dishes to make up for what I've put him through today." He nods and drops out of sight, the mast giving a slight lurch as he begins his descent.
Luffy turns his attention back to her. "So why are you going to the Grand Line?" he asks.
Karmen looks past him at the sky, feeling the breeze that tousels her loose curls. "Someone's waiting for me out there," she says. "I promised that I'd come find him."
"I've got someone waiting for me too!" The captain laughs, not in mockery, but in excitement, placing a thoughtful hand on top of his hat. "Your friend must be strong if they're out on the Grand Line." A particularly large wave rocks the ship beneath them and Karmen wonders if a storm might be moving in.
She returns his expression with a thin smile. "Stronger than me, that's for sure."
"So why not just come with us?" Luffy asks. "We're headed to the same place."
The corner of her mouth twitches up a little farther. "I'm not exactly safe to be around."
"We don't mind." He gives her his most genuine grin and for half a second she wonders what it would be like if she said yes.
"Sorry, Luffy," she says instead. "That's not a risk I'm willing to take." She watches the clouds floating by up above them. She should be on her way too. She stands and stretches. "Well, if I'm going to find another ship to take me there, I'd better do those dishes and be on my way." She climbs out of the crow's nest and slides down a line, past the unfurled sails, to the deck. The ship rolls gently under her as it carves across the waves. The ship is moving. They'd begun sailing at some point while she'd been eating or talking with Luffy. She casts a panicked look back to see the harbor far behind them. Her expression settles into one of quiet indignation as she picks up a spool of rope and steps to the bow, eyes scanning the water for anything large. "I hope you don't mind, but I'll be taking this rope to harness a ride."
Luffy drops down beside her. "Great idea!" he says. He looks into the water with her. "Oh! Look at them all. Sanji, catch those fish and cook them for dinner!"
His voice cuts through the water like a knife, causing Karmen's shoulders to droop. "Aaand there go all the fish." She drops the rope on deck and sits beside it. "Fine. You win. I'll travel into the Grand Line with you."
Luffy cheers and the other members of the crew give apologetic smiles. "Welcome aboard," Nami says, sticking her tongue out slightly in a friendly gesture.
Karmen exhales, tired but content. It's not like she hadn't been kidnapped before. Maybe being with other people for a few days won't be such a bad thing after all. She points at Sanji. "Five feet."