Before we get into it, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited! It means a lot given it was only chapter 1, and i hope you'll stick around for the long run! I'm feeling generous today, so I'll post chapter two AND three today!
Enjoy!
Nojiko sat in the darkness of her home, a cup of tea throwing steam up into the room. she stared all around the room, trying to find something to distract herself with. Her sisters offer had, for the past few days, lingered in the front of her mind. The offer was unbelievably tempting to her, surprising as that was. She hadn't even considered leaving Cocoyashi until Nami had thrust the idea on her, causing the idea to invade her mind no matter what she was doing. At breakfast, out shopping, out helping the others, it invaded at any possible point. She knew that the crew was setting out today, and this was going to be her last chance to actually tag along. To see the world, the most mysterious part of the world at that, with her sister and the crew that saved her life.
But, at the same time, her same concerns came back to her mind. She knew that she could defend herself well enough from drunk East Blue sailors or maybe an average pirate, but people in the Grand Line? Not a chance.
They had decent fighters, I could learn from that Zoro or Sanji. I'm sure Sanji would love to assist me. But what purpose would I serve anyway? I'm not special like any of them. I don't have a Devil Fruit, I'm not super strong. I can't just throw myself on that ship like it's nothing.
Her thoughts her interrupted as her front door opening, Genzo lounging into the house.
"Just gonna invite yourself in?" Nojiko asked with a small smile.
"I knew you'd be up by now," He replied as he closed the door behind him. "The Straw Hats are leaving today, you know."
"I know."
"Are you going with them?"
"Probably not." This seemed to irritate Genzo a bit, which Nojiko didn't really understand. After all, this wasn't really something that affected him in any way. He walked further inside and sat down, a hand behind his back still.
"I think you should go," he said. "I think it'd be good for you."
"In what way, exactly?" Genzo shrugged and rubbed at his chin, inspecting the roof.
"You think you're hiding it well?" He asked, Nojiko narrowing her eyes at him. "Like you haven't been working hard for this village the past eight years? Or are you the only one who can't see it?"
"I don't really know what you're talking about," Nojiko replied, not looking at the man.
"I think you do," Genzo said, pressing the issue. "Nami may have gone the hard route, by working with that detestable Arlong to help us. But you, you helped us differently. You grew up way faster than you should have had too. You became like another guardian for us here. You may have been harsh sometimes, especially to children, but you stopped them from running off to die by Arlong's hand. But you don't have to protect them anymore. You can do what you want too."
"I thought you didn't want another one of us to be a pirate?" Nojiko demanded. "Isn't that what you said?"
"We both know that Luffy isn't going to go around boarding civilian vessels and robbing them blind," Genzo replied. "That's the kind of pirate I'd be against you joining. He's not like that. If he was, Nami wouldn't want to go with them at all, and if she was I wouldn't let her leave." Nojiko didn't reply to him, which she felt in and of itself gave him enough ammo to keep pressing her. Lifting up his hand, Genzo threw something on the table.
There were now two flintlock pistols lying in their holster between them.
"Where did you get those?" Nojiko asked.
"Arlong had a lot of weapons lying around in his compound," Genzo said. "I figured if you were going to go out with those pirates that you'd need a way to defend yourself. So there you go." Nojiko stared at the guns silently, before reaching forward and grabbing a hold of them. She investigated them quietly, noting that they were in decent condition and weren't loaded. She eyed Genzo from around the guns, but he didn't say anything. After a while she threw them back down and watched her father figure silently.
"What do you want from me?" She demanded. Genzo just laughed.
"I want you to do what you want to." He said as he crossed his arms. "You no longer have to protect this village, or the kids around here. You've paid your dues, now take your leave if you really want it. Do you want it? Do you want to travel with your sister and see the world?"
"Do you not want me here?" Nojiko asked.
"Stop trying to change the subject," Genzo replied, looking stern now. This just made Nojiko frown. "Of course I want you here. I want Nami here too. But I'm not your Dad, and even if I was I wouldn't stop two grown women from doing what they want, so don't try to hide behind me just because the idea of leaving scares you." This made some part of Nojiko snap, feeling anger rise within her.
"I'm not scared." She defied.
"Then what's stopping you?" Genzo demanded. "The idea of leaving everything you can remember scares you. I can't blame you, honestly. The ocean is a vast, terrifying place. But it's also wonderfully beautiful. You deserve to see that."
"Genzo..."
"But, above everything else, you and Nami are family. Tighter than any blood relation could make you. And one day, I know Nami will finish that world map of hers. After everything that happened here, to you two, I think you should be there to support her. We all let her fight on her own for eight years. Even with that rubber boy and the others, I think you should go with her. To fight alongside her as the rest of us should have years ago. So, Nojiko, it really is simple. What is it that you want?"
As Nojiko stared at Genzo, she pressed her lips together as she thought about this. What was it that she wanted? Watching Luffy and his crew take down Arlong just because of Nami was surely inspirational, and of course she had no doubt in her mind as to why her sister wanted to go with them in the first place. That being said, would they really be okay with her tagging along?
"You guys can't be serious with these things, can you?" Luffy laughed as he watched Zoro berate his new students, both of which were kneeling before him as he investigated their weapons. "They're practically dull!"
"We were planning on getting some new ones once we finished our next job!" Yosaku shouted, looking upset at the berating. "We've been working with next to nothing recently!"
"We'll have to flat out replace them," Zoro replied as he tossed the blades back on the deck of the Going Merry, walking away as the men scrambled for their swords. "Loguetown should have a decent sword shop. We'll start you're training once we've set sail."
"Yes, Master." Both men sounded off, sounding even more upset, perhaps at the idea of work.
"Cheer up guys!" Luffy said with a laugh. "Once we've finished loading our cargo, we'll be heading for the Grand Line!"
"Speaking of cargo," Usopp hissed as he walked past the Captain and First Mate, hands full of crates of food and medicine. "Why am I the only one loading this stuff up?!"
"Cause I don't wanna," Luffy replied casually, picking at his nose.
"Cause you're the lowest on the totem pole," Zoro said.
"What about Johnny and Yosaku?!" Usopp demanded, nearly dropping the crates. "They're not doing anything!" This seemed to perk Zoro's ears up.
"Good point," he replied as he whirled on his students. "You two! Help Usopp load up our supplies! I want both of you to carry as much as you can, and listen to Usopp as to where to put it! Understood?!"
"Yes Master!" Both men shouted, jumping to their feet and heading for the docks. Before they could leave the ship, however, another person walked up onto the deck carrying crates. They stopped to rest, placing them on the railing of the Merry. All men present watched as the person's face was revealed, seeing Nojiko standing there. The woman huffed as she set the crates down before looking at the men.
"Hey guys," she greeted.
"Nojiko-swaaaan!" Sanji's voice shouted, the blonde suddenly appearing from the kitchen. "It's so wondrous to see you today! How romantic that you've come to see us off! Perhaps it's that you've fallen hard for me?!" Nojiko ignored the man save for a smile, looking down at the deck.
"She's a decent little ship," she said as she looked around the deck. "Gonna be kinda crowded with all of us on board, but I suppose we'll have to make do."
"Us?" Zoro asked, confused. Luffy could practically feel his eyes lighting up.
"Are you coming with us too?!" He asked excitedly, getting right up in Nojiko's face. She just smiled at him.
"I figured it might be fun," she replied. "Am I still allowed?" Luffy leaned back, smiling ear to ear.
"Of course! You're our friend after all! This is awesome!"
"This is fate!" Sanji shouted, Luffy getting shoved out of the way as the cook moved to court the blue haired girl. Managing to sit up, Luffy watched as Sanji lifted Nojiko's hand and kissed it lightly. "This must be fate, Nojiko-swan. Fated lovers travelling aboard the same vessel to the most dangerous place in the world. I look forward to it." Nojiko smiled back at him happily.
"I look forward to it, Sanji." She said.
After cleaning up his massive nosebleed, Sanji went back to cook up Nojiko some lunch as she continued to move cargo into the ship. Smiling contently, Luffy jumped up on the railing of the ship, waiting impatiently for their Navigator to arrive before they set off. He could see people up and down the docks of the village, presumably to say goodbye to the sisters.
"Get the ship ready to sail!" A voice cried. Looking out, Luffy could see Nami standing at the edge of the village.
"Right!" Luffy shouted, jumping off of the railing.
"What the hell is she doing?" Zoro asked.
"Dunno," Luffy said. "But, the Navigator said we sail, so we sail! Everyone, get up here! We're getting ready to leave!" The rest of the crew quickly scrambled out of the ship, getting the ship ready to sail. Luffy spared a glance to watch Nami sprinting through the crowd, not allowing anyone to say goodbye to her. After reaching the end of the deck she jumped, landing on the stern of the ship and refusing to look back. Of course the villagers called out for her, but she didn't say anything. Once the crew reached her, Luffy watched as she lifted her shirt, wallets and money falling from her. Not only had she refused their goodbyes, she'd robbed them. He couldn't help but laugh at this.
"That's quite a way to say goodbye, Nami." Nojiko said with a smile. The girls voice seemed to surprise Nami, and Luffy watched her eyes light up.
"Nojiko!" She shouted happily, sprinting into her sisters arms. "You decided to come!" Nojiko laughed at this.
"Like I could let my little sister on a ship full of grown men on her own," she replied. "These guys can't be trusted with you!"
"Nojiko-swan is so beautiful when she trash talks our morality!" Sanji shouted. "I love both of you so much!"
"You're such a lost cause," Zoro hissed. Yosaku and Johnny only nodded sagely behind their teacher, arms crossed over their chests.
"Indeed," Johnny said. "A lost cause."
"Lost at sea," Yosaku agreed, Sanji hitting both of them over the head with a kick as he tossed insults at both of them. Luffy couldn't help but laugh at this, falling onto his back as the crew descended into an argument.
"I love how it's so lively now!" He shouted through his laughter. "This is gonna be awesome!"
"I hope I don't get in your way, Luffy." Nojiko said, drawing his attention. "I'm not exactly a sailor or anything."
"Don't sweat it!" Luffy replied. "I'm sure you'll be a huge help!" She smiled at this.
"I'm glad," she replied. "So, what should I do then?" Luffy just made a face at this.
"Huh?" He asked. Nojiko raised an eyebrow at him.
"My job," She clarified. "What's my role? Should I swab the deck or something?"
"I mean Usopp usually does that," Luffy replied, making the sniper grumble curses under his breath. "But if you want to I suppose you could, I dunno. We already have the basics full, I think."
"Completely incorrect," Nami said as she crossed her arms. "We don't have a Doctor yet."
"Oh right," Luffy said, snapping his fingers at her. "We do need a musician. Good call Nami."
"That's not what I said!"
"What positions are filled?" Nojiko asked. "After all, Johnny and Yosaku need something too."
"Well," Luffy said as he counted on his fingers. "We have a Captain, a First Mate, a Navigator, a Cook, and a Sniper. We're missing anything else."
"No Quartermaster?" Nojiko asked. "No Doctor? Those are pretty important positions, you know."
"We just won't get sick," Luffy replied with a wave of his hand. "And I don't even know what a Nickelboss does, so it can't be that important."
"Quartermaster," she corrected. "They usually handle the day to day activities on ships. You know, like the chores and stuff. Keeping people in line and all that." Luffy frowned at this. That didn't sound like the least bit fun at all, why the hell was it important?
"That sounds lame," he replied with a yawn. "Do you wanna do that, Nojiko? I bet you'd be good at that. That old guy back in the village said you were like another leader. Besides, with you running things and Nami telling us where to go, we'll be unstoppable!"
"S-Seriously?" Nojiko asked, her eyes wide at this offer. "You do know that essentially makes me the third in command, right? I just got on the ship!"
"Well Yosaku and Johnny can't both be Quartermaster," Luffy pointed out. "And everyone else already has a role. Do you want to do it?"
"We can both have different roles, Big Bro Luffy!" Yosaku and Johnny shouted in tandem, yet were both ignored. Nojiko seemed unsure of this for a moment, but after a reassuring glance from Nami she took a deep breath.
"I suppose someone has to keep this ship running day to day," she said with a smile. "If you're okay with it being me, I suppose I can do it!"
"Woo!" Luffy shouted at this. "Nojiko's our new Dimeleader!" Nobody bothered to correct the captain this time, as it seemed there was no point.
"What about us, Big Bro Luffy?" Yosaku asked, both him and Johnny making themselves known. "We need roles too!"
"What would you have us do?" Johnny asked. Luffy frowned at both of them.
"Either of you a musician?" He asked.
"What is it with you and a musician...?" Usopp trailed off behind him. Both men shook their heads, making Luffy frown.
"We'll need to find one of those soon," he said, much to the chagrin of everyone else on the crew. "Well, I suppose you guys are just regular members like Uso-"
"Luffy," Zoro said, cutting the Captain off. Luffy looked towards the man, who had a smile on his face. "Make them Cabin Boys." This seemed to horrify both Yosaku and Johnny, but Luffy was just confused.
"Why?" He asked.
"Cause these two need all the help they can get getting stronger," Zoro replied and he forced both Yosaku and Johnny's heads down to bow to everyone. "Doing a bunch of manual labour sounds right up their alley. After all, I need to train them right?" Luffy smiled at this, now seeing his friends point.
"Oh, okay!" He agreed. "Yosaku and Johnny can be the Cabin Boys!" The swordsmen groaned at this, already seeming tired of their new roles. Luffy, however, wasn't interested in hearing it. "Sanji! Bring out some food and drink! We need to celebrate our new additions to the crew!"
"Already on it, Captain!" Sanji's voice came from the kitchen. "I've been making Nami-swan and Nojiko-swan the best I have to offer!"
"Sounds delicious!"
"It's not for you, moron!"
Nojiko watched as Luffy and Usopp both charged into the kitchen, probably looking to raid and find the food Sanji had mentioned before. She had only been on this ship for a few minutes, and it already seemed like things were wilder than she had anticipated. That being said, the ball of excitement in her stomach refused to unwind. She was excited to see where the ship would go next, what amazing things she would see. As a fight broke out in the kitchen, Nojiko turned to the strongest swordsman on the vessel.
"By the way, Zoro." She said, speaking up. "I wanted to ask you and Sanji for some training. I don't want to end up running at the first sight of danger like Nami might over here."
"What was that?" Nami demanded with a frown. Nojiko promptly ignored the hole being stared into her side.
"I'm no good with a sword, but at the very least some upper body training would be nice."
"If you want to join me and these two," Zoro said as he gestured to the still bowing Yosaku and Johnny. "Then be my guest. That being said, I'm not going to give you less to do just because you're a girl, got it?"
"I wouldn't dream of asking you too," she replied. Zoro smiled at this.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow," he replied as his smile grew darker. "Can't wait to whip you three into shape." With this, the swordsman promptly went over to the edge of the ship and fell asleep. How he managed that with all the fighting going on in the kitchen, she had no idea. This left her with the other two swordsmen on their knees, Nami and Usopp, who had just been violently ejected from the kitchen with a laugh from Luffy.
"I'm really glad you decided to come," Nami said, making Nojiko turn to her sister. The redhead had a wide smile on her face. The very same one that this crew must have made her have before the fall of Arlong Park. "I can't wait to travel the world with you."
"Well, I can't let my baby sister have all the fun." She replied as she winked at Nami. "After all, I'm supposed to look after you. What would Bellemere say if I let my baby sister wander the world with a bunch of degenerates?"
"Welcome aboard, Big Sis Nojiko!" Nojiko gasped in surprise as she and Nami were wrapped into a tandem hug by Yosaku and Johnny, squeezing the girls together in their grasp.
"Ugh, you morons!" Nami shouted as the men danced happily. "Let us go or I'll make sure Yosaku gets another bout of scurvy!"
"Don't be so cold, Big Sis Nami!" Johnny shouted. "We're just so happy to be aboard!"
"We'll make sure to be of use to you!" Yosaku agreed.
"You guys are gonna get killed if you cross Nami this much," Usopp said, watching with a terrified gaze. Nojiko could only laugh at the range of personality on this ship.
This adventure she'd signed up for would surely be an amazing one.
I can't help but feel Nojiko's addition feels weird, but maybe that's just residual rushing from starting at Arlong Park. Or maybe it's just my adding a dream to her character. I dunno. What are you still doing here? On to chapter three!