(A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who is following or favorited this story. It means a lot that you all are enjoying it. x3 Toffee might start out kind of weak around the beginning, but I promise she'll grow stronger. Just not op, hopefully. xD I just prefer making characters start out on the fragile side, but grow more poweful later on. Plus she's one of my few oc's that suffer from a physical/mental trauma that she'll have to over come. ^^)

"Are you sure it's okay to go back to the execution platform? Smoker-san might be there waiting with an ambush..."

"It's fine! Besides, I didn't get a chance to reach the top!"

Toffee lightly scratched at her cheek as she followed after the rather happy-go-lucky male down the cobbled street. The execution spot must have meant a great deal to Luffy if he was this determined to go back there despite the possible risk. It was just a shame Luffy didn't seem to know where he was going.

After seeming like they were getting nowhere, perhaps by chance or it was simply luck, Luffy's hat was blown off his head by a sudden warm breeze. The dark haired male went chasing after it, only for the hat to come to a stop at the very location the two of them had been searching for.

"Ooh! Lucky!" Luffy chirped after placing the item back on his head, rushing up to the tall platform and climbing up it similar to a chimpanzee.

Toffee couldn't help but blink in surprise since it almost felt like something or someone had helped Luffy here more than it being a mere coincidence. Shaking off the wonder she felt, Toffee smiled while waving up at the lanky male.

"So how's the view from up there?"

"Awesome! You look like an ant from up here!" Luffy yelled back, his words causing Toffee to giggle. Grinning as he used his hand to shield his eyes from the sun Luffy continued by saying, "So it was 22 years ago, huh? That the Pirate King died here!"

"HEY! YOU UP THERE!" a man carrying a megaphone shouted out having appeared out of the crowd that had formed, the white jacket he wore showing he was someone of importance. "Get down from there right now!"

"Why~?"

"Because that's a historic landmark under the preservation of the World Government! So get down from there right now!"

"C'mon! Why do you have to be such a spoilsport, Officer-san?"

"If you don't come down, I'll arrest you! Alright, then! Here I co-!" the officer was unable to finish as a large black spiked club impacted with his head, knocking him to the ground and out cold.

It was hard to believe a rather beautiful young woman with curly black hair was weilding the large weapon, and she smiled while saying, "You'll have to wait your turn, little man...I've missed you, Luffy. It's been awhile." Seeing Luffy's baffled expression, she fluttered her long dark lashes. "Now don't tell me it's possible you've forgotten this face."

Toffee smiled sheepishly since most of the men and women were complimenting this strange woman's appearance with heart shaped eyes. Even she would admit the lady was fetching, but there was something about her demeanor that shouted this wasn't a good person. The way she had cruely hit that poor man, who's head was lightly bleeding, was a testament to that.

"I've never met anyone that looks like you...Who are you?"

"I will never forget. You were the first man to ever strike me."

"Huh? I hit you?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise, small beads of sweat trailing down his face when some of the men started to shout up at him angrily when hearing this.

"At that time, your powerful fist...It moved me~" she proclaimed, rubbing at her exposed stomach before her hand moved to rest on her pale cheek where a look of clear admiration shone on her face. "My dears, who is the most beautiful person upon all the seas?"

"IT'S YOU, MADAM!"

"Yes, it is me. There is not a man in the world that will not kneel before my beauty. And I love strong men. You will be mine, Luffy."

This woman is certainly full of herself Toffee couldn't help but think with a shake of her head, sporting a tired expression. Yet compared to the other men, Luffy seemed completely put off by this mysterious girl. He had even turned down her offer, much to a lot of the envious onlookers disbelief.

Soon more members of the law force appeared, a few helping up their unconcious comrade while the others surrounded the dark haired female, who merely looked amused more than threatened. Toffee almost felt like falling over when the officers appeared to be captivated by her beauty as well just from the cutesy look she had thrown at them, not able to make a move against her despite the female being an obvious threat.

I guess this is what Ashley meant by a woman can be more dangerous than a man if she knows how to use her body Toffee pondered, her pupils having grown small since she could never comprehend such an idea. Though the pink eyed girl jumped as something heavy impacted with the fountain, causing it to explode. Oddly enough, a piece of rubble completely slipped off of the green eyed woman's form when it shot at her.

"Wasn't that a bit dangerous, honey?"

"Flashy apologies. But with that smooth skin of yours, you're completely unscathed," a cloaked individual said, having emerged along with many other covered individuals. "No worries, my fair Lady Alvida!"

"Alvida? You're kidding, you don't look anything like her..." Luffy muttered, scrunching up his face while a finger lightly scratched at his forehead.

"I changed somewhat after eating a Devil's Fruit. It's name was-" Alvida started to say, pausing a moment to throw off the pink cloak with heart desings on it that she had been wearing, displaying her lean yet still curvy figure. "The Smooth-Smooth Fruit. Regardless of what kind of attack I come up against, my body won't suffer even a scratch. However, I'm sorry to say I didn't become anymore beautiful as a result. The only noticeable change was, yes...My freckles have disappeared."

"Uh, that's not the change I was thinking of..." Luffy mumbled while waving a dismissive hand. Alvida had been a lot larger and thruthfully not a very attractive person. Her voice had even been gruff, sounding a little manish compared to the more melodious one she carried now.

"I was reborn. And in order to find you again, I joined forces with this gentlemen," Alvida further explained, jerking her thumb over at her companion.

All of the men discarded their brown cloaks, and Toffee felt even more bewildered by this entire situation than she already did when seeing a blue haired male who-well who honestly looked like a clown from his appearance.

"Pirates sure do choose strange looks..." Toffee murmured under her breath, placing a finger against her lip as the man, who apparently went by Buggy, was ranting to Luffy who didn't seem the least bit fazed by his presence. This might have also been because he didn't recognize Buggy either...

"Oh! Your name was Buffoon!" Luffy declared with a nod, hitting his left fist on his right palm.

"BUFFOON?! WATCH YOUR MOUTH! YOU'RE AS CHEEKY AS EVER, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

Unlike Luffy, the townspeople seemed to grasp that Buggy was a lot more dangerous than the straw hat wearing male was giving him credit, quickly fleeing from the area in a mass panic. Unfortunately for them, Buggy wasn't allowing them to leave as his men pulled out pistols, pointing them at the innocent bystanders.

"Good people of the town! Don't move a flashy muscle! I will now display my full terror...and you all will be watching. A most super flashy public execution is about to begin!"

"Got it! It's Buggy!" Luffy exclaimed completely out of the blue with a wide smile, once again hitting his fist against his palm.

"IT TOOK YOU THAT LONG TO REMEMBER?!"

Toffee was covering her mouth, trying her best not to laugh at the silly conversation. But the amusement she was experiencing instantly vanished when a male with shoulder length green hair that covered most of his face pinned down Luffy in what looked like a wooden guillotine.

"Luffy!"

"Don't worry, Taffy! Everything's fine! We're gonna see an execution!" Luffy mused happily, not seeming to realize the dangerous situation he had gotten himself into.

"It's Toffee, Luffy! And I don't think that's a good thing! I'm pretty sure YOUR the one who's about to be executed!"

"Eh..?! AHHHHHH! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Luffy shouted when realization dawned on him, his eyes almost looking like they were about to pop out of his head.

"HOW ARE YOU ONLY NOW UNDERSTANDING THAT?!" Buggy screamed back with bold white eyes, having made his way up onto the platform where Luffy was. He huffed, turning his attention on the grey haired girl where a smirk formed on his features. "I don't remember seeing you with Straw Hat before. You a new crew mate of his? At least he'll have a friend here to mourn over his death~"

Toffee frowned at this, glancing upwards where the once sunny sky had turned to a gloomy shade of grey and purple, almost as if the heaven's were upset by the event that was taking place. And she could understand why. She might not have known Luffy long, but he was an interesting individual with a friendly and upbeat disposition she never thought could come from a pirate.

Someone like him didn't deserve to die, and her hand moved to rest on the satchel on her waist. Toffee didn't flinch when the pirates pointed their weapons at her, daring her to try anything. She was more focused on Luffy, who strangely enough, had gone quiet despite having once been screaming his head off. He looked even bored now.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," Luffy said apathetically despite a sharp blade now being placed on the back of his neck. "Please spare me."

"I'M NOT SAVING YOU, YOU NINNY!" Buggy screeched out, unleashing a calming breath of air before a devious grin formed on his painted dark red lips. "Any last words then? We've got quite a crowd here..." When Luffy wouldn't reply, he snickered. "Well, well, looks like you're speechless. You are about to die, after all!"

Luffy opened his mouth, soon breaking his silence by screaming at the top of his lungs, "I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME THE PIRATE KING!", his words seeming to echo around the area where they generated immense shock and wonder among all those observing.

Toffee found a smile forming on her lips, oddly enough being reminded of her brother, Cain, who once declared a similar dream when the two of them had been surrounded by thugs in town. Only his was to be a great and powerful ninja one day...Cain had constantly gone on and on about this, and Toffee fully supported him. To her, while he might not have been the strongest in the family, she had felt Cain was the most skilled. And it was why she had developed a similar fighting style to his.

15 years ago...

"You don't scare me, you big meanies! I'm a ninja, and ninjas don't get scared!" Cain huffed out, standing in front of a trembling Toffee despite the fact that he wasnt much bigger than her.

A muscular man with spiky green hair that stuck straight up and a tattoo of a cobra on his arm rose a brow at the rather feminine looking boy, a loud laugh soon leaving his lips while the men around him burst out into chortles themselves.

"A tooth pick like you? Yeah right! You look more fragile than the brat behind you!" the leader of the group of outlaws snorted out, his jab making Cain furrow his blonde brows. "If you don't want to get your ass kicked, hand over everything you have on you. I know that bastard Altair is loaded!"

"Don't laugh! I'm going to be the greatest ninja this world has ever seen! And papa only gives any treaures he steals to the poor!" Cain proclaimed, placing his hands on his hips proudly. Only to puff up his cheeks when he was completely ignored.

One of the men approached the children, grabbing Toffee and making her cry out when he took hold of the necklace she wore. It was a golden key with a pretty pink heart next to it, attached to a simple black chain. It had been a gift from her mother, and the only thing she had to remember her by.

"This jewelry looks like it's pretty expensive. A kid like you doesn't need this~"

Before the male could rip the jewelry away from the struggling girl, Cain had jumped back to toss senbon needles at the side of the man's neck, causing his eyes to grow wide before he fell forward-Toffee letting out a squeak as she jumped back to dodge his limp body.

"You damn brat!" the tattoed male screamed out, the men lunging at Cain.

A fierce expression was on Cain's normally innocent looking face, a kunai knife now in his hold where he sliced at any man that got near him. None of the injuries he placed were fatel, but they were enough to startle many of the criminals or leave them howling in pain.

Toffee could only watch in awe as her brother fought, but the green haired male had taken hold of Cain's long hair, this causing the eight year old to growl and squrim like mad.

"Well, at least you can fight like a man, girly boy. So I'll be nice and make your death as quick and painless as possible," he mused with a dark snicker, pulling out a gun and placing it against the side of Cain's head.

Just when a frightened Toffee was about to tell Heartless to help her brother, a gun shot rang out and the boss was yowling in pain as his own weapon had been blasted right out of his hold.

"My, my! What ruffians! And your not the dashing type either," Ashley said with a disappointed pout. His hazel eyes soon turned into slits while he licked up the side of one of the pistols he held. "I hate disgusting people. Those especially on the inside and out..."

"Who the hell are-Ugh!" the large male wasn't able to finish his sentence when his stomach was sliced open in a flash by Theo who was holding a Chinese sword in his left hand; an indifferent look on his pale features.

Once Cain was dropped after the thug leader took his last breath, he quickly ran over to Toffee where he pressed her face into his chest. "You probably shouldn't see this, Toff-chan. Theo and Ash don't really know how to hold back..."

Toffee gripped onto the simple white shirt Cain wore, hearing screams along with pleas to stop the brutal slaughtering that was currently going on. She had been with her family over a year now, and had learned that they were killers. It was only people who deserved it, that's what Altair had told her, but she didn't think even heroes went that far.

And even if they were planning to hurt Cain and her, she couldn't help but feel bad for those men...

Cain had hopped up onto a nearby rooftop with her, getting away from the carnage as Toffee slowly pulled away from him once it had grown silent. Noticing the worried look on Cain's face, she gave him a small smile to let him know she was okay; but her smile quickly faded and she gulped when noticing the furious looks on Theo and Ashley's faces once they were beside them.

"What did we tell you about coming to this area? It's the worst part of town!" Theo scolded in his usual monotone voice, giving a sharp rap to Cain's head and making him whine. "And bringing Toffee with you makes it worse!"

"Owie! We heard they had some exotic flowers in this part of the city, and I wanted to get them so Toffee could put them in the garden she's been making..." Cain grumbled with slight teary eyes.

"You should have told us then," Ashley reprimended, giving a light karate chop to Cain's head and making more tears form in his eyes. The white haired male clicked his tongue before glancing at Toffee in concern. "Those men must have frightened you, huh, sweetie? Your shivering..."

Toffee glanced up at the fifteen year old where she gave a little nod. "U-uh huh...Did you...really have to kill those men? Couldn't Theo and you just beat them up...?"

Ashley's eyes widened at this, understanding that Toffee was more shaken up from what they had done, and he peered over at Theo with a troubled look. The gold and red eyed male let out a heavy sigh, crouching down where Theo placed a gentle hand on top of Toffee's head.

"Maybe not, but those men were bad people. They would have continued to hurt and terrorize other's if we hadn't stopped them...You might not understand, but we take out those who make this world a dangerous place for others. We become monsters in order to destroy other monsters..."

Seeing Toffee looking unsure, Theo ran a hand through his messy black bangs that covered his equally dark brows before he lifted up the small girl.

"You'll see what I mean one day. For now, Cain and you are going home where your grounded for the next two weeks...Just be grateful the old man wasn't here. You two wouldn't be allowed to ever leave the house again otherwise..."

We become monsters in order to destroy other monsters Toffee pondered once she had been confined to her room. She sat on her bed holding Heartless close to her form, resting her chin on top of his head. She wanted to help people the way her family did, but did that also mean she'd have to kill in the same manner...?

Hearing a light knock at her door, Toffee perked up where she saw Cain cutely peeking his head inside; the bright moonlight that was filtering into the room showing a grin forming on his face when he saw that she was sitting up.

"Good! Your still awake! We're going to train!" Cain whispered cheerfully, bringing his finger to his lips to show Toffee that she needed to be quiet too.

"Train? But we're not allowed to leave our rooms?" Toffee brought up confused, tilting her head as Heartless copied her movements.

"That's why we're sneaking out~" Deimos declared, appearing next to his brother where he winked. "Cain's going to teach you while I'll be instructing Heartless in the cool ways of martial arts!"

Toffee shared a look with her shadow, and despite being worried, the pink eyed child quietly tiptoed out of the house before following the twins into the forest. It seemed they had cleared out an area of trees themselves as there were training dummies along with targets placed around the open area; a few weapons even scattered carelessly about.

"I know you didn't really enjoy when Theo was teaching you how to fight with that dagger he gave you for your birthday, so I'm going to teach you how to be a long ranged fighter instead," Cain hummed out, once again pulling out some senbon needles.

Toffee's eyes lit up, but then she bit at her lip and shuffled nervously on her feet. "B-but I'm not skilled like you, Cain...I seem to mess up no matter what I do when it comes to fighting..."

Cain pouted at this, placing his weapons back in the holster he had taken them from as he ran up to grab hold of Toffee's hands. "That's not true! You were able to reach the top of that really tall mountain with Deimos and me. Not to mention, your really fast! I've never seen anyone run from a bear as fast as you did. Even if you did trip a lot!"

Toffee just continued to chew on her lip, glancing over at Heartless who was already engaged in fast hand to hand combat with Deimos. She knew he was there to protect her, but it also wasn't fair to make her shadow defend her all the time...

"O-okay! What do you want me to do first?"

Cain squealed happily at this, innocently nuzzling his face into Toffee's neck like a puppy as this caused the seven year old to blush at how awkward the affection felt; allowing the male to tug her over toward one of the dummies.

"You don't have to worry about killing your opponents with senbon needles like a lot of other weapons. If you aim for certain vital points in a persons body, you can stop them from moving instead. It doesn't always work, but it's pretty effective most of the time," Cain explained, beginning to point to different parts of the dummy's body. "There are five main vital points. The sternum, back, jaw-"

The carotid artery and finally the brachial plexus Toffee thought while holding three metal needles inbetween her knuckles, surprising the pirates around her when she had jumped up rather high into the air, much higher than most humans could.

"Don't worry, Luffy! I won't let that big nosed jerk execute you!" Toffee announced with a grin before sending the needles flying at Buggy.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST S-AGGGGGGGGGH!" Barely seeing the tiny weapons that were flung at him, Buggy almost didn't seperate his torso in time; the needles coming very close to connecting with his breastbone.

"Amazing, Taffy! You looked like a ninja just now!" Luffy exclaimed, stars practically shining in his eyes as he watched the woman land cat-like back on the ground.

"I don't know about that, but I did learn from one of the greatest ninjas ever," Toffee voiced with a reminiscent smile on her face. Rubbing at the back of her neck when she was surrounded, Toffee sighed. "Here I thought Devil Fruit powers were rare to come across, but I've run into four users just today..."

"Looks like this little girl isn't as pathetic as she appears," Alvida chuckled out with a small smirk. "Make sure to take her out, men!"

"AYE!"

Just as one of the Buggy pirates was about to slash at Toffee with his sword, two dark hands shot up out of the ground where Heartless, in his Neoshadow form, appeared before the now startled pirate.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!" Buggy cried out with a panicked expression, pointing a shaking finger at the black creature after it had tossed the pirate away. "Don't tell me she's a Devil Fruit eater, too?!"

"Oh! So that weird thing is her Devil Fruit ability!" Luffy laughed out, the grin on his face growing wider. "Oi! Taffy! Ugly dog! Good luck!"

Toffee smiled awkwardly since Luffy's comment had caused Neoshadow to fight even more fiercely as he was sending screaming pirates flying in different directions; some crashing into the poor townsfolk who hadn't been able to flee in time. Ugly and dog were like taboo words to her little shadow companion. They always riled him up, and any unlucky people around normally took the full force of his attacks.

I can't let my shadow fight alone Toffee thought, running to dodge bullets that were being shot at her. She frowned since they were placing distance between Luffy and her, and she moved her hand on the jagged blue bladed dagger in her satchel since slicing her way through would be faster than relying on long distance attacks.

Touching the weapon had a strange effect on the girl as sudden images of lifeless bodies flashed through her head. Men, women, even children all slaughtered; their blood staining the walls and floor of a beautiful mansion while their soulless gazes seemed to be staring directly at her.

Almost as if they were accusing her for the deaths they had suffered...

Letting out heavy breaths of air, Toffee quickly released her weapon, gripping onto her badly shaking hand. During her small panic attack she didn't notice the pirate who was about to strike her down.

Luck certainly seemed to be on Luffy and her side for an angry cry of "BASTARD!" rang out, and a painful kick was placed on the pirate's face. The man's nose was most likely broken from how much blood poured from it; the sight causing Toffee to shake even more as she quickly glanced away.

"Tch! Attacking an innocent girl like that!" a blond haired male with his short straight locks covering the left portion of his face, muttered angrily. Believing the girl was trembling out of fear, his grey-blue eyes peered down at her with great concern. "Are you alright, miss? Did he hurt you?"

"N-no I'm...I'm okay," Toffee gasped out, placing a hand on her heart to try and calm herself down. After a few steadying breaths, she managed to give the unknown male a grateful smile. "Th-thank you for helping me..."

"Ah~ It was no problem at all~!" the male cried out jubiantly as his eyes had turned into bright pink hearts.

"Oi, you perverted chef! We don't have time for that!" a deeper voice reproached, causing the blond haired male's heart eyes to turn bold white in anger instead. The green haired male who had spoken, smirked as his attention landed on Luffy. "You really know how to make a ruckus, Luffy."

"SANJI! ZORO!" Luffy yelled out merrily with a wide grin from seeing his comrades.

"Here at last, Zoro? Pity you're a tad too late!" Buggy sneered, lifting the blade he wielded high up into the air.

Feeling Neoshadow patting at her head once he had returned to her side, Toffee weakly smiled at him before she turned to watch the incredible scene of the two men known as Zoro and Sanji dash through the pirates; slicing or performing powerful kicks on all those who stood before them. Yet even with the impressive skill they displayed...

"Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Sorry! I'm...dead!" Luffy cried out, his ever present grin still residing on his face. Many others would be begging for their lives, yet he didn't show a single ounce of fear...

The blade just inches from Luffy's long neck, a powerful bolt of lightning suddenly struck, stopping Buggy from ending the life of the young pirate. The execution platform shook madly as its bolts came loose while an almost unearthly blue flame covered the once historic monument that was soon toppling over.

Buggy was scorched and twitching on the ground, having been hit directly as it was probably a miracle he had managed to survive. Luffy on the other hand was completely unharmed, and he slowly bent to pick up his hat after it had gently floated down to the ground where he placed it back on it's rightful spot.

"Hah hah hah hah! Hey, I'm alive!" Luffy laughed out, not even fazed while all those around were currently feeling immense alarm. He then approached his two crewmates who were just as astonished. "Phew...what a relief...I thought I was a goner there."

Toffee's own mouth was opened wide while her motionless form became drenched by the sudden down pour. She had never seen such a phenomenon occur before in her life, and she had a feeling she might not ever again. There really was something special about this kid...

Only when a large number of marines appeared was Toffee able to stand. Her legs felt like jello, and she wobbled a little before managing to steady herself; clasping her hands together over her small chest when she was surrounded along with the Straw Hats and Buggy pirates.

"Awesome! What a huge fight!" Luffy cheered, jumping from side to side to dodge some of Buggy's men that came crashing close by him. "Cool! Super cool!"

"Oi, Luffy! Quit standing there watching! We're leaving!" Zoro spoke up, the hand he placed on his captain's shoulder making Luffy cry out and jump in surprise.

"If we don't get back to the ship in time, we won't be able to leave the island!" Sanji also brought up as the wind and rain seemed to increase in volume. "Then we can't get to the Grand Line!"

"What we better go then!" Luffy agreed, about to run after the two, but paused when he remembered something. He noticed that a few marines had already surrounded the short grey haired female, and he shot out his arm, grabbing the girl and making her squeal when he was dragging her off with him.

"Who is that girl anyways!" Zoro questioned, after Luffy released her arm to pummel some marines that were trying to block their escape route.

"Oh, this is Taffy! I crashed into her earlier," Luffy said casually as the four of them ran a bit faster. "The marines are after her too for some reason, so I told her she can ride on our ship for now."

"DON'T JUST GO INVITING STRANGERS ON BOARD THE SHIP!" Zoro snapped with angry bold white eyes at his captain's usual naivete.

"But she helped when that weirdo Buggy captured me,"

"...I guess that makes it different, then."

For once Toffee didn't trip from sheer clumsiness, but because the intimidating looking swordsman had brushed off his captain's choice so quickly. Not that she was complaining, but she was certain they would decide to leave her behind...

"Careful! The roads slippery! Perhaps I should carry you, Taffy-chan?" Sanji suggested, leaning down to offer the female a hand.

"A-actually my name is Toffee...But I'm okay," she replied timidly, taking the curly eyebrowed male's hand though where Sanji gently pulled the girl to her feet.

Zoro scowled since it almost seemed like they weren't getting anywhere. "Which way is the damn harbor?!"

"It's raining so hard, I can't tell which direction!" Luffy exclaimed, not looking worried unlike his comrade.

Feeling Heartless tugging on the grey tights she wore under her black skirt, Toffee glanced back and gulped seeing a large number of officers. "The marines are starting to catch up again, too..."

"There's no time to fight them. We need to keep moving for now," Sanji murmured, perking up when he noticed a single female standing a little further ahead. "WHO IS THAT LADY?"

Her head hung low while the girls dark bangs hid her eyes and the expression she bore. "So you're Roronoa Zoro, a pirate. I...you lied to me!"

"What? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?!" Sanji growled out, holding up his fist while he turned to face Zoro in anger.

Zoro slowly walked further ahead where he mentioned nonchalantly, "You never asked my name, that's all. I never lied to you,"

"A scoundrel like you wielding such a magnificent katana...Unforgivable! Your Meitou, the Wadou Ichimoji...Shall be confiscated!" the female shouted out shrilly, placing a hand on the blade at her side.

"Just try it." Zoro challenged with a smirk, unsheathing his own blade. The woman hesitated a moment before she charged at the green haired male, their swords clashing.

"You bastard! How dare you attack a woman!" Sanji snapped, stomping his right foot on the ground.

"Stay out of this, please! This is a match between Roronoa and myself! Leave us alone!"

Zoro confirming this and telling the three to go on ahead, after Sanji warned Zoro not to injure her, the three did just that. The marines had even stopped to observe the fight, and Toffee could hear them refer to the woman as Tashigi. She couldn't help but find herself admiring the female who chose to take on a pirate by herself. Many would never do such an action, or at the most, choose to fight fairly...

"There's the end of the street! The harbor's just over there!" Luffy declared, holding onto his hat to make sure it didn't fall off as he dashed forward.

Yet once again, someone was ahead and waiting on them...

"Here at last. Straw Hat Luffy," Smoker muttered as he stood in front of what resembled a large motorcycle. I told you if you can't beat me...you will never get to the Grand Line."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" Luffy said with a smile. "Sanji. You and Taffy go on ahead. I'll be right there."

Smoker stepped forward where he narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't bet on that. This is the end for you."

Sanji didn't say anything, but motioned for Toffee to follow him as the girl glanced nervously between Smoker and Luffy before running after the blond haired male. She noticed Smoker sparing her a glance when she rushed past him, and she nervously looked away since his eyes were clearly saying he'd deal with her later.

She wasn't certain why Smoker seemd to want to capture her the same way he did Luffy, but she gathered it must have had something to do with her family who he seemed to have a connection with...

"There's our ship, Toffee-chan!" Sanji exclaimed, making the grey haired girl come out of her train of thought as the ship was setting sail. More than likely to escape the marines who were firing at it. "Nami-swan~ I'm baaack~!"

"What about Luffy and Zoro?" the orange haired girl known as Nami cried out.

The heart eyes Sanji had been sporting instantly faded and he said in a untroubled tone, "Those two louts can take care of themselves!"

"Sanji behind you!" a male with a rather long nose yelled when seeing a small group of marines closing in on him.

Pushing Toffee behind him, Sanji proceeded to kicking any officer that got near him away. Yet just as soon as two would get knocked down, another one would appear.

"Usopp!" Nami cried out when the long nosed male jumped off the ship, proceeding to use a slingshot to shoot at the marines that had surrounded Sanji from behind.

"Heartless! We should help them!" Toffee told her little shadow, the creature nodding it's head as it fazed into the ground, appearing before the marines that were making their way toward Sanji and her where it kicked or sliced at the men with its long claws.

"Oi, Sanji! Who is that girl with you anyways?" Usopp asked while continuing to float and shoot from the ocean.

"A friend of Luffy's. He's letting her come with us for the time being," Sanji answered with a small smirk, watching as Toffee had thrown some needles at a few of the marines which caused them to instantly fall over.

Out of the blue a deadly green colored wind picked up, the ferocity causing everything and anyone to go flying off. Toffee whimpered in pain as her body impacted with one of the nearby buildings; Heartless landing close beside her as the shadow gave her a tired gaze before disappearing into the ground and returning to its rightful place as her normal shadow.

Some how the wind had brought Luffy and Zoro to the location where Usopp, Sanji, and Toffee were. The wind had also caused the ship to sail further out to sea, and Luffy took off running for some strange reason after noticing this.

"Gum Gum-

"Oh no!"

"He wouldn't...

"Aw shit."

"ROCKET!"

Toffee could only blink, letting out a startled squeak since Usopp had roughly grabbed the girls wrist and was practically dragging her like a rag doll as the three men took off running. They didn't get very far; the four of them screaming loudly as Luffy crashed into them, sending everyone flying off toward the ship.

Crashing into the sail before each of them landed on the ground in a pain filled heap, all of them, minus Luffy, were letting out anguished groans.

"I think...my life...just flashed before my eyes..." Toffee managed to get out as her eyes were spinning.

"S-same here..." Usopp agreed with the same dizzy eyes.

Nami smiled down at the group in relief, her brown orbs landing curiously on Toffee where she extended out a hand to help the petite girl up. "You okay?"

"Yes. Thank you," Toffee replied with a shy smile, taking the woman's soft, but surprisingly strong grip.

"Seriously, do you have any idea what your getting yourself into deciding to travel with a group of pirates?" Nami mentioned in a sudden stern tone, placing her hands on her hips. "Not to mention, we're currently heading for the Grand Line..."

"Ah, don't worry, Nami. Toffee was being chased by the marines, so she isn't as pathetic as she looks," Luffy mused after jumping up, placing his hands behind his head with a grin.

Despite the fact that she had sort of been insulted about her appearance, Toffee giggled. "I think that's the first time you've called me Toffee instead of Taffy..."

"Huh? Really? I didn't notice!" Luffy said with a laugh while Zoro and Sanji just looked at their so called captain with blank expressions.

Usopp found himself looking at the pink eyed girl in slight concern. "Wait, why were the marines after you...?"

Noticing all of the crew members looking at her with curiosity and even a bit of distrust, Toffee scratched at her cheek since this was going to be an awkward conversation. But it would be worse if she lied to them. Especially since Luffy had decided to help her out without really learning more about her.

"Well it's because I...sort of used to be associated with a group of assassins, eh heh..." Toffee explained, shyly poking her fingers together while giving a lop-sided smile.