Alright! Thank you so much to everyone who read the last chapter. I really enjoyed writing the flashback of Aurelia and Shanks. The fluff was so good and so warm that it made me melt like a marshmallow in hot chocolate. :) Like I said in the last chapter, it will be a bit before I write another flashback chapter about those two, so please, savor that one lol. Big shoutout to all the people who favorited, reviewed, and followed my story. It means so much to me that you would want to read my story enough to favorite, review, and follow it, so, thank you!
I did my best to make this chapter extra long to make up for that long break I had a bit ago and for my last chapter being a bit shorter than usual. Please, let me know what you think! If you leave a comment, I will always do my best to interact with you, as well as acknowledge your opinions and thoughts! :)
Warnings: Gun use (though not on anyone), Smoker being a hard-ass, and heartbreak.
Copyright: I do not own One Piece. That right belongs to Oda. I only own Aurelia, Adira, Khalil, and any other OC's I make up.
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Chapter Five: Lessons-In Leisure and In Life.
The acrid scent of gunpowder hung in the air as Adira squeezed the trigger for the fifth time, a sharp BANG echoing through the shooting range. Her shot veered off target once again, and she couldn't help but grimace. She turned toward Daddy, who stood behind her, his arms folded in a stern assessment. His expression held a mix of patience and mild frustration
"Sorry," she muttered, her eyes downcast. The gun felt heavy in her grip, the weight not only coming from the object itself, but from the responsibility Adira felt whenever she held it.
Daddy shook his head and stepped closer, his experienced hands reaching out to relieve her of the weapon. Without a word, he calmly took aim, stared Adira in the eyes, and fired, the recoil making the pistol jump slightly in his grip. Adira followed the trajectory of the bullet as it struck the target dead center, a hole appearing with remarkable accuracy. Daddy's eyes went from looking at Adira to looking at the target.
Adira stared at Daddy in awe, his skill evident as he maintained a stern expression while delivering a harsh truth. "We've gone over the parts of a gun. We've gone over proper gun storage and safety. Hell, we've gone over how to clean your weapon. Yet," he emphasized, not even bothering to glance her way, "when the time comes for it, you miss your shot."
Adira listened attentively, her disappointment evident in her downturned eyes. "Don't even think about trying something like that. Got it?" Daddy's tone remained unwavering as he gestured to what he just did–not looking before he was shooting.
"Yes, sir," Adira replied, her voice holding a hint of frustration. She moved closer to the target, her fingers lightly tracing the hole that marked Daddy's precise shot. She let out a low groan of annoyance as she examined the damage. "Why can't I hit it? It's less than five feet in front of me, and I miss it every single time."
Daddy holstered the gun and offered a reassuring pat on her shoulder. "Practice makes perfect, Adira. I didn't get good right when I started. You have to build up to it." His words conveyed the wisdom of experience, and Adira understood that mastering this skill would take time and dedication.
Daddy's rough fingers delved into the depths of his poncho's pocket and emerged with a slingshot fashioned from worn leather, a small, jingling bag of pebbles, and a wooden block attached to a piece of twine. The assortment of items spilled across his weathered palm, and he extended them towards Adira. She furrowed her brow as she accepted the curious collection.
"Hang up this wooden block somewhere in your room," Daddy instructed, his eyes holding a sense of seriousness. "When you have time, practice aiming for the target with the slingshot. If you feel like you're getting better with it, move the target further back. When you're adequate enough, we'll try again with the guns."
Adira sighed, her gaze flitting between the offered tools and her mentor's steadfast expression. She couldn't help but wonder how a slingshot and a wooden block could improve her accuracy with firearms. Nevertheless, she complied, tucking the slingshot, the wooden block, and the bag of pebbles into her satchel with a soft clinking sound. "Alright."
Daddy wasn't finished, though. He reached into his pocket once more and produced an empty gun, its cold metal surface catching the dim light. He extended the firearm toward Adira, her fingers brushing against its weighty frame.
"This one is empty," Daddy explained, his voice edged with expectation. "I want you to practice taking it apart, reassembling it, cleaning it, then putting it back together again."
Adira accepted the gun with a mixture of hesitation and determination. The cold steel pressed into her palm, and she couldn't help but feel the hefty load of her mentor's trust in her hands.
As they left the shooting range, the warm rays of the sun kissed Adira's face, dispelling the tension from her training session with Daddy. She had to ask, "Why is it so important that I learn how to clean a gun?"
Daddy let out a low chuckle, the kind that seemed to echo from deep within him. "Aside from basic maintenance of your possessions? Well, a jammed gun can be a real bitch to deal with. If you don't clean your weapon, it can cause poor cycling, misfires, and inaccuracy just to name a few problems. A clean gun is your best friend. It's best to get into that habit early on."
Adira nodded in understanding, her mind absorbing the lesson. "Ahh, that makes sense," she mumbled. Adira brushed her magenta hair away from her face with her fingers, and Daddy playfully tousled her hair as they walked. Adira tried to bat his hands away but with little success. "Hey!"
Daddy chuckled heartily as Adira frantically tried to restore her disheveled hair in her reflection in a nearby shop window. Daddy found amusement in her futile efforts to regain control of her hair. "Your hair is fine, Greenhorn," he reassured her.
Adira looked up at Daddy, puzzled. " 'Greenhorn'? What the hell does that mean?"
Daddy adjusted the brim of his hat as he continued to wear a playful grin. "It's a term for people who are inexperienced, or new at something. But," he added with a twinkle in his eye, "if you'd like, I can call you 'Sunshine' after your sunny disposition." Sarcasm dripped from his voice, and Adira couldn't help but scowl. "No chance in hell, Daddy," she shot back, her tone playfully defiant.
Their conversation paused as they reached a crossroads, and Daddy proposed, "This was a good first session. Same time next week?"
Adira agreed with a nod and a genuine smile. "Yeah, sounds great." The two shared a moment of unspoken camaraderie, knowing that their mentorship was a bond unlike any other.
Adira strolled back to Khalil's loft, her footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor. As she pushed open the door, an enticing aroma enveloped her senses. The tantalizing scent of sizzling meat and sautéed onions wafted through the air, guiding her steps toward the source of this delectable fragrance—the kitchen. There, she found Khalil, a determined expression on her face, fully engrossed in culinary endeavors, back to Adira.
With a gentle smile, Adira broke the silence. "Hey."
Startled, Khalil turned around, her expression brightening at the sight of her friend. "Hey yourself. You've been out for quite a while. Find something to keep you busy?"
Adira unslung her bag and set it on a nearby chair. "Yeah, I did. I, um, paid a visit to Daddy."
Khalil's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Daddy? Daddy Masterson you mean? Why?"
Adira shrugged, her gaze wandering to the simmering pan on the stove. "I don't know. You suggested I find something to do, so I did. Daddy's going to teach me how to shoot."
Khalil's jaw dropped, and she waved her hands in front of her in disbelief. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Daddy Masterson is teaching you how to shoot?"
Adira squinted her eyebrows, her confidence unwavering. "Yes, he is. Why do you have to say it like that?" She asked, her tone daring Khalil to challenge her.
Khalil, trying to hide her amusement behind her hand, chuckled softly. "Because, Adira, you don't strike me as the type of person who goes shooting."
Adira crossed her arms, a hint of frustration in her voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Khalil shook her head, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. "It's nothing, really. Forget I said anything.
Adira snatched her bag and was making her way to her room when Khalil's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Hold it, young lady. Where do you think you're going?"
Turning around, Adira shot Khalil an irritated look and replied, "To bed. Why?"
Waving a wooden spoon around, Khalil had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Oh no you're not! You're having dinner tonight with me and Smoker."
Adira let out an audible groan. "Whhhyyyy? He's YOUR date. You wanted him over here. I doubt he's coming to dinner to keep me company. Plus, wouldn't it be better without having me as a third wheel?" Her thoughts were fixated on the comfort of crawling back into bed with Ace's letter. The last thing she needed, or wanted for that matter, was to sit through an awkward conversation with Smoker while shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth.
Khalil 'tsked' and raised an eyebrow, her resolve unwavering. "Correction, Missy, Smoker is coming to see the both of us. Part of this dinner was for him to get to know you as well. That being said, why don't you set the table?"
Adira let out an exasperated sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine, fine. I'll set the table, but I can't promise I'll be the most entertaining dinner guest." With that, she trudged over to the table, reluctantly preparing it for the upcoming dinner with a mix of curiosity and annoyance.
As Adira carefully arranged the plates on the table, she couldn't help but broach the topic that had been lingering in her mind. "So... Smoker... do you think he's interested in you?" She tilted her head at Khalil, her curiosity evident.
Khalil, radiating self-confidence, flashed a confident smile. "Of course he would! We've been friends for years, he's hot, I'm gorgeous, I own my own business, and he's a Captain in the Marines. Why wouldn't he want me? We'd make such an amazing couple."
Adira stood there, dumbfounded by Khalil's certainty. "I get that I might not be the best person for relationship advice, considering the fact that my boyfriend stopped writing to me altogether, but did it ever occur to you that maybe Smoker isn't one for relationships? I mean, hell, I barely even know the man, and I can tell that he doesn't seem interested in starting anything romantic."
Khalil remained unfazed. "Maybe that was the case, but he won't resist a home-cooked meal and my feminine wiles for too long."
Adira's confusion deepened. "Your 'feminine wiles'? What the hell does that even mean?" She asked, bewildered, clutching the silverware in her hands.
Khalil grinned mischievously. "You know..." She wiggled her hips suggestively, leaving Adira frowning in confusion. "What is this, some sort of sex thing?"
A deep masculine voice interrupted the perplexing conversation. "What's a sex thing?" Smoker's gruff voice entered the room, and both women fell silent, their eyes widening. Smoker stood in the doorway, looking slightly amused by the whole scene. He had a light blush on his cheeks as he gestured to the door behind him. "It was unlocked, so I assumed that I could let myself in."
Khalil's face lit up as she nodded. "That's perfectly alright." She tucked some loose strands of her azure-colored hair behind her ears and walked over to Smoker, her gaze flickering to the bouquet of flowers in her hand. "Are those for me?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Here," Smoker said gruffly, awkwardly shoving the flowers toward Khalil. Suddenly finding the ceiling very interesting, Smoker looked upwards, his blush turning slightly redder as he scratched the back of his head. Khalil laughed and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks, Smokey. Why don't you come sit down? Dinner is just about done."
Adira gave an uncomfortable wave to Smoker as she finished setting the rest of the table. Smoker's face faded back into his usual stoic look as he sat in one of the chairs. Adira, not knowing what else to do, also sat down directly across from him. Smoker studied Adira, as if properly assessing whether she was a threat or not. Finally after a moment, Smoker asked, "What brought you to Loguetown?"
Adira, who was playing with her fork, froze at the question. 'Shit! What should I say?' She thought as she refused to make eye contact with Smoker. 'He's a Captain for the Marines! Surely it would look bad if I told him I've been chasing after my boyfriend, who also happens to be a pirate with a large bounty.' Adira wiped the sweat from her brow as she contemplated her next choice of words.
Sensing the turmoil brewing within her, Smoker remarked, "You're awfully quiet there, Kid. Something you want to tell me?" His tone of voice sounded more formal now, and less like a friendly tone from when he was talking to Khalil only moments beforehand.
"Leave the poor girl alone, Smoker." Khalil said as she set down a tray of steaks on the table. "This is dinner–not an interrogation. Adira has been through enough. She doesn't need to be questioned by an officer of the Marines." Shooting Khalil a thankful glance, Adira mouthed 'Thank you' to her.
Smoker leaned back as he regarded what Khalil said. His voice still held a hint of skepticism. "I understand that, but you're the one who wanted me to get to know her better. I'm only following your wishes, Khalil."
Adira shifted in her seat, before she said, "It's okay…I don't mind answering. I came for love." Her answer was simple and straight to the point. She hoped this would be enough of an answer to leave Smoker satisfied.
Unfortunately, she was wrong.
Smoker gave a deep chuckle as he looked at Adira. "Love, huh? Sounds pretty serious. Was it your family or a friend? Boyfriend perhaps?"
Trying to redirect the conversation, Adira stiffly said, "I'm an orphan. I don't have any family."
Smoker took out one of his cigars, holding it out for Khalil's approval. Khalil, approaching with a pot of mashed potatoes, nodded. Smoker lit the cigar and continued his line of questioning, "No parents? So that must mean a friend or a lover. "Smoker snapped his lighter shut and put it on the table. He inhaled and exhaled a thick white cloud of smoke. "But, seeing how you're not staying with an old friend, but a woman you barely know, and only met a couple weeks ago, I'd be inclined to say you don't have any close friends in the area."
As Smoker's sharp gaze penetrated Adira, she felt herself freeze. Her skin began to get clammy and her throat suddenly became dry. Khalil, setting the pot of mashed potatoes on the table, intervened sternly. "Smoker, I mean it. Knock it off."
Smoker shot her an equally stern glare. "I've known you since we were kids, Khalil. I don't think it makes me a bad guy to be sure that whoever you brought into your home isn't a psychotic killer or, God forbid, a Pirate. I just want to make sure that Adira here isn't going to hurt you."
"I've stayed with Khalil for two weeks. She's all in one piece, isn't she?" Adira snapped back, as her anger started to rise. It was a drastic difference from how she felt only moments beforehand. What the hell did she do to deserve this treatment? "If I wanted to kill Khalil, wouldn't I have done it the first night I stayed here? Or the many other nights I was here? Or, how about all of the nights I helped close the pub down below?"
Adira stood up as she slammed her hands on the table. The dishes around her rattled and she narrowed her mismatched eyes at Smoker. "You have no right to question me. None whatsoever. I haven't broken any laws. I just needed a place to stay and a helping hand, and Khalil provided both. I won't have you insult her intelligence, or my character, because you're some overly suspicious asshole!" Khalil remained silent as she covered her mouth in shock at Adira and Smoker remained impassive to Adira's angry outburst.
Adira grabbed her bag, marched to the room, and slammed the door shut as she locked it.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Perhaps she could've stayed and salvaged the situation (and made her 'character' look better than it probably was) but Adira didn't deserve all the treatment she got from Smoker. She didn't care if he was Khalil's old friend or a potential romantic partner for Khalil, Adira wouldn't stand for his disparaging comments and his inquisitorial attitude towards her.
Yes, it could stem from the fact that she was protective over who Ace was, but that fact alone isn't enough to warrant what felt like an interrogation.
Adira collapsed onto her cot, the fabric offering little comfort against the turmoil in her mind. The weight of the night pressed down on her, and as she thought about Ace, her emotions threatened to overflow.
Ace.
Why wasn't he here?!
Why couldn't he have just responded to one letter?
This whole night could have been avoided if he had talked to her and let her know what was going on. She could be back on Beaumont Island right now, tending to her clam cart, reading over his words with all the patience in the world as she awaited his return. That was the plan they had made together. Adira was fine with that plan! It was a good-no-it was a great plan!
But no.
Ace robbed her of that choice.
This night was as just much his fault, as it was hers.
In fact, it was entirely his fault.
Adira selling her clam cart.
Adira wasting her money to find him.
Adira taking a shitty job at a shitty bar. .
Adira having to hide the fact that her boyfriend was none other than Fire-Fist Ace.
Adira is being questioned just because she came to Loguetown.
All of her recent misfortunes could be traced back to him.
It was all because of Ace.
Perhaps it was the lingering effect of her confrontation with Smoker, or perhaps it was the pure, unadulterated anger she had been suppressing, but the breaking point had arrived. Enough was enough.
"I hate you," Adira mumbled to herself as she wiped an angry tear from her eyes. The frustration and resentment boiled over, transforming her whispered words into vehement declarations. "I hate you. I hate you. I HATE YOU!" she yelled, the intensity building with each repetition. In a surge of rage, she marched over and furiously swiped her arm over her bedside table, sending Ace's letters scattering in disarray. "You liar! YOU GODDAMN LIAR! I wish I never fucking met you!" Adira screamed, stomping on each of the letters as if trying to crush the pain they held. With her eyes watering up, Adira grabbed her bag and ran out of the room, heedless of Khalil's startled expression and Smoker's unamused gaze. She ignored Khalil when she called her name.
Adira sprinted down the stairs and to the beach, seeking refuge beneath a pier. Whipping around, she found a couple of rocks
"You left me!" she yelled, hurling a rock into the water. "You promised me you'd come back, and you left me!" Another rock flew out in a furious arc. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?! WHY?!" she screamed, the raw emotion tearing through her. With one last throw, Adira let out a primal cry, the echoes of her pain reverberating beneath the pier. Grabbing her bag, she swung it against a pier column, hearing the telltale rip as it collided with the solid structure. Frustrated and defeated, she threw it to the ground, tears streaming down her face like a furious river as she collapsed to her knees in the sand.
Adira gripped piles of sand in her hands as the tears kept coming out.
Adira clenched handfuls of sand in her hands, the grains slipping through her fingers like lost time. "Why did you leave? I'm worth more than that... aren't I?" Adira knew, at this point, she wasn't just talking about Ace anymore, even though she was livid with him. He knew the pain of her mother leaving, yet he left her all the same.
Ace was just like her mother.
He left her.
The people she loves the most always leave. No matter how much she loved him, or how good she tried to be, they still chose to leave her.
Adira's body racked with sobs.
"Why am I not good enough? Why am I not worth enough to make them stay?" Adira's hand went to her necklace that Ace gave her. She gripped it tightly, ready to yank it off, but her arm froze. It was as if her body put a stop to the vengeful rampage. This necklace was a reminder of him, a token of their connection.
It should have been the first thing that Adira should have gone after, yet, her hand held it. Something about this necklace kept her from ripping it off and hurling it into the ocean.
"Damn it," Adira cursed, running her hand through her long magenta hair. At that moment, a large plume of smoke surrounded her, and she looked around with wide tear-filled eyes. Smoker materialized, casually smoking a cigar as he leaned against one of the pier's pillars. "Am I interrupting your breakdown, kid?" he asked.
Adira grit her teeth as she stood up, turned away, and wiped her eyes. As shocked as Adira was to see him using a Devil Fruit power, something that she's never witnessed before, she was too angry to bask in the awe of what she had just seen. Not to mention the fact that Adira was crying, and she tried to never let anyone see her cry, let alone the military asshole that Khalil was infatuated with. "What do you want?" She ground out.
Smoker sighed, tossing his cigar to the sandy ground and stomping on it. "I was a bit too hard on you, kid. I'm sorry."
"Fine. Now leave me alone." Adira's voice cracked at the end and she mentally cursed at herself. Great, now this guy was gonna think she was some weak crybaby.
"Khalil sent me to get you…there's a perfectly good steak calling your name. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste." Smoker's voice was surprisingly gentle as he spoke to her.
Adira crossed her arms, refusing to turn around. Her bottom lip quivered and she tried to will herself to stop crying, but it was all too much. She had been holding it in for so long, and now that she started really crying, the tears wouldn't cease. They kept on coming and coming. "Just leave me alone…." Adira sank to her knees again.
Adira heard footsteps and saw a pair of boots in front of her. She looked up and Smoker stared at her with a grimace on his face. "He really did a number on you, didn't he?" Smoker bent down and said, "Kid, I don't know you and I don't know your little boyfriend, but what I can tell you, is that any girl who goes looking for a guy because she loves him is either a fool or very much in love. No offense taken, but you don't strike me as a fool."
Adira scowled and looked away as she wiped her runny nose. Smoker continued to speak, "You got a long life ahead of you, kid. You're going to meet some new people, probably some new friends, and you're going to forget about how much you're hurting right now." Adira's head snapped up as she stared at Smoker in disbelief. Was he trying to….comfort her? "Fuck, you might even fall in love again. That's all up to you, but what you need to remember is that whatever he did ... .it's nothing on you. It's on him."
Adira's hand felt something, and she looked: it was a seashell. Adira held it up and examined the beautiful object as Smoker silently watched her. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she choked on the salty taste of her grief as she broke her own rule of trying to never let anyone see her cry. The seashell slipped from her grasp, lost among the countless grains of sand. Adira's shoulders shook as sobs wracked her body. The realization hit her with each crashing wave – the love that once anchored her had slipped away, leaving her adrift in a sea of heartache. Her relationship, the thing that kept her going for many years, was officially over. The worst part was…she never got to say goodbye.
The sky, now painted in the muted palette of dusk, seemed to mourn with her. Adira curled into herself, the ache in her chest mirrored by the ache of the tide pulling away from the shore. It was the end of an era, and the beach, witness to the rise and fall of countless tides that washed under the pier, bore witness to the unraveling of Adira's heart.
"Why does it hurt so much?" Adira whimpered out as she clutched her chest, the physical pain from it causing her to double over. Smoker, although not knowing her, sat beside her. Gently, he put his arm around her shoulders. "You can let it out, kid." Adira took the chance to bury her face in his white coat, sobbing into it.
"It hurts so much, because it was real." Smoker gruffly muttered as he held onto Adira. "That's the bitch of it all, kid. It's a blessing and a curse….and you gotta take the good with the bad. Love's a shitty game where anyone rarely wins."
Smoker's wise words struck a chord in Adira and she looked up to the older man, asking in a quivering voice, "H-how do you know? That you've won?"
Smoker exhaled and looked out under the pier towards the East Blue. His gravelly voice rumbled as he spoke, "The man who is meant for you will accept you for all that you are. Quirks, strengths, faults–everything. He's going to be there for you, accepting your past while representing your future. He won't do anything to hurt you and he'll treat you like you're the Earth's greatest gift. He'll see you as you are and think to himself 'Her. It's her that I want'. If a man doesn't do this, or think like this when it comes to you, he's not the one."
Adira sniffed, her breath hitching as her voice cracked. She felt the weight of Smoker's words, each syllable sinking into her wounded heart. "I…I really loved him…I would've done anything for him…"
"But would he do the same for you? If he were here right now, and you asked him to stay here forever with you…would he?" Smoker's question imposed an important image in Adira's mind. One from three years ago, when Ace first left.
Adira laid in the sand. "You don't have to go. You can just stay here on Beaumont Island with me." She sat up and shook sand out of her hair. Grabbing his signature orange hat, Adira placed it on top of his head. Her gaze softened. "I wish you didn't have to go."
Ace's smile dimmed a bit as he heard the sadness in Adira's voice. He took the girl into his arms and held her close to his body. "Adira, you know you mean the world to me."
Adira relaxed against Ace's body and tilted her head up to look at him. "But?" She asked him.
Ace sighed, kissing the top of her magenta head. "But I can't just sit here living a life that's not meant for me."
Adira looked at Ace, her mismatched eyes boring into his black ones. "We don't have to stay here! We can leave somewhere else. Find passage on a ship and start a new life on another island-or even the Red Line! We don't have to be stuck in the East Blue." Adira sat up straight, tucking her knees under her. She grabbed Ace's hands, which were as rough as her own. Smiling, she looked at him. "We can have an adventure-the two of us!"
Reaching into the pocket of her brown patchwork skirt, she brought out a coin bag. "I've been saving up!" Adira stated proudly as she gave the coin bag to Ace. "I want a future with you, and I've been saving up for it!" Ace opened the bag and peered inside of it, his eyes wide with wonder. "Adira!" He said in shock while looking around to make sure no one saw them. "How have you gotten so much?"
Adira shrugged, grabbing the coin purse and putting it back in her pocket. "I've been saving up everyday for the last six months. In two years, we can have more than enough berries to buy either a house or passage to somewhere better." She smiled fondly at Ace. "I want to go through all the troubles and happiness in life with you."
Ace frowned a bit, his face looking conflicted. He took his hands away from Adira's and said in a faint voice, "Adira, I care about you. Really, I do. But I need to prove that I'm more than the child of…him."
Smoker's hypothetical question already took place, three years ago. Adira had asked Ace to stay, but he rejected her offer. He rejected her. Ace's pride and need to prove himself was more important to him than she was.
Smoker looked at Adira for a solid moment, before slowly standing up and dusting his legs off. "Come on, kid. Get up." Adira looked up at Smoker with watery eyes. "Where are we going?"
"Away from this fucking pity party." Adira hesitated. She wanted to do nothing more than cry, but as she saw the patient gaze Smoker was giving her, she knew the silent message he was trying to tell her: Don't waste anymore of your tears on him.
Adira slowly stood up.
She picked up her ripped satchel and slung it over her shoulder. Adira quietly followed Smoker as she sniffed and hiccupped. They made their way back to Khalil's loft, where Khalil was sitting at the candlelit table, sipping on a glass of wine. Khalil looked at Smoker since he was the first to enter, his giant frame blocking Adira from view. "Smoker, I swear to God, if you didn't find Adira-"
"Calm down, Khalil. The kid is right behind me. She just needed some air." Smoker said as he sidestepped to reveal Adira. Khalil gave him a relieved look, set down her glass of wine, and rushed over to Adira. She inspected her all over, searching for cuts or was nothing wrong with her, save for puffy eyes and a red nose. "Sweetie, are you okay? Are you hurt? I was so worried about you!" Khalil enveloped Adira in a tight hug, and, reluctantly, Adira leaned into the hug.
She allowed herself to be held.
'Is this what having a mom feels like?' Adira silently thought to herself. 'It feels nice…like peace.'
Khali glanced at Smoker and growled out, "I hope you know you're not entirely off the hook yet."
Smoker gave Khalil a small smile. "As long as you give me the chance to make up for it, I'll be more than okay with that." Smoker walked over and put his hand on Adira's head, lightly ruffling her hair. "She's a good kid, Khalil."
Adira felt the lump in her throat become bigger. Khalil hugging her tightly, Smoker ruffling her hair, and Adira being enveloped in their care.
Family.
The word came into Adira's mind so fast, it nearly startled her. No. No way. Khalil wasn't her mom and she barely even knew Smoker. Yet….
"Can we eat some of your home cooked meal?" Adira asked in a small voice as she looked at Khalil with big eyes. Khalil smiled gently at Adira as she kissed her forehead and cupped her face. "Of course, sweetie. We can eat…do you feel up to that?"
Adira nodded. Before she went to the table, Adira looked at Smoker and mumbled, "Thank you…for earlier. Your words really helped a lot."
Smoker responded with a single, affirmative nod, his calloused fingers gently tousling Adira's hair. "Anytime, kid. Let's go eat." Adira met the seasoned Marine's gaze with gratitude before trailing behind him to the dining table. The trio settled at Khalil's table, where the remnants of the meal, now lukewarm, awaited them. As they began to eat, Adira's spirits lifted gradually, a soft smile playing on her lips as Khalil and Smoker animatedly recounted tales from their youth.
"I did not steal those apples! Mr. Adjecks gave them to me for free," Khalil protested, her eyes dancing mischievously at Smoker.
Smoker rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Now, I know you're full of shit. That old man hated anyone under the age of forty-five. I highly doubt he'd give you, out of all people, fruit from his prized apple tree. Just admit you stole them! It's been over twenty years."
"And it'll be another twenty before I admit to stealing them."
"So you did steal them!"
"I did not steal them–I borrowed them permanently."
Adira chuckled, her gaze shifting between the two adults immersed in a playful dispute about apples. "You really stole apples from your neighbor?" she asked Khalil, savoring the last bites of her mashed potatoes.
Khalil scrunched up her nose, arms crossed defiantly. "No! I was a perfect angel."
"And I'm calling bullshit, Khalil." Smoker's hearty laugh filled the cozy loft. "You have always been a troublemaker. I seem to recall a memory of a certain somebody putting ink in mine and Aki's drinks."
Khalil laughed, a light blush gracing her cheeks. "I have a sudden case of amnesia, so I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I'm sure you do," Smoker replied, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Adira laughed. "You two have quite the history."
"Yeah, we do. We grew up in the same neighborhood–Smoker, Aki, and me," Khalil said, taking a sip from her wine. Adira smiled fondly at the sentiment. "Must be nice to have that kind of experience."
"You don't have any childhood friends?" Smoker asked, lighting another cigar.
"You didn't have anyone? No best friends growing up?"
"...No...I've only ever had one friend growing up."
Adira's response lingered unspoken, her fork creating a soft symphony of clicks against the porcelain plate. 'You never have any friends, because everyone sees how worthless you truly are.' Nasi's voice echoed through Adira's mind, its clarity so sharp that her head snapped up, momentarily expecting her former guardian to be standing there in the room, criticizing her. Realizing the absurdity of that notion, Adira forced a tight smile for Smoker and Khalil. "It's getting late. I need to sew up my bag before my shift tonight." She turned to Khalil. "Do you have any sewing supplies?"
Khalil pointed toward the hallway closet. "You'll find one on the top shelf."
"Thanks." As Adira moved to clear her plate, Khalil waved her off. "Don't worry about that. I'm going to clean up."
"You sure?" Adira offered. "I don't mind helping clean up. You cooked dinner, after all."
"I'm sure. Go fix your bag." Adira nodded gratefully and headed to the closet, retrieving the sewing kit. In her room, she emptied her bag, including the items Daddy had given her earlier that day. Examining the tear near the bottom that had ruptured the bag's lining, Adira winced, offering a brief, audible apology to the well-worn accessory. Silly, perhaps, but this bag had been with her since the orphanage, an old yet cherished connection to her long-lost mother.
It was almost surprising it hadn't torn sooner.
Seated cross-legged on her cot, Adira threaded the needle. Flipping the bag inside out, just as she was about to begin mending, a small 'clink' resonated as something fell from her bag to the wooden floor. Carefully setting down the needle, Adira reached down and retrieved the fallen object.
Her eyes widened.
Between her fingers, Adira held a truly unique object: a minuscule oval pendant, no larger than her pinky. It gleamed in gold, featuring a coat of arms on the front—two cetuses facing opposite directions with a square in the middle that cradled a tiny dragon. Encircling the dragon were minuscule words: Nostra Virtus Sub Undis.
Adira's eyes widened in wonder. All these years with the same bag, and this small pendant had been nestled in the lining. She turned it around, squinting as she read the haphazardly scratched letters on the back. "The Celestial Sea," Adira murmured aloud.
Holding the golden pendant up to the light, Adira inspected it closely. "If this bag was Mom's, then that means..." A spark of hope ignited within her. "This was Mom's."
Adira placed the pendant in her palm, closing her fist. She brought the fist to her heart, holding onto the first real clue about her mother, and perhaps her father. The pendant had to mean something. Why else would her mother have hidden it in the lining? It didn't just slip in there—no. It was deliberately placed there, almost like...
"Holy shit! You wanted me to find this!" Adira exclaimed, a smile tugging at her lips.
If this pendant was what she believed it to be, Adira could use it to trace her roots.
"Nostra Virtus Sub Undis. The Celestial Sea." Adira repeated, holding onto the clue her mother had left for her. This was it—the first step in the right direction. It felt as if fate was guiding her hand, leading her on the path she was meant to follow. She realized she shouldn't have been chasing Ace because the person she was meant to find was her mother... and her father.
Plus, if her mother left this clue for her, then that meant there had to have been a good reason that Adira was left at the orphanage when she was three. Perhaps that was wishful thinking, but this pendant was no accident.
It was a message, an instruction on what to do next.
"I hear you loud and clear, Mom. I'm coming."
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MEANWHILE, SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE EAST BLUE:
"It's our favorite coward! You trying to hog our beer and miss out on all the action again?" The pirates ask a young pink-haired boy. The pink-haired boy held onto the wooden barrel and looked at the older pirates with a wide fearful look.
"N-n-no way! I was just trying to haul this big barrel of beer over to you guys!" he stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead under their intimidating gazes.
Just as they were about to say more, the barrel burst open as a boy with a straw hat shot up as he stretched out his arms. Yawning, he looked around with a happy and amused smile. "What a nice nap that was! It looks like I'm saved. I thought I was gonna die too." He added with a laugh.
As that boy with the straw hat, Luffy, surveyed his surroundings, (and was subsequently blown away in his barrel by the pirate Alvida and her heavy spiked iron mace) he spoke to the boy with pink hair, Koby, about why Luffy was even in the barrel in the first place. Unbeknownst to Straw Hat Luffy, across the East Blue near the entrance of Reverse Mountain, Adira had begun her own journey, and in the not-so-distant future, their paths would collide in the most unexpected of ways.
Alright! That's the end of my chapter. I wanted to include that part about Luffy to let you all know where in the timeline we're at. I don't want you to think I'm going to write thirty chapters before Adira meets Luffy. It will happen, but I want to develop Adira a bit before she meets the Straw Hats. I hope you can understand this! Anyways, let me know what you think and if you have any suggestion or ideas about what the pendant can mean/signify for Adira's journey going forward. :)