.: So the site is not letting me upload images, but whenever it does, I am going to give this story a new cover. But at least for now, it can help previous readers locate this sequel. Don't be surprised when it gets switched in the near future, though. Also, if you have not already, please go read the first installment of this storyline so you can be caught up on the current events :) :.

The Girl with A Half-Soul

Chapter 2:

Afraid For Herself

Breakfast started hitting the table for the Straw Hats who were taking their seats. Usopp paused in his fishing, Nami emerged from her map room with one in hand, Robin left her book on her chair, and Zoro finally rolled out of his hammock when Sanji's call rang out for them all. "Omelets with bacon and a side of tangerine yogurt," Sanji announced, placing the most pristine of the plates in front of Nami and Robin.

"Looks and smells delicious like always," Nami commented, picking up her fork and knife.

Sanji sprouted his heart eyes because of the compliment. "Anything for you, Nami~!" he sang out. His demeanor changed when he served Zoro and Usopp next, since he showed disinterest for the male gender. Then he loaded the tray with rest of the plates and headed down to the girls' quarters. He did not mind bringing Luffy and Chopper's breakfast to them. It might have actually been a good thing for them to eat with their guest. That way, she would not be all alone.

But nothing could have prepared him for what he heard when he got to the top of the stairs.

"WHAT?!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs. "SHE'S HAVING TRIPLETS?"

"Quit yelling!" Chopper angrily replied from Aurilee's lap. "I'm still trying to be sure, okay?!"

Sanji felt very surprised as he descended into the room. He expected to hear an update about the baby at some point, but he expected something related to health, not a number. Luffy heard his footsteps and turned to face him. "Sanji! Aurilee is having triplets!" he repeated.

"Luffy!" Chopper admonished, annoyed by being ignored.

"Triplets, huh?" Sanji said, his gaze shifting to the girl who still sat in the bed wearing a nightgown. Her abdomen was so swollen that she looked nine months pregnant, but if there were more babies occupying her womb, then it would also make sense that she would look full term. "Well, isn't that a blessing," he added with a smile. The tray was settled on the same end table that had been used for food deliveries. Instead of standing up straight, though, he stayed bent over to be eye level with her. "And did I hear that right? Aurilee is your name?"

She nodded with no smile in sight, still struggling with the news that Chopper shared.

Sanji's eyes transformed into hearts again and he let out a lovestruck exhalation. He swayed away from the bedside with his entire body waving around like the tide of the ocean. Aurilee had never seen anything like it before. "Such a lovely name for an even more beautiful mother-to-be!" he flattered. Then he quickly zoomed up the stairs to return to the kitchen to eat his own breakfast. "I shall return for the dirty dishes, Aurilee, my sweet!"

Aurilee glowered and looked away. She had never heard such indulging phrases directed toward her before. And hearing someone being so overly nice to her was something she did not know how to react to. All she knew was that it was more than likely just an act with empty words, a ploy to get a reaction out of her.

Chopper ignored the food and went back to checking her womb. It was so odd, but he was positive that he was indeed hearing three separate heartbeats. All of them could be found in three distinct places. And as hard as he tried, he could not find any more anywhere. He sighed and gazed up into Aurilee's nervous eyes. "Your babies' hearts sound perfectly healthy," he began. "And I do believe there are three of them in there. None of this is a bad thing, Aurilee. It just means the situation is a little more different than we originally thought."

"Yeah," Luffy added from the floor, his mouth full of omelet. "Don't worry about a thing. Chopper has this all under control."

But Aurilee's newly established fear could not be shaken with simple reassurance. She already did not know how to comprehend the pregnancy, and she thought her womb housed a corpse, but now she was expecting to bear triplets who were all alive and well. How could she possibly go through with this? Especially when their father was someone who made her life a living Hell. It was like he was continuing to torture her, even from the afterlife.

When Sanji returned to the kitchen, the first thing he noticed was how Nami was adding the little sandbar they had anchored next to onto a map. Without looking at her plate, she stabbed a piece of omelet with her fork and continued sketching with the other hand. Since Alabasta, they were casually sailing around the Grand Line, so she had time to make more maps of their past destinations.

"Is there anything else I can get for the ladies?" he asked.

"I'm good," Nami answered, her focus not on him.

"No, thank you," Robin responded with a closed-eyed smile.

With the acknowledgements making his heart melt, he took his own plate of food and joined them all at the table. Zoro was the first to push his empty plate away from him. "So, what's the plan?" he questioned.

"For today, I don't see why we can't stick around here," Nami suggested. She looked up from her map to the green-haired swordsman. "The sandbar will be completely uncovered as the sun reaches the center of the sky."

"We can have lunch on it if that's the general consensus," Sanji added.

"And it might be a good opportunity to get our guest out in the sun instead of being couped up again," Usopp recognized.

"Oh, right," Sanji interjected, swallowing some of the tangerine yogurt. "Her name is Aurilee."

"The captain got her name, huh?" Robin commented. "That's quite impressive."

"Chopper also got his examination in. It's a little more impressive, in my humble opinion."

"Yeah? Is the baby okay?" Nami questioned, concern in her voice.

"I'm sure they're all fine. Chopper thinks it's a set of triplets, though."

A collective pause came over them all. "Really?! Three babies?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"That's what he said."

Zoro sighed and swiped a hand over his face. "I don't understand what Luffy's endgame is with this."

"Oh, so it's okay to help Vivi get her country back from a Warlord, but it's not okay to help out an expectant mother in need?" Nami challenged.

"I just don't see how this benefits us as a crew," he argued. "Taking down Crocodile got Luffy's name out there. He's going to be the Pirate King. Might as well shock the world by taking out big names along the way. All that this is going to do is slow us down."

"But Luffy wants her here," Usopp reminded him.

"I'm not saying I'll disobey our captain or convince him to change his mind. I'm just saying that there's no point in us helping her beyond getting her to a safe hospital. For her own sake, she shouldn't be tagging along with us. She's fragile. Becoming Pirate King means we have to live with targets on our backs. Her safety could be at risk."

"Well, luckily, it's only you and Luffy with bounties right now," Sanji clarified. "The rest of us are in the clear for a while."

"Maybe instead of speculating what Luffy's plan is, we should ask him directly," Usopp said, pointing out the obvious. "But I mean, we all know Luffy. He doesn't care who it is that needs help or what kind of trouble they're facing. He's going to face the challenge head on. He did it with all of us, and for Vivi, too."

Robin was still new to the crew. She had only a few encounters with Luffy before they made landfall in Alabasta and during the entire incident that transpired on the desert island. But with everything that the long-nosed sniper just described, she could see it all being true. He did not hesitate to let her join them, after all. A part of her would always be grateful for his willingness to trust a once former enemy of the Straw Hats and subordinate of Crocodile.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Luffy entered the kitchen with the door swinging open. "She's having triplets!" he publicized. "Now Chopper needs medical books pronto. Nami, let's set a course for the next island."

She peered down at her log pose to see it was still pointing to the same direction since they left Alabasta. "Is it urgent?" she questioned.

"Not really, but he wants to figure some stuff out as soon as possible."

Chopper came in and climbed up the back of Sanji's chair. "Sanji, I need you to feed Aurilee more. The more cushioning her babies have, the closer to full-term she'll get."

"Sure, I can make her snacks," he agreed.

"And it would also be good to get her up and moving. Yes, she needs rest, but I need her to walk around, too."

Robin ate the final spoonful of yogurt and stood up. "I'll tend to that, Doctor."

"Luffy," Zoro said, crossing his arms. "What's the plan with Aurilee?"

"I want her to join the crew," Luffy confidently replied.

The swordsman wanted to sigh, but he settled for closing his eyes instead.

"Whoa, Luffy, you sure about that?" Usopp questioned.

"Yeah, just think about it. If we get her to join the crew, and then she has her babies, then we get four new crewmembers instead of just one!"

"Uh, yeah, but three of them are going to be babies who can't do anything!"

"Oh, relax. We can handle it," Sanji spoke up, collecting the dirty plates from the table. "I will protect all ladies as if my life depends on it, especially one with littles."

Robin left the kitchen to take care of Aurilee. Sanji stacked the dishes and transported them to the sink. "Let's go pull anchor, Zoro," Nami told him.

As Zoro pushed the chair back and got to his feet, he looked to Luffy. "Just don't forget, Luffy, that Aurilee has a choice. We can't force her to stick around just because we want to help her."

Instead of feeling guilt, Luffy felt encouraged by the remark. "That's why we should be her friends."

Robin stood behind Aurilee as she sat in front of the vanity. Her clothes were changed, and now her hair just needed some brushing. It was very quiet in the room as the bristles ran along through the uneven fibers. But Aurilee did not look like she was in the mood for conversation. Her solemn gaze was back, and she appeared hollower inside than usual.

The archaeologist guessed that it was to be somewhat expected. She had just discovered that she was going to be a mother to three. It was going to be a handful. But at the same time, to be so downcast about it did not seem like a normal reaction. Unless she was focused on how her trauma got her in this position, Robin was a little worried.

"Chopper said he wants more medical books," she told Aurilee, gathering her hair into one hand. "He's a great doctor, considering he's a reindeer. I get the impression that triplets are going to be a good challenge for him."

She did not respond. It was like she was unaware of Robin speaking in the first place. But she did not take offense and just continued brushing until it was a smooth stroke all the way through. After putting the brush down, she began to braid her hair, but it was difficult to work with the uneven lengths. The Gunslinger Pirates had cut out chunks. The worst area was at the center of her hairline where white hair sprouted from a pale patch of skin. They cut it too close to the roots, leaving it in a fuzzy state. She imagined how at one time it must have been her beauty's trademark as it hung over her face. Now, the only option was to let it grow back out.

A knock came to the door, and it cracked open. "May I come retrieve the dirty dishes?" Sanji requested.

"Yes, come in," Robin answered, not taking her eyes off her craftsmanship.

The cook stepped down and saw what was going on. But he also noticed Aurilee's darkened gaze. Her mind was somewhere else again. It was just like the day they rescued her from drowning. Fighting something internally to that extreme must have been exemplified by Chopper's discovery.

After picking up the tray he left behind, he came next to Robin and Aurilee. "We'll be docked at the next island by late afternoon," he said. "It should be a smooth sail until we get there."

"Great," Robin replied gently, tying up the end of the braid. She patted Aurilee's shoulders and spoke to her next. "You should come up and sit with me. I have a book you can read if you'd like."

Aurilee came back to reality and looked up into the mirror to meet her gaze, but she quickly averted her eyes.

"And I'll prepare a light mid-morning snack for you, too," Sanji informed her. "Chopper thinks you should eat more. How does chicken broth sound?"

Having no opinion on the matter, she slightly nodded in agreement.

Sanji smiled and placed the edge of the tray on his shoulder. "I'll have it ready in a couple hours," he promised, heading back up to the kitchen.

After he disappeared, Robin took a step back. "Let's go up to the deck. Getting some sunshine will be good for you. And you can just sit with me if you'd like."

Aurilee felt a wave of stress hit her as she thought about being around multiple pirates again. She was not ready for the comments, the looks, or the touching. She could feel her body start to tremble again. Meeting Robin's gaze once more in the mirror, she anticipated the same icy stare that Calypso always held out for her, but instead, she was met with a warm blue in her irises.

She waited patiently until Aurilee stood up. When they made their way outside to the deck, the relentless sunshine almost blinded her. She blocked it with her hand, but when her pupils adjusted, she saw that the sails were full of wind. The Straw Hat Pirate insignia was large and intimidating. But what surprised her was how the deck was not swarming with pirates. It was…empty.

Luffy and someone else sat on the side with fishing poles in hand. Upon hearing the door close, they both glanced over their shoulders at them. "Hey, Aurilee!" Luffy exclaimed.

The long-nosed fellow sitting next to him looked happier at the sight of her emerging into the open. "Glad to see you out!" he said with a wave.

"That's Usopp," Robin said.

"Oh! Hi there, Aurilee," Nami greeted from above.

Aurilee looked up and turned around to see the orange-haired navigator high up on top where leafy trees were standing. She waved at her, happy to see Robin had convinced her to come outside. But she was looking at what was around Nami than Nami herself. The trees were dotted with orange fruit. "What's that?" she questioned.

"Tangerine trees," Nami answered, plucking another one from a branch. "My mom had a tangerine orchard while I was growing up, so when I joined the grew, I brought some along with me. You want one?"

She nodded after a moment and shakily held her hands up. Nami tossed the one she just plucked and watched as it landed perfectly in her grasp. The surface was porous but glossy and firm. She recognized it as a citrus fruit. The skin was peeled away, and she removed a wedge to take a bite. Nami waited to see her reaction before continuing in her gathering for Sanji's pantry. The first thing Aurilee thought about when the taste hit her tongue was the yogurt that came with their breakfast. Now she understood the source of the flavor.

Robin noticed that Zoro was nowhere in sight. Since she joined the crew, she picked up on his tendency to lay on the deck and nap. But in times when he was not napping, he was training. While Aurilee was enjoying a second wedge of the tangerine, Robin climbed up the stairs. "There's only one more person you haven't met yet," she said, prompting Aurilee to follow her.

Only one more? Aurilee almost did not believe it. There was Nami, Robin, Chopper, Sanji, Luffy, Usopp, and one more? That was seven people total. The Gunslinger Pirates had more than thirty crewmates under Calypso's command. It seemed almost suicidal to only have a small handful for an entire crew. But yet again, she knew that they attacked the Gunslinger Pirates and came out victorious.

The stairs led up to a higher deck that was smaller. Robin peered around to see if her suspicions were correct. She found what she was looking for. "This is Zoro," she said, letting Aurilee come around her.

Zoro was dripping sweat as his arms flexed. His white shirt was laying on the floor. The massive weight he was swinging around like a blade was never faltering in its momentum. Aurilee was beyond shocked at his ability to handle the weight of an entire ship. His muscles rippled with every fiber activated. To say he was indomitable was an understatement.

The green-haired swordsman felt their presence and paused in his consistent movements. He panted lightly, and then turned his head to look over at the women. Aurilee felt her blood run cold. A scowl was the only thing influencing his lips. And as he took in deep breaths with his mouth, he did not have the same cheerful response to her appearance. Instead, it was like there was a dislike. And scarily enough, it was similar to the way Calisto looked at her whenever she was trying to finish her chores.

It was at that moment when Aurilee knew that she had to get away. Her body trembled more. She just escaped from her abuser. Was she falling right into the hands of another?