The Girl with A Half-Soul
Chapter 5:
The Growing Distance
It did not matter how many people he stopped to ask. Nobody had seen a pregnant girl with patchy skin and white hair. The green-haired swordsman got annoyed repeating the same question over and over again. And in the midst of it all, he looked around him to find he had lost track of the docks and the Going Merry. That did not mean Zoro was lost, though. In fact, he knew exactly where he was.
He turned to see a street sign pointing two different ways. The left went toward midtown and the right to a residential area. If he was a pregnant woman, where would he go? He sighed and decided to go fight the crowds in midtown.
More people were questioned, and all of them denied seeing Aurilee. But soon, someone's hand caught his elbow and stopped him. "What are ya doing out here?! You're late!" a man warned him.
Zoro did not enjoy being grabbed by someone he did not know, but he refrained from getting aggressive by just turning to see who it was. It turned out to be some kid maybe a year or two younger than Luffy. His skirt thing looked just like the rest of the men's he had seen. But he was more presentable with a long-sleeved white shirt and a tight sash going diagonally across his chest, which matched the pattern of his skirt. His black hair was messy with curls sticking out in odd directions, and the freckles on his face were fading as he grew older year by year. "I'm not late for anything," Zoro responded, pulling his arm free.
"The festival is starting. Where's your kilt? And your bagpipes?!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
The kid looked more panicked than anything when music began to get louder and louder behind him. Without a second to waste, he grabbed Zoro once more and pulled him toward the approaching band. The swordsman tried to protest, but to no avail.
A few sprinkles fell to the ground as the open horse-drawn wagon followed its trail closer to the low-hanging clouds. There was a lot of shaking and bumps along the way, but nothing too harsh for Aurilee or her unborn children. She just sat with the cargo as it clucked and rattled against the wood, thinking about a lot of things. Out of all the islands to have landed in the Grand Line, she just so happened to be on the one Gerald and Millie came from.
She had met them both when she was taken from her home island. Gerald was the Gunslinger Pirates' shipwright, and his daughter, Millie, was a chore girl for the crew. They were pirates after the death of Millie's mother to keep food in her belly and were quick to get close to Aurilee when she was taken. Gerald already had a daughter, but he welcomed Aurilee without hesitation. And Millie enjoyed having another girl close to her age on the ship.
What was funny was that Gerald's accent was thin compared to these islanders. He must have been away from his homeland for so long that he relaxed. That, or the crew had trouble understanding him, so he forced himself to speak without one. The only time it came out to play was when he was drunk, which did not happen often. Then not only were his words slurred, but he was also using words and phrases nobody was familiar with. Aurilee remembered how the other pirates in the Gunslinger crew had a lot of fun with their shipwright during those times; they got him riled up on purpose just to hear him curse at them with what sounded like another language, and sometimes he got confident enough to do some kind of dance routine. The Pearl was full of laughter back in those days. She could only imagine how chaotic it could have gotten if he pulled out one of those layered skirt things she kept seeing on the men of this island.
And that song from the band…Aurilee began to hum it again just to think deeper. It was as if she only heard it once or twice before. Back when she first was taken from her home island, Millie was just a little girl. They shared a little nook together, which only suited them until they grew too big. But because they were in such close quarters for a while, it was easy to be awoken. Millie had nightmares sometimes, so Gerald would have to come comfort her until she was lulled back asleep. Aurilee remembered laying there with her back turned, listening to Gerald gently sing as best he could. It could have been a lullaby from her infancy, but it must have been a tune from this island.
Sing me a song of a lad that is gone
Say, could that lad, be I?
Aurilee continued to hum despite not remembering the other words. Gerald was not a good singer, but he was good at easing his little girl. He was a good father to them both. Aurilee learned how to use a fishing pole because of him. And he always found the time to spend with them both. On the ship, it was games or helping them with some chores. On land, their favorite pastime was getting ice cream. The moments like those were the only reason being kidnapped was bearable for a few years. Aurilee knew things could be much worse.
But they did get worse. When Calisto began to abuse Aurilee, Gerald had to be responsible and remove Millie. The day the two of them left Aurilee behind was one of the most miserable she had to endure. Calypso, the captain, forced him to choose to save just one of them, so he did. It was a harsh reminder that Aurilee was not of his blood. But the craziest part of the whole ordeal? She never resented him for it. And the idea of getting to see him and Millie again brought great euphoria to her.
What would she say? What would she do? So many years had passed since she last saw the pair. Millie was probably a gorgeous young woman now. And Gerald? He was already sprouting gray hairs in his beards back in the day. He might be considered an old man today. For the first time in a long time, she smiled, covering it with the back of her hand. She missed them so much. And she always wondered where they ended up. To return back home was the obvious answer.
A big lurch of the wagon made her brace herself by gripping the side to stay secure. "Sorry!" the teen driving called from the front.
She took a breath before relaxing, and then found herself brushing a hand across her plump abdomen. She paused. How could she explain the most obvious change to the people she loved? Seeing her pregnant would only show Gerald he made a grave mistake. One reason why he chose to leave Aurilee behind was because Calisto promised to watch out for her. Little did he know he was the one responsible for the abuse, and he was the father of these babies. Her sense of euphoria was suddenly sapped away. Gerald was going to find out the truth, and he would also learn about her feeble plan of leaving the babies at an orphanage somewhere.
The man might not be able to handle it. And he would more than likely try to convince her to be a mother. But he would never understand what it is like to be haunted by someone, even after death. And just knowing three pieces would be left behind by that monster tore her up inside.
The surrounding area became engulfed in a mist as the sprinkles of rain continued. It had only been a couple hours since her journey started to Lollybroch. Not sure how much longer they had to go, Aurilee began to think about what she should do if they arrived too late for any shipwrights to still be working for the day.
Aside from the many stands and shops that sold produce, meat, bread, or livestock, Sanji had his eyes on the women around him. Some were thin, some round, and some curvy. His eyes transformed into hearts a little too often than normal, especially when he visited stands with a female running it. And the more conservative attires did not hinder his lusting nature. The dresses were lovely to look at. Many of them had exposed collar bones and shoulders. And there were quite a few with corsets sinched a little tight that made busts very pronounced. It was a huge difference from the dancer outfits Nami and Vivi wore in Alabasta, but still enjoyable all the same.
The whole time while Sanji was leisurely getting the shopping done, Usopp was following with fatigue rapidly increasing. He was carrying majority of the groceries! One giant sack that was tied around his shoulders had to be held by both his hands unless he would fall backward from the weight. Luffy was carrying a single bag while he kept trying to sneak away for a meaty snack, and Sanji was keeping a backpack full of more food and the money Nami had given him. When the sniper agreed to help out with the shopping, he did not think it was going to be this hard. "Can we be done yet?" he questioned with tired pants coming out of his mouth.
"Nope," Sanji answered, pulling his list back out. "My beautiful Aurilee still needs snacks. I got the next three weeks planned out for her and I refuse to stock any less."
"You never get me this much food, Sanji! No fair!" Luffy complained.
"Well, you're not pregnant, and you eat too much anyway," he replied without looking back at him. His right eye skimmed over his list and found that only two things were left to get. After they were done, they would head back to the Merry and he would immediately begin prepping for dinner. They had been in the village for almost three hours now, and since the sun would set in a couple more, they were probably going to anchor down in the bay and start moving to the next island in the morning.
Stopping and turning around to let both Usopp and Luffy know, he found that the two of them were not behind like they had been. Instead, Usopp was several feet away with the sack of groceries next to him. He was hunched over and trying to catch his breath. And Luffy was nowhere to be seen. Sanji felt dread when he realized Usopp took his eyes off the captain just long enough for him to slip away and find trouble somehow. "Oh no. What have you done?" he questioned, retracing his steps back to the long-nosed sniper.
Usopp glanced up while his hands remained on his knees. "What?" he huffed.
"Luffy. He's gone."
"All I've done all day is do all the heavy lifting and keep Luffy away from all the food while you stand around and flirt with girls! Give me a break!"
Sanji slightly sighed and opted to light a new cigarette. After the first big respiration, he pocketed his lighter. "At least I have the money. Hopefully he doesn't steal anything," he pointed out. But inside, he knew that in a few minutes they would hear a commotion. "Let's get these last two things and then we'll call it a day."
"Alright–"
"Oh my, how lovely you look today!" Sanji exclaimed, completely forgetting about Usopp to go fawn over a cute girl who just passed them.
Usopp groaned. It was going to take them like thirty minutes to get a couple more things at this rate.
Robin squatted down at the hole in the deck that led down to the boys' quarters. She had many pairs of hands sprouted down the length of the mast, passing down the newly purchased medical books for Chopper to take and store for later use. He little hooves gripped the smooth leather backing and he did a little run to place the books exactly where he wanted them with his current stash. When he was finished, he allowed Robin's hands to pass him back up to her instead of him climbing back up the ladder. After he practically rolled over multiple times in the air, he found himself stable in Robin's actual pair of hands. "What now, Doctor?" Robin questioned him with a warm smile.
"I don't know. I got what I needed. But nobody else has made it back yet."
Robin settled him deeper into her arms to get him more comfortable. "Well, there's no sign of the swordsman or Aurilee. She probably decided to go out after all."
"Then let's go find the others. Maybe we can catch up to them."
Before Robin could reply, the ramp leading up to the deck began to rattle with footsteps. They both gazed over to see their orange-haired navigator appear. She had a multitude of shopping bags dangling from her arms, and a bead of sweat approaching her brow. The sight of her crewmates caused a relieved exhale to exit her mouth before she placed everything on the deck. "Good timing!" she said.
"We were about to head back into town. Want to tag along?" Robin asked her.
"Sure. Let me take care of this stuff first." Picking up an armful of bags again, she was interrupted by Robin after she had put Chopper back on his own feet.
"Aurilee and Zoro aren't here, just to let you know," she shared.
Nami felt apprehensive as she stood up straight with less weight tugging downward on her arms. "Then we better hurry and try to find them," she declared.
"Are you scared that Zoro is going to get lost?" Chopper questioned.
Nami hesitated before answering him. "I'm kind of worried about this festival going on. It's already so busy. If they got separated from each other, who knows how long it'll take to catch up to both of them. I mean, we already know Zoro will keep aimlessly wandering around and get himself more lost. But Aurilee…"
"What about her?"
"What if…What if she uses the opportunity to find the Marines? That could put us in danger."
Chopper suddenly understood Nami's mindset and felt a stone settle in his gut. Luffy and Zoro's bounties were high after they took down Crocodile. Their crew was a big target now.
"I doubt it'll get that far," Robin pacified. "There hasn't been a single Marine in sight this entire day. I learned they're all squandering in a place called Castle Leoch."
"Where's that?" Nami asked.
Robin just smiled and pointed toward the misted mountains. There was a forest of pine trees toward the left with a castle jolting from the side of it. "They call this place the Highlands. Clans ruled the entire island in different areas instead of royalty. That castle up there was ruled by the Clan MacKenzie until the World Government took over. And you know how the Marines operate. They conquer and take in the name of justice."
Looking back at the archaeologist, Nami looked surprised. "And just how do you know all that?"
"I made a friend while Chopper was reading his new books. I would've stuck around longer to talk but he had to close shop for the festival."
"Well, I doubt Sanji will be in a hurry to get back to the Merry with all the women walking around town. Let's find him and pray he somehow ran into Zoro and Aurilee. If not, we'll have to go hunting."
The three of them hurried to get the shopping down in the girls' quarters, not bothering to get it all unpacked and sorted. Then they all left the ship to rendezvous with everyone else – or at least try to.