Hey Guys! Crescent Rider here and I am back with another chapter!
But before you all begin, there is something that I'd like to say first. After posting the first chapter, I received questions about Nadia of whether she became a Pirate or a Marine in the future. Or rather, the present timeline.
The answer to that question is already been given. You can find it in my Fairy Tail Story 'Tale of Lost Souls'.
If all of you want to hear my answer personally, you'll find it at the end of the chapter.
That is all I have to say, and enjoy the chapter!
Dadan Family Den
After Dadan and her men reluctantly accepted Luffy and Nadia under their care. The former went into the den while the latter stayed by Dadan's side.
Apparently, Ace had brought a large bison from the forest and brought it in for today's meal. Dadan and the Large Mountain Bandit, Magra, tended with cooking the meat while Nadia just watched from the sidelines.
While she watches, A large white dog approaches Nadia and lies down on the ground. The latter turns to the dog, stares at it, then gently ruffles its head or scratches its chin a few times.
After that, she turns back to Dadan as soon as she and Magra finished cooking a large pile of meat on a platter. When they took it inside, Nadia follows them and the dog seemed to have followed her inside.
As soon as they stepped inside, Dadan and Magra drops the platter before her men as they expressed their complaints to Dogra about Luffy, "That's enough! It's dinner time, boys! You can argue when you're done!"
The men exclaimed as they lunged toward the platter with hungry mouths and wrestled one another to get a piece of the meat. Nadia was a bit startled by the bandits' behavior but calmed down as she distance herself from the platter rather than dive into the fray.
Luffy, on the other hand, was the complete opposite, "Oh, Save some for me!"
Before he could run up to the platter, a Mountain Bandit lands on the top of his head and slams him into the floor before running towards the platter. Then it was followed by another bandit when Luffy was pinned down by him.
Every bandit was wrestling for more than a single piece of meat, and one of the bandits was holding Luffy by the arm as he reaches for a single piece that remains on the floor. But that's when Luffy's Devil Fruit Powers came into play as his right arm stretched on its own and closes in on the meat.
Sadly, his efforts were in vain when the white dog grabbed the meat with its teeth, snorts at Luffy, and walks away with the meat in its teeth.
"Come on," Luffy complained as the dog walked away,
As for Nadia, she approached Dadan, whose in the middle of eating her meat, and stares at her, "Is there anything left for me and my brother?"
Dadan stares at her for a time, then provides the smallest meal she can provide for them. Which was a small bowl of rice and a glass of water for each of them.
Nadia made the most out of the rice while Luffy just swallowed the whole thing in one go before raising it up to Dadan, "Old man, Can I have some more?"
"Luffy, Dadan's a woman, not a man," Nadia corrected,
After Dadan bites off a piece of the meat, she scowls at Luffy, "Like your sister said, I'm a woman, Thank you very much! Also, Do you even know where you are right now, you filthy little urchin!"
"No," Luffy replied,
"Okay, then I'll tell you. This is the den of the Dadan Family, Mountain Bandits that rule Mt. Corvo," Dadain said,
"Mountain Bandits," Luffy lowers his cup as he frowns at Dadan, "ugh, Mountain Bandits are lame,"
Nadia recalled what Makino said about an incident between him and some other Mountain Bandits. It would explain Luffy's disinterest in Dadan and her group.
However, Nadia tensed up when Dadan tries to intimidate Luffy by striking a knife onto the floor boards near him, "Well, you're both stuck with us! Or rather, we're stuck with you, thanks to that pushy grandfather yours. But if you don't want to stay, that's fine with me. Go get eaten by a bunch of wolves for all I care,"
"Easy, boss, Easy," Magra said as he tries to calm her down,
"I just wanted some more rice," Luffy said, then turns to Ace as he was eating a platter of four pieces of meat, "And some meat would be nice,"
As Luffy drools over the meat, Dadan teases him by bringing her meat close to Luffy. When he tries to take a bite out of it, Dadan pulls it back, and takes a bite out of it instead, "In case you didn't notice, All this meat here came from that bison Ace brought back. Even though he's a kid like you, he has to work to earn his keep. The bandit's life is a hard world, boy. Tomorrow, you're gonna pay your blood, sweat, and tears,"
Nadia listened closely to Dadan, "Cleaning, Doing Laundry, Polishing our boots and weapons. Robbery, Fraud, Murder, and Terror!"
Dadan then leans closer to Luffy and Nadia with a scowl on her face, though she's mainly fixated on the former instead of the latter, "And if you go crying to dear old grandpa. We'll string you up without a second thought. One bowl of rice and one glass of water, that's all I can promise you. The rest you can get for yourselves,"
Luffy remains silent while Nadia glances at him then back at Dadan as she continued, "You're gonna have to grow up real fast, kid. Or you're gonna go hungry before the week's up,"
"No problem," Luffy bluntly responded,
"No problem?!" Dadan exclaimed as she comedically hits her head against the floor, though it did cause Nadia to tense up a little bit, "No crying or begging for mercy?"
"Grandpa threw me in the jungle one time, so I know how to tough it out, just fine," Luffy openly revealed, "There's plenty of water to drink, and I can eat frogs, snakes, and mushrooms, and stuff all I want. I'm gonna be a pirate someday, so we gonna be strong,"
Though Dadan paid no attention as she was upside down with her head still underneath the floorboards, and her jaw wide open as Luffy finished, "This is going to be fun!"
Nadia just stared confusingly at Dadan, then puts down her bowl as she took a few steps back when her men came to aid.
Luffy then noticed Ace leaving, and goes after him. By the time Dadan was free, she expresses her mind toward him, "Hey, Get back here, you! Hold on, what do you mean you're gonna be a pirate? And stop ignoring me!"
Nadia just stared especially when she heard the door close and open. Meaning that Luffy and Ace had left the den.
"He just got here and he's already a pain! It's gonna be like having a baby Garp living with us," Dadan yelled,
"Now, now, It's okay," Magra reasoned,
"Um..." Everyone turns to Nadia, and she seems to be the calmest person around, "When you mentioned chores, when do I start?"
"Huh? You're kidding, right?" Dadan questioned with suspicion, "You just want to run off after your brother, aren't you,"
"It isn't my intention to watch over Luffy all time, Miss Dadan," Nadia said, "Plus, you've said it yourself. I've got to earn my keep if I'm going to live here from now on. I won't get anywhere if I just sit here and do nothing,"
Nadia stands up from her mat, and stares at Dadan, "So what's my first chore?"
Dadan, Magra, and Dogra were surprised for once as they didn't expect a kid of Garp's to just want chores compared to Ace living with them. Normally, they would suspect the girl's intentions, but looking at her expression alone had given them a decision as Dadan leans towards her, "Oh, so you want to work, huh? Then why don't you start by sweeping up the mess here,"
Dadan smirked, knowing the mess she and her men had made from today's meal.
"Alright, I'll get to it," But Nadia's response alone, made Dadan hit her head against the floorboard with her mouth wide open as an expression of her shocked reaction,
Nadia picks up a broom with one, and an empty wooden bucket in the other, "Excuse me, Mr. Dogra, but where do I find some water around here?"
"There's a barrel of water in that room over there," Dogra said, as he gestured to the door with his thumb, "You could use that if you'd like,"
"Thank you," Nadia thanked, and goes to the room to collect some water while Magra and a few men help Dadan once more.
After Nadia collected the water, she carefully places it on the floor and starts sweeping first. Dadan and her men watched Nadia closely as if they were waiting for her to make a run for it.
But Nadia keeps her word as she stayed to sweep the floor of bones and bits of meat near the entrance. As for the plates and utensils used by the bandits, she stacked them up on one side of the room.
Once she finished gathering up the bones and dirt, she proceeds to sweep them out of the house and goes back to grab the bucket of water. First off, she grabs the two hands, one by the ring and another underneath, and proceeds to spray the water all over the floorboard.
"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Dadan yelled,
"Boss, Wait!" Magra asked,
Though Dadan's answer was given as Nadia grabbed the broom and thoroughly sweeps the floorboards much to Dadan's disbelief. Then she grabs more water and repeats.
Half an hour later, Nadia wipes off her forehead with her other arm and turns to Dadan, who seemed to have dozed off along with Magra, Dogra, and a few of her men, "I'm done, Dadan!"
"Huh?" Dadan opens her eyes along with the rest of her men,
"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of cleaning the walls, and ceiling too," Nadia said as she presented the entirely spotless room, even the very wood itself gleamed before the bandits, "I even cleaned the ashes too,"
"SO CLEAN!" Dadan and her men exclaimed with hanging jaws and bulging eyes,
Nadia gleamed with a closed smile and Dadan was utterly speechless by this kid's hardworking personality. As they stared at the cleanliness of their home, Nadia puts the broom and bucket to one side of the room and approached Dadan, "So, What's my next chore?"
Dadan stared at her with the same shocked expression on her face, but she slapped herself back into reality as she tends to the kid's needs before anything else, "Fine! If you want more, then how about you clean the pot and dishes,"
"Okay," Nadia replied, and goes to the room where the plates and pots are,
From there, Dadan, Magra, and Dogra peeked at her as she thoroughly cleaned the dishes. Though it seems normal, they couldn't help with the watch especially when Nadia cleaned an entire room all by herself for half an hour.
For just one minute, the three dismisses their watch and planned to stand idly. But the moment they walked a few steps, Nadia comes out, "I'm done, Dadan,"
The three whipped themselves around and goes in to check. They shrieked in shock as everything was thoroughly clean once more, even the pot they often use was so clean that it almost looked like it was brand new,
Nadia walks behind them, and the three turned to him, "What's next?"
At this point, the three were somewhat conflicted with this girl. They never had a kid that obediently follows instructs and both boys weren't that keen on cleaning.
Sometime later, Dadan clears her throat and straightens herself, "Alright, how about you do our laundry? There's a river you can use to clean our clothes. Got it,"
"Yes, Dadan," Nadia said, and goes to do laundry,
Dadan scratches her head a few times, then sighs as she goes to smoke.
One Hour Later...
Dadan was in the middle of her smoking while the other bandits are off doing something else to kill their boredom. That's when Nadia comes in, and approaches, "Dadan, I've finished the laundry. Although I did run into a bit of a problem..."
Dadan stands up and goes to check on what she meant, but when she goes out of the house to check the clothesline she widens her eyes and drops her jaw at what she was seeing.
The clothes were not only were they properly washed. There were also some large sheets, and sitting mats and even their flag was cleaned as it hangs onto the clothesline to dry. As for the freshly dried clothes, they were neatly folded and properly organized by type.
If that wasn't enough, she even noticed that the shoes that were once dirty and worn out were clean until they gleamed from sunlight.
Nadia easily lifts the basket filled with clothes and approaches Dadan, "Where do I put this?"
Dadan slowly turns to her, then raises her finger towards the house without a word out of her mouth, "Thank you, and don't worry about the others. They'll dry up under the sun in no time..."
As soon as Nadia went inside, Dadan lowers her arm and bafflingly stared at the clothes until she shakes her head a few times. She even slapped her eyes to try and find out whether or not this is all a dream.
But knowing that it isn't, she had hoped that she was dreaming. As this kid was more of a miracle than a disaster of Ace and Luffy combined...
What follows was Dadan instructing Nadia with a few more chores and she seems experienced as she cleaned up the entire den faster than she and her men could do. Even the polishing of weapons wasn't an exception as Nadia had cleaned and sharpened their swords and firearms.
With nothing else to do, Nadia just sat in front of Dadan and waited. Although she wasn't too comfortable with all the staring.
"Look, kid. You did a good job more than anyone here. But do you even have anything else better to do?" Dadan questioned,
"Not exactly," Nadia said, "When I have nothing to do, I just sit and wait for the day to come to an end..."
"Seriously? You don't have anything else you want to do? What kind of kid are you," Dadan questioned, though Nadia just plainly blinked at her as if she doesn't know the answer to that question,
Dadan sighs once, and threw away her cigarette, "You know what? Why don't you go read or whatever,"
"What you mean to say is that I can do what I want for now?" Nadia inquired,
"Sure, I mean you did your share here than those two brats," Dadan insisted, "So go on and do whatever you want. Just don't drag us into any one of your troubles,"
Nadia blinks a few more times, then recalls Luffy being out of the den to chase after Ace. After being gone for a while, she's made a decision as she stands upstraight, "I'll be going out there to find Luffy,"
"Sure, whatever," Dadan said,
Nadia walks out of the door and aimlessly wanders into the forest to find Luffy before any vicious predators catch and eat him. Even though she hasn't known Luffy for a couple of minutes, Garp stated that she's his big sister now and that's a responsibility that she needs to uphold.
Though searching him through uncharted grounds would prove to be quite hard as Ace and Luffy could have gone anywhere within this mountain. But it doesn't mean she won't stop until she finds either of the two.
However, she wouldn't go there completely unprepared as Nadia 'borrowed' a dagger from the mountain bandits and carried it as she proceeds to wander around the forest by herself.
Forest, Mt. Corvo
Even though Nadia doesn't know where's she going, she took it upon herself to memorize certain landmarks in case she ever got lost in this forest. If there aren't any recognizable landmarks, she decided to make them as she struck her dagger against the bark of the tree and wrote the first Roman number before moving on.
Her search would last for a few hours and the only things she found were the following: The first was a large wild snake creeping her from behind, but she taught it a lesson to stay away after scratching one side of the snake's face without blinding it.
The second was a river presumably infested with crocodiles. Though she confirms her suspicion by grabbing a rock and throwing it toward the water with a small measure of strength. This causes the crocodiles to emerge from the water and one of them tried to bite her as it lunges out of the river.
But Nadia jumps back from its range and stares at the crocodile as slides back into the water. Though she's safe, she isn't entirely pleased with the encounter as bits of her hair was turning red.
When a few hours passed, Nadia grew increasingly frustrated and a few more tints of red hair started to appear as she came across several dead ends on her search. She even had the misfortune of running into large predators when they came to eat her.
Though she evades them or promptly hurts them to teach them to back off. The reason behind her agility and fearlessness is due to the time when she was aboard Garp's ship...
As the sun was beginning to set, most of Nadia's hair had turned red when she couldn't find Luffy in the forest. What's more, she was dirted and had a couple of bruises on her face and limbs.
Rather than continue her search, she decided to go back to the Dadan Family Den and search for Luffy tomorrow. But she was met with a pack of hungry wolves as soon as she turned around.
They gnashed their teeth and looked at Nadia with hungry eyes as if they had found their prey. But the latter didn't fear them, instead, she readied her dagger and brought it forth.
The wolves lunged at her, but she stood her ground as they closed in on her...
Dadan Family Den
After Ace returned with his haul of fish, the Mountain Bandits began thrilled as the haul meant that there would be a feast once more.
Dogra and Magra noticed that Luffy wasn't with Ace and asked him where he is. The latter coldly denied Luffy's whereabouts as he entered the den.
The two Mountain Bandits were concerned about Luffy's disappearance, but then they heard someone's call, "Hey look, That girl's back!"
Dogra and Magra turn towards the forest, and they gasped as they saw a bruised Nadia emerging from the forest on the back of a large injured wolf.
Once she dismounts on the wolf's back, she turns toward it, "Beat it,"
The large wolf took the hint and ran off while Dogra and Magra approached her, "Well? Did you find him?"
Nadia shook her head much to Dogra and Magra's disappointment.
"Well, at least you tried," Dogra said, "So how about you go inside since there's going to be dinner soon? You can try and find Luffy again tomorrow,"
"I will," Nadia said, and goes inside the den,
Dogra and Magra sighed to themselves, and the following night was dinner as Dadan finished cooking Ace's haul. As the Bandits hungrily rushed towards the food, Nadia had gotten her share as Dadan personally cooked it as part of Nadia's contribution and ate a few meters away from the bandits as she didn't want to get unintentionally hurt by the bandits.
While she ate, she couldn't help but stare at Ace as he ate alone with his share of the food.
Normally, she would approach Ace and ask about Luffy's whereabouts. But something mysterious keeps her from doing so and decided against it as she'll search for him in the morning.
Once she finished her meal, she remains awake for a time and goes to kill a bit of time by walking a few meters away from the den and sharply breathing out before clenching her fists and sliding her feet against the ground.
This was a fighting stance, and before her was a tree that she intends to use as a dummy. What comes next was her striking at the tree with several punches, elbows, knees, and kicks. She would repeat this for half an hour and look somewhat disciplined despite the reddening of her arms and legs.
Though once she finished, she does some stretching to cool down her muscles and lessen the pain she's feeling. Afterward, she went back inside and slept in for today. But compared to the days at sea, she sleeps rather peacefully and comfortably due to the spare pillow and blanket given to her by Dadan.
The Following Morning
When morning came, Nadia was given chores once more and completes them even before morning ended. With that, Dadan lets Nadia do what she wants and the latter continues her search for her young adoptive brother.
By using the landmarks and carved numbers, she lessens the time needed to venture into the forest and avoided the jaws of predators lurking about. Any predator she confronts directly was met by the blade of her dagger and scurried off elsewhere.
But when she couldn't find Luffy until the sunset, her hair was turning red and somehow her patience was running low as she grits her teeth, claw onto her sideburns, and lets out a yell as she ran toward a tree and kicked it straight on.
One horizontal kick was enough to break half of the tree trunk and causes it to tilt and fall onto the ground. Scaring away the birds that rest above the leaves and branches.
Nadia then was panting a few times but took it upon herself to calm down as her hair slowly reverts back to light blond. But instead of that color, it was dirty yellow with grey tips.
A clear sign of a calm but concerned attitude.
She would leave the forest, and return to the den before nightfall, use her training to vent out some steam, and resume her search after she finished Dadan's chores again.
This went on for about five days and whenever she fails to find Luffy before sunset. Nadia grew more frustrated, broke a couple of trees, and the grey tips of her dirty blond hair were growing further upward.
Even though she hasn't known Luffy for less than a day, her responsibility as a sibling had made her somewhat concerned for the boy, and she had hoped that he was okay despite the dangers of this forest.
On the fifth night, Nadia wasn't inside the den. Instead, she was sitting against the right side of the door frame with her legs close to her chest and waited even when she had bags under her eyes.
When an hour or two have passed, Nadia was struggling to keep herself awake. Every time she closes her eyes, she would jolt right up and shake her head a few times to fight off the tardiness.
When midnight comes, Nadia struggled to stay awake even further. But her tardiness had soon gotten the best of her and she falls to the ground and sleeps until the sun rises once more...
The Following Morning
Dadan was the first to wake up, yawns loudly, and clicks her tongue to moisten her mouth. When she glances around she soon finds Nadia sleeping on the ground.
At first, she dismisses this sight and stares at the open forest. But she expresses her shock when she whipped her head towards Nadia, "WHAT THE?!"
Her outburst had already woke the other mountain bandits and they all gathered around the little girl.
"Just what was she doing out here sleeping?" Magra inquired,
"She must have been here waiting all night for Luffy to return," Dogra presumed, "She was getting worried about him these past few days,"
As the mountain bandits stared, Ace decided to go off on his own again. Though Dadan notices him before he walked away, "Hey! Do you know where the little brat with the straw hat ran off to? His sister's been sleeping here worried sick about him,"
Ace stares at Nadia with one eye then turns away as he minds his own business, "Hell if I know,"
Ace then runs off into the forest, and Dadan grunts in annoyance before sighing, "Take her inside,"
"Yes, Maam," Dogra and Magra responded and took Nadia back into the den,
And with her sleeping in for the morning, Dadan decided not to give her any chores until she was fully refreshed. In fact, she went as far as to order Dogra and Magra to find Luffy if possible.
A few hours later, Nadia groggily woke up and sat upstraight to find herself lying inside the den with a blanket and pillow. She had presumed that she was taken inside when Dadan found her, but she puts it aside as she sat upstraight and stretches her arms and legs a few times.
As soon as she finishes, she walks out of the den and goes to see Dadan, "Miss Dadan,"
Dadan turns to her, and Nadia immediately bows to her, "I'm really sorry for sleeping outside last night,"
Dadan stares at her for a time, then she closes her eyes after she made up her mind about this, "Don't bother trying to apologize. You were worried and that's all I need to know,"
"I see, and as for the chores for today..." Nadia said,
"Don't bother, just go and find that bratty brother of yours," Dadan stated as she smoked her cigarette,
Nadia was a bit baffled by her words, "Pardon?"
"I said go and find your bratty brother!" Dadan yelled, "If you're so concerned about him, then why don't you forget the chores for once and go look for him! It's not like you'll find him by staying here all day,"
Nadia was at a little loss for words to Dadan's statement. As a matter of fact, this was the first time Dadan had told her to put her chores and focus on her responsibility. She open her mouth but struggled to say a few proper words.
But when she gathered her thoughts together, she straightens herself up and bowed to Dadan, "Thank you very much!"
With that, Nadia runs off to the forest and Dadan just watched her until she was nowhere in sight. After she finished her cigarette, she proceeds to light up another one. But doesn't put it into her mouth just yet, "... Good luck, you little rascal,"
Forest, Mt. Corvo
Nadia had arrived at the first landmark and planned to continue the search once more. But before she could, she hesitated as doing the same thing as she did before wouldn't get her anywhere.
Some parts of the forests are still unfamiliar to her, and predators are always on the prowl. After thinking about it for some time, almost all of her hair had become red, grasps the sides of her hair and cries out in frustration,
"Just how in the world am I supposed to find him?! It's not like I can go to two places at once!" Nadia yelled, then...
...
...
...
Something responds to her outburst...
"... You can actually," Nadia tenses up from hearing a voice, and glances around the woods,
With no one in sight for miles, Nadia became somewhat paranoid as this voice seemed somewhat familiar before. Her hair became dirty yellow, and the end of her hair had turned dark grey, a clear sign of her paranoia.
The voice, on the other hand, too noticed and became concerned about its own well-being, "Easy, Nadia, Easy. If you shut me up again, I won't be able to talk to you again,"
"T-This isn't real," Nadia muttered to herself, moving her hands against her ears, and faltering to her knees, "Y-You aren't real. You aren't real. You aren't real. You aren't real,"
The voice was now in distress as if it could feel itself being shut down once more. But before that happened, it had thought of a way to stop her before she succeeds, "You want to find your brother, don't you?"
"You aren't real... You aren't real... you aren't..." Nadia slowly went silent, but doesn't respond to anything this voice had to say,
"Good, you've calmed down a little... Now listen carefully," The voice instructed, "My intentions back then were never meant to put you in harm's way. Sure, I've caused problems. But they were meant to protect you not hurt you,"
Nadia refuses to respond but listened as her posture remains.
"You may detest me as much as you want, but I will still come to aid," The voice stated, "For your problems are also mine as well... Let me help you..."
Nadia remains silent but doesn't last for long as she lowered her hands from her ears and touched the ground while the bangs of her hair covered her eyes.
Sometime later, she gives her response...
...
...
...
"... Please. Help me," Nadia softly pleaded,
With that response, her shadow extends in front of her and took form. Upon completion, a shadow towers over Nadia.
"I'm glad..." Nadia flinched when she was hearing her own voice before her, when she looks up she was met with none other than herself in the flesh. but the difference between her and this supposed clone was that her hair and eyes were as white as snow, "For such honesty..."
Before Nadia could say a word, the white clone reaches her hand out to her. Rather than question this phenomenon, Nadia puts it aside as finding Luffy was her utmost priority, and accepts the white clone's hand and aid,
"Now..." The white clone smiled as tilts her head to the right, "Let's go find him,"
Nadia hummed in response to her clone's declaration and resumes her search in the forest...
That is it for this chapter, everyone! But before you all go, I will give you all my answers as I promised from the very beginning of this chapter.
Nadia will become a pirate despite her fondness towards Garp, her fighting disciple, and her obedience to do chores.
The reason why I chose this is because of her Devil Fruit, which I will possibly reveal in the next chapter or the chapter after that. Sure, the Marines have their share of powerful Devil Fruits Users but that decision would prevent Nadia from exploring the extent of her power even after she is properly trained.
Also, she'll join the Straw Hats as this chapter shows how much Nadia cares about Luffy despite the minimal time they've spent together.
But don't worry, even if you all expect the same plot line. I will make things interesting as I go by in the future.
Second, I want to talk about my other story 'Red Devil of the Seas'. After taking a quick look at said chapters, I've decided to rewrite the chapters since they're quite a mess since I left them. But rest assured, I will not delete it as I did with my old stories. (Yes, I've deleted stories and replaced them with a remake before)
And finally, I've been thinking of using an old character maker to show you all that Nadia looks like in the story. If anyone asks, it's the one from Rinmarugames (I downloaded the flash file and used an editor. I also used it to create the profile picture in my Wattpad and Fanfiction page)
It'll take time, but I will do what I can to make it look good.
That is all I have to say, stay safe from the virus, and I will see you all in the next chapter!