Chapter 3: The Law of a Wandering Soul

.

I belong bodily to the earth.
Lord Huron, 'Way Out There'

Dammit, I gotta get him down here! Aurora clenches her hands around the hilts of her karambits, concentrating a small amount of haki in her feet. She pushes off the ground, jumping into the air. She raises both arms over her head. "Rising Crescent—" She swings her arms forward with enough force to make her body flip. "Swipe!"

Two sharp air currents fly towards the suspended jester. He dodges the attack by tweaking his shoulders, the movement causing his body to follow through and the currents to miss him by a hair. "Miss me, miss me, miss me, miss me!" He laughs maniacally, voice pitching high with each "miss me".

"Shut the hell up, you annoying son of a bit—"

"Jester's Gambit!" He flashes in front of her, dealing quick jabs to her midsection. He finishes her off with a solid punch to the chest, knocking her down to the ground.

She slams against the cobblestone, barely dodging his feet as he comes down. Aurora winces, a hand going to her torso, knowing that she was going to have a nasty bruise before the morning. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and she grins.

"Alright, clown," she says, straightening to stand to her feet, back straight. She stares the pink haired fool down. The redhead cracks her neck and rolls her shoulders. "Let's tumble."

The two stare at one another, neither too eager to move and possibly give their opponent an opening. Aurora analyzes his stance, taking in the way he held himself. She hadn't noticed it before, but he stands with a slight hunch, and he shifts his weight from foot to foot, swaying softly. When he attacked her earlier, he punched harder with his left hand, and his right was not only weaker, but slower as well.

Though she doesn't have much to go on, Aurora decided it was time to end this thing as quickly as possible—and it wasn't going to end by them just staring at each other. She dashes forward, karambits at the ready. Her heart thumps excitedly with each footfall, and she follows him as he steps back, slashing the air in front of him each time. When he lifts a long knee to catch her stomach again, she aims for his calf, catching the fabric of his green striped pants. Come on!

Another slash, and this time, she caught the skin of his forearm. Blood sprays and pupils dilate, like a shark to injured prey.

"Knaves Knuckles Buster!" She takes a brass punch to the cheek, forcing her head to the side to face the second brass punch. Aurora tenses her body, able in hardening the skin, muscle and bones of her face in a protective layer of haki. The jester snarls when his punch doesn't leave a mark.

She swings one of her karambits and cuts him in his calf. He jumps back in reflex. The redhead's lips twist into a wide, bloody grin. "You didn't think that it'd be that easy, now did'ja?"

Her opponent can only shake himself from the fear that tingles down his spine. "No, I suppose I didn't, but…" His painted smile only widens as his own lips pull back. He pulls something from his pockets— "What's your favorite animal, hm?" The jester suddenly Burts out, full of energy as he stretches an orange balloon. When he is satisfied, he inhales a large breath and begins exhaling it into the balloon, inflating it.

Aurora watches, curiosity piqued. Her muscles stay tense as she watches in anticipation. The squeaky sounds of the balloon rubbing together made it hard to keep up an unamused facade.

A dog is produced from the mess of squeaks and segments, balloon ears erect. Then he lets go and it starts floating towards her. She backs away cautiously, eyes fluttering between the jester and balloon.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he says. "My name is Jester Jax, the Buggy Pirates' cunning tactician! When it comes to attack plans, it's me that Capt'n comes to! No one has yet to outsmart me! Now, here's a small taste of my genius!"

Aurora had grown distracted during his introduction, letting the balloon a little closer than she would have liked. She curses when the damn thing explodes right in her face. She sails through the air, back colliding against a brick wall of a nearby shop.That's definitely… different. She stands back to her feet, lips pressing tight into a thin line as she takes in the landmine of balloon animals floating in front of her. Bastard is fast. Aurora takes another breath to steady her nerves.

Jester Jax lunges for her, twisting and turning his body through the space between the mines. He wounds his left arm and throws a punch at her face. She catches it and brings him close to slit his jaw. He shifts and is able to twist from her grasp, missing the sharp side of her blade. Another brass punch goes for her cheek and she moves her head to the side, the cold metal barely scaling her skin. The redhead rears her head back and latches her teeth onto his forearm.

"EEE-OW! Let go, you bitch!" He tries shaking her, but she just digs her teeth deeper. "Are you a dog, what the hell!" He swings a right hook, but per her prediction, it was slower than his left. She lets go and moves to the side, dodging the hit.

Aurora realizes too late that she dodged right into a balloon. It explodes on impact and send her into the air. She coughs, blood spewing from her mouth. She watches through squinted eyes as Jester Jax bounces up into the air with her, and she notices the springs on the bottom of his big, red shoes.

"Prankster's Pummel!" His fists become a blur of color, and Aurora, slowed by the bomb, can do nothing but take the onslaught. She tries using her armament to protect her body, but the exhaustion from the two weeks was catching up with her the more energy she spent.

"Take this—HA!" He clasps both hands together and swings them down on her head, sending her back to the ground.

Aurora is able to twist her body this time and land on her hands and balls of her feet, much like a cat. She pushes against the street as the jester said down after her, brass fist making a crack in the cobblestone. The young woman exhales a long breath, side-eyeing the balloon next to her face. I gotta get rid of these damn things. They're doing a number on me.

Aurora sheathes her karambits, raising her fists, feet sliding into a boxer's stance. "I'm still standing, fucker. Come on!"

He does as she commands, advancing quick. His eyes are narrowed and his grin wide and tinged with madness. He was just as eager to end this scuffle between them, it seems. Aurora has enough energy to protect her knuckles with haki against the brass as their fists meet hard. She redirects his right hook with her left, grabbing the scruff of his shirt. Biceps bulging, she pulls him from his feet and throws him against a group of balloons that had collected as they fought.

She flattens against the ground and they explode when his body meets them, but she's up and running towards him as soon as his body appears from the smoke.

"Berserker's Blow!" Black covers her hand as she appears above Jester Jax's charred body and strikes his chest as hard as she could, sending as much life force as she could in the hit.

Helpless, he smashes into the ground, denting the cobblestones. The jester hacks, blood spraying. Some hit her in the face, but she doesn't flinch as she unsheathes her karambits once more. "Crimson Strike!" A red glow emits from the blades as she slashes downwards. The karambits don't touch his skin, but the energy and force sends a red 'X' towards his torso. Hot pain burns from both shoulders, across his pictorials to his hips—he could only scream.

Aurora uses the butt of one of her karambits and hits in the head, successfully knocking him out and shutting him up.

She breathes in deep through her nose and exhales slowly from her mouth. Her hands shake briefly, but they stop as soon as she sheathes her blades. She looks around, seeing that there was a few balloons left. The redhead picks up some debris left by the broken cobblestone and starts chucking it towards the mines, triggering them in blowing up.

Finally, all is quiet when the last balloon explodes, the black smoke billowing and twisting upwards.

Aurora licks her bloody lips and walks back to where the Seafood Tavern once stood, back to Luffy and Buggy—hoping that the body was fairing well, despite her abhorrence.

I wonder if that samurai succumbed to those wounds of his?

Aurora grabs Roronoa by the calves, dragging the swordsman's unconscious body over to the side and out of the direct line of fire of Luffy and Buggy's fight. By the looks of things, Roronoa had taken on that unicycle freak—got cut the fuck up, if she may add—and left the two stubborn men to beat the shit out of each other. Though, it seems that Luffy's declaration of beating Buggy's ass was coming to fruition. Even if she was hopeful for the kid, to think that such a scrawny kid with nothing to his name could hold his own so well.

"What the hell, samurai?" She whispers to the green haired man, lips pursing into a frown. "I leave you to your own devices and you undo all my handwork. I should just let you bleed…" She doesn't finish her thought, not really knowing how. Like before, she pulls his shirt and haramaki up, assessing the damage. Not only had her handiwork been re-opened, but it was practically indistinguishable between the blood and newly opened flesh. She rolls her eyes to the heavens, exasperation setting upon her shoulders.

Aurora grabs her pouch and begins her work a second time for the day. She curses the man beneath her working hands, peeking every once in a while at Luffy's fight, making sure that the kid was still alive. She had to keep reminding herself that the kid's well-being wasn't her responsibility, that the swordsman's wounds were not on her list of things to worry about. Her mind kept telling to walk away, but another part of her told her each time to stay, to see what could be.

Shanks left his most precious possession with this kid—there must be something she was missing.

"This is my treasure! Nobody damages this hat!"

She pauses in her work at Luffy's words, but only for a moment. She returns to sewing. However, the redhead makes it a point to listen closely to the exchange between Luffy and Buggy now, interest piqued.

"That old thing is really important to you, huh?"

Luffy confirms with a firm, "That's right!"

"Then you should take better care of it!"

Despite her earlier vow to keep her eyes on her needle, she couldn't help but watch as Buggy sends three daggers through Shanks' hat. It was a soul-wrenching thing to witness, like a part of her father being torn to shreds. It was a stupid thing, correlating a stupid straw hat to her living-breathing-human father, but that hat had been a part of him for so long now, it was as if it was him. It was of the very essence of his being. Aurora tries to keep her composure, tries to stop the shaking of her hands, reminding herself to get a grip, that Buggy wasn't hers to beat half to death.

"I promised I'd return that hat to Shanks…"

"Oh? This is Shanks' hat then? I thought this old thing looked familiar." A tight expression overcomes Buggy's face. "Shanks and I worked on the same pirate ship. We were cabin boys together."

"Shanks is a great man, so DON'T EVER PUT YOURSELF ON THE SAME LEVEL AS HIM!"

Luffy had enough rage for the both himself and Aurora as he delivers his foot deep into Buggy's torso, forcing the clown's body and head to disconnect in shock.

"Watch it, wench," Roronoa rumbles under her nerve-riddled fingers. Her eyes fall to his, steeling against the hardness of them.

She narrows her brows. "So, you are alive then, shitty samurai."

He raises a challenging brow. "Would you be sewing me up if I wasn't?"

She stabs into his tender flesh with a little more force than she had been using, causing the bounty hunter's head to fall against the ground. "Don't forget who's under whom, swordsman."

"Why do you keep coming back?" He asks after a quiet moment. He watches her carefully, but she doesn't buck under his burning eyes.

I'm not sure, she wants to answer, but her mouth, always her fucking mouth, moves without thought. "My heart bleeds for pathetic men."

He curls his fingers around her wrist, blunt nails digging into the vulnerable skin. "I don't need your help, woman."

She rolls her eyes. "Just go back to sleep, samurai. I'll be gone before you know it." She pries his fingers from her wrist and continues to sew his skin together.

The continuous tug and pull of the needle and thread lure him back to sleep. His body was fatigued from losing so much blood, he was too tired to force himself to say awake. He tries to squeeze another glare in at the redhead before losing to the darkness creeping at the edges of his vision. Besides, it was useless, she wasn't even looking at him anymore, too focused on his injury instead. He succumbs to the heaviness and sleep takes him.

I wish I could fall asleep that quick. Aurora stays true to her word, finishing quickly. She isn't able to apply gauze like last time, unwilling to wake Roronoa in order to wrap him. She pulls his articles back down to cover the stitching and she stands. She watches as Luffy finishes Buggy (who was a third of the size he was originally), propelling the clown into the air.

She walks over to the ruins of the Seafood Tavern, moving debris away and picking through items barely together. Aurora eventually found her knapsack, all scrubbed and burned on one side, but when she looks inside, her journals are all intact. Some are crispier than others, but the pages seem alright from what she could tell. She shoulders the knapsack, not even putting herself through the disappointment of trying to salvage the clothes she bought—she still has her money, she could always buy more clothes later.

"Aurora! Hey!"

The redhead turns as the rubber boy approaches her. Shanks hat, slashes present and bold, upon his head and a toothy smile on his lips. Kid doesn't ever not smile, huh? "Didn't think you were a good fighter just by looking at ya," she says, hands doing their habit of finding the insides of her pockets.

"Thanks!" He puts his hands behind his head, still smiling and still looking at her with those intense eyes. "What are you gonna do now?"

Aurora shrugs. "Probably stay here in town for a little bit longer, until I can get a sailboat at least. Then, I'll move on to the next island."

"By yourself?"

"How else?" She looks away and up at the sky. She's been doing that a lot here recently. "I get by on my own just fine, kid."

"How 'bout you join my crew!"

It wasn't a question, she notices. Their eyes connect once more, and there was that thing again. The thing that she had missed before, right here; it was clear as day now.

Aurora works her jaw, loosening the tightness of it. "No, I don't think so."

His face falls. "What! Come on! Please!"

She scowls. "Cry me a river. I said no."

"Why not?"

"I like being alone." She moves to walk past him, but he grabs her wrist. "It's not happening, rubber boy! I'm not joining any crews!"

He laughs. "No."

"No? Excuse me—!"

"You're strong," he interrupts. "I promised Shanks that the next time we met, I'd be a great pirate with a strong crew. I want you apart of that crew!"

"I don't care what you want!" She snarls, prying his fingers from her wrist. "I ain't joinin' ya! I've no interest in that sort of thing!" She stomps away, away from that annoying rubber fiend, blood hot. Luffy wounds an arm around her shoulders and torso, dragging her back over to him. "I don't give a damn what you promised that man!" Aurora is able to twist and punch Luffy in the face, knocking the straw hat from his head. She doesn't stop, grabbing the brunet by the front of his vest, teeth practically gnashing.

"I ain't being apart of any pirate crew, so take that and shove it!"

"I don't care! You're gonna join me, Rory!"

"Stop calling me that, you fucking bastard!" She brings her arm back to punch him again, but he catches it before it make contact. "You don't even know me! Why do you want me on your crew so bad?! I could kill you for all you know!"

He beams. "I know you won't. You helped this town with Buggy."

"That has nothing to do with you." She huffs, teeth clenching as her mind races to get out of this boy's grip. She exhales a breath, calming her mind. "How about this? The next time we meet, I'll agree to join your crew. Let fate decide, rubber boy."

He laughs. "Deal!" He takes her right hand in his. "When we meet again."

"It's a big sea out there, kid. Don't get your hopes up."

"I don't have to hope," is all that he says, and the statement sends a shiver down her spine.

He lets her go and Aurora is left feeling like she just made a deal with the Devil. She walks over to the unconscious mayor, anything to get away from Luffy. She checks the man's pulse, sighing when she feels the strong ba-dum-ba-dum of his heart. She looks over the place where Luffy had hit him, and other than a bruise forming, he seemed alright. The redhead rolls him onto his back gently, careful in making sure his head didn't smack against the cobblestone.

Aurora checks the rest of his person and leans back on her heels when her assessment concludes that he was in good condition.

"How is he?"

Aurora answers the ginger without looking at her. "Alright. He'll have one hell of a headache when he wakes up though." She can't help the smirk of amusement from tickling the corners of her mouth.

Nami sighs irritably. "I still think there was a better way of handling him then knocking him out."

Aurora shrugs. "Ta-may-toe, ta-mah-toe. We'll never agree, but least he's alive, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

Aurora falls on her back suddenly, her body finally yielding to the fatigue.

"Are you okay?!" Name screeches, face full of worry appearing above the redhead.

Aurora blinks tiredly. "Okay?" She asks quietly, mind growing foggy and eyes heavy. She chuckles weakly, smiling soft. "I haven't felt this good in weeks. I… can finally… sleep."

She loses consciousness almost immediately when the last word leaves her mouth.

The redhead is slow to wake, and when her vision clears, she looks around her surroundings.

She was in a small room with the curtains drawn. The sun stubbornly shines, fighting to peek through the curtains. Her torso is covered with a thin sheet, but her bare toes wiggle defiantly at her, as if saying you can never cover us, you fiend.

Aurora sits up slowly, wincing as an ache bursts at her crown. She massages it, topaz eyes closing in relaxation. She cracks her eyes, gaze fluttering down to the bandages wrapped around her breast and stomach. Overkill, but she appreciates the care all the same. She lifts her head at the sound of approaching footsteps, watching as an older man—not the mayor—opens the door, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of her.

"You're up! Please, don't push yourself too much, miss," he says as he makes his way over to her, hands rubbing together in an anxious manner. "Those injuries of yours were extensive. I'm amazed you're awake so soon! You're lucky, any normal person would have died." His demeanor turns somber as he sits in the chair beside her bedside.

She doesn't comment on the obvious accusation, instead running a gently hand through her crimson hair. Aurora brings a knee up and rests an elbow on her knee. "How's the mayor? What happened after I passed out, codger?"

He frowns at her disrespect, but he answers her anyway. "After Chou-Chou came to the shelter, a lot of the younger men and woman grew furious at the state he was in. They grabbed what they could as weapons and stormed towards the tavern. When they got there, all that was left standing were these three kids. We were afraid that Mayor Boodle was dead, but that kid in the straw hat said that he knocked him out. Of course, you can imagine how angry that made us."

"Did you kill them?" She doubts that these villagers had the strength to do so, even if they did have the numbers, but people are always able to do extraordinary things when angry.

"No, but we did chase them out of the town." He takes off his glasses, wiping them clean with the edge of his shirt. "Although, after Mayor Boodle told us everything that had happened, we wished we hadn't done that. If it weren't for you young'ns, there's no telling what would have happened to us and our town. You all have our thanks." He fixes his glasses back onto his face, and Aurora looks away at the sight of his shining eyes.

The young woman mulls over the doctor's recount, unable to remember anything past her passing out after making sure the mayor was alright. Her gaze moves towards the window once more, wanting nothing more than to see the sun. She heaves herself from the bed, disregarding the doctor's demands of her going back to bed. She pulls the curtains back and she squints against the golden light.

The sun was setting, the sky a beautiful painting of reds, pinks and oranges. She smiles bright at the sight.

The door opens again and she looks over her shoulder to see the mayor in the doorway, young woman and child behind him. His dark eyes bulge at seeing her out of bed, face turning red as he scowls.

"What's with that face, geezer? You look like you're about to have a stroke!" Aurora throws her wild mane back and lets loose a belly aching laugh.

"What're you doing up? You need to be restin'!" He scolds, hands on hips.

She blows a raspberry at him. "I've rested enough—I'm all rested out!"

"Do toy know how serious your injuries were?! You were practically burnt to a crisp! Three broken ribs, and all those bruises—"

She groans, forehead meeting the glass. "Yeah, yeah! I'm alright now, see!" She twirls and saunters across the room in an exaggerated way, trying to prove to him that she didn't need his worry. "I'm as good as new!"

"Girl—"

"Did you forget my name, Boodle? Didn't I tell you not to forget it?"

He purses his lips, crossing his arms. "Stubborn fool."

She sticks out her tongue. "Cranky mule." She laughs once more, and she tries to hide the pain she feels as the laughter shakes her body.

"Uh, excuse me, miss?" Aurora stops, staring at woman who walks out from behind Boodle, the little boy's hand clutched in hers. She's a beautiful young woman, with long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. She seemed only a few years older than Aurora, but carried a sense of maturity beyond the redhead's ability to gain.

Aurora softens her face at the other woman's approach. "You're that woman from the tavern, right?"

She brightens. "Yes! I wanted to introduce myself and my son properly. I'm Charlene and this is Rhysford. I can't thank you enough for what you did! I don't know what would have happened to us that day if you hadn't been there." The blonde lunges and wraps her arms around Aurora's neck. The redhead's face warms in discomfort at Charlene's whispered words against her hair, "I'm so happy you're alive."

Charlene senses the teenager's awkwardness and disconnects, hands upon her shoulders, green eyes shining with tears. Aurora felt a tug at her pants and she looks down at the small boy, Rhysford, his own brown eyes (like his grandfather's) smiling up at her. "Thank you!" He bows his head and she bends to his level as he straightens. "Bapa said you kicked that clowns butt! You're so cool!"

She pats him on the head and grins up at the mayor. "Bapa?" She cackles at the mayor's blushing face. Then she looks back at Rhysford, face threatening to split with how wide her smile was. "I hate to break it to ya kid, but I didn't face that clown, your Bapa did."

His eyes turn to stars. "Really!? No way, Bapa's too old!"

They both ignore the old man's disagreements. "Yes way," she says, nodding, manner serious. "Your Bapa faced that clown like it was nothing! He wasn't afraid of that ol' Buggy at all!"

He gasps and turns on his grandfather in a flash. "Why didn't you tell me, Bapa?!"

Coralie comes to see her once he hears of her awakening.

"It was stupid of you to do that, ya know," is the first thing he says when he stands next to her on the balcony. "Going up against that pirate alone."

She just hums, neither in agreement or disagreement. Instead, she redirects the conversation. "In all the islands I've been to in the East Blue, you are the only barkeep I've met that's been able to make a perfect radler."

The older man rolls his eyes and huffs out a laugh. "You think you're the only one in the world that likes it?"

She gives a sardonic grin in reply. Silence grows between them, but it was a nice silence. It was a silence she hasn't been able to relish in for quite some time. It was comfortable. Aurora absentmindedly plays with one of the braids framing her face, thumb rubbing over the smooth cool metal of the cuff. She follows the path of the engravings, a deep sickness settling at the bottom of her stomach.

"What're you gonna do now?" Coralie asks before the melancholy could settle. Before the shadows of her mind dug their claws into her.

Aurora looks across the darkened village. "I've stayed much longer than I would normally like," because of that clown, "so, it's time I finally go on. I'll be around for a couple more days, I gotta buy a boat and stock up."

"You could always stay."

She shakes her head at the request. "Sorry, but the sea beckons, and I, its most humble servant, must go," she says dramatically, sighing loudly. She straightens from her bent position, facing the older man. She takes in his salt and pepper hair, the age lines creasing the skin of his forehead and mouth. Crows feet could faintly be seen at the outer corners of his almond eyes. Despite the years, however, his eyes were vibrantly green. A young man's eyes.

Coralie nods, as if he expected that answer all along. "Be careful out there, kid. Don't do anything stupid."

Her brows shoot upwards. "I think we're past that, don'tcha think?"

He snorts. "I guess we are…"

"Don't start that," she warns, pointer finger in the mayor's face as she finishes packing the sailboat the villagers had procured for her. It was much fancier than the last dinghy she had—this one actually had a hut for her to sleep in and a backroom compartment as a porta-john. It touched her heart when the mayor (along with Charlene and Rhysford) revealed it to her a day ago.

The mayor scowls. "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself? Fletcher still hasn't officially discharged you from his care."

She waves a hand dismissively. "If I wanted a lecture, I woulda asked, Boodle." Aurora can't help the snicker that escapes her when she says his name. At his expression, she stuffs her hands in her pockets, glancing at the sea. "Don't look so serious, old man. I've had worse, trust that."

"It's just ain't right. We ain't built to be alone—"

"I am," she interrupts, eyes narrowing. Then her glare softens. "Tell that grandson of yours to mind his tongue next time." She climbs into the boat. "Tell doc I appreciate the care." She unties the sailboat from the harbor. "Tell Coralie I'll miss his radlers." She grabs the oars, readying herself for the next adventure. She looks up at the old man above her and gives him a blinding smile—a genuine, wide smile that shows her teeth. "Thanks for the boat, mayor. Good luck!"

Then she starts rowing, muscles straining at the exuberance from the lack of use, but she ignores it. Aurora looks at Orange Town one last time, vision sharp against the darkness. Before long, the early risers will be waking up for another day of reconstruction, and her silhouette will be vanishing beyond the horizon.

Aurora's wide smile dies slowly as the sun rises in the sky. She takes a break from rowing and pulls a new journal from her knapsack. With a new sharp pencil, she begins to write.

Orange Town, not nearly as orange as I would like, is located in the East Blue. The best tavern I know resides here, the Seafoam Tavern. Coralie is the owner and barkeep, and is the only one who I've met who can make a mean radler. It also helps that he has korn in stock. There's a dog, ferocious and stubborn, with the softest fur I've ever touched. His name is Chou-Chou. Dr. Fletcher is a good doctor; caring, attentive, and kind with even the most reckless of patients.

The mayor of Orange Town is named Boodle, and he's the bravest man in the East Blue.

And that's the end of the Orange Town arc! Hopefully you guys are enjoying this story! I love favorites, follows and reviews—lets me know that I'm not just posting into the void! Anyway, any words to let me know how I'm doing is appreciated, but not mandatory. Now, I will say, that I plan to take a two week break from posting. There's a few things I want to iron out for the next chapters and there's a lot that I want to fix before I post anything, but I will be back! Hell, who knows, this warning will probably be disregarded and I'll be back on regular schedule with posting once a week. I just wanted to warn you all just in case I don't upload next week.

Anyway, thank you! See ya guys in the next chapter!