Coco: Good morning...or evening or afternoon or whatever it is where you're at! XD I hope we are all doing well and are ready for chapter two of the Drum Island Arc!
I feel like this is going to be about four chapters like the last arc, but we'll see about that, won't we?
Ready to get started?
Wren sat quietly in the galley as the sun was setting over the ocean. It cast an orange glow through the window, which gave Wren just enough light to read the book in front of her. The book wasn't of any importance. Mostly just something to past the time until she returned to Nami's side. Vivi, Sanji, and Luffy told Wren they'd watch Nami for a bit, so to give Wren a small break. She appreciated the gesture; however, she'd rather stay busy by caring for Nami than try to distract herself with a book she had no interest in.
Wren sighed as she found herself rereading the same line for the third time in a row. Deciding that reading wasn't helping, she closed the book and placed it at the corner of the table. She then stood, which woke Havel from the nap he had been taking on the seat beside her. He opened one eye to peer up at Wren.
"Are you returning to Nami?" He questioned.
"Not sure yet." Wren replied. "The others wish to spend time with her, so I don't want to get in the way. However, I am finding it difficult to keep myself busy."
Havel hummed in understanding as he stood up and stretched out his muscles.
"Perhaps you should take a nap." Havel suggested. "You haven't slept since we've boarded this ship."
Wren frowned down at the observant feline as he stared at her with those piercing eyes of his.
"I haven't been tired," Wren said.
"No, you've been hypervigilant." Havel disagreed. "You're not allowing yourself to relax. Do you not trust me to keep you safe? Not that you'll need to worry about being attacked by these pirates."
Wren didn't bother to give a reply as she made her way towards the door. Havel shook his head at the stubborn young woman as he hopped off the seat to follow her. They both stepped outside where the temperature seemed to have changed again.
"It's become even colder." Wren commented.
"Yes, and winds have calmed down." Havel said as he jumped onto the railing.
Which meant they should reach their destination by tomorrow. That was good news for Nami if she could just last through the night. Wren turned her head when Zoro jumped down from the roof of the galley where Nami's tangerine trees were planted. He landed beside her.
"We won't have the sun for much longer." He said.
"No, we won't and seeing as Nami is your crew's navigator it would probably be best to anchor here for the night." Wren said.
Wren had enough skills to typically get from point A to point B. However, traveling at night on the Grand Line without a skilled navigator wouldn't be the best of decisions.
"Can we risk losing that much time?" Zoro questioned.
"Better to stay put for tonight than get lost and lose what progress we've made because we tried to move forward in the dark." Wren replied.
Zoro couldn't argue with that logic, so he nodded in agreement as he went to drop anchor. As he went to do so, Sanji and Vivi came out from the women's quarters.
"Wren-san," Vivi addressed then paused when she saw what Zoro was doing. "Oh, you're already having Bushido-san drop the anchor."
Wren nodded as she scooped Havel into her arms. The feline curled up to make it easier for her to hold him as he snuggled against the warmth her body gave off.
"It seemed like the best decision." Wren said. "Is Nami still resting?"
"Yes, but fitfully." Vivi replied.
That was to be expected considering the fever Nami currently had. It was getting worse by the hour, and it was getting to the point that the medicine wasn't helping as it was before. However, it was all they could do for her until they reached Dr. Kureha.
"I'll prepare another dose of medicine for her." Wren said. "I will also keep vigil at her bedside tonight."
Vivi and Sanji exchanged a troubled glance, which had Wren quirking her brow at them. Sanji turned his gaze back to red-eyed woman.
"Wren-chan, we appreciate everything you're doing for Nami-san." Sanji assured her. "But, please, don't neglect your own health. We can keep watch over Nami as well."
"He's right." Vivi said with a nod. "You haven't slept since you came onto the ship and began caring for Nami. You should rest."
Havel tilted his head back to give Wren a smug look. It was a look that the young woman ignored.
"I appreciate the concern." Wren told them sincerely. "But I'm fine, really."
She then excused herself, so she could go collect another vile of medicine. Havel sighed.
"You are far too stubborn." Havel said with a shake of his head. "I blame Cain for this. You Magier mages weren't this difficult to talk sense into until he married into the family."
Wren chuckled at Havel's comment as the feline leapt from her arms to walk beside her.
"I apologize for the trouble," Wren expressed to Havel. "I will try to work on it."
"Work on it by allowing the others to care of Nami while you get some rest." Havel suggested.
"I must respectfully decline your request." Wren replied without missing a beat.
Havel groaned and hung his head. Of course, it was just his luck to be stuck with another problematic halfling.
Wren hummed quietly to herself as she kept watch at Nami's bedside as she said she would. Next to her, Vivi was asleep leaning against Wren's thigh. The girl had sat beside Wren, who had taken the only chair in the room, on the floor. Trying to insist Wren sleep and let her care for Nami. The poor princess had lasted several hours before falling sleep and slumping against Wren, who was currently writing things down in a journal.
Behind them, Usopp was leaned against the wall with a blanket haphazardly thrown across him. And in the middle of the room Karoo and Zoro were huddled together and snoring. Finally, Luffy was laying on the other side of the room with a picture frame stuck in his forehead. When Wren had found him like that earlier, she had merely shaken her head and stepped over the boy.
Sanji and Havel were above in the crow's nest to keep watch. Havel mostly went with Sanji because Wren asked him to keep him company. Havel had gone along with her wishes, but not without muttering something about her being so untrusting. She had ignored his mutters as she made herself comfortable in the chair at Nami's bedside. That was hours ago.
'I need to make some kind of plan for when we reach Alabasta,' Wren thought as she continued to write in the journal. 'I'm sure Vivi has her own plans of how to handle things and based on what I've observed from watching her these last couple of days, she isn't the sort to make sacrificial plays.'
Wren was certain Vivi would try to do things in a way that kept them all safe. Or she'd at least try to ensure everyone got out of this entire ordeal without shedding any blood.
'For someone who infiltrated a criminal organization at such a young age, she is certainly naïve.' Wren thought. 'She won't be able to save everyone. People die. And she will learn this the hard way if she continues the path she is on now.'
However, it wasn't up to Wren to teach Vivi this lesson. She could caution Vivi against certain decisions. Especially if it worked in Wren's favor, but it was up to the princess to decide whether to take Wren's advice to heart or not. Wren's main concern was getting to Crocodile. As she mostly just had herself to rely on, she saw her best strategy as taking Crocodile down first. If she cuts off the head of Baroque Works first, the rest of the organization will crumble.
'I will have to be smart about it,' Wren thought. 'Crocodile isn't going to go down easily.'
She met the man once before at a Shichibukai Meeting that she attended in place of Doflamingo.
—FLASHBACK—
Wren, who was hearing her full mask, walked down the halls of Marine Headquarters with her head held high and back straight. Many marines parted for the teen girl and some even pressed themselves against the wall.
"Isn't that Corazon?" One of them whispered. "One of Doflamingo's officers?"
"Yes," Another replied. "What could she be doing here?"
"Maybe Doflamingo sent her in his place." A third marine whispered.
"How is it that she's scarier than her captain?" The first marine whimpered.
He shuddered as he made sure to keep his distance from the young pirate.
"Well, you heard what happened on Brava Island, right?" The second marine asked. "A crew of rookie pirates, who were quickly gaining infamy, took over the island and were threatening to kill all the citizens if their demands weren't met. Doflamingo was asked to handle the situation since this island was near his kingdom of Dressrosa. Instead of going himself, he sent her to handle the situation. In less than a few hours, she turned the island of Brava into a bloodbath."
The first marine gulped and turned pale before turning to the third marine who nudged him in the side.
"I heard she was only fourteen at the time when it happened." The third marine added.
Wren ignored their gossiping as she reached her destination. The two guards at the large double doors, scrambled to open them for her. She didn't break her stride as she swept through the doors into the meeting chambers. As she entered several eyes turned to look at her. Her own gaze swept across the room to see several vice-admirals were present as was the Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The only other Shichibukai present were Crocodile, Mihawk, and Jinbe.
"Corazon." Sengoku addressed her. "What is the meaning of this? Where is Doflamingo?"
"He's busy, I'm afraid." Wren replied as she moved to take a seat among the Shichibukai. "He sent me in his stead."
Sengoku growled in annoyance as he watched the young pirate take a seat beside Jinbe, which placed her across from Crocodile.
"Now, what is so important that you needed to call this meeting?" Wren questioned as she crossed one leg over the other. "I was on an important business trip when Doffy asked me to change my course."
Some of the marines gave her dirty looks for how she spoke so demanding to their commanding officer, but Wren paid them no mind. However, when Crocodile chuckled, she tilted her head in his direction.
"You're quite demanding considering you're just someone's flunky." Crocodile commented as he placed a cigar in between his teeth.
Wren narrowed her gaze at the older pirate. She lifted her finger to point towards the man. Before anyone could ask her what she was up to, the end of Crocodile's cigar combusted. The man shouted in surprised while dropping the cigar to the table. The flames quickly vanished before a fire could be started.
"And you're quite arrogant for a Shichibukai who couldn't even cut it in the New World." Wren told the man who was glaring murderously at her. "Tell me, have you even set foot outside of Paradise since Whitebeard thoroughly defeated you?"
"You little brat." Crocodile growled as he stood from his chair.
Wren didn't bother to move from her seat. However, the air around her began to swirl in warning. Before anything could happen between the two, Sengoku slammed his fist on the table.
"That's enough." Sengoku told them. "We're not here to fight amongst ourselves. We need to discuss the defeat of Hanafuda and possible replacements for his now vacant spot."
Wren held up her hands with her palms facing outwards yieldingly as she sat back in her seat. It took another word of warning from Sengoku, but Crocodile finally retook his seat. His glare, however, told Wren her act against him would not be forgotten.
—END OF FLASHBACK—
After that day, the two hadn't crossed paths, which was probably for the best considering the animosity Crocodile held for Wren.
'He isn't a push over despite how I acted like he was that day,' Wren thought as her pen moved across the page in front of her. 'Yes, he lost to Whitebeard and because of that defeat, he retreated to Alabasta. However, a loss to Whitebeard doesn't necessarily make someone weak. After all, there aren't many alive today who can live up his might.'
She knew if she even tried to fight the legendary pirate that she wouldn't last more than a few minutes. Even in his weakened state.
'Though it's uncertain how much Crocodile has grown since his defeat.' Wren thought. 'Because based on what I do know, Crocodile began working on building up Baroque Works and amassing military strength instead of training up his own skills.'
If it's true that Crocodile hasn't bothered to better, his strength and skill then Wren had the advantage. It would mean Crocodile has grown soft over the years. She could use this to her benefit. And if she could catch him off guard, it would be even more beneficial to her.
'I also must be mindful of his righthand woman…Ms. All Sunday.' Wren reminded herself. 'Nico Robin…if I recall correctly, the woman has eaten the Hana-Hana no Mi and has made a name for herself in the underworld for being resourceful and having a knack for assassination. Then there are the officer agents.'
As Wren wrote notes about what she could remember from the messages sent to her by her former spy, her vision started to blur slightly. She frowned as she paused mid-sentence to reach up and rub at her eye. After doing that, she pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache starting to form in the back of her head.
'This is no good,' she thought. 'The lack of sleep is starting to catch up to me. Soon I won't be able to even think straight.'
She knew she couldn't keep this up. Every living creature needed sleep, and she was no exception.
'Damn,' she thought in annoyance as she placed her pen inside the journal before closing it.
She set the book to the side. Deciding to check on Nami one last time before she could no longer resist the call for slumber, Wren carefully shifted Vivi off her thigh, so the princess was laying on the floor. She grabbed one of the spare blankets beside Usopp to drape over the blue-haired girl. After that, she moved to Nami's side. Wren reached out to place her fingers against the girl's face.
'She's gotten even warmer,' Wren realized. 'And the compress on her forehead is warm and soaked with sweat. This will need to be changed out before I even think about resting.'
Wren sighed softly as she got to work caring for the sick girl while wondering just how many hours were left before daylight. They needed to set sail the moment things were visible for Nami's sake.
"What do you mean we're not going back to Doffy-sama?" Wren questioned as she looked up at Corazon. "We have to go back. I'm sure if you explain that Law needs to the devil fruit to live that he will understand."
The blonde looked down at Wren softly as the girl seemed so confused. He knelt in front of the girl while placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Wren, Doffy isn't who you think he is." Corazon said. "He's evil. I know you love Doffy because you think he saved you from those slavers, but…but the truth is…"
Corazon bit his lip looking as if he was having trouble finding the words he needed to say. Wren's brow furrowed in concern as she clenched the skirt of her dress. Corazon took a deep breath before looking Wren right in the eye.
"The truth is that it was Doffy who hired those slavers to attack Era and abduct you." Corazon said.
Wren's eyes widened in shock as her hands fell limp at her sides. Her mind was racing as she tried to make sense of what Corazon was saying."
"…No…" she whispered as tears started to form in her eyes.
Law looked between the two in concern as Corazon looked to be in pain for having to tell Wren this.
"It's true." Corazon insisted. "He had inside help and he set things up so he could make it look as if he saved you from those slavers. It was the deal he made with them, but before that he instructed them to make your life as unbearable as possible. That way you'd feel immense gratitude towards him for saving your life."
Wren shook her head as she moved her hands over her ears. She didn't want to hear another word.
"No…no…no, it's not true!" Wren cried as the tears started to flow. "Why are you lying, Cora-san?! Stop lying!"
She tried to shove the man away from her, but he held her firm by the shoulders.
"I wish it wasn't true, Wren." Corazon said. "But it is. My brother put you through hell, so you would be loyal to him. He went through a lot of trouble to make sure things went as he wanted."
Wren shook her head not wanting to believe it, but she sensed nothing but sincerity coming from Corazon. It made the pain in her chest hurt even more.
"…why?" Wren barely managed to squeak out.
"Because you're special, Wren." Corazon said. "People like you aren't born every day. And those like you can grow up to be extremely powerful. Doffy wanted that power to himself, so he did whatever he could in his power to get his hands on you."
Wren clenched the front of her dress just above her heart, which felt like it was breaking into a million pieces. She didn't understand it. It made no sense. Most of her life, she's been treated either like some kind of rare prize or some kind of monster. If this is how her life was meant to be then…
"...I shouldn't have even been born..."
Wren gasped with her eyes snapping open. She quickly sat up from where she had fallen asleep to see most of the others had already cleared out of the room. The only ones remaining were, of course, Nami and then Luffy and Zoro. Said swordsman was looking in direction.
"You okay over there?" He asked with a quirked brow.
Wren didn't reply at first as she quickly picked up her eyepatch, which she had set to the side last night. She turned her head and brushed her hair back out of her face to tie the needed accessory around her scarred eye. She usually wore a separate eyepatch for sleep, but she didn't have the energy last night to search for it amongst her things.
"I'm fine, thank you." Wren replied once the eyepatch was securely in place. "How is the patient?"
If Zoro noticed how quickly she changed the subject, he didn't comment as he turned his attention onto the sleeping Nami.
"Not good." Luffy said pouting as Wren walked over to them. "She won't even laugh at the funny faces I'm making to make her feel better."
"Try not to worry." Wren said. "We should be arriving at Drum shortly. The weather was becoming calm as of last yesterday, which is a telltale sign that an island is nearby."
As soon as the words left her mouth, the group heard Sanji shout out from above that he spotted land. Once hearing the call, Luffy's face lit up with excitement.
"Are you serious?!" Luffy asked then looked back to the unconscious Nami. "Oh, an island! We found an island! Hey, Nami, did you hear that?! This means we can get you to that doctor that Mage Pops mentioned. She'll fix you up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"
Wren blinked looking down at Luffy's foot, which was bouncing up and down on the floor repeatedly in enthusiasm. It reminded her of a rabbit thumping its foot across the ground.
"Just go already." Zoro said.
"Yes, we will watch after her." Wren said.
Luffy didn't have to be told twice as he was quick to bounce right out of his seat.
"Don't forget to grab a coat." Wren called after him as he hurried up the stairs.
"Okay!" Luffy called back before disappearing out of sight.
Wren sighed while getting the impression Luffy didn't actually hear what she said. Deciding not to worry about the carefree captain, Wren leaned over Nami to check on her. She removed the compress from Nami's forehead then placed her fingers against the young girl's skin.
"How is she doing?" Zoro questioned when he saw Wren frown.
"I won't lie." Wren said as she glanced at Zoro. "We are cutting it close. She has half a day at best."
Zoro frowned because that wasn't good at all, but now that an island was coming into view, hopefully they could get her the help she needs.
"If you wish, you may head up as well." Wren told Zoro. "I need to get Nami dressed in warm clothes before we take her off the ship, and I doubt she would want you in the room as I do that."
Zoro nodded his head in understanding before he went upstairs to join the others, so Wren could take care of Nami. As Wren was getting Nami ready to leave, Karoo came down the stairs. He went to Nami's bedside and sat down. He even helped Wren by picking up Nami's coat in his bill and passing it to her.
"Thank you," Wren said to the large bird.
Karoo quacked in reply as he placed his head on Nami's bed. Once Nami was dressed to leave as soon as they docked, Wren looked to Karoo.
"Can you keep her company until one of us come to collect her?" She questioned.
Karoo quacked an affirmative as he raised his wing to salute Wren. The halfling scratched under his chin in thanks before she went to see if the others were ready to leave. Though before she went up, she sensed a large group of voices.
'Another ambush?' She wondered as she counted over a dozen people surrounding the ship.
When the shouting started, she didn't need her haki to sense the crew's newest acquaintances. She then heard a gunshot not long after, which had Wren pinching the bridge of her nose. Sighing as they had no time for such things, Wren made her way up the stairs.
"This bunch has a knack for finding trouble." She said to herself.
Wren was on the deck seconds later to see it was scared villagers holding weapons surrounding the Going Merry. And something that she's learned over her years as a pirate is that when you hand a weapon to someone who is afraid (and/or inexperienced), bad things tend to happen. Wren's gaze zeroed in on the villager with the smoking gun. The man looked the most frightened of the bunch as he held the gun in shaking hands.
"You there," Wren called out causing the man to jump. "If you would, please, lower your weapon, I would appreciate it. We don't want another accident, do we?"
She said this while taking the toe of her boot to pointedly tap it across the bullet hole on deck. The man gulped though did slowly lower his weapon as Wren requested.
"Very good." Wren said. "Now, can someone explained to me what seems to be the problem here?"
Wren then turned her attention on Luffy, who was bowing towards the villagers with Vivi at his side, expectantly.
"We're not having any problems, Wren." Luffy assured. "We're just asking these people to let us take Nami to that doctor that Mage Pops mentioned."
Wren hummed in reply before looking up at the villagers with her gaze narrowing at the man who seemed to be leading this ragtag group of villagers. Said man frowned before letting out a sigh.
"I'll show you to our village." He said finally as he turned away from the pirates. "Follow me."
The villagers with him seemed reluctant to follow his lead, but one scathing look from Wren had them quickly following their leader.
"Hopefully that will be the end of any trouble." Wren said.
Wren walked beside Sanji as the blonde carried Nami on his back. The two of them along with Luffy, Usopp, and Vivi walked with the man, who Wren heard the villagers address as Dalton, and his men towards their village. Havel had decided to stay behind this time to watch over the ship with Zoro and Karoo. Apparently, he didn't want to get his paws wet with snow. Not that Wren could blame him. She wasn't fond of snow herself.
Wren moved her gaze up to the oddly shaped mountains before them. She has never seen such a mountain formation before. They almost looked like large tree trunks. Some were even so tall they disappeared into the thick, grey clouds above.
'How would someone even begin to climb such mountains?' She wondered.
"There is one thing I fear I should warn you about though." Dalton said as they walked. "The only doctor we have here is actually a witch."
As Luffy and the others looked at Dalton with wide eyes, Wren's brow quirked curiously. Her father didn't mention that this woman was a witch. And that didn't seem like something he'd forget to mention. After all, while witches and mages aren't exactly hostile towards each other, they aren't friends either.
"Huh, a witch?" Usopp asked.
"You've got to be kidding me." Sanji said. "Everything about this country is messed up."
"Drum Island is certainly proving to be interesting at least." Wren commented.
"Actually…that is no longer this island's name." Dalton said. "After a certain incident, this island has become nameless."
At this interesting piece of information, Wren tilted her head curiously.
'A nameless island, huh,' she thought. 'I wonder what kind of incident is so bad that the island would forsake its name'
Though she supposed it was of no concern to her. If the people here didn't wish to continue being known as the Drum Kingdom, that was their business.
"An island without a name?" Vivi asked. "I didn't know that was possible."
Before Dalton would reply to the princess's comment, Usopp letting out a scream of terror had everyone turning to look at the sniper.
"Waaah! A bear!" Usopp exclaimed. "Hurry everyone! Pretend to be dead."
He fell over into the snow as Wren looked forward seeing that there was indeed a large bear. One that was bipedal and carrying a walking stick.
'It's cute,' Wren thought as she looked up at the creature's softy, fuzzy face.
As the creature made no sudden movements and the villagers didn't become alarmed at the sight of it, Wren kept moving forward. As did the rest of her companions, which left the sniper the only one laying in the snow.
"A hiking bear—he poses no threat." Dalton said. "Don't forget to bow. It's proper manners."
Wren bowed along with everyone else, and the hiking bear returned the polite gesture. Once the bear passed, Wren started to walk alongside Sanji again though she did glance back at Usopp who was still laying face first in the snow.
"Should we go back for Usopp?" Wren asked as she looked up at the blonde.
"Nah, he'll get up and follow eventually." Sanji said. "Don't concern yourself with that idiot, Wren-chan."
Wren didn't verbally reply as she shrugged her shoulders. Sanji obviously knew Usopp better than her, so if he said Usopp would get up on his own then she had no reason to doubt Sanji's word. Silence fell over the group with only the sound of the snow crunching under their feet disrupting the stillness of the snowy landscape around them.
'This place reminds me of Era in the winter.' Wren thought as she looked at the snow-covered trees. 'It has the same trees as Era and the same rolling hills. The only things that are different is that I don't see any rivers or streams and the shape of the mountains differ from each other.'
Wren could admit it was actually quite beautiful here. Though she might only feel that way because the landscape is giving her a sense of nostalgia. Despite its beauty, however, the frigid temperatures and sight of snow brought unwanted feelings to Wren's chest...and unwanted memories to the forefront of her mind.
—FLASHBACK—
Wren stared with wide eyes as Doflamingo fired the gun repeatedly into Corazon's chest. There was no hesitation as he shot his own brother. Not even a flicker of emotion colored his expression as he squeezed the trigger until the gun was out of ammo.
'He really is a monster,' Wren thought a sense of fear washed over her like someone had just poured a bucket of ice-cold water over her head. 'What is wrong with him?'
Wren then flinched when someone touched her arm. Her head whipped around to see Gladius had knelt beside her.
"Sorry, Wren," Gladius said. "Didn't meant to scare you. Are you hurt?"
Wren shook her head numbly in reply. Her brain didn't fully comprehend what was being said to her as her body acted on its own.
"You won't have to worry about that traitor Corazon again," Gladius assured her. "Now, come on, let's get you back to the ship."
He picked her up as Senior Pink came over with his coat, which he draped around Wren. She didn't even register the action as Gladius pulled the coat tighter around her.
"Wren, do you know what happened to Law?" Pink questioned.
Wren slowly shook her head again as her eyes remained locked on the bloody form that was Corazon. Despite the severity of his wounds, the man still held on. Leaning against the treasure chest behind him, which Wren could see shaking as if someone was moving inside. She knew where Law was, and if it weren't for Corazon's devil fruit, Doffy and the others would know where he was too.
"He…he ran off." Wren said when she found voice. "After Cora-sa—Corazon forced him to eat the Ope-Ope no Mi."
Doflamingo turned towards Wren with his expression turning angry when he heard this. Behind him Corazon grinned as his eyes found Wren. His gaze was reassuring. As if he was trying to give Wren comfort. However, it only brought her pain.
'This is all my fault,' she thought as Doflamingo ordered everyone back to the ship once hearing from Baby 5 and Buffalo that a boy had been picked up by the marines outside the birdcage. 'Even knowing that Cora-san was telling the truth, I didn't want to believe him. I wanted to believe in Doflamingo.'
And because of that…because she ran off to separate from Corazon causing him to look for her, he was caught. If she had just listened to him and didn't cause trouble, they could have gotten away. Now, he's going to die, and she was going back to the family.
'What have I done?' Wren thought in despair as Doflamingo was walking by her and Gladius.
She tried not to flinch when the blonde reached out to ruffle her hair. She had to try even harder not to smack his hand way when it remained on her head.
"I'm sorry this happened, Wren," Doflamingo said to her. "I won't ever let anyone take you away again."
His words that might have comforted her once only filled her with dread as she curled up as tightly as she could in Gladius's arms. Trying to make herself as small as possible. Without another word, Doflamingo took the lead of the family. Once he was away from her, Wren peeked over Gladius's shoulder one last time. She was shocked to see Corazon smiling at her as he managed to make himself sit up, which instantly caused the tears to start falling.
'Wren, I know it might be hard to understand this now, but it is a blessing that you were born,' Corazon had told her that day she had said that she wished she hadn't been born. 'If you hadn't been born, Law and I would be missing something important from our lives. And as time goes on, you'll become important to others who will love you and be happy you're alive…just like how Law and I love you. Never doubt that.'
As his words rang through her mind, Wren buried her face in Gladius's chest. Her tears soaking his coat as her hands clenched the clothing. Gladius, who thought Wren was crying in relief from being with the family again, tightened his hold on the small child while completely unaware what kind of pain Wren was really in.
—END OF FLASHBACK—
Ever since that day, Wren has hated the snow. It always put her in a foul mood. Something the family had noticed, but never commented on. It was something of a taboo. Much like how no one was to mention or make fun of Pica's voice, no one was allowed to mention snow or try to get Wren to go to a winter island.
'I suppose even after all this time I still react the same way,' Wren thought as she held out her hand in front of her.
A snowflake fell into the palm of her hand before it slowly began melting into water against her skin. She stared at the snowflake as it lost more and more of its shape the more it melted.
"Wren-chan, is everything alright?" Sanji's voice snapped Wren back into the present.
She blinked looking away from the small drop of water in her hand that was once snow. Her gaze met Sanji's as the blonde was looking down at her in concern.
"I'm sorry, did you say something, Sanji?" She questioned as she dropped her hand to her side.
"I asked if you were alright, my dear." Sanji repeated.
Wren didn't reply right away as she debated whether to be honest with the concerned chef or to move on from what happened. If she was honest, he'd most likely ask her what had upset her so. The answer to that question wasn't something she was ready to share with people she barely knew. Even if they only meant well.
"It's nothing," Wren finally answered. "I was just lost in thought is all."
Sanji didn't seem convinced. Not that she blamed him. She was sure she had to be making quite the face earlier when thinking about that unpleasant memory. However, what she has gathered from Sanji in the few days that they've known each other, is that he isn't the type of person to do anything he thinks might upset a woman. So, when he didn't press the issue, she was not only unsurprised, but she was grateful as well.
'I'll have to be more careful and not lose myself to my thoughts like that again,' Wren mentally berated herself as she saw a village coming into view. 'There's no time for it and it leaves me vulnerable.'
She needed to be more aware of her surroundings. She hadn't even sensed the voices of the people from the village until it was in sight. If she had been in a hostile environment, she most likely wouldn't have noticed an enemy until they were right on top of her. Pushing those thoughts to the side, Wren turned to Dalton who was beginning to address the pirates.
"This is the village where we live." Dalton told them. "Its name is Big Horn."
It was a quaint looking village, but the people seemed happy enough as they went about their day. Though Wren noticed there seemed to be some damage to the buildings and other structures. She tilted her head wondering who or what caused it, and if it was tied to this incident that Dalton mentioned.
"Look at all the weird animals walking around everywhere." Luffy commented as he pointed.
Wren's gaze followed to where his finger pointed to see a large, white-furred hippopotamus. It was carrying what appeared to be someone's belongings as one of the villagers led it through the village using a bridle. Walking past that peculiar hippo was a big-horned sheep. Wren noticed farther down that there were more of those furry hippos and some of them even had riders.
"Well, yeah, this is snow country." Usopp replied to Luffy's comment.
"Look, Nami, we've made it to a village with people." Sanji said as he walked forward with Nami still on his back. "We're here."
Vivi stayed close to the pair as she kept her hand on Nami's back. As the pirates looked around some more, Dalton dismissed the villagers back to their usual business.
"You mean those men weren't your land security forces?" Vivi asked Dalton.
"No, they're just ordinary citizens." Dalton said. "Come to my house for now."
Wren hoped once they had Nami settled in at Dalton's they could call this Dr. Kureha that her father told them about. The sooner Nami was treated the better.
"Hey, look over there, Luffy! It's another one of those hiking bears!" Usopp said as he looked at a large woman in a fur coat walking towards them.
"Another one?!" Luffy asked.
Wren deadpanned as Luffy and Usopp bowed towards the woman who called out to Dalton.
"I heard pirates landed on the island." The woman said. "I hope everything is alright."
"Yes, everything's fine." Dalton assured her. "There's nothing to worry about."
The woman nodded smiling, and as she was leaving Luffy and Usopp bowed to her begin. They then winced when Wren smacked them over their heads.
"Stop that," she scolded. "She isn't a bear. You're being rude."
As the boys looked at her in disbelief while rubbing the back of their heads, another person, who had a big grin on his face, called out to Dalton.
"Just want you to know, Dalton, I'm looking forward to the election in two days." The old man said. "Everyone I've talked to said they're going to vote for you!"
"I'm sure you're not serious about that." Dalton said as he held up his hands. "I'm just an ordinary citizen that's all."
The man just smiled brightly at the flustered man as Vivi looked curiously at Dalton. Wren, who could care less about this island and whatever it had going on, turned to look at the large man.
"I hate to come off as pushy, but may we move along?" Wren asked. "It isn't good for Nami to be out in the cold like this. We need to put her somewhere warm."
"Yes, of course." Dalton said. "Please, follow me."
Dalton motioned for the group to follow. Wren brought up the rear of the group but paused when something caught her eye. She tiled her head back and narrowed her eye as she picked up the shape of what looked to be a structure on top of one the mountains.
'Now what could that be?' She wondered.
Coco: Okay, and that is the end of this chapter. As always, I hope you guys liked it.
Now for today's CLC...well, I have more of a question for you guys. Would you be interested in a one shot/AU side book to this story?
For example, would you like one shots about some of the side characters or maybe tidbits of Wren's past that might not make it in this story? Like her daily life as Corazon before the beginning of this story? Or maybe like a 'Havel Chronicles' kind of thing that discusses some of Havel's past. As for the AUs, it can be like if Wren was never told the truth and remained loyal to Doflamingo, which means she never joined the Straw Hats. Or AU of Wren never having had her hard childhood. Like what she would be doing if those things didn't happen?
I also thought about maybe adding the One Piece Movies/Specials to this side story. Because I'm not sure if I can fit them into the canon storyline. There was a few I was looking at that I might be able to swing into the storyline, but then I thought it'd probably just be easier to write something separate for them.
You guys could even submit requests that you might be interested in seeing. Like, maybe you want to see how Wren interacts with the other Straw Hats or how Wren would handle certain situations, etc. I actually thought it'd be cute to give each of the crew a one shot with Wren, so we can explore their relationship dynamic.
But, yeah, it's just an idea I had. So, let me know what you think.
But that's all for now, my friends, so as always until we meet again be sure to keep being your wonderfully beautiful selves and stay safe out there~