One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda
Kingdom Hearts characters belong to Square Enix and Disney
OCs belong to me.
-Chapter Two Hundred and Fifteen-
"Hey! Hurry up and dock the ship!" Luffy impatiently demanded, body practically buzzing with excitement as he already looked about ready to jump off and go explore without us.
"Whoa! Hold on a second—what do you pirates think you're doing here in town?" a man suddenly called out to us from the walkways. "You aren't looking to plunder, are you?" he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"No, we just want to get our ship repaired" Luffy shook his head.
"Did he just ask that like it's no big deal?" Usopp sweat dropped.
"Huh, I guess they're not all that worried about pirates" I said, amused by the man's lack of fear upon seeing our ship.
"In that case, there's a little cape just ahead of here—anchor your ship over there for now" the man smiled, pointing us in the direction of this supposed cape.
"Okay" Nami nodded.
"Thanks for the help!" Luffy smiled.
"They keep waving us off..." Usopp muttered, just the slightest bit unnerved by everyone's behavior.
"Of course, they do," Zoro scoffed, "we're flying a pirate flag" he reasoned, sounding as if it was that obvious of an explanation.
"Right...because when I see a pirate flag, my first instinct is to nonchalantly wave it off" I sweat dropped.
"Hm...should be okay to anchor here, right?" Usopp asked once we reached the cape.
"Can't see why not, it's certainly far away from the city" Sanji shrugged, seeing no issue with us taking anchor here.
"Works for me—furrow the sails!" Luffy grinned. Following the captain's orders, Zoro began furrowing the sails...only for the mast to snap in half the second he tugged on the rope.
"Are you trying to break the ship?!" Usopp angrily cried.
"No! All I did was pull the rope like I normally do!" Zoro quickly defended as he desperately tried to hold the mast up, attempting to keep it from falling any further and possibly causing even more damage to the ship.
"With the strength of a beast? You shoulder have been gentler" I lightly scolded.
"I was gentle!" Zoro snapped. "Holy crap, if the Merry is falling apart this easily, we're lucky we made it here at all!" he grounded as he did his best to straighten the mast back out.
"It looks like we'll have to find a new shipwright right away before we can do anything else" I remarked.
"By the way, they're not scared of pirates—don't you think that's kind of strange?" Nami curiously asked, ignoring the chaos around her as she peered out toward the city.
"It's because we're shipyard customers like anyone else" Zoro answered before Usopp struck him.
"Stop yapping and start fixing the ship already!" the sharpshooter snapped as he continued to hit the swordsman. Angrily demanding he fix the problem he had created right here and now.
"They probably aren't concerned about pirates because they have enough security to handle them if they misbehave" I suggested.
"There's plenty of Marines here too" Sanji added. "Comes with the territory, huh?" he hummed.
"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Usopp cried out upon hearing the possibility that the Marines were lurking about. "You mean they're going to have us arrested!" he screamed as he began to panic despite nothing bad having happened yet.
"I don't think that'll be a problem since we're paying customers and all" Sanji assured him.
"I guess so..." Usopp reluctantly mumbled, only settling down just a little.
"I mean, even if there are Marines here, just don't let them see you and you should be fine" I said.
"Well, that settles it then, see you later!" Usopp and Luffy happily waved as they eagerly jumped from the ship and raced off toward the city. Any fear they might have possibly had just mere seconds ago was now gone and replaced with utter excitement.
"Hold on a minute, you two!" Nami called out, causing them to come to a screeching halt. "I need you two to come with me to take care of some business."
"Trading that gold for some money I assume?" I questioned, watching as she nodded before hopping off the ship.
"First off, we're going to take Kokoro's reference letter to this Iceburg guy, assuming we can find him" Nami explained. "Hopefully, he can be able to take care of the Merry's repairs for us, after that—as Skylar said—we'll have to find a place to trade in our gold for some belis" she finished.
"Okie dokie, works for me—so what are we waiting for?" Luffy grinned. "Let's go to Water Seven!" he excitedly cheered.
"Okay, but aren't you forgetting the gold?" Nami tiredly sighed as she motioned for the two to retrieve the gold for her from the ship.
"Try to have the mast fixed before we get back, Zoro!" Usopp shouted back at us before he, Luffy, and Nami fully left after gathering all they needed from the ship.
"Be careful out there, Nami sweet!" Sanji cooed as he wildly waved goodbye to the ginger.
"Try not to get in trouble" I waved.
"Aw, looks like I missed my chance to go with them" Chopper pouted once he saw how far the three already were from the ship.
"You could go with me later if you like" Robin offered. "You can come as well, Miss Swordswoman" she suddenly added.
"Hm?" I was taken aback just a little upon hearing her extend her offer to me as well.
"Really? Can we go to a bookstore?" Chopper asked as he happily perked right up.
"Yes, of course" Robin nodded.
"I think I'll pass for right now—this is a little more entertaining" I grinned as I motioned toward Zoro who was currently struggling to fix the mast.
"I see" Robin softly chuckled.
-Later-
"Hey" I heard Sanji say just as I exited the women's quarters, mindlessly tugging down the net arm warmers I had put on as I did so. Now that Nami wasn't here and also because I was bored and had nothing else to do, I decided to do a simple wardrobe change into a gray tank top with a black lace crop overtop, some ripped baggy jeans, and a pair of boots. Though I didn't exactly hate the clothing Nami picked for me, I felt just a tad more comfortable in this outfit. "You awake?" the blond asked as he stood over the sleeping swordsman.
"When is he ever awake...?" I muttered with a silent snort.
"You know where Robin went?" Sanji curiously asked. "She's not on the ship."
"Oh, I remember, she had said she was going out with Chopper" Zoro yawned, peeking one eye open.
"What?" Sanji blinked.
"They're doing some shopping I think" Zoro said.
"What the hell...does that mean I'm stuck on this ship with you?" Sanji frowned before his face lightened into a small smile as if he suddenly remembered something. "Well, I guess it's not all that bad since Skylar's still here" he dreamingly sighed before his smile fell once again as he huffed. "But still, this has got to be the most boring thing in the world."
"Yep, that's why I'm sleeping..." Zoro mumbled.
"Yeah, you two are pretty boring" I butted in as I unceremoniously plopped myself down onto Zoro's lap before quietly snickering as I listened to the small grunt he gave in response.
"Well I guess it doesn't matter since I need to do some grocery shopping, so I'm taking off too" Sanji sighed, looking simultaneously pleased and disappointed by the realization he needed to leave anyway. "Try not to let anything happen to my darling Skylar—oh, and be sure to take good care of the ship while I'm gone" he said. "Asleep already, huh?" he sweat dropped the second he heard the swordsman snore in response. "Whatever, keep up the good work. Bye, Skylar—take care, my sweet" he lovingly cooed, that familiar lovestruck daze of his now prominent once again as he turned to me.
"Bye, Sanji, be safe" I waved as the blond left before turning my full attention onto the sleeping swordsman whose lap I was seated on. "Geez, if I knew you would be sleeping, I would have taken Robin up on her offer earlier..." I muttered while boredly poking at the man's cheek. I couldn't help but giggle as his face twitched in irritation as each poke became much firmer than the last.
"Quit it..." he eventually grumbled.
"But I'm bored!" I childishly whined, widely smiling as I continued poking him. "Come on, you can't seriously be thinking about sleeping all day, are you?" I playfully huffed as I soon started poking at his other cheek. "The least you could do is keep me—" I yelped as my back was suddenly slammed down against the deck, causing my legs to automatically wrap themselves around the swordsman's waist as he now hovered above me. "Wha..." I blushed, flinching only a little as he slammed his hands down on either side of my head before finally smashing his lips against my own in a rather strong and passionate kiss. I felt my face grow warmer by the minute as my eyes fluttered shut, my breathing slowly picking up the longer he kept his lips attached to mine.
Though a bit confused by where this sudden passion of his was coming from, I couldn't find it in me to complain as I practically melted into the kiss. It wasn't long before I felt his teeth sharply nipping at my lower lip followed by the occasional lapping of his tongue, and just as I had reached up to dig my fingers into his hair...
He pulled away.
It was almost as if nothing had happened the way he sat back.
"Night" and with that, his snores soon filled the air as I was left sprawled out on the deck—face flushed and breathing heavy. There was an odd warmth between my legs as I stayed lying there in a daze for another second or two, clothing now ruffled and crinkled right up.
"Yeah...night...," I mumbled as I slowly stood up on shaky legs, "...I think I'm going to go write a letter..." all I received was a snore in response as I walked away. Although I'm not entirely sure what happened, I couldn't help the stupid grin that now tugged at my lips as I walked toward the girl's room. Despite how sudden and odd it sounded, I wasn't exactly lying when I said I would be writing a letter. It was something I usually did when I had enough free time and what better time to do it than now while everyone else was out and busy. Since we're going to be here for about a week, that should be enough time for me to send it to Sora and Cloud. "I wonder how they're doing?" I softly hummed as I rummaged through my bag in search of the materials I needed.
I soon stopped in my search the second my fingers suddenly brushed against the smooth surface of the small picture frame that I always kept with me—that I always kept safely tucked away in my bag to avoid it accidentally getting broken. The picture encased in the frame was old and dated from years ago—right around the time my brothers and I had shortly arrived at Fair Haven if I recall correctly. It was a picture that had been taken with a camera that wasn't all that great, a fact proven by how faded some parts of the picture were despite how well taken care of it was. Behind me and my brothers, you could just barely see the rundown shack that we had decided to take refuge in. It was abandoned and barely cared for...yet it kept us safe and somewhat warm throughout the years despite how rotten it looked.
I remembered the day this picture, in particular, was taken so clearly.
-Flashback-
"This place looks good enough" Cloud remarked as he stood near the shack's entrance, firmly patting the door frame only to quickly yank his hand back from the harsh wood when he suddenly felt the way it painfully jabbed at the flesh of his hand. Looking back at his young siblings, he silently took note of their reactions to their new home. Sora seemed rather excited...then again, he always looked excited about just everything ever since his mind started repressing everything that happened back home. It was clearly his attempt at moving on and starting a new life—a new life that wasn't full of fear or pain...
Whether that was a good thing or not was up in the air.
Skylar, on the other hand, seemed indifferent as she blankly stared at the rundown shack. She didn't seem to care either way if they slept outside on the forest floor or in another rotten building that could fall on their heads at any point. Why should she care when she knows there's always a chance they'd be forced to move once again—be forced to take off running and leave everything behind just like every other time?
"What do you think?" Cloud asked, sounding almost desperate for a positive response. He was trying so hard to make things right—trying so hard to be the caring adult that they needed so badly. He's the one who had taken them and fled, he's the one who now had to raise them, and to do that he knew they needed shelter. He knew they couldn't just keep sleeping outside, especially since summer was now drawing to an end and it was starting to grow colder and colder every night. It had been pure luck that he had been able to find this run-down shack, a building that had long since been left behind to rot as if its previous owners no longer cared for it.
He was certain that the villagers of this island wouldn't mind if they took refuge inside this building, certain that they probably didn't even know there was a shack this far out in the woods—and even if they did? Then he prayed that they at least be merciful enough to let them have it. It was clear as day based on the hostility the villagers felt toward them the moment they had washed ashore half-starved that they didn't like them. Their rations had run out by that point and they had been on the brink of death when the boat they had stolen finally washed ashore on the island of Fair Haven. He had thought it a miracle that they had found land...
At first, that is.
It quickly became clear to him the moment they were found on the beach by a few children that they were not welcomed. It was clear in the way how the kids had painfully jabbed at their weak bodies as if they were nothing more than corpses while making snide remarks about their appearance—calling them outsiders and walking skeletons that didn't belong. It wasn't until the leader and a few adults showed up that the cruel children took off running...and even then, the only one to show the slightest bit of sympathy to them was the leader who had been kind enough to request that they be taken to the village doctor and tended to despite the cries of protest from the other adults who simply wished to throw the three of them back out to sea.
Dr. Anderson was a kind man, to say the least.
He was one of the few people so far who hadn't looked at him or his siblings with disgust as he did his job and helped nurture them back to health. He wished more people were like the doctor and leader, maybe then they wouldn't have had to take shelter in the surrounding woods after they had been healthy enough to leave the clinic. Maybe then they wouldn't have to find shelter in an abandoned shack that could fall at any moment due to its poor condition.
"This is great! We can make it look like our old place back on the other island!" Sora smiled as he happily clapped his hands, already recalling the previous shack he and his siblings had been living in before they had to flee. "Right, sis?" Skylar silently nodded, smiling only a little as Sora grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. Cloud couldn't help but smile as he gathered what little they had—ready to enter their new home and start cleaning it. "Wait!" the brunet suddenly shouted.
"What is it?" Cloud curiously asked, halting as he turned to face his little brother who was currently rummaging around inside his tattered bag.
"Uh...I might have taken something from that ship we were on before we stole that lifeboat..." Sora sheepishly admitted, pulling out a camera as he recalled the large ship they had snuck aboard a few months ago. That's all their traveling had really been after leaving Zoro's island. It was nothing more than mindlessly sailing around until their rations ran out and they were forced to start sneaking aboard any nearby ships they happened to spot. About a month before arriving at Fair Haven, they had been on a decently large vessel that they were eventually forced to abandon once it became obvious that the crewmen were starting to become aware that they may have had stowaways aboard. "It's not in the best condition and I think they planned on throwing it away, but it might still be able to work for a bit longer" the brunet admitted as he fiddled around with the camera in his hands.
He naturally looked nervous, scared even. No matter how hard his mind tried to repress the things they had been through, his body clearly remembered it all to the point that it was already starting to tense in anticipation as if he thought he was going to be struck and yelled at for his thievery.
"A camera?" Cloud raised an eyebrow as he curiously wandered over to the two and took the camera, closely examining it. "What do you want with a camera?" he frowned, not seeing what was so important about the object in his hand—especially considering how worn down it looked...did it even still work? Sora seemed to think it did.
"I want to take a few pictures, just so we can remember this day—we're always running around and never settling down, I just want some memories that we can keep along the way!" Sora explained, taking his brother and sister by surprise as neither one had ever thought about doing such a thing as keeping mementos. Silently, they exchanged curious glances before gently smiling as they nodded.
"Sure."
-End of Flashback-
I was suddenly startled from my thoughts by the loud sound of crashing and even a few muffled shouts coming from the deck.
"Looks like he's finally awake..." I muttered before frowning as I listened closely to the muffled sounds of what was obviously a fight. "I guess Sanji came back early" I rolled my eyes, already quick to brush off the strange noises as I grabbed what I came for and took a seat. It was too soon for something serious to be happening, we hadn't even been here long enough for me to think there was something truly wrong. "Strange though..." I soon hummed after working for a while on my letter, a thought now crossing my mind as I leaned back into my chair. "Why would Sanji suddenly be back so early?" I pondered.
It was a reasonable question. He hadn't been gone that long...had he? Then again, I wasn't fully aware of how low our rations actually were—for all I knew, he didn't really need to do that much shopping in the first place. Not only that but there was always the chance he could have just forgotten something or just straight up didn't really have anything to do other than come back to the ship. Sanji could be predictable sometimes, but he wasn't always that easy to read.
No one on this ship truly was if I'm being honest. Shaking my head, I chose not to mull over it as I shrugged and returned to my writing. If something was truly wrong and Zoro needed help, I'm sure he would tell me...or maybe not. Knowing him, he'd probably prefer to handle everything on his own seeing how he truly loved his fighting.
A/N: Enjoy.
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