Hey, all my faithful readers! Here it is! The next Chapter!*

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters however, Rosalie is my OC.

Here you go! Please enjoy it

Chapter 5

At the hot springs…

Ruby sighed in happiness and hummed as she washed herself clean. She scrubbed her hair and occasionally glanced at Rosalie who was already washing herself off. Her long red hair turning a shade darker as soon as it became wet.

"Your hair is really long, Rosalie. Isn't it a bit uncomfortable like that?" Ruby asked and Rosalie glanced at her. She then looked at her hair and smiled. Ruby was right. Her hair had grown quite a lot and it almost reached her waist where it spiked out.

"I don't really mind. When I first met this crew, my hair grew just passed my collar and it spiked all over the edges. After I joined, I let my hair grow out. I guess I never realized it grew that much," Rosalie replied and Ruby smiled.

"That's kind of cool. I don't really like it when my hair is long," Ruby pointed out and Rosalie glanced at her short wavy hair. "It gets in the way when I work and becomes all greasy and stuff. It's terrible. I like it sweet and short."

"That's true. I haven't really struggled with my hair and when it gets in the way I'll just put it in a ponytail." Rosalie shrugged and stood up, water dripping down her naked figure. Ruby noticed a star shaped scar on her hip as Rosalie walked towards the hot spring.

It was the first time she saw that scar and was immediately curious. Ruby didn't know much about Rosalie and merely knew what the crew gossiped about. She knew that Rosalie was once part of the navy and then became a pirate. The details however, were blurred.

"Ruby, aren't you going to join me?" Rosalie asked and Ruby snapped out of her thoughts. She quickly rinsed herself off and then stood up to join Rosalie in the hot spring. This was her chance! This was her chance to have a bit of female bonding and she was definitely going to use this opportunity.

On the opposite side of the female springs…

Shachi, Penguin and Bepo sighed happily as they sat inside the hot spring. Their cheeks were flushed of the heat and they had towels on their foreheads. It was quite enjoyable to sit in the comforting heat but it wasn't long until Bepo climbed out, the heat overwhelming him.

"Too bad you're a polar bear, Bepo. If I could then I would stay in this heat forever. Everything that once ached just seems to wash away". Penguin sighed out and Shachi grunted in reply. Bepo rolled his eyes and went to dry off.

"I really hope Rosa-chan enjoys this. It was really a great idea on Ruby's part. She seems to understand Rosa-chan's needs a lot more than we do," Shachi stated as he thought about the brunette and how she always seems to know what was needed to do.

"Yeah, she's great, isn't she?" Penguin dreamily murmured aloud and everyone stared at him with blank faces. Penguin blinked a few times before his eyes widened and his flush deepened. He couldn't believe that he said that aloud!

"N-No! I-It's n-not like t-that!"

"Stop freaking out like that, Pen. We know that you guys like each other. It's pretty obvious too." Shachi slung an arm around the male's shoulders and Penguin sighed. So much for trying to stay undercover about his feelings.

"Hey, Pen, this is actually the perfect opportunity," Shachi whispered to him and Penguin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, come on! We're right next to the female's hot springs. This was built for one sole purpose that men dream about. Peeping on the girls."

Everyone's eyes widened and some of the male's cheered, their eyes turning into heart shapes. Penguin wanted to deny Shachi's words but he had to say that he too wanted to spy on the girls. It was a fantasy that males could never outrun.

"Alright everyone. Let's huddle up!" The men made a circle and whispered amongst each other. Bepo sweat dropped and then saw Jambarl hurry into the circle. He shook his head, wrapped a towel around him and exited.

He knew that this wasn't going to end well for them, especially since they were going to peek at Rosalie. It was like they wanted to die at her hands and he had an idea that Rosalie was not going to go lightly on them.

Back to the girls…

"So…Rosalie…Um… It's a nice night, neh?" Ruby immediately regretted the statement she uttered and scolded herself mentally. Well done, Ruby. You really know how to start a conversation, don't you? Why don't you talk about the weather as well? She sarcastically told herself.

"Yeah, it is a nice night," Rosalie replied and Ruby snapped out of her thoughts before she looked at Rosalie. "It's nice weather as well." Rosalie gave Ruby a mocking look and Ruby wanted to cry on that spot.

Did she say that aloud for Rosalie to hear or could she read her thoughts? Either way, it didn't matter. She was terrible when it came to talk to Rosalie and she felt a bit unsure of what exactly to do since she didn't know her very well.

She joined the crew because Law needed someone for the maintenance of his ship and she was the lucky one to be chosen. She believed that it was merely a coincidence but then again, Law was a very unpredictable person.

Since then, it was only Rosalie and her on the ship. They were on the only two girls but somehow Ruby got along perfectly with the guys. Rosalie, however, was another story. She was a mystery on her own and she had a much deeper bond with the crew than what Ruby could ever hope to have.

She was actually quite envious of that bond. Even so, she knew that Rosalie had been traveling much longer with the crew than she did. They had been through hardships, good times, memorable times before she joined. They were a close family.

"You don't have to be so tense around me, Ruby," Rosalie spoke up and Ruby snapped out of her thoughts. "You're always comfortable around the guys but you can be like that with me too, you know?" Ruby paled and didn't expect Rosalie to be so observant.

"Y-Yeah, I-I know… It's just, I guess that I just feel a bit more comfortable with the guys since I grew up with two brothers. I haven't really ever had a friendship or acquaintance with a female, other than my mother, before," Ruby stated and Rosalie gave her a warm smile.

"I guess that makes two of us." Ruby's eyes widened and she looked at Rosalie. "Girls my age were too scared of me to even try to play with me and the boys as well. I've only grown close with my mother." Rosalie pointed out and Ruby gave her a playful smile.

"Well, that's not surprising. Everyone's scared of you," Rosalie chuckled at her words and Ruby's eyes caught sight of the scar she saw previously. "Um… Rosalie, if you don't mind me asking but that scar…" Ruby trailed off and Rosalie glanced at the scar she had just above her hip.

"Oh this? It was a training scar that I received when I was still in the Navy. I was caught off guard by Kizaru and it left me with this nasty scar. I don't mind it though. It reminds me of how I've grown until now, but I'm still a hundred years too early to be on equal with an Admiral," she explained.

"Well, at least we won't have to face any Admiral as long as Law is part of the Warlords. Then again, I don't think it'll last long." Rosalie shrugged and then looked at Ruby who was listening intently to what she was saying.

"Why would you say that?"

Rosalie saw her intense stare and she burst out laughing. She put her hand on Ruby's wet hair and ruffled it gently. "Because, Law would never do something if it didn't benefit him. Also, he hates when people order him around," Rosalie playfully added the last sentence and Ruby snickered.

There was a sudden crack of wood and Rosalie's attention was immediately drawn. Ruby jumped slightly in surprise and she raised an eyebrow. Rosalie pulled Ruby behind her making the brunette yelp softly before she hid behind the rock.

"What is it?"

"We have a few peeping males." Ruby's face contorted into horror and she tried to hide herself away behind the rocks. Rosalie, however, moved silently to the side and picked up a few pebbles next to the hot spring.

"Ah man, now I'm tired! It was really relaxing but I think I should head to bed now. How about you, Ruby?" Rosalie asked as she glanced back at the brunette. She blinked a few times before catching on and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we should head inside. It's getting late as well. I wonder what the boys are up to? They're probably already sleeping soundly since the hot springs don't really interest them," Ruby replied and heard a louder snap that made Rosalie smirk.

"Haki Armament," Rosalie whispered and she chucked the pebbles towards the wooden fence. They heard shouts and yelps followed by a loud crash. Rosalie dusted off her hands and then climbed out of the hot springs.

"That will teach you not to peak, perverts!" Rosalie yelled and heard whining behind the wooden fence. The two girls snickered and Ruby climbed out, grabbing towels for both of them. She handed the towel over to Rosalie and she smiled at her.

"Let's go to bed," Rosalie said and Ruby nodded with a big grin. She was glad that they could finally bond a bit and she felt a lot more comfortable with Rosalie. Ruby still had to learn a lot but it was fine since the whole crew was there for her.

Rosalie sighed happily as she changed into a pair of comfortable clothing and briefly dried her hair with a towel. Ruby was in the bathroom next door still busy with drying her hair completely. Since she had short hair it dried much faster.

Ruby and Rosalie's room was connected on the one side and they shared a bathroom. It was better than Ruby staying with the guys all in a room. A girl needed some privacy and Rosalie didn't mind at all. Ruby was younger than her and felt like a younger sibling.

Rosalie sat down on her bed and her eyes caught sight of the gift box of her mother. She stopped drying her hair and opened the box, pulling out the journal and the wooden container. It was the perfect time to read the journal and look at the dagger.

She pulled the wooden box onto her lap and opened it up. Her blue eyes widened once again at the beauty of the dagger. The dark blade contrasted well with the bright gems that was embedded inside the hilt.

It was breathtaking.

Rosalie pulled out the dagger, feeling the weight immediately in the palm of her hands. How did my mother use this? It's much heavier than it looks. Rosalie noted as she turned the dagger around and trailed her finger over the top side of the blade while being careful not to cut herself.

Rosalie gasped when her vision changed and she felt an excruciating pain in her chest rise up. The dagger slipped away from her grasp and she grabbed her chest as the pain increased. What was going on?

Could it be…? No, I'm sure that Law cured me! There's no way that I could still have poison in my system, could it? Rosalie thought and immediately paled. Sweat slowly cascaded down the side of her face and she gritted her teeth.

Blood. There was a lot of blood.

Rosalie's vision was surrounded by a cold place that resembled a cell but it was covered in blood. There was a body in the corner, wounds deeply cut and blood pouring out. She felt nauseous. What was this? Where was she?

Her eyes then traveled above the dead body and her blue eyes widened in horror. Above the male was a pirate symbol drawn in blood and crossed-out. Rosalie brought a hand up to her mouth as she started to feel sick.

She heard the creak of a metal door before she glanced behind her. There were many bodies, everyone with the crossed-out symbol in blood. Their blood. Rosalie clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see anything else and fear traveling down her spine.

Rosalie slowly peeked her eyes open, hoping that the scenery changed back to the bedroom, however it didn't. This time the body differed as well as the symbol carved and crossed-out above it. It was the symbol of the World Government.

Rosalie felt her body become light and her eyes briefly closed. She felt herself fall onto the ground and she blurredly stared at the ground of the bedroom. She felt terrible. She was nauseous and at the same time she was afraid.

Afraid of the terror of the dagger that lay in front of her on the ground. One thing was for sure, the dagger was cursed. It wasn't any curse though. It was an incredibly strong curse and it held the memories of all who was killed by it.

What did this mean? Was…Was her mother a murderer? No, that couldn't be right. Her mother was this sweet, protective woman who cared deeply. She would never kill anyone or that was what Rosalie thought but doubt was starting to linger in her thoughts.

Who exactly was her mother? Why did she wield this dagger?

"Rosalie, I thought that maybe tomorrow we can go out." Rosalie's eyes widened when Ruby spoke up. "I saw this amazing place to buy tools but I haven't had the chance to do so," Ruby said as she entered the room and glanced at Rosalie who sat on her bed, holding what looked like a journal.

"Oh, yeah. That'll be nice. I have to get my sword sharpened anyway," Rosalie replied, her voice shaking slightly. Ruby grinned widely, not noticing the change of tone, and briefly cheered as Rosalie's thoughts trailed off. She looked at the journal and swallowed thickly.

All her answers were inside.

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