Chapter 9: Sanji's Meeting Of Terror! The World's Scariest Woman!

Sanji

I was dragging a giant lizard to the Going Merry. It was so big, that Mosshead would have to admit that I was superior. It was taking a while, it was so big that I had to pull it between the trees to make any progress. Some of them were so pushed apart that they fell. I was strong enough to do that without any effort.

My thoughts drifted to Diamond Tiara on the walk. While she was unmistakably a beauty, she was also scary in a way. Like if I said the wrong thing, she'd rip my throat out without a second thought. That was one of the many reasons I was attracted to her. I liked a strong woman.

At the same time, she would never be with me. I saw the way she looked at the Miss All Sunday before I got a good look myself, and it was clear that she preferred the company of beauties like herself. I still treat her the same, but I constantly remind myself that it would never lead to anything.

She had her quirks. Like stealing half of the ship's storage to use as her room. I would've given her the whole thing, but Nami wouldn't have liked it. The only reason she was allowed to stay in there was because she distracted our dear navigator by stealing her desk. I was pretty sure she hadn't noticed Diamond Tiara sleeping in the storage room every night.

I made it to the canal. The Going Merry was there in all her might. There was a ramp leaning on it that wasn't there before. I figured it was Usopp or one of the others trying to make it on the ship, they simply forgot to put it away after using it.

I left the lizard and walked up the ramp and onto the deck. "Oh, Nami, Vivi, Diamond Tiara! I'm back," I said. "Where are you?" I could make them a cake, or smoothies, maybe even a-

"One two three, pull," an intruder fell through Diamond Tiara's door. They were breathing heavily.

Inside the room, another intruder was pushing on Sandra, Diamond Tiara's beloved rowboat. She threatened us whenever we got close to it and put it in her room the second she got the chance. Everyone knew how much she loved it. Seeing someone tried to steal it made me extremely pissed off.

I walked towards them. "Hey, intruders!" They saw me, and then immediately tried to run. The guy on the floor jumped off the ship. The other one didn't make it before I grabbed them.

"Ah!" They yelped. They sounded a little strange. I calmed down a little and gave them a closer look. They were a woman. I didn't let go, but I lightly softened my grip.

She was a shorter woman, but she still had quite a bit of muscle on her. She wore overalls with a white shirt. She had long, black hair. Her skin was a light shade of brown. Like most women, she was enchanting.

"Hello, miss," I said. "What brought you here?" I did my usual question out of reflex. She didn't answer, all she did was pull my arm. After she failed, she started kicking my legs. That did nothing. I didn't find it necessary to tell her to stop. Then she tried to bite my hand. "Hey!" I finally remembered that she was an enemy. I moved my hand up, putting it out of her reach. "Not the hands, please, anything but the hands." She stopped moving and looked me in the eye. "Why are you robbing my crew?"

Her face turned to one of fear. I wanted to comfort her, but I forced that thought into the back of my mind. My crew came first. "Uh-I," she said in a stutter.

"Talk." It tore me up to speak so harshly to a lady. I would've given her a feast for the ages instead of this harsh interrogation, but it would've taken too long and someone else could come around and rob us during that time. Why was my life so hard?

"I had no choice! It was that or certain death!" I didn't like the answer. She figured that out herself. "It was the captain's idea! Please don't hurt me!" I felt like crying, of course, I would never hurt a lady. Except I needed to help my crew. I couldn't beat her up, but the captain on the hand.

"Take me to them."

The lady's ship was much larger than my crew's. It had a jolly roger with a crown and a broken skull. It was a couple hundred feet from the Going Merry. A dozen people were rushing around on it. I wondered why I didn't see it earlier.

I recognized the jolly roger. Nami had told me a bit about it. All she told me was that the crew was looking for Diamond Tiara and their captain was a monster who killed a member of their crew. They simply couldn't be trusted.

I was led onto the ship by the lovely lady. All the people on the deck looked at me. They shied away when I tried looking at them. These guys shouldn't be a threat.

I was still holding the girl's wrist. "Would you take me to your captain, now," I asked her.

"Jorge," she called into the crowd of pirates.

"Is he your captain?"

"No, but he's the only one the captain trusts. He has the key to the captain's quarters. Most of us aren't allowed in."

"Why not." I didn't care. I just figured the conversation could calm her down. It was the only way I could do it without going on my knees for her. The urge was strong enough to apologize for ever putting my hands on her. I also spoke rudely, forced her to do things, and didn't offer her food. I felt truly horrible that day.

A small man came to us. "Hello, my name's Jorge," he said meekly. He gave me a small wave. He wore a shabby white shirt, stained yellow, baggy brown pants, and black boots. A compass hung on his pants, his hands were covered in black marks, and he had a pencil on his ear. His eyes had deep bags under them with a look of permanent fear. He had a light scar around his neck.

"Take me to your captain," I yelled at Jorge, stepping towards him. I let go of the girl. I was finally able to put my anger on someone.

"Yes, sir. Follow me." He walked, and I followed. The crowd separated to let us through. We didn't talk on the way, it was a short walk.

The door to the captain's quarters was up a set of stairs in the back of the ship. It was large, made of the same dark-brown wood as the rest of the deck. Jorge unlocked the door with a key.

"Only I have a key, so the captain should know you're not an enemy." He looked at me as he opened the door. "And for the love of god, please don't provoke her. She'll have our heads." He rubbed his neck. "Literally." I walked inside. Jorge closed the door behind me. He didn't follow me in.

The captain's room was large. There was a large curtain in the back. A long desk in front of it with a den den mushi on it. The snail had a rainbow shell and a tiny crown on one eyestalk. The captain was sitting behind the desk, covered in shadow. The rest of the room was empty. I walked in front of the desk.

"Hey," I said firmly. "What makes you think you can steal Diamond Tiara's beloved Sandra?"

"I think I have every right." Wait, the captain sounded a little weird. No, it couldn't be. "After all." The captain pulled a rope, opening the curtain. Light flooded the room, briefly blinding my one eye. "I am her beloved Sandra." The captain was a woman. She had brown eyes, and brown hair under a captain's hat. She had heavy clothing with multiple coats. The one thing I noticed about her was her empty stare they scared me more than they charmed me. It was like she was already dead.

My body tensed. I grit my teeth. I felt sweat on my brow. I wanted to be with Nami. Where were you, Nami? This lady is scary.

"What's wrong," Sandra said in monotone. "Are you intimidated by powerful women?"

"No, I just expected something different." Like someone with feelings. "That doesn't matter. Who are you, and what is your relationship with Diamond Tiara?"

"First off, her name is Dymon D. Ciara. I won't explain why she says her name wrong." I was instantly confused. I tried to ask a question. "We're, let's say, intimate." She cut me off. I let her finish talking. "Our so-called mother says we're sisters, but that was creepy from the beginning. It was purely her fantasy. I came here to find her."

"Then why did you try stealing her boat? Why didn't you go out to meet her?"

"I am very weak. I didn't want to leave the ship to go into the jungle. There are monsters in there." I couldn't tell if she was lying. Her face was unreadable.

"But why steal her boat?"

"My flag doesn't have the best reputation with Ciara. She'll never come onto this ship without me having something she wants."

I had trouble believing the woman. She was doing everything in her power to not meet with Ciara. Almost like it would lead to a bad outcome. If they were as intimate as Sandra said, then there would be no reason for them not to see each other. "If you wanted to see her. Why didn't you wait on her ship? Or just wait right here, our ship is just down the canal."

Sandra's face didn't change. She kept the same empty gaze. "That's an odd question. Why do you ask?"

"I don't believe you're who you say you are. I think you're an imposter. If you wanted to see Ciara, you'd risk everything to reach her. But all you've done was try and trick her into being on this ship. Why would you do that?"

"You're asking too many questions. You should stop." Her face still didn't change. "You might not like what you learn."

I didn't ask another question. I knew they shouldn't be trusted. I had to get rid of these pirates. I took out a cigarette and puffed a smoke. "I want you to leave the island."

"And if we refused?"

"I can't say." I couldn't bring myself to threaten the woman, no matter how much she threatened my crew. I had to do a show of force. I walked to the door and slammed my foot into it. The door broke into splinters. That should be enough to stop a fight. "Do you want to find out?"

Sandra looked at the doorway, then at me, then back again. "I'd rather not." She got up and walked to me. "We'll leave the island. I took enough of your food to feed my crew for a while. But you should know, we'll be back, and you just made the top of my list." Her cold gaze made me shiver.

I backed away, almost falling over the railing outside. Sweat had covered my face. My cigarette had gone out with how wet it got. I took it out and threw it overboard. I hadn't felt so stressed in years.

I almost ran off the ship. I needed to find the crew as soon as possible. They weren't on the ship, they could've been kidnapped, or dead! I needed to save the beauties! And the men, if there was time. I watched the pirates prepare to leave as I rushed into the Jungle.