One Piece 1. Chapter 1

The Thousand Sunny was quiet, gently rolling from side to side against calm waves. The night sky twinkled with millions of distant stars and the moon shone like a bright spotlight on the deck. In the distance was a small island, the Straw-hat crew's next destination. Soft snoring could be heard from below deck, where the crew members slept. The captain was currently sprawled across two beds, the doctor was turned upside down and hanging off the edge of his bunk, and the swordsman had somehow ended up face down on the floor, face inches from the chief's foot that was dangling over the side of his bed. The women were curled up serenely in their own room, snoozing the night away. Everything was peaceful.

The doctor's nose twitched.

Chopper startled awake and struggled to sit up, rolling around like a turtle on its back. His hat got twisted around one tiny antler and he couldn't… quite… get… up! Eventually he gave up standing and just scooted away from the bed. Then he rolled like a ball across the wooden floor to where Zoro slept, hands not far from his three swords.

"Zoro!" The doctor's voice was high and filled with sleepy panic. "Zoro, wake up! I smell something!"

The swordsman grunted in response then snuggled closer to Sanji's foot, resting his green head against it with a drowsy, dreamy smile. Chopper stood on trembling hooves and fiddled with his hat until it rested where it should. He gripped the sleeping man and shook him with all his might.

"Zoro! Wake up!"

Zoro shot up, smacking his head against Sanji's leg in the process. Sanji reacted by lashing said leg out and kicking the swordsman across the face. Zoro cursed wildly. He punched the chief hard in the nose and Sanji awoke, nose gushing blood. He sputtered angrily before locking eyes with Zoro.

"What the hell, you idiot moss-head?!" He pinched his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

"You kicked me, you stupid chief!"

"I did not! But I sure as hell will now!" Sanji jumped to his feet while Zoro grabbed his swords and began to unsheathe them one by one. They stared each other down like two alpha wolves.

"Stop it!" Chopper's shrill voice sliced through the tension. "Both of you! I'm serious!" They didn't even glance down at their furry friend.

"I'll kill you for that, stupid chief. I'll chop you up into tiny chief pieces."

Sanji pulled a cigarette out of thin air and lit it dramatically. Through the smoky haze he glared at Zoro. "I'd like to see you try."

Chopper loomed over the two oblivious fighters, now in him man-deer state, and screamed as loud as he dared.

"I said stop it!"

Startled, the two fighters looked up at their doctor until he shrunk back to a cuddly size. There was a moment of silence as they stared at him. He took a deep breath.

"Thank you," he whispered. Luffy immediately snorted awake and sat up, scratching his head before putting on his hat. His eyes were blurry and distant and he smacked his lips absently.

"Sanji, I'm hungry." The captain whined, rocking back and forth on the bed.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll make you some breakfast." Sanji went to head out the door only to have Chopper blocking his path.

"Wait!" He waved his tiny arms desperately. "Wait! I smell something!"

Sanji paused. "What do you mean you 'smell something'? Is something burning?"

"No! There's someone on the ship! I can smell a scent I have never smelled before. It smells like…" He took a deep breath. "Like an animal but not an animal."

"Someone on the ship? Maybe they brought meat!" The captain's mouth began to drool while visions of meat chunks danced in his eyes.

"I doubt it." Sanji took a deep drag of his cigarette. "We should probably go check it out." He passed by Chopper and was followed out the door by the still drooling captain and the one-eyed swordsman. Chopper nervously looked at Uosopp and Franky oblivious in their beds before racing after the three men out into the hall.

They crept along the hall and up a flight of stairs until they reached the door leading to the deck above. Sanji opened the door silently and peered out into the night. His eyes opened wide in shock and he froze, blocking the way of those behind him. Frustrated, Zorro yanked the door from his grasp and opened it wider so he could see out with his good eye. Luffy wedged his way through the space between them and Chopper peaked over the door, body going the wrong way, fully visible to whatever was on the deck.

There were two massive shadows looming over the ship, under the currently cloud-blocked moon. They rose from the ocean and extended into the sky, blocking out stars with their girth. A third, much smaller, much more human looking shadow wandered the deck, nibbling on something that looked suspiciously like some of Luffy's breakfast.

"My meat!" Cried Luffy furiously. Both Zoro and Sanji covered their captain's mouth and watched the shadows.

"This is a beautiful ship." The smaller shadow spoke in a soft female voice between bites of meat. "I mean, look! There is actual grass!" The shadow plopped down on the deck and laid out in the soft grass. "What kind of pirate ship has grass? It's so soft!" Laughter floated over to the hidden men, so joyous and carefree. The shadow rolled around in the grass, giggling and whooping while the two much larger shadows watched from overhead. The shadow stood up and grabbed the mast, spinning around and around all while laughing like a small child.

"So beautiful! So fun!" The shadow stopped. "You think the pirates on this ship are fun?" The question was directed to the two shadows but it received no verbal reply. The small shadow began to walk around the deck again, stopping every once and awhile to look at nothing in particular.

"I bet they're fun. I bet they're nice." The voice paused. "I bet they're all friends." The voice sounded sad now, and unsure, as if it wasn't quite sure what that word meant. "I wonder what it's like, to have friends."

The two shadows cried out sorrowfully.

"Oh! No, no, no! I know you guys are my friends! I just meant…" Another pause. The moon chose this time to peek from behind the cloud, shining light out onto the deck and kicking away the shadows surrounding the figures.

The two massive shadows shimmered bright green and bright blue under the silver moonlight. Their scales shone like stars and their serpent faces gazed down on the person standing on the deck. The sea kings leaned in and rubbed their snouts against the tiny girl before them.

She was short and thin, dressed in black pants and shirt with a matching black cloak draped across her shoulders with the hood pulled up over her head. All the men could see in detail were bright green eyes angled like a cats. She nuzzled the two sea kings affectionately and rested her head against the green ones nose.

"I just meant I wonder what it would be like to have people to call friends. To travel with them all over the world. To laugh and cry together. To find people worth fighting for. That's all." She sighed heavily. "But as long as that man is around I will never have that." She laughed just as heavily. "It's almost silly to wish for it, knowing I can't have it." The two sea kings nuzzled her again before rising back up in the sky. She strolled around the ship, taking everything in.

"But this beautiful ship must definitely have wonderful people on her, pirates or not. They must be such good friends, having adventures and protecting each other…" She paused again. The silence was thick with her longing and jealousy. "It would be a shame if they ended up in the city port. Maybe I should leave a note or something."

The green sea king made some sort of noise deep in his throat.

"To tell them not to go to the city port, silly. That man will either burn their ship down or take it for his own fleet. He doesn't tolerate pirates very well, does he? No. It's best if they dock at the village port. So I'll leave them a note saying to dock on the western side of the island. They might not take my advice but at least I tried." She perused the deck, looking for something to leave a note on.

She paused near the lounge chairs that Robin and Nami had used earlier that day. Robin had left her current book on the table nearby. The stranger picked it up and picked up the pen Nami had used to write the budget. She flipped to the last page and started to write on the back cover. Sanji roared furiously.

Someone dared write on his beautiful Robin's book?! Someone dared!? She will pay for hurting his precious Robin's property and Sanji will deliver the culprit to his love and bask in her beauty as she thanked him with all her heart for saving her book! He rushed out onto the deck, eyes wavering between flames and hearts as images of Robin flashed in his head. Zoro raced after him, yelling at him to stop. Luffy, mouth now free, hurtled onto the deck nest, his battle cry echoing in the night.

"MEAT!"

Chopper trembled at his obvious hiding place behind the door.


	2. Chapter 2

The girl froze, hand raised to finish whatever she was writing. She watched in horror as the three men raced toward her, one surrounded by fire, one cursing some idiot, and another shrieking about meat. Without another hesitation she dropped the pen and scurried for the edge of the ship. But Sanji was gaining fast, his legs fueled by the fire of love. He pumped his arms, nostrils flaring and fire burning even brighter. Mere feet separated them, quickly becoming mere inches. She hauled herself up on the railing of the ship as he reached for her, ready to yank back her hood. With a graceful arch of her back and a powerful spring of her legs, the stranger dove off the ship and into the dark waters below.

Sanji roared as he smacked stomach first into the railing, unable to stop in such a short distance. He leaned over the side, searching for the culprit in the calm waves. All he saw was a small circle of bubbles. Then green scales covered his vision. He watched the scales climb higher and higher into the sky, barely noticing Zoro and Luffy hitting the railing alongside him. His mouth hung open, cigarette dangling from his lips, as the sea king glared at his prey. Peeling back scaly lips, he roared. Spittle splattered across the crew, extinguishing Sanji's cigarette. The wind caused them to rock back on their heels and Luffy had to squeeze his hat on his head to keep it from flying away. The roar went on for a full minute until, finally, the sea king closed his mouth with a snap of teeth, looking rather pleased with himself. Zoro flicked away a string of saliva with a disgusted twist of his wrist.

"What do you think, you stupid chef. You think you can make a meal out of him?"

Sanji lit a new cigarette and took a deep drag.

"A bit small but he'll do for a light snack."

Luffy grinned wickedly, eyes gleaming.

"Breakfast…"

The sea king's eyes widened in what seemed like surprise and worry. Behind him, a blue scaly head bobbed out of the ocean, a small figure sitting, drenched, between his eyes. The green sea king glared at the three men one more time in challenge before turning and joining his brother, who was swimming as quickly as he could toward the western side of the island.

"She's getting away! With my breakfast in her belly!" Luffy squinted his eyes, watching them recede into the distance. "Wake up everybody! We're going after her!"

Sanji took another deep breath. "I couldn't agree with you more. I might not hit women but that doesn't mean she won't pay for harming my loving Robin's property." He looked up as the sun began to break across the eastern horizon, streaking the sky in slightly lighter shades of blue. "But she will most likely still be there when its morning so we can just wait until then."

"My meat!" The captain whimpered, eyes watering and nose running. Sanji patted him on the head before heading toward the kitchen. He might as well make breakfast now. The only way to shut up his childish captain was to get some food into him. Plus, Nami and Robin would be awake soon and he couldn't wait to see their beautiful faces as they sip the morning tea he had prepared especially for them. He left the deck floating on a giant pink heart. Zoro rolled his good eye and left his captain glaring out into the ocean in search for his meat thief. Yawning, he decided to catch a bit more sleep before following his captain on what was sure to be a crazy 'adventure.'

Passing Chopper on the way back down to their room, he hesitated at the trembling doctor's side. The reindeer hadn't moved from his spot clinging to the door in his backwards way of peeking. The swordsman hunkered down and looked, truly looked, at his furry friend. The doctor was frozen, except for massive amounts of random tremors running from the tip of his antlers to the tips of his hooves. His eyes were round and unseeing, staring out into the space where the stranger had once stood. He made no sound, just stood slack-jawed in the doorway.

"Hey, Chopper. Are you ok?" Zorro reached out a callused hand and placed it on Choppers shuddering shoulder.

The doctor shrieked like a little girl. Or a frightened animal. He swung his hooves around in tiny karate moves, trying to fend of attacks while squeezing his eyes shut. Zoro raised his hands in surrender.

"Hey! Chopper! It's me! Zoro!"

It took a few minutes for that to sink in. Chopper stopped with his hooves blocking his face before peeking open one eye.

"Z-Zoro?"

"Yeah. It's me. Haven't seen you that spooked since Luffy tried to eat you a while back."

Chopper fiddled with his hooves, still clearly shaken.

"Sorry, it's just… that girl…" He stuttered nervously. Zoro waited patiently, hands resting casually on his knees. "That girl didn't smell right. She smelt like a human but like an animal too… like a predator. I guess…" More hoof twisting. "I guess my reindeer instincts took over and I just froze."

Zoro smiled slightly before patting the reindeer on the back. "Don't worry. She had two big sea kings with her. You must have smelled those instead. No big deal." Chopper nodded but Zoro was already strolling back to the heart of the ship. He was still nodding when Zoro was completely out of view.

He had agreed with Zoro but he knew better. The sea kings had smelled like every other sea king they had met on their journey. Like salt water and fish, mixed with a little blood and fury. He could have smelt the sea kings from a mile away. But the girl… she had smelled like flowers and spicy food, like some humans do. But she also smelled like sweat and blood and something purely primal, something that had every prey alarm in Chopper's head ringing. It was that added smell that had jolted the tiny doctor awake and that smell that made it hard to move away from the door, in case she was still around and was hunting him.

But he knew his crew was strong so he shrugged it off the best he could. If push came to shove, his friends would protect him so no weird smelling girl should cause him any worry. He nodded his head one more time, with a bit more confidence, before following Zoro back down to their room.

A few hours later the rest of the crew had begun to make themselves known to the day. Chopper was currently hiding out in his office, trying to get his nose off that strange smell. Robin and Nami sat sipping tea in their lounge chairs on deck, Robin staring out into the ocean, Nami reading the morning paper. Sanji danced across the deck, singing to the women about how beautiful and lovely they both were. Uosopp and Franky were hard at work making some other kind of metal contraption that would eventually do untold damage to whoever their enemy was. Brooks was leaning at 45 degrees against the mainmast, trying to cheer up his captain. A captain that was still glaring at the island in the distance as if it had been the thing that had taken part of his breakfast. And far off in the corner, Zoro snoozed a bit longer even after his nap.

"We're going." Said Luffy decisively.

"Going?" Asked Nami over her paper. "Going where?"

Luffy pointed angrily at the island. Nami just rolled her eyes.

"Luffy, of course we're going there. But to restock on supplies. Not to chase after some sea king riding stranger who happened to eat some of your food."' A moment passed filled with Luffy's disgruntled vibes. "But, I guess we should be on our way. No time like the present."

Franky stood, screamed 'SUPER', struck a pose, and began to steer the ship in the direction of the island. After a while, two ports began to take shape; a small wooden port on the western side of the island and a massive stone port on the eastern side of the island. Franky turned the ship toward the stone port.

"No!" Cried Luffy. "Not that way! The meat thief went that way!" He pointed at the smaller wooden port. "So that's where we're going!"

"Luffy, again. We are here to stock up on supplies. And doing so, the bigger port most likely has the best selection. So that's where we should go. So what if she took some of your food? It was just a little bit." Luffy huffed angrily, cheeks filling up until the point of bursting. And, being a rubber man, that was pretty dang far. But Nami didn't back down and Franky didn't change course.

"You know," floated Zoro's voice from the corner, "if that stranger was able to steal some of Luffy's lunch out of Sanji's locked kitchen, I wonder what else she was able to take." He opened his eye and looked at Nami, who was slowly turning white. "Have you checked the budget this morning?"

Nami yanked the wheel from Franky's grasp and whipped the ship toward the western side of the island. "To the wooden port!"

Ten minutes later, the Thousand Sunny bumped lightly against the wooden beams of the small village port. Chopper, still trembling at the thought of that smell, had opted to stay on board with Franky, Uosopp, and Robin while the other crew members began to explore the village, searching for that hooded stranger.

After only taking a few short steps, Luffy's nose began to twitch and his mouth began to water. He had had breakfast not long before but his belly could still feel the empty space where the meat the girl had eaten should have been. It growled grumpily and Luffy took off toward the juicy smell, his crew members struggling to keep up behind him.

He crashed through the double doors of the local tavern, sat down with a fork and a knife, and let his belly do the talking.

"MEAT!" It cried.

A waitress laughed while the others filled the chairs around the circular table. Nami began to place their orders over the sound of eating, talking, and music. The waitress laughed again as Luffy attempted to chomp on Zoro's arm.

"This is a lively bunch!" She smiled warmly. Nami just sighed.

"That's one way to put it." There was a moment of pen scratching paper and Zoro yelling at Luffy to get. OFF. Nami glanced up at the bright-eyed waitress and decided now was as good a time as any to start looking for the stranger who might, but most likely not have, taken some of her money.

"Excuse me?" Nami leaned in and the waitress inched closer, eyebrows raised in question.

"Would you, perhaps, let me see your panties?" Asked Brooks, popping his bony head between the two women. He slunk back seconds later with a large bump on his head from Nami's fist. The waitress blushed but Nami just waved a hand.

"What I wanted to ask was have you seen a girl around here? Small, dressed in black, with a black hood and green eyes? She might be seen with a pair of green and blue sea kings."

The music halted and the room fell into a heavy, deadly silence. Everyone froze. Even Luffy stopped halfway through a chomp on Sanji's leg. The waitress looked from side to side nervously.

"Why… why do you want to know?"

The silence was quickly dispersed with sounds much more frightening: the popping of pistol hammers being pulled back, the sounds of chairs scrapping the floors as their users stood, and even the slight hiss of swords sliding out of scabbards. The Straw-hats watched the other customers and the customers watched them. Nami shrugged casually, though her heart was racing.

"No reason. I was just wondering where I might find her."

The other customers began to inch closer and pistols began to come into view. Nami's palms started sweating but her face remained calm.

"She ain't here," grumbled a gruff voice from behind the counter. The bartender wiped down the counter. "Ain't here and ain't sure where she be. But it ain't here." He glared at the Straw-hats. "But maybe y'all shouldn't be here neither." As if strengthening his point, the other customers advanced closer to the pirates, some pistols and swords in plain sight. Nami raised her hands in surrender but she could feel her crewmates glaring down the enemy, never ones to run from a fight. Tension rose in the air like the tide.

The double doors swung open and a short, thin girl with black hair and bright green eyes stepped into the tavern. Immediately she stopped, shocked at the sight before her.

"Is this a bad time?" Her voice rang out in the silence.

"You!" Cried Luffy, dropping Sanji's leg and jumping on the table, pointing angrily at the girl. Her eyes went even wider, recognizing Luffy in an instant. Wasting no time, she turned on her heel and raced out the door.

"My MEAT!" Luffy roared and plowed through the people towards the door, charging after her.


	3. Chapter 3

She didn't get far before a long, rubbery arm shot out of the doorway and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. Eyes wide, she struggled as the arm recoiled, pulling her back into the open doorway of the tavern. Once her bare feet crossed the threshold, another stretched arm slammed the door in her face, blocking off her escape. Luffy continued to pull the girl backward, scowling deeply at her figure and paying no attention to the massively increased tension around him. He was so focused on his catch that he didn't even blink until a frying pan bashed into his head, sending his head flying to the side. His rubbery neck kept it from leaving his shoulders completely but his hat was not so lucky. It went sailing across the room and landing on a wet table, in a pool of turned over alcohol.

"Let her go, you demon!" The servant-girl from earlier held the pan in trembling hands, pulled back for another swing. She was scared and shocked by his stretchy tendencies, which was clear in her wide eyes and blanched complexion. But her knees were locked and delicate jaw was set. No matter how afraid she was, she would not back down. Luffy had no choice but to release the meat thief or else suffer another massive lump to match the one already forming at his temple. Rubbing the bump with his free hand, he slowly retracted his arm only after shooting Sanji a meaningful glance.

The minute his fingers left her clothing, the girl took off once more to the door, only to find it blocked by the tall, blonde chef quietly smoking a cigarette while leaning casually against the wooden exit. Seeing her escape routes dwindling, the girl turned sharply on the captain.

"What do you want from me?" Her voice was firm but her fingers shook lightly as she crossed her arms over her chest in an air of fake defiance. "If you're with the guards, I am not interested in going with you."

At the mention of the guards, the customers and staff of the tavern, who were all currently staring in fear and wonder at the stretchy captain, immediately began to raise their weapons once again. The barman came around the counter, a massive blunderbuss hanging against his thigh. The servant-girl's hands tightened around the pan's handle, getting a more secure grip.

Luffy said nothing as he reached around the tavern to pluck his hat from the table and wipe it off.

Zoro stared longingly at a bottle of overturned sake, though his hand remained on his swords.

Sanji took a puff of smoke and blew it into the ceiling.

Brooks leaned against the wall, trying to go past 45 degrees without slipping.

Realizing that her crewmates were going to do absolutely nothing to help resolve what had to be a massive misunderstanding, Nami walked between the thief and her captain, hands raised as a sign for peace.

"Please," she said quickly, looking around the room, searching for some sign of calm. "Please, we're not here to fight."

Luffy snorted and Nami promptly punched his swollen bump, making it double in size and making her captain sink to the floor, holding his head.

"Like I said," she huffed impatiently, "we're not here to fight. Not really. And we're not with the guards."

"Then you're bounty hunters," said a voice in the back of the room and the tension seemed to increase tenfold, if that was even possible.

"No! No, we're not that either! I promise we don't want to fight and we don't mean any harm. We just wanted to talk to her." She nodded her head at the girl's direction. "She took something of ours and we just wanted something back. That's all."

"Took something?!" The girl pulled herself up to her unimpressive full height and glared at Nami. "I am no thief!"

"Liar!" Roared Luffy, still cradling his throbbing head. "You took something and I want it back!"

"What did I take?! Nothing, that's what!"

"MY BREAKFAST!" Luffy hollered, his voice echoing off the tavern walls. "You stole my MEAT!" The girl turned a bright red of shame and embarrassment.

Immediately the tension dissipated. Customers chuckled as they put away their weapons and returned to whatever they had been doing. They knew this wasn't the first time the girl had been caught swiping other people's belongings, especially food. No need to get bent out of shape.

The barman returned his gun to underneath the counter before placing a hand on the blushing girl's shoulder and looking at the fuming captain. Realizing that the threat, for the time being, had passed, the rest of the straw hats had returned to the table and were promptly being served. But Luffy remained glaring at the girl, streams of steam shooting out of his flaring nostrils.

"I's told ya so many times. Don't take nothin' that ain't your's. Now ya better get about to apologizin' to this here poor fella and makin' it right."

The girl bowed her head before mumbling an apology. Luffy was quiet for a moment before huffing quickly. She glanced up and saw that he didn't look quite content with just an apology. His cheeks were puffed out irritably but he wasn't fuming anymore. Horris gave her a little nudge.

"Horris, can you cook us up some of you famous wild hog? I think that would be a perfect way to pay back what I took. You can just put it on my tab and I'll pay it off later." Luffy's mouth split into a drooly grin. Horris nodded, obviously pleased, before walking back to the kitchen.

The girl looked at Luffy. "I hope that makes up for some of it. Horris's wild hog is the best ever." But Luffy wasn't listening. He had returned to his place at the table, holding a knife and fork clenched in his fists and watching the kitchen in a daze as cooked meats danced in his eyes. His crew mates laughed at some joke Brooks had made and cheered a few moments later when Horris brought out a huge pile of steaming hot wild pig. Luffy immediately began to suck it up like a vacuum and his friends struggled to find a piece that had gone astray. Feeling out of place, the girl watched them and the other customers laugh, eat, and drink, before deciding to slip out when no one was paying attention. She turned to leave when long fingers wrapped around her arm. With one mighty pull, she found herself sitting between Nami and Zoro, across from Luffy as he stuck two sticks between his nose and lips, stuck out a basket, and struck a pose. His crewmates roared with laughter and she couldn't help but snicker right along.

Eventually, they were laughing and talking as if they had known each other for years. Other customers got pulled in to jokes and soon the whole tavern was just a room of laughing and good cheer. And right in the middle was a short, thin girl bare foot and dressed in all black with slightly tanned skin, long black hair, and green eyes that glittered when she smiled.

Horris chuckled as he wiped down the counter for the fifth time in ten minutes. The servant-girl placed a tray on the counter before smiling up at him.

"She looks happy."

He nodded, still laughing. The maid's smile saddened slightly.

"It's been so long since I've seen her laugh so hard. And actual smile openly." She rested her hand under her chin. "I have the strangest feeling that with those strangers around, I will be seeing it much more often." Horris gave her a 'me too' look before returning to scrubbing the same bit of counter. The maid watched for a moment more before grabbing her tray and slipping back into the fray.

The door to the tavern banged open and a villager sprinted into the now dead silent room. He leaned over, gasping air into his lungs.

"They…" he took deep breathes. "They're coming…." He raised his sweaty face to look at them all. "The guards…. They're coming." He sucked in more air before racing out the door and going to the next building to warn his people.

Horris dropped his ragged and screamed out orders. He grabbed the green eyed girl and shoved her under one of the farthest tables from the center of the room as well as the door. Then he positioned large men around the table, some sitting, some standing, to block the underneath from view. Everyone else was told to scatter evenly and act naturally. Everyone did exactly like they were told, as if something like that was common and was well rehearsed. The straw hats were, obviously, completely lost.

Their waitress came over and begged them to drink and talk normally but keep their heads down. Don't draw too much attention or everyone in the tavern would be in more trouble than could be imagined. Nami, still confused, assured her that her friends would behave then turned to Sanji, batting her eyes to make sure he would help her in keeping their mates' mouths shut.

Harris barely had enough time to return to his spot behind the counter and for a normal, quieter, air of conversation to form when the door opened again and two armed and well-dressed men walked into the tavern.

They were dressed in grey and dark blue, with swords dangling from their sides and a posture that said they were sure they could use them. The younger one seemed jittery, as if he had something to prove to the world. The older one, however, was much more calm and aware of his surroundings. He led the way in, not even glancing around. He had the lightest smile on his slightly aged face.

Stopping midway through the tavern, the older guard smiled wider at Horris, who did not return it. The younger guard stood to the side, on edge and hand grasping his sword handle.

"Horris! My friend! So nice to see you!" He took a deep breath. "Is that wild hog? Mmmm, smells good. I might just have to buy some for lunch."

Horris began steady circles with his rag while the customers continued their acts of casualness, though the tension was rising.

"Julius, I know y'all didn't come here for no cooked pig. So maybe don't go treatin' me like a damned fool and get on with y'alls business, whatever it be." Horris's deep voice rumbled through the tavern. Julius's smile became strained and the younger guard's hand tightened on his sword.

"Watch your mouth, you barbarian. We know she's-"Julius's waved hand cut him off.

"That's enough, Kyo. Quite enough." Julius rubbed a hand over his face and looked at Horris pleadingly. "But he is right, Horris. We got a tip she was here. And if she's not, we know you know where she is." He took a step forward, arms outstretched. "Please, tell us where she is and all this madness will end. He will have what he wants and everyone else can go back to how things used to be. He just wants to talk to her, Horris. That's it. Just talk."

Horris snorted and Kyo's hand flinched under the glares from all the not-so-casual customers.

"Talk? He said that there nonsense last time. When he made her watch her family burn alive. For what?" Horris wiped fast, pressing his hand into the wood until it creaked. "For power? Power he thinks he outta have?" The creaking became a whining. "Imma tell ya now, Julius. That there man ain't got no right to no power. Not her's or nothin' else. He sure as hell shouldn't be no king!" With this, Horris's hand crashed through the counter, leaving a gaping hole. He stared at it for a moment before looking back at Julius.

"She ain't here anyhow. I ain't seen her in weeks. Maybe you outta check the pile of ashes that be her home. She might be hidin' out with the souls of the murdered."

Julius nodded once and turned, though Kyo still looked like he strongly wanted to say something else. Instead he got shoved to the door by his superior and out into the street. Julius stopped at the doorway and spoke without turning around.

"If you do see her, Horris," he said in a voice that clearly said that he believed he was speaking directly to her. "Tell her I am sorry. For everything. For what his majesty did and for my part in it. I wish… I wish she has a chance to be happy, if only for a little while." With that he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Once it clicked, the huge men surrounding the green-eyed girls table peered underneath to check on their stowaway. Immediately they sat up with manly tears in their eyes. The tavern was quiet, with the only sound being soft sobbing coming from underneath a table far in the corner, surrounded by misty eyed men.


	4. Chapter 4

The tavern was quiet for a long time after that. Even though the straw hats had no clue what happened, the pressure in the air told them talking would do no good. Even Luffy sat silently, gnawing on a strip of pork hanging off a lone bone. Horris shook out his rag, sending splinters scattering across the room.

"Tora…" He didn't look over at the table but instead focused on folding his rag. "Tora come on outta there. There ain't nobody here to hurt ya. It'll be okay." His tone resembled someone trying to coax an injured animal out of hiding. The surrounding men backed up a little, revealing a small space under the table. There was a pause before a thin, tan hand gripped the table edge and pulled the rest of the girl into the open.

Tora stood next to the table. Her body was slack and her face was calm. She was staring straight ahead, eyes clear and bright, mouth set into a firm line. The only sign the sobbing from earlier had come from her were thin streaks on her cheeks, river lines cutting through the dust on her face. The servant girl put her tray down on the straw hats table and ran to Tora, arms extended and fingers looking for a comforting hug.

But Tora ducked under her arm and walked silently to the door. This time no one stopped her. She opened the door. Just before she slipped out into the street, Nami could see the slightest of shaking of her hand on the door handle. But the girl was gone before she could say anything.

The tavern exploded. Men all over the room rose in outrage. They hollered to each other, to Horris, demanding that something be done, that something needed to change.

"How dare that man think he can do whatever he wants!" Roared one.

"He has no right! No right!" Screamed another.

"King or no, I have had enough!" At this the room erupted in cheers.

"What are ya gonna do?" Asked Horris calmly, wiping the counter next to the hole. "Start a rebellion?" The cheers went down to mumbles. "I's agree that he shouldn't be no king. That he shouldn't have no power. But what are y'all gonna do?"

"But you.."

Horris looked down at the hole cutting through his counter.

"I know I lost my temper. But ya have to think before ya act. We worked hard to keep them bastards away from her and by gods we'll keep her safe till she's not in danger no more."

"But as long as he's king and she's here, she'll always be in danger! He will never give up!"

"Then we'll protect her forever."

Horris's voice left no room for argument. The once rallied customers either sat down and returned to their drinks, mumbling quietly to each other, or left the tavern all together. The straw hats were completely at a loss. There was so much that was clearly none of their business. They had nothing to contribute, being strangers to this island. But something was pestering Nami. The way Tora's hand shook on the handle, even though she was clearly pushing to remain calm, she couldn't help but feel like she was looking in a mirror, staring at a younger version of herself when she decided to join the fishmen pirates in hopes of saving her family. Something deep in her wouldn't allow Nami to leave well enough alone.

"She looked sad." Luffy sucked on a bone. "Do you think she was sad?"

"Of course she was sad!" Sanji puffed out a cloud of smoke. "I felt my heart break! Young or not, she is still female and she was still crying! It hurt me here!" He pressed a hand to is chest.

"I'm gonna go make her happy. She was nice, even if she took my food. She told funny jokes." Luffy stood up and made for the door. Zoro followed his captain out. He had the strangest urge to go fishing.

Sighing, Nami rubbed her forehead. Of course her idiot captain would just wander out without knowing what is going on on this island. It was probably up to her to figure out exactly what it is that's going on around here.

"Excuse me?" Nami waved over the servant-girl and patted the chair beside her, where Zoro had been sitting. The servant-girl sat down but her face wasn't filled with confusion or curiosity. With so much odd stuff happening clearly any sane person would want an explanation.

"Where should I start?"

Nami patted her arm and took a drink of her tea. "How 'bout from the beginning?"

"When this island was first founded-" Nami held up a hand.

"Maybe not exactly at the very beginning." The servant-girl shook her head.

"This is the only way to do this." She looked apologetic but continued anyway. "When the island was first founded, it was by a group of people escaping tyranny on some other distant island. The leaders were two brothers. When they arrived here, the island was just a massive jungle. The older brother wanted to cut down the jungle and turn the island into a modern kingdom, with a stone castle and paved roads. Of course, he would be king."

"The younger brother wanted to live with nature instead of cutting into it. He wanted just the bare necessities. He felt that the jungle had thrived without their involvement and that they had no right to come into the island and change it. Obviously, they argued before deciding to split the island in half. One side would be the definition of a modern city. The other side would be wild and free. Some went with the younger brother and some went with the older. For years there was peace because there was no need for either side to address each other."

"But…" Nami could feel it coming. The servant-girl nodded.

"But strangers came to the city, pirates searching for treasure. It wasn't just one boat. It was a whole fleet. Their captain was demanding that the king give up his throne and his gold to him. But of course the king refused. So a war broke out, the guards against the pirates. And the guards were losing. Many of them had never actually been in battle and they were fighting against ruthless pirates who had fought their way through the grand line. The kingdom was falling and the life of the king was on the line."

"But of course his younger brother couldn't sit back and let him die." Nami could see where this was going, at least the general direction.

"He couldn't fight either but he wanted to. He wanted to protect his brother with everything he had but he was weak. There was no way for him to fight all those enemies without some kind of miracle. So he prayed to any god that would listen. The story goes that the god of the jungle heard his plea. The god knew that the younger brother had tried to protect his domain and respected the wild. So the god gave him a gift. He gave him the power to protect his brother. The younger brother, filled with the strength of the jungle, ran to the king's rescue. He defeated the pirates single-handedly and kept his brother safe. From then on, whenever the king was in danger, the younger brother would fight for him, protecting him with the power from the god."

"So this brother got some power and the king got to use it. And the king now thinks that that girl has the same power?" The servant nodded.

"The power was supposedly passed down to the first-born child of the younger brother and then passed down to the next first born in line. Down through each generation. And each generation would protect their king, their family. But as time passed, the true connection between king and protector became blurred. Eventually it became more like something expected, like every king would get their own protector. But Tora… Tora is the first ever to refuse to serve the king."

"I don't understand. If she's so powerful, why is she running instead of fighting?"

"The power… the power is complicated. To unlock the god's gift, the protector must pledge to protect the king with everything he or she has. He or she must bow to the king, recognizing that this is the man that the power was designed to protect. Only then will the power completely manifest itself. The younger brother pledged to protect his brother forever and every protector after that had made the same pledge. But Tora refuses to make the pledge. For the first time ever, the protector has decided that our king is not worthy of her protection."

"And I'm going to guess that the king isn't exactly happy." She laughed uncomfortably.

"I would say not. First he tried to bargain with her, promising her jewels and riches. Then he threatened her, saying her family would suffer. But still she refused. Furious, the king forced her to watch as he set her village on fire, killing all her friends and family. But all that did was strengthen her resolve to say no. If he did that during a temper tantrum, what would he do once that kind of power was in his grasp? He would burn down the world."

"So we keep her hidden until the king dies or we do. We refuse to give him what he wants. She deserves so much more than that devil. We just hope that someday her king will arrive. Someone who can make her laugh and protect her as much as she will protect him. I wish that she can find a friend as well as a king."

Meanwhile, at the edge of the town, Luffy stood before a massive jungle where Tora had disappeared into only moments before. The future Pirate King made sure that his hat was secure diving into the foliage.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well this is…" Zoro looked around, his good eye taking in the massive expanse of green and brown. "This is wild." Luffy glanced over his shoulder at his first-mate. "Kinda reminds me of that jungle island. Little Garden. I wonder if there's any big monsters here…" Zoro trailed off before walking past his captain and into the thick undergrowth.

"Zoro! Where are you going?!" Luffy yelled at his retreating back.

Zoro locked eyes with his captain before grinning wickedly. "I'm going to go hunting." With that he disappeared into the jungle, whistling under his breath. Sighing, Luffy flicked a fallen leaf off his shirt before strolling in the opposite direction.

The world was a blending of greens and browns with random splashes of reds, yellows, and blues. Bird calls and monkey screeches echoed down from the trees, trees so wide and so close together with such thick canopies that only the thinnest streams of sunlight dribbled to the jungle floor, sinking everything into a green shadow. But the lack of sunlight didn't seem to shrink the growth of anything. Every inch of available space, be it ground or trunk, was covered in vegetation. Winding vines spun around and around the massive trunks and dangled off branches like snakes. Wide leafed plants spread over the floor while bladed plants filled in the spaces. Flowers bloomed everywhere, a sporadic spread of colors breaking up the hundred shades of green. Wherever an adult plant did not cover, sprouts of new coming plants were staking claim to their own area.

Luffy jumped on top of a fallen giant, a trunk so large that he at first thought it was a hill. It wasn't until his sandals hit the decaying bark and sank in a few inches did he notice the pile of roots at the far end. He didn't know where to start looking. That meat thief who told funny jokes looked so sad when she left, he wanted to find her and make her smile again. Something told him that she didn't smile often enough for his liking. But this jungle was huge. She could be anywhere. And hunting with Zoro sounded like fun. Thinking hard enough that steam floated off his head, he sat down and rubbed his forehead, searching for answers.

The jungle went silent. No bird song, no monkey talk, not even chirping insects. The change was so quick, it seemed like someone flipped a switch. One second the jungle was filled with sound, the next second it was as if Luffy was completely alone. It wasn't until everything was quiet did Luffy notice just how loud it had been. Now the silence was so intense, goose bumps broke out unconsciously across Luffy's skin.

He could feel the pressure of someone, his haki pulling him toward a mass of branches far overhead. He didn't look up but he could feel them looking down at him. He pulled at the sash around his waist but all his focus was upward. Whoever it was began to crawl down silently from branch to branch, creeping along like a predator. Luffy felt their presence move steadily downward until they reached the last branch. There was a moment of frozen tension where neither Luffy nor the presence moved a muscle.

Then Luffy threw his head back so fast his hat slid off and landed on his back. He glared into the cluster of leaves clinging to the branch, pouring his haki at the direction of the pressure, hoping to overpower the stranger. Instead of a foaming figure falling from the canopy like he expected, his eyes connected with wide, slightly slanted green eyes framed by wild black hair and a crown of leaves. They stared at each other for a moment more before the eyes blinked and then they were gone. The leaves rustled lightly and the animal sound started up again. But Luffy took no notice of the ever-increasing noise.

"Wait! Funny meat thief!" He stood up so fast that the drastic shift in weight had the rotting wood creaking beneath him. He bent his knees hoping to jump onto the branches above him. Instead he went crashing through the log. Wood splinters sprinkled the ground around him. Groaning, he pulled back his fist, planning on busting the log into tiny pieces.

"Gum gum…" His hand stretched upward and he squeezed his eyes shut, protecting them from what would surely be a shower of splinters. "Pistol!" He brought his fist down hard but it hit something warm and a bit more solid than a rotten log. He peaked open an eye and looked down at Tora and the rapidly forming bump on the back of her head. She was laying on her stomach, covering the log with her body. But she was hovering over it, not quite making contact, with her legs and arms spread out to each side, keeping her body up.

"Ouch." Her voice shook slightly, a mixture of pain and anger. She tilted her head back to look at Luffy. "Ouch!"

"Sorry!" He flailed his arms in panic. "Sorry!" Clearly, he wasn't sure what to do so after a moment of more flailing arms, he ended up lightly patting Tora on the head. Which only caused her to wince. "Sorry!" More flailing, which led to him losing his balance and tip forward, which led to more arm flailing but for a completely different reason. He continued to pitch forward, the side of the trunk rapidly rising to meet his face. But before he could make contact with the log, a hand on his face pushed against him, not strong enough to set him upright but strong enough to stop his decent.

He peaked through the tan fingers to see a trembling Tora. Now reduced to only one arm to hold up her upper body, her frame shook with the strain to keep herself from touching the log and to keep Luffy from eating bark. All while blinking back tears from the lump on her head. She growled deep in her throat and put all her strength into giving Luffy a startup heave back to an upright position. But that caused her to lose her precarious balance as well. She teetered on the edge of slamming her body into the log for a millisecond. Eventually it became too much and she sank toward the trunk.

But a rubbery arm snaked around her waist and kept her suspended mere centimeters from the wooden surface. Luffy pulled Tora up and placed her delicately on her bare feet on the squishy forest floor. It took him some time to find a suitable place to have her touch down. The first time he just tried to put her down, she held on like a frightened cat, clinging to his arm and telling him "not there, not there!" The same thing happened the second and third time. The fourth time though, when he lowered her down, she said nothing, though her eyes were scanning the ground. Just before her toes brushed dirt, she moved her legs a few inches to the left and allowed Luffy to drop her.

Once she was down she carefully began to move the wood away from Luffy's legs. He had tried again to speed up the process by punching his way out but Tora had simply moved in the way of his fists. She ended up with another bump on her head and a quickly bruising spot on her shoulder. Eventually she moved enough wood to leave a sizable hole for Luffy to step out of, without doing much damage. She watchfully guided him away from the log, making him take slow and careful steps, growling when he made a wrong move and smiling when he stepped correctly. It turned into a kind of game for him and eventually he would make wrong moves just to see what kind of noise she would make. By the time they were a few yards away from the log, he had heard a growl, a hiss, a shriek, a whistle, and some kind of deep hum that a mixture of all four, rolled into one anger filled tune. It made him laugh so loud a flock of brightly colored birds burst from the canopy in surprise, screeching in terror.

Finally they ended up at the base of a giant tree. Tora sat down with a weary sigh on a particularly exposed root. Luffy plopped down across from her. A twig broke under his butt and Tora winced. They sat in silence, meaning they didn't talk but the jungle was filled to the brim with noise. Without Tora stalking in the trees, the other animals felt no threat so they cried and sang to each other, talking about the strange apes making a ruckus on the floor. Luffy stared at her while she looked at anything but him. She watched a small monkey chase a bird from branch to branch above them only to have the monkey get chased by a larger bird, the smaller bird chirping indignantly as it raced behind them. She smiled as she watched the two birds getting chased the other way by a much larger monkey, the small monkey riding on its back and cheering.

"Why did you make me hit you?"

She didn't look down at him, just kept watching the canopy. But her smile faded just a bit.

"Why did you want to hit the log?"

"I was trapped. I had to get free."

"And you had to punch the log to do that?"

Luffy scratched his head before placing his straw hat back on.

"No, I guess I didn't."

She nodded once, as if that was her point all along and continued to look up. Now both birds and both monkeys were being chased by a particularly fat beetle, its pincers snapping at their scurrying tails.

"But why'd you make me hit you?"

She sighed and finally rolled her eyes to his.

"Look over there and tell me what you see." She pointed at the log and he squinted his eyes in concentration.

"I see a log, a really big log, and some mushrooms and some moss."

"Is that it?"

He looked one more time, squeezing his eyes into slits and even pushing his hat upward to see better. Then he crossed his legs and arms before nodding decisively. She smiled.

"Are you sure?" He nodded again, head rocking forward and back in clipped motions while his face remained completely serious. She stood up, brushing dirt off her black shorts and shirt. Her cloak was gone, allowing Luffy, if he looked, to see what was underneath. Her clothing was covered in dirt, holes, and dark stains that, if someone were to notice them against the black fabric, looked suspiciously like dried blood. Her outfit was also clearly becoming two small. The shirt's hem was creeping up her middrift and becoming tight across the chest. Her shorts must have been originally at her knees but were now halfway up her thighs and the waist had been adjusted with extra fabric so that it would fit her growing hips. Not that there was much hips or chest to strain the fabric too much.

She was practically skin and bones, with the smallest layer of muscle between them and absolutely no fat. Her hip bones jutted out and her shoulder blades could be seen under the thin fabric, like shark fins on a black ocean. Her cheeks were slightly caved in but she wasn't quite on the 'starving' list. Definitely on the 'needs a sandwich' list but not near how Sanji was when he was stranded as a boy. Without her proper weight, it would be hard to guess her age. Her body, not being as filled out as it should have been, looked about fourteen but her eyes looked more haunted than anyone even in their late sixties should have been. But Tora had just turned seventeen.

Her slightly sunken in face made her eyes stand out all the more, causing them to look wider and brighter than usual. They were a vivid green, like the leaves when sunlight shines through them. And they were slightly angled, like a feline. She had the potential to have a beautiful face, with a petite nose, clear skin, and a full mouth. Her skin was a deep olive tone. Under the edges of her shirt, the endings of black markings could be seen, creeping down her shoulders, up her neck, and sliding along her stomach to her hips. They flowed like water, swirling and spinning against her skin. Her hair was the same pitch black shade. It hung knotted down her back, reaching well past her waist. It was crudely cut into framing bangs around her face and around her wrist was a black band she usually used to pull it back. She was beautiful, or would be if she were properly fed and cleaned. If she made it to adulthood, she would drive men wild and possibly kill Sanji with a nosebleed. But that was all based on if she made it to adulthood. And so far, she wasn't exactly doing a bang-up job on that.

"Come on." She said, extending a hand out to Luffy. Luffy looked confused for a second before taking it. Tora pulled him toward the long, taking more care where they stepped the closer they got to the log. They stopped beside it and Tora squatted down, pulling Luffy with her. "Look again and tell me what you see."

Luffy examined the log. Thousands of white lines dotted the wood. Brown specks slightly lighter than the bark were mixed in with the lines. Black dots coated the inside, where Luffy had busted through. And every single marking was moving. Luffy jumped back in shock. Tora gripped the front of his shirt, stopping him from moving too far. He pointed a finger at the log, eyes wide in wonder and shock. He looked between the log and her, as she smiled knowingly back up at him.

"What are they?!"

"They're babies." His eyes went even wider and his mouth formed a perfect 'O'. He squatted back down and leaned close, studying the log.

"They don't look like babies." He inspected one speck after the other, expecting to see a drooling baby face swim into focus. But all he saw was a speck.

"They aren't human babies. They are bug babies."

"Bug babies?" He imagined a beetle sucking on a pacifier while wearing a bonet and riding in a stroller, being pushed by two laughing adult beetles. It made him grin. "Nishishishishi."

Tora pointed at the white lines. "These are beetle babies. And these," she pointed at the brown specks, "are spider babies."

"What are those?" Luffy pointed at the black dots covering the inside of the log.

"Those are mushroom babies. They're called spores. They will grow into big mushrooms to help break down this log. This whole area," she spread her hands out and pointed around, "Is covered in babies of all different kinds of plants and insects. All because of this log."

"So," Luffy leaned even closer, staring at an inching white line. "You wouldn't let me destroy the log because the babies need the log? And you made me watch where I was going so the babies around us wouldn't get hurt?"

"Exactly. Most of the jungle, you could beat apart if you wanted to. But there are certain areas where you have to be careful. And this is one of them. See this?" She pointed at the white line Luffy was watching so intensely. "This is the next generation of beetle. The parents of this beetle died so that this little baby and all his brothers and sisters could be born. And they left the babies here on this log knowing that this log would give the babies everything they needed to survive to adulthood. The parents of these babies put their trust in this log. If this log is destroyed, so is the next generation of insects."

Luffy watched the insect for a while longer as it inched its way along the log. Finally he stood with a huff and gingerly walked away from the log. A safe distance away, he began to walk circles around the log, watching the surrounding jungle with determined eyes.

Tora watched him walk, smiling with a curious tilt of her head.

"What are you doing?"

"Guarding the log and all the babies so they grow big and strong."

Tora laughed, a joyous sound she had forgotten she could produce.

"You don't have to guard them. It will take weeks for all of them to grow into adults. You just have to be careful. Most people don't come into the jungle anyway, so as long as you're not throwing around fists the log will most likely be left alone and the babies will grow up just fine."

Luffy stopped and turned to look at her, hands crossed over his chest. He didn't quite look ready to give up his marching.

"I promise, they will be fine." She smiled again and he nodded. She stood and went to meet him, watching where she stepped as she went. "So, why exactly are you here anyway?"

"I came looking for you. I thought you looked sad so I thought I'd make you laugh again." Tora looked surprised. Tears weld up around the corners of her eyes. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't-" She brushed away at the tears that were beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I don't know. It's been a really long time since anyone's been worried about whether or not I laugh. And I guess… I guess it just made me happy." She gave him a watery smile. "Thank you."

More tears fell and her bottom lip began to tremble. She chomped down on it with slightly long canines, trying to force herself to stop. "Thank you." Her shoulders shook and tears splattered the forest floor. Luffy reached out a hand to place on her shoulder but she avoided it, turning and running into the jungle. Luffy raced after her, making sure to be careful for a few steps before he felt the babies were safe and taking off at full speed.

He ran through the trees, following her quickly fading figure. She was quick, leaping over rocks and roots, spinning around trees, and diving under branches. Things she passed with grace had Luffy tripping up and stumbling through. The jungle was getting thicker and darker the farther they ran. They were passing through the center and were nearing the opposite side of the island. Finally, the tree line ahead of them was glowing brightly. Tora's figure was becoming more of a silhouette against sunlight. She reached the edge of the jungle first, disappearing into the light. Luffy followed soon enough, screeching to a halt at a clearing. A clearing that was covered in black soot.

Everything was black. The ground, the trees, even the sky seemed less blue and more grey. Luffy took a step forward and his sandal stirred up a cloud of black. Underneath, where grass should have been, was nothing but dirt. Dirt and ash. The trees surrounding the clearing were dead, black trunks and burnt branches, with not even a remaining crinkled leaf on them. Scattered throughout the clearing was huge piles of ashes, with strange things sticking out. Walking farther in, Luffy could see that they were frames of huts, burned down to stubs so they stuck out of the ground like bony fingers. He walked down what might have been a street, either side of him lined with stubby ash piles. He looked around, searching for anything other than the hut frames that showed a sign of life.

There was nothing. No animals, no plant growth, no sign of human inhabitance. Just black ash on top of black ash. The whole clearing had been burned to the ground and abandoned.

He continued to walk until he saw what looked like more ash except it was moving. It was right at the end of the clearing, before trees sprang up again, creating a thin line between the clearing and the ocean. Tora was sitting in the pile of ash, her black hair and outfit blending in almost perfectly. She was in front of a line of what looked like more hut stubs but when Luffy walked closer he saw they were grave markers created out of charred wood.

She had her head in her hands, shoulders shaking as she sobbed quietly. Luffy didn't say a word when he sat down. He just crossed his legs, put his hands on his knees, removed his hat, and hung his head. Tora felt him sit but she didn't look up. She expected him to say something but it was silent. Finally she peeked at him, eyes puffy from crying. His eyes were closed as if he were praying and he stayed perfectly still, not moving a muscle. It was a peaceful silence that rolled over her and she knew he was respecting her need to not explain. So she put her head back in her hands, not crying anymore, but just accepting the silence.

They stayed like that for a long time until Tora raised her head and looked at the sky. Luffy opened his eyes a moment later and looked up with her.

"What is this place?" Luffy whispered to her, feeling the wind blow through the dead trees and ruffling his black hair, as well as a cloud of black ash. When the cloud dissipated, Tora blinked back more tears.

"My home."

Luffy opened his mouth to say something but voices rang through the clearing.

"I'm telling you, General, she wouldn't be stupid enough to come back to this pit. There's nowhere to hide. I'm positive she's back at that hillbilly's tavern so we should go back and-"

"And what? Tear down the place? If you haven't noticed, the people are already on edge. Doing something like that on a soldier's hunch without evidence isn't exactly going to help the situation. Especially if you turn out to be wrong. No, we will search the clearing and the surrounding jungle."

More grumblings followed but there was no room for argument. Tora shot to her feet, searching for somewhere to go. The voices were too close. She could make a run for the tree line but they would see her go. Then they would just search the jungle. And the trees didn't provide good coverage, not without their leaves. It was stupid to come here. After all this running, she was going to get caught where it all began. How poetic.

Luffy jumped to his feet with her and watched her panicked expression as she looked around. He could feel the men's presence moving closer. If they weren't already in the clearing, they would be soon. Tora looked at him and tried to explain.

"Guards. I need to-" Luffy covered her mouth. It was too late. He could feel them. They were in the clearing now and were heading this way. He plucked up his hat, grabbed her arm, and they made a break for it toward the right side of the clearing. They were almost to the trees when the two men came into view. There was a cry and Luffy looked back just once to see the two men racing after them and closing in fast.


End file.
