One Piece 1. Introduction

A/N: Save for the introduction, this story takes place before the world of One Piece as we know it; during the height of Gol D. Roger's reign over the ocean.

On my first One Piece fan-fiction, I'd like to thank everybody who encouraged me to write this fic and to continue writing in general. This one is for you.

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A quiet day out on the ocean; this would be peaceful for some, but it was heaven for the crew of the Going Merry. After saving the war-torn island of Arabasta, this was a much welcome change.

Usopp sat in his usual corner, concocting his newest batch of stars. Nami was in her room, finishing a sketch of Arabasta for future reference in her map of the world. Sanji was busy in the kitchen making deserts and drinks. Chopper sat below deck working on medicines he was sure they would need later. Zoro sat in the crow's nest of the Going Merry enjoying a nap. The Straw Hat Pirates newest crew member, Robin, reclined in a chair enjoying her book. Luffy, as usual, was sitting on his favorite seat looking forward to his next adventure.

Getting bored, Luffy stretched his arms letting out a great yawn. Jumping down from his _special seat_, he walked toward the ships cabin. Without so much as a courtesy knock, Luffy burst through the door.

"NAMI!!" Luffy yelled after slamming the door open. "How long till we get to the next island?!"

Shocked by Luffy's sudden intrusion, Nami spilled her ink well spoiling her draft of Arabasta. Looking back at Luffy, her eyes burned with anger.

"Idiot, how should I know?!" Nami answered back.

"Well, what does the log pose say?"

"It only shows where we have to go, not how long it takes to get there."

"It should. Where do these come from anyway? Who invented them? I want to talk to him and tell him that he should have them say how long it takes till the next island."

"If I knew about that; I would've had one before we entered the Grand Line. Now get out!!"

The others paid no mind to Nami and Luffy's latest spat. Robin, new to the crew, giggled a bit at the childish nature of her new traveling companions. However, Luffy's question about the origin of the log pose stirred something inside her. Closing her book, she took a sip of Sanji's homemade drink. Looking up at the sky; she reminisced on the events she had heard from her mentor, Professor Clover.

Much like her own; it is a story of triumph, tragedy, and great sorrow.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Rhome is pronounced row-me._

**I**

Wide-eyed and silver haired, Rhome Irida smiled as her home of Lougetown beckoned her. With her pouch filled to the brim with research notes, she had what she needed to solve the mystery of the Grand Line; or at least that's what she thought.

'The wind is dying down,' she thought to herself. 'Guess I'll just have to make the rest of the way myself.'

Picking up her makeshift oar, Rhome paddled her raft the rest of the way.

* * *

Arriving at the dock, Rhome tied off her raft just as a sudden revelation came over her. 

'I don't have a need for this raft anymore. Might as well just leave it here for someone else, but what if someone uses it to enter the Grand Line? Wait…I know.'

With some coal and a spare piece of wood she found, Rhome quickly made a sign. The sign stated:

_This raft is not meant for travel on the Grand Line._

"There; that should do it," Rhome stated.

"Rhome; is that you?!" a voice in the distant bellowed. A tall woman, dressed in burlap clothing, much like a sailor's stood in the distance. As she approached; her bright pink hair could be seen tied back in a long braid offsetting her big sea-blue eyes.

"Ah, harbormaster Epi; it's been a long while."

"Don't give me any of that!" Epi bellowed strolling over to Rhome. "It's been over three years since you set out to circle the Red Line."

"I would have been back sooner, but I made a lot of progress on top of Reverse Mountain."

"You stayed on that hellish peak?! It's no place for man or beast, what ever for child?"

"Epi, I'm seventeen now and besides; it was interesting. Did you know that all four blues actually flow up the mountain and one stream flows into the Grand Line itself?"

"C'mon, Rhome; everyone here knows that. It's the one constant story that comes back from there."

"Yes, but…"

"Well speak of the devil."

A battered ship had just entered the harbor. With torn sails, holes in the bulkhead; and more than likely a split keel. This ship sailed right into the dock smashing what was left of the bow to pieces.

"Hey; you there," Epi yelled, "Other people need this dock. Scuttle that dirge somewhere else!!"

Jumping off the ship, her crew looked worse than she did. Ragged clothes covered what remained of their frail bodies. As if death itself had stepped on their graves and rejected them all the same. They walked right past Epi and into town; dragging their feet as if waiting to die.

"Ah, why do I bother," the harbor master muttered.

"Who are they Epi?"

"Sailors, adventurers, treasure hunters, _pirates_; what does it matter? All who attempt that god-forsaken sea come back just the same. No matter how much information they gain from the people here, they still attempt it anyway."

"The mystery of the Grand Line…"

"Yes, that sea can't be navigated. Compasses don't work there and it's pointless to just go floating along trying to find an island. What's worse is running the chance of ending up in that equally god-forsaken Calm Belt. The Navy has some way of navigating it, but they're not letting that little secret go anytime soon."

"Don't worry, Epi."

"What do you mean _don't worry_?"

"I'll fix _all_ that. I have enough research here to solve everything. I'm sure of it."

"Now, don't go doing anything I wouldn't little girl!"

"Little Girl?!"

Epi was taken aback as she noticed that Rhome had all but surpassed her in height.

"Y…yes," Epi stammered. "You're still underage, Rhome. You should feel fortunate that I didn't send the Marines to bring you back here."

"They wouldn't have come anyway," Rhome smiled defiantly. "They fear the Grand Line and the Calm Belt more than the pirates."

"The pirates you say; let me tell you about pirates. You're even more fortunate that one of them didn't sink that raft of yours for the sake of entertainment; _or_ snatch you off of Reverse Mountain itself."

"You should know me better. If I get taken; they'll probably throw me overboard just to shut me up."

For the better part of an hour, Rhome and Epi engaged in a fierce staring contest. As the hour approached, the Den-Den Mushi in the dock house rang continuously. Breaking her gaze, Epi shook her head.

"Whatever am I going to do with you child?" Epi muttered crossing her arms. You have my sister's wanderlust and your father's strength of spirit. There's simply no controlling you. I really wish you would take after that elder brother of yours."

"Not a chance!" Rhome said sticking out her tongue. "He's way too…too…"

"Whatever; I have to handle _this_ mess," Epi hooked a thumb at the now sinking wretch of a ship. "Tell Crocus high for me will you?"

"O…okay."

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Walking through the plaza, Rhome couldn't help to look around. The city itself hadn't changed, but most of the people had. More and more sea voyagers were trying their hands at the Grand Line. 

"_You only get one shot to be first!"_

"_Better to take that shot whenever the opportunity arises."_

The parting words of Rhome's mother and father echoed in her mind. Ten years ago, Soleno and Layla Irida set out for the Grand Line with a group of their best sailors from their own shipping company. They never returned.

Rhome's eyes watered remembering these events. Soon memories came flooding into her mind with reckless abandon. Shaking her head, Rhome cleared her mind of these memories and the tears in her eyes as well.

'Home,' Rhome thought. 'I want to go home.'

Dashing through the streets, Rhome wasted no time. When she finally arrived at her parent's house, a mob of angry pedestrians was in her wake. Fumbling for the key in her pouch, Rhome found it just in time to avoid being pummeled by the various produce.

"I'm home!" Rhome said as if she weren't alone. A few minutes of silence confirmed that her brother was nowhere close. Breathing a sigh of relief, Rhome dragged her feet until she arrived at her room. Dropping her bag beside the bed, Rhome promptly plopped down face-first. Breathing in the familiar air of her room, she turned over looking at the ceiling. Sleep came almost immediately afterward, but her dreams would cause many tears when she woke.


	3. Chapter 2

**II**

_Ten years ago_

With the morning sun's persistent glare, little six-year old Rhome Irida roused herself from bed. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she looked to the window beside her bed. Smiling, Rhome remembered her father was expected to return from his latest shipping voyage today.

Leaping out of bed, Rhome threw on a pair of jeans and a loose fitting shirt. Opening her window, she took a few steps back before taking a running leap from her bedroom window. Leaping from awning to awning, she finally reached the street below. Breaking off into a sprint, Rhome headed for the marketplace alleyway.

Already aware of the young girl's tact, the shop owner's listened intently for the sound of bare feet pounding the pavement in rapid pace. With one glance; the owner of the egg cart gave a loud, shrill whistle down the alley. In fluid motion, the shopkeepers and vendors moved they're wares slightly giving the girl a small corridor to run through. Spotting the line, Rhome sprinted right through the alley. Upon her passing, the residents of the small market put their wares back in order.

"I don't see why we cater to that girl," a produce vendor muttered.

"Oh come on," answered one of the flower girls. "She could do worse."

"How can we not?" the egg cart owner asked. "Those parents of hers have brought more business to Lougetown than anybody before them. Besides; if she doesn't run around us she'll run through us."

The surrounding vendors laughed at this while the produce vendor grunted in frustration.

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Weaving through and over the crowd, she finally spots the dock in the horizon. Leaping to a street post, Rhome bounces off to an awning on the other side of the street. Again, leaping to the low ceiling she ran up a series of ceilings that acted as a staircase to her secret route to the docks. Reaching the highest ceiling, Rhome breathes deep a few times. Partly to regain her breath, partly to work up the nerve; a single pole extended the entire length from the main courtyard to the docks.

Once used as a relay for messages from the high watchtower, it had become Rhome's secret shortcut to the docks after one of her mother's 'fighting sailors' had shown her how to slide along ropes and poles. Rhome had taken this route many times before, but never was able to get used to it. One slip or misstep was all it took to topple to the pavement below.

Taking one last breath she took a few sprinting steps before leaping onto the pole. Gliding down, the exhilaration began as soon as the wind caught in her hair. What would've taken a half hour was finished in a few minutes as Rhome leaped from the pole and onto her parent's office.

"Hi, Mama!" Rhome piped as she poked her head through the rooftop hatch.

"How many times have I told you to come in through the front door?" Layla Irida answered. Her flowing, silver hair braided in cornrows at the side and braided into a small iron ball at the small of her back. Filling out forms and organizing work orders, she shook her head at her daughter's indifference.

"Is papa back yet?" Rhome asked completely ignoring her mother's first question.

"No Rhome; daddy isn't back yet. Have you finished reading those books?"

"Can I see the telescope?"

"Have you finished reading?"

"Yes; Mama," Rhome said, her irritation apparent.

"Then tell me what the Pythagorean Theorem states."

"It states that the length of the large side of a right triangle is the sum of the squared length of the remaining sides."

"Correct, why is that important to a navigator?"

"I…don't know."

Putting down her pen and papers, Layla wheeled around to face her daughter, "It's important because it's essential for understanding Cartesian Coordinates in a three-dimensional system. Without that, a sextant is nothing more than a fancy, expensive toy. Understand?"

"Uh-huh," Rhome nodded half understanding and half lost on the subject.

Seeing this Layla tried hard to suppress a giggle.

"Why don't you become a doctor?" Layla asked returning to her work.

"No!" Rhome stated defiantly. "That's what Crocus wants to do."

"It's a lot less work, Rhome."

"No! I want to be a fighting sailor like you Mama."

"Why not a Navy officer like your daddy used to be?"

"Because daddy said they're all stu—pid."

Unable to suppress her laughter, Layla let loose a loud fit. After a minute, she gave in and tossed Rhome her spare telescope.

"Be careful with it Rhome."

"I will Mama."

Upon first glance, nobody would know that the beautiful, almost serene Layla Irida had once been a fighting sailor taking up with any crew that could afford her fee. It wasn't until she met a gruff former Navy officer, Soleno Irida, during one such voyage did she consider settling down. However, the sea still beckoned convincing them to start an escort and shipping business.

Soleno, having knowledge of all the secret routes, took care of the shipping aspect. Layla, having a knack for keeping unruly men in line, took care of the escort service. With the arm of the World Government extending farther each year, her escort services were needed less and less. It's as if the world kept getting smaller. There seemed to be just one frontier left.

"Mama, Mama; I can see Daddy's ship!"

With that Layla quickly opened a drawer taking out her sextant. Nearly flying up the staircase, Layla reached the roof in seconds. Rhome knew this routine by heart as she was already lying on her belly.

"Where are they Rhome?" Layla asked.

Looking though the small telescope; Rhome pointed to her right, "There, there Mama."

Looking through her sextant, she spotted the faint speck in the distance. Moving the dials here and there, Layla used her spare fingers for certain calculation. Holding her sextant at her side, she looked down at the little girl smiling back at her.

"How long Mama?" Rhome asked.

"I'd say about six hours," Layla answered. "Four, if he can get a good enough headwind. C'mon, we have to get a few things for Daddy's return."

"Okay Mama," Rhome said taking her mother's hand.

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Standing at the dock Layla watched as her husband's ship, the _Rolling Jack_, pulled into port. Soleno Irida had already leaped from his ship onto the pier to secure the ship's line. His gruff exterior and jet black hair made him appear more a pirate than a former Navy officer, but it was all true. After serving half a lifetime in the Navy, he left it after growing tired of the political atmosphere. Now the co-owner of a shipping business, he was free to sail the seas as he saw fit and make more than a few belli doing so. However, the Navy was making it harder to take the secret routes that only a few Navy navigators were aware of. It was time to expand beyond East Blue.

"You know the drill men," Soleno bellowed. "Secure the ship and head home. Next job is in three weeks."

"Roger!" his men yelled in unison salute.

Walking up to Layla, he embraced her in one motion scooping her into his arms. Wrapping her slender arms around her husband's neck, Layla took in his scent after being without for what appeared an eternity.

"Have you told her?" Soleno asked.

Looking up at Soleno; Layla slowly shook her head, "Have _you_ told Crocus?"

"Yes, before I left on this last job. Any idea on when you're going to tell your daughter?" Soleno asked letting her down.

"I don't know," Layla answered turning away.

"It has to be soon Layla, you know this."

"Three weeks, I know."

"Isn't her birthday coming up?"

"Yeah, in a few days she'll be seven. Can you believe it?"

"We'll tell her after the party."

"I hope so."


End file.

One Piece, Drama, Tragedy