From the Sea, the Crooked One Shall Rise

Chapter One

The Mother sea was a cruel place just as much as it was a welcoming place. All pirates knew this as they set sail on her waters. Pirates respected the sea and her choices. They knew that if she wanted to sink their ships, she would do so. No one dared to mock the sea in fear of her wrath. The sea was powerful because names had power. The sea was powerful because people respected her. Although the sea was unpredictable, pirates still found her to be their home. There was no place they'd rather be than the sea.

Red Haired Shanks had been sailing the seas since he was a baby. First sailing with Gol D Roger and then with his own crew. He had seen many things during his journey as a pirate. Nothing could phase him anymore, or that's what he thought. While the Red Force was sailing the Grand Line, Shanks was sitting on the figurehead, smiling in the breeze when something caught his eye. Shanks frowned when he saw a figure in the water. "There's someone in the water!" Shanks shouted back to his crew. He pointed toward the now sinking person.

Benn Beckman took off his gun holster and plunged into the ice cold sea. He swam toward the figure and dived below the surface, swimming downward, reaching out to grab the back of the person's shirt. He grabbed the person and kicked toward the surface. He gasped for air as he broke through the water and pulled the person close to his chest. He side stroked back to the ship. Beckman grunted as he carried the feminine figure up the ladder and onto the ship.

Shanks and Hongo were right by Beckman's side as he sat back against the railing. The person was small, much, much smaller than a man. The person had long hair and a feminine body. Hongo had begun to check her for wounds and gave her chest compressions. "She's swallowed a lot of sea water," Hongo observed, turning her on her side.

"Will she be okay?" Shanks asked his doctor. The girl had long brown hair and golden skin. She looked to be around five feet tall, maybe a little taller. She wore a white shirt with a black jacket and black pants with sneakers with a white checkmark on them. Around her neck was a necklace with five colored beads.

"I can't tell for sure, but she doesn't have any wounds or head trauma," Hongo checked her over. "She should wake up soon or in a couple days." As he finished speaking, the girl jolted and coughed up water. Her eyes flashed open and she gasped for air, frantically looking around. "Hey, hey, it's okay," Hongo tried to calm the girl. "You're on the Red Force. My name is Hongo, and I'm the doctor of this ship. That's my Captain, Shanks."

The girl sucked in a breath and looked from Hongo to Shanks. "For Fate's sake," she groaned, closing her eyes for a moment. She sat up and rubbed her face. "I'm going to kill him," she mumbled to herself. She blinked and looked at the three pirates sitting around her. "Who are you and where am I?" she asked, distrustfully.

"My name is Shanks. I'm the Captain of the Red Haired Pirates," Shanks introduced himself. "This is my first mate, Benn Beckman and my doctor, Hongo. As Hongo stated, you're on our ship. We are currently in the Grand Line, close to the East Blue." Shanks gave the girl a comforting smile. "What's your name and how did you end up out here in the middle of the open ocean?"

The girl's brows furrowed in deep thought. "I think my name is Callie Wells," the girl introduced herself, staring at Shanks with unease. "I don't quite remember how I got here." She brought a hand to her head, wincing. "It's all a blur." Her eyes widened in fear. She couldn't remember...anything. She could remember blurred faces, vague names, and places. Callie Wells rang firm in her memories. That had to be her name, right?

Shanks frowned and glanced at Hongo. "You don't appear to be injured, Miss Wells. We can bring you to the next island and drop you off." He stood back up and extended his hand to help Callie to her feet.

Callie hesitantly took the arm and got to her feet. She looked around the ship, at the different crew members. She shuddered as she took in the wide open ocean, unsure of why she was so afraid of being on a ship. A quick shake of her head and Callie dipped her head in respect to Shanks. "Thank you for saving me."

"It's no problem. You needed help," Shanks smiled warmly. "Hongo can show you to the sick bay where he can help you get some dry clothes, rest, and I'll have Lucky Roo bring you some food." Callie blinked back a few tears, this show of compassion and kindness unfamiliar to her. She wordlessly nodded, throat tightening up.

"Why?" Callie found herself asking quietly. Her voice was soft and full of emotion, cracking slightly.

Shanks' smile fell. "Why what?" He looked at Callie with concern. Concern he shouldn't have had toward her. She didn't deserve it nor was she used to such concern. Callie avoided his gaze, unsure if she could stomach looking at such a concerned gaze without breaking down.

"Why help me? You don't know me," Callie whispered, choking out the words. She hated how exposed she was, how vulnerable she was being. Something inside told her she wasn't supposed to be vulnerable. Shad had to be strong and alert to survive. What if these people were trying to lower her guard so they could kill her?

The bright, comforting smile returned and Shanks laughed, putting his hand on his chest. "Because you needed help, girl. You're young, full of life. If we didn't help you, you would have drowned and died." He put his hand on her shoulder. "We may be pirates, but we don't turn our back on innocents who can be helped."

'But I'm not innocent...' Callie's eyes widened, jaw gaping slightly. More tears welled in her eyes that she willed not to fall. "I see," she said, tight-jawed. She grit her teeth to keep from showing any more vulnerability. "Thank you," she murmured, looking back down at the wet wood. A cool breeze blew and she fought the urge to shiver.

"Come on, Callie," Hongo ushered her below deck to the sick bay. "We probably don't have any clothes that will fit you that well, but dry clothes will be better than your soaked ones. We don't want you getting sick." Callie numbly nodded and accepted the dry white shirt and black pants. "I'll leave. Just knock on the door when you're done changing," Hongo gave her a comforting smile and left the room.

Alone for the second time that day, Callie swallowed back the sobs in her throat and slowly peeled off the sopping wet clothes. She grimaced when she saw her vine tattoos, seeing the raised skin of her scars hidden by the ink. A flash of lightning filled her mind and she violently flinched. Taking deep breaths, Callie forced her mind to calm down.

The clothes were extremely baggy and didn't fit her that well, but as Hongo said, they were dry clothes. They were warm. Part of her didn't want to knock on the door just yet, liking the solitude where she could gather her thoughts. However, the other part of her feared what would happen if she didn't let Hongo know she was dressed. Would he get mad and get violent? Callie didn't want to find out.

"I'm done," Callie's voice rasped, knuckles tapping on the door just loud enough to be heard. She stepped back from the door and hesitantly sat on the bed, waiting patiently. Hongo came back in with a couple warm blankets.

"Get some rest. I can check you over when you're fully rested," Hongo smiled warmly. He put the blankets on the edge of the bed. "If you need anything, just ask. The crew's quarters are just down the hall to the left. All the way at the end of the hall is the Captain's quarters. The kitchen is to the right. There is a small study and library next to the crew's quarters. We can give you a tour later on." Hongo dipped his head and left the room once more.

Callie looked at the blankets and got to adjusting them. The bed was comfortable for being in a sick bay. The blankets engulfed her and she closed her eyes, allowing sleep to take her in its embrace.