Queen of the Pirates

Flashback: A Great Fire

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The next couple of months go by fairly similarly to the last couple. The only difference is I don't head into Dadan's home for a little more breakfast, which does make me sad. I'm sure I could walk in there and she'd still give me something to eat, but it makes me feel weird since I don't have any reason to be there since the boys are out on their own. Since there's no longer a safe place for me to wait on the boys before we head out to train, we had to come up with a new plan for when I come every day. Each day a different boy meets me at the same spot to lead me up to the treehouse, and when it's time for me to head home, they'll all walk me back down to the same place. I've gotten to know Ace and Sabo a lot better thanks to those walks.

Other than that, the boys still do their one hundred fights a day (which Luffy still always losses all his), we all still race against each other (where I am still the winner every time), and they still hunt for their meat (supplemented with other foods thanks to foodstuffs I bring them every couple of days). I spend one night every week with the boys in their treehouse, which is slowly becoming a cozy place with all the decorating I'm helping with. It makes the dream of becoming a pirate one day burn even brighter within me.

Everything is perfect, but I should know better than anyone that it never stays that way for long. There's always something that comes along to mess up a good thing.

"Give Sabo back!" Luffy bellows! "Bluejam!"

I feel big tears roll down my cheeks as I take in the horrible scene before me. Sabo is being held by the disgusting Captain Bluejam with little chance to be able to wiggle free. Even if he was to get free, it would be near impossible for all of us all to escape. Luffy and Ace have been beaten in order to snatch Sabo away from us, and they are struggling to stand at the moment. I didn't go unscathed either, as I was pushed around between pirates, falling and scrapping my arms and legs. My right ankle also doesn't feel right either, so I know I won't be able to run as fast. We're stuck, and I don't think Sabo is going to be coming back to the treehouse with us. All we wanted was to grab some more items to help the treehouse feel even homelier.

Bluejam chuckles at our misfortune.

"Give him back!?" Sabo's father snaps as he points down at us. He's an ugly man inside and out. His long black hair is slicked back, beady little eyes glaring at us like we're nothing but bugs beneath his feet that need squashed, and a horrible thin black mustache. He's wearing a top hat like his son with feathers, a flower, and a silver-lined band around the bottom, a dark blue suit with a flower on each lapel and feathers on just the left side, a light blue ascot beneath his suit jacket, and abnormally clean black dress shoes. "Sabo is my son! We parents gave life to our children! It's their duty to do whatever we tell them to! How dare you incite him to leave home!?"

"That's not true!" I scream, feeling such hatred bubbling up for this man I barely know that I can't keep my thoughts in. "We're kids, not property! We have our own wants and dreams! We're not slaves that you can just command because you want to!"

I see the pipe coming down on me, but it never makes contact as both Luffy and Ace use a burst of energy to block the blow with their arms. They should have let me get hit. I'd have learned my lesson of raising my voice against a noble, or an adult in general, but they don't let that lesson be taught. Next time I might not be as lucky, but I won't hold back my opinions.

"Don't you dare think of laying another hand on her!" Ace spits. "Are you after my money, you trash!?"

"What!?" Lord Ugly exclaims.