Troubles of a Thalassophobic Fox (One Piece)

Chapter 2

"Aki! Refill!"

"Y-yes."

"Aki! Give this to that table!"

"On it."

A young woman, Kitsune Akemi, was running back an forth between the tables in her adoptive parents bar. A fox tail trailed behind her as she ran.

"Aki! Where's the food that I ordered?"

"S-sorry. It's going to take a little longer."

It was busy. Slightly busier then it normally was. Akemi's coworkers, Haruki and Shiori, were next to the bar, Shiori putting his jacket behind the bar while Haruki was just doing nothing. She did get along with Haruki but there were times she just wanted to scream at him as he tended not to do very well with his work, often messing up, but of course she never really had the courage to do so.

Haruki and Shiori were brothers that lived across the street. They looked alike, both having brown hair and blue eyes, although Shiori was more feminine and was often mistaken for a woman. It didn't help that Shiori could also be a name for a girl. Shiori also had a more gentle personality while Hiruka was... Hiruka.

Aki squeaked when someone tapped her shoulder, Shiori, "Hey, Aki. We can handle the rest from here, go and take your break."

She nodded, "Ok. Good luck." The only people she didn't stutter around was the siblings and her parents as she was used to them.

She went to go and take her place at the bar. After time Aki had become used to the loudness of the bar and it became more bareable. She learned to shut everything out unless someone was talking to her, but there was one thing she would listen out for. News of pirates.

It would have been not long ago that her friend would have left to become the pirate king. Aki would keep an ear out for any news on him. It wouldn't be hard to, he tended to make a lot of noise.

Her mother, who was working behind the bar, stood near her, "Akemi, can you deliver something to your father for me?"

One of Aki's ears twitched, "Ok."

Although her parents owned a local bar, her father was also a blacksmith, one of the only blacksmiths on the small island. So they also owned the only store that dealt with weapons.

Aki was regularly sent to deliver lunch to her father as he often forgot to get food or even eat. At the same time she would help out around the store and picked up a few things on blacksmithing, only the small things on how to sharpen swords and make small blades. Aki wasn't allowed to handle large weapons like maces and battle axes yet, she was only just allowed to handle long swords and Katana. She prefered making handles and hilts as she liked carving the details. A lot of people commented on how someone like Aki shouldn't be near a forge. Her father soon shut them up when he said she made the dagger they had been holding.

Her mother, Suzu, whom ironically wore a bell around her neck, passed over the wrapped lunch to Aki. She walked out the door and instantly headed for the blacksmiths which was nearly on the dock.

Having the blacksmiths on the dock meant that if any pirates or navymen arrived they wouldn't have to look far to get their weapons fixed.

Youto looked up from the counter as soon as Aki stepped in, "Ah, what did Suzu pack for me today?"

Aki passed over the pakage, "You should start bringing it yourself..."

Youto grinned, "Then my darling daughter wouldn't bring it for me! Oh, that reminds me," he reached under the counter and brought out a handle for a dagger, "I fixed the handle. I don't know how you managed to break it like that..."

Aki took the handle and looked it over, there was no sign of damage and it looked exactly like it did the day she made it. It was from the first dagger she made and the decoration was the most simple but it was one of Aki's prized possesions.

"Hiruka wanted to try throwing daggers and managed to get a hold of mine. He threw in wrong and it hit a rock." Aki sighed, "I was thinking of making him some."

"You better get started then, we just got some more iron in. Use it as a brib to get him to do more work." Youto said as Aki headed into the back, "Can you finish the last order before you start though? I've already made the others, there's only one left and another to sharpen."

"Sure."

Aki stood infront of the round stone that would be used to wear down the metal so it became sharper quicker then it did with just a normal whetstone. She picked up the sword that lay next to it and got the stone to start spinning.

After a while of holding the blade of the sword to the stone and flipping it over a few times, sparks flying everywhere, she put the blade in the sheath that had been made for it.

Aki gave the sword to Youto and he gave her the details for the last weapon, a simple short sword.

She instantly set to work, placing a long-ish piece of iron in the forge until it was glowing, taking it out and hitting it with a hammer until it cooled too much. Aki repeated this until it was the shape she needed it to be. She then held it to the stone the same way she did with the previous blade.

AN: Well, second chapter, would've done it longer but it may be the only chance I get to update anything for a while.