Ever wonder where Oceana came from? Well soon you'll know all about her and how she came to be in my mind. THIS is "Midnighting" (now mind you I have not touched chapter one since freshman year of highschool. Enjoy)
Nighttime. Dark, cool and calm. Waves rocked the galleon as a mother would rock her baby to sleep. Creaks and groans of the ship sang its lullaby to the people aboard. Soft, white light of the moon, cast light and shadow on the Ethereal. It was a sight that would make any sailor weep, the ship truly lived up to its name. Beautifully crafted and large enough to house one hundred crewmen, it was eerily quiet. No living soul was on deck, save three people. Nova Erikson, the hulking first mate and Phinneas Edwards stood on either side of their captain. The sight was somewhat odd.
Nova looked he could be a giant with his broad, 10 foot 2 frame. Phinneas wasn't quite as tall, but by normal standards he was quite tall himself, standing 6 foot 9. Then, there was Captain Skye, a petite woman that stood 5 foot 1 and looked as if the wind could pick her up and carry her away. Some people questioned the order of their authority, but it would become clear later why things were the way they are. The trio stood on the bridge of the ship and talked softly as they scanned the horizon, searching for something.
"Captain, are you sure it will work?" Nova asked in a deep whisper. His small black eyes searched his captain's face for any hint of doubt or concern. None was to be found, her lips were curled into a confident smirk.
"Nova, I am more than sure it will work." she said softly, "They're too trusting for their own good." Phinneas chuckled darkly to himself.
"What a rookie trait." he said, "Wonder how long it'll take them to realize no one can be trusted?"
The ship fell silent once more. Captain Skye's face became serious and stoic. It was a sad, but true philosophy. She lived by this philosophy religiously too. Piracy was a tough trade she was born into. Many a lesson she had learned the hard way. Despite her looks, she was one tough cookie. The white-blonde hair, sea-green eyes and angelic face were enough to fool anyone though. Heaving a deep sigh and smiling, she descended down the stairs to the deck.
"Gentlemen, we have found what we were searching for. Now if you'll excuse me, I will retire for the night." she said giving her first and second mates a glance. Nodding their acknowledgments, Captain Skye smiled wearily and disappeared into her quarters. Stripping off her day-clothes, she slid into her silky aquamarine nightdress. Femininity usually wasn't something that people thought of when they saw Captain Skye, but when she was alone, she didn't mind showing it off a little. There was no real purpose behind it, it just made her feel better about herself as a woman. It wasn't that she didn't have a nice figure, it was just that being in a world of men, she had to show a little more masculinity to her peers.
Now that she was in comfortable sleep wear, she crawled under the covers of her bed and shut her eyes slowly. Mid-yawn, she flipped over onto her stomach and shoved her hand under the pillow. Fingering the dagger between the mattress and the pillow, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't even trust her own men at night. Laughing quietly at the ridiculousness of the situation, she steadied her breathing and drifted off into a restless sleep.
The setting was dark. No sign of hope or happiness existed on the unfamiliar ship. With an atmosphere so thick, she could scarcely breath. White satin draped over her body, billowed in the wind, giving her an angelic look. It was a strange out of body experience. Her body was right in front of her, looking extremely distressed, yet she was only a few feet away. It was like she was a ghost. Menacing laughter rang throughout the ship, making her shiver. Feelings of absolute dread and horror overwhelmed her. Turning towards the source of the laughter, she saw two figures.
One was a dark figure of a tall, muscular man. Obscured by shadows, it was impossible to determine his face. The other was not quite as tall, but he was just as muscular. Blood began to pool around the feet of the smaller shadow. Dropping to his knees, the man's breathing was labored and forced. He was suffering great pain. Dark laughter came from the large shadowed man once more as he brandished his cutlass. Save him. Those were the first words to enter her head. Skye watched in horror as her other-self in the white dress threw herself between the two shadowy figures.
Red blood began working it's way through the fabric of the dress, dying it incarnadine. Tears blurred her vision as she watched herself collapse to her knees. An anguished cry filled the air as the man dashed forward and took her in his arms. Fading fast, she tried to get a good look at the man's face before-
BOOM! Cannon fire and gunshots echoed throughout the ship. Skye jolted awake and took a moment to figure out what was what. Her men were firing on someone. Throwing her covers off of her, she jumped out of bed and stormed towards the door. It was too early for this! The crew was definitely getting a piece of her mind today. Fiddling with the lock, Skye forced the door open and stormed out on deck. All @#!*% had broken loose it seemed. Nearly all of the crew was fighting a small ragtag crew that Skye immediately knew to be Straw hat Luffy's crew. That same grinning face she'd seen on the wanted posters looked like he was rather enjoying himself as his outstretched leg swept several of her men off their feet. Knitting her brows together, fists clenched she inhaled sharply to let out a loud yell.
"What in the blue blazes is going on here!" she shouted in a loud, forceful voice. Despite her short, petite build, she could really be loud. Swords and pistols clattered to the deck immediately. Each and every one of her crew members had turned to her and bowed slightly.
"Gomen nasai senchou-sama!" they shouted in unison. Snapping her head towards Phinneas and Nova she scowled. Nova gave a panicked look and pointed towards Phinneas in a discreet manner. So childlike.
"Phinneas, you'd better have a @#!*% good excuse for waking me up." she growled. None would deny the fact she looked like an absolute madwoman right now. Wind whipped her hair around her face and it wasn't often you saw a pirate captain in a revealing, silk nightie. Phinneas stared openmouthed and stammered like an idiot.
"HEY!" Luffy shouted, "Ne, who are you?" Skye slowly turned her head towards the Mugiwara crew and raised a brow. Motley crew, that was the first thing that came to mind when she saw them. Being a little bit more personable, Skye gave a soft smile and placed a hand on her chest.
"I am Captain Ana Skye Edwards at your service." she said graciously, "Welcome aboard the Ethereal." Some of the small crew gave her skeptical looks. Luffy grinned and laughed boisterously. Ana could barely believe he was a supernova. He looked so boyish, carefree and a little aloof.
"Thanks Ana-nee san! I'm Luffy!" he said. Nee-san? So informal.
"Some welcome." Nami muttered.
"Hey!" Hani yelled defensively, "You guys started it!" Hani was the youngest member of the Yoruyonaka crew. Standing 5' 7" he was tall for 14. He was lanky, slim and acted nothing like his age. Shaggy black hair hung in his eyes, making his face look even paler than he really was.
"Mr. Gruger it doesn't matter who started-" Hani cut her off,
"But captain! He said-" Hani suddenly shut-up. Ana raised a brow and gave him a critical look. This look could get any one of her men to silence themselves quickly.
"Don't whine at me like that Hani." she said, "You're not a child and I'm not your mother." Hani let his head hang.
"Yes'm" he said softly.
"And Hani? Tuck in your shirt, you look like a little ragamuffin." Ana said with a bit of a grin. Hastily, Hani frantically shoved his shirt into his waistband as the others laughed. It was horrible the way she teased him like that, but the boy needed to man-up. Turning her attention to the Mugiwara crew once more, Ana descended the stairs to meet them.
"I'm frightfully sorry for whatever reason my men decided to fire on you. How can I make it up to you?"
"Panties!"
"FOOD!" was Luffy's cry that drowned out the skeleton's request. Blinking, Ana smiled.
"Alright, Mr. McIntyre! I want you and your kitchen staff to prepare a gourmet breakfast for the Mugiwaras. They're our guests today and we'll treat them with utmost respect,right?" Ana said, looking expectantly at her crew. Shouting in agreeance, the crew dispersed to do their daily business. Order was a must for Ana and her ship and her men carried out their duties well. Admiring her ship and orderly crew, she turned towards the Mugiwara again. Luffy was jumping up and down merely from the mention of food. What an excitable character, Ana mused to herself.
"Well, well, what luck. One of the most talked about pirate crews is now gracing my ship with their prescence." Ana said, laying it on really thick. Sanji leaped forward and took her hand in his. With big hearts in his eyes he swooned.
"But you grace the ship more than anything else Ana-chwan!" he said like the love struck fool he was. Pasting on a fake grin, she chuckled nervously and pulled her hand out of his grip. She should've known something like that was coming. Rubbing her hand as if some unwanted substance had just touched it, she looked over the crew and paused at the skeleton.
"Hmmn... I don't recall hearing anything about a skeleton, who might you be?"
The skeleton removed his top hat and bowed low like a true gentleman, "I am Dead Bones Brooke, the ship's musician. Would it be alright if I sneaked a peek at your panties?" Ana felt her spine freeze. Did he just say what I thought he said? Nami punched him in the head, shaking her head disgustedly.
"Don't mind him Skye-san. That's just how he is." Robin said with a smile. Nodding a little warily, Ana tugged at the hem of her nightdress, just to make sure it was covering her enough.
"Well, feel free to explore a bit before breakfast. I'm off to go get into some decent clothes."
No one could've thought that nine extra people at the breakfast table could make such a difference, but breakfast was noisier, messier and food disappeared much quicker. Several of the Yoruyonaka men realized they'd have to guard their breakfast with their life very quickly. Luffy snatched food left and right from some of the more defenseless of the crew, amongst them was Hani. Soon the men all cleared out, leaving Ana with the Mugiwara crew. Her expression then became very dark. Noticing something was up, Chopper's ears twitched as he @#!*% his head to the side, giving Ana a confused look.
"What is it Ana-san?" he asked. Now that the dishes had been cleared out along with the crew, she propped her feet up on the table and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Letting a long sigh escape her lips, she looked down at her hands, crossed neatly on her lap. She was very hesitant to speak.
"I fear-" she paused, "My time is coming to an end." Her voice was low, dark and hushed as she spoke. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very tense. All eyes were on Ana now as she spoke.
"What do you mean?" Nami asked, giving her a scrutinizing glare. Ana gave a grim chuckle. She didnÕt expect them to believe her.
"I've been hearing rumors of an upcoming mutiny against me." Ana said, steepling her fingers, resting the heels of her hand on her chest. It looked as if she were already contemplating her death. "If that's true, then I'm in trouble. Especially if they are planning it for the day the Yoruyonaka fleet meets. All five of my ships will be there, as will my younger brother. They will most likely hold him hostage so I will be powerless against them." Ussop, Brooke and Chopper looked absolutely horrified. They seemed very easily shaken. The others werenÕt really that shocked at all. Zoro raised a brow and shrugged.
"Why don't you just maroon the man organizing the mutiny or something?" he asked lazily. Frowning at the swordsman, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. If only it really were that simple.
"Roronoa-san, not only do I; A: not know who is planning the mutiny, but; B: that would only make the situation much worse. Hypothetically, if I were to kill Luffy, what would you do?" she said in a very annoyed voice.
"I'd get even." he admitted. Jolting at the sound of the door creaking open, Ana whirled around to see Nova ducking through the doorway. Nova looked a little stunned as Chopper and Ussop screamed upon his arrival. Clearing his throat, he motioned for Ana to come on deck.
"Captain-" he said in a low rumble, "It's him. He's back." Groaning, Ana stood up quickly and nearly knocked over her chair. Marching to the deck railing, she glared at a ship only a few meters away. It wasn't as big or grand as the Ethereal, or the Thousand Sunny for that matter either. A stocky, older man, stood on the railing of his ship with his arms folded over his chest. Sticking up in every direction, his crazy, orange hair swayed in the wind, making him look a little strange. A red, orange and yellow striped scarf followed the direction of his hair. His appearance was a little flamboyant and foppish. He didn't look like he could be taken seriously at all. Frowning, he called out to Ana and she copied his stance on the railing of her ship.
"Well, well, Jack Rackham, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Ana asked, her voice dripping with venomous sarcasm. Veins bulging in Jack's temples, his face turned red and his scowl turned into a look of rage.
"You double-crossed me Skye!" he shouted angrily, shaking his fist over his head. Throughout just that one sentence, his voice cracked several times. Several of the Yoruyonaka pirates snickered at Captain Rackham's expense. Ana gave him a weird look and snorted.
"What ever are you babbling about dear Jack?" she asked in an almost mocking tone. No one really knew if she was mocking him though. The inflections in her tone of voice were very hard to read. In fact, she was just a hard woman to read in general. That bothered a certain green-haired swordsman. Zoro had his suspicions that she was not a person to be trusted, and after Rackham's accusation, he was pretty sure she couldn't be trusted at all.
"I'm talking about this treasure map you gave me!" he shouted, pulling out a rolled, up piece of paper, grasping it tightly in his fist, "There wasn't even an island there!" All of the Yoruyonaka pirates just about lost it. Hani fell out of the rigging as he was laughing so hard. Even Luffy was laughing and he didn't even have a clue as to why it was so funny.
"Jack Rackham will not be made a fool by anyone! Especially you Skye!" he screamed, jumping down from the railing and lighting a cannon aimed straight at Ana. Not a single one of her men even flinched as she disappeared in an explosion of smoke. On the other hand, the mugiwara crew was hysterical.
"Oh my gosh!" Chopper shrieked, "He blew her up! Someone call a doctor!" There were a couple chuckles from Nova and others as the smoke cleared.
"Honestly Jack," Said Ana's voice as the smoke disappeared, "you never learn do you? You'll have to try much harder to destroy me." Jaws hit the floor. After being hit by a cannonball, she didn't have a single scratch on her. Well, she was a little bit charred from the explosion and she was hiding her right fist in her sleeve. Motioning to Nova with her left hand, he handed her a cannonball. Holding it up like a baseball, she tossed it up and caught it a couple times, before hurling it at Rackham's ship at blinding speeds. Splintering, in all different directions, his ship was utterly destroyed. Cheers erupted from the Yoruyonaka as the opposing pirate crew, slowly surfaced and began flailing in the water, or heading towards the small island not too far off.
"Don't think this is over Skye!" came Rackham's muffled cry from below.
"AMAZING! Luffy shouted, jumping up in the air. Turning around, Ana gave a weak smile and jumped onto the deck, cradling her right fist. Chopper rushed forward when he saw it was covered in blood. She punched it?, Zoro thought, admittedly a little impressed. Nova shook his head and examined Ana's hand along with Chopper. Surprisingly, her hand wasn't mangled like it should have been.
"Captain, you should be more careful." he chided in a fatherly tone. Grinning widely, Ana shrugged.
"I know, it was to close and too fast for me to protect my hand fully." she said.
"Don't worry about your hand though, Ana-san," Chopper added, glancing up at Nova's worried face, "The skin has been split and you've bruised your knuckles to the bone, but it'll be fine." Ana's face brightened in wonder.
"Smart and adorable!" she said, "You are just full of surprises." Chopper jumped back and danced happily.
"Don't compliment me @#!*% ! It doesn't make me happy at all." he sang. Ana gave him a weird look momentarily then laughed.
"Ana-san, it seems you've eaten a devil's fruit." Robin speculated, as Nova pulled Ana to her feet. Hopping up, she nodded and smiled.
"Right you are Nico Robin." she said, "The Riki-Riki no Mi. It strengthens every aspect of the body and makes me the strongest person in the world. Well- physically that is." Without warning, Ana swooped down and scooped Nova off of his feet in demonstration. The giant tottered a little bit as she balanced him on one hand. Luffy, Chopper, Brooke and Sanji all went nuts. (Sanji for different reasons obviously.)
"That is one SUUUUUUPER ability you've got there girlie." Franky said, striking a pose. Zoro rolled his eyes and snorted. He could do that too, no problem. That's no big deal, I lifted an entire building during my fight with Mr. One in Alabasta, He thought to himself. Nova wobbled a bit more and gave Ana a panicked look.
"Captain, would you please put me down." he asked. Grinning, Ana set him down gently and patted his stomach.
"Thanks Nova, you're such a great sport." She said, "Anyways, that's really not the extent of my powers. I would do more, but I don't want to damage my ship." Franky's eyes grew wide suddenly, as if someone just smacked him in the face.
"My ship! Where is it?" he asked, grabbing Ana by the shoulders, lifting her off of the ground.
"It's fine Franky-san, we're pulling it along behind us." she explained, shrugging out of his grasp. Letting out a sigh of relief, he gave her a thumbs up. Now that she had the Mugiwara's attention, Ana felt quite pleased with herself. Clasping her hands behind her back, she rocked back and forth on her heels. There was just one more thing she needed to do this morning. Backing up towards her quarters, she curled her finger in her direction. At first she got some strange looks, but Luffy followed her, no problem. Once they were all inside, Ana locked the door and pressed her back firmly against it.
"I would like the ask you-" she paused, "Luffy I wouldn't-" it was too late. Everyone was off examining her things, poking and prodding curiously. Luffy had found her gold bullet case and as he picked up one of the bullets he collapsed.
"Woah, I feel really weird." he said hoarsely. Sighing, Ana pulled out her brown, leather gloves from her coat pocket and put them on. Taking the seemingly-ordinary bullet from his hand, she replaced it back in its case.
"Sorry, those are sea-stone bullets. My family makes them. I've got a couple sea-stone cutlasses over there. If you'd like to have a look." Ana said, "But first, I need to ask. Can you get me out of here tonight? Please take me with you." Pulling her silver, hoop earring nervously, she noticed the critical looks she got from Nami and Zoro. Neither of them seemed to trust her. Zoro couldn't help but feel he knew the name of Skye and Edwards from someplace else. Try as he might, he just couldn't remember where. Unfortunately for him, his captain wasn't suspicious of Ana at all.
"Alright Ana-nee san, but only if you join my crew." he beamed. Ana's eyes grew wide, and she looked so happy that she might cry. Running forward, she enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug, in a very literal sense. Jumping up and down she cried, "Anything! Anything! Thank you so much Luffy! We'll leave tonight during my watch hours."
Mon Jan 03, 2011 1:48 am