｡ ⋆ ⁺ ୧ ₊ ⋆ ❥ ACT ONE 🪝 ༄ ⋆ ₊⁺ ⋆
⠀࣪₊ ✎ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆  ╱  ( ⠀࣪. ᨳ 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟬𝟭,
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟬𝟭.  ◛ ₊﹅ . )

꒰  › ‧₊˚ꗃ◞ ￤ A MOMENTOUS OCCASION HAD GATHERED A CROWD OF THOUSANDS IN THE SQUARE OF LOGUETOWN ▬▬▬▬ The sun was belting down on to the backs of the pirates, guards and mere civilians who had come to witness the spectacle. It was the day that would change history; the day of Gold Roger's ▬▬▬ self proclaimed 'King of the Pirates' ▬▬▬ execution. With the King himself captured, his crew decimated by the military, (aside from a small few who escaped such a fate) and his treasure hidden, there was too many grubby hands that awaited it ... and him at the bottom of the tall platform.

"Piracy is a scourge upon this world. For too long, villains and miscreants have sown havoc across our seas." Vice-Admiral Garp's tone boomed its way down below. "But the Marines, on behalf of your World Government, strive to keep you safe and protected." It was quite poetic how he looked down upon those he swore to protect. Although, he was just another cranky old man in place of too much power.

"And today... we've made a great stride in that effort." Glancing past his friend, who stood wearing his rather dingy straw hat ▬▬▬ a young teen watched as two guards walked his captain through the mass crowd, straight towards his final stop on the vast journey of life. The boy hoped that he too could live a life as enigmatic as Roger one day, for it was his dream to go out with a bang ... or perhaps in a blaze of glory (one befitting of a pirate, that is).

The crowd bellow began cheering at the sight of the man in shackles; some in awe of his presence and others with relief to finally be rid of his seemingly endless reign over the entire bloody sea ... there was only so much ocean to go around, and the pirate captain had first claim to every inch of it. "Gold Roger, the so-called King of the Pirates, has been captured. His reign of terror ends this day." Garp's voice echoed throughout the mass crowd, it probably even made it's way down to the docks. "Peace shall be restored." He said with a smug grin, ▬▬▬ the nerve of this guy (and just about every marine out there) was larger than the mighty beasts that laid dormant inside the Grand Line.

If the old schmuck continued droning on any longer, Jiro Hiroshi ▬▬▬ soon to be a famous 'captain' himself ... if he only had a ship ▬▬▬ would be sure to fall asleep while standing up. He was positive that Shanks' shoulder would be a good enough pillow if he truly needed a nap at that very moment.

(Although, it wasn't likely; with the execution going on and all.)

"Let this be a message to break the spirit of anyone foolish enough to follow in his footsteps." Consider that message not received. Hiro would undoubtedly be following in his captains footsteps.

Looking up towards the blinding sky, the two young boys watched as their captain was read his crimes, awaiting his death in the most pirate like fashion; without a care in the world. "Do you reckon' he's going to actaully, you know," The raven haired boy paused, flourishing his hands in a circular motion before slicing his thumb across his neck. Without taking his eyes off of the sight before the two, Shanks slightly tilted his head from side to side, as if questioning it himself before answering.

"There's definitely a chance." He spoke hushed, mindful of the ears surrounding them. "But, he could still get out of it yet."

"Wanna bet?" Hiro subtly side-eyed his friend, arm now resting on the straw hat wearing boys shoulder, that signature cheshire grin sat on his face. "Always." Shanks responded with an almost identical smirk.

"Ten Berry."

"Oh c'mon, give the old man a little bit of credit—"

"Alright, alright, fine." Hiro's shoulders shrugged down as he rolled his neck backwards, he did cherish and would very much wish to keep his money safely in his own pockets. "Twenty Berry."

"Twenty-one."

"Twenty-three."

"Twenty-six, and that's final."

"Twenty-seven, and you've got yourself a deal mate."

They shook hands without a single glance exchanged, beady eyes now all the more focused on the fate of their beloved captain; one whom they truly did wish to live, but if they were able to make a little coin off his demise ... that was something not even a pirate with the truest intentions could resist.

It was Roger's voice that brought the two out of their own rivalry, now the fun would really begin. "Yeah," He looked down at his clasped hands, the wood plank keeping him from using them to escape. "Could you take these off?" This only made the admiral beside him let out an almost unnoticeable sigh, while many beneath them tried and failed to withstand their growing laughter. "Starting to itch."

The next few words shared between two of the four men on the platform were disclosed whispers, which was strange to watch from below after hearing Garp shout ever since he started flapping his lips for all of Loguetown. "What d'you think he's saying." Shanks had mumbled to the boy beside him, although another person had caught his eye from the front of the crowd ... a taller boy, one with quite unusual facial hair.

"Something insulting and snarky." The comment made both boys laugh under their breaths, and by the look on the greying man's face, Gold Roger had done just that.

"By the authority of the World Government..." A king was brought to his knees by a puppet and his lackey's, blades pressed against his back. "I declare your life... forfeit—" And right before Roger was ran through, a voice called out from the crowd below.

"Pirate King, where is your treasure?"

The crowd began buzzing with noise, almost everyone had joined to throw in their two cents, demanding to know the location very few had the knowledge of ... and the king merely laughed. He laughed at the subjects beneath him, the bugs he squashed to get as far as he had on his journey across the many sea's ▬▬▬ he and his crew still being the only people to have ever seen it at it's entirety.

Roger's manic cackling rang through the square, though it fizzled not a moment later. "You want to know where my treasure is?" The crowd hushed until it was silent; each pirate and sailor alike awaiting patiently; every single one of them were on the edge of their seats.

"I'll tell you." His voice grew soft as he looked across the many faces staring back at him, some he'd met and others he hadn't, but he saw the same thing in each of them. "Wealth. Fame. Power. I found everything this world has to offer..." Roger paused to bask in the silence, it had been so long since he took such pleasure in the emptiness of sound, he realised this would be the last chance he had to simply enjoy the bird song drifting from the east. "Free yourselves, take to the seas! My treasure is yours to find."

Another beat of that soft silence went by ... and then the crowd errupted into cheers. Many raised their arms in celebration, Hiro wrapped an arm around Shanks' skinny frame and began hooting like a mad man. The sight brought a smile to his fair-weathered friend's pale lips. Nobody seemed to take notice of the nod Garp gave his men, until the sound of metal striking bone pierced its way to the people standing on the cracked and crooked cobblestones.

Their enjoyment ceased, gasps echoing from one person to the next, almost like a game of dominoes had been set up and Gold Roger being stabbed was the sudden push that toppled them all. Some of the crowd shoved forward, but the marines acting as a barricade held firm from beneath the tower.

It was the second strike that finally got Hiro to remove his eyes from the sight, the sound of a man's insides being sliced open would live on in his memories until his last breath. Suddenly betting about a life didn't seem as fun, especially when it was a man he dearly looked up to, someone he held such a respect for.

Not long after people began to flee, the crowd began to disperse either out of fear for their own lives or in hunt of a dead man's treasure that was now up for grabs to any who sought it out. From all sides bodies roamed to the nearest dock, the game had begun and only those brave enough would be able to play it.

"You owe me twenty-seven Berry, don't forget it Straw Hat!" Those were the last words Jiro Hiroshi would ever speak to the boy he called a brother before the two parted ways. One of the three people in his life he trusted enough to care for ... Shanks would always regret never being able to pay the bastard back his Berry.

He would forever be indebted to a dead man, but no-one could've foreseen the future of those two (now crew less) pirates.

Gold Rogers death had started something for the ages, a legacy that would live on for many years to come. All it took was one piece of the puzzle to fall in order for the rest to come together and make way for the next King of the Pirates ... whoever they might be.

━━・ ✦ ₊ 🏴‍☠️ ⊹ ° .  ❫ ━

˚ ☾ ｡˚𖥔 𝑆𝐻𝐸𝐿𝐿𝑆 𝑇𝑂𝑊𝑁 ◞ 
𝟐𝟐 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 · ₊ ˚ ༘ ೨

People filled the streets of Shells Town, merchants pulled their carts and set up shop throughout the isle, while the civilians walked down it's ally's and cobbled paths, picking and choosing from the different stalls of bits and bobs. There was a fish market by the shoreline that welcomed sailors as soon as they docked, a lovely elderly woman who sold hand crafted jewellery from beads and things she found on the beach every morning, and even a painter that did portraits for passer-byers for the right price.

The rooftops of the neighbouring inn's, stores and houses were a perfect vantage point to see it all in its truly beautiful glory; that's probably what made Renho Jakuchō like people watching so much. She'd always preferred to keep a distance from the crowds that gathered, especially with Marines around every corner.

It had been an ongoing battle to capture the young girl, her crimes would get her a one way ticket straight to the platform in Loguetown ▬▬▬ whether they were true or not, it still left her barely getting any sleep and a mirror permanently attached to her shoulder. But, she'd do it all over again if it meant that the forgotten children of the streets were looked after properly.

At least now they knew there was a place on the island they could call home. Somewhere with warm blankets and beds, meals three times a day, children their age who had been through the same experiences ... ones that they could choose to become close with and therefore look after themselves when they'd left the safe haven Ren had given them.

She called the little run down home: The Hollow ▬▬▬ nothing too fancy, but it seemed to suit well enough for the ally cats of Shells Town.

The bandit found herself perched atop one of the smaller roofs: the shop itself was an antique's place frequented by tourists and collectors. The owner was an older gentleman that looked a week away from death, his wrinkles matched the whisky grey of his hair and he wore small spectacles that rested at the end of his nose. Ren would sometimes riffle through the old man's trash in search of broken furniture she could fix for the children to use at The Hollow.

She could see a few of the children that lived in the orphanage she bought (with stolen money, of course) making their way through the crowd ▬▬▬ it was a perfect place to find targets with full pockets.

Hana, a little girl with red wavy locks was stalking the bakery ... awaiting the chance to grab some of the bread or even the sugary cinnamon rolls on display. There was a taller, much older boy: Caleb, just down the street beside a stall. His pesky and nimble fingers caressed the many garments made of silk hanging from its display racks. He knew the younger girls at the orphanage enjoyed such pretty things, the kind that simmered and sparkled whenever the light touched its wavy material.

The last of her ragtag crew for the day ▬▬▬ a small and skinny seven year old named Minho was sat down to the side of a local shop. A gypsy sat to her left, pushed in tight to the small table she used for tarot reading. The locals knew that the woman was a scam artist at best and a witch at worst, but Minho enjoyed her company enough while she scratched and begged for any amount of Berry.

(She would play her ocarina peacefully while she watched the people pass by, and every now and again, Ren would drop a few treats into her basket for the little girl to enjoy.)

On the right of the two was a stall that belonged to a fisherman: his name was Sonhe and he spent most of his free time with his wife dancing to the beautiful lullabies played by the girl he saw everyday. He and his family had shown kindness to one of Shells Town's shadows, which meant that he was protected by the children lurking in them. It had been three years since anyone tried to steal from his quaint stall ... the last attempt landed a lacklustre thief in the canal.

Placing the device in her ear, Ren finally spoke up from her spot on the roof, a grin ever present on her face. "Alright rascals, whose ready for a little thievery?" Looking down the teen could see both Hana and Caleb give her a subtle nod, however, Minho hadn't yet gotten the memo about the whole 'being discreet' thing and simply gave the girl she saw as an older sibling a thumbs up, a giant smile pressed against her chubby cheeks with all her pearly whites on display; that always made Ren chuckle.

Scrambling her way down the flat side of roof, the teen made her way towards a ladder that rested along the wall ▬▬▬ it brought her much closer to the ground and would most likely deal her feet less damage after she made the drop down.

Leather soles landed perfectly against the stone path of the alleyway, but the hood of her jacket had snagged halfway over her head because of the cat-like perch she had to land in. It didn't bother the tanned skin girl too much as she simply ducked and rolled across the ground, before standing up straight with a newfound pep in her step.

Her metallic glazed hands found their way to the collar of the cloth covering her chest, before puffing it out and fixing her appearance. If she looked like she just fell from a roof, she wouldn't be getting any of the information she needed to complete their goal: Sneak into the Marine base and steal this so called map that had been the subject of whispers all across the docks.

Messy people made for even messier thieves, and Renho Jakuchō was definitely not a thief ... but, she was known to be quite a mess, she just didn't allow it to stretch to her line of work.

(The teenager much preferred the term 'bandit' as opposed to being labelled a criminal. She thought it was closer to the truth anyway.)

"You know your jobs, get them done and then meet back home," The girl pulled her hood over the ebony waves that constantly flew out of whatever hairstyle it was put it, ▬▬▬ the thick bundle of curls couldn't be tamed for long ▬▬▬ quickly looked out into the street to make sure it was safe, and began the long journey she had until reaching the port where her contact was waiting for her. Ren didn't like talking to many people on the island, but that didn't mean some didn't owe her a couple favours.

"Already on it." Hana's cheeky voice sounded through the comm feed, she was sure to have stolen some of the pastries from the baker and had them currently stuffed in her mouth, lips covered with the white powder.

"You got it boss." This time it had been Caleb that spoke; he was the oldest of the children Ren took in and probably the most uptight when it came to missions.

"Aye aye, Captain!" And finally, in an innocent and gleeful cheer, Minho rose from her spot on the ground and ran off ... only to reappear seconds later after realising she forgot to grab the basket containing her precious coins.

Kids. You either loved them or you hated them, but Ren didn't mind the ones in her care ▬▬▬ they were much more special than anything of value she could steal and pawn off or give to those in need. Her shadows were everything, if she lost them ... she didn't like to dwell on such a thought too much.

The girl began the long walk to the docks where she knew her main source of information on the island (besides her shadows) would be, most likely with a pint in one hand and bird seed in the other. The woman had known Ren since she arrived all those years ago, she took pity on a clearly distraught young girl that was left all alone, and since then she'd helped her from a distance ... never quite getting close enough for them to get too attached.

As she grew closer to the wooden planks along the shore, there was a man in a long red coat as usual, directing sailors and obtaining Berry for a port fee upon docking.

His back straighten as he saw her silhouette in the distance, palm out and preparing for the silent exchange of a few coin for not alerting the Marines of her presence. Never once in the numerous times she'd been to his docks had she ever handed him payment, instead choosing to place it in the smaller palms of the little boy perched beside the dock-master, the very one that man ordered around like a slave ▬▬▬ something that always caused Ren's blood to boil. "Take care, Poe." She'd pat the boys head before making her way towards the frail woman sat on the edge of the docks, birds surrounding her as she let her feet glide across the water.

The woman: Marianne, had extremely long hair that curled like the waves she enjoyed watching so much. It had been grey (almost white) since the day she'd met the tanned teenager, she even had the same ribbon wrapped around the base of her head to keep the loose ringlets at bay. Soft taps approached before they settled and the girl sat beside her friend, legs crossed with her chin resting in her palm.

"How have you been dear, not getting into too much trouble I hope." Marianne's soft voice was controlled to just above a whisper, as not to disturb the many birds resting against her limbs.

Ren reached into the brown sack pulling out a fistful of seeds and scattering them into the water for those still floating about the calm ocean. "You know me, Mari," She paused to watch the waves crash against the rocks near the cliffside closer to town, the view was best during the end of day when the sun set over them. "Trouble seems to find me whether I want it to or not." She could feel the woman's eyes on her now, even the birds began to stare.

Marianne simply sighed. She knew of what the girl did and she knew that someday it would catch up to her ... the Marines would catch up to her, and it scared the elder to think of what would happen if the girl she soon what cared for was caught, what would happen to the children she swore to protect. "Well then," Her words turned irritated suddenly, scaring the birds off with a whip of her hands. "Spit it out."

Ren's brows shot up in confusion, she hadn't even said anything to make her mad ... yet.

"You only come here when you need something from me."

"That's not true—"

With a raise of her boney finger and a glare that strikes fear into those on the other end of it, Ren's lips snapped shut. "Don't even try to deny it missy!" Marianne shook her head. Kids.

(She was definitely apart of the 'hate them' side when it came to children ... Ren specifically.)

With a huff the teenager gave up trying to have a nice chat with the woman before business ▬▬▬ it's not like it worked any other time she tried. "Fine," That brought a smirk to the greying woman's face: she was always right. "I need information about the Marine base," And that devilish smirk had now been wiped from existence. "More specifically... how to get in undetected."

If looks could kill ... Ren would definitely be drowning in the bottom of the shallows by now. "If your trying to do what I think your trying to do, looking for what I think your looking for... then don't." That was supposed to be the end of it, at least that's what Marianne thought the finality of her words would bring ▬▬▬ too bad teenagers were reckless idiots.

"I just need your expertise and experience to tell me how to get in and out without being seen," The Jakuchō girl pleaded before holding up her hand. "Just this once." Now fully turned towards her, Marianne looked into the girls brown, almost black eyes ... searching for an answer she already had ready to fall off her tongue.

"No."

"C'mon, Mari—"

"I said no, now go away before I smack you."

The comment almost made Ren back down.

Almost.

"I'll pay you." She crossed her fingers behind her back, bitting down on her lip to hide the grin pulling at the corners of her mouth.

That peaked the woman's interest, one of her eyebrows even rose as the the scowl slowly slid off her face. "How much?" Hook, line and sinker. The old crone had fallen into the trap, all the girl had to do was finish it off with a big and juicy cherry on top of the cake.

"Forty Berry," Marianne smacked her lips together, waving a hand towards the girl on her left in a dismissal before going back to her birds. "Forty now... five-hundred and sixty later." With wide eyes, the woman turned towards her ▬▬▬ would she even call the teenager her friend, no ... more like her burden.

"Six-hundred total?" Mari asked, astounded that the street rat even had that much money to spend. The older woman honestly believed she'd be broke from either giving the money away or spending it on food and other necessities for the endless amount of children she gave refuge. "Yep." Ren spoke, her grin now blindingly bright and on full display.

It wasn't long before the woman had been paid her small sum with the promise of more later, Ren had the information she needed before the sun set and the teen began to make her way home to see what her shadows had gathered from the streets. The walls of Shells Town had eyes, but the shadows had ears, and those ears would run straight home to their mother with news of a great treasure hidden away in a safe ... one just begging to be cracked.

━━・ ✦ ₊ 🏴‍☠️ ⊹ ° .  ❫ ━

Children's squeals could be heard down the alleyway that lead to the little home, the happiness the place gave a lot of Shells Town's orphans leaked through the open windows like moonlight on top of waves. Black laced boots, accompanied by the clicking of its heels against cobble passed through the back door ▬▬▬ every head stilled as they heard Ren step into the building, then all at once they raced towards the young girl with a flurry of questions and leg grasping embraces.

The teen braced for the impact of children's hands, after awhile she grew used to the joy that multiple children brought to her day. When she saw Minho running towards her, ▬▬▬ with Caleb and Hana following behind ▬▬▬ she bent down to pick the youngest of her kids up and placed her against her hip.

"Hello my lovelies," She gave Minho a kiss on top of her head, before giving each of her other kids loving pats and quick side embraces. "Did Booki treat you well while I was gone?" The tanned girl looked around at the many cheeky faces back at her, some turned away to hide their smirks and others to keep the suspicion off of them.

Booki, a lovely man that gave his time to the orphanage and looked after the children free of charge turned when he heard his name. "They weren't too much of a hassle today, Miss Jakuchō, all very sweet." He spoke with a smile that always, always, adorned his face.

Ren turned to the man, Minho cuddling further into her neck. "Booki, how many times do I have to say it," She placed her free arm on the man's shoulder as he folded blankets and tidied up the scattered toys. "Ren is fine, you don't have to be so formal all the time."

Minho's head began to fall heavily to the side, the exhaustion of todays events finally catching up to the little child now drifting off to sleep in her sisters arms. She knew she had things to tell Ren, but she felt so safe in the teenagers arms that sleep seemed easy to give into whenever she was around. Before her eyes could close completely and the clouds took her away to the land of dreams, a soft nudge was felt against her little shoulder.

"Let's get you to bed before you drop dead on me, huh?" Ren said with a soft chuckle as the six year old barely nodded in response.

The bed she had been assigned was soft, the pillow better than anything she could've imagined laying on, and the blankets were always soft with the scent of water lilies that lulled the children to sleep. It was quite realistically the only home Minho ever had, and it made sure she was safe, happy, and no longer starving on the streets.

Gently moving the dark curls from the child's face, Ren tucked her in tight making sure she had the little bunny toy she'd grown so fond of since being in the teens care. "So," She began, her voice just above a whisper as the rest of the younger children found themselves in bed trying to fall asleep too, the older ones making sure that their siblings and friends brushed their teeth, before blowing out candles and wishing each of them good night. "Did you find anything out from the barkeep today?"

Minho nodded groggily, shifting further into the blankets. "He said something about a map," That was nothing new, the rumours of a map to the Grand Line had been running throughout the town for quite a while. "And he said that it belonged to a clown before the Marines took it." Now that however, that information was news to the older girl above her.

"A clown?" She asked to make sure she heard right. It couldn't be him ... could it? She didn't exactly know of any other clowns that were just sailing the open seas.

"Mhm." The child was far too sleepy to respond with much else, which was understandable, but she knew that her sister needed to know so she could figure out their next move. "Like the one from your stories, the one with the funny nose."

That caused Ren to smile. It was nice to know that the stories once used to soothe her, soothed her children too. "Thank you, little fish." She kissed Minho's head once more, before standing up to make her way back to the streets. Renho Jakuchō ▬▬▬ the Shadow of Shells Town ▬▬▬ had a plan to execute: break into the Marine base, find the safe, steal it and get out without anyone knowing she was ever there ... maybe even nick a couple of Berry from old Ironaxe Morgan's desk while she was at it.

━━・ ✦ ₊ 🏴‍☠️ ⊹ ° .  ❫ ━

After stopping by the bakery before it closed, ▬▬▬ much to the owners displeasure ▬▬▬ Ren made her way down the dark streets with a sugary treat clasped between her fingers, coating her lips in white cream. So caught up in the pure bliss brought by the pastry, it took her longer to notice the man following behind her than usual, but she honestly couldn't be bothered engaging with him. The plan was to eat her snack, ditch the man on her tail and then sneak into the military base in the middle of the night, while the guards rotated their shifts.

What made the girl stop midway through her sixth bite was the man calling out her name ... shocking to say the least, but nothing she couldn't handle. "Renho Jakuchō." His voice was calm, it bounced from the buildings like an echo due to the silence surrounding the two. Ren turned to face the man: He held three swords close to his side, had green spiky hair and was carrying a sack with (what looked to be) half of a body in it, a bright red mohawk sticking out from the top.

He stepped to the side so he could place down the sack, before finally walking three steps forward, swords remaining unsheathed. "There's a bounty on your head and I have come to collect it." Every word that leaked from his mouth was monotone and left his face lacking emotion. It would've made her uneasy if the boy (of roughly the same age) in front of her wasn't about to attempt what so many had already tried and failed to do.

Ren simply looked back into his eyes, almost the exact same face starring back at him from behind the mask adoring her face.

(She'd gotten it not long after arriving in Shells Town. It used to be a plain black handkerchief, before Ren decided to used crushed up clay from the cave she stayed in to paint the lower part of a skull on it.)

The girl hadn't actually been paying attention to the swordsman's words, but instead indulging in her pasty more and slowly stepping closer to him in the process. "Want a bite?" She asked with a smile tugging halfway up her face, the sweet in her hand now stretched out between the two.

He simply stared at her with a brow having raised from his blank slate, questioning if she was being serious. "What?" He asked curiously, trying not to let it show on his face.

Ren huffed before grabbing another piece of the treat and shoving it into her mouth, licking away the excess from her fingertips. "I said," She took another step closer. "Do." Another step. "You want." One more. "A bite?" By this point she was almost directly in front of him, maybe an arms length left between them.

There was no way she was being serious, this had to be some sort of scare tactic to get him to let his guard down ... right? It had to be.

"No." The man spoke, straightening out his face until it once again held no emotion.

"Are you sure?" She asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure—" He was starting to become frustrated.

"It's pretty tasty..." Ren sang out, still chewing away at the soft and sugary treat.

"Look, I'm here to collect a bounty not have a tea party, so could you just stop whatever it is that your doing." The green hairs swordsman sighed out.

"Ohhh, now I'm craving some tea, maybe even some bread rolls and biscuits." She cut him off once again, and the sound of a sword being unsheathed even the smallest amount rang out through the street. "Okay," The man that Ren couldn't quite place began making his way closer to her, sword handle now tightly grasped in between his fingers. "Enough playing around."

Noticing that she'd finally finished every bite of the pastry, the ebony haired girl clapped her hands together to clear away the sugar residue, before wiping her palms against her black pants. And without a care in the world, she turned around and began to walk away from the man with three swords, leaving him shocked by her actions.

Mouth agape and eyes wide, it took him a moment before he registered that she was quite literally getting away. "Hey, wait... where do you think your going?!" He started marching after her.

"Away from you, obviously." She snorted out, eyes glancing above towards the rooftops ▬▬▬ something the swordsman took notice of. Oh, no you don't, he thought. Without a second thought, he caught up to the bounty and removed his sword from its casing before holding it in front of her, causing the girl to stop dead in her tracks.

Ren's head titled to the left, a glare now in place of the once giddy expression she had ... all because of a silly pasty. Her eyes narrowed for a second, almost as if she recognised him, but couldn't quite place his face, it was starting to infuriate the teen. "Big mistake, sword-guy." In one quick motion, the girls leg struck upward flinging the sword from his hand, they each watched it slide across the pavement before the silence of the peaceful street was broken by a fight.

Grasping a hold of his arm, Ren swung her leg around his opposite shoulder while using his bent leg as support for her other foot. She began twisting around his body until both legs were clutched against his upper torso, which left her hanging upside-down on his back ... allowing her the opportunity to flip them both and land flat on the cobblestone street, hand pressed against the cool path to balance her landing.

The first chance she had to run she took, bolting towards the roof tops she had been scouting out earlier. The swordsman ▬▬▬ having successfully regained his composure from the attack ▬▬▬ grunted before he started to chase after the girl, she already had a head start as she leapt up crates and pulled herself to the top of a local tavern.

He'd noticed the girl had stopped two roof's away and she had began to pace, back and forth with her finger scratching at her chin: she looked so deep in though that she wouldn't even notice the moonlight bouncing off of the bounty hunters sword as he ran towards her. But she did ... somehow, and she ducked beneath it without glancing towards him.

The green haired man had just about had enough of the way they'd been slipping around each other. Using his calloused fingers to unwrap the bandana from around his bicep, the swordsman pulled the material against his forehead and bent into a fighting stance. He was ready ▬▬▬ and Ren was still pacing, he could faintly hear the teen muttering under her breath, but he drowned it out as he inhaled a large breath and exhaled it just as slowly.

"My name is Roronoa Zoro," He paused, waiting for the girl to finally acknowledge him, but she was too caught up in whatever it was she was trying to figure out ... at least with her distracted he could plan out his next move. "I am the man that will take you in, and collect the Berry for your capture." Still no response, if she wanted to play this the hard way, then so be it.

(Bounty hunter with multiple weapons: all of them swords.)

(Three Sword Style ... not many people used that style of fighting.)

(Did the three earrings represent his choice of weapons or was it just to fit his aesthetic?)

(Was he born with green hair or did he dye it? These were the questions she needed answers to!)

All of those and many more thoughts were flying through Renho's head as she could somewhat hear the man behind her, his mumbles were met by silence as the raven haired girl struggled to figure out where she recognised him from.

And that's when it hit her like a seagull smacking into a boats mast (it happened more than you would think). "You're Guronoga Rozo!" She spun towards him and let out a gasp, jaw practically on the floor as she pointed directly at his, well ... everything.

Zoro's face had never looked so disappointed and confused at the same time, where did she even get the 'G' from anyway? "That's not my name—" Ren cut him off with a gleeful clap of her hands, she even started bouncing about on top of the roof causing it to creak. "I can't believe the Rogonora Zoto is after my bounty... mine!" She laughed out, pumping her first in the air. "This is so cool- just wait until I tell Cal-" A fast breeze flung back her untameable curls, leaving a sword pushed against her throat.

"Enough of the mocking, let's get this over with." He glared into her dark eyes, all joy now ceased from the girls face as she narrowed her eyes right back at the swordsman. "Alright," She pushed against the silver tip digging into her skin. "You want to fight?" He looked her up and down before nodding once.

Using the metal cuffs around her forearm, Ren knocked the sword away from her neck before spinning out ▬▬▬ her hair whipping around her shoulders as she did, and struck his abdomen with the heel of her boot. Zoro slid only a few feet back, landing on his knees before standing tall once again, slicing his swords across each other and bringing them to his sides.

They stood still, staring across the rooftop with only the moonlight to depict their features; one with the light glinting his reflection into the surface of his swords, and the other with metallic bands wrapping her writs that began to unravel, revealing the knives she hid in plain sight.

The knives were attached to a long stretch of rope that sat comfortably around the girls waist, the larger one was long enough to cover her entire forearm while the other was much shorter and only wrapped around her wrist like a bangle. Ren grabbed the sword by its handle with her right hand, and clasped the rope in her left as it swung around and around, it made a whistling noise come off the tip of the blade tied to its end.

"Then let's fight, Bozo." Moving her foot slightly to the right as they circled each other caused a creak to echo across the rooftop, the entire thing was close to breaking in and taking the two with it. The silence filling the night should've made them aware of it, but they hadn't even seemed to take notice of the faulty structural design.

It took only a few moments for them to charge at one another, metal clashed and just as the girl was about to allow her blade to drop so she could get the upper hand another creak echoed ... only this time it came with a crashing sound; that was the sound of the roof collapsing in on itself.

Zoro and Ren shared a look before the floor beneath them ceased to exist and they began to plummet three stories. They had broken through the first two with ease, it was when they hit the ground floor that the aches and bruises were truly felt, the groans they both let out were proof of just how much. What a pain in the neck ▬▬▬ literally.

The bandit tilted her head towards the hunter beside her, one eye shut from the pain as she winced. "Well, I'd say we call it a draw and I'll be on my-" Before she could finish however, she was cut off by a part of one of the roofs beams falling directly on to her ... face first and all. That was going to be leaving a mark for sure, one hell of a bruise that was tomorrows problem.

From the silence that surrounded them once again the Roronoa man could only assume his bounty was knocked out cold (although hearing her snort snores was also quite the tell), but he was trying not to move as it was currently far too painful a task.

"Finally, some peace and quiet." He coughed out into the dark night, the moon visible from the impromptu sky light they had made in the ceiling. "Thank you." Zoro's voice was almost silent as he closed his eyes for a moment, speaking to someone in the sky he hoped watched out for him ... someone he had lost a long time ago, but knew was always with him deep within.

All he needed was a rest before he would drag Renho Jakuchō's skilled, crafty, annoying ass straight into the Marine's hands and collect the Berry for her capture. Just a few minutes to himself. Nobody could blame him for resting ▬▬▬ not after falling through three stories of a fucking building.

━ AUTHORS NOTE. 🗒 ━━━━━
hiro & shanks mean so much to me, you
guys have no idea. and they literally never
get to see each other after that. 😭😭 btw
if you're wondering who hiro is, he's ren's
adoptive farther, which will be explained
later on, dw. her backstory is so sad y'all-
i'm not even prepared to write it atp, so
only happy fun times for now!! (my luffy
kin is showing 🤭).

this chapter would've come out so
much sooner if i knew how to write
a decent fight scene, i'm still iffy about
how it came out, but hopefully they'll
be better in the future. anyway: we'll be
getting into the actual shows scenes
next chapter, but i wanted to write a
chapter purely to show off who ren
is and what her life was like before
joining the straw hats! so i hope y'all
don't mind the super long filler.

question of the day: did you get into
the anime/manga after watching the
opla? cuz i definitely did, it was fr my
final push after years of telling myself
i'd never watch op because of how
long it is.