Raya's POV

Days pass, turning slowly into weeks.

I have fun on this ship, Red Force. The crew is the next best thing to my nakama, and they treat me as one of their own. I love all of them, but Benn and Yasopp will always be my favorite shipmates.

Besides Dad that is.

I have managed to beat Yasopp in a drinking contest, even if it wasn't the one we bet on. (I had a pencil curly Q mustache and a black eyepatch covering my closed eyelid for six days before I got rid of it with rubbing alcohol... it wasn't pleasant) I have a sneaking suspicion that he let me win though.

We also engaged in some intense shoot outs. Course we didn't shoot at each other. Benn and the others set up targets around the ship and they judged us on how close to the center we shot from different distances. I discovered that I'm actually pretty proficient with a gun, though I suck with basic things like slingshots or crossbows. I also never beat the sniper. Not once.

Dad taught me how to handle my blade, which he says really IS mine now. I'm glad. Now that I know it isn't just my father's, but Red Haired Shanks', I really don't want to let it go. Again, I'm actually surprisingly good with a blade. I guess I have Shanks to thank for that, cause apparently Mom had no talent for the art whatsoever.

I still haven't been able to figure out how Dad and his crew support themselves. The past month they've done nothing but party and play. I'm not complaining but it just doesn't add up. Maybe Dad has other ships he commands that do the heavy lifting.

Anyway, today is my last day aboard Red Force. Well, yesterday was my last day. Today's the day I leave.

The sea is calm right now, but since coming to the Grand Line, I've learned how unpredictable the weather can be. Bright, sunny, and beautiful one minute, dark, roaring and ugly the next. I'll have to be careful when I set sail.

In my hand I hold an Eternal Pose for Alabasta. The Eternal Pose is a form of Log Pose, which lock onto the magnetic signal of the islands along the Grand Line, the only way to navigate here. An Eternal Pose is always set to one island, so no matter where you are, and how long you stay there, it will always point to that one island. In this case, Alabasta.

Why Alabasta, the desert country? I asked Shanks about it yesterday and he told me that it's because Alabasta attracts a lot of visitors, especially the city of Rainbase.

People there might of heard something about the Straw Hats, so I should just ask around, see what I can dig up. It's a good plan, made even better by the fact that I don't have one of my own.

I'm ready to go. The only thing left to do... is leave.

All the crew members are on one side of this ship, shifting impatiently as they watch me say goodbye to each part of the vessel I've called home for the last month. Shanks' room, where I slept, by my own insistence, on a cot in the corner, is the hardest to say farewell too. Dad told me stories of his time aboard Gol D. Roger's ship there, made me laugh and cry with memories of Mom. He taught me tricks to nursing a hangover and how to deal with wounds so that I wouldn't appear weak. I got to know my father there, and part of me will always be there, waiting for the day I can come back and reclaim it.

Trailing my fingers over the worn railing, I make my way back to the crew, saying silent goodbyes to the wooden deck, with all its imperfections. Some even caused by me.

The crew, even the ones I don't know by name, crowd around me, some smiling, others blubbering. I hug them each in turn, holding back my own tears. I'll save them for the proper time.

When I've finally scrambled through the crowd of distraught pirates, I find myself facing my three favorite people on this ship.

"I'm going to miss you two," I murmur, throwing my arms around Benn and Yasopp's necks. They each embrace me like I'm their own daughter, and I can faintly hear Yasopp sniveling in his effort to remain calm and collected.

"We'll miss you as well, Raya," Benn says, giving me his encouraging smile. I sniff once.

"Don't get into too much trouble, kid," Yasopp adds, gently punching my shoulder. "We can't come and rescue you, you know."

A few more sniffs. "Yeah, I know. Same goes to you. And I'll tell Usopp you're thinking about him, and that you love him, alright?"

The sniper's cool demeanor finally crumbles, and he's thrown into terrible, racking sobs. He turns to Benn and attacks him in a hug the first mate seems all too familiar with. I smile faintly and ask, "Is he sober?"

Benn glances at the sniper, now glued to his arm and ruining his jacket and shirt with his heavy, wet tears. He chuckles. "It's only nine in the morning, but I'm not entirely sure he hasn't had a bottle or two."

"Thought so," I laugh.

And now comes the worst part.

I step around Benn and the hysterical Usopp, and right into Shanks' embrace.

Like Yasopp, I can't hold back the tears any longer, as I sink against my father's hard chest.

It dawned on me a few days ago just how odd Shanks looks. In his black cloak, white, partly unbuttoned shirt, floral calf length pants and his sandals, he looks more like a homeless beach goer than a Yonko. But it's part of his charm, a way to lessen his intimidation factor around friends. And it only makes me love him more.

"I hate goodbyes," I croak, turning my face against his chest so that I can look up at his smiling face. "But it's not a goodbye," he tells me. "Someway, somehow you're going to come back here. It won't be forever until we see each other again, Raya." He wipes the tears from cheeks. "At the most, just wait until Luffy becomes Pirate King. Then I'm sure we'll both have time to meet," he laughs and I find myself laughing along with him. I believe in Luffy one hundred percent, and I know he'll make it to King of the Pirates. And I don't think it will take him all that long, for some reason.

"Dad," I say softly, and he smiles down at me. "Thank you for everything. For telling me the truth, for making me believe you, and for giving me the love of a parent again, something I've been craving all these years. You have no idea how happy you've made me."

"You don't have to thanks me, Raya. I'm just happy you forgave me for letting you live without your dad for so long."

"It just made it all the better when we finally found each other."

He chuckles softly, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. "You really do sound just like Mia."

(Several Weeks Later)

Third Person POV

Whispers echo around the restaurant, worried and scared. In the blistering, dry heat, and stifling, crackling air, the words take on an urgent cadence.

"'Desert Strawberry'?"

"Yeah, a poisonous spider that looks like a red strawberry."

"If you unwittingly eat it, you die suddenly a few days later."

"Really?! And that guy over there ate one?"

"Think so. He just croaked while eating and talking with the owner."

"Poor traveller."

"Excuse me."

A young girl with startling red hair and vibrant pink eyes pushes past the crowd of people gathered outside the establishment, oddly oblivious to their murmurings. Well, maybe not so odd. She's starving.

The girl accidentally brushes the shoulder of Captain Smoker, a tall bulky man with spiky white hair, a white fur lined Marine jacket open in the front, and a cigar hanging from between his teeth. He adjust the goggles around his neck as the girl mutters another soft "excuse me", not even sparing him a glance. He grunts out some acceptance of her apology, before turning to the woman beside him.

She's not as tall as he. Her dark hair is cut short for supposed convenience, her fur lined jacket also open, but over a floral print button down shirt. A sword is strapped to her hip and she grips it tightly as she looks up at her companion. "Tashigi," he says, his voice deep. "Is it true, the identity of the man who died in there?"

Tashigi pushes her glasses up her nose with one gloved hand. "All evidence points to it being him, sir," she replies.

Captain Smoke sighs. This will only delay his search for Straw Hat.

Inside the restaurant, the pink eyed girl takes a seat beside the unmoving man everyone has pronounced dead. She studies the piles of dishes spread around him, smiling as some thought or another crosses her mind.

Everyone stares at her, shocked she could act so calm while sitting so close to a dead body.

But the girl, after casting a long look at the man beside her, giggles. She swallows back a laugh, and places a hand over the man's heart, not deterred in the least by his bare chest. A steady heartbeat thrums against her fingers.

"I knew it!" she giggles, just as the man jerks awake, raising his head from his plate of food. Small bits of whatever he was eating cling to his face, which is stretched in a yawn, his arms raised above his head, stretching out his muscles.

The scores of people crowded into the restaurant scream in fear of the living dead, faces only masks of complete horror.

But the girl is unperturbed. She simple hands the man a napkin, which he accepts gratefully and wipes off his handsome face.

The girl doesn't recognize him, though she wishes she did. He's easily the best looking man this close to her age she's ever seen. And he is attractive, his boyish face kind, splashes of adorable feckless across his nose and cheeks. His unruly black hair is contained beneath a strange orange hat, bedecked with two face pendants, one smiling viciously, the other sad and mournful. It isn't the only strange accessory he wears, but the girl admittedly doesn't focus much on them. As mentioned before, he is shirtless, only wearing a pair of black shorts, held up with a belt bearing a buckle marked with an A, and sneakers. A knife with an ornate handle sits at his waist, and the girl's eyes flick to it briefly, before her smiling eyes meet the boy's, who can't be more than twenty ears old.

"Damn," he mutters, turning around in his seat to see the crowd of amazed onlookers. "I fell asleep again."

The girl next to him laughs, a little louder than some girls would find acceptable. But the man doesn't mind; he actually likes it. And it has the added bonus of distracting him from the whispered conversations springing up around him.

"Do you have narcolepsy... Ace...?" she asks, eyes drifting to the tattoo on his arm: ASCE, with an X going through the S. She has to stifle another fit of giggles. Does he even know how to spell his own name?

Ace smiles, flashing his somehow immaculate white teeth. "Portgas D. Ace, at your service," he says, offering his hand to the girl. "And, well, I really don't know. I guess I could have it."

She shakes his warm, strong hand. "I'm Flynn D. Raya," she replies, as another round of whispers erupts from behind the pair.

Ace looks over his shoulder, clearly irritated. He lowers his other hand, still gripping the fork he had been using to shovel food into his mouth prior to falling asleep. "What's up with them?" he asks, narrowed eyes causing quite a few people to squeak and turn the other way.

"They thought you were dead," Raya answers in a sweet laugh, which Ace can't help but find adorable. "Something about mistaking a poisonous spider for a strawberry."

"How come you knew I was only asleep?" he asks curiously, returning to his unfinished meal. She smiles. "I know a guy who looks like he's died after eating his fill," she says, eyes dancing with some amusing memory Ace doesn't know. "And I could see you breathing," she adds, in a tone that suggests everyone else is stupid for not having noticed that clearly OBVIOUS detail.

Ace finds his turn to laugh. "Is that so?" he asks, and she smiles in response.

A loud rumble erupts from Raya, and her tan cheeks turn a fierce scarlet. Ace shakes his head, sliding his unfinished plate of food over to her. "You hungry, Raya?" he asks teasingly.

Her blush deepens, and she holds her head in her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Wasn't your face just buried in that?" she asks in a muffled voice, gesturing blindly to the food now sitting in front of her. Ace shrugs, knowing perfectly well she can't see it. "Does it bother you if I answer with a yes?" he asks, already prepared for the affirmative answer, ready to order something on his own tab.

But she surprises him by dropping her hands and grinning, almost proudly at him. "Course not," she says, swiping his fork from his hand and digging in. "Living with pirates gets rid of all those kinds of phobias."

"So you're a pirate then?" he asks. She nods. "I'm actually looking for my crew right now," she says, a touch of sadness creeping into her playful voice.

"You get separated from them?"

"A while ago," she confirms, sighing into the sheets of hair now in front of her face, her head lowered seemingly in defeat. "I was with another pirate crew for about a month, and now I have absolutely no idea where my nakama are. That's why I'm here, to see if I can find any information on them. They aren't all that famous yet, so I haven't had much luck."

"Funny, I'm here looking for someone too. Someone really important to me. My younger brother, actually," Ace says. He reaches for the wanted poster stuffed into his pocket. "Since it seems like you've been around, mind if I ask if you've seen him? And maybe I can tell you something about your missing crew," he offers.

Raya looks up, her expression hopeful and her eyes bright. "Sounds fair enough," she says, trying, and failing, to contain her excitement.

Ace smiles, at the girl and to himself. He likes her, and he'll be the first one to admit it. "Ok, well, it's a long shot, but have you seen--"

"I guess you don't have a problem with eating in full public."

Ace and Raya swivel in their stools to look at the large, white haired man now looming in the doorway of the suddenly silent restaurant.

"Now, what does the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates Second Corps want in this country? Well, Portgas D. Ace?

"Whitebeard Pirates?!"

"I knew I'd seen that mark on his back before!"

"W-why is he here?!!"

"What?!?!?"

Ace smiles cockily at Captain Smoker, having already recognized him. He turns around fully, resting his arms on the counter behind him, one arm lightly brushing Raya. Her face is scrunched in concentration, her thoughts spinning wildly in her head as she reaches for specifics. She's yet to put a name to this man's face, though she knows it well. Back on her home island of Maya, his face was always in the newspaper for some pirate capture or another. She never liked his face much.

"Like I just told Raya here," Ace says calmly, still grinning, "I'm on a search for my little brother."

"Captain Smoker!" Raya suddenly cries, snapping her fingers in her personal "eureka" moment. All eyes turn to her, and her cute blush returns instantly. "Sorry," she mutters, looking away from the crowd and focusing instead on Ace. "I just figured out who you are, and I got excited."

"So," Ace says, chuckling at Raya's outburst and her embarrassment. "What should I do?"

"Sit tight and let me arrest you," Smoker replies gruffly.

"Rejected," Ace says, causing Raya to break into a grin of her own. "No can do."

Smoker sighs; he never did believe Ace would come quietly. "I'm looking for a different pirate," he says. "And I'm really not interested in you."

"Then let me go."

"I can't do that," Smoker says, tendrils of mysterious white smoke curling away from his body. "As long as I'm a Marine.... and you're a pirate!"

"What a dumb reason," Ace says airily, sneaking a grin at Raya. "Just chill out, man."

Smoker might've replied, if not for the body slamming into his in the next instant, catapulting him towards Ace and Raya, while the word "ROCKET!!" is shouted at the top of a boy's lungs.

Just before Smoker's impact, Ace grabs ahold of Raya, turning so that it's his body that takes the brunt of the blow.

The three victims are sent barreling into over half a dozen thick walls, the force of the blow knocking them through all the obstacles with ease.

Ace and Raya manage to stop before Smoker, as he continues through another few walls before skidding to a halt.

Bruised and battered and pissed as hell, Ace slowly sits up, one hand moving unconsciously to his hat to check its safety. The other arm is wrapped tightly around an unmoving Raya, whom he quickly turns his attention to.

"Hey, you ok?" he asks worriedly, gently shaking her shoulder. Her luminous pink eyes flutter open and she bends forward to cough the dust out of her lungs. Ace helps her sit up, his arm still protectively around her shoulders.

"I... I think I'm alright," she says, a little shakily. Relieved, Ace gets them both to their feet. Remembering, he looks back through the many new holes he's just burst through. "Dammit, who the hell was that...?" he grumbles, dusting himself off and kicking away some debris.

It's then that he and Raya notice the startled family, staring at them with mouths agape and eyes wide. They've interrupted dinner, it appears.

Thoroughly ashamed, the pair bows to the family. "Sorry!" they chorus, before carefully stepping away from the wreckage and starting back towards the restaurant.

"Gimme a break," Ace huffs, annoyed his meal had been interrupted by first Smoker and now this! Seriously, he was enjoying his chat with Raya, about to possibly gather some information on his brother, and some moron has to ruin it all.

Ace and Raya raise their heads simultaneously, and catch sight of the black haired boy in the red vest and the straw hat at the same time.

Raya's heart pounds in her chest, relief intermingling with pure, untarnished terror. This was the moment she'd been both dreading and anxiously waiting for.

And Ace can't be happier! A smile claims his boyish face as his lifts a hand to signal the boy, now chowing down at the counter.

"Luffy!"

Raya and Ace look at each other in bewilderment. "You know Luffy?" they ask in unison. "Wait you've been looking for him?!"

Before either question can be answered, Smoke appears suddenly from behind, pushing them both down onto the ground with his unruly strength.

"Ow," Raya mutters, feeling his giant of a boot step onto her back as he strides forward.

"So, you're here too, Straw Hat."

Luffy doesn't pause in his eating, but the memory of the last time he encountered Captain Smoker plays over in his mind.

"My name is Smoker. Captain of the Marine Headquarters."

"Bo ba bobee by!!" Luffy yells, his mouth full. He spits food everywhere, including Smoker's face. "Ba buh beh buh boo sboobeh beahh?!?!"

Translation: "You're that Smoky guy!! What the heck are you doing here?!?!"

"Disgusting," Smoker spits, swiping the food from his face with one gloved hand. He begins to stalk forward, intent on bringing Straw Hat to justice. Feeling the man's determination charging the air, Luffy quickly gathers all the food in front of him and stuffs it into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a chipmunk's. He mumbles a rushed thank you and sprints out the door, seeming to not see his brother nor his missing crew mate still pressed to the floor.

Smoker shoots after Straw Hat, calling for Tashigi to stop him at all costs.

"Luffy, wait! It's me!" both Raya and Ace call out, pushing themselves to their knees. They exchange one more bewildered look, then take off, hoping to catch up to Luffy before Smoker arrests him.

"So he's your brother?" Raya asks, jumping agilely over a fruit stand's merchandise, ignoring the angry catcalls from the merchant himself.

Ace spares her a sidelong glance, trying to keep focused on the plethora of obstacles standing between him and his brother. Dodging around street goers, he answers, "Yeah, my baby brother." He pauses, then adds, "He's part of the crew you've been searching for?"

"Yes," she replies. "He's captain of the Straw Hat pirates."

They split up momentarily to avoid a group of children, already panicked from Luffy and Smoker's dash through the street. They regroup.

"Captain, huh?" Ace smirks. "Damn, didn't think he'd make something of himself so fast."

"I didn't know Luffy even had a brother," she replies. He shrugs.

"He probably just never thought to tell you."

"...Yeah, that's gotta be it."

The look of sadness has returned to her entrancing morganite eyes. Ace feels a pang of sorrow in his heart, as though he's sharing her pain. But the effect is quickly lost when she takes hold of his arm and jerks him towards her, causing him to narrowly miss colliding with some very irritated street performers.

Already sweating in the dry Alabastan heat, Raya pants, "Luffy already knows Smoker. That can't be good."

"No, it can't," Ace agrees, now running completely side by side with the girl, so close their arms brush with every swing as they race down the Alabastan streets. "If Smoker's missed him once, he won't stop till he's got Luffy behind bars, or worse."

"Hey, if Luffy saved me from my execution, I'll do the same for him."

"........."

"Don't ask, it happened a while ago."

"Alrighty then," Ace says with a boyish smirk, turning his head so that he can look at her from the corner of his eye. She rolls her own at him, smiling freely.

Then she gasps.

"Luffy!"

A pillar of smoke, topped off with a heavy fist, is on collision with Luffy's back as he attempts to outrun Smoker. But he won't be able to dodge.

Both acting on instinct, Raya and Ace shoot forwards, directly into the path of the fist, bypassing Smoker. Flames coil from their outstretched fingers, forming a wall of fire, catching the smoke powered fist long before it reaches Straw Hat.

"Heat Haze!"

"What are you doing?" Smoker demands, retracting his smoke, and consequently, his fist.

But Ace and Raya aren't listening. They're staring at each other in a mixture of shock and recognition.

"You're Fire Fist?" she asks, at the same time he exclaims, "Red Haired Demon!"

"How did I not notice this earlier?!" they both shout, annoyed at their own obliviousness.

Ace smiles after a moment. "So you're Shanks' kid, huh?" he asks, earning a fierce blush from Raya.

"How did you know that?"

"Word travels fast in the pirate world, especially anything involving the Yonkos. And you have his hair," he adds, flicking one red strand playfully.

"So you aren't freaking out that I have your powers?"

He shrugs, keeping one eye on the advancing Smoker. "It's not like you killed me for it," he replies with a cheeky grin. "So no harm, no foul, right?"

"I guess, but I didn't think--"

"Ace...?"

"Little brother's finally spotted me," Ace murmurs, turning to catch sight of his bumbling baby brother. "You haven't changed a bit, have you, Luffy?"

Luffy only just turned around, having figured out that Smoker wasn't chasing him anymore. And he can't believe his eyes. His brother who he hasn't seen for three years, just saved his ass!

"Hey!" the girl beside Ace cries indignantly. "No love for your nakama?" she demands, only to sigh and shake her head, throwing her hands on her hips. "I knew this was gonna happen. But I had to make that deal with Dad..."

"Nakama...?" Luffy echoes scratching at his chin thoughtully. He studies the pretty girl with flaming red hair and those vibrant pink eyes...

No, she was.... It can't be...

"RAYA!!"

A faint smile touches her lips, acknowledging his call. "As loud as ever, Cap'n!" she says warmly.

"Even of this touching reunion," Smoker growls, wrenching Ace and Raya's attentions away from Luffy. Raya sighs again, blowing her hair from her face, and crossing her arms childishly.

"Real charmer," she mutters under her breath.

"Hey Luf!" Ace calls over his shoulder. "We can't talk like this, so you guys run. We'll stay here and take care of these guys for you."

"That's right!" Raya adds brightly, smiling once again. She catches sigh of familiar faces behind Luffy, but doesn't let herself dwell on them. She has to help Ace get rid of the Marines first, then she can catch up.

"Right!" she hears Luffy shout. "Go go go!"

"Who was that?" a painfully familiar voice asks, as footsteps pound against the dust and dirt of Nanohana's city streets, disappearing soon after.

"Alright!" Raya cracks her knuckles, her flames fanning out around her. "Let's kick some Government ass!"

Ace smirks. "I gotta say I like your attitude."

The next few minutes are an absolute frenzy. Ace and Raya demolish the Marines, throwing fireballs from their hands and dashing through their ranks, as lit up as a birthday cake. Dozens of Marines run away in fear of being burned beyond recognition.

But, though battered and burned, Smoker and Tashigi hold their ground.

Though really, Tashigi is barely on her feet. She managed to block most of the flaming projectiles aimed at her with her beloved sword, but several met their marks and the pain is becoming unbearable. Raya watches her swaying, knowing she'll fall within the next minute.

"Fire and smoke," she mutters, casting a fleeting glance at the Captain. "We'll just keep fighting until we all become too tired to move. This is pointless."

"So what are you suggesting?" Smoker inquires, his thick white smoke circling his body. Ace opens his mouth to speak, but Raya throws a hand over it.

"Take that woman and get her some help. In a battle of Devil Fruit users, especially Logia Types, regular humans have no place. She'll be the first to fall if this frantic match is allowed to continue."

When Smoker hesitates, watching his Sergeant struggle to remain standing, Raya adds, "No one else is going to be able to catch Luffy at the moment. I can assure you of that." She flashes her teeth in a prideful smile. "I know my captain."

Tashigi finally drops, and as Smoker moves to catch her, the two flaming pirates take the opportunity to make a hasty exit.

"Damn," Smoker growls, biting down hard in his cigar.

Nami's POV

"B-brother?!"

"That guy back there was your brother?!"

"Yup, he's my big brother."

Oh my Kami, there's someone else like Luffy? Kami help us...

"Well, I'm not surprised you have a brother," Zoro says, as Luffy sits up on the railing of the Going Merry, putting the soles of his feet together. "But why is he here on the Grand Line?"

"He's a pirate." Luffy grins, tapping his sandals together. "He's looking for One Piece!"

Even better! They're after the same goal! Really, the world can barely handle one Luffy, what are we going to do with two?!

"Ace is three years older than me," Luffy goes on. "So he left the island three years earlier."

"What are the odds of you both eating Devil Fruits?" Sanji asks, lighting up a cigarette.

"I know!" Luffy laughs, leaning back slightly as he does so. "I was surprised too! He hadn't eaten one before. Even then, I could never beat him. Ace is really strong."

The whole crew is astonished. There's someone Luffy couldn't beat? How is that possible? I've seen him take down Buggy the Clown, Arlong, a king, assassins and nearly even Zoro. I just... can't imagine him losing to anyone.

"You couldn't even beat him once?" I ask, breaking the long stretch of silence. "Against a regular human?"

"The monster's brother must be one hell of a monster!" Usopp comments, his knees beginning to knock together quite loudly.

"Yeah!" Luffy throws back his head, laughing even harder. "I always got my ass kicked! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! But I could beat him now!"

"That's a groundless statement," Zoro mutters, sweat dropping.

"Who could you beat?" a slightly mocking, slightly teasing voice asks. I jump back as a man appears on the railing beside Luffy, crouching with his hat hiding his grinning face. A girl sits beside him, and his arm is set protectively around her waist. Did he carry her here? And who is she anyway?

Wait...

Luffy, having crashed to the ground upon the man's arrival, smiles up at him, as happy as a school boy. "Ace!" he shouts, spreading his arms wide as though expecting a hug. "And Raya!"

"Yo."

"Hey, Cap'n! We took care of those bothersome Marines for ya!"

Silence.

That is the only thing that fills my ears as I stare at the grinning girl seated beside Ace. She wears black jeans, ripped above the knee, along her right thigh, and below on the left leg. A sleeveless white and blue Marine shirt sits open like a vest over a pale pink shirt. A white bandana is tied around her mess of crimson hair, setting off her tanned skin in comparison. On her feet she wears black boots, buckled in a seemingly random and decorative fashion, with only the slightest of heels. One of her pink eyes is closed, a pale white scar tracing down from her temple, over her eyelid, and down onto her cheek.

Besides the scar, this is the girl I saw on the wanted poster.

This is Flynn D. Raya.

"RAYA?!?!"

Everyone, besides Vivi and Chopper, turns on Luffy, the intent to kill burning in our eyes.

"You knew she was here and you didn't tell us?" I demand, throttling him. Both Sanji and Zoro knock him over the head, with Sanji bringing his foot down harder than usual.

"I wanted her to surprise you!" he tries to explain, his rubber neck not affected in the least by my crushing grip. Dammit!

"Luffy! You know we've been worried sick for the past two months and you... you still didn't..." Usopp can't finish his rant, on account of the hiccuping sobs now erupting from his chest.

A soft laugh cuts through our bickering, and the entirety of the crew turn to see Raya, still sitting comfortably beside Ace, his arm STILL around her waist.

Oh that's going to kill Zoro....

And Sanji.

"Baka," Raya laughs, indicating Luffy with a nod. He grins widely, his rubber face stretching. "I've missed you. All of you," she adds, letting her gaze drift to each of us. But when her eyes rest on Vivi, they darken slightly, like she's fighting to keep them bright but can't manage it.

I look between the baffled Vivi and the obviously hurting Raya, and my heart constricts. She must think we've replaced her with the blue haired princess.

"But hey, before we do the big happy reunion," she says, her voice taking on a forced, playful tone, "let Ace talk to his brother. Three years is a long time to go without seeing your family."

Ace grins at her. He leans down and--OH MY KAMI--kisses her cheek in one quick motion. She blushes furiously as he says, "Thanks, Raya. Appreciate it!"

I hear the clink of metal as Zoro pushes one of his swords from its sheath with his thumb, murderous intent rolling of him in waves.

Sanj, too, is furious, his eyes flaming, and he clenches his hands into fists.

Uh oh.

I grab onto to Sanji, knowing he's the only one I have a chance of stopping, and whisper sweetly into his ear, "Can you calm down? For me?"

Instantly, hearts appear in his eyes and he swoons like there's no tomorrow. "Of course! Anything for you Nami-swaaaaan~~" he sings.

I inwardly groan, seeing Raya give us an amused smirk. What she must thinking right now... It makes me want to throw myself overboard.

And great! He made me miss part of Ace and Luffy's conversation!

"Here take this," Ace says, handing Luffy what looks like scrap of off white paper no bigger than his thumb.

"It's a piece of paper," Luffy says, furrowing his brow.

"Yup," Ace responds smiling cutely. "It'll let us meet again, so always keep it with you."

"Wow..."

"Don't want it?"

"No! I do!"

Ace chuckles, finally removing his arm from Raya. "Having a dumb little brother, makes an older brother worry," he says, holding onto his orange hat the way Luffy sometimes does with his straw one. "He must give you guys trouble too."

"That sounds like goodbye," Raya comments, frowning at him. Whatever their relationship, I can tell his leaving bothers her.

"Yeah, sorry I can't stick around," he says, speaking more to Raya than to Luffy. He flashes a glance at Zoro, who I can see is on the verge of running Ace through with his three swords. Ace smiles and I know he's respecting the feelings he must pick up from our resident Swordsman. "I'm hunting down a Whitebeard defector," he continues, looking back at Raya's troubled face. "Marshall D. Teach, also known as Blackbeard. He's ruthless and... Raya?!"

Luffy and I join him in his shouts as Raya goes deathly pale, her face the same color as her trademark bandana. Her grip on the railing loosens, and with her eyes so distant, and so full of pain, I'm afraid she's going to go over the edge.

Ace, obviously on the same train of thought as me, deftly picks her up and tosses her to Zoro, who just barely manages to not stab her with the sword he's pulled out. Landing in his arms seems to jolt Raya from her daze. Ignoring Zoro completely, she shifts in his arms to stare at Ace with wide, broken eyes.... I mean eye.

"Blackbeard?" she echoes, in a voice so heart wrenchingly splintered I nearly gasp.

Ace studies her ashen face, titling his head, like he's trying to understand her reaction. "Yeah," he says finally, almost reluctantly. As though he knows this news is going to upset her further.

And he's right. Tears drip silently down her pretty face and both her hands tighten into fists, one of them gripping the front of Zoro's shirt for dear life.

"Are you ok?!" Usopp asks, his voice choked from the grief I think we're all experiencing. The air is thick with Raya's sadness, her loss.

"Blackbeard." Now her voice comes out as a menacingly growl. Her fingers tighten even more, with blood dripping from one hand onto the floor, as her nails bite into her palm. The other nearly tears a chunk of fabric from Zoro's shirt. He doesn't even notice.

He's pretending this isn't bothering him, but can only hold back so much. His eyes smolder with anger. Anger for whoever or whatever is causing this maddening mix of emotions to swirl inside of Raya.

"That's the pirate who killed my parents."

You could hear a pin hit the deck, I'm sure, the ship is so silent.

Silent as the grave.

Fitting, however morbid it is.

I swallow thickly, watching as Raya expertly wipes the tears from her cheeks, like she's done it a thousand and one times before. She probably has.

"Raya..." Luffy says softly, and I can hear in his voice how much he doesn't want to finish his next sentence. "If you want, I'm sure Ace would let you--"

"No."

Stunned, we all stare at Raya as she drops down from Zoro's arms and lands on her feet, only swaying slightly. She nods to him, before addressing the rest of us.

"No," she repeats, managing a smile that I'm sure is meant to be reassuring. But to us, with our nerves all jumbled and frayed, it doesn't help. "As much as I want to kill that bastard with my own two hands, I made a promise to you all. And especially to Luffy. I told him that I would stay with this crew until we made Luffy the Pirate King. Only then would I leave to follow my own ambition. That promise hasn't changed at all... if you'll still have me, that is."

Before uncertainty can crowd in, we pounce on Raya in a group hug, knocking her to ground. With the exception, of course, of Vivi and Chopper... and Zoro, unfeeling bastard that he is.

"Of course we'll have you!" we chorus.

Raya let's out a delighted laugh, sounding like a million pounds was just lifted from her slender shoulders. Was she worried we'd reject her? That though never once crossed my mind, like I'm sure it was with the others. Once a Straw Hat, always a Straw Hat.

"Hey Raya!"

Pushing herself to her elbows, nearly collapsing beneath our combined weight, Raya locks eyes with Ace. He tips his hat to her. "I'll get him," he promises.

A spark enters her eyes as she nods. Hope, reassurance, and trust. "Be careful," she says. Once again, I'm left to wonder what their relationship encompasses, exactly.

Ace smirks. "Anything for the daughter of old Red Hair."

And with that, he flips backwards off the ship. Luffy scrambles to his feet and peers over the railing, calling out to his brother.

A few minutes later, we all hear the sound of ships exploding. But we're too enthralled to really care.

Raya's back!

"It's good to be home," Raya murmurs, flopping back onto the deck. I stand and haul the other off her, letting her breathe. She smiles gratefully at me as I hold back Sanji, who clearly wants to fawn over her more severely than ever.

Vivi and Chopper stand off to the side, uncertain and worried. I hunk they understand just how happy we all are right now, but because they don't know her, they're wary of Raya.

She flicks her pink eyes over to them, frowning slightly. She gets up, dusting off her jeans and Marine shirt. Then she flashes a bright, toothy smile that sets Sanji swooning.

"I'll love to do some introductions," she says, nodding towards the unfamiliar crew. "But there's something I've wanted to do for the past two months. So if you'll just give me a second..."

Quick as a flash, she appears in front of Zoro. She throws out a fist, catching him square in the jaw.

All of us gasp as Zoro stumbles back a step, surprise and hurt all over his face. Not because of that pain; Raya isn't nearly as strong as he is. The pain is from the fact that she would willingly attack him.

But I don't think this is as cut and dry as he believes.

Raya grabs a fistful of Zoro's shirt, pulling his face closer to hers. Venom dripping from every word, she says, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Zoro's eyes widen. As do the rest of the crew's. "What are you talking about? What the hell is wrong with YOU?"

Raya flinches slightly, but her face quickly regains its hard, accusing look.

"I'm not the one who worried the entire crew!"

They're shouting at each other simultaneously, and I smirk to myself. The same feelings. Same thoughts. Ah, they'd be so cute together!

"What are you talking about?! You're the one who challenged Mihawk without a plan!" they shout in unison.

"Me? I had to fight him!"

Zoro now grabs ahold of Raya's shirt. Their faces are only an inch or two apart. Come on! Kiss!

"I fought for my dream," Zoro growls. Raya isn't fazed. "And I fought for my friend," she snarls back. "I thought you were dead Swordsman," she adds, her voice growing softer.

"What?" he says, loosening his hold on her shirt. "You saw I was alive! Why didn't you just run away?"

"I couldn't," she says, her eyes dropping to his chest. "I needed to show you that Mihawk is someone totally different from you. That you couldn't just train for a month and expect to win against him. He'll kill you next time, Swordsman. I couldn't let you throw away your life because you didn't understand just how much stronger he is. You needed to see that.... that it's going to be a long time until you're ready to become the World's Greatest Swordsman. That's why I couldn't just run away. I wasn't going to let my nakama die like that."

Raya swipes the back of her hand across her eyes, hiding unnoticed tears. Then she smiles at Zoro's astonished face. "You know, I was fully prepared to yell at you an hour. You really scared me back then. But, just seeing that you're alright... I can't stay mad." She drops his shirt and throws her arms around his neck. He stumbles again and my smirk returns. He really is hopeless.

Usopp, cowering behind me, pokes his nose over my shoulder. "That really freaked me out," he stammers, chattering teeth loud against my ear. "I thought they were going to whip out their swords and try to kill each other!"

"Nah," I say, waving my hand dismissively. "That wouldn't of happened."

"How do you know?"

"Woman's intuition."

"That sounds like a load of--"

I jab him with my elbow and he breaks off, gagging as he fights for a breath. Ugh, sometimes this crew really gets on my nerves.

Someone coughs, I'm not sure who, and Raya releases her hold on Zoro, giving him a closed eye smile. He just blinks at her, practically in a daze.

Raya turns around and looks over the crew. "Dartboard Brow," she says, flicking a hand at Sanji, smiling pleasantly. "Nice to see you again."

Ignoring his wounded look, she dashes away from Zoro and wraps her arms around me in a fierce hug, catching me off guard. "Glad you decided to come back," she whispers warmly, before hugging Usopp. He blushes as she smiles at him. "Got any braver, Usopp?" she questions teasingly, and his blush deepens.

She then turns to Luffy, saluting him. "I'm happy to be back, Cap'n. More than I could ever express in words."

He grins in response, chuckling.

Smiling, and appearing more relaxed, Raya leans against the mast, arms across her chest. She studies Vivi and Chopped for a while. They stay silent and still.

"I'm Flynn D. Raya," she says at last. "It's not really my place, but can I ask who you guys are? I mean, I'm not surprised the crew picked up a few people during my... absence. I just wanna get to know my new crew mates." She smiles, but there's a lost look in her open eye. She really is afraid that we've replaced her.

"Raya," I say, gaining her attention. "That's Tony Tony Chopper. He's the ship's doctor. He joined on the last island we sailed to."

She nods, as Luffy shoves Chopper forward, towards her. He shivers and shakes as she crouches in front of him. But her smile is genuine this time.

"Well, Chopper, I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, for keeping my nakamas healthy and safe. I'd be lost without them."

He starts in surprise. He pulls on the rim of his reddish pink top hat, tugging it down around his face. "You... you don't think I'm a freak?" he asks in his adorably high pitched voice. He's fifteen but he sounds eight. It's so cute.

Raya furrows her brow, resting her arms on her knees. "Why would I think you're a freak?" she asks, tilting her head.

"Because! I'm a talking reindeer!! With a BLUE nose!"

"So?" She shrugs. "You probably ate the Human Human Fruit, right? As for the blue nose, it suits you. I wouldn't make fun of you for something like that anyway. Now, if you do something weird like sing in your sleep, it'll be a different story."

"Really?" he squeaks and she smiles softly. "Really," she confirms, sticking out her hand. Chopper tentatively places his little hoof in her hand, and they shake.

Wow. Chopper didn't even try to hide behind the mast.

Raya goes to stand up, but Chopper catches her hand, preventing her from moving. "You're hurt," he says seriously.

Everybody tenses.

Raya raises an eyebrow and Chopper turns over the hand he's holding. Drying blood covers her palm, trailing down her fingers and onto the back of her hand. She rubs the back of her neck sheepishly with the other hand. "Forgot about that," she murmurs.

Chopper shakes his head, pulling off his little backpack. He direct her to sit down as he shuffles through his supplies. Raya blinks, watching him begin to clean her hand.

"Thanks, Chopper," she says after a moment. "I can already tell you're a great doctor."

"Ah! Don't think things like that will make me happy! Just shut up!"

But he's doing his cute little dance, tugging at his tiny ears. He smiles happily as she laughs and laughs.

Kami, I can't believe how much we've all missed her laugh.

"Ok," I say, clapping my hands. "While Chopper helps Raya, we'll introduce Vivi. Vivi?" I motion her forward.

"My name is Princess Nefertari Vivi," she says, barely looking at Raya. Maybe she isn't wary anymore, but she's definitely nervous.

"Princess Vivi?" Rays echoes, wincing as Chopper disinfects the cuts on her hand. "As in, Princess of Alabasta? Daughter of King Cobra? Damn! What are you doing with a bunch of pirates?"

"We're trying to help her stop a civil war," Usopp says, now standing beside Vivi.

"Dad didn't mention a civil war," Raya grumbles, wincing again. Chopper quickly apologizes for wrapping the bandages too tight, but she waves him off good-naturedly, saying it's fine.

Dad? She said that before too. And Ace mentioned something about her father. But, he's dead isn't he?

"A guy named Crocodile is trying to take over Alabasta by starting a civil war and getting the citizens to hate the King. And he's framing him too," Usopp says, and Raya nods thoughtfully.

"Dance Powder, right?" she guesses. "Dad said something about severe droughts in Alabasta. Everywhere but the Capitol, Alubarna. The citizens think the King is using the Dance Powder for his own selfish reasons, when it's really this Crocodile guy, right?"

Vivi starts to answer, but I cut her off. "Raya, what are you talking about? You said your Dad was dead. That he was killed by Blackbeard years ago."

She blinks.

Everyone stares at her, just catching on. Really, am I the only one who noticed she kept saying Dad?

Raya laughs, easing some of the tension from the air. "That's right!" she says, slapping a hand to her forehead. "I forgot to tell you guys, didn't I? My biological father is Shanks. That's where I've been for the past two months. Well, I was with him for a month, then I spent about a month trying to get here. But that's who Mihawk took me to."

......

......

......

......

"..... What?"

Raya's POV

I spend an hour and a half trying to explain everything.

Why Mihawk took me in the first place.

How I found out about Shanks being my father.

What I did during my month aboard his ship.

... Why I chose to wait so long before coming back.

And especially how I got my bounty.

While I talk, Nami steers the ship up a river that leads to a port town, or something. Vivi explains to me that the leader of the rebellion (she's already talked to me extensively about the civil war, and the rebellion that risen up in the last few years) makes his base in a town called Yuba, and that's why we need to sail up through the desert. Apparently though, once we reach this town, we'll have to walk for about half a day through the sand before reaching Yuba. Sounds grand.

Vivi also provides me with a simple white hooded cloak with gold trimming to cover me from the desert sun. Sanji complains loudly about this, because I'm already "too covered up" and because the other girls also don cloaks.

Zoro offers to kill him for me when he sees my blushing cheeks, and I'm so tempted to just let him do it. But I don't, mostly because I want to get revenge myself later.

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper tell me about their adventures since my "departure". I'm thoroughly impressed by them tackling Little Garden, home of the two giants. I always thought giants were a legend, but since Luffy is corroborating Usopp's tale, I'll believe him.

Vivi joins in the storytelling and recounts how she met the Straw Hats, on an island called Whiskey Peak. Here she details the organization we're currently fighting against, Baroque Works. And also her infiltration of the crime syndicate. I gotta say, I never really thought a Princess could have so much courage. Vivi is certainly worthy of her status among the Straw Hats.

Chopper tells me all about Drum Island, his home. A pang of guilt hits me hard when he talks about how sick Nami was. I feel awful for not having been there for her.

When they've finished, I ask about Captain Smoker. Luffy grimaces and Usopp explains how they met him in Lougetown where he tried to capture Luffy to have him executed.

"Lougetown?" I repeat. Sadly, jealously is creeping into my heart right about now. I know, how horrible am I? Luffy almost died in Lougetown because of Buggy the Clown, and I'm upset because I didn't get to go. How lame can a nakama get?

Thank God we're finally docking. I can distract myself for at least a little while.

Oh man, this just means I get to trek trough the scorching desert for half the day. Damn.