Author's Note:

It's been a hot minute since I posted, my sincerest apologies.
There's been a LOT going on in my personal life lately and I've been learning to re-prioritize.

Anyway, I hope the new year has been treating you all well.
Sending lots of love and blessings to you all.

Love always,
Ash.xx

.・。.・゜・.・・゜・。.

The sun rises over the Red Force the next morning and one by one the crew emerges from the cabin of the ship. Not much of morning people and slightly hungover from the night before, they head straight to the small kitchen for some more booze to help ease the effects of their hangovers.

On the lower deck, away from all of the commotion of the crew, Amari—who has found her staff in the cargo hold—is practicing her combat forms as she has every morning for the past almost two years. Her movements are quiet, but quick and calculated, going unnoticed by the red-haired pirates. Aside from the first mate, that is.

Benn Beckman watches the girl from the top deck, studying her movements as his thoughts of distaste for the girl swim around in his mind. Amari, despite being a deck below him, feels his intense gaze on her but pays it no mind. After completing her forms, she holds her staff at her side and bows towards the sun, honoring her late teacher, to end her self-led practice. She then rolls a barrel over to the bow of the ship before standing it upright and taking a seat on it, facing the rising sun with her legs crossed. The girl lays her staff across her lap and places her hands on her knees, closing her eyes as she begins to meditate.

The door behind Beckman creaks as it opens and Shanks steps out of the captain's quarters more hungover than the rest of the crew. The captain spots Beckman standing over the edge of the deck and smiles as he approaches him. He follows his line of sight to the purple-haired girl at the bow of the ship and laughs.

"Ah Beckman, it's too early for round two." Shanks pats Beckman's back. "What's so alarming about her that's got you so worked up?"

Benn sighs, keeping his gaze on the girl. "Why is she here? What purpose does she serve to our crew?" He asks. "Each one of us has a role, carries our own weight, is loyal to one another; this girl, she has nothing, her loyalties lie elsewhere. If we were attacked right this second, I don't doubt that she would use it as an opportunity to run and leave us to fend for ourselves."

"And if that was her decision, we could take care of ourselves like we always do." Shanks points as Benn turns to face him. "Lucky for us, there are no other ships in sight." He teases his first mate.

"What's your fascination with her? We've met plenty of more capable and experienced women that would be better members of our crew than that-" Benn's sentence is cut short by Shanks averting his gaze as another person joins them. He turns his head to find Amari with her arms crossed and rolls his eyes.

"Oh no, don't stop on my account. Please, by all means, finish your thought." She glares up at the man.

Beckman shakes his head and turns his attention back to his captain, "All I'm saying is that I wish you'd consult us before making decisions like this. Her being here impacts all of us."

"I'm aware." Shanks acknowledges Beckman's concerns. "But I don't recall you ever questioning any of my decisions before." He continues, making Beckman's prideful expression sink. Shanks then turns his attention to the girl. "Was there something you needed?"

"Yes, actually." She speaks up. "I'm not sure what you've done with it, but I'd like my kimono back."

"Oh! Right, I asked Hongo to restore it for you. He should be around here somewhere." He turns as he looks around the ship for the doctor. "I'll find him and let him know, was that all you needed?"

Beckman's eyes widen at Shanks's response and willingness to run around for Amari. Something about it doesn't seem right to him. He glares down at the girl again, who's equally as confused by the captain's kindness as her eyes widen slightly. "Um, no. That was it." She swallows awkwardly. "Thank you."

She looks up to meet Benn's judgmental gaze and rolls her eyes before heading to the lower deck once more. The sound of boisterous laughter reaches her ears as she passes the open door of the cabin and she slows her steps to listen.

"No way, you did not outshoot him. Daddy the Father is the best sharpshooter to ever exist." Rockstar laughs.

"I did too! Roux was there, tell 'em Roux!" Yassop shouts.

A brief silence follows Yassop's request, resulting in another wave of laughter from the men. Amari can't help smile at the sound of their banter. It's like they're one big family. It's been so long since she's been around family. Sure, she trained with her grandmother, but she saw Emika as more of a teacher than family. Part of her blames that on not knowing her for the large majority of her life. Even when she was younger, she was an only child. It wasn't like she ever had any siblings or even friends in the village since her unique traits made her an outcast in her village.

"Hey! Kiyoko!" A voice shouts from the other side of the door, breaking Amari free from her thoughts. She looks up to find the group of men staring at her. "Why don't you join us?" Lucky Roux smiles.

"Oh, no, that's okay. I wouldn't want to intrude on your-"

"Ah c'mon, we're just swapping stories." Bonk Punch adds.

The girl inhales deeply. If she's going to be on this ship until landfall she might as well get acquainted with some of the crew. She walks through the door and leans against the wooden beams of the wall as she listens to their stories. Tales of sword fights, pirate raids, first weapons, and legends from their childhoods are told over the course of the next few hours.

"It's a shame the captain has no interest in heading straight for the One Piece, I can't think of a better man to claim it than him." Limelight admits.

"Yeah." Gab adds. "Instead he'd rather explore wasteful islands like Mizuhana."

The rest of the men look at Gab with disapproving looks as the words leave his mouth. They subtly glance at Amari as the silence in the room thickens and she stifles a laugh.

"I can understand why you all would view Mizuhana as a waste of time. In your defense, it sounds like you were only there for a few moments before Shanks decided to leave." Amari points, finally adding more than just laughter to the conversation.

A small silence lingers until Yassop speaks up. "Is Mizuhana a waste?" He asks, earning a slap on the arm from Lucky Roux. "What? It's a genuine question!" He defends. "Captain spoke of some unforetold treasure hidden deep beyond Mizuhana's surface."

"Yeah, he called it the Gem of Mizuhana." Building Snake specifies.

Amari feels a weight in her chest at the nickname her father used to call her by. Her hand finds the crystal dangling by a string as it rests against her chest and she gently rubs the taaffeite crystal between her thumb and forefinger. "Mizuhana is an island of many treasures." She begins, earning the interest of the pirates. Even as Benn joins the group, their attention stays on the girl as she looks down. "While I never heard any stories about pirate treasure specifically, the island itself is a marvel."

Her hand tightens around the crystal and she closes her eyes, thinking back to the peaceful days on Mizuhana, before she even knew about her abilities. Shanks appears in the doorway and raises an eyebrow at the sight of his crew watching Amari intently, who has her head down. Before he has the chance to speak, Amari continues.

"The air on Mizuhana was always sweet. There was a constant breeze that danced through the tall purple trees, causing them to sway and their leaves to rattle almost like a song." She smiles to herself. "The weather was unpredictable, but never troublesome. The rain was soft and glistened as it landed in streams and ponds. The animals of the forest would come out from hiding just to relish in the calming sensation of the rain kissing their skin. Nothing on Mizuhana was ever bad, or distasteful... Until that day." She clenches her jaw as tears gather in her eyes. "The day that we were attacked, everything was different. The air was dense and the wind was cold. The rain burned as it fell from the sky, steaming as it came into contact with my skin."

The pirates gasp at the turning point in her story. All of them completely enamored by the tale, all except for Benn who wears the same blank expression on his face.

Amari's breath trembles as she continues, changing the topic for her own sake. "Maybe there is treasure on Mizuhana. There are plenty of caverns on the west side of the island that haven't been explored and the island core is made of solid taaffeite, which has to be worth something." She blinks back her tears as she lifts her head. "When you lot drop me off there I'd be more than happy to show you the way."

"Wait, you're not staying?" Lucky Roux asks.

Amari presses her lips into a thin line at the question. "I'm no pirate, I'm sure you've all concluded that much." She states, making eye contact with Benn.

"Neither were any of us until Shanks found us." Yassop adds. "Of course, we've all had to prove ourselves one way or another, but when the great pirate flag beckons, you must heed its call!" He shouts, standing on top of one of the tables as the men rally around him.

Amari shakes her head as she laughs at the group. "I'm not so sure the pirate flag is calling me. Besides, I have no interest in searching for treasure or getting into fights."

"You'd fit in just fine here, our captain doesn't like those things either." Limejuice pokes, causing the crew to laugh.

"Alright, alright, you all know that's not fully true." Shanks finally speaks up, startling Amari a bit as he enters from his spot in the doorway. "I don't like starting fights, but I'll finish them." He states. "And I do like treasure, I just happen to like the adventure too." He stops in front of Amari and extends his hands to offer her clean and repaired kimono back to her.

Her eyes widen at the sight of the kimono in almost brand-new condition. She looks up at Shanks and he smiles. "Don't thank me, thank Hongo. He's the one who fixed it."

The two of them hold eye contact for a moment too long, making the rest of the crew slightly uncomfortable. Beckman clears his throat from his seat and Shanks turns his head towards the man. He raises an eyebrow at Beckman and turns back to Amari but she's already gone.

"Was it just me or did anyone else feel like they weren't supposed to see that?" Yassop asks, earning a tap on the back of his head from Shanks as he walks by.

The group of men burst into laughter yet again, even Shanks cracking a smile as he pops open a bottle of saké.

Amari presses her back to the outside wall of the cabin after slipping out of the room. She races to catch her breath, which somehow eluded her after her momentary interaction with the pirate captain. Another figure moves across the ship in the darkness and Amari narrows her eyes in its direction. She recognizes the man as one of the crew and moves towards him.

"Hongo?" She asks, causing the man to turn towards her. "Shanks told me that you fixed my kimono, I just wanted to give you my thanks." She speaks kindly.

Hongo looks down at the garment in the girl's hands. "Tailoring is not my specialty, I did what I could."

"It's perfect." She assures him. "Thank you."

The man just nods in response before continuing on his way.

"So, Captain." Yassop smirks as he leans towards the red-haired man. "She's a pretty one, huh?"

"Tells some good stories too." Bonk Punch adds.

Shanks stifles a laugh. "What do you really want to know?"

The men look at each other before Rockstar speaks up. "Is that your shirt she's wearing?"

"Her kimono was unwearable after what happened on Mizuhana." Shanks points.

"Right... Awfully nice of you to save her from that attack by the way." Limejuice pries.

"Should've left her there." Beckman mumbles under his breath.

Shanks hears his remark but pays no mind to it, already knowing where he stands on the topic. "I know that Amari is not the pirate potential that all of you were when I found you, but I see something in her." He shares, thinking back to the night he found her on Mizuhana. The aura surrounding her was like a flame that kept drawing him closer. Her skin was stained with soot and blood, but her dark eyes pierced his as her pupils contracted. Her attacks, supported by her staff, were strong and meaningful—even if they weren't quite enough against him. Even as she withstood his conqueror's haki, she did everything she could to fight back and hold her ground. "I don't know what type of power she has, on Mizuhana her emotions clouded her thoughts, but even in that state she fared well against me."

The eyes of the crew widen and whispers are shared between the group as Shanks continues to drink his saké. Beckman looks over at his captain in confusion. "She didn't land a single hit when she fought you on Mizuhana." The first mate points.

"Beckman," Shanks sets down his bottle, "how many strangers do you know that can withstand my haki in such close proximity?"

Beckman's eyebrows furrow slightly as he meets the captain's eyes. Shanks pops one eyebrow in his direction and smirks slightly before taking another swig of his drink. "There's something about her." Shanks states. "And I'm going to figure out what it is."