Previously; 

"Hey, don't worry so much." Shanks spoke, distracting the green haired sweetheart as he took her hand in his in an attempt to ease her worries. "I'm sure they're okay, what sort of trouble could those two get up to anyway? Luffy won't leave Shiki's side and that girl is far too cautious to do anything stupid."

He was trying to reassure her, he hadn't felt anything dangerous in the air when they arrived, and from what he understood Shiki was to afraid to leave the village after being told horror stories from her grandfather. That's what Luffy told him anyway. But, he suddenly frowned, something was beginning to nag at him as a feeling of dread filled him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Where The Wind Blows~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm tired of being afraid... I-I want to be brave like you." Shiki stood before Shanks, her fist gripping at her cloths.

Shanks, who stood on the docks as the crew prepared to depart for their mission, blinked at her and chuckled. "Like me huh?"

"Yeah... Brave and strong so I can keep Luffy safe." She murmured, looking to the ground as shame filled her for being such a scaredy cat. "But... I don't know how..."

"Mmm... I was always told to face my fear's head on to conquer them." Shanks said with a reminiscent chuckle. "Whatever it is you're scared of that's stopping you from being strong and brave, face it head on. There's nothing you can't do with someone you care about by your side."

"Face it... head on?" Shiki murmured, "Yeah... face it." Her eyes brightened. "Thanks Shanks! I know exactly what to do!"

"Haha thata girl."  His hand pat her head, smirking when she blushed. "Now shoo! We've got treasure to find! All aboard men! Hoist the sails and make way to our destination!"

"AYE CAPTAIN!"

Shanks was pulled out of his thoughts when the double door's to Partys bar were thrown open and a little village boy came crashing in with a cry. The noise from the bar stopped while Makino gasped and stopped what she was doing, rushing over to the child who appeared to be covered in scratches and bruises.

"M-Makino!" The kid wailed, sniffling loudly as he stood up only to trip once more and crash to the floor. "O-ouch!"

"Waylon?!" Makino was quick to check over him as worry filled her. "What in the world happened? Where did all these bruises and scratches come from?" She fretted over the boy who only pushed away her urgent checkup.

"No!" The boy flung himself back, shaking his head and denying her help. "You gotta' get help! Shiki! Shiki needs help!" He wailed some more, tears and snot rolling down his face as he struggled to push the barmaid away. "T-The bandits! They got her!"

"Bandits?!" Makino gasped as Shanks cautiously stood up. "What were they doing in town? Where is Luffy?" She covered her mouth in shock.

"N-not in town... Shamisen's f-field."

Makino paled, choking in surprise as she quickly stood. "W-waylon," Her voice sounding exactly like a disappointed mother, "you know better! What on earth were you all doing over there?"

"What's Shamisen's field?" Benn questioned as he shifted in his seat, a frown marring his face as the crew also began to murmur in confusion... 

"I-"

"It's were the battle between the Bandits and Marines took place a while back." A voice interrupted and all attention went to a village regular who sat in the back as he drank from his cup with a dark look. "It's been deserted and untouched ever since." He continued. "Everyone here in the village knows to stay away from that place, ever since the Bandits claimed it as theirs and slaughtered old man Shamisen. It's outside of town bordering Bandit territory." 

"Waylon, tell me please, what happened?" Makino spoke up.

"I tried to get her to come back!" Waylon cried, wiping his eye's with his dirty arm. "But she wouldn't listen! She said she had to prove how brave she was, she had to face her fears, she had to do it to keep Luffy safe. I-I was just... Lenard and Beatrice were beating them up again a-and..."

"Waylon..." The disappointment in her voice was deep and made the boy flinch, she knew he followed Lenard's actions. If Lenard were bullying Shiki and Luffy, then Waylon was right there next to him. It honestly broke her heart that Luffy and Shiki were being bullied, but nothing she did could get the children to stop. It had only made it worse actually and she has been at a loss at what to do. 

The children's parents only said to let the kids figure it out for themselves, they didn't want to get involved with childish quarrels. They didn't seem to care.

"I tried waiting with her!" Waylon pleaded his defense. "But I fell asleep and when I woke up I heard a noise and got scared so I hid and when she screamed to run I ran for it to get help, I couldn't do anything!" He defended more. "I-I'm just a kid! Luffy broke the ties Lenard put around him," Waylon continued, ignoring Makino's upset look about Luffy being tied up. "And ran after Shiki! You have to hurry! They're gonna kill her and Luffy, they know she's that old marine guys granddaughter!"

"Captain..." Benn looked to Shanks who was feeling panicked and upset.

Upset with himself.

When he told Shiki to be brave and face her fears, he hadn't meant like this. He thought maybe fear of heights or the dark or something stupid that all little kids were afraid of! Not this, never this. He'd never condone her facing dangerous men this young with no experience.

"I'm going." Shanks stated, putting his cloak and hat on. "I'll be back, with the kids too." He then rushed out the door, determined to get to the two children.

Makino covered her face with her hands, a small sob escaping her from worry. "Oh I pray they are both okay..."

"Don't worry." Benn spoke as he lit a cigar, "Shanks will get them back safe and sound."

"Yeah, But not before he scares the hell outta those bandits." Yassop snickered. "Specially with how fond he seems of those two."

"I almost feel sorry for 'em!" Lucky roux laughed boisterously before the rest of the crew started laughing with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where The Wind Blows~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don't. Touch. Her." Shanks repeated once more, a huff of air heaving out of his lungs from running all the way to the desolate field. 

Honestly, he was surprised the bandits didn't take the children far away by now instead of staying in the field. There were only three of them, four if he included the one he had currently. There didn't seem to be a leader around, he noted. That may mean they acted independently. He lifted his arm up, pulling with it an unconscious balled bandit that had tried attacking him on his way there. He'd easily knocked him down before running faster when he hear Luffy's voice demanding "Leave my Nee-chan alone!"

When he had made it to the clearing, he felt his blood freeze when he spotted the girl. Her body was bruised  up pretty good, her lip was split and left eye swollen. Although Shanks looked calm and collected on the outside, inside he was angry.

They were just kids, two innocent children.

"SHANKS!" Shiki's raspy and broken voice draw's the pirate captains attention to her. His jaw clenching before looking to Luffy who was sobbing in worry for his sister and from being afraid.. 

"Shiki, Luffy, close your eyes." Shanks demanded, his tone left NO room for arguing. "Don't open them until I say to."

Luffy, who was a sobbing struggling mess, did as he was told. He'd never heard Shanks that serious before. Shiki did so as well, her heart pounding but not out of fear. It was elation, she was so happy he came! The anticipation that these jerks were gonna get what's coming to them thrummed through her veins like a freight train.

She couldn't control the cloud of anger and hate inside of her. 

She wanted them to pay.

She wanted them to hurt!

However, she was filled with disappointment when she only heard three distinct thuds and suddenly found herself untied and standing next to Luffy who immediately latched onto her. "Nee-chan! I was so worried!" Her eye's opened at his voice.

Her arm's automatically wrapped around Luffy, but she wasn't feeling as elated as him. She was upset... 

Why?

Why didn't he do anything more? Her eye's shifted to the four unconscious filthy jerks and grit her teeth. They were fine, knocked in the head to be put out like a light.

Why didn't he make them pay? They hurt her... multiple times... Why didn't he just kil-

She felt Shanks's large hand pat her head, interrupting her train of thought as a warm smile showed on his face, replacing the serious look. Though his eyes were still intense, he was still angry. "You're both ok." He said as reassuringly as he could. "That was a brave thing you did Shiki."

She glared at him.

You didn't do enough. She thought to herself, They needed to hurt too.

"Keeping them from hurting Luffy by making them angry." He continued, he'd heard her when he was hurrying over. He couldn't believe she had spoken up like she did, to make them angry on purpose so that they'd hurt her instead of her brother. "Not letting them know just how much it hurt..."

When he voiced her reason out loud, Luffy stared at her wide eyed from shock and Shiki felt the anger diminish to a back burner within her mind as her emotions started to overflow her from the day she'd had. She'd question him later, she decided as her lips began to quiver. Right now, she just wanted to bask in the fact that she was alive.

Luffy was alive.

Shanks had come for them...

"You..." Ah dang it, Shiki mentally scolded herself, she couldn't hold it back anymore. "You came for us." Her voice hitched and the tear's started to pour down her face. "You c-came back..."

Honestly she didn't think she'd see him so soon after he'd left. She assumed he would be gone for a long long time, that she'd wait by the port excited for his return every day only to grow more and more sad as the sun rose and set over and over.

And he never came back.

Just like Gramps... He rarely ever comes back...

He's busy! A small part of her yells in her mind. He's a Marine hero, he has so much work-

But He's my grandpa... He was supposed to take care of us and instead he left us in this village with only each other. He could have kept us with him, he was strong after all.

But he left us.

Shanks blinked, frowning deeply as he watched Shiki cling to Luffy who started crying (having stopped when he got shocked) even harder at the fact that Shiki was crying.

"A-And Luffy." She hugged him tighter, relishing in his embrace even though he was getting his nasty snot and tears on her. The reminder in her thoughts of grandpa never coming back at times but Luffy was always by her side and Shanks, a pirate, had come back for her. "You came for me t-too."

"Well of course I did!" He yelled at her as if it was obvious. "You're my Nee-chan!"

"... B-BAKA!" Shiki was now wailing, her heart feeling lighter knowing Luffy would come for her even if he was scared.

Honestly, before Luffy had showed up she thought she would never see them again. She thought she was gonna die. She thought she would never see Luffy again either.

Grinning, Shanks wrapped both of his arms around the two children which caused them to yelp and let out a laugh as he picked them up like sacks of potatoes and carried them underneath his arms. "Well! I think its about time we get started on heading back! Everyone is pretty worried you know?"

"Wait!" Shiki kicked her feet, wincing in pain, as she remembered exactly why she was there in the first place. "I can't leave yet!"

"Huh?!" Shanks looked at her. "Why not!?"

"It's against the law!" Luffy stated with his finger in the air as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, making the pirate captain blink at him.

"... Eh?"

"Shiki made the sacred vow! She won't leave this field until sunrise, or else she has to face the consequences of breaking it."

"... vow?" What the heck kind of 'sacred vow' could children make? 

"Uh huh! She swore to the sea!"

"..." 

Huh? Shanks pondered with an odd expression.

"When you swear to the sea, you have to do whatever it is you swore! If you don't, the breaker of the swear will be thrown into the deepest water from the highest cliff on the island. If you survive, then the ocean forgives your sin of breaking the sacred vow." Shiki said matter of factly.

"Why would you ever make such a vow?" Shanks demanded, how ridiculous! "That's the stupidest thing!"

"You can't say that!" Both kids gasped in horror as if he said the most taboo thing in the world.

"If I finish my vow without breaking it then the kids in the village can NEVER bully Luffy again." Shiki continued before smiling. "I faced fear of danger and once the sun comes up Luffy will be safe!"

"..."

"... She didn't say anything about herself." Luffy pouted, glaring to the side.

"Well, I think you have that covered." Shanks said nonchalantly as he continued onward with the kids under his arm. 

"huh?"

"The suns coming up."

Blinking, Shiki looked up and sure enough the sky was beginning to brighten as the sun started rising. 

"I-I did it?" Shiki gapped, "I did it! I completed the vow! LUFFY I DID IT! I'M NOT A SPINELESS MONKEY ANYMORE!" She wiggled in the redhead's grasp in her excitement.

"YEAH!!" Luffy screamed, throwing his fist out in emphasis.

"...Spineless monkey?" Shanks didn't understand these children... Honestly these two... "You know, back to what we talked about on the dock, I hadn't meant standing up to your fears this way."

"... I know... It was stupid."

"I'm not as fearless as you think I am." He admitted.

"No way!" Luffy denied. "You're lying!"

"Yes way!" He yelled back, "There's been times where I've been afraid, but as long as I have my family, my friends and my crew, at my side then I can take on anything that threatens it."

Shiki goes silent for a while as she runs his words through her head, she wants to be stronger and protect herself and Luffy...

"Shiki, do you have anything worth protecting?" He knew the answer to that, tonight proved it, but he wanted to hear her.

"Luffy." She immediately says while Luffy shouts he was gonna protect her too! "... And Grandpa... Makino..." She pauses for a moment and Shanks looks down to her only to scrunch his eyebrows in confusion when her face turns beet red. "... I guess you too."

Shanks pauses for a moment before he starts laughing, loudly and echoing through the empty field that they were walking through. 

"Shut up!" Shiki yelled indignantly with sharp teeth, kicking her feet and flinching when her body pulses in protest. "Don't laugh at me!"

"You won't have to worry about me." Shanks says, his expression is soft as the laughter fades and a gentle smile is on his face.

"Whatever." She folds her arms, still embarrassed at being laughed at. "You're my friend too! So just be quiet and accept it okay!?"

"Hai, Hai." He grins down to her and then to Luffy who was silent.

"Me to! Me to!" Luffy yells. "I'll protect you both! I'm strong you know!? I took on that bald idiot and hit him with my fists! I hit him so fast my fists were like pistols! He didn't even know what hit him!"

That's because when Luffy literally ran into the bandit, he took one look at the guy before he punched him multiple times without even looking before running onward with a continuous screaming battle cry while the bandit stared in confusion after him, as if he hadn't even felt the punches.

But no one really knew that.

"I'll be super strong one day." Shiki decides after a moment of silence. "Then, no one can ever bully me ever again."

Shanks smirks. "Yeah? I'll be waiting to see when that day comes."

"What's that mean!?"

"Yeah!" Luffy defended as well.

"You're both just little brats!"

"WHAT?!" Luffy flailed angrily.

"HAH?!" Shiki followed up after her brother while glaring.

"Hey... Shiki? Why are you wet?"

"Oh uh..."

"Shiki had the piss scared out of her!" Luffy laughed.

"Shut up Luffy!"

"... piss?"

"..."

"OH GROSS IT'S ON ME!?"

"I COUDLN'T HELP IT! BAKA! I'M JUST A KID! JERK!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where The Wind Blows~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the trio had first got back to Partys Bar, they were bombarded by both Makino and Waylon on what happened. Makino hovered around the two children in worry as she took in their wounds while Waylon began to cry from guilt. As he spouted out his apologies for literally everything he ever put them through, Hongo who was the doctor on the Red Forge,  took care of Shiki and Luffy's wounds. 

Shiki looked way worse then she actually was and had massive bruises all over her body from being beat around, a split lip, and a black eye. Other then that she was perfectly healthy! She was given a clean bill of health and an immediate bath to clean off all the grime she had collected on her body. (She had admitted to Makino she had an accident when the bandits scared her) Luffy was roughed up a bit and had some bruising as well but other then that he was perfectly fine.

After a bath, clean cloths put on to replace the old, and a very long nap; the two kids were now back in the bar in the afternoon while the red haired pirate crew returned to their celebrations now that everything was back to usual. Shanks was currently recounting his adventure to both Shiki and Luffy, with Waylon as a tag along. The boy had clung to Shiki as soon as she had come out of being cleaned and cried his apologies once more for leaving her, for getting her in danger and into trouble, for following Lenard around and being mean. He refused to let go of her arm until she said she would forgive him! 

He adamantly ignored Luffy yelling at him to not touch his sister, and swore to Shiki that he'd not leave her side. Though eventually he had no choice as Makino ordered him to go home to his more then likely panicking parents who haven't seen him since yesterday evening. This made Waylon turn pale at the reminder before he bolted out the door to go home, not knowing how much trouble he was really going to be in for worrying his parents so much.

Shiki turned back to Luffy and Shanks who were chatting up a storm and her brother looked to the captain with a determined look on his face. "Hey, you've gotta take me and Shiki with you on your next adventure Shanks! I wanna be a pirate, just like you!" He said with a wide grin. 

Shiki gave a nod in agreement, she faced some of her fear today so as a pirate she could face them all! With Luffy and Shanks by her side! Her heart soared at the thought of sailing beside the redhead and she started to daydream of adventures with the pirate crew, beating up bad guys and taking their treasure.

Exploring all the island's. 

Shanks, turning on his seat, looked to Luffy then to Shiki who was spacing out and laughed heartily. "Right, as if either of you could ever be a pirate. I don't think Shiki's fit for it being afraid of water." He laughed some more, gaining an amused glance from Benn who sat not to far away as he sucked in a breath from his cigar before exhaling the smoke in a smirk when Luffy said indignantly;

"Why couldn't I?" He yelled while Shiki glared as she watched silently, having snapped out of her daydream abruptly. "If Shiki fell overboard I'll just jump right in and save her! I'm the best swimmer!"

This felt... oddly familiar to her. Her glare melted for a moment, Like she's heard and seen this all before. But, that wasn't possible right?

"Look," Yassop began as he leaned back on his chair. "You might be a good swimmer and all, but that doesn't mean you'd make a good pirate Luffy."

"But I'm a great fighter too!" Luffy defended as he remembered fighting the bald bandit and with a grin he punched the air. "My punches are like two pistols, haha! Also, Shiki and I go everywhere together! We're kind of a package deal so you have to take her with."

"Really now?" Shanks spoke, having turned back in his seat with a mouth full of food from a plate Makino had set before him before she returned to cleaning dishes.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Luffy shouted with sharp angry teeth.

"Heh heh! He means that you're too much of a kid, kid." Lucky Roux said after taking a bite of meat straight off the bone, no one noticing Shiki mimicking their conversation word for word almost.

"And he's right you know," Yassop added but Shiki tuned out the rest of what he said as she thought.

How do I know what everyone is saying? Shiki bit her lip in confusion.

"I'm not a kid! I'm a grown up!" Luffy screeched.

Shanks chuckled before pushing a glass of juice towards Luffy and one for Shiki too. "Here, have some juice and calm down."

"Huh?" Shiki blinked, shaking herself from her thoughts. "Oh! Thanks." She said before drinking it down.

"Wow thanks Shanks!" Luffy cheered, gleefully taking a drink from his cup only to slam his cup down when Shanks began laughing so hard he hit the counter. 

"I don't know one Pirate who drinks juice!" He bellowed as he hit the counter repeatedly.

"Hey! YOU TRICKED ME!" Luffy screeched only for the rest of the crew to laugh as well. "Stop laughing!"

"That was a cheap shot!" Luffy and Shiki yelled at the same time while Makino smiled as she cleaned some glasses. 

She loved how much Luffy and Shiki come out of their shells since the redhaired pirate came, even though it had only been a little while the children seemed to love him. She smiled wider, the two deserved a bit more happiness.

No one seemed noticed the shadow heading for the bar doors, all distracted with their rambunctious laughter, until said door was kicked so hard that one of the double doors flung right off and crashed into the dining area, causing a hush to fall upon the bar.

"Excuse us." A voice sneered as a few shadow's stood in the door way.

Shanks's crew watched in silence while their captain continued to eat, absolutely and completely unbothered by the newcomer. Shiki shared a look with Luffy before they turned back to the doorway as a tall man with medium long black hair in a bun and a scar upon his right forehead came inside, stomping down on the broken door that he had kicked in with out a care.

"So," His beady dark eye's raked over the room as he continued foreword, ignoring all the eye's on him as the men with him followed closely; confident smirks upon their faces. "These are what pass for pirates around these parts." His voice was mocking before he gave a chuckle. "Looks rather sad to me." He continued on, bumping Shanks as he went up to the counter.

Said captain merely blinked and looked at the guest.

"Welcome gentlemen" Makino spoke as she made her way over to the scarred man. "What can I do for you?" Her voice was ever so polite, despite her bar's door being broken open. 

She was used to rowdy customers, she did run a bar after all. 

Luffy and Shiki held their glasses as they watched, Shiki clenching her cup when the man spoke once more, "We're Mountain bandits." Her eye's widened at that and slunk closer to Luffy who was now watching the man cautiously, setting his juice down and grabbing her hand in support. "But, we didn't come here to tear your place apart." Shiki's eyes wandered to the group that came with the man, who she gathered must be their leader, and her heart beat harder when she spotted four familiar bandits among the group. "All we want is some Sake, I'd say ten barrels should do."

Luffy followed his sister's line of sight to the four bandits they'd had a run in with, eyes glaring angrily at them.

"I'm sorry, but actually we're fresh out of Sake right now." Makino replied, Shanks returning to his meal.

"Huh." The bandit leader's voice rumbled. "Interesting, these other pirates seem to still be drinking, is that water in their glasses?"

"No, it just happens to be the last of what I had stocked up." Makino explained, her voice still light and kind despite the demeanor of the men in her bar. 

Shanks took this moment to look up and cleared his throat. "My apologies gentleman! Looks like my friends and I drank the whole place dry." he said in an easy going way while waving his hand in a friendly gesture. "But you can have this if you want, it hasn't even been opened yet. Go ahead." Shanks offered the bottle he'd been planning to drink.

The Bandit leader stared him down for a moment with a scowl, reaching for the drink. However, instead of grabbing and drinking the offered bottle, the man punched it clean through while it was still in the redheads grasp, spilling the drink all over Shanks in the process. Makino gasped, holding her mouth while Luffy positioned himself in front of Shiki more when the mans eye's gazed over to them briefly before returning to Shanks. 

The redhead did nothing, sitting with his eyes shadowed by his hat and sake dripping down his now soaked form.

"I'm wanted." He spoke while Shanks's crew watched with frowns and amused grins, the bandit was cocky; as if he should be well known. "There's an eight million berry bounty on my head." He continued, "One bottle isn't enough for a night cap, so don't insult me."

"Man," Shanks grumbled. "Just great." He lifted his head with a frown as he gazed below. "Now the floors wet."

The bandit's expression dropped.

Shiki and Luffy stared in shock as Shanks got off of his stool and knelt to the ground to pick up the broken glass. "Sorry about that Makino, you got a rag I can clean this up with?"

Makino frowned, leaning over the counter for a moment before rushing away. "Alright, don't worry about it. I'll take care of it." 

The pirate captain continued to ignore the bandit leader who was growing more irritated, his men slowly surrounding them. He then pulled his sword out and with a swing he broke another bottle and the plate that Shanks was eating off of upon the counter with a chuckle. Staring at the two children who were staring back wide eyed. When the crash had sounded, Makino froze in place before turning to watch. 

"What're you staring at." The bandit leader said gruffly to Luffy who continued to glare, huffing his chest up as he protectively stood in front of Shiki. "I'm not interested in you little rats, despite the headache you gave my men, they know better then to make a move without my say so. So I won't retaliate... for now." 

Said four men flinched back.

"Anyway, since you like to clean things so much maybe you'll find this mess more fulfilling." He scoffed to Shanks, eye's peering down to the redhead who was now sitting on the floor even more drenched then before. "Tsk, A place without sake is a place unworthy of our time. Men, lets get out of here." The bandit leader spoke before leading his band of scoundrels out of the bar.

But not before casting an eye back to the two kids, "Try not to stray to far from your little village next time ey? Little rats." He laughed before disappearing from their sights.  "See you later, pansies."

Luffy watched with gritted teeth, his fists shanking from the sheer force of him clenching it. He didn't like that guy! First his lackeys bullied Shiki and now Shanks? Why didn't Shanks do anything?!

"Captain are you alright?" Makino hurried over, kneeling to the ground with a rag to pat his face dry. "Are you hurt?"

"Not a problem in the world Makino." Shanks replied in a relaxed tone before snickering. The snicker seemed to trigger a chain reaction and his whole crew bust out laughing. 

"That fellow really got you good boss." Yassop laughed while holding his head, Lucky Roux behind holding his stomach as he boisterously laughed along with them. 

"Talk about a loser."

Shanks laughed loudly as well, taking his hat off as Makino patted him dry as much as she could.

That was it, Luffy growled unable to hold it in anymore. "Why are you all laughing!?" He shouted, slamming his fist into the counter while Shiki held her head down. "What's so funny?! You should have fought back Shanks!"

Luffy now stood up on the barstool, seething in his anger while Shiki just grit her teeth. She wanted to know the same thing... why didn't he fight back? Why didn't he beat them up before too? 

"It doesn't matter how strong they look or how many of them there are, you just laugh it off? You're not a man!" Luffy shouted. "Or a pirate!" 

"Look Luffy," Shanks began, "I know how you feel." He tried to sooth the raging boy, eye's briefly peering over to Shiki who was abnormally quiet. "The guy just spilled some booze on me, its not worth getting all bent out of shape." Shanks continued as he sat forward. 

Luffy shook in anger before growling out. "Whatever" And sat roughly back into his seat, ignoring them all. He didn't understand it and it ticked him off!

Shiki didn't understand either, but she kept her anger inside. She was still really mad at Shanks, not getting why he didn't make them pay earlier for what they did to her nor why he didn't stick up for himself with that stupid bandit leader. She sighed in frustration, trying to reign it back in before her eye's caught sight of the treasure chest Shanks had boasted about. Curiosity was eating at her and while the captain was distracted with Makino who was still trying to dry him off, she opened the lid and blinked in confusion as two giant fruits were revealed inside. 

There was a giant purple one with swirls, and a white one with many different colored swirls and waves, iridescent.

Fruits? What a rip off, what kind of treasure was this? She glared in the box, but that's what he gets, she thinks to herself. A perfect punishment for disappointing her and Luffy. Getting stupid fruit instead of treasure... 

Eat it.

Huh?

Eat it.

Eat what? The fruit?

Eat it! Eat it, eat it! Eatiteatiteatit. Eat. It!

Her stomach growled and she frowned before reaching into the chest and picking up the purple one with swirls on it, well she was hungry so she'd just eat the fruit! More payback for not sticking up for her or Luffy earlier. However, she paused when something within screamed at her and she physically could not bring the purple fruit to her lips.

No. Her arm trembled in resistance. 

This is not for you.

Luffy, this is for him.

Eat the other one.

The other one...

Eat it.

Shiki shook her head, holding it briefly when a pain pierced through her and she put the purple fruit back in the box only for it to be quickly picked up by the still seething Luffy and being  violently eaten in his anger. She turned to the other fruit, the white with iridescent colored swirls and waves. It was prettier, she decided before she reached for it and brought it towards her face to give a sniff. She couldn't smell anything from it and shrugged before she opened her mouth wide and took a bite.

Her first instinctual reaction was to throw it up. Right now. Her face turned green at the taste and she so badly wanted to spit it out but she didn't like wasting, not at all, and so she forced herself to eat it just as aggressively as Luffy in hopes to get it over with.

She probably deserved it for eating Shanks's fruit, she thought with a gag as she forced more fruit down, he might have been saving it for later or something when he got hungry. 

The noise of their chomping seemed to get Shanks's attention and he turned to them amused. "You shouldn't eat out of frustration Luffy, Shiki."

"Sft urp." Luffy grumbled as he ate with more gusto.

"Wait..." Shanks abruptly stood up in horror, catching Luffy and Shiki's attention and they stopped eating the fruit and looked to the pirate captain who's expression grew more and more wide in shock and aggrivation.

"Uh..."

"No... you didn't?!" Shanks shouted at them, making them stare wide eyed and flinch back. "Don't tell me you two ate the fruits that were inside that box?!"

"U-uh I- AH!" Luffy yelled as Shanks grabbed him and harshly lifted him up before turning him upside down and proceeding to shake him aggressively. "Spit it out!" He shook him over and over. "Right now!" Luffy grunted and groaned as he flailed. "Every last bit! You too Shiki!" His focus remained on Luffy for now though, continuing to shake the boy in hopes for him to spit it out.

"What-"

Shake Shake.

"- are you-" 

Shake shake. 

"-doing!? Stop shaking meeee-" 

Shake...

Luffy suddenly felt weird, like really weird and out of the blue the ground slowly loomed closer to him before his face smacked into it, sticking for a moment and then bouncing back up like a rubber band to his body that still remained lifted in the air.

How?

"W-what's going on?" Luffy whined, his face red from smacking into the floor.

Shanks stared horrified along with his crew before bringing Luffy closer to him, the boy still being held upside down. "Luffy, you just ate the gum gum fruit! Part of a group called 'The devil fruits'-"

Shiki, who was now on the ground silently choking and holding her throat while tears ran down her face, had a feeling of Deja vu. She'd heard that before, her head pounded harder and harder as images and people flashed and pain seared through her head.

Devil fruits....

Gum Gum Devil Fruit, Luffy.

Chop Chop Devil Fruit, a clown with blue hair...

Smoke Smoke Devil Fruit, a marine smoking two cigars.

Flame Flame Devil fruit, A shirtless man with freckles smirking as he adjusts a cowboy hat upon his head.

Sand Sand Devil Fruit, A man in a suit sitting in the dark, a gold hook on his arm...

Shiki didn't register Hongo worriedly standing behind, gently holding onto her asking if she was alright while Shanks was still yelling at Luffy and saying he'd never swim again. She couldn't hear or recognize anything around her right now. She had no idea Hongo was even beside her. Her heart was pounding so hard and she swore it sounded like a windstorm was raging in her ear's, blocking all sound but the sounds of a storm. She shivered and trembled, a whimper leaving her lips as her body was ravaged by some unforeseen force and suddenly she was cold... so cold.

She didn't notice Shanks pausing and looking at her concerned, she didn't see the crew closing in on her as she hyperventilated. Something was happening to her!

She... She didn't feel normal!

"W-what's going on!" Shiki wailed as she curled into herself, hiccupping and crying as pain raked over her. She thought she was being tortured from the inside out by some invisible thing, she was cold and unstable, dizzy, and felt like she was thrown around and around and around. Her face turned green, jaw clenched as the crew panicked around the two children.

Then?

It all suddenly stopped and the feeling that something was coming burned inside of her, crawling up and up and up until-

"ACHOO!" Shiki let loos a massive sneeze, not noticing the force of her sneeze sending a massive gust of air into Yassop who flew back and slammed into Lucky Roux, the giant man letting loose an 'OOF' at the impact before Yassop fell to the ground dizzy and disorientated. "Excuse me." She sniffled, rubbing her nose with her finger before noticing Yassop on the floor and everyone, Luffy included, staring at her in shock.

"What?" She asked, eye brows furrowed and expression confused. Nothing showing what she felt and experienced before, as if it didn't even happen. In fact, she didn't remember it happening either. She blinked, one minute having been on the chair eating the fruit and the next on the floor.

Why were they all staring at her anyway? Her gaze looked to Shanks who was comically gaping at her in horror before turning to Luffy and repeating back and forth.

"What?" She repeated in confusion.

"You... Luffy you at the Gum gum fruit," Shanks choked out to Luffy before turning back to Shiki, "And you... Shiki you ate the-."

"The wind wind fruit." Hongo gasped from behind Shiki, his arms under her from trying to stabilize her during her mysterious attack. "You're now a wind human."

"Eh?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Where The Wind Blows~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An; Done! Finished~ Hope you liked the chapter! Next I'll be working on updating my JJK fanfiction, I feel like I should try a chapter or two per book but we'll see. It's been super busy for me and working day and and day out (even though the weekend is just 4 hrs split shift) is draining me mentally.  

Oh also, here ya go!

Shanks and his crew's expression when the kids reveal their power's be like-

Wattpad word count; 6,327

Quotev word count; 6,693