Author's Note:

Hello and welcome to my first fanfic :)

This is part 1 of a series of fanfics revolving around my OC (Rei). Hope you guys enjoy it and be sure to continue to follow Rei through her Straw Hat adventures in my other fanfic: R: Road to my Nakama (based on Film Z) and Green Heart (following canon from Punk Hazard and beyond).

(I'm also starting to cross post this on A03 so if you are on there, you can follow the story there too. Writing as 'duaba' on A03 there too!)

Thank you and enjoy!

Chapter 1 - Setting Sail

"Robin chwan!"

Zoro's eyes popped open but the rest of his body didn't move as Sanji's sappy love call pierced through the otherwise quiet air. It immediately put him in a bad mood. It was, in his opinion, the worst way to wake up.

It was a typical sunny morning aboard the Thousand Sunny. Typical in that they were adrift out at sea with no clue where they'll be stopping next. Everything was in the hands of the navigator, 'Cat Thief' Nami. To be more specific, it was the Log Pose on her wrist that would decide their fate. It was funny how everything just automatically fell back into place after only a few weeks together even though they've been separated for over two years.

"Robin chwannnn! Your coffee is ready!" Sanji cried, twirling out of the kitchen without spilling a drop from the coffee cup balanced on the plate he was holding with one hand.

Zoro watched lazily as Sanji presented the coffee with a flourish to Robin, who was reading under the shade of one of Nami's tangerine trees. Robin smiled politely while taking the cup. "Thank you, Sanji."

"Hey! Ero-cook, bring me a cup too!" Zoro called out with his hands behind his head, straightening his back a little but still leaning against the base of the mast. There were at times during his training that Zoro had missed even the sound of that perverted chef's voice except now that he actually heard it, the familiar grating sensation went down his spine. The swordsman chalked it up to just how intense Mihawk's training was. It must've driven him to the edge of sanity for him to even think he had remotely missed the Curly Brow.

Usopp, Chopper, and Brook looked up from their card game. They were playing under the other tangerine tree, opposite Robin, each with a plate of half eaten buttered toast beside them. Zoro noticed a couple of hidden cards poked out of Brooke's sleeves but didn't say anything.

Zoro yawned as Sanji turned towards him with fire in his eyes, "The pot is in the kitchen. Pour it yourself, Marimo!"

"Cut it out, guys!" interrupted Nami exasperatedly, walking out of her and Robin's shared quarters and down the stairs, "Please just get along for one day. That's all I ask. Can't you guys do that?"

"No," Zoro answered bluntly.

"Anything for you, Nami-swaaannn!" Sanji cried at the same time, rushing back into the kitchen to grab Nami her breakfast.

Nami had hoped their time apart would actually help them get along when they reunited. Instead everything just picked up where they left off. Sure everyone's appearance had changed and Nami was confident that everyone had grown stronger, herself included, but besides that, it was as if the two years that went by was only just two hours. In a way, it was quite heartwarming to know that her friends hadn't changed and they were still the same people she knew and loved. Still, it would've made her life just a little bit better if that stubborn swordsman and the sappy cook had just gained a little maturity and understanding during their time apart. I guess you can't teach old dogs new tricks, she thought with a sigh. "This is no time to argue. We have to figure out where we have to go next," Nami said placing her hands on her hips and looking around the deck, "Where's Luffy?"

"He's in his spot!" Franky's voice answered overhead from the crow's nest.

"Thank you, Franky!" Nami replied making her way to the Lion's head, where Luffy was snoring loudly.

"Hey, Brooke! You're cheating!" Usopp's voice rang out behind Nami.

"No, I'm not!" Brooke protested.

"Then what's up your sleeve?" Chopper shouted.

"It's private! You should respect my privacy. Children should respect their elders, you know!" Brooke exclaimed.

Nami ignored the commotion and the sounds of fighting behind her and focused her attention on the sleeping captain. "Luffy. Wake up!"

Nami tried poking Luffy's face to get him to wake up but the captain did not budge. Nami got more and more irritated with each poke until finally she grabbed each of his cheeks and pulled outwards as far as she could.

"WAKE UP, YOU IDIOT!" she cried releasing the cheeks and waking up Luffy with the painful snap of their return.

"Okay okay! I'm up!" the rubber man muttered as he rubbed his now-red cheeks.

"Good, because as our captain, you need to decide where we need to go!" Nami said, showing him her Log Pose, their souvenir from Fishman Island.

The three dials were each pointed at different directions. The ones on the side were spinning around rapidly but the one in the middle was pointing North East, unwavering.

Usopp scrambled out of his seating position and ran over to Nami and Luffy. "I vote the middle one!' he yelled, raising his hand up to vote.

"Me too!" Nami nodded energetically.

"But the other two seem to be having more fun," Luffy complained.

"I don't care!" Nami shot back, "We are just starting out in the New World and you just declared war on Big Mom. We need to lay low and play it safe at least for a little while!"

"I agree with Nami," Chopper added still sitting under the tree, concentrating on his cards, with still some toast crumbs on his cheeks, "You lost so much blood on Fishman Island. You need some time to rest."

"I'm fine. I got Jinbei's blood. Just give me some meat and I'll be back to 100%," Luffy said giving a thumbs up and a big smile.

"Actually, we are running a little low on meat. If we can find an island with a marketplace, I can stock up on supplies," chimed in Sanji, lighting up a cigarette from the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh! If we can get more barrels of cola, that would be super!" Franky called down from his post.

"Low on meat? That's pretty serious," Luffy said solemnly crossing his arms.

Nami punched him in the head and cried, "OUT OF ALL THE REASONS WE SAID, THAT'S THE LEAST SERIOUS!"

Usopp jumped in and held Nami back before she can land another punch and hissed in her ear, "Hey, Nami! Don't hurt him. We need him to agree with us! We need to choose the safe route. SAFE!"

Nami gritted her teeth but Usopp's words hit home. She forced a smile on her face and looked to her captain. "Luffy," she said as she tried not to lose her temper, "Can we please go to the middle one? Since it's the safer one, it means less time for fighting and maybe more time for eating."

Appealing to the Straw Hat's stomach worked."Fine! But the next one we go to will be a fun one!" Luffy relented, placing both hands on his head to shield himself from more blows.

"Everyone, we're going to head North East!" Nami cried, while Luffy inspected his straw hat for damage, frowning at Nami, while she started to bark orders to the rest of the Straw Hats.

In the distance, about North East of where the Straw Hats were, a masked stranger in a black cloak sat at the edge of a very tall wall. The stone wall was as tall as a mountain and it allowed its occupant to look to the edges of the island but the hooded figure was not interested in that at the moment. Instead, the stranger sat very still, looking out into the sea, as the sun had just finished rising. An armed guard, wearing a green cloak that matched the observer in style, came up from behind. Before he could speak to the one in the black cloak, another guard came to his side to stop him.

"Don't interrupt him," the guard whispered in a low warning, "You're my new partner, aren't you?"

"Yes...This is my first day," the first guard said and then he turned his attention towards the hooded figure again, "What is he doing here? Shouldn't he be with the king?"

His friend shrugged his shoulders. "No one knows. He just comes up here every morning, watching the sun rise. He stares out into the same spot every day like he's waiting for something."

"Waiting for what?"

"I'm not waiting," the hooded figure interjected, causing both guards to jump up. "This is just my favorite part of the day. I can get some thinking done up here."

The guards looked at the back of the cloaked one, not knowing how to react. Suddenly, his tone turned from thoughtful to commanding, "I also like it because the guards are paying attention to their duties so I won't be bothered."

With a small shriek, the two guards hurriedly went back to their post and averted their eyes. "Y-Y-Y-yes, Commander!" they saluted as they directed their gaze to the island below them.