I will never state that I am good at updates.

Hey, everyone! It's been a pretty long time since I last updated, 2 or 3 months? I'm not really sure, I'm pretty sure I updated once after the New Year...Anyways, it doesn't really matter.

Missed me?

Take note: I did say I was betting against myself on whether I would finish this story or not~

Nonetheless, I've recently finished a lot of college crap, so I'll be able to write a lot more whenever I get in the mood.

To be completely honest, I had most of this chapter done a while ago. I just never got around to finishing it and after watching the trailer for "One Piece: Film Gold" I felt the hype come back for this story.

My hype anyways~

Anyways, let's talk about the story.

Once more I suggest reading these notes instead of just skipping straight to the chapter! Desserts for last, y'know!

Ain

Yes, Ain is a real character! She's from the movie Film Z and is technically canon since Oda stated that Zephyr and his entire crew's story is canon (Including his arm getting cut off and his crew's destruction) of course the rest of the movie isn't canon, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Characters

All characters I use in this story are characters from canon. I will not use any OCs (At least, I don't think I intend to).

Characters +1

Honestly, the revelation of who Pudding was in the manga annoyed me. I thought Pudding was the three-eyed girl, but fuck. Looks like it isn't. Maaaan, I used the name Pudding, and fuck it, I'm not changing it until I'm given the name. Pudding = Three-eyed girl until her name is give. Actually, I might just let the three-eyed girl be pudding...I guess we'll see in future chapters.

Timeline

A few of you are confused about the timeline of the story, but don't worry about it. Think of the current chapters as the present and the first chapter as the future. Boom. A lot easier to think about.

Anyways, enough with all of this.

Enjoy!

Fallen Prince

Chapter Four

And So It Begins

She tried.

She truly did.

The simple fact of the matter was that her efforts just weren't enough to repress the sounds invading her ears. Her meditative stance and her calmed breaths did nothing to calm the annoyance that was flickering inside of her; although, she didn't let it show, of course.

She was too good for that. Too smart for that.

Her eyes were closed, embracing the depths of darkness that she seeks comfort from; unfortunately, she could already imagine the unsightly scene before her, a sight she's seen many times before. As the noises invaded her mind once again, she contemplated for what had to be the hundredth time today, to let her annoyance show.

To attack the object of her annoyance.

But she didn't do it for a simple reason.

She'd be killed, "Not easily." She added as an afterthought, to protect her pride from what she just admitted, but it was truth. She would die from the monster hiding within the skin of the human...If that creature could be called a human, much less a woman.

Yet, even with the annoyance flickering brightly within her, she did not even twitch, she remained unmoving. She crossed her luscious, creamy, legs over one another, getting into a more comfortable position as she sat upon her throne.

Her ears didn't twitch even as the sounds worsened, the clear crunching sounds contaminating her ears like a virus until her mind couldn't think of a thought besides that of the cause of her irritation.

She briefly wondered what was worse, the sound or the horrific smell that came with it? Her mind was quickly made up as the noises continued, crossing her arms under her sizeable bust, not caring how they bounced from that simple movement, to hide her annoyance.

She sighed mentally; technically, she wouldn't attack the beast before her, not just because she was stronger, but also because that beast…

"Charlotte."

Was her captain.

Charlotte's three scarlet eyes opened at her name being called, and, even with her ability to stay calm under distress, she couldn't help but furrow her brow at the sight before her; unknowingly making her look as adorable as she was beautiful.

As Charlotte said before, she was reluctant to call the beast in front of her a woman, but, genetically, she had to admit that her captain, the cause of her annoyance, was a woman. She was huge and that was an understatement. Take every example of an obese woman and put them together...You still wouldn't be close enough to describe the size of the creature in front of her.

She had to be at least half the size of a giant, but she clearly outclassed them horizontally...aka, she's obese (Understatement of the Century). She wore a pink dress with dark red dots covered over it and had high heels placed on her feet. Charlotte raised an eyebrow, if those heels could hold up her Captain's weight then they should throw away cannons, they could slaughter all their enemies by throwing those damn shoes at them.

She rolled her eyes mentally and hid the disgust that grew stronger and stronger with every inch that she took in observing her captain. Charlotte's three eyes followed her captain's body upwards, heading towards the most disturbing piece of the beast in front of her.

Her head.

She resisted the frown and the urge to look away as her eyes landed on her captain's biggest feature...literally. Her head was the biggest part of her body, easily overshadowing the rest of her unique features. If the rest of her body was that of a giant then her head had to be even greater than that. A huge grin laid on her face and her eyes bulged out as she looked down at her. Her captain's curly hair jutted out wildly, a strand reaching her long, beak, nose.

The most disgusting part of all of this, and also the source of her irritation, never stopped and she couldn't help, but have her three eyes follow her Captain's motions. They followed her hand, disgustingly slimy and sticky, as it jammed into a huge bag of candy before pulling out, bringing it towards her mouth and throwing it in.

Charlotte held back her cringe as the horrific sounds of munching echoed throughout the entirety of the hideout! The entire hideout! She wasn't spicing it up to increase her irritation, she was dead serious. It didn't matter where she went in the hideout, those monstrous jaws would follow her everywhere. It wasn't just her either, everyone in the crew could hear the sounds, but no one dared to comment on it.

They didn't want to die.

She swallowed her disgust as she watched the deadly drops of drool slip out from her mouth and onto the ground, easily eating holes into the ground with its acidic nature.

Charlotte got into a more comfortable position, uncrossing and crossing her legs once more to hide her discomfort at the situation. Her eyes turned away from her captain, turning to look at the glass that laid beside her. She took in her reflection and could only sigh in relief that she didn't look like that, even when being related to the monster before her.

Charlotte had soft light brown hair that flowed down her back and shoulders with a single wavy ponytail reaching her curvaceous hips. She had a beautiful face, anyone could see that just from looking at her; it was similar to that of a princess whom carried the grace of a goddess. A single smile could melt the hearts of both men and women alike. Her skin was smooth and creamy white, looking like someone out of a dream.

Her body could be described in two words: slender and curvaceous. She had a body that would bring men down to their knees, a body that men would cut off a single nut just to smell her fart. It wouldn't be a long shot to call her a goddess, in fact, if someone did, there would be a high chance of those words being believed.

Charlotte's outfit consisted of a crimson red dress, reaching mid thigh, with a golden trim around a deep neckline that exposed a large amount of her ample cleavage. A black belt with a yellow ribbon was tied around her waist and she wore black colored stockings with brown boots.

Although, Charlotte's most interesting feature by far were her eyes; she had three scarlet red eyes. Two crimson eyes were placed normally beside each other while the third eye rested upon the center of her forehead, but it simply gave her an exotic beauty that no one could match; although, she couldn't care less what anyone else thought about it.

She didn't care how it looked like, it gave her what she wanted most.

Power.

Her crimson red eyes turned towards her Captain before speaking out, her voice as smooth and graceful as she appeared, "Captain Linlin."

Charlotte's crimson eyes followed her Captain's hand as she picked up a man who was too close to her candy to her liking. Her voice sounded out as a growl, an easy contrast to her own flowing voice, "What's this? What's this? An insignificant ant? Why are you so close to my candy?"

Her three eyes glanced at the man who decided to step closer to Captain Linlin than was safe, his outfit showing that he was a member of their crew. Seeing how Charlotte didn't recognize the man, it was easy to say that he was of no importance, simple cannon fodder for the crew. His eyes shivered in fear as he barely managed to yell out, "I-I'm sorry, Big Mom-sama! I didn't mean to get so clo-"

"The ant speaks?" Big Mom spoke mockingly as she brought the ant closer to her face, "Shut up. You've committed a heinous crime against me! You ate my candy." The man looked at Big Mom in disbelief, shock overtaking his horror, but it soon switched as she threw him into the air above her. Big Mom laughed, her voice shaking the ground, ignoring his cries for mercy and denials of the accusation, "But don't worry, I won't stay angry at you...I'll just have to eat the candy that's inside of you."

Before he could even scream, he was already in her mouth, her powerful jaws easily tearing up his body as her acidic saliva turned him into a liquid that flowed down her throat.

Charlotte watched this play out before her, a scene that, unfortunately, happened quite frequently in their crew. Captain Linlin didn't seem to care what she ate as long as it was in her stomach. The crunching grew louder and blood spewed out of Big Mom's mouth, signifying the death of the man, but Charlotte didn't even flinch at the horrific sight before her like the weaklings in the room who screamed and began to run away; dropping the candy that was meant for their captain and sealing their fate as her food.

She didn't flinch and she didn't leave for a single reason: this was what she joined her crew for. Not for the consumption of humans, of course, but to join the crew of the most powerful woman in the world, Big Mom, the Yonko.

Yes, the captain she worked for is one of the most famous pirates in existence, capable of destroying every person that stands in her way. The woman on equal footing with those of legend: Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world, Shanks, the Red Haired Pirate, and Kaido, the King of Beasts.

A woman was capable of standing on equal footing with those monsters.

Even in a world as advanced as this, men still see women as inferior and weak. Charlotte's hands clenched tightly at the thought of it, and, for the first time today, rage flickered in her eyes. Men who she could kill with literally sending a glance at them, saw the need to protect her just because she was a woman!

She, one of the four commanders of the Big Mom pirates, didn't need protection! She was strong enough to kill anything in her way! She was strong enough to easily destroy any man or woman that dared to look down at her!

Charlotte hated it!

She hated being looked down as a child and, ever since she was kid, she's worked to destroy all perceptions of what a woman was. She strived to create a world that would make women equal to men, to create a world where men would acknowledge that woman can be stronger than men! She wasn't weak, she wasn't fragile-minded, and she most definitely wouldn't be content with a simple life based on social interaction in parties and balls, like many of the other women in the Charlotte Family. She wanted more…and she deserved more. She was the 35th heir to the Charlotte Family and once she obtained the crown, she would make sure all disdaining of females would vanish completely within their family and then move onto the world.

Not only that, but she would become a Yonko. She'd become the strongest of both sexes to ever exist in the world! She would prove to men and women alike that women can be stronger than men! Then...Then, she'd find the One Piece.

It was only a matter of time…

Charlotte's eyes turned towards Big Mom as she finished her recent meals. This was the very reason as to why she joined Big Mom. In this world there were only two women that were known to all and were strong enough to cause everyone to fear their power. Boa Hancock, the only woman to ever become a Shichibukai, and Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom and one of the Yonko. Charlotte was but a child when she heard about these two, and she immediately became entranced with their power, with the respect that people bestowed upon them even when being women. She strived to be like them, to become as strong as them, and to surpass them and every single sexist ideal that has ever held a woman back.

She'd become the strongest person to ever exist!

Charlotte leaned on her palm as she watched her crew members run away from Big Mom after attempting to attack her and escape...Of course, they failed pitifully, their screams thundering through the air as Big Mom dragged them back towards her while her three eyes watched the sight in disdain.

Well, Charlotte didn't want to become like Big Mom...She simply wanted to gain strength similar to her. She grimaced at the thought of actually becoming like that beast...She'd much rather die.

She shook her head out of her thoughts as men ran towards her, managing to escape from Big Mom...For the moment. Charlotte smirked as they caught sight of her, fear etched onto their faces. She was already known as one of the strongest in the entire crew, they feared her for her power, not caring that she was a woman. Of course, maybe that was because they feared for their lives rather than actually respecting her.

Nonetheless, she stared at them, "I suppose they'd rather die by my hand than get eaten alive."

Although, they didn't seem to want to die at all judging by how they immediately ran away at catching sight of her, but it was already too late.

It was over within a second.

The moment they turned around to run, her third eye closed before reopening, glowing a deadly red with wisps of energy flowing out of it. Before they could even take another step away from her, beams of crimson energy struck the back of every man in the room simultaneously. They didn't even get a chance to scream, the moment the light hit them, they were turned into ashes. There were nothing left of the men who were once in the room and it was left with a sudden silence as only two figures were still alive.

Her third eye lost the glow and she sighed in annoyance, she's been in this room for an hour now.

She wanted to leave.

But Captain Linlin wouldn't simply leave it at that, "Pudding! They were supposed to be my meal for taking my candy! Explain yourself."

Charlotte Pudding's eyebrow twitched at being called by her name...She hated that name. Who would name their daughter after food? And pudding no less! Who would want to be named after a jiggly piece of fat? As such, she went by her family name, Charlotte.

She let out a breath, swallowing her annoyance before speaking, letting her manipulative words do the talking, "Captain Linlin, while I realize they have greatly sinned against you, I also believe that time is of the essence since I know what you called me, one of the Four Commanders, here for wouldn't be for anything less than the most important. To waste time with such things would be a frivolous pursuit especially in the case of a mission of such importance. A mission you have yet to tell me about."

Big Mom was silent for a few moments, her huge eyes staring down at her, seemingly trying to choose a response to what she just said. Charlotte felt a small bead of sweat fall down her neck, while she was related to Big Mom, that wasn't a safe net. All it took was a single mistake and it would be over for her. Of course, it wouldn't be easy. If they fought inside their hideout, there would be nothing left but ashes. While Big Mom was powerful, Charlotte wasn't one of the four commanders by connections.

Her power was the reason for her position.

A few tense moments passed by before horrifying laughter boomed across the room, drool seeping out of Big Mom's mouth in greater degrees as her mouth opened wide, "You've always been quick to read into things and your mouth is as impressive as ever, I do believe I made the correct choice by making you a Commander, but, before we start, please call me Mama. We are Aunt and Niece after all, not to mention, you're a member of my crew."

Charlotte's response was immediate, easily hiding the disgust of such a terrible human being her mother, "I'm flattered, but I'd rather show you the respect you deserve, Captain Linlin. Could we please get on with the mission."

Big Mom's laugh immediately died down and she leveled Charlotte with a serious gaze, her powerful presence bearing down on her and onto the entire building, "You're right, of course. I wouldn't have called you down here if it wasn't of importance. This is a mission I'm entrusting to one of my commanders since I know you won't fail me…"

There was an unsaid warning in those words and Charlotte already knew that failure was not tolerated, it was either succeed or die.

"Death is not an option, I can only succeed."

This thought ran through her mind every time a mission came to her; she couldn't die, she wouldn't die. If she died, her wishes, her dreams, they would all die with her. No woman would step up to the plate to fill the void she left.

She was the only one who could play this part. And, as such, she had to be strong, stronger than anything.

Charlotte nodded, a confident smile slipping upon her face, "Of course. Leave it in my capable hands."

"I'd expect nothing less," Big Mom laughed, her tone less mocking and more...hungry? Before Charlotte could linger on those thoughts, her captain continued, "The mission is rather simple in nature, it's a simple capture mission. Of course, the captive should be alive, we need information."

"Information?" Charlotte questioned, her tone giving off her interest on the situation. The Big Mom pirates had a rather large network, they were capable of gaining information about anything. So it's been a very long time since a mission for information has ever been given out.

"Correct. I've recently gained information on a rather troubling situation or, perhaps I should say, partnership." Big Mom continued, her eyes narrowed while her acidic drool poured out at a more frequently rate, signifying her annoyance.

Charlotte's eyes sparked in interest; there was very little that could gain Big Mom's annoyance unless it was a problem that circulated around her food. So, her curiosity was understandable and, as such, questioned, "A partnership? Between who?"

Big Mom growled, "You should know them by their titles, Kaido, my fellow Yonko, and Doflamingo, one of the Seven Shichibukai. They've recently formed a partnership."

Charlotte's eyebrow raised in surprise, that was certainly troubling, but not as much as it was strange. Doflamingo, a pirate certified by the government, and Kaido, one of the strongest Pirates alive, a pirate that only the Admirals could fight and have a chance to live. Why would groups from two different nations form such a partnership? She shrugged, but, in all honestly, it wasn't that strange and she was quick to voice her thoughts, "While I do understand that they are both quite powerful and it is, most certainly, a troubling alliance, partnerships between powerful figures happen all the time. We also have powerful figures aligned to us and not only that, alliances have never bothered us before so what makes this situation so different? Unless..." Charlotte's eyes narrowed, "It's a cover for something else."

Big Mom chuckled darkly, sounding more like growls than anything else, "As sharp as ever, I see. I definitely made the correct choice to make you into my commander, but, nonetheless, you are correct. It's not the Pirates that are troubling me, but the true reason for their alliance, the shadow that hangs from their partnership."

"...And what is this shadow?" Charlotte questioned; her tone respectful as to not displease the woman before her, but also not submissive to show that, while she did respect her, she wouldn't bow her head to anyone, but herself.

"You haven't noticed? I suppose I've never held the meeting on the information I gathered. I was rather," Big Mom reached down and grabbed a cake that somehow managed to fit in her monstrous sized hand before throwing it into her mouth, "Distracted."

She licked her lips, sending the acidic liquid that hung on her lips towards the grounds, eating even more holes into the ground. Charlotte's eyes flickered in annoyance and she quickly questioned her Captain before she could continue her consumption of her food, "What sort of information?"

Big Mom grew silent for a few moments, suddenly creating a pressure of trepidation. Captain Linlin seemed to swirl the words in her mouth, trying to find the most effective way to portray her words, before speaking, "Ever since they struck their partnership two months ago...The Beast Pirates have suddenly had a notably large increase in Devil Fruit users, more specifically, Zoan type Devil Fruits befitting their name as beasts." Big Mom spat the last word with disgust, and Charlotte could barely hold in her giggle at the irony of it all. She thought the beast pirates were beasts? What did that make Big Mom then?

She couldn't linger on her amused thoughts as Big Mom continued, "The timing was too convenient to be left as chance, it would be foolish of us to believe it as such and I haven't come this far to be a fool. The increase was only noticed after Doflamingo formed the alliance with Kaido, before that Kaido's army were in the same boat as the rest of us Devil Fruit wise, but now? Now, they easily have the most devil fruit users of us Yonko. That can only mean one thing…"

Charlotte finished, "The true reason of their alliance is for this increase in Kaido's power or, more specifically, the transfer of Devil Fruits...But that's still suspicious." Charlotte's brow furrowed as she continued to voice her thoughts, "If the increase of Devil Fruit users is as notable as you just said then that'd mean that they are transferring not just a few Devil Fruits, but a lot of them. But that's the strangest part in itself, finding Devil Fruits is rare! There's no way to find them without relying on luck or buying them, but no one in this world, not even in the black market, has such a supply of Devil Fruits. Especially, when they are only having an increase in Zoan fruits! How...Are they finding them?"

Big Mom nodded, her eyes narrowed in a rare case of seriousness and her mouth lacking her trademark candy portrayed that this situation was extreme, "That is the reason we need information. Normally, it's impossible to find so many Devil Fruits, and it's even more impossible for it to be of one kind! That is the reason for this mission."

Charlotte nodded and spoke softly, "What does the mission entail…"

Big Mom responded, "Let me first tell you the information we gathered. I've gotten information that stated a transfer between The Beast Pirates and The Donquixote Family is supposed to happen in the East Blue at Star Island."

"The East Blue?" Charlotte exclaimed in surprise, "Why there of all places?" Her surprise was well-warranted, the East Blue wasn't even in the Grand Line and was also known as the weakest sea! Why would two well-known pirates go to such an island?

"I suppose they didn't want to gain the interest of the anyone in the New World or the Grand Line. They probably think it'll be less likely for anyone to figure them out in the weakest sea." Big Mom explained before continuing, "Anyways, I know that both The Donquixote Family and The Beast Pirates are sending two people. You're easily strong enough to take out their subordinates."

Charlotte nodded, "Of course. Ants can't defeat the mountain after all."

Big Mom laughed, sending tremors throughout their entire hideout, "I wouldn't expect any less. I'd like you to leave right away, the exchange will happen at the very least next month. It takes a while to make it back to the four seas."

Charlotte simply left her throne and began to head out towards the alleyway, not giving even a signal that she's heard what Big Mom said.

A smile grew on her face as she headed towards her room to pack her equipment.

"Why do I feel like something huge is going to happen in a month's time? Oh, well," Charlotte thought, her smile widening, "It's going to be fun…"

XxFallen-PrincexX

Location: East Blue

Ain was a fool.

She confirmed this for the hundredth time over these two weeks; it was her most common occurring thought, her second source of irritation.

She should've known.

She should've realized it was too good to be true. Coming across not just one, but two Logia users was so rare it could be called a miracle, but, in her case, it was looking more like a nightmare at the moment.

Ain thought she ran into two Logia users who weren't contaminated by the world they lived in, unblemished and easily manipulated to join them, the Neo Marines. They were still in the ground, just waiting for someone to give a helping hand. They've only eaten their devil fruits just a couple weeks before she met them. It should've been easy to convince them to come with her.

Of course, she forgot that the world apparently lived to screw her over.

Not only did they not want to join the Neo Marines, but they were pirates, as well. Pirates! She cursed her luck, how could she be such a fool? Of course, two men with such power wouldn't be swayed by the power they possess in their fingertips.

Ain let a sigh come out of her lips; how did it come to this? This was supposed to be an easy exploration mission assigned by Zephyr-sama. A common mission: find out useful information, find Devil Fruits, recruit powerful men, and, most importantly, find the endpoints! The endpoints are the most important piece in Zephyr-sama's plan, a plan to get rid of all the disgusting pirates in the world.

She was supposed to stand side-by-side with Admiral Zephyr as a new world was ushered into place, but instead…

Instead…

"Ain-chan! Ain-chan! I made you some ramen!"

Instead, she was playing "nice" with pirates...

Her eyebrow twitched as she glared upwards at the happy blonde before her, one of the two pirates who captured her. Of course, he was unaware, or perhaps uncaring, of the glare that was being directed towards him. She tried to move her arms only for the now familiar sound of chains clanging against the deck to sound out across the stolen ship.

Yes, she was chained to the deck. She supposed that these idiots were at least smart enough to not let an enemy go around freely unless they wished to get killed; although, this was only to humor her thoughts. She knew she would be nothing more than a fly to them even if she was unchained, but, nonetheless, she wished these sea stone chains weren't on her.

She took her gaze off of the blonde and looked into the sky. It was a bright blue, unclouded with the sun shining brightly down over them...She hated it. It was the very same sky that she had to watch, completely useless, as her comrades were slaughtered one by one, their screams so fearful, but she could do nothing to help them.

She could only stare up at the sky.

A sky that shined brightly, refusing to shed tears or roar in outrage at the slaughter that was occurring under its watch.

That was the sky she was forced to watch.

As the torturous minutes went by as her comrades were slaughtered, as she heard their bodies dropping onto the ground one by one, she learned to hate the sky. It came to represent all the injustice of the world and, as such, came to bear all of her hate.

The memories began to overtake her once more and she withheld the wince; Ain still had nightmares about that day, she still heard their screams every time she was alone and she could see their dead, mangled bodies everytime she closed her eyes. Her eyes began to shut, unwillingly giving in to the darkness of her memories.

Only for noodles to be shoved into her mouth.

"Say ah~"

Her eyes shot open and she spat out the noodles before she could choke, effectively spraying Naruto with broth and noodles, not that he minded. He'd gladly smell like ramen, it was one of the few things she learned about him.

She glared at him as she coughed out the remaining ramen lingering in her mouth before speaking, her voice calm, but the quivering in her voice indicated her anger, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Naruto pointed at himself, bewildered, "Me? I was trying to feed you! You looked hungry and ramen is delicious! I made it myself!"

"You could've given me a warning or would you like it if I shoved those noodles down your mouth when you were caught unaware!" Ain replied, her voice louder than before as her mask began to crack, "I repeat: What is wrong with you, you perverted blonde chimp."

Naruto complained, "But I did give you a warning! I said, 'Say ah~' and then put the noodles in your mouth!"

"You're supposed to say it before you shove it in my mouth! Not after!" Ain whispered angrily, her eyebrow twitching as she glared into his sheepish eyes, "Apologize!"

Naruto pouted and turned his head to the side before whispering, "...Sorry."

Ain nodded in triumph before commanding, "Now release me or go away."

She realised a moment later that she was actually amused by his actions. By the very person who kidnapped her? What the hell was wrong with her? While he was useful by ridding Ain of her rather dark thoughts, memories that she'd rather not experience while being held hostage by Pirates; so for that, at least, he was useful, if just a tiny bit, but that still didn't make her forget that she was his captive.

"But if I release you, you said you'd castrate us-" Naruto responded before being cut off by her once again.

"I didn't say it, I promised it."

"-And I can't go away because you're hungry!" Naruto finished, purposely ignoring her previous statement; his blue eyes digging into her own as he bent down and offered her the ramen he held in his hands...Obviously not realising that she couldn't grab it due to the fact that she was tied up...By him.

She released a breath of air, "Why...Did I have to be captured by a idiot on top of being captured?"

"I'm not hungry."

Ain replied simply as she inwardly praised herself for not snapping yet. The moment she let her emotions take over was the moment they won...She wouldn't let them win. Although, that didn't explain why she was actually talking to him, but that was relatively easy to explain. When she ignored him, he became a chipmunk.

That got wasted and cooked to the point that it started fucking its own tail.

And by that, the author of this story meant that the blonde chipmunk wouldn't stop bothering her until he got a response, he treated it like a game and became a bouncing annoyance, but, through all that, she was proud to say that she never broke her cool...Severely anyhow.

Naruto raised his eyebrows at her, almost as if he was doubting her sanity, "...It's ramen."

"Wow." She drawled, "Your ability of speech is outstanding, to think that you were capable of actually deciphering what that bowl of noodles were. How amazing...Truly."

He pouted, "That was actually kind of hurtful…"

Ain laughed, although it was easy to tell it wasn't humorous, "Hurtful? You know what hurts? Being kidnapped and having the person who kidnapped you continue to talk to you!" Her eyebrow furrowed in mock thought, "Wait? That's not hurtful. That's annoying. Leave me alone."

Naruto frowned, his blue eyes glinting in concern as he looked down at her emotionless red eyes before speaking, "Ain, I'm just trying to help you…"

"Help me?" Ain growled out, "I've never asked for your help. And even if I did," She shook her wrists, signifying the chains that trapped her to the wall, "What part of this is helping me!"

Silence reigned between them for moments on end, the only thing that kept them from complete silence was the howling of the wind as it flowed across them.

Suddenly the wind roared louder, but Naruto's whispered words still managed to reach her clearly, "You didn't need to ask me. We're friends."

And suddenly Ain's rage leaked out, solidifying into three cold words that shook even her own soul. Images of dear friends dying side by side with her, her Captain, her entire life passed her by...And she whispered,

"I. Hate. You."

The wind chose that moment to quiet and they were left in a chilling silence, a rarity even in these past two weeks. Not once has there been more than five seconds before Naruto began talking again, but this time...This time it's been minutes with him staring emotionlessly at her.

Ain embraced the cold feeling inside her and kept her chilling glare on the blonde's form before he began to reach forward with his left hand. She was proud to say that she didn't flinch even when she expected a fist to hit her...But none came.

She stared in confusion as he took off the chains that were wrapped around her arms, keeping only a single chain wrapped around her left leg connected to the wall, before leaving the ramen beside her and walking away, his silent steps making more of an impact than if they shook the ground like a giant.

She stared at his departing form...And suddenly the hole left in her soul from all her dead friends deepened.

XxFallen-PrincexX

The next few days passed by in a similar fashion and Naruto couldn't stop his frustration from building; although, he hoped he wasn't showing it. He blew out his lips in annoyance, this day had proceeded the same way as every other day, at least, with Ain anyways, everything else was quite interesting. He was learning something new everyday; in fact, just last week he figured out how hard it was to try to sail a ship with only two people.

Keyword try.

He tried. He failed.

Naruto pouted slightly; this wasn't just any ship either! It was a Marine ship, a huge ass marine ship loaded to the brink with weapons and, thankfully, food. It would be impossible for two men alone to take care of the entire ship. Of course, his attempt at soothing his pride failed and the pout became more evident on his face.

"You can't be good at everything," Naruto thought, releasing a sigh as an ocean breeze swept through his long blonde hair. The blonde's pout turned into indignation, after Ace and himself figured out it wasn't possible to sail this ship with two people, Ace came up with a plan and sent him away.

He didn't even tell him what the plan was.

The bastard.

Naruto shook his head roughly, clearing his thoughts and looking out at the endless blue sea. Ain has been the same everyday; ever since she spoke those fated words, she wouldn't speak a word to him and he couldn't figure out if he was either angry at her or respecting her wishes when he stopped trying to talk to her. Instead, he quietly left food beside her everyday and waited for her to spark up a conversation, but that still didn't help him from missing her company.

He liked talking to her, it was fun.

He released a heavy sigh...It's not like he could blame her though. Afterall, technically, they did kidnap her. No matter how many times Ace tried to deny that statement, claiming "I asked her and she said yes" wouldn't make it true...Of course, getting that through Ace's head wasn't possible. Ace was as stubborn as, well, the blonde, himself.

So, yes, he couldn't blame her for hating them.

"Yo!"

He could blame him though.

Naruto sent Ace a dry glare and he responded with a grin, "Glaring at people isn't how you make friends you know~"

Naruto's reply was like a blunt knife, "Kidnapping people isn't how you make friends you know~"

Ace groaned, "You're still going on about that? You were going to bring her with us even if I didn't want her in my Nakama!"

Naruto blinked before beginning slowly, "You have a point there...But that doesn't change the fact that you-"

"We-"

"-Kidnapped her." Naruto glared at him, "I didn't kidnap her! That's all on you!"

Ace sighed, his tone taking on a fake sense of innocence, "Naruto...You have to take responsibility."

Naruto's eye twitched, "Don't say it like that, you ugly bastard!"

"Ugly?" Ace gave an offended huff before waving his hand down his body, "What part of this is ugly?"

"All of it!" Naruto replied bluntly, "You look like an avocado that had sex with an older, more disgusting avocado."

Ace's eyes went hilariously wide before exclaiming, "What the hell does that even look like?"

Naruto was quick to respond, never skipping a beat, "Like you dumbass!"

They glared at each other for a few moments, hostility flowing through the air before they broke out into grins and started laughing uproariously.

Naruto wiped a tear from his face before looking seriously at Ace, trying to regain his composure before speaking, "But in all honesty...We have to do something. Just look at Ain...She's suffering."

They both looked towards the beautiful woman that was chained to the wall, staring blankly into the sky, not moving a single centimeter, leaving not a single sign that she was alive. She looked, she felt, like she was dead, but he could still hear her calling out to somebody for help. It was tearing him apart. The only thing that kept Naruto from rushing to her and spewing out a mix of words was the small movement of her chest as she breathed in and out...That and all the previous times he did that she somehow managed to nail him in the balls.

He winced. It hurt.

"She looks broken…" Naruto whispered, his words carried to Ace despite the roaring of the wind, "But it's not that she broke when she was kidnapped...She was broken even before that...The pieces are slowly falling apart."

Ace didn't make a single motion besides the simple movements of his lips, "What are you going to do about it?"

Naruto froze, those familiar sounding words ringing through his mind once again. What was he going to do? Better yet, why did he even care? She obviously hated him, she said it to his face only once, but that was all it took to hear how painfully true those words were.

She hated him.

A painful clenching of his heart began to take place at the thought before he frowned slightly. Why should he care that she hated him? He met her less than a month ago! She was sarcastic, quiet, embarrassingly easy to tease, easily flustered, had that stupid mask on whenever they talked that was so hard to crack, she was…

His friend.

He sighed deeply before sending Ace a soft smile, "How do you keep doing that?"

Ace raised an eyebrow, "Do what?"

Naruto blew out of his lips in annoyance before responding, "I swear you're only smart in this situation," Ignoring Ace's protests with a smile on his face that quieted him down, "Thank you. I don't know how, but you always manage to say the words I need to hear."

"My gramps did the same to me, so I'm just leaving some of his knowledge with you…" Ace looked away from the bright smile that was directed towards him, the son of Gol D. Roger, and the slight blush on his face turned massive before shouting in rare case of embarrassment, "Don't look at me like that you bastard! I should let you know that, I don't know what kind of vibes I was sending you, but I really don't swing that way."

Naruto's smile fell and he glared at him, "What the hell! We were having a pretty good friend-to-friend moment going on and you had to ruin it." Naruto paused for a moment before adding, "And I'm not gay dammit!"

"Why did you pause then?"

"I lost my memories, had to check what I felt at the moment just to check. Trust me though I'm as straight as a-"

"Circle!"

"Wrong! I'm as straight as a-"

"Pile of spaghetti?"

"No-"

"The pole a stripper clown dances on?"

"...Isn't that straight?"

"Nope clowns like their poles curly."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, "Are you done yet?" Not hearing a response, he finished, "I'm as straight as a-"

"RAINBOW! I got it didn't I! I definitely got it!"

"Damn it!" Naruto roared as he glared at Ace, "Are you finished."

Ace pouted before nodding, motioning for Naruto to continue, only for him to shake his head, "You know what? Nevermind!"

Ace protested immediately, "You can't spice it up like that and not tell me! That's like licking the frosting without eating the cake!"

"Screw off. I'm done with you." Naruto said, huffing to the side.

Ace pouted, "But Narutooooo."

Naruto's response was less playful in its structure, "Die."

The wind blew their conversation away, roaring loudly before beginning to circle Ain's body like a layer of protection. Naruto watched her with soft eyes, watching her desolate blank eyes and her lack of will to do anything. She was broken. He turned his glowing blue eyes, eyes that were filled with the conviction to do what had to be done, towards Ace, his very first friend, someone that stayed with him even though he had absolutely no memories. Naruto's eyes showed his conviction and as he spoke you could feel the determination dripping off from his words, "There's only one thing we can do."

"Hm," Ace hummed, but Naruto knew he had all of his attention.

Naruto began, his words flowing out of his mouth softly, "The only thing we can do," A gentle smile grew on his face, "Is meld her back in place, bring her into a world that she can look forward to waking up everyday. We'll save her. No matter what."

Naruto looked towards Ain and, suddenly, the distance that seemed so impossible to cross suddenly seemed possible. The distance was large and filled with ups and downs with bumps that could compare to the size of mountains, and it will no doubt be an excruciating journey, but, even through all that, he could still see the paradise at the end of it.

All he had to do was move.

A single step was all it took to start this journey, an adventure there was no coming back from, not that he would anyways.

And so, he took that single step.

And watched with a grin on his face as Ace ran forward and talked excitedly to Ain. Naruto watched expectantly, an amused glint dancing in his eyes as Ain picked up the bowl of porridge beside her and promptly threw it at Ace's face.

Naruto let out a genuine laugh, his voice echoing across the entire ship, missing how Ain looked at him with an emotion he wouldn't know how to describe even if he was looking at her and how Ace sent him a mischievous smile before walking towards him.

Naruto didn't see any of this, he simply laughed like it was his first time laughing, and, for all he knew, this could be the first time a genuine laugh escaped his lips.

He smirked at Ace, there were rules when it came to Ain, and he just went against one of them that Naruto, himself, experienced many times before.

Rule #1: Never go near Ain if there is food still beside her unless you want said food sprayed across your entire body.

A smile grew on his lips as he looked up into the hopeful sky.

Things were going to get better.

He just knew it.

He looked down at his feet and observed the foot that was in front of the other.

Afterall, he just took the step forward.

XxFallen-PrincexX

Night

(A.N. - Dear all the people who are about to bitch about there being another flashback in this chapter. It's technically a dream. So fuck off. With Love - The Author)

In the future, she hated to admit that she couldn't find that this day was any different than any night that preceded it.

The day started the same way, but the nightmare that was the dark made sure to hammer into her mind that there was a cruel difference between this night and any other.

Even if the night and sky appeared the same as it flew over her that evening, the darkness that clinged to her soul from that moment onward made sure that she could never 'see' in the same way again.

Her view was always obscured, tinges of a wrathful red circling her vision while the rest of the world moved on in the purgatory color of grey.

Her thoughts - thoughts of her present state of mind, thoughts of current events revolving around the Pirates who captured her - all disappeared, consumed by the dark embrace of her past.

And then her eyes opened to a similar scene, her mind regressing to adapt to the situation she was currently in and unconsciously furthering her pain; increasing the impact of her memories, reliving the nightmare as if it was the first time she was witnessing it.

It was repetitious, unending.

But she couldn't find her way out.

She didn't want to find the way out.

"Ain-chan! Get up ye brat! I don't give a damn that you're twelve, it's 1:30 in the afternoon!"

She moaned softly, "Muu…"

A single innocent red eye opening up to look up at her captain before immediately closing it, embracing the comforting nature of the dark so she could rest for just a few more moments...Minutes...Okay, hours.

"You asked for it, damn it!"

The lights were turned on, curtains pushed aside, and, even with her eyes closed, the brightness still disturbed her sleep.

Ain groaned, "Close it! Close it! I'll be up in a few…" She buried her head under her pillow, her eyes closing, her soft voice whispering out, "Hours."

She could almost feel her Captain's eyebrow twitching.

"If you're not out of bed in three minutes, you won't just go without breakfast, but also you won't be able to take part in training and, more importantly, go on that mission you've been dying to go on…" He mumbled, "And talking my ear off as a result."

She shot out of bed immediately, a shining grin on her face as her eyes twinkled, exhaustion disappearing so quickly that he almost believed she was faking the entire situation just to hear those words uttered out of his mouth. Ain smiled so brightly that it was almost hard to look at, it didn't help that enthusiastic words were already flowing through her mouth so quickly that her captain could barely follow, "Does that mean that I can go! You promise! You can't take it back now! Whoooo! I'm going! Yeah! Thanks, Z-Sensei!"

The now named Captain Z simply watched her move with a raised eyebrow, wondering about her excitement before a grin split across his face and burly laughter roared across the rather pleasant looking room, "Bwarhaha! We'll see! We'll see! If only all of my crew had such excitement in face of a mission! They could learn a lot from you!"

She beamed up at him as he rustled her hair with his hand, "So...I can go right!"

"I suppose…" Zephyr spoke before adding, "On one condition. I'll let you come if, and only if, you're completely ready in a half hour, cleaned your bed and all, and report to the dining hall for breakfast! If you can't do that all within a half hour you're not allowed to go!"

He didn't realize that he was talking to a dust cloud the girl left as she zipped out of the room just a few moments before.

Her long blue hair flowed through the air behind her, a happy smile on her face as she breathed in the cold ocean breeze, inhaling the scent and saving it to her memories.

Ain's Crimson eyes sparkled as she turned around and looked at the departing form of the Marine HQ, the first time she's seen this since she was first brought here by Z-sensei!

Her body trembled with excitement, but who could blame her for it? This was the first time she was allowed on a trip like this! It was the very first mission she was allowed to go on! They always said she was 'Too young' or 'You're just not ready yet' or even worse 'You're just a girl.'

She let her triumphant grin show freely on her face, having no reason to contain her joy. She showed them! She showed them all! Who cares if you're a girl or a boy, none of that matters!

"All that matters is the amount of ass you can kick!" Ain roared before squeaking when someone swatted the back of her head.

"Children shouldn't swear like that, baka."

She pouted, turning her head around to see the offender only to see a large poof of pink hair. Ain scoffed, "Binz! Stop talking like you're an adult." She patted the top of his head, "You're even shorter than I am~"

A dust of red covered Benz's cheeks, easily contrasting against his white and blue sailor outfit, also known as the normal outfit for a Marine, as she pointed out the admittedly touchy subject of his height.

He protested almost immediately, "I-I'm not that short! You're only a few inches taller than me!"

"Those few inches make the complete difference between the two of us! It makes you the youngest on the crew!" Ain put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, a twinkle in her eyes, "Which means you have to call me Senpai~"

He looked at her blankly, "I'm older than you."

"I'm older than you in height."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Don't talk to your Senpai like that!"

He stomped his foot into the ground, furthering the image of a child throwing a tantrum, before yelling, "Bullshit!"

And was promptly hit on the back of his head.

"A Marine, much less a child at that, shouldn't have such a dirty mouth!"

"But Z-sensei! Ain di-"

"No excuses!"

Ain smiled and walked behind Z-Sensei as he scolded Binz, sticking out her tongue playfully at Binz - Furthering his annoyance - before walking off with her smile facing the sky.

A hand grabbed her shoulder.

Her smile fell off.

"Where do you think you're going, missy?"

"...Ah, damn."

"This is your fault."

Ain pouted as she mopped the floor, glaring at the pink head as she tried to clean a suspiciously dirty floor.

Ain replied, her voice indignant, "How is it my fault?"

"You made me swear."

"I didn't do anything, you made the decision to swear and at a bad time as well." She shook her head, faking disappointment, "Such a childish mistake."

"Oh, shut up!"

She laughed before squealing in success as she finally cleaned the dirtiest spot on the floor.

"Not only did you make me swear, but you taught me how to swear." Binz continued, pointing his finger at her.

"Actually, Z-sensei taught us how to swear by swearing in front of us. I tried it out and you heard me so really all the blame lies with Z-sensei so blame him!"

"That's the kind of heartfelt apology I was hoping to hear when coming to check on ya kids." A sarcastic voice echoed throughout the cabin and Ain immediately froze before giggling nervously.

"...Hey, Z-sensei."

"Just keep mopping."

And the sounds of mopping went on for ages with the occasional swear coursing through the air.

The memories passed by in a flash, but there was one thing that stayed the same throughout the entirety of her past: the warm smile adorning her face as she talked to her crew, her friends, and her sensei!

"Ain!"

Her eyes burned.

"Ain~"

And her vision began to blur.

"Ain!"

She felt a tear stream down her cheek...They were all calling her with such warmth, friendliness.

But all that warmth, all that happiness, it would all disappear within the week.

Forever.

The days passed by quickly, light turning to dark and the stars began their reign, glistening over their heads in a spectacular fashion as if it knew what was about to happen and wanted to give them one last look at beauty.

But no amount of beauty could tear away the crimson image of blood.

Ain didn't know how it happened nor when it happened. It all happened in a flash, without a warning...Without any sign, a monster appeared before her.

She stumbled backwards, her footsteps trudging through blood, tears dripping down her face as her voice laid trapped in her throat.

Ain looked to the side, a head with a cloud of pink hair laid across the ground, face in a puddle of blood.

"Binz…"

All around her, no matter where she looked, was blood. Bodies. Friends. Comrades. Family.

They were all dead by her feet.

Ain heard something crack.

She didn't know if that was the body she stepped over or her mind cracking from the scenes she bore witness to.

A monster ripping open heads, tearing bodies apart like they were nothing.

It was a slaughter.

The monster took a step forward, moving too fast for her to even realize and then...All she knew was pain.

She fell to the ground, grasping her left leg as pain rippled through her, but, in a way, she felt almost numb. Like this was merely a nightmare that she couldn't wake from, the pain clouded her mind as she held her leg tightly. A huge X shaped cut laid across her leg, blood flowing out of her body like a river that had it's path unblocked.

Crimson eyes locked onto her fallen comrades and her lip trembled, "H-how...could this happen."

She couldn't understand.

She wouldn't understand.

They were all slaughtered as if they were nothing, as if their lives meant nothing. Was life really so...Fragile?

It was over...So quickly.

And the monster felt nothing. A smile on its face the whole time.

And yet the stars still glistened brightly as if approving of the scene it was looking down on. Rage burned in her eyes, drowning her sadness as she tried to stand up.

She'd kill him.

She wouldn't let him get away with this.

She shoved her hands on the ground and struggled to get up, but her arms gave out and she hit the ground once more.

Ain refused to give up though, she kept trying, managing to get both her hands on the ground and raising up her chest.

But her legs refused to move.

She slumped onto the ground, on to her back, her eyes forced to look into the sky as she sank in a puddle of her own blood.

Of her comrades blood.

Why?

It was so unfair.

Why was this happening? What did they ever do? What was the point in killing? Why were pirates like this? How could they do something so cruel!

How could they be such monsters?

Hot tears streamed down her face as the monster loomed over her. The monster was huge with thick white hair and a gigantic crescent shaped mustache. Scars laid across his left eye, which gleamed in a sadistic nature as he brought down his spear, preparing to end her, but she couldn't even bring herself to close her eyes.

If only she closed her eyes.

If she did, she wouldn't have to watch as Z-sensei got his arm cut off...To protect her.

Z-sensei got hurt to protect her.

Because she was weak.

Because she was a liability.

She didn't know how long she laid there for, how long the shock remained in her system. She remembered screaming, crying, as her mind broke. Her 12 year old body was unable to keep up with the scenes before her and she was placed in a state of lunacy, nothing was capable of bringing her back. It only got worse as she stared at the bodies.

At the blood.

At Binz.

At her comrades, at her families.

At Z-sensei.

Nothing made sense any more; there was only pain and hysteria.

The only words that managed to make its way past her insanity, the words that brought her back to reality if only for a brief moment, the words that were carved in her mind, were uttered as the monster walked away, "You were taken out by me: Edward Weevil! Momma's gonna be so proud of me!"

And so Ain laid there, unable to move even an inch of her body, only capable of looking into the sky as hot tears made its way down her face…

She was weak.

She couldn't protect anyone.

She was nothing more than trash, a liability.

Why was she even alive?

She was broken.

XxFallen-PrincexX

Naruto would like to say that it was some unknown force that brought him onto the deck that night or even that he heard her calling him silently, but even he would call bullshit on himself. In truth, he was simply craving for a bowl of ramen and got out of his bed to fulfill his desire.

Because, seriously, it's ramen.

So he left his room in his need to satisfy his monstrous hunger, walking down the hall with a covetously clear goal in mind: to find his poison, his addictive drug; a few steps down he cracked his neck, a pleasant sound ringing out across the entirety of the hall and he let out a relieved sigh before looking down and raising an eyebrow. Naruto didn't realize it before, but he was moving.

That wasn't the problem in itself though, it was that he was moving, but his steps didn't carry any sounds through the ship.

His steps were completely silent. Like a ghost.

Naruto shuddered, "...Creepy."

He mindlessly walked through the ship, lost in his thoughts and letting his body take control of his movements, and it was because he did this that he got lost.

And it's because he got lost that he was in this situation that he didn't know what to do about.

It took him a while to realize that he was mindlessly staring as he was walking and cursed to himself. He was in a huge circular area with more doors leading to more hallways.

Naruto groaned to himself, "This isn't the kitchen. Fuck me."

He blew out of his lips and continued to walk, he'd find his way out soon, this ship might be huge, but you'd have to be stupid if you didn't know that up is the way to go when lost. He never understood why people would say keep going right to get out when you're lost, if you keep going right, you would simply be going in circles! Up is the way to go, he isn't a dumb-ass after all.

Naruto would like to claim that when he said that a half hour ago he was high as a monkey during mating season.

Naruto was at the point of blowing the ship up to get his way out of these hallways when he heard a sound, so small and tiny that he thought it was a figment of his imagination. Naruto frowned, but he didn't move forward, waiting for his ears to pick up the same sound just to make sure.

And it came again, so small and insignificant that it could be mistaken for the slight rustling of the wind, but his gut wouldn't let him believe such a lie. He took those fated steps towards the sound, his smile long gone as he silently moved forward. The sounds got stronger and stronger, but it seemed so…cloudy.

Like it was behind a door.

Naruto blinked in realization as he approached a door; the sounds were coming from there. He reached for the doorknob without hesitation and slowly turned the knob.

His mind froze for a moment, but his body continued to turn the doorknob, mindless of his thoughts as his face slowly drained in color, "Isn't it usually the guy who goes off by himself who dies first in a ghost movie? He hears a sound that no one else can hear, follows it, unaware of his approaching death, relaxing in the safe blanket he was enveloped in due to the fact that he was alone on a huge ship that no one else could be on...A boat in the middle of the sea where no one could hear my screams." Naruto gave a humorless smile, "GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! Kill me! Don't keep opening the door you damn hand! You only have ONE job and it certainly doesn't involve TWISTING! That would hurt like a-God damnit. It's over. Oh, Kami. Why have you forsaken me?"

Fortunately for Naruto, it, thankfully, didn't make a single noise as the door opened; he was still safe. He wasn't going to be murdered by perverted old man ghost. Of course, the door not making a single noise also made the situation more awkward than it should have been; after all, he did just trespass into someone else's room.

He hesitantly opened his eyes, peeking in and his lips dipped downward into a frown when he saw nothing of value in the room. There was no one in here, it was a completely ordinary room. He took a step forward, his eyes moving towards the bed and realized it was disheveled, like someone has been sleeping in it. He touched it softly, it was warm as well.

His eyes narrowed, "There's no one in here." He froze as the sounds became audible once again and his face paled, "I-It...REALLY IS A GHOST!"

He was about to scream for Ace which, thankfully, didn't happen because he noticed something else. A second door. Cerulean blue eyes lit in realization as he looked at the room once more...And realized that this was the room that was given to Ain.

Naruto snapped his fingers as he solved the case, when they first got onto the ship, they instantly thought that this room would be perfect for Ain until she decided to join since it was connected to both the deck and a room. She was able to go outside, enjoying the breeze and viewing the sky, or sleep in her own private bedroom! She was able to move between the two at any time which meant…

Naruto looked towards the second door and put two and two together; the sounds could only be coming from Ain and, with those thoughts in mind, he slowly stepped towards the door, suddenly feeling trepidation for what would happen when he opened it.

He peaked through the small door hole and saw Ain leaning against the wall of the deck and hugging her knees to her chest.

She was crying.

His eyes widened and he stared blankly at her, his subconscious echoing within his mind, "Cliche...Cliche….Too Cliche. It's gotta be a trap."

But, of course, he didn't listen to his chanting subconscious, he wouldn't or more like he couldn't. His body froze the moment his eyes laid on her, sadness darkening his deep blue eyes, but not completely overtaking it. He realized immediately that he could only take this situation head on.

Unfortunately for him, his subconscious continued to poison his thoughts, "It's not like she'll fall in love with me after I make my dashing entrance and hug her and says it's all right. Kuuderes don't do things like that."

Of course, there was a flaw in Naruto's thoughts. Dashing would not be the correct term for his entrance, it could only be labeled as moronic. Naruto should've realized beforehand that he was no good in situations like these, he should've realized that he had no tact or skills when it came to a crying girl.

Naruto had no idea how terrible and clumsy he actually was at situations like these, but you couldn't fault him, he had no memories to remember all the past mistakes and actions he made when approaching similar situations.

This was why he was so surprised when his foot got hooked into a crack, a crack he would've avoided 10/10 times if it wasn't near a crying girl, but, unfortunately for Naruto, he was.

He didn't even get to let out a yelp before his bad luck continued, he tripped, smashing into, and then through, the door before landing on the ground beside Ain; of course, it was also headfirst.

This was his first memory and reminder that he had no tact when it came to a crying woman, he realized this again as he stared at Ain's upside down face as he laid across the deck embarrassingly.

"This...This is going to be awkward to explain."

He didn't know what to start with, should he apologize? Should he start explaining? Either of those would've been better than his starting statement, "Your room is a mess y'know."

Ain uncovered her eyes by moving her hands away from her face, her crimson red eyes opening and exemplifying the regal glow they seemed to naturally exude; although, now a depthless void seemed to be more apparent. Pink surrounded her eyes, making it more obvious if the sounds weren't enough to prove that she was, in fact, crying, and, judging by the dry tears on her cheeks, she's been at it for a while as well.

"It won't be the only mess around here if you don't shut your whore mouth."

Naruto quickly figured out that she didn't lose her snarky tongue - actually, it got even worse, she usually didn't swear when she mouthed off; although, he would've laughed at what she said if the situation wasn't so tense - even when crying, but he couldn't help but frown. It was missing the bite he was ever-so familiar with.

"You're crying."

XxFallen-PrincexX

Her breaths came out in uneven gasps, furthering the already imaginable weak image that she knew without a doubt that she was displaying.

Ain cursed herself, willing her body to stop shuddering, but her actions were futile. She didn't mean to start crying, she hasn't cried since that day.

Why? Why the hell was she being weak now?

To make matters worse, her captor - almost immediately, her thoughts became dirtied, the meek sadness being replaced by a wrathful rage that couldn't be ignored, ignited by the simple thought of his face - came out onto the deck, his eyes no doubt mocking her.

"You're crying."

His voice was soft, uncertain, as if he was unsure if he was saying the right thing, but was there really a right thing to say at this moment? But still, his tone conveyed his concern for her well-being.

And it pissed her off.

A pirate actually caring for someone else's well being. What a joke! Pirates aren't like that! Pirates are despicable scum, they kill for their own materialist gains and care for nothing else in their pursuits. Lives mean nothing to them as long as they achieve their goals, their grey pursuits, their dreams!

The heat surged through her, warming up her body until it was nearly unbearable; the tears streamed faster and her emotions remained stormy, furthering her abilities to the maximum. Strength she didn't know she possessed coursed through her, summoned at her call as she jumped towards him. She felt the pull of the handcuffs chained towards her, but she couldn't feel - perhaps due to her current state - the drainage of her strength as it consumed the strength given to her by the Akuma no Mi.

Strength that surprised her when she reflected upon this moment hours later poured through her at the thought of something restraining her, restraining her emotions! She heard the wall crack as she continued to move forward, disregarding the strain in her arms and the sea stone consuming her strength. Within the second, the chains were ripped from the wall, tearing off the seastone handcuffs, it's links dangling behind her as she smashed her fist towards the Pirate's body.

Her vision was tinted red, the blonde's body distorting into a shadow as that night replayed before her again and again. The shadow gleamed, covering the deck eerily - just like it was that last night.

But she didn't care.

She didn't care if he was a logia.

She didn't care if her punch would go through his body.

She just wanted to move!

She never wanted to be weak again!

And to her utmost surprise, the stumbling, clumsy, rage filled punch hit flesh. Her attack actually landed, an attack that anyone should be able to dodge while she was in this state. Surprise flickered in her eyes, but she never looked up at the shadow as her confusion was swept away and consumed by the rage that she was quick to release.

Ain smashed her fists into his body - holding nothing back, her punches like waves crashing into the shore, carrying her every single emotion and all of her strength as the wave crashed into his body - but his body never dispersed into flames, it remained solid the whole time. Enduring the brutal onslaught, enduring all the weight that her fists carried.

Her vision blurred, but this time with tears.

"Why?"

A fist smashed into his chest, her punches slowly growing slower and slower.

"Why are you still alive!"

Another strike, this time it felt weak, dead, as if she was dying alongside of her emotions.

"WHY DO YOU PIRATES GET TO EXIST!

The punches suddenly regained their weight, the strikes resounding over the entire ship.

"...WHEN EVERYONE ELSE IS DEAD!"

Clumsy hits smashed into his chest as her emotions took her over once more. The shadow was diverging, blurring, slowly becoming bigger as all her hatred configured in a single object!

"WHY DO THE PIRATES WHO TORE EVERYONE I LOVED AWAY FROM ME GET TO LIVE WHILE EVERYONE ELSE HAS TO SUFFER!"

She sent her fist flying towards him, carrying the weight of the world, her final thoughts, her final prayers, but, for the first time tonight, it was met with the sound of a thump.

Her crimson eyes widened as the shadows dispersed, revealing a soft palm - the very palm that blocked her punch - that was connected to a cerulean eyed blonde.

Her crimson eyes, for the first time tonight, met his blue eyes, but what she feared - the condescending looks or the pity - wasn't there.

Only warmth.

She didn't know how to explain it, but it was like she was looking at a sun. The shadows within her dispersed and for the first time since that night, the Crimson obscuring her sight vanished - all in face of the warmth found in those eyes.

A palm came to rest on her head and she gasped slightly, warm memories intruding her mind of all the times her family did this to her.

The palm pulled her shocked face into a solid chest and did nothing more, he simply held her there and looked over into the sky, never looking back at her.

If Ain was thinking logically rather than with her emotions, she would've pushed him away immediately before proceeding to rip off his testicles.

But she didn't for one reason: namely, the shock.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that, how long the shock remained in her system, but she locked onto his voice as he began to speak, his words slowly bringing her back to reality.

"I don't really know what you've been through, I'm not even sure I can relate…" His blue eyes met her crimson orbs, "But if it can even take a bit of your sadness away. Feel free to hit me. Use me in any way you like. Whether it's through yelling to me, telling me about your past, or even using me as a punching bag. I don't care. I just don't want to see you cry."

The shock never left, her bottom lip trembled as she stared at the literal freak of nature before her. A weak laugh slipped from her mouth unknowingly, "W-what kind of idiot can say embarrassing things like that with a straight face."

Suddenly, all her rage disappeared in face of his sincere idiocy. It most certainly wasn't for good, but for today - and only tonight - she'd bury all of her rage.

Just for one night.

Strength made its way to her throat and words slipped out, "...Why? Pirates aren't like that."

He hummed softly, his gaze turning to the full moon that was hanging in the night sky, "I can't really say I know what pirates are; actually, I can't say I know a lot about this world either. It's filled with blanks for me. What's good? What's evil? I can't say - not now anyways - but that's why I'm stepping forward. I need to see this world, I need to know more; what's beyond the horizon, what's at the next island. What's behind that door…" He smiled, "And as this all happens, I'll create my own definitions of this world!"

Ain looked at the blonde pirate in confusion; what exactly did he mean by saying that he didn't know what pirates were? Actually, what was even stranger was that he said that he wanted to know more about the world in general.

Confusion danced in her eyes, something that was picked up by the blonde as he spoke once more, sating her confusion and desire to know more, "I guess I never told you…" Naruto pointed at himself with his thumb, "I have amnesia! I can't remember anything and, despite what you might say, the causes aren't natural." She saw his fists tightened as he whispered, "That I know for sure…"

They stood there in silence for a few moments or, perhaps, it was hours, they couldn't tell, lost in their thoughts as they were. Some time during this period, they sat against the wall, a foot of distance separating their bodies.

"...You lost someone didn't you."

His words made her heart drop suddenly; was he going to ask her about her past? Right when she decided that tonight, and only for tonight, she'd bury her rage.

"I did as well."

Confuse filled eyes looked towards the blonde as he continued, "I can't remember anything about her...Not a single thing. But while memories can get erased, the emotions you've had for them can never disappear." He clutched his heart, "They're always there, a painful reminder for what you lost. And I can tell that I've lost a lot, more than her, more than I could ever imagine! These feelings I carry can pledge it to the world...But that isn't what hurts the most, what hurts the most is that I can't remember anyone. I have all these emotions, but no one to place it to and no way to remember why. It's so frustrating! It's like my heart's in someone else's hands, someone who is squeezing harder and harder with every day that passes! Having all these feelings...and no memories to go with it, it hurts more than I could ever imagine."

"There's only one memory that I can recall...A beautiful red haired woman, bathing in a puddle of her own blood. Rain pouring heavily down as countless screams lit the air while I simply stood there, useless, to weak to make a difference. Too weak to do anything." Naruto clenched his fist tightly, looking towards the sky, "That's why I swore I would become the strongest, so I could always protect the people I loved...But as the days passed on it just hurts more and more." A smile fell on his lips, "Lately, though, it's been hurting less and less. I think it's because I have two great friends by my side."

Ain turned away as he sent her a sunny smile, filled with warmth and happiness...And, despite the feelings that were intact with that smile, she was uncomfortable. She was just attacking him, but he wasn't bothered at all. He still smiled at her as if...as if…

"You're the first person I told this to...I hope you can keep a secret~" Ain turned to him, restraining the laugh that tried to appear at his saucy wink and the single finger that was covering her mouth. Of course, she didn't calculate how weak she was at the moment, mentally and physically, and couldn't help but let loose a laugh, filled with all the emotions she was feeling at the moment.

And it was melodious, the sound of angels.

Ain saw the amazement stitched into the blonde's face and spluttered, "W-what?"

His response was immediate, accompanied with a shining grin, "Yup. I like your laugh a thousand times more than when you're crying. Not to mention you have a pretty voice."

"S-shut up."

They sat their for ages, meaningless chatter lighting the air for the first time since the island. They didn't stop, fearing that this would go away once they wake up tomorrow, when they were high on their emotions.

"Thank you, Ain." Naruto started, his eyes facing the moon, turning away from her face.

"Hmm?" Her hum was questioning, her face turning her eyes towards the blonde beside her.

"For being my friend."

It was almost as if those words unlocked her ability to speak about her past, but, perhaps, it was in combination with the blonde revealing his memories or maybe even for the friendship that was ignited once more for this night only.

Whatever it was, she started talking.

Talking and talking until they fell asleep under the light of the stars, dry tears etched on their faces, but both had yet another thing in common.

A tiny smile.

XxFallen-PrincexX

His steps were powerful, resounding throughout the entirety of the clearing, carrying a weight that seemed impossible with his slender figure.

Wind flew by him, ruffling his two piece black suit and his shoulder length black hair, as he stared across the clearing. A single arched eyebrow was raised as he observed the destruction that was spread throughout the forest.

"It seems the World Government wasn't underestimating the case this time…"

The destruction was large, craters laid all over the place and rows of tree were destroyed by what seemed to be condensed heat. The ground was burned in a great degrees and the nature of the destruction were all related to heat - meaning this was through the use of either bombs or a Devil Fruit.

He immediately crossed off bombs, some of the destruction - a column of trees being destroyed - were too precise to be the work of a bomb meaning this was the work of a Devil Fruit.

Rapid footsteps appeared behind him and he lowered his long black top hat placed on his head so it would obscure his eyes as Hattori - his pigeon - chirped on his head, "What do you want, what do you want trash?"

He didn't bother turning around as they saluted his back, "Lucci-sama! I'm glad you're here, we received notice that you'd be arriving soon, but we didn't expect you to arrive so soon! I hope your trip was a pleasant one."

The now named Lucci turned around, a single eye looking out at them and freezing them - countless Marines with a Captain leading them - solid before speaking, his tone emotionless yet his words conveyed his annoyance, "I don't care for small talk. Tell me about the destruction and what caused it."

Lucci sighed mentally, he was only a year into his long-term infiltration plan to discover the weapon that could rival Pluton when he was called on by the Fleet Admiral, himself. It seemed that this mission was of more importance at the moment and he had to take a "vacation" from being a Shipwreck. Supposedly, two weeks ago Dr. Vegapunk detected a strange power from this island that suddenly disappeared a second after it appeared and he was immediately changed missions.

"The Fleet Admiral sent me to capture the creature that put out such a power…"

Lucci was ripped from his thoughts as the Captain unfroze before dutifully, and fearfully, responding, "The destruction was caused by two men! A blonde man with strange markings running down his left hand and an orange hat wearing man with black hair. They were frightfully strong. When we went to arrest them, they took us out, and stole a ship before fleeing an-"

"Did you go after them?"

The captain blinked before responding, "No, sir! They were just too strong, it seemed pointless t-"

"Coward." Hattori chirped and before the captain could even blink in confusion, a hole in the shape of a finger appeared on his forehead. He didn't even manage to scream before he fell to the floor limply, dead.

"C-Captain!" The surrounding Marines screamed in shock, their legs shaking in front of the man before him. They were about to go forward to help their captain, however fruitless it might be, but they were stopped when a cold gaze settled on them.

"I dislike cowards. You never stop fighting even when you're hopelessly outmatched. Whether you're a Marine or Pirate, it's the single fact of the world. Never stop fighting." Lucci turned to a marine, "You. Who else is in charge here."

The marine pointed at himself before stuttering, "I-I'm afraid you killed the only c-captain sir."

Lucci smiled in a way that made the young Marine want to piss his pants, his voice sarcastically cold, "Well, Congratulations. You've been promoted."

He waved at the scene behind him, an excited grin on his face, "Now...Tell me about my prey."

XxFallen-PrincexX

And the fourth chapter wraps up!

Anyways, this chapter was more of a build up of the plot than anything else, but that's to be expected of the beginning of a new Arc. Continuing on that track, this is the first chapter of the newest Arc: New Beginnings! I'm sure most of you understand the title of the arc, but, if you don't, it'll become clear as the arc continues. I hope you're hyped, it's going to be a long ride and I'm not just talking about the wait between chapters!

Charlotte Pudding

Feminism in One Piece? You high, author? I imagine that most of your reactions are like this in response to Charlotte's character, but I find it interesting to have a character like this. Sure there are women with power in One Piece, but not all of them are powerful like Boa Hancock and Big Mom. You can count the strong women in One Piece on one hand. Also if you look closely, there are examples of sexism in OP. Anyways, I'm a man, I have a dick, but I'm going to have a lot of fun developing her character, especially when she meets Naruto~

Ain

No, Ain won't magically fall in love with Naruto after this chapter. That wouldn't feel real in the slightest, hate doesn't just disappear in a second. Ain was high on her emotions, broken by her memories, the stress played her mind and she opened up ever so slightly, It was simply a start, a push in the right direction. This was in no way development, but it opened the door for development.

Edward Weevil

As you all know, Oda said that Z and his crew were canon. Of course, the movie doesn't fall under that regard, but his past does. Z's horrible past and the destruction of the crew. It was said that the man who destroyed his crew became a Shichibukai during the Time-Skip. That gives three options, Law, which I immediately disregarded (I can't see Law doing something like that; although, that might be biased since he's one of my favorite characters), Buggy, disregarded immediately due to his weakness (Crew might be powerful, but it stated that the Pirate did it single-handily), and finally Edward Weevil. I chose Weevil immediately.

The games have begun.

Lucci

I hope all of you are as psyched as I am with the introduction of his character. He's such a badass and there is no way I was going to leave him out of this story. More information will be revealed in future chapters, but know that Lucci is in this Arc~

The Crew

I have most of the crew members figured out; although, there might be one more depending on whether Film Gold is badass or not. I WILL NOT place any of the Strawhats on the crew, all Strawhats will remain with Luffy!

Anyways, be sure to review, favorite, and follow. To be completely honest, I'm sure other authors will agree with me when I say that when people review, when they enjoy the stories you write, it makes us put in more effort to get the chapter out faster! Well, for me, it makes me enjoy writing the chapters, even if I do take a long time to actually update...Sorry, lol.

Also, we hit a milestone! Over 50k! Officially, the longest story I've ever written (Mostly due to me never finishing any of my other stories). Be sure to leave an extra review for that!

I never have time to reread my chapters so I can only hope there aren't too many grammar mistakes. I could always take more time to reread it, but I get bored easily and this chapter would come out months later. Beta Readers are welcome to PM me if they wish to Beta my story!

Well, I'll see you all next time, hopefully it doesn't take nearly as long for me to update next time! Also, be sure to check out my profile since I usually show my update progress on the next chapter!

Next Chapter: Tequila Bridge