Destined for Flames (One Piece Fanfic)

They're Calling Me What Now?

"Raya is with Shanks," my captain says firmly.

"But why?" I ask.

"Excuse me?"

Zoro, Luffy and I turn to look at Vivi, who has Chopper in her arms. She's frowning. "Who's this Raya you're all so excited about?" she asks. Chopper looks at us all, his eyes alight with curiosity. He wants to know just as badly.

"Sorry," I say, beaming at them. "We met her before we entered the Grand Line. She... she's been missing for a long time."

"Missing?" Chopper asks, his eyes now sparkling with fear for a girl he's never met. Aw, I just love him!

"Yes, why haven't you gone after her, if she's missing?" Vivi asks.

"Couldn't," Zoro says shortly, pushing off the table he's been leaning on and stalking out the door. I sigh, watching him go. That look of self-loathing is back in his eyes again.

"It's a little more complicated than Zoro's letting on," I say, seeing the pair's blank expressions. "A lot was going on at the time."

"What happened to her?"

I look to Luffy to answer, because I wasn't there when it happened. He's turned away though, a dark, sad expression on his face. I remember Zoro telling me that Luffy tried to get Raya back, but Mihawk was just too good.

"A while back," I say, looking at Vivi and Chopper again. "Zoro fought a man named Dracule Mihawk, who's the Greatest Swordsman in the World. When Zoro lost, Raya thought he was dead and she challenged Mihawk. But she lost too and... he took her."

Sanji and Usopp have stopped their party preparations, and are looking at me with big, sad eyes. Sanji has anime tears streaming down his cheeks. I roll my eyes. He's only like this because he's upset he couldn't help a woman in danger. I think it really hurt his pride.

"Why would he do that? Is she special?" Chopper asks, tilting his head to one side. I shake my head. "She's got a Devil Fruit power," I say. "But other than that, she's only special to us."

Raya's POV

"RAYA! RAYA! RAYA!"

A bunch of rookies have me up on their shoulders, and they keep tossing me into the air, catching me while I scream. Half in terror, half in joy.

I have a bounty, and I'm damn proud of it.

"50,000,000 berries," I hear Yasopp mutter, possibly in disbelief. "All she did was set fire to a ship!"

The next toss goes a little haywire, and I'm thrown away from all the rookies, only to land in Benn Beckman's arms. I smile gratefully at him, and he smiles back before setting me on the ground.

The rookies chorus an apology, but I was them off. They didn't mean it, so it's no big deal.

"I don't think that bounty if for the ship," I tell Yasopp.

"Eh? Then what's it for?"

"Commodore Bayer's ruined pants."

He looks at me for a moment, before spluttering with laughter. I grin as he nearly falls to the floor in his hysterical fit. I'm not even that funny. I think it's cause he's thoroughly drunk.

"Did you really scare the Commodore that badly?" Benn asks, skillfully ignoring the sniper, now hiccuping and laughing at the same time. It's a really obnoxious noise if you've never heard it.

I shrug. "Well, yeah, I guess. I barely even touched him, but he looked ready to pass out anyway. I guess I can be frightening when I wanna be, huh?" I grin evilly at the first mate. He just ruffles my hair, chuckling.