Heart's Fire [One Piece]

Chapter Two

The Grand Line was like nothing Lacey had ever seen before. It was wild and unpredictable; all four seasons could be experienced in a single day depending on where in the ocean one found themselves. Lacey stood in her small sail boat leaning against the small mast and closed her eyes as the salty breeze whipped through her choppy black as night hair. Sea gulls cawed in the air overhead as they circled her boat and she couldn't help but feel giddy as she approached an island. It was the first island she'd found on the Grand Line after leaving her friends and surrogate family behind in the North Blue.

Her thoughts lingered to the small village she had called her home for the past 15 years. The older couple who took care of her and loved her as their own had given her a wonderful and happy life. They were always honest with her and they always wanted what was best for her. She could hear them cheering her on in her head as she reached a giant dock filled with a plethora of ships hoisting various jolly rogers.

The dock master frowned at the small dingy floating toward the dock, but felt his heart stutter in his chest as he spotted a young girl around 16 years of age standing at the mast. A radiant smile lit up her beautiful face as she waved at him happily and called out to him in greeting.

"Good Afternoon!" She docked her tiny boat and hopped onto the dock before extending her hand to the dock master. "Is it alright if I dock my boat here?"

The dock master cleared his throat as he shook her hand briefly before pulling away hoping she hadn't noticed his sweaty palms, "There's usually a fee, but since I don't really consider that a boat, I suppose we can ignore the fee."

"Oh, thank you!" The beautiful girl cheered and once more he felt his heart stutter in his chest as he met her eyes. They were like pure golden sunshine and reflected radiance and light.

"W-welcome to Port Cavall." He smiled at the exuberant youth as she reached into her tiny little dingy and retrieved a simple black long bow that had an oddly shaped staff, rather than the usual flat staff, it looked more like a rod. She slung a quiver of arrows over her back and straightened herself up with a smile before turning to the town.

"Thank you." She offered the dock master a polite bow before skipping off to town.

The dock master stared after her in a daze before his stomach churned uneasily. He'd forgotten to warn her that there were a bunch of ruffians on the island right now and some big-name crews. "Ah! Young miss!" He called, but she was too far gone.

Lacey slowed from a run to a walk once she reached town and hurriedly checked her appearance in one of the shop windows. She couldn't look like a rookie, even if she was one. Her gaze lingered to the silver locket she wore around her neck, the only memento she had of her biological family. She ruffled her choppy black as night hair getting it to fall in perfect disarray and smoothed out her simple black tank top before checking to make sure the fly of her tight black pants was up then bent down to make sure her black flats were free of any mud or other grime.

The shop owner came to greet her with a laugh after catching her silly display and Lacey frantically apologized for causing any trouble which only caused the shop owner to laugh more before sending her on her way with a few caramel candies, on the house. She thanked him and popped one of the candies in her mouth as she made her way further into the port city. The caramel candy practically melted in her mouth sending her taste buds crazy with tantalizingly savory and sweet bursts of flavor. The city was bright and bustling. Each building was painted in a different bright color breathing life into the beautiful coastal city. Further into town the buildings became a little more dull in color but more interesting and dated in structure.

Various mouthwatering aromas wafted through the streets from various vendors selling a plethora of island delicacies and other goodies. Children played in the streets without a care in the world and shoppers bustled by engaging in gossip and buying all manner of trinkets and oddities. It seemed like a pleasant city.