"Be my Parrot!" He repeated, his grin widening as he gave her the cane. She mindlessly took the cane and gave it to Dr. Hui, still dazed by what the boy had said.
"What?" She questioned again unsure how to reply back. With that his smile turned into a frown, "Can't you hear me? I said be my parrot!" He said again just as before.
"Oi.. Luffy.." The green haired man stepped forward, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I know what you said, but what do you mean by being your parrot?!" Faythe exclaimed even more confused as the, now known as Luffy, just tilted his head in thought.
"Oh no.." The blonde one, sighed, face palming himself. Both Nami and the curly haired boy, had expressions that said they've been there before in my situation.
"It's happening again. There's no stopping him when he has his mind set.." Nami said toward her partner, beside her. Curly hair only nodded in agreement.
Huh?
What does that mean?!
Is he looking for a fight???
Eh...?
"Zoro." Who Faythe assumed was the green haired man as he turned his attention to the one who called him, which was the one staring at her currently.
"Hm?"
"I want her to join us."
"..."
"Yes, captain."
Ehhhhhhhh????? Why did he accept it so quickly!?
"By join you want me to.." She started.
"Join my crew."
Silently stared at the boy for a few more seconds, a sudden pat on the girl's shoulders, whipped her head to Dr. Hui who was having trouble getting up. Hurriedly grabbing onto his elbow to lift him up, she picked him up, him leaning on her back now, almost like she did when she was younger. Turning to Luffy, Faythe tilted her head towards the jungle that loomed over the town, indicating for them to follow her.
As they trudged, she picked up her pace, her pace quickening as she came nearer to the jungle's entrance. Now in a full sprint, the group following her were now following her sprint in hot pursuit. Nami and the Curly hair seemed to have difficult catching up as they kept falling behind. Though Zoro, Luffy and the curly brows were doing fairly well.
When they made it to the entrance, the whole group came to a stop.
"Wow!!!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Wonder what sorts of fruits are in there..." Faythe heard the blonde mutter.
"Faythe, we should hurry back a bit faster.. I don't want any infections to fester with my bruise..." Dr. Hui muttered from her back.
"What kind of bruise gets infections, old man?!" Faythe huffed annoyed, already running into the looming trees. Her feet getting tired a bit from running a bit, sprinting more, leaning a bit down, to get the wind on her side. The big tree came into view once they ran a large amount in the jungle.
Reaching the base of the tree that she grew up around, she plopped the old man off her back. Giving him his cane so he could actually stand without her there. She looked up at the tree house that was platformed around the tree.
"What is that? A house?!"
"It's belongs to Dr. Hui." Faythe answered the unsaid question.
"A treehouse!!! So cool!" Hearing Luffy gawk at the size of the tree itself.
"So. How are we supposed to get up there?" Zoro questioned beside a grinning Luffy.
"Especially this guy here, unless you didn't notice. There is no way a man this old could make it up there by himself!" The curly haired guy pointed at the man in question.
"Usopp is right! How do you live all the way up there?! Do you carry him up with you wings?" Nami questioned looking at the feathers lining down, both my arms.
"There's nothing to worry about." Faythe said walking ahead.
"And where are you going?" Zoro questioned, with a raised brow. She looked at him as if he questioned the most obvious thing.
"I have wings, don't I?"
And with that, feathers instantly sprouted out from her arm, swirling around her as she transformed into a parrot. She definitely wasn't a normal parrot, especially the size of her. You could probably fit a small child, on top of her back to ride, in that form. With her large wings expanded, she flapped her wings hard, into the ground, propelling herself into the air. Spiraling up the tree, feathers falling behind her as she flapped. Once she reached the top, she glided back down onto the platform, without seeing a drop of sweat.
Watching from the ground the others gawked at the flight to the top.
"Why was that so quick?!" Usopp exclaimed pointing her finger up at the platform where the bird landed.
"Bet I'll be quicker!!" Luffy shouted, already stretching his arms out to get a grip on the wooden floorboards.
"Wait- Luffy!!" Nami tried to stop her foolish captain, but to no avail, she was ignored as he slung himself upward like a slingshot. Flying upwards he shot passed the destination, and flew past Faythe, giving a her a startled shock, as he whizzed past.
"Huh??!!!!?" Faythe watched the captain fly out of view, "What the hell was he doing..?" She mumbled as she took flight once more, to go search for the boy who sprung to far than he wanted.
/:/~***~/:/
"Follow me please." The man known as Dr. Hui lead then to a place around the huge tree, once he stopped, he went to touch to bark of the tree, but instead he twisted something and a door was revealed.
"Eh?!" Usopp looked mildly confused at the discovery, leaning
"This will lead us up the tree.." Hui chuckled quietly at the faces they made, "Pardon me, there are a couple of stairs, could someone assist me?" He asked innocently.
Everyone turned there heads, one by one, to the long nosed man that looked more confused than ever.
"Why me?!" He said loudly, tears threatening to fall.
"I can't carry him! I'm a girl!"
"I don't carry men. Simple."
Everyone turned to Zoro to hear out his excuse.
"I just don't want to."
"Huh??"
They continued to argue, but in the end Usopp was climbing up the stairs, that if you looked up the spiraling staircase, it seemed to just be a dark void. Which was not good for Usopp as he gulped.
Walking up almost about, a hundred stairs, the doctor pointed to his left, turning everyone's head to a living room that was carved out of the wall that stacked the stairs. Usopp already huffing and breathing out in ragged takes, they made their way to the couch having the old man sit down.
"What do you youngin's have to do with Faythe?" The doctor said looking up at each of them.
"That's her name, huh? Well sorry if surprised you, it's not us who need something from her." Usopp huffed, stretching back as he felt a strain on his back.
"Can you enlighten me on this ordeal?" he raised a brow at the statement.
"It's our stupid captain." Zoro explained.
"The one who slingshot himself?"
"Yep." Sanji included.
"And what does your, 'stupid' captain, have to do with my little Faythe?"
The crew all looked down with dark expression as if remembering something happened to them each. Each having the same fate as the other, all because of one rubber man.
"He isn't gonna quit til she's part of the crew.." Sanji breathed out, smoke rising into the living room.
"Part of the crew? Like joining a pirate crew?" The old man inquired.
"Yep, probably made up his mind when he saw her in action."
Usopp chuckled at this as the doctor was shocked in disbelief at such a strange way to recruit people.
"Hey is this you???" Nami's voice could be heard across the living room, her figure leaning down to look at some pictures that lined up. she pointed to a picture with a younger version of the old man, though he was lean and standing with a strong figure, his face bright with a smile. A smile that looked like he was proud of his own child. In the picture it showed him patting a girl's head, her face struggling to smile, almost as if she had never smiled in her life. Her hands both clutching a bracelet to large for her own thin wrists.
"Why yes it is! Almost 10 years I presume?" The old man smiled, looking at the photo with nostalgic look, his gaze distant as he looked at the girl in the photo.
"Who's the girl?" Sanji asked as he caught the distant look.
"That's the girl, you pirates are trying to recruit." He chuckled, gazing down at the cane clenched in his hand. Nami took a quick look at the bracelet in the girl's hand, before mumbling to herself. "Wonder how much that costs.."
"Wouldn't you like to know."
The room turned to see Faythe standing in the staircase, throwing Luffy to the side. He looked purple, as his mouth started to foam.
"Old man, get the antidote for the perilous herb. It seems to be that this idiot mistook it for a plum." Faythe sighed and turned to look at Nami.
"Also dont touch my bracelet." Faythe said quietly, though you could hear the laced venom that hid underneath the words, as her feathers raised a bit threateningly. Faythe turned around and out the room, leaving the people in a tense and awkward situation.
"Geez, i wasn't thinking about touching it in the first place."
"Ha! Nami got yelled at by the new member!" Zoro barked out laughing.
"Oi!! Dont laugh at Nami-chan!" Sanji kicked Zoro in the legs, making Zoro fall over on top of Luffy.
"Bastard..!!" Zoro gritted his teeth pulling out his swords slowly.
While they fought, Dr. Hui had shuffled himself closer to luffy, pulling out a bag full of bottles, each of different colors with their own prescriptions. She opened up a bottle that was bright green, with red swirls at the bottom. he took out a needle and dipped it in the bottle, taking in a practical amount, to only stab the rubber boy hard in the shoulder. Usopp shrieked at the sight unfolding in front of him.
"He'll be fine, once he wakes up." Hui mumbled putting the needle in his bag, knowing full well Faythe escaped him when mentioning the antidote. Ever since she was young, he would remember her throwing a loud tantrum when she saw a needle, or more like a panic attack. either way, she steered far away from his medical tools. using his cane, he helped himself to a chair he sat in every afternoon.
Luffy came springing up after a few minutes, "I'm alive!!!!" He shouted out, gasping for air. He took a moment to look around and noticed that faythe wasn't there. He then turned his attention to the doctor.
"Where'd she go?" He got off the floor, dusting off his hat.
"Left." Zoro answered.
"She went to the top." The doctor answered softly chuckling as he pointed up.
"Gotcha!" Luffy rushed to the stairs.
"Dumbass." Sanji smacked Zoro's head, leading them into another fight, knowing full well how the swordsman has a challenge with direction. Usopp and nami just looked on with disappointment. The doctor just gazed at the pictures that were lines up, a sad smile spreading across his features. Zoro and Sanji stopped tussling around, after they realized they were being rude. The swordsman turned his attention to the pictures and paused as he came to a idea he wanted to verify.
"She isnt your daughter, is she?" He said looking at the old man with a raised brow. The man just chuckled once more.
"Seems you caught on quickly, pirate."
"If she isn't your daughter then where are her real ones?" Nami stepped into the conversation.
"Gone. She never wanted to talk about them. Only said she had a friend that she dreamed about the future with. Said they would be pirates together." The doctor smirked, remembering the smile she wore as she talked about this friend.
"Something happened." Sanji murmured, puffing out a line of smoke.
"That bracelet, was her friend's." The doctor's face was saddened as he remerced back into his memories, hearing the frail girl's voice crack as she gripped the bracelet.
"That's so sad..." Usopp said quietly, holding back tears.
"Does that mean..?" Nami looked to the others, looking for an answer, or a little hope that the friend just might be. Sensing the tense atmosphere and seeing the dark looks, confirmed her question.
"Faythe was very frail and distruthworthy to other people, but she was so curious about the world when I shared stories about the days when I was still a marine." He smiled at the thought. He looked up to shocked faces, "Don't worry, Im retired. Besides, you fellas don't look like you will threaten my little Faythe."
"She looked the most happy when she flew around free, exploring things in the jungle." The old man looked at the crew in the eyes before finishing, "Even if she refuses.. I wish for her to join you people, and give her the time of her life. Her being stuck here won't give her that."
The people in the pirate crew, grew silent at that.
"Don't worry, if one person can persuade her to join our group..."Zoro looked around at the nodding heads, "It'd be our captain."
/:/~***~/:/
Sitting on the top floor of the giant tree, was an platform, just for sitting on and thinking. No room that a normal girl would call a bedroom. No walls or roof to shelter then from the wind and rain. Nothing that felt like the girl was contained or caged in.
It was a suffocating feeling everytime she stepped inside a small room. The feeling of being caged scared her, it never left her from that horrid place. Sittin on the edge of the platform, she had a whole view of the island. The trees covering the ground as it looked like she was sitting in a ocean of green clouds. Her tank top flowing behind her loosely, the feathers colliding with one another as wind passed. The red locks of hair that streamed down her shoulder and she looked up at the sun. The bracelet glittering from the sun's rays. Glancing down at it, she could see a name that was engraved on the inside.
'Yimo'
Shutting her eyes tightly, she could still remember the stories and dreams she and the older girl discussed, all but inside cages, beside each other. The thoughts and memories resurfaced as she saw the crew of pirates. The one with a straw hat reminded her of her dear friend. There smile and how they thought was really similar. Grabbing the bracelet and holding it up in front of her, she was looking at the pretty gems that were coated into the outer layer.
"FOUND YOU!"
The sudden yell made Faythe jump from where she sat, almost falling off the edge. Whipping her head around to see who dares disturb her, she found herself face to face with Luffy. Out of instinct she shoved the boy back, resulting in him almost falling off the edge as well. Turning back around, not minding if he fell to his death anyway.
"What did you come here for?" She asked, still gazing at the bracelet, playing with it between her fingers.
"I want you to be my parrot!" he said the third time that day.
"Why should I be anyone's parrot again?"
"because dont captains have parrots or birds on their shoulders??? And plus you can fight!'
"So you think that since your captain and you need a parrot, plus I can fight, your thinking this is a win-win situation?!"
"Yes."
"For the love of..." The girl face palmed herself. She took her mind off the statement, as it wandered over to the hat. It was a strange hat to wear out to sea, especially for a pirate.
"What's the story for the hat?"
"Oh my treasure!?" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. The word treasure struck out. Faythe remembered Yimo telling her that a treasure could be a personal thing for some people. gripping the bracelet in her hand, she turned her body from the edge and criss crossed in front of Luffy, ready to hear the story.
"Yea, your treasure."
"A friend gave me this hat, we made a promise. I'll find the one piece, and become the Pirate king!" Luffy smiled remembering the promise, tilting his straw hat down.
'The Pirate King?!" She smiled at the thought, remembering Yimo wanted to be the one who found the treasure.
"Yep!" He fist pumped the air excitedly, laughing.
"Sounds nice." Faythe sighed, placing her chin on her palm, leaning on her knee.
"What about you? What's your story?" He suddenly asked.
"My story?"
"Yep, about that bracelet you've been gripping this whole time." He pointing at the bracelet, now criss crossing the same way she did in front of him. They looked like little kids in there positions. She looked at him in the eyes, and knew that he was completely serious. The way he waited for an answer, he was super observant as well when he noticed the bracelet as well.
"Fine." Faythe placed the bracelet on the ground between them so he could get a look.
"This was a bracelet given to me by a friend too."
"You too?!"
"Yep. We promised each other we'd be pirates together, travel the world together, maybe even find a crew to go adventures on." Faythe looked down sadly.
"So you made a promise as well, huh?" Luffy leaned back, his hands on the back of his hat.
"Yep. Though A new one rose up as I had to uphold the promise for the both of us."
"For the both of you?"
"For the both of us."
He stopped talking for a bit, and stared at the bracelet almost thinking about something, which is kinda hard to believe, judging by his behavior from earlier.
"Join my pirate crew."
...
He got up, pushing down on his knee, gaining his balance. She grabbed the bracelet from the wooden planks. He pushed out his hand towards her.
"I get that you've made a promise with this friend of yours, but I dont think staying on this island will achieve that." he smiled more looking down at her, "Wanna go on an adventure?"
At that moment it seemed a strong wind had flew by, the breeze whipping her hair back. her feathers fidgeting at the simple words that probably don't mean much to him, but to her...
It sounded as if Yimo had said them herself.
Grabbing the hand that was reached out to her, she got up from her sitting position. It was like her eyes weren't so dull anymore. Everything looked so much more colorful. Though she wanted to go on adventures with Yimo, she promised to go on for the both of them. Now standing in front of her was a boy, inviting her to do that. She an explore the world now, just as she was meant to do.
"It would be an honor, to join the future Pirate King crew." Faythe stood straight up, her feather growing longer as they sprouted out into wings, she placed her left arm to her chest down raising her other to the side. she bowed gracefully, a smile plastered on her face.
"Alright! Imma go tell the others, then we can go eat Sanji's food!! It's really good!" Luffy shouted and waved as his jumped down the stairs. Faythe watched him go and stood back up straight. A smile tugging on her lips and she hesitated to go forward, a step that would change her whole life.
A small push made her stumble forward.
She looked around frantically to see who shoved her, but no one was there. she could only hear a small whisper as the breeze hit her face once more.
"Have fun, Fae."
Closing her eyes, Faythe walked towards the stairs that led her to her new pirate crew.
/:/~***~/:/
Word Count:(3380)