Marines.
Keep moving.
Act natural.
Getting back to "The Going Merry" was more of a challenge than the girl had originally thought. Her head was swimming despite being in the port town known as Nanohana, at least that is what she had remembered Vivi calling the town when they had approached the island.
Underneath the white flowing garb that she had been given by the princess, a powerful rifle lay hidden and out of the direct sunlight. Her friends had scattered while being chased by the Marines, but she had not been able to catch up with the group before they scattered. Or more accurately. Her captain ran off on his own, once again, this was no surprise at this point.
"And now I've even lost Luffy... Perfect." The girl muttered while clutching her side bag to her chest, speed walking through the streets to avoid too much attention. The sunbleached leather briefly heated up her hands before cooling down when the sun no longer shined harshly onto its surface.
"Why did he have to run off by himself?" The girl sighed, pushing her crimson braid back under the fabric that covered her head, her two crystal earrings lightly bumping against her cheek and neck as she turns quickly to look up at a sudden shape being launched into the sky. "Well, that makes it easier I guess?"
Beginning to run toward where the individual had to have been launched from, sharp blue-silver eyes darting around looking for signs of her captain. Getting to the top of the hill where the man had been launched from, she noticed something stretching from the dock, towards "The Going Merry... Shit, they left without me..." She says before shaking her head to try to clear it before running down the hill and heading after a group of individuals that were heading away from the docks. Buildings passing her and momentarily blocking her sights on the moving group she had to keep moving. Slipping through a few alleyways she slips slightly on the sandy ground before skittering back onto her feet as she was hit with the pungent smell of too many perfumes. Her head swims before she pulls the white veil-like cloth over her mouth and nose, to try to at least block out a bit of the overpowering smell.
Keeping her eyes on the individuals, she quickly maneuvered through the streets towards a cape which it seemed like the Merry was heading past. In a smaller harbor-like area were five different ships, "perfect" she thinks aloud before quickly and quietly making her way toward the farthest of the ships. The plank was up and the boat had begun to move, she ran along the side and leaped towards the side of the ship. Her gloved hands barely clutched onto the edge of the top deck, boots trying to find traction. Pulling herself onto the deck quickly and quietly she began to duck behind barrels and crates before quickly climbing up a rope that went to the crow's nest.
The Billions that were on the deck had noticed the girl as she started to climb, one went immediately to try and follow her up the rope ladder but was sent toppling to the ground as the girl sliced the ropes at the top. White cloth wrapped around her face and fluttered in the wind, "Focus on the Straw Hat Pirates!" one said from below, "she can't go anywhere, any time soon. We can deal with her later." Perhaps the man was the leader of this vessel, or perhaps that is what he was telling himself.
The crimson-haired sniper stood within the crow's nest before feeling something hit the back of her head lightly, slowly turning her head revealing a rather disgusting-looking man who certainly had suffered some illness on the sea. In his hand was a pistol which was now aimed right at the girl's wide eye. "I got her boss!" the man called causing the girl's lips to twitch down, hidden under the cloth was a scowl that contradicted the scared wide eyes of the girl, her body lurching forward ducking barely out of the way of the shot. From her crouched position, she grabbed the man's leg and lifted it, causing the man to lose his balance and fall out of the crow's nest, and tangling in the rigging below. "I... don't got her..." the wheezing voice of the man could be heard, clearly winded by the fall.
Silver-blue eyes softened, "sorry about that," she says in a voice a little over a whisper before noticing the ships moving to cut the straw hats off. Her eyes dart over towards her friends on the Merry, "Guys!" She yells waving her arms before her eyes widened seeing fire flying over her and the boats, her yell being cut out by the sound of the fire crackling. She turns her body in time to watch as the fire that had been flying solidified into a person on a smaller ship that hadn't been there prior.
"FIRE FIST!" A sharp jolt of fear washed over the girl's covered expression as she watched a ball of fire, in the shape of a fist, rip through the ships. Her fear locked her in place as she gripped the mast trying to climb higher to avoid the flames.
She brought her left foot onto the edge of the crow's nest and pushed herself into the mast as a loud splintering of burning wood was heard beneath her accompanying the sudden shake and lurch of the mast as it headed for the water. The heat below her was intense and she fell backward into the crow's nest as the angle of her footing changed and she slipped. An excruciating pain slammed into her left leg, tearing a scream from her lungs, one of pain and also of fear as the mast crashed into the water, "ZORO!" her body lurching out of the crow's nest as she pathetically splashed into the water trying to keep herself afloat but failing immediately.
Her vision blurred with tears as her head went below the surface, seeing a shape leaping over the side of The Going Merry. Having used her breath to shout left her with very little left in her lungs which immediately began to burn. Her eyes shut tightly as her eyes stung and she grabbed at the cloth covering her mouth and nose. Her heart skipped a beat in relief as a strong arm grabbed her around the waist and she felt herself moving through the water. As her head broke the surface she ripped the cloth off her face and gulped at the air before she opened her eyes looking at the moss-haired swordsman who had leaped in to save her.
"Thank you." She managed to get out between her gasping breaths as the man moved her to the side of the ship where a ladder had been tossed down. Zoro easily lifted her enough out of the water that she could grab onto the ladder and climb up. She gripped the rung of the ladder that was the third one up with her left hand and got her right hand to hold onto the fourth one. She brought her right foot out of the water and hooked it onto the rung right out of the water, but as she went to bring her left leg up onto the rung a searing pain spasmed through her leg, a cry of pain leaving her lips as she began to pull herself up using her arms and right leg.
Two hands grabbed under her arms to haul her onto the deck of the ship causing another cry to leave her lips. Sanji's eyes widened upon hearing the pained cry before his eyes landed on her left leg. "Doctor!" the small reindeer cried seeing the burnt cloth that covered her left leg, hiding some of the red skin beneath.
"You are the doctor Chopper! Do something!" Sanji exclaimed looking at the reindeer who quickly ran to grab his medical supplies. The cook ran off to fetch some clean water at the request of the ship doctor leaving Vivi to sit down and cradle the girl's head on her lap.
"Whoa Ryoko, what happened to your leg?" The curious as someone clueless voice of Luffy exclaimed seeing the injury as his brother climbed back over the edge of the ship after retying his boat to the banister.
Ryoko's silver-blue eyes were dull with the pain radiating from the burning sensation on her leg. Her jaw clenched tight as she pulled her left leg closer to her body, biting her tongue as the raw skin hit the fabric covering her upper leg. She pulled the semi-melted boot off of her foot, gripping it tightly before forcing herself to sit up. Her expression was tense and somewhere between rage and pained tears, eyes locking on the solidified fire that was "Fire Fist..." she hisses out before throwing the boot toward Ace who easily dodged it before it stopped next to the edge of the top deck.
"Hey don't throw stuff at Ace! He didn't know you were there!" Luffy exclaimed seeing the attempted attack on his brother. He would have continued to ramble if not for the hand that placed itself on his shoulder.
"It's alright Luffy, she probably is looking for something to lash out at in her pain," Ace says calmly while looking at the girl on the ground, a part of him did feel a little guilty about hurting her, but he really didn't know she had been there in the first place. At least she had survived, "I'm sorry you got caught up in that attack, by the way, didn't know Luffy had a friend on the enemy's ship."
The girl grimaced in pain as she peeled the now-soaked white fabric off of herself and away from her injury, "I had to get back to The Merry somehow..." she got out through gritted teeth as her chest heaved in breath, and her body fell back with her head landing once more in Vivi's lap. Her head began to spin as waves of pain rolled through her leg. Sanji returned with a bucket of cool water which he quickly set down next to her as Chopper hurried over as well holding a bowl with some sort of balm in it and a bunch of bandaging.
As the reindeer touched her left knee, carefully submerging the burn in the cooling liquid, Ryoko let out a groan and covered her face with her arms. "After your leg cools down I can apply some of the medicine I made and then add wrappings to keep it clean," Chopper explained, receiving a weak pat on the top of his hat from the injured girl. "We should get her inside too," he says looking at his fellow crewmates.
Ryoko's eyes shut tiredly as the burning sensation lessened and the sun was blocked from her face by Vivi who seemed to pick up on the tired expression that showed all over her expression, "Maybe rest after Chopper wraps the burn." the princess says getting a silent nod out of the sniper. However, her exhaustion from adrenaline seemed to have other plans as her body fell limp Ryoko having fallen asleep without any warning.
After a little time, most of the crew and Ace went into the kitchen and eating area to chat while Vivi and the doctor stayed with the sleeping patient. A quiet mutter left Ryoko as her leg was removed from the water and carefully dabbed dry by Chopper, followed by the reindeer putting the burn cream over most of her calf and beginning to wrap it up in silence. After the wrapping was done Ryoko mumbled a sentence "...again..." was the only word that could be made out by either of the two who sent glances at each other in confusion before they both worked to get the still sleeping girl back into the room that Nami and Vivi shared with Ryoko.