Prologue
The sound of wind chimes lulled the elderly men on the porch to sleep, beer mugs half full, laughter ringing in the background — people cheered and sang and had an overall good time. A few men sat huddled in the back, whispering inconspicuously to one another. Some woman at the bar, low cut top and all, muttered seductive words into the some poor virgin's ear, who would no doubt awake in horror in the morning after only then realising her profession past his intoxicated state.
It was the stereotypical Friday night. Men came drinking after a long days work, some to drown their sorrows and others simply looking for a good time. Lone Marines, all lowly ranked, of course, came scurrying down from the docks after 5 as they usually do. The barmaids topped their drinks when they asked, and widened their fake smiles as they nodded along to their obviously bogus stories.
And one child sat alone. Right at the back of the pub, squished between two other booths, she sipped her lemon iced tea quietly.
Hair stuffed under a hat, sharp eyes scanned the nightlight — the darkest blue, like they were cut from sapphires themselves. Said eyes drifted to the Marine's directly in the centre of the bar, just as one let out a loud burst of laughter, tears no doubt welling up in eyes.
The tiniest of smiles curled up on her thin lips, and she kicked her legs in amusement, white sundress ruffling alongside.
"How ya doing darl'?" At the sound of a thick-accented voice, she lifted her gaze, landing on the busty barmaid before her, who gave the girl a knowing smile.
She blinked her sapphire eyes in slight surprise before her features softened into a lazy smile. "Bit bored, but nothing a nap can't kill."
The woman clearly didn't expect such a response, but the girl only saw this revelation through her eyes as her picture-perfect face betrayed nothing. The barmaid had obviously trained herself to show no emotion other than seductive smiles and beaming happiness.
The girl could respect that.
Usually, in the town they were in no one asked questions. The Grand Line was full of shady people and it was just an unspoken rule that people should just mind their own business, almost everyone followed this rule. However, the barmaid couldn't help the tug of concern she felt towards her when she saw the little girl sitting alone in a bar, on a Friday night, surrounded by all manner of ruffians.
So, she broke the cardinal rule and asked. "How old are ya hun?" Though her face displayed her textbook pleasant smile, the girl could hear the concern lacing her voice. "Are you with anyone?"
The child just smiled up at the woman. "I'm seven miss, and no — I'm not. Haven't been for awhile, it's just me, but don't bother yourself though." The girl rested her chin in her hand and gave the woman the purest smile that, for someone unknown reason, she knew she shouldn't trust. "I'm just dandy."
A million thoughts raced through the barmaid's head, but they all fell flat at the girl's expression. Every inch of the barmaid's body told her not to trust this child but she saw nothing but honesty in the child's eyes — so she caved.
"Right... just, gimme a shout if ya need anything, 'kay?" She couldn't help adding.
The girl just smiled at the woman, "Of course. Thanks, Miss."
"Kana... my name is Kana." She added hesitantly, glancing around as if to see if anyone was listening in.
The child's smile somehow grew, bordering a full-blown grin but not quite. "Nice to meet you, Kana-san — I'm Tohara Shiori!"
Kana saw no need for last names, as she herself didn't give one. "You're... an honest child, aren't you?"
Shiori just sipped her lemon iced tea. "I try to be, Miss." Shooting back a few smiles here and there.
After a few more words were exchanged Kana left, heeding the call of some drunken fool near the bathroom. Shiori, the girl, was left alone with her thoughts. She went to take another sip of her drink but frowned when she found it empty, glancing around she saw no other barmaid on the floor but Kana who was terribly busy.
Shrugging, Shiori stood up. Placing down a few beri, she made her way towards the exit when a voice called out.
"Hey, brat!" Shiori ceased walking.
Taking a step back, she looked over her shoulder to see a red-faced Marine, grinning and waving her over to his comrades. Shiori saw no reason to object and happily trotted over to their table.
When she was close the Marine reached out and threw his arm over her shoulder, grinning widely. "Tell me your name, little missy."
Shiori could smell the alcohol on his breath but said nothing about it, instead she just smiled. "Tohara Shiori, and what's your name Marine-san?"
The Marines who weren't as drunk looked surprised by her eagerness to talk to their friend and laughed at her innocence. It was endearing to men who'd seen all manner of horrors out on the rough seas of the Grand Line.
"My name?" The Marine was so close that their noses were practically touching. "HA! As if I'd tell you, pipsqueak." He just grinned.
Shiori looked at him in confusion, "Why not? I told you mine."
He snorted. "'Cause that's not how the world works, little missy."
"It's not?" Came Shiori's lazy drawl, it was clear she was losing interest in the conversation as a frown appeared on her smiling face. Another Marine laughed at her reply.
"You're an amusing, kid, any interest in becoming a Marine?"
"None."
He burst out into hearty laughter again, his friends joining in. A third spoke up, this time a woman. "What do you wanna become then, Shiori-chaaan?"
Shiori was grateful that someone used her name, even if it was sarcastically. There was nothing wrong with 'Little Miss' and 'Hun'. They just weren't her name. Shiori looked the woman in the eye, processing her question.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" The second Marine spoke again, "You don't want to be anything?"
Shiori shook her head. "Nope."
"Jeez kid, get a hobby." The woman joked, chuckling away. A few more Marines joined in while Shiori just stood there silently.
Then she sighed, feeling a slight ache in her legs. Shiori was growing stiff from standing still, so she walked over to their table and sat on top of it. Earning another round of laughter from the red-cheeked Marines.
By this point, most of the pub's other customers had stopped their conversations to listen in to Shiori's with the Marines, as said Marines were very loud, making it difficult not to accidentally eavesdrop.
"You're a lazy brat, aren't you?" Some random shouted out to Shiori before bursting into laughter as if they'd said the funniest thing, and apparently, everyone agreed as soon the whole pub was in stitches.
Kana even chuckled a bit. Shiori simply shrugged, not bothering to deny it. She was beginning to feel her eyes droop. She wasn't quite sure what they all found so amusing but pegged it on the alcohol in their systems.
"Hey, little miss." Shiori turned to look at the first Marine who had spoken to her, who'd gestured her over and then refused to give his name. "Become a Marine."
"Okay."
This time there was no immediate laughter, Shiori was looking the Marine dead in the eyes and he was shellshocked. He'd said it as an offhanded joke, not meaning it, although he couldn't deny having Shiori around would be amusing; he still didn't want her to.
"You'll-"
"How do I become a Marine?" Shiori tilted her head a little, no longer feeling the droop in her eyelids.
"Shiori-chaaan?" The female Marine butted in; a pleasant but fake smile across her rugged face as she sang. "Can you get me that glass?"
Shiori looked to the direction the Marine was pointing, and there was indeed a single glass sitting on the counter. Seeing no reason not to, Shiori hopped off the table and trotted over to the glass, retrieved it and then brought it back to the woman.
The female Marine stared down at it, a grin breaking out on her face before she slammed it into the ground; the glass shattered upon impact. A little distance away, Kana flinched. Shiori just stared down at the shattered glass in confusion.
Why would she make her bring it to her just so she could break it? But Shiori followed the golden rule and didn't question the Marine's choices, she also didn't question her next request — "Clean it up."
So when a confused Shiori crouched down to pick up the glass shards, Kana rushed to her side as the Marine spoke again. "But before you do that, can you get me that glass?"
Shiori stood up, now even more confused, but when she turned to walk Kana grabbed her by the shoulders. Sundress billowing as the older woman spins her away from the glass.
"Stop makin' fun of her!" Kana snapped, perfect facade crumbling away to reveal the woman's frustration. "She clearly can't help it!"
Shiori just looked between the barmaid and the Marine, not quite understanding what all the fuss was about yet not caring in the slightest, at least not enough to voice her confusion.
Kana noticed the judgemental eyes of non-Marine onlookers and turned to snap. "Alright, shows over!" Annoyed but compliant, everyone had soon returned to their original conversation, and meaningless chatter filled the bar.
The female Marine had the decency to look guilty, in Kana's opinion, but the first Marine couldn't keep his eyes of Shiori, wondering why the child easily complied with their requests.
'That is going to get her into some serious trouble one day.' He thought with a grim frown, but as the golden rule said; it wasn't his problem. So, he shouted for another drink and turned back to his comrades.
Shiori stared at the group of Marines a second longer and concluded that she wouldn't be receiving any information from them on how to become a Marine. So, the little girl simply turned and left, the white fabrics of her dress twirling as she did.
"Shiori-chan, where ya going, hun?" Kana called out to her. "Do you have anywhere to stay?"
Shiori stopped dead in her tracks, quite near the door by this point, and glanced over her shoulder. "No, I don't." Before Kana could speak again the girl cut her off. "And I don't need to."
"Why not? Where ya going?" The barmaid had long given up trying to hide her concern, but the girl noted it was very little compared to what she would have given others.
Shiori just shrugged. "I'm going to go become a Marine."
Kana stood there, frozen for a moment, long after Shiori had walked out of the bar. She'd never met a more peculiar child. The barmaid listened to the Marines howls of laughter that Shiori had triggered with her declaration. She waited a moment longer before dashing towards the exit, poking her head out of the door to stare down the dark street.
A large gust of wind ripped down the streets, tousling through Kana's hair and apron, knocking off hats and lifting skirts. She caught a glimpse of white and Kana's eyes focused on the small figure that was Tohara Shiori.
White sundress flapped widely in the strong winds, she clutched her hat with one hand; dark, chocolate brown curls spilling out, bouncing with each step she took as she ran through the streets. The brightest of grins on her face.
Kana watched her disappear around the corner and stood there a minute longer. Before she turned, walked back inside, and closed the door behind her.
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I've never written a One Piece fanfic before but it's one of my all-time favourite series. I've found Marines (especially centric-OC's) are rare in OP Fanfics, and if there is one they usually don't stay one for long — So I decided to write my own outtake on the idea.
I realise the synopsis made this story seem to just be angst but it's actually more of a comedy/action with some angst here and there. I dunno, I can never seem to resist slipping some in.
Thoughts?
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