What's up people? You see the new cover? I hope you guys like it. If not, I don't mind going back to what I originally had. I just kinda wanted to make one. Anyway, no more talkie from the boring author. On with the thrilling story of Flynn D. Raya!

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Third Person's POV

The day is bright and calm. The sun shines down serenely, a luxury on the high seas. The waves are gentle, so quiet one might mistake this region for the Calm Belt. But the wind blows steadily and pushes the little vessel known as the Going Merry forwards at a generous pace.

The Straw Hats are taking the time to relax. And after such a trying for days, who can blame them?

It's been a total of seven days since the encounter with Aokiji, and the memory is still fresh in everyone's minds. But with a day such as this, no one wants to dampen the mood.

Nami, her job as navigator made easy this day, reclines in a beach chair she acquired from... somewhere, stretching out with a contented sigh. "Mm, the weather is nice today," she murmurs peacefully.

On the same portion of the upperdeck, Zoro has his back pressed to the railing, not too far from Nami. One arm is behind his head, while the other is lightly wrapped around the sleeping form of Raya, whose head is in his lap. She's curled up at his side, her breathing even and deep, a soft smile on her lips. Zoro's also alseep, as per usual this time of day. Their four swords are leaning on the rail, and Honoo is ice free, red sheath practically glowing crimson in the dazzling light.

"Na~~~~mi!"

Sanji, on the lower deck, spins and twirls in his "flirtatious" fashion, hearts floating around him as he holds up his silver platter. The aforementioned girl turns her head as he flows up the steps to stand in front of her, bowing forward slightly as he offers the dish he's prepared.

"This is potato paille," he says. "My newest invention. Would you like to try some?"

"Mm... delicious," she murmurs upon tasting.

"I CAN DIE HAPPY NOW!!" Sanji practically explodes, his joy that incredible. Of course, he's standing right next to the dozing duo, yet somehow fails to notice Raya. At first, anyway.

"Shut up, bastard!!" Zoro shouts, annoyed the cook doesn't seem to give a damn about his sleeping habits. Though if their roles were reversed (God forbid) he probably wouldn't care much either. "Raya's trying to sleep!"

At this, Sanji stops his joyous display and blinks down at his smallish crew mate, the one he's dubbed "goddess" several times. He can't seem to comprehend what he's seeing. Raya.... is sleeping.... (so far so good) in Marimo's lap....

"WHAT THE F*CK?!?!"

Raya yawns tiredly, and blinks open her luminous morganite eyes. She slowly sits up, rubbing her teary eyes.

"See what you did, Dartboard Brow?!" Zoro growls, shooting daggers at the perverted cook. "You're such an idiot! Couldn't you see that she was sleeping?! Why the hell were you screaming?!"

"Did Nami agree to flash you or something?" Raya asks in a slurred, sleepy voice, bleary eyes focusing on Sanji. The cook, at the thought of Nami flashing him, immediately dons his most perverted expression, nosebleed quickly forming. Raya sighs, knowing she's lost him. At least it got him off her and Zoro's backs.

"Really, Raya?" Nami asks, giving her an annoyed look. Slightly more awake, the fiery Straw Hat smiles cheekily at her orange-haired nakama. "You did offer a bunch of Alabastan soldiers the chance to see you naked if they paid," she points out, to which Nami shrugs and goes back to her sunbathing.

"WHY IS THE GODDESS SLEEPING IN SHITTY MARIMO'S LAP?!?!"

"Ero-cook is back," Zoro mutters against Raya's ear, making her grin in agreement. In all honesty, since revealing their feelings for one another, their relationship hasn't changed much, something Nami catches onto quickly.

It's like they've been dating for months and just didn't realize, she muses, smirk curling her lips as she looks over at her bickering friends. Raya sees the look, and inwardly sighs. Nami will never let her live this down.

"You wanna get this over with?" she asks, looking up at Zoro. His eyes flick between her and the spastic Sanji, and he shrugs, secreting enjoying the torment they're about to inflict on the Straw Hat's chef. She smiles slightly and, with both Nami and Sanji watching, leans up and presses her lips to Zoro's.

Sanji nearly dies of cardiac arrest, anime falling to the deck with a dizzying crash.

Nami smirks more, finishing her paille while she enjoys the show. (That isn't meant to sound creepy or stalker-ish)

"He's going to kill you," Raya says, pulling away.

Zoro snorts. "I could kick ero-cook's ass wish both hands tied behind my back."

"Now see, that's not fair," she says. He narrows his eyes and she rolls hers. "You'd just put Wado in your mouth and kill him that way. Simple as that."

"I wouldn't need any of my swords to--"

As if on cue, Sanji's foot comes flying for Zoro's face. Unfortunately for Raya, she shifts and puts herself directly in his path. His eys widen, realizing he can't pull back in time, and he starts an apology.

However, before he can finish, Zoro flashes out a hand and catches Sanji's expensive shoe with ease, halting his attack, and startling Raya. She turns around and flinches backwards when she sees how close she was to getting a taste of Sanji's destructive kick. She blinks, sweat dropping, as Zoro releases Sanji and the cook drops to the ground in an undignified heap, anime tears flowing like twin white-water rivers from his eyes. He sobs, quite loudly, distraught.

This is actually the second time he's almost hit Raya when aiming for Zoro, and he can't believe himself. How could a gentleman such as he nearly harm such a beautiful women?!

"....I'm just gonna go back to sleep," she mutters, curling up again and dropping her head into Zoro's lap. He laughs, both at her discomfort and Sanji's state of despair.

"Luffy! Luffy!"

Chopper and Usopp, on the lower deck, clap and cheer, waiting for their captain to appear from within the kitchen. The door bursts open and out walks Luffy in a cloud of snowy-white flour, with a shout of "Ta-da!!!"

He strikes a comical pose, appearing to be caught mid-run with his jaw dropped in a strange yell. And covered in flour....

Usopp and Chopper fall to the ground in hysterical fits of laughter, pounding their fists on the deck. Nami, watching this, lets out an irritated, "Humph."

"You almost died from that, how can you joke about it?" she demands, glowering down at her less-mature nakama.

"Shishishishi! Did it look real?!" Luffy laughs, dusting the coating of flour from his clothes and skills. He was immitating himself.... frozen.

"It was identical, Luffy!" his amused friends laugh, still clapping and rolling around like toddlers. But Luffy's focus has already shifted... to the food in Nami's hand. "Eh?! Nami! What are you eating?!"

"Paille with potato," she replies as he pulls himself up to the balcony-type railing. "Potato?!" he echoes gleefully, mouth watering at the thought. "Hey, Sanji! I'm hungry too!"

"How could you-- This is unthinkable! Unacceptable!! Keep your dirty rough hands away from sweet Raya-chan!!" Sanji shouts. Raya sweat drops, at this point still feigning sleep.

"The only one with dirty hands is you, Dartboard Brow!"

"Back away from the fair maiden this instant!!"

"No."

"You shitty marimo!! I'm going to--"

"Bakas!" Raya growls, pushing herself away from Zoro and climbing to her feet. Zoro sighs, watching her walk right past Sanji, who holds out his arms in a "come hither" gesture. Clearly, he's expecting Raya to leap into his arms and cry about the shitty marimo forcing her to do things. But she brushes past him without a second glance and stalks down the stairs.

"Hey Raya!" Chopper greets cutely. He runs up to her with a cheery smile, which she returns with ease. "How's it going, Doctor?" she asks, unsurprised at his natural reaction: To dance around in a wiggling fashion and exclaim, "Stop trying to make me happy, bastard!"

She just laughs and pats his top hat. But a sound, catching her attention, abruptly cuts her off, and she looks up to the opposite balcony. "Robin! You're up!" she says, waving to the raven-haired woman who's just stepped outside for the first time in days.

"Robin, how're you feeling?" Chopper instantly asks. "Do you feel cold?"

"Thanks to you, I feel great now," she says with a pleasant closed-eye smile. "Thanks Doctor."

You can guess what he does next, can't you?

Nami hooks onto Luffy's cheek. "Ok," she says. "But don't push yourself. You should rest more. Even though you two suffered the same injury, don't feel obligated to get up just because this guy is being to lively."

"Robin! I'll make you something warm," Sanji announcers after catching sight of her. "What would you like?"

"Um, may I have a cup of coffee?" she asks.

"OF COURSE~~~!"

Raya's POV

"How's Honoo?"

I lift my sword from where she sits against the railing. I can't help but frown, looking at her. She's been much quieter than usual, and it's bothering me. One of the last things she said to me was that she's so brittle.... It's bothersome to think Aokiji's ice did that much damage to her tempered steel.

"I don't know," I sigh, rubbing my temple like I have a horrible headache. Zoro puts down his plate of food and takes Honoo in his hands. He slides her from her sheath, squinting down at the blade as it catches and bounces off the sparkling daylight. He runs his fingers over her mirror-like steel as though he can test her strength so easily.

I really don't like his frown at all.

"It's that bad, isn't it?" I ask sheepishly, refusing to meet his eyes. He doesn't respond right away. It worries me, to think that these might be Honoo's final days. I can't fight with her if she's too brittle or she'll shatter the first time she clashes with another katana.

"............"

His silence tells me everything I need to know. I hang my head. Oddly enough, I feel tears pricking the back of my eyes, and force them shut to keep from alerting Zoro. I don't need him worrying over me right now. "Alright," I sigh at last, taking Honoo from him. I strap her to my hip, resolving never to draw her for battle again. At least, not until she herself tells me it's alright. And that might be a day that never comes.

"It's a sad day when you lose your sword," he says, while I lean over the railing, letting the sea breeze stir my hair and brush it away from my face. "Be glad you haven't yet." I shoot him a grateful smile, and he returns it. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against him, making me laugh.

Somewhere in the distance, Sanji is blubbering again....

Will he never get over his obsession with women? It's kinda pathetic. He thinks every woman wants a man like him, who will cater to their every whim and never question their decisions. That's not it at all. Not for me, anyway. If I was with a man like that.... Well, let's just say that relationship would end rather quickly.

I'm glad Zoro challenges me every so often, doesn't agree with everything I say. It makes life more interesting.

Speaking of interesting, I wonder how the rest of the crew'll react to the news....

Nami found me this morning and not-so-subtly told me she witnessed our kiss last night. Obviously, I knew already, but let her continue nonetheless. She teased me. A lot. To the point where the deep dark depths of the ocean seemed more appealing than continuing my conversation with her.

But I didn't--and still don't--regret my moment with the Swordsman. In fact, I smile every time I think about it. It wasn't overly romantic or passionate, like the scenes from my beloved books I received from my parents when I was younger. No it wasn't fairy tale material in the least. But it was special. To me anyway.

"....Huh? What is that....?"

I barely hear Zoro over the shouting of Usopp and Chopper. Seems our sniper's just sold another load of bullshit to young little Chopper.

"What's what?" I ask. I look out at the ocean, trying to spot what's got Zoro so confused. When I see it, I nearly pitch over the railing in surprise.

It's.... a frog. Swimming freestyle. In the ocean. And it's huge.

Luffy echoes my thoughts in a much louder shout, catching everyone's already divided attention. Usopp, of course, doesn't believe him at first. Then he looks over and he pulls his signature face.

That never gets old.

In an instant, the ship moves into a frantic flurry of movement, with Zoro, Luffy, Usopp and Heavy Point-Chopper all dragging at the oars in an attempt to change direction and catch up to the freestyling amphibian.

Nami appears from her cabin, irked at our captain's actions. "Hey!! Why are we changing course?!"

"Um... Nami, we found a huge frog with scars all over its body!!" Luffy informs her without pausing in his rowing. "We have to catch him for BBQ no matter what!"

"You're going to eat it?!" Zoro, Chopper and I all chorus. I hop over the railing and jump lightly down to the deck. I really don't want to eat frog. I've heard of people eating frog legs before, and I seriously doubt they taste like chicken. Why would I believe that slimy, warty frogs taste like poultry?

Nonetheless, that isn't the reason I'm opposed to going after the frog. I really don't want to get lost in the Grand Line. And following after this thing.... could lead to trouble.

"Is that.... a lighthouse?"

"Did you find an island?" Luffy asks, hearing Nami's exclamation as clearly as I did.

"No, just a lighthouse!" she replies, lowering the binoculars I didn't know she'd taken. I thought they were still in the Crow's Nest... Oh well. "But the Log Pose isn't pointing to it...."

"What about the frog? Tell me, where is it?!"

"No way!!"

"The frog is going in the direction of the lighthouse as well," Robin supplies helpfully. I groan and face palm. There's no need to encourage the idiot trio.... and Zoro.

"First you wash the frog with white wine. Then you coat it with flour and fry it," Sanji says, appearing out of nowhere, still with a coffee pot held in his hand. Was he making coffee all this time? Seriously?

"Too bad Luffy used up all the flour, eh?" I ask. Sanji glares down at our oblivious captain and I chuckle when he doesn't react at all.

"Full speed ahead!" said captain orders.

"What is wrong with all of you?!" Nami demands hysterically, more irked than before. I roll my eyes, resigned to my captain's made-on-a-whim decisions. I've grown used to them over time. That's actually quite disheartening.

I make my way over to the port side, poking Zoro in the head as I go. He shoots me a half-assed glare, and I wave to him cheekily before turning around and looking ahead of us. True to Nami's words, there is a lighthouse on a rocky bit of land, just ahead of us. It doesn't seem very special, but it is in the middle of nowhere. There's no islands within miles of here, as far as I know. Why put a lighthouse in such a strange place? It seems unorthidox to me, but whatever. I certainly didn't put it here.

I crane my neck to see the lighthouse better; it isn't very far away, and because of that, I swear I cansee people on the rocky island. Do people normally live in lighthouses? That seems like a really isolated existence. And trust me. I know all about lonely lives.

"SQUAWK!"

I jump, hearing that ear-splitting screech of a bird flying above me. I glare at it, but it remains unperturbed, continuing on its flight path. And that's.... circling the Going Merry? Damn mail bird. 

"Hey! Hold up everybody! Do you hear a strange noise....?" Sanji asks, sounding slightly unnerved. I turn to give him an annoyed look, courtesy of the still-squawking bird that refuses to shut up no matter how many Death Glares I give it. "If you're talking about that annoying bird, then yes, I hear it," I growl. He doesn't even acknowledge that I've said anything. Either he's furious at me for kissing Zoro, and he's now slowly planning a way to kill me, or whatever he's hearing is more troubling than I at first thought.

"Eh? What is it?" Chopper asks, voice strained from sudden nervousness and having to haul the oar he's helping Zoro with forward and back. Such repetitive motion. I'd get bored so easily if I attempted to help with that.

I hear the frog croak out something resembling "Geroh!" as it stops swimming. I blink when I look at him. Is he.... standing on top of the water?

"Oh! The frog stopped! Let's get him!!" Luffy cries, his ravenous, never-ending hunger clearly evident in his boyish voice.

The ship rocks rather violently as it hits something beneath the waves, though no one pays the motion much attention. They're all, besides myself, focused on something approaching the ship. Fast. 

"BACK! BACK! TURN 180 DEGREES!!"

My grip on the ship's railing tightens as something massively strong clips the stern of Merry, rocketing us forward in the water. Everyone screams,  voices ripped away by the sound of whatever hit us slicing through the water. As we collide with the water again, I'm thrown off my feet and hit the deck with a bone-jarring thud that leaves me senseless.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" someone screeches. I shake my head, muddled thoughts bouncing around in my skull, preventing me from focusing on anything besides the blood roaring in my ears. I roll off my back and onto my stomach, then push myself up with my shaking arms. Head injuries. Ugh.

People keep shouting, Luffy I note in particular, something about the frog.... being in danger? Then there's the debate over what hit us. Something metallic, with smoke pouring out from the top, running over the waves... I manage to stumble to my feet and drop back against the cabin wall in time to see that poor frog get slammed by....... Is that a train?

The frog is sent flying like he got hit with one of Luffy's monster punches, and it splashes into the water some ways away, making us lose sight of the battered thing.

I slump against the wall, sliding down until my butt hits the deck. My head's nothing to worry about, but  I have a major headache, and my friend's shouting isn't doing any good. But I force myself to my feet and move to stand with the others. The train's gone. 

Was that really a train? I mean, c'mon! Since when do trains move over the water? Since when do they go near the sea at all?

Shaking off the thoughts, I turn my attention to the lighthouse we've pulled up by. Alright, I was wrong. It isn't on an island at all. It looks to be sitting on man-made platforms, probably supported beneath the waves. A wooden archway, concealing a bridge, rises between the two platforms, with stairs on either side for easy access. On the platform with the lighthouse, there's another, smaller house which, at this moment, has a little figure running out of it.

"Someone came out of the building," Zoro says. "She's calling for reinforcements...."

My lips twitch into a smile when I see just how wrong he is. 

The figure, who I now see is just an innocent little girl, runs up to what I think is a stout old(er) woman(?) with a perpetually smiling face, pulled and wrinkled into the form of a frog's. It goes along with her rather rotund body shape. She stumbles from the home when the little girl calls out to her that pirates are coming. I'm getting a bit of a deja vu thing here...

"Ah... Hey?!?!?! Hm...!! What were you yelling about? I forgot," the hag of a woman croaks, ending with a very unladylike burp.

"You're too damn drunk!!" Usopp screeches, to no avail. I just sigh and shake my ahead, amused at Zoro's poor reaction to having Usopp scream in his ear. Much more than just a slap on the wrist, if you catch my drift.

"Oh.... Pailee? Hm... This tastes great with rum."

"Wow~~~ Delicious!"

Why we decided to feed these two, I don't know. Well, three if you count the little creature sitting between them. Chimney, the little girl, is cute. But sadly, I can see the barest trace of resemblence between her and her grandmother, who she introduces as Kokoro. The little rabbit at her feet (which she calls a cat) is Gonbe. The stare he's giving me is creepier than Sanji's.

"I'm Luffy," my captain announces. "I'm going to be the Pirate King." He, Nami, Usopp and I are the only ones talking to the lighthouse's inhabitants at the moment. I'm not entirely sure where the others are, but this conversation is interesting enough that I don't feel like looking.

"Really?!" Chimney squeals in response to Luffy's somewhat outrageous statement. Not many people will go around spouting their dreams off so easily. I still remember Mock Town, and how Luffy was harassed for his beliefs in One Piece and its existence. I wanted to punch Bellamy so hard, he'd forget his own name. But Luffy stopped me. I still haven't forgiven that bastard for what he said, but I listened to my captain nonetheless.

"Yup."

"Hikakakaka, you're funny!" Kokoro laughs, taking another swig from whatever alcoholic beverage she's chosen to consume this fine day. My nose twitches, the strong, noxious scent clouding around me. Sake is about the only thing I can handle in terms of sinful drinks. And that is most definitely not sake.

"Um, Chimney, that was a steam-powered boat, right?" Nami asks, referring to the train we saw not too long ago. I haven't bothered trying to explain that it was a train. Nami knows, she's just in denial. "But with its shape, how was it able to float..."

Chimney laughs, her sweet little girl laugh. It's kinda annoying, actually. "You've never seen it before?!" she asks, surprise clear in her voice. "I guess you don't see that anywhere else in the world! That's a sea train. It's name is Puffing Tom.'

"Puffing Tom?" Nami echoes. That explanation cleared up next to nothing, besides telling us that it is a train, and its name is Tom. 

"It's a steam-powered car that moves on the railroad in the sea!!" Chimney says, while munching on the paille Sanji prepared for them. 

"Railroad? In the sea?" I ask, crossing my arms under my chest. Chimney smiles at me. "Yeah!" she chirps. "It's just beneath the surface of the water. The train moves from island to island every day, transporting passengers between islands. Sometimes it transports mail and packages, too."

We all crowd around the edge of the platform. I squint as I try to make out the shape of tracks just under the water. And there they are; the image shifts and shimmers under the water, but yup, that's tracks. Thank Kami I used to read those children's stories about some blue train that could talk, otherwise I wouldn't have any idea what this is.

"Wow! There really is a railroad!" Usopp exclaims in awe.

"Yes! And you sailed right onto the railroad! That was dangerous!"

"But no matter how you warn, that frog won't understand! Then you ram it flying! That was rude!" Luffy grumbles, then adds, "Plus he was our prey..."

"Ah... His name is Yokozuna," Chimney explains sadly. "He's been a nuisance for a long time! He likes to compete his strength with others, and he's been trying to beat the train.... He won't die from a crash like that. He'll come back again!" she assures us. 

"Compete...!" Luffy exclaims. "Oh... so that's why he didn't run away. That's some very cool fighting spirit."

"What?! He causes nothing but headaches!! He broke the front of the train so many times already! Every time he tries, he frightens the passengers too!"

"Is that so....? Okay!! I won't eat him!" Luffy vows. "I don't eat hardworking animals!"

"You shouldn't be eating frogs in the first place!!" Nami snaps.

I chuckle, half-listening as Kokoro begins telling us all the places we can visit using the sea train, even though we have a ship... In any case, that damn squawking mail bird returns, and wrenches my attention away from our new "friends". Scowling, I stalk away from the others and to the edge of the platform, where the bird is hopping up and down, cawing for my attention.

I crouch in front of it, leaning in close so that it can't escape my glare. "What. Is. It?" I growl lowly. It sweat drops, but digs its beak into the pouch on its side and brings out two envelopes, each addressed... to me? Huh? I didn't even think these birds carried mail. Not for pirates anyway. I wonder who...

"SQUAWK!"

"Dammit! Shut the hell up!" I whisper-shout, clamping its beak together with one hand, snatching the letters with the other. It regards me with terrified eyes, and I sigh, releasing the scared-stiff bird. It subtly nods to the pouch around its neck, ruffling up its feathers slightly. A dull clanking sound echoes from the bag, and I blink. Oh. Right. Forgot about payment. I pull out some berries and hand them over. The bird salutes me, strangely, before flying off.

Those berries are from when Dad gave me send-off money months ago. He gave it to me to use while searching for the Straw Hats, since I was pretty much broke at the time. And unlike many of my crew members, I know how to resist spending money on the wildest, most ludircrous of things. Like a giant bronze statue. 

Luffy really has a strange mind.

I study the letters in my hand, head titled to the side. Really, who'd send me a letter? Curiousity peaked, I sit down and dangle my legs over the water, The first letter I tear open (carefully) is on plain white paper that could come from anywhere. And i make out the faint scent of sake wafting from the paper, meaning it was probably written in a bar. But I don't mind. 

The scrawling yet still detailed script is familiar to me, and it tugs a smile out of me before I even realize it. "Dad..." I say softly.

"Dear Raya,

How's it going, kiddo? I see you made it back to Luffy and the others. That's great! But what happened in Alabasta?! How did you get dragged into that?! Now, I don't believe what the papers say, that the Marines handled the situation with Crocodile by themselves. That has Luffy written all over it. As well as Red-Haired Demon Flynn D. Raya and Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. Your names were in the news for quite a while, kiddo. 

But I guess what's important is that you're back with your crew, and that you're happy. You are happy, right? Luffy hasn't done anything? Oh, wait. That's a stupid question. I'm sure he's done a lot to annoy you since you got back. But that's Luffy for you.

Anyway, I'm writing just to check up on you, because I love you Raya. And I know you you said there isn't much you can do to keep from worrying me, with Luffy as your captain but.... try, won't you? For me? Well, that's all I wanted to say. If you get this, know you probably shouldn't send a message back. It's a hassle to keep these things from getting confiscated by the Marines. Being a Yonko does have its privileges, I have to say. 

I can't wait to see you again, Raya. And tell Luffy I'm waiting for my hat.

                                                                                                                                  Love,
                                                                                                                                            Shanks

P.S. Yasopp and Benn want to tell you they miss you too. Yasopp's too drunk to write anything himself, and Benn doesn't want to intrude, but they do miss you."

Tears drip down my cheeks, and I wipe at them half-heartedly. I keep sniffling, afraid of dropping snot onto the letter. Dad.... I think about him all the time, but I didn't think I'd get to hear from him until we met up again. This is.... 

With a wavering smile, I fold the letter up and place it beside me. I'll be rereading that a lot in the coming days. I brush the last of the lingering, salty tears from the cheeks and turn to the other envelope I received. My name is on the front, but it looks more sloppily done, the letters blending into one another, almost. 

I blink in shock when I read the name of the sender.

"What's up, Little Red?

You're probably pretty confused about why I'd send you a letter, considering we only met once. But I made you a promise. I told you I'd get Blackbeard, and I will. I finally got some information on him, and I plan to find him as soon as I can, and bring him back to Whitebeard for punishment, or kill him. 

Also, I heard about what happened in Alabasta after I left. Luffy's recklessness is rubbing off on you guys, isn't it? But really, be careful. My baby brother needs someone to hold him back and--

The next part of the letter is written so poorly, in such unidentifiable script that I just can't make it out. It looks like a two-year-old wrote it. The paper under the atroscious writing is stained darker than the surrounding paper, and feels almost damp.

Oh.

I snort in laughter as I realize he must've fallen asleep while writing. He drooled in his sleep too. That's kinda cute, but also very, very disgusting. I wipe my hands on my pants and grip the paper again, holding the non-stained edges.

--I just hope he doesn't cause you all a lot of trouble. I trust you all to keep him from being a complete idiot, but I know it must be really hard. I SHOULD know; it was my job for seven years.

Well, anyway, I wish you guys luck on whatever you're doing. But tell Luffy this: The only one who's going to become Pirate King is my Old Man, Whitebeard. I'll make sure of it, right after I finish with Teach.

Oh, and I hope you and that Zoro guy are doing well. If you've got know idea what I'm talking about then.... well, just forget I said anything!

Maybe I'll send another letter when I finally catch up to Teach. Hope we can meet up again in the future.

                                                                                                                                         Portgas D. Ace

P.S You don't want to know what I went through to send this letter. It involved sneaking onto a Marine ship, stealing some milk, and making a mad dash to escape. 

I fall backwards, laughing enough to give me cramps. But I just keep laughing. Ace. Fire Fist Portgas D. Ace took the time to write me a letter, and then made some grand adventure out of sending it to me. He's.... he's just too cute!

"Is Raya dying?"

"No, she's laughing."

"But what's so funny?"

"How should I know? Go ask her!"

"Hey, Raya!" There's a tap on my shoulder, and I blink open my teary eyes, staring up at my captain's goofy face. He cocks his head to the side, looking down at me. "Why're you laughing?"

"Your.... brother...." I manage to choke out, before calming myself and sitting up. Luffy jumps. "Ace?! Where is he?! Why's Ace here?! ACE!"

I laugh again, slapping a hand over his gushing mouth. He continues shouting for a moment, before looking down at me again, pouting. "Ace isn't here," he grumbles. 

"I know that, baka," I say. While he continues to pout like a cute little boy (that he no doubt is on the inside) I look over the letter one more time. Cracking a soft smile, I hand it to him. He squints at the writing, face brightening as he recognizes it. As he goes farther down, he cracks up laughing too. Ace's narcolepsy must be well-known to him, seeing as how they're brothers.

But Luffy's expression hardens into a childish glare when he scans the bottom of the page. "What the heck's he talking about?!" he demands, gripping his hat tightly. "There's no way Whitebeard can be the Pirate King. That's gonna be me!"

"I know, Cap'n!" I assure him, reaching up to pat his head. "But Whitebeard is Ace's captain. Of course he's going to want to make him King of the Pirates. It's only fair, right?"

"I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

I sigh, an amused smile settling on my lips. I gently take the latter back from him, before showing him the one from Shanks. He smiles throughout the whole thing, bobbing his head when he must reach the part about him waiting for his hat. 

When we've finished, I gather up both the letters and tuck them into my boots. They'll be safe there for now, and I can do something with them later.

We return to the crew, and to my surprise, I find out we're already been informed of our next destination. Water 7. I actually don't know much about it, except that it's supposed to be beautiful. Which probably explains why Puffing Tom was so unfamiliar to me.

Kokoro gives us a "simple" map of the island, and letter that we're supposed to give to the man in charge of the famous shipyard there. Yes, seems we'll be getting Merry fixed up, and possibly find a shipwright while we're at it. I hope so; Usopp's repair work isn't much to reassure me that we'll make it through another storm.

Our crew all gathers on the ship, and we say our goodbyes to Kokoro, Chimney and Gonbe, and they wish us well as we set off. 

Water 7, huh? Sounds kind of exciting to me. I'm looking forward to it.