Tani stood before the crew she had just introduced herself to. Nami was the first one to speak up.

"Well, we don't have any extra boats for you to use." she sighed, Tani had a feeling that was the case, "You're stuck here until the next island."

"Can't we just turn around?" Tani requested. "I'm sorry, but I can't just sail to the next island." she had places to be! Like home.

"Should have thought of that, before you boarded a random ship." Nami shrugged. Wow, rude. Tani narrowed her eyes.

"It's not like I chose to be here." Tani snapped. "If anything! It's you guys that kidnapped me." she accused. Nami narrowed her eyes, teeth grinding together.

"What reason would we need to do that?"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the people that kidnapped me!" Tani got up in Nami's face, the red heads freckles stood out against her angry-cherry coloured cheeks.

"You're ridiculous! We aren't turning this ship around. So deal with it." Nami shut the conversation down. Turning away from the stowaway, storming towards a door and slamming it behind her.

Tani poked her tongue out in the direction of Nami. What a jerk! This was all strange for Tani too.

Riled up, Tani pulled her bag off her shoulders, fished a hand inside the front pocket. Her index fingers looped into the strings of her yo-yo's. She whipped the toy out, and began warming up with a few simple ups and downs, as per usual. The distaste of her previous conversation, washed away with every bounce of the spinning circle.

Tani hadn't failed to notice the awe on Luffy's face as he watched the yo-yo bounce up and down in a hypnotic fashion. She normally had this effect on little kids, but a guy that looks roughly her age... Make that two because Usopp? If she remembered correctly, was also watching her with awe.

A smirk snuck it's way onto Tani's face, if these strangers wanted a performance, she was more than ready to show off.

Usopp left his hiding place, and stood beside Luffy. Watching Tani do well coordinated tricks with the yo-yo's in her hands. An easy smile drifted into her face, tension flowing away with every snap of the string that connected her to the spinning plastic orbs.

To the small crew, Tani didn't appear to be a threat. Luffy had a keen sense for danger, and this girl wasn't setting off any alarm bells. Which was awesome, because Luffy thought she was really cool.

There's still the lingering question... Just how did this mystery girl magically appear on the Going merry? Usopp didn't know her, and the only island they've been on since acquiring the boat, was Syrup village. A rather small island that Usopp knew off the back of his hand. He didn't know her... So where was she from? And why was she here?

Nami held her suspicion, staring from the kitchen window, just in case their mystery girl decided to go rogue. She may not be on the crew, but she needed these idiots for the moment. At least until the next island-

"Do the walking one again!" Luffy's voice carried over the ship. Usopp stood beside him, chanting praises at Tani. The girl pulled off a trick with her yo-yo's, the crowd went wild. Nami rolled her eyes.

A sigh left her. Tani was rather nervous, if not a bit prickly when challenged, and she held her guard up. In other words, getting anything out of her wouldn't be easy.

Why was Nami on this ship again? Was the headache really worth it? Her hand slid up her left arm, gripping the sleeve of her shirt... Right. Just a little longer. These guys were strong, if not a bit stupid. They'd help her with her quest, even if they didn't know about it.

"Alright, how about we start by trying to get the yo-yo back into our hands," she instructed her students. Both of them, now held the spare yo-yos that she had in her bag. Tani kept spares in case little kids wanted to play around with them.

She demonstrated by dropping the yo-yo down the string and pulling it back up with a flick of the wrist. The yo-yo now rested in her palm, she motioned for them to try it. Usopp caught on pretty quickly, getting it after attempt two or three... Luffy was not so great.

He kept throwing it down with too much force, the string growing tense, losing the spring and momentum needed to retract the device.

"Mine's broken," he pouted, Tani snickered. It was tricky to master right away, with an average of 4/10 kids getting it in the first ten attempts. At least from what Tani has observed. Tani walked over to Luffy, gently placing her hand atop his own. Fingers gently clamping around his, with focus on the index.

"Follow my lead," Tani requested with a smile. She dropped and flicked the yo-yo back up, "Notice how I'm being gentle? Let the string do the work." she instructed, repeating the movement with Luffy's yo-yo. Luffy watched closely, Tani did it one last time, before letting go of his hand. She watched him with a light of encouragement in her eyes. Determined to succeed, Luffy did just as she instructed, and was rewarded with the yo-yo rolling back up the string into his hand.

"Woooh! This is awesome!" he cheered, "Look Tani! I did it!" Tani felt a smile form on her face, happy with the simple task, then again she couldn't really talk... She found yo-yos exciting too.

"I wanna do a cool trick now!" Luffy declared, "Like that walking the dog one!"

"Oh! Me too," Usopp perked up, "I'll have you know. I'm a yo-yo master, an expert in the ancient techniques of yo-yo trickery!" he proclaimed. Luffy let out a gasp of awe.

"If you're a master, I'd love for you to show me some moves." Tani snickered. Shaking her whole body. This was the most fun she'd had in ages-

"Ack," Tani's hands snapped up to her head. A pulse rang out through her skull, stabbing into her brain.

The headache she had forgotten, decided to pop its ugly mug back into existence. Her fingers massaged the pained spot, to no avail.

All of this, because a stupid mistake when grinding a rail... Now that she thought about it. What are the odds, that she'd magically show up in a pirate world.

Earlier in the day, she had been playing pirates with those boys, only to take a nap, and magically wind up on a pirate boat?

Seems a bit too coincidentally, a crazy realistic dream? A dream would explain the strange bubble gum thing Luffy could do with his arms, being all stretched and throwing her onto the boat.

That's just it right? This is all a dream. Yet.... The pain in her head was all too real. Wasn't it a thing that if you feel pain when dreaming, then you aren't really dreaming? She'd pinched her sled earlier, and this headache was painful. The questions piled on top of each other.

Could this be a dream? Is that a possibility-

"Hey!" Usopp waved a hand in front of the spaced out girl's face, she didn't respond. "Tani? Oi." he clicked his fingers. Nothing

"Let me try!" Luffy didn't wait for a response from his crew mate, he knocked on top of Tani's head. The girl's eyes refocused for a split second, quickly lost when she closed them tight. Tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

"You idiot! You made her cry!" Usopp smacked Luffy, upside the head. The pair bickered among themselves. Failing to notice the girl before them, dropping to the deck in pain.

Tani felt herself panicking again. A mix of the headache, muddling her thinking, and the terror of the situation. She didn't know all the details. She didn't know if this was a dream, or if she truly was stuck in a world of medieval pirates and stretchy men. Her fearful tears dribbled down her face, lip quivering, and shoulders shaking.

The boys stopped arguing, the sound of sniffling catching them both off guard... Tani's crying... Oh god! She's crying!

"Shit, Luffy what do we do?" Usopp wailed. Grabbing Luffy by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth. Luffy's neck snapping in directions that shouldn't be possible for your average human.

"I dunno," Luffy answered unhelpfully. Usopp groaned. What a useless dolt. "Why don't you ask Nami? She's pretty smart." Luffy suggested... Usopp retracted the dolt statement.

"You stay here! I'll get Nami," Usopp ran off in the direction of Nami, zipping past Zoro. The swordsman opened an eye, blinked once at the action, and promptly fell back to sleep.

Luffy, tasked with lifting Tani's spirits, plopped himself beside her. He laid down, the rim of his straw hat flattened out under the weight of his head. He stared at her sobbing face, it was kinda stupid, they were having fun just before. Why was she sad now?

Tani opened her eyes, finding Luffy staring right back. His wide eyes staring into her soul, analysing it. Which would be weird if he was a figment of her imagination... Idiot, stop thinking about it. You'll just start-

And the water works are back on... Great.

Luffy sat back up, and readjusted his hat onto his head. Tani stayed laying there, looking up at Luffy, who kept his eyes on her. He pat her back in a comforting manner, hitting much harder than someone should when comforting another. Tani didn't say anything about it, after all it's the thought that counts.

"Luffy! Tanisha! I've got Nami!" Usopp informed, Nami came down quickly. Dropping by Tani's side, she placed her hand gently on the girls forehead.

A moment passed before Nami gave a nod. She turned her head towards Luffy, the captain being none the wiser. Even picking his nose while he waited for the results.

Nami lifted her hand, and quickly smacked Luffy upside the head. The captain let out a whine.

"You idiot! Can't you tell she's got a fever?" she scolded, Tani flinched. It was a headache before? When did it become a fever? Nami sighed.

"Luffy, can you carry her into my cabin? she needs to rest." Nami directed.

"On it," Luffy saluted, bobbing down with his arms ready to scoop Tani into his hold. He lifted her effortlessly, and that's saying something. She probably weighed more than he did. For someone with very little muscle for show. Luffy sure did pack some strength.

The captain quickly ran Tani into Nami's room, placing her down on one of the many beds. Nami followed behind him, waited until he'd put Tani down safely...

Then kicked him out of the room.

Luffy complained for a moment, but quickly shut up, at the mention of food. The moron was easy to distract.

Nami approached the semi-conscious Tani, the girl drifting in and out of consciousness. Now came the hard part.

The redhead had to remove Tani's clothes. They were still wet from her dive into the water. Chilling her to the bone, and driving that fever skyrocketing. Nami was as quick and unobtrusive as possible, removing everything until the underwear, thankfully those materials dry fast. Once finished, Nami grabbed an oversized shirt from her cupboard. Dressing Tani in the garment. Nami covered the feverish girl in a thick blanket, her work was done here. All Tani needed was some bed rest, and with the girl out cold. Nami didn't need to be here anymore.

Nami opened the door to find Usopp waiting outside the door with a concerned look in his eyes. He wanted answers.

"She's got a fever, most likely from when she jumped into the ocean. She'll be fine if you stay quiet and let her sleep it off," Usopp let out a sigh of relief.

"That's great, I was worried she was gonna die of 'this isn't my boat' disease." the sniper commented. Nami rolled her eyes.

"Right... Anyway, nobody is allowed past that door, got it?" she told Usopp. Knowing this message was more for a certain rubber captain. "Tanisha needs rest, not any more stress than she's already under right now," Usopp nodded.

"Now... How are we gonna stop Luffy from breaking into the room?" Nami groaned. Already feeling her own headache coming on.

...

Tani tossed and turned in her sleep, springing forward violently in shock. The contents of her dream were a mystery to her now.

She blinked the blur from her eyes, expecting to be greeted with the greenery of some bushes, or the movie posters in her bedroom. Anticipating her mother's call for dinner.

Not the wooden walls of an unfamiliar cabin... Wait a second.

If Tani's still here, that means she's not home. If she's not home, that means she's not with her mother. A mother that now has a missing child on her hands...

Tani's breath hitched at the thought. Her mother being scared over her daughter's missing body. Calling the police for help, only to never find her only child... Being... All alone...

The girl pulled her knees closer, and sobbed into them. What could she do? Why wouldn't she wake up? There's no way this isn't a dream... It can't be. This isn't some magical storybook, she needed to wake up-

"What the hell," she whispered to herself, now noticing the long shirt that didn't belong to her. Tani quickly pulled the collar out, checking if she still had her underwear on. Relieved to find them still in place.

Soft breathing could be heard from across the room. Tani turned to see Nami sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room. She looked so peaceful, like all that anger having washed away with her dreams. Tani's bag was at the foot of her bed, the girl wasted no time grabbing it.

Tani dragged herself out of the bed, legs stumbling slightly. Approaching the cabin door, she hesitated to open it. What if she really had to accept the reality of this other worldly... World?

Sucking in a large breath, Tani pushed the door open, her body was greeted with the cold breeze outside. Brushing against her exposed arms and legs. She opened her bag in hopes of finding her windbreaker, and as luck would have it, she'd packed the colourful jacket. It wasn't much in terms of warmth, but it kept the wind from her arms. Hence the name, she guessed.

The dark of the night, calm waves of the ocean. It all felt ethereal, conflicting against the tension within Tani. The deck was empty, if anyone was awake, they'd be within the ship herself. The girl might as well explore a bit, since she's gonna be here for a while. Starting with the masthead... That's what it's called right? The figure head? Tani hadn't studied ships before. Anyway, the front of the ship looked like a big rams head. Cartoony in style, and very childish. Tani thought it was cute, and it would make for a great seat to take in the view of the ocean... Though the spot itself gave off an air that said "Off limits", so she wasn't gonna risk it.

She wandered around the deck a bit more, finding the kitchen, bathroom, men's cabin, and a storage closet. The ship was pretty small, but cozy enough.

Lastly she wandered to the mast, it's sails blowing with the wind. There was a crows nest? The basket thing at the top, but she wasn't planning on checking that out yet... Far too high for her liking. Exploring done, it was time to head back to the cabin.

Except, she really didn't want to do that just yet. She sat herself against the mast, staring out at the ocean ahead. Her stomach twinged in discomfort, remembering that she hasn't eaten in a little while. She had to have something in her bag-

As luck would have it, a fruit roll up found itself in her hand. Thank the stars. Tani began unwrapping the treat out of its packet.

"What's that?" a voice asked, startling the unaware girl, who dropped the half eaten treat onto the ground. Tani looked up to find Luffy staring down at her. When did he get here? She hadn't heard any doors open.

Luffy sat down cross-legged beside her, hands resting on his knees. Tani relaxed, picked the roll up off the ground, and continued eating it. Luffy looked at it with interest, his mouth watering at the sight.

Tani reached into her bag, and found another roll up for him... Look she may have snuck too many in her bag, but she loved them so don't tell mum!

Handing the snack to Luffy, the boy wasted no time tearing into the packaging. He then grabbed the still plastic clad treat, and shoved it into his mouth. Not bothered at all with the plastic still wrapped around the fruity good, he swallowed it. Looking at Tani with pleading eyes.

Tani looked stunned at the display, the absurdity of it all... Laughter bubbled from her throat, announcing her amusement to the world. Luffy laughed with her, loving the sound. Tani's laughter quieted down, leaving a comfortable silence.

"I'm so confused," Tani looked up at the cloudy night sky, not many stars were present. Tani pressed herself against the mast, hands pulling the windbreaker closer. "I'm stuck on a boat in the middle of the sea, with strangers." her face lowered into her propped up knees as everything sank in. "How does that happen? What kinda crazy fantasy novel is this?" she snickered, trying in vain to calm her nerves. Luffy huffed.

"We're not strangers. I told you I'm Luffy, so now we know each other," he smiled simply. Well technically that was the truth, it still didn't provide much comfort.

"What about my mum? She must be worried sick by now," Tani sighed, looking at Luffy. "I wanna go home,"

"Well, why don't we just take you home?" Luffy shrugged, Tani lifted her head to look his way. He wasn't facing her, "Nami is the best navigator in the whole East Blue, I'm sure she can find your island," he grinned.

Tani blinked a few times, her face settled in a solemn smile. Tani turned her gaze back to the cloudy night sky, a weight had been lifted from her shoulders for now.

A cold chill swept across her face, she wanted to go home and hug her mum. Eat a plate of whatever dinner was, and watch a movie together.

At least the people were nice.

Tani stood up and turned to walk away, before leaving she turned to Luffy. Smiling sweetly at the boy.

"Thank you, not many people would be this kind to a stranger." she paused for a moment, snickering "Let alone one that magically teleported onto their boat," however often that happened.

Luffy laughed, standing up and holding out his hand. Tani looked at it, then realized he wanted a hand shake. She held it, and boy did he have a strong grip.

"We're friends aren't we?" he questioned merrily, Tani looked stunned. Her hold loosened in his, but his grip didn't falter. Her breath hitched for the second time that day. Today was just full of surprises for her. Luffy laughed at her reaction. He pulled her closer and draped his free arm over her shoulder, letting go of her hand.

"You... You already consider me a friend?" Tani asked with shock, "Bu-but you don't know me. For all you know. I could be the worst person in the world,". The arm around her shoulders pulled her closer, Luffy's grin shined in the moonlight.

"No way! You're too awesome!" he sounded so carefree, "You saved me from drowning and showed me cool tricks with your yo-yo thing! Would an enemy ever do that?" he reasoned. Tani giggled at his childish reasoning skills. She shook her head to answer him.

"Then it's settled! You're my friend," he declared, Tani looked at him in awe.

Hearing it be said, hearing that she was considered a friend. It wasn't a foreign saying, but every other time someone had muttered it out to her in the past. It never felt as genuine and heartfelt as it did when the childish straw hat captain (who had met her less than 24 hours ago) said it. A wobbly smile appeared on Tani's face.

"Thank you,"

Luffy pulled her even closer, until their cheeks were pressed against each other and laughed, Tani laughed with him.

Nami stood by the entrance to the main deck, watching as Luffy and Tani laughed together. A soft smile graced her face, though she wasn't a big fan of this mystery girl, and didn't trust her as far as she could throw her. It felt like a dose of Luffy would be good for her nerves.

Nami turned away and walked back to bed, trusting that the idiot captain would be more than capable of defending himself if she flipped out on him.

...

Morning rolled around, the bright summer sun shone it's rays onto the crew standing outside. They crowded around a map that Nami had brought with her.

"We're over here," the navigator pointed to a blue spot, between Syrup village and an island that Tani couldn't pronounce. Nami pointed to Syrup, "This is the island we just came from." Tani gave a heavy sigh. It was just as she had dreaded.

This was definitely not her world. There was no America, or Europe, Asia, Africa, even Australia was missing! That place was literally an island. None of these mini islands were familiar, no names, or ocean names. Nothing at all. This was a completely foreign world.

"Well... Shit," Tani cursed. Nami gave her a confused look. Tani pointed at the map, "Yeah... I don't think I'm from this world... At all." she finally admitted to herself. If this was reality, it's adapt or perish.

"How?" Nami and Usopp both asked in confusion. Tani didn't have an answer for that.

"Do you have a piece of paper and pen I can borrow?" a moment later, Tani was sketching a very poorly drawn version of the world map she was familiar with. She pointed at a spot in America.

"I live on this big chunk of rock," she pointed back at the map that Nami had brought out. "And I don't see America on that map." it was getting difficult to keep her cool. This was insane! Absolutely insane!

"So? You're a mystery alien girl!" Luffy concluded. "That makes you double as mysterious, and double as cool!" he beamed. Nami gave an eye roll.

"That means you have nowhere to go... Doesn't it?" she asked. Tani gave a nod. The red head sighed.

"There's no way we can just leave you on the next island. Not if you have no idea what you're doing." Nami groaned. This was getting complicated, and it was too early in the morning for this.

"Does that mean she's joining the crew?" Usopp asked. Luffy's head instantly perked up, looking at Tani with a big grin.

"Yes! Tani, hey Tani! Join my crew." Luffy sprung onto her. Knocking her over with the force of a truck.

"Oi! Careful you idiot. She's still running a slight fever." Nami scolded. Luffy ignored her, waiting for Tani to answer his question.

It would be wise to accept the request. These people hadn't shown any ill intent, and didn't appear to have any ulterior motives. If anything, they'd been accommodating to the situation, and helped her feel welcome in a world she knew jack all about.

Yet, she wasn't sure if she should say yes just yet. Tani didn't know these people well enough yet...

"Thanks Luffy, I appreciate the offer, but-" she started, but was silenced when Luffy pulled her off the ground, and pulled her in for a side hug.

"Great! Guys we have our 5th crew member!" he cheered, Tani was still stunned by the stretching arms thing and sudden contact. Finally reality caught up with her and she shook her head.

"Wait! I didn't say yes-" she mumbled. Cut off again.

"Cool," Zoro shrugged. Indulging in the captain's insanity.

"Luffy, please listen. I-" she protested, but she was cut off by Nami this time.

"There's really no point in arguing with him, he's as stubborn as a rock, I would know..." she huffed. Luffy chuckled, pumping his free arm in the air while cheering about his new crew member.

Nami gave Tani a pat on the shoulder, sympathy in her eyes.

"How about some breakfast?" the redhead suggested. This instantly got Luffy's attention, the boy flung himself into the kitchen. Followed by the slamming of something heavy hitting wood. Nami rolled her eyes, muttering about the budget. She turned back to Tani.

"Your fever is still running. Go back to bed for the rest of the day." Tani opened her mouth to protest, only for Nami to put a finger to her mouth. "Luffy will make you do some really stupid shit, so for your sake and mine. Please just go to bed."

Tani sighed, but complied. Turning to her back to the women's cabin.

"I'll bring you breakfast," Nami promised. Tani waved behind her shoulder, entering the cabin. Door closing behind her.

The red head turned to Zoro and Usopp. The swordsman shrugged, turning to head towards the kitchen, before Luffy stole all the food in the cupboard. Nami grabbed the map Tani had drawn, Usopp looked over her shoulder.

"How is this even possible." the navigator sighed. Usopp put a finger to his chin.

"Maybe a sea wizard summoned her." he suggested. "Or she's actually an alien from the moon," he added.

"She could be lying..." Nami's distrust for the girl didn't falter. Usopp shook his head.

"I know a liar when I see one. Unless she's a master of lies, she is speaking the truth." Nami lifted an eyebrow

"How can you be so sure?" she asked. Usopp pointed at his eyes.

"The fear in her expression. She's just as clueless as we are." he explained. Nami nodded, that made sense.

"So... I guess we have a new crew mate," Usopp grinned. Nami crossed her arms.

"I guess we do."

...

Tani's eyes fluttered open, the wooden ceiling of the cabin filled her vision. The light from outside was a sunset orange. She must have napped for a while.

A sigh left her breath, her arms attempting to push herself up. Only for two hands to push her back down. Her head turned to see Luffy, grinning down at her.

"Nami said you need to rest," he instructed, "Otherwise you'll never get better, and I don't want my friends to not get better." Tani snickered.

"How long have you been here?" Luffy shrugged.

"Dunno," he replied. "You sure do sleep a lot though," Tani rolled her eyes.

"Fevers do that," she chuckled. "Anyway, you didn't need to stick around. It must have been boring." she shifted into a more comfortable position. Luffy leaned back on his chair.

"I wanted to keep you company," he said simply. Tani felt her smile grow larger. Luffy had this charm to him, it was very easy to be drawn into his flow.

"So what are those awesome shoes with the wheels on them?" he leaned closer to the bed. "The ones on your bag," he pointed at them, and yep, he was talking about her skates.

"Oh? Um, those are roller skates. You use them to move around faster."

"Yeah those! They look so awesome!" he was super excited about them, his arms held high in the air.

"I'll show you how to use them later," she promised. Much to Luffy's delight. Tani let out a little giggle, her eyes were drawn to his arms... Oh right!

"Hey Luffy?" she called, he turned his attention back to her. "It wouldn't be rude to ask about your arms, would it?" He looked at his arms, inspecting them.

"What's wrong with my arms?" She waved her hands in front of her.

"Oh! Nothing. It's just, well, you see... Yesterday," she started, "When I was in the water, your arms went all long and stretchy." she made motions with her hands, mimicking an octopus, more than Luffy. He looked back at his arms, the gears clicking in his head. Realisation sparked in his eyes.

"Oh! I ate the gum gum fruit," he hooked a finger in his mouth and pulled at his cheek, it stretched as if it was a piece of elastic. He unhooked the finger, his cheek slapped back into place, "I'm a rubber man," he grinned.

"Rubber man?" that implied... No way, "Wait! So your whole body does that stretchy thing?" she questioned, he nodded his head. She held her chin in thought.

"That's so weird, how does that even work?" her head started to churn question, after question. Luffy shrugged, he honestly had no idea how it worked, he just knew that it did.

"Luffy!" the voice of Nami called from the other side of the door. The boy jumped from his seat and rushed to the door, Nami walked into the room with a plate of food.

A grumble filled the room, Tani clenched at her stomach in embarrassment. Luffy went to grab the food, but Nami slammed a fist into his head. Sending him straight to the ground. She walked over to Tani and handed her the plate. It was a simple dish, some bread and sliced meat, with an apple to the side.

"Thank you," Nami nodded in response to the thanks. The red head walked out of the room, dragging Luffy out by the foot.

The room was silent, Tani dug into the meal. Feeling her hunger leave her with every bite. She hadn't noticed how hungry she was, until that food was brought in. Maybe it was because of the stres? Maybe it's because of her thoughts being elsewhere? Whatever it was, her fever had began to fade. Thank goodness.

A smile still spread on her face, biting into the makeshift sandwich. She could get used to this little crew. If she was gonna be here for the next while, she honestly didn't mind.

She still needed to show Luffy her skating skills, after all.