Niri's Tale

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

A/N: Taking a break from YGO, only for a while though. I have decided to write the story of Niri while she was in the Marine. After all, she wasn't a pirate all of her life. Anyways, I don't own many of the characters that are written in here, just Niri, wait, I own Baron too! Life is good sometimes.

Chapter One

Sighing, Niri pulled the trigger of her father's gun, shooting a can that lay on a fence, five yards away from her current position. Fourteen years old, fatherless, Axe-less, she sighed again before sitting down, watching as the can fell off the fence and land in the grass with a soft hush. Removing the bullets from the revolving chamber, she counted all of the unused bullets she had left and how much she could make by turning in the shells. Daddy, Axe, tomorrow, I'm joining the Marine Academy. Chewing on her lower lip, she lay down in the grass and looked up at the sky. "I wonder if I'll ever come home again." A bird shrieked loudly in the distance before a loud pecking sound was heard. It was probably attacking the tree house her father and his friend "Uncle" Dart made. The tree house was the only thing that remained in her childhood. Axe, her best friend, had left to start his journey just a few days ago, leaving Niri feeling empty. Aron Island just wasn't the same anymore.

Standing up, she walked to the abandoned tree house and looked around, smiling at all of the messed up marks in the wood. Every time Axe ticked her off, she'd hit him so he'd hit his face into a wall, every time he decided to get even, there were her nail marks as she remembers digging into the wood after being tickled to death by Axe. Looking into her secret place, something she knew he would never find, her fingers ran over the carved heart. "Axe."

The faint sounds of her "aunt" shouting for her made her head turn before she walked home, dragging her feet as she did. Stopping, Niri tucked her hair behind her ear as the wind blew, playing in her long black hair and swirled itself around her long baby pink skirt. The white shirt she wore hugged her body close, not letting the breeze get to her skin. Looking up, she could see the faint traces of white smoke coming from the tavern Anny was making lunch for her customers. Walking through the town wasn't any difficult, since most of the people who had lived on the island were Marine, but she still got stopped and was given condolences about her father's death.

Finally reaching the tavern, Niri walked up to the bar and sat right in front of Anny as she cleaned a glass. "Anny," she started but shook her head and smiled. "How's business?"

Anny smiled at the girl, setting down the glass and tossing the towel on her shoulder. "Well, let's see, Baron came in at his usual time for the usual, then there was an argument between the fishermen and then sometime after that Dart came in to get his lunch. You just missed him." Giving the girl a glass of apple juice, Niri's favorite, she noticed the tear stains on the girl's shirt. "Honey, what's the matter?"

Niri looked up and shook her head, drinking some of her juice. "You know, Anny, you could give me grog every once in a while." The tavern owner just laughed and patted her arm before serving another customer, a paying one. Finishing her juice, Niri waved to her "aunt" and walked to the docks, hoping to find Dart. It wasn't like she could go home. No doubt her mother would be gone again, probably in the hospital helping out the staff.

"Well, well, if it isn't short stuff." Niri glared at the slightly tanned man as she neared the docks, enjoying the smell of the salty ocean. "What brings you down here?"

"I need to talk, Dart." Her "uncle" nodded as he watched her set her father's pistol on his crate. It was his crate because nothing was in it, it never moved and it was even labeled "DART'S CRATE!"

Sitting on a post, she waited patiently as her "uncle" tied his little boat to the dock, tossing what fish he did catch to a man who then tossed it to another who tossed the fish into a crate filled with other fish. Watching the fish fly by, she tried to focus in on every detail that the once swimming beings had. No doubt she got her vision from her father but she wanted to enhance it, in case she was given a rifle that didn't have a scope on it. Lost in her own little world, she failed to notice her "uncle" walking up behind her until he grabbed her sides, making her squeal loudly and jump, effectively falling into the water.

Surfacing, she glared at the laughing man before floating on her back and using her legs to splash him. "That's not funny!" The other sailors roared with laughter as they saw the wet girl climb back up the dock and cross her arms over her chest, shivering as the breeze blew. "Give me your jacket, Dart! I'm cold!"

"Yeah, yeah." Taking off his heavy brown jacket, Dart draped it over his "niece" before rubbing her back. "All better now, short stuff?" She stepped on his toes and glared again, making him wince in pain. "I take it as a yes."

"I'm all wet because of you!" Wringing out her hair, Niri huffed. "Just like Axe!"

"AH! I get it now, you're lonely," Dart said, pointing a finger to Niri. She just blushed slightly and looked away. "I knew it. Listen, Niri, Axe is going to be fine, I'm sure he misses you too, where ever he is now. Besides, even though this may be the first time you two have been separated, don't think you're still not together in here," he said pointing to her heart. Hugging her close, Dart pet her head before looking down. "Feel better?"

"Tons. Thanks, Dart." Niri smiled up at him as he took a break. Fishing it hard work!

Dart patted her back as he picked up his friend's gun, holding it carefully as he led her from the dock. "Come on, Anny might have a set of dry clothes for you to wear." He laughed at the glare he received and dodged the weak punch she threw at him.

-.-.-

Anny looked at the soaking wet girl and then at her husband before shaking her head. "I'm married to a child." Niri grinned widely as Dart lowered his head in mock shame. "I can't believe I agreed to marry you!" By that time, Niri's giggles were no longer contained. "I mean, you play in trees, you come home smelly and dirty and you shove Niri in the ocean. You're a child!" Anny exclaimed, smiling as she did so.

Dart winked at Niri before hugging his wife, picking her up and swinging her around. "Yeah, but you love me."

A ring from the door told of someone entering. Turning around, Niri smiled at her mother. Her mother, a very beautiful woman with olive skin, bright green eyes and a head full of thick blonde hair, stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips, looking at her wet daughter. "Niri, why are you wet?"

Anny backed away from Dart when she was finally set down and pointed at him. "It was all him. He shoved her into the ocean."

"She was off in la-la land," Dart said, trying to defend himself. Niri's mother sighed and shook her head. "Besides, she wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah, but not about tickling me until I fall in the Blue!" Biting her lower lip, she looked over at her mother. "Mom, I want to join the Marine." Her mother, of course, sat down in the nearest seat, hard. "I know daddy was in it and he was one hell-" Anny cleared her throat. "Sorry, heck of a captain and besides, I promised Axe that I'd see him again."

"No. I lost my husband; I'm not losing my daughter as well. Niri, I forbid you to go!" her mother shouted, making the tavern go quiet. "You are not to even think that again!"

"That's not fair!"

Dart grabbed a hold of her shoulder and shook his head. "Your mother is right, Niri, the Marine is a dangerous place to be. Your father lost his life in the Marine."

"My father fought hard and proudly against pirates and he knew the consequences of his actions. I want to fight against pirates too, I want to fill in where my father left off and I'll be damned if I can't!" Niri said, moving away from Dart. "I will join! Just you wait and see!" Throwing down his jacket, Niri rushed out of the tavern, running to where ever was away from them for the moment.