Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures. Nor could I ever own the wonder of One Piece.

Author Announcement: Hello readers. Yes its a new story, and another PDJ one adopted by me. I loved the idea and I love One Piece. The chance to mix two of my favorite things was too much to pass up after Toxinvictoria bowed out. I have had this for awhile along with another project. I held back until the recent QoaO chapter was put out, I am trying to be progress things even as I satisfy new inspiration.

Now that is out of the way let's get on with it shall we? A PDJ story I hope you will all enjoy.

PDJ Proudly Presents:

Betaed by: Zim'smostloyalservant, Trackula, and Toxinvictoria

Original Concept by Toxinvictoria

Ye Mighty

Chapter One

Gone to Sea

Jade felt the sharp, sand-tainted wind rip around her, her black coat pressed against her back and legs, the wide brim of her hat wiggling under the pressure.

She could hear the distant sounds of battle. But she did not see the battle in the distance. No, she saw it up close with ten sets of eyes watching the tragedy unfold. A people divided against themselves, each side convinced of its righteousness.

Though not as tragic as it should be, she admitted.

Pulling the mask away from her face, barely noting the familiar suction sensation, Miss All Sunday tilted it to shield her eyes from the sun beating down.

"Well?" Sir Crocodile asked.

They stood in a beautiful courtyard of Alubarna Palace, King Cobra nailed to a pillar next to her boss. The corpses of his loyal Kicking Claw troops were littering the immaculate grounds.

"Well, the battle itself is going as we expected. All the Princess' efforts have proven in vain. They are deaf to the Princess of Peace; her words cannot even be heard in that bloodlust, even the Straw Hats see that."

"So they are still alive?" Crocodile ground out, lighting a new cigar.

"Yep, even Mr. 1 is down. The marines have holed up in the embassy district, as expected, protecting the last civilians and the officials who fled the palace earlier. Smoker, though, is on his way here with the Princess. Kohza the Rebel seems to have vanished too, though he might have been killed. It is a battle, after all. Straw Hat is going to be here shortly too, seems Chaka is guiding him," she reported. Crocodile's eyes narrowed at the last part.

"How can that brat still be alive?" Crocodile asked. All Sunday wondered that as well — her saving him had been a risky move. It gained her nothing; foolish, but her actions were no mystery, she supposed.

That rookie reminded her of better times, in a better world, somehow. She had given him a chance, though, she had told him to flee. He was not ready to challenge a Warlord of the Sea.

He was as much a fool as he appeared, though. After throwing away her mercy, she could take care of him without regret. As Crocodile said, ideals could not change the course of history any more than prayer the course of a ship.

"The Princess will be useful in getting her father to cooperate," Crocodile said, vanishing into sand to reappear on the outer wall. Falling back into her shadow, Miss All Sunday fell up from the shadow to crouch next to him.

"When I get the information I need, we will kill both Nefeltaris. The claim will be that she tried to reason with her mad father and was murdered by him. Smoker is a problem, though. No one will believe someone of his level could be killed by King Cobra. Make him disappear, we will have him be one of the many who died when the stone burners went off," Crocodile concluded.

"And another victim to Mad Cobra's final travesty. With you stepping in to smother the fires and save half the city and what remains of the two armies. Who will be leaderless and shocked enough that when our plants hail you as the new king when you mournfully present them wth the dead princess and her tragic fate, none will question it. Well played, monster," she remarked on the latest change to the plan. He smiled a bit at that, and spoke.

"Take Smoker to Cleaner Point on the Sandora. It would be best if his body is never found, and I expect you to retrieve his Fruit when it reincarnates. I will take care of Chaka."

"Fine, but you realize the Officer agents are likely to die as is? Only Mr. 2 seems to be escaping after his defeat," she informed him.

"Their weakness is not my responsibility. After today, Baroque Works will shift to control this nation for next few years until we can start spreading its influence when this country belongs to us down to its soul. They are acceptable losses."

She only nodded to that. It was who he was, after all, and it was late in the game to care about such things now. At least Khriss was safe, and with the organization thinned out she could make a better case for bringing her and the others back into the fold.

Jade Chan glanced back to the captive king, and then looked out to his city bleeding as his people tore themselves apart. Yes, it was rather hypocritical to worry about saving a few lives when she had helped make this happen. And it would not be a utopia that rose from this ruin, she knew that perfectly well, there was not an end coming that could hope to justify these means.

This moment had been coming for years, still she couldn't help but contemplate how it had come to this, as she clenched a blue fist.

X X X

It had been a routine adventure.

Wong, whose villainy had practically decayed to a recurring joke at this point, had reared back into relevance by sinking to an all time low, apparently. Like Shendu before him, he sought to revoke his loser status by retconning reality.

Specifically, he was trying to invoke the Six Realms of Desire, which unlike the Book of Ages was chaotic rather than orderly. If all six were summoned, it would blend the realms briefly and let the one at the center remake reality to their honest desire.

As few people truly grasped their own desires, it was seen as a risky gambit, and the merging of planes was never orderly. According to Uncle, it invited other realms to become tangled in the mess.

Tso Lan, via spell, had even offered them some counsel, as he feared such a conjunction could potentially obliterate the Netherworld and everyone in it.

So it came down to the final showdown within Las Vegas. Apparently, the city was a mystic center of desire from all the tourist and gambling stuff being its primary reason to exist.

Then things went off script.

Wong pulled it off. Jade was too late to stop the last seal from activating, and the world start to go al swirly. But she was inside the Circle of Reality with Wong, the eye of the storm.

Wong was too busy hamming it up to seem to notice her, and seeing Jackie vanish in the Picasso chaos, Jade did the only thing she could think of. She pushed Wong out of the circle.

She hd expected him to hit a wall or something and fight him until she figured out how to undo this. She didn't expect him to fall into the turmoil of the reality storm they were in the eye of, screaming as he was reduced to strings unraveling on the not-wind.

Then she was alone, and the symbols started glowing on the last solid piece of ground. Their rainbow of light grew, engulfing her, piercing her, and she could only grasp she had no idea what to do as her mind was stripped bare.

Images flitted across her mind, some familiar yet fleeting in the shuttering pace, others unknown, and still more bizarre.

One image broke through, a mired scene of either a stony landscape or blazing hot sun she could not say. A town square where a crowd watched a man whose hands were bound in massive bindings of iron and wood. He sat upon a platform flanked by two men in khaki uniforms with barber basin helmets holding spears. She tried to look at the man, but couldn't, her eyes seeming unwilling to focus upon the figure, his words reduced to the sound of a storm on the sea, her footing unsteady.

Jade gasped as the man was stabbed clean through his lungs by the two men, and the sound of the raging storm was silenced.

The silence and the scene before her was shattered by two words erupting in a cataclysmic roar. The words ringing in her ears and vibrating her head like a gong followed her as all footing disappeared and the runes winked out with a contented sigh, and she plunged through the settling chaos to what awaited below.

X X X

It was a sensation many experience. The feeling of having fallen despite having been lying on your bed. Jerking and spasming as if you had slammed into the mattress, even though you had been lying flat on your back on it. This is what woke up Jade and sent her toppling out of the hammock.

"Waah!" she cried out, hitting the wooden plans of the floor, forearm first. Wincing from the surprise more than any pain, she blinked in the dim light, listening to snoring and more than a few muttered curses. It smelled musty, with a mix of unwashed men and seawater.

Frowning, trying to place where she was, Jade realized she was not dizzy. The floor really was moving. It was rocking gently, and taking a moment to breathe and calm herself, she heard and smelled other signs. A ship.

She ran through the dormitory of hammocks, easily avoiding them, and with practiced silence, despite the low light and shifting floor.

The stairs were where she expected them, despite having not seen them before.

She passed a scruffy, dark-haired crewman hauling a barrel who cursed at her despite her not even coming close to hitting him.

Then she was out. On the deck of the ship, a fine three mast vessel whose sails were drawn as it sat in anchor in a desolate cove of gray rocks and scraggly bushes and grasses that were vividly green, and the water of the cove a rich blue.

Going to the railing, Jade peeked over out to the sea, where the sun was just beginning to rise over the water.

"I know where I am?" she realized suddenly. With a jerk, she crumpled to her knees, hands gripping the railing to keep from falling over.

X X X

A girl named Jade, that was her. Born to the great kingdom of Kano, a nation proud in its history and traditions. Once the center of an empire in which dynasties mighty and meek had ruled as the most enduring Great Power of the West Blue. An era that had long passed; the empire was long broken, and even those lands that fondly recalled that era were not keen to return to the rule of Kano in this era of the World Government.

But Kano did not honor the past to the detriment of the present, or neglect of the future. The kingdom bustled with trade and a multitude of industry. The culture itself could be marketed and sold. And in the protection of this wealth, there was still a need for mighty warriors trained after the styles of vanished armies and fleets. It was a kingdom one could be proud to belong too.

But Jade, for as long as she remembered, did not look inland toward the capital and all it stood for. She looked to the sea, the horizon, and the world hidden behind it.

Her family was not the adventurous type. They were a line of accountants and bureaucratic officials, their legacies written out upon a desk or the tables of committees at best. Rumored ancestors of daring bent had left Kano for the sea before she was born.

Perhaps it was in those dismissive answers that she first started to look to the sea.

Her parents did not receive the son they had hoped for, but there was no time wasted on regrets. They held her in confidence, entrusting her as an heir readily.

Her tutors reported such things as a sharp mind, but lamented a lack of focus. There had been lectures, but she had not cared much. She knew what she wanted, and the older she got, the more certain she became. It was not a life behind a desk, even if it was a better desk than her father's or a post more important than her mother's.

She loved watching the docks work, seeing the ships depart and arrive. To listen to the old sailors in the park tell tales of the waters of West Blue, and some even of time on the Grand Line.

Her favorite stories, of course, were of the Happou Navy. Before the World Government came to Kano, they had been the pride of the nation. The old imperial fleets had broken with the last dynasty, some becoming nothing but pirates while others became navies, pledged to the states of the former Empire in a form of privateer vassalage no outsider could hope to understand.

But times had changed again, and the World Government would not abide what they saw as an alliance of pirates to a member state. It was a gentle exile, especially in these days of the Seven Warlords, but what was once celebrated in public was now a public secret.

She had been unfortunately found by her mother on one memorable occasion, when she had astounded a storyteller by booing and hissing at the climax of his story, when the so-called hero Garp blunted the Drill of the Great Don Chinjao. She had her mouth scrubbed with soap for the rudeness and vulgar display.

After she managed to get close to a visiting officer of the Happou and ask to join, things had started to get serious.

The man himself had taken her words as nothing and only patted her head and kindly dismissed her as a fierce daughter of Kano. Her parents had not taken it so lightly. They had realized it seemed it would not just pass. They had her entered in martial arts classes. A compromise for her studies. Perhaps the teachers were extra hard on her because her parents asked them to discourage her. If so it failed, bruises did not deter her.

She kept her part of the deal and studied, and even went to the library in a good portion of her free time, to their relief. Of course she was there studying sailing, and life on the sea.

Her chance had come suddenly. The House had a scandal to deal with, and her father wanted her away. Her mother decided to bring her along on a trip, just to anther island, another port. A small adventure to satiate her and let her father focus on not being entangled in his superiors' folly.

The chance had turned out to be too good to pass up. She had slipped her elderly minder easily when her mother was called away. And the city was fresh to explore. She fully intended to return before the trip was scheduled to end, but then she found it.

A proper pirate ship with a jolly roger adorned with a top hat. Secluded away from the main port and stocking up on supplies. Eavesdropping gave her chills. The Grand Line that was their destination, the sea of dreams and nightmares.

She went back for money, not all of it hers, and left only a note with three words: "Gone to sea."

Thrilled at the coming adventure, she had given no real thought to what this would mean. Those left behind seemed to matter little compared to what lay ahead.

She had spent her money on supplies and a few sets of good sea clothes. One set of clothes was all she ended up keeping when she revealed herself to the crew out at sea. They hadn't been interested in returning her to her parents, but Top Hat Tom saw confiscating her stuff as a fair compensation for purchasing a ride on his ship. Even her belt was taken, replaced by a length of fraying rope.

Apparently they had needed a cabin girl. Her job was to clean and pump the bilge. Or any other task Captain Tom, First Mate Tom Knuckle, Navigator Tom, or the other officers wanted. And as her first smart remark on three brothers all named Tom showed, she was meant to be seen and not heard. He hit harder than her sifu, but not by as much as he might have thought.

They worked her hard, harder than any of the other pirates. She was expected to be the first up to work, and the last to lay down to sleep, not counting the night crew. Since she was small, she also got the smallest share of rations.

Any damage done to the tools given for her tasks she was at best charged for by Tom in his stupid little book, keeping track of her debt. Or if Tom was in his cups, or Tommy Knuckle was the one to see the damage, it meant bruises.

Her complexion darkened under the sea and salt. Her belt had to be tightened as she lost weight between not going a day with a full belly and the constant work. And she hardly ever was permitted to bath in the crude washroom, with Tom and his cronies laughing about a need for girls to be modest around uncouth characters such as these.

They didn't even bother to learn her name. They called her Stinky, Girl, or Brat.

And none of it made her regret her choice. She still didn't wish for home, even when she hid below when they went into battle or was locked in the brig for her safety when they made port. Because she was on deck when they sailed up Reverse Mountain. Because everyday it was a new horizon. Because she had known it would be hard even if she had not foreseen how much. And because as horrid as the situation was, she was moving toward something instead of standing still waiting to be put into the slot well-meaning but unknowing people had been posed to put her in.

It was a pirate's life, and she wanted to see where it took her next.

X X X

Captain Sildo pulled the folded handkerchief out of his suit pocket, and took a whiff of the fine perfume scent on it. It was not enough to banish the stench of the dock dive he found himself in, of course. It smelled of stale, possibly rotting food, cheap spirits, and an undercurrent of vomit and urine. The sea breeze, even tainted by the harbor, wafting in through the doorway was actually a relief in diluting the miasma a tad.

Mercifully, at this hour most of the scum who frequented this place were gone, run out with their money spent by the tavern keeper, or had waddled back to their ships or lodgings. The few who remained kept their distance.

Even without his coat, they recognized an officer of the Marines. He hoped this creaking excuse for a chair would not stain his trousers.

"You should not dress like that here," a familiar voice said behind him. Sildo hated how he flinched at that; he tried to cover it up by pulling out a box of cigarettes. Easing one out, he grabbed the filter in his teeth and offered the box as the green-jacketed man with the number nine shaved into the dark beard on his cheeks took a seat.

"Light?" the captain asked the pirate as he pulled out his lighter with his free hand while offering a cigarette. The man gave a rough shake of the head. The outlaw had lost the hat he had worn on other occasions, showing he was in the late stages of balding. Indeed, his demeanor was not as haughty as usual. He was keeping a hand on the pommel of the sword at his side.

Sildo put his smokes and lighter away, taking a deep drag, enjoying the sensation of the smoke in his lungs before breathing it out.

"If I hid it, they'd think I had something to hide. Marine business often takes one to less desirable locales. If anyone asks, I am simply meeting with an informant on possible leads."

"…I need a ship," the other man cut to the chase.

"A ship? That's not the sort of thing that can be lost in the books, Mr. Nine," Sildo sneered.

"Not a marine ship, you fool. What I need is a good sailing ship, one fit for a journey on these waters," the pirate bit back.

"And what happened to yours?" Sildo asked. He had come here for money and he was smelling desperation, which was a close friend of profit.

"A sea king attack. A big serpent one. I managed to drive it off, but the stupid thing damaged our keel. We had to make the last leg in the long boats."

The criminal reached into his jacket and pulled out a cloth sack, one that jingled nicely and looked to have an even nicer weight.

"A sea king too strong for you to kill and that aggressive? I thank you for doing your civic duty and reporting this to me," Sildo said with concern. He was glad to hear this; sea kings were a fact of life in the Grand Line, but the local ones usually only attacked fishing boats and were pig-like. This new monster, if it was settling in, might be a problem they would have to deal with. He would need to be sure not to go out on the water in anything less than his best ship, at battle ready call, till he knew what he was dealing with.

But more urgently, the purse that looked so nice and heavy, but still wasn't in his hand. And he knew a certain group of pirates who were not nearly as sneaky as they thought.

"It just so happens I know of a fine three mast ship out of West Blue. The ship seems in good condition, and should have supplies enough to get you to the next island, at least. Though you will need to do a little pest control first," Sildo said. He smiled as the purse was lowered into his extended hand.

The Top Hat Pirates should have heard out his offer. Captain Sildo gets his gold one way or another. And this time he didn't even have to use his own resources to get that satisfaction.

Yes, it was well worth the trip to this ghastly place, he thought as he explained where Mr. Nine could get the ship he had just purchased.

X X X

Jade had been kicked awake for sleeping on the job, and been put to work swabbing the deck on hands and knees. As much as she disliked being kicked around, she did appreciate the chore. It helped her focus after… that.

She remembered two lives. One tied to this world, the other tied to a world unlike it. Still, as much as the second life matched this world, that made the other world seem more likely — she could believe the her of there imagining a world like this, but the Jade of Kano would have to way to imagine the Earth of China and America.

Also, her memories of the Book of Ages were a handy reminder of how things can change.

So, her conclusion was that this world was the result of Wong's botched spell. She wasn't sure if this world was created or if she was sent to another dimension or something. Well, she recalled Shendu was a big bad here from her Kano memories. Or at least someone named Shendu; she couldn't recall seeing a picture of any of the Yonkou other than Whitebeard. That was some facial hair!

Well, whatever the case, the spell needed to be broken so she could get home. Or get the world back to what it should be. Whichever. She had no real idea how to do that, she admitted, wetting her scrub brush with more suds.

The man she had seen killed in the vision was clearly Gold Roger the Pirate King. And the words she had heard there had been "One Piece". Well, that was quite a clue to get. But it wasn't like she wouldn't have been tempted by the biggest piece of adventure this world had to offer anyway. Not that she was in a good place for that kind of dreaming.

She looked at the crew milling about on deck, or up in the lines. Jade was the only one working hard. The Top Hat Pirates were in a sorry state.

That last battle had cost them Top Hat Tom, and they had fled with their tail between their legs. Tommy Knuckle, the heavy hitter and first mate, saw himself as the natural choice to be the new captain. Tommy the Navigator was not keen on the notion, nor were the officers. The cook was staying neutral in the matter, and Jade was following his example.

Knuckle was easily the strongest with Top Hat dead, but the man was a thug who was named for his first and preferred response to anything. He had really angered the officers when he killed that marine flunky trying to twist their arm for some cash. Jade had only heard about it after the fact, when they called her up to clean up the blood. Presumably the body had gone into the ocean. But that same simple brutality appealed to the rank and scum in general.

It was going to come to blood between the brothers. The captain had kept them at peace, but he was gone and she thought it was old scores as much as a captain's hat this came from.

Well, it mattered little to her. Knuckle had kicked her awake and liked to knock her around, but Navigator loved to torment her with petty things like spitting on the spots she just cleaned and such.

Whatever. Her hope was to jump ship when things went south, swim to shore, and find a better bargain. If she needed to reach the treasure of treasures, she needed something a lot more potent than these loser pirates to help her get there.

"You think a rat like you can fill big bro's shoes?!" Tommy Knuckle yelled. Jade paused in her mopping and looked around the main mast. Knuckle and Navigator were staring each other down, a gaggle of supporters each backing them up by the foremast.

Judging by how red their faces were, and a quick check by Jade showing other crew men watching all over, it was about to get bad.

Crap, she had really hoped it would happen at night. Did she run right away and risk getting spot and shot at by these losers or hide until things really went-

"A fight to pick a new captain?" A man said. Jade joined the other pirates in looking in surprise to the the railing, where a man was standing. Thin, tall, with a brown beard and a balding head, he wore a sword under a green coat that had seen better days. Jade was shocked; plenty of men balanced there holding rigging, and he was standing straight and proud with nothing but his feet touching the ship.

It didn't impress Tommy Knuckle.

"Who are you?" he demanded, shaking one of his scarred fists at the stranger.

"I like the simplicity of your system. It has an honesty to it, while also concealing a certain complexity, like a sword's edge," he said, drawing his rapier.

The Top Hats reacted to the bared steel, but the first shot fired wasn't even close.

Jade watched the guy move. He had already cut down Tommy Knuckle before she could blink, and her hands were on her mouth as he gave Tommy Navigator the same treatment.

Grinning, he licked his blade as the two brothers fell to the deck.

"Hmm, he was right. A fine ship, but it's full of trash," He spat the blood back out.

"As to his question. I'm the new captain of this ship. The first order of business is to clean it up," he said to the shocked Top Hats. Snapping his fingers, more pirates climbed over the rails as if by magic and gave war cries. Whether they were cutting men down or shooting men down from above, they were carrying the battle.

Jade was stunned, and realized jumping ship might be riskier now. Then again, she had an idea, watching the original attacker — the new captain — clean his sword, looking bored as his crew massacred the Top Hats.

"Spare the cook. We need one," he said.

Jade nodded at that and slipped away, knowing just the right hiding place for this. It would only be after she was safe that she would have to struggle not to vomit at the sights she had seen there.

X X X

Mr. Nine was not in a good mood as he looked over charts at the captain's desk, thinking about the prisoner before him.

He had, in short order, lost his partner, several Millions, his ship, and the cargo he was transporting for the boss. Mr. Zero expected his personnel to die to fulfill their objectives, but resources were resources and them being wasted to no end was like stealing from the boss.

Mr. Nine did not think he could be blamed for a sea king attack, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be if the boss decided he had outlived his usefulness. Or simply decided there was someone waiting to move up in the organization that would fill this spot better than him.

Yes, he had secured a new ship out of his own pocket, and it was better than he had expected. But still, would it be enough?

Now his crew, two days out with their new ship, had brought him a stowaway. They even admitted the girl had introduced herself, not been discovered.

She was a filthy, stinking thing, with shoulder-length dark hair that was clumping like spikes, and ragged sea clothes. Scrawny, too. He knew the type; chore kids were often little more than slaves on pirate ships. They were paid by getting to stay alive.

"Good afternoon, captain, I'm Jade the cabin girl. At your service," she said, giving him a seaman's salute.

He narrowed his eyes and opened a drawer in the captain's desk, he was sure he had noticed a box of cigarettes shoved into the back earlier.

"Who says I need a stowaway? Why shouldn't I just toss you over the side to Davy Jones?" he asked. That seemed to surprise her a bit. Hmm, she had that Kano look about her, and accent. Though he wasn't good enough to know if it was Kano proper or one of those 'Kanoesque' countries in West Blue.

"Well, you could, but you have just enough people to keep this ship running well, it seems. I'd think you'd like an extra set of hands to keep the extra work from piling up without tying up your fighters."

'Smart kid,' he noted, finding the cigarettes. Then he saw the brand, garbage. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, considering the previous occupant; there was better smoke from a hobo's camp fire. He dropped the box in the small trashcan bolted down next to the desk.

"Clearly the Top Hats didn't treat you well. Why stay here? You could have run," he asked. Of course, if they had seen her running they would have killed her, and he was guessing she knew that.

That wasn't her answer.

"I wasn't kidnapped. I want to be a pirate, but those guy were pathetic; I was going to jump ship from them anyway. The Grand Line was always going to eat them alive. But you guys are real Grand Line Pirates — why would I go shopping on that island when what I wanted had already taken the ship?"

That… was not what he expected. The girl was being respectful, but her smile was a tad too genuine. Her eyes were smarter than most kids, heck, most of his subordinates. Laughable as it sounded, he got the feeling this kid might be dangerous.

Maybe he could increase his odds with a new recruit to make up for his losses just a tad more?

"I will give you a shot, but you should know there are no promises among pirates that matter. You will follow orders when given them, and without lip or slacking. First though, get a bath. You stink," he finished and waved her off. His acting first mate would see to the details, he knew. He started searching the other drawers, hoping there might be proper tobacco in there somewhere.

X X X

Life improved under the new crew for Jade. Bilton the cook was still a jerk, but for all he waved knives around she was not scared of the fat old man who didn't hold himself at all like a real fighter. The rest, they ignored her unless they needed her for something.

She had even been given a new outfit to look presentable after that cold, stingy, sudsy, at least thrice used, bath. The bath was wonderful, getting fresh clothes even better. The fact they were one of the sets Top Hat Tom had taken from her back in West Blue made her grin at the sight. It felt like erasing the time under those losers to get back something they had stolen but apparently forgotten to sell.

While her nights were still short, she got a proper share of the food now. She doubted Bilton would be kind enough to give her a full serving on his own, so she could only attribute it to the new regime.

It had been less than two weeks under the new situation and Jade felt less scrawny, as if her frame was already filling out again with proper food to go with the intense schedule. Though she knew that wasn't how it worked.

When the ship made port at a small island with a thriving port, Jade had no real expectations. It was just a resupply stop, with the ship docked at the less reputable part of the harbor, any pirate colors tucked away.

Then the captain sent for her. He was by the helm, looking at the town, when she arrived.

"Okay kid, you have a choice to make. You've done alright, and no one has seen you eavesdropping or anything. So here's what you get. You have until we weigh anchor to sail with the tide to get me 80,000 belli," he said, gesturing to the city.

"What? How?" she asked.

"Robbery, blackmail, burglary, begging — the method doesn't concern me," he rattled off, raising a clipboard and checking a document on it.

"Wait, why do you want me to steal? I've been doing everything you asked."

"Which just proves you can be a good cabin girl. But I get the feeling you have other talents. If they're worthwhile, you will pass, and I will start seeing just what you can do. If you fail, there are always more people willing to sign on. And if you don't like it, you are free to slip off. There will be other ships, other pirates. Though a bit of advice, we are not just pirates, we have a certain order to our work. My own captain demands loyalty. So if you pass this test, you become one of us. And once you join, you only leave when you are dead. So walk away, or sign up for the long haul. Unless you can't get the money by casting off, in which case you weren't fit anyway. Now, get off my ship," he commanded, turning his back to her to speak to the quartermaster, who had just walked up.

X X X

Jade sat down on a low stone wall at the outskirts of the town. It seemed to divide the edge of a farmer's field where rows of vegetables, she wasn't sure what kind, were planted in long neat rows, from a stretch of scrub before meeting another low wall that dropped into the harbor.

It was a real port. There was even a big freighter ship that was larger than the pirate ship. And several other ships much smaller but bustling with activity.

The town was big, with the well-kept customs building standing like a bouncer before the utilitarian dockside structures, and the shabby waterfront, and next rows of increasingly nicer buildings rising up in a steady incline.

Jade smiled. While it was still a tiny thing to Jade Chan of Hong Kong, to Jade of Kano it was a respectable port, not unlike her hometown. But different, exotic.

Jade shook her head, hoping to settle those memories back out of sight. She had been to places far more interesting, this was nothing to get excited at just by the looking. Well, okay, she admitted to explore this new world herself did appeal. A lot.

Crossing her arms, Jade pouted a bit. Her memories had not been clashing so much on the boat. And of course she had no time to waste. Provided she didn't want to part ways with Captain Nine.

Jade of Hong Kong was a bit inclined to let him go his way. While her untraveled counterpart took the mundanity in stride, Jade of HK was used to a more robust adventure than being treated like a servant, probably for weeks on end. And while Jade of Kano felt this was fair passage, it wasn't like she was in that big of a hurry. There would be other ships, captains less menacing, perhaps?

But no, neither of the competing sets for her attention would really back down. For HK, it was both a challenge, and the mystery of what their deal was with all those veiled threats. And Jade of Kano, she had dreamed of being a pirate; running away from a powerful competent captain just because it was hard did not sit well with her.

"Okay," Jade imagined shoving both sets of memories and priorities into their corners and nodded, "Enough of that, time to get to work."

She hopped down from the fence and made her way toward the port.

X X X

80,000 belli. Not that much in the grand scheme of things, but not something you just find lying around, much less in a day when you don't even have one belli. Huh, did they even make one belli coins? She didn't recall ever seeing one smaller than a five? Surely they must for odd numbers and change.

Hmm, had it had a skull on it?

"Focus," Jade reprimanded herself, making a passing sailor glance at her. He didn't look that interested and kept walking, a sack thrown over his broad shoulders.

Jade was walking down the main street, emptying from the harbor to twist uphill. It was crowded with people and wagons coming to and from the port. She even saw a marine in a crisp white uniform of white with blue pants and white cap, standing guard at the entrance to a stout stone building off the way.

She knew what Jackie would do, proper authorities. After all, Nine and his crew had murdered the Top Hat Pirates, and it was pretty clear they did that sort of thing a lot.

Jade credited her Kano memories for not being more freaked out by that. She had some fond childhood memories of being excused from lessons for a street fair-like approach to people coming to watch criminals be hung in the square, or sometimes beheaded.

She had tried to avoid dwelling on that, as it was rather at odds with the values of her true past. Shen Chan of Hong Kong would not take his daughter to a hanging, much less hold her on his shoulders so she could have a clear view of "bandit scum" getting justice while eating a grilled eel.

In this world, the lawful were only slightly less bloodthirsty than the lawless, it seemed. So going to authorities who might turn around and arrest her for a pirate too did not seem smart. And that just built on her other reasons to play along with Nine.

So the question became, what to do to get that money? Pickpocketing might work, but Kano her was not as experienced as real her. The hands might not be as light as she thought, and getting caught in a world like this was not likely a slap on the wrist.

Not to mention, who knew how many times she would have to rinse and repeat? Her luck was good for staying alive, but it could be bad for getting in trouble at the worst times.

So that was an option, but maybe something else?

Burglary? She doubted he wanted belli notes specifically, so a fistful of good jewelry should do her well.

Viper had given her some tips at the Christmas party two years ago on residential burglary. The thief had been a good bit tipsy, and Jade on Jackie-mandated "soda only" had plenty of questions about the wild side.

So time to see if she remembered the telltale signs of a genuinely rich house, and an unoccupied one.

Predawn:

Jade limped through the alleys of the port, filthy, will mud and angry red lines and bruises showing through torn clothes. A once fine purse hung from her left shoulder, cradled against her chest even as the pressure made moisture still bubble from it.

Glancing around with caution, she made a dash before taking cover behind some trashcans.

Nothing, she thought.

She had picked the wrong house, it had turned out. It had been splendid and seemingly deserted, save for a husband-wife pair of groundskeepers who lived in a cottage hidden behind hedges from the manor. No dogs about, and a bit of eavesdropping revealed the family and most of the staff were away at a seaside villa celebrating the wedding of the eldest son for the week.

The house was on the very outskirts of the town, where the farm fields began, its large plot isolating it further. And with people so rich and pampered they'd take nearly evert servant even for a vacation, she figured they'd be dumb enough to leave valuable stuff just lying around. Probably they were so powerful locally they thought themselves above getting burgled. A perfect mark, she had thought.

Oh, how wrong that had been!

A dresser drawer full of golden jewelry, and even a shelf of purses to pick the biggest one to stuff with handfuls of loot had seemed to validate it.

Then the honking. That cursed, cursed, honking.

Those guard geese must have been something like the intelligent birds and animals you heard stories about regarding the Grand Line and rougher parts of the Blues. Her pride would accept no less than super geese harassing her for the day and most of the night!

Of the five, she had been able to take out one in the cornfield, but after that they changed tactics. They'd only attacked in pairs at the least. The woods had forced them to fight on the ground, but their boss — who wore a red bowtie of all things — had stolen back the purse.

Fortunately, none of the remaining three had expected her to actually go back to the manor. She had not been able to steal back the purse without Boss Goose spotting her, but she had been able to lose him and his flock finally in the swamp.

Now, she only needed to get to the ship.

Up to the moment her bare feet touched the gangplank, she expected feathery fury to slam into her back again.

"Is that the kid?" one of the two guards on deck asked as she ascended.

"Dang, did you decide to fight the city's toughest gang for that cash? You've either got some stones or you're stupid," the other guard said, smiling meanly.

"Well she ain't got stones!" the two laughed at their humor as Jade repressed any anger. She would let nothing stop her from delivering the treasure to the captain, she would be vindicated!

X X X

The captain dumped the purse's contents on top of the desk and tossed the purse itself into his trashcan. He didn't even check to make sure he had gotten it all out. He took a moment to sort it out and look the mass of jewelry over, them opened a drawer and shoved the treasure in with his arm.

"Adequate," he said. All of Jade didn't know whether to scream or cry. She was tempted to do both, honestly.

She reflexively caught what he threw out of the air even without paying attention. Opening her hands, she saw it was two gold hoop earrings, unadorned but thicker than she recalled such things typically being.

"That's your cut. You're a Million, now."

"Uh, my ears aren't pierced," Jade said.

"The doc will fix that for free, he likes poking holes in people even more when they live to feel the pain after. Best keep them in — while bold-faced theft isn't allowed, if you get picked or robbed in your sleep it's your own fault," the captain said, getting up from the desk.

Jade frowned, putting her right earlobe between thumb and forefinger. She had never given much thought to earrings. Proud tomboy that she was, they could be badass. But it had been a question she had been content to kick down the future to high school or something.

"Clean yourself up, them see Doc. Then you can relax today dong your usual chores," he said. Jade groaned. There would be no sleep to recover from her ordeal, and she knew from classmates getting their ears pieced it would not be fun after, and this was hardly a modern operation doing the piercing.

She didn't have time to react as the captain kicked her in the stomach.

The blow actually sent her flying back, hitting the door, which bucked before she bounced off onto the ground. Grimacing, Jade looked up as the captain picked up the earrings and walked over to her and dropped them to the floor in front of her.

"Welcome to Baroque Works. Tomorrow, I will start some training with you; you will start your day showing me what you can do until further notice. But the first lesson you get now. Don't get cocky, kid," he said, smirking down at her.

Author's Note:

Well there you have it. I have plans ad hopefully it own't be years before you can see what is in store for Jade here.