Get Up Ten

You woke up to the feeling of Sanji kissing you. As your eyes and brain adjusted, you found yourself sandwiched between both men. Zoro slept behind you, an arm draped over your body, one of your breasts cupped in his hand, and his face burrowed in your curls. You were wrapped around the cook, your fingers entangled in his hair, and your leg hanging over his waist. Sanji's leg was between yours, wrapped around your other one, his hand palming your thigh and rubbing it gently.

The sensation of their skin against yours and the warmth that surrounded you was amazing. Waking up wrapped in someone else was a distant memory you had tried to distract yourself from for almost three years now. The thought was always too

painful. But as you lay here in a tangle of limbs, exchanging languid kisses with the cook, and the swordsman's sleepy breathing warming your nape, you felt at peace.

"Hey, Handsome," you said, smiling softly, your voice still drowsy.

"Sorry if I woke you, Angel. You just looked so beautiful," he whispered, looking at you adoringly.

"Well, when you put it like that, how could I be mad?" you teased playfully, making him smile.

"As much as I'd love to stay here with you all day, I have to make lunch. Luffy's been trying to find me for almost 20 minutes now, and this will be the next place he looks."

"Sorry for distracting you again," you said, running your fingers through his hair.

"I'm not," he whispered, kissing you softly.

"SANJIIIII!" you heard your captain yell, making you giggle.

"Let me go before he comes up here. You get some rest; I'll save your lunch for you."

You watched as he gathered his clothes, seeing him out of his suit was such a treat. Lean muscles flexing as he moved gracefully. In a few short minutes, he was back to his dapper self, grabbing a cigarette from his pack and squatting next to you. You leaned up to meet him, Zoro's hand not releasing you from its grasp. You smiled as you kissed Sanji goodbye. He fetched the picnic basket, put his shoes back on, and lighting his cigarette, he opened the door and descended the ladder.

"I thought he'd never leave," the swordsman grumbled into your neck.

"You were just working together, if my memory serves me right," you responded, laughing.

"And he could've gone back to the kitchen once you fell asleep."

"You want me all to yourself, Roronoa?" you teased.

"I do," he said, turning you towards him and pulling you closer. You nuzzled into his chest and threw your leg over him.

"We should go shower," you said, your eyes closing again.

"In a little bit," he replied as you dozed off.

___________

After dinner, you sat in the Aquarium Lounge with the rest of the crew, listening to them talk about a little bit of everything. You loved hearing the stories they'd share about the interesting lives they've lived on their own and as a crew.

"Come to think of it…" Usopp said, looking at you. "I don't think we know anything about you."

It had been a while since you were in the company of people you enjoyed, so it wasn't until his statement that you realized you hadn't been sharing. Even on your first night aboard, you listened and engaged but never offered up any tales of your own, except for the one time with Robin. The majority of the crew probably thought you were from Santon.

"You're right. I guess I was just caught up listening to you all. Your stories are more exciting and fun. But, you're my crew-mates now and should know more about the person you welcomed on your ship. Ask me anything!" You said, excitement emphasizing the last part.

"Ok then. Where are you from?" Usopp asked.

"I'm from an island in the New World called Yauco," you replied.

"Wait, isn't that a made-up island in a storybook?" Nami asked.

"No, it's real," you replied. "We're not affiliated with the World Government and have resisted them since its creation. For eight hundred years, they've been in a secret war with us, and for eight hundred years, they've been getting their asses handed to them. Because of that, they erased us from the maps and turned our history into storybooks."

"So the stories aren't true?" she inquired.

"That's the funny part. They are," you chuckled.

"Indigo…" Sanji said in a serious tone. He and Brook were staring at you intently.

"The Island of Yauco is real, and you're from there?"

"Yes," you replied.

Both men melted to the ground with goofy smiles on their faces. You, Robin, and Nami shared a laugh.

"Did I miss something?" Usopp asked, confused.

"Depends on what book you read," you joked.

"I've read all three," Robin said with a smile.

"The Island of Yauco is famous for its women, for many reasons," Nami told Usopp with a sly smile. "My favorite being that they are the leaders of their island and the ones that inherit the family wealth."

"It has one of the most liberated cultures and has always been matriarchal," Robin stated.

"I heard that the leaders are some of the strongest fighters out there," Zoro said with an intrigued smile.

"I read they have a very unique form of medicine in a book back on Drum Island. Doctorine once said they were the real witches," Chopper added.

"All true. Yauco is cared for by the Council of Elders, and all of them are women.

Always have been. Women are the heads of their families, and all family wealth is inherited by the eldest daughter, who then manages it, ensuring the entire family's quality of life remains intact or improves. The council members are the strongest fighters; they have to be to protect the island. Our methods of healing and relationship with nature have been viewed as magic or witchcraft, even our relationship with music," you explained.

"Yo ho ho! I forgot about the music!" Brook exclaimed.

"Do you have the traditional outfit?!" Sanji asked excitedly.

"I had to make a new one but, yes, I do," you answered, and the cook and the musician melted again.

"How did you end up on Santon Island?" Franky asked.

"That's a long story, but it starts with me setting sail too early. I was supposed to leave when I turned 20, that's how old I would be when I completed my training. I didn't wanna wait though, so I trained relentlessly to fast track my lessons. When I had my introduction ceremony at sixteen, I also received my blessing to set sail four years early," you said, the memory making you smile. "I insisted on taking one of my friends as my travel companion. The elders asked me to take one of the Cangri, or the Abayarde with me, they even tried to ask me to wait the four years but I refused. I left with my friend, and I just knew I was ready to see the world." Your smile had slowly disappeared, and you looked down at the thin faded scar on your wrist as your story went on. "We had only made it a day away from the protective boundaries of Yauco when my ship was taken over and I was captured."

"Who attacked you?" Chopper asked, concerned, but you continued looking at your hands. The heat of anger building inside you but your voice remained calm.

"A marine ship, and I couldn't do anything about it. I didn't even see it coming. I could've defended myself against their crew, but I had been rendered unconscious hours before the takeover. Turns out my friend was working with them all along. He had drugged me at dinner our first night at sea. I don't remember anything, just a quick glimpse of my ship on fire while I was being carried away," you replied, looking up at everyone. The faces in the room all wore the same look; they were pissed.

"How could he!" Chopper said furiously.

"He was weak," you growled, your tone betraying you briefly. "Anyway, they tortured me for sixteen days trying to get information on a way past Yauco's barriers. Repeatedly sedating me to keep me from fighting back. When I didn't budge, they passed me on to one of the Warlords. By then my body had become resistant to the sedatives, so he started gassing me with stronger ones. After a month and two failed escapes, he was tired of my shit, and sold me to a brothel. He said some time on the bottom should chip away at my pride. He told the owner that he would come back when I decided to talk, and that he would give him triple what he paid for me. In the meantime, he could do whatever he wanted with me." You steadied the rage that threatened to spill from your soul.

"You don't have to keep talking, Indigo," Luffy said. His tone was dark and serious and very unlike his usual self.

"Thanks, Luffy. I'm ok though," you said, smiling briefly at your captain. His face told you that he knew you were boiling internally.

"I spent two weeks fighting everyone they sent me to, and trying to escape. Seven times I was recaptured and gassed. They had refused to feed me just to play a nasty trick on me. When I was on the verge of starving to death, they offered me a devil fruit. I spent the next week in a haze, the effects of the fruit keeping me unconscious. I woke up in a sea prism stone cell, and heard the guards talking about how I had still been fighting while I was out of it. For the next three weeks, I continued to fight and try to escape. The gas didn't work on me anymore but I was wearing sea prism cuffs and was starving, so I still struggled to get away. On my last attempt, I managed to get all the way outside, but I was intercepted by another Warlord. I knew I couldn't beat him. I was too weak, but he would be my last fight before I died. I'm not sure what happened, and I didn't really hear the question he asked me before I saw a big-ass paw print about to hit me. I woke up three days later in a random house on Santon Island and had apparently crashed through the roof. I stayed there, living in the tree house where Luffy met me, for almost 5 years."

"That must've been Kuma," Franky said.

"What have you been doing for the last five years?" Brook asked.

"Training. I won't be captured again," you said with a serious tone. "Despite all the ways they tried to break me, by the time I escaped, I had killed forty-seven men. Six of them during the week I was unconscious. So next time, I'll be ready."

"NICE!" Zoro said with a proud smile.

"You said your introduction ceremony?" Robin asked.

"Yeah," you replied.

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but I must ask," she said, looking at you. "Indigo, Are you one of the Yauco Seven?"

Looking at her, you smiled. She really did read all three books.

"I am," you responded.

You had been gone for so long it felt strange to hear your title again. Not that you had ever embraced it fully. Pissing off the Elders every time you mumbled it with an attitude.

"WHAT?!" Nami, Sanji, and Brook said, shocked.

"What does that mean? What are the Yauco Seven?" Usopp asked.

"I thought there was only four Yonko?" Luffy said, scratching his head.

"Yauco, not Yonko," Robin explained to him.

"Oh, that makes more sense," he replied.

"The Yauco Seven are the next in line to become of the Council of Elders," Robin said smiling sweetly at you. "It means our new crew-mate isn't just a Yauconian Woman. She's one of seven Yauconian Princesses."

___________

Later on, in the Women's Quarters, you chatted with Robin and Nami as they got ready for bed, while you changed for overnight watch.

"So, what's your devil fruit power?" Nami asked.

"I'm still trying to figure it out, but so far I have a transformation that heightens my already existing skills and the ability to use another person's powers if they've shared their DNA with me," you responded.

"That's interesting," Robin said. "How did you learn about them?"

"The transformation happened while I was unconscious. It just kind of manifested when I ate the fruit, hence the sea prism cell and cuffs. I guess they had fed it to other 'difficult women' and it made them compliant with customers. According to what they told me, the longest anyone had lasted was 6 days, before they died from all the abuse."

"That's terrible," Nami stated with her hand over her mouth.

"What about the other?" Robin asked.

"The other one was a surprise. I discovered it after I slept with Ace," you added. "I was teasing him and mimicked one of his moves, and it worked. Scared the shit out of both of us."

"ACE?! Like Luffy's brother, Ace?!" Nami said, shocked.

"The one and only," you replied, laughing.

___________

The sea was calm as you kneeled on the bench in the Lookout Tower, staring out into the darkness, watching the sky blend with the sea. The sounds of Zoro training behind you filled an otherwise quiet room. You hadn't expected to have company, but you'd be lying if you said you weren't happy when you sensed him coming up the ladder a couple of hours into your shift. Taking a break, he plopped down on the bench next to you, drying off the sweat from his workout and stealing some of the water from your cup.

"It's a good thing it was my ass you ate, or I might be upset," you said, catching him off guard and making him spit out the water.

The action made you laugh so hard your face hurt. Wiping his face, he chuckled, then drank the rest of your water.

"So what type of training did you do?" he asked, throwing the towel over his shoulder.

"Like combat training?"

"Yeah."

"Let's see, there was hand-to-hand combat, weapons training, and Ashé mastery."

"Weapons training?"

"Yeah, that was marksmanship in all its forms, short-range and long-range weapons, swordsmanship…"

"You can use a sword?" he interrupted.

"I wouldn't call myself a swordsman, but I do alright. I'm better at the other two," you replied.

"What was that last one?"

"Ashé mastery, that's what we call it in Yauco. You guys call it Haki."

"You can use Haki?" he asked, intrigued.

"Yup, I'm pretty good at it too," you responded, smirking at him.

"Which ones?"

"All of them."

"Show me," he demanded.

You remembered the powerful energy that radiated from him at the tavern.

"We're gonna have to wait till we're off the ship if you wanna spar, Pirate Hunter. I know neither one of us is gonna hold back," you replied.

You both grinned at each other, a silent agreement made between you.