The Den Den Mushi (Part 2)

"I looked like a zombie," was her first thought as she knelt by the small, meandering stream. And not even the sexy kind. Just straight up ugly. There was a thick clump of mud, dried leaves, and hair plastered on her head. Not a single patch of skin on her face and limbs was spared from cuts and bruises. A few fingernails were missing. Not so bad for someone who had been shot in the chest and drowned in a whirlpool. Shakily, she removed her shirt and peered down at her chest. At least she tried to.

"Please, please, please. Let it not be weird, like Tony Stark kind of weird. What if there's something inside, like an 'alien' kind of surprise? She'd be chilling one moment, then 'boom'.

Just look down. No. Just a peep. Argh! I can't do it."

She touches her chest gingerly with the tip of her trembling fingers and traces its contour. Very good. It's completely flat. Doesn't feel like something weird sticking out of it. Ann exhaled a breath of relief. 

Wait, flat! Flat is not good. Where are my boobs?

She gasped, eyes instantly on her chest, knees suddenly weak at the sight. "Oh my god, no!" There's a faint scar in the middle of her chest. She can live with that. But her greatest asset had shrunk to barely an A cup size, almost chopping board flat.

"Ann. You okay back there?" asked Lucky Roux. He had his back turned against her.

"Yes! Everything is fine. Nothing is wrong. Everything is completely normal," she said between small, rapid gasps.

Most of the breast tissue must have been used to repair her wound during the 'Haki' thing. Calm down. Think about it. This is not a bad trade-off. Breasts can grow back, right? If that doesn't happen, there is always a way to upgrade with plastic surgery. Hope fluttered in her chest, and she started rubbing the mud off furiously. After all the grime washed off, her mouth dropped at the sight of her reflection.

"Fuck!"

I'm back to 13 years old!

"Ann! Do you need help?"

"I'm okay! Everything is okay!"

Help? I need a miracle to undo all of this. And a real doctor, not a paper-pushing quack. What the hell is going on? Dave, you fucking asshole. Look what you and your stupid fruit did to me!

She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. Her teeth clamped together inside her jaws, which she had unknowingly locked. Dave, who was at the bottom of the sea or floating in the ocean. A big fat tear rolled down her cheeks, one after another. Jack sucked at swimming. He couldn't even snorkel properly. She wiped her cheeks. And Toji, he'd freak out if he couldn't see the bottom of the swimming pool. They made a promise to meet once a year after they went their separate ways. The floodgates of tears opened and wouldn't stop flowing. Lucky Roux might have heard her sobs, but he remained silent.

"Can we walk along the beach?" asked the kid.

"Sure, I needed the exercise to digest all the food." Lucky Roux turned around only to have his breath catch in his throat. "Are you a noble?" he asked.

She looked puzzled. "No. Why?"

"Nothing." He walked, watching how she moved in an oversized shirt and boots that didn't fit. His eyes kept returning to her, and his thoughts were transported to a shop in Water 7. He knew it well because it stood next to a famous pastry shop. Behind the display window was a lifelike portrait of a girl, with shimmering white porcelain skin, liquid midnight hair, and red rosy lips. Beneath the cuts and bruises, she was an exact copy.It wasn't until they reached the beach that he realized she was the one who had led the way. Ann, who had never stepped foot on the island before, had found the easiest path through the dense jungle.

The kid's voice had grown hoarse from repeatedly shouting her friends' names. A spirited little thing who refused to give up on her nakama. He didn't have the heart to tell her that if they were alive, Yassop would have surely found them by now.

"Hey, my knees are starting to ache. Let's take a break."

The log groaned heavily in protest of Lucky Roux's weight. Ann almost felt sorry for it. She sat down slowly, half expecting it to break.

"Thanks," he said unexpectedly.

"For what?"

"You know, for listening to our captain. I saw what you did earlier. Shank rarely opens up to anyone. So, thanks." That's not exactly what happened. All he ever did was babble about how great his son was. Whatever, she had enough things on her mind right now. Best to leave him be with his own conclusion.

"Is he always like that?"

All sappy and teary. Drunk off his ass most of the time. Wow, she really had a low opinion of her rescuer.

"Nah, Shank is kinda new at this. He's responsible for a lot of things. He rarely gets a break because some idiots are always making trouble. We're always rushing everywhere to fix things. So when he does get an opportunity. He partied hard. We all do." 

Looks like having a well-paid corporate job sucked. No work-life balance. Maybe she should pursue a different career path. Opening her own bakery doesn't sound so bad.

"How well can you use Haki?" he asked.

She turned towards him so fast, she almost ended up with whiplash. "Do you come from America? Like Dave?"

"Nah. Never heard of that place before. Is it outside the Grand Line?"

"I–, I don't know." Her shoulders sagged, and she suddenly felt really tired. What is wrong with these people? "My teacher tried to teach me Haki, but I'm–"

A huge catfish suddenly lunged out of the sea, its gaping maw aimed directly at her. In a heartbeat, Lucky Roux delivered a powerful kick that sent the creature soaring far into the distant horizon. A colossal serpent leaped out of the sea and swallowed the catfish in a single bite. Ann sat there, wide-eyed and stunned.

"It's just a fish. Nothing to worry about. Let's go, we're gonna be late for dinner," he said and continued walking.

Just a fish! A fish!

Ann knew catfish; she'd seen the 'River Monster' documentaries. They don't grow up to the size of a whale and live in the sea. And what about the sea serpent monster! Is he not going to say anything about that? She looked around wildly, noting the three-headed flamingos squawking on the canopy and the monkeys with fish tails jumping wildly in the sea. Suddenly, this place no longer felt like it was on planet Earth.

Where the hell am I?

A sob almost warbled out. No. She can't freak out right now. Oh no! The ship. It had a goddamn black flag with skull bones. Ann inhaled shakily, her eyes drawn to the guns at Lucky Roux's hip. Somehow, it's the small detail that really hits home.

Oh my god! They are real pirates.

Pirates!

Her breath was starting to come out as shallow panicked breaths. The soup wanted to come back out into her esophagus. Real pirates! She gritted her teeth so hard that when Lucky Roux turned around, she'd almost cracked her molars.

"–and the Marines can be annoying. You okay?"

She forced a smile, which came out as a grimace. "Sorry, yeah. Just really a little tired."

Lucky Roux must have sensed her discomfort; he looked unconvinced. "Hop on. I'll carry you back."