Damn it Rei, what have you got yourself into?

She stood at the pier as the ferry made its way closer and closer to island. It was her one escape from this mess and she was going to take it. It seemed like the right thing to do. She hadn't signed up for any of this shit. She didn't set out from home planning to become a pirate, let alone a pirate captain. That was ludicrous. If only she'd set up her fishing pole on the other end of Loguetown she'd never have hooked that Fishman and he'd never have come to this particular island, which meant she’d never have had to sneak on board that marine ship and kill those people with him. It was all a slippery slope and now they’d only managed to get themselves into even more sticky situations. Sure she wanted to help Tai stop that Fisherman but why did she have to become a pirate in the process?

If she left now, maybe she could spar herself the pain of being a wanted Skypiean. A wanted Skypiean was like a wanted giant! No matter where she went or how she disguised herself, she’d always be found out. Her wings would also clue people in to who she was. There were few Skypieans traveling the blue sea that it’d be easy for her to get spotted and eventually captured. Of course if she left now and it turns out her information was secured, then she’d eventually get caught anyway without any of the others to help her out. Sigh. This was such a big headache. She wasn’t this girl they were making her out to be. She didn’t have these goals or plans that would lead her to being some Pirate King. She would never make a good King. For one, she hated gaudy jewelry, loved sleeping in and her favorite thing to do was not doing something she’d planned to.

Suddenly she was jogged out of her daze by a tug on her pants. She jumped in her skin and turned to see how had grabbed her. From the way things had gone for the last few days shew as sure it would be a regiment of marines ready to take her into custody. But luckily for Rei-darling, it was nothing of the sort. A little girl with fuzzy green hair stood adamantly behind her tugging away while her mother secured the girl’s younger brother in his baby strap. She mothered an apology for her daughter’s rudeness but couldn’t be bothered to explain any further, the baby strapped to her chest clearly a handful. Reinaka looked down at the girl, a scowl on her cherub face that didn’t quite belong on her features.

“Hey lady. You in line for the ferry or what?”

“Um… I think so.”

“Whadda ya mean you think? Don’t cha know if you’re coming or goin’?

“…. I should huh?”

“Well, my mommy is taking us away to Dawn Town. The bad pirates hurt my daddy real bad and he had to go to the place in the sky but mommy says we can go live with my auntie and be okay.”

“Pirates? They…hurt your dad.”

“Yeah. I hate them. I hate them, I hate them, I hate themmm.”

Reinaka watched in amazement as the girl’s face frowned, then broke into a fountain of tears, running to her mother and pressing her watered eyes into the woman’s long skirt. Could Rei really did with that kind of hatred? Could she live with knowing that little girls around the world would look at her and feel nothing but fear and anger? Didn’t she want to be more than that? Didn’t she want to be the heroine?  

“I’m sorry about that. She’s still so upset about her father passing away. It’s so hard on young ones like her. The World Government should be ashamed of itself.”

“World Government? But… she said it was pirates.”

“Well, she’s so young. She doesn’t understand how things work yet. The crew that my husband was defending us against worked for one of the legal pirates of the World Government. A shichibukai. The government empowers them to do whatever they want. My husband’s father was a pirate actually. And he knew that being a pirate was not something inherently ashamed of. But… there are those that do nothing for the title of pirate. Some of them can be really nasty, but… some can be so inspired and devoted to a dream of freedom that we simply have to be inspired to follow our own as well. Freedom has its costs…"

“THE FERRY IS LEAVING. EITHER GET ON OR CLEAR A PATH!”

“Oh… I’m sorry but we have to go. It was lovely to meet you…Oh, are you getting on this ferry also?”

Reinaka was in awe at what the woman said. Pirates could inspire others to live their dreams? Could she be that kind of pirate? The kind that little girls looked up to? Could she live a life that spoke to the hearts of those around her? That was her dream after all. To live free. Could she pay the cost for such dream…

“No…”

“Excuse me?”

“No, Mrs., I’m not getting on this ferry. Take care. Goodbye little one. Cheer up, okay!”

And with that she took off in search of her… friends? In search of… her crew? She would do it. She would lead a band of pirates that inspired others to live their dreams as well. She would find a place that was all her own and live the rest of her days there, surrounded by the people she loved. It was her dream and the cost of it all, the cost of securing a place on this planet all her own: to become a King!