The room was dark, rocking back and forth as the gruff voices of a large amount of people were echoing down a small set of wooden steps... One half of the room had bars, and a metal door that looked like it was a prison cell.

In the cell was a woman, with dirty, matted green hair, dressed in little more than a ragged, torn shirt and leggings... She is curled up in a ball, terrified of what could, and did happen to her in the past month...

The woman's name is Locke, she was a blacksmith in Foosha Village, she was about to open the shop she inherited from her teacher one month ago, but as she was setting up the basics, the walls got plowed through by two pirates who were at each others necks. Locke wasn't able to do anything before she was knocked out by falling rubble...

"Would you look at this? The fresh meat is awake again!" Came a crazed sounding voice, that turned out to be coming from one of the same pirates who plowed through the wall of her shop.

He was intimidating to be sure, as his metallic skull masked face leaned down to insult Locke, and his bright, blue hair covered one eye as he says "You're going to make me a lot of Beri on the Grand Line... The market for strong, pretty women is high up there in the millions!"

The group that captured her is called the Headbanger pirates, a group of up and coming rookies that seam to all like metallic music...

"Oh, help me, someone...."
Locke cried quietly, the tears only made a pattern on her grimy face... If there was only someone that could save her from being sold as a slave...

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The captain brought himself back up to the top of the stairs, where a large amount of cheering and ruckus could be heard, almost like they were having a party.

A louder, drunken voice kept saying something about a "Kuja" whatever that was about...

As Locke was trying to sleep, since there was no sense of time in the cage, a huge explosion managed to rock the ship she was on... "What, What's happening?"
she asked herself as the ship rocked from two more explosions... one which created a large hole, that she could see in the wall of the ship, and a cannon ball was trapped between the bars of her cell.

The Headbanger pirates immediately got to work, trying to hit the ship that just managed to hit theirs. But each cannon they fired somehow missed their target as their ship started to feel the impact of the attacks... The ship was starting to sink slowly, but it was enough to make most of them to escape with the lifeboats until only the captain was left.

"All of you are wimps!!!!" shouted the captain as he aimed his last loaded, or intact, cannon towards the enemy ship, ready to take them down with him...
The cell was starting to get take on water, at least an inch by the time the attackers would be able to board.

"Please no! Don't do this!!!!" cried a terrified Locke, as she pushed against the cannon ball that was barely stopped by the iron bars. With a little bit of effort and a lot of luck, the hole in the bars were large enough for her to squeeze through.

As she squeezes out of the cage, she quickly runs over to the chest that held her belongings, at least what was left of them... Her battle fans were still there, as was her butterfly mask and her bag of emergency supplies, which included a few bits of clothing.

But there wasn't any time to change now! She runs up the stairs, out on deck which made her wince. A month without sunlight was harsh on her eyes... As she get's re adjusted to the sunlight, she see's the captain of the crew that captured her standing over her. He grabs her by the neck, and raises her high into the air as he yells loud enough for the crew on the Melusine to hear him "If your not going to make me rich, your going to die!!!!!"

A tear rolled down Locke's face as she completely gave up, the days of torture had a tole on her... "Go... ahead...." she breathes out, accepting her fate.

A splatter of the man's blood hit Locke's face as she falls to the ground, coughing and trying to get her breath back... The man still stand's there, yet ther is no life left in him anymore as the arrow he was hit with is sticking out his neck...

"Are you alright...?" came a voice that seemed much more friendly then the other pirates. "*cough*... Yeah I think so..." came Locke's voice, unable to break more than a whisper thanks to her windpipe almost being crushed. Tears rolled down her face as she saw the toe-headed blond with gentle smile across her face. crying again, only this time it was out of relief, Locke hears "...Come with me... This ship will sink soon enough."

Lock got up with the woman, barley able to walk out of fright and relief. And once they had reached her ship, start's feeling only the slightest bit better... "What's your name...? I'm Naga D. Linnea." asked the kind blond woman, as Locke remembers a wanted poster from the news, a Naga D. Linnea was one of the many pirates that had popped up recently, but roomer had it that she wasn't like normal ones...

"I'm Locke, Locke *cough*Chroma Alder." said the green hared girl, with her amber eyes starting to show some spirit again as she stopped shaking...

"I'm looking for a Blacksmith to accompany me into the Grand Line... Don't worry, even if you say no, I'll just drop you off at the nearest inhabited island."
said Naga, reassuring Locke as the ship rocked back and forth... The Headbangers ship was finally sunk, the only thin that was left was their Jolly Roger, which just barely was over the water, waving sorrowfully.

But Locke wasn't thinking about that, the pirate asked her to join her crew.
"I.. I have a debt to pay. You saved my life, so my life is now yours until I save yours." Says Locke, carefully thinking about it. "I'm not the best blacksmith, and I wont be much of a help with sailing, unless it's something simple..."
she seemed to be unintentionally drawing her phrases long, as she's easily exhausted from being terrified all this time. She might not even know what she's saying."Yes, I'll join... your... crew." with those few words, Locke's eyes close gently as she is to exhausted to be awake much longer... Her chest raises and lowers, showing she's still alive from this ordeal...

{EXIT}

word count 465