Chapter Text
The door to Joy's room opened and closed behind the two men as they rushed her inside and set her down on the bed.
Thatch's face was wrong, looked wrong.
Haruta had never seen the man so frazzled before.
So lost.
He was starting to understand what Joy meant to him.
He watched closely as Thatch fretted over the tiny girl, saw how attentive and gentle he was as he got her water and continued to talk to her.
And saw in turn how the little girl opened up to him.
Watched how fast she came back to herself at the call of Thatch's voice.
What happened in that forest?
Thatch had only been gone for maybe a week and a half tops. But in that time he had found something and Haruta couldn't even fathom. And he couldn't help himself as he became more and more curious.
His thoughts about this girl had changed so many times in the past few hours that it was ridiculous.
He had gone from thinking she didn't belong. To think that she shouldn't be here but maybe this would be the only place she would be welcomed. Too now not knowing what to think.
Haruta was drawing blanks.
His brain short circuiting.
He had thought that Thatch had pitied the girl. Had thought that he just got a little too close and wanted her to be safe, to feel safe.
Thatch had been the easiest way to comprehend things.
Because you didn't get this ridiculously close to someone in such a small time.
Especially if you were Thatch.
Especially if you were Thatch and the other person was a child.
Haruta had seen countless times how Thatch always pulled back when children were involved. Had left the safety of them to other members of the crew as soon as they were deemed ok.
It had been so bad that Marco even had a talk to him at one point.
And it came out that Thatch had a soft spot for kids. He couldn't stand the thought of getting close to one and then seeing them die. They were pirates, anything could happen aboard their ship.
And children were so painfully weak and fragile.
He had said that if he got close to a kid only to watch them die it would break him.
And so everyone left it alone.
Let him stand at the back of the crowd.
Let him keep his distance.
And even if Haruta didn't really understand he left it alone as well.
It would be years later over one too many beers that Haruta would fully understand.
Would hear the words that Thatch hadn't wanted to say back then.
So too see the man now. Draped over the tiny girl like she was a life line, was baffling.
But Haruta could see it as plain as day.
And so he promised then and there to protect Joy with everything he had.
He wouldn't, couldn't allow Thatch to feel that pain again.
He would not let his brother break.
And if making sure that girl was safe would insure that, it was a small price to pay.
So he watched to make sure everything was ok before quietly leaving the room.
He felt like he was intruding and didn't wish to overstay his welcome.
Instead he'd go have a talk with Whitebeard.
Joy felt lighter and lighter as time went on.
Didn't even notice that the man.
Haruta?
Was gone for sometime. Too wrapped up in trying to come down. To wrapped up in Thatch's arms like a child.
Like a child.
She pulled back.
Squeezing her eyes shut and calming when she only saw black.
Sniffing the air but only smelling salt and wood.
Listening, but only hearing the creaks of the ship and breathing.
Running her tongue against the roof of her mouth and tasting nothing.
Scrapping her hands up and down her sides and only feeling the roughness of her own clothes.
And she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Joy what happened?"
Joy breathed in again. Nice and slow, before exhaling.
"It was too much, all those people, I could feel them all at the same time. It felt like I was losing myself."
Joy hadn't liked that feeling.
Hadn't liked it one bit.
It felt like the world was swallowing her whole.
That had never happened before.
She didn't want it happening again either.
"Has that ever happened before?'
The question came out wary and worried.
"No."
"But didn't you have to sneak by a lot of the crew before, when you escaped the ship?"
"Well yah, but I hadn't been thinking much about the crew before. My mind was more focused on danger and escaping. Now, I don't have that itching fear distracting me, so it's all a little much."
Thatch nodded his head, reaching his hand out before pulling it back to his side again.
"I'm sorry for leaving you like that. I wanted you to get to know everyone without me there to be a krutch. I had thought it would be easier for you if I gave you the freedom to meet people at your own pace."
His head was cast low as he spoke.
And Joy couldn't stop her hand as it reached out for the one he had let fall to his side.
Grabbing it she sighed before speaking.
"It's ok, you didn't know. I've never even told you how it works or how I'm feeling."
Joy felt heat at the tips of her ears.
She didn't like this whole sharing thing.
But she also couldn't keep going catatonic anytime there was a group of people around her. She wouldn't be able to work like that.
Wouldn't be able to figure things out and save Thatch like that.
So she needed help.
Even if she didn't want to admit it.
She heard Thatch as he took a breath in and hummed under his breath.
Like he was thinking of something before shaking his head.
"We can work on that."
The smile that lit his face made her own anxiety stiffen in slight defeat, and she nodded her head back to the man before her.
"Now."
Thatch clapped his hands together.
"Do you want to stay here for the rest of the night? Or try the deck out again."
Joy thought about it for a moment.
She liked that Thatch had asked, even if his face had said that he'd rather her stay.
She did not want to have another episode like she had before.
Did not want to go through all the panic and hurt that being overwhelmed came with.
But she also didn't want to let that define her either.
Did not want to live the rest of her life scared of crowds.
That just wouldn't work for her.
She was allowed to be scared, yes.
She had been scared more times than she could count.
Far more in this life than the sedentary one that she had lived in her home universe.
She had faced Off against numerous monsters and beasts.
And had been terrified.
But never did she back down.
And she wouldn't let that streak start now.
Joy was allowed to be scared, but she was not allowed to be a coward.
She had come down when she focused on someone, she'd just need to stay near Thatch and she should be fine.
"I would like to try and go to the party."
She needed to listen, needed to learn, and she wasn't going to do that cooped up in her room all day.
Even if she hated parties she'd go.
"Are you sure?"
Even if she wanted to be as far away as possible from all those people up there.
"Yes."
Even if just the thought of another break down tore at her stomach and made her nausea.
"OK."
Because she would not be a coward.
Joy watched as Thatch extended his hand out to her.
And a part of her, the part that didn't want to be seen as a child desperately didn't want to take it. Didn't want to use that Krutch and walk around being treated like an infant by all the other crew members that they came in contact with that night.
But another part of herself.
The one that knew what kind of person she was implicitly. Reached out and grasped the awaiting hand in front of her.
Joy wasn't a coward, and she also wasn't prideful.
She knew that holding Thatch's hand would help ground her. Help keep her sane as they moved about the deck.
Thatch looked down at her one last time before they both started their way out of her room and back up to the deck.
The whole way Joy kicked herself but refused to let go of Thatch's hand.
Refused to turn back.
She had made her bed.
Had taken her stance.
And she wouldn't let a crowd of people ruin that for her.
The deck was just as loud as it had been before. But it was also quite a bit more relaxed then it had been as she had her meltdown.
Now everything was set up, People were eating, drinking, playing games and dancing about the deck.
It reminded her of that time that she decided to see why people enjoyed parting so much.
She had heard about a party at a frat on campus and shown up just to see what everyone was talking about.
And right here and now, that's what this looked like.
It looked like the chaotic frat party she had, had to worm her way through.
The one where she had stood alone in the kitchen sipping on some fruit punch. Until a guy got handsy and she had left.
Still without understanding what made parties so fun.
She hoped that this time she'd either be left alone or at least learning something good, something that would help her in the long run.
She let Thatch drag her through the crowd, and passed by heaps and heaps of people.
How many people stayed on this ship?
Why were there so many people on this ship?
Why did pirates need this many people?
Joy had a lot of questions, and focusing on those made maneuvering through the crowd easier so she did.
Why were these pirates nice?
Why were they pirates?
Did this world's definition of pirates differ from her own?
She could only remember bits and pieces of things Tania had said about the show. Too busy with her own life.
It's only now that she wished she had paid more attention.
She glanced at Thatch, still leading them.
If she had paid more attention it would make saving his life easier.
There were still so many questions without any solid answers.
And every step forward she made, just allowed five more questions to slip in.
She needed more information.
About these pirates, about this crew, about how this world worked, about how to keep tabs.
She couldn't decide what move to make if she didn't even understand the game she was playing.
She needed to-
"Hey, Joy, I want you to meet Jozu."
Her running thoughts were interrupted as she was placed in front of a large and imposing man.
The man was massive, not as big as Whitebeard. But still big enough to tower over Joy's frame even while sitting on the ground.
He felt like hardness, like a wall, like the wall Joy had not been able to cross by herself.
He smelt of dirt and heat, like fire under the ground.
He looked like mountains and asphalt, like a trail leading up and up and up.
He tasted like pressure, right on the tip of her tongue, like a word that she could not think of was left there for too long.
And he sounded . . . silent. Joy listened closer and could still make out nothing. This was the first time since becoming aware of her ability to sense others so deeply that someone had just not registered on one of the senses.
It was weird, but nice.
He felt a little like an oasis in the middle of a dessert.
She'd make sure to focus on him if she started to feel too much again.
The silence would help a lot.
Thatch looked at her expectantly.
"My name's Joy."
She awkwardly spoke and the other man nodded his head in confirmation. Not saying a word.
No wonder his aura was so silent.
She could get used to this man.
"Jozu's the 3rd division commander, he's in charge of defense."
Divisions?
Commanders?
There was a lot that Joy needed to learn.
Joy watched Thatch preen with excitement as he talked about the man in front of her.
Like a mother who was bragging about their child's accomplishments.
She had always thought it was in bad taste when her mother did that. But listening to Thatch talk now. She didn't find the action so disgusting.
It made her pause for a moment and wonder if she didn't care because it was Thatch. Or if she cared because it was her mother?
"He can turn into, diamond, you know."
Turn into diamond.
Turn into diamond?
People could turn into diamonds here?
"Jozu is pretty much in-"
"How?"
She cut him off without much thought. You can't just gloss by a fact like that. Like who does that? Turning into diamond was a big deal. You can't just say that and not explain yourself.
"What?"
Thatch looked lost, and Jozu looked interested.
"How does he turn into, diamond."
She didn't even think to state it as a question.
Her curiosity running rampant in her head. Trying to figure out how it worked.
Was his skin covered with a film of Carbon that he applied pressure to?
But that would take far more pressure than the man could produce.
Did he somehow use electricity to solidify the carbon in the air around him and then use the heat to help change it into Diamonds?
That still didn't account for pressure though.
And then it hit her.
Joy remembered what that man had said in the alleyway.
"Do you like it? It's my devil fruit, the storm, storm fruit. Paramecia, I can control storms."
A devil fruit?
What in the hell was a devil fruit.
And how in the hell did a fruit give you powers?
"Have you never heard of a Devil fruit?"
So that was what it was.
"Only from that man in the alley."
Joy watched as Thatch scrunched up his nose in disgust before continuing.
"A devil fruit is a fruit that grants the person who eats it powers."
"Yah, uhu, I couldn't infer that by the name. I meant how does a devil fruit do that?"
Joy's face was irritated and her eyes dead.
She could hear the other man, Jozu, snicker as she spoke and Thatch stumbled over himself for a moment.
"I was getting to that."
"Well go on then."
Joy couldn't help her small smile as she lifted her hand and gestured at him to continue. And Thatch stared, a bit put off before grumbling to himself something about ungrateful kids.
"No one knows how they give you powers. But what we do know is that there's three types and that after you eat one you can no longer swim."
"Well that's dumb."
"Stop interrupting."
"I'm just stating facts, that's a dumb side affect. Not every drug someone gives you has the same exact side effect. So why do these fruits? You just said there were different types, so in theory they should have different side effects. But they don't so that idiotic."
Joy didn't know what was driving her to be a smart ass.
But the longer she stared back at Thatch's exasperated face the more she was starting to understand why.
"I don't know Joy."
"And what kind of sailor would eat that. One good trip and you're a goner."
Joy looked to her left.
"No offense."
"None taken." The imposing figure raised his hands, a small smile on his face as he listened to the two of them speak.
"They give you cool powers though."
Thatch looked so done.
"Do you get to pick your power?"
"Well no, you kind of just find a fruit, eat it and see what you get."
"That's even more asinine."
"Language!"
Joy rolled her eyes.
"Just let me finish."
Joy looked at the man pointedly.
"The three types are Logia, the most rare. This type gives you the power to become and control an element. Then there's zoan, that gives you the ability to change into an animal. In fact Marco ate one of those, he's a phoenix, a fire bird. And the last type Paramecia, is pretty much everything else. That would be Jozu's ability to change into diamond, or Pop's ability to create earthquakes."
Joy's head spun.
So that's why Marco felt like fire.
And Jozu felt like pressure and felt like heat.
Whitebeard could control the shift of tectonic plates?
This world didn't make any sense.
Where was the physics? Where was the explanation?
They were just going to take it at face value.
What about their government?
Did their government also not care about these very dangerous fruits that were just hanging around?
Joy had never felt so lost before in her life.
How did this world run?
But Joy's thoughts were halted as the man, Jozu, stood up.
And at his full height, he looked like a giant.
And then with no words the man held out his arm and Joy looked.
She had no idea what he wanted from her.
Did he want to shake her hand?
Did he want a low five?
Before Joy could come up with an answer though, Jozu answered.
And Joy watched as the arm he held out shifted into diamond.
And her eyes filled with curiosity.
She wanted to figure out how it worked.
Because the answer couldn't just be devil fruit.
The fruit had to have changed the structure of his body and how it worked.
There had to be a scientific reason that his skin could turn to diamond, was it just his skin?
"Is it like a shield that covers your body or does it change the very structure of your being down to the molecular level?"
Jozu stared back at her in silence, but she could see the slight question in his eyes.
He must not have understood her question.
"Is it just a shield that becomes diamond or is it your skin, bones and organs as well."
She could see a thoughtful look over his face.
"I don't know."
He didn't know?
How were these people just ok without the answers?
Where were the scientists of this world?
Joy was slowly losing hope.
"How do you not know?"
"Well no ones ever cut deep enough for me to bleed so how would I?"
Joy was done with this conversation.
If she stayed any longer she was going to bust.
And Thatch must have seen that in her eyes.
"Well I want to introduce Joy to a few others so we'll see you later Jozu."
Thatch quickly waved at the man and pulled Joy away.
But she was quickly stopped as she bumped into the backs of Thatch's legs.
And as she looked up to see why he stopped, she saw the reason why.
Another man was standing there.
This one, a more normal height than Jozu.
"Thatch! You haven't introduced me."
The man was obviously drunk.
"Oh hey Curiel, this is Joy."
Thatch side stepped so that now she had to face the man head on.
And that's when she really started to pay attention.
And his aura slammed her in the face right alongside the alcohol on his breath.
And the first thing that hit her was the smell.
He smelt of burnt steak, chard cutlets. And it seared itself into her mind.
He sounded like when you'd drop one of those large barbells at the gym, loud and annoying.
He looked like heated metal over an open flame. Ready to be shaped and molded to whatever was needed.
He felt like a sunburn, itchy and peeling after a long day at work.
And he tasted like a chimney, smokey with soot that crunch unpleasantly between her teeth.
Joy didn't like this man.
She hadn't liked him since the moment she had seen his camo pants and long army green cut off trench coat.
But his aura didn't help fix her image of him at all.
"Hello, my name's Joy."
But she knew how to play nice. Had done it on numerous occasions when she was in college schmoozing her professors.
"Lighten up little lady!"
And the man slammed his palm into her back roughly causing her to stumble a bit forward.
"Hey Curiel, cool it down."
Thatch took a step forward again but before he could step fully in front of her Curiel was already there taking up her space.
And he stayed there staring right into her eyes.
The look was mean, if not was down right vicious.
She could see the sparks in his eyes, the sparks that told of pain and threats.
But he didn't mean it.
He may have had the look.
May have mastered the stance.
And checked his intimidation at the door.
But there was no shock behind it, no fire, fuel, or intent.
The man was capable of those things. Capable to hurt and kill. But he did not intend to do any of those things to her.
And she would know.
Joy had stared predators in the eyes before.
Had seen their pupils dilate and shake with anticipation of the kill.
Had seen the whites recessed to reds as the thought of blood down their throats drove them.
Had seen the spark of murder ignite, start and accelerate inside of them.
This man's gaze had nothing on Angel Eyes.
And so Joy stared back.
Because for once, she knew that she was not in danger.
And she let that be a point in his favor, because so far he had none.
"Hey step of-"
Thatch's voice faded into the background.
Joy didn't know why, didn't know why he trailed off like that.
And if she turned her head just a little she could have her answer.
But she refused.
She would not back down.
Whatever this man was pulling whether it be a test or some other kind of intimidation tactic, Joy didn't care.
Didn't care if she was playing right into his hand.
Because if he wasn't going to look at her with an iota of resolve to hurt her then she would not let him walk all over her.
And their eyes stayed like that for a while. Connected down to the twitch of their pupils. Before abruptly the man pulled away, smiling a drunken tilt.
"Well you got something going for yah."
Joy couldn't help but think the man liked her just as much as she liked him.
And then he lumbered away back through the crowd.
And Joy didn't take her eyes off of him until she could no longer see him.
But when she turned her eyes to find Thatch, she realized he was gone.
And she was stranded in the middle of the sea without a life raft.
And she felt utterly screwed.
He watched from across the room awkwardly.
What had he said wrong?
What had he done that had made her so upset?
How did he fix that?
And why did he care so much?
She had looked so angry.
It had sat there so distinctly as she sewed her mouth shut and refused to give him anymore of her attention.
And now here he was forced to watch her from across the deck as Thatch pulled her about.
As they stopped and talked to Jozu.
As the man said very little but he could tell even from a distance that she still liked Jozu.
Even though she did not like him.
He knew it immediately as their awkward conversation ended quickly.
All he had done, is what he had always done.
He had met so many kids with nothing, and every single time he could not help but to feel sad for them.
Sad and lucky that Pop's had found him so early on.
But at her quick shut down he knew he had fucked up. And before he could fix it Thatch had come bursting in and dragged her away.
And so he had taken zero steps forward but still somehow took two steps back.
Sulking in the corner of the ship as everyone else partied around him and he pondered his own feelings.
Why did he want her to like him so much?
Maybe he wanted her to like him because of Thatch?
Thatch was his best friend, his brother. And perhaps on some level he just wanted someone Thatch cared deeply for to like him as well.
Maybe he was jealous.
He had watched the way that Thatch and Joy interacted. Had seen the depth of their relationship as they sunk into an easy flow.
The way that thatch doted on her like a father. Even if he'd never admit that he treated her like a daughter.
Maybe he had never known that he wanted something like that. Maybe he had thought that his family, his brothers and father were enough.
But he now realized that he wanted more.
Maybe he had just always thought he was the best with kids on the ship and having one not like him made him feel inferior in some way.
Maybe he had listened a little too closely to Thatch's stories and had learned to love her from afar.
And now wanted her to treat him like family.
Or maybe it was all of that.
Maybe it was everything and more.
And he was just too much of a coward to admit all those things out loud to himself or anyone else for that mattered.
He watched as Thatch dragged Joy off again.
Watched as they weaved through the crowds and ran right smack dab into Curiel.
Watched as the man moved forward and right into Joy's space.
What was he doing?
Watched as he squared up to her and stared her directly in the eyes and didn't flinch.
Watched as Joy started back just as unmoving and determined.
Watched as Thatch stepped forward and started to say something only for him to be dragged away by some of Curiel men.
He stood up.
What was going on?
He watched as the stare down continued.
Watched as neither moved.
As neither gave any indication of backing down.
Watched as Curiel stepped back and spoke before tuning and walking back into the crowd.
Watched as her shoulder tumbled and she breathed.
Watched as she turned to find Thatch.
Watched as she kept turning, looking for someone who was no longer there.
Watched as the panic set into her.
Watched as her fingers twitched.
Watched as her heels dug into the ground.
Watched as her shoulders shot back and into attention.
Watched as her mouth quirked and screwed itself into a grimace.
Watched as her eyes shaded.
Watched as her pupils shrunk.
Watched as the glow in her eyes faded.
Watched as the red of her cheeks went pale.
Watched as she wilted right before his eyes.
Watched as her petals browned and decayed.
Watched as a hand reached to rip her away from them, from him, from Thatch, from herself. He couldn't tell. He didn't know
But he watched and watched and watched.
Until watching felt painful.
Until watching felt like pins and needles across his scalp.
Until watching made him want to punch Curiel in the face.
Until watching made him feel like how Thatch had looked at him after he told him Joy was gone.
And then, well, whether she liked him or not. He just couldn't watch anymore. So he moved.
He pushed past brother after brother until he stood there, directly behind her.
Until she was an arms length away from him and then he froze.
What was he supposed to do?
The last time they had talked he had said something to upset her.
What if he did it again?
What if he made it worse.
Marco quickly shrugged those background thoughts off.
This wasn't a moment for thinking, it was a moment for doing.
He was Marco the Phoenix, first division commander of the Whitebeard pirates.
And by hell or high water he was going to help this little girl.
And she may not like him now.
She may not like him in the future.
But that meant nothing.
He had sulked long enough after all.
She was family.
And so sooner or later she would understand just how much they cared for her. Just how much he had come to care for her.
Marco reached his hand forward and gripped her shoulder tight. Not tight enough to hurt. But solid enough to ground her. To land her back on shore.
And then she turned to look at him.
And he watched.
Watched as the shade brightened just a little.
Watched as pupils flooded back to a normal size.
Watched as the sparks in her eyes ignited.
Watched as her cheeks flushed and warmed.
Watched as she budded there right in front of him.
Watched as her petals fell and new ones started to sprout.
Watched as a hand, his hand kept her knotted there tied to them, to him, to Thatch, to herself. He couldn't tell who, he didn't know.
And he watched and watched and watched.
Until watching felt like too much.
Until watching felt like goose bumps scaling his flesh.
Until watching made him want to punch Curiel in the face.
Until watching made him feel like how Thatch had looked at Joy when he had busted into the infirmary earlier that morning.
Until watching felt like not enough.
"Hey are you ok?"
And he had to act.