After my introduction the cat girl gave me a curious look.
Yet she kept silent and didn't say a word in response.
I wonder, is that because she's simply choosing not to, or because she can't?
"Hey, hello there." I spoke once more.
The cat girl again not responding to my words.
"Hello. Can you understand me?" I asked slowly.
The cat girl still keeping her mouth shut tight.
"Okay kitty cat you can keep up this silent treatment for all I care. I'm just trying to help you out. But if you don't want it then I guess I'll just be on my way. Bye." I said.
Seeing if that would get a reaction out of her.
Which it did.
Because as soon as I finished speaking the cat girl finally opened up her mouth and spoke herself.
"Don't call me kitty cat!" She hissed at me. "And I would rather die than take any help from you you damn pirate scum!" She shouted. "If you want to kill me then just go ahead and do it already. You coward. Since that is all you and your crewmates are, cowards! You can't do anything in fair fight!" The girl heatedly spoke.
Confusing me for a second before I understood why she is acting the way she is towards me.
She thinks I'm part of the crew of this ship.
Well time to correct her misconception.
"I think there's been a huge misunderstanding here." I said.
"Hah?!" The cat girl snarled. "Screw you bastard! Don't fuck with me!" She spat.
"I'm not trying to." I calmly replied. "You see it seems you think I am apart of the former crew of this ship that captured you but I am not."
"Liar!!" She shouted. Beginning to struggle against her chains.
"I see, you need proof. Totally understandable." I said. "So wait one moment, I'll be right back."
Not waiting for the cat girls response I left and headed back up to the deck of the ship. I then started searching the bodies for any kind of key or keys, finding a set on the captain Crunch's corpse.
Once I did so I collected them and then raced back to the room on the lowest deck where the cat girl was chained and restrained.
Arriving I took the keys I collected from captain Crunch and tossed them right in front of her.
The moment I did so the cat girl looked at the keys for a few seconds before turning her gaze to me. Her gaze incredibly intense.
"If you're thinking this is a trick I assure you it is not." I said. Not breaking eye-contact with the cat girl.
She continued staring at me for another minute before she stopped.
The cat girl then hesitantly reached out for the keys in front of her, and when she noticed I wasn't moving to stop her from getting to them she instantly picked up her pace and had them in her hands before I could even blink. She then began trying each in the locks of her chains before finding the right one to unlock them.
Once she did she quickly unlocked all of her chains and in no time at all she was free.
After she was the cat girl began glaring at me with a weary expression.
Several seconds then passed before she broke the silence by speaking.
"So, you're really not with the crew of this ship?" She softly asked.
"Nope, I'm not." I immediately replied. "I am not apart of the former crew of this ship."
"Why do you keep saying 'former' when you talk about this ships crew?" She asked. Having noticed my wordplay.
"Oh, it's because the crew of this ship are all dead. Killed by yours truly." I said.
Making the cat girls eyes go wide with shock, as well as cause her tail and ears to bristle and stand up completely straight.
Seeing the cat girls tails and ears react in this manner I couldn't help but focus a good portion of my attention on them. Getting the urge to 'mofu mofu' them.
I wonder if this cat girl would let me?
"You..you killed the entire crew? By yourself?" She asked me.
"Yeah." I replied.
"No, that's crazy. You're the same age as me, I think. So you killing the entire crew of this pirate ship by yourself isn't possible." The cat girl spoke.
Being oh so wrong.
Since this is the world of One Piece, where people my age can kill entire crews of pirates without much trouble at all.
"No, it is possible and I did do it." I spoke. "Also how old are you?"
"Fourteen years old." The cat girl said.
"Oh, so the same age as me then. Cool." I said.
"Ye-Hey wait. I'm the one asking the questions here." The cat girl told me.
"Not really." I replied. "You've just made a few statements and haven't truly asked me any questions." I said.
The cat girl opened her mouth to retort, but then immediately closed it without saying a word.
Proving I was right.
Knowing this I couldn't help but start grinning.
Seeing this the cat girl grit her teeth in frustration but didn't say anything against my grin.
Though not wanting to be too much a bully I dropped it after a few seconds.
"Well this has been fun but if you'll excuse me I have a ship to get back to searching. A search I had almost completed before our chance encounter I might add. So yeah, see you later." I told the cat girl.
I then walked away from the entrance of the room and got ready to get back to searching the remainder of the ship for any treasure.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
Only for the cat girl to call out to me and then rush out of the room and stop me in my tracks by grabbing hold of my right shoulder.
When she did I looked at her. "Yes, something I can help you with?"
"You bastard, you can't just leave me." She said.
"Why? We don't know each other and I think I did enough by giving you the tools to free yourself from your chains, so tell me exactly why I can't leave you?" I asked.
The cat girl tried to speak, but just like earlier I left her speechless.
"See you can't think of a reason. So with that I will be on my way." I said. I then gently removed her hand from my shoulder and continued on with my search of the ship.
The cat girl following me while I did.
Which would've been annoying if she pestered me but she didn't. She simply followed me in silence. So I allowed it.
Reaching the final room I hadn't search on the lowest deck of the ship I opened it, and when I saw some gold, jewels, and some piles of berri literally the floor of the room. Telling me I had found what I was looking for. The pirates treasure.
Nice.
Entering the room I found a large sack and collected all the loot inside of it until only two items were left.
A small wooden chest, and an intricately designed bow.
[Image Here]
A bow that the cat girl picked up and began holding onto for dear life the moment she spotted it inside of the treasure room.
"So, want to tell me why you're clutching that bow so hard?" I asked.
...
...
...
Getting the silent treatment like earlier I just shrugged my shoulders. "Fine don't tell me. Not like it's any of my business." I spoke.
I then moved to retrieve the small wooden chest and open it.
But before I could the cat girl spoke.
"Father...my father helped me craft this bow. It's mine. The...It's the only thing I have left of him." The cat girl choked out. Tears forming in her eyes.
"I see." I mused. "So your father he's..."
"Dead." The cat girl immediately replied. "Killed by the pirate crew you killed." She revealed to me. "Also thank you for that."
"It's no problem. Really." I spoke. Lightly scratching my left cheek.
"No, not just for that but also for freeing me earlier." The cat girl said. "You didn't have to, and it would've been so much easier to just kill me but you didn't and I so I thank you for that Mr..."
"Just call me Achilles. No Mr." I said. "Oh, and I never got your name."
"Atalanta. It's Atalanta." The cat girl told me.
"What a pretty name." I spoke. "Well then, nice to meet you Atalanta."
"You two, Achilles." Atalanta replied.
The heavy air in the room disappearing as we greeted each other using our names. We then went into a comfortable silence.
After we did I re-focused my attention back on the small wooden chest and finally opened it.
My eyes going wide, and my jaw hitting the floor.
For inside of the small wooden chest is a pink apple with swirls on it.
Put simply it is a devil fruit.
In my hands I am holding a devil fruit.
Oh yeah.
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Advanced chapters of this story are available on my Paetron.
Here is the link: patreon.com/ArifuretaForever