Chapter Text
"Sanji."
Kyla didn't lift her head at the navigator's stern tone, opting instead to cling tighter to the cook's jacket. He loved her, she was pretty sure of that, but what if the rest of them still wanted her gone?
"Nami, come on." Usopp cajoled. "Did you really expect anything else, the way Sanji went running off?"
Kyla tilted her head slightly, peeking through her bangs at the pirates on deck. Nami was shaking her head, but also smiling. Usopp was leaning against the railing, and nodded to her when he noticed her gaze. "How much is it?" the sniper asked Sanji, who shifted his grip so Kyla was held a bit tighter to his side.
"A million beri."
"Really?" Nami raised an eyebrow, her tone considering. "That's a lot of money."
"Nami!" Usopp wheeled to face the navigator with a judging look, and Kyla let Sanji tuck her head against his chest.
"I was joking!" the redhead chuckled. "As if any of us could turn her in without getting arrested ourselves."
"Why do you always say things like this?" Usopp moaned.
Kyla giggled, and tilted her head up to look Sanji in the face. "Put me down?"
"Of course, eggplant." he gave her a brief, soft smile, and Kyla uncurled her legs as she was lowered to the grassy deck.
"Well, I suppose if we're really keeping you..." Nami said slowly, one hand going to her chin. "First things first, you need some new clothes." her face split with a slightly wicked grin, and she clasped her hands together. "Usopp, you stay with the ship."
"Why can't Sanji do it?" the sniper whined.
"Because Sanji needs to finish shopping for groceries." the navigator said matter-of-fact-ly. "Kyla, come on." she made a beckoning motion, and the dark skinned girl left Sanji's side.
"We'll need to do something about your hair, too." Nami tutted, brushing at the mess of curls. "But first, shoes." she grinned brightly, and Kyla mirrored the expression.
---
In Kyla's opinion, it took a surprisingly long time to reach the shoe store. Though perhaps that was because she still ached from fighting off the bounty hunter, and her bare feet felt the rough sidewalks very keenly. The shop, once they reached it, was surprisingly large. There were whole shelves of shoes in all sorts of colours and sizes, not one pair looked alike.
"So, sandals boots or flats?"
"Boots." Kyla answered quickly. She'd never seen a swordsman wear sandals or flats, so boots it should be.
"Well, that'll make things easier." Nami walked over to the shelves of smaller shoes, and picked up three pairs of colourful boots. "Sir." she raised her voice, getting the attention of the man in the front. "I'll need to see these in sizes, seventeen through eighteen."
"Of course." the man nodded. "And what colours would you like?"
Nami looked down at Kyla, and the freckled girl ducked her head. "Black." she said quietly.
"We'll try them in black and brown." Nami answered more confidently.
"I'll be right out." The man gave them a polite smile, and Kyla sat on one of the mirror-ended benches as they waited for him to return.
"Your shoes, ladies." the man said amicably when he came back with the boxes, still wearing that polite smile.
Kyla dutifully tried on each pair presented, and by the time they'd figured out her feet were a "seventeen and a half narrow" she could even tie the laces herself. None of the shoes looked like Zoro's though, with their sparkly pink and purple hearts and flowers, and all of them held her ankles stiffly. Kyla frowned at each pair.
"Alright." Nami frowned slightly. "If you don't like these, then do you like the look of anything on the wall?" she gestured, and Kyla scanned the shelves.
"Those." she pointed after a minute, hopping off the bench and moving closer when it became obvious Nami couldn't follow her line of sight.
The navigator sighed, and turned to the shoe man again. "We'll try those in black and brown, same size."
"I'm sorry, miss, but that style doesn't come in black. We do have them in a nice dark brown, though, if the little lady would prefer that?"
Kyla nodded, and a minute later was jogging around the store to test out the latest pair of boots. The feet didn't feel much different from any other pair she'd tried on, but the tall bit was taller and didn't stop her from moving her ankles. She came to a stop in front of Nami. And beamed up at the pirate. "I like them."
"We'll buy them." Nami told the shoe man, who smiled his weird polite smile again and herded them towards the counter.
"A wonderful choice. Will she be wearing them out?"
"Yes." Nami answered, patting Kyla's hair.
"Very well. Those will be 11,900 beri."
Kyla's eyes widened at the price, so astronomically far beyond what she could count, and she nearly reached down to start untying the boots before Nami spoke up, using a tone of voice the child had only heard directed at Luffy before. "No, because you're going to give me a fifty percent discount."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard that right." Nami placed a hand on the counter and leaned over it a bit. "Sixty percent off those shoes."
Kyla stifled a giggle behind her left hand, and curled her toes against the insides of her boots. They left the store several minutes later, Nami's purse only three thousand beri lighter, and Kyla trotted happily after the navigator.
The next place they went was a clothes store, and Nami only sighed a little when Kyla opted to get solely loose legged dark pants and pale shirts. The freckled girl did agree to colourful socks and underwear though, as well as a golden yellow single piece swimsuit with red polka dots and ruffles.
"I have to ask." Nami said as they left the boutique, Kyla wearing one set of her heavily discounted new clothes and carrying the rest in a large colourful bag. "Are you doing this on purpose?"
Kyla looked up at the navigator with a worried frown. "Doing what?" if she’d been upsetting Nami since they left the Sunny...
"Dressing like Zoro used to." the redhead sighed. "Has his fashion sense rubbed off on you already?"
"Mhm." Kyla nodded proudly. "Zoro's the best."
"I suppose you'd think a haramaki is cute too." Nami groaned, head falling forward into her palm.
"What's a haramaki?" Kyla's face scrunched with confusion.
"It's that green thing he wears under his robe." Nami rolled her eyes, and might've muttered something about a crime against fashion but Kyla wasn't listening.
"Can I get one?" she blurted, nearly dropping the bag of clothes.
Nami groaned into her hand, but lifted her face with a smile. "Well, I suppose you can't keep your swords on that rope forever."
Kyla did drop the bag of clothes at that, and threw her arms around Nami's legs. "Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she squealed.
"Alright, alright." Nami laughed. "Could you let go before I fall over?"
"Sorry." Kyla released the redheaded pirate and stepped back, but she couldn't wipe the beaming smile from her face. She was gonna get a haramaki to keep her swords in, just like Zoro.
It took some asking around for them to find a place with kids sized haramaki, but the second they found it Kyla left Nami's side for the first time since they left the Sunny, running ahead and slipping inside. The little shop was full of them, in so many colours and patterns, but her eyes couldn't locate a single one in green on the side of the room designated for children.
"Hey lady?" she turned to the grey-haired woman who seemed to own the place. "Are there any green ones?"
The old woman chuckled. "I'm sorry deary, but we've run out of the green ones. I could show you some nice floral patterns, would you like those?"
The bell over the door jingled as Nami entered, and Kyla shook her head. "You don't have anything green at all?"
Something in her tone must've stuck a chord, because the lady's polite smile became soft. "I do believe we have a few. Come, come." she beckoned, and Kyla followed her between the low tables stacked with small haramaki. "These are very popular with little girls like yourself." she pointed at two nearly identical ones, pink and purple with frogs and well dressed ladies with bright yellow hair.
"Those aren't green." Kyla crossed her arms, and glared up at the old woman.
"Well, there's also this one." the woman walked over a few more tables, and indicated one with sparkly flowers all over its pale pink background.
"No!" Kyla stomped her foot. "I want a green one!"
"Kyla, over here." Nami called, beckoning. The freckled girl stomped towards the redhead, and found her holding two haramaki with green patterns. One had a greenish blue background with big fuzzy green blobs all over, the other was a happy yellow with thick green lines running over the fabric. The lines wiggled a bit in the middle, and made curlicues at each end, but when Kyla grabbed it to hold herself they went more or less straight up and down.
"This one." she declared, clutching it to her chest.
"Are you sure you don't want the marimo one?" Nami grinned slyly. "Then you and Zoro would match."
Kyla frowned. "But isn't mom the only one who gets to call him that?"
"You-" Nami sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. You want that one?"
Kyla pulled the fabric over her head, but it got stuck when she tried to stick her arms through it. "Yes."
Nami giggled, and the old woman who probably ran the place tutted. Once her head and arms had been freed, and the old lady demonstrated how to properly step into it, Kyla quickly donned the golden material and pulled it up between her clothes and rope belt.
"A splendid choice." the old lady nodded. "Excellent for any aspiring swordswoman."
Kyla grinned, and pulled her practice sword from its spot on the rope belt. The single loop on the band was exactly the right size, and the freckled girl's grin became a beaming smile. "Do I look like a real swordsman now?" she asked Nami, bouncing slightly on her toes.
"Very scary." the navigator nodded, not quite able to keep a straight face.
"That brand is normally three and a half thousand beri, but for one with the shinai loop it's four thousand."
"Two." Nami said, and Kyla looked at her wooden sword. Her shirt was sticking out around the bottom of her haramaki, and by the time she'd finished tucking it in Nami had haggled the price down to eight hundred beri. They left soon after, and Kyla all but hung on the navigator's arm as the pair of them headed back to the Sunny.
---
The second she set foot on deck, Kyla felt eyes on her. When she looked up from the bag of clothes, she found Brook and Franky had returned to the ship. Usopp sniggered, and Brook’s skeletal expression couldn’t really change but Kyla got the impression he was smiling at her from where he sat on the stairs with his violin.
“That’s adorable.” Usopp smirked, seated on a stool and helping Franky fill barrels with soda. “Just cut your hair and you’ll be like a discoloured mini-Zoro.”
Kyla clapped her hands on the top of her head, and glared at the sniper. “No. I like my hair.”
Franky looked up from sealing a barrel shut, and his face split with a wide grin. “You look super cute, kid.” he ended the sentence with a chuckle, and went back to his work.
“Usopp has a point about the hair, though.” Nami picked up the bag of clothes, and looked between Usopp and Brook. “Do either of you idiots think you could get her hair brushed?”
“I can do that.” Brook lifted his bow from the strings. Kyla kept her hands clamped to her head. “Would you come down to the aquarium with me, Kyla?” the skeleton stood, tucking his violin and bow back in their case, and Nami gave the girl a pat between her shoulder blades.
“Go, let him fix your hair.” she said it with a note of finality, and before Kyla could argue the navigator started towards the girls’ room.
Kyla reluctantly crossed the deck, and followed Brook down into the aquarium room with her hands still held protectively over her hair. The skeleton sat down, patted the bench next to him and pulled a funny shaped comb from his jacket pocket. “I can promise you I won’t cut your hair.” he said smoothly, turning the comb over in his bony fingers.
“Promise?”
Brook nodded, and Kyla lowered her hands as she moved to sit where he’d indicated. He turned her so she was sitting with the aquarium on her left side, and started humming as he dragged the comb through her hair. It quickly snagged, and she blinked back the tears which sprang to her eyes. It felt like hours before the comb was removed, and by then her entire scalp was screaming. It felt like she’d lost half her hair as knots were pulled out, and a bony hand patted her shoulder in a poor attempt at comfort.
“You look much nicer now.” he said quietly, and Kyla reached a hand up to touch the hair which now hung down around her shoulders rather than sticking up into the air. It didn’t feel much different, not like when she’d properly washed it for the first time a few weeks ago.
“Doesn’t feel like it.” she muttered belligerently.
Brook laughed his weird near-musical laugh, and gently patted her head. “I could braid it, if you want to keep it out of your face.”
Kyla shrugged, but turned a moment latter at the sound of something rattling. Brook was holding a clear box full of colourful beads, and she pointed at them with one hand. “What’re those for?”
“If you wanted braids, I would’ve used these to tie the ends. When I was a boy, I was fond of the white and red ones.”
“Why?” the word slipped out almost before she could think it, but Brook’s skull gave the impression of smiling rather than glaring.
“Those were the colours of my kingdom’s flag.” he answered, and she nodded once.
“Does that box have gold beads?”
“I’m afraid they’re all plastic, but I’m sure there are a few golden coloured ones.”
“I want the gold ones.” Kyla said firmly, reaching for the box.
Brook closed a hand over the lid, and shook his head. “I’m afraid there aren’t enough of any one colour in here to cover your whole head.” he reached out and lifted a chunk of her hair, his fleshless face appearing to consider it. “Two should suffice, though.”
“What other colours are there?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure.” he lifted the box, then stood and walked over to the piano which dominated the center of the room on its brightly lit stage. Kyla followed, dragging a hand over the mast as she passed it, and watched as he plucked ten beads from the box. Each was a different colour, and she lifted one carefully from his bony palm.
“This one.” she said quietly, tilting her head up to meet his empty eye sockets.
“Blue and gold it is, then.” he ruffled her hair, and set the box down next to its lid. “Would you like to help me pick them all out?”
Kyla smiled, and clambered up onto the black bench to begin sifting through the fat round beads. It didn’t take long to pick out the handful of ones which were her desired colours, and when Brook turned her so her right side was to the piano’s keys she kicked her legs on either side of the bench. The braiding didn’t hurt half as much as the combing had, and after the first few excruciating minutes Brook started teaching her some songs which were, according to him, even older than his dusty bones.
When she finally emerged back onto the deck, every hair but her bangs now pulled into tight rows of braids, the sun had somehow begun to dip below the horizon. Robin raised an eyebrow, and Kyla’s stomach felt weirdly heavy at the archeologist’s smile. Maybe it had been a mistake, choosing to dress like Zoro once had when everyone here knew how he’d looked in this outfit.
Luffy and Chopper gave her massive grins from the railing, but Luffy laughed before delivering his compliment and her stomach sank further. Thankfully, she was saved any more embarrassment by the kitchen door opening and Sanji’s voice ringing across the deck calling them all to dinner. She ran after the adult pirates, and stopped a few steps into the kitchen. The chairs on one side of the table had all been shifted closer together, to allow for a new one next to Nami’s. She laid a hand on it cautiously, then squeaked as massive red hands lifted her up and deposited her on the curved seat.
“I’ll add a step tomorrow, so you can get up easier.” Franky beamed at her, and Kyla ducked her head as her cheeks heated.
“The polite response is Thank You.” Nami said, taking her seat.
“Thank you, Mr. Franky.” Kyla said quickly, sitting down and putting her hands in her lap.
“Are you gonna eat?” Luffy asked, his mouth half full. “Cuz I’ll take your meat if you’re no-” an arm sprouted from the tanned captain’s shoulder, and smacked him across the back of the head.
Sanji gave Robin a grateful smile, and Kyla picked up the silverware in front of her. The seat across from her, Zoro’s seat, was empty still. She looked questioningly at Sanji, and his eyes flicked to the conspicuously untouched plate. “The marimo said he’d be late for dinner.” he said contemptuously, redirecting Luffy’s hand from his plate to the serving dish without even looking. “Don’t forget to eat your vegetables.”
Nami snorted, but Kyla didn’t ask why as she dug into her meal. Nobody had commented on her hair at least, so that probably looked good and not silly. Conversation flew, but Kyla didn’t look up from her plate until the door opened and Zoro entered. His eyes flicked over her, surely taking in her poor attempt at imitating his old style, and he smiled as he took his seat. He made no comment, but somehow his smile was enough to lift her heart. Zoro liked it. Kyla swallowed her mouthful of milk, and grinned at him.
“Lookit what I can do with my hair.” she said, and shook her head violently to make the beads clack together. Nami and Zoro chuckled, as did Chopper, and as her braids settled her stomach finally stopped feeling weirdly heavy. Sanji had come back for her, Nami had taken her shopping without mentioning debt or loans even once, and Luffy didn’t even want to throw her overboard. Honestly, she felt like she could fly.