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One Piece PETs: Belle
(I do not, nor will I EVER, own One Piece. This adventure series belongs to Ze Great Eiichiro Oda.)
Kuina was viewing some old photographs in one of the many albums that her family kept. She saw several, such as Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky pulling funny faces.
"Hehe!" she giggled. "That's funny."
She turned the next page, and she found a picture of Zoro and Robin, out on the beach, relaxing.
"Yay!" Kuina cheered. "Mama and Papa!"
Kuina turned the next page, and saw a photo of her as a baby snuggling close to her father in his Animal Form, smiling warmly at the sight. "I love my Papa."
At that moment, she turned the page...and she saw something unexpected. "Eh?" she gasped. "What's this?"
It was a picture of Luffy...holding a black-haired, baby girl with cat ears, cat paws for hands, monkey paws for feet, and a monkey's tail.
"...Is this cousin Belle?" Kuina inquired. "She looks so small."
Kuina turned the next page and found more pictures of Belle. Some of her at 3 years old, some as an infant, and others when she was about 7...but after that, there were no more. Just pictures of Hanako from then on.
"Why aren't there any more pictures?" Kuina asked.
"Kuina?"
Kuina looked back upon hearing her mother's voice.
"Yes, Mama?" the Cub Child called.
"What are you doing?" Robin asked.
Kuina picked up the album and showed it to her.
"Are these pictures of Cousin Belle?" she asked.
"Oh!" Robin gasped, a feather/hand to her mouth. "They are!"
"Mama?" Kuina asked. "Why isn't Belle here on the Sunny?"
Robin stared sadly at Kuina before she sighed, walked up to her, picked her up, and sat down on the bed.
"Kuina," Robin started, "I think it's time you learned something."
Kuina blinked up at her mother with curious eyes, wondering what she had to say.
"The reason your cousin Belle is no longer here was because...there was a slight accident," Robin explained.
"What happened?" Kuina asked.
"...Well...it was a day that seemed to start like any other," Robin answered, "Your brother and Belle were out playing on deck together."
Kuina's tail twitched as she listened to her mother regale her about the past.
"Then...all too soon, it happened," Robin added, grimly, "The Marines attacked us."
Kuina gasped in shock.
"Belle and Hanako ran inside, where it was safe," Robin continued, "while the rest of us fought them off."
"Did the marines find them?" Kuina asked, worriedly.
"No," Robin replied, "However...Belle made a bit of a mistake. You see...your Uncle Luffy, her daddy, was fighting with the Marine in charge, Vice-Admiral Libra...but...when he did, Belle mistook a battle cry for a cry of pain, so she ran out too soon...and then..."
"And then...?" Kuina repeated, dreading her mother's answer.
"...A Marine, young and inexperienced," Robin began, "reacted to Belle in fear. He was obviously new to the battlefield and he wasn't even thinking. When he heard Belle come out...he swung his sword...and blood sprayed into the air."
Kuina gasped in horror.
"We heard Belle scream," Robin spoke, grimly, "Then, the air was filled with her pained sobs. When your Aunt Nami went to look at her...she saw a long, deep gash on the left side of her face. Had the sword went any deeper...Belle would've lost her eye, entirely."
"Oh, no...!" Kuina cried, her feather/hands over her mouth.
"Yes," Robin nodded, "it was a horrible accident...and...your Uncle Luffy...he loved Belle dearly. Seeing her in such pain...and seeing that gash on her beautiful face...it sent him into a silent fury. He grabbed the Marine that attacked her...and snapped his neck in two."
"Oh, my god...!" Kuina whispered, tears of fright forming in her eyes.
"Sometimes, a father's love can overcome rational thought," Robin added, "I'm sure your Uncle Luffy came to regret killing that man, later."
"But what about Belle?" Kuina inquired.
"Well, thankfully, your Uncle Chopper managed to heal the gash," Robin replied, "All that was left was a scar. However...it was on that night that she would no longer be safe with us."
"Because of what happened?" Kuina asked.
"That's right," Robin answered, "We had decided that she would better off living in Uncle Luffy's old home in the East Blue...of course, some of us were against it."
"Really?" Kuina inquired.
"Yes...Hanako being one of them," Robin answered.
"That's no surprise." Kuina noted. "Hanako used to say that Belle was like his sister before I came along."
"Indeed," Robin nodded, "and it pained Hanako to know that Belle would be leaving us...but he knew it was for the best."
"Aww," Kuina spoke, "Hanako..."
"So, it was heavy hearts that we sailed to the East Blue," Robin continued, "and, at the time, Belle didn't know that we were leaving her there."
Kuina gasped, silently.
"Your Uncle Luffy didn't have the heart to tell her," Robin said, dismally, "and Belle didn't handle the news well when she found out."
"I'll bet she didn't," Kuina replied, "what happened afterwards?"
"Well," Robin began, "your Uncle Luffy managed to convince her to stay with Makino-san, a woman who took care of him when he was a child."
"Oh." Kuina spoke.
"However...Belle made this vow," Robin added, "She had resolved that one day, she would become a great pirate like her father...perhaps even greater."
"Really, Mama?" Kuina inquired. "Does that mean we might see her again, someday?"
"Perhaps," Robin replied with a smile, "Who knows what she's doing with her life, nowadays?"
"HOLY CRAP!!!!" Luffy's voice was heard shouting. "GUYS, COME LOOK AT WHAT I JUST FOUND IN THE PAPER!!!! YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!"
"Eh?" Kuina gasped as she and Robin went outside. "What's in the paper?"
"Must be something important to have your Uncle Luffy so excited." Robin answered.
Soon, everyone gathered outside and saw Luffy, grinning from ear-to-ear as he held the newspaper in his hands.
"What is it, Uncle Luffy?" Hanako inquired.
"CHECK IT OUT!!" Luffy exclaimed as he he held up a slip of paper: a wanted poster, to be exact.
"Huh?" Nami muttered. "Some new pirate."
"Not just any new pirate!" Luffy exclaimed. "Take a closer look!"
Nami and the others took a good long look at the poster. It was a picture of a teenage girl with black hair and cat ears, wearing a purple shirt with the word "LOVE" in golden yellow letters, a pair of red arm bracers on her paws, and wearing a familiar tattered straw hat. She smiled at the camera while sticking her tongue out in a playful manner. It was at that point that everyone realized who it was.
"Great Ceiling Cat...!" Nami whispered with tears of joy in her eyes. "Is that...Belle?!"
"YUP!!!" Luffy nodded.
"She has her own wanted poster now?" Hanako asked, surprised. Then, he grinned. "That's incredible!"
"She's grown up to be a fine young lady, just like her mother." Sanji noted.
"YEAH~!!!!" Franky cheered, doing his signature pose. "Belle's a SUPER scrapper, now!!!"
"Hey, check out her bounty!" Usopp pointed out. "40 million! That's ten million more than when you started out, Luffy!"
"I know, right?!" Luffy replied. "She just might surpass me one of these days, if she hasn't already!"
Kuina blinked at Belle's wanted poster, observing it with great curiosity.
"This is Cousin Belle now?" she queried.
"That's right, Kuina," Hanako answered.
"...She looks nice." Kuina commented.
The Straw Hats all smiled.
"Do you think we'll meet her, someday?" Kuina inquired.
"Perhaps," Brook answered, "We might run into her, one day."
Kuina made a small smile, and looked up at Belle's wanted poster in an almost admiring manner.
'I really look forward to meeting you, Cousin Belle.' she thought.