Chapter Text
Confused is how she would describe her current situation.
Vander, where?
I should be dead?
What happened?
What about Vi?
Looking around she became aware of her surroundings. A dirty alley but not the kind she’s used to. It was bright, not the kind of light that would shine artificially. The yellow tint poured and bounced off surfaces to reflect in her eyes.
Violet hues with speckles of blue whipped around to survey the area. This wasn’t Zaun, not even close. It reminded her more of topside, damned pompous Pilties. The thought annoyed her only briefly before she snapped out of it.
She got up slowly leaning on the wall, her hand brushing against the rough stone when pain jolted through her body. Exhaustion creeped in as pain settled in her body. Taking a bomb at a range like that, she should be dead.
Shakily she put her hand up to grasp her head as it pulsed with an ache. Pounding against her skull, all the voices in her head did not help either.
How could you mess up that badly again.
Couldn’t even die properly.
You Jinx.
They all merged together like an amalgamation of her mistakes coming back to haunt her. Her palm hitting her head to silence the noise, her breathing heavy, thoughts louder than the world around her. Realizing how good it felt to breathe, the air was a cold but nice breeze. She looked up and moved to leave the alley, walking forward lightly feeling the itchy sensations of the stone against her gloved palms.
She walked out and squinted, ‘Too bright’ she thought not pleased with the aching in her eyes. Brows furrowed at the pounding in her head as she looked around. She saw people walking around, some in weird uniforms and others in plain attire. As she moved around she noticed the stares she received, it wasn’t new, but what were they going to do?
She stumbled out the alley and walked along the dirt path, as she moved she saw plenty of people walk in and out of a place with swinging doors. A bar she was sure of it, she walked up passing three weird looking kids with rude stares, then pushing open the doors. Eyes were on her from all around, shrugging off their stares she walked up to the bar her hand moved to grip the bar as she looked the bartender in the eye.
“Got any juice?” she asked, her voice raspy and straight forward. She needed a drink to sort all the thoughts she had circulating in her head, “with a straw too.” The woman bartending was about to speak when she heard this irking noise reach her ears, the sound of a rat squealing as it died.
She turned to look at the offending sound, an ugly dude with a blonde bob cut was the one making those horrendous noises. Her face contorted into distaste as she stared at the man, he ‘laughed’ boisterously, his hand banging on the table like she had said the funniest joke ever. “Juice!” the man heaved as he calmed himself down, “what kind of self-respecting adult drinks juice?” he questioned before looking at her up and down.
After he finished examining her with his eyes, what he said next ticked her off, “Then again you don’t look like a self-respecting adult!” she clenched her fist and grit her teeth, looking away before exhaling fiercely. Looking at the bartender she continued “so?” she said, and the woman nodded, stumbling to pour her drink.
The man made noises behind her stumbling over his words “Don’t you dare ignore me!” he grumbled angrily before banging on the table. “I could have you arrested!” as she received her cup and straw she turned around on the stool while holding her cup, “For what? What did I even do?” she raised her brows in question while he looked at her astonished and angry before flipping his head quickly to look at the marine next to him.
The marine nodded, confirming she was right, and he couldn’t do anything without reason, he looked back at her in annoyance, and she quirked a brow in amusement. He sat there disgruntled and yelled out demanding a drink before talking more nonsense she couldn't care less about.
“Damned thing!” he sighed before swirling the alcohol in his drink with a swirl, “I suppose I could execute Zoro, that would lift my mood.” Bob cut cackled maniacally, pleased and amused at his own whims. She thought he was crazy which makes her a hypocrite. All of a sudden a red shirt boy zoomed and clocked bob cut right in the face. Bob cut? Bobcat? Close enough.
Everyone was surprised but Jinx sat there sipping her juice with an entertained expression after all it’s nice to watch a fight she's not a part of for once. She snorted as bobcat hit the wall from the force of the punch, bobcat collected himself with the help of a lackey. “You-you just hit me!” he was surprised he got hit, but he had it coming eventually if not from scrappy boy she happily would've done so herself.
Scrappy boy was once again ready to scrap till he was held back by a short pink ten-year-old, “Luffy, no!” pinky said, and she supposed that was scrappy’s name. “You can't hit him!” at pinky’s words she huffed muttering “what’s so special about bobcat?”
“This guy is scum!” Scrappy or well Luffy (apparently, though scrappy was better in her opinion) spoke, and she nodded thoroughly agreeing with Scrappy’s words of wisdom. Bobcat had more to say as he was the son of some captain, but she didn't really know how important this captain guy was. Though of course Scrappy as he was stated that he couldn't care less. Bobcat, now dubbed chihuahua for how much he barked, said he would have his father execute Scrappy, which made her frown, but she swore to him silently that she would remember him (not really).
Scrappy, always ready for a fight, told chihuahua to fight him. She was sure it wouldn't be much of a fight considering how chihuahua was all bark and no bite. Scrappy seemed determined till chihuahua got up and ran away like a pussy, so his name switched back to bobcat.
As she sipped the straw made a crackling sound, indicating she was done with her drink. She frowned then watched as Scrappy walked up to her, she narrowed her eyes wondering if she was his next target until he smiled at her. “Hey you’re cool, I like you. You should join my crew” Scrappy’s words threw her for a loop, out of all the things he could've said this was not what she thought he would say.
“What?” Jinx sat there baffled, “join my crew!” he said with a smile so wide it touched his ears. She scoffed, “no way.” his smile shifted “I bet I could convince you to join once you see how awesome I am at fighting.” he said his thumb pointed upright in his direction with a proud look on his face. “Doubt it” she said, not willing to entertain Scrappy no matter how amusing he is, “just watch! I'll show you.”
And that's how she ended up at a “marine” base in front of a tied up criminal with Green? Hair although she couldn’t really judge. She wasn’t paying attention as they squabbled so she didn’t notice when Scrappy disappeared, “hey you, you with him?” he, yet to be named, called out to her. She looked around at the empty space then back at him “what do you think grass top? Is there anyone else who could be with him?” she questioned but still didn’t like the name so it was a work in progress. He grumbled about the name before getting distracted by the pink haired midget running in their direction.
Pinky started untying the ropes around bandana man’s arms, stink bug didn't like it and started complaining until Pinky said something that shocked him. “They’re gonna execute you tomorrow” then more words, yada yada yada unimportant stuff, but unfortunately in the middle of this the marines came.
Guns raised up and pointed at them and ready to shoot “Fire!” axe implants said then triggers pulled but then Scrappy came and stood in front of us the bullets pulling back his skin in an unsettling way and then they shot forwards leaving Scrappy unharmed. Scrappy laughed, enjoying the reaction as he burst their bubble, Jinx was astonished but intrigued on the way his skin stretched to accommodate the bullets. It was a freaky yet cool trick, “my name’s Monkey D. Luffy, and i'm gonna be king of the pirates!”
What did she get herself into?