Chapter 3: The Marine

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece or Yu-Gi-Oh!

Meetings. She never really liked them, too boring. Even though it was rather important and the higher officers were at the table with her, she just passed out from boredom and snored loudly. The commanding officer's eye twitched, "Zolaro...," he muttered. He walked over and leaned in close to her ear.

"PRIVATE NIRI ZOLARO, ATTENTION!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. The sleeping girl jerked awake and jumped to her feet, saluting, "SIR!" she yelled. The officer glared at her, "That's the fifth time you've dozed off during a meeting. Tell me, Private. Why do you keep coming if you're just going to fall asleep?" he asked.

"Because I think I can always be of help in some way, Sir!" she replied. The officer nodded, "Ok then...I know of something you can help with," he said thoughtfully. Niri blinked, "Really? What is it, Sir?" she asked.

Niri frowned as she mopped the floor an hour later. "This isn't exactly what I meant by helping out...," she mumbled under her breath as she moved the mop back and forth. She put the mop in the bucket and looked out a nearby window. Her blue eyes scanned the horizon as she ran a hand through her black hair.

She loved being with the Navy, even though others were a pain and so were the punishments they dished out. But all that didn't matter to her, she would take everything that came her way to prove to everyone that she had what it took to be here. Ever since she enlisted, every male officer harassed her, telling her that since she was a girl, she couldn't handle being in a man's world.

Now, the Marines did have other female officers in their ranks, but at the base where she was stationed at, Niri was the only woman there. So, she had recieved harassments in forms of letters, graffiti on her property, or harassament that came up close and personal. Needless to say, what that sort of harassment came, she made sure they never did it again.

She grinned and patted the firearm that lay in a holster on her belt. It was her fathers, since his service in the Navy years back. She pulled it out and admired it, even as strange as it looked. For a pistol, it had an usually long barrel, along with scope that rested on top of the barrel above the trigger.

Niri smiled as she ran her hand along the barrel, remembering the training her father had given her when she was younger. Every thing she aimed at, she hit dead on, even if she was just using a normal firearm.

"Zolaro!"

Niri whirled around and saluted due to reflex, dropping her pistol in the process. The man from before sighed and picked up the pistol, than tapped her on the head with it, "You really need to stop daydreaming and start working harder, Zolaro," he told her in a quiet tone. Niri rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Sorry, sir,".

The man shook his head, "Until you do, I'll be holding on this," he said, holding up the scoped firearm. Niri looked at him in disbelief, "But that's all I got left of my father!" she protested. The higher officer tucked the pistol into his belt, "I know, Niri, but once you start being more responsible in your duties and not fall asleep or daydream, I'll return it," he said firmly. Niri opened her mouth to complain about it, but he held up his hand stopping her.

"That's final, private! Now get back to work, this hallway won't clean itself up," he yelled at the top of his lungs. Niri shrank back, but nodded and grabbed the forgotten mop that lay on the soaked floor, muttering under her breath as the higher officer walked away.

That night, Niri walked to the barracks, sore and tired from all the chores she had done earlier that day. Besides mopping, she had kitchen duty and had to take inventory in the armory. "Why did Baron take my dad's pistol? Sure, I wasn't doing what I was supposed to be doing, but that didn't mean he had to take my memento," she asked herself.

As she passed a door, she stopped and turned her head towards it. It was cracked open slightly and she could hear voices coming from inside. She approached the door and peeked in. Inside the room, Baron stood behind his desk, while a person in a dark cape stood in front of him. She leaned in close to hear what they were saying.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again, I'm not giving you any information on that man! I don't care if you have a personal vendetta against him or not, I'm not helping you!".

The person in the cape chuckled and Niri could tell it was a woman, "I...don't remember offering you a choice. However, if you won't tell me...," she trailed off as she pulled out a pistol and aimed it directly at him. "BARON!" Niri yelled as she burst into the room. The higher officer looked in shock at the newcomer, "Niri...!".

The woman smirked, snapped her fingers and something large and hairy wrapped itself around Niri, holding her in place. "Well well...how about now? You give me the information or my friend will snap the young one's neck," she threatened.

Baron growled and lowered his head, "Fine...,". He bent down, unlocked a drawer in his desk and pulled out Niri's pistol. Before he could even aim, the woman fired off her weapon and Niri watched in horror as Baron's head snapped back with a large bullet hole in the middle of it. "Fool...should've just given me what I wanted...," the woman hissed, putting the her weapon away.

She turned around and Niri tried to see what she looked like, but her hat and the lighting in the room made it difficult for her to find out. The woman took hold of her chin, "You see what happens when you don't cooperate, girl. Now, you're the one who's gonna have to take the pain," she chuckled. Niri opened her mouth to scream for help, but as she did, a sharp pain the back of her neck stopped her and she fell unconcious.

Niri woke up sometime later in a cell somewhere on the base. "What the hell...?". She climbed off the cot and walked over to the bars, "HEY! ANYONE HERE!" she yelled. An officer walked into her view, hand on his sword. "Ok, thanks. Um...what's going on, why am I here?" Niri asked him. The officer looked at her like she had a freakish bump on her face, "You killed Captain Baron, that's why you're here!" he snapped at her.

Niri frowned, "What? No I didn't! Why do you say I killed him?". The officer folded his arms across his chest, "Because you were found with his body, the murder weapon in your hand," he explained. "It wasn't me! It was this woman in a cape!" Niri protested. The officer scoffed, "Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," he murmured before walking away. As she watched him leave, Niri felt her eyes begin to fill up with tears and she slid down to the floor.

Kilnorc: There's the third chappy! I'm sorry if this wasn't good, or if it was in ANY way confusing. Like I said, this is my first real One Piece fic and I'm new to it, LOL! ja ne!

Next Chapter: Vengeful Swordsman