"I don't know how much longer I can stay still, Izou. You're taking forever." I pouted at the samurai in the mirror.

"You have the same patience you did as a child, little sister. Just give me a few more minutes to finish up." I gave him a death glare.

"And this 18-year-old is only doing this because her big brother asked nicely," I huffed.

"Which I appreciate, and you usually like when I do your hair. What's got you so worked up?" A look of concern crossed his face.

"New island," was all I said to explain my mood. He let out a sigh as he finished doing my hair.

"All done. I can accompany you to the island if you want human company."

"Thank you. My hair looks great, and I appreciate the offer, but I need to do this on my own one of these days. Besides, I'm not going to be gone for too long; I'm just going to go and pick some bits up for Marco. It's easy, right?" I knew I sounded like I was trying to convince myself as well. I've been on this ship for eight years and always have someone with me when I leave it. Mainly because my brothers and Pops are very protective of me, but also because I tend to have panic attacks in crowded, unknown areas. The funny thing is, in a crowded fight, I'm perfectly fine. But send me to a mundane street, and I get overwhelmed. It's probably because I'm so focused on helping and concentrating on my magic in a fight that I don't have time to think.

"I know you're right; it doesn't worry me any less." I gave Izou a hug to help, hopefully.

"Baby steps, right? And I won't be completely alone; Gunpowder will be in my pocket. Maybe one day I'll be as confident as you or Pops. And if it goes bad, I'll send the signal up and not do it again for another few years, simple!" I tried to sound confident so that he didn't worry so much.

"Right! Then good luck. Off you go before it gets dark! Make sure she’s safe, Gunpowder!" He patted me on the shoulder as I changed to my human form, and my little fae cat sat in my pocket ready for the journey, he let out a meow of agreement. I've changed a lot from the 10-year-old who first met this crew! My green hair is purple at the front and pulled back into a braid on top of the rest of my ringleted hair (currently, thanks to Izou). My skin is pale, and my eyes are a bright yellow. My clothes consist of a mid-length brown leather coat with a green trim. My top is a purple ruffled tunic with two belts that hold it in place, and I also have another belt around my waist. My trousers are a darker green than my hair, with brown leather wrapped around the bottom of them to hold them in place. Lastly, I have a pair of leather sandals on my feet. This is also the form on my wanted poster, as I was still hiding my Fae form from the rest of the world. The world knows me as the Daughter of the Sea.

"Thank you again, and see you when I get back!" I said as I opened Izou's room door and waved as I walked down the corridor. I took a few deep breaths before heading onto the main deck.
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As soon as I walked out of the door on an overcast day, I noticed the pockets of sunlight that created shafts through the grey. It was beautiful but also very foreboding. I headed to Pop's chair to see him before I left. He was sitting and talking to Marco and Thatch, which was handy as I would see them before I went anyway. As I approached them, the conversation stopped as they turned to look at me. 

"Izou finished your hair then; it looks lovely!" Pops said in his commanding yet gentle voice.

"Thank you. I came over to say that I'm heading out for the few bits you wanted, Marco," I sounded a little nervous as I spoke. Marco placed his hand on my shoulder before saying.

"You've got this, little sis, but don't push yourself too much. Take your time, and don't worry if you don't make it this time. We can continue to work on it over time, and I can pick up those bits if needed." He sounded almost proud of me, even though I hadn't done anything yet. But it helped to know he was in my corner.

"And hey, if it gets too bad, dive into an alleyway, pet Gunpowder and give us the signal. It will likely be either Marco or Vista, as I plan on making a big cake!" Thatch always knows how to lighten the mood. I nodded to this with a small smile as Marco squeezed my shoulder before letting go; he also petted Gunpowder on his little head.

"You are courageous, my daughter, but your brothers are right. Do not feel you must push yourself if you do not feel like it. None of us would think any less of you."

"I know, but I want to try. I'm not a child anymore, and I want to do more solo missions, which I can't do until I try being mundane first." They all agreed with me. Vista walked over to us as I was about to leave. Vista is a tall, muscular, broad-chested, tanned man with a curly, black moustache, a dark blue top hat, and an earring in each ear. He wears a semi-open dark blue shirt with a white diamond stripe pattern near the top, revealing some of his hairy chest, a cape attached to his shirt, and white gloves. He also wears light blue pants with a belt that holds two swords in sheaths, one on each side. I give him a smile before heading off, and he gives a nod in return. I walked to the small boat that was ready for me to take and hopped in.
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The sound of the motor on the back of the small boat mixed with the waves lapping at the boat's edge as we neared the docks. Gunpowder purred, the sound and feeling vibrating my chest ever so slightly; it was his way of trying to comfort me whilst still being in my pocket. As soon as we neared the dock, I hopped up on the wooden decking, grabbing the rope. I wrapped the rope around the small post with a strong knot so that it didn't float away and took another deep breath. The dock was quieter right now, so that was good for me. We knew this island was not a part of any other Emperor's territories or under the world government. This is why I was here alone. It was less dangerous than being on one of those mentioned before, but still nerve-racking.

We made it off the dock and into the city proper. The noise and the sheer number of people around me immediately hit me. The streets crowded with people as they spent their days weaving around each other—the sound of constant talking mixed with children running and shrieking as they ran around the place. The smell of the sewage was pretty much overpowering any others that might be around. I felt the anxiety bubble up pretty much as soon as I had walked a little bit down the path. My heart quickened; it felt tight, and I felt dizzy. Gunpowder knew what was happening and jumped out from my pocket, increasing in size and guided me into a nearby alleyway whilst chirping at me to go with him. The people around us were startled by the sudden appearance of a giant cat and gave us a wide berth. As soon as we reached the alley, I found a perch as Gunpowder leapt onto my lap to help calm me. I managed to focus on my breathing and bring it somewhat under control again as I petted the fae cat in my lap.
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"Um, Captain, are you listening to me!" My first mate's voice broke through my daydream. I ran my hand through my hair before putting my orange hat back on.

"Honestly, not really. Sorry!" I let out a sigh as I looked at the masked man next to me. His name, Masked Deuce, is very fitting. It comes from the mask he wears over his eyes to hide his identity. He is a muscular man with spiky, light blue hair and wears a long open coat stretching down to his knees and exposing his chest. He also wears a belt diagonally across his chest, trousers with a rose design on the bottom left held up by a belt, and dark boots that go up to his knees. He was a good doctor and a great first mate and friend.

"What's got you so distracted, Ace? It's not like you." I could hear the concern in his voice.

"Just feel weird, I'm not sure..." I cut myself off as we watched a giant cat appear and help a green and purple-haired girl into a nearby alleyway. "Deuce, you saw that right? I'm not going crazy?"

"No, I saw that cat appear, and I know that look on your face!"

"Don't know what you mean," I grinned at him before walking towards the alley.

"Ace, we have no clue who she is, and that cat looked dangerous. Maybe charging straight at them is a bad idea. But you're not listening to me, never mind to reason right now, so all I can do is make sure you don't end up dead." Deuce let out a sigh as he followed after me.

"It can't hurt to look; besides, the girl didn't look like she was having a good time. She looked interesting, so we must ensure she's okay." I confidently walked as we crossed the main street, our supply run forgotten.
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I exhaled as Gunpowder hopped off my lap and chirped at me again.

"You think we should head back to the ship, don't you," he gave me a look that said it all. "I didn't even make it through the street. I..." I stopped talking as I heard footsteps approaching us. Gunpowder grew a little bit in size, and I stood up. I looked down the alley and saw two people. The first boy immediately caught my attention as I recognised him from his wanted poster. Portgas D. Ace, or Fire Fist Ace, stood before me. He is a tall, muscular young man with curly black hair. He has childish freckles on his cheeks, and I could just about make out his ASCE tattoo peeking out on his arm from under his yellow open-front shirt sleeve. He wore black boots, black knee-length shorts with an eyelet-studded orange belt, and a blue pouch belted around his left leg. He also had a short second belt with a large red "A" on the silver buckle over his right hip, but it wasn't fastened, and the free end was threaded along the back of his shorts. A dagger in a green sheath hung at his left hip. On Ace's left arm, he wore a Long Pose (this is a campus that takes you from one island to another), a red and white striped bracelet around his wrist, and an orange elbow guard, all on the same arm as his tattoo. He had a red beaded necklace around his neck, his iconic orange hat with two blue smileys, one frowning and one smiling, and a string of red beads above the rim. Two long orange side straps were hanging down the sides of his hat and met at a large medallion of a bull's skull with orange tassels. He had a gentle smile on his face as he stopped with his hands up. His blue-haired friend stood behind him, also with a smile on his face. However, he was wearier than Ace. Gunpowder was growling at them, so I touched his back.

"We're not here to hurt you; we just wanted to ensure you were okay. You looked like you were struggling!" Ace was calm even though a giant cat was threatening him. I looked confused at this statement.

"Why? You don't even know me." I was still panicking, but this interaction was helping me focus on something else.

"Because you seem interesting, and no one should be alone!" He said it in a voice that didn't leave much room for argument.

"I'm not alone, and I thought pirates didn't care about anyone other than themselves." Ace looked a little surprised by my comment. He then looked closer at me, trying to see any details. The alley wasn't lit up, so the only light was being given by the sun, which left the alley shady.

"You mean your cat, right? They look cool. So do you, by the way. I run my ship a little differently than most pirates. You also know who I am by that statement, so who are you? Another pirate?" His voice sounded genuinely interested and not hostile at all. I realised I couldn't face going back out into the street, so I knew I would have to signal someone to come and get me. I need to get these two to leave first, as I do not want to put them in my family's path as they haven't hurt me. They are just curious, not dangerous yet.

"Does it matter who I am?" My voice sounded tense as I asked him this.

"No, I guess not, but I am interested in knowing at least a name," a hopeful smile crossed his face.

"If I give you a name, will you leave me alone?" My tone was perhaps a bit harsh, but I wanted out of here now. My chest pains started to come back from more stress. He nodded, his smile slightly sad, but his eyes showed understanding. I let out a sigh. "It's Morgan."

"That's a nice name. It was nice meeting you, Morgan, and your cat as well. We'll leave you alone now." He pushed his friend out of the alley before he looked back at me. The sunlight hit his freckles at the right angle as he continued. "I'm sure we'll meet each other again. Hopefully soon." And with that, he walked away, leaving me a little stunned. He was nothing like the papers said he was. You would think I would be used to that, as the newspapers don't precisely portray me or my family in the best light either, but this whole interaction shocked me. Gunpowder headbutted my leg gently, bringing me back into the present again. I let out a sigh before admitting defeat and held my hand to the sky. I felt the familiar tingle of my magic as the clouds formed into the Whitebeard logo, and a lightning bolt shot into the ground next to me like an arrow. It didn't take that long for Vista to appear at the end of the alleyway. He didn't say anything; he just opened his arms up, and I immediately walked into his hug. He patted my head.

"Let's get you back home, shall we? Thatch has put the cake into the oven so you can help him decorate it!" He led me back to the ship after Gunpowder hopped back into my pocket. I spotted the orange hat in the crowd, which had formed because of my pronounced signal. I saw the freckled pirate grin at me before Vista pulled his cloak around me to shield me from all the attention. Ace had the type of face that you don't forget, and I certainly didn't. Only a month after this meeting would we get the message about Jinbei.
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As the girl hopped into her boat, the freckled pirate watched her leave with a realisation of who she was now that he could see her in the sunlight. The 5th division commander was by her side, and the signal he had seen was also giving her away.

But unknown to both the young pirates, civilians weren't the only ones watching. Two figures hidden in the shadows exchanged knowing looks as the slightly smaller one of the two took out a piece of paper and wrote something down on it before setting it alight with a lighter. The paper turned to dust carried off by the wind and magic!