Chapter Text
The Grand Line, where chaos wasn’t an exception, but a way of life. Pirates clashed, alliances shattered, and the worst of them carved their names into the sea with blood. Among them sailed the Straw Hat Pirates, a crew whose reputation carried just as much weight as their bounties. And today, without realizing it, they had docked in someone else’s territory.
“Jen! You coming?” Luffy’s voice echoed up from below the Thousand Sunny. Jen was the newest member of the Straw Hat Pirates. The world knew very little of her. She wanted it that way. Not even her crewmates knew all of her. Of course, they knew how she acted and respected her privacy, but she never allowed them to truly know her. She was forever frozen in time, trapped in her mind.
She wanted it this way. It was familiar to her.
She lingered a moment longer at the rail. “Yeah,” she called back, her voice light. “I’ll catch up.” One by one, the crew scattered into the village, always loud, careless, at ease. Jen stayed behind. For a moment, she just stared out at the horizon.
Still nothing.
The same dull quiet that had followed her for years pressed against her chest. No matter where she went, it never really left. With a quiet exhale, she turned and slipped off the ship, disappearing into the village alone. The town was alive in the way most Grand Line ports were–rowdy, unpredictable, teetering on the edge of violence. Pirates argued over drinks, laughter bled into shouting, and somewhere, glass shattered. It was all normal. Jen walked through it untouched, unnoticed. Or maybe just unbothered, she couldn't tell. She passed a fight without slowing, bottles smashed against the ground near her feet, and she didn’t even glance down. Nothing here stirred her. Nothing ever did. Jen was convinced nothing ever would.
The bar she chose was no different from the others. It was dim, loud, thick with the smell of alcohol and sweat. Loud with the pirates, she didn't bother to look at. She slipped inside, took a seat without being noticed, and ordered a drink she had no intention of paying for. The glass was cold beneath her fingers. She traced the rim absently, then downed it in one go. Gone before anyone could stop her.
Hellcat, they called her for a reason.
She had barely stepped outside when the atmosphere shifted. The voices were louder now, sharper. Not a bar fight, but something heavier. Jen slowed, eyes narrowing slightly as she turned toward the noise. And then she saw him.
Tall
Broad
Unmistakable
Wild red hair. Scars carved across his body. A massive mechanical arm catching the light. Recognition hit instantly. The flag she spotted nearby confirmed it: the Kid Pirates.
And their captain, Eustass Kid.
“…Well, well.” His voice cut through the noise like a blade. Jen didn’t realize she had stopped walking until his shadow stretched toward her. “You’re a long way from your crew, Straw Hat.”
She clicked her tongue under her breath.
Of course.
His gaze dragged over her, slow, deliberate, assessing. “I’ve seen that face,” he continued, metal fingers tapping against his jaw. “Hard to miss.”
Jen met his stare evenly. “I’m not here for trouble. Just passing through, sorry,” she said flatly.
Then he laughed low, sharp, humorless. “Passing through? On my island?” He stepped closer. The air shifted with him. “Apologies don’t mean a damn thing out here, Hellcat.” So he knew of her? Of course he did. She was the raging talk of the new world.
Jen tilted her head slightly, unfazed. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me? I’m flattered.”
Something flickered in his expression. “You’ve got a mouth on you,” he said. “Most rookies don’t.” He stopped just short of her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him. “Let’s see if you’ve got anything else.”
Jen didn’t move. Didn’t step back. Didn’t break eye contact. For once, her pulse wasn’t quiet. “Fight me,” Kid said simple and direct. “One move.” His grin sharpened. “If you land it, you walk.”
“And if I don’t?” she asked. His eyes darkened.
“Then I take your head, and that bounty of yours climbs real fast.”
There it was. A choice. A ridiculously stupid choice. Exactly the kind she never once turned down. Jen inhaled slowly, her eyes turning from a dark blue to something deeper. He had never seen someone’s eyes change colors so rapidly. Her deep blue eyes turned into a warmer hue of orange. The kind you can never forget.
Kid moved first, but it hit him before he could finish the step.
Pain.
Not impact or force, but something much worse.
It tore through him from the inside out, like his nerves had been set on fire. His body locked, then dropped to the ground. His knees hit the ground with a dull crack. A sharp breath ripped from his chest. A small stream of blood was slowly trickling down his nose, but he didn’t fall or look away.
“…The hell…” His voice came rough, strained, but not afraid.
Not even close. Eustass Kid did not have a fearful bone in his body.
His eyes lifted to hers, wild, sharp, and alive.
“What did you just do to me?” Jen said nothing. She just watched him. And slowly, she smiled.
That did it. Something in his expression shifted. It wasn't anger or fear. Something much darker. “Yeah…” he muttered, a low laugh breaking through the pain. “There it is.” His metal hand clenched, joints whining under the strain. “Hellcat.”
Jen stepped closer. She didn’t even think about it, didn't even question it. For the first time, she felt something real, and she wanted more.
“You talk a lot,” she said softly. Kid let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “You don’t talk enough.”
She reached up, fingers brushing along his neck. The reaction was immediate. His body tensed, pain spiking, but he didn’t pull away. He wouldn’t. “Next time I’m on my knees,” His voice dropped, dangerous. He forced himself up inch by inch, fighting through whatever she’d done to him. Metal shrieked as his arm locked into place. “It won’t be because you put me there.”
And just like that, her power snapped gone.
Jen staggered slightly, breath catching. She was shocked. ‘What the hell? My power? What happened?’ Her thoughts were racing.
Kid stood fully now, towering over her again, blood still trailing from his nose but smiling. He wiped the blood from his nose as he towered over her. “Your luck just ran out,” he said. He paused. It was a long, painful pause. Then he said those two words.
“Walk away.”
She should’ve questioned it. She wanted to push, wanted to stay. Instead, she turned and left. Kid watched her go. He didn’t stop her or call after her. He just stood there, eyes locked on her retreating figure. “…Heh.”
Jen didn’t slow until she was out of sight. Her breathing was uneven. Her thoughts were louder than they had any right to be. 'What… was that?'
Her heart was racing with something she couldn't place.
By the time she reached the ship, the others were already heading back. “Jen?” Nami called, spotting her. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said quickly. “Just ran into someone.”
A beat. “…Eustass Kid.” That got their attention. Luffy lit up immediately. “Jaggy?!” he laughed. “Yeah, we know him!” “We met him back at the Sabaody Archipelago,” Zoro added, watching her more closely than the others. “Why?” Jen shrugged lightly. “Nothing serious.” But Zoro didn’t look convinced.
Later, far across the island, Kid sat in the bar again, drink in hand, unfinished and ignored. His eyes were on something else. A bounty poster with her face on it. Without a word, he tore it from the wall and folded it into his pocket. “Killer,” he said after a moment. “Keep me updated on her.”
Outside, the wind picked up as the crew prepared to leave. Kid glanced at the paper again, thumb brushing over the image. A slow grin spread across his face as he thought about her.