Missing Piece

Chapter 27

Charlotte flipped through the square pane-less window of her old dwelling—a small hut hidden in the tall branches of the mangrove trees on the borderline of Grove 11 and 12. Her mood more than soured. First Law and then Cole. What happened to ask me anything?! And then there's that annoying Old Fart! Speaking off... "Don't you have more fun things to do than follow me?" She quipped, rounding on her two followers: Rike and, surprisingly, Cole. She would have figured that she was the last person he'd want to see given his earlier explosion. "I'm not going to run or anything."

"As if I'd believe that! This was the island that you wanted to be dropped off when you held our Captain. Don't think I forgotten about that!" Cole snapped back instinctively.

Rike dragged a hand down his face. Didn't you come here to apologize? Spotting a heavy stack of old wanted posters, he pivoted the convo quickly. "Are these all your past catches?" Rike asked, picking up a heavy stack of old wanted posters and playing the role of mediator. "Looks like you've been rather busy in the past."

Cole peeked over Rike's shoulder and scoffed. "What happened, Hunter? Lost your skills?" He pulled back quickly, flinching as Charlotte took the bundle. Though rather than slapping Cole with it, she dropped it in the bag with the rest of her belongings. "That's it?" The bag was basically empty.

Charlotte didn't respond and it was then that they really took in her abode. The red duffle bag barely contained anything and yet the home was partially empty. "Did you really live her for five years?"

"Why wouldn't I lie about that?"

There were only the basic necessities. Nothing else. Nothing of comfort in the small hut. "Wasn't there anything you wanted to have for yourself?" Not even a plushie.

"...I... never really thought about it. Ah, I have Spikey!"

But they were the ones who gave Spikey to her. Recently too. They stared at the innocent woman, a strange feeling stirring in the pits of their stomachs. The innocence looking odd and out of place all of the sudden. A twenty-one years old with the innocence and confusion of a child when it came to normalcy. Only when it came to normalcy.

Why do you think Charlotte's littered in scars?

"Char—" The twangs of a secret panel being flung open echoed through the quite space and bright glow reflected off Charlotte's face.

"The hell?! You never said anything about being rich. You royalty or something?" The gold was blinding, barely dwindling as Charlotte threw beris after beris into her bag.

"Did you get all this from hunting?" The large stack of bounties coming into mind. Their jaws smacked the floor when the huntress simply nodded. They were suddenly reminded of Charlotte's reputation as the fastest huntress with the 100% catch rate. "Was there anything left for the others?" It's no wonder she was hated on the island.

"I only go for one person at a time." It wasn't her fault if the other hunters took too long on a hunt, and she was efficient. Plus, weren't the Heart Pirates reaping the benefits of her hunter reputation? Anyone related to Bloody Boa's targets was off-limits. Why else did they think they hadn't come under any attack on the island.

"What about Captain then?"

Charlotte shot Cole a look over her shoulder like he was stupid. "Didn't you just say my skills were lacking?" She threw the rest of her money in the bag and hoisted it over her shoulder with a grunt. "No need to worry. I'm rebelling against your Captain so I'll be staying far, far away."

"Why?"

Charlotte quirked a brow at the response. She'd figured at least one of them would prefer it this way. "Because... I'm frustrated at him! He tells me to ask him directly and when I do, he tells me that it's none of my business! And then he has the gulls to tell me to shut up and just take orders? Who the hell does he think he is? The boss?" Charlotte ranted and the two flinched at the outburst. They didn't think she would actually answer them so honestly or so easily.