Chapter Text
At sea, she goes by Viktor, posing as an errand boy or a merchant's son who’d been sent out on his own. When she's on land, she goes by Ana, Anya, Caitlyn, or whatever else pops up in her mind. On land, she wears dresses and lets her hair out from the bandana. There, she pretends to be a wealthy girl with polite manners and an unassuming smile. No one bats an eye at either persona.
She ends up ditching the boat she stole when she made it to the next island. She repeats the process until she's well away from her island. She doesn't look back. She does, however, keep an eye on the papers. Nothing to report, and she is relieved. And so she, after a while, sends a small apology in her head to the village for likely burning down her house and leaving without a word, but surely they'd understand, right?
The island she ends up on, she later realizes, had been poor navigation on her end.
Sabaody Archipelago
No, she certainly had hoped to avoid the island entirely, and any other of major importance until she is strong enough to not be one-shotted by the world. Still, she needs to restock, and she should find a new boat, too. So she pulls in and quickly changes into her guise as Ana.
She peruses the docks, and none speaks to her. Or really, no boat would be easy to steal, nor simple for her to maneuver on her own. Most are meant for crews, it seems. Leaving her to keep the small boat she's been working with, not quite a dinghy, with a small alcove roof, but really it's only meant to fit one and be for recreational use, likely.
Wandering the pier for a while, she jumps between plans and half-baked ideas of what to do before heading to Grove 13, where she knows Shakky’s bar to be. Though she is not one to put as much stock into fate, she did end up on Sabaody. That has to count for something in this world.
She makes her way over there and opens the door to the Rip-Off bar. Peering in, it's empty, except for a woman standing behind the bar. She's tall and beautiful, smoking a cigarette, which she exhales upon noticing her.
“Oh?” Shakky says, “Aren't you a bit young to be coming in alone?”
Yes. Yes, I am, she thinks as she can't take her eyes off her. Shakuyaku truly is one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen. A face that could launch a thousand ships and more.
“Why aren't you cute, too?”
Ah. She'd said that out loud. “I meant every word.”
Shakky smiled. “Not many people would say that anymore.”
“Yes, well, people are stupid.”
That makes her laugh. She pulls out a glass and slides it her way. “What brings you to my bar?”
It's filled with juice, most likely, so Gloriana drinks it. “Thought it would be a nice place to stop in,” she replies, not necessarily a lie, though not entirely truthful either.
“Plan on staying in Sabody long?”
Gloriana shrugs. “It'll depend.”
Shakky leans onto the counter, “On?”
She takes a moment to consider whether she should go with her half-hazardous and spontaneous plan. Though she was here already. Might as well then, she supposes. “Is your husband around?”
Shakky shakes her head, smiling, “Ah, and here I thought you'd come to see little old me.”
Gloriana whips her head up. “I did want to meet you, after all, there aren't many people who can say they've met the most beautiful woman in the world.”
That makes her chuckle again. “I don’t think I am still deserving of such a title. Best left to the younger generations. Aren’t you also a bit young to know that epithet?”
Gloriana shrugged. “I like to read.”
“Shakky,” comes a man Gloriana recognizes immediately as Rayleigh enters the bar. He still looks much like his old bounty posters, though his blonde hair is now streaked with white, and several wrinkles fill his face. He pauses upon seeing her on the barstool. “Ah, a customer I see.”
Gloriana gives a small wave. “Hello.”
There's a look in his eyes, and she wonders if he knows her or possibly recognizes her features. Silvers Rayleigh had been there that day at God Valley. He'd gone toe to toe with many. Even his own DNA had been collected by the World Government and experimented with. In a different life, perhaps this could have been her father and mother, Gloriana realizes. And still, there is a faint chance of such a possibility, but her mother had been certain that both Shakky and Rayleigh’s DNA had failed in her making.
Besides, did this world even have parental DNA testing? She doubts there's an equivalent to The Jerry Springer show here, not with the abundant amount of pirates and sailors and one-night stands.
“Where's your parents?” Rayleigh asks finally.
“Dead.”
“Both of them?”
“Mom died in front of me and never knew my dad. He's as good as dead in my books.”
He takes a seat at the booth beside her as Shakky hands him a drink. He takes a sip before asking, “What's your name?”
“Call me Ana.”
“Ana?” Rayleigh asks. He draws out his words in thought for a moment. “An interesting name. Simplistic.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“But it's not really your name, is it? How old are you?”
“It's close enough,” she replies, before tacking on her age with a quirked brow to his question. “And does it really matter what either are?”
He leans against the bar table. He looks at her, like really looks at her, still seeing something that she can't figure out. “I suppose not.” There's a look traded between him and Shakky. “Now I wonder, what can a humble coating mechanic do for a little girl like you?”
Gloriana takes a moment to collect herself, and then, with her head held high, she says, “I would like your help getting me to Amazon Lily.”