Original Jan 2016

Re-written Aug 2018


When she took her first breath, it a to perfection. The salt that melted with the fresh air and clung to her ever-changing form. In the distance she could make out the smell of greenery, of palm trees and flowers that seemed to float just above the clear blue waters. The sun shone overhead, making the water glisten and sparkle like millions of stars were cast out of the heavens and into the blue sea.

She was born to a new world, cast in nothing but beauty and light. Giggling in the eb and flow of the moon light and the warmth of the sun, she swam. For years she swam, from one edge of the land to the other, to sand bar, and coral reefs. She peaked out and crashed against the sandy beaches as she studied the strange creatures that walked on two legs, with no fur other then the tops of their heads. What strange creatures they were, building and building, creating a miniature sun and casting star-y rainbows into the earth around them.

She bubbled with excitement and moved closure to the land. Small ones sitting in the beach brought her flowers and shinning rock, in returned she played, laughing at their squeals of joy. Soon the larger ones came to her, offering gifts of fruits and foods from the land itself. In return she brought their fishing boats to the calm waters and gave them whispers of where the fish would be. Goddess was whispered among them, though she did not know what that meant.

A few more years had passed and soon across the sandy shores she frequented the most temples were built in her honor. Children were brought to her to be blessed. Golds and foods were given to her in plenty. She came onto the land, learning how to talk like them, how to act like them, clothes- oh the silks that flowed around her like rivers- and foods. Something she had no need for but the spice and flavor just danced on her tongue and brought such a warm joy to her being.

Eventually, she thought, it is time she gave them a gift for everything they had done for her. So, she dove into the deeps depths of her sea, running a hand through the sand until she found it. The first colored star they had given her, though that had been many years and many creatures ago. It was blue, like her sea, and when held in the sun sparkled like the great star in the north. She brought it to them.

"Plant it and it will grow."

She told the man, a priest in her largest temple. Bowing the man did just that. By the time the next year had come what sprouted was a tree the size of a mountain, reaching high into the heavens and holding something like no other. Fruits, as they called it. Colorful and unique and brimming with her own power, her own blessing.

"My gift to humanity."

She told them lovingly.

For a few years, a blink of the eye, a passing of a second to her, everything was peaceful and humanity shared her gift. That changed quickly. She had not created a fruit for everyone and no fruit was the same and the humans fought. Killing each other, down to the small babes she had played in the sand with. The sand and the sea were bathed in red. Enraged and deeply hurt she created storms and shook the planet to its core. She split the lands apart, creating thousands of islands and separating the people.

The fruit she created, her gift to humanity, fell into the seas, into her very waters. She moved swiftly, snatching them up and collecting them. But she could not destroy them, she could not take back what she had given and she could not guard them or lock them away. Instead, she curled them close to her chest and breathed a curse into existence, on all that she had created. Whoever dared to eat her fruit would never touch foot in her beautiful sea, they would freeze and their limbs would lock and energy would leave them. A fitting punishment, she thought, for what they had put her through. Soon her gift for humanity was renamed, a fitting name, the Devil Fruit. She hated humanity just a little bit more for calling them that. What was once a light for humanity was nothing but poison now.

For hundreds of years she did not go on land. Till her entire being was forgotten by the humans, till her once great temples were long buried and the ancient stories forgotten. Still she held on to the hurt and betrayal brought on by their greed, and still she sunk ship after ship. Still she watched as kingdoms were built up and then brought down, as they created a created a ruling party, a 'government' they called it, 'marines' or rather some kind of army was created and she raged when they killed some of the people she had grown fond of. 'Pirates' a new word they created, they said it meant a criminal that was out at sea but she knew it just meant someone the government did not like. She saw many come into her waters and some she favored more than others but she sent storm after storm out either way.

Life went on like this for years, until… until he entered her waters. King of the Pirates, king of the seas, Gol. D. Roger, they called him. It enraged her, she had no king! How dare they puny flesh beings call anyone the king of her domain! She went to him, thoughts of sinking his ship right then and there. But she paused and came on to the deck instead, small ones she sensed, and she could never kill small ones, the ones that had brought her so much joy and she had blessed all lovingly. Before she could take him, kill the king but leave the small ones, he spoke to her. He spoke to her, not at or through like so many had done before, but to her. He spoke lovingly of her domain of the sea and the waters that guided his ship. He told her of his adventures, how he grew in a town in her calmest of seas, how he found his crew; his friends, or rather family, nakama he called them: through her seas and he thanked her for that! He thanked her! No one had done that in years! She followed him for months, giving him safe passage and making sure his nakama, what a funny word, she thought, that had eaten her cursed fruit stayed up just a little bit longer before sinking. He thanked her for that as well. So, she showed herself, taking on a fleshy form before his eyes so she could walk among his nakama.

"Beautiful,"

"Like the stars are shinning in my presence,"

"No one could ever compare!" he whispered to you.

And for every person that had ever been in her waters no one had ever made you feel like this before.

She stayed with his crew and soon the crew giving her a name. Something to call her. Rogue. Portgas D. Rogue. And each island the king would bring her a new flower or jewel with the words "I'll will give you the world" on his lips each time.

Soon she gained back her forgotten curiosity and began to talk to his beloved nakama. Shanks and Buggy, two of his nakama that were the small ones, not fully grown. She couldn't help but fondly whispered to them the treasures that lay within her seas, smiling when the red furred one would take the flowers the king gave you and would braid them into your golden hair. Silvers, a rather serious man, would tell her stories of histories and was calm in teaching her of the new world that she had idle watched for so many years.

She thought of all of them fondly, but none as fondly as her king. As his tokens to her became what Silvers called kisses, and the not quiet grown ones started to whisper momma. She could never bear to let a storm hit their ship and the waters were always calm near them. After all, they were her nakama and Roger taught her that nakama meat everything.

But she could only do so much. She wished she was stronger or that she could find a way to cure him. She watched as the only man she has every loved pale and sicken. The crew disbanded and for some months she spent with just him. He spoke about his plans, wishing to stay with her until his death. But as another month past she came to him with the news, a small one of their own! A small one that would be theirs! His plans change. He prays that by giving himself up his child will not be found. That they will be safe. It hurts to lose him that much sooner but she is quiet when it is time to watch him leave. Rogue knows she will never love another quite the same way.

When the news reaches her, she sobs and nearly runs head first into her ocean depths, but she freezes at the beach. Her hands on her stomach and her eyes to the sea, her child is partially human… would he survive if she changed to her godly form? She took a shaky step away from the sea and turn tail and run. As the months pass and her stomach grows so does her fear. Marines are looking for his son and her power is quickly leaving her the longer she stays away from the ocean, she is weak and only growing weaker. The seas become uncontrollable and more ships sink by the day. The child sits in her stomach and soon months go by and she knows this child is in her longer then any human child has ever been. She holds on though, for she does not know what she is doing or where to go.

One lone marine finds her, a large man that she had seen the king fight, and he offers a place to hide. She stood to take the offer but the child decides it is time to greet the world. She is in pain so much pain, her body hurting like it had never hurt before, like being torn apart, and burned at the same time. She could feel her form slipping away, feel as her solid form fought to become so much more, and knew she would not be able to take care of her beloved babe just yet. She grabs at him, still covered in blood, and whispers lovingly into his tiny ear.

"You are my son, Gol D. Ace, the son of the sea and the King of Freedom."