Chapter One - The Lone Pirate
Her feet were sore. Not her legs, but the chains that held her feet were the reason she lost complete feeling in her toes. Her hands were also chained, and a brown cloak was covering her ragged clothes, her pitiful state was recognized by those around here on the pirate ship, there was no reason for her to continue living a life such as this one, was what anyone would think upon seeing her state.
But there was something that went unnoticed, however, since the cloak did a very good job of not showing it. Lots of pirates were around at the port, she knew that much, and all she was waiting for was one chance. An opportunity on which she would pounce like a tigress, because no matter how hard the circumstance, her will to live had not yet perished. A ghostly smile was plastered on her face; she knew it was almost time for her escape.
Because she knew no man on the planet was stupid enough to actually challenge a pirate such as him to a fight. Especially since their ship was ten times bigger, and the crew incomparably larger. She knew it would be futile, and no soul on the ship she was on would survive, since the ship that was approaching was far more intimidating. It was her duty to let the crew know of who was approaching them, and just this once, she let it slide.
The smile on her face grew, and she bit her lower lip, to prevent herself from chuckling. If those on the ship were her crew mates she would not have done such a thing, but they were not her crew mates, like they had announced countless of times before.
"You're just a slave girl we've abducted! You'll never be a part of this crew! You'll never be a part of any crew!"
She didn't know about the latter part of their statement, but she knew she was not a part of this crew and she was glad. She wouldn't want to be a stupid, arrogant, spineless bunch of idiots who spent their time drinking and looting those who were below them. "And these idiots are going to challenge Whitebeard," She muttered to herself, and let out a chuckle of satisfaction. Like she had imagined, her time to escape was coming close.
It was over two months since she had been kidnapped, and she had let those idiotic pirates of the High Flo Pirate crew believe she was worthless. She had no idea why they called themselves High Flo, which was ironic since the captain was a dwarf like man. She had to admit, however, that even with an appearance that resembled one of Snow White's companions, the captain of the High Flo pirates, Flo Ving, managed to attain respect from the measly crew of misfits that he had obtained.
She was kidnapped by them one night, when she had a little too much to drink, and the crew had put her in chains ever since. It would have been easy for her to get out of those chains, but she stayed with them, pretending to be a navigator when all she wanted was the loot they had. She had gone by with a statement of hers from several years, a statement being the reason for her cold-heartedness.
"I'm a pirate, not a saint," she muttered and peered through the thick fog, the silhouette of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's Ship, and the smirk grew larger. She held onto the cloak that was covering her, and listened to what the stupid captain had to say. "Who do you see, brat?" He said, his voice as squeaky as ever, a voice that feigned the regality that it thought it had, the ferocity that it thought would help conquer Whitebeard of all pirates.
So she squint her eyes, almost as if she were trying her hardest to see and a second later, she let out a low hum which evoked curiosity in the males around her. "I haven't seen that ship before," She said, faking a voice of someone submissive, later she could hear hordes of laughter around her, remarking of how they got their third loot that week. It wasn't as if she was lying, she truly hadn't ever seen the Moby Dick before, but they asked her what she saw and she told them just that. They didn't ask her the name of the ship, and they didn't ask her who it belonged to.
By assuming that she had come across every strong pirate ship, the High Flo pirates celebrated even before the looting had happened. 'Not like it's going to happen anyway, these retards are going to die,' she thought to herself and closed her eyes. The captain, Flo, walked toward the girl and kicked her down, letting her grumble with disgust. If only she weren't here for the loot she would have sent him flying, but she had to sustain her anger at least for half an hour. The loot they had acquired in the past week was large, but compared to Whitebeard, it was not even loot. She knew Whitebeard wasn't someone who would be interested in something as cheap as this.
Those two months had been hard, but she struggled for the loot and only the loot. It wasn't as if she had a family to return to, or a crew that worried about her. She had always been alone, and she would remain so, or that was what she believed. It wasn't in her fate that she would travel with companions, for those who were with her would end up with a quick demise and nothing short of that. Just like these pirates who were now marching forward to their deaths and Lord Death awaited them, in the form of Whitebeard.
She had heard stories of Whitebeard when she was a little girl. She knew he was considered to be a monster, the strongest man alive, and he was Gol D Roger's rival in the seas. Everyone knew who Gol D. Roger was, the pirate king, but Whitebeard was no less terrifying. She knew the pirates in his crew were all strong, and it was by far the largest crew ever to roam the seas. A pirate as strong as he was, was not interested in measly loot that she struggled for, and she was grateful for that. Although there was one thing she wasn't completely sure of –
– Whether she would be left alive in this coming battle. Which was why she wore the disguise of a slave, she didn't want to be seen as a challenge and have one of the Whitebeard pirates kill her. Most would think her way of life is the cheapest one of all, putting money and gold in front of everything else, but what else could she fight for? Like it was already mentioned before, she was someone without a family, and she was a pirate and not a saint.
The fog was clearing and the High Flo pirates were still rejoicing, the girl kept her gaze at the Moby Dick's shadow, and looked at nothing else. To say she wasn't scared would be a lie, and she knew she had to use her abilities to get out of this mess. She had no other alternative but to escape and escape was what she was best at. The shackles around her wrists annoyed her, but the ones around her feet irritated her the most. She was thankful the ones she travelled with her that dumb, for they didn't notice the silent joy she was feeling and the almost sense of freedom had already embraced her.
"Men! Sail diagonally to that ship!" the captain screeched and the girl sat down against the mast, covering herself entirely with the brown cloak. It was time.
Her eyes darted to the size of Moby Dick, with how majestic it seemed even from so far away. She knew those on that ship would have got the hint, that the High Flo pirates were asking to come beside them, and half of her mind wanted to watch the outcome, but she knew she couldn't stay all the while. Once Flo challenged Whitebeard, she had to run inside to grab the loot and escaping would come naturally.
"That…ship is large! Hey, brat! You sure you haven't seen this before?" The girl nodded, and the captain grunted and looked away. His little sense of pride was what was going to get him killed. The shackles were tight, and she could see the reddish bruise that had formed around her skin, a frown replacing the smirk that was on her features. A moment later, with a sudden thud, she was almost sent flying forward, but she grabbed onto the mast for dear life, preventing her from falling into the ocean. That would have been dreadful, for she couldn't swim.
She knew that they come into contact with the Moby Dick, the ship belonging to the strongest man that roamed the seas. For a seventeen year old, she knew enough about Whitebeard and about the fact that he was considered a monster by all, his eyes held malice and his treatment merciless. She had to escape before they had taken notice of her, otherwise she would be done for. Her grayish silver eyes stared at the silhouette of the larger ship and then her captain bellowed, "They're only big in size, fellas! Take 'er down!" a roar followed next, and she took cover behind the mast.
The events that followed next were nothing short of tragic. There was a blue light that surrounded the ship she was on, and her eyes landed on something she thought was mythical all her life. A phoenix was what she was staring at, and the bird hadn't taken notice of her yet. Then a loud voice bellowed, "Who is the captain of this ship?" it wouldn't take a genius to know who this voice belonged to. She held her breath, and stared ahead, seeing the bird drag her short captain out in front of the deck. A smirk went to her lips. 'He deserves this,' she told herself.
A moment later, she turned to the crow's nest of the ship, and knew she had to create diversion. A cloud was approaching the crow's nest and she knew she could use the cloud. She wasn't sure if they had taken notice of her, but she had to get away before they approached her. Her eyes darted to the blue bird, and her smirk vanished. There was no blue bird now, but on the place where the bird stood, stood a man with orange hair. 'A Zoan type…' She thought and turned back to the cloud that had so firmly caught her attention.
"How many pirates on this ship, Marco?" Whitebeard bellowed, and the girl hoped she was hidden well enough. "Fourteen, oyaji." She cussed. They had seen her! A second later, she was dragged forward by someone and she yelped as her head came in contact with the wooden floor of the ship. "She's a prisoner, oi." A voice said, and the girl sat up, the hood covering her face and her hands showing off the chains that bound her. Now escape was close to impossible. But, she had to try. "Release the prisoners." Whitebeard announced and her eyes widened.
She looked up to see a large man, no beard, but the light that was behind him, made it almost impossible to see his face. The hood fell from her head and her dirtied face made itself seen. Her shackles burned now more than ever, and a second later, they were off. She didn't ask him why, but like a bird that had now come free, a smile of satisfaction formed itself on her lips and she stood, wavering like a leaf exposed to a storm. "I don't think you should move, kid." The big man said, and she didn't care.
With one jump, she reached the crow's nest, gasps now surrounding her, and she grabbed the sack full of gold and held the flag of the pirate ship with her left hand. "Implode." She muttered for no one to hear, and the mast exploded violently, a screen of smoke cascading the entire ship. The bag of gold she had would sum up to at least one million beli, which was enough considering she didn't have mouths to feed. With a wide grin plastered on her face, and knowing that the light implosion wouldn't have hurt anybody, the girl hopped on the bowsprit, and turned back to see a bright blue light.
The phoenix had returned and this time, a half-man half-bird sprung to where she stood, and the girl looked down below to see nothing but water. But, that didn't faze her. "Where are you going, oi?" The male asked her, a little angry that she deceived them by pretending to be a helpless slave. She waved at him, and said, "Away from here. If I were you, I'd leave the ship, phoenix-kun, it's going to explode," She turned to Whitebeard who stood without any sense of fear and she grinned widely, "Thanks for helping me! I'll never forget this!" With that the girl turned away and muttered, "Wing." Colorless gusts surrounded her, lifted her up in the air and the girl glided through the atmosphere, away from the ship, forever out of their reach.
Marco would have honestly followed her right then, but Whitebeard stopped his first mate before that. "That girl was a thief, oyaji." Marco said and Whitebeard wasn't bothered. "The air wreaks of dynamite, son." Whitebeard said and Marco nodded. "She mentioned something of an explosion. Devil fruit, I think, oi." Marco said, and Whitebeard said, "Let's go, we have nothing to do here. Next time we see the girl, we'll get her back." Marco grinned and headed back to the Moby Dick and the minute they set foot back on their ship, the High Flo pirate ship exploded. "She planned this, I think."Thatch said, and Marco nodded."She's good at using that devil fruit. Whatever it is." Thatch chuckled. "She must have thought we were interested in the treasure, oyaji. Her plan wasn't to fight us at all." Whitebeard smirked.
"She didn't seem the type of person begging to die, lads." With that they set sail once again, the Whitebeard pirates moving on in their cruise.
It didn't faze her if they called her a cheat; as a matter of fact she called herself one to begin with. Her style was unquestionably cowardly, but if she were to fight she wouldn't back down. With the sack of gold over her shoulder, Emilia walked the streets of the town with a sense of pride, having survived two months of torture from a silly pirate crew and escaped the wrath of the Whitebeard pirates, Emilia believed her hard work was paying off. As a thief, she sometimes forgot her morale, but that didn't make her any less of a human than she was.
She was a pirate, living the life of one, she had no place in her heart for pity, love and emotion. She was supposed to be cruel, and she was supposed to be unruly, which she tried to be. She was strong, having conquered forests before, having killed sea-kings at the age of ten, she could see the money-exchange not too far off and her grin widened. The brown cloak that she used to wear was not around her body anymore, and that exposed her attire to the streets she walked on. Her attire screamed, 'Pirate' more than anything else, and her black locks cascading down her shoulders. She was covered in dirt, but she didn't care. All she wanted was money, and she was going to get it.
Emilia wore a strapless black top that reached her hip, and brown shorts that let her roam free. She had black boots on and a stone bracelet around her left shoulder that resembled a snake. She wasn't sure if it was a snake or a dragon, but either way, it was a memorandum which she didn't want to lose. Her hair reached her lower back, black and straight, and her grey eyes spoke of arrogance and intimidation. She stood right outside the exchange office and hummed. "One step closer, I just can't wait!" Her grin changed to a teethy-smile. She walked inside the building, and almost fifteen minutes later, she walked out with a briefcase stashed with cash.
Emilia then checked the name of the town, it was somewhere in the Grand Line the name didn't matter much to her, and she knew right away that she was being watched. From the moment she stepped inside the building she could feel eyes on her, but as long as the eyes stayed far away, she didn't care. 'With this I can begin my search.' She thought and walked down the island, and Emilia stopped on her tracks when she heard someone follow her. She was no idiot, and she continued walking, luring them to a lone spot so that she could apprehend them. Years of training helped her master Haki, a skill that someone had taught her, and with that she survived before she acquired her Devil fruit.
With a sudden jolt, Emilia jumped in the air and turned to see a trail of fire, her eyes widening at the sight before her. She jumped on a building, the people gathered around to see what was happening. Emilia frowned and looked for the source and upon finding the person who attacked her, and she jumped down again, her hold on the briefcase tightening. "Who the hell are you?" She voiced, and before she landed on the ground she realized that she had been surrounded. The male who exerted the fire grinned, and Emilia wondered if she had seen him before. He wore an orange hat on his head, a yellow button-down shirt which was left unbuttoned, and cargo pants. He looked no older than she was. He wasn't familiar.
He was a rookie. Emilia frowned thinking this rookie was after her money. "You're pretty jumpy, aren't you?" He asked her and Emilia cocked her eyebrow. She held on to the briefcase, and walked toward the male, counting the number of crew members he had with him. "Nine crew members, and with you – their captain, ten."Emilia said, and the attacker's eyes widened for a second. She stood her ground, and noticed the nine others gang up on her and Emilia took a deep breath. She huffed and frowned hard, emitting something only she knew how to control, and those around her collapsed, except the boy before her.
Emilia didn't understand how that was possible, unless the boy with the hat was actually strong. He did have a strange Devil fruit, after all. "What the…Conqueror's Haki?!" The boy exclaimed, and Emilia stepped forward and punched the boy, which he dodged in a brief second. "I'm a Logia type, you can't-"Emilia sprung forward and kicked the boy's stomach, sending him flying. "I hate egoistic pirates," Emilia let out and the boy groaned as he stood back up. "Especially Logia types who think they can do everything." Emilia stood her ground and waited.
"You're after the money aren't you?"Emilia asked him and the boy frowned. "I don't usually fight girls," he muttered and Emilia cocked her eyebrow. "Chivalry? Hmpf, I think that's idiotic." The male smirked and said, "What if I am after the money?" Emilia frowned and said, "You're retarded to think I'll let you have it." The boy chuckled once and noticed how his crew mates stood back up. "You guys okay? She can use Conqueror's Haki. Don't be put off." Emilia chuckled this time. "If they had brains, they will be." Emilia clicked her tongue.
She didn't have time for this. "Okay, listen up, boy." The male quirked his eyebrow. "If you want the money, then it's all yours. I have a favor to ask." The male laughed. "I don't think I'm interested in errands right now-""If you let me sail with you through the Grand Line to the New World, then the cash is all yours." The male seemed interested. "I don't need protection; I don't need anyone fighting for me if the Navy is after me either. I won't even be part of your crew. You simply have to let me sail with you." The male thought about it.
"Captain, I think that won't really be a problem." One of the other pirates said, and Emilia calmed down slightly. He had a fire Devil fruit. That could cause problems for her. "Alright. When we sail the Grand line, your treasure is mine." Emilia nodded and extended her hand to shake his. "Let's shake on this. And let me tell you this, I never go back on my word." The boy spat on the ground and said, "Everyone says that initially." Emilia frowned and said, "I don't make promises at all. So if I do, then I'll keep it."
With that, he shook her hand. "Name's Emilia. Lone pirate without a crew." The male smirked and said, "Portgas D. Ace. Pirate captain of the Spade Pirates." Emilia smirked. He didn't realize that she simply planned on using him.
Author's Note: Ah! Here's the Ace story that I've had in my head for like, AGES! Also, there are a few things I need to explain about this story. This has romance, but this does not in any way change the plot of how things went in the manga/anime. I was broken with how Ace's life was taken away, but coming to the story, One Piece wouldn't be able to move on without Ace's death. The OC (Emilia) in this story is my own. This story starts before Ace joined the Whitebeard pirates, and I already have a plot designed with how this story will move forward. I just hope I can keep everyone in character. She isn't Mary Sue, I know she can use Conqueror's Haki and everything, but there's a reason for everything I have mentioned above, which you will see in the coming chapters. Her Devil fruit abilities have not been explained either, but I will later on, and since this is just the first chapter I thought I'll maintain the suspense a little longer. Also, I've not translated 'oyaji' into 'Old Man' because 'oyaji' just sounds better.
This is nothing like the other stories I've written before, I have worked very hard on this, since I will be going slow with every chapter. My plan is to develop Emilia's character outline as well as I can, and I don't want it to be rushed. Slow updates alert! I am no longer a freshman in college, and sophomore year is more stressful than I imagined. Enough of that, hehehe. There will be a lot of detail and background of Ace's life before he became one of the Whitebeard pirates, and they will be how I design, after all this is fanfiction. I just hope this story turns out as good as it is in my head. Read and review, my dears~!
One Piece belongs to Eichiro Oda. My OC (Emilia) belongs to me.©