Curses of the Sea
Water is one of the most curious elements on the planet. It covers more than three quarters of our world. It is a requirement for life, as far as science can tell us. And yet, for all its abundance, no matter how much we take it for granted, mankind has always been drawn to it in its most unpredictable form: the sea. The seas created life, so it has been said, but those powerful waters also have the ability to take it away just as easily. Many who venture out onto the serene, blue world never return. Others, well, let's just say that death might have been a kinder fate because of what they have seen, what they have experienced. Have you ever seen a ship return, its crew all but stumbling back onto land, safe and predictable land? Have you ever gazed into the depths of sunken eyes, seen them clouded and unresponsive because of horrors they will never tell? The sea is a fickle entity. She rules her own domain and those who try to become her master don't often live long enough to try. Only the brave souls who accept the sea for what it is, an element in its own right, not to be contained or ruled over, will return safely back to port. Only they will learn the rules, the quirks, and the temper tantrums that make safe voyages possible, even through the worst of weather.
Cabin boys and Captains, Marines and Pirates alike all know the different sides of the sea. The sea takes no sides in any conflict, and who it favors on any day is simply a roll of the dice. She may hand you victory one day and snatch it back the next. As cruel and sadistic as the sea can be, sea goers also know her gentle side. The side that rocks you gently to sleep at night, as a mother would her precious child. The giving side that provides food when there is nowhere else to land. The tranquil side which eases all your troubles away. It is because of the sea's unpredictable nature that men are drawn to it. A true sense of adventure, one that can always turn deadly no matter how well or far ahead you've planned.
And yet, for all the space the sea takes up, for all the people who have traversed its waves, mankind knows surprisingly little about it. No one knows for sure what goes on beneath its depths, what mighty things grow on its floor…
Now, many of you have heard the tale of Adam and Eve. God cast them out of the Garden of Eden because they dared to disobey him and eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The story has been around for centuries, but the people who wrote the original would be hard pressed to figure out how it had changed so much. Take away the garden, the sinners, even the god. What is left is the Tree of Knowledge. Now add not a god, but the sea herself in all her majestic beauty, appearing in human form to small group of very shocked humans. Mix it all together and created is a pact between the sea and mankind, guarded closely over millennia by the descendants of the clan that made the agreement. The sea gained protectors, body guards to defend her from a force even she feared. What did the humans gain? Power, but with a terrible curse, for the sea prefers to play it safe.
Mankind obtained the Devil Fruits.
A/N: well...was it a good opening? I hope it was. This is going to be a multi-chap, no idea how long. Hopefully I can live up to your expectations of One Piece stories. Anyway, review if you'd like, although you can wait a chapter if you want because this was mostly a kind of prologue with some background info. XD