DISCLAIMER
I do not own One Piece. This is a work of fan fiction written by myself, borrowing the characters and world from the mangaka writer, Oda Eiichirō. Thank you.

AUTHOR NOTE
Firstly, If anyone is interested in BETA/proofreading for me, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I'd really appreciate the help! n.n

Secondly, this is my first serious fan fiction (if we count my very, very, awful attempts from when I was twelve). I'm sorry if it feels a little slow, I'm trying to establish my own character's life and routine before jumping in with the straw hats. I will be learning as I go, so I do appreciate criticism, but please don't be mean.. I'm sensitive. As a long-time fan fiction reader, I'm writing this story more for myself than for anyone else. I'm very tired of all the anyoneXoc One Piece self-inserts, so I wrote this to appease my own greedy appetite. I hope some of you enjoy the road with me.

Much love, Aizeah xo

CHAPTER ONE- Behold the Wicked Child

I had spent exactly eight days without so much as leaving the walls of the castle. I had read sixteen of the books in the library (though I'd already read all of them at least five times before) baked six cakes (though four were burned), written ten poems (though eight didn't rhyme), and filled eight pages full of drawings (though they were all horrible, horrible, mindless doodles). I was done with looking out the window, over the town it was my family's 'duty to protect'.

My family built this castle atop Golden Rock. The story goes that according to the natives, Golden Rock is a point closest to the heavens. In order to prove to the gods they were worthy of settling here, they had to battle a giant oni. Only one could slay him, and it was my great-some-odd-Uncle Kohza. There was an entire book written about it, called "The Adventure of Kohza", and we held a copy in the library. I knew it was just a story made in order to account for collecting tax from the townsfolk and for ruling over them. In reality we were a distant colony of Alabasta, nothing more - but many of the townsfolk chose to believe the story was true. They probably believed because of all of the dangers here in the New World and enjoyed living under the facade of protection. Of course there were many natural dangers here - there were more dangerous species on this island than I could count, not to mention the giant sea kings lurking just off the coast - but thanks to this damn pirate era, the villages on the outskirts of the city were raided monthly. More money was put into the royal guard to protect our people, but naturally their priority is to keep the castle safe. Corrupted royalty? Go figure.

I ran my fingers through my long, curly hair. Damn, I wanted to go outside more than anything. I could practically hear my fathers hoarse words .. "Akira, you must stay inside... You need to keep your strength for the wedding..." That damn wedding. Father was very ill, and wanted to make sure I would have someone to take care of me once he was gone. I hated him thinking I couldn't take care of myself. It pained me seeing him so ill, knowing it wouldn't be long before I met my own similar demise. Speaking of which, I wan't going to spend my precious hours sitting around in this damn castle! It was time to go see the village.

I began making my way to the library, being careful no one in the halls would see me. When I was younger, Jun of the royal guard taught me basic kenbunshoku haki*. I was in no way a master, but it was useful in sneaking around the home that doubled as my prison. It wasn't long before I sensed someone coming my way.

"Ah, Akira. Fancy seeing you here," Alaois, my fiancé, greeted cooly. "Where are you off too? Not outside I should hope."

"No, just going for a walk to calm my nerves for the big day, sweetie," I tried to reply sounding genuine. I had been made to take an entire course on etiquette, and how to be a proper lady, so as to please my future husband. I mostly just learned I would have to act like a bimbo and use disgustingly sweet terms like "sweetie" and "hun" to please him.

He leaned forwards, his forehead inches from mine. I could feel his breath tingling on my lips; his eyes holding my gaze. Slowly, he inched forwards and I took a step backwards.

"My, my.. Still shy are we? You can't do that at the wedding, I hope you know!" he mocked. "Anyways, I'm off for a meeting with your father.. I'll see you tonight."

How I detested him. He was my fourth cousin. That's right, I'm going to marry in the family and have inbred children. "Oh, it's okay, because he is enough generations away!" "We want you to marry in the family, so that the royal castle is given only to those in the family" "He is your family already, so it should be easy to get along!" These were the words spoken to me when I tried to protest. It disgusted me. I hoped I would die before I bear his nasty inbred children.

Once Alaois was out of sight, I slipped into the library. It was quiet. Nothing but myself and the rows of books. This was my sanctuary. Here I could escape from my problems, and live in a world of wonder and adventure. I could travel to far away lands, where dragons and knights existed. I could travel anywhere in the world - the first half of the grand line, or even Raftel. I could travel to winter islands and almost feel the crunch of the snow beneath my feet with every world of the story, or to summer islands and feel another trickle of sweat as I turned each page. I could escape my own problems and go on adventures anywhere, anytime!

The library was my sanctuary for more than that reason alone, though. Here, there was one window I could fit out of, and rarely was this section of the castle patrolled, thanks to the large wall on the outside. I opened the window that stood about a foot taller than my head. I pulled myself up and peeked outside, making sure I was alone, before quickly jumping out and landing quietly on the grass below. Without a moment of hesitation, I scaled the tall stonework wall that encircled the castle and ran until I was definitely safe under the cover of the trees. I began at an easy pace down to the town.

I took the long way around, walking down the shoreline. I could see more ships in the harbour than last time I had come down to the village, though it had been almost three months since I actually wandered there. Most of the time when I left, I trained in the woods with the three-section-staff Jun had gifted me when I was little. I was quite a skilled warrior before my inherited illness surfaced. I was training to be in the royal guard. I could still pack a punch, but it was nothing like it was when I was seventeen.

I took off my shoes and felt the sand under my toes. The warm water rolling in with the tide felt good on my feet and ankles. I rolled my pants up to my knees and waded up to mid-calf. I picked up a small crab I saw hiding under a rock. I missed the ocean. This beach was my second home when my mum was still alive. We use to go crab-hunting almost every day. We strung seashells into wind chimes, bracelets, and headbands. We burned driftwood and were surprised by the vibrant greens, blues and lavenders in the flame every time.

"Missing her again, are you?" a familiar voice called.

"Jun!" I squealed, happy to see him. He had long since retired from the royal guard and lived with his family in the city now. I ran towards him and jumped, latching my legs around his torso and splashing water in the process.

"Hey, hey! You're not a kid anymore.. You have to stop that," he teased, even though he embraced my hug. "Lets head down to the bar. We can catch up! I've missed you, Kira!"

As we passed the harbour, I faintly noticed a couple of boats proudly displaying jolly rogers, especially one bearing a straw hat. It felt very familiar, but I couldn't put on finger on just where I knew it from. It didn't give it much thought. Although many pirates came to raid our peaceful homes, many of them were here for the two weeks it takes for the log pose to set and spent lots of money on ale, food, and general shopping.

Jun and I made our way to the bar as he rambled off about his family. His son was now ten years old and, of course, a martial arts prodigy. His wife was pregnant with their second born, and suffering many mood swings, but they were very much in love. I envied the look in his eyes as he spoke of her, knowing that Alaois would never speak of me in such a way, and I would certainly never come close to feeling such an emotion. Although I knew I could speak to Jun about anything, I feared talking to him about Alaois. Not only did speaking about it make my situation feel more real, I didn't want to ruin our friendly reuniting.

We entered the bar. Being the afternoon and the middle of the week, it wasn't packed, but there were enough people in there for it to be lively. Jun ordered sake, and I ordered ale. As we chatted, Jun defiantly had too much to drink. He was slurring his words, and laughing too much at everything. I wasn't at all surprised when his wife came in, making a big scene.

"Jun? I knew I'd find your sorry ass here!" she yelled, and Jun gave her a drunken half smile. "Do you know what YOUR child did today?! He damn near took a kids bloody arm off, for fucks sake! And here you are, getting wasted!..." It was then that she noticed me, and instantly turned pleasant. "...Oh, hi Kira! Long time no see! Sorry about my husband here, he's just a sorry old drunk. It's time for him to go home now. Feel free to stop by for dinner any time! Chao! ~"

'Jun wasn't kidding about her mood swings' I thought to myself as I watch her drag him off, hitting him repeatedly in the head as she spoke so nicely to me. It felt like the whole bar was staring, and it made me squirm a little uncomfortably. Soon though, the bar went back to normal and everyone was consumed in their own lives and stories.

I pulled a book out of my satchel. I had already read the book enough times that I knew it like the back of my hand. I opened it to a random page, and soon I was immersed in a world of adventure, freedom, and romance. I quietly sat at the end of the bar, sipping on my ale and enjoying my book. I didn't even notice a green-haired man sit next to me - the last open chair of the bar seats.

"Who comes to the bar to read a book?" he asked me, before chugging half a glass of sake.

I looked up, and recognized him immediately. He was first mate of the infamous pirate crew that waged war with the world government and got away with it. The pirate crew that had disappeared for two years and everyone presumed dead or disbanded. I had read about the nefarious pirate crew, and realized where I recognized the jolly roger in the harbour from. I felt my heart skip a beat in fear, and I could feel a lump growing in my throat. I was sitting next to Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro.

The Straw Hat Pirates were alive and well in Gold City.

*(Colour of) observation haki