Demon Piece: Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I don't own the setting or some of the ideas used, obviously. Actually, the vast majority of the settings and ideas that I don't own are from One Piece. It is only loosely a One Piece/ Inuyasha crossover, mostly a One Piece fanfiction. Again, I'm not going to run into this shouting: "I own One Piece AND Inuyasha and all of these ideas are MIIIINNNNEEEE!" That would be stupid... So there, the Disclaimers over, yeah.
Demon Piece: Prologue : Calm Before the Storm
It was eerily quiet on Raftel, and the wispy, crimson mist just added to the creepy environment. A few dead, ripped up trees lay drooped over black grass.
The island, Raftel, had been corrupted by an ancient treasure called the Demon Piece. The Demon Piece had been a target for many pirates, because it gave the keeper immense demonic power that had been sought after for many years. However, very few pirates had ever been able to see the jewel, let alone attain it.
Raftel's silence was broken when a huge ship crashed into the crumbling rocks on the shore. Scraps of wood and iron from the ship shot in all directions, along with chunks of rock.
A few pirates leapt out of the battered ship, followed by an entire crew, armed with guns, swords, and the works. A low, gravelly voice became audible.
"We made it..." A man at the front of the crew croaked. Lit by the moonlight, it was clear that he had been through numerous battles. His clothes were in tatters, and his face and skin were coated with scars, gashes, and bruises. Everybody else behind him didn't look any better.
Anybody who wanted to get on to Raftel had to fight with masses of other pirates after the Demon Piece on the Grand Line, the centre of the world's oceans. The Grand Line was extremely treacherous, full of power-hungry pirates set on getting their hands on the demonic treasure.
The pirate crew stumbled and limped across the shadowy island, looking for the Demon Piece. A voice sounded from inside of the injured crowd. ``I think I see something! `` A pirate exclaimed, motioning towards what appeared to be a small altar. A glowing, scarlet jewel lay on the top of a red and black stand.
The brawny man at the front of the crew, presumably the captain, grinned, walking up to the Demon Piece. His eyes darted around restlessly, scanning the barren landscape for any sign of danger. Once the coast seemed clear, he approached the treasure, stopping next to the altar and reaching for the jewel. The wind whistled ominously, and then suddenly, everything exploded into chaos.
The moon turned blood red, and the slow breeze turned into a fearsome gale, sweeping the pirate off of his feet and sprawling him across the ground. The Demon Piece fell out of his grasp and fell onto the craggy dirt, shattering into hundreds of shards which shot in all directions, eventually disappearing from sight. The captain staggered up to his feet, only to be knocked back down. Massive waves closed in on Raftel in all directions, lit red from the sinister blood moon.
The pirate leader, finally managing to get up despite the fierce gusts, heard bloodcurdling screams. He gasped.
Screams of the dying...
Screams of his crew!
The gigantic waves crashed against the shore, and everything went black.
Demon Piece: Chapter One:
"You have to pay for that, kid."
"I'll pay you back later."
"Pay NOW." The bartender said firmly.
"Fine..." Riko slapped a few coins onto the bartender's callused hand, munching loudly on a drumstick.
The bartender reluctantly ambled away, muttering under his breath.
Riko sighed and slumped tiredly on his wooden chair, scraping the remains of the meat off of his meal and getting up from his chair, quickly leaving the noisy bar.
Walking by the paved seaside sidewalk, Riko dreamily glanced out at the sea, which seemed as quiet as ever as the sun set over the horizon. He'd always had some sort of ambition to be a pirate, but it was apparently extremely dangerous and he didn't have much skill in terms of fighting.
Riko had walked by the seaside for a few minutes before he saw something strange coming towards the shore, barely within his line of sight. He squinted to have a better look. It was a ship, but... Riko glanced at the black flag, which bore the unmistakable shape of the Jolly Roger. Riko gulped.
Pirates.
Before he knew it, Riko broke into a sprint.
What would pirates be doing here? Why they come to a town like this?
The thoughts swam around in Riko's head.
What does this place have that's valuable enough for pirates to want?
The bank doesn't have much money, this village is poor... The Devilfruit?
The Devilfruit!
Riko skidded around a corner, heading for the shrine. Of course the pirates would be after the Scythe-Scythe Devilfruit, it would grant them a ton of power. The fruit had been there for as long as Riko could remember, and would give anybody who ate it the power of being able to turn any of their body parts into blades, at the cost of never being able to swim again.
Riko finally arrived at the Devilfruit altar and skidded to a stop, panting for breath. He'd beaten the pirates to it, but soon realized how much danger he'd put himself in. A distant noise of footsteps and laughing became increasingly audible until Riko could see the pirate crew in the distance. He gulped and glanced at the Devilfruit and then quickly back to the advancing pirates, who looked even tougher than Riko had expected. Flintlocks and cutlasses were strapped to their belts, and their faces glinted with numerous battle scars. A larger man lead the band of pirates, who seemed like the captain, judging by his black hat which resembled a fabric arrowhead.
Riko clenched his teeth as the pirates drew closer and stopped in front of the ornamental glass case which held the Devilfruit.
"You can't take it." Riko blurted, receiving glares from a few members of the crew.
He repeated it again, louder. "You can't have the Devilfruit."
The captain glanced up at him and took a step forward, drawing his cutlass. Riko gulped.
"If yer not gonna let us at the Devilfruit, I'll just finished you off right here." The captain said in a heavily accented voice, a mad look in his eye.
Riko backed up, which resulted in bumping against the Devilfruit's altar. Suddenly, the captain's cutlass swung towards Riko's head, who ducked just in time. The pirate kicked Riko hard, and he sprawled onto the cold stone ground.
Riko struggled to get up, his vision blurry. The sound of glass shattering rang out in his ears. Riko saw the out of focus figure of the pirate captain, the Devilfruit in his hand.
No.
"NO!" Riko yelled as he charged towards the pirate, knocking the Devilfruit out of the captain's grubby hand and catching it in his outstretched palm. Riko then dashed past the pirates, down the cobble path and out of sight.
"GET HIM!" Riko heard the captain yell as he sprinted even faster, skidding around a corner and running into a dead end.
Riko squeezed his eyes shut and looked at the Devilfruit in his hand. The pirates were getting closer, he could hear their angered voices as they neared the dead end that he'd ran into.
What if I eat the Devilfruit?
The townspeople would be angry...
The ever louder sounds of the pirates were blaring in his ears. He had no other choice. Before he could even think, the Devilfruit had already slid down his throat.