Disclaimer: Fanfiction. Really. I don't own One Piece.
This is just a drabble I thought of. From the perspective of Kuina's father.
"Kuina?" I called out. No answer. I knew she had come down here; she had been walking downstairs hoping no one would notice her.
The storage room was even more oppressive than usual, I noted darkly, afraid of what I might find. I whispered her name once more, my candle of hope dimming in the silence. Cautiously descending the stairs, my eyes scanned the room for anomalies. One stood out clear as day: the pale girl lying at the foot of the steps.
Blood pooled around her head, already congealing; her face was white and cold, life had been sucked out of her normally determined dark eyes. Her neck was bent at an abnormal angle; her body sprawled across the stone floor. I closed my eyes, sorrowfully solemn.
"I will become the world's greatest swordsman, just to show you!" Her words echoed in my ears. Her sweet voice, full of life, anger, resentment…
My words sounded harsh and cold in my own ears. "Kuina." I grimaced now. "A woman…" I shook my head, trying to stop the cruel onslaught of the memory. "A woman will never be able to become the world's best." Tears welled in my eyes. I bit my lip and wiped them away.
But the worst part… Her breath had caught in her throat; she was stunned, hurt, heartbroken… Her eyes shadowed over; her heart pierced by my cold words. And I sat there, stern and unmoving.
Her mother had gone so long ago…dead by an unfortunate accident. Kuina was my only kin, yet I had… Even before she was dead, I had delivered a fatal blow. She had wanted to be just like me, but I stole her dream. Tears streamed down my cheeks now. I was the only person she knew as family. But when she died… When she died she was alone.
No, I corrected myself, clenching my fists. It was true that I hadn't been there for her…but she wasn't alone. The truth hit me, painful in my gut.There was one person who was with her. The one who would take her death the hardest. The one who wouldn't be able to accept it.
He was there for her when I wasn't.
He believed in her when I didn't.
He was the last thing that past through her mind when she died. Her best friend, her only lifeline: Roronoa Zoro.
My first story; please review. Constructive criticism is appreciated.