At your Service
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or its characters. I only own my OCs and the plot.
Chapter 1: Blood Blood, Oh what a Pretty Red you are
"Did you hear? Some weird foreign crew docked here today," Jock said taking a swig on his beer, "Pirates."
The other two drinkers looked at him as if he's just stated the obvious.
"That's the only ship with a pirate flag that's docked out there, Jock," deadpanned Issip, "Everyone saw it."
"But don't you find it annoying that those damned foreigners wouldn't leave us alone," Jock slurred sloshing his beer in the mug, "I mean, they come here to steal our silver."
"That's the East Blue Trading Company for you," Outs chipped in downing his shot of scotch, "But then again, the island wouldn't be as prosperous as of now without them."
"They don't belong here," Jock persisted, "They look weird. They talk weird. They act weird. And their values and greed are totally against our beliefs."
"Sure," Outs said looking longingly at the line of alcohol bottles on display on the bar wall, "That's what all the elders say."
"Don't tell me you've gone against us," Jock growled.
"No, no," Outs said holding his hands out in defense, "But I do make a good point here. The foreigners are just here for trade. That's all. They mean nothing to us other than that."
"That better be all there is," Jock said slurping up the last of the beer, "But what about those pirates? The elders didn't say anything about them. Do you think they're up to no good?"
Issip rolled his eyes. Jock has been like this since that incident. He wasn't always like this. He didn't give a damn about them foreigners and so did the rest of the town but after that incident, everyone seemed to have got a different attitude towards any foreigners that turn up on the Island of Songs.
"If they didn't say nothing, I say we leave them be," Issip said, "They haven't done anything."
"Not yet they haven't," Jock said darkly, "You never know what they're going to try. Any sign of them out of line, I won't hesitate to burn their pretty little ship down along with them."
Issip sighed drinking the remaining beer he had in his mug. He felt a little sorry for those foreign pirates. It was really bad timing for them to come at a time like this. But he couldn't do anything about that, it was their problem not his after all.
The girl spat out the metallic tasting spit out of her mouth. Red drops splattered onto the brown dirt. More blood. She giggled deliriously.
"What a pretty red color…" she giggled some of the blood dripping down her chin, "Like…peeled apple skin."
More blood dripped down onto the dirt. Not that she cared anymore. A little blood leaking out from her mouth was the least of her worries.
Her back was practically sliced to ribbons of flesh and skin and her once white button up shirt was in tatters stained rusty red with her dried blood. Her right eye was swollen up and her jaw was throbbing rhythmically with waves of pain from the broken jaw bone. Her whole face felt like it was on fire. She had heard cracks coming from her ribs during her last beating and assumed they were all broken. Her breathing became labored and it hurt just to breathe. Her legs felt numb. Her arms hung lifelessly from the position they tied her up against the stake. Her neck was also getting very stiff and painful from being in that position for almost a month. Her stomach was growling loudly begging for food but she knew she wouldn't get any. Her tongue felt as dry as the sandpaper she used for sanding wooden planks.
In short, she was pretty much a very pitiful example of a human being. Bloody, broken and starved half to death but not quite. Her death was to be a spectacle. An event to be watched by all. She deserved it. After all, she was the cursed one. Sinner below all sinners. Lowest of the low. Not deserving to be a human being anymore. A demon is more appropriate to describe her.
She ate it. A fruit that was cursed. That Cursed Serpent Fruit. That is why she is deserving of a punishment as severe as this. All this torture and punishment from just one bite of an innocent looking fruit.
"Pretty red," she laughed again as more blood dripped down as she spoke.
"The locals don't seem to be very keen on us being here," Usopp said nervously as they walked through the marketplace.
Once there was lively shouts and the usual hustle and bustle but when the Straw Hat Pirates came there to restock on several things (namely food), the atmosphere suddenly became tense and everyone either started shooting them dirty looks or walked away quickly, hoping to avoid them. The shopkeepers weren't being friendly either as most of them either told them to go away and shop elsewhere. This was also beginning to piss Nami off after being brushed off oh so rudely more than once.
"This is like that island where I met Zoro all over again," Luffy laughed out reminiscing the time when they found Zoro on that particular island, "The people here sure are interesting!"
Zoro frowned at the memory but Usopp and Nami had no idea what he was talking about.
"They should be glad that I'm willing to pay to buy their stuff," Nami growled shooting back a few locals some glares for staring at them, "What's the matter with these people?"
"We've got the things we need so we should leave," Zoro said a hand on one of his three swords just in case any of them tried anything funny, "They don't want us here."
"You think?" Nami shot back arranging some of the bags she was carrying in her arms.
As they neared the other end of the street which they assumed would lead them back to the docks, a sharp metallic smell stung their noses. Nami wrinkled up her nose at the smell and the other three also seemed to be uncomfortable at the smell.
"What…is that smell?" Nami said putting a hand over her nose and mouth to block out the smell.
"I don't know," Usopp replied doing the same, "What's with this smell?"
Luffy just stuck his tongue out at the smell in disgust, "Man these people have no sense of hygiene!"
"Says you," Zoro rolled his eyes at him. Luffy had a tendency to forget to put his dirty clothes in the laundry so his clothes tend to stink up the boys' quarters on the Thousand Sunny much to the discomfort of the others.
"Why is this part of town so deserted?" Usopp asked suddenly noticing the first half of this street was full of people and this part was practically empty. Even the houses that lined the street on this half were empty. No one was here except for them.
"Probably because of the smell," Nami replied still having her hand on her nose and mouth, "Let's just go back. I can't stand this."
Nami, Usopp and Zoro turned to the other direction but Luffy stayed put making them stop in confusion.
"What is it, Luffy?" Usopp asked him raising a brow, "Let's just go. The smell here's getting to me."
"Blood," he suddenly said.
It suddenly dawned on them. This metallic smell. They know it. It's blood. Luffy continued walking down the street in pursuit for the source of the smell.
"Hey wait Luffy!" Usopp cried out trying to stop him by putting a firm hand on his shoulder, "People are staying away from here for a reason! I think we should just go back to the ship!"
"He's right," Nami added huffing, "I don't want to find out just what is behind this smell…"
"You go," Luffy said his decision set in stone, "I'm going to find out."
"Fine," Nami said walking away "Just come back to the ship before dark. And don't get lost."
Usopp looked at Nami and then back at Luffy trying to decide just who to go with but then he shot off to catch up with Nami.
"I'm going with you," Zoro said walking up besides him, "Besides, you need someone to babysit you."
Luffy just gave his first mate a friendly Cheshire Cat like grin.
"This way," Luffy said sniffing the air and pointing in a direction. Zoro just nodded and followed his captain.
Luffy and Zoro stopped when they suddenly reached a huge open space. They left the town behind them and before them was a huge empty space of just brown dusty dirt and open blue sky. The smell of blood seemed to be stronger around here.
The two eventually reached a trail of red- more blood. Judging by the way the blood stained the dirt, something or someone was dragged with huge open wounds. The trail seemed old being a dark brownish red.
"Follow the trail," Luffy said following the trail of dried blood.
Zoro was beginning to feel a little uneasy. The town looked pretty safe and normal (though the locals have been very unfriendly to them so far) from the looks of it but what was this? Would the townspeople ignore such obvious bloodstains and the foul stench of blood? What are they hiding? It was suspicious.
"There!" Luffy suddenly shouted and broke out in a run. Zoro followed suit confused at just what the captain was going at.
Then he saw it-a huge wooden stake with a person tied to it.
"A person?" Zoro said out loud. He remembered being tied up like that. All too well.
"Let's see!" Luffy said running faster.
The two finally got close enough and the smell of blood was so overpowering that even Zoro was beginning to feel dizzy. The sight that greeted them would be horrifying to almost anyone.
It was indeed a person tied to a large wooden stake in the fashion Zoro was once before. They couldn't even tell if the person was a man or a woman because of how badly he was injured. Blood seemed to seep from every pore in his skin as he was completely covered with the stuff. Cuts and gashes and bruises and wounds were everywhere. His short dark hair stuck to his face and was sticky with blood. The blood stained shirt he was wearing was reduced to scarps of cloth hanging by threads. And from the sound of it, this person was still breathing. He was alive- but barely.
"Oi, you," Luffy said to the bloody person, "Are you alive?"
To their surprise, the person laughed out breaking the silence.
"More hallucinations?" the person snickered in a strained voice, "More of you coming to kill me? I'm afraid I can't die just yet! I have a strict schedule you see!"
And then more delirious laughter. Zoro couldn't help feeling a little sickened and disturbed by this. Luffy remained himself- seemingly oblivious and curious.
"I'm not a hallu- whatever you call it," Luffy said puffing up his cheeks, "What's your name?"
"You, sir," the person said his, "Are either a figment of my imagination or a very silly delusional person. I'm more believing to the first choice."
Again, his words were followed with maniacal laughing as if he had had just said a very funny joke.
"But if you must know," the person's voice changed to a feminine one, one that the person sounded most normal- if that was possible to say, "My name is Zephyr! Miss Zephyr to you! Pleased to meet you good sirs! Very pleased to meet you and you!"
So this crazy person was a girl.
"What happened to you?" Zoro questioned.
"Ah but one question, good sir!" Zephyr interrupted Zoro, "Is that green I see on you?"
"That's his hair," Luffy giggled and then grinned pointing at Zoro's green moss like hair, "Interesting isn't it?"
"Interesting yes. Intriguing yes," Zephyr blabbed on giggling returning a bloody toothy grin, "Like trees. Moss! No more like moss!"
"Ha! She also says your hair's like moss as well!" Luffy laughed out pointing at the now angry Zoro.
"What happened to you?" Zoro repeated ignoring the comment.
"How long has it been since I've seen a tree?" the girl ignored his question, "A green leaf. Leaves of green. Green flash at sundown."
"Maybe we should just get her out of here," Luffy said finally having stopped laughing at Zoro, "Chopper should be able to treat her wounds. She's a tough one so she'll survive."
"Agreed," Zoro said.
He took out a sword and just as he was about to cut the ropes binding her, a piercing very inhuman shriek pierced the once silent air. It was as if a thousand banshees were screaming at their loudest mingled with the sound of the high pitched howling wind.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the delusional girl suddenly became hysterical at the sight of the silver blade, "GO AWAY!"
"Hey! What's your problem?" Zoro said annoyed and continued to slice the ropes but he was met with a boot to the head. Zephyr seemed to have gained enough energy to kick him in the face- hard. He also dropped the sword in his shock.
"Oof!"
"BE GONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"Hey, crazy lady," Luffy said walking a little closer, "We're just trying to get you out of here you know."
The girl looked up for the first time and they saw her eyes were definitely not normal. A piercing gold color and the pupils were slits- like a snake's. Snake eyes. To make it even more unnerving, the girl's voice changed.
"LEAVE THIS PLACE AT ONCE!" It was as if a huge beast twenty times was roaring at them. Gone was the feminine light airy tone. Weird eyes. Changing voices. They weren't imagining it. But then again, they've seen weirder things.
"Just what is with this woman?" Zoro shouted picking up his dropped sword.
"LEAVE! BEGONE!" the girl continued to roar at them in that very inhuman voice, "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"