Hey guys!
So it's been literally forever since I wrote anything at all. So I'm going to go ahead and apologize if my writing's a little bit rusty.
As usual, ONE PIECE and it's characters don't belong to me. But my OC does :D
Prologue – Shipwrecked
Yukiryu Island, Grand Line – 12 years ago
The sun was just beginning to rise over the solitary mountain's peak when the Marine ship pulled into harbor. Marines bundled into their winter uniforms ran across the ship as it docked, occasionally slipping on the ice steadily forming on the deck despite their best efforts. From the shore the locals watched through their windows or from the streets, while a few helpful sailors clambered to the docks to help the enormous ship secure itself. When the ship was secure, the ship's commanding officer disembarked and made his way into town accompanied by a handful of officers.
Tall and lean, the man fit in easily with the town's fair-haired inhabitants, although his weather worn skin gave him away as a sailor used to more temperate climates. The captain's coat he wore slung over his shoulders did little to keep the chill at bay but he showed outward signs of cold. At the town's main plaza, the marines were greeted by who they assumed was the town's mayor; a short man with graying hair and a kind face. As they approached, the man called out to them hospitably.
"Ah, Captain! Thank you for coming, I realize we're a fairly remote island in the grand scheme of things."
The captain shook his head good-naturedly. "Not to worry. We were stationed not too far from here. Now, what seems to be the problem?"
The mayor fidgeted for a moment then, with a forced sort of casualness about him, he motioned for the group of marines to follow him further into town. He spoke carefully but quickly, occasionally glancing up at a shop window or down an alley in a suspiciously nervous fashion.
"I don't know how much of my message was relayed to you, Captain, but about a fortnight ago a ship appeared on the horizon just south of here. It was barely staying afloat it was so badly damaged. So we sent out a couple of small retrieval boats to see if there were any survivors…"
The mayor trailed off as a group of women shuffled past them in the early morning chill, smiling and exchanging greetings as they went. He turned to watch them go, and only when they were out of earshot did he resume his tale.
"Now I wasn't there myself, but the men we sent out swear on their lives there was no one on the ship but one little girl. And now I don't mean no one as in 'everybody was dead' either. She was the only thing on that ship, Captain. No cargo, no supplies, just her."
The captain frowned. "You're positive of this?"
The mayor cleared his throat. "Well as I said, I wasn't there in person. But the men we sent are honest folk."
The group stopped as they arrived at the mayor's residence. The largest building on the street, the stone structure rose four floors up. The steep slant of the wooden roof looming high above the other smaller buildings nearby, and looking as though it was attempting to harpoon the sky. The mayor rested his hand lightly on the doorknob, turning back and looking over the group of marines once more.
"There's one more thing you should know, Captain. Before you see her."
The man in question raised one eyebrow questioningly and crossed his arms over his chest. Rocking back on his heels slightly, he took stock of the street surrounding them. Despite the early morning and sunshine, the area was completely deserted. No children playing in the streets, no mothers doing chores, not even light foot traffic. He turned his attention back to the mayor and motioned for him to continue.
"You need to understand, people here… well, it's hard for them not to get superstitious. They-"
The captain interjected before the man could get any more jumbled. "Mayor. We're not accusing you of anything. We just need to know the facts."
"The facts. Right. Of course."
The man dabbed at his forehead where sweat was collecting despite the below freezing temperatures. He shot one last nervous look over his shoulder at the interior of his domain before steeling himself and slowly confessing.
"They're saying she's a witch."
"Who are?"
"The men who found her, the towns' folk, everyone."
"Is there any particular reason they think that?"
Again, the mayor paused and allowed his eyes to dart nervously around, before sighing and seeming to resign himself.
"The men that went to the ship, they told me when they came back that there was no way that ship should have been afloat at all. Not with the damage it had sustained. And then, as soon as the girl was on dry land, the whole thing just collapsed! Folded in on itself like it was being crushed from the outside."
The captain shifted uncertainly. Mysterious girls appearing on empty ships was one thing, but ships miraculously staying afloat and then collapsing for no apparent reason were an entirely different story altogether.
"Was there anything else, Mr. Mayor?"
The man had already turned and begun fiddling with the latch when something seemed to occur to him.
Mumbling into the doorframe the mayor admitted, "There is… one more thing. I don't know how to explain it, but she knows things. About people. Things she couldn't possibly know."
"Things? Like what?"
Another sigh left the mayor. He seemed to have aged twenty years over the course of their conversation.
"I can't really explain it. Easier for you to just see for yourself."
. . . . .
The mayor's home was warm and cozy, with wooden floors, lightly painted walls, and the kind cute matching furniture that made it evident who did the decorating in the household. Framed pictures of his family lined walls and shelves in all the major rooms and several hallways, yet there was no one in sight when they entered. Above them, nothing stirred on the upper floors. Disturbed by the mayor's previous comments about the child and the unusual stillness of the house, the captain ordered several of his men to stand guard both outside the house and in the foyer, before taking a couple of officers up with him to the top floor.
The rest of the house was much the same as the first floor had been; cozy and welcoming if not for the unnerving stillness. The girl was being kept on the third floor, in a spare bedroom with its own adjoining bathroom and living room. A room normally used exclusively for receiving important guests. Barely a step into the room the captain froze, finding the girl standing a few paces back from the door staring up at him as though she had been expecting him for quite some time. Small, pale, and fragile looking, she watched him out of big doe eyes the color or melted caramel, with her head titled to the side and her unruly blue-green hair spilling over her shoulders.
"Captain Marlow." She greeted quietly. "You're here to take me away aren't you?"
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Constructive feedback is always very much welcome :)