An Odyssey
Disclaimer – One Piece and its characters belong to Eiichiro Oda.
Chapter 1, The Princess
Once upon a time, in a faraway island, there lived a very beautiful princess; so beautiful that even angels felt ashamed to be around her. Her name was Umeko – a fitting name for someone as beautiful as the plum blossom. Princes from all over came to ask for her hand, but she usually had complaints against them all. She always thought she deserved better. She was vain, never satisfied.
Acting like a total bitch and torturing poor civilians was her daily routine. Though she looked noble and gracious, her heart was as shriveled up as a dried rose petal. She took pleasure from others' sufferings. She loved hearing about the woes of her citizens, only to discard those sorrows away without paying much attention. Her life went about this way ever since she was born. All know - royalties want to be suckled up.
One day, she heard that a band of pirates had docked on her land. Word went around that the captain was sort of a maniac. Rumors said he was very strong too – well he had to be, to have travelled so far across the New World. It was also said that he was very cruel, and that his crew was well known for causing casualties to civilians. Well, it was none of her concern, as long as they didn't trouble her and her palace; civilians be damned.
IN THE CITY
It had been a few days since the landing of the pirates. One fine day, Umeko was going around scouring the city for something entertaining - when she suddenly heard a loud crashing sound. She saw people running out of a bar, looking terrified and scared. She watched the scene unfold. A big guy came busting through a wall. Another one followed suit. It was rather amusing to watch, since the town was usually very peaceful. A masked guy with beautiful long blond locks came flying out of nowhere. His hair was prettier than any girl's could ever be. Another guy closely resembling a zombie, and another one dressed like a stripper in a devil costume came next. She watched them from a fair distance. After a minute or two of watching those weird men beat the shit out of some poor souls, she decided she loved brawls. But nothing in her life had prepared her for what happened next: she saw a flash of red.
It was chaotic, everyone was running, everyone was yelling. Her faithful guards were nagging her to move. But she couldn't. That shade of red, it was all she could see. She realized she had her eyes hooked on that beautiful red thingy, when she caught a sight of what see was staring at. Or rather, whom. Their eyes met. Those angry red eyes and that frightening frown – it surely could scare the strongest of men. She wanted to run, but she couldn't. She was fixated – he was beautiful: that guy with the red hair.
Without knowing what she was doing she walked towards the guy. She wanted to get closer. Something was drawing her to that guy. But one of her guards dragged her out of the mess, and before she knew what was happening, she was in her carriage, pulling out of the confusion.
BACK AT THE PALACE
She couldn't stop thinking about that guy. She had never (NEVER!) bothered looking at a guy for more than two mere seconds, but she couldn't understand what the hell happened to her today. That tall figure, those heated red eyes, that muscular body – she just couldn't get it out of her mind. But above all, that livid shade of red. That was the main attraction. Who the hell in this freaking fucked world has THAT shade of sexy red? It just went over her head. Maybe she was thinking too much. But that guy surely fascinated her. She realized she was never before in this deep a spell; except that one time when she found out there was an even bigger world outside of those big palace walls – a world which she thought of ruling someday like the present one.
She needed to find out more about that redhead. She HAD to. It was fucking killing her. But HOW?
A/N – the OC character's name, Umeko, is taken from the Japanese term for plum blossom.