Disclaimer - I don't own One Piece. Just characters and small plots.
INTRO: The Girl Talks of Death, Misery and Putrid Pink Fleshy Sea-Fruit
The breeze at the pier was nothing short of cold. The three of us stood in front of Old Lady Kana's Pub, huddled together for warmth. Another day's work facing us. I looked to the rotting signage above the door. The word 'Old' stuck out like a soar thumb. It was obvious that Kana wasn't the only old thing that had to do with this place. Half the building was faced with a constant draft. No thanks to the last group of Pirates that passed through three days ago. They left a hole the size of Whitebeard by the front door, having decided to send off with a grand firing of their cannon's on the glorious town of Leaf Falls.
Now people probably don't know much about Leaf Falls. The name in itself is somewhat of a pun on the island. It is stuck in one of the four seasons year round. Autumn. So the leaves are always growing and falling off the branches in a large pile of death. Hence Leaf Falls, right? Yes and No. The main reason it is called 'Leaf Falls' is because of the massive never ending waterfall in behind the town. As I said. The island is a pun in itself. Two different reasons for the name and neither is right or wrong. It's up to whomever wants to believe.
I always got stared at while standing in front of the pub. Two girls, one taller and shorter than I, always clung to either of my arms shaking like leaves. I, though, stood still with a indifferent stare, just waiting for Old Lady Kana to come unlock the door. The large hole by the door was left completely open and I would've just went inside through there if it wasn't for the fact that when I did that two days ago Old Lady Kana smashed a bottle of scotch over my head. Nevermind the fact that the scotch was of valuable vintage and it went to waste in my hair, clothing and open wounds caused by the broken glass.
She felt the need to dock my pay for the night. Having to work for no pay was horrible. Waitressing! What an awful job!
"Tania, I envy you!" Amaya cried. Literally. Her face was horrendously tear stained and her makeup, having been done up perfectly just moments before, was now running down and off her chin. "You're never c-c-c-c-c-c-c-old!"
"Ah. Don't," I said, "There is nothing to envy here."
"B-b-b-but she's right!" The taller of my companions, Cherie stuttered out as a particularly violent shiver took over. "You don't know what it's like to feel so c-c-c-c-cold!"
I couldn't help but smile slightly, "Actually I do. I've only been like this for six months." I lowered my head as a wave of depression swept over me, "Six agonizing months. How cruel life can be!"
I felt my friends shoulders slump. Most likely from sighing. They should be used to this now!
The story is a rather simple one. Six months ago I was on a leisurely stroll having felt rather depressed from receiving the paper. Seeing my brother's and my two cousins' bounties had risen a good five to ten million beli's each. My brother, Vane Osamu and my two cousins Vane Catalina, and Vane Colt all had bounties of now just over forty million each! What have I accomplished lately? Spilling a drink order on a rather dangerous looking pirate and running away from work early having my hourly wages reduced a good fraction.
Self misery was welcomed to stay a while. A very long while.
Kicking what was supposed to be sand was now a rather muddy mess. My joyous leisurely stroll ran sour as a torrential downpour started up as I reached the beach. Lightening struck once every few minutes. It was a doom and gloom kind of day and I should've taken that as a sign that things were getting much worse for me. As always, I found myself unsure of exactly where I was on the island. Yes, I was on the beach, but – well damn! Looking behind me I couldn't even see the stupid town!
My poor sense of direction kicked in suddenly. Why oh why had I turned around at that moment? I wasn't sure, but now I felt as if I turned my world upside down and inside out. Had I really been just walking from that direction? Or had the ocean always been on the right side of me?
Fate had it in for me that day. As lightening struck again I noticed a peculiar coloured object floating on the shallow shores. Having always been used to seeing orange, red, brown, yellow or on occasion – very rare ones – green leaves covering the water I was slightly put off at the luminescent bright pink splotch amongst them. Wading to my knees in the gunk I reached down and picked it up. Holding it eyelevel it was the ugliest looking thing I had ever seen!
"A pink fruit? What fruit is pink? Who would even eat this thing? I am –" I felt my stomach roll with hunger pains, "hungry I guess."
Weighing out my options as I began my stroll again, holding up the foul-yet-appetizing-pink-fruit (now foul-bane-of-my-existence) I could:
a) Throw it away – who wants a pink fruit anyways?
b) Take it back home to Amaya – she likes pink things. (Oh Roger, slight discrepancy with choice 'a')
c) Take it back home to laugh at with Cherie
d) Sell it at the exotic food market.
e) Eat it.
I – unfortunately for me – went with option 'e' and took a bite out of it. What I was met with was probably the most delicious fruit I had ever tasted! Unless you count the ones that weren't rotting piles of brown mush, it was actually the one of the worst I've ever tasted. Hunger was hunger, though, and since I was lost and unsure for how long I would be lost for, continued to eat it. Probably soaked up the sea water! Putrid pink fleshy sea-fruit!
It was at that moment – only after I had finished eating – that I had remembered that old story my Granny told me growing up. About the sea-fruit they called Devil Fruits. How they steal your ability to swim, but grant you a special power… or something along those lines.
I didn't believe that kind of crap could happen to me. At least not until the next day when that aforementioned dangerous looking pirate I spilled a drink order on found me back at work.
(I had managed to find the town thanks to Amaya and Cherie sending out a scout team to find me. I was brought to tears by that time – things just kept getting so upsetting, remembering my Granny had passed awhile ago and she had been my last remaining relative onLeafFalls.)
Anyways, the dangerous looking pirate took it upon himself to fire his gun at my chest for the 'horrible mistreatment' I had bestowed him the day before. So I was laid out on the floor. The searing pain of death wrapped around me and clutched me tightly. I couldn't explain properly in words how death felt. I still have a hard time at articulating something that didn't sound like a pathetic sounding gothic poem of misery. The thing is, as much as I felt the cold grip of death, it wasn't cold and I wasn't dead. Minutes passed and I was still on the ground. The pirate and his crew had left after their Captain had ended my life, so-to-speak.
The pain was subsiding gradually, but the sting was still there. Then it was an odd feeling. It felt as if the ribs were moving. It felt like any muscle, vein, artery, or any other tissue was being pinched and twisted several times. My heart. The only heart I had in my body had been shot clean threw and stopped beating for mere moments and was now starting up again with a flurry of palpitations and awkward jerks. The pain, although it was now excruciating, would not allow me to black out. I stayed in that still position as people stood above me crying and holding each other in fear. I thought that this was what death was like. Eternally feeling how one died. It was a morbid idea.
Then, someone screamed something. "Look at that! Look at her wound! What's happening!"
It was Amaya, that much I could tell. What about my wound?
"I-i-impossible!" Old Lady Kaya's small body was leaning over my body, a look of pure disbelief. "I-i-it's closing up!"
My wound was closing up?
Sure enough that Putrid pink fleshy sea-fruit really was one of those Devil Fruits my Granny – Kami rest her soul – had told me about all those years ago. Although it shouldn't come to a surprise considering that I already knew fully well that they really existed. Osamu, Colt and Catalina all possessed one after all. Who would've thought that I – the youngest of the Vane family offspring – would find and consume a Devil Fruit and not be aware of the fact?
It took ten minutes for the wound to fully heal over and it took me an entire week to work my way out of the catatonic state the event left me in. I was now a Devil Fruit user. The "proud" owner of what Old Lady Kana had determined to be the Fushi-Fushi no Mi. Eternal life? It was a load of croc is what it was! I can't die? Sure that would be great for anyone, but what am I supposed to do with that? I'm a waitress at a Pub on an island located in the Grand Line. Am I supposed to waitress for eternity?
I asked Old Lady Kana if I'd age.
She said she didn't know.
I asked her if I'd die one die of natural causes.
She said she didn't know.
I asked her if I could die at all.
She said only if I decide to go for a nice swim.
It was then I decided I didn't like the sea as much as I used to. Even though I had always dreamed of becoming a great pirate like my brother and cousins. They've got quite the head start, each of them leaving when they turned eighteen. I'm already a year behind! And look at them!
My brother is the First Mate of the Drake Pirates!
My cousin Catalina is a Captain of her own crew, The Tigress Pirates!
Don't get me started on the lucky bastard known as my cousin Colt! Crewmember of the Whitebeard Pirates Third Division!
These realizations always bring on such self loathing. Why can't I be that successful? Why can't someone give me the chance? Oh, who am I kidding?
I don't know how to fight. I can't even win rock-paper-scissors.
I don't know how to navigate. I get lost on my way to work everyday!
I'm no sharpshooter. I've tried learning to shoot a gun. I didn't hit the target, but I killed the neighbour's cat by accident. I don't call that a win.
I can't cook. Cherie does, though.
I'm not a doctor. Unless I'm the one hurt, but that doesn't take any effort at all.
I can't make a ship. Heck I can't build a sandwich!
I am not a musician, either. I can't even whistle.
Whenever I remind myself of the worthlessness to which I am. It can get pretty depressing. I try to tell myself to 'lighten up.'
Lighten up to what? The realization that the only thing I can amount to is being a human shield?
Standing outside in the cold between my two friends in front of the pub I still couldn't believe what has happened in the six months after eating the fruit. It was like Fate spat in my face because since that day I could've died a grand total of sixteen times. I've messed up sixteen times and was assaulted for it. I've felt the clutches of an agonizing death grasp and release me at last second. It's nothing that I would wish for anyone to feel.
Pain. Death. This is what my miserable little existence is going to be reduced to? I suppose it's time to accept that.
"Girls! Why are you standing in the cold! Come, come, let's go in!" Old Lady Kana finally decided to show herself! Her small stature climbed up the steps and unlocked the front door and waddled in. The three of us followed. Once our coats were hung in the backroom and gave a small passing greeting to the cooks who had come hear early to prep the dinner menu for tonight we began to clean the tables and floors, preparing for a long night. I noticed as a cold draft made its way through, hitting Old Lady Kana, Amaya and lastly Cherie as a violent shiver wracked each of them from there toes to the tops of their skulls.
At least my numbed sensitivity to temperature was a bit of a plus with the Fush-Fushi no Mi. I granted a small smile of victory, if only for a moment when Old Lady Kana ruined my moment.
"Some more pirates docked today! Hopefully that means lots of business!" the small woman cheered.
I sighed a heavy sigh as my shoulders slumped. Hopefully I won't get shot or stabbed today is more like it!
Little did I know something big would happen tonight.
A man who wasn't a stranger in this town docked today. It was a man who was back to visit a certain waitress who had given him 'horrible mistreatment' by spilling his drink order on his lap. He was shocked to find out one of his old crewmember had informed him the woman was still living. Angered, Captain 'Bombman' Baron was back atLeafFallsand heading to the certain Pub.
He had entered the establishment not ten minutes after a particular boy Captain with a straw hat had entered with a rag-tag group of men, woman, reindeer, cyborg and skeleton.
The certain waitress exited with the odd groups massive order of meat and ale when she peered up at the door when the bell rang. Her heart sunk.
No, I should say my heart sunk. He was back!
AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, this is my first attempt at writing a Fanfiction Story. Yes, it's an OC story. I will attempt to not put her in the Mary-Sue catagory, but I seem to have failed only slightly by having her more than likely joining the Straw Hats. I know, shame on me. I tried to make her a little more 'real' in the sense of her Devil Fruit ability having not a positive affect on her life, but actually being something she is really displeased with (As will come to light in future chapters). She seems a little depressing, hmm? Her whole "Self-loathing" personality type is supposed to provide comic relief and is in no way to be taken as her being a miserable human being.
I know that a good author should take pride in their work and doesn't need to explain things, but I'm not entirely sure if I've portrayed my character the way I had hoped.
Hope you enjoyed the intro. Hopefully I'll have the first chapter in tip-top condition! I'm trying to keep people in character, so I'm doing some character studying/research on the Straw Hats! :)
(BTW, this takes place between Brook joining and Sabaody Arc! Just thought I'd clear that up!)
JUST A BIT OF EXTRA INFO ABOUT MY OC'S (OSAMU, COLT AND CATALINA WON'T PLAY HUGE ROLLS IN THE STORY, BUT I THOUGH IT'S BEST TO HAVE A BIT OF INFO ON THEM, HMM? Do I hear 'Backstory Material'?)
Name: Vane Tania (Osamu's Sister/Catalina and Colt's Cousin)
Age: 19
Height: 5'-5" (1.65m)
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Grey
Blood Type: AB
Devil Fruit: Fushi-Fushi no Mi (Eternal Life Fruit)
Power: Self-Healing (Eternal Life), No Sensitivities to Hot/Cold
Weakness: Haki-type attacks, Sea Water, No dullness of pain
Weapon: None
Crew: None
Rank: None
Bounty: None
Name: Vane Osamu (Tania's Brother/Catalina and Colt's Cousin)
Age: 26
Height: 5'-8" (1.73m)
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Green
Blood Type: B
Devil Fruit: Mieru-Mieru no Mo (Sight-Sight Fruit)
Power: Increased Eyesight, Hightened Observational Skills
Weapon: Gun
Crew: Drake Pirates
Rank: First Mate
Bounty: 70,000,000 beri
Name: Vane Colt (Catalina's Brother/Osamu and Tania's Cousin)
Age: 22
Height: 6'-2"
Hair Colour: Dirty Blonde
Eye Colour: Grey
Blood Type: AB
Devil Fruit: Kaze-Kaze no Mi (Wind-Wind Fruit)
Power: Cause heavy gusts of wind to blow away people/things when hit by punches/kicks.
Weapon: Hand-to-Hand
Crew: Whitebeard Pirates – 3rd Division
Rank: Crewmember/No official Ranking
Bounty: 42,000,000 beri
Name: Vane Catalina (Colt's Sister/Osamu and Tania's Cousin)
Age: 25
Height: 5'-10"
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Blue
Blood Type: A
Devil Fruit: Tora-Tora no Mi (Tiger-Tiger Fruit)
Power: Transform into a Large White Tiger
Weapon: Scabbard
Crew: The Tigress Pirates
Rank: Captain
Bounty: 58,000,000 beri