This is something I'm rewriting. And I mean completely rewriting. This is actually my first fanfiction ever and thus when I returned to it, I couldn't help but cringe at the horrible mess I created. So I decided to polish it up a little.

Oh and I promise you. It really, actually is a One Piece fanfiction. I know, the intro may seem like the furthest thing, but I'm getting to it. Building up, if you will.

Disclaimer. The characters and world belong to Eiichiro Oda, save for the things I create. The fanfiction has been rated M for various explicit themes I will decide to explore.

Musical inspiration for the chapter: Sunrise by Our Last Night.

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Chapter one
Under the under

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"On the accusation of crimes against the Kingdom, you, Euphemia Rosa, are hereby placed under arrest."

A loud thud was heard as a ladle dropped on the wooden floor, staining the floor with specks of broth. The girl accused stood shell-shocked, mouth slightly ajar and eyes wide in terror. Her hands were trembling.

"You will be escorted to the palace Underchambers, where you will await your trial. You are not allowed to resist. Do note we have been given permission to use any means necessary, in case of your insufficient cooperation."

Before she could even process what was said, she was grabbed by her hands and had them cuffed behind her back. She began to protest but the words fell short as she was unceremoniously dragged out of her home and pushed into the ominous looking carriage right at her door. Two men followed her inside, closing the cold, metal doors behind them. She was shoved onto one of the seats while they sat right across her, their eyes never leaving her. Several seconds later the carriage begun to move. The girl, Euphemia took a steadying breath, trying to calm herself, although it did little to help. Her hands were still slightly trembling so she clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms and leaving red crescent moons when she slowly relaxed them. The trembling stopped. She cautiously peered at the men in the carriage. They were dressed in identical black robes, with a green sash around the waist that supported their swords. On the chest there was a neatly sewn golden insignia of a tree. The royal coat of arms. Her complexion turned completely pale at the sight of their faces, or more like the lack of seeing one. They wore intricate masks that covered the whole upper part of their faces.

Euphemia lowered her gaze, face white as a sheet. It was at that moment she knew she was fucked. These men were the Queen's personal guards. She felt herself starting to hyperventilate so she tightly closed her eyes and dug her nails into her palms once more, this time drawing blood. She needed to calm down. Fear and panic never helped anyone. She concentrated on her breathing, feeling the air in her lungs. Breathe in, breathe out, in, out…

After a couple of minutes, she felt herself relax somewhat; as much as the current situation allowed anyway. She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head, levelling her gaze with the men.

"On what charges am accused of?" Euphemia asked, forcing her voice to not waver.

The man on the right gave her a cursory once-over, but gave no immediate answer. It seemed as if he was contemplating if she was even worth the effort of responding. He kept looking at her coldly, causing Euphemia to squirm in discomfort. She had almost given up on getting anything out of them, when the man finally gave her a clipped answer.

"Abuse of power, blackmail and treason of the highest order."

Euphemia's mouth fell slightly open at the accusations and began to retort, "What are these obscure claims?! When have I- ", but her question was left unfinished when the carriage suddenly came to a halt, causing her to hit the side of her head against the wall. She winced at the slight pain it caused to her temples.

"We have arrived." The man on the left opened the door, letting the sunlight creep inside. For Euphemia the light was fleeting though. She was once again abruptly dragged outside, and while she was briefly blinded by the sunshine, it faded to darkness moments later as they entered a dark corridor. From the short glimpse she got of the familiar surroundings, she knew she was in the palace. The door behind her closed and she was led through the dimly lit pathway towards another door. It looked aged and surely had seen better days. The guards opened the door to reveal a spiral staircase leading down.

So this.. leads to the Underchambers, Euphemia thought.

Underchambers – a fancy term for prison. And not your average prison. The bad, bad, bad kind of prison. The kind you see before your head is removed from your shoulders and your soul returns to The Tree. Euphemia shuddered at the thought.

This can't be happening.. Why?

They descended for quite some time and not only because it was way below the castle. The steps were uneven, the light dull and the obvious reluctance on someone's part made the journey slow. Finally reaching the bottom, she saw only about four cells in there.

Guess since all the people who end up here are usually death row prisoners, so they don't need many cells.., a rather dreary thought drifted through her mind. She dully took in the little surroundings there were to see. The walls were made of stone, ceiling as well. No windows, obviously..

"Move." A harsh command came from behind her, as she was jerked forward. The guards opened the closest cell and shoved her inside. The door was locked briskly and the men hastily left the dingy dungeon, since obviously they had more pleasant places to be.

"Euphie..?" A familiar voice echoed from behind her. Her head turned towards the voice, hoping with all her heart that she was mistaken.

There, at the back of the cell was an elderly man so familiar, yet so different from when she last saw him. He was sitting on the furthest thing from a bed she had ever seen. His hair was damp from the moisture in the dungeon, his clothes were dirty and torn and he looked thin. Very thin. She was sure he was severely malnourished. She felt her heart break.

"Gerard.."

Gerard stood up shakily and covered the distance between them with a few measured steps. He raised his hands, put them around Euphemia and pulled her into a tight hug.

"How I've missed you, my girl." He murmured softly. Euphemia let out a choked sob and leaned into him since she was unable to return the hug. Gerard chuckled humourlessly. "Now, now. What's with the display of weakness?" He admonished.

Euphemia bumped him away with slight irritation. "What is happening? Why is this happening? Why are you here?" Unable to stop her barrage of questions leaving her mouth, she continued. "What happened to you? You were supposed to return months ago!" Her mouth distorted in anger that had been bubbling up since the guards broke into her home. "And why am I cuffed while you are not?" She begun to pace to ease her restlessness.

"Removing those decorative cuffs shouldn't be much trouble for you, or am I wrong?" Gerard said, raising his silver brow. "They didn't bother restraining me further because I'm weak." He shrugged and turned around to sit down on the bed. "Euphie.. I'm sorry."

She stopped her pacing to look at Gerard worriedly. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because it's my fault." He stated simply. "Albeit I'm not going to take the whole blame – you did your part well enough." He let out a sigh.

"What..?"

She didn't finish her question as her ears picked up faint footsteps echoing from the staircase.

"Someone's coming.." She muttered, more to herself.

Gerard's brows furrowed. "Euphie." He urged in a hushed voice. "They're most likely here for me. I don't have much time, please listen."

"What do you mean-?" Yet she was cut off.

"Just listen. You know what the highest treason is and as well as the severity of the punishment. I already had my trial. I have no time left." Euphie was about cut in again, but he pressed on. "But you. You are strong. Strong enough to get away. Live your life Euphie. You've been shackled long enough." Gerard smiled at the girl who was mutely shaking her head, unwanting to hear these words and their implications. He reached behind her back and placed something in her palm and closed her fingers around it. Just then, a guard appeared in front of their cell and unlocked it. Eyes dark and voice cold, he beckoned. "Gerard Wo. It's time."

He stood slowly, straightening his back proudly as he walked out. "Ah.." As if remembering something, he turned towards the guard. "May I have my last words here?"

The guard gave one nod of consent. Gerard turned to Euphemia who looked back with a pained expression.

"From time to time, there arise among human beings, people, who seem to exude love, as naturally as the sun gives out heat. I'm sure you will find yours." He smiled at the girl. "I love you, I always considered you my daughter and I'm so proud to have been able to raise you."

"No..! Gerard! No, no, no-" She shouted and pleaded, but he was gone. The guard had taken him up the stairs and she couldn't even hear the footsteps anymore. She felt her power surge under her skin, fuelled by the anger and misery that were threatening to spill, but she stopped when she balled her fists and felt the crumpled paper Gerard had left her. She calmed herself enough to breathe normally and locked her turmoil of emotions deep into her subconscious. Her fight or flight kicked in as the coldness took over.

No longer caring for any repercussions, she destroyed the cuffs with a single thought. She opened her palm with the paper and smoothed it out.

It was a map. A way out.

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To be continued.