edited[] not edited[x]

Chapter 1: His Sorry Ass

Cia bowed once to her opponent, eyes never leaving his body, analysing every muscle movement. She was determined to win this match, it has been too long since she had a taste of victory. Cia's father clapped once, signalling the start of the match, and immediately she struck, aiming for his chin in an attempt to knock her opponent out. Having a body on the petite side meant that she could use speed to her advantage.

She was sure it was a pretty solid tactic, which was why when her opponent easily evaded her attack it surprised her. Panicking, she tried to put some distance between them before going in to strike again. Her plan was cut short when her opponent took a step towards her and struck her throat, and successfully knocked her out. As Cia fell to the floor, she cursed her own weakness. She knew that by easily being taken out even after being cautious, she brought shame to her father, who happened to be the master of the dojo. Dreading the punishment she will no doubt receive, she felt her head hit the floor and darkness engulfing her.

"Sis, you awake?" Cia felt a small tug at her sleeves and recognized the voice of her younger brother, Arwin. She groaned and pushed herself up, resting her back against the bed frame, her muscles screaming in protest. Pulling him into her lap, she ruffled his light blue hair affectionately. Arwin was 10 years younger than she was, making him nine. Yet he was already almost as strong and swift as Cia herself. In fact, Cia was one of the weakest, if not the weakest at the dojo. As proud as she was of him, a small part of her cannot help but evny his strength.

The Akiya Dojo was founded by Cia's ancestors generations ago, in order to fend for themselves against Devil Fruit users. The Akiya style primarily aims to paralyze the opponent, causing shock to certain areas of the body that leads to a knockout. The essential parts of the body include the head, throat, face and chin, or restricting blood flow, tricking the brain into thinking that the body has dangerously low blood pressure.

This fighting style suited her perfectly, as she was never the one for violence. Sure, sometimes beating the snot out of someone that bullied her was fun, but hurting someone without purpose was not up her alley. All her siblings excelled at the Akiya fighting style, and were sought after by both pirates and marines for their strength and lethality. Which was why as someone that could not even grasp the basic of the fighting style, she was considered a black sheep in the family.

Subconsciously Cia pulled Arwin closer to her, thanking heavens for her little brother. He would stick by her no matter what, and never doubted her abilities. Cia would say that Arwin was the only thing keeping her sane in the world her lived in. "I love you," Cia whispered coarsely, her filled with emotion. Arwin was the only person who did not see her as a failure, but as a proper person.

The touching moment was rudely interrupted when the door slammed open and Cia's father, Yusei, walked in. He was a tall and slender man, with well-defined features and bright blue hair. The blue hair was a dominant gene that ran in the family and it was a badge of honour for many. It also serves as a painful reminder that Cia was not part of the strong Akiya family, as hers was black. As if her subpar physical abilities were not enough, she had a constant reminder that she would forever be an outsider.

Cia heard she took after her biological mother through the gossip of whispering maids, who was the person Yusei had an affair with. Her mother was a taboo subject to everyone, as she left the island as soon as her baby was born, and Cia herself knows close to absolutely nothing about her real mother.

The townspeople spoke of her as a witch, a vixen that tricked Yusei, eyeing him for his strength and wealth. The Akiyas are highly regarded on the island, with some people even viewing them as gods. Which explains why Yusei was not to blame for cheating on his wife, as the 'god' would never commit such sins, leading to everyone believing that there is more than what meets the eye.

The logic was flawed and weak, but no one would listen to her when she would defend her mother. It was appalling, how much humans would twist and twist simple facts to desperately protect the image of someone they adored.

"Arwin, get to training this very instant!" Yusei boomed, shooting a look at Cia's younger brother. He quickly jumped up and scurried off, no doubt afraid of his father. Cia sighed and got to her feet. Her father valued manners, and was particular about how all his children should act. His children were even taught a way to breathe so as to not irritate him. It was suffocating, being in the presence of this man.

Cia waited for her father to start ranting about how she brought shame to the family name, but surprisingly, he ran his hand through his hair and struggled to find words. That was the signal that something was really wrong. Normally confident, he had the poise and presence that would put royalty to shame. "Do you remember Heat? He's a distance relative to the Akiya family." Yusei began. The creepy doll-like face of Heat immediately popped into mind, along with his unique light blue hair.

Yusei continued, "He became a crew member of the Kidd Pirates, and word is that they will land in this island next." Cia had heard of the infamous Kidd Pirates, as they were the part of the Worst Generation, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Every island they went to, they pillaged it. She had no doubt they will do the same to her town, or at least attempt to.

Cia briefly wondered why her father would tell her about this news and arrived at one conclusion, he was going to ask her to join the fight against the Kid Pirates. A smile slipped onto her face at this prospect, maybe all the extra hours she spent training bore its fruits. There was no way the Akiyas were going to lose to some rookie pirates.

It was a feeling that she could not describe, being asked to stand beside her siblings to fight off the evil. Yusei then told her his reason for approaching her,

"You're going to become a member of the Kidd Pirates."

It felt like someone grabbed hold of her heart and squeezed as hard as they could. Yusei then went on explaining that her safety is guaranteed by Heat and that the village will be spared from Kid's wrath, but Cia was no longer paying attention. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she was breathing. Cia could see her body take in oxygen, but she couldn't feel it. A constant ringing in her ears made her want to hit her head as hard as she can against the wall to get rid but she couldn't move. Her body was shutting down from the news, and she sank to the floor. The cool surface provided little comfort but she didn't care.

"I'm sorry, but I can't afford to give up anyone else," Yusei explained, and left the room. Her father made it sound like joining the pirate crew was something noble, that she was protecting everyone, but Cia knew otherwise. She was confused as to why Yusei would avoid a fight with the pirates. Most of all, she questioned her linage. A parent would never send a child into the jaws of a monster. And that was went it hit her. A thought that wormed itself into her head, and refused to leave.

It was possible that he never did regard her as his child. That he kept her around as an extra bargaining chip. No matter her strength, the family name itself must be worth something. And this thought made her nauseous.

The Kid Pirates were responsible for huge amounts of innocent civilian causalities and property damage. Their actions go against Cia's personal morals, and to a certain extent, disgusted Cia.

It started off as a boring, monotonous day. And that fact almost tricked Cia into thinking that the day will pass by without any incidents. However, she wasn't the type to lie to herself. This was the day that the Kidd Pirates will land in their small island. It was around late afternoon when their ship docked. The subtle change in the air didn't go unnoticed by Cia, and she steeled herself.

The days leading up to this were difficult. Time and time again, Cia was tempted to run away from her family. Yet, she didn't have enough heart to do that to Arwin. It was very possible that Yusei might exploit her relationship with her little brother. Leaving the island would put Arwin's bright future into jeopardy, and leaving with Arwin would further involve him into unnecessary danger.

The log pose usually set in an hour on the island, which means it was a pretty packed schedule for both the pirate crew and Cia as there was no time to waste. She has pleaded with Yusei to let her spend time with Arwin during the days leading up to her departure, and he reluctantly agreed, after grumbling about him missing training. Arwin was throwing tantrums after hearing about his beloved sister leaving to join a pirate crew, but after promising to return stronger with action packed stories along with mountains of treats, Arwin gave in.

Cia was checking if she packed the essentials into her small duffle bag when Yusei enter her room, a small diary in his hands. He handed to her, and after instructing her to read it only after she left the island, gave her one last look and left her room. It was hard to place his expression. A mixture of pity and uncertainty, with a tinge of sadness. Cia wondered what could possibly be in the diary before deciding to obey her father and stuffed the small item in her bag. She toyed with the idea of the diary being a hidden bomb, and when she flipped it open, it would send explode in her face and taking down a few members of the Kidd pirates. It would be an easy way out to her problems. Chuckling, she slung the bag over her shoulder and stood up.

She silently headed for the docks, while taking in her surroundings possibly for the last time. With each step, she felt a small pang to her heart. However cruel the world and this town has been to her, it was still home.

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks signalled the fact that she was close to the docks. The ship of the Kid Pirates loomed over her menacingly and her eyes took in as much detail as possible about her new home.

"Cia, right?" a voice behind her asked. She quickly whipped around and raised her hands to defend herself, but immediately put it down after realizing it was Heat. The reason why she switched to defence mode was simple, she didn't sense Heat's presence until he spoke, which surprised her because she was a trained fighter.

Heat, however, easily avoided her radar until the very last second, and this made her realize the true prowess in fights the Kid Pirates possess. If Heat was this highly skilled, she was afraid of what the captain was capable of.

After realising that Heat was still expecting a reply, she quickly nodded in response to Heat's question, embarrassed because Heat probably sees her as dim-witted and slow fighter. Not exactly the first impression she wanted him to have.

He gestured for her to follow along, and scaled the plank leading to the ship. Cia trotted after him, trying to make herself as small as possible, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

To her dismay, Heat motioned for her to wait at the deck of the ship, where she stood out like a sore thumb. He then told a bunch of crew members to set sail and disappeared into the ship, no doubt to inform his captain of her arrival. The men unfurled the sails, raised the anchor, and set sail into the wide, open sea. A few minutes past before Heat reappeared, with his captain in tow.

The first thing that stood out to Cia the most was his ridiculously bright red hair, which Cia's eyes did not appreciate. Moreover, his queer fashion sense made him look like a clown, but she knows better than to voice out her opinions. She did not want to be fed to the sharks on her very first day as a pirate.

"You don't even have blue hair, are you a fake?" Kidd said, clicking his tongue in disappointment.

The sheer rudeness of the sentence was akin to a punch in her face. Honestly, if that was the first thing he says after meeting a person for the first time, how does he talk to a close friend? With a potty mouth like that, it was also possible that he does not have any. Cia's overactive imagination was already working hard to put him in deadly situations, with a string of curse words accompanying it.

She was readying a reply that would be passive aggressive enough to irritate him without coming off as outright rude, when she was interrupted.

"Eustass Kidd! If you bring harm to my sister I will set sail to kick your sorry ass!"

All heads whipped to the source of the voice, a small kid standing at the docks, no older than nine, with light blue hair standing with his chest puffed up and staring straight at Kid.

Cia laughed at the expression Kidd was making, a mixture of shock and disbelief, before answering his previous question.

"I am Cia, a bastard kid of Yusei Akiya. If you have a problem with me, then bring your sorry ass to fight me."

Proud that she made my stand clear, Cia disappeared into the door that Heat and Kidd emerged from, determined to not let anything ruin her cool exit.

Authors' Note:

I don't want to make Cia too weak, but I don't want her to end up as a killing machine either... the struggle. The reason why I want Cia to be weak-ish is because if she becomes a freaking monster, she wouldn't be relatable anymore. Other than that, I had to cut this chapter short because BIG plans for the next few chapters (well BIG to me haha). And I'm so sorry that there wasn't much Kidd, I feel like he'll be OOC if he shows up in front of Cia too much at the start, so I'm trying to ease into it, I want to keep everyone in character as much as possible, so the romance part of the story will be pretty slow-paced. Plus I don't believe in love at first sight, so I'm so sorry if the story doesn't pick up much at this point ;-; But thank you for reading this far, and giving it a chance, every read means a lot to me :)