Carried on Strange Tides
Waking up on a deserted island is not my idea of a holiday. Neither is finding out I've somehow been blasted across dimensions into a world far too dangerous for any normal person to survive. Good thing I'm no longer normal thanks to a bloody fruit!
And here we are again. I really shouldn't be starting anything new, but I can't resist. Since my SHP isnt going anywhere, lets see if this one works. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
"Urh," I groaned as consciousness slowly returned, "What happened?"
I slowly pushed myself up, spitting sand out of my mouth. I paused. Sand? That can't be right. Last thing I remembered was going to bed in my flat in Manchester, so why in the world was a waking up on a damn beach. I sat up and looked around, rubbing my head that was aching for some reason. As previously mentioned, I was on a beach that I was pretty sure couldn't exist in the UK, not with sand that white, water that blue and a sun that hot. Of course, the jungle that bordered the beach was also a bloody good clue.
"Right, where the fuck am I?" I said, "And, more importantly, how did I get here?"
As expected, the answers weren't forthcoming. I got to my feet to take stock. As expected, I was still wearing the shorts and white t-shirt, which might be a good thing considering how hot it was out. I shook out my neck length black hair, scowling at the feel of sand mattered in it. There was a reason I hated going to the beach after all. Once my hair was combed out of my face, I turned to the jungle.
"Right, I guess the first job is to see if I can find any civilization," I said, right before my stomach gave a loud rumble, "Correction, I need to find something to eat."
Just one problem. I had no idea what was safe to eat around here and I also had no idea how to survive in a place like this. That meant it would probably be smartest to see about finding a town or something. With that in mind, I set off down the beach since chances are I'd find something eventually.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me," I said five hours later as I stared at the me shaped divot on the sand.
Apparently I had managed to walk the entire way around the island, which meant not only was the place absolutely tiny, but unless there was a town inland, I didn't think there was anyone living here. I sighed and turned inland. No choice if I wanted to find something I could recognize to eat or fresh water.
"So hungry," I groaned as I pushed my way through the undergrowth.
It had been 12 hours since I had found myself on the island and I was quickly beginning to realize that there was no one else here. Fortunately, it didn't seem like there was any animals big enough to be a threat either, but predators were the least of my worries when I hadn't see any fruit I recognized or even stumbled on a fresh water source. I needed to find something soon or I was in serious trouble, especially with the baking sun beating down on me.
I pushed another furn out of my way, only for my foot to catch on a root and sent me tumbling down a hill to land with a splash in a pool of...WATER!
I came up with a gasp and immediately started guzzling down the refreshingly cool liquid until my thirst was quenched, before I sat back with a gasp to take in my surroundings. The pool was crystal clear and surprisingly cold considering the heat of the sun, but it was also well shaded by the trees that surrounded it and the large rock formation that sat above it from which a small waterfall fell into the pool. I was distracted from enjoying my surroundings when my stomach gave a very loud rumble and informed me that, although my thirst was quenched, I still needed food. I groaned and got to my feet, intending to see if I could find some fruit trees close to the pond, when something bumped against my leg. I looked down and saw that it was a fruit that looked a lot like a big, purple apple. In a truly stupendous example of idiocy, I grabbed the fruit and took a big bite. I was half way through it before I noticed the nasty taste. I froze and pulled the fruit away from my mouth, taking a closer look at it. I felt the blood drain from my face as I noticed that the skin had a swirl pattern on it and a rather unpleasant realization took root in my mind.
"A nasty tasting fruit with swirls on the skin?" I muttered, "Oh hell, please don't tell me…"
Before I could finish the thought, I felt a tingling feeling in my hand. I looked down and watched as my limb seemed to melt.
"The hell?" I muttered.
I watched as my limb slowly began to change, transforming from flesh and blood into...water? No, that couldn't be right. Theres no way a Devil Fruit could possibly give someone water based abilities, right? It had to be something else, something that just looked like water. Acid maybe? I flicked my hand at a nearby tree and let the liquid slash against the trunk. Nothing happened.
"Not acid then," I muttered, "Alcohol maybe?"
I sniffed the liquid. Nothing, thank god. I did not like the idea of smelling like a brewery 24/7.
"Hmm, maybe it is water," I mused, "Eh, I guess I'll find out eventually. For now, I really need to figure out a way off this island."
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. I had no idea which way the closest landmass was, nor did I have any way to make a boat and no skills to actually sail the stupid thing if I did. I did consider using my Devil Fruit in some way, but a quick test revealed that I wasn't lacking in the whole weakness to water thing, so I really didn't want to risk it. That left me with only one option, wait for a ship to pass and then flag it down...somehow.
You know, being stranded on a desert island is BORING! Thanks to my new Devil Fruit powers, finding food and fresh water was a piece of cake when I could pull water from the sea and purify it and catch fish with no trouble, but other than that, there was nothing to do! Sure, I spent some time practicing with my Aqua Aqua powers and exploring the island, where I managed to find a buried stash of treasure that, judging from the state of the weapons inside, was about a century old. I did however find a really nice black Shirasaya style sword with a stylized cross shaped on the hilt and sheath that was somehow in great shape. That was great for me because I had learnt to use a number of different sword styles in my last life. I was far from a master in any of them, but hopefully they would let me hold my own without relying solely on my Devil Fruit powers. After all, I knew the dangers of relying too much on my Logia powers and running into someone who could beat me at my own game. Especially since I wasn't even close to mastering them yet. On the flip side, since training is really the only thing I could do right now, it looked like I'd be getting stronger sooner than I thought.
Two months. Thats how long I had been stuck on the island. In that time I had learnt a lot about my powers. The main thing I'd learnt, other than creating a few techniques and mastering the control of my water, was that I could circumvent the weakness of a Devil Fruit user by surrounding myself with a bubble of my own water. It took a lot of concentration and I couldn't keep it up forever, but it was a very handy ability. I also improved with my sword, although my actual level was difficult to ascertain without an opponent.
Of course, that lack of opponent problem appeared to have been solved. I was currently crouched in a tree, watching as a group of people made their way through the jungle in the direction of the hill where I'd found the treasure stockpile, apparently following a map of some kind. They'd landed about 15 minutes ago and had been wondering around the jungle ever since. Now, I would have already approached them for a way off this rock ages ago if it wasn't for the fact that I recognized the Jolly Roger they flying. Baroque Works. You know, the super secret organization run by Crocodile? Thats why I was wary of approaching them. After all, they prided themselves on secrecy, so having someone find one of their operations meant that they'd probably attack me. Then, I noticed a head of pale blue hair walking among the group.
"Wait, is that..?" I muttered, "No, it couldn't be…"
I narrowed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Aqua mist."
My body transformed into faintly glowing water and dissolved, transforming into a cloud of mist as I floated down to take a closer look. Sure enough, the owner of the blue hair was a young woman riding on a yellow duck walking next to a big man with blond hair that looked like a powder wig.
"Hehe, perfect," I said, "That'll work."
I drifted back into the jungle and pulled my body back together into a stream of water. I quickly slithered through the trees until I came to a clearing a short distance in front of the Baroque Works agents with a big rock in the middle. I reformed on the rock, sat down with my sword leaning against my shoulder and settled in to wait. I didn't wait long as the agents entered the clearing and stopped when they saw me.
"What the...who the hell are you?" growled the leader, a short fellow with a shaved head with only a patch of hair on the dome shaped like the number eight. He was only wearing a pair of baggy pants and had a cutlass sheathed at his belt.
"My name is Jack Kenway," I said, "I'm what you might call a castaway."
"A castaway eh?" asked the leader.
"Yep, I don't suppose I could bum a ride of you guys? I'd be happy to pay you."
"That depends," said the leader, "Did you find it?"
"You mean the treasure?" I asked, "Sure did. How'd you think I was going to pay you?"
"In that case…"
CLICK!
I didn't react as the Agents aimed their guns at me.
"YOU DIE! FIRE!"
BANG!BANG!BANG!
I didn't react as the bullets passed right through me, leaving holes that rippled like water.
"Well, that was unnecessary," I said as the holes slowly sealed up.
"W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!?" roared the leader as everyone in front of me pulled the 'Devil Fruit face'.
"Thats none of your business," I said, getting to my feet, "Now you've attacked me, I'm gonna tear you apart!"
"Y-you c-cant honestly believe you can beat all of us!" spluttered the leader.
"Why not?" I asked "You can't hurt me. I, on the other hand, can hurt you easily! Aqua Lash!"
My body morphed into water as I swung my arm, stretching it out into a whip that slammed into the crowd, sending half of them flying.
"Aqua Lock!"
The water surged and morphed into a ball with the goons inside.
"So, still think you can beat me?" I asked with a smirk as my arm reformed.
"H-how dare you!" roared the leader, "Some no-name nothing can't defeat us, the best Baroque Works as to offer! I, Mr 8, will defeat you!"
He drew his sword and charged along with the remaining Agents. I sighed.
"Fine, you asked for it."
My legs dissolved and expanded rapidly into a huge amount of water that quickly morphed into the shape of eight massive serpent heads.
"AQUA OROCHI!"
The Agents skidded to a halt at the sight of my most powerful attack to date, freezing in fear as the water bore down on them. The attack hit, the pressure of the water and force of the impact sending those at the very edge flying while those closer to the impact point were swallowed up. Those caught in the Aqua Lock also found themselves caught in the swirling water and blown away. I closed my eyes and concentrated, using my connection to the water to locate Vivi and Igaram. When I found them, I quickly separated them from the rest of the Baroque Works agents while leaving the rest of the goons to be washed away. The two spies slammed into nearby trees as the water drained away and I reformed my body. I didn't want to make it to obvious I was singling them out after all.
"Well, that was fun," I said, "Now, I guess I should be leaving."
I headed towards the forest, only to pause when I 'noticed' Vivi and Igaram.
"Huh, I thought I'd blown you lot away," I said, "Oh well."
I drew my sword and pointed it at Vivi, who was slumped against the tree.
"Sorry about this, but you did attack first," I said.
She slowly looked up at me, fear and defiance clear in her eyes. I was mildly surprised at her courage, although I guess I shouldn't be.
"NO! GET AWAY FROM HER!" roared Igaram.
I ignored him in favor of staring down at Vivi.
"Wait, I recognize you," I muttered.
Vivi's eyes widened in shock.
"W-what? N-no, you must be mistaken," she stuttered.
"No, no mistake," I said, "Your Nefeltari Vivi, the Princess of Alabasta."
I glanced over at Igaram, who had turned a nasty shade of grey.
"Which I guess makes you Igaram, right? Whats a Princess and her bodyguard doing working with scum like this?"
I jerked my thumb at the limp form of Mr 8 who was draped over a nearby tree branch.
"I...I…" stuttered Vivi, her eyes wide.
"Hmm, a Princess among thieves and since you're free, I'm guessing that they don't know about your standing. So, why are you here? Way I see it, there's only two logical conclusions I can think of. The first is that you're here for the thrill."
Vivi frowned.
"Whats that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
"Well, you grew up wanting for nothing, living a safe, happy life, so its only natural that you'd get tired and rebel to get away from it all, find your own path and all that."
Vivi looked poleaxed.
"Thats not…" she started, but I cut her off.
"But I dont think thats the case, is it?"
"I...well...that is…" said Vivi, "Thats...a long story."
"Its not like we're going anywhere," I said, "And if you tell me, I might be able to help."
Vivi hesitated, looking conflicted.
"Princess, you can't!" shouted Igaram, "We don't know if we can trust him!"
Vivi didn't say anything, she just stared at me. After a couple of seconds, she let out a breath.
"Would you really help us?" she asked in a small voice.
I cocked my head on one side.
"That depends," I said, "What is it you hope to achieve hiding amongst this scum?"
Vivi looked down.
"I'm doing it...to save Alabasta," she said.
"Vivi…" said Igaram.
"We need all the help we can get Igaram," she said, "We can't do this alone…"
She looked up and met my eyes.
"I'll tell you," she said, "Please, you have to help us…"
I sat down cross legged in front of the Princess as she began her story.
And there we have it, the end of the first chapter. Before I sign off, a few points.
First of, Jack's Devil Fruit. Yes, having the power over water may seem OP, but there are a few caveats. First, since it comes from a Devil Fruit, it doesn't have the same affect on other Devil Fruit users as normal water. In other words, although he can still drown them, they don't lose their power if submerged in his water. Second, although he can negate the effect of water on him temporarily by surrounding his body with his own water, he can only maintain that affect for a very short time, especially if hes in a fight, and it requires preparation. He's also still weak to Seastone. Other than that, standard Devil Fruit rules apply. Oh, and the Fruit will be referred to as the Aqua Aqua fruit because that sounds cooler than Water Water.
His sword is just that, a sword for if he can't or chooses not to use his Devil Fruit powers.
He will be joining the Straw Hat crew eventually, but I decided to go a slightly different route to normal One Piece OC insert storys. He'll be spending the first couple of years with Baroque Works helping out Vivi and Igaram because those two are awesome characters and I want to use them for longer.
Until next time, please leave a review!