A small island in the middle of the ocean. A port village they called it, an island protected by Marines because the people inhabiting it were too weak to fend for themselves. However, the Marines only cared about the rich, and upper class, leaving the middle and low class to fend for themselves against pirates.
Pirates. Just the word caused many people to shiver in fear. Pirates often came here, raiding and destroying buildings and establishments, causing damage to shops that were beyond anyone's ability to fix. And for the brave- or rather foolish- individuals who worked up the nerve to stand up to the pirates, they were often beaten so badly, that before anything could be done, their breathing slowly stopped, and the person passed quietly into the next world.
Out of the whole town, there was a single hospital. Due to the expensive costs of the hospital up in the rich part of town, the less fortunate people went to a cottage next to a bar always at an uproar, to a medium sized cottage. Inside, lived a middle aged man, who acted older then he looked, and his daughter, barely nineteen years of age. Sage Salem. Her father was a doctor, sort of, and so was she. Her tan colored skin and black hair contrasted greatly with the pale white skin and orange hair of her father, leading many people to question whether she was really his child. Her mother was branded as a whore, a witch, among other things. Sage and her father were shunned as well, with hushed warnings and whispers from parents to their children. "Do not venture near that house", they warned, "or the witch might whisk you away." The children would secretly venture to the cottage during the day, hoping to be given some candy, which Sage often bought on her journeys to the market. Gentle with the children, but shunned by the majority population, Sage and her father lived their life quietly. "Let yourself be overlooked", Father said, "and no harm will come your way." Harm would be coming, yes, with the arrival of pirates.
Eustass "Captain" Kid. A pirate from the South Blue, and captain of the Kid Pirates. Having found this island in the middle of the ocean, he stopped to restock- and to visit a bar and drink until drunk no longer applied. Of course, Killer objected, Kid might flip out again, and that would cause a problem for everyone. This port had a decent bar, and rum and beer were in high demand that night. Many of the bar patrons avoided the menacing pirates, and even the bartender and waitresses were anxious The owner, an old widow, shifted from one foot to another, busying herself with whatever was available: washing and wiping cups, chatting with bar patrons, wiping counters. Eustass gulped down cup after cup of beer, and demanded more, and the widow muttered something about the rudeness of pirates. Everyone knew that it was only an amount of time until a fight broke out, and the fight starter was none other then the captain of the Kid Pirates himself. Screams and shouts shook Sage out of her dreamless sleep, her eyes blurry and trying to adjust to the darkness. A pounding at the door prompted Sage to sprint, even in her long sleeve shirt too long for her arms, and shorts. A man stood at the door, another resting on his shoulder, and at least four more on the ground. Sage waved her hand, and motioned for the man to bring the others in. They suffered gashes and cuts, nothing too serious, and Sage examined the last man.
His arm was twisted in a unnatural angle, and his breath was shallow. His hair was stuck to his face, and he broke out into a cold sweat. The metallic smell of blood filled the room. Sage awoke her father, who even in his groggy state, gathered his tools to operate. Sage tended to the less wounded ones, assuring them they would be alright, and releasing them to go home. The critically injured man had to stay overnight, his arm broken and blood amount decreased dramatically. The man's groans of pain resonated throughout the house, Sage unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
The man was cleared to leave in the morning, and Sage escorted him home. He profusely thanked her, and told her that he was excited to see his wife and kids again. "I'm sorry for calling you a witch, I cannot thank you enough..." Sage smiled at the man, and made sure he was comfortable. Forced to walk through town, Sage hung her head and stared at the pavement, but she could not block out the whispers and mumbling of how she was the child of a witch. Ignoring the insults and focusing on the task at hand, slowly yet surely, Sage left the busy and crowded market, and continued to the poorest part of town. The man pointed to a structure that looked as if it had been built by a child. It was in shambles, and so dilapidated that it looked as if it was going to collapse at any moment. Sage entered the shack, and was greeted by a family, clad in poor clothing and rags, and sitting around a pot. The children happily greeted their father, but was stopped by their mother telling them that their father was injured, the mother bedridden. Her belly was bulging- she would give birth soon. Yet another medical procedure that she would have to attend with her father.
The woman let out a breath. "Thank you for helping my husband." A smile, and then she laid down to rest.
Sage nodded. "It was nothing. I was glad I was able to save a life." After a large amount of thanks, and a promise to return to oversee the birth of the couple's child, Sage left, leaving two pieces of hard candy for the twin boys who lived in the shack. The wind whipped at her hair and face when she left the building, and the smell of the ocean floated on the air. Her grass green eyes darted to a ship docked at the pier- a pirate ship. Sage closed her eyes and imagined what that life was like- running from the marines, a bounty on your head. Nothing like the mundane life here. She sighed, and bumped into a man.
"Oi, watch where you're going." He snarled, seven other men glaring at her while she passed.
"Sorry." Sage continued home.
"A sorry is all I'm going to get?" He grabbed Sage's arm, who fell to the ground from the sudden pull. She shifted to her knees, and looked shakily up at the man holding her arm. "On your knees, just like your mama." Sage growled in anger. She ripped her hand away, and kicked the man's legs out from under him. She gave a him a swift punch to his face, causing his nose to bleed. One of the other men tried to attack her, and she jumped and kicked the side of their head. He fell to the floor. The other men ran in fear. "Witch!" They cried. Sage checked the two men's pulse. Still breathing. She sighed.
"Still checking if they are alive? When you beat the crap out of them?" A blonde stood behind her, a mask covering his face.
"I don't want to kill them. I'm a doctor, after all."
"Oh, a doctor? Interesting. We are looking for one, after all."
"Eh?"
"Perhaps, would you be interested in joining the Kid Pirates?"