Author's Note: Welcome, everyone, to the fanfic you've all been waiting for - The Libras' story! Seriously, we're going to have so much fun with this story; I've got so many exciting arcs planned and awesome characters this go-around.
Without further ado, let's get started!
Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eichiiro Oda. Please support the official release.
Begin Romance Dawn Arc
Sweet Disposition Opening #1: Are We Ready? (Wreck) by Two Door Cinema Club
"Are we ready? Hold it steady."
Ch. 1: "Romance Dawn pt. 1."
The massive Sarutobi mansion in the wealthy Goa Kingdom enclave of Goa Villas was the wealthiest and biggest of the houses on the street. At three stories tall with a guest house in the back of the property, the Sarutobi mansion housed the three brothers of the Sarutobi family (Heathcliffe, Holden, and Soren Sarutobi), their wives, their teenage children, a couple of aging aunts who seldom left the compound, visitors from far-off locales such as Yukijima in the Grand Line or even Mariejois, and the many butlers, maids, gardeners, and house staff tending to the Sarutobis and their many needs. If you were a Sarutobi, life was perfect and there was nothing to worry about.
On this particular day, a teenage girl with electric blue hair tied into two buns atop her head and black eyes was sitting outside of the mansion that was across the streets from where the Sarutobis lived. The girl wore a blue and white striped T-shirt under navy blue short overalls and white sneakers. Currently, the girl studied the amount of guests coming and going from the Sarutobi mansion, each one dressed more extravagantly than the last. However, one girl on the Sarutobis' stuck out like a painfully sore thumb - A tall, tomboyish girl with brown hair tied into a ponytail, brown eyes, and bangs. Unlike the other girls and women who wore dresses to the function, the girl wore a black and red flannel shirt with all of the buttons buttoned, black skinny jeans with holes at the knees, and dark-green boots that looked like they were made of a plastic-y or vinyl-like material.
"Oi, Charlotte! What the hell are you doing with the Sarutobis?!" The blue-haired girl shouted. Spending a few moments looking around to make sure nobody was looking, Charlotte then sprinted across the street and sat down next to the blue-haired girl.
"It was for some bullshit family thing, Greta. You know how strict my parents and Trudy are," Charlotte explained. "They dragged me to this fancy-ass dinner party the Sarutobis are throwing tonight to discuss some war or something that's going on. I was about ready to find the Sarutobis' wine cellar and get blackout drunk before you called me back over to the Nest."
"The war?" Greta asked before she remembered something. "Oh, yeah, the Dragon Lady declared war on us because she wants land."
"We go to war for the most bullshit reasons - Land, money, and power. If everybody on Earth got land, money, and power, then we'd all get along and there'd be no war bullshit," Charlotte explained.
"I think you also solved the problems with the World Government and the Celestial Dragons and why they have too much money, wealth, and power," Greta observed.
"Thanks. It was actually something Theresa said the other night, and it kind of stuck with me," Charlotte explained with a heavy sigh.
"Anything wrong?" Greta asked.
"I feel so sorry for those Sarutobi kids, though. It's clear that they don't like their parents, but they're pretty much forced to be puppets to their parents because of how fucking powerful that family is," Charlotte explained. "Like, they make the Vinsmoke family from the North Blue look like pussies."
"We could rescue them and bring them here to the Nest. I think the Abingdon kids came here earlier this week to request the same thing," Greta explained.
"Like that's going to happen," Charlotte explained as she got up. "You coming in or not? It's almost dinnertime."
"I'll stay outside for a few more minutes. Are you going back to that party?" Greta asked.
"All I care about at that party are the Sarutobi kids. Everybody else can go fuck themselves."
In the basements of the Sarutobi mansion, a boy with messy-looking jet-black hair and dark circles around his black eyes sat on a dusty couch with missing cushions, trying to light a cigarette. He wore an aqua-blue bowling shirt with black stripes, tight black jeans, and black flamenco boots.
"Mason? Are you down here?"
Shit, Mason thought to himself as he pocketed the lighter and tucked the cigarette behind his ear. A few moments later, a boy with brown hair, brown eyes came approached Mason. He wore a black T-shirt that said "Regional at Best", blue jeans, red sneakers, a newsboy's cap, and, oddly enough, a long, thin, floral-printed robe that looked like it was for girls.
"Oh, Lien, it's just you," Mason said.
"What'cha doing down here?" Lien asked.
"Uhh... Avoiding people? Shit, I don't know. I hate these people, and I hate how mom and dad expect us to be on our best behavior over some pirates," Mason explained. "Why are we having this party again?"
"One of the Shichibukai declared war on us, and our parents want to get people on their side so they can stay afloat during the war," Lien explained as he sat next to Mason on the couch, kicking up a small cloud of dust as he sat down. "Or something like that. I didn't pay attention to what mom and dad were saying."
"What's in it for us at this party?" Mason asked, grabbing the cigarette from behind his ears and lighting it up.
"Just our siblings and cousins," Lien said with a shrug. Mason took a deep drag off of his cigarette. "Also, I heard the Abingdons might show up."
Mason continued to inhale smoke and ash, not caring about anything Lien said. Besides Lien, Mason's brother, Aleksandar, and his four cousins, Pearl, Aurelia, Samaire, and Locke, were the only good people in the family. The money Mason, his brother, and their cousins stood to inherit wasn't enough to change their opinions on their parents. "Oh, and I think I saw Charlotte earlier. You know she's chill."
Mason breathed the smoke out in shock, choking in surprise.
"Forget the Abingdons, they kind of come off as jerks. We want Charlotte," Mason explained. "And if the Abingdons are there, does this mean Rhett brought Henrietta?"
"I'll bet you ten Beri that he didn't," Lien offered.
"Fifteen Beri. Take it or leave it," Mason argued.
"Fine," Lien said. "Don't come crying to me if they come, okay? This whole thing with the Shichibukai is fucking crazy."
By the time Mason and Lien made it back to the main floor of the mansion, the party was in full swing. The guests were beautiful and elegant, champagne and small bites were passed around the guests, and the whole affair was classy and formal. Even though the party was sophisticated and elegant, there was an air of hesitancy, urgency, and mild anxiety to the party.
"Yep, I was right. I hate these people," Mason observed as he and Lien stood at the back of the room, observing the guests. Above them, a portrait of three handsome men - one blonde and the other two identical, black-haired brothers - in expensive suits was hung above them. Even with the party atmosphere, the portrait of Heathcliffe, Holden, and Soren Sarutobi saw everything and looked down upon everybody.
"How shallow do you have to be to throw a party to get people to like you and be on your side?" Lien asked.
"Or desperate?" Mason asked with a scoff. "I mean, if pirates were going to threaten my life, I'd get out of here. Because our family is holding this dinner party, we're basically sitting ducks with targets on our backs. At least half of the people in this room right now are going to get beaten, robbed, raped, tortured, and/or murdered by the Dragon Lady and her crew."
"Finally, you show your face."
Two identical-looking girls with blonde hair, blue eyes, and identical-looking outfits (sky-blue rompers with white buttons and white, high-top sneakers) followed by a taller, blond-haired man wearing khakis and a dark-blue dress shirt patterned with white polka dots approached Mason and Lien.
"Aurelia, Samaire, Locke I was here earlier," Mason responded. "I just went out for a smoke break."
"You're not supposed to smoke. Are you crazy?" Locke asked.
"I don't care anymore," Mason argued.
"Do you remember last month when Uncle Holden - your father - nearly beat the shit out of you last month when you ditched a family dinner to go smoke at the wharf?!" Locke asked Mason.
"Why do you care?" Mason asked with an apathetic shrug. Locke stormed over to Mason and slapped him on the cheek.
"I care because this week, a former Shichibukai declared war on our home!" Locke yelled. "I care because if you continue with this reckless behavior, these pirates are going to kill you. You don't know who you're up against."
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Charlotte approached the two with a girl with very short, dark hair and an undercut and a boy with black hair with red streaks on the tips of his hair approached the group. While the girl wore a burgundy sweatshirt, black shorts over nylon stockings, and black combat boots, the boy wore a black hoodie, red skinny jeans, and black sneakers.
"Oh, hey, Charlotte," Mason said casually.
"So, what did Mason do this time?" The black and red-haired boy asked.
"Well, Aleksandar, your brother likes to be a deviant. We tell him not to smoke, but he -" Locke calmly explained.
"Don't listen to him, Aleksandar. You know I'm not a deviant," Mason explained.
"Of course, you aren't," The short-haired girl said.
"Pearl, please stay out of this," Samaire interjected.
"I'm not staying out of this. Mason is my cousin, too," Pearl argued. "Now, what happened?"
"Well, I was sick of this party, so I went downstairs to the basement to have a smoke, and Lien found me. He told me that Charlotte came to the party, so I decided to come back up. Then Locke, Aurelia, and Samaire showed up and wondered where I went, so I told them and Locke got pissed off," Mason explained.
"What the fuck, Locke? Mason's just a kid," Charlotte asked.
"He's putting himself in danger. This dinner is for our survival against an upcoming war," Locke calmly explained.
"Well, why the fuck should I care about what Mason does?!" Charlotte yelled.
"Because he's your friend," Locke answered. "Do you want your friend to get killed by pirates?!"
"Kids, what the hell is going on?!"
As if the painting of the three Sarutobi brothers came to life, Heathcliffe, Holden, and Soren approached the teenagers, just as handsome in real life.
"He started it! I didn't do anything!" Lien yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at Mason.
"Who started what?" Heathcliffe asked. Nobody responded, fearing what would come next. "Be honest. I'm not here to talk with a bunch of liars."
"For your information, Uncle Heathcliffe, Mason went to go smoke cigarettes in the basement when he shouldn't have done it," Locke explained.
"Fuck you!" Mason yelled. "Dad, please don't beat me! Please don't!"
"He did nothing wrong! He put the cigarette out when he saw me come down!" Lien yelled, prompting everyone to try and tell their side of the story.
"Enough!" Soren yelled. Everybody quieted down. "Honestly, I've had enough of your antics! Your uncles, aunts, and I work day and night to prevent the Dragon Lady and her pirates from invading the Goa Kingdom! It's gotten to the point where I am prostituting your aunts to the Dragon Lady's top collaborators in this city, and this is the thanks I get?! You smoke, drink, lie to me, and bring around undesirables! All of you lack maturity and proper manners!"
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Charlotte asked, prompting Soren to throw Charlotte to the ground. As soon as she hit the ground, Charlotte got back up onto her feet and shoved Soren into the wall and kicked him in the groin.
"Get out! Get out! Get out now, bitch!" Soren yelled. Charlotte punched Soren in the face.
"You make a very fair request. I didn't want to go to this shitty party anyway," Charlotte explained before she stormed off. Recoiling in pain, Soren turned to his brothers.
"Who gets punished first?" Soren asked.
"I'll punish my sons first," Heathcliffe said before he turned to Lien. "Pearl, Lien, go to your rooms. The both of you are grounded until the end of the week."
Pearl rolled her eyes in disgust and apathy. "Disrespect me again, and you'll be grounded until the end of the month."
Pearl and Lien said nothing as they slowly made their way up the stairs.
"Mason and Aleksandar, the both of you are grounded for six weeks," Holden explained. "Also, wait until your mother gets home from the party she went to tonight."
Muttering a few choice words under his breath, Mason followed his brother up the stairs.
"Lastly, the three of you are in the most trouble for ruining my party," Soren explained to Locke, Aurelia, and Samaire. "Locke, you are to leave the house by five o'clock tomorrow. You are no longer welcome here."
"Over a party?!" Locke shouted. Soren put a finger to his lips.
"Let me finish," Soren requested. "And because you ruined my party where I drummed up support against the Dragon Lady, your sisters will be given an appropriate punishment - I will sell one of them to the Dragon Lady as a prostitute. My choice."
Locke grew pale. His blood ran cold, and the world around him seemed to become distorted.
"You can't. They're you're daughters," Locke said through gritted teeth.
"You have no right to argue with me. You are not my son anymore," Soren explained. "I have chosen Samaire to be sold to the Dragon Lady as part of your punishment. You and Aurelia have a half-hour to say goodbye. I'm very disappointed in the three of you."
Without another word, Soren and his siblings walked away. Locke said nothing as he grabbed his siblings' hands.
"Come on. We'll go upstairs to say good-bye," Locke explained.
"Where are you going to go, Locke?" Samaire asked.
"Apparently, if Mason's logic is anything to believe, I may or may not have a place for me," Locke explained.
With Charlotte, she was stumbling back down the street, back toward the mansion she and Greta had sat outside of earlier that day. Her ribs and her sides were in pain, bruised and possibly cracked from Soren's attack. Charlotte didn't care; she told that Sarutobi bastard off, and he deserved it.
Staggering to the front door, Charlotte knocked on the front door with one hand as she rubbed her sore sides with the other hand.
"Password?"
"Caprica," Charlotte answered firmly. A second later, Greta opened the door.
"You look worse for wear," Greta observed as Charlotte entered the mansion.
"I've just gone through Hell," Charlotte wryly answered.
"What happened?" Greta asked.
"That Sarutobi bastard slammed me to the floor when I tried to defend his kids. Good thing I wore my heavy-ass boots today," Charlotte explained.
"Do you need to be taken to Alto so he can check you out?" Greta asked.
"Of course. That bastard probably broke a couple of my ribs," Charlotte answered.
"Hey, don't be like Miller. He nearly died trying to escape for a logging camp that supplied lumber for Kartik Abingdon's ships," Greta explained.
"Or Henrietta. She was kidnapped and escaped to here," Charlotte added.
"Our friends do so many dangerous things," Greta observed.
"That's what happens in the post-Straw Hat Pirates generation," Charlotte said. "The previous generation doesn't want to atone for their shit, and we're stuck with the resulting mess. The world's a hot mess these days."
As Greta and Charlotte made their way down the hall, very low and faint rumbles were heard from outside. The war was here, and everybody in the Goa Kingdom would be affected by what was to come.