Prologue
"A thousand lives
and
A million no
A thousand kisses
and
A solitary yes
A single lie
and
A tragic smile…"
Year- 1017, Location:- All Blue, Prison Below, Justice Hall . Chamber No- 8173.
It was dark, as dark as the moonless rainy night, as dark as the pits of hell where no amount of fire could illuminate a single form. It was filthy, as dirty as the gutter that collected a city's excretes, as foul as the rotten flesh on the battlefield. In midst of this darkness, in the center of this filth and in heart of this foul stench the prisoner was kept. Forty-nine days of imprisonment had drained the body of its life force, yet every night when one of the guards sat near the entrance to watch the prisoner, he was left disturbed by the silence around that heartbeat from that frail body, that never stopped beating, never dropped or raced, its thumping never ceased, but went on like the second's hand inside an old cold library: soft but evident.
The legs were chained at the ankles, pulling the knees to the ground, the constant friction between the skin and rough dirty floor had created wounds which now reeked of poisoned blood and inflamed raw flesh. The wrists were tied by sea prism stone chains and kept the body hanging mid-air. The prisoner could neither slump on the floor nor stand on his feet he hanged like soiled wheat sack held at its edges in a leaky warehouse.
The body was covered in forty-nine days of blood, urine and excretes. The white shirt and blue trousers, in which the prisoner was captured, had become a platter of rotten hue. After the first week the prisoner had given up fighting, talking back or hissing. The body was no longer a human entity, a mass at best, but right now mere skin and bones breathing patiently.
Hair covered in pure filth, blood, spit, and sooth. The fingers had turned purple, ribs were sticking out, and the eyes had sunken in their sockets. A dead body that breathed, that refused to talk or react to any form of pain. The guards in charge to look after the body had made a game out of this reaction less lump. Some burned the armpits with the candle wax, others burned the skin with liquid vermilion, some cut the thigh with the knife, pricked with ice cold needles, other poured hot oil on the naval, another marked the body with heated iron bars, some even threatened to castrate. But no reply came, no fear, no anger, no rage, no wriggling in pain, nothing happened. The prisoner was a portal that received everything with no resistance and transported every pain and anger to someplace only the mind could access to.
Today was the night of execution; twenty guards unlocked the sea prism gates. Each with silver gloves and masks stood in a line. The sound of their ruffling boots entered the ears of the prisoner, but the head remained low, the fresh smell of outside world they carried entered the sharp nose, but not a single twitched appeared on the face. Two guards dropped on their knees to unlock chains on feet, but the legs remained motionless.
Soon the body was being dragged, dragged by the chains connected to the handcuffs. Pulled up through the narrow stone stairs, no one was worried that there was no reaction. It would be easier to execute a passed out prisoner than a resisting one. The body felt the loud rise and drop of stairs, now fellow prisoners' captive above in various levels were banging their mugs on the sea prism bars, some dangling hands, another cheering high and low, yet all individuals talking to the body that was being dragged through the dim lit passages. Yet no reaction came from the prisoner kissing the stones, it was a dead body to rest of the guards, but the prisoners kept cheering with loud words, obscene gesture, and shouts.
A victor was going to meet the end…
This was the top floor of the Justice Hall. Created of Amber Lead- the white material that was dug out from the earth, everything was spotless, white and bright under the moonlight. The top floor was shaped into a white dome. The dome had six windows, to let the light enter the hall. Six round windows to honour the six moons of justice. Tonight six moons hung in the dark sky.
Below each moon window sat a balcony for the six warlords. Tonight three warlords sat on their designated seat. It was rare to have more than one lord in Justice Hall at a time, tonight three warlords sat, it was indeed a rare occasion. It was the execution of a prisoner of state- An enemy of the True Blood of rulers.
A tall and broad man in a white robe with blue borders walked in with his hood on. He was the Justice Keeper. His hands held the red book with bold words CODEX painted on it in gold. The huge adam wood doors closed behind him and he took his position in front of the empty white chairs. As he took his position at the white podium which broke free from the ground and rose up. The man with nervous hands placed the CODEX on it. Tonight was a big night for him. He could do no mistake while he spoke. Laws were above everything 'Justice' the only cry. Who was he kidding he thought as he took a deep breath. Justice was for the one that lived in power.
Other five adam doors opened and similar hooded figure in white and blue entered. Each took their allotted seats. Four guards in silver walked in with baskets and greeted each sitter. Everybody took the white sheets and placed them on their laps. Neat and crisp they were made of the pulp of adam tree.
Justice Keeper raised his hands and sea prism stone pole burst out of the white altar. Another block on the floor opened and a burning cauldron sat on the white stage of execution. Justice Keeper closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He looked at the hooded figures, each one of them had given a verdict. The rarest of the rare verdict- en extended death sentence. Forty-nine days of psychological and physical torture and finally execution under the six bloody moons. They all wanted the prisoner's soul to wander for eternity. To be killed under the rays of six bloody moons meant a cycle of painful rebirths.
Tonight they were not doing Justice, tonight they were going to create an example out of the prisoner. Commoners had no place in their twisted Utopia. The man looked at every face visible under the crimson light; he was made the Justice Keeper because he opposed their verdict. Here he was standing to announce the sinful act that was going to change history. For good or bad, he did not know.
"Good evening, we thank Warlords to grace us and observe the execution tonight. Behalf of Justice Hall, I present myself as the Justice Keeper. Tonight we sit here to observe and end the forty-nine-day execution period of our state prisoner. As per verdict, we shall execute the prisoner at the peak of bloody moons glory when his falsely acquired powers are at its weakest. As a fellow Justice Giver and under the title of Justice Keeper, I request my colleagues to observe the condition of the prisoner and make the passing of soul a quick death" yes they had made him the face of Justice Givers, he would at least try to make the prisoner's end less painful, his conscience was against this execution.
The doors opened and the Silver Guards dragged the body through the passage between the huge white stone chairs. Every Justice Giver looked at the body, some covered their noses with a white piece of clothes called 'handkerchief'. The prisoner never used it but he knew its use. Yet the body was a life less in eyes of the Justice Giver. "Is he dead already?" a female voice whispered. "I had personally sent guards to torture him, they reported that after a week he stopped reacting to our methods" another male voice spoke. "I bet it's just the rotten body" another sighed. Yet every face was pleased with the condition of the body was in- Bruised, scarred, burned, beaten, skinny, branded, infected and nearly lifeless.
The guards attached the body to the sea prism pole; the prisoner slumped on the floor. The head banged the white floor yet no blood spilled. Justice Keeper sighed, this was inhuman, injustice and torture was never a way to guide one on the right path, yet he was helpless. With shaking hands, he saw the silver guards burn their gloves in the burning cauldron to kill any possibility of infection and diseases then and there. How much more did they want to degrade the prisoner? Justice Keeper thought.
"Tonight we gathered here to present justice to Trafalgar D. Water Law, a prisoner of state. I would request every Justice Givers and Justice Doers to pen down the method by which we shall release the prisoner of his misery in their ballot" Justice Keeper hoped for a quick kill. But he an eerie feeling crept him, that these Justice Doers and Justice Givers and three warlords would never be happy with a quick kill.
He was right.
They were not.
Though the ballots handed to him said Mercy Kill.
The meaning had been twisted years ago.
"What's the meaning of this?" Justice Keeper asked in controlled angry voice.
"It's mercy kill" the answer came in unison.
The adam door opened and the smell that Trafalgar D. Water Law loved entered his senses. His body felt the presence of that one person he loved. There was no mistake where the smell came from, his fingers felt a sudden jolt, his nerves sent sparks to his brains and every cell in his body was alive again. The essence of life was here: the smell of green woods, the breath of flowers, the wet brown earth, blue sky and smell of blood that pulsated in the butter yellow nape that was only his to kiss, the human, his sunshine.
The animal in Trafalgar D. Water Law roared up. Next moments he was on his feet, his gray eyes were hidden by his decaying hair; he was trying to break free from his shackles, he pulled his hands, dragged his skinny body, his legs trying hard to kick the floor. The Justice Keeper turned around at the sudden commotion and found his eyes locked on the people in white and blue hooded cloaks. He was registering every face; if he had a chance to be alive again he would kill each of them.
Everybody smiled; they wanted a great show before the frail body gave up. While they grinned, Trafalgar D. Water Law mentally hymned,
"Away...
beyond all concepts
of wrong-doing and right-doing,
there is a field.
I'll meet you there" **
"I will save you my love" a whispered happened on other side.
Disclaimer- I don't own One Piece
** the beautiful lines are of Rumi.
This is going to be a long story, I never wanted to publish it right now, but I keep losing my files in one mishap or another. So it is better I begin the story, Originally wanted to call it Freedom's Call. But will call it Luffy and Law.
Right now my mind is hung on tragic tone, this story will be tragic for now, it's a post-apocalyptic story, there will be blood, violence, and sex. So yup kids stay away. This was the Prologue, hopefully, I psyched you.
And yes I should be ashamed to not have updated my other stories, I know! SORRY.
P.S- I NEED REVIEWS badly.