Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Just OCs and plot.
Summary: From a world where chaos reigns across the divided lands of Britannia and corrupt kings bleed their realms dry by decades of war, Allister, an exiled knight, is killed under mysterious circumstances and reborn into a strange place filled with pirates and great treasures.
And as the struggle for power begins, Allister soon learns that the Great Empire is not the only one involved in the great game as sinister players position themselves to make their first move to stake their claim over both worlds.
With traitors at every corner and friends turning into foes. Through turmoil and war, magic and murder, Allister knows he must pick a side if he wishes to survive... But as a girl?
The Rules of Redemption
- Chapter 2 -
True Parentage
"Again," rang out James's smooth voice.
The sound echoed, bouncing off the trees that enclosed around them, like a wooden cage entrapping them from the rest of civilization.
In spite of the order, Haru was too exhausted to get up. Plus she had aches and pains running down her body.
"Again," He called out for the second time, staring down at her with a sword in hand as she rested on the floor.
Haru managed to pull herself up despite the agony and grabbed the sword that lay next to her. Then she attacked, trying to bombard him with different maneuvers, attempting to push him back. The sound of metal singing filled the warm air. Both of them standing in one place trading jabs, slashes and blows. Sweat rolled down her forehead as she blocked his dive, but the force of it was too strong, making her retreat and causing her to grunt. Though she returned the favor by thrusting the point of the sword forward, but he evaded her strike, causing her to pull her sword back before he charged at her. They both moved at near-impossible speeds while trying to dodge each other's assaults. This was the result of two years worth of hard training under James.
"Okay, enough." James uttered suddenly, putting down his sword.
Haru nodded in agreement, and dropped to her knees worn out from the few hours of fighting.
Dusk had arrived, she noted, as light drained away the vibrant greens of the forest while leaving dark shadowy silhouettes, but the final rays of sunlight fought against their passing as they fiercely penetrated through the thick grey clouds. However, this attempt was shown to be futile, as the clouds quickly won the battle with the help of strong winds plunging everything into what seemed to be eternal darkness.
"I-l should be getting back," she choked out, trying to pull oxygen into her system.
"Yes, you should," replied James while taking the training sword out of her hand. "You might be able to make it back in time for dinner if you run."
Haru nodded, still out of breath.
"I'll see you tomorrow at the same time then."
And with those final words, James disappeared in a flash of light to god know where.
Where does he live? That question always popped popped into her head when he teleported away after they were done with her training. She had never seen him in the houses in the village, which she assumed meant that he lived in another village or island. he latter was possible as teleportation magic could take you as far as you wanted to go as long as you have the image of the place inside your head. But alas, Haru was still too young to use this type of magic. She has to wait one more year for her magical core to fully develop as she was now 15, but that did not mean she could not use magic. James had been training her in the magical arts of Krorose. This allowed her to manipulate the thoughts and emotions of the people around her.
But it was known dark magic.
This caused it to be banned in Britannia, as people used it to commit crimes. For example, one man used it to make his wife commit suicide by filling her with negative emotion and thought just so he could marry another woman. Though, there was a reason why Haru was learning such dark magic.
I should really get back.
Turning her thoughts to Chiyo who must be waiting for her, Haru pulled herself up and began to run out of the forest towards home.
It took her around 20 minutes to reach home and when she finally arrive Haru was struggling to stand on her feet, as she was still tired from the training with James and now from running miles.
Haru sluggishly walked forward towards the entrance of the bar, but paused when she heard someone saying her name from inside the room. Though it was not to call her into the bar. It was used in a conversation with someone else. Someone she knew.
Quickly hiding herself next to the door with the little energy she had left, Haru listened into the conversation.
"-must tell her soon, Chiyo," said a slow and faltering voice as if the person was old. "Or else I will. She needs to know." The voice sounded like it was pleading with Chiyo to tell her what ever secret she had been keeping from her. This intrigued Haru, as she was a fan of finding out secrets, so she could use them against people. It was a love of hers. She was the same back in Old England as Allister.
"I can't," hissed out Chiyo. "I promised her mother that she would never know."
My mother?
This was news to Haru, as Chiyo had never once talked about her real mother. Instead Chiyo pretended to be her mum, but as Haru said before she didn't believe it one bit because of the difference in their physical appearance.
"You think that's going to stop her father from coming here?" said the old voice in rising anger. "He knows where she is and he's not going to stop searching for her until he speaks to her."
Wanting to know who the old man was, Haru took a peek inside the bar and saw a man with wizened black hair, which was covered with a multi-coloured hat and he had fatigued eyes. His face was seasoned as if he had faced everything the weather could throw at him and his beard had a smoky-grey tint to it. He also wore a peach t-shirt and black bottoms with red stars running across it. It was the Mayor, Woop Slap.
Why would the Mayor be involved in the secret of my parents? She thought. Unless... the secret has something to do with my safety.
"I can try and hide her again," Chiyo said. "That would stop him from seeing her."
"Woman, are you mad? Listen to yourself. You won't be able to stop him and if you think you can you're delusional. Tell Haruka the truth. She deserved to know."
"Tell me what?" Said Haru, as she walked into the room. She had enough of the secrets. Even though Haru did not care about who her parents were it was still her right to know and decide if they were relevant to her life. They can't be like my horrid mum back in Britannia.
Chiyo stared at Haru in shock then composed herself to smile at her. "Nothing Haruka. Just go to your room and we will have a chat later, okay?"
And as Chiyo said this, Woop Slap eyes burned in fury. "Stop lying to her! She going to find out anyway." He turned towards her. "We were talking about your parents. Your real parents."
"Stop!" Chiyo called out. "Please stop!"
"No," he replied in aggravated tone. "Your father has sent a letter saying that he wants to meet you, Haruka."
"Why does he want to meet me now?" Haru asked quickly before Chiyo could say anything. "He had all these years before, so why now?"
"Haruka, please don't do this. Please don't ask."
Chiyo voice sounded on the verge of breaking down, but Haru did not care. She never cared in the first place. To her Chiyo was just a woman who took care of her. Nothing more.
"Well, in the letter he says that he found out about you when you turned five through a friend of his," Woop Slap explained. "But he was unable to contact you in fear of people finding out about you."
"Who's this friend?"
"You should know him, Haruka. He first meet you when you were five."
When I was five? Haru thought back to when she was a kid. All I know is that I met...
Her eyes widen in realisation.
"Shanks!" Haru exclaimed.
"Yes, he is a friend of your father's."
"What's my father's name then?"
"His name is Dracule Mihawk."
Dracule Mihawk? Well, I have heard weirder names.
Chiyo suddenly rush to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Forget that name, okay? Please for me." Tears were running down her face as she tightly held onto her.
Having enough of Chiyo's behaviour, Haru seeped her magic into her and began to manipulate her thoughts and emotions.
Tell Haruka the truth. Was the thought that Haru repeatedly put into Chiyo's head while changing her emotions to more relaxed ones, so she would be confident enough to tell her the truth. Without warning, a glazed look crossed over Chiyo's eyes as she froze.
"I'll tell Haruka the truth," she finally said after a minute shocking the Mayor and her voice sounding calmer.
"Y-You will?!" He said in surprise.
Chiyo smiled softly. "Yes, I will."
"Then tell me. Who are my parents and why are you trying to hide them from me?" Haruka asked.
Chiyo sighed while wiping the tears from her eyes and letting go of Haru.
"Your parents are powerful people, Haruka." She began to explain. "For example, your mother was an admiral to the World Government before she disappeared."
"My mother disappeared? Why?" Haru asked.
"No one knows. She just disappeared after handing you over to me."
"Why did she give me to you?"
"I'm a friend of your mother's, so she trusted me enough to look after her child."
"But what's all this got to do with my father?"
Chiyo hesitated a little. "Well... your father is a well-known pirate. Said to be a great swordsman."
"I have a pirate for a father?!"
"You see, if people found out that your mother had a child with a pirate her reputation would go down the drain."
Woop Slap nodded. "No one can know this, Haruka. Not even your closest friends."
"Okay, but I want to be the one to respond to my father. I'll be the one to write him a letter."
Chiyo blinked in shock, both her and Woop Slap soon agreed.
"It's best that he hears everything from you anyway," Chiyo said. She seemed tired after giving that explanation, but Haru knew it was the side effect of using magic on her.
"One more thing, what's my mother's name?"
Chiyo stared at Haru for a while probably questioning whether to tell her. Then she sighed once again in resignation.
"Her name is Natsuko."
A few days passed and Haru found herself sitting in front of her desk trying to figure out what to write to her father. This would be her fifth attempt. Her other pages sat in the bin, because they hadn't been good enough, they weren't perfect. Plus the racket from downstairs in the bar was an annoyance and did not help her to concentrate properly.
The bar must be full, she guessed by the amount of noise there was. I wonder who has arrived.
Turning her thoughts to her present situation, Haru just began to write whatever came into her head. It would be the first time in years that she would be writing what she truly thought- after all, this man was her flesh and blood, but that did not mean that she trusted him. She would use her feeling as a ruse to find out what her father was truly like. If he was anything like that bitch of a mother she had in Britannia then it will be goodbye to him. However, if he was different then she had other plans.
Haru wrote:
To the father I never knew,
Until yesterday I knew nothing about you. I never even knew you existed. I grew up under the impression that you were dead along with my mother. Chiyo - that's the woman who adopted me - told me that I was her daughter, but I never believed it. And now I know the truth. You are alive and I don't know how to feel. I grew up without a father for the last 15 years of my life and I'm trying to decide whether or not I need one. But that does not mean that I don't want to meet you.
I would like to meet you as soon as you can if that's possible because there are somethings that are better said face to face then in a letter.
Thank you,
Haruka.
There. She was done.
Folding up the letter, Haru placed it inside an envelope and sealed it. She then stood up out of the wooden chair and walked toward the door of her room to go downstairs. As she walked she heard the noise from the bar getting louder and louder with each step. When she reached the source of the noise she saw the bar was packed with people laughing and drinking. That is when she spotted Luffy sitting next to a red-haired man wearing a straw hat.
"Shanks!" Haru called out while running over to him.
Shanks turned towards her and grinned. "Haru-chan? Is that you?"
Haru nodded with the same smile on her face.
"Wow, you've grown so much since I last saw you. How are you doing?" He asked with a drink in hand.
"I'm doing fine, but I need to speak with you."
"Hey! Don't ignore me Shanks! I'm going to be a pirate one day!" Cried out Luffy from beside him.
Shanks looked at Luffy and burst out laughing. Everyone else in the room laughed with him.
"You can't handle being a pirate," he said in between laughs.
"Yes I can," Luffy retorted. "Besides, my fighting style is pretty good too! I've rigorously trained before. My punch is as strong as a pistol fire."
Before Shanks could reply, Haru noticed the plaster on Luffy's face and said, "Luffy, what happened to your face?" It looked like he was cut under his left eye.
"It's proof." Luffy bluntly said.
"Proof of what?" Haru questioned.
"Of my-"
"Craziness?" Shanks interrupted.
"No!" Luffy shouted. "Of me wanting to be a pirate. It didn't hurt at all."
"So... you cut yourself?"
Haru did not know whether to laugh at his stupidity or just sigh.
"Yep!" He said with a wide grin on his face.
"Okay..."
And with that final note, Haru turned her head to face Shanks who was still laughing and drinking with his crew.
"Shanks," she called out to get his attention.
"Yeah, Haru-chan?" He said after taking a gulp of his drink.
"I need to talk to you. It's about my father."
Shanks sharply stared at her when she mentioned her father.
"I know the truth. I was told few nights ago." She explained to him.
Shanks said nothing and peered down at the letter in her hand.
"Is that for him?" He suddenly asked so softly that you could barely hear him over the noise of the bar.
Haru nodded. "Can you give it to him?"
"Yes." He answered, while he eyes were glazed over with some unreadable emotion.
And with that, Haru gave Shanks the letter.
"I'm going to go now." She stated. It was time for her to train with James again.
"Nee-chan," Luffy said before she could turn around and leave, "where are you going? You always disappear in the morning."
"Hmm, does she now?" Shanks said curiously back to his usual self, the strange look no longer there.
"Yeah and she won't tell me."
"I've noticed it, too." Said Makino from behind the counter. "I think it's been like this for the past two years."
Makino had been serving Shank's crew drinks while Haru was talking to their leader.
"So where have you been, Haru-chan?"
By the tone of Shanks voice it sounded like a light-hearted question, but Haru could guess that it was a serious one. This caused the whole room to turn quiet. Everyone listening in on what they were saying. Haru could feel dozens of eyes pierce her back. The best thing to do in this situation was to tell him the truth. There was no point lying. It would just get her in trouble.
"I've been training, so I know how to fight." She admitted.
"With who?" Shanks questioned.
Haru's eye's narrowed. Why does he think that I've been training with someone?
"I've been training by myself," she lied.
"Haruka," he said with an edge to his voice.
"I'm not lying," she assured him.
Shanks sighed. "Fine. I trust you."
"Okay. Then I'll get going."
Before anyone could have time to reply, Haru turned around and quickly walked out of the bar.
Haru was on her way back home after the 5 hours spent training with James. Today she was not learning sword techniques, but the art of magic. To be more exact, dark magic. Truth is the only type of magic that Haru could use was dark magic. This was because using magic considered for the light was not in her nature. It make her physically sick when even she had to heal herself since the art of healing was a light magic, however it could also be dark if used to bring someone back to life. This was her weakness as she could not use all types of magic, which she hated.
The type of dark magic that she had been learning was called Prefine. This allowed Haru to curse anyone to death or a lighter curse like making them have back luck for a day. She would use this to her advantage when she needed it most, as cursing someone to death took up a lot of magic and left her feeling out of it.
However, during her training Haru had a bad feeling and if there's one thing Haru knew it's to trust her intuition, as it had always been right. Though the feeling always came when she thought about Luffy and Shanks. Did something bad happen to them? She had to go home and check quickly.
When she arrived through the door of the bar the first thing she saw was Luffy wrapped in a towel crying his eyes out. He looked soaking wet as if he had been swimming in the sea. Haru then looked towards Shanks who was also wet and trying to comfort Luffy with one hand. No. With one arm. The other looked as if it had been bitten off.
What the hell happen?! She thought.
Haru ran towards Luffy and Shanks, pushing passed the crew mates that surrounded them.
"Luffy!" She called out. "Shanks!"
Shanks turned to face her with a smile on his face.
"Why are you smiling?!" She shouted. "Y-You don't have an arm anymore. What happened?!"
"I-It all m-my fault," Luffy said between sobs.
"What are you talking about, Luffy? It's not your fault. It's mine for not being strong enough, so cheer up," he said softly while his one arm was around Luffy's shoulders.
"Yeah Luffy. Don't cry," said Shanks's first mate, Ben. His tall figure looming over everyone. "Shanks did what he did out of his own choice. Don't feel bad because of that."
Haru did not know what to say. Shanks was one of the people who truly made her smile and laugh for the first time in a long time. Plus Haru could guess how much that arm meant to a pirate when it came to sword fighting. It was truly a loss to him. But Haru could not understand why he would sacrifice his arm for a kid. Haru knew that she would never do the same thing.
Is he that much of a selfless person?
All Haru knew was she hated those types of people.
AN: For the sake of this story I'm aging up Mihawk, so he would not be that young when Haru was born. He would be in his 20s.
Constructive criticism is always welcome, so please review. Plus thank you to the people who followed or favourited this story.
