Title: and much madness must make
Rating: M
Summary: Being reborn in a chaotic fantasy world of superhuman pirates isn't quite as terrifying as being reborn the daughter of a heartless, gluttonous cannibal. [OC, AU]
Warnings: Mentions of cannibalism via Big Mom, violence, disturbing elements.
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
(AN at bottom.)
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and much madness must make
"mired ties of blood"
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.What is Reflected in Thine Eyes
Brûlée is not the most outstanding of her sisters. She knows this.
(There is nothing to be gained from making it a habit to lie to oneself –just take a look at Lola. The less said about that delusional girl, the better.)
Oh, it certainly used to grate at her in the beginning, watching her little siblings gradually surpass her one by one and leave her behind in the dust –but by the thirtieth sibling or so, she's long grown accustomed to it. Everyone is talented in different areas; leave the fighting to the little hellions who are actually good at it. No, Brûlée will serve the family in her own way. Being skilled at fighting doesn't necessarily translate to being skilled at everything. God knows more than just overwhelming combat power is needed to properly run an empire, much less one as impressively large and grand as Totto Land.
Brûlée is the eighth daughter of the Charlotte Family. This is a hard, irrefutable advantage that she holds over the majority of her siblings. Even if they have the talent, it takes time to develop it into true skill, and Brûlée has the wisdom and experience that comes with age many of them lack. Most of her little siblings are born within the safe confines of Totto Land, but Brûlée is old enough to vaguely recall distant days of wandering at sea, of hunting and being hunted.
There is a reason why Mama tends to delegate the more important, delicate tasks to her older children. They are weathered and capable in a way that their younger siblings aren't, in a way that Brûlée secretly hopes they'll never have to be.
Madeleine is a bit of an oddity, though.
… Actually that's probably the most massive understatement of the century.
Even amongst the twenty other siblings in her age group, even compared with any of her older siblings back when they were still at her age –she's brilliant, in a way that's long passed impressive and moved straight into downright terrifying. The girl soaks up information like a literal sponge, and it's almost like her body is built for battle, the way she practically blitzes through her training.
Truly, if there's anything about her that is lacking at all, it would be her personality –lack of personality, really– but given her recalcitrant demeanor and antisocial ways…
Hello, awkward genius child, anyone?
The girl might not be close with very many of her siblings, but it's clear that she adores Mama, if the way she fervently clings to each and every one of their mother's words is any indication of things.
It was really sweet, the first time she set out and decimated the stubborn country of Taellun to bring their mother the country's lauded hazelnut-chocolate for her birthday.
No, Brûlée doesn't resent her little sister. She doesn't resent any of her siblings. Brûlée is long past the point of pointless jealousy of her siblings for being talented in fighting, for being talented in a way that she will never be. They are all Charlottes, and they all contribute to the family in their own way, whether it be through combat or administration or diplomacy.
She just… worries, sometimes. Madeleine is one of her younger little sisters, and impressively skilled as she might be, as confident as Mama is in sending her out on missions that even Perospero or Katakuri would pause at…
As one of the older middle siblings, Brûlée knows that while it might be the job of the younger siblings to refrain from stirring up undue trouble for their older siblings, it's also the responsibility of the older siblings to watch out for their little brothers and sisters. Just like Katakuri. Madeleine is clearly nothing if not capable in all her terrible brilliance, but Brûlée still worries.
She was the one to treat the girl's broken ribs and fractures the first time she came back from an assignment Mama gave her as a test, after all. It's only natural that she'd worry.
Madeleine is everything that Brûlée once would've given anything to be. Clever, talented, nearly an unstoppable force of nature in her own right, a true diamond shining even amongst the sizable ranks of her own siblings, and favored by Mama. But Brûlée is a little bit older now, and that makes her a little bit wiser from the oblivious young girl she used to be.
So she slips an extra treat into Madeleine's afternoon tea whenever she can manage it. Tarts, biscuits, cakes. It feels a lot like feeding an ungrateful dog at times, especially given the socially retarded girl's complete lack of acknowledgment, but Brûlée just rolls her eyes and bears with it. An older sibling should indulge their younger sister from time to time. Of course, the fact that said younger sibling could kick her ass at the drop of a hat has absolutely nothing to do with anything whatsoever.
… She's not deaf. There are several rumors of Madeleine being heartless, an unfeeling tool that ignores everyone save for Mama. Rumors that only grow more and more exaggerated over time, as Madeleine grows stronger and stronger and her kill count breaks solidly into the triple digits while still remaining as cold and standoffish as ever.
Stupid little siblings. Stupid little sisters and stupid genii for being so socially inept that it hurts to watch them stumble around, gods.
She's glad to be proven wrong on the day that Mama makes them choose their Devil Fruit powers together.
"This here," their mother pats one of the strangely-colored fruits, "Is the Mirror Mirror Fruit. The other one is a complete surprise! Now, who wants which fruit?"
The wealth and influence of the Big Mom Pirates means that it's easy for Mama to obtain precious, coveted Devil Fruits for her children, but she only rewards them to those she deems worthy. Brûlée is finally receiving her reward, receiving acknowledgment for all these years of uncomplaining, unrelenting work in forming the governing policies of Totto Land, while Madeleine is being rewarded for bringing a particularly tricky island under Totto Land's sphere of influence.
As far as Devil Fruits go…
Everyone knows that there are useful fruits and useless ones. The Mirror Mirror Fruit is undeniably a useful one –in fact, it's almost perfect for someone like Brûlée, perfect for transportation and communication and last-minute escape routes, if need be. But knowing Madeleine, Brûlée has no doubt that the fruit would turn into an even more terrifying weapon in her prodigious little sister's hands. And Madeleine, as careful and calculative and pragmatic as she is, will have no interest in gambling on an unknown fruit when there is a perfectly fine, perfectly usable–
Mama's eyes are on Madeleine, clearly encouraging the younger girl to choose first–
Madeleine has more potential, is capable of contributing more to the family–
Brûlée is–
Brûlée is–
"I'd like to take that one, please."
Brûlée stares.
Her pragmatic little sister is pointing at the unknown mystery fruit.
"… You're certain, Madeleine?" Mama's eyes glitter.
The younger girl nods.
"Yes. I want a challenge. The Mirror Mirror Fruit would certainly be useful to me, but I already know what I would do with it. That's boring. I'm sure that Sister Brûlée will make good use of it."
Mama laughs. "Hahahamamama! That's my girl. Don't come crying to me if it turns out to be a dud, though. You had your chance."
"Of course not, Mama," Madeleine executes a perfect ninety-degree bow. "Rest assured that I will develop the fruit's potential to its utmost no matter what the ability is. I swear that there will be no negative effects on my performance. Besides, I trust in Mama's luck. The only way that this Devil Fruit that Mama bought will be useless is if my own ill fortune is through the roof today."
"So sweet, little Madeleine," Mama laughs again. "Hurry up and eat your fruits, both of you."
"Yes, Mama."
And so, this is how Brûlée obtains the Mirror Mirror Fruit and becomes a Mirror woman. Even with her barely-contained anticipatory excitement, she'd still very nearly spat out the horrid fruit the moment she'd placed it in her mouth. Truly, it was the foulest thing she had ever tasted. Only the very fact that she was standing in Mama's presence stopped her from regurgitating the thing.
Power comes at a price, indeed.
Madeleine eats the fruit with no change in her expression at all, mild as milk. Brûlée doesn't believe the façade for a moment, immediately poking the girl for details the moment Mama dismisses them to experiment with their newly-obtained Devil Fruit powers.
The girl smiles crookedly, an expression that tugs lightly at her lips but does not reach her eyes. "It tasted like madness."
Well. That's certainly one way to put it.
… Even more reason to throw a few extra cookies in her favorite little sister's afternoon tea today, then.
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.What Needs Not Be Spoken
It's not good for one to have a favorite sibling. Intellectually, Katakuri knows this. Unfortunately, this is still not enough to control his feelings.
When Brûlée starts fussing over one of their younger siblings, it's only natural for Katakuri to turn his attention towards the girl for a cursory look as well. Charlotte Madeleine. His twenty-sixth sister, and number fifty-sixth in the family tree.
Ah, that's the young little genius sister. One of Mama's new favorites.
… She's a curious little thing, focused and diligent and motivated in a way that he hasn't seen since his and his other single-digit siblings' childhood days. Katakuri can admire dedication like that.
From the very first moment he lays eyes on Madeleine in midst of her lessons, he instinctively knows that the girl will become strong. Stronger than the rest of his other little siblings. Maybe even as strong as himself one day, if she keeps working at it.
And he's right.
She still hasn't quite reached his level just yet, but she's getting closer nowadays. Their spars have transitioned from mentor-student training into something more akin to actual sparring, and he's quite proud of how far his little sister has come, over the years.
He can also appreciate the name that she has begun making for herself. The Bone-Devil of Black, for her white swords crafted from dragon fangs and dragon bones, and for the death that she leaves in her wake. It's crude and vicious, certainly, but it also strikes fear into people's hearts and makes their enemies think twice about attacking them at the cost of her personal reputation. Katakuri can respect that; he himself is much the same.
Although for Madeleine, it seems to be less of a deliberate act that she consciously keeps up and more of a byproduct of her defective personality. Which, well.
Well.
… Moving on, then.
Katakuri likes Madeleine. Not for her sharp intelligence or her raw talent, but simply because she is disciplined and works hard and never spouts off incessant, trivial complaints. She's not quite his favorite sibling, but he likes her well enough even without the title of 'favorite' and all that implies.
Madeleine is also the one sibling he's never had to clean up messes after, which makes her a godsend, even with that too-blank personality of hers and utter disregard for most people. It's not quite haughty arrogance, more like she just doesn't… care, really. Almost as if she wouldn't even bat an eye if any of her siblings ran astray of trouble or found themselves doomed in the jaws of a lethal trap.
It's the one thing Katakuri can't approve of her.
Luckily, this callous, unfeeling attitude does not extend to everyone around her; Madeleine practically worships the ground their mother walks on, and even with the stony front she keeps up for nearly everyone else, Katakuri is still sharp enough to see that Madeleine isn't quite as heartless as the rest of the world believes, just like Brûlée.
The girl is just really, really bad at expressing herself. And considering that he's the one saying this… clearly, his little genius sister has some serious issues.
At least Brûlée doesn't seem put off by it, thankfully enough. The thing with the Mirror Mirror Fruit only cemented the budding relationship between the girls.
It's always good to see his sisters getting along well with each other.
Madeleine might be the sibling that he worries over the least, but in another sense she's also the sister that he worries over the most. It's almost maddening at times, really.
"Katakuri?"
… Like now. Goddamnit.
"You say that this man… challenged you to a spar?" He forces out the words from his throat slowly, eye twitching. He takes his words back. That thing about Madeleine never making any messes? He takes it back. How in the world is he going to explain this to Mama? "He's the visiting dignitary from Hocus Land. Our alliance with them is… delicate. Why on earth would he jeopardize that by initiating conflict?"
Madeleine shrugs. "Dunno. He attacked me first. Said something about proving himself worthy of a hand or something. Hocus people are weird, brother."
Katakuri stares at his little sister for a long moment, then turns his gaze towards the elderly, portly man groaning in a bloody heap on the ground.
"So… am I in trouble?"
"… No. No, you're not in trouble."
His little sister's face is as blank as ever, but even so, her usual blank stoicism shifts into blank confusion when he sighs and abruptly reaches over to pat her on the head.
"… Katakuri?"
"Next time," he tells her gruffly, "If anyone ever says something like this to you again, don't just punch them, Madeleine. People like him, they're like cockroaches. If you don't cut off an arm or a leg, they'll keep coming back to bother you. Only Mama has the right to decide your future prospects, and it's definitely not going to be with lowlife scum like this."
The girl blinks, "Future prospects? What does that have to do with anything?"
"… Don't worry about it. Next time someone like this comes up to you, just cut off their head directly, understood?"
"Yes, brother."
Beneath their feet, the not-so-dignified dignitary twitches pathetically and lets out a pitiful whimper. Tough luck. Charlotte Katakuri is the older brother to almost eighty other younger siblings. He has a responsibility to them, and he's allowed to be a little protective, damnit.
Alliances might be important, but only up to a certain point. And family will always come first. Always.
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…
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Author's Notes:
So people asked about what would happen if Madeleine ever met the Straw Hat pirates, and that was what got this whole snowball rolling again. This is all your fault.
… Yes, you can expect a chapter featuring the Wedding Incident next time. Probably. I might slip in something else like an interlude with Lola before we get to that?
In the meantime, enjoy a closer look at Madeleine and her siblings. Clearly, Madeleine is not exactly a very reliable narrator.
Katakuri went a little too OOC at the end, but I have a headcanon that outwardly he looks cool and calm and suave all the time, but inwardly he's actually just a giant dork who's a complete mother hen over all his stupid little siblings. The ones that he considers family, anyways.
Sirius is still in progress. A lot of deleting and rewriting going on for that. I'll probably rewrite/edit Polaris at some point too, at this rate.
If there's anything you'd like to see in the encounter between Madeleine and the Straw Hats or any AU/Omakes/POVs you'd like to see, now's the time to speak up.
Toodles,
XxZuiliu