Now, I am please to present to you the actual first chapter to this OC One Piece tale. In here, you'll see how my main character, Peytan, gets his start on his adventures of being a true pirate.
Well, I'm trying to mix in what happen in the anime and in the manga, but the thing is, the girl that is mention in this chapter is more of along the lines from the original idea for One Piece call "Romance Dawn" that appeared in a special issue of Weekly Shonen Jump. (For info, check around the Internet, or get the December issue of Shonen Jump.)
So now, I am please to present… The Tales from the Psy-Mar Crew.
Legal stuff: I DO NOT own One Piece. One Piece is copyrighted by the great Eiichiro Oda. I do, however, own any original content mention in this series.
One Piece – Tales from the Psy-Mar Crew
Chapter One: Bridgeport
III
Caw, caw, went the gulls, soaring above the briny blue ocean that is below. The day is bright, the sun sailing high in the sky and the clouds drift along the air currents at a gentle pace. The ocean is calm today, with small waves cresting across the water, and pushing along a small wood boat. The boat itself is a small dinghy, big enough to hold two people and already one person is taking up a spot.
A fifteen year-old boy lies along inside of the boat, with his feet pushing against the mast, his clothed left arm dangling along the edge and his bare right arm wrapped around his chest. His face is covered by a black tricorn hat with a large white feather coming out, covering his spiky brown hair and red headband. The sunlight reflects off his gold buttons, lighting up his red sleeveless vest and the sun's ray tans his legs to match the color of his khaki shorts.
The boat hits land, jerking the boy forward a bit, but not enough to wake him up fully. He leans back, still sleeping, as the waves gently crash against the boat. A lone sixteen year old girl walks along the beach, looking out into the ocean, when she notices the boat a few meters away. She reaches for her sword that she carries and before she got there, a crowd of people swarm around the boat and the boy. The people spoke quietly, making sure that they didn't arouse the boy from his sleep, and each person grabs a hold beneath the boy, lifting him off and carrying him away from his dinghy.
The girl could only watch as she sees her fellow townspeople carrying the trespasser away.
III
It is black, and he could feel ropes tightening him up. The boy lifts one of his eyelids, allowing the light to blind him and the image before him to clear up. He lifts his other eye opens and his vision clears, revealing that he is an open field. He looks forward, seeing the bare soil below him and a white stone wall far away. He looks left and sees an empty wood post sticking out of the ground and a few buildings made out of the same material as the wall. He looks down to see the rope that is keeping him from moving and his black sandals. He looks right and spots a man hanging to a wood post, looking down at the weathered ground.
The man is out-of-shape, with him looking very frail from lack of nourishes food and water. His white shirt is caked with layers of dried sweat and stank from proper cleaning, thanks to the sun's rays. He hangs his head low, allowing his long black hair to cover his sweating face and his thick stubble face.
The boy looks at the man in pity and then in curiosity. He wonders how the man got to be in a state like that, and how did the boy got here. The boy struggles to loosen the ropes, but no luck. He turns his head to face the man and he asked:
"Hey, are you awake?"
The man looks up. He peers over to the boy in a depressed state, but change to see the boy's curious face.
"What do you want," the man asked, "and how did you get here?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," the boy replied. "Really, I have no idea how I got here."
"Really? They caught you for no apparent reason?" the man asked. "Maybe it is because you dress like a pirate."
"Then what about you?" the boy answered.
"Me? I'm just an innocent pawn in all this," the man said. "I was just walking around in town and next thing I knew, I'm got arrested for nothing."
"Then can you explain why you're out here in a middle of a naval shooting range?" the boy asked.
The boy eyes the ground, instructing the man to look down. Along the ground are shells from fired bullets and some rounds that didn't made all the way, were ricocheted off, or were debris from a high-impact hit. The post that the men are on are riddled with bullet holes and stained with blood, allowing the two to imagine the kind of people who were put here to face the firing squad.
"Kid, I don't want to die this way," the man said. "I was hoping that I'll die in the hands of some cheap whore."
"Well, I wish you luck on that dream," the boy responded, "but I'm getting myself out of this mess."
The boy clenches his hands, squeezing hard as his body starts to disappear. The man is shocked by the boy's skills, looking with his mouth drop as the boy completely disappears from view. Then the rope that once held the boy drops to the ground and the boy emerge unscave.
"H-How did you do that?" the man asked.
"Oh, just a Cursed Devil Fruit, that's all," the boy replied, tightening his glove.
"Hey, tell you want, I'll cut you a deal," the man said.
"What kind of deal?"
"Let me free, and we'll both escape this hellhole together, what you say?" the man said.
From the distance, sirens went off, and a team of white uniform officers emerge on the field with rifles in hand. The officers' stomp can be heard from where the two are, and the man panics, trying to break free from the rope.
"OK, but if you do something behind my back," the boy said, putting his left arm forward, "I swear I'll deliver you to the Navy officers myself."
The boy swats his arm in a cutting motion and the rope that held the man came slicing apart. The man lands on the ground and he celebrates briefly as the naval officers came closer to where the posts are.
"See you around, kid," the man answered, saluting to the boy.
The man made a running dash, running far away from the boy as the officers came to a stop. All of them are wearing the same uniform of a white shirt with light blue trimming, blue pants, black boots, and a white cap with a logo and the word "Marines" on it. The men look at the boy and then at the dust cloud created by the escaping man.
"We just lost Harry Pete," an officer said into a transmitter. "Repeat, we just lost Harry Pete."
"What about the other captive?" a voice replied.
"He's still here," the officer responded, "and he has broken free from the post."
"Shoot when ready, boys," the transmitter replied. "This boy is a pirate, and all pirates must be brought to justice!"
"Now, why would fire on an innocent child like me?" the boy asked.
The officers lower their rifles, looking confuse about the situation.
"Surely you Navy officers are going to give me a fair trial, right?" the boy asked.
"We have direct orders from our captain to throw all pirates we capture out in the firing range," one Navy officer responded.
"We aren't allowed to give any pirate that steps foot in this town a fair trial," another officer replied.
"All right, that's fine," the boy said, putting his hands up. "But this is going to go against you for shooting an innocent child."
Far away, the escaped man begins to climb up over the barrier that surrounds the naval base. The man snickers over his thoughts as he made his way up on the wall.
"Right about now, that boy would already be cover in blood," the man said out loud, keeping it low so he wouldn't get caught.
Just as he made it to the top, he sat upright and puts a hand to his ear, listening for the sound of gunshots. Over where the boy is confronting the officers, the group stood there in silence, with the boy waiting in patience for one officer to fire. The wind picks up, blowing a small cloud of dust in front of the two sides, and every naval officer is ready to fire their rifles.
"Well, what are waiting for?" the boy asked. "Shoot me."
The men hesitated at first, and then they pull the triggers. The bullets leave the chambers and came shooting at the boy. With a snap of the fingers, the bullets came to a screeching halt, with the round bullets suspended in mid-air and then dropping to the ground. The officers look astonish and then fire again, with the same thing happening again. The cycle continues to repeat until the Navy officials ran out of ammunition.
"Done, are we?" the boy asked. "I guess it's time for me to part ways."
The boy salutes to the officers and starts to run towards the west wall. A Navy officer signal for some men to give chase, and with bayonets drawn and place on the rifles, they aim their guns directly at the boy. He turns his head to look at the approaching officers and he snaps it back forward as he starts to climb up. The officers came to a stop to watch the boy made his getaway from climbing up invisible stairs.
After jumping over the wall, the boy looks to the right and left to look out for more Navy officers that are looking for him and the man, Harry Pete. Making sure that no one is chasing him, the boy starts to run down one of the street, heading downhill to get to the docks. As he made his run, he begins to pick up speed, getting faster and faster with each step he takes. He then creates a weight to help him slow down, but it didn't do much and the weight made the boy roll down the hill.
Down further on the hill, a girl sits patiently on a bench, looking up into the sky as she reclines on the wooden bench. She hears the sound of the boy coming in her direction and she got up, ready to pull out her sword, as the boy comes rolling down the hill. He bounces across the ground and then he came to a complete stop, jerking back to the weight that he created. He lies there on the ground, unconscious right there in front of the girl, and she relaxes herself from her sword, only to pick up the boy and carry him to her house.
III
The boy wakes up again for the second time today, this time inside of a house. He sniffs the air, and he turns his head to see the girl from earlier cooking in front of a potbelly stove. He got up and looks down to see a woven blanket made out of wool lying across the lower half of his body.
"Please, don't move as much," the girl said. "You still need to recover."
The boy looks over at the girl, who is taking a ladle and pouring a soup into a bowl. She takes the bowl and walks it over to the boy, placing it on the table next to him.
"Eat up," the girl said. "I'm pretty certain that the Navy didn't give you anything while you're tied up."
"Actually, I haven't ate in three days," the boy said.
The girl is stun. "Three days?" she echoed. "That's a long time to go without food."
"Oh, when I get food, it's normally get me through for two days," the boy answered.
He takes the bowl and with one hand, he inhales the soup. He let no drop behind, cleaning up the bowl and his lips in seconds fast.
"Excuse me for that," the boy said. "I'm a bit of a sloppy eater, especially after what happen two years ago."
"What happen?" the girl asked.
"Well, it was just a day like this," the boy started. "My parents were a wealthy bunch, and I was the heir to my parents' fortune, but I always wanted to be a pirate. Just then, a storm started to brew, and I could see a ship out in the distance. I knew that the ship belonged to the great Captain Negrot Baret, and he and his men took hold of our ship. Luckily, he spared me and my parents, and he offered me to join his crew, so I accepted.
"My time with him was short, but he did give me two things before the ship broke in two. He gave me this piece of cloth on my shoulder here, which was formerly a cape, and he gave me a Cursed Devil Fruit."
"A Cursed Devil Fruit?" the girl echoed. "What can you do?"
"My fruit is the Psy-Psy Fruit, and with it, I can use psychic powers to create anything I want. But it came with a price."
The boy takes his clothed left arm and pulls on one of the sleeves to open it up. The girl gasp by the sight of what the boy is showing her.
"I'm apparently allergic to the Psy-Psy Fruit, so it turned my arm invisible," the boy said, "and I can't have it expose in the sun, otherwise I'll lose function in my arm."
"That's terrible," the girl answered.
"But it gives me the ability to turn invisible," the boy replied.
"That's how you got away from the Navy, right?"
The boy got up from the couch that he is laying on and walks up to a window. He looks out to see the open waters, other houses and a ship coming in to the docks.
"So, you're a pirate, are you?" the girl asked.
"Yes."
"What do they call you?"
"My name's Peytan," the boy responded, "but everyone calls Psychic Peytan for my powers."
"Well, mine's Julien," the girl said. "I'm a swordsman, but I'm not really much one."
"You fight?" Peytan asked.
"Not really," Julien replied. "I only help out in small stuff that doesn't involve the Navy. But I hope that I can join the ranks one day."
"I say, don't."
"What do you mean?" asked Julien.
"I mean, you're helping me out," Peytan said. "I'm a pirate, and if the Navy finds out about this, you'll never get to be an officer."
"I don't give a damn about what the Navy say," Julien said sharply. "If anyone needs help, the Navy should be willing to help, no matter who that person is."
"Julien, if you do become a Navy officer," the psychic said, "please, only help the good pirates."
"Like you?"
"Like me."
A knock on the door fill the room, and Julien turns around to head towards the door. She opens it and at the door is the escape convict, Harry Pete, leaning against the doorway and is wearing a Navy uniform.
"Good afternoon, miss," the convict said, taking off his hat. "I'm here for the daily rent."
"Daily rent?" echoed Julien. "I never heard of a daily rent."
"It's a very recent act issued by Captain Terrier," Harry lied, "and we are required to go door-to-door to collect the rent."
"But I already paid off my rent," the girl said.
"Well then, give me all that you have," the convict said, drawing a pistol.
"I'm warning you, I'm a trained swordsman," Julien threatens, placing her hands on her sword's sheath.
"Ha, I seen what you do, and really, you're just a little crybaby," Harry said, sticking the barrel into the girl's chest.
Suddenly, Harry is pull back, thrown over to a pile of trash. He looks up to see Peytan standing right behind Julien, sticking out a white glove out into the open. Harry Pete got up from the pile and brushes himself off, grabbing the pistol that was knocked out from his personnel.
"Kid, I thought we made a deal," Harry said.
"We did," Peytan replied, "and I specifically said that if you do something behind my back, I'll personally deliver you to the Navy."
"And I really haven't done anything bad at all," lied Harry.
"Then what about what just happen?" Julien asked.
"Hey, I need money, is that all right?" the convict blurted. "I got to feed myself, and the damn Navy keeps stealing our money."
"And that's probably why you were at the shooting range," Peytan said. "You were stealing the money for yourself."
"Yeah, and I have enough to knock Terrier from his position and put me right on top!" Harry Pete proclaimed. "That's right, me the captain of this shitty naval port, and there's nothing you can to stop me."
"Oh yes, there is," Julien said.
She reaches for her sword and draws it out from its sheath, but Harry Pete pulls the trigger and fires a shot directly at her. Peytan deflects the bullet, knocking it past Julien and over her shoulder, cutting part of her sleeve and flesh open. She grabs on to her wound as the convict made his escape, running far down on the road that they're on.
"Are you OK?" Peytan asked.
"I'm OK," Julien said, getting up.
She lifts her hand from her wound, and blood trickles out into the open. Her palm is cover in red, and her blouse is getting stained with the red liquid, but there isn't a lot of blood to call the wound serious.
"Go get the Navy," the psychic boy ordered. "I'm going to go after Harry Pete and wrangle him in."
"But, won't you both get arrested?" the swordsman asked.
"Not before I'm done with him," Peytan answered.
He waves to her as the boy makes his run towards the docks. Up ahead, Harry Pete is far away from the Navy headquarters and is now approaching the docks. He could see people along the sidewalks, watching as the escape convict make his getaway.
"Oh man, this is too easy," the man laughs to himself. "I'm not going to have a hard time at the next town."
"Psy-Psy Prison!"
Harry Pete came to a stop and he hits something hard and round. He slides on down to the ground and he got back up to feel what hit him. Sure enough, there is nothing in front of him, but he can feel coldness and the smoothness of steel cage bars. He feels around, and sure enough, he feels the same thing. Harry tries to run back, but he hits another wall, and he got back in a hurry, panicking about his new surroundings.
"W-What's happening here?" the man shouted.
Up ahead on the hill, Peytan lifts his white glove off the ground and heads towards the trapped convict. Unlike to Harry, Peytan can clearly see the steel cage that he conjure up to capture the false Navy officer.
"This is my power of the Psy-Psy Fruit," the boy said. "Like I said, I'll take you to the Navy by any means."
"Kid, you're making a big mistake," Harry growled.
"I made worst," the psychic said, "and this isn't one of them."
Peytan straighten out his glove as he walks away from his creation, leaving Harry Pete alone in the cage. The convict struggles to break free from the cage, but the bars are too strong for the man to break. By then, Julien came upon the caged Harry, and she wonder why is he acting like this until she notices Peytan walking to the docks. A team of Navy officers came right behind Julien and they each take look at the struggling convict.
"What is he doing?" one officer asked.
"Is he doing some sort of (fancy term of miming)?" another officer asked.
"Did you do this, Julien?" another officer asked.
"I did," the girl lied.
The officers look at each other and one by one, they take Harry Pete and put him in cuffs, dragging him back up to the headquarters.
"No, you don't understand," Harry Pete burst out, struggling to get out, "it was that one kid, with the brown hair and the red vest. It was all him!"
The Navy officers didn't bother to listen to Harry, as they drag the convict back up the hill. Julien looks on confused, seeing how someone like Peytan could be able to catch a criminal like Harry Pete, with something that no one but Peytan could see.
"Julien!"
She jump, started to hear her name from one of the remaining Navy officers behind her. She turns around and looks to see the lone officer right in front of her, standing sturdy in front of the girl swordsman.
"Your actions have proven yourself worthy of being a naval officer," the officer said.
"Thank you," Julien said, bowing.
"And recently, you have submitted an application to apply as an officer, correct?"
"Uh, that's right," the girl answered.
"Well, with this recent action, you're hereby accepted into the Navy," the officer said.
Julien couldn't believe her ears. She is accepted into the Navy. "Really?" she asked.
The officer nods yes, and Julien let out a quiet squeal, before switching her pose to a salute, knowing that her reaction isn't accepted in the Navy. She then asks the officer to leave for the docks and he nods yes, so she runs off to the town's dock.
At the docks, Peytan walks along the edge, looking up and down at the boats resting along the docks. His face grew more and sadder as he looks for his boat that he rode to town, until he spots the familiar shape in his eye. Ahead, there is the small dinghy, with the sail down and seagulls perch on the mast, tied up next to a much larger ship, a Navy ship. He heads for his boat, but he was stop in his tracks when he heard someone call out:
"Peytan, wait up!"
He turns around and he notices Julien heading straight for him. She stops right in front, making sure that she doesn't push Peytan in the water, which he will drown if he falls in. Peytan leans back, taking a step right before the edge and he regain his balance as the girl stands dangerously close to him.
"Uh, do you mind?" asked Peytan.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Julien replied, taking a few steps. She looks over Peytan and notices the dinghy. "Is that your ship?"
"For the time being," the psychic answered. "I hope one day to get a larger ship, and hopefully get a crew of my own."
"Well, good luck to you," Julien said quietly.
"What's wrong?" asked Peytan.
"Oh, I'm just excited that I'm in the Navy," the girl answered.
"That's great for you," Peytan said.
"And really, I just want to say thank you for what you did," Julien said.
She leans in to give Peytan a hug. Just then, Peytan lost his balance and Julien lets go in time for the boy to fall. He lands, hitting the inside of his boat and Julien looks over to see that the psychic boy is all right.
"I'm fine," Peytan replied. "It's about time that I should leave. Good luck to you on your Navy exploits."
He pulls on the rope, making the knot come loose, as the wind blows into the sail and pushing the boat away from the docks. Peytan got up and he gave Julien a small wave, getting further and further away from the island. Julien waves back at the pirate, seeing him become more of a speck as he gets close to the horizon. Soon, she couldn't see him anymore, and she is alone on the docks.
"Julien!"
Once again, she jumps from hearing her name and she looks to see a team of Navy officers standing in line, all looking straight at her.
"Uh, did you see that?" she asked.
"Every last bit," an officer said.
Julien looks down in sadness. "I guess you're going to take away my rank," she said quietly.
"No, we're here to come retrieve you," a Navy officer stated.
"That boy has really done nothing wrong, so he's free to go," another officer said.
"But he's a pirate," Julien corrected.
"True, but not all pirates are bad," another Navy officer said.
"Yes, I guess you're right," the swordsman said quietly, turning back to view the ocean.
III
Out at sea, Peytan pulls out a map from his vest and unfolds it out to view it. The ocean is flat enough for him to read the map straight and there isn't a cloud in the sky, making it perfect for him to read. He scans over the map, trying to locate himself in the vastness of the North Blue.
"Now, I just left Bridgeport," the boy said, placing a finger on an island, "and the nearest port city isn't like another five days."
He looks over a small island in the southwest on the map, seeing that the island is only a day's journey and it is also a populated island.
"Well, I guess I could head there for the time being," Peytan said, folding up the map.
He places the folded map back in his vest, pulls out his tricorn hat and he leans back to sleep, placing the tricorn on his head. He falls to sleep, drifting along a current taking him to the grass island of All Greens Island.
That's it for Chapter One. Now, there are some things I like to talk about.
First, I just gave you all a hint of where I'm going to set the next chapter on. Of course, I could save it for later, but I didn't. You know what; I never really mention the chapter title's name anywhere in this chapter once until the end. Weird, right?
Anyway, like I said earlier, the girl mention here is similar in appearance from the girl in the "Romance Dawn" manga. Of course, I did have Julien have different ambitions, but that's how fan-fictions go. Is she a love interest? No, not really. As for other characters… Harry Pete, I have him lock up for good, so no plans for him to bring him back, and Captain Terrier… sure, I mention him, and he might appear later on. I got plans for him.
And is there anything else… oh, there is. You'll get to understand why I'm calling this "Psy-Mar Crew" in the upcoming chapter.
Once again, I like for you all to review. Next chapter will bring forth a new crew mate and a game changer for later on.
