Sorry it took so long to update… finally have a break from University (College) so I decided to catch up a little with my stories.
Hope you enjoy it!
Straw Hats will get appearances but it won't be for a while.
Chapter 2: Premonition
Perseus cursed to himself quietly whilst immediately attempting to project a mask of indifference. It was safe to say he wasn't doing the best job.
Why was he struggling so bad you ask?
Well, let's see you watch on as your mother and father were taken off to be slaves without any emotions showing themselves on your face. Perseus might have been tough, but he was still a kid. He was not made of stone.
And right now, the six-year old boy could only watch with clouded eyes and trembling lips as his most recurring nightmare took hold of his full attention.
Perseus watched on as his mother placed him in a cupboard softly as a commotion sounded off in the background. He watched on as she continued to quieten the three-year old version of himself with soft, angelic lullabies that caused the real Perseus to whimper softly. It was the first time however that Perseus really heard what his mother was saying.
"Shhh my baby, don't you cry… you're going to be ok, stay calm or the whole of Fishman Island will be destroyed… don't you cry…"
It would be another few years before Perseus found out that her mutterings were actually so she didn't destroy Fishman Island. Presently, those words merely confused the boy.
Perseus didn't remain confused for much longer though, as the commotion in the background started to become louder as it got closer and closer to the pair. It was with painful resignation that Perseus felt his vision blur as his mother closed the cupboard door until he couldn't see at all… just hear…
What he heard would always haunt him as the fight quickly became more and more apparent to the boy as it entered the kitchen. Those horrid laughs of the slavers, the sound of the net being launched, and his mother and father's desperate cries and pleas always seemed to appear in his mind whenever he felt down…
And amongst all the darkness and haunting noises, Perseus cuddled into himself and withstood it all once again. Not focusing on the noises until the last line his memory served him.
"… I am Kronos, Captain of the Titan Pirates, and you will help to pay for our inevitable rise to power HAHAHAHAHA"
'Kronos, Kronos, Kronos' thought Perseus with all the hate he could muster… This was a man that he needed to remember, for it was a man that would die by that boys hand.
'Kronos, Kronos'
"… Kronos" muttered a dreary Perseus as his dreary eyes slowly flickered back to life. Immediately after gaining his senses however, Perseus clammed up and closed his eyes once more in an effort to make it look like he was still sleeping. Unfortunately for him however, his 'visitors' were watching him as he did so as their attention had been drawn over at the boy's muttering.
At the sudden contact that came, Perseus almost struck out but managed to hold himself back when he sensed that that it was just Shyarly. Feeling her giant arms encircle him completely as drops of liquid splashed against his face, Perseus quickly hugged her back in an attempt to comfort his best friend.
"… I… I thor… thought that you were gonna d… d… die" cried Shyarly in to the boy's shoulder as Perseus just awkwardly patted her back in a circling motion that usually had her calm down pretty fast… though it seemed his close call with death would take a little more reassurance than that.
"I'm fine" Perseus said gruffly…
…
Maybe he should work on that a little bit?
It got a familiar laugh from somewhere behind Shyarly however which caused Perseus's eyes to expand out a little… 'Oh, shit' Perseus thought… 'That was Arlong's laugh'.
"Shahahaha, well isn't that the cutest sight I ever saw" Arlong said in a mocking tone he had seemingly perfected over the years.
"Yes, it's not often something like this happens in the district" That second voice however surprised Perseus… not because he didn't know who's it was… more like it was because he knew who's voice it was. If he thought it was odd for Arlong to be here, then the boy was flabbergasted that his hero was also in the same room.
Seriously, why would Tiger be at Perseus's side when he woke up after that potentially… fatal injury… speaking of that injury, how the hell had he survived the blood loss?
Voicing his opinion got him mixed results however, a sharp slap to the face from Shyarly, a laugh from Arlong (caused by the slap), and a grin from Tiger that just pissed the boy off. All was revealed though, when another Fishman that Perseus had never seen before seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
He was relatively tall for a Merman, but still a bit shorter than Tiger. It surprised Perseus that he was in fact a Merman rather than a Fishman, proven by his long light-brown tail. Merman weren't very common in Fishman district… hence the name.
He had a muscular physique which gave the man a certain air of strength. Slanted thin eyes, dark hair tied into a long ponytail, and a full beard with a goatee helped to differentiate the man from a crowd. At that moment he was wearing a doctor's outfit which confused Perseus as he had never seen one before.
"Your clothes are a bit weird… you know that right?" Apparently Perseus's growing impartialness was also making him blunter when it came to his wording…
Safe to say, another slap from Shyarly (who had finally moved to sit by his side) proved to be effective punishment however. At least in the adult's minds as they all allowed a smirk to grace their faces… or maybe it was just at the sweetness that came from watching someone else get slapped by a woman for a change.
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do Perseus. That would be why I only wear them during and after treating patients… Yes Perseus, my name is Aladdin and I was the one to save your life last night. Now, if we could just get your account of what happened then I can leave."
So it was with a lot of hissing and groaning that Perseus began his version of what happened the night prior. Due to already hearing the story from Shyarly and the other Mermaids, the three adults weren't expecting to hear anything differently from the boy in front of them which was why they did.
When the boy talked about the red blur that 'saved' his life with an enthusiasm that no one had seen from the boy before, the adults in the room got quite uncomfortable… especially when Perseus mentioned his suspicions about it being his father.
Parentage was always a dodgy subject to talk about in the Fishman district, especially around the younger ones. It was like a Taboo in the district and so Perseus bringing it up with so much enthusiasm made the adults in the room rather skittish and even Shyarly seemed a little confused.
"Right Shyarly, I think it's time we leave" Arlong called out.
"Yes, I think that was all I needed to hear so I'll be off as well" Aladdin quickly followed the two out once Arlong had grabbed a hold of Shyarly and forcefully carried the girl out of the room.
If looks could kill, then both Arlong and Aladdin would have been killed by Tiger for leaving him alone to sort out a problem as sensitive as this one. Sure, he didn't have to do it… heck he doubted anyone else in the whole of the Fishman District would… but for some reason Tiger felt obligated to do just that.
But when he looked into the enthusiastic eyes of the six-year old boy, he couldn't help but feel his reluctance increase. But no, he couldn't possibly let Perseus go on in having his false conceptions of what happened the night prior… it would only hurt the boy in the end.
It was with that thought in mind that Tiger put his best reassuring face on before he looked Perseus in the eyes in order to catch the boy's attention. Once he had, he lowered his voice into a deeply serious tone before he went about crushing the boy's hopes and dreams.
"Your father didn't save you last night. As a matter of fact, no one saved you from that cyborg but yourself… Aladdin merely made sure you survived the massive blood-loss you went through."
Betrayal was the first look to pass by Perseus's face. It was soon followed by righteous fury as Perseus yelled at his hero.
"NO, IT WAS MY DAD… I… I SAW HIM… WELL, ENOUGH OF HIM ANYWAY... HE JUST MOVED SO FAST HE WAS MERELY A RED BLUR WHO DECAPITATED THAT CYBORG IN LESS THAN A SECOND."
A sigh escaped from Tigers lips as he mentally cursed his luck.
"Look kid, I don't know if you noticed or not but there were other people there at the time and they all accounted the same thing. That was that you were responsible for the Cyborgs death as you seemingly controlled the water around you with that sword pen thingy of yours. The water then formed a blade which cut the Cyborgs head off."
"To explain the colour red to you… well, your sword took on a bronze sheen much like your skin and in the haze of it all, I guess you saw it as red and compared that to what you can remember of your father."
It was all a cold truth… but one that Perseus sorely needed to hear.
Still, Perseus being a six-year old didn't always grasp hold of the logic set before him… especially if he was as emotionally fragile as he was at that moment. So just like that, Tiger's 'logical' debate transformed into a battle of whoever was the loudest won…
Thus, Perseus had won his first ever debate with an adult… even if you really couldn't call it such.
Just before a pissed off Tiger could walk out the door however, Perseus remembered the betrayal that the weaker Fishmen had committed and asked his hero about what had happened about it.
"What happened to the weaker Fishmen who betrayed the district to the slaver?" Perseus's innocent question got a not so innocent response however as Tiger's face morphed from pissed off to a menacing anger in seconds. A deep aura full of hatred and bloodlust filled the room Perseus was staying in as he now struggled to breath. Seeing the boy's struggle, Tiger was able to get a hold of himself and the air soon became breathable once more.
"What did you just say Perseus?" It was a tone that frightened the six-year old… he only just managed to keep up his façade of indifference as the iciness to Tiger's words reached him.
"… Th… the weaker Fishmen who don't have mates did not help the district last night… merely grinned to themselves before walking away…"
If at all possible, Tiger's look seemed to step up to a whole other level of hatred that Perseus had never seen the likes of on anyone… not even Arlong.
"Looks like I'm going to have to stay a little longer after all… Stay here Perseus… when you get out of this place beware… much of the district will have changed from what it once was."
The iciness of Tiger's voice slowly changed through his speech into one of pure determination and if there was one thing Perseus was sure of, it was that the district was definitely going to change…
…
…
But wait a second… just how long was Perseus going to stay in that bed for…
xX … … … Xx
Those ass-hats had forced him to stay in that goddamn bed for a whole week… When he got bigger, he was going pummel them for this. Seemingly in intervals, Tiger, Arlong, and Aladdin had all made sure he didn't escape from his 'prison'.
The most annoying thing however, was their complete and utter silence… it was slowly driving the boy insane with a need to know just how the district was changing. All they ever did was smirk evilly and glower at him… it pissed the boy off so much he barely even thought about his dad over the entire week.
The fact that Shyarly visited every time Arlong was looking over him only made it all the harder to think about his dad due to her treating it all like a game… a game that Arlong-oniisan gave her…
She seemed to be having fun however, all giggles and sunshine and somehow that made the wait just that much more bearable for Perseus… Arlong sure seemed to gain some entertainment value from it… sadistic bastard…
It was also in this time that Perseus found out that no matter how far he threw away his pen… it always ended up back in his trouser pocket… weird right? Everyone else seemed to think so as well… but if it meant that he could keep the last possession of his mother then he would happily go along with it.
But Perseus had just been told by Aladdin that it was finally time for his final check-up and then he could leave. The man could barely hold in his chuckles as he watched the excited expression on Perseus's face… it seemed he still had a lot of work to do on controlling these more positive emotions… but then again, maybe that was a good thing.
As soon as Aladdin gave a gentle nod to the boy, he was out like a rocket. Propelling himself out of the room he had been stuck in for a week, Perseus fought to keep the grin off his face. Smashing through the front doors, Perseus was utterly amazed by the view in front of me.
A normal looking town
Can you believe it, no broken windows, an actual road, and other people actually walking down the streets visibly? It was truly an average looking town which looked a little makeshift but perfect in the eyes of one green-eyed boy. If Tiger hadn't been Perseus's hero before, you can be absolutely sure he was now.
Quickly clamping down on his amazement, Perseus reignited his face of indifference as was naturally instinctive by now. Even though the picture had changed for the better, that didn't mean that weakness such as surprise could be so easily shown off.
"It won't last long" A familiar voice said from Perseus's right and even as the boy turned his head to Hody, he found himself wanting to just walk away. Usually he probably would have, but what Hody said this time was enough to get Perseus's attention.
"Oh and why's that Hody?" The shark's grin that formed on Hody's face almost made Perseus puck out of disgust.
"Because Tiger will leave again on one of his stupid adventures… No one else here has enough influence to keep the hate of Fishman district in check"
What Perseus would do to smack that grin right off of Hody's face… yet as much as it killed him, Perseus could see the logic behind the other boy's words.
"You don't seem worried about that"
"And why should I be, we were fine before… we'll be fine again"
While Perseus could accept that as likely, both he and Hody were strong, he still didn't like the idea of the Fishman District being that reliant on one man. But it wasn't like he could do anything about it… yet, he was only six. He was no were near the strength needed to gain the respect Tiger had from the district.
That kind of respect took years to accomplish.
The only two Fishmen in the district that might be able to replace Tiger when he goes on his adventures would be Arlong and Jinbe.
Jinbe was a Whale-shark Fishman and aptly sized for such a species. Shaped like a blue Sumo wrestler, with yellow eyebrows and sideburns that associate him with Japanese demons. Two-toned black hair sprayed out and down his back. He also possesses two tusk-like lower conical fangs and a puffy goatee. Gills could clearly be seen along Jinbe's neck just above his floral kimono.
However, jinbe was a man that liked the silence of solitude. Known as the Chiku Seji (District Sage), he was certainly powerful. Perseus had never personally seen the Fishman in action but the stories were enough to get his heart racing.
Tales of how the man used the very water around him as an art of pure fighting technique and finesse… the opposite of Arlong, who just tore his opponent limb from limb much like Perseus himself did.
Still, it was an option and Perseus would have to pursue it. It would definitely be a less bloody affair than if he dealt with Arlong in this sense anyway. It was weird that Hody of all people was the one to give him this insight however, and it was specifically because of that fact that Perseus felt a little apprehensive about it all.
"Arlong told me to tell you to meet him at your shitty tent thing" Hody reminded Perseus that life was still going on around him as he mused to himself. Perseus let a growl escape his lips however, when Hody mentioned his 'shitty tent thing'. He had worked damn hard to make it, just because that ass-hat had an abandoned factory that he shared with a bunch of the other guys their age didn't mean shit.
Deciding to take Hody's message at face value, Perseus took off to his awesome tent thing with speed. Even if Arlong had been in a good mood for the last week, Perseus did NOT want to be the fool to break that mood… he would prefer not ending up in that hospital thingy so soon after he finally got out thank-you very much.
Running through the vast street of the district, Perseus was even more pleased to see that it hadn't all just been a hoax. Everyone, while still wary about everything around them, seemed to be in a better mood than the old days anyway.
Abandoned shops were now fixed up and some of them seemed to even be along the way to being completely refurbished as a range of different stores. For once, everything was looking up for the district… Perseus could only hope that Hody was wrong.
Finally arriving Perseus was pleased to see his AWESOME tent thing in tip-top shape… well, it was still standing anyway which was positive. Leaning on the wall of Perseus's Alleyway (he had fought tooth and nail for that damn space) Arlong looked over at Perseus from under his bowler hat and smirked.
"Took you long enough" Arlong's voice came out a bit gruff but his usual arrogance was still clear as day.
"Hody isn't the most reliable messenger in the world… It doesn't help that he hates me… or that he thinks we should have human slaves for such menial tasks as delivering messages" Perseus rolled his eyes as he said that last part, couldn't Hody see that would only lead to even worse outcomes in the end?
"Shahahaha, True enough Perseus, maybe I should have sent Daruma instead?" The threat was clear to the boy. If there was one person who annoyed the green-eyed boy more than Hody, it was definitely Daruma.
That was one Cookie-cutter shark Fishman that couldn't stop his frantic talking about 'gnashing' humans to pieces constantly. Quite frankly he pissed everyone off, the only reason he was kept around was that despite his size, he was actually reasonably strong… nowhere near as strong as Perseus and Hody but strong enough to earn his keep.
On that note, there really weren't many kids his age that the boy got along with; sure there was Zeo, Hyouzou, and Hammond but the first two were more like respect for each other's strength while the third was just friends with everybody… Perseus really needed to find a guy he could somewhat rely on didn't he.
"I wouldn't, but why did you want to talk to me anyway?"
"Well, Tiger… asked me to tell you that you shall be moving out of this shitty tent thing"
Everyone's a fucking hater…
Arlong then proceeded to tear the tent apart in front of the boy with one swift kick. A furious anger immediately arose from Perseus and the only thing that held him back from striking out at Arlong was the tingling from the scar that traversed his back. Subtly reminding him of the last time he had dared to do such a thing.
Holding himself back, Perseus grit his teeth tightly together as he watched Arlong's smirk grow malicious in nature.
"From now on, you along with everyone else under the age of fourteen will live together in what used to be Hody's territory. You will constantly be supervised by a number of different adults from all over the district"
The green-eyed boy only grit his teeth harder however, as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. 'A fucking orphanage… seriously' thought Perseus 'Cause that worked so well last time aye'.
"This time will be different" Arlong sensing the boy's immediate thoughts.
"This time it won't be a bid for the backing and power of the next generation by a select few Fishmen. No, this time there will be diversity in order prevent anything like 'that' to happen again."
By 'that' Percy knew that Arlong was referring to the last big power play to occur in the Fishman District which involved a group of the weaker older Fishmen 'reaching out' to the next Generation. Empty lies had filled the kids up with such hope that some were willing to fight to the death over it.
Perseus almost fell for it all himself… if it wasn't for Arlong he would have died for that useless power play. Even though it had resulted in the scar that ran diagonally across the boys back, Perseus would always be grateful to Arlong for what he had done back then.
Still, the very idea of living in an orphanage stirred differing emotions from within the boy. On one hand he might actually be able to find some friends, but on the other, he would definitely have to deal with Hody and his crew on a constant basis.
"… Will Shyarly be going to this orphanage of sorts?" Perseus eventually asked Arlong.
"For the most part yes since I will be heavily involved with the orphanage myself… Now scram kid… I've wasted enough time with you already"
Taking the man's words to heart, Perseus immediately turned his back to Arlong. It wasn't an insult but an ego boost for Arlong however as the boy was just acknowledging that it didn't matter if Percy was looking at him or not. Either way Perseus would be defeated in seconds anyway…
Facing away from Arlong, Perseus never saw the almost proud look that briefly shot across Arlong's face as he thought about just how much the boy had grown already. Teenage Arlong really was just a softy… when it came to his own kind at least.
Deciding that he might as well go see his new home, Perseus began walking to where he knew Hody's territory previously existed. He wasn't all that surprised that the place had been refurbished and looked half-way decent. Walking inside proved the place was rather full which Perseus had already expected due to the sheer amount of orphans in the Fishman District. Ranging ages from fourteen to just one-year olds could be seen plotted around the room.
Seeing Shyarly off by herself, Perseus decided to head over to her and as he walked he became fully aware of the eyes that were following him while he went. Distrust, appraisal, and sizing-up were just three of the looks Perseus could feel being aimed at him and it proved to make him just a bit uncomfortable.
Carrying on like normal however, Perseus soon arrived alongside the bed that had been reserved for Shyarly.
"Hey" greeted Perseus as he sat down on the unoccupied bed next to hers. Shyarly then looked up from whatever she had in her lap (was that a crystal ball?) and made a shocked exclamation before she smiled at Perseus.
"Hey Perseus, look at this… I found it, it's so cool right, so shiny and pretty and when you look into it it's almost as if you could see the future!"
It turned out that Shyarly had indeed managed to find herself a crystal ball… but it wasn't like she could actually tell the future with it right?
"Oh yeah, what does that thing tell is going to happen in the future"
That was when things got creepy…
A soft green aura suddenly surrounded Shyarly as she began to speak in a tone much deeper than her own. All the orphans nearby immediately ran off in different directions while Perseus merely grabbed a hold of her and attempted to calm her down from whatever was happening.
"Tipped by the lips of regret,
Ten protectors shall rise to the fret.
Clouded judgment sparks a plan.
Hearts are stopped, and lives depend,
An avengers heart is filled with repent."
As soon as Shyarly had finished the word 'repent', she immediately collapsed into Perseus who held her tight, while constantly repeating the words she said in his head. For some reason, Perseus felt a connection to the words just spoken and decided that they would be important to remember.
It was only a short while until Shyarly woke once again and diminished any and all worry that Perseus had been feeling. The only odd thing was, she didn't remember a single thing she had said or done during her 'green-aura-spaz' (or at least that's what Perseus was calling it).
For her sake, Perseus decided to tell her the prophecy that she had given and watched happily as her eyes sparkled in delight. She couldn't get over the fact that she had given a 'proper' prophecy and just wait till her brother heard this.
"Shyarly, I don't think you should tell anyone about this" Perseus stated in a cautious tone.
"But why?" asked Shyarly in turn causing the boy to sigh to himself in resignation.
"Because, what you just did isn't natural… so if anybody else finds out about you could be in serious trouble as they might want to steal you away for your powers" It was times like these were you truly couldn't tell Perseus was only six-years old.
A little saddened, Shyarly merely bobbed her head in acceptance of Perseus's words before cuddling up to him once more and falling asleep next to him. It wasn't long before Perseus to fell victim to sleep as he closed his eyes with a smile on his face.
If only he had noticed those shark-like eyes watching from a distance, the running children had gained some attention after all. A malicious grin played across the spectators face as plans for the future slowly formed in his head.
It seemed everything was coming together nicely.
Chapter End
How'd you like it?
The only thing that I would really like to know before I move on in this story is your view-point on OC's. I think that I will probably have to use some at some stage but I will try to keep the vast majority of the characters introduced to be actually from the One Piece world.
I'm still not 100% on the pairing yet but I'm pretty sure I know what it's going to be and you probably do too.
I only just realized exactly how hard it is to come up with a goddamn prophecy… shit that was hard to come up with.
Don't know when the next update will come out but I will do my best to see it is a shorter gap than between this one and the first one.
How do you like the character portrayals so far?
What did you think? I spent a bit of time on this so any constructive criticism is welcome.
R&R