Shattered but not Broken

by blackphoenix2217

A young boy, betrayed and tortured, finds himself with nothing left to live for. He's forced to not only create a new life for himself, but also a new identity. Saved by Luffy and at the point of breaking, can the Straw Hat Pirates save him from himself, or is it too late?... features extended crew.

2. Roronoa Zoro Pirate Hunter

Disclaimer:

The following is a fan made fiction. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and EliChiro Oda. I only own my OC and am writing this for my own amusement with Missus Sunstreaker 3143

Special thanks to 'The Path of a Writer' for editing this chapter. Go check out Path's fanfiction page using the ID: 10279871

Author's notes:

Perspective is now first and in the redhead's point of view

'This means character thought'

Italics mean it's a flashback/dream

---

2. Roronoa Zoro: Pirate Hunter

I don't know how long we rowed our little boat for. It felt like hours, days, weeks, it could have even been a month or just 5 minutes for all I knew. Hell, I sucked at keeping track of time. The only thing I knew for certain was that I was tired and I was bleeding, a lot, actually. I grunted slightly, earning myself an odd look from the boy named Coby who was sitting across from me. I forced myself to give him a reassuring smile while desperately trying to breathe as normally as possible. 'I need to sleep' I thought, as I began struggling to keep myself awake.

'Does it even matter' I thought, 'One way or another, I'd just end up right back in a cell to be tortured all over again.' I sighed, 'For all I know, these guys could end up trying to sell me.'

"WOOHAA", I heard Luffy scream from the bow of the ship, "Such nice weather.", I glanced over at him, only to see him waving his arms around as he looked up into the sky.

"We'll reach an island with a marine base if we stay on this course.", Coby said as he glanced at me again.

"Shit", I whimpered out, my arms unable to pull the boat any further. I was far too tired to move, I really couldn't be bothered 'oh 'well' I thought, flopping over to lay flat on the boat. After a minute or two, or maybe just a few seconds, I heard the loud sound of Coby screaming as he leapt to my side.

"Ehh?", I heard someone scream followed with a, "Did he die?", and before I knew it, something had grabbed my arm and yanked me to the left. I gave a startled yelp, but other than that I didn't bother to move. Every part of me just wanted to sleep.

"Shishishi, he's alive!", Luffy stated excitedly as Coby screamed, "AHHH… he's bleeding!"

I felt someone poking my side as I let my body go limp well thinking, 'No shit...'

"Shishishi… I think he's dead again.", another poke, this time in my left ear.

"Ahh… don't just poke him, do something!", Coby screamed, clearly freaking out.

"I'm fine.", I slurred out, still not moving.

"He's alive again, shishishi!", Luffy said with a laugh as Coby sighed in relief.

Part of me wished I wasn't, after all, I know thousands of people who would love it if I was dead. I know the people we had just escaped from would probably throw a party. Hell, even my family would start a parade if I turned up dead. I was sick of being tortured, all I wanted to do was to go to sleep and never wake up.

I felt another poke, this time on my cheek, followed by a familiar laugh I was beginning to associate with Luffy. Despite my desperate attempts to stay still, I couldn't help but twitch in discomfort right as Luffy poked me in my neck.

"Luffy, stop that!", Coby yelled at him before turning his attention back onto me, "Are you really ok?"

"Tired.", I mumbled out.

"Coby, you're so awesome! Are we really going to reach our destination?"

"Of course we are, it's the most basic skill for people who sail… and don't change the subject Luffy, this guy is hurt, he needs medical attention!", Coby shouted.

"Pass!", I stated, giving Coby a sideway glare.

"Shishishi", Luffy laughed.

"This isn't a time to be laughing Luffy… um, he, um… I'm sorry. I don't know your name." Coby stated while looking nervous.

"Don't have one.", I told him as I closed my eyes.

"What? How can you not have one? Everyone has a name!", Coby yelled out.

"I lost mine." I said softly.

"People don't just lose their names! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!", he continued to yell.

"They do when they die.", I told him, a certain sadness resurfacing as I bit my lower lip, to the point where blood trickled, causing Coby to freak out even more.

"Shishishi I'll name you… Kamaboko!", Luffy said, tilting his head at me

"What? You can't just go around naming people!", Coby yet again screamed at the top of his lungs.

Luffy chose just to laugh as I closed my eyes, saying, "it's fine.", not caring in the least bit.

"What? No! No! No! Kamaboko isn't a name, it's a type of fish meat! That can't be your name! It's impossible! Impossible!", Coby shouted at me.

"Its fine.", I told him yet again, not bothering to look at him.

"Shishishi! It's settled, Kamaboko it is then!", Luffy continued to laugh happily.

"But, but, but… O'fine… But I'm calling you Boko. I'm not calling you fish meat!", Coby said reluctantly before sighing, "But you do need medical attention. You've lost a lot of blood. You could die!"

"We'll worry about that later, let him sleep.", said Luffy. I could feel Coby staring at me for a moment, which I chose to ignore in favor of sleep.

"I guess… but still…", he sighed, "this is bad, bad, bad, bad. He could die. We need to hurry and get to Shells Island. Ahh, O'no! I forgot He's held there!", I could sense the boy shiver in fear at that.

I cracked an eye open to look at the boy as Luffy turned around saying, "Huh."

Coby adjusted his glasses before focusing his attention on Luffy, "That famous pirate hunter… Roronoa Zoro!"

"He's like a beast hungering for blood!", Coby said, causing me to scoff. The boy's head shot towards me questioningly before proceeding to say, "He lives only for the bounty. He slits everyone's throats. He is a demon in a human's body!"

I gave a barkish laugh at that, causing the small boy to jump as I said, "He sounds fun."

"Yeah! I should have him join my pirate crew!", Luffy said excitedly.

Coby screamed, "No, no, no! He's not fun! He's anything but fun! You can't have him join your crew!", I glanced at him as he continued to wave his arms around dramatically.

Luffy laughed at this before turning his attention to me, "Oi, Boko! What were you doing in that cage anyway?"

"Didn't have a reason to leave.", I hummed at him, not certain if he was trying to change the subject or if he was that much of a scatterbrain.

Luffy nodded his head, however, Coby started to shout, "Reason? Reason? What more reason do you need? They were torturing you! How long were you there? A few days? A week? And they managed to do all that to you! They could have killed us!"

I ignored him after that, choosing to glance at Luffy, asking, "What's today?"

"Hmm...", Luffy began to think, cocking his head to the side before saying, "August… something..."

I frowned before quietly saying, "No. I mean what year is it?"

Coby quieted down at that, looking at me with wide eyes as Luffy said, "1520."

My frown deepened as I said, "So, that would make me 16, and I was turning 13 when… so about 3 years."

"What?!", Coby screamed at the top of his lungs in shock.

"I was passed around a lot.", I mumbled, as if trying to justify it.

"But, but… I... What are you gonna do now… I mean, now that you're free?"

I stared at him for a moment, not understanding if I heard him right, 'did he say free…is that really what I am now…'

I shook my head before looking up at the sky, saying, "if I had a choice…no… I guess being a pirate is the only thing I can do now."

"What? But, but pirates are bad! You should be a marine! You should help save people from becoming slaves!"

I scoffed at that before saying, "Marines aren't free and I'm sick of being controlled. If I can't be a… Look, I'm going to be free. No one is going to control me ever again!"

"Shishishi!", Luffy jumped up with a laugh and landed in front of me, saying, "That's why I'm going to become the pirate king! No one is more free than the pirate king!"

"Um, do you want to be the pirate king too, Boko?", Coby asked, seeming nervous for some reason or another.

I scowled at him as I practically growled out, "I've never wanted to be any kind of king!", Causing Luffy to laugh and Coby to flinch back at my tone.

I scowled at him as I practically growled out, "I don't want to be any kind of king!", Causing Luffy to laugh and Coby to flinch back at my tone.

"Alright!", Luffy cheered, "To Shell island.", he said, pointing to our right.

Coby sweat dropped as he pointed ahead of us, saying, "It's that way!", causing Luffy to laugh again.

"Interesting...", I thought, giving a slight smirk at Luffy's behavior before closing my eyes for some much needed sleep.

-X-X-X-

I jolted awake as I heard someone scream, "We're here! The town where the marines are!", I growled slightly before pushing myself up. I slightly swayed, nearly toppling over before managing to catch myself.

Once I was sure I wouldn't fall over, I hopped off the boat only to notice both of them staring at me. Luffy had a slight frown on his face while Coby had a fearful one.

I hummed at both of them, not really understanding why they looked so worried.

Deciding to ignore them for now, I began walking into town with them following behind, "We should find a doctor first, I know Boko doesn't want to, but he's lost a lot of blood.", I heard Coby quietly say to Luffy.

And much to my relief, Luffy just laughed, saying, "it's ok Coby, Boko knows what he's doing. Now where's Zoro at?"

The people around us all screamed, jumping behind a bunch of crates, causing me to raise my eyebrow at them.

"Hey Luffy, it's not a very good idea to have him as part of your crew.", Coby informed Luffy, clearly becoming nervous at the people's behavior.

"I haven't decided if he's a good person yet…", Luffy said, suddenly becoming serious.

"Of course he's not a good person! He's bad, bad, bad, bad! That's why the marines locked him up!", Coby said loudly.

Luffy, however, ignored him as he stopped to take a bite out of an apple before saying, "Mmm, good.", he casually tossed a coin at the shopkeeper before saying, "I wonder if Zoro is inside that base.", everyone in the street again screamed and docked inside the different stores. I stopped walking and hummed at that, barely noticing Coby say, "It seems Zoro's name is taboo around here."

"Anyways.". Luffy said walking up to me, "Let's head to the base. You want to join the marines, right Coby?", he asked, glancing back at Coby.

"Yes… but I'm not ready yet.", Coby stated, looking nervous. He then said with a kind smile, "I heard captain Morgan is in charge of that base.", again everyone screamed and jumped back, looking terrified.

I hummed at this as I continued walking ahead of them. 'Captain Morgan and Roronoa Zoro', it would appear there is definitely something interesting going on in this town. I quickly picked a random person's pocket as I went veering off away from the other two, towards a supply shop. Luffy gave me a slight wave with a goofy grin as Coby instead gave me a disapproving look before they continued down towards the Marine base.

I grabbed a first aid kit before tossing the shopkeeper a handful of coins from the coin purse I had just stolen. She gave a squeal of excitement at the coins for some strange reason as I walked outside. I could see a young girl struggling with a long ladder while trying to hold some kind of wrapped up object in her other hand. I hummed before walking over to her and picking up the ladder. Her eyes went wide as she fell on her butt and looked up at me. I gave her a hum, "Need help?"

The girl just sat there, staring wide-eyed at me for what felt like an eternity, so sighing, I dropped the ladder and began walking towards what I thought was the forest.

The girl gave a slight squeak before calling out, "Wait!", I turned around glancing at her with a slight tilt of my head. She shifted slightly, kicking up some dirt before looking up at me, determinedly saying, "Can you carry the ladder for me?"

I hummed before walking over and picking the ladder back up. The girl grinned at me before unwrapping the brown paper wrap, revealing what looked like 3 rice balls but smelled like pure-sugar. The little girl handed me one and seemed to watch me carefully as I inspected it. My stomach turned at the idea of eating something. My body wanting to gag at the idea of swallowing it, but judging from the look on the girls face, I was going to have to eat it. I took a small bite, my body wanting to spit it out immediately, but I forced myself to smile and hum approvingly, trying to act like the sugary taste, or any taste for that matter, was pleasurable.

The girl grinned at me, seeming to believe that I enjoyed it, but the moment she turned around I spat it out, trying not to throw up as I tossed the offending food away.

We walked in silence for a little while further as the girl hummed a happy tune. After a few moments she suddenly said, "I have to save the rest of them cause there's a person...t But I could make you some more if you'd like."

'Fuck!' I thought, before forcing a grin at her, to which she giggled while saying, "But you'll have to pay for it!"

I couldn't help but bark out a laugh at that before causally tossing her the coin purse I had stolen. She beamed at me before putting the money in her pocket. 'I might not be able to eat them, but I'm sure Luffy could.'

Up ahead I could see the marine base along with Luffy climbing up its wall. The girl looked at me before grabbing my hand and forcing me to run the rest of the way. As Coby darted up the wall to try and stop Luffy, I placed the ladder against it. I turned back around and causally leaned against the wall as the girl grinned at me before she darted up the ladder and over the wall.

I sighed, closing my eyes as I took a few uneven breaths, my body reminding me that I was currently in a shit-ton of pain. '1, 2' I counted in my head as I took a slow breath before releasing as I reached 3.

Feeling a gaze on me, I glanced up to see Luffy grinning at me before turning his attention back to inside the base. I sighed softly as Coby continued to scream for Luffy to stop as he kept claiming that Zoro would kill him. At that moment, I chose to force myself off the wall and up it; sitting down next to Luffy with my legs crossed.

Tied to a poll in the middle of the courtyard was a young man who looked to be about 3 or so years older than me, wearing a black bandana and a green waistband.

"What?", the guy asked gruffly at the little girl.

"Aren't you hungry? I made you some rice balls!", the girl said with a smile.

"You're going to be killed shorty.", He stated a matter-of-factly, "Go away!"

"You haven't eaten anything though.", she said, still smiling as she unwrapped the sugary rice balls. She held them out towards him before saying, "Here! This is my first time… but I made it with all my heart.", I quietly hummed, "So that's who she made them for."

The guy's eyes widened before he shouted, "I'm not hunger, You're annoying!"

I growled slightly, only for it to be cut short as he continued saying, "Hurry up and go home!"

My attention then shifted as my eyes narrowed, sensing someone coming, 'I guess 3 years in hell had its advantages'.

"But…", the girl began, only for Zoro to cut her off, desperately screaming, "I don't want any! Don't make me hurt you!", the gate slowly started to open and I found myself growling again.

"You shouldn't be bullying kids!", a blonde haired marine said as a group of them started to walk towards Zoro and the girl. My growl deepened as the blonde continued saying, "You're still energetic, Roronoa Zoro."

"And more weird guys appear.", Luffy said as he poked me in the rib, causing me to jerk towards him. We stared at each other for a moment. 'What was I doing… No, I know what I'm doing. My instincts might be telling me he's bad, but that doesn't mean Blondie is actually bad.' I looked back at the girl, no longer growling.

"Thank goodness.", Coby sighed in relief, "There're marines, I'm sure the girl will be safe now."

"Doubtful!.", I stated, preparing for something bad to happen.

The blonde immediately walked up to the little girl, bending down slightly to get a better look at her before saying, "Ehh, that rice ball looks pretty good."

I growled, 'Is that idiot really going to steal from a little kid?' Shockingly enough, Luffy had placed his hand on my shoulder, causing me to realize I was halfway off the wall. I scoffed slightly before pushing myself back up. I stared daggers at the blonde, 'He better not hurt her. Although what the hell could I do to protect her? I could barely move as it is…' i thought, growling at myself as I shook my head.

I jerked back as the little girl screamed, "No!", I noticed the blonde was eating one of the sugar balls and I had to remind myself that it wasn't my problem as he spit it out, screaming, "Nasty! It's full of sugar! Rice balls need salt! SALT!"

"But I thought it would taste better sweet.", the little girl said sadly. 'It does' I thought, part of my wishing I could eat it without throwing up.

"Not my problem. Not my problem.", I said repeatedly in my head as the blonde threw the rest on the ground and stepped on it over and over again while the girl screamed at him to stop.

"What a horrible thing to do.", said Coby.

"I'm going to kill him!", I said. Coby stared at me in fear, but Luffy just laughed and patted my head. I stared at him, dumbfounded, completely taken aback by his action. 'Interesting…' I thought, 'Luffy is very strange, but definitely interesting.'

"I tried to make it with all my heart!", cried the girl while falling to her knees.

"Ohh… you haven't read this poster yet...", the blonde said in mock sadness, "Anyone who helps this criminal will be executed. Marine Captain Morgan."

"Shit! What they hell can I do?", I thought as the girl looked on in fear.

"Brat, you know who my father is, right?", the blonde asked.

"Father?", Luffy questioned.

"So, he's captain Morgan's son.", Coby stated.

I hummed thoughtfully at that, 'So, he takes advantage of his father's title.' I Growled, 'He lives in someone else's shadow and is actually proud of that. What the hell is wrong with this guy?'

"Hey, toss this brat out!", he ordered to one of the marines who hesitated, "I'm telling you to toss her outside. Are you disobeying my orders? I'll tell my father!"

'Pathetic!' my attention was now focused on the blonde as the marine went to carry out his orders. The blonde was a rather lengthy and skinny looking young man. He had light blonde hair in the shape of a sideways oval on the top of his head, his chin was cleft and he wore an expensive looking violet colored uniform. In short, he was nothing but a spoiled, rich brat.

'His father really needs to beat some sense into this brat. Maybe I should talk to him…' I hummed thoughtfully to myself.

Luffy's arm shot out as he grabbed ahold of the flying girl, causing my attention to shift to them. Coby immediately jumped down running after them. I, however, stayed where I was, watching as the blonde laughed.

"Bastard!", Zoro shouted angrily.

I hopped down and began casually walking towards them as the blonde continued to laugh, saying, "It seems like your pretty stubborn, being alive still."

His men tensed up the moment they noticed me as Zoro said, "Yeah, I'll live through the entire month!"

Zoro glanced at me as the blonde laughed and said, "Well, do your best."

"Only 10 more days!", Zoro yelled as the blonde started to walk away. His men stared at me uncertainly, not knowing what to do.

The blonde waved at Zoro, saying, "Only if you live that long.", causing the men to think it was ok for me to be there. They quickly ran to catch up to the blonde as I casually walked into the base behind them.

I calmly walked around the base, trying to figure out where this Morgan guy was.

"Hey! You there, stop!", someone called from behind. I glanced over my shoulder to see three marines running towards me.

"Where's Captain Morgan?", I demanded, turning my attention to them, causing them to stumble forward. They glanced at each other dumbfounded.

"Where?", I demanded again with an aggravated growl.

"Umm… he's… uhhh...", one of them stammered, clearly looking confused.

"I asked you a question!", I stated, taking a step forward, my body language screaming of power and high status. Dying or not, I had years of practice displaying my authority before all that shit went down.

"Yes… Ummm… he's right this way…", I glanced at the one who spoke, narrowing my eyes, causing him to stammer out a, "Sir", and again gesture to the right, down a narrow hallway.

"Show me!", I demanded with a glare.

"Of… of course… Right this way sir!", he quickly lead the way as the other two darted down a different hallway.

After a few twists and turns, the marine showed me a door, saying, "He's in here, just let me…"

"Good.", I said, interrupting him, "That will be all"

He looked like he was going to say something, but I didn't give him a chance. I casually opened the door, walking in as if I owned the place and slamming it shut behind me. This got the large guy who sat at a large desk to immediately look up.

"Who the hell are you?", He demanded.

'I guess he kind of looks like that brat.' I thought, 'Must be the guy I'm looking for.'

"Your son is a pathetic spoiled brat and is nothing but a disgrace for someone with your title!", I said it so casually you would think we were talking about the weather.

"What?", he said, sounding taken aback, "The boy is nothing! Not even worth hitting!"

"The boy is your legacy.". I stated, "If your legacy means nothing to you, then yes, I suppose there is no point in wasting your time on someone so pathetic. However, if your name does mean something to you, I'd advise you to rethink what he's worth."

Satisfied with the conversation, I turned and shut the door behind me before he could even finish re-asking, "Who the hell are you?"

''I hope he beats the crap out of that boy, maybe that will teach the kid his place.' I thought as I darted down the hell. I was already walking back outside before he could even try to follow me.

I calmly walked back over to Zoro, noting the food was no longer on the ground as I glanced around in search of Luffy, only to sigh when I didn't see him or the girl, 'I hope she's ok.'

"Hey!", the one known as Zoro called to me. I glanced up at him, "What are you doing?", he asked with a raised brow.

'So this is the guy Luffy wants to join his crew…' I thought, stepping in front of him, causing his body to stiffen as I eyed him up and down.

"What are you doing?", he asked again, sounding even more confused.

Truthfully, I was confused myself, but there was something about him, I leaned in closer to inspect him. He shifted slightly, pulling away from me as I got closer to his face. I licked my lips curiously, 'I wonder what his blood tastes like…' I gave him a wolfish grin as I leaned even closer to him.

My vision blurred as I could see the vein on his neck pulse and hear his heart rate increase. My body tensed as he yelled out, "What the hell are you doing?"

I pulled away from him while saying, "Shit! Devil fruits really suck!", before turning around and walking away from him.

"What?", he shouted at me, completely confused.

I shook my head, 'Shit! I'm becoming dependent on it… No! I've just lost to much blood, that and I haven't eaten in who knows how long. I really do need to get something to eat That was way too close for comfort… I hate eating, I'll just end up throwing it up!' I found myself stopping just outside a restaurant as I heard what sounded like Coby screaming, "Luffy, calm down! You shouldn't make the marines your enemy!", I calmly walked in to see the blonde on the floor, looking terrified while Coby was trying to hold back Luffy.

Luffy looked over at me, his body hard and face serious as he made a fist, "I've decided! I will have Zoro join my crew!"

'Thought that was already decided,' I thought as I hummed. "Alright", I stated as the blonde got up and ran out of the restaurant. I glanced around at all the tables filled with food, my body gagging at the sight. "I'm going to… take care of my injuries.", I said, tilting my head, 'It's not dependence if it heals me. Yeah, that's why I'm doing it!' Luffy nodded his head as I walked out of the restaurant, his attention more focused on recruiting Zoro.

It took me a while before I entered into an evergreen forest not too far from the marine base. I crouched down and waited patiently for who knows how long, listening to everything and allowing my eyes to scan the forest.

"Bear!", I thought as I caught sight of its footprints a few meters away.

I quickly went over to crouch beside the trail as I picked up some dirt and hair, tasting it, 'Brown male, full grown.' I glanced at the depth of the tracks, 'Weighs around 1,000 pounds/' I smelled the tracks 'Definitely fresh.' And with that in mind, I took off after it.

I ran for a few seconds before skidding to a stop just outside a small cave. Causally, I walked inside, my heart pounding with each step. Taking note of the bear, I quickly sneaked up behind it and before the bear could even notice me, I had jumped on its back and sunk my fangs into its neck. It screeched loudly in shock, staggering to its feet only to drop down with a loud thud as its body began to shake while my powers forced the creatures' blood to pump slower, eventually causing it to go to sleep as I continued to drink my fill.

I gagged a few times as I drank, my body protesting against it going down my throat, but ultimately, I ignored it as my injuries began to heal. After a moment, I pulled back, sitting on top of the bear as I wiped my mouth on my arm. I sighed as the bear snored loudly before I leaned over and pat it on top of its head, "thanks."

With that done, I stood up and walked back to town. It wasn't until I reached up to the marine base that it occurred to me that my clothes were soaked with blood. I growled slightly at it before waving my hand and causing the blood to shoot off of me and into a few trees.

As I walked by I could hear some yelling going on in the marine base followed with someone shouting, "That won't work on me!"

I frowned, cocking my head at the sound, "Luffy?"

I jumped up onto the marine base wall overlooking the courtyard. I could see Luffy and Coby desperately trying to free Zoro from his bindings as the marines started to run at them.

"Shit!", I said, jumping off of the wall as I bit down on my thumb, casing blood to flow out.

I whispered, "Chi Chi blade.", as I jumped in front of the marines, slamming a long war hammer down onto the ground, causing it to shake and dirt to fly.

The hammer was long and thick, made out of my own blood, hardened to perfection. The shockwave from the hammer caused the marines to take pause while some even lost their balance and fell on their asses.

I stood up slowly, slightly dizzy from the amount of blood I had just yanked out of my body. "Boko!", Coby screamed in relief as Luffy cheered with stars in his eyes, saying, "Cool!"

'That took a lot more blood than I thought it would.' I thought, taking a step back to steady myself. I gave the hammer a few test swings as I got down into a fighting stance. If I wasn't so fucking dizzy, I might've just given myself a pat on the back for how well I had made it turn out.

"You!", screamed someone from behind the marines, "Who the hell are you?"

I glanced at the guy, noting that it was Captain Morgan. "Tsk", I growled at him, "No wonder your son is such a wimp. You can't even take care of a few measly kids on your own."

"Like I would waste my time on such lowlives.", Morgan scowled at me, "Don't just stand there, kill him!"

I gritted my teeth as Zoro screamed, "Give me my damn swords!"

The marines ran at me, and for a moment, my vision blurred together from the lack of blood. I shook my head, forcing myself to focus when I realized Zoro had appeared out of nowhere, blocking the marines attack with three swords.

"Huh?", I questioned, 'Who uses three swords…? No... To begin with, Who uses their mouth to carry a sword?… '

I noted how Zoro's teeth shaved off a piece of the blades hilt as he bit down harder on it. 'That's not good, he's damaging the hilt. It would be easy to fix if…; I shook my head yet again, forcing my train of thought to derail, 'I'm not that person anymore!'

Luffy cheered as he picked up some of the cut rope, shouting "so cool!"

"Move and you're dead", Zoro told them as they all screamed and cried in fear. "I'll be a pirate. I'll promise you that!", Zoro told Luffy, giving him a glare for some unknown reason, "I'm officially a criminal now that I've fought the Marines. But I'll tell you this right now. I'm only going to fulfill my ambition!"

"Ambition?", Luffy asked as I cocked my head to the side, humming out quietly, "restore.", causing my blood to flow back into my body. I gave a slight groan and shook my head for the umpteenth time as my heartbeat started pounding irregularly against my chest.

"To be the world's greatest swordsman!", Zoro yelled proudly, 'Interesting' I thought as he continued saying, "if I wind up having to give that up, you'd better accept responsibility and apologize to me!"

"The world's greatest swordsman? That sounds great!" Luffy said.

'Fitting' I thought as I hummed, glancing at Luffy as he continued saying, "The king of the pirates would need no less than that on his crew!"

Zoro grinned before saying, "You sure talk big. At this point, whether it is as a criminal or whatever else. I will spread my name throughout the world!"

"What are you standing around for? Slaughter them this instant!", Morgan shouted at his men who screamed in fear.

"You guys might want to duck... Gum Gum whip!", Luffy shouted as his leg starched out.

"Huh", I said, ducking down as Luffy's leg swiped over Zoro and I, throwing the men to the side.

"Alright Luffy!", Cheered Coby.

"What the hell are you?", screamed Zoro.

"I ate the Gum Gum fruit!", Luffy stated proudly, pulling on his cheek, forcing it to stretch as he glanced over at me, asking, "What fruit did you eat?"

"Chi Chi Fruit.", I stated plainly, lifting my hand up and allowing the blood to seep out the cut on my thumb. It swirled around my hand causing some of the marines to scream out, "Ahh Vampire!"

I frowned slightly, "Seriously?"

"Huh! You're a vampire!", Luffy cheered with stars in his eyes.

"No!", I stated flatly, giving him a sideways look as he laughed.

"Mind telling me what those fruits are?", Zoro asked with his sword in his mouth.

"I'm a rubber man!", Luffy stated, which clearly did not help Zoro in the least.

He glanced at me as if hoping for a better explanation in which I just held up my hand as the blood seemed to dance its way up my arm, yet again stating rather vaguely, "Blood."

"This is a direct order! Every marine that just showed weakness, pull out your guns and shoot yourselves! I can't do anything with weak soldiers!", Captain Morgan yelled out.

Zoro look over at the cowering marines, "Tsk, what babies, this'll be easy."

"In that case.", I said, waving my hand at them as I walked away while thinking, 'It was a mistake getting involved. The last thing I need is to end up a prisoner again.'

"Huh? Oh, ok. Bye.", Luffy called out to me with a wave.

"What! Stop him!", Captain Morgan screamed. I could hear Luffy run at them as I jumped up onto the wall and hopped down, tipping slightly as I landed. 'I really need to work on that… maybe I'm becoming anemic' I thought, frowning to myself as I began to suck on my thumb, only to gag as I swallowed the blood.

After walking for a while, the little girl from earlier appeared out of nowhere and smacked right into my chest. She mumbled out an apology before trying to dart around me. I frowned, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. She made an 'eep' sound before finally looking up at me.

Her eyes widened as she recognized me before starting to speak in a quick manner, "Ahh, it's you! Quick! We need to help Luffy and Coby! They went to fight the marines! We have to help them!"

"Huh?", I raised an eyebrow at her, "How do you know those two?"

She began to struggle in my grip as she yelled, "We don't have time! They need help! The marines will kill them!"

"Oh?", I lifted her up so she was eye level with me before saying, "They're fine."

She stopped struggling as she looked at me in shock before crossing her arms and asking, "How do you know?"

"Luffy ate a devil fruit, he can easily take them.", I stated flatly before dropping her on her butt.

"Oi!", she cried, rubbing her butt before looking up at me, asking, "A devil fruit?"

I lifted up my hand, once again pulling the blood out, causing it to swirl around my hand and up my forearm.

"Ahh! How can you do that?!", she shouted while jumping onto her feet.

"Devil fruit.", I yet again said flatly.

"Sooo… a devil fruit person can do that?", she asked, eyeing the blood warily.

"Yeah…", I said, and after thinking for a moment added, "Well, no. Every devil fruit is different. I ate the Chi Chi fruit, so I can control blood. Luffy on the other hand ate the Gum Gum fruit, so he's made of rubber."

"Oh… ok, that makes sense… I think…", she said, frowning before pulling her eyes away from the blood and asking, "But do you really think they'll be ok?"

"Yeah. He's strong.", I told her as I began walking away, only to notice she wasn't following me and still looked worried. Sighing, I said, "Besides, I was just there and they seemed to have everything under control."

"Really?!", she asked excitedly.

"Yeah… would I leave if they didn't?", I asked her, 'Probably. But she doesn't need to know that.'

She beamed at me before looking at the blood that was now rapping itself around my shoulder blade and neck. "Does that hurt?", she asked, catching up to me, "What else can you do besides the swirly thing? Can you make a bunny out of blood? Can you make it come alive? Are you like a vampire? Do you drink blood? Does the sun hurt you?"

I sweat dropped at all the questions before raising my hand up to stop her, "Sometimes, I can harden it to make weapons, probably, I don't think so, no, yes, and no."

She giggled before pulling me into a restaurant, "Make a bunny, no! Make a dog and try to make it come alive. Ooh, you should make it bark!"

"Rika!", a woman from behind the counter came running over, "Where have you been? I thought I told you to stay put!", the woman then turned to me, saying, "thank you for… Ahh!"

"Shit… sorry!", I said pulling the blood back into me. The woman gave me a strange look, but after shaking her head, she gave me a small smile and bow, "Thank you for bringing Rika back."

"Umm…", I said rather smartly.

"Momma! This is… Ummm… this is…", Rika began only to give me a helpless look.

"Kamaboko.", I told them, giving them the name Luffy had given me.

"Kamaboko… isn't that a type…", the girl called Rika began, only to be smacked upside the head by her mother who said with a laugh, "don't be rude!"

"Its fine.", I said, waving my hand, "You can call me Boko."

Rika rubbed the back of her head, but before her mother could say anything else, Rika pulled me into the back, giggling, "Come on! You said you'd make me a dog or cat… make a cat!"

"Huh?", I raised an eyebrow at her, 'I don't remember agreeing to that…' but unable to resist the puppy dog eyes she seemed to be giving me, I sighed and lifted up my still injured hand, saying, "Chi Chi…pet?", "I guess that works."

A large cat, about half the size of Rika immediately formed out of the blood, causing Rika to cheer and clap her hands as she said, "Make it purr! Make it purr!"

"Umm", I concentrated on the cat, willing it to purr, only for its tail to twitch oddly and for it to begin walking, which looked more like it was hopping around, leaving blood pawprints as it moved. I frowned as I continued to try and make it purr, only for it to jump on a counter and knock some forks down.

My frown deepened as I demanded it to come back, to which it sat down, flicking its tail at me, "Fuck'in… the damn thing won't listen!", I paused after I said that, my mind trying to process my own words.

"It's alive!", Rika suddenly yelled out as she jumped onto the counter and picked up the cat. only for it to liquefy in her hands. We both stared at the puddle of blood that was now soaking Rika's clothes before Rika started to tear up.

"No, don't!", I began, only it was too late, she was already crying.

"I killed her!", Rika sobbed.

"No! No you didn't! Just… just give me a second!", I told her, trying to think of something, anything that would make this girl stop crying.

"Restore!", I demanded of the blood, causing it to fly back into my body, giving me a slight headache. I then sat down on the floor cross legged as I closed my eyes. I concentrated; in my mind I could picture a small blood red kitten with bright red eyes. Its skin smooth like leather and its body fluid like a river. I watched as its ears twitched and tail swayed smoothly back and forth. Slowly, the cat began to move in perfect steps. It was elegant in only the way a young kitten could be.

Tentatively, I lifted my hand up, the picture never leaving my mind as I whispered with such great conviction that no one would dare disobey, "Chi Chi pet."

Again my blood pulled out of my body, forming into a ball that rolled away from me and onto the floor. The ball slowly stopped as it unfolded into a small kitten. The kitten blinked before standing up and obediently walking over towards Rika. This time, however, the trail of blood it left was thin and almost nonexistent. The small kitten looked up at Rika before pushing its head onto her leg, causing the girl to squeak and slowly sit down on the floor. She carefully reached out her hand to pet the small kitten before carefully picking it up.

"She's so soft.", Rika whispered as if any loud noise could possible cause the kitten to disappear.

I gave her a soft smile as I took a few shallow breaths, my feet and hands feeling as if they were frozen for some reason.

She glanced at me and frowned as she said, "Are you ok? You look kind of pale."

"Yeah…", I frowned, forcing myself to ignore the pain I was feeling in my chest as I stood up, "I'm fine", I told her, only for my vision to go black.

-X-X-X-

"Boko… Boko...", I faintly heard someone screaming, "Who's Boko?", my mind wondered as I lied on the cold hard floor of my cell.

"Boko!", a young girl's voice called yet again as someone shook me. I begrudgingly opened my eyes only to be met with a young girl with black eyes and brown hair that was tied into pigtails. I frowned at her as she sighed in-relief, "Boko, are you ok? You scared me? I thought you had died!"

"Huh?", I questioned, only for my mind to start registering where I was, "Rika…? I… yeah… I'm fine. Sorry for scaring you.", I sat up slowly, ignoring the dizziness I felt, "Guess that was harder to do than I thought it would be."

She frowned, but suddenly had a huge grin on her face, "it was alive. Actually alive!", The girl giggled as she said that.

"Was?", I asked, glancing around the small kitchen we were in.

"Yeah… she became a puddle after you fainted...", Rika said sadly, only to smile happily immediately after, saying, "But I know she's not dead! Cause you can bring her back whenever you want!"

"It makes sense for it to vanish if I pass out.", I glance at Rika, noticing yet again she was covered in my blood.

"Restore.", I said, causing the blood to shoot towards me as it was pulled back into my body.

"What the hell? You call that a pirate crew? If you're going to be the Pirate king, you need a real crew! at least tell me you have a ship!", I could hear Zoro screaming from inside the restaurant.

Both Rika and I glanced at the door before the girl giggled and ran out. I sat there for a moment before slowly standing up and walking out to the main room.

I glanced at Zoro who was sitting at a table next to Luffy with Coby sitting at the bar beside them. Rika had planted herself next to Coby, still giggling to her heart's content. I smiled softly at them only for it to turn into a smirk as a game started forming in my head. I really couldn't pass up the idea of scaring the crap out of them. I shook my head trying to push the growing headache away before stealthily making my way over to them. Each step I took, with care so as to not make myself known to the group, however, I found myself getting rather lightheaded. Deciding to forfeit the game, I grabbed a nearby chair, pulling it in-between Luffy and Zoro. I barely managed to collapse in the chair, far too dizzy to care if I had ended up on the floor. For a second, nothing happened as I quietly placed my head down on the table. The two of them continued talking about Luffy's lack of crewmates before my presence slowly started to register with those around me, causing the table to go quiet. Luffy was the first to react, calmly rubbing my back as if I had been there the whole time. 'Seriously?' My mind questioned, a bit disheartened over his reaction.

Zoro was the next to react, jumping up and screaming, "What the hell?"

'He says that a lot' I thought absently, unable to enjoy his reaction due to the massive hammer pounding inside my head.

Coby gave off a girl like scream before falling off his chair. After a moment, he pulled himself back up, asking shakily, "Are you ok?"

I gave a hum that came out as more of a whimper before I sat up, forcing my eyes to shut tightly at the light in the room. Taking a deep breath, I stated, "fine.", before trying to act normally by grabbing a nearby drink, 'Alcohol, probable Zoro's'' I gave a quick sip, pleased with myself for not showing any signs of gaging or wanting to throw up.

"Good.", Luffy said before starting to eat again, though I don't think he actually stopped.

Zoro stood there for a moment before plopping back down, giving me a look that clearly said he didn't believe me before dismissing it with a, "That's mine, get your own!", followed with him yanking the cup away from me before downing it himself.

"You sure you're ok?", Rika asked, sounding worried.

"Yep!", I stated while popping the p as I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Oi, Coby! ketchup!", Luffy called over to him, waving at the ketchup bottle that was sitting next to him.

Coby laughed, picking up the bottle only to trip on his own two feet and explode the fucking thing onto me. He shrieked jumping back as he stammered out apologies.

'He's dead!' I thought as I growled, but before I could even get up, Luffy laughed and patted my head, saying, "You look funny.", I growled at him, not at all finding the humor in it. But as Luffy used some bread to wipe the ketchup off of me, I couldn't help but chuckle slightly at seeing him eat it before tentatively licking my hand, only to make a disgusted face at the gross taste of what is known as Ketchup. 'Now I really do want to threw up'

Rika giggled before saying, "If you don't like it, don't eat it.", as she then pulled me to her level and began wiping my face with a wet cloth. I sighed, letting her clean my face up, unable to deny her as she grinned up at me. She giggled before letting me go and handing me another cloth to clean my hands.

I quickly cleaned up the rest off of me as Zoro began asking about Luffy's ship.

"What about a ship? Where's your pirate ship?", Zoro demanded.

"Dock.", I stated plainly as Luffy pointed out the window saying, "There!"

Zoro got up and looked out the window, "That?!" he said disbelievingly. I then handed her back the cloth and pulled on my hood, trying to block out some of the light.

"We'll have a ship this big before long!", Luffy said while waving his arms around.

"Why?", I asked while thinking 'Why does he need a ship that big for just two people?'

"A big ship with at least 10 crewmates.", Luffy said, smiling widely at me.

I hummed in understanding but Zoro just laughed asking, "And how's that?!"

"And I'd like a pirate flag too!", Luffy declared, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! So cool!"

"I think Luffy was born without any sense of planning.", Coby said with a laugh as Zoro rubbed his head.

"What's there to plan?", I stated plainly, thinking, 'If that's what he wants, that's what he'll get."

"Everything!", Coby yelled at me as Zoro groaned, "Did I really just make this guy my captain?!"

"Hey! Hey! Where are you guys going to go now?", Rika asked Luffy excitedly.

"Isn't it obvious? The grand line!", Luffy cheered.

Coby then spit out his orange juice, screaming, "What?! There's no way you can go there! No Way! No Way! No Way!"

"Is the grand line that terrible of a place?", Rika asked.

"Naturally.", Coby stated, "You know this world has two oceans, right? And the giant…", I yawned, placing my head on the table as Coby boringly explained the red line to Rika.

I vaguely heard him say something about some guy called Gol D. Rogers, but my head was still pounding and I found it a bit hard to focus.

"But the One Piece is somewhere there! So we're going there!", Luffy said while grinning at Coby.

I forced a hum as I said with a wolfish grin, "Sounds like fun.", while thinking, 'Maybe showing off was a bad idea...'

Zoro also grinned, to saying, "Guess it can't be helped.!"

"Not you too!", Coby yelled out.

"What's the matter? You're not going, are you?", Zoro asked him.

"N-No... But I'm worried about you!", Coby said, though I zoned out the rest, my body tensing slightly as I felt the approach of the people we had gotten into a fight with earlier. I glanced at the door; 'What the hell do those marines want?' I thought, 'There's another exit in the back… no, there's a few of'um there… their blocking the exits!' I growled; glaring daggers at the offending door, causing Zoro to raise an eyebrow at me. I ignored his look as I took another look around the room, taking note that the windows were still open and could easily be used for an escape if need be.

Relaxing, I looked over at Luffy, debating on telling him as he said, "Yeah! We may be parting ways, but we'll always be friends!"

Coby looked like he was about to cry so I quickly added, "Really?", before sighing dramatically while jokingly saying, "Does that mean I can't eat him?.", As I revealed my sharp teeth.

Luffy gave his signature laugh while Coby screamed and began waving his arms in front of his face while declaring that his blood doesn't taste good. I hummed in amusement, causing Coby to stop and look at me. I gave him my usually wolfish grin, earning a faint smile from him.

Coby then looked at the ground saying, "Ever since I was little I didn't have any friends. No one to joke around with, much less anyone who would fight for my sake… But more than anything, I never tried to fight for anything… But you three taught me how to live for my beliefs!", my body tensed up when he said that, 'How could I teach someone that?'" He looked up, grinning excitedly, "I've decided to make my Childhood dream come true! I want to join the Marines!"

I smiled softly as I glanced back towards the door, "Why are they just standing out there.", I thought as Zoro said, "Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself then?. Even if you were just a chore boy, you did spend two years on Alvida's pirate ship."

'"Wait, what? Coby's a pirate…? Wait, didn't he say something about that when we first met…' I thought as Zoro went on to say, "Don't underestimate the Navy's skills at gathering Intel.", I sighed, the marines are standing outside listening to us, "If they find out about that, you'll never get to join."

'Poor Coby' I thought, shaking my head sadly, 'Zoro just told them'

"Now that you mention it…", Coby stammered; it was then that the marine's decided to walk in saying, "Pardon me!"

The one that spoke happened to be the one that lead me to captain Morgan's office. He walked straight up to Coby while giving me a sideways glance before returning his focus on Coby again, asking, "Is it true that you are pirates?", that question having way more meaning than Coby understood; Is Coby a pirate?

"Yeah!", Luffy said proudly, "I gained a new member and we became a crew just now!"

"We appreciate that you saved our base and our town from that tyrant! However, now that we know you are pirates, in the name of the navy we cannot stand by quietly! You will leave this town at once! Out of obligation, we will refrain from contacting headquarters.", The marine stated, causing everyone around to go in an uproar.

"Ahh", Rika screamed before darting around the counter and coming back with a large basket. I could only guess what it was, my body already protesting the thought of eating.

"Well, guess we should go!", Luffy said while grinning, "Thanks for the food, lady!"

"You guys are leaving already?", Rika asked, holding the basket tightly.

"Yeah!", Luffy declared as he grabbed a sack of food and started to walk away. Zoro grabbed his three swords, holding them on his shoulder as he followed Luffy's lead. I stood up and began to follow the two since it appeared pirates aren't welcome here.

I found myself still slightly dizzy from before, but not enough for anyone to notice. We all walked past Coby, him just standing there, clearly not knowing what to do.

"Aren't you part of the crew?", the marine asked him with a knowing smile.

"Ehh… I… I'm…", Coby stuttered, unable to answer. Luffy glanced over his shoulder before continuing to leave, only to be stopped by the marine yelling, "Well, is he?"

"I know what he's done until now!", Luffy said while smiling, causing Coby to spin around and stare at him in shock as he continued saying, "There was this really fat pirate lady, I think her name was Ahiruda."

"Luffy!", Coby screamed out, causing Luffy's smile to grow.

"And she had this giant club, man was she ugly!", Luffy continued as he walked over to Coby, that's when I felt a small tug on my pants. Looking down, I noticed the Rika holding out the basket. I forced a grin at her before bending down and taking it from her.

I patted her on the head and jokingly whispered, "I don't have to share it, right?"

She giggled before saying just as quietly, "It's for all of you! Now be a good pirate and share it with the rest of your crew!", she giggled some more before running back over to the counter. I sat there for a second taken-a-back by her calling them my crew, 'The last thing I need is to be stuck following someone else's orders. No! I'm free for the first time in years. No way in hell I'm throwing that a way!' I thought determinedly. I stood up, glancing at Luffy as Coby hit him in the face, making it really hard for me not to laugh.

"Now you've done it you bastard!", Luffy said with a grin before hitting Coby back. "Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!", Luffy said over and over again as he hit Coby.

I couldn't help the bark'ish laugh I gave as the marine screamed, "Stop that! We won't allow you to cause any more trouble in this town!"

"Hey! You've gone too far! That's enough!", Zoro said as he pulled Luffy off of Coby while I continued to laugh, 'Coby's face looks like a swollen hippo's'" I thought.

"It's very clear that you guys aren't crew-mates!", the marine yelled as Coby fell down, "Now leave this town at once!", Luffy grinned before putting his hat back on.

The three of us walked out of the restaurant and started making our way to the docks. I gave a wolfish grin, putting my hands behind my head as I looked up at the sky. 'I'm really free... actually free!'

"He'll be fine.", Luffy suddenly said as he smiled at us.

Zoro scoffed as he walked along side Luffy, saying, "That was really bad acting! Wouldn't be shocked if they saw through it."

"Coby will handle the rest on his own now. I just know it!.", Luffy stated as he then glanced behind at me and said, "Right, Boko?"

I hummed at him, not at all paying attention, my mind still focusing on the fact that I was free. No matter how temporary this development was, for now I was free! I was slightly aware of Luffy's smile, it growing even more as if he could hear my thoughts as if that were possible.

"It's a nice way to leave, though.", Zoro said happily, "Being unable to turn back cause everyone hates you… it's pirate-like!"

I hummed, frowning slightly at that as we made it to the harbor while Luffy laughed saying, "That's true!"

I paused, glancing around for another boat as Zoro got into ours. My eyes locked with Luffy's for a moment before he laughed at my predicament, to which I just shrugged and jumped into the boat.

Luffy gave me a grin before untying it and jumping in as well.

"Luffy!", Coby screamed out, "Thank you! I'll never forget all that you've done for me!"

"Huh?", I said with a hum as I cocked my head at Coby who was saluting us.

"I've never heard of a pirate being thanked by a marine…", Zoro stated dumb founded.

Luffy just laughed as I pulled down the mainsail.

"Let's meet again sometime Coby!", Luffy called out as we began sailing away.

"Bye! Remember to share!", Rika yelled out as she waved, causing me to remember the basket I was holding.

"Marine's, salute!", the Lieutenant Colonel called out, causing me to do a double take at the sight.

"See Ya!", Luffy yelled out, waving his arms to bid them farewell. I gave a bark like laugh as I heard the Lieutenant tell Coby he had a good friend there and then started scolding his men for saluting pirates.

"Hey,! Boko! What's in the basket?", Luffy suddenly asked as he appeared beside me. I laughed at him before handing it over, "That girl, Rika, made it for us."

"Really!", Luffy asked excitedly as he peered into the basket before shoving the rice balls in his mouth

"Oi! Don't eat them all!", Zoro cried out, trying to steal some for himself. It was kind of funny seeing the two run around the small ship, wrestling with each other for the rice balls. I found myself laughing yet again, though part of me was still finding it strange to do so after having not done it for three years.

Zoro somehow managed to grab one of them only to end up choking on it. Luffy laughed at that before pointing in what I thought was a random direction since he was screaming, "To the grand line!", when I know it was in the other direction. I grinned slightly, letting out yet another bark'ish laugh as Zoro started to stir the ship towards where Luffy had pointed.

'They'll figure it out'

---

Authors notes:

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This Chapter was edited by 'The Path of a Writer'

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