Notes: The following is wild, twist, fanfiction for One Piece. Please be aware that this will be a strange story and I will bend it to my own desires for the story. I do not own any of the characters One Piece, but the plot and characters not in the manga are mine. Thank you very much and please enjoy. (Please forgive my imperfection within my work.)
One Piece: The Kairoseki Incident
Chapter One: Escape from Marine Fort on Hurricane Island
The clinking of heavy steel chains stop when Axis halts. The soles of her feet seize up and induce painful cramps and the muscles in her calves, contract and pull. She is only a few feet from the newly caught pirate. Axis is not inclined to meet the eyes of the pirate and stares at the grubby stone floor. Fingers thread themselves through the top of her hair and yank her face up.
She is slightly regretting not cutting off all the hair on her head. It is cut just so that the sides are short and the strip down the middle is long in a half mohawk fohawk style. It is unfortunate in Axis's opinion because it has been pulled more in the last 48 hours of interrogation than she would have liked. Her eyes are black like her hair and heavy with dark circles from a lack of sleep. While her skin, which normally maintains a dark color, has become rather pale and sickly looking during her stay at the marine fort on Hurricane Island. In fact, she has been there for five grueling weeks.
Her arms are lashed behind her in a succession of locks that lead up to her shoulders. The muscles are nearly stone stiff from their position. The painful rubbing of the metal against her skin has caused dark bruises and abrasions. The injuries have her arms looking unnaturally splotchy. The military officers have learned her well over the years and have included the 700 milligrams of some sedative to keep her in check. It makes her vision blur.
At the moment, Axis wishes she could simply knock out, but her insomnia is proving to be troublesome.
The person in front of her with his echoing black eyes and freckled face was someone she has never met in all her travels and encounters with pirates. His tanned skin had bruises and a cheery grin was being ripped from his face. He was without a shirt and his pants were probably only held up by the belt with the large 'A' on the buckle. He seemed befuddled by her.
The marine officer at Axis's back introduces them to one another in a solemn, but grating tone, "Portagas D. Ace." He drawls slowly, "I would like to introduce you to someone."
In her drugged state, Axis rolls her eyes at the officer's smugness and lets her head lull back to look at the man. His clean-shaven face and square jaw are the most prominent features; Probably only second to his rather large nose. His small grey eyes glower down at her and she notes in her silence, that he has brown hair. She may need to remember him.
He in turn, shakes her so her head falls forward, "This is Gol. D. Axis." He must have been relishing the shock on the boy's face for a few seconds because he does not speak right away. When he begins again, it is in a sneer, "Axis I would like you to say hello to your brother, Gol D. Ace."
"Portgas!" snarls Ace at the officer, snapping out of his daze.
The officer curls his lip at Ace, "Do not be foolish, boy. You and your sister will be executed together under the proper name you bare. Just as you did before and hopefully this time… you will stay dead."
"Wishful thinking does not suit you, Officer." Axis mutters as she inhales sharply.
Grabbing the back of Axis's shirt he shakes her so her arms move painfully, "What was that, girl?"
"Fuck you, that's what." She glowers tiredly, "I'mean what the fuck is this? I'm supposed to sit here and say hi to my brother, now? Couldn't this have waited until you were done trying to kill me? Or if you kill me?"
The officer shoves her hard. She is off balance and her mind does the quick calculating to brace itself. She is going to collide with the wall and then the floor. The impact however, is different. She hits into an overly warm body and realizes her newly introduced sibling has protected her. Ace is twisted just so that he can support her with her momentary lack of balance. He pushes her off himself so she can straighten.
Axis blinks at him and then in a lucid voice says, "Thank you." She is grabbed from behind and winces at the sharp shooting pain in her shoulders.
Axis watches as Ace's hands are grabbed from behind and wrists pushed upward.
"Bad blood must've run in Ol' Roger's veins. Two pirates from the same bloodline." Snorts one of the officers behind Ace.
Axis rolls her eyes, "I dunno a single pirate who believes I'mma pirate." Her voice slurs.
"Then you must not be in their rank!" jeers another officer.
There is pressure on her back and she is shoved forward. She can see Ace moving unsteadily ahead at the same time. The heavy metal doors open and spill in the late afternoon light with all its rosy hues. The pair walks forward to perch above the cheering crowd of marines.
A new practice keeps pirates from ever being hopeful again. Axis knows about the "Marine Fort Incident". This time, they will be executed on the spot to prevent such problems as an uprising. No stalling, except in this case. Having been there for five weeks worth of hurricanes, Axis knows the military is wary of a potential problem.
The guards force them to kneel in front of the crowd. The pair is supposed to have heads bowed in a 'remorseful' silence. Since Axis now knows Portagas D. Ace has already been down this road before, she is not surprised to see he keeps his head held high. Ace's coal black eyes remain narrowed at the crowd, and his lips pursed. His shoulder blades are rigid and weighted kairoseki cuffs bind his hands.
Execution day certainly has taken too long to get here. Axis is no stranger to the marines and no stranger to the hatred of the pirates. She keeps her eyes straight ahead, her jaw clenched shut, and her ears open. There is a smell in the air she knows. The omen of good fortune catches her attention in the crowd and she smiles wide.
The crowd falls into silence as the executioners come forward. No formal reading will be held until after they are dead. The prisoners have been at Hurricane Island too long. The long blades are presented forward, pulled up high and prearranged in an 'X' across the prisoners. The reflection in the blade shows each prisoner how mortal they are.
Portagas D. Ace swallows hard.
Blinking twice, Axis inhales the familiar harsh toxic aroma. Before the panic can set in, she forces herself to remain calm and waits for the pain.
The swords prepare to move and a gunshot rings out over the crowd. A momentary panic escalades and fades as Axis is thrown back. Her body crumples on the platform with a shoulder bleeding from an embedded bullet. There is a heavy silence that suppresses the naval forces.
The guards, offset by the shot, are suddenly guarding themselves instead of Ace.
Axis pushes herself up with her head. The wound bleeds freely and the metal brace holding her arms creaks as the arms shift around. Her spine regains its composure and she hauls herself up onto her legs. Then she stands. Those black glossy confused eyes have been replaced. The eyes are dilated strange and her jaw is loose in a wild smile.
"Axis! Stand down!" Is the order from the guard to Ace's left.
Axis looks at him sideways. The smile is scary and disconcerting. With her eyes in their dilated positions it makes her look mad. In the heavy silence, the brace hits the ground with one final movement from Axis's shoulders. She has carefully contorted her shoulders and arms to remove the device. However, her hands have not gone unscathed. Long lines of peeled flesh dangle from her hands and she holds her appendages up for the guards to see. Casually she tears the ragged skin off, but no blood falls from her hands. Then she rolls her shoulders forward with a variation of cracks and lets her body realign itself. There is no way that she can dislocate herself to remove the cuffs from around her ankles, but she is completely unconcerned.
"Kill her!" yells a commander's voice.
The entire world seems to mobilize, except Ace's captors. Axis knows them. They are watching for her next move. The swords swing down at her from her guards and she bends backwards. The movement of her body is like water. It is a smooth movement that is prepared to react to each assault. She avoids being cut a second time and opens her right hand.
The fingers are pressed tight against one another her thumb is pulled to the side making a bladed hand that strikes back with definitive force. The body of the assailant stops. The sword clatters and rolls to the side on the stone ground. Axis's hand goes through the stomach and drops out one of the kidney and a liver through the back.
She is slick with blood up to her elbow and withdraws her bloody weapon through the guard's stomach. There is a squelching noise and a crimson squirt of warm body fluid covers Axis's canvas shirt. She lets her assailant topple over onto the ground. Axis hears the cry of rage and despair from the second guard and she ducks his lunge. This guard is significantly taller and bigger than Axis and he falls on top of her. It is only a moment before another hand, another kidney and part of what looks like an intestine come out of the guard's back. His body goes limp over her.
This time Axis squirms underneath the man. He is overweight and painfully heavy, but he his less bulky by his arms. She manages to wiggle out from between tangle of the two guards bodies. Her feet slip out and kick the big man off, showing off the lack of the ankle braces. As she faces her new sibling, she flashes him a smile with a shiny key between her lips.
Axis starts for her brother and the two guards scatter without much of a threat. Clearly they remember the last encounter they survived. They jump into the crowd of people, shouting and screaming about the 'Daughter of Evil' coming to take revenge. Axis ignores their words and quickly kneels down by her brother's ankles. The key carefully fits into the lock and with one quick flick of the wrist the chains jangle down at his feet. She rolls her shoulders back telling them 'pop' a little more and grabs him by the cuffs. He will be of no use if his hands aren't free. The cuffs crumble at the welding points as she applies pressure to them and hit the ground with dull clanking noises. If the restraints had not been kairoseki cuffs, they would not have broken so easily.
It's like Ace's body ignites. His posture changes; the muscles in his shoulders relax, straighten, square themselves towards the marines clambering up the stairs to the execution platform. Axis can see his eyes narrow and focus. The first assailants charge forward and Ace stomps his foot against the wooden platform. Fire erupts from his feet and charts a quick path to the opening of the stairs. The flames become roaring bonfire that blocks the marines. He grins. The stage has only one entrance, but they have a moment to breathe.
Axis grabs him.
"I didn't burn you did I?" he blurts suddenly looking at her. Apparently he forgot she was standing so close to him.
Axis grins wider, "Do I look burned?" she smarts and tugs on his hand, "Let's go!"
"Go?" he retorts. "Go where? We have to go through the marines to get outta here, unless you can fly." He snorts.
Her face drops the smile as the adrenalin in her body is wearing off. However, her eyes pick out the fire escape and she clenches her hand. It surprises her that he reacts by clutching back. It is permission to do as she sees fit.
Axis quickly pulls him from the platform back towards the doors, but to the right. Beside the grand doors is a slender opening. There is a small staircase. He grips her hand harder and follows silently down the flights of steps. The world becomes black and Axis directs their path based solely on sound. The steps lead to a passage with dim lights. Her mind races ahead to quickly calculate where they are going. She recognizes the numbered doors with their plaques of who work in that area. She takes the next left down a hall to the opposite side of the building and then down another set of stairs.
The stairs end at a door she shoves open. They are just outside the marine fort on Hurricane Island on the left hand side where there are open rolling hills of green pastures. She pulls Ace along the edge of the building till they both the see the ocean. They break into a run down the grass plain. Ace stumbles briefly on a large stone hidden in the tall grass and recovers quickly. He must be used to having someone drag him places. At least Axis's assumes. They pass several large clumps of palm trees and the grass begins to thin out into the yellow sand.
They tread carefully across the hot beach. Axis can hear the uproar from the fort and can smell herself for the first time. She grimaces. She smells like dirt, sweat, and corpses. She shakes off the thought because her brother smells like many burnt corpses (in her opinion). Only when they run further down the beach does Axis see him standing there with a boat. White Chase Smoker stands with the thick rope to a boat. The pair draws up to him and Axis sees the glistening brass pistol on the marine officer's hip. Axis knows for a fact Smoker had no use for guns… except in this case.
"I ain't gonna rescue your sorry ass again, pirate." Glowers Smoker at Ace and throws him into the boat. He grabs Axis by the back of her shirt and tosses her in with her brother, "And you," he points a finger at her, "Quit getting caught." And shoves the boat out.
Smoker vanishes from sight before she can turn and thank him. Axis feels a lump in her throat. There is a lot that Smoker, or Smokes as she calls him, does for her.
The wind is on the sibling's side. It fills the sail quickly and shoves the boat further out to sea. Axis quickly gets up and grabs both cords attached to the sail and the boat begins to skip across the water.
"What are you doing?!" yelps Ace jumping and holding tightly to the mast.
"Getting further out!" she yells, "Hurricanes will hit this island soon and we can't afford to be caught up with it, unless you as a devil fruit user can also swim!"
Ace bites his tongue and looks to the left of their skipping vessel. He must see the ominous clouds headed towards the island they were just on.
Axis lets the boat skip for a good fifteen minutes before she releases the sails from their wide position and quickly begins tying the sails down. By this time the island is distant on the horizon and the on coming weather to the island will hopefully make the marines think twice about pursuing them. She is silently impressed. Smoker remembered the time they were on an Ocean Flyer, like this boat. Axis makes a silent reminder to herself to get him more cigars as a 'thank you'.
She flops down into the boat.
Ace jumps up with what Axis assumes is his bag. He rummages through it and finds what he is looking for. It looks like a watch, but Axis knows better. A preset brand new log throws light off its orb top and Ace quickly steers the boat further away from the marine occupied island towards somewhere.
Axis feels disoriented and does not move for several minutes. Then she straightens herself, blinking slowly and winces at the bullet encased in her shoulder.
Ace notices her pain and quickly locates medical supplies.
'Make that two more boxes of expensive cigars.' Thinks Axis seeing the tin box in Ace's hand.
Ace strips his sister of her shirt and stops. He blinks several times then places a finger on the largest of all the scars on Axis's torso. The scar runs from shoulder blade to shoulder blade and is about three quarters of an inch wide, "This… doesn't hurt anymore… does it?"
She surprised by his concern, but smiles and says, "Hehe, nope."
He lays the fabric across her chest area for modesty's sake, and then pulls out the tweezers, "Sorry." He mutters.
"No, thank you." She laughs reminding herself that gratitude is taken much easier than sarcasm.
Ace knows enough medical skills to sterilize the metal utensil with his fire and then with unskilled hands begins a painful process to extract the bullet from within the skin.
He has to probe torn flesh and Axis hisses as the bullet slips and wiggles around. The blood has made the bullet slippery and it slides everywhere in the open wound. Only when the casing gets caught between two pieces of jagged flesh does Ace manage to pull it out and flick it over the side of the boat. Ace then finds there is fresh water on board and uses some of it to the clean bloody hole, then dries it with a bit of gauze.
As Ace sterilizes the needle with his flame and then threads the surgical implement Axis catches his hand.
"Just gimme the damn thing." She mutters pulling herself into a sitting position.
Ace is hesitant to comply but after a silent moment he offers the needle to Axis.
She takes it and quickly gives herself a series of complex sutures. Her experience has always been, more is better. She is too rough with her stitches and these will pull and bleed if she isn't careful.
"I'm pretty sure that is not how you close a wound." He states offering to cut the offending trailing thread with his fingers.
She glares at him, but lets him burns the threat in half. "Thanks." She mutters flopping back onto the deck of the ship.
He nods and covers her chest back up with the canvas shirt.
There is silence and the pair watch one another for almost an hour. Axis is not sure what to make of 'Fire Fist' Ace, her newly found brother. They look similar, but are obviously different. The large scar across his chest is nicely healed and she remembers it from almost six months ago back on Frost Bite Island. This is the person she was sent to retrieve. She recalls the words of Superbia, the old man, 'I feel as if I am carrying you.'
Axis breaks the silence unable to take her own thoughts roaming around so freely in her head, "Smoker thinks of everything doesn't he?" she smirks finally flicking the tin box of medical supplies.
Ace chuckles, "Yeah. And I thought Smokey didn't like me."
Axis chuckles at his comment and look up the darkening sky. She knows Smoker does not like pirates.
Feeling comforted by the broken ice, Ace ventures down a new topic, "So you and I are siblings?"
Axis rolls her head towards him and 'hms' with an eerie smile. "Does it bother you?"
"No. I'm just really curious." He admits and quickly does a check of the sail and their position before he settles back down.
"'Bout what?" mutters Axis sleepily watching the dark hues of the night begin to creep over the sky.
"Lotsa things." Admits Ace, "Like, well this is stupid, but for one, why aren't you named Ann?"
His sister squints at him with a raised eyebrow, "Strange I think is more accurate." Axis returns, "But why would I be named Ann?"
"I was always told if I were a boy, I would be named Ace and if I were a girl I would be named Ann. There are two of us. I would've thought you'd be Ann." He admits.
Axis sighs, "Ace, we have the same male genetic predecessor… but um we have two different female genetic givers."
The information sinks into her brother and Ace's expression becomes clouded.
Before her brother can raise a fuss, Axis answers the unsaid question, "Gol D. Roger was a fuckin pirate, Ace. He probably had many lovers."
This statement seems to have at least pacified her brother, but his next question catches her between a rock and a hard place, "How old are you, Axis?"
If they are years apart, Ace won't be happy. However, he will not care and be able to reason that Portgas D. Rouge was the last lover. There is a problem. Axis is almost positive her brother and herself are about the same age.
Preparing herself for the worst she answers truthfully, "Twenty-three."
The only sound is the water splashing against the boat. He is still and silent. His body is oddly rigid and stiff as it sits on one side of the little boat.
"Ace." Axis says carefully, "How old are you?"
His eyes flit up to her and his frown deepens, "Twenty-three." He responds darkly.
"That son of a bitch." Snorts Axis tiredly and laughs.
Ace is perplexed by his sister's good nature, "What's so funny?"
She laughs harder and looks at him, "Ace he had two lovers at once! Holy hell! Can you imagine trying to see two women? Two women from two different sides of the world! PHEW! HAHAHA! We are so close in age I gotta wonder if they knew about one another." She laughs again, "Shoulda asked the Bitch when she was still alive."
Ace bristles, "What?"
Axis recognizing the misunderstanding continues to smile at her brother, "My female genetic predecessor… my mom?" she grins, "Fuck! I shoulda done some research into all this shit. Then I could asked her before I killed her sorry ass."
Ace is taken aback, "What?" he repeats again, this time with a blank uncertainty.
"What, what?" Axis shakes her head a little and looks at her brother, "What?"
"What do you mean you should have asked? What do you mean you killed her?" he is horrified.
Axis yawns; painfully aware she's just stepped on a land mine. However in is not her nature to lie, even when the truth is unpleasant. "My mother," she says this with a hint of venom, "had me while she was captain of some ship. I don't remember a lot about the first three years of my life. Hell if anyone does, but I remember being terrified. The bitch hated having me there and finally got the balls to drop me in the sea." Axis stretches upwards, "Basically told me I ruined her life and she hoped I died. Pretty awesome. But I didn't."
"Bullshit." Ace glowers.
Axis shakes her head, "I was raised by my Uncle Miguel and I killed my genetic predecessor when she became paranoid that I was a liability. Hell, she tried to kill me multiple times when we bumped into each other." She looked at Ace, "Personally I hoped she would be caught by pirates, but ehhhhh…." She shrugged, "I didn't feel like dyin' when she had enough of my sorry ass."
Ace is appeased for the moment, and then draws back his original reason for being pissed off. "The son of a bitch." He mutters rubbing his face with his hands.
"I know right?" She laughs.
Ace groans and drags himself to his sister's side. He plops his head against her stomach, "What the hell…" He breathes rubbing his face.
Axis is a little uncomfortable, but humored by her brother's annoyance, "Don't tell me you've never done such things. Ya know? Had lovers?"
Ace opens his fingers so he can see his sister and glowers at her for a moment.
"I thought so."
"And you haven't?" he growls back.
Axis laughs again, "Ace, I've never had a boyfriend." She grins at him and how fast he can blink at her.
"Say what?" he sits up on one elbow.
She shrugs, "I'mean I have male friends, but not a boyfriend."
"No, no I got that." Ace stares at her, "You've never had a boy?" he asks. Clearly this is not something normal.
Axis is sleepy due to blood loss, but says, "I'm notta pirate. I am always on the run, and fuck I swim to most places or hop between pirates ships."
"What about Smoker?" Ace is clearly disgusted at the idea of her with a marine, but Smoker's concern must have is brain in knots.
Axis' grin remains, "I rescued Smokes from drowning a while back. He was gonna just lemme go, but I had the flu. He took care of me for that week and quickly figured out the Marines were lying about me being a pirate. He's a good friend."
"But notta lover." Ace confirms.
"Why is my nonexistent sex life interesting to you?" She retorts.
Ace rolls his eyes, "Lemme think. Hm. Well you're my age and a virgin."
Axis laughs at her brother, "You say that like it's a bad thing. Apparently our mothers didn't keep their legs shut and you and I exist." His face is dark, "You're not gonna tell me you had the best fuckin childhood and that you haven't wished for a different life."
Ace thinks about this statement for a moment, but glares at Axis, "I simply meant you are a major target for the slave trade." He glowers.
"I appreciate the concern." She responds in clipped tone.
Ace is angry, but carefully lays down on his sister and stares up the dark sky.
"Am I pissing you off?" she yawns.
"No fuck." He replies.
Axis ruffles his hair.
"FUCK! Quit that!" he looks up at her.
She grins at him, "Get the stick outta yer ass and lets grab a nap while the sea is calm." She looks up at the stars peeking through the cloud coverage.
Ace lets out a huff, but silently agrees.
Tired as they both are, in the small stretch of silence given to them, they both fall asleep under a star-studded sky. A roller coaster is going over in Axis's head. This introduction with her brother tells her of what is to come and it is not good. For the moment, pain and exhaustion is ruling their bodies, but the bitter taste of strange conversation remains in her mouth. Hopefully, this will all blow over tomorrow. Fat chance.
