I know I said I'd have this up quickly, but I've had so much coursework! I'll get the next chapter

up ASAP!

I'm going to follow your advice and not put any romance in...it would ruin the darkness of the story.

Disclaimer - I don't own One Piece, please don't sue me.


The Demon

Chapter 4

Sanji sighed as he walked out the shop. They had finally made it to the next island. It was a very quiet, subdued place, and, despite the warm weather, no one was smiling. However, according to Robin, the demon master's island was located somewhere around here. There was only one problem; the lack of a magnetic field. The log pose wouldn't be able to lead them there; they had to find another way.

Sanji had been asking shop after shop for any information on an island with no magnetic field (he decided it was best to leave the demons out of it), but he had had no luck. It wasn't that the shop keepers didn't know anything, it was just that they refused to tell him.

His questions were either met with a worried look and him being quickly pushed out the door, or the keepers simply ignoring him until he got fed up and walked out himself.

Either way, he wasn't getting anywhere.

Turning the corner, he saw a small, delicate, spice shop. The rich aromas coming from it were intoxicating, and, despite wanting to carry on walking, he found his legs taking him to the entrance.

Inside it was dark and musky, but still had that enduring fragrance. The walls were piled high with bottles of powder; some blue, some red, some more than one colour, but all unique.

"May I help you?" Asked a voice from behind the counter. Sanji turned round. It came from a pale, old woman. Her white hair had been piled in wisps on the back of her head, framing her face perfectly. Her skin was wrinkly, but not horribly so, and posture was that of an aristocrat. This woman had been beautiful once, that was evident, and she had taken good care of herself, but age had finally caught up with her.

"Yes….um…I was wondering if you could answer a question for me?"

The woman's eyes narrowed.

"Well, that would depend what it is, wouldn't it?" She said.

"That's true, but you have to promise to answer it, before I tell it to you. Could you do that?"

The woman was getting evermore suspicious. "I promise you it's nothing bad……or at least, I don't think it is." Sanji said, trying to make the lady agree.

"I will answer it to the best of my ability." She repied.

Sanji nodded, it was the best he was going to get.

"Can you tell be about an island off this one. An island with no magnetic field?"

The woman's eyes shot open. She stared at Sanji in disbelief for a while, before asking;

"Why do you want to know?"

Sanji eyed her up, wondering whether to tell her the truth or not. In the end he decided it would do no harm.

"My friend's gone missing," I can't believe I just called Zoro my friend! "And we think he's at that island. We really need to find him as fast as possible."

The woman started shaking her head.

"Boy, if your friend is at that island, he's dead. Give up, go home, where you're safe."

"But that's the problem, we're not going to give up, especially not our captain. He'll go to the ends of the earth to bring him back."

The woman came out from behind the counter and walked right up to Sanji.

"Boy, do you know who resides on that island?" She asked.

Sanji was starting to become annoyed with being called 'boy', but he let it rest and answered the question.

"Demons."

"I said who boy, not what."

Sanji was rather taken back by this, who was it that lived on the island?

"Um….the demon master?"

"And what is a demon master?"

Sanji thought about it, trying to remember what Robin had said.

"A very strong demon that controls weaker demons." He finally answered.

The women smiled. It was not a nice smile; it was one that sends shivers running through your spine.

"You're right." She said. "Now let me tell you something. 20 years ago, the demon master living on that island fell in love. The couple were soon married and 9 months later had a son. However, the mother died in childbirth, and the father has hated his son ever since. He blames him for his wives death." She stopped. "That's it." She said. "Now leave, before you get hurt."

Sanji turned and walked out the shop. What was that lady on about? Something about a baby? Who knows? She must be crazy!

Shaking his head in frustration, he decided to head back to the ship. Maybe someone else will have had better luck than him.


Zoro wearily lifted his head. He had been chained to the wall in a small cell, made entirely of concrete with a thick steel door. His chest had been bandaged, and felt better. Vaguely.

How could Kazuo do this?

He started to well up with anger when he thought of the man. When he thought of how much he hated him. He calmed himself down.

Getting angry won't get me anywhere.

His thoughts drifted to his crew.

Will Luffy come and get me?

Yes, was his immediate answer. Of course he would. He hadn't given up on Nami,and Zoro was sure he wouldn't give up on him.

Do I want him to come and get me?

No. He didn't. It wasn't that he didn't want to get out of here; he wanted that more than anything! But he didn't want his friends to get hurt either. He knew Luffy was strong, but he just wasn't strong enough. No human can beat the powers of a demon.

Humans aren't supposed to be able to beat merman either.

He sighed. If Luffy wanted to come, he wouldn't be able to stop him anyway. No one would. He'd just have to hope Kuzeo was in a good mood when he came.

Unlikely.


The straw hats sat on the deck of the 'Going Merry'. They were not in a good mood. For 2 days now they had been trying to find this island, but no-one would tell them anything! They had tried asking politely, they had tried threats, they had tried bribes, they had even tried blackmail! Nothing worked! The whole crew was tired and fed up.

"Would you like some coffee, Robin Chan?" Sanji asked Robin, who was sitting on a deck chair, reading the book she got off the demon.

"Yes please, cook san." She replied, smiling at the younger man. "That would be lovely."

As Sanji walked up to the kitchen, Robin looked around at the crew. Since Zoro had gone the atmosphere had been so subdued. It was as if everyone was afraid to say anything. Nami was reading the newspaper on another chair, Usopp and Chopper were fishing, silently. And Luffy was sitting on his usual spot, the goats head. Their captain had been hit the worst by Zoro's disappearance, he didn't say anything unless spoken to, he didn't eat, didn't sleep. The slim boy had lost so much weight it was a wonder he could stand up.

Sanji came down with her coffee.

"Thank-you cook san." She said.

Sanji stood beside her for a while; she could tell he wanted to say something.

"Is there something bothering you cook san?" She asked.

"Yes…..there is." He replied. "Yesterday, I met this woman. She told me a story, about the demon master on the island."

Robin frowned.

"Why haven't you said anything before now?"

"Because the story seemed irrelevant……I didn't really understand why she told it me. It didn't help."
"Well, why don't you tell me what she said and we can try and figure it out."

Sanji smiled.

"O.K., the demon master fell in love, they got married and had this kid, but-"

"Wait!" Robin cried, stopping him mid sentence.

"What is it Robin Chan."

"You said the demon master had a child?"

"Um…yes, that's what the story's about. The mother died in childbirth and he's hated his son ever since."

"But Sanji, that doesn't make sense. The demon master is just a very strong demon, and technically demons are dead. They can't have children."

Sanji stared at her. If demons can't have children, then how can the demon master have a son?

"Then the woman was probably lying." He said. "It's no big deal, we're just back where we started."

"Prehaps..." Said Robin quietly. Sanji looked at her, she was figreing something out, trying to piece it togther, he could tell. Finally, after a silence, she said something;

"Sanji, this book I've been reading, it seems to be a diary. It looks like the man who wrote it became a demon after he died, and carried on writing it. It's very strange……..It seems that when this demon was alive, he was in some kind of group or cult. He calls it 'The Brotherhood'. He lived around 700 years ago, about 100 years after the void century. By the looks of things, there weren't many demons round then, but listen to this;" She read out an extract from the page open in front of her;

"He is moving swiftly, gathering more and more forces to him every passing moment. We never dreamed he would dare come to earth, but he has. He knows we can kill demons, but it seems our ancestors attack 150 years ago didn't finish him, only crippled him. Now he is getting more and more minions. If only our ancestors left us some clue as to what they did! Now we have to content ourselves with picking off demons one by one, instead of wiping them all out like they did."

She stopped and looked up at Sanji.

"It seems," She said, "That this 'brotherhood' was set up to kill demons. By what this man is saying, sometime in the void century, they found a way to eliminate all the demons at once, however, they left no record as to how they did this. They probably thought they didn't need too, after all, if all the demons are gone, they won't need to fight one again."

Sanji frowned. "But the demons came back?"

Robin nodded. "Yes, but what's troubling me is this line; 'We never dreamed he would dare come to earth, but he has.'"

"Why is that troubling you?" Asked Sanji.

"Because, after the demons make their deal, they come straight to earth, they don't hang around in hell. Also, all at this point, all the demons are dead. It only leaves one person."

"Who?"

"The devil."

Sanji stared at her.

"You're not serious! The devil!" He cried.

"There's another reason why I think that." She said. "Demons can't have children, but the devil can."


Please review, no nasty comments please! Constructive critisism welcome!