13th Jan XX90

Log book note 19

''It has now been a month since I joined this crew ''The Back-alley pirates'' and finally they have allowed me to go off the ship alone. Ever since they took me in on this ship I've only been trusted with simple chores, since I had come from a highly marine controlled island so trust issues were expected.

At first not a single one of them cared for me nor my friend, who had lost his arms to save me back on the island, but slowly some of them approached me and asked simple questions like ''What's your name kid?'' or ''Could you come help me with something?'' And they actually began thanking me for doing all of those chores that they were too busy to do. They even began sharing better food with me, though I thanked no to any alcohol, but we had laughs and we had fights all fun and games. The captain of the crew called himself ''Rough beard'' and began teaching me fighting skills and I in turn taught him cooking. Once in a while I'd go to my dead friend's body to pray for my safety.

Now a few weeks ago they let me off the ship and we began going around town. I thought that they would pillage everything and kill everyone but no, they just went around town and bought things they needed as if they were any other kind of person. But when marines arrived, they became incredibly vicious and seemed to grow stronger with Rough's commands. I myself felt inspired and leapt into battle with my staff and I got praised for my efforts. At first they used me as a fake hostage, I was sure every time that they were actually going to kill me but they just fled with me under their arms.

Then the day came when I could be let off the ship alone. I went around town and did a few errands that they had asked me to do, when I saw an odd looking fruit just lying in a sack of apples.

''Excuse me, sir, but what is that in the bag?'' I asked him.

The old man looked at me with tired eyes ''What, are you a blind welp?! They're apples, of course. I'm selling apples for a living that's all I can do around here with all the competition around. Buy one or leave I have a family to feed.''. I took out some change from my pocket that I had been saving up. I actually surprised myself a bit by how much I had actually saved up.

''Here this should be more than enough for the bag and apples right?''

The tired man's eyebrows went so far up that it looked like they were hiding behind his hair. ''You'd give so much to an old man like me instead of going for quality at any other place?''

I smiled and said ''I can't bear to see the elderly suffer.'' I then took the bag and continued my errands.

I chose to sit down near what looked to be a run down marine settlement and began inspecting the weird fruit that was inside. It felt hairy and tough, almost like a coconut, but the outside looked too weird and colorful to be a coconut. I took out a knife and tried to stab it, but it was still holding up quite well. ''I'll wait until I get back and find a hammer. That should be enough.''

My little solo chat got cut short as a group of marines came out of the building and began shouting at me. ''Don't you know what this place is?! It's illegal for anyone to go here!'' A more brute looking man stepped forward. He looked very familiar. I then remembered where I had seen him before. He was the marine that had witnessed me being taken hostage by the pirates.

''Wait… You're that kid from back then… Did you escape?! If so we can easily help you get back home.''

''This isn't good…'' I thought to myself.

A genius idea, then came to mind. I said to them, ''Yes, exactly! They are at the north port right now. I'm sure they are still there. But can one of you stay with me just in case they find me?'' The big marine thought to himself for a second and nodded. ''Alright, you guys go to the north port and capture then I'll stay here and protect the kid.''

However, in reality my crew was anchored in the southern port. As soon as I couldn't hear the other marines I put the fruit back in the bag and pulled out my knife again. I then jumped the big marine and tried to stab in the neck… Nothing happened. No blood, no scream nothing. The man just turned his head with the angriest look that I had ever seen. ''Wha…. What are you?!''

He then grinned and said with the kindest voice he could muster in this state. ''I'm just a marine. With a bit of Logia in me, that's all.'' He then with almost no power at all threw me down to the ground and stood on me with one foot. ''I'm just going to guess that you telling us where they were was just a lie then and take it that you are just a filthy murdering pirate!''

He then lifted his foot about to stomp me in the chest which would easily kill me. I decided on one chance. If I couldn't hurt him, then I'd just have to incapacitate him. I cut off the foot that was still planted on the ground, making the man lose his balance and fall backwards. I then quickly got up and took all my gear and my bag of apples and made a mad dash for the ship. In the distance I could hear the man scream ''Come back here!'' The scream, then became quiet as I got into a mass of people and just pushed my way to the ship.

''Guys! We have to leave now! There's marines here and one isn't killable!'' I yelled to the crew.

I quickly jumped aboard as the others raised the anchor and began slowly moving from port.

I don't know when but at some point someone must've taken a picture of me because the next day the news coo arrived with a newspaper and a bounty had been placed on my head. It wasn't much, but it damn near shocked everyone on the ship out of their good skin. When everyone had calmed down, they all nodded in agreement at something. They all then roaringly congratulated me with my bounty. I was still scared shitless as now I'd have to begin fighting for myself.

During the night I slowly got out of my hammock and walked over the creaky floor of the ship. Luckily for me the other members of the crew were extremely heavy sleepers so I didn't have to sneak out. I went to the kitchen and went into the storage and found my bag of apples hidden behind a few barrels of rum. I pulled out the weird fruit and stuffed it under my coat. I then went to the captain's quarters because he loved staying up almost all night reading his favorite series of books called ''The Adventures of the Vigil Merman''. (I have no idea what he sees in that damn book.)

I knocked on the door and heard a heavy yawn and a strong voice saying ''Come in.'' I slowly opened the door seeing my captain in his weird pajamas. (Blue and white do not fit my taste.) I slowly approached him and pulled out the weird fruit and asked, ''Do you know what this is Cap'n? I found it in the marketplace of the last island.''

His tired eyes took a quick look at the fruit and not even blinking quickly answered, ''That's just a devil fruit.'' Confused at his answer I asked ''Aaaaaand... what is that?'' '' It's a fruit that gives whichever person that eats it incredible powers unknown to most people unless it has been recorded by the marines. You found it so you should try eating.'' My captain never is one for power so I just left the captain's quarters again with more questions than answers.

That's when a fellow pirate of mine jumped down from above. She was quite the annoyance to times, but who isn't. She had quite a good sense of humor but she was loyal and fair. She had long red hair and had emerald green eyes. Quite hypnotizing sometimes. She wore breeches and a shirt that was cut up at the sleeves. She also wore a red and white polka dot bandana.

''What'cha got there, Rai.'' She said with a teasing voice and pointed at the devil fruit I was hiding under my coat.

''It's just a fruit that I scavenged is all.'' I said with shifty eyes.

''Mhm… Sure, that's why you were just in the captain's quarters showing off some flashy looking ball. Come oooooooon just show it to me. I won't steal it.'' As always she was being very curious. ''Fine, here it…'' I had just pulled out the fruit and almost immediately Cera swiped the fruit and was about to bite into it. ''Wait! Stop!''

But it was too late, she had already tried to bite into it. She then screamed out in pain and I put my hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

''I told you to wait… This thing is as hard as rocks and you can't just break it open just like that.'' I took away my hand and she began rubbing her cheeks in quite a bit of pain ''You should've warned me.'' I looked at her with an annoyed look ''Well I tried to you glutton.''

She then hit me hard in the shoulder ''Hey! You don't call women gluttonous. It's called having a healthy appetite''

I rolled my eyes ''Well will leave me alone then?''

''Not until I taste that mighty tasty looking fruit there.''

I then sighed and responded ''Fine… Let's go to the workshop to try and break it open okay?'' Cera and I then left quickly from the perimeters and went to the workshop avoiding the very tired looking crewmates that had come out to look for what was making all that noise.

When we entered the workshop we were hit by a heavy smell of newly cut wood. I liked it, but Cera couldn't stand it and pulled out the gas mask that she was always wearing. ''I really don't understand how you can stand this smell.'' She said with an annoyed tone. ''Well, whatever, let's go find a hammer or something.''

We went around the room for a bit and found some different tools to open it. Because of it having the toughness of a coconut I expected it to have some kind of liquid inside so I had brought a bottle from the kitchen on our way there. I brought over a hammer and a drill. Cera brought the wood cutter.
''You really are crazy you know that.'' She smiled sheepishly and said

''And that's why everybody here loves me''

''Well, just put that wood cutter back alright'' I then began slowly drilling into the fruit. It took a little while, but as I expected it had a liquid core so I flipped the coconut upside down with the hole facing the bottle. Slowly but surely the yellow liquid seeped out of the white fruit.

''Well, that's that under way.'' I then poured the liquid into the two glasses that I had also retrieved from the kitchen.

''Cheers'' We both said as I took the first sip because Cera always says that any liquid can be poisonous. I immediately spat it out and began coughing it all out ''What the hell?! This tastes horrible!''

Cera laughed and poured the liquid back into the bottle. ''Well, seems I'm actually lucky that the shell was so hard that I couldn't bite through it."

She turned around and began putting the things she had found back into place when a loud noise of splintering glass filled the room. I had somehow made the glass into a glass ball and dropped it because it was to slippery to hold.

''What did you do?! Now we have to clean the damn floor. Where'd you get a crystal ball from anyways? Did you steal it or something.'' Cera got a twinkle in her eye as she grinned at me

''I don't know what happened… All of a sudden the glass just felt round and slippery and then it fell to the floor. I think we have to go speak with the captain.''

I then ran off hearing Cera call me back to help clean it up. On my way to the captain's quarters I put on my leather gloves to stop me from touching anything. When I arrived, I slammed open the doors and called ''Captain something is happening! I had a glass in my hand and out of nowhere I was suddenly holding a glass sphere. I think this ship might be haunted and we have to leave.''

He looked at me with tired eyes just as he had before ''Calm yourself. I'm going to guess out in the blue and say you ate the devil fruit didn't you?''

I nod

''Well, that means you've lost your ability to swim… But in turn you've gained incredible power. I do not know what it could be but as you said that the glass turned into a sphere, then I believe that your devil fruit is a Paramecia type. There are three types of devil fruit classes in this world. Logia that changes one's body into that of an elemental'' I then thought back to the marine from the island and now it made much more sense. ''Then there is Zoan which is one that allows the user to become a beastly monster like your ol' captain here…'' He then pulled down his sleeve and his body turned slippery and hard. ''And lastly, there is the one that I think yours is classified as. Paramecia one which is the most random one. I want you to try and show it to me.''

He then throws a stick at me. I fumble to catch it, but keep it from falling.

''Now take off your gloves and focus on it.''

I did as he asked and held my hands on the stick. Nothing seemed to happen and it annoyed me quite a bit. Then I felt the stick beginning to bend inwards and when it stopped it had turned into a star shaped wooden object.

'' Hmm, very interesting. First, you make a glass into a sphere and now you make a wooden pole into a star. It seems quite obvious, but that this fruit is making you able to shape things to your will. Quite useful, but until you get it under control you will have to wear your gloves alright kid?''

I nod in response

''Good, then we'll train when we reach the next island alright? Now then, off to sleep you go and so shall I''

He then pushed me outside the door and shut it. Behind the door stood Cera with a very grumpy look on your face.

''So it was a devil fruit… I knew it. I should've drank that glass of juice first. Well, whatever. Now I have to save your sorry ass whenever you fall into the sea…'' She ended her sentence with an annoyed snort.

''Hey hey, no need to mope about it. I'm sure you'll also find one sometime. Maybe not right now, but sometime alright so cheer up.''

She looked at me and smiled. She then gave me a big bear hug ''Thank you Rainon you always know what to say in these situations''

''Oh god damn it, I made another pencil into a wooden ring!''

8th April X100

Last Log book note

Well, it definitely has been quite a ride. I've been with this crew for 6 years now and it has been amazing. I've racked in both quite a big bounty and a ton of money. I think it is finally time for me to leave this crew. Captain and Cera already know and to no surprise at all the captain doesn't want to let me go neither does Cera.

After I told Cera about it, she said ''You better be joking! Why do you have to leave?! Now of all times. I had planned so much for us.''

''Us?'' I was completely shocked. In all of the years I've been on this ship, she had never said anything that could even be considered this kind of stuff ''I want to be with you forever. But it has to be on this crew. And you're not leaving and that's final.''

I got a bit flustered, but kept my composure ''Cera if you want to stay with me you can just come with me. I'm sure captain won't mind.''

Cera then turned quite a bit more red ''But this is my family! Yours too! How can you just abandon us…'' She then began crying

''Cera listen. I'm sure I've told you my story just as you've told yours. You of all people should know that I have a brother out there somewhere and that I promised my mother to find him.''

Cera looked me in the eyes with tears rolling down my cheek. ''Then promise when you find him that you'll return to me. Not as a friend, but as a husband. Pinky promise.''

She then put out her hand and put out her pinky finger. I had always suspected that she had grown more attached and more friendly but this baffled me. I never thought she'd return the feelings I had for her.

''I promise.'' I said as I grabbed her finger with mine.

She then gave me a small piece of paper and said ''This will lead your way back to us''

That also reminds me. After having trained for a while with the captain I got so good with my devil fruit that I now don't need my leather gloves on so I've cut the finger parts of the gloves off so that my palm is still inside but my fingers are completely free. It's actually quite fun to use this power. Pranks are quite simple too. Well, now I leave this log book here to be found by whichever person that might stumble upon it. But for now I bid all of you guys goodbye

''Hehehehe… That boy never seizes to amaze me…'' Said Rough as he read the last page of my log book. ''Maybe I should show Cera this. It's actually very good reading material.'' He then closed the book and left it on his table and went out on the deck.