I do not own One Piece.
I fidget slightly, not really liking the fact that everyone was staring at me so intently. Biting my lip, I sigh softly and begin.
"I'm originally from a small town in East Blue called Syrup Village located on the Gecko Islands. I actually lived a little ways outside the town, on a little hill close to the forest. I lived there with my mom and dad. The island was really peaceful, nothing ever really happened. We used to sit outside, mom telling me stories while dad would practice shooting. He even bought me a slingshot and taught me how to shot when I was four. But a few months later, a pirate came to the island looking for dad and he ended up leaving with him. Mom said she wasn't mad him or anything, she always knew he craved adventure.
She always told me to never doubt his love for me, that live on the island was just too boring for him. But sometimes, when she thought I wasn't around or wasn't paying attention, I saw her staring out at sea crying….About a year after dad left, mom started getting sick. The village doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She was mostly fine for a year or so. She was still able to play games with me, take walks in the forest and on the beach. She still cooked everyday and we always went berry picking together and she watched as I practiced shooting.
But then…a little after my sixth birthday, she was no longer able to even stand up on her own. One of her friends from the village came to stay with us. She took care of me and mom. She did all of the cleaning and cooking and everything…I tried to help as much as I could, but I usually just ended up making things worse. So, I started spending most of my days trying to make mom happy. I would pick her flowers and tell her stories and pick all the berries that she always loved. Every time I was around, she always had a smile on her face, she would always tell me that everything would be fine and that she knew I would grow up to be a strong warrior of the sea, just like dad.
Her condition worsened during the next year and by my seventh birthday, the doctors were saying that she could die any day. I didn't want to believe them…I knew that there had to be some doctor or some medicine that would make her better. But everyday I started losing hope. Then a ship arrived. A group of sailors. They said that they had the best doctor in the world on their ship, one that could cure any disease…
"Please, you have to save my mom," I beg, grabbing onto the captain's pant leg, tears and snot streaming down my face. The man stares down at me for a moment before pushing me off.
"Sorry, kid. Our doctor doesn't work for free and I doubt a little boy like you has enough money to pay us," he says, beginning to walk away. I run after him pleading.
"Please…I…I don't have a lot of money, but I'll do anything….please save my mom." He turns back towards me after a quick glance at his companions.
"Alright son…How about this?…we heard you were a pretty good shot, how about you join us and then we will help your mom?" he asks, crouching down in front of me. I stare at him for a second confused before nodding my head enthusiastically. I knew mom would be sad that she would be alone…but she would understand, right? As long as she is alive, everything would be fine. He nods his head back and stands back up. One of the other men with him grab my arm and escort me to the ship. He leads me to a room with a cot and one candle and leaves me there without a word.
…A few days later, we set sail. They hadn't allowed me to go back to my home to see mom…or even back to the village. But they swore that she was better. Believing them, I happily did whatever they told me, which was mostly cooking and cleaning. A few months after we set sail, the took me into the infirmary, along with all the other children they had on board, I think there was twenty of us in total. They said it was just a routine check-up. But when we got there, they put us under…We all woke up a few hours later, with our shoulders killing us. The crew assured us that it was just from some shots we had to get, nothing to worry about. We all believed them, even though they worked us hard, the took care of us and treated us well. There was no reason to believe other wise. A few years later, when I was ten, I found out the truth. My mom had died the morning that I asked them to save her. They over heard some of the villagers talking, that was the only reason they agreed to help me. They just wanted a way to get me on their ship. But we were already on the Grand Line, there was nothing I could do and I knew none of the others would believe me.
A few months later, we landed on an island. All of the children were told to get off the ship and line up on the shore. Villagers walked in front of us, all of them staring intently at us. After a few minutes, some of the people walked up to the captain and handed him money and then left with on of the children and a small black remote. I was one of the last ones to get taken away. I tried to fight the man, even though he was huge, but he just pulled out the black remote he received and pressed a small button on it. I wasn't sure what had happened, but my entire body began to hurt. I wasn't aware of anything going on around me or on anything that I was doing…I just knew the intense pain. Since that day, I tried my best not to do anything that would anger Master…I never wanted to go through that again…"