A/N: I was writing a chapter for Leap to Relative Unknown when I hit a block and realized I had more ideas for this chapter. And here I explain more about Lana's world. It's not exactly like our because... really, since when the whacked up SI-OC backstories allow it? So yeah. The city Lana's was originally from is named Lavender Hills and it's... well, go and read. Close knit community with startling similarities to OP and at the same time huge differences. Go and read. And review. :)
Chapter 8: They can not control us
Lana was flying. Almost literally. She had found an uninhabited island from East Blue and was running around it. It was quite barren place. Mostly just rocks and sand. But it was perfect for her. For the longest time Lana had just wanted to run and run and keep running. This island was her opportunity. So she was flying. She was living. For the first time she was truly living. No shadow of an illness over her. No rushing to one place to another. No obligations to anyone. No guilty feelings when because of her, her friends didn't go to amusement park or to the beach. She was free.
The girl took a spurt and jumped off the cliff. She flipped in the air and landed to the bottom neatly before taking off again. Was this what Kaku felt while running across the rooftops of Water 7? Maybe. At least Lana loved the exhilarating feeling. Normal people probably would've been too scared to jump like that but the girl felt no fear. She was healthier than ever. When she'd died the illness had left and she had become strong enough to survive the world of One Piece easily. She became healthy, strong and fast. Everything she hadn't been.
"And now for my next trick…" Lana let out some of her fireflies and formed steps from them. She leapt and landed. The steps held as she run through the air. "It works!" The girl rejoiced, making her way towards the highest point of the island, never stopping.
"So… I can make sure people outside Firefly Dome hear me… I can put people to sleep, maybe, after a story and they won't remember my face afterwards… I can use fireflies as my eyes and ears and I can use them to blow stuff up… They are solid enough for me to run in the air like using geppou… But I can also stop in the air and sit." Lana looked down at her invisible seat. "Yep. I can do a lot. Oh, and they looked like fire once. I wonder why because I was only thinking about cool entrance… I need to look into this. And I need to figure out what exactly is the Power of Stories." The girl closed her notebook and put it in her bag. Then she pulled out the marionette of herself.
"I wonder what I'll do with you… Or Pineapple. Maybe I'll see it eventually." Lana muttered right when a strong gust of wind travelled throughout the island. It wasn't a normal gust. They were at East Blue for god's or kami's or Merlin's or Rassilon's sake! And this island had very dry and chilly climate. This wind was… almost hot.
Lana got on her feet and promptly warped to the bottom of one of the ravines near the coast. From there she made her way to the beach were to air currents seemed to be the strongest.
There she found a relatively small ship anchored and someone standing in the middle of some sand dunes. Sand dunes which weren't there when Lana arrived to the island. So the man was a recent arrival.
"Ara ara… I thought I was alone on this dreary isle." The girl smirked her hand on her hips, making her presence known. The man turned around and glared at her, giving her a perfect opportunity to appraise his appearance. Wild black hair to his shoulders, eyes glaring and slightly sunken, making him look scary, nose… well, it was nose. Quite big but quite normal sized too. Didn't look like a potato or a stick or a triangle. It was a nose, end of story. The man was quite tall and muscular and wearing simple shirt and pants. He had lost his coat near the waterline along with his shoes. In any case, Lana had no doubt of who he was. "You are Monkey D. Dragon, right? And here I thought 'D raising a storm' was just a proverb."
"Who are you?" Dragon glared.
"Me? Just a wandering traveler who happened to stop by this island." The girl shrugged.
"Liar. There was no boat anywhere near this island. And how did you know my name?"
"So? One can still travel around. There are animals big enough to carry people or then there are devil fruits that enable people to fly… Take your pick." Lana smiled, conveniently ignoring the question. "Why are you here? Other than blowing off some steam?"
"…nothing." Dragon turned away and went to head towards the water where his discarded coat was. The Storyteller grinned and with a short sprint she had reached the man, jumped and landed a solid blow at his shoulders, knocking him down. Then she proceeded on sitting on his back before he could gather his bearings and get up again.
"That was surprisingly easy." She remarked. "Although your father was easier. He was just a kid back then though…"
"Wha-…? Who the hell are you?" Dragon tried to get up but apparently couldn't get his arms into a good position to push himself up. Lana didn't doubt the man's power.
"Try to guess." The girl leaned back against her hands that she placed on the warm sand. Even though the air was chilly, sun still shone and warmed the sand. Funny combination but since when was weather rational? "I met him years back… He was just a brat roaming around Mt. Corvo with a pipe and tiger… He tried to take me on but lost horribly. Knowing him I'm sure he's told you the story."
"…You are the Firefly. You told him the difference between the pirates. And the story of a Lonely Girl."
"Yes. That I did. He's still chasing after Roger, isn't he?"
"Yes…" Dragon gritted through his teeth. "He never was much of an father. Especially after pirates took the life of my mother."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Lana amended sincerely. "But I bet he was still hundred times better than my father. Heck, I don't even count that man as my father. That bloody sperm-donor…"
"Lana, my mum wants to speak with you…" Eleven-year-old Vivian told her best friend through phone.
"She does? But why?" Lana frowned. It wasn't too usual. Yeah, she spoke with Ms. Nectar in daily basis since she was Vivian's mother but there shouldn't have been a reason to call her explicitly. What could it be?
"I dunno… But she told you to bring your brothers too. I need to call Isaac now, bye."
"Bye." Lana put the house phone back to the cradle and went to look for her brothers from the apartment. Meaning that she just yelled at them to come. "Ros! Dom! We need to go to the Nectars'! Ms. Lilian want to talk to us!"
"She wants?" Dominic stepped out of his study and adjusted his sunglasses in front of his eyes. "Do you know why?"
"Nope. Vivs didn't either. And then she hung up to call Isaac. What a friend…" The black haired girl pouted. Right then Rosario emerged from the living room and exchanged a significant glance with Dominic.
"Isaac, huh? I guess it's the time then…" The younger Dominquez mused.
"Time for what?" Lana frowned. "And don't say the Talk because I got that last year after my birthday. It was such a nice BD present."
"Nothing like that, Lana. Don't worry. Let's go though. No need to keep Ms. Lilian waiting." Dominic ushered the younger siblings to the hall to put on their shoes even though the Nectars' lived right next door.
"Alright, since you six are now here seated, I can begin my story." Lilian began, making eye contact with the four pre-teens (Samuel tagged along with Isaac and Vivian was invited to listen too) and two adults. Lana watched Lilian. She was very beautiful woman. Long blonde hair like Vivian's and large friendly eyes. She didn't even look that old. Lana loved her very much since the woman had been a mother figure to her. "Or rather the story of my best friend Ruby Porter."
At the name, Isaac's head snapped up. "My… mother? You knew her?" The boy asked in awe. For some reason Ruby Porter's name was a taboo in certain circles. Circles in which both Vivian's and Lana's families moved.
"Yes… I knew her. She was my best friend. I also knew her Promised one."
"Promised one?" Vivian echoed.
"Have you ever heard of Promise ring?" The children shook their heads. "It's a ring given prior engagement. A promise to commit to monogamous relationship. In this case… it wasn't such. Ruby was engaged. To Juan Dominquez."
At this name Lana and her brothers made a face. They hadn't seen the man in ten years and honestly didn't care if he happened to kick the bucket.
"Not at first but her parents were planning that. Meanwhile Ruby received a Promise ring from her one and true love, Robert Waters."
"Robert Waters? The business man who was imprisoned for fraud and tax avoidance?" Samuel frowned. That was man no one liked. At least on public. What did he have in this matter? Other than Lana's surname that could be coincidence?
"That's him. He was framed after a business deal made with Dominquez. And the police had his pockets lined." Lilian sniffed in distaste. "But back to the story. Robert was an honest man. A cunning but honest man. And he loved Ruby. He could was ready to take her with him and travel all around the world but she kept him grounded and told him to stay put and take care of his business. Ruby was always the more sensible one of them." The woman smiled in remembrance.
"What happened then?" Lana asked quietly. She knew the name Ruby very well… after all, she was her mother too…
"The arrest happened. Ruby's parents were in the scheme and she was married off to Juan."
"I remember that. She wouldn't stop crying at their wedding." Dominic sighed. "She was a kind and strong soul and stepped in if father got mad at Ros."
"I wasn't the best student. Combine it with my clumsiness…" Rosario sighed.
"That she was." Lilian smiled. "And she was pregnant at the time. That baby was you, Isaac."
"Me?" The dark haired boy squeaked, pointing at himself.
"Yes. I remember when she came to be crying when the time of labor was approaching. Her parents had been trying to pressure her to abort ever since finding out about you but she wouldn't do it. Then they demanded her to get rid of you as soon as possible any way possible."
"Any…?" Vivian whispered in horror.
"Any." The little girl's mother confirmed sadly. "Thankfully, Robert's old friend James Redstone offered right away to take care of you. I helped what I could back then before I came pregnant myself. And yes, James knew everything but I requested that I'd be the one to tell you this story so don't be angry at him."
"And then…" Lana fidgeted on her seat. She was afraid of how Isaac would react to the next part of the story. She knew it. Naturally. It was part of her.
"Then Juan filled in the obligation that was part of the marriage contract and would bind Ruby to him for the rest of her life. She was pregnant again. It didn't matter whether the baby would be girl or boy since Juan already had an heir." Lilian nodded toward Dominic who scoffed silently. He had no intentions on inheriting the business and neither had Rosario. "And so Lana was born."
The said girl looked down. "Mama died though… She refused medication."
"She did what she could to be free and so you could be free too." Lilian comforted. "The Promise ring she received years earlier… Robert had asked back then only one thing. That Ruby's heart would always belong to him. And when she was dying, it nullified the marriage contract's hold on her. She never took the name Dominquez so she wasn't obligated in giving it to Lana. So she gave her the name of her loved one. To show Lana would never belong to Juan either."
Tears were falling down Lana's cheeks. Isaac was watching her with an odd expression. He had never thought about it before really. Of why Lana had the same surname than his father. Or who her mother was.
"Mama… mama died 'cause she loved us." The girl sobbed before throwing herself at Isaac.
"She got her revenge on that bastard." Dominic admitted.
"Remember the one time he came to see Lana. It was to demand us to change her name because he had no say over her." Rosario grinned. It was great. Dominic had been adult back then so he'd been named Lana's guardian. And despite Juan Dominquez later wanting nothing to do with the girl (which suited the siblings just fine), he still sent money to his sons. The amounts were so much that they could easily use it to pay for Lana's schooling. The bastard knew nothing.
"And Ruby was so nice to include our mother too…" Dominic muttered. Dianne Corazon had been present at Lana's birth along with Lilian and the little baby girl had gotten her middle name from her.
And now Lana Dianne Waters was crying against Isaac's shoulder. The poor boy was still a bit dumbstruck but trying his best to comfort the girl.
"It's alright, Lana…" The boy whispered. "I don't hate you. You are my best sister still…"
"We are the best siblings, you hear us." Vivian joined the hug.
"This changes nothing." Samuel added before the blonde girl pulled him into the group hug too.
Lana smiled faintly at the memory. Afterwards Lilian had given Ruby's Promise ring to Isaac but the boy had given it to Lana, saying it suited her better. When thinking back, the life at Lavender Hills had been quite warped. People saying something but meaning something else. Corruption everywhere. The city slowly destroying itself. The only few big companies there that had been fair and uncorrupted had been Waters, Newgale, Redstone and Juraquille. That city had been almost as bad as this world but a compressed version. Lana had wanted to change it. All of her friends had. Especially after Isaac graduated a got a job at Newgale's.
"Now when I think about it… It's entirely possible that the doctors didn't give me proper treatment because of the surname I carried. Everyone was taught to publicly hate Robert Waters and fear the corrupted companies who could ruin you one way of another." Lana mused. "It didn't matter if the other four companies could protect you, they always found a way…"
"What are you talking about?" Dragon growled, obviously tired of lying face down on the ground.
"Whops, did I say that aloud?" The girl grinned sheepishly. "Wari, wari… I was just thinking about how corrupted my home used to be and how innocent people suffered from it." She got on her feet and walked a couple meters away from the man in the case he decided to retaliate. While Dragon wasn't as impulsive as his father, some things still run in the blood. Recklessness for example. Really, who goes and opposes World Government directly? Revolutionaries and Strawhat Pirates, that's who. Monkey D's are insane, there was no way around it.
"That isn't a surprise then, is it? Was your home island part of the World Government?" The future revolutionary asked. Lana looked away.
"One could say so…" The girl muttered. "At least the Government did nothing to help us. I suppose they never even heard what was going on…"
"Turning a blind eye is what they do as long as it benefits them." Dragon shrugged. "It must not go on."
"They are controlling bastards but what else is new?" Lana sat on her invisible chair and crossed her legs. It looked like she was levitating now. "There are several islands that need help. Either from what the World Government is directly doing or then from their negligence because those islands don't belong to their territory. Not to mention how they suppress the Truth…"
"The Truth?" The man managed to ask once the shock of seeing the girl sitting in the air wore off enough for his brain to function somewhat properly. Lana held the firm belief that all D's had some screws on the loose in them that enabled them to functions properly. Honestly, those D carriers were just so reckless… and brave. Gol D. Roger became the Pirate King, Portgas D. Rouge sacrificed her own life for Ace, Jaguar D. Saul protected Robin from Aokiji and gave her the will to live, Portgas D. Ace tried to kill Whitebeard at least hundred times (and failing) and finally sacrificed himself for Luffy, Monkey D. Dragon would become the Revolutionary Dragon, Monkey D. Luffy was aiming to be the next Pirate King and he got into all kinds of shit on the way, Trafalgar D. Water Law would fight Doflamingo though he was a bit more reasonable than the rest of his fellow D's. And Monkey D. Garp… well, he was Garp. Nuff said.
"Have you ever heard of Poneglyphs?" The traveler girl asked. "Those big indestructible stone blocks with squiggles in them?"
"I've seen one at the Fishman Island when I was exploring the world… And running away from my father." It seemed Dragon had no qualms of admitting the fact. Well, Garp's reputation reached far and wide and Lana had already admitted knowing him. "What exactly are they?"
"They have two purposes and I tell you what I know this far…" Lana took a deep breath. This wasn't the Story of the Truth yet since she didn't know either all the details. She'd need to wait until Robin discovered more. But this story told about the Importance of Truth and would lead the Revolutionaries calling Robin the Light of Revolution.
"Centuries ago there existed a prosperous kingdom. A kingdom with advanced technology, something that has never seen since.
"But that makes one wonder what happened to the kingdom? It had technology and weapons. It had the potential to destroy the entire world I admit. Historians are baffled why entire nation has been wiped away from records even though they pretend it doesn't exist. They wonder why there is an entire century that no one knows of. There are questions… How? Who? Why? But there is no answers. Except for the Poneglyph stones all around the world. Stones that no one can destroy. The history is recorded in them. History that the World Government tries to bury and kill.
"When the Ancient Kingdom fell, it was thanks to the nations who formed the World Government. Those nations felt the Kingdom was a threat. Whether it was or not I don't know. But the Kingdom knew the end was near. So the history was recorded and the Ancient Weapons – Pluto, Poseidon, Uranus – hidden. The Pieces of Truth were scattered all around the world. So the future would learn from mistakes and wipe away the injustice.
"But the Government was first. They got to the Kingdom and took them out. The Ancient Language was forgotten. The history was forgotten as people who knew something were hunted down. It continued on for centuries. Tenryuubitos were raised higher than anyone else, Government had eyes and ears everywhere and Marines at the beck and call. Pirates were only ones truly free.
"But there is a man who could hear the voice of all things. He carried the Will of D. The will to strike down gods. He is alive right now, heading to the top and turning the tides. He is going to leave a legacy for the whole world and hopes someone will make to the top too.
"And there's scholars on the Island of Ohara in West Blue… They are researching the history. They have one Piece of the Truth at the roots of Knowledge. They are learning how to read the truth… But that is a crime in the eye of the World. In five years of time… The Island will be no more. There will a lone survivor, a little Lonely Girl who will be hunted. She will survive though while searching the Truth and trying to find her own place. And I'm certain she will find both."
Lana stood up and made to leave. "I hope you'll find your own path, Dragon." She stated before vanishing. The young man was staring after her.
"Firefly… She was the Firefly..." He whispered in awe. It was one thing to hear about her and hear a story from her second hand. It was another thing to meet her in person and hear a story directly from her. The man hurried back to his ship. "Ivankov, raise the anchor, we're going to West Blue! Time to find people for our cause!"
A/N: Yep, this was a bit before Roger began his journey through Grand Line. And what I understood from the timelines the Revolutionaries began working publicly only after the execution. I also think that Revolutionaries potentially helped Nico Olvia and her fellow archeologists before they were attacked by the marines.
This chapter is quite short... Sorry about that but Dragon is hard to write. We know very little about him after all. And I'm not going to start theorize about him. People have so many ideas... Some say he was a marine, some CP agent... I don't know and I don't care. Da end. Next chapter is longer though. That much I can promise.
And hey! You still didn't answer me about the seiyuu question. :D
Replies to reviews:
-moonlighttalon:
Thank you very much :)
-Luffy's sister:
I enjoyed writing that one too. And yeah, I hate Akainu and for some reason I can't redeem him any way. He is a horrible jerk. The only reason why he isn't on the number one place on my hate list(Blackbeard is there) is because at least as a marine he just might've caught some actual scumbags. But Aokiji is great. And I like Kizaru too to an extent. He was so damn cute as a child.
You are welcome :)
-FlamingCatDemon13:
Thank you, here is the chapter. ;)
