(A/N) So my last few chapters have been kinda of filler-esque, so I was thinking maybe I should add a conflict or something. I was already half-way through with writing this chapter when I realized this, so I twisted this into a bigger deal then it actually was going to be. This chapter was originally going to be about Mila and her lack of a biological family and such, but that quickly changed. Then the whole thing started to unfold within my head and BOOM I have like four chapters planned out! So enjoy Mila and her new life altering experience!

LB

Chapter 10

Mila POV

I had never been in such a big city before, and I had to admit, without Izo by my side, it was a little overwhelming. All the stores were screaming for me to go and inside. Some people were actually screaming for me to come inside their shop. I had to restrain myself though. Like Onii-san said, I couldn't spend all my money in one place. It was sensible advice till I stumbled upon Sweet Tooth Candy Store. While on Salus, I had never been allowed any sweets, so when I had the opportunity to enter a real candy store, how could I resist.

Sweet Tooth Candy Store was a warm welcoming place, the walls painted a bubblegum pink, random colors splattered all over the place. It was a good kind of colorful though, not a gaudy kind like the boutique I had just visited with Onii-san. In the back of the store, an employee was rolling out toffee, an extremely interesting process which I observed for almost a half an hour. Up the side of both walls were buckets and buckets of different kinds of candy. A completely overwhelming sight. Kids around my own age were shoving random kinds of candy in a plastic bag, not looking at the kind or flavor, and then zipping over to a scale to weigh their individual bag. I soon learned from a helpful clerk that I could fill a bag full of a pound of any candy and only pay 50 berris for it. I decided to try it, and took a tiny bag from the nice lady, and began to fill it.

I didn't use the same approach as the other kids though, I was much too educated to use their willy nilly method of picking my precious candy, so I decided to go to every bucket and read each description carefully before deciding what I wanted. It turned out that I was extremely picky when it came to candy. I had no previous experience with it, so I hadn't known I wouldn't like so much of it. But I did figure out that I absolutely adored lollipops. They were a gift given from god. After this revelation, I filled my bag up with a pound of different kinds of lollipops. Of course they were of different brands and flavors. I would perform an evaluation on both brand and flavor once I returned to the ship.

I anxiously waited in the line for the checkout, practically buzzing with excitement. I could almost taste the lollipops through the bags my mouth was watering so much.

Apparently I wasn't the only one who was who anxious to receive their candy. Parents and children zoomed through the line, limiting small talk to allow their children to collect their goodies, and to get them to shut up.

"Hello, how are you today sweetie?" the shop clerk asked me once I reached the front of the line. She was around the ages of 16 or 17, probably working here as a part-time job. She seemed to be enjoying herself though, because I had surveyed her talking animatedly with each costumer. She was extremely pretty too, golden blonde hair shaped into a friendly bob, big smiling brown eyes that complemented her pink pin striped uniform well.

"I'm doing well, and how are you?" I asked, remembering my manners.

She giggled, "I'm good, you're a very polite little girl" she took my bag of lollipops and started weigh it.

"Thank you, I was told to always be polite." It was that or I would get a whack on the head from Onii-san.

The clerk started to tap numbers into the cash register as she asked, "That's good, and did you parents teach you that? That would be 50 berris."

I shook my head as reached for my money. "No, my Onii-san taught me."

She gave another twinkling laugh, "That's better than my Onii-san, he used to pull my hair when I was little," she puffed her bob haircut, "so now I always cut my hair out of habit."

I laughed along with her as she took my money and handed me my bag in return. "Thank you very much" I said.

She leaned over the counter to get closer to me, her golden yellow bob jiggled up and down as she moved forward, "Do me a favor and thank your Onii-san for being such a good older brother for me, will ya?" she bobbed her head to the side with the last word.

I nodded, grinning I said, "I will"

She winked at me and continued onto the next costumer. I excited the store, smiling. Such a charismatic and sweet women like her belonged in a candy store.

Back on the street, bag in hand and lollipop under my tongue, I was determined to find a book store. The task proved more difficult than expected since Onii-san said no talking to strangers. So directionless and alone, I wandered the streets.

I had stopped in front of a pet store to coo over some adorable puppies when I heard, grunts and shouts from the alley next door. I looked around at the crowd to see if anyone else had noticed or if I was just going crazy. I could tell they heard it since they're faces were twisted in disgust and fear. No one made a move to go and investigate the sounds though. I peeked around the corner, my curiosity growing. What had the city goers so scared? The alley was dark and reminded me on the one Lynn's shop had once been in. I could barely make out five figures, one of which was on the ground. I looked around again. People would gaze into the alley then quickly jerk their head to the other side, pretending not to notice the abuse going on.

I popped the lollipop from my mouth and twirled it in between my lips, thinking. When I looked at the situation from a logical point of view, I see that it's completely unthinkable for a ten year old girl to go up against four men in their early twenties, at least according to their body shapes and vocal patterns. But then I stopped listening to reason, something Thatch always recommended. I was a pirate who belonged to one of the four emperor's crew, I shouldn't have to look away when I don't like something. I now had the power to stand up for myself, and for others who couldn't.

I repositioned my lollipop firmly against the inside of my check and my teeth and departed down the alley. As I approached the men, I could see my assumption was right, they were all in their early twenties, including the man curled up in a ball on the ground. They all wore the same signature dark. Blood flowed from a cut in his forehead and a broken nose. The four men were taking turns kicking the man, laughing as they did so.

I could smell the metallic stench of blood from where I stood a few feet away. They didn't take any notice to me till I made a loud 'pop' with my lollipop.

"Oh look what wandered down here boys" one said. The man on the ground winced as he looked up at me, curious on what had interrupted his beating. Golden blonde hair matted with blood. "a little mouse."

One cocked his head to the side, studying me, "She's a cute little mouse, that's for sure." I cringed as he gave me a toothy grin, one that resembled that of a hyena.

"I'm not a mouse." I proclaimed.

"Really?" hyena face said, "Then what are you?" his cronies chortled along with him.

I raised my chin proudly, "A pirate." I proclaimed.

One of them snorted, "And I'm a unicorn." He mocked, laughing.

Hyena face shushed him, "Kid, this isn't some place to be joking around at, I'll give you one chance to leave, and we'll pretend nothing ever happened."

I looked at the blonde man on the ground again, his eyes wide and pleading. If they were pleading for me to leave or for me to help, I couldn't tell. But the familiar golden hair told me to stay. "I'm not planning on leaving till you let him go." I declared.

"Do you know who you're messing with kid?" the unicorn said, I returned his question with a blank stare. I honestly didn't give two shits about that who they were, but he told me anyways. "We're the Two Stars, the most biggest and baddest gang in the whole fucking city."

I inwardly winced at his atrocious grammar, and countered his pathetic statement with one on my own, "I'm a part of the Whitebeard Pirates."

The all cackled at my unbelievable statement, "Really?" the first one said, "Then where's your mark?" I didn't reply. I had no tattoo like the other crew members, no way to show them I wasn't lying. "Everyone knows all the Whitebeards have some ink," he continued, "so where's your's little pirate."

"I don't have any" I mumbled. I had noticed the dad's mark on every member of the crew, but I had never thought it was a requirement, I assumed it was more of a loyalty pledge. Showing that they would always follow their father.

"No, I think you do," unicorn said, "But you're just hiding it from us. I think we need to search her."

They started approach me, inching away from their victim on the ground. As soon as they were so far in front of him they couldn't see him behind them, I quickly blinked to him and whispered in his ear, "run". I would save him and show these men what a pirate really was.

He looked up at me shocked. Before he had a chance to question me or protest, I blinked. I blinked above unicorns head, letting gravity take its toll on him as my weight crashed into him. He crumpled like a rag doll.

"Oi, watch it! She's a devil fruit user." One warned the others.

Not that it would save them though.

Quickly appearing to the side, I let one charge me, not moving till the last second, then blinking out of the way just in time. He rammed face first into the unforgiving brick wall.

I ran to the other side of the alley and garbed one of the many discarded trash cans and jammed it into the hyena face's crotch as he charged me. He didn't fall as easily as the last one did though, he only faltered a little as he dove towards me. I swiftly dodged him by stepping to the side. By stepping to the side, I stepped into the reach of the first one's grasp. His thick hands encircled my thin arms, locking me in his grasp. I tried to blink out of his grasp out of pure fear, but failed. I had never been able to blink while being held by another person. It was a crippling effect to my power.

Hyena face approached me as I struggled against the man's grasp. He held his crothch in pain, which brought me more than a little satisfaction. "Look what you've gone and done," he shook his head, "now what are we going to do with you."

I frantically looked over to where the blonde had been, now there was only a pool of blood. I sighed, he had gotten away. My moment of relief was ended by a fist colliding with my face. I've never experienced that much pain before, and it was excoriating. Hyena face pulled his fist back again readying for another punch. "This is what you get for messing with the Two Stars." Suddenly fear gripped my chest and I lashed out with my legs, out all the power I had into trying to stop him. I didn't think I could stand another punch. His arm was let loose and rammed into my gut. I chocked on my own breathe as I tried to stay conscious. Dots filled my vision as I gasped for air.

They chuckled at my lack of pain tolerance, "That's not even the worse you'll get." I heard someone say. "Hey, Nic, you got a lighter?" My vision had finally cleared enough for me to watch as Hyena face heated up a ring with a raised imprint of a star on it. I struggled with the little strength I had left, I could tell where this was going. "Hold her still" he hissed. He jerked my right arm away from my capture and turned it so he had access to the sensitive inside of my elbow. "Here little pirate, I'll give you a mark,"

The last thing I remember was the feeling of the ring burning its way through my flesh, the pain pushing me over the edge and into blackness.

I woke up alone, broken and bruised. I was still in the same alley, slumped against the wall in my own pool of blood flowing from my arm. I tried to push myself up, but cried out in pain as my right arm crumpled under me. Trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill, I pulled my right arm into my lap, cradling it against my chest. I couldn't breathe. My arm had been marked, that's for sure. Burned horizontally on the inside of my right arm were two stars. The burn was so deep I could have stuck my finger in it. I tried not to cry, pirates didn't cry. I realized then though, I was no pirate. I was a failure and a child. I gave into the retching feeling in my throat and let loose the wave of tears I was holding back.

I sat there crying for a long while.

(A/N) So, like wow. That was intense right? Well hopefully it was. HOLY CRAP, did anyone else realize this is chapter ten? Well, that's not including the bonus chapter. YEA! I would love some feedback from you helpful, beautiful people about how I'm doing so far. Not that I plan on stopping anytime soon, but your opinions really matter to me. Favorite, follow and review please!

LB