Sorry about the long wait but here's the next chapter and it's a long one hope everyone likes it. Thanks for reading and please review! ~ ChoreBoy out!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, the only thing I own here is my character and any I make up to progress her story.
Episode Nine: Dangers and Control
I shift uncomfortably in my seat across from the man I'd seen yesterday with the facial tattoos, this is Dragon I wonder. I can't exactly get comfortable with the back the way it is. Ace stands directly behind me, arms crossed over his chest and a focus I've yet to have seen from him. Next to me Iva is seated, far more comfortably then I, and standing behind him is a large bear like man I haven't seen before. He has to be like ten feet tall and is very broad chested. His curly hair falls to his shoulders but is a fairly normal black color which is covered by a fishermen style hat that has a set of bear ears poking out of the top. Other then the strange hat his is dressed normally with a black and white jacket, white slacks, dark boots, and in his arms he carries a book entitle Bible.
Despite his more normal appearance in comparison to Iva I continue to glance up at him, I just can't get over his massive size. Kinda like Iva's big head, I smirk at the thought because it truly suits him. Finally dragon clears his throat drawing my attention, he looks up from the notes on his desk and again I find myself shifting uncomfortably. Something about this man's hardened gaze has me on edge and I can't seem to hold his gaze for longer than a few seconds.
"I want to reassure you that no one on board this vessel means you any harm, crew or passenger a like Miss…" Dragon begins, his voice is surprisingly deep which catches me off guard but I quickly interrupt him.
"It's Amber, just Amber no need for the miss." I correct and gain a thoughtful look from the man.
"Alright Amber, " he responds, "I'm sure you're wondering why I've had you come to my state room." I nod hesitantly and although it seems like he means well his expression doesn't change at all. "Well that is because out of everyone my crew had rescued the other night yours is the only story I haven't heard. So I'd like to hear what happened that day from your point of view before I make any decisions about the lives under my care." He explains; again I nod hesitantly. With all eyes now on me I swallow hard and begin to fidget, taking a moment to collect my thoughts.
What the hell am I going to tell him? What did everyone else say other then blaming me for what happened. What did Ace tell him? Should I start from the beginning or at the island? Is he even going to believe me if I tell him I'm from another world. I don't think Ace really truly believes me on that. and speaking of Ace, do I continue to let him take the blame for Deveron's death or do I spill the beans on that. What if Iva's already told him? So many thought flash through my mind that I can barely make sense of any of it. Taking a deep breath I let it out with a sigh.
"How much do you want to know?" I question glancing up at the man before me. He returns my look sternly, although he doesn't seem fazed by the question.
"As much as you feel comfortable with." He responds briefly.
"Should I start from the beginning or do you just want to know what happened that lead to the islands disappearance?" I ask more pointedly this time, now I gain a questioning look from him as well as Iva and the bear man. Ace also reacts to the question placing a warm hand on my shoulder which causes me to look up at him. His look is one of questioning concern and I am grateful for it.
"Are you sure?" he asks and with a resolved smile I nod, despite my nerves around Dragon I feel as though he can be trusted. Not only that just looking at him it seems I have peaked his interest.
"So?" I inquire looking back at our host. Settling back in his seat Dragon watches me judiciously and I return his gaze. This man is a complete mystery to me; his express has yet to change since we entered the room making it impossible to tell what he's thinking. Nonetheless he has a very commanding presence, which I'm a not at all unaware of. Finally he clasps his hands on his lap.
"I'd like to hear it from the beginning." He responds. Nodding I take a deep breath glancing at all the people in the room, one by one. Iva stares at me with questioning caution, I can tell he still does quiet trust me even after what happened last night. Glancing up at the bear man, he seems neutral as he gazes down at me from under his hat. It's slightly creep how little he has actually moved during this exchange. As for Ace, concern still shows in his dark eyes but still he's able to give me a reassuring smile. Looking back at Dragon I go ahead and star to speak.
"Can I trust you to keep what I tell you now, between just the three of you?" I inquire in all seriousness. Next to me I can fell Iva move to protest be Dragon raises a hand to silence him and nods agreeing. With a deep breath I begin to tell my story from the time I arrived to now.
Twenty some odd minutes later my story ends with me waking yesterday. Surprisingly no one has said a word but I can tell just from looking, they all have different thoughts and questions for me. It's probably for the best that I left out the strange dream about Makota, I already sound crazy enough. Staring at Dragon, his is the only expression that hasn't changed from before I spilled my guts, which gives me some hope. Next to me Iva looks ready to explode with more accusations against my person. He has to have something against me or he's just an idiot. Even the large bear man looks down on my inquisitively if not a little cautious. I really hope I made the right choice. Dragon clears his throat after another moment of silence gaining everyone's attention.
"That's quite the story." He begins and I nod. His gaze shifts up to Ace hovering behind me, "and you can confirm this?" he inquires.
"I did find her adrift in the middle of now where." Ace replies but is rudely cut off by Ivankov, whom can no longer hold his tongue.
"she could have fallen from a passenger ship," he blurts out a bit too loudly, "or even worse a rival crew for all you knew." I glance at Ace and he's glaring daggers at Iva, I'm sure if it weren't for the other people in the room the two would be at each other's throats. Not that I blame him but their combined hot heads could lead to problems, plus I'd figured something like this would happen. Before Ave or Iva can on their male pride I speak up.
"I have proof." I announce breaking the tension in the room. Quickly I dig into my pocket fishing out my cell phone and deposit it on to the desk before Dragon. He stares at the small device with minor interest. Picking it up, he examines it thoroughly. Unfortunately I can still sense doubt in the room.
"how does that little thing prove anything?" Iva demands incredulously. Rolling my eyes I heave a sigh.
"May I?" I hold out my hand toward Dragon and with a nod he passes my phone back to me. With practiced ease I turn it on and type in the lock code, once to the main screen I show them. Explaining as I tap on different apps, showing them pictures, playing some music, turning on games. They all watch in silent intrigue. "At this point the only thing It can't do is make calls and that's only because there's no signal here." I finish explaining while frowning at the phone, Dragon nods looking at Ivankov.
"Is the sufficient for you Iva?" Dragon inquires of his counterpart. Iva sits back with a huff, folding his arms over his chest looking away. Shockingly Dragon smirks at his companions childishness then sits back as well. "Well then Amber it appears you are in quite a difficult place but your being of another world does clear up what happened; with the Celestial Dragon. Although I do not think that will change the outcome of the situation. the Navy is likely going to see you as a criminal, possibly even a threat considering what happened to Orchid island and the fact that there was a vice admiral there to witness it. Not only that but your involvement in the death of a Celestial Dragon well have similar repercussions, the World Government will most definitely see you as a threat, possibly one that needs to be exterminated." Dragon explains while I listen intently. I guess I can't be surprised with what he's explaining, what else did I expect?
"Unfortunately that mark on your back will be a dead give away to anyone who sees it." He continues and for a moment I'm confused.
"The mark, you mean the scars?" I question glancing over my shoulder briefly, does he mean the circular thing?
"Doctor Sheppard hasn't explained?" I shake my head, "Hmmm." He hums glancing at his two subordinates.
"He was busy this morning. One of the children from Orchid got ill last night and his mother insisted that Doctor Sheppard stay throughout the night. It's likely that he's still with them now." the bear like man informs startling me, I was beginning to think he might be a mute. Ace's hand on my shoulder squeezes gently as I glance between the two.
"I see." Dragon replies then pauses a moment looking back at me like he's trying to find the right words. "The scarring on your back, the round area with the four spikes that is the mark used by the Celestial Dragons to identify their slaves." I stare at the man before me blankly; I don't know how to respond to that, let alone what to think about it. Slowly my gaze drops to the desk and Dragon continues, "It's well known throughout the world and could cause you future troubles. It's unfortunate; usually the mark is tattooed on slave and can be easily disguised, but yours was branded into your skin making it very permanent." His words seem final once he's finished and a heavy silence has fallen over the room.
Fidgeting again I ponder over this new information, damn I've gotten myself into a serious amount of trouble. Slaves? Sadly that doesn't surprise me, how could anything at this point? That bastard, anger begins to swell in my chest, wasn't happy just scarring me for life, just had to mark me as a slave as his lesser. I bite back the scream I want to let out as hatred burns in my veins. My earlier feels of guilt towards his death all but fade away. Looking up I think Dragon is genuinely surprised to see the look of seething rage and determination in my eyes.
"So I'm a wanted criminal for circumstances I couldn't even prevent and standing up for an old man whom didn't do anything wrong, teh." I click my tongue, "well that's a fucking joke."
"Yes it hardly seems reasonable, unfortunately that is the way this world works at the moment." Dragon confirms somewhat cryptically which I catch right off the bat, but don't say anything.
"Those idiots think they can do anything they want, like they're some kind of gods." Iva snaps irritably and looking over at him, he has a look of pure hatred in his eyes. The bear like man behind him nods as well. It looks like we're all in agreement about this topic.
"Why doesn't someone do something about them, if no one agrees with them?" I ask curiously, remembering how fearful the towns' people had been in Deveron's presence. Watching Dragon again he smirks looking to the windows in the wall behind him.
"That is a very difficult question to answer." He responds sounding subdued. Turning back around he looks to me, "On the other hand I also wanted to speak to you about your newly acquired Devil Fruit power. I've been informed that the fruit you ate is known as the Ryushi, Ryushi. Are you one hundred percent sure?" he questions pressingly which causes me to wonder what's so special about this fruit that has everyone so excited. Thinking about it for a moment I nod slowly.
"I'm pretty sure that is what he was going on about. He seemed rather adamant about getting it even through I'd already eaten the damn thing. Honestly I don't get it, the damn thing tasted terrible and I can't even use these powers properly." I complain then a thought dawns on me, that possibly scares me, "Why?" I question and as I do so Dragon heaves a heavy sigh steepaling his fingers beneath his chin. I glance back at Ace quizzically but he doesn't look down at me and there's a rather displease frown across his lips.
"I was afraid of that," Dragon mumbles while shutting his eyes. I stare at him confused waiting for him to explain. "The Ryushi, Ryushi no mi or better known as the particle, particle fruit is considered on par with the three legendary weapons. It is a very dangerous power." He explains and already I can tell this isn't going to be good, "Among Devil Fruits it's only classified as, a paramecia type but because of its ability it takes a longer time to regenerate once it's user has died, almost a centuries time. Also because of its small size it is a rare find, people have wasted entire life times searching for it only to die miserably." Well doesn't that just sound peachy I think sarcastically.
"That explains why he freaked out when Makota said he gave me the fruit, but is it really all that powerful. I mean if I remember correctly when Ace explained the whole Devil Fruit thing to me; paramecia's are supposed to be the weakest group. So what's so different about this one?" I ask looking up at Ace to make sure I'd remembered correctly, he nods curtly still frowning.
"That's true but with this fruit its true power is in its name." Iva pipes in much calmer then before and I stare at him mildly shocked, "It's called the particle, particle fruit meaning the user has the ability to control the very substance that every people, creature, and thing is made of. Putting it bluntly you be able to control the world." He scoffs disapprovingly, "and if you ask me it's not a power anyone should ever have." I stare at Iva still like I don't understand. Control the world…the words linger heavily over me and take a few minutes to sink in to my think skull before I finally understand their meaning. Oh, oh shit, my eyes widen as the realization dawns on me.
"Then when they said Orchid was gone, they really meant it's gone completely, and I'm the one…" the words catch in my throat as I realize what I had done.
"Yes that is the true nature of your powers," Dragon states solemnly causing me to swallow hard. "Fortunately you can be taught how to control these powers like others in the past have so nothing like that ever occurs again. Iva has even offered his help in the matter, and this might be of some use as well." Dragon states and we all look on curiously as he retrieves something form a locked drawer in his desk.
Setting it down he slides it across the wood towards me. As it reaches my side I stare at it realizing it's a rather old leather book, and when I say old I mean it. The brown leather is well broken in, faded from its original richness, in places there are tears or scuffs, even and stain or two. Wait is that blood? I shudder at the thought as I reach out to pick it up, its spine is badly damaged and the strap that once held it closed has been replaced, more than once from what I can tell as I carefully pull it loose. Opening it to the first crinkled page I recognize that this isn't just any book but a journal someone had hand written is some type of strange language I can't make heads or tails of. As I continue to flip the pages the writing style changes and even farther in the language changes to one I can read. Glancing back up at Dragon I give him a confused look.
"How's this supposed to help?" I question feeling more exhausted and confused by the moment.
"That book is a log kept by previous users of the Ryushi, Ryushi no mi. Not all their stories maybe understandable, but the ones that are, kept interesting notes about their use of this power and what it can do. I think perhaps one of them was even a scientist." Dragon explains and I looked back down at the book, a tiny spark of hope building with in me. Ace has leaned in over me as well to get a better look.
"Dragon," I hear Iva question sounding rather shocked, "where did you even come across something like that?" Interested I peek up at Dragon as well, his face is still set in stone but there's an undeniable sadness in his eyes.
"An old acquaintance passed it to me many years ago, thought maybe it'd be useful." He states solemnly but within moments all his seriousness comes back. "With that aside, having these powers is going to put a very large target on your back. Not only will both the Navy and World government have their sights on you, but as soon as they post you wanted poster bounty hunter and pirates alike will seek you out either to exploit you or collect whatever bounty is attached."
"Wait wanted poster and bounty? Oh geez." I stammer.
"Yes, your stay in this world however long or short will be a very dangerous one." Dragon informs and I inhale a deep breath pursing my lips as I blow it out.
"Great." Above me Ace clears his throat and steps up besides my chair.
"None of that is going to be a problem." He announces causing us all to stare at him questionably. "She's going to be under the protection of the White Beard Pirates." I can't see the others but I'm sure they are just as stunned as I am as I stare at Ace. He looks down at me with a brilliant smile, like that of a child. "I told you I've already talked to Marco. As soon as you get the all clear by Sheppard we'll take off to join the crew."
"Are they really okay with that?" I question, still hesitant about cause anyone else any more trouble.
"Of course! Pop's hasn't exactly said yes yet but I'm sure once he's met you he'll like you." Ace confirms and his enthusiasm is hard to deny.
"Is this what you want Amber?" Dragon asks seriously causing me to look back and forth between the two. In all honesty I hadn't given much thought past what was going on here and now, I hadn't thought about where to go or what to do since arriving. I'd just let Ace lead me to where he thought was right. Finding a way home is definitely a top priority but get to that point… I'm at a loss.
"Well I mean if Ace thinks it'll be alright, I'd like to stay with someone I know. Not only that he's saved my life twice now I kind of owe him." I answer while thinking over the big picture. I am lost in a world that's not my own and I know literally no one, I've made enemies of both the world government and the navy, and have a power that more or less could destroy the world and I have no control over it, sounds fantastic. Dragon nods respecting my decision and we continue the discussion of my powers as well as any questions I have before he is called away on another matter.
"Amber." Iva calls my name just as Ace and I are about to exit the room. Startled from my thoughts I look back at the drag queen. He doesn't say anything but looks pointedly at Ace to which I catch the hit. Turning back to my dark haired companion I smile awkwardly.
"Mind waiting in the hall, this'll just take a moment." I ask and it looks like he's going to say something in protest as he glances suspiciously towards Iva. But looking back at me he nods.
"I'll be right outside the door." He comments with one last glance at Iva before he slips out the door. I heave a silent sigh and turn away from the door moving back across the room.
"What's up?" I ask as nonchalantly as possible.
"Are you sure you can trust a pirate like him?" he suddenly demands and I can't help the bark of laughter that escapes my lips. That is until I realize this is a serious question.
"Are you for real right now?" I ask and I can tell just by looking at him he is to which I am a little offended. "Am I just supposed to blindly trust Dragon and you then, a man who's very well an enigma and one who questions everything I say." Already I can see the scowl forming across his purple painted lips but I continue on. "Look don't get me wrong I owe Dragon, you, and the entire crew a great deal of gratitude, but if you need a reason why I'm so willing to stay with Ace it's because he hasn't left yet. Despite every opportunity he's had, he could have left me on Orchid and who knows where I could have ended up. Or when that man had me strung up he could have turned his back and walked away, but he didn't and I don't know why or what he's thinking. Hell I don't even know why I feel so safe around him, I mean he can be such a bloody damn fool, but I do and it's not going to change." My explanation makes no sense what so ever but it seems to satisfy whatever it was Iva was looking to get.
"Fine, after lunch meet me in the galley. It'll be empty so we'll start your training then." He informs then pauses, "Let fire boy know he can come along too." He adds. I nod mutter a thank you and quickly join Ace in the hall a feeling of overwhelming anxiety gripping my chest.
Once in the hall I wait for the door to fully close before I heave a shaky breath nearly on the verge of tears again. There's a painful lump in the back of my throat and I want nothing more than to crawl into my own bed, in my own room, and sleep this nightmare away. Only I know that's not going to help and I know this is going to be a long and arduous journey. Staring at the ground warm arms wrap around my shoulders pulling me into an embrace and my resolve almost crumbles as I lean my forehead against Ace's bare chest.
"It's gonna be okay." He coos softly and I want nothing more than to yell and scream at him that it's not. That there's no guarantee I'll find a way home, if there even is one. Or that he or anyone else will be able to protect me from whatever dangers this world holds. Hell we don't even know if I'll be able to control these stupid powers and I might just end up destroying more islands, killing more people. I want so badly to yell all this out, but I don't because of what Ace says next. "I'll do anything I have to, to keep you safe and help you find a way home and I'm everyone else will too. We're like a family, a little rough around the edges and downright crazy sometimes but we watch each other's backs. Pops and everyone will be more than happy you'll be joining us." His words are soft and heartfelt, I can't tell he believes in what he's just said and it makes me inclined to believe him too. Over whelmed and mentally exhausted I close my eyes leaning into him more, I don't even think about how awkward this might be or could be later I just take comfort from his warmth and strength. After a long moment of un-interrupted silence, Ace shifts stirring me back to consciousness.
"Come on you need some more sleep." He instructs leading me down the hall, although I want to argue I follow silently staring at the floor as we go.
Not surprisingly he doesn't take me back to the infirmary, instead we move through the vessel to another non-descript hallway. Stopping us in front of the third door on our right, why I pay attention to that tiny detail I don't know but he fishes a key from his pocket and slips it into its home in the door. Once it's open he ushers me inside.
The room is small but descent enough for at least two people. There's a double bunk along the far wall from the door, two wall lockers line the wall to my left behind the door, and a small desk is to my right with another small door probably leading to the head. My camping pack and back pack as well as Ace's are set in front of the lockers but I ignore them as I cross the room flopping down on the lower rack. I sink into the thin mattress with a smile; it's a far cry from the cot like beds in the infirmary.
Ace sits next to me making himself comfortable by leaning back against the pillow at the head of the bed. He pats the tiny space next to him, for a moment I stare at it then reluctantly crawl up next to him. Thankfully the pain meds I was given this morning are working wonderfully as I curl up next to him. My head rests on his bare abdomen and I note how much warmer he is then anyone else I've come into contact with. As I begin to nod off I wonder if it's due to his Devil Fruit, a warm hand brushes over my head just as my eyes close.
"Don't worry Amber I promise I'll keep you safe." Ace says softly but I don't hear it, I've already fallen asleep.
I wake to the smell of something delicious and the pang of hunger from my very empty stomach. Stirring slowly I raise my head from the warmth beneath me, my eyes fluttering open. Blurrily I look around finally realizing where I am and whose half naked body is under me. Sitting up to quickly I clock my head on the rack above us and then have to catch myself as my equilibrium resets its self. I can feel the heat from the blush on my face; did I really fall asleep like that? Following the contours of the bar chest up I find Ace is sound asleep, a small snot bubble forming from his nose. I can't help but smile and cringe at the same time. From the look of it he must have been just as tired as I was.
Shifting my gaze I look around the tiny room, something catching my eye. Sitting on the desk is a tray with two covered plates, probably where that delicious smell is coming from. Glancing back at Ace I judge my chances of waking him before moving to get off the bed. Feet lightly landing on the floor I stand with a twinge of pain meaning my meds are beginning to wear off but I ignore it because the pain in my gut is far more pressing.
I cross the room in maybe a total of two steps to reach the desk and once there I notice the note next to the tray. Picking it up I read it silently, "Ivankov said you were sleeping and I figured you wouldn't want to eat in the galley cause of everyone else. Hope you feel better." Signed Sophia, smiling I set the note down and take a being whiff of the aroma rising from the tray. It smells fantastic making my mouth water, okay can't wait any longer.
Once finished with the heaping helping for what I'm going to guess was seafood fried rice, I revel in the feeling of fullness. It's so nice to have a full stomach again. Glancing back at the bed Ace still hasn't woken yet and there's still time before we're supposed to meet Iva. What to do, what to do? I ponder then remember the book Dragon had given me, but where did I put it. Searching the small room wasn't hard at all, there were only so many places to look. At last I found it sitting quietly on the top rack, pulling it down I move back to the desk and sit in the chair. Let's see what this thing has to say.
Carefully I tug at the strap holding the book close, it's already been replaced once or twice before and I don't feeling like doing it again now. Opening it to the first page I am all but amused, the writing is all gibberish squiggles that I can neither make heads nor tails of. It continues on for a good number of pages, then slowly begins to transform into something more readable before the writing style changes completely. This must be where another person took over, I pounder as I begin reading what has been written. Of course I still can't understand all of it, but it's a start.
I sit cross legged in the center of the galley floor; all the tables and chairs have been pushed to the walls giving us enough space to work with. Ace is prone on my right side, his orange hat is pushed down over his face and I'm pretty sure he's sleeping again. Iva is pacing back and forth in front of us speaking animatedly about the history of Devil Fruits. Sadly I'm only half paying attention which is probably due to the fact that I'm trying to figure out what some of the writing in the journal was talking about.
"Oi." Ace sits bolt upright and I look up at Iva startled by the sudden volume increase, "Are you even listening to me?" he demands, I slump back down putting my chin in my hand for support.
"The origins of the Devil's Fruit are unclear and many believe they are of the sea devil. Not many people encounter them and even less know anything about them. Known facts are that they taste awful; they always have a swirling pattern on them despite their shape, size, or color. All it takes is a single bite to gain the fruits ability afterwards it's useless. The same power can exist more than once due to the fruit reappearance after the user has died, but there can't be two of the same fruit at any given time. Once a person has eaten a Devil Fruit the sea supposedly rejects them, taking their ability to swim and making them weak when submerged no matter if it's sea or fresh water. Which totally explain why Ace nearly drown when we first met.
'Although even if partially submerged the powers won't work but they can be manipulated by outside forces if said power has changed the person's body make up. Kairoseki or sea prism stone has the same effect as water does on Devil Fruit users making them weak and unable to use their abilities once in contact with the stone, and that explains why I dropped like a rock when they put those cuffs on me. Lastly there's no telling what power you'll get from the fruit you eat unless it is one that's already known and once you've eaten it there is no way to remove the cruse other then, well death. Oh and there are three different types of devil fruits; Paramecia which are the weakest and can be any crazy power under the sun, Zoan types which are the second strongest and give the user the ability to become an animal, and lastly Logia types are the strongest allowing the user to become an element like fire butt over there." I comment motioning my head towards Ace. He peeks out from under his hat indignantly but I just continue about my business. "So did I get everything?"
I guess Iva wasn't expecting me to be able to recite everything he'd just said because he stares at me in shock. I look back at him then shrug, "It's not like I wasn't listening." I mutter condescendingly which causes Ace to smirk from beneath his hat. Iva glares down at the both of us irritably but still takes a seat on the deck in front of us still staring at me, which is a little un-nerving considering I know what he can do with just a wink.
"Alright then if you've gotten that much let's get started with figuring out what your Devil Fruit can do. Have you read any of that book; Dragon gave you?" He begins staring at me expectantly. For a moment I stare back at him until I realize that's my queue to go ahead. Pulling the journal out of my back pack, which is on the ground beside me, I set it on the ground.
"Well I tried to read it, but… half of it is written in these crazy squiggly hieroglyphs that I've never even seen and the other half looks like it was possibly written by a mad scientist… so at this point I've got nothing." I admit rather sarcastically, although my irritation isn't with Iva, but the damn book that I can't make head nor tails of. Heaving a sigh to calm myself, "Although the book wasn't very helpful I do kinda get the basics of the basics I guess." I say not too sure, in hind sight it makes me wish I'd paid more attention in chemistry and physics classes back in high school.
"Let's see if I remember correctly. There two types of particles, elementary and composite, elementary have no smaller structures then what they are so things like electrons and quarks, and composites are two or more elementary particles so protons and neutrons. I know each particle has a charge that's either positive, negative, or neutral and that there are different types of forces that hold them together but beyond that I kinda stopped paying attention to the person lecturing." I feel like a flake but hey other then AP students; who really pays attention to anything the teacher has to say. Peeking up at Iva there a half blank half confused look in his eyes and I doubt he understands anything I've just said, which would kinda make two of us. I happen to glance in Ace's direction as well, he looks equally confused.
"OOOkay sooo now what?" I ask cheerfully trying to break up the befuddled silence I have created, but no one responds. "Iva?" I question again waving my hand in front of his face. He snaps out of whatever trance he'd fallen into.
"You're a lot smarter then you look." He comments and I give him a look like I can't believe he just said that, while Ace snickers from the side lines.
"Oh yeah, laugh it up chuckles cause as soon as I know how to use these powers, you're my first victim. Moving along." I state with a bit of superior attitude as I glance at the man on the floor next to me, "And thank you Iva." The gratitude is sarcastic and by the sour look on his face I think he knows that. "Okay so if everything I just said confused the shit out of you then how the hell are you gonna teach me how to control these powers when I still don't even know how they work. I mean how do you work your powers?" there's a long silent pause throughout the room as the older man in front of me actually looks like he's thinking about it. You've got to be shitting me right now… this is going nowhere, I think doubtfully.
"Well huh…" Iva begins to speak but then has to rethink what he wants to say, but after a moment he seems to give up. "I don't know," he replies hotly obliviously irritated, "I just know how." I bite my bottom lip while nodding my head, this is completely unbelievable. "Anyways I've seen you use your Devil fruit before so you should know how it works at the very least." Iva almost literally shouts at me and my irritability climbs to a new level.
"Yeah well I have no idea how the hell I managed to!" I snap just as loudly, if it's a shouting match he wants then I'm game. We glare at each other like two lions after the same piece of meat, but after a moment I concede because it's getting us nowhere. Looking away I fold my arms over my chest with a pout, "What is your Devil fruit anyways?" I question sourly. Everything about Iva seems to perk at the mention of his Devil fruit and a smug smile forms across his lips.
"I ate the Horu Horu no mi." he states prideful. Horu? What the hell is that? I glance over at Ace but he shrugs just as clueless as I am.
"And that is?" I question smartly, and sometimes I wish I hadn't even opened my mouth.
"Here I'll show you." He replies and before I can react his hand jets out towards my arm, there's a small pinch there then a wave of light headedness swallows me. After a moment I am able to shake the strange feeling off and glare at the man before me questioningly.
"What the hell…" My hand shoots up over my mouth the moment words start leaving my lips. Was that my voice? I question, there's no way, that was way too deep. My stunned shock is only broken by the hysterical laugh coming from the man next to me. Looking at Ace I find him rolling on the floor holding his stomach with tears streaming from his eye because he's laughing so hard. What the hell is going on? My glare turns back on Iva for a moment and he is still smiling smugly down at me.
"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" he questions snidely only deepening my glare. Reaching for my bag I dig around for my compact and quickly open it. Looking inside at the mirror I am shocked by what I find. My makeup quickly drops from my hand as I instantly look down to my chest only to find my thirty-four D Victoria secret bra is now empty. Anger rapidly boils in my blood.
"What the hell did you do to me!" I scream, although it comes out more as a holler with my new voice. Iva joins Ace and burst out into laughter as I realize I have somehow become a man. "This isn't fucking funny you assholes, Iva seriously what the hell did you do to me?" I demand.
"I used my Devil fruit on you; I'm able to control special hormones with it. Thus turning you into a man." He explains through bouts of laughter, I can feel the veins throbbing in my head, I am so pissed off.
"Iva you son of a bitch," I yell as I leap up ready to punch him in his giant face, "Turn me back right now." Unfortunately he catches my wrist and we freeze as the door to the galley swings open. Turning to spot the person who's intruded we find Dragon standing with Dr. Sheppard. Heat instantly rushes to my face as I pull my hand away from Iva's grip and turn away suddenly very self conscious to my predicament.
"We just came to check on the progress of the training and Dr. Sheppard wanted to check Amber's wounds since he didn't get the chance to this morning. Is everything alright?" Dragon says as they move into the room allowing the doors to close behind them. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Iva go to answer but I cut in before he can.
"NO! Iva turned me into a dude!" I interject spinning around to reveal my less then feminine features. A look of surprise passes over both men's faces when they see me and more heat rises to my cheeks.
"Personally I think you look better this way." Iva jabs and I turn a death glare on him as Ace begins to laugh again.
"You're not helping you big idiot!" I turn and yell at him. He pauses for a moment swiping a tear out from under his eye.
"Sorry," Ace giggles, "It's just too funny." He continues to laugh and out of anger I bring my foot back and kick him hard in the side effectively quieting his hysteria with a yelp of pain.
"Jerk!" I yell crossing my arms over my nonexistent chest, "it wouldn't be so funny if he'd turned you into a girl."
"Alright, alright enough." Dragon calls raising his voice loud enough to gain everyone's attention, "Iva please turn Amber back to her former self and Amber try to calm down and explain to me what happened." As soon as those words leave his lips Iva and I turn on each other pointing fingers.
"He/she started it." We both accuse which only starts an argument of epic proportion of he said, she said.
"Such children." Dragon comments sighing in exacerbation, next to him Dr. Sheppard chuckles.
"No I think children would be easier to deal with." He remarks back as they continue to watch us fight.
"FINE!" Iva yells suddenly, there's another pinch in my arm and the rush of light headedness that ensues almost causes me to topple over. "You happy now?" after a brief moment to shake it off the first thing I do is look down at my chest and grab my boobs. They're back!
"Yes." I snap back, looking up at him. He looks somewhat disgusted and is that possibly a hint of jealousy, oh this'll be fun. Playing with my boobs a little I catch his eye very coyly, "Jealous?" I question and the man begins fuming at me to which I can only laugh.
A while later after Dr Sheppard has checked my wounds and informed me that the stitches can come out the day after tomorrow, we continue on from where we were so rudely interrupted. Dragon has joined us for a short time and after explaining to him my difficulties we try a different tactic. Instead of trying to understand my powers completely I should focus more on getting used to using.
"But that's what I don't get, I don't get how to just will or summon or whatever to make it work. And any time I've tried it's completely made a mess of things." I explain.
"I can attest to that," Iva comments, my guess referring to last night's incident in the infirmary, "But you used it against that Sea king last night and even in the here you stopped fire boy from making a huge mistake." He darts a look at Ace who gives him a shrug like he doesn't know what he's talking about.
"Okay yeah but that just happened, I don't exactly know how I did it." I argue, this is getting us nowhere and we've been at it for hours.
"You're over thinking it." Ace comments with a yawn causing us all to look over at him. I had almost forgotten he was here; he'd been so quiet after I'd kicked him for laughing at me. He pulls his hat from his face and sits up so we can hear him better. "When I first ate the Mera Mera no mi, I didn't think about using the power I just sort of used them. It just came naturally." He explains, I sigh and scrub at my face with my hands. Maybe he's right and I am way over thinking this.
"Fire boy may have a point. What were you thinking about last night when that Sea kind attacked?" Iva asks. I take a moment to think, what had I been thinking about?
"I was scared and mad at you for saying what you did, but even then I didn't want you to get hurt." I begin and memories start flooding over me, "It was like an adrenalin rush, there was a tugging sensation, then I was in front of you. When the invisible wall happened again it felt like things were shifting all around me yet I couldn't see anything happening. Then the Sea king just vanished like a bubble after it pops I couldn't feel it anymore. After that things went back to normal." I explain as best I can although it's hard to put into word exactly what I thought and felt.
"And what do you feel now? Has there been any change from before you acquired your powers?" Dragon questions and as I think about it I begin to realize things I had barely noticed before. Things I can feel, smell, see, even sense it's almost over whelming.
"Uh yeah but it's kind of hard to explain, everything feels like it's alive. Like it's constantly moving, vibrating almost. I can still even here in the galley smell the salt in the air. Also if I focus on it I can tell where everyone on ship is, I can't distinguish who they are or how many there are in certain areas but I know they are moving around and that apart from everything else that they are living." I try to explain but I kind of sound like a crazy person. Thankfully no one says anything as such.
"Well then you shouldn't have any problem then." Iva states, "So let's get started, "he glances around the room before making up his mind. "Try moving one of the tables like the things you were trying to move last night." He orders and although I don't exactly like the clipped way his gave the command I just roll my eyes and look at one of the tables.
Taking a deep breath I focus like I had last night and try to push away the twinge of doubt lingering in the back off my mind. As I think about pulling the wood towards me, after a moment of nothing the table shifts slightly then slowly starts dragging along the floor. Maybe this is as easy as they say, only as I relax into it a loud crack sounds throughout the room forcing me to break my concentration. Looking at the table a large rift cuts down the center of it and I look at Iva appropriately.
"And then there's that." I huff referring to the now destroyed table. Annoyed as well as frustrated I turn and walk in the opposite direction to the far end of the room.
"I got this." I hear Ace say before Iva can open his big mouth. He gets up off the floor coming over to me. As we talk quietly about my frustration, Dragon and Iva move to the table I've ruined.
"I know she can do it, I've seen it. So why is she having so much trouble?" Iva mutters looking over the damage. Dragon looks on as well a look of deep thought passing over his stone like features.
"She has gone through quite a bit of unfortunate circumstances the past few days, perhaps that has something to do with it." He voices solemnly
"Or perhaps it's a matter of what she's currently working with" Another voice grabs their attention and the two men look up to find Inazuma standing on the opposite side of the table, glass of wine in hand studying the damage in the wood. "Correct me if I'm wrong but the Ryushi, Ryushi no mi works with the basic level of what everything is made out of, but once you start putting all of those particles together things become more complex. It's like standing in a crowd of people trying to be heard while everyone else is talking, no one is going to hear you. She should try working with something simpler. Despite a wooden table seeming to be a very simple object in the scale of life, it is made up of quiet a few elements and an unimaginable amount of particles, while she is trying to control it there is too much all at once and not everything is working with her." Inazuma explains.
"You have an idea Inazuma?" Dragon questions drawing the man's attention.
"Why not start out with a simple element, something with a less complex basic structure." Pausing Inazuma digs into to one of the pockets on his coat then produces a gold coin. "Something like gold."
"You okay?" Ace asks as he joins me in my corner of despair. I don't look up at him, ashamed I'm acting like a two year older but I can't help it. My mom would probably smack my upside the head if she could see me now.
"I just don't know what I'm doing wrong; I mean Iva's right I've done this before." I begin to say until Ace lightly bops me on the head forcing me to look up at him.
"You're still thinking about it too much." He points out again which only adds so my vexation, "Hey hey now hold on," my attempt at turning away is halted when he grabs my arms and spins me back around. "Look," he directs my attention to his fist in front of him. His thumb is buried in its center but other than that nothing looks unusual about it.
"What am I looking at?" I question exasperated.
"Just watch. No fire." As I watch his fist he forces his thumb out of its finger entrapment and immediately it flicker to life with a small orange flame, "Fire." He does this a couple more times to get the point across, killing the flame and beginning in back in a matter of seconds. "It's as easy as that. I don't think about how it happens or why, I only think about where it's coming from and how much I need." I continue to stare at his fist, is it really that damn easy. Thinking about the times I'd used these powers before I really hadn't been focusing on them at all, I'd been too busy worrying about other people.
"That simple?" I ask with a sigh as I look up into his dark eyes. Smiling he nods.
"Yup." With that we rejoin Iva and Dragon at the table only to find Inazuma has joined us as well. They seem to be discussing something and as we approach they all look up at us.
"I'm ready to try again." I voice softly to which Iva nods, he steps back from the table motioning for me to step up. Moving closer I look at the tear in the wood a solid reminder of what these powers could do if I don't learn control.
"Instead of moving the table this time you're just going to try moving this gold coin from one end of the table to the other." Iva explains. I stare at the gold coin he places in front of me, then glance to Ace. He smiles with a nod fully believing in me. Fire, no fire, I repeat in my head, it's as simple as that. Taking a deep breath I look back at the gold clearing every though, doubt and anxiety from my mind, only focusing on the gold and making it move.
With another breath I release it slowly lift a hand in front of me, seems like the right thing to do. I position it in the air over the coin then carefully begin to sweep it across the space. Much to my delight the coin begins moving with my hand, like it's following on a leash. I can feel a smile tug at the corners of my lips as excitement flutters in my chest. I continue to move it back a forth across the table from left to right then right to left, feeling a little more confident I raise my hand about an inch and as I do the coin rises from the wooden surface. Elated I glance around at the others and gain an a-ray of varying looks of approval.
Looking back at the coin again I make it flip over and over again in the air trying to figure out what else to do with it. That's when a brilliant idea pops into my head; stopping he coin in mid air I mutter the words, "melting point," under my breath. Instantly I can feel heat begin to radiate from the coin as its molecules movement speeds up and friction is created. After a few short moments the gold is super heated and looses its shape turning into a molten blob of liquid gold draw attention from my observers. I continue to manipulate the molt gold making it take on new a different shapes until a thump against my shoulder sends a jolt of pain down my back.
Instantly the liquid gold freaks out, spikes shoot out in every direction as the pain shoots through me. I glare daggers at Ace whose hand is still on my shoulder while he watches the gold excitedly. As soon as my focus is no longer on the gold it plummets to the table top splashing across the wood.
"Ace!" I snap harshly gaining his attention, for a moment he stares at me with a goofy grin then realizes I'm not smiling.
"What you did it? Aren't you happy?" he questions truly clueless. I stare at him with a single raised brow, and then make it a point to look at his hand on my shoulder. After a moment of confusion he finally realizes his mistake quickly lifting his hand from me. "Sorry." He apologizes, sudden laughter breaks up our spat and we look towards its source. Iva is on his back rolling with laughter and both Dragon and Inazuma have disappeared without a trace.
"What the hell's your problem?" I demand more than a little irritated. Iva pushes himself on to his elbows whipping at the tears in his eyes.
"You two are a riot!" he chuckles causing Ace and I to look at one another. I roll my eyes at him then look back at the puddle of liquid gold on the table a little disappointed. "You did good." Iva comments moments later, I nod soundlessly then look him in the eye a new wave of determination washing over me.
"I think I want to try the table again." I reply and his smile broadens into a smirk.
To Be Continued...
