SailorStar9: So with Chapter 289 uploaded, this is Chapter 290 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.
Pairings: Married!Ace/Sasha, Sibling!Luffy/Sasha, Sibling!Sabo/Sasha, Background Protector!Law/Sasha
Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC, the pairing and the fic idea.
Chapter 290: Arc 17: Tōko's Tears! Orochi's Painful Bullets!
"The SMILE Fruit is more than just an artificial Devil Fruit?" Zorojuro frowned.
"Yasuie-dono!" Kanjuro screamed in sorrow as his group managed to arrive to the execution grounds too late.
"Tonoyasu got..." Usohachi gasped.
"Damn, we're too late." Franosuke cursed.
"How could I not recognize him until he was tied up there?" Kanjuro broke down. "What a blunder. I should commit seppuku."
"Yasuie-sama..." Shinobu collapsed on her knees, weeping.
"What's going on here?" Usohachi was shocked at the laughing residents of Ebisu Town.
"The people from Ebisu Town loved him so much." even Onami was stunned silent. "Why are they laughing?"
In Bakura Town...
"Dogstorm, Kin'emon." Ashura started. "Do you guys know about the SMILE Fruit?"
At the execution grounds...
I should have... told you earlier..." Shinobu held back her grief. "The smiling faces of Ebisu Town's people are merely masks. Masks that can't be taken off for the rest of their lives. A few years ago, Kaido and Orochi started importing some kind of artificial fruit in exchange for the weapons that are made in this country."
"SMILE Fruit?" Sangoro realized.
"When you eat that horrible fruit, the sea will hate you and you'll lose the ability to swim." Shinobu related. "But in return, you'll gain the ability of an animal and it'll make you ferocious."
"It's an artificial Devil Fruit, right?" Franosuke asked. "We destroyed the factory that was making them."
"Kin-sama told me about it." Shinobu sobbed. "But tons of them had already been brought into this country. Kaido's objective was to make his subordinates stronger like ferocious beasts with that fruit and build the world's stronger pirate group. But there was always a catch to something that's too good to be true. The success rate of that artificial strength enhancer was about 10 percent."
"In other words, out of the 10 people who eat it, only one will gain the ability." Sahiko surmised.
"Sahiko-dono is correct." Shinobu sniffled. "The other nine won't see any improvement and will face only the consequences. Of course, they won't be able to swim again as the side effects of the defective chemicals, they won't be able to express their anger or sorrow. They'll only be able to laugh."
"The key ingredient of SMILE is SAD that Caesar is making, right?" Usohachi exclaimed.
"That has a terrible side effect like that?" Sangoro growled.
"Kaido doesn't care about his subordinates' safety." Shinobu declared. "He just wants strong soldiers. "The combatants of the Beast Pirates are grouped into three categories: those who haven't eaten and gained for a chance for an animal ability are the Waiters. The tough ones who obtained animal abilities from a one-in-ten chance are the Gifters. The laughing fighters who ate the fruit but failed to gain abilities are the Pleasures. Then, as if to mock those unlucky ones who couldn't gain any ability, they named the artificial fruit after those soldiers' facial expressions; namely, a 'SMILE'."
"So, that's where the name 'SMILE' came from." Orobi noted.
"Even if it's artificial, I thought it was a weird name for a Devil Fruit." Onami stated. "That's horrible."
"That's not all!" Shinobu snapped. "The tragedy only begins there. Orochi took notice those failed SMILEs that were bitten once still harbored bad side effects, so that they could produce more Pleasures."
"He couldn't have..." Sahiko gasped, realizing what Shinobu was implying.
"In the town of leftovers outside the Flower Capital, people were dying every day and crying out of hunger." Shinobu wept. "And Orochi couldn't stand it, so he mixed those failed SMILEs in the leftovers from the capital. After the first few times, anyone would figure out what kind of fruit it is. But the townspeople couldn't hold back their hunger."
With Zorojuro's group...
"That is how Ebisu Town where everyone is smiling and cheerful was made." Hiyori sobbed. "The tragic town where everyone looks happy, but they cannot even grieve over the deaths of their parents. "So please, don't blame those laughing people. That was Shogun Orochi's heaviest sin. He made people's lives miserable and even forbade them to grieve."
With Orochi...
"You got the death you deserved, Yasuie." Orochi had no sympathy for his former lord. "I can't believe how imprudent he was to survive in my Wano. You were so rude, Hedgehog; or rather, Sewer Rat!" he mocked. "That is right, everyone." he cheered on the Ebisu residents. "Shimotsuki Yasuie, Hakumai's former Daimyo that you loved, has died. Send him off with the sound of your laughter."
With Zorojuro's group...
"Tōko..." Hiyori realized the child had squeezed herself through the cracks of the fence and ran towards her dead father. "Tōko, come back!"
In the execution grounds...
"Daddy!" the sobbing Tōko stumbled to her father and fling herself over Yasuie's body. "I have good medicine." she took out the toad oil she bought form Usohachi.
With Kanjuro's group...
"That girl." Sangoro recognized Tōko. "She came to eat soba."
"Otoko..." Orobi gasped.
"I guess she's Tonoyasu's daughter." Usohachi realized.
In the execution grounds...
"Daddy, come back." Tōko begged. "This medicine will heal your wounds." she rubbed the toad oil over Yasuie's bullet wounds. You'll be fine."
With Orochi...
Orochi fired a shot into the air to shatter the crowd. "There you are, you damn brat." the despot sneered. "Get out of my way." his next shot scattered the residents around him. "I see, so you're Yasuie's daughter. That explains why you are so rude. If you did not laugh like an idiot at that time, Komurasaki would not have had to die. You little brat!" he took aim at Tōko. "Both you and your father are driving me crazy. I will execute you! Go to hell! Disappear from my sight!" he screamed and fired several shots from his rifle.
With Kanjuro's group...
"Sanji, go." Sahiko gave the cook the go-ahead.
"Roger, Sasha-hime." said cook shot off.
With Zorojuro's group...
Two sword slices from the green-haired swordsman and a fiery kick from the blond cook destroyed the front of the bamboo fence.
In a split second, Zorojuro snatched Tōko from the ground.
The camera panned out to show the halved bullet shells falling to the ground.
SailorStar9: Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.
