Hey everyone and welcome to my new One Piece fanfiction. I'll be honest, I always intended on writing one of these but I was never sure how to go about it, after all, One Piece is a hit or miss story where it's really hard to write a good one. But I decided to take a chance. Now to give you a heads up, this story will be about an OC Fishman who commandeers an OC Crew. This story will take place in the same era as Luffy.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody, One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.

"Pirate" Regular speech.

'Pirate' Thoughts.

Finger Pistol Attack names.

"Pirate" Flashbacks.

"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.

"Pirate" people talking over communication.

Prologue

The ocean's soft hum was what lulled him to sleep.

For days now, he had been drifting around the sea on a mere slab of wood. The seas were dangerous. He could easily breathe under water thanks to his gills however, the various sea monsters that lurked deep within the oceans could swallow him whole if given the chance.

He didn't want to die; he had just escaped the most hellish place in the world thanks to a lone fishman whom he hailed as a Hero and his Savior. If he was able to survive that then he could survive anything.

Despite all that, he knew he wouldn't be able to hang on for much longer. He could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away.

Then he rose. Cerulean blue eyes widened to the size of saucers as he felt himself being slowly lifted out of the water he had been drifting in for days.

"It's alright, yoi." He heard a soft, masculine voice speak to him. "You're gonna be fine."

Blue flames with streaks of yellow and white was the last thing he saw before losing himself in the world of dreams.

He woke with a start, finding himself wrapped within white covers inside a warm bed. A candle burned low as he shifted around in his bed, observing his surroundings. A tall man with yellow hair styled in a weird way stood in front of a desk with his back turned to him.

The boy could smell it; the stench of humans. He had grown accustomed to that despicable odor; an odor that reminded him of them. Fear rose as he remembered everything he had gone through in that place. He remembered what would happen to him every time he passed out on the job. He remembered his punishments and the scars on his chest ached in memory.

Sleeping or eating without having been given permission was prohibited.

Laughing, crying or screaming without having been given permission was prohibited.

He couldn't show any emotion other than willingness.

He couldn't show weakness.

He had to be obedient

He had to always keep a smile on his face.

Only then would he survive.

"You're awake." The boy snapped his head towards the man who was now staring at him with lazy eyes. "That's good; we were starting to worry-hey, what are you doing?!"

The boy, who had just been sitting in bed, was now on his hands and knees in front of the yellow haired man.

"Forgive me for sleeping without permission." The boy bowed lowly, his forehead scraping against the wooden floor. "I will do whatever it is you ask so please don't punish me."

"Kid, what are you yammering about?" The man demanded with great confusion. Just then, the door opened and the boy noticed yet another human enter the small room. This one was a lot larger and burlier than the man in front of him.

The bigger humans were the ones who always carried out the punishments.

"Marco, Pops wants to…" The large man's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the groveling boy staring at him with great fear. "What the hell is happening?!"

"Hell if I know!" The blond man, no, Marco, snapped at the larger one. "He just woke up then started bowing to me!"

A thud was heard as the boy now turned his attention to the larger man, his forehead pressed tightly against the wooden floor.

"Please. I'll do anything you ask of me so please no punishments." The boy begged, his face hidden from view. "I'll do extra work without taking a break so please don't punish me."

"Kid, nobody is going to punish you." The larger man reassured the boy and his eyes widened when the boy raised his head and stared at him in confusion before a goofy smile overtook his features.

A smile so fake that the two men instantly saw through it.

"Oh…" The boy whispered softly. "Then, what work should I do? Please, I want to be useful."

If he was not, then he'd be killed.

"Kid…" He could feel the two men staring at him in pity but he knew it was just another act. "Just stay here okay? We'll be right back."

The boy blinked before nodding, the goofy smile still on his face. He watched as the two men turned to the door and walked out of the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, the boy's smile vanished, giving way to a look of complete and utter despair.

"I saw their brand on his back when I was treating him, Jozu." Marco spoke softly to the larger man. "He's one of the escapees from Mary Geoise."

"Fuck." Jozu cursed, clenching his fists tightly. "He can't be older than five. What did those sick bastards do to him?"

The two men walked out into the center of the ship where the rest of their friends were situated. Greetings were given to the two as they walked past the crowd of pirates; their eyes set on only one person.

Seated on a makeshift throne was a large man with a rippled body littered with numerous scars. His face was set in a stern expression though Marco and Jozu could detect a hint of warmth within them. The most prominent feature of the man was his white mustache curved upwards.

"Pops." Jozu and Marco greeted respectfully. The man in front of them was one of the most feared pirates in existence. A longtime member of the Yonko and a man who held the title of 'World's Strongest Man'. His name was Edward Newgate, however, he was known to the world by only one name.

Whitebeard.

"Marco, Jozu." Whitebeard rumbled as he stared at his two sons with fondness. "How is the boy doing?"

The First Division Commander hesitated for a moment before answering. "Well, the kid is awake…"

Whitebeard frowned as he noticed the look on Marco's face and the anger on Jozu's.

"What is it?" By now, the rest of the pirates had stopped their own conversations and were gathered around the two commanders and their captain.

Marco began to speak. "When I was treating the kid, I noticed something...a mark on his back. It was…"

"Spit it out already, Marco!" The 8th Division Commander, Namur, a white-tip shark-fishman, spat impatiently, though Marco paid him no mind. He had been that way ever since they had rescued the boy from the sea. The blond supposed it had to with the boy being a fishman.

Marco sighed. "It was the 'Hoof of the Dragon'. The mark of a Tenryubito's slave."

Silent gasps were heard throughout the ship as the members of the Whitebeard Pirates took in the information. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Namur stomping away to god knows where. The other commanders kept their expressions blank though, as they all waited to see the reaction of their captain.

"…Bring him to me."

Staring down at the scrawny tiger-shark fishman, Whitebeard instantly knew that Marco had said was nothing but the truth. The large fake smile on his face did nothing to hide the immense fear in his eyes. His chest was bandaged up, most likely to hide the filthy brand the World Nobles had burned onto his back. The brand that labelled him a slave.

Despite his weak appearance however, Whitebeard sensed something within the child. Something buried deep down; a primal power that was just waiting to be unleashed. A power he had sensed before...

"What's your name, boy?" His voice rumbled across the ship and his glaring yellow eyes caught the slight shaking of the boy's body.

"...Kyodo." The boy spoke, his voice underlined with fear yet he never lost the smile on his face. "Are…are you going to punish me? I promise I'll do all the work without taking a break so please don't punish me."

Whitebeard's heart felt heavy at the sight of the suffering boy. He may have been a pirate but when he met people who had suffered like this boy, Kyodo, he was reminded once again who the true evils of the world were.

A small gasp was heard from the child and when Whitebeard turned to him, his eyes widened slightly. Blood had begun to leak out of the bandages wrapped around Atlas' chest.

"Crap, his wounds are reopening." Marco cursed and prepared to step forwards but came to a sudden halt, his mouth agape with shock and his eyes burning with rage; an emotion that many other members of the Whitebeard Pirates were currently sharing.

As soon as he saw his blood touch the ship's deck, the boy fell to his knees, ripped out a piece of cloth from his trousers and began to scrub at it fiercely.

'I'm sorry; I'll clean it up." The boy tried to reassure them, flinching every few seconds. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so-!"

Kyodo was cut off from apologising further when a strong hand grabbed him by the waist and the boy found his face pressing against a hard yet warm surface.

Whitebeard was hugging him.

"That's enough, child." He spoke in a surprisingly soft voice. "You don't have to work. You don't have to hide your emotions behind that fake smile of yours. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. You are free, my boy." Kyodo blinked in confusion at his words and slowly, his fake smile began to dissipate and his cerulean blue eyes began to shine with tears. As if sensing his distress, Whitebeard's arm tightened around him. "Let it go, child. You don't need to fear showing emotions. Let it all out."

For a while, nothing happened. Then Kyodo's small frame began to shake. Whitebeard could feel the shaking become more vigorous as the seconds passed by. Then came the tears. It began with sniffles, then small whimpers and finally, heart-wrenching sobs.

The Whitebeard Pirates turned their heads away from the sight of the small boy crying in the embrace of their captain. Some members had their own tears in their eyes while others carried emotionless stares.

The cries continued till the sun set and Kyodo passed out from exhaustion. Marco had been the one to tuck him in to bed and grinned when he noticed a small smile on the face of the sleeping boy.

The first real smile the boy had shown.

Thats a wrap for the first chapter. First off, I decided to make the OC a former Tenryubito slave because I can't find any stories like that and because it will work for a plot point I have in the works. Its also going to be interesting to see how my OC will react in the presence of nobles.

Moving on, I'd like to point out that the OC will be apart of the Whitebeard Pirates for quite some time and even when he branches out later on, he will become a subordinate captain under Whitebeard's flag.

Pairings: there will be no pairings in this story because I can't really imagine a pairing in the One Piece world.

The OC will also not be getting Conqueror's Haki, something I'd like to point out now.

His crew will consist of ten people not including him.

Anyways, more information will be revealed as the story goes on. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. If you did enjoy it and want more than please leave a review, follow and favorite. If you didn't enjoy it then please leave a review explaining why. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated, Flamers will be ignored.

STAY WILD!