Chapter 1: Her name is Hakuno Kishinami

For a moment, there was nothing. There was no light, no sound. There was only a void that slowly robbed her senses. She could not feel or think. Ever so slowly, she felt her mind unraveling. Her sight, sense of taste, touch; all of it was coming apart.

It took everything she had to remember her name and why she came here.

I…

Who are you?

I am… Hakuda—no, that's… I'm… Hakuno…

What is your wish?

I…

Her memories were threatening to come undone. She came to this place for a reason. She…what did she want?

Faces flashed before her eyes. A boy her age, screaming and sobbing for her to help. A little girl smiled tearfully as she disappeared, happy to have made a friend. A man smiling in contentment. A tortured soul asking why she cried for him. A boy who wondered if he was worthy of leading. A girl she considered a friend.

There was someone else, wasn't there? A man…but who was he? She knew he made her feel something abnormal, something powerful, but what was it? What had it been?

My wish… I want to…

A glimmer in the void broke through the haze clouding her mind. She remembered the man's face, somber and depressing, but he was not evil. Like everyone else, he had good intentions. He wanted what was best for humans.

I want…to live…

—That's right. That was why she fought up to this point, why she killed her enemies despite their good intentions. She was a "ghost in the mission", someone that was not meant to exist, and yet she existed all the same. The Moon Cell, the sole dominant power, and authority in this world, determined she was an aberration and should not exist.

Despite this, despite the hardship and chaos that went through her head up to this point, the girl called Hakuno Kishinami wanted nothing more than to continue living. Even if it went against the rules of an omnipotent system.

The recollection of this small, selfish wish gave her an iota of strength, enough to try and pull herself together and reach for that glimmer of light.

For a brief moment, she imagined the face of T*i** smiling at her.

It's a good wish.

[DESIGNATION COMPLETE. VICTOR'S WISH ACKNOWLEDGED.]
[RUNNING SUITABLE CANDIDATE CALCULATIONS.]
[DESTINATION FOUND. REGALIA OWNERSHIP GRANTED TO DESIGNATED INHERITOR.]
[TRANSFERRING…]

"Rejoice, Hakuno Kishinami. Your wish shall be granted. Beware, however, that such selfish wishes, no matter how relatable, carry consequences."

The last thing Hakuno Kishinami saw was the glimmer becoming a brilliantly shining light that consumed the void and her with it. Her consciousness faded away, though not before she felt a familiar tingling sensation on the back of her hand and someone reaching to grab hers.

A girl with long brown hair stirred awake. She felt the familiar lull of waves and creaks of wood. She debated whether to nestle herself in blankets and return to slumber before deciding against it. Her body ached in protest as she sat upright, the painful yet pleasant sensation of her back popping in at least seven different places.

"Another dream from back then…" Hakuno Kishinami murmured tiredly. "Why now…?"

Three months ago, Hakuno woke up in a world very different from her own. It was not part of the Moon Cell, she somehow knew that instinctively when she felt the grainy sand under her feet and the cool waves splashing against her calves. The sky was a bright azure blue, a color the Moon Cell could never hope to replicate in its entirety. The very sight of seeing herself standing amid a beach with an ocean as far as the eye could see created a mix of feelings.

First came the sensation of relief from being alive and well. Then came the feeling of panic when she found neither her Servant nor Rin Tohsaka anywhere nearby. Next came the crushing isolation of being someplace without her dearest friends. The feelings lingered far longer than they should, and even now in the present day Hakuno could still feel that longing, to see her dearest companion and friend.

Fortunately, whatever force brought Hakuno to this world did not do so carelessly. They/It deposited her near a town where an old couple graciously took her in when she had nowhere else to go. They believed her when she said she did not remember anything about herself. It was not a complete lie, since Hakuno did not have any memories beyond her experiences in the Holy Grail War. They not only offered her food and shelter but knowledge as well. They told her about the world they lived in and its inhabitants, however, limited their own knowledge was.

This world held few landmasses, no more than a great blue ball with specks of dirt scattered about its surface. The only true land that could be called that was the strip of unassailable rock that encircled the globe, as though it were a ring. The Red Line, it was called. And perpendicular to that was a turbulent strip of ocean famed for its grandeur, mystery, and call to adventure; the Grand Line.

There were two governing bodies in the world: The Marines and the World Government. The Marines served as the latter's primary global police force, fleets sent on a daily basis to search the waters for threats of any kind. More often than not, said threats were pirates seeking to make a name for themselves. The World Government was very much the highest and sole authority within this world, with dozens of kingdoms and nations underneath its banner. In that respect, it was not called the "World Government" without reason.

After a month of learning more about the world, Hakuno finally asked the question she desperately wanted an answer to.

"What do I do now?"

The answer itself seemed frightening. She could do anything she wanted now. The Moon Cell did not exist in this world, therefore she was at no risk of being erased. She could live her life freely however she wanted, but that freedom was what gave her pause in the first place. The sheer scope of what she wanted was daunting, frightening almost.

She did not understand why at first, but as she pondered how to answer the difficult question that could define her life from here on, Hakuno found herself going back to the beach she woke up on. It was nighttime then when the lights of the village were all but gone save for a few lamps and the stars were at their brightest. The night sky reflected off the beautiful ocean surface, creating an almost beautiful sight straight from a master's painting.

Hakuno pondered the question again as she stared at the beautiful scenery before her, and then thought about the things she wanted to do if she won the Holy Grail War. She recalled the bits and pieces of information she scoured from the Moon Cell's core before the deletion process began, the images that flowed through her head of what Gaia used to look like before human avarice sucked it dry. Beautiful oceans and lakes, lush green pastures, towering skyscrapers reaching for an endless sky…

That was the moment Hakuno Kishinami found her answer.

"I want to go on an adventure."

It was a heartfelt declaration, a manifesto of her life's purpose in this world. She wanted to see it all; the Red Line, the Grand Line, the four Blue seas. She wanted to meet all kinds of new people. None could ever hope to replace her Servant or Rin, but they did not need to replace them. They would simply be as special and important to her as Saber and Rin had been.

The old couple was supportive of her desire, and in fact, approved of it. They helped her study, the old man teaching her some basic self-defense techniques in case she ran afoul with hooligans, or worse, pirates. The following month was spent building up muscle and training under the watchful and strict eye of a former Marine officer who had long since retired (Hakuno to this day still did not how the kindly old man knew a retired Marine officer) and saving up money from a part-time job. Said money was to board a cruise ship that would take her to another island. It seemed the best way to start her new goal in life, though she found herself once again feeling lonely as the days went on.

Many of the townsfolk were hospitable if not pleasant, and the Marine officers stationed there were nothing but kind and patient. The old couple did not treat her like a burden and more like family, a feeling that was both warming and uncomfortable and foreign. She sorely missed having Saber at her side, seeing that brilliant gold smile and joyous attitude. It made her long for companionship, the sort that would stick by her no matter what and follow her wherever the wind took them.

…which led to the current state of affairs. The ship Hakuno Kishinami spent the last month or so aboard was not the cruise ship bound for its maiden voyage across the seas, but rather a sizable vessel capable of being manned by no more than a few deckhands, if not a single set of skilled ones.

The captain of that very same ship was at the steering wheel, though her hands were nowhere near it. Instead, she looked at the vast horizon and the shape in the distance. "It seems we're coming up to land," the captain said without so much as looking at Hakuno. "A fine opportunity to restock and get us some worthy deckhands!"

"Aren't you capable of handling this ship by yourself?" Hakuno asked.

The captain grinned. "I am, but where is the fun in that? The more the merrier, I say." Her smile dimmed afterward, her expression growing more thoughtful. "Though ideally, I'd want some loyal hands. A crew is as good as the captain gathers under her sails, but the only reliable crew is one you trust with your life. A lesson you and I know quite well, lass."

Hakuno thought of Saber and could not bring herself to disagree.

"What's our heading?"

"Unless I'm mistaken, we're coming up on Loguetown, the city of beginnings and endings," the captain replied. "It's quite popular among tourists. The Pirate King was born there, and where he was executed."

Hakuno pursed her lips. A name that frequently came up in her studies was Gold Roger, the man who kickstarted the current Pirate Age with his final words. He supposedly obtained a legendary treasure, subject to ungodly amounts of speculation to its appearance and wealth, and while he did not disclose its location, Roger taunted all who attended his final moments to find it if they so desired.

She had no interest in such things despite her curiosity behind the nature of this 'One Piece', but the captain was another story. The moment she heard the story, her eyes glimmered in a way she had not seen before and would have bolted for the Grand Line then and there were it not for the fact that she needed a sizable crew for such a treacherous voyage.

"Lass," the captain called out, stirring Hakuno from her thoughts. "Would you mind handling the restocks and such? I'd do it myself, but I want to find some worthy deckhands personally instead of asking for piss recommendations."

"I don't mind," Hakuno smiled.

The captain grinned. "Perfect!" She turned her sights back to Loguetown, her smile growing ever wider. Hakuno felt a similar trepidation. Something within her stirred. She knew this was where it was going to begin.

The first step toward a new adventure.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

(Warning: Long BUT IMPORTANT! A/N below)

First off, in regards to the mass update notifications some of my readerbase may have noticed, that was not an update. I received a message/review from a member of Critics United who politely but sternly asked me to remove the PSA chapters regarding a certain slimestain that shall not be named. Imagine my surprise when, after removing said chapters, I get a bunch of new follows, favorites, and even reviews! While a pleasant surprise, I still feel the need to apologize to everyone who thought I caused a massive wave of updates and getting your hopes up.

Secondly, the only reason I am publishing this fanfic is because I made the troublesome decision to delete two of my ongoing fanfics, Digital Quartzer and Digital Drifter, both out of a lack to continue writing those stories and just genuinely being disinterested in pursuing them any further. They were…difficult choices to make, especially when I saw the readership for Digital Quartzer despite its short-lived status.

As this means I now have open slots available for new fanfics, Digital Oceans came to be. Before anyone asks, THIS IS NOT A STRAW HAT HAKUNO FANFIC. As interesting as the idea is, I would much rather keep Hakuno's story separate from Luffy's and instead have them happen at around the same points in time. Hakuno's crew will consist of Servants and other characters from various side materials like one-shots and such. As Digital Oceans is a spin-off of Boyzilla's Digital Human fanfic series, I will continue to adhere to the rules they have set. As such, Hakuno will only have three Servants to her name.

Lastly, please do not ask or suggest what Servants Hakuno should summon as I will ignore any such suggestions and requests.

On a final note, please do not expect any further updates at this time as I will be taking a break from fanfiction writing. A situation has come up IRL and demands my full attention.

Thank you for your patience, and I hope to return to you all soon.