Unnamed Devil Fruit:
Resembles a pair of cherries; standard Devil Fruit patterns; pink
Reward to turn it in to the World Government is capped at 600,000,000
Excerpt from Akuma no Mi Zukan, Third Edition, page 51.
He smelled the smoke first. Somewhere in his dreams, it pulled him from the warm embrace of sleep, forcing away the memories of roaming hands and the crisp scent of beer. Shanks shot out of bed, swiping at his shirt as he stormed onto the deck.
The sea was on fire.
Flames licked along the ocean surface, eating at the wood. The air swam—a mess of smoke and heat warm enough to make them sweat, as crimson flames lit the night. A jolly roger burned to ash, but it was not one that Shanks recognized.
Beckman and Yasopp stood by the helm, watching the burning ship carefully as the crew worked to navigate around it.
"No need to worry, Captain," said Lucky, gripping his shoulder tightly with one hand and a turkey leg with the other. "We've got it under control."
"Any survivors?"
"None so far."
He clicked his tongue, "Keep looking. We're close enough to land to give them a hand." It wasn't any kind of luck for a ship to sink so close to land but given the state of the wood and the paltry bits of life scattered around the ocean, he doubted that the pirates on board were anything other than common criminals and petty thieves.
"They were probably carrying it," said Beckman, lighting a cigarette. "All that oil spilled."
The fire continued to burn on the oil-slicked surface.
Their ship veered closer to the danger. Shanks squinted against the dark making out a small figure. Hanging onto the broken mast of the ship was a little girl. She clung to it tightly, fingers digging into the wood until her fingers bled, eyes clenched shut, but there was no sound, no show of fear otherwise.
"Drop a line!" ordered Shanks, "Reel her in!"
The girl's eyes snapped open, staring at him in wonder. Her mouth curled into an angry pucker. "I'm not a fish!" The fight in her eyes told Shanks more than any explanation would. In the world of pirates, only the strong survived.
"That's all right," he called back, smiling widely. "We weren't planning on eating you!"
His men laughed, causing his discomfort to fade. Tragedy was always somewhere to be found, but there were sometimes silver linings that made the journeys they took worthwhile.
A rope was flung toward her. The girl grabbed onto it and pulled the weighted end to her. Her hesitant face turned even more fearful as she let go of the mast. Shanks moved toward the port side, scrambling as the girl sunk into the ocean like an iron anchor.
Bubbles rippled across the surface and then she was gone.
There was only one thing that could do that.
Shanks cursed, pulled off his coat, and climbed the rigging to the edge of the ship. He hit the water in a fell swoop, cold cutting through his body as he searched the dark waters for the sinking figure.
Swimming quickly, he caught hold of the collar of her dress and pulled her to him. Her mouth was open, face smooth with shock. Clinging to him like a barnacle, she refused to let go until they were on the deck of the ship. Clothes wet and weighed down by the water, Shanks dropped her down and flopped down next to her.
She coughed harshly, smacking her chest with a tiny fist as she hacked out the water in her throat. Shanks rolled onto his back, laughing loudly, as he pushed his hair out of the way.
The warmth of his laughter echoed in his crew who joined in out of relief and the knowledge that this adventure was another in a long, unending list.
The girl raised her head. Eyes like the shining crests on a rolling wave, locks of lavender stuck to her face and neck, but her body screamed defiance. And then she sagged, falling under the weight of her own body, "Thank you," she murmured, pressing her head and hands to the wood. "Thank you."
Captain Shanks of the Red Hair Pirates had introduced himself to her with a laugh and a glass of ale in his hand. Three days on his ship and Penny had found herself trying to navigate her inherent distrust of strangers and the warmth the pirates had displayed.
She sat below the stairs, peering out from the gaps to the deck. Her carefully eyes tracked the tall man with a scar on his face and then the red-haired man who had come to greet her loudly and heartedly when she awoke. Her fingers wrapped around the hem of her shirt, fingering the bandages beneath it once more.
"Penny," Shanks' pressed his face between the wooden beams, "How long are you going to sit there and watch?"
"That's not important," she murmured for the thousandth time, fists turning white. "Why do you care what I do?"
"You're small enough to climb up there and cut the loose ladder—what'd you say?"
"I don't want to do that."
"Captain's orders," Shanks yanked on her arm, pulling her from her hiding spot and presenting her to the crew like a trophy. "Men, Penny's decided to lend us a hand!"
She kicked at the air fiercely as Shanks held her out, "I didn't say that! He's lying!"
Shanks shook her, "Don't make me look bad."
"You do that on your own!"
"She's not lying, Captain." Yasopp threw an arm over his shoulder, "Age is catching up to you. When's the last time you got laid?"
Beckman's mouth flattened, "There's a kid here."
She wasn't a kid. "I'm eleven," said Penny.
Shanks set her down and pulled on Yasopp's collar, "Wait a second, are you saying I'm looking old?"
She looked up at the mast with a hard expression, before her shoulders sunk. Her earliest memory was of a ship. She could climb onto the wet railings and walk across with her eyes closed without falling. Tying knots and repairing sails was the same as breathing. Whatever she needed not to be a burden on the people who took pity on her, she did.
Interrupting Yasopp's and Shanks' argument, Penny said, "I need a knife."
Beckman handed her one from his belt. She twirled the blade between her fingers, reminded of a soft hand against her own, showing her how to roll a coin over her knuckles. "It's not sharp enough."
"I'll be honest," whispered Shanks conspiratorially, "If he gave you a sharper one, I'm afraid you'll use it to stab me."
Penny exhaled, not amused in the slightest. "You're really paranoid for a pirate."
Shanks pushed her toward the mast. Penny tucked the knife into her belt and grabbed onto the ropes, pulling herself up. Being smaller than the rest meant she was more prone to feeling the sway of the rigging against the wind, but she was also able to climb to spots where the rest weren't. The ladder hanging loose on the side of the ship had come undone during the storm the night before and Shanks probably hadn't thought it was worth the risk of anyone climbing there while the sea was still rough.
Penny balanced on the wooden beams used to secure the sails and complex rope system. It was freeing to see the world from so high. An endless sea, a cloudless sky. The pirates below her seemed like tiny ants.
She watched them for a while, moving across the deck in a soundless dance. A ship's fortune could always be told by its crew. Shanks had his coat hanging by the banister, a mop in hand as he went around swabbing at the deck. Though there was a heavy weight that they carried, there was an unspoken joy they had for the simple act of sailing.
Her cheeks reddened, thinking of her prickly behavior throughout the last few days. The discomfort of having to start all over again and the loss she felt at the suddenness of the attack that nearly left her dead. She had traveled with pirates before, but they were a meaner bunch and quick to discipline her for the slightest mistake.
Cutting the ladder off, she took the loose pieces and bundled them up in her arms. "Captain Shanks…where do you want me to put this?"
Shanks stared up, a smile replacing his quick shock at her use of his title. "Just drop it down!" shouted Shanks, cupping his hands around his mouth.
A couple of days turned into a week and then another. Her healing was coming along nicely according to Hongo, the Red Hair Pirates' doctor. A bruised ribcage, some burns, and a bit of a cold from the icy shock of water were the worst of the damage, but Penny was too happy to be alive to care much about it.
Shanks hadn't asked her where she was from yet or what she had been doing on a pirate ship, but sometimes she caught him watching her with cautious eyes. Penny would duck her head down and make herself useful.
Useful was good.
It meant she could stay.
"Penny, come here." Shanks waved her down with a funny look on his face. His coat was missing, and he was only in a white shirt and a pair of yellow pants dotted with roses. Penny wanted to laugh at him.
Her eyes trailed to the ocean. She stepped back, bumping into his legs as a massive animal jumped alongside the side. "Dragon eels."
"…dragons are real?" she asked, voice full of a hesitant wonder.
"Haven't seen one yet, but it's out there somewhere if you look hard enough. Everything is."
She nodded, something thick clogging her throat.
"Should we eat one?"
Her wonder turned to horror as she realized the funny look on his face had been hunger. "NO!"
Shanks moaned, looking put out. "I'm hungry and dinner's not 'til later."
"You can always starve," clearing her throat, she remembered her manners, "Captain Shanks, sir."
"Sounds like a threat."
Shanks reached into his pocket and pulled out a red fruit. He broke it in half with his hand. Penny turned her head away, pretending that she didn't see the half offered to her. Shanks twisted his wrist, growing more insistent as Penny huddled into her borrowed cloak.
"It's the last of the fresh fruit. We won't have any more until we dock in a day or two."
Hesitant fingers snatched it from his hand. Penny took one step and then two, putting distance between her and Shanks. Curiously, she turned the fruit in her hand inspecting the slightly bruised flesh, the redness bleeding out into the white where Shanks had divided it in two. Lifting it, she inhaled deeply. It smelled sweet.
"If you don't want it—"
Penny bit into it hurriedly, swallowing faster than she could chew. The crispness of an autumn's day coated her mouth. Hunger pulled at her gut, quick and sharp now that she had found something to fill the ache. Shanks hadn't eaten his half yet, but Penny wanted more than one small apple. She wanted bread and freshly roasted chicken and grilled fish and enough food to fill an entire ship.
Her fingers curled around something. No, thought Penny with growing horror. What had she done?
A second-half rested in her left hand, identical to the one she held in her right down to the bite mark. "Never let anyone know what you can do," whispered her mother's voice in her mind. "They'll take every bit of you they can and leave you empty."
"It's alright." Shanks kept his tone even, not moving from his spot. A frown pulled at his lips. "I must've made a mistake. We had more apples left, didn't we?"
His gaze wasn't on her, but on the horizon watching the cresting waves rock against the ship. He was giving her time to erase what she had done. Penny pushed one of the remaining halves into her mouth, choking as she devoured the apple. Tears flooded her eyes, hot and heavy. Snot ran down her nose.
Shanks smiled. His hand came to rest on the crown of her head. "It's the hardest thing in the world to have a soft heart to protect. Why don't you let these evil pirates do it for you?"
Crying even harder, Penny nodded her head.
That night, Shanks had announced that they were having a feast. Penny felt as if something somber hung in the air as she was guided into a seat between Lucky Roux and Beckman.
"Beer for the young lady!" shouted Shanks, setting his hat on the table beside his glass. Penny's face screwed into a fierce glare.
"Water," corrected Beckman, pushing the pitcher of beer that had been set on the table by Lucky aside. Chicken legs were piled high on a platter glistening with sauce. Beside them was roasted pork, potatoes forming a small nest around it. Honey glazed carrots, salted-fish stew, octopus fritters, and what seemed like mountains of food that Penny had never seen before but wanted to try lay on the table.
"Don't ruin the fun! Little Penny…" Shanks narrowed his gaze on her face, laughing loudly. "…is too little. Get her some milk!"
The pirates, slightly tipsy, laughed in an uproar as Shanks banged his fist on the table. Only Penny and Beckman seemed to be excluded from the spirited fun. Penny's tolerant mood vanished into thin air as her opinion of Shanks took a downward turn.
"I don't want anything." She crossed her arms over her chest, turning her entire body around so her back faced the table.
Shanks climbed onto his seat. "Men, for the near future, consider yourselves lucky to have Penny's expertise in climbing and saying the word 'no' at your disposal."
"May she grow old and ever murderous," shouted Yasopp, hitting his glass against Shanks' with such force that half the beer spilled out onto the table. The rest of the men cheered, their joy and good humor spilling out into the air and warming her bones.
Penny wanted to hate them, but she thought they were the most wonderful, kind pirates in all the world.
Shanks squatted before her, smiling kindly. "What'd you say, Penny? Think you can put up with us ugly sods for a little while longer?"
She sniffed delicately, tilting her chin up. "If I have to."
Forever.
She could put up with them forever.
"I call it the Kopi Kopi no mi." Penny hung upside down on the rigging as Shanks stood at the helm, checking the log pose. "I ate it."
"On purpose?"
"I was hungry."
"That's so stupid," He laughed, shoulders shaking, "Devil fruit are worth millions of berries."
"I was hungry," repeated Penny, face inflamed.
Shanks smiled, "Still stupid."
"Parents?" asked Beckman, keeping a careful eye on her as they walked through town toward the ammunitions shop.
"Dead. I've sailed for a while though."
"The pirates you were with before…"
"They captured the ship I was traveling on. They didn't know though." She stared up at him from under her lashes. "It would've been bad if they did."
"The Captain's not like that. He started younger than you, so he'll take care of you."
"I can fight too. If you need me to."
Beckman stopped walking. His eyes were piercing, scar pulling at his face making him look dangerous. "Did you have to before?"
She showed him her palms, the scars running across them. "Sometimes."
He took a long moment to reply. "You won't have to here, but we'll teach you if you want to learn."
"I do."
She wanted to thank them in a way that words couldn't encompass.
Yasopp burped, looking at his nearly empty glass in disgust. Captain Shanks was even farther gone than he was. "His name's Usopp and he's already the greatest sniper in the East Blue. He takes after his father you know? He's got my great looks and everything."
Penny tugged on the back of his shirt, pointing at his gun. "Yasopp-san, aren't you the greatest sniper in the East Blue?"
Floundering for a moment as the rest of the crew laughed, Yasopp shook his head. "Slip of the tongue. He's the second greatest. Fought a tiger at the age of four and won—I was so proud."
"Why isn't he on the ship?"
"It's too dangerous for kids that small. He's got his mom to look after him, but the sea's going to call to him one day too. And when it does, you'll take care of him for me, right?" Yasopp winked at her, pulling his gun from his belt and twisting it on his finger.
"I don't know," mused Penny, wearing her own smile. "I can't fight tigers."
The first fight Penny got into for the Red Hair Pirates ended with a busted lip, a fresh bruise on her eye, and Captain Shanks hunting down a Marine ship. When the job was done, he turned to her cape billowing in the wind like a second shadow.
"Tomorrow, we train. Tonight, let's celebrate!"
Penny's smile split her face and she thought of a word that had seldom crossed her mind. Fearful to let it slip into the world where it would be stolen, she tucked it inside her heart and hide it deep.
The word was home.
Mihawk's sword shined like a beacon beneath the sun, lighting the way to Shanks' loss. Sweat dripped off Shanks' face and Penny half expected anger, but the man laughed warmly, holding his hand out to Mihawk as he sheathed his sword.
They had come across the pirate on the way to the East Blue and a friendly fight had turned into a near-deadly battle with every clash of their swords.
Shanks prodded, "How many losses is that now?"
"Enough for me to keep my title."
Penny looked down at the straw hat in her hands and then back at the man who was all dark and storm against Shanks' brightness. Shanks seemed bigger then, both an impossibly strong figure and a man who took his losses easily, with a laugh in his mouth. Her eyes tracked Mihawk with wonder. Swords weren't something she was interested in, but he had moved with grace and knowing that came from being unbeatable.
Mihawk caught her staring. Penny ducked down, bringing Shanks' hat up to hide her face from view. "You're taking apprentices, now?"
Shanks held out his hand for his hat and ruffled her hair when she was close enough. "Penny's holding us hostage."
She slapped his hand away and stood tall, addressing Mihawk with careful eyes. "What did you do? That magic—I want to learn."
Mihawk's entire body seemed to twitch away from her, revolted by the proximity to a child. "Magic and tricks are nothing against hard work."
"I saw you do it!"
"It's called haki. You could see it?" asked Shanks, curiously.
"He moved before you swung."
Mihawk's passive expression took on a slight bit of interest. Faster than she could register, his sword was out and cutting a wide arch in her direction. Dying at the hands of the World's Greatest Swordsman probably wasn't a bad way to die, but Penny decided that she liked living.
Taking a step back and then more as Mihawk advanced, she reached the edge of the ship. The ocean rose at the corner of her eye. Drowning was a better death than being sliced to pieces.
"If you intend to make something of yourself on any ship, you must meet the strike head-on." Mihawk lowered his sword. "Do you want to die?"
She raised her chin, boldly. "I'm good at surviving."
"It's always doom and gloom with you gothic types." Shanks dug around in his coat, pulling out a flask. "I'm starting to miss clowns."
Mihawk's patience waned. He stalked away, rolling his eyes as both Penny and Shanks hid in his shadow. Maybe, she should invest in a hat too.
"I'm leaving you in charge of the ship," said Captain Shanks, holding onto her shoulder as they rapidly approached the World Government's ship.
Penny's eyes widened. "But...I'm..."
"We're going to be in and out. No danger and if there is, I promise it won't reach you."
Penny's expression cleared and she shook her head. "I'll take good care of it."
He smiled as if she had said the right thing. When they come back, it was with a single treasure chest that remained by Lucky Roux's side as he whipped up a grand feast. Penny was slightly curious as to what's inside of it, but not enough to sneak a peek.
Still, she wondered if the others could hear the whispering words from inside the box too.
"Do you have a dream?" asked Captain Shanks. Penny tried hard to focus on his feet, the swing of his sword, as he advanced. She hadn't taken well to the heavy blades that he and Mihawk carried. Instead, she found her hand fit around a rapier best. The thin, needle-like blade answered her well.
"A dream?" She thought long and hard. "I don't know yet. I think I'm looking for one."
"You'll figure it out. Things like that take time and you're young."
"Aren't you curious?"
"About?"
"My devil fruit? Where I'm from?" Her voice rose, peaked in a hysterical shout that she'd been holding in since they rescued her. Penny lowered her arms, refusing to fight any longer. "Don't you want anything from me?"
Shanks swooped in, picking her up by the collar. He dangled her in front of him, looking at her hard as steel. "The only person you do anything for is yourself, do you understand me?"
Penny's voice was small, childlike. "I want—"
"We want nothing from you."
"That's a lie. Everyone wants something."
"Those who came before me and those who come after will look for ways to exploit you. If you place a price on trust so easily, they'll run you through until you're no more than a tool. You owe no one anything. Be as selfish and selfless as you want."
Shanks pulled his hat off, placing it on her head. Warmth encompassed her all over and she knew part of it was from Shanks himself, whose presence hung in the air like the sun wherever he went.
It was quiet. The only sound—then sea crashing against the ship's side.
"The only thing a pirate has to be is free."
END CHAPTER
