LUNA NOVA
In the forest outside of Luna Nova, a young girl sat at the bay of a pond, staring down at her own reflection in sadness. The young girl was Atsuko Kagari, a student at the witch academia of Luna Nova. She frowned in disgust as she stared at her own reflection.
"Stupid…", she muttered to herself as she splashed the water with her hands. Three months had passed since the incident with the missile. For a while, everything was going great for the young witch. Her magic began to improve to the point that she was even able to fly her broom for a short distance. But the thing that really made her happy was the relationship between her and Diana. Over the months, the two once enemies began to bond to the point that Atsuko began to catch feelings for her. For a while, she even believed that Diana felt the same. Then it all came tumbling down once SHE came to the academia. A new student from France named Talia was wealthy and as powerful as Diana. She and Diana began to spend more time together, making Atsuko feel more forgotten. They would always spend time together, even outside of school. Pretty soon, Atsuko would only see Diana in class. And it started to hurt her.
Although Atsuko hatted to admit it…she began to feel jealous and bitter. Pretty soon it would begin to affect her studies. Her magic slowly began to worsen like it was when she first arrived. Every time she tried to focus on her studies, she would be reminded of Diana, and her heart would begin to shatter. It didn't help that even Professor Ursula was privately teaching Talia too. Atsuko figured it was because her magic skills were getting worse. She knew that Ursula knew her heart wasn't in it. The rest of her friends began to notice the change in Atsuko as well, but when they tried to talk to her about it, she would brush them off and assure them it was fine.
Earlier that day, the pent-up frustration got the better of Atsuko, and she went up to Talia and challenged her to a magic duel, which of course Atsuko lost. She looked like a fool, while the school cheered and praised Talia. Although Talia congratulated Atsuko for her effort and even offered to teach her, Atsuko just blew up and began shouting at her. Diana and the rest of Atsuko's friends tried to calm her down, but she just wouldn't listen. It was funny though, Atsuko couldn't even remember why she was shouting, but all she could remember was Diana walking off with a crying Talia, looking back at Atsuko with a look of disappointment and disgust. A look that tore her down. Even her friends looked at her disappointingly. Sucy, Lotte, Amanda, Hannah, Barbra, and even Constanze and Jasminka walked away from her disapproving of her actions. Atsuko could even see Professor Ursula staring down at her from a window in disbelief, before shaking her head in shock and walking off. Never had Atsuko felt so alone since her childhood. So, she stormed off into the woods and found herself sitting next to a pond.
"I'm so stupid, what's wrong with me? Why am I throwing away my entire dream over some stupid jealousy? Why am I even jealous? Diana was just a friend that mentored me, nothing more. I'm getting mad over some make-believe relationship I thought we had. Talia is such a nice person too. I'm the one acting like a child…I'm so stupid for ever thinking I had some kind of chance with Diana. As if one of the richest and most powerful witches alive would ever fall for me. What was I thinking? I need to go and apologize to Talia", Atsuko said to her reflection. But as she was staring down, a wormhole began to form in the water of the pond, and a bright white light flashed from it. Atsuko stared at the opening in confusion, getting closer to it.
"What the" she began saying before her entire body began to be sucked into the spinning vortex. Within a matter of seconds, Atsuko was completely sucked into the hole before the hole closed up and the pond was back to normal with Atsuko nowhere in sight.
Atsuko was screaming in the darkness. She could feel her body traversing at light speed, and her insides felt weird. After a couple of seconds of darkness, she was met with bright sunshine as she landed on sandy ground. She slowly opened her eyes and sat up from the ground, looking around to see where she was. To her shock, she was on a beach. Facing in front of her was a vast ocean, while behind her was a thick green jungle.
"Where am I"? Atsuko thought to herself. She stood up and dusted off her school uniform. She could tell she was in some sort of tropical location. Which confused the young girl since Luna Nova was in West England, far from any tropical islands of this magnitude. It almost seemed like she was in the Bahamas. She took out her magic wand to check the battery. To her relief, her wand was still fully charged.
"Better use this wisely", She said to herself. She tucked her wand back into her belt and began to walk along the beach. Despite being beyond confused, Atsuko admittedly wasn't worried. She actually found the beach setting to be quite peaceful. She did, however, want some answers. After about ten minutes of walking, she came across a beautiful field of grass, almost similar to the countryside of Europe. To her confusion, in front of her was a village. A small village of wooden houses and large European-styled post windmills dominated the landscape. It was a stark contrast to the tropical jungles and beach she was just on. Atsuko slowly walked over to the wooden port at the entrance of the village, noticing a sign.
"UNDER NAVY VICE ADMIRAL GARPS PROTECTION", the sign said. Another sign on the left of it read, "WELCOME TO FOOSHA VILLAGE". Atsuko just stared at the sign dumbfounded.
"Where the heck is Foosha Village"? She thought to herself. She took a deep breath and headed into the village. With all things considered, she had to admit, this was one of the most peaceful places she had ever been to. It was quiet, and not many people were out, though the few that were gave her curious stares. She came across a wooden two-story house with the sign "PARTYS BAR", at the front. Curiously, she entered the bar.
Inside the bar were a bunch of empty tables, and at the very back was a large bar with shelves of drinks behind it. Sitting on a stool at the bar was an older man wearing a yellow shirt, tan pants, sandals, and a red and grey striped hat. He had on a pair of glasses and a white bushy beard. Next to him was a black cane resting by the bar. The man drank beer from a wooden mug, while he read a newspaper. Behind the bar was a beautiful young woman, with green hair in a long ponytail. She was wearing a red shirt and a long blue skirt. The woman was humming to herself as she was cleaning a glass cup. The two of them both looked up at Atsuko upon hearing her enter the bar.
"You don't seem to be from around here. Can I help you"? The young woman asked.
"We don't want any trouble miss", the older man added. Atsuko raised her hands up defensively, and she gave the two a nervous smile.
"No trouble here. My name is Atsuko Kagari, but you can just call me Akko. I'm actually lost, and I was wondering where I was", Akko quickly responded.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Atsuko. I'm Makino, the bartender here. The old cranky man sitting here is Woop Slap, the mayor. You're in Foosha Village near the Gao Kingdom. You're on Dawn Island in the East Blue", answered Makino.
"Are you shipwrecked, young lady?" Woop asked. Akko just stared at the two completely shocked. The East Blue? A kingdom? This was all so confusing. She shook her head and looked at the two nervously.
"What country am I in? This is still England right"? She asked. Makino and Woop looked at each other in confusion.
"England? Where's England? Miss, you're next to the Gao Kingdom," Makino said. Akko was starting to get worried. None of this was making any sense.
"Can I see your phone? I left mine in my room", Akko asked. At this point, Makino and Woop were now beyond confused.
"I'm sorry miss, but what's a phone"? Asked Makino. Akko was now beyond nervous. She started to breathe heavily and began to feel light-headed. Makino and Woop quickly rushed to the girl, grabbing her so she wouldn't fall. They took her to the bar and sat her on one of the stools. Makino quickly fetched Akko a glass of water.
"Miss, what happened? Did you hit your head"? Woop asked worriedly.
"I don't know…one second, I was just staring at a pond near Luna Nova, then a giant wormhole opened up and sucked me in. Next thing I know, I'm here", said Akko. Makino and Woop both looked at each other in shock, now knowing what was going on.
"Young lady, you must listen to me very carefully", began Woop. Akko looked at the old man, tears almost pouring out of her eyes. "This world is a vast and mysterious world. Full of things we don't understand. One of those things is the vacuum holes" the man said. Akko tilted her head in confusion.
"The vacuum holes"? replied the girl. Makino placed her hand on Akko's shoulder and gave her a look of concern. We don't know much about them. All we know is they're incredibly rare. They're giant swirling portals that open up randomly throughout the world. Whether it be in the sky, the ground, or more commonly in the ocean, they only last for a couple of seconds. You may have just come from somewhere else", Makino explained. Akko just stared at the floor. This was all so much for her to take in. The nightmarish thought that she could be in another world began to dawn on her.
"Well, how can we find one so I can jump back into"? Akko asked. Makino just sighed.
"We don't know. As I said, they're extremely rare and random. One could open up in the next couple of seconds on the other side of the world. While the next one to pop up here could be for years. Even then, we don't know if you'd go back to where you're from". Makino said. Akko began to cry, finally understanding her situation.
"You mean…I'm stuck here"? She asked through tears. All Makino could do was sigh in defeat. She bent down to Akko's eye level, embracing the girl in a hug.
"I'm so sorry Akko. You can stay here as long as you want. It's safe here", Makino said. Akko just continued to cry, realizing she would never see her friends again. It hurt her, even more, to know the last interactions she had with them were negative. Meanwhile, Woop was scratching his chin in deep thought. He cleared his throat abruptly, grabbing the attention of Akko and Makino.
"You know, Dogra from Dadan's family may know something. He's been outside the village more than anyone", said Woop. Makino thought about it for a second before smiling.
"Hey, you're right, he could know something", she said.
"Who's Dadan"? asked Akko.
"She's the leader of a gang of mountain Bandits located deeper in the jungle. I'm sure they could help", said Makino. Akko gulped at the word bandits.
"Aren't bandits bad people"? she asked. Makino just giggled.
"Yea but Dadan is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet", said Makino. Hesitantly, Akko nodded her head in agreement. It wasn't like she had much of a choice. Though, Woop looked at Makino with concern.
"Are you sure we should go meet her Makino? She is still upset about the incident. It only happened a couple of days ago after all", said Woop. Makino was visibly upset, and Akko could tell she was fighting back tears. Though she regained her composure.
"It'll be fine. We need the distraction anyways. Come on Akko". Makino said, taking Akkos hand and leading her out of the bar. Woop just sighed, before returning his attention back to the newspaper.
The girls began their journey down the dirt road. Passing by villagers who greeted Makino with delight.
"People really seem to like you", Akko noted. Makino just smiled, as she waved back at passing villagers.
"Everyone in the village knows each other. Honestly, this is one of the most peaceful villages you'll find throughout the East Blue", Makino replied. Akko thought to herself about this whole East Blue thing. What was it? And were there ones for other areas? She decided to hold her questions until later. "So, Akko, where are you from"? asked Makino.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not from…well…this world, I guess. I'm from a country called Japan, though now I live at Luna Nova's witch academia in England". Replied Akko.
"A school for witches? Does that mean you can do magic and stuff"? Asked Makino curiously. Akko just sighed and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Well, Yea…but I'm honestly pretty bad at it", Akko sheepishly admitted. Makino just gave the young witch a reassuring smile.
"Hey, don't sweat it, that's why you go to school for it. You're learning", said Makino. Akko just stared at the ground in shame, remembering the reason for her lack of skills and development.
"Yea, I suppose you're right…" she said. Soon the duo was deep into the jungle, and they came up to a large house with a wooden watch tower at the top.
"Just wait here Akko," Makino said, as she began walking towards the door. Upon knocking, she could hear the sounds of shattering glass from inside. After a while, a short man wearing polka-dot dungarees, a cream sweater, and a turban opened the door. He wore a nervous expression, before looking relieved upon seeing Makino.
"Hey, Makino…right now is not really a good time. Dadan is having another episode. What's wrong"? the man asked. Makino looked inside the room past the man, hearing the shouting and the wreckage.
"Ace…right?" Makino said with sadness. The short man just sadly nodded his head. Akko could see Makino begin to cry, before wiping her tears away. "Hey, listen Dorga… I have a little issue. Could you help the girl over there? I'll go inside and comfort Dadan", Makino said. Dorga looked over at Akko, noticing the girl just awkwardly standing there.
"Yea sure, just get in there and calm her down", Dorga said, opening the door all the way. Makino smiled, and she rubbed the man's head before walking into the hut. Dorga then shut the door and walked over to Akko.
"Hey, kid…I'm Dorga. Makino said you needed something. Since she seems cool with you, I'll listen", Dorga said. Akko just looked behind him at the hut confused.
"Umm…is everything all right? Makino looked like she was about to cry", said Akko. Dorga sighed sadly.
"Yeah…we uh…just lost someone very close, that's all", replied Dorga.
"Oh… my condolences then", Akko said while bowing her head. Dorga didn't respond to her gesture, instead moving on from the conversation.
"Yeah…anyways what was it that you needed"? He asked.
"Well, Makino and Mayor Woop said that you could help me with things called Vacuum holes," Akko said. Dorga looked at the girl curiously and a bit worriedly.
"Young lady…why exactly do you want to know about these"? He asked very carefully. Akko just sheepishly smiled.
"Well…it's because…I kinda…got sucked into one," Akko answered. Dorga looked at the girl in utter dismay.
"WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS? NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN SUCKED INTO THEM IN RECORDED HISTORY! WHAT? HOW? HUH?" Dorga began. Akko just nervously stepped back, raising her hands defensively.
"Whoa whoa, I'll tell you but relax". Akko said. Dorga calmed himself down, giving the young witch his undivided attention. With that, Akko began to explain everything to Dorga. Where she came from, how she got here, and the wormhole. Dorga just listened in shock, clearly realizing that the young witch standing in front of her wasn't from this world.
"Damn kid…I don't know what to tell you…I don't think I can help", Dorga said. Akko started to get teary eyes, and soon she fell onto her knees, bowing her head and begging.
"Please…I... I want to go home. I need to go home. There are people I can't lose. I screwed up with them…and I need to go back and make things right". Akko pleaded. She thought about everyone back at Luna Nova. Her friends, teachers even family. But especially about Diana. She raised her head to Dorga, tears pouring down her face like waterfalls. "Please Dorga…Isn't there anything you can do"?
"Hey whao. Damnit kid, cut that crying shit out. I can't personally help you…but I think I know someone who can. He's a bartender located at Loguetown just near the reverse mountain of the red line. He may know something", Said Dorga. Akko jumped up in excitement, cheering at this news.
"HORRAY! OH, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU"! Akko began cheering. Dorga immediately shushed the girl down, gaining back her attention.
"Whao take it, easy kid, Look it's not that simple. First, we don't even know if he does know anything. This is just a maybe. Secondly, it's not easy getting to Loguetown. It's another island across the east blue. I'm not sure how it is in your world, but in our world, it's a very dangerous place," Dorga explained. Akko looked at the man worriedly, as she felt the hopelessness feel her head again. "However," Dorga began, grabbing Akkos attention. "There's a man. He's part of the marines, and he's a damn good marine. His name is Garp, he comes to this island every four months. Unfortunately, he just left a couple of days ago…some big things are happening right now. But, if you can hold out for four months, when he comes back, you can go with him, and I'm freaking positive he'll be able to do something", said Dorga.
Akko admittedly wasn't a fan of the idea. Four months was a long time, especially for being away from her home. But she knew she didn't have much of a choice. If the sea was as dangerous as Dorga was claiming it to be, she knew there wasn't any point if she just ended up dead. Reluctantly, she nodded her head in agreement.
"What am I going to do for four months? I don't know what to do," claimed Akko. Dorga just smiled at the girl.
"Relax kid, obviously just hang out in the village. I'm sure Makino will be okay with you staying with her, and I can talk to Dadan if you can hang with us…though, don't get your hopes up", Dorga said. Akko just took a deep breath, accepting her situation.
"Yeah, I guess so", Akko said. Dorga smiled, before walking back to the house.
"Come on kid, just follow me," he said. Akko looked up at the sky teary-eyed.
"I know you guys are still mad at me…so hopefully you just don't realize I'm gone for the next four months…or forever. Talia…please keep Diana safe. You're totally worthy of her, more than I ever could be.
Just please keep her happy…this is just my punishment".
Authors Notes: So this is a fanfic I've wanted to do for a long time. It's going to be very One Piece-heavy, though Akko is our main protagonist. I probably just isolated a very large percentage of people by combining a less popular series with a monster of a series that intimidates people, but regardless this is still something that's fun to me, so hopefully, you'll enjoy it too. As always please leave any compliments or criticisms.
