Disclaimer-I don't own any of this.

A/N: The setting is after Arabasta, but since I'm in the middle of the Skypiea arc, perhaps bits of that arc will be used here, just to let you know. I apologize if you can't insert Reia into the Arabasta arc, but please bear with me! I finally know Nico's personality. So there. End of story. Now we begin a new one. I'm so excited!

---Prologue---

A blurry image of a woman on the bed appeared to him as he came closer to her room. He stepped forward and tiptoed to her side, tugging on her sleeve.

"Mommy....Mommy, wake up!" He frowned slightly, holding a small, black dagger and a glass vial. Shrugging, he pricked her arm, delivering just the right amount of pressure for a drop of blood to drip into the vial. He screwed in the cork, taking a bandage and wrapping her arm. Kissing the spot, he said softly, "I hope that didn't hurt."

Running out of the house, he scurried into the bustling town, heading towards a hilltop with a small house on it. He burst in, holding the vial and looking worried.

"Doctor! Here it is. Cure her!" he cried out. A tall man stepped out from the shadows, his dark hair casting shadows on his face. He turned his head, and the light illuminated a pallid face of a handsome man about thirty, and he smiled paternally at the small boy. Taking the vial, he placed it on the table.

"Is mommy going to get better?" The doctor turned around, leaning back onto the shelf.

"First of all, Torikki, I'm not a doctor." Torikki gasped and the dagger clattered to the ground.

"What?!!!!" Torikki narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"This is also a bit sudden for a nine-year old, but I'm also your grandfather."

"Yeah right. What the hell, you're so random! You could be lying!"

"Be careful with your words, dear boy. If you obey, your mother will be fine."

"....My mother?"

"The poison on the dagger?" Torikki turned paler than he already was and his jaw dropped in horror. His eyes blanked, then started to turn dark.

"But if you're my....grandpa, she's your grand-daughter!" This time the man's eyes darkened.

"So?" Torikki backed up slowly. The man looked down at him coldly.

"What the....hell no...poison...oh shit!" he burst out, then turned and ran as fast as his legs could. Dark laughter resounded throughout the hill. His feet barely touched the ground, and the dust rose to a bare minimum. He closed his eyes as tears flew past him. Suddenly, someone stepped into his way, and he stopped abruptly.

"We meet again, Tor," a dark-haired boy a bit older than Torikki growled. Torikki snarled and tried to move to the side, but the boy also moved.

"Giovanni, get out of the way!! The doctor's an imposter!"

"Go back now if you want your mom alive," Giovanni drawled.

"Giovanni!!!" Giovanni moved fast and punched Torikki in the stomach, too sudden for him to evade it. Torikki fell to his knees, gasping for air. Giovanni knelt beside him and bent his head to Torikki's ear.

"Let me get something straight here. I'm not the doctor's helper. I'm his grandson." Giovanni kicked Torikki's side before he could say anything. Reaching down, Giovanni took out a white cloth and covered Torikki's face with it, Torikki struggling. As the victim's efforts weakened and he began to lie still, Giovanni leaned down towards Torikki's purple head.

"Sweet dreams, cousin."

---Chapter One---

BAM! Torikki bolted awake and groaned in pain as the headboard rocked from the impact. Spiky hairfell into his eyes, which usually peered out menacingly from under his dark eyebrows. He dreamt it again. This was getting out of hand. The past....he looked around in his small, dark, room, his clothes hanging on a hook on the black wall. He stood up and the sheets slid to the bed, revealing a fine-toned but unusually pale body. Putting on a black robe over his shirtless top, he adjusted his black boxers, then started to pace on the black wood, feet bare.Alucard gave him the highest room on the small island for military and personal reasons. His senses let him see things his....minions...didn't, and Alucard wantedTorikki as far away as possible from himwithout being gone.

Torikki walked out to the balcony and sat on the rail, legs hanging over. Propping his chin on a closed fist, he looked out at the sea, staring at the horizon, whichstarted to turnrosy from the dawn. The crisp morning air still stung, the sun still gone. He closed his eyes in deep thought. The sea breeze ruffled his dark purple hair.

A few more days and freedom...these last few days gave him unwanted dreams. He opened his eyes and gingerly touched a black tattoo on his chest that his...grandfather...forced on him. He grimaced.

"Mother never did tell me that Father was actually a ---!" A ship dotted the horizon, speeding towards the Black Isles. He had to tell Alucard. Jumping off the balcony, he landed five stories below on the ground, sprinting so fast his feet barely touched the ground, heading towards a fancy flat. If he had stayed for a few heartbeats more, he would've noted the unusual flag the ship bore.

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"Sssh.....don't move," Reia whispered as she stretched her arms out, fingers wide, towards the floor. Her pale blue sleeves fluttered in the wind. Blue energy snaked out from the her slender fingertips and started to weave together on the ground, creating a latticed trunk, then branching out into a tree's crown, complete with glowing leaves and sparkling fruit, which was all translucent. It was about ten feet high, and Usopp looked up with his bandanna-clad head and pointed up above.

"Why isn't that part finished?" he asked softly. She looked up, her long, wispy black hair trailing, and a smile appeared on her pretty face.

"I'm not that powerful yet. When I am, it'll be," she told him quietly. "Most of my power's from this," she added, pulling out her necklace with a hardened fruit from her island, the special warai.Suddenly, the spectral tree rippled, like when you drop a stone into a pond while looking at your reflection. It became still, and Luffy was busy munching on a spectral fruit.

"EYA, Luffy!! Are you sure it's not poisonous?!" Chopper squeaked. He adjusted his pink hat and touched the trunk, smiling when he felt a solid one. Luffy looked at Chopper.

"What... (munch, munch)...why am I not eating this??" he asked when he looked at a still-whole fruit. He frowned andbit with renewed vigor. Reia and Usopp bit back laughter, when suddenly a gust a wind blew about. The tree rippled and bits disappeared, only to reappear when the wind stopped. Dark blue flower petals floated to the wooden deck, and a leaf snagged onto the nearbyZoro's green hair. It flew up and down as he breathed, oblivious to it. Usopp and Chopper murmured in awe at the authenticity of the tree, even its leaves!

A long arm reached up and adjusted her white hat, while the other extended to catch a floating flower from the spectral tree. Nico Robin sniffed the flower, and she frowned slightly as she looked to Reia.

"It doesn't have an aroma," Nico told her, a bit disappointed. Reia also frowned and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I can only create...matter? Energy? Whatever you want to call it....Ah, ectoplasm," Reia told her, nodding. Nico smiled as she placed the flower onto the table, leaning back onto the chair while the breeze blew her black hair around, caressing her bare shoulders.

"At least these flowers don't wilt, right?"

"Once I'm done and make the tree disappear, the flower will also."

"Oh, that's too bad," Nico said in a soft tone. She opened her book and resumed reading. Sanji stepped out of the lounge, lighting a cigarette, but the match went out as he stared at the tree. Eyes widening, he clutched the railing, then remembered who could only generate that kind of thing.

"Reia, only you can create something as beautiful as yourself!" he said in a wavy voice as he went down the stairs to stop at the base of the tree. The trunk shimmered as the air from his movement hit it. He gasped, and it returned back to normal. Reia looked sideways at him with narrowed eyes, inching away as he looked at her with a silly grin.

"Sanji, can you cook this or something?" Luffy asked as he threw the fruit at the cook. It slammed into his head, and he snarled and turned onto a sad Luffy.

"Why should I if you just hit me with it, idiot!!" Sanji yelled as he kicked Luffy up the stairs. Reia tapped the trunk experimentally, then started to climbup until she was hidden in the leaves, happy to find a place of her own. Chopper and Usopp started dancing under the tree as leaves and flower petals drifted down slowly, and Luffy joined them promptly while evading a kicking Sanji. Zoro opened one eye and scowled at the dancers, then both eyes widened as he fell back, staring at the tree. He managed to say, "What the hell is that?!" He looked around wildly for Reia, but shrugged and fell back asleep, arms curled around his three katanas.

Reia saw Ghost glint at her from between the leaves and smiled. Suddenly, a scream pierced the peaceful mood, and the tree flickered and disappeared, Reia jumping out as it did. Usopp and Chopper stopped dancing, Luffy stopped evading Sanji, and Sanji stopped kicking. Zoro started awake, looking for the source, and found it.

"AIYEEEE!!!" Nami screamed from the stern. Sanji rushed to her spot at the table.

"Nami-san, what's wrong?" he asked. She looked up at him, eyes burning.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! Fifty-thousand Belli left is what's wrong!!" she shouted, slamming her hands onto the table and standing up, walking to the railing whilelooking out at the sea.

"Isn't fifty-thousand a lot, Usopp?" Chopper murmured softly to Usopp, who nodded. Chopper bit his lip. "Nami is so miserly."

Nami turned around and stared at the crew. Looking at them dangerously, she said in a menacing tone, "At the next island, you all have to amass twenty-thousand Belli, and we'll stay there until we have it. All."

"WHAT??!!" the Straw Hats roared, except for Luffy, Nico, and Reia, the captain busy looking for a certainfruit, Nico watching amusedly, and Reia raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"How can we....what....why?!" Usopp manage to blurt out, looking at her incredulously. Nami turned on him.

"We need Belli on the Grand Line, don't we? Without it, we can't get supplies! Think!!" she yelled, hands on her hips and orange hair flying back from her face. She walked down and stood at the top of the stairs.

"Well, what's the next island? If it's deserted, we'll stay there forever," Zoro asked her, smirking. She calmed visibly and thought hard.

"Devil Island, or rather, the Black Isles, since there are small islands drifting in sight of each other there," Nami told them. Chopper screamed shortly.

"Is 'Devil' supposed to mean something?!" he asked, aghast. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Why should I care? At least you can get your Belli," she said offhandedly. Usopp and Chopper fell to the deck in shock, and Sanji clasped his hands and looked up to Nami.

"Nami-san, all my hard labors are for you!" he told her, eyes shining. She ignored him, and he was oblivious to that.

"Nami, when will we get there?" Nico inquired, putting aside her book. Nami started to answer when suddenly...

"Ooo Hoo! An island! I wonder what that one is called. Nami!" Luffy shouted from the bow, obviously having given up on his fruit search. Nami clenched her fist and it quivered, then was brought down upon Luffy's head.

"I told you already what it is, dummy. What were you doing while I was talking?!" she interrogated him, bringing her face inches away from his, face screwed up in anger. He looked up at the sky and slumped.

"I lost the fruit from the tree and couldn't find it, so I looked for it," he whined, then sighed. "Then I saw the island," he continued, not noticing Nami gritting her teeth. She threw her hands up into the air andstomped away.

"All right, listen up! Twenty-thousand, okay? Yes more, no less, got it?" shesaid tothem. Zoro's mouth dropped.

"Each?!" he exclaimed. Nami looked at him for a moment, and then suddenly remember something.

"No, no," she told them, and they sighed with relief. "Just 2,500 Belli, that's all."

"Gosh. '2,500 Belli. That's all'," imitated Usopp, tweaking his long nose.

"Of course, Zoro, the debt you owe me..." she started. Zoro bolted up and stalked to her, pointing a finger into her face.

"After all the shit I had to do for you in Skypiea? The 'falling off the logs' thing in Apayado? You even owe Nico something," he growled at her. Nami swallowed and looked away sullenly.

"Fine. But now you have to get the regular 2,500, got it?" Zoro narrowed his eyes and nodded, walking away and sitting back down.

"How am I gonna get 2,500? I haven't even gotten a hundred in my life!" Usopp whined.

"Devil's island..." Chopper whispered repeatedly. Reia leaned back onto the rail and looked at the speck in the distance.

"Estimated time of arrival, about two hours. Get your equipment ready, everyone." The Straw Hats hustled and bustled, going around the ship gathering things and putting them into packs. Reia walked over to Luffy sitting on the bow and asked, "Luffy, you think you can get 2,500?" Luffy turned to look at her, cocking his head with the straw hat perched on top. A blue bag floated to Reia, already filled with her stuff.

"2,500 what?"

"You know....the Belli?"

"Belli? I do? Do I.....have to?"

"Of course you have to!!" Nami yelled, punching him. He jumped off and started running while Nami screamed at him. Reia grinned and watched them.

"Do you think you can?" a voice asked by her side. She shrugged and turned to look at him.

"The devil fruit will help this time. Zoro, why do you ask?" Zoro looked away in thought.

"Just wondering. I can't wait to check this island out." He patted the katanas at his side, eager.

The Going Merry sped through the water, the crew unaware that they weren't the only ones viewing their ship out on the sea. And unlike some of the crew, their watchers could wait.