I want to be very honest about something...I was really really nervous to write a lemon and post it. Probably a bit too rash to have something like that this early in the story. So thank you very much for reading and supporting this crack I've written.
*~.~*~.~*
Fifteen days after leaving Alabasta...
The combination of rain and snow falling from the cover of grey clouds fit the dreary mood the Straw Hats were in. Not long after they arrived on this autumn-like island, they were ambushed. The attackers were all wearing dark leather armor with a boar head etched on the chest. Nami had made the decision to just run. For what felt like days, the pirates had finally found time to rest in a decrepit tavern in an abandoned surrounded by a great forest.
This island had an odd sense of dread. The only people the pirates came across were ones that were adamant about capturing them. Most of the buildings, the ones made of wood, were rotted away and the others were enveloped in plant life. Mist seemed to permanently stick to the evergreens. Even whilst running away, Nami managed to notice some things. The harbor they docked at was in ruins. There was a massive castle-looking building in the mountains made of pale stone. How dead the place felt.
Luffy's childish behavior was not helping their cause. He was the only one that seemed to be having fun. He was enjoying the slush falling from the sky and the big-eyed birds that would sit on the empty windowsills to watch the pirates with curiosity. Both Chopper and Usopp were up on the roof on the lookout. Robin was on the second-floor perusing through some old books. Zoro and Sanji were on opposite ends of the building keeping watch while Nami hid behind a bar.
"How can everyone be so calm?" Nami grumbled loudly.
"What are you worried about?"
The navigator looked over the counter to where Robin was descending the stairs, empty-handed. She looked the least bothered out of everyone. She brushed some dust off one of the bar chairs with an extra hand before sitting down and resting her head in her palm. Nami's gaze narrowed as she stood.
"Luffy has a bounty on his head, and we get ambushed almost as soon as we land here. That's a problem!"
Robin chuckled softly. "This is the Grand Line. It'll always be one problem after another."
"I know, I know." Nami sighed. "There doesn't seem to be anything in this town either."
"It is rather empty. And has been like this for years."
"I wonder what happened."
Nami jumped when Usopp and Chopper returned from their perch on the rooftop. They had quickly burst through the already broken door and attempted to close it. She held back the urge to smack both of them for scaring her. Chopper immediately went to Zoro's side to hide.
"C-coast is c-clear," Usopp said, trying to sound brave. His knees were knocking together.
The navigator let out an angry huff. "Finally! Let's make for the Merry and leave this stupid island."
She grabbed Luffy's shirt collar and pulled him away from the yellow birds, ignoring his complaints. She carefully peered around the corner of the doorway, then made everyone else go before her. Once Nami felt it was safe enough for her, she left the old tavern behind. Her skin broke into goosebumps when the precipitation fell on her. She didn't even have time to grab a coat before the strangers attacked. She doesn't like this place. Not at all.
The pirates stayed quiet and alert as they headed down the path in the direction where Going Merry was docked. Hopefully. Nami kept looking around her, expecting to see eyes peering back at her from the ruined buildings. As terrified as she was, she was also curious as to what happened to this place. It wasn't uncommon to see towns destroyed by strife. Especially on the Grand Line.
"Hey, Robin?"
"Yes?"
"Did you find anything about what happened here?"
There was a pause. "Nothing in particular. I did find a logbook where the last entry was from a hundred fifty years ago."
"A hundred and fifty years ago?!" Nami exclaimed then immediately covered her mouth. "What did it say?"
"It was smudged but something about the last king was killed."
"There was a king. Then that building in the mountains..." Nami trailed off and went silent.
"It seems this island has some mysterious secrets about it," Robin commented, feeling intrigued to know the truth. "It's a shame there weren't any more books. At least those in good condition."
Nami stayed quiet, absentmindedly nodding in agreement. A kingdom that fell. This was what could have happened to Vivi's home. But then who were those people that attacked them? I could be some pirates protecting their newfound territory. Either way, Nami wanted to leave before any more trouble found them.
"Nami-swan~ we've found a path!"
The navigator joined up with the rest of the crew that were standing at the edge of the evergreen forest where an overgrown path was. Nami shivered as she stared into the woods. She didn't realize how terrifying the misty trees were. But this was the direction they came from and they had to go back through to reach their ship. It was the shortest way.
With a shaky breath, Nami shoved Luffy in front of her as a sort of shield and headed into the forest. It was like walking into the maw of a beast. The faint light of day dimmed the further they walked. The coos of mourning doves were haunting, like a song of warning. Every crack of a twig made the three scaredy cats jump. Zoro was on edge. It wasn't this island or the sudden ambush and people that had chased them. There was something else. These woods were bringing up memories. Memories of an eggplant-headed person. Frankly, it was ticking him off.
But that was the least of his problem. Chopper reacted first, loudly stating there were unfamiliar scents coming toward them. Both Zoro and Sanji prepared themselves for a possible fight while Usopp and Nami ran to hide in a berry bush. Luffy was oblivious and found a few big-eyed birds to watch. Robin was...well, being Robin.
There were a few seconds of silence before a group of twelve people emerged from the shadows of the trees and attacked the pirates without hesitation. Five were immediately taken care of by Zoro and Sanji who started bickering with each other about who got the last kill. Robin easily snapped the back of the three closest to her and Chopper headbutted one of them hard in the stomach and sent them into a tree.
The last three vanished back into the shadows and threw knives from all directions. Sanji protected Robin with a flurry of kicks and Zoro had to swat a few blades away from Luffy who was still preoccupied with the birds. Chopper shrunk to his smallest form to avoid the knives. This went on for a couple of minutes before the forest went quiet.
A sudden warning alarm went off in Zoro's head right as a spear was thrown from the depths of the forest and right into the chest of one of the ambushers that was about to attack Nami and Usopp hiding in a bush. Nami let out a scream and quickly scampered from the shrub with Usopp close behind. Confusion fell over them. The remaining two attackers, seeing no way of surviving, ran in the opposite direction the spear was thrown.
Another figure appeared and Zoro froze. The person was wearing a mask. A white fox mask with blue markings. They had grabbed the spear from its sheath of the dead person and threw it again with such force it caused a gust in its path. The bladed staff pierced right through one of them. Out of fear, the remaining attacker panicked and tripped. The masked person had launched themselves at the downed screaming man, taking hold of the spear again and stabbed him through the throat. Wet gurgling echoed through the forest for several seconds before the woods went into silence.
The stillness that welcomed the forest was eerie. The pirates, minus Luffy, just stared at the figure with the fox mask. They removed the spear and headed to the pirates. Zoro could hear his blood rushing through his veins. The mask. The fighting style. There was no way. It can't be. It's not-
"Are you guys alright?"
The wave of relief that crashed over Zoro made him let out a heavy breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a man's voice. He removed the mask, revealing a young man with black eyes and a nasty scar on the left side of his face. Nami was the first to speak, seeming to break from her spell of scaredness. She stomped towards him, getting right into his face.
"No, we are not! What the hell is going on here?!"
The man stepped back from the very angry redhead. "I can explain everything. But it's best if we go somewhere safe and away from the Boar Knights."
That seemed to quell Nami, and the man motioned for them to follow. The rest of the pirates complied, happy to finally have some help and answers. Except for Zoro. Even though he sheathed his blades, he stayed alert. He tried to tell himself that the stranger's fox mask that was just like hers was just a coincidence. That him using a spear in a similar matter was just a coincidence. Maybe they knew each other.
Yet he couldn't ignore the really unfavorable feeling in his gut.
*~.~*~.~*
"Useless! Each and every one of you are fucking useless!"
Several people cowered as a stocky woman slammed her fists on a dark-wooded long table. The fire of the glass chandelier above illuminated her fury-filled eyes of rubies. Greasy blonde hair was slicked back and placed into a tight bun. Her teeth were yellow, and spittle fell from her mouth as she snarled.
This woman was the supposed rightful heir to the country's throne. For decades, the castle in the mountains lay empty due to endless conflict. The woman was just one of many of those that came forward to claim the lands, taking advantage of the empty throne. The remaining heirs have either died or hide among the townspeople. The kingdom has long been dead, but that hasn't stopped greedy people from falsifying their identities. The entitled hag was one of them. She was just a captain of the pirates currently occupying the island.
"How hard is it to capture puny pirates when we have an army?!" the woman shouted with another slam of her fist. "There are only seven of the bastards. Seven! And none of you can catch them?!"
"The towns and woods they hide in are haunted," one of her men bravely spoke. "Everyone keeps saying evil spirits and demons reside there."
"Children's stories! I want them hunted down and executed. Now!"
"But...what about looking for the townspeople?"
The man flinched when she glared at him. "You'll keep searching for their little hideout as well. I graciously offered them homes and farms just as long as they gave me their fealty. And they all had the fucking audacity to refuse me! Anyone that doesn't want to live under my ruling will suffer grave consequences."
When the big blonde stood, she was over six and a half feet tall which made her stature tower over most of the men. She ignored their flinches and turned towards the cracked arched window. The mansion she was currently residing in was once home to a winemaker family. The grape orchard had long since vanished and the trellises had rotted away. The stone wall around the property had crumbled. Despite the years of abandonment, the mansion stood well for the most part. In the distance was the light-stoned castle in the mountains towards the center of the island.
"That throne rightfully belongs to me. I will not have the pests of this island keep it from me."
"Don't worry Mother. You'll have it soon enough.
The woman looked over her shoulder as her son entered the room. He looked just this his mother except his hair was a darker blonde. He sat down in the chair his mother previously occupied and placed his feet on the table. The woman smacked the back of his head, prompting him to place his legs back down. Her eyes suddenly lit up when a thought came into her mind.
"We should send-"
"The little fox is already out on the hunt."
A gnarled smile spread across the woman's face. "Then it's only a matter of time."
*~.~*~.~*
I would like to also apologize for the delays in chapters. It'll probably be like that for a few weeks. But fear not! There will be plenty more. When me dumb brain wants to work right. This chapter was difficult to write for some reason.