Just so people know, cause I don't know how many saw it in the last chapter before I changed it, updates are hopefully going to be Mondays. Also they changed the document format so no more line breaks apparently, need to improvise (edit: well they have the breaks in editing but not in the actual document making, which seems really dumb). Enjoy
"Eh? Another kid?" A young brown-haired teen stated as he caught sight of the tiny figure with black-tipped white hair and odd teal eyes trailing behind his Captain.
Toshiro could not suppress the irritated twitch in his brow. Nobody or not, being called a kid still irritated him, especially by someone who wasn't even a full adult yet himself. None of these people here would be anywhere close to his age, but for the sake of world order he could not reveal his actual origins and so kept a leash on his hatred of being called a child. Instead, he wondered why the man, who he now realized was a pirate if the black flag meant anything, had five kids on his ship in the same uniform as the adults. Two girls and three boys. One boy looked fairly young, looking back at Toshiro oddly, while another, slightly older, had a twin among the two girls, the younger girl. The older girl stood next to the oldest boy, the one who'd spoken, and Toshiro thought he spotted hands being held.
"You're the one who made the ice." The female twin who'd first noted the boy's presence spoke up, leaning over the railing of the submarine the pair was heading towards.
"Eh? Ice? But I thought that Admiral who retired had the Ice-Ice Fruit." An older girl with black hair and green eyes frowned at the younger girl.
That would explain if there was more than one of the same type of Devil Fruit; no, there wasn't, they were all unique. He was definitely glad he didn't try to act like it WAS a Devil Fruit, then.
"This one is a little different." Law spoke to the children. "He isn't a Devil Fruit user."
"Whoa, then how'd he make the ice?" The oldest boy gaped.
"The Straw Hats had a samurai with them capable of creating fire with his sword, perhaps such powers aren't all that uncommon in the New World." Their Captain answered, and Toshiro looked at him curiously. A samurai creating fire with their sword? Were they a Soul Reaper? He'd have to look into that. Perhaps he should lean towards being like that…but he didn't have his sword summoned, and having it appear out of thin air wouldn't really help. Plus, he doubted these samurai were capable of changing the very weather or freezing over nearly a mile wide of forest. He also wondered about the name, New World. Did it mean people here moved worlds or just called a certain part of their world that as it remained unexplored? So many questions with each new answer.
"Why are you sad?" The girl asked him and Toshiro stiffened, looking at her in surprise.
"Dextra." The older girl chided.
The younger, Dextra, seemed to hiss back and the elder flinched away. There seemed to be some dysfunction within their group, and it made Toshiro feel a little awkward, since he didn't know any of them or why that would be, so he couldn't diffuse the situation. All he could do was distract.
"Why do you think I'm sad?" He asked, managing to get the younger girl's attention away from the others.
"You just feel that way…kind of empty and hurt." She responded.
Toshiro was rather surprised. The girl had a keen ability to sense Spirit Energy, if she could get that detailed, especially for a human. Getting down to sensing the very emotion in a person was a skill even some of the best assassins in Squad Two had difficulty doing. He himself could sense the odd aura around her, same as Law had, meaning she must be a Devil Fruit user as well, but her emotions were not within his ability.
"I've had…some trouble, yes." Toshiro admitted. "But there's nothing for it now."
"Since you seem interested, Dextra, you can watch over him." Law spoke up, heading onto the ship. He'd watched their interaction quietly and decided the young girl would be best to figure out the boy's secrets, since she seemed to notice what they didn't and perhaps even sympathized with him, giving them a trust base.
"We're taking him with us?" The red-headed man with the children asked.
"For now." Law replied.
"You have a bad habit of picking up stray kids, Captain."
"Hey!" The kids already a part of the crew snapped at him. Law just laughed a bit at them and headed inside, leaving the engineer to fend for himself against the five children.
Toshiro watched silently, as it wasn't his place to interrupt or join in, just getting onto the ship and standing aside. They were pirates, but they were unlike any pirates he'd heard of before. His own fellow Captains – or former fellow Captains, in his mind – were more violent and cruel than this crew from what he could see so far. It was almost pleasant, though there was definitely a lingering threat should he overstep his welcome. Their Captain was intelligent, very intelligent, one slip up and everything could be revealed.
"So what's your name?" The youngest boy, Daniel as he'd been introduced when Dextra had given their names, questioned him as he and the other children led him to the galley. The oldest girl, Thursday, had fussed about how thin and tired he looked. He was indeed tired because of his expense of energy in the forest after such a huge battle not an hour earlier, but the fussing was unnecessary.
"Hitsugaya Toshiro." He answered. "I prefer to be called by my family name."
"Your name sounds hard." The small boy pouted.
"But it's my name." Toshiro gave a small shrug. Perhaps he'd be lenient and allow his given name to be used, it would be difficult to explain his customs without revealing too much, but if they dared try to give him a nickname he wouldn't be too nice.
"Hit-su-gaya…" Daniel attempted. "Right?"
"I suppose you could use my given name if you wish…"
"Cool, Toshiro is a little easier." The boy beamed. Somehow the Nobody felt like he'd just lost for something. Did Daniel do that on purpose? That little…
"Come on, Toshiro, you might as well meet the crew while they're all here for dinner." Thursday attempted to hurry them along.
"It's not like I've joined or anything." The boy huffed. "I just need to know a few things."
"Like what?" Dextra asked.
"Of any suspicious activity recently…shadow creatures or odd white beings, ones with strange symbols on their bodies…or any strange people that feel like they don't belong."
"Pal, there's lots of odd things like that on the Grand Line." Heinrich replied. "Especially in the New World."
"But anything particularly out of place, even for here?" The white-haired boy tried again.
"Haven't been here long enough to know what's normal and what's not." The oldest shrugged. "New World is a rough place to sail. We only just got away from the Wano Kingdom where those weird samurai people that Papa talked about live."
"Papa?" Toshiro didn't think either of the two adults that had been outside earlier were old enough to be dads for these kids, and none of them even looked alike, either to each other or the adults, save for the twins.
"The Captain." Dextra smiled a bit. "He took us in when we were just a bunch of street brats, even after we were trying to watch him for our abusive Boss. He fixed us up and taught us all sorts of things, he saved our lives, so we call him Papa."
"I see…" Toshiro mused, thinking back to his time in the dirty streets of the Rukongai slums. He was hated, feared, treated like a demon…but his grandmother was always there to take care of him, love him, and he couldn't imagine where he'd be without her. And Momo, too, that silly girl he cared for like a sister. He wondered what she'd do once she heard he'd run off like this…she'd get so mad at him. Great, he'd have to sit through another concerned sisterly lecture.
"You okay?" Daniel brought him out of his nostalgia, teal eyes blinking as Toshiro focused on the small boy.
"Yeah…just remembering something." He admitted. "You just…sound similar to me."
"Really?" Book looked curious.
"I didn't live in the best place either…and I wasn't very well liked. I'm a bit…odd."
"I'll say, you've got a funky hairstyle there." Heinrich teased.
"It's natural." Toshiro bristled. The older boy held his hands up in surrender. "And it wasn't just my hair…my powers scared them."
"Oh…"
"But my grandmother was there to take care of me." Toshiro continued. "And a girl about my age, like a sister. No matter what, they were there."
"That's good." Dextra offered a comforting smile.
"So how'd you get here?" Thursday asked.
"Not exactly sure, a lot has happened." And for the most part that was truth, though he omitted the details of what happened and his capability of traveling worlds. "In any case, I don't wish to be a burden for long, I can leave at the next island if desired."
"Anybody ever tell you that you sound like an old man when you talk, all formal and stuff." Heinrich said with a huff. Toshiro glared at him. "And don't worry about being a burden, Papa will put you to work as long as you're here, but he'll also take care of you."
"I don't need to be taken care of."
They stepped inside the galley, more men in black boiler suits spread out among the tables. Talking hushed as everyone turned towards the newcomer among their younger members, easy to spot as he was the only one without a hat, spiky hair messy as ever.
"Come on then, before these black holes take all the food." The cook spoke up gruffly, motioning the children over.
"What? We work hard all day, gotta recharge." One of the pirates shot back with a smirk, a few of the others laughing and nodding in agreement.
"Growing children need it more." With a friendly chuckle the cook pointed his spoon at the talker before turning to the kids. "Especially the new guy, look at you! You're practically bones!"
"Am not." Toshiro frowned. The coat made him look thinner than he was. He really wanted to get out of it, but the alternative of the boiler suits didn't look very appealing either. He wished he had his Shihakusho back, or at least something normal like he wore in the World of the Living back home. Anything but this cursed uniform of the Nobodies.
"So kid, can you fight?" A man next to the red-head he'd seen earlier spoke up while the cook got some bowls ready for Toshiro and the other five children.
"My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro." The Ice Nobody snapped, bristling. A few people frowned as they noticed the normally warm air in the sub cooled a bit, Dextra looking at the boy oddly. "And yes, I can."
"With what?" The man continued.
"Back up a bit there, Penguin, he just got here." His red-headed friend chuckled. Penguin just shrugged, Toshiro noting humorously that his hat had his own name on it.
"It's fine." The small figure answered. "I've trained with a sword."
"Huh, you should show us later." Heinrich grinned, clearly doubting the boy's ability since he was so small and rather thin.
"If you wish." Toshiro shrugged. Maybe then they would give him a bit more respect.
"But first, food." The cook cut in, handing over the bowls. "You know the rules, brats, all of it's got to go."
"Yes sir." Book answered quickly, taking his bowl. He and the others knew not to refuse the cook, as it was his job to make sure they got the nutrition they needed while out at sea. Toshiro, unsure what else to do, followed their example.
"So how'd you make the ice?" The red-head from earlier asked. Right, he was out there when it was mentioned.
"Ice?" One of the other members piped up, curious.
"Yeah, apparently he made this huge ice field, even made the weather go weird."
"No way." Penguin looked disbelieving.
"It's true." Dextra countered before turning to Toshiro. "You can still do it, right?"
Toshiro went a bit tense, never having liked being put in the spotlight, but figured word would spread anyway and if he didn't give them something they would never leave him alone. He just had to be careful about how much he showed them. So, keeping it small, he lifted up a hand and created a large snowflake, still disturbingly black in color, floating above his palm, at the same time raising his Spiritual Pressure so the air inside cooled several noticeable degrees for a small scale 'weather change'.
"Whoa, that's crazy!" Penguin said with a slight shiver. "You could be one seriously powerful kid."
"I prefer not to use it, it drains my strength." Hitsugaya said, and while that was true it took a great deal before he actually got tired.
"Why is it black?" Dextra asked. "Ice isn't black."
"That's…" Now he really felt uncomfortable. "That's kind of new. It used to be like normal ice, but recently…it's gotten darker and darker."
"Does it have to do with-?"
"I really don't want to talk about this." Toshiro cut her off, his tone icy and a slight scowl on his face. Despite the mean look, though, Dextra recognized that he was uncomfortable and so let the subject drop. With the way he interrupted, though, it was clear she was right. The empty feeling he had to his aura had to do with why his ice was black. What happened to him? She wanted to find out, whether to help him or just for curiosity sake she wasn't sure yet, but he did look rather sad.
The ship shook a bit as they submerged, startling their new comrade a bit. He'd never been in a submarine before, though he knew what they were and did, so he hadn't been prepared for the slight shake.
"You get used to it." Book assured him.
"I don't plan to stay long." Toshiro reminded. They seemed adamant he would be here for a while, and he'd really prefer to avoid that situation. The less involved he got the better, this was already pushing it, stuck in a small ship underwater with potentially dangerous people.
"It's hard to find a ship willing to take you around, you know." Thursday pointed out carefully. "Most pirates would rarely haul a kid around," she paused briefly when she saw his brow twitch in irritation, "so you should probably stick with us, since we're willing to let you stay."
"Even then, it's best I don't remain for longer than I should." The shorter figure shot back. "I'm…looking for something."
"For what?"
"I…I'm not completely sure myself, but I know I need it." That wasn't completely true, but how was he supposed to explain that he needed to become whole again? Needed to find his purpose again, needed to understand his role as the power in control of Kingdom Hearts, the Heavenly Guardian. There was so much he needed to find and understand, it could take him years.
They decided to leave it at that, seeing the lost in thought expression he had. They continued to eat in silence, the adults still sparing glances at the odd ice child. Toshiro was easily able to ignore their gazes, used to such things from his home.
When they were all done, the children decided to show him to their room, figuring he would prefer to stick with people 'his age'. Though irritated he had to stay with a bunch of kids, he might be able to figure out more since they would have looser tongues. They were still pirates, so caution was needed, but kids were only so good at hiding things. He wasn't a fan of the stuffy temperature, though, it had quickly done away with his temporary chill.
"Here, we can spread some blankets out on the floor for you." Daniel offered, doing just that with some extra sheets they had nabbed from the clean laundry. The youngest then climbed up onto the bottom of one of the two bunk beds, a hammock making up bed number five that turned out to be Heinrich's, the oldest happily lounging about in it already.
"Thanks." Toshiro nodded to the small boy. He sat down on the pile, trying to ignore the increasing temperature so as to continue talking with them. "What is this place, exactly? You called it the New World."
"You're in the most dangerous part of the Grand Line and you don't even know what it is?" Heinrich guffawed. Toshiro just frowned at him, not amused. "Alright, okay. Well, basically there are four seas, North Blue, South Blue, East Blue and West Blue. Then there's the Red Line that circles the whole world. Perpendicular to that is the Grand Line, the most dangerous sea in the world. Despite that the first half is called Paradise, because compared to the second half, the New World, its crazy weather changes and odd islands are peaceful."
"Navigating is difficult, normal compasses don't work in here." Daniel added, looking excited about the topic. "We use a Log Pose; it helps us get from island to island. You have to hang around each island for its set time before you can move on. In the New World it can be even more dangerous, since the islands can be unpredictable or not even there anymore."
"What a complicated place…" Toshiro mused. "And for what reason would people travel through it? Just to say they did?"
"Partly, but most pirates are after One Piece, the great treasure left behind by the Pirate King Gold Roger. Whoever finds it is the new Pirate king." Book explained. "Papa's after it too, but I don't think he's as interested as some other people."
"Papa's been kind of different lately." Thursday frowned in thought.
"In what way?" Toshiro questioned carefully. Difference in attitude usually meant influence from the Heartless or Nobodies.
"Oh, nothing bad, he's actually been more relaxed than before. He's just not as driven for the treasure as before, he just wants to be part of the action when it happens, that's it."
"I'm guessing you were all hoping he would become Pirate King?" The conversation was interesting, a lure like One Piece would make people easy prey for the darkness, but the heat was starting to bother him.
"He'll still fight for it, but I don't think he would mind horribly if our ally Captain got it instead." Dextra replied. She paused, noticing he looked uncomfortable. "Are you okay?"
"It's kind of hot." He said, his breath starting to come short as he felt the onset of overheating.
"Eh? Not really…" Heinrich said with a frown. It was starting to warm up, sure, but it got much hotter later the longer they stayed under. Eventually they'd go up because Bepo would complain, but it was too soon even for that. "It'll get warmer. Take off the big coat, maybe that will help."
Toshiro thought about it, before deciding he shouldn't. His scar would raise some uncomfortable questions he didn't want to answer…but damn this heat was stifling. He was cut off from water inside the metal confines, he would waste energy trying to cool the place off. Plus, his sensitivity to heat had increased after becoming a Nobody, where his element was now his being, otherwise this might be more bearable.
"It's late anyway, why don't we all go to sleep for now, we'll probably surface later when the adults get tired and it'll cool back off." Thursday added, laying out on her own bed and removing the suit so she was in a tank top and shorts.
The others agreed, stripping down to their nightwear as well. Toshiro waited until they put out the light before removing his coat, less chance for them to see the scar. Removing the black leather helped with the heat, but he knew it would just get worse again the longer they stayed submerged. Going on a submarine was a horrible idea.
He didn't sleep of course, as he didn't feel comfortable. Sleep was where he became the most unpredictable with his powers. He'd almost killed his grandmother that way, and now as a Nobody with new powers and a lingering ache of a void gnawing at his mind he worried what he might do to these children. He couldn't sleep in this heat anyways, and neither could he sleep with someone watching him. Dextra was watching him, worried for how sweaty he was, how he panted and looked tired, perhaps even showing signs of a fever. And that scar…she thought the one across her face was bad, she was surprised he had his arm with the scar he bore.
He felt dizzy now, mouth dry. He stopped sweating, his body refusing to lose more water, and he found it ridiculous he was reacting this way when he wasn't even in a desert type area. The close metal quarters seemed to just intensify the heat, and as his vision got blurry he knew he was reaching a dangerous point. He would have to give a bit more if he didn't want to have a heat stroke or possibly even overheat to a fatal extent on this damn ship.
Shakily he got to his feet, vaguely noticing Dextra stir as well at his movement. He moved towards the door with the intention of finding their crew's doctor, which if he remembered right they said was also their Captain. Toshiro was reluctant to give that clever pirate too much information, but if he didn't at this point he could be in serious trouble, and that wasn't worth keeping a secret for.
Unfortunately, he didn't even make it past the door, collapsing to the ground as a wave of dizziness hit him hard.