Chapter 4
…
"Without pain, you are likely going the wrong way."
- Terry Goodkind
…
The Story of Portgas D. Rouge
The Story of Gol D. Ann
…
With all her being, she has always despised the colour red.
It was the colour that her mother had coughed out before she eventually died. It was the colour that pushed her to commit her life to red. It was the colour she always sees before each surgery is declared a failure.
It was the colour she saw in her last moments, spreading out like a blossoming red rose.
She hated red.
The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes again was something vaguely red.
With silky textures wrapped around her in a protective embrace, she understood at once. And even though she wanted to throw a fit until red comes blossoming out of her, she restrained herself – if only because of that doctor's reasoning in her; It would endanger her mother.
Nevertheless, it did not stop her hatred of red.
When she was reborn, the first colour she saw was again, red.
The red was like a string of red beads, moving around her almost as if they were suspended by some invisible objects. Growing irritated at the colour, her vision turned red as her eyes grew heated. The red coalesced.
Thinking that it is her imagination, she continued glaring at it. Then, for the first time since she left her mother's womb, the nurse finally turned away from a conversation with her mother towards her.
She jumped, almost dropping her.
"What is this-?!" Her nurse yelled. Something dropped with a clatter.
She blinked, and in that instance, the red fell from mid-air, painting the table with its colour.
Her red eyes widened.
Before she knew it, that red was already dictating her life here as well.
…
They decided to build a house for Sabo.
As she thought, the forest is no place for a six year old to be living in. Summer, autumn, spring and especially winter. There are animals prowling constantly. It is simply too tough a place to live without a shelter over his head.
Initially, when they sprung it up on said boy, Sabo had reacted every bit as modestly as any noble would.
"A-A-A house?!" He spat out his drink.
"Yeah. Ann and I thought you would need one since you can't come to Dadan's with us." Ace hopped over the puddle of water to sit on a rock. "But don't expect us to do everything. You're required to help."
"E-Eh? A house, for me?" Sabo stuttered. She could see swirls of shock and confusion in his eyes.
"You're still stuck on that?" Ace muttered irritably.
"But I do not want to trouble both of you!" Sabo yelled in protest. "And besides, I'm perfectly fine living the way we are right now!" Those words strongly contrasted with his muddied jacket and too messy hair.
The twins stared at him in slight disgust.
"You're fine with it?" Ace echoed her thoughts.
Sabo continued with his line of arguments.
"I've gotten a lot stronger since the beginning – And rather than spending time on building, I'd rather we play together! So there's no need to waste our time on such a thing-"
Ace aimed a nice kick at him. Stunned, Sabo fell to the ground without struggle.
"You…Shut up now." Ace growled.
Sabo flinched.
…As expected, he still had not gotten over his fear from their second meeting.
Ann unfolded her arms as she watched the scene unfold.
She cannot exactly say that she disagrees with Ace's actions.
Sabo has always been contradicting in that manner; He always tries to help out whenever he could, yet he never tries to accept anything they give him, always claiming that he's enough trouble.
Perhaps it is his upbringing at work here. It appears that 'friendships' in the terms of nobility are simply a synonym for the give-and-take relationship.
She understands. Really, she does. But to have their relationship be thought of in such a manner…Somehow, it stings just a bit.
For Ace, it must be the same.
Ace looked up, the shadow on his face leaving to reveal an infuriated expression.
"We said we will build it for you, so we will build it!" Ace shouted forcefully. "You're so annoying! When will you stop being so stupid?!"
Ann blinked, surprised by the outbreak.
Well, at least, it seems like Ace is opening up to Sabo.
The blond child was stunned as Ace stood up, leaving him with a long line of muttered curses.
Ann frowned.
Sabo really does look confused.
She approached him as he lowered his head to the ground, looking contemplative of Ace's words. Squatting down beside him, she patted his shoulder lightly.
Sabo looked up.
"I don't really understand what I did wrong, but I'm so sorry-"
How annoying.
Her eye twitched.
Slapping a hand over his lips, she stared blankly at him to convey her frustration.
"…Eh?" He cocked his head. "Why?"
Ann took a moment to ponder about how to convey it.
There was a glint of light, and she swiftly pointed to the source of it.
"My goggles? The goggles you guys got for me? What about it?" Sabo blinked three times in succession.
…He doesn't understand, does he?
She sighed, standing back up to follow Ace.
Communication is forbidden, so she might as well give up on it. One of these days, Ace would definitely resolve this issue for both of them though. Then, perhaps, they would no longer have to deal with that annoying habit of Sabo's.
"Goggles…" Sabo touched the blue metal frame thoughtfully. "Goggles…"
His mind flashed back to the time he received them and suddenly, he understood.
"Goggles! It's goggles!" He shouted, charging after them out of nowhere.
Ann sweatdropped while Ace deadpanned.
"Did he finally hit his head one too many times?"
"I get it, Ann!" Sabo yelled, bouncing up to them. "Thank you! Thank you so much for wanting to help me! And sorry for not letting you help me!"
He practically looks like a golden retriever puppy with shining eyes and blond locks.
The twins exchanged a quick glance and nodded, returning their attention to the noble child.
"-You're annoying." Ace's choice of words had her facepalming. "Stop being so overexcited and help us with your house."
"Okay!" Sabo followed him, giving her a thumbs-up and a wink.
"Oi. Do that again at my sister and I'll kill you, Sabo."
"Eh?! It's just a friendly action! You're too possessive over her, you sis-con."
"I don't understand that word, but somehow, I'm getting the urge to murder someone."
Sabo cringed in terror.
"I'm sorry. I went too far with that."
"Good. Now, I know that word means something bad."
Ann hid a smile at their antics and headed in a separate direction. Now, what should she cook for dinner?
…
The moment Sabo finished his dinner and laid down, he fell asleep immediately.
"So fast!" Ace exclaimed.
Ann only sweatdropped and extracted one of their blankets from their bags. Unsurprisingly, Ace took it from her hands and covered Sabo with it.
"Tch. So troublesome…" He grunted, sitting back on the ground.
Ace is a good older brother despite everything. He pays heed to their needs, trying his best to be their shield from all dangers. Although it may not be obvious, it was at times like these when either of them was asleep that it became most prominent.
To think that this Ace is the same one that left Luffy to be injured by one of the forest animals…In that sense, Ann likes to think that her existence made a positive impact on Ace.
A loud snore broke her trend of thoughts.
"And he snores loud, too." Ace added, disgruntled.
Ann allowed a faint smile onto her lips as she leaned into Ace. As usual, he feels warm.
"How are you faring though, Ann?" Ace asked.
Noticing her stare, his eyes danced around briefly, thinking of a way to better phrase his words.
"With Sabo here and all…I can't really pay as much attention to you as before. It's kinda like suddenly having a younger brother, right?" He looked hesitant in his choice of words. "So…I just want to know if you're having troubles…"
…Somehow, she had the feeling that Magra put him up to this.
The chicken haired mountain bandit is always worrying too much. He must have mentioned something about this to Ace.
Blinking up at him, she lifted her hands to his face and pushed up either sides of his lips.
"Eh?" Ace mumbled around her action. "You're feeling happy?"
She nodded before shaking her head and pointed at him.
"You're feeling happy, but…'How about me'?" Ace suggested and she nodded.
Her hands fell from his face in favour of snuggling deeper into her blanket.
"I'm fine. Even though I say those things about Sabo…To be honest…It kinda makes me feel happy to be needed…" He whispered the last part into a palm, his cheeks reddening.
Ann pretended not to have heard it and leaned in closer with a questioning look.
"I-I mean-! I'm fine, that's all!" Ace stuttered, flustered at his own thoughts.
She smiled and stared at the fire.
How nice.
In her past life, she never had any siblings, so she never knew the joy of having them.
To think that it is this fun being taken care of, and taking care of others…It kind of makes her pity her past life without any siblings. Those dark times back at the brothel…It feels like such a short time in comparison to the blissfulness of these days.
"Ann…I'm stupid." The sudden statement made her stare at him blankly. "Don't give me that look! I'm not stupid! …Though I am…but then again…"
Six year old kids are complicated, aren't they?
"You remember our conversation about my dream? How I'm going to become a pirate and all…" He stated thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about it…And after thinking for so long, I feel that it's stupid afterall."
…What?
Ann blinked in confusion.
He looked over to her, brown eyes reflecting the redness of the flames – the red of the flames that would very soon be his in the future.
"Ann." He said seriously. "I want to be a pirate in the future, with or without you. And even though it means having to separate from you, I want these days to continue forever."
It's like hearing her thoughts from a recorder.
Ann nodded for him to continue.
"I can't have one without giving up another, so instead, I'll keep both with me for as long as I can." He said determinedly. "Rather than wasting my time thinking and being half-assed, I'll live my best with you before going out to seas. Like this, I won't let even a second slip by and I get to get the most of both! It's the best solution!"
He nodded firmly to himself, entrenched deep in his thoughts.
Ann stared.
…Sometimes, she forgets that these are six year olds instead of adults.
They think much more than she ever did at that age, and they think so simply that they found the solution quickly. Or are Sabo and Ace just geniuses?
Somehow, she does not doubt that.
"…Ah!" Ace flushed. He looked away with a scowl, face reddening more. "You totally didn't see me get excited about that, okay?"
She paused, surprised by interruption. In a contrast with his words and normal demeanour, Ace looked perfectly childlike with his embarrassment.
She chuckled into her hand.
It's a bit funny how Ace changed in the blink of an eye.
"…What? I'm serious."
She nodded indulgently.
"Oi. Respect your elders, Ann!"
…
Her parents died and she was passed on to a distant relative.
Under the care of that distant relative, she was locked in the basement for her entire life. She supposes she did not mind the treatment so much. There were books in the basement, and her meals were delicious. She did not mind being locked up for the safety of others.
In that tiny basement, she learnt lots.
She learnt that 90% of her new world was filled with water, with the exception of several renowned areas such as the red line and some islands. She learnt how to navigate, if only through normal seas like the four blues. She learnt about the tension between pirates and marines.
She learnt about devil fruits, as well as how her powers were very likely to originate from a devil fruit.
She learnt that she is strange, and a danger to everyone.
And she learnt that this world is the one known as One Piece in her world – that manga her cousin was always so fond of reading.
Nothing matters so much as that. Not marines, not pirates, not anything…
She is not a fan of One Piece. As a doctor, she rarely has time to spend on such triviality. Most of her time is spent on avoiding red, and when that is not the case, she broods about the frailness of life.
However, there was just one character which she remembered from her vague memory, and that was a minor character barely showcased.
She was a gentle person with a heart as strong as her flowing strawberry blond hair is beautiful.
She shared the same name as herself in her past life –
- Rouge.
…
Was it her imagination or something else?
Ann woke up gasping at how her dream ended, feeling unnaturally uneasy over it.
Why was her head conjuring such weird thoughts now? For the past few days, these weird dreams have been endless, continuously playing out the story of another reincarnated person – now identified as Rouge. But…That's just a dream, isn't it?
She touched her face and her brows furrowed at the traces of tears.
This had been happening too. Every time she had those dreams, the tears would trickle out without notice.
Why does she feel so emotional about it? And are those dreams reality?
She did not understand.
"If it's a girl, it's Ann…If it is a boy, it's Ace…That's what he decided." Rouge smiled down at them.
Ann nodded to herself.
It must be a dream.
Afterall, how can such an emotionless woman be that same gentle Rouge?
Sabo stuck his head into the cave.
"Ann, you're awake! We're going to Grey Terminal to gather some materials now, so can you look after the place?" His grin quickly faded when he noticed her tears. "W-Woah! Why are you crying?!"
Ann cringed. He's too loud.
There was the sound of something dropping outside the cave before Ace raced in to assault her.
"What happened?! Who made you cry, Ann?!" He growled.
She sweatdropped and shook her head warily, faking a yawn.
"…I see." Ace kicked Sabo.
"Ouch! What was that for?" The noble winced.
"You misunderstood, you idiot."
"Hey! There's no need to call me an idiot because of that, right?!"
"Idiots are idiots."
She shook her head as another bickering broke out. Really, sometimes, she wished that they would just cool their heads down and learn to fight less.
The two boys suddenly jolted, shuddering in perfect harmony.
"For some reason, I felt cold all of a sudden." Ace muttered.
"Me too." Sabo echoed.
What do you know? Miracles do happen.
Amused at the scene, she rubbed her eyes, feeling oddly refreshed for a new day.
…
Ah…How many times have she looked into the mirror and wondered about her fate?
Every time Rogue sees her reflection of strawberry blond hair and fiery brown eyes, she could only think about Rouge. Not herself, but the Rouge whose place was taken by her.
In One Piece, Rouge was a gentle woman with compassionate and strong eyes. She was drawn to an adventurous man named Gold Roger despite their circumstances, and she withheld her pregnancy for eleven months to prevent her child from getting killed. In short, that Rouge was both a good and a strong person.
However, she had neither good nor strong.
She hates red with a passion, would kick a puppy if it logically benefits her, and she would back away if it was to prolong her own survival.
Rouge was sure she could not carry out any of the things the other Rouge would do. In fact, if made to do so, she would rather die by her own hands.
A future already decided for her by a book and a show…Why should she live and suffer for the sake of maintaining a stable world when she could just die, ignorant of the effects of her death?
People might call her selfish, but she did not care.
She just wanted to live and be normal, without seeing red.
Ironically, her very own powers originate from red.
Red was the source of her frustration and anger, which strengthens her unnatural ability to control the movement of blood. Though…
"You don't have to worry about getting hurt." Rouge told the frightened servant blankly. "I can't control any blood as long as it remains in your body, so stop shifting around already."
"B-But…" Her face remained as pale as could be.
Rouge sighed.
People overestimate her powers too much.
At the age of ten, she could hardly control the blood's movements despite everything. She has always hated red, so she refrained from bleeding as much as possible, which minimise all occasions of training her powers.
It does react to her strong desires – in particular, negative feelings – but other than that, she had no plans of using it anytime soon.
However, even without plans, just having her powers changed everything.
Months later, she found herself in a house full of flames, surrounded by the red which she so hated. Blood of the servants and her relatives painted the old mansion. Surrounding her, the villagers and that servant from before looked angered, tossing flames onto her shelter.
"You monster!"
"How could anyone be able to control blood?!"
"Why do you exist?!"
More red flames they tossed, ruining the one sanctuary that was her entire world thus far.
"You should just die!"
"You're a manifestation of a devil fruit, aren't you?!"
"Kill her before the demon hurts us!"
Humans are fragile, really, she thought numbly.
In both her world and this one, humans are so easily influenced by the things around them. They seek to eradicate, to dominate, to love, to hate.
She thought she escaped reality by surrounding herself in the four walls of that room, but even in One Piece, reality is never nice. Before she knew it, those four walls were burnt down to pieces, leaving a numbed doctor with an unnatural hatred of red to face the world.
Rouge stared at their angered faces and squeezed her eyes shut.
Why does it hurt?
She is a cruel person, someone who would kick a puppy if it benefits her. She is selfish and inhumane.
Why can't she be as nonchalant as she always pretends to be?
Just like those times she walked out of a failed surgery without hesitation…Just like those times when she spoke the words to the patient's family, emotionless even in face of their emotional breakdowns…
Why does she care?
She has never met these people, being locked up in her basement throughout her short life. The faces of the villagers were unfamiliar, cold shadows of the ones she imagined. They were cruel, just like herself, pelting the house down with rocks and flames.
She should not care. She should be indifferent, just as she always has been. Just as she always pretended to be.
But still…Why does she long for these people's acceptance?
…In the end, she is still one of them, isn't she?
An irrational human being, weak in face of everything.
For some reason, tears of sorrow slid down her cheeks.
In that moment, shouts resounded.
Her eyes snapped opened, stunned by the yells for mercy, and the sight she saw before her froze her world and punctured her layers of logic.
Before her, the powers she never sought to control took control of itself.
Her world became painted in the red she so hated as the gathered blood from her relatives and servants pooled together. They attacked the villagers, seeping the blood from them before using it to attack their comrades.
It was a demon, Rouge thought in that heart stopping moment.
Her powers…It had a life of its own, and it was a demon.
"S-Stop!" The rational Rouge lost her logical thinking for once. "What are you doing?! Stop! I order you to stop!"
"The demon is attacking us!"
"Someone, help!"
"Evacuate the children and women!"
"Stop it! Please! Stop attacking them! I'm not angry!" She exclaimed.
The blood continued its ceaseless attacks.
Some time in between the start and the end, the first tears started falling from the heavens. Her tears of helplessness mixed with the water, which continued its way down to mix with the blood.
"Stop…please…" She hoarsely cried as she stumbled through the now desolate village. "I never asked for this…Please stop…"
There was a child before her, an innocent newborn held in the arms of its deceased mother.
Her eyes widened as the red slid up to them, disobeying her wishes.
"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"
She yelled.
The red demon stopped, for the first time since the carnage started, and it fell to the ground in a large pool of coalesced red.
The infant shifted and it cried.
Is this a punishment for not being able to save all her patients? Is this a retribution from those villagers? Simply because they know dying hurts her more than living?
She grasped the infant with shaky hands as tears of blood fell from her eyes.
Opening its mouth, the infant cried more.
"I'm so sorry…" She choked. "I'm so sorry…"
…
Why was she remembering that dream at such a time? Why…
"I see that you're awake, girl."
…Why does she feel like her body isn't her own?
Her eyes feel unnaturally cool even while being closed. When they opened, she found herself tied against a pole, staring into the faces of five large bandits.
She strained herself to recall what had happened.
Ace and Sabo had gone off to Grey Terminal. She had seen them off, and just as she was returning back to Sabo's half finished house…Something had hit her in the back.
Geez. How could she have been so careless? If she hadn't let her guard down, if she had tried her hardest, she would have been able to defeat them.
She glared at the men, wondering about their whereabouts.
They were in an old shed which was barely furnished. In the distance, she could hear the crashing of waves and it sounded close, so they must be near the edge of the island.
Sabo and Ace probably wouldn't be able to find her at this distance. That means she can only rely on herself.
"What's with that look, girly?" She cringed as her chin was roughly grabbed.
The man shoved his face into hers, scowling as she glared harder.
Ann had seen aplenty of his type back at the brothel. They would abuse the prostitutes, hitting them to the brink of death. Even if the women weren't close to her, she could not help but sympathize with them after seeing their injuries. She dare say that this type of men was the one she despised most.
"Impudent brat." He slapped her.
Her head was thrown downwards.
Staring at her bounded hands, her world flickered blue and she found herself wondering about the coolness in her eyes again.
Why does it feel so cooling? And why does her body feel so unfamiliar?
…her vision turned red as her eyes grew heated. The red begun to coalesce...
Her eyes widened marginally.
No. No no no…
That is just a dream. It cannot be happening. It's not true afterall. That can't be happening.
Before her, the powers she never sought to control took control of itself.
Her world became painted in the red she so hated as the gathered blood from her relatives and servants pooled together. They attacked the villagers, seeping the blood from them before using it to attack their comrades.
It was a demon, Rouge thought in that heart stopping moment.
Her powers…It had a life of its own, and it was a demon.
The memory sent chills down her spine.
Her hand suddenly moved without her command and a flicker of memory flashed before her eyes. She saw Rouge, heartbroken, fragile, strong Rouge, crying over a tiny infant in a field painted with her terrifying red.
N-No.
She narrowed her eyes at her hand, willing it to stop.
She won't let it repeat.
She won't let the tragedy happen to her, not after seeing Rouge's tragedy.
Something battled her on the inside – something which she suspected was the same demon which controlled Rouge's red – and she responded by squeezing her eyes shut, hoping against everything that the coolness in her eyes would vanish.
The men remained oblivious to her internal battles to save herself, as well as them.
"Boss, please stop that! You'll damage the goods!" Another man cried.
"Huh? She's my good for now, so who cares if she's damaged or not?" He grinned. "Besides…You all know how those perverts in the market are like. They don't care if they're damaged or not, all they want is for them to be young."
"Even so, the value of the goods will-!"
"You. Are you giving me an order?" The head of the group narrowed his eyes.
"I…I'm sorry, Boss." The man lowered his head like an animal submitting to his alpha.
"Hmph. If you really want to show your apology, then go and hit the girl." The head grinned ferally. "It'll show that you have changed your mindset, and that you'll mend your ways."
"I-I…" The man stuttered. "…I understand."
The sound of approaching footsteps made her open her eyes just a little.
The man stopped before her, staring down at her almost apologetically.
No…Ann shook her head slightly at him. If he hits her now, if she loses her focus…The demon would…The demon…
He lifted his hand and he slapped her once.
"Another time." The head of the group commanded ruthlessly.
He lifted his feet this time and kicked her head.
"Another."
Kick.
"Another."
Punch.
Her head was spinning. The world felt numb.
Ann wondered if this was how Luffy felt when he was hit with a spiked glove. To have the truth battling within himself and the pain inflicted on him…
Her head throbbed.
Something was battling in her to come out.
…Why is she protecting them anyways? These people were the ones hurting her. Isn't it fine that she had tried?
With that thought, Ann knew her brief moment of weakness had made her lose to the demon. Her control was relinquished.
Her eyes opened, not by her own command, and her head moved.
Narrowly, she had dodged a kick from the man.
There was a moment's pause as the men looked down, stunned at her agile movement. The demon lowered her head to stare at the rope bounding her – Ann wondered what she was doing – and something changed.
It was like focusing on two objects, namely, her clothes and the rope, and switching a common property between both objects.
Her clothes became harder. The rope became softer.
The demon parted her arms and the rope tore as easily as cloth. Her clothes returned to its normal texture after the rope fell.
The demon lifted her head to stare contemplatively at them and Ann felt a twinge of horror when she understood her thoughts.
"W-What happened?" One of the men returned to his senses.
"S-She has a devil fruit…Somebody, tie her back again!"
Don't do it…Ann begged the demon. Anything but another tragedy. Isn't it enough that she has escaped?
The demon looked down and she smiled.
The men felt the threat and turned on their heels.
"Run! Run away from that monster!" The head yelled.
At their speed, the demon caught up to them easily.
Ann yelled in her head, seeing another flash of Rouge's red tragedy. Why had she trained so hard just for this to happen? Why must the demon use her powers for this?
Her hands touched one man, and he became as still as the ground below them. In the mean time, the ground became as soft as human flesh.
The demon laughed as she threw the man down, ignoring Ann's internal sceams, and the man crumbled to pieces, just like rotting wood.
"Run!" The demon caught up to another man.
"Stop it! Please! Stop attacking them! I'm not angry!" Rouge exclaimed.
Ann could hear her own laughter above the frightened yells. It was an unfamiliar voice, a voice she had not heard for over four years. It was an evil voice, tainted with all the happiness of an innocent, innocent, savage child, playing with a toy in the only way it knows how to.
That voice belongs to the demon. That voice belongs to her.
Hearing that voice, Ann found herself unable to blame the demon.
The demon was innocent, simply using its powers for the one thing it has ever known to use it for.
On the other hand, Ann was the one who let it out. She was the one who released the demon out and allowed it to cause destruction. She was the one amongst the two of them who knew better. She was the one at fault.
The men crumbled to pieces, one after another.
"Stop…please…" She hoarsely cried as she stumbled through the now desolate village. "I never asked for this…Please stop…"
Why is this happening?
Ann knew why.
She had been too indulged in her own happiness and she fully forgot about her duty. She was here to protect Ace. She was here to protect Sabo. And for that, she needed to grow stronger.
In the midst of these bright days, she forgot about that. She thought she was fine this way, that she had time to gradually grow stronger. She became like Rouge, ignorant of time's limit until it ran out.
Maybe fate was using this tragedy to teach them a lesson.
Ann gave up trying to stop the demon, simply waiting for the tragedy to end.
There was still one man left, and he was the head of the group.
As the demon took her first steps out of the shed, they saw the ocean close up for the first time.
Unlike those days where Ace and Sabo would bring her to the cliff, they were at sea level, low enough for the sea to wash ashore. Surrounding them were trees and grass. They must be at one of the abandoned docks around the island.
The man's cries were near the sea.
The demon followed his voice out of the forest.
There, the same arrogant man was grovelling at the feet of a group of people, begging for help.
"…A girl?" A man's voice resounded, shocked.
Ann wanted to look up, but the demon simply focused on completing its task. It approached the cowering man, revealing a gentle smile as she neared him.
No…
Even to herself, her mental voice sounded exhausted.
Ann could feel her cooled eyes getting heated as the man's legs gave out, leaving the distance between them strictly shrinking.
"P-Please! Help me!" The man cried once again.
"Hahaha! What are you saying?! How can a little girl like this harm you?" The man from before cheerfully laughed.
"No! You don't understand! This girl…She's-!"
The demon placed a palm on his face gently and kneeled down to touch sand.
Ann could see her reflection in the man's eyes. In his eyes, she found a serene young girl with eerie, glowing blue eyes.
With his eyes forever widened in that image, the man turned to sand and crumbled to the sandy ground, leaving red and peach sand grains against the sandy brown beach.
"Wha-"
"Stand back, Captain!" The man from before was pushed back. "I'll take care of her-"
"Wait! Benn, look a bit closer at her!"
"What are you saying, Shanks?! She's-"
"Just look!"
It burns.
Her eyes…They burn.
As the coolness faded, she felt a familiar heat in her eyes. The tears fell out uncontrollably as she sniffled.
In times like these, she would always love to embrace Ace and Sabo. Just knowing that her two boys were safe, she felt that her existence here had a meaning. She would never mind sinning if it was for them.
Yet…
A tear fell onto her hand.
Her hands were clean, devoid of blood or dirt, yet all she could see was Rouge's much hated red.
She understood now, why Rouge hated red.
She killed someone in order to prolong her existence. She sinned, but it wasn't for Ace or Sabo, but herself.
The red was evidence that she has sinned. It was a mark of death, of life, or the sacrifices given for them.
She could hear voices, and she identified one of those words.
Lifting her head wearily, she found herself staring into the eyes of Shanks.
In his, she saw a crying girl with normal brown eyes, no longer glowing blue like it was a while ago. The innocent demon was finally gone.
Her lips lifted in a bitter smile of self-hatred.
She doesn't feel relieved at all.
Exhaustion took over as her eyes closed.
The sandy beach feels hot against her cheek.
She wants to hug Ace and Sabo. But will they still accept her, if they know what she had done?
…
"It hurts to kill oneself."
- Portgas D. Rouge
…
A/N: For this chapter, I followed the style of One Week Friends manga. For those of you who don't know it, they begin with a chapter title for each four page panel, so there are more idle conversations in this chapter compared to previous chapters. The characters are also more honest. I hope you don't mind me taking a show-not-tell narrative style though.
I'll explain according to the list of order in which the events happened.
If anyone has noticed, Ace is considerably blunter with Sabo and more honest with Ann after a year has gone by. His treatment with Sabo is partially because he became more used to Sabo's enthusiasm, and admittedly, partially because of the influence of One Week Friends. If anyone finds the character transaction strange, please inform me. Being the author, I'm rewrote this many times so I'm not sure if the character change suits the time skip. As for Ann, Ace is more talkative when alone with her due to her 'muteness', and the fact that the two shares a common consensus over Sabo developed after a year. Being honest is an added trait special only to her though, since she couldn't tell anyone about his secrets and because he swore to protect her.
The trio's dynamics turned out a bit like Ace-Sabo-Luffy, with Ann becoming the mature Sabo since she is mentally older compared to the two. Sabo, on the other hand, turned out like Luffy since Ann's presence means that he does not have to keep Ace's recklessness in check. Ace is more brotherly since Ann's natural motherly instinct forces him to take care of Sabo as much as she does, causing him to have a brotherly, rather than best friend, relationship with Sabo.
Although Rouge is a minor character, I have always admired her for her strength. Afterall, it takes great determination to be able to withhold a pregnancy for eleven months. I thought I wanted to have a chapter featuring her, but given the few details OP has given, it isn't really enough to suffice. So I thought 'Why not we make her akin to Ann?' And it turned out like this. I am satisfied with her section despite how dramatic it turned out. Afterall, nothing beats a transaction from being a weak-willed, 'cruel', kind of tsun character, into someone strong and kind like Rouge. I will showcase this in the next several chapters, so I hope nobody minds me distorting Rouge's personality a bit.
Next, superpower. I want the reborn people to have some kind of power, but I didn't want it to get too out of hand either. It had to go hand in hand with OP's superpower, which is the devil fruit, but also be somewhat different. Since there obviously wouldn't be a devil fruit so conveniently found in East Blue, and I want to avoid Ann becoming a second Luffy and stealing unintentionally from pirates, devil fruits are out. For reference, I referred to an OP fic I read long ago, one about gods and goddesses, when I was deciding upon the superpower. In the end, my decision came out with 'Having a devil fruit since birth', which also match my plot for future chapters. Up till here, you should have guessed that the 'demon' is actually the demons so popularly associated with devil fruits. I feel a bit uneasy about it being so close to Bleach though, no offense to Bleach fans out there.
Finally, timeline: The trio are six, Luffy is three. Luffy enters Dadan's household when he's seven, so four more years to go. I intend for this to be Shanks' first visit to Dawn Island, before he has even seen Luffy. Hence, he drops by the wrong docks (a typical mistake for someone Luffy-like) and sees Ann.
That's the end of my long monologue. Hope it helps to explain some of this chapter for you guys.
Reviews:
Dragonlily22, Guest (1): I updated
Isadora8156, Raynisia, Conan in Love: Thank you I hope you liked this chapter as well
Zecrea: I hope you don't mind this dynamics as well. If possible, could you tell me what kind relationship you wish for them to have in the future? I will take your ideas into consideration.
miaandB: Thank you! Please continue to support this fic despite its irregular updates!
chibianimefan26: Fufufu…Me too. What do you think I should make their dynamics be like, with Luffy added?