OKAY!! Here is a question that my only reviewer, Saya Minatsuki, has asked me about my story so far:

Saya Minatsuki: Will Kuro Neko have a partner?

Yes, he will. He is going to be a pirate after all, so what's a pirate without partners? If you read Chapter 2, he gains a partner in the same kid who gave him his Cursed Fruit in the first place (check out profile for more info on him)!! In further chapters, his crew will start up and gain new members

Now on to the story! (I will be using the term Cursed Fruit mostly, but the term Devil Fruit will pop up occasionally)

Chapter 3: Tragedy and Truth

Windy Village in the East Blue, 4 years later

"One thousand four hundred thirty two! One thousand four hundred thirty three!"

Kuro Neko and Jarred were standing out in a meadow, the same meadow their hideout was located. It had been four years since they both ate different version of the Cat Cat Fruit. They've been training to control their new powers and have been successful in doing so.

Kuro Neko was walking on this hands in hybrid form, carrying a twenty pound weight in his mouth. He was sixteen now and was wearing a black shirt and pants. His shoes lay forgotten in the grass beside Jarred's shoes and jacket.

Jarred was practicing his swordsmanship. He decided to be the swordsman of the crew and is currently working his way to using three swords, like the pirate hunter Zolo. He was twelve now, being fours years younger than Kuro Neko, and was wearing a gray undershirt and black pants.

"One thousand four hundred forty one! One thousand four hundred forty two!" panted Kuro Neko, counting the number of hand-steps he could take. "One thousand four hundred forty—"

Kuro Neko finally fell over, the weight dropping into the grass with a clunk. He and Jarred have been training all afternoon in their hybrid forms. About a year ago, his foster mother suggested that he start training to gain control of his Cursed Fruit's powers. Kuro Neko eventually dragged Jarred into it and for the past year, all they've done is eat, sleep and train continuously.

"Geez dude, that's weak!" laughed Jarred in his jaguar hybrid form. "I can do at least two thousand of those and not break a sweat!"

"Yeah right!" panted Kuro Neko in his panther hybrid form. "I've seen you break a sweat at barely two hundred, you liar!"

"Okay, so I lied. Sue me!" Jarred joked as he transformed back to a full human.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind." Kuro Neko panted, transforming back to a human too.

Both boys had changed in the past four years. Kuro Neko tanned his skin a little and Jarred got a scar on his left cheek from Mrs. Ellen's cat, Bongo.

"Boys, dinner time!" called Kuro Neko's foster mother. She had gotten older and had a stroke three months ago. Her hair has become slightly gray and her skin got wrinkles.

"Come on, let's eat! Race you there!" Kuro Neko cried, turning into a full panther and running towards the house. Jarred went full jaguar and followed him.

It had become a habit of theirs to race to dinner in full beast forms. Jarred's father passed away two years previous and now lives with Kuro Neko. The two boys bicker and tease one another but both have separate rooms so they don't kill each other.

As always, Kuro Neko won the race and got first choices at dinner. It was what they began to wager six months ago and it was still in effect. After grabbing their food, the duo retreated to the table and waited for their foster mother. They had to pray before dinner every night for good luck. It was something in her culture in her homeland, Moonrise Island.

"Thank you Midnight, lord of the night, for all your good blessings. We thank you for keeping us safe at night and deterring enemies from our homes at night. Bless the beasts of the night that live in harmony with us and bless the beasts that live to devour us for our disobedience to you. In Midnight's name we pray, amen." The old woman said.

"Amen!" both boys said.

The three ate their food in silence. It was a ritual on Moonrise Island to eat in silence and listen to the beasts of the night. Kuro Neko and Jarred both listened quietly, knowing even the slightest peep would ensure Midnight's wrath. If a noise was made at dinner after the prayer besides the sound of dinner utensils, a storm would hide the sun for two days straight. Both boys had seen this happen two years ago and didn't want it to happen again. This was Windy Village's law: After prayer, make no sound except eating and utensils being used.

After dinner, the boys retreated up to their rooms for bed. "Night, mother!" they called.

"Night, boys!" the old woman called back. She sat on the green velvet chair and started to sew. Something was going to happen tonight and she wanted to be awake to see it.

Back at the village, 9:00 pm

A large ship was docked quietly as the men snuck into the village. They were bandits and they were here to steal some money and valuables. These men started coming in the dead of night over a year ago and have been unstoppable so far. Even the Marines haven't been able to locate them, so there was no stopping them… yet.

A group of bandits headed towards the house Kuro Neko lived in. Noticing the light was on, they quietly snuck around the back and slipped into the house. One headed towards the stairs while the others spread out.

The one headed towards the stairs noticed the old woman. Not trusting in luck, he crept towards her with a knife in his hand. These bandits were cutthroats and have killed some villagers in the past. This guy was planning on killing her, but he wasn't planning on encountering two young Devil Fruit eaters in this house who were very protective of her.

Just as the man was closing in on her, the sound of claws on wood caught his attention. "Probably just some dog…" he mumbled quietly, trying to reassure himself. The creaking got louder. "A very big dog…" The creaking was coming down the stairs now!

The bandit ran forward and raised his knife. The old woman gasped in surprise as the man got ready to kill her. "Now die!!" he yelled, only to hear something heavy running right at him. "What the—holy cow!!"

A large jaguar rammed into the bandit, throwing across the room. Jarred and Kuro Neko had both woken up to the sound of footsteps that were unfamiliar to them. Splitting up, they came down to investigate the odd noise. Kuro Neko was in the kitchen at the moment while Jarred came to the living room, worried for their foster mother.

Two more bandits came in and attacked him. Jarred easily beat them but didn't kill them. He'd hand them over to the Navy so they could finally catch these guys. One of the bandits raised a gun and fired, hitting their foster mother.

Kuro Neko raced into the room, blood dripping from his black fur. Upon seeing his foster mother getting shot, the panther killed than man with a bite to the neck, killing him instantly. Jarred chased the others away and killed anyone who dared stay behind.

Kuro Neko padded over to his foster mother, who lay sprawled on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Both boys turned into humans and kneeled by their dying mother, crying. "Mom, don't die. Please don't die." Kuro Neko whimpered, burying his face into her dress. "We need you, mom. You can't go, please don't go."

Jarred ran towards Doctor's house. After explaining what happened, the jaguar raced up the bell tower and roared, waking everyone up. Doctor ran to their house and kneeled by their dying mother.

"It's alright? Is she gonna be okay, Doctor?" sniffled Kuro Neko.

"I'm afraid not, son." Doctor said sadly. "She was shot through the heart. She'll die in a few hours. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do."

"You have to do something, Doc!" cried Jarred. "You have to! What'll happen to us? What?!"

"I don't know," Doctor said. "You'll both probably be put in the Carla Boy's Home until someone adopts you."

"No!" yelled Kuro Neko. "Mom can't die! I'm not gonna go in a boy's home, forget it! I'm gonna be a pirate! Mom has to live until then, until I become King of the Pirates! She has to!"

"I'm sorry," whispered their foster mother. "Doctor, can I be alone with the boys? I have something I must tell them."

"Of course," Doctor said, getting up and leaving the room.

"Mom, what is it?" said Jarred. "What'd you want to tell us?"

"Kuro Neko, your parents didn't die in a war. They were executed for being pirates."

"What?" asked Kuro Neko. "My parents… were pirates?"

The old woman nodded. "Yes. In fact, they were the King and Queen of the Pirates. Your parents were Gold and Willow Roger, keepers of the One Piece."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" demanded Kuro Neko.

"Because," The old woman coughed a little, and then continued. "Because then, the Marines might target you. No one knows Gold Roger had a son, only me."

"You're the son of the King and Queen of the Pirates?" said Jarred. "That means I'm sailing with royalty. Yoohoo!"

"They'll find out soon. You'll get a little bounty at first, but after they realize your identity, your bounty will get higher and higher with every person you beat." The old woman said, coughing up a little bit of blood. "You are going to be a pirate, right? Carry on your parents' legacy. Become a legendary pirate, and then I'll know I've done a good job in raising you after I pass on."

"Mom, stop talking like that! You're not gonna die, you have to be there when I set off to be a pirate!" cried Kuro Neko.

"Remember those two stars that always shine right above our house?" asked the old woman.

"Yeah, what about them?" sniffled Jarred, wiping tears away with his sleeve.

"They are the spirits of your parents, Kuro Neko." She said. "And after tonight, a third star will join them. Pray to them always, Kuro Neko, for we will be watching over you. Wherever you are, those stars will always be there to guide you through the darkest of nights."

"Mom," whimpered Kuro Neko.

"Thank you for everything, mom," Jarred whimpered, fresh tears sliding down his cheeks. "We'll never forget you, ever!"

After about an hour, Doctor came in and confirmed that she was dead. The boys stayed at Doctor's house that night, mourning their mother. The next day, her burial happened. The entire village mourned for the loss of the old woman who had managed to keep the village from falling apart after the Pirate King and Queen's deaths, when business went down and the village was nearly abandoned altogether.

A strange song filled the air from an unknown place. Kuro Neko recognized the beautiful voice singing: it was his mother! Her spirit was standing in front of the grave, singing a village song of winter.

Weeping now, the autumn visage;

Eyes of bronze, now dim and cold;

Flinging down its golden foliage,

Once so colorful and bold.

"Mom," whispered Kuro Neko. His golden eyes were locked on the silvery figure that was his dead mother, now singing with that beautiful voice he had heard so many times before when he was little.

Gone, the leaves without a trace,

Autumn's hues have been erased,

Barren branch and windswept face;

All are gone. Now the winter,

Now the winter takes its place.

Gone.

The villagers were looking around for the source of the music. They couldn't see the ghost of Willow Roger, only Kuro Neko could. Jarred realized this and looked, but he couldn't see her. "Kuro Neko?" he whispered, looking at the older boy, who was frozen to the spot and staring at the grave of their foster mother.

Did you hear the winter coming?

Do you fear its icy hand?

Fingers reaching out and numbing

Tree and hill and grassy land.

The other people realized they couldn't see her. Some of the women sung along but nothing matched the beautiful voice of Willow Roger. Some of the younger children hummed the tune and soon enough, the entire village was joining in on the song.

Gone, the leaves without a trace,

Autumn's hues have been erased,

Barren branch and windswept face;

All are gone. Now the winter,

Now the winter takes its place.

Now the men joined in. Kuro Neko and Jarred both started to sing the song now. Even a few Marine soldiers that attended the funeral joined in. Everyone was singing now, all thanks to a lone spirit saying goodbye to a friend through song.

Death of blade and frozen night;

End of amber glowing leaves,

Covered now in winter white;

Autumn goes to bed and grieves,

And grieves!

Now the song was nearly done. Kuro Neko wishes it could have lasted longer but knew it had to come to an end sometime. He hadn't taken a breath since the song had started, and he guessed no one else had either. But it felt like they didn't need to breathe right now, and they didn't know why. They just kept singing.

Gone, the leaves without a trace,

Autumn's hues have been erased,

Barren branch and windswept face;

All are gone. Now the winter,

Now the winter takes its place.

Only one more. Then he could breathe again. He hoped mother would stay so he could talk to her. He really hoped she would stay.

Gone, gone, gone,

The leaves without a trace,

Autumn's hues have been erased,

Barren branch and windswept face;

All are gone. Now the winter,

Now the winter takes its place.

Gone, gone, gone.

The village could breathe again. Just as quickly as the music started, it had ended just like that. Kuro Neko gasped as his mother vanished. "Mother!" he cried, reaching out a hand for his mom's spirit. She just looked at him and smiled, and then she vanished.

The villagers were leaving, none taking notice of Kuro Neko's cry. Jarred walked over to the sixteen year old, glancing at the grave. He'd been acting more mature than Kuro Neko, even if he's younger by four years. "Kuro Neko," he asked. "Are you okay?"

"Didn't you see her?"

Jarred blinked in confusion. "See who?"

"My mom, my real mom. Willow Roger," Kuro Neko sobbed.

"No, I didn't see her. But I believe you about her," Jarred said. "How else could that song pop up and all the villagers start singing like that?"

Kuro Neko chuckled and wiped the tears away. "Guess you're right."

Jarred looked towards the grave and saw something glittering in the grass. "Hey, what are those?"

"What?" asked Kuro Neko. The two boys got up and walked over to the grave. They gaped at what they saw.

A bouquet of freshly picked silver roses was lying on the grave. No one had placed roses on the grave, someone had to have seen them. Next to the flowers were eight golden rings that could fit around a wrist.

"Mom must have put them here." Kuro Neko said, reaching down and retrieving a note from the flowers. "It says 'To my son and his friend: These rings are for you boys. Six for my son and two for Jarred. I left these flowers for my friend, since she took such good care of you. I know you're planning on becoming pirates, but here's a suggestion: wait 6 years and many people will with to join you. Good luck on your journey! –Willow Roger'"

"Six years? Why wait that long?!" whined Jarred.

"Well, I'll wait. I'll follow my mother's suggestion, plus it gives us more training time!" said Kuro Neko cheerfully. He got up and walked towards the exit of the cemetery.

"Oh, fine! I'll stay with you," muttered Jarred, following him. "You'll still need me and we still need a crew name and ship."

"We'll figure that all out later!" laughed Kuro Neko.

"You said that four years ago!" argued Jarred.

Both boys burst out laughing as they exited the cemetery and headed for their foster mother's house. They had decided on staying there and getting regular check-ins by Doctor. As they were leaving, a third star appeared above their house. Their foster mother was right, now she would be watching over him alongside his parents. They would always be there to watch the boys, and nothing would stop them.

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Well, how was Chapter 3? Good, I hope. Really hope I get more reviewers soon but I'm glad I got a review from Saya. Thanks, I'm having fun writing this and am glad you enjoy it. The song Willow was singing is "Now The Winter" a song we learned in choir in eighth grade. Next time, Kuro Neko and Jarred set off on their journey to gather crew mates. See you next time, guys!