Chapter 33: I don't own ONE PIECE!

I told it would be soon.

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Tashigi's Heart: Another form of Devil

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A week went past with no incidents. And the terror or excitement that my fellow marines had first had upon their arrival of this island had worn off to be replaced by boredom or laziness. Everyone had become more laid back and relaxed. Smoker was not an exception, taking time out to simple enjoying the art of smoking, the natural fruits of the island, the occasional sun bathing, and petting his new bird that had been named Pyro, (because he was the colour of fire).

I had gotten to know a lot of the crew by name now, and they all seemed to be coping well. But I did wonder how well they would cope once trouble settled down on the island. There was a patrol for the sea, around the shore, and on land, but so far no one had found any clues or sights of any living or dead person.

Everything had been rather uneventful until one of the cooks got sick from a strange bite in the neck. At which everyone had been very worried and had started to pitch in when it came to food preparation and collecting vital items and ingredients. It really goes to show how much food means to men when they go out of their way to help one another to prepare it. And they did work very well together.

Dispite what I said, what Smoker said and another else for that matter, this did feel like a holiday. And it was a very beautiful and appreciated holiday. And although I feel bad for appreciating it, I'm very grateful that all the men I work with spend so much time training their bodies to perfection. It makes a massive difference to how much more time and thought I put into important decisions throughout the day as long as I remain focused and hydrated.

To the North of the island there was a huge cliff face that was the tallest peak. And Rone, the ex-geologist, Varr the troublemaker, Justin the handsome one, Bectos and Casey or (BC) the strong ones, and Haru the youngest were with me and had been surveying the peak all morning maping out the area and looking for any clues as to the missing merchants when we decided to stop for a lunch break. Haru became scarce for a time. Everyone had just assumed he had gone somewhere private to relieve himself, but we didn't expect him to come back to us in a frantic state.

"Ensign Tashigi?!" The younger marine stumbled out from a few bushes behind me, and pointed back the way he had come. "You need to come and see this."

"What is it Haru?"

"You need to bring you're Recording Snail with you." He darted back into the long leaves and I didn't need to signal for the other four to follow me. They were all dead bored and any sort of excitement seemed like a breath of fresh air.

We stumbled back through the undergrowth that was sticky and dirty until we finally came into a clearing. It had a huge tree in the centre of it about forty feet high. It's leaves were long, the colour grey-blue and yet very withered and attached to slim whip like arms. Its trunk was thick and smelt rotten, with a bark that had a strange blue tinge to it.

"Weird!" Varr, the ever loudest, stepped out infront of the group.

"What sort of tree is it?" Haru asked as fast as he could pointing to the tree.

"Sorry, but I've never seen anything like this." Rone shook his head in bewilderment. "This is incredible." He stepped up to it and touched it's bark. "Beautiful."

Bectos, one of the many brilliant in multiple weapons use in the crew, shook his head. "It never ceases to amaze me what someone can find on the grand line."

I have to admit it is incredible. It has an amazing deep blue colour, and a glowing richness to it. "Really Beautiful." I said gazing up into its bows.

"You could probably sell the thing for top money if you could prove that it was a new type of tree." Varr spoke up.

"No it's too unusual. It would never sell." Casey muttered turning his back on the rest of us ready to get back to eating.

"Well I've never seen it before." Justin stepped up to its trunk and brushed his fingers down its bark. "Good find Haru. Haru?"

Everyone turned back to him to see he was as white as a newby's uniform. He simply looked terrified. "Don't you guys see it?"

"See what?" I asked I looked back at the tree. What was wrong with him? What was I supposed to be looking for exactly?

"There's a face…" he whispered out, but then his head seemed to nod back and forth on his shoulders until at last he fell. Bectos rushed forward catching him in time to prevent him from cracking open his scull.

"What the hell was he talking about?"

"Whatever it was, it got him severally spooked out." My hand instinctively rested on Shigure. What had Haru been looking at? He was a sensible guy. He wouldn't kid around for the sake of it like Varr might have.

"Everyone stay on alert." I stepped back away from the tree keeping my eye on the surroundings and set up the Sensor Recording Snail on one of the trees opposite.

Varr rolled his eyes. "Come on. You're not suddenly scared of a little bit of something unusual. This is the grand line people. You should be embarrassed that you're scared of a tree." He patted its bark and as if in answer to his question the ground beneath his feet moved as the roots suddenly shifted letting out a shimmering blue vapour.

Everyone took six paces back from the tree, and Casey took interest in what was going on and came forward. "This looks interesting." He looked glad. "Not just some random pretty tree." He pulled out a small knife and stepped up to the blue wonder and gently cut into it. He was instantly thanked by the tree when he received a faceful of blue gas that had him standing for a few more moments until he too like Haru, fell. Only this time the tree was the one to catch his fall it's roots twisting upwards to hold him.

And then I witnessed something I never thought I'd witness in this so fearless a group. They all screamed. And not without reason for just a second later the ground beneath our very feet began to shake and roots that were once whole and smooth split and looked stretched and leathery releasing the blue vapour that I now knew must have been a poisonous form of gas.

"What sort of hellish tree is this? Do you think it ate absorbed some sort of devil fruit?" Bectos said, rolling away from the splitting roots.

Justin stepped back away from them as well. "A tree would have had to eat the Monster Monster Fruit to look that ugly?"

"Just step away from it quickly and quietly." I said as softly as I could. But it was as if it could understand me because the blue whips from above seemed to reach down and slashed at the ground behind us.

I drew Shigure. There was no way I was going to be beaten to death by a tree.

"Bectos! Take Haru and Get back down the slope!" I sliced away three more roots that reached for my feet and used my free arm to shield my mouth and nose. "Varr, Justin get away from it!"

Varr seemed to have other ideas and pulled out a detonator and threw it into the tree's base where the roots had become unsettled. "What the hell are you doing? I didn't say to do that! I needed to get Casey!"

"He's already dead." An angry Varr looked back at me. "The tree ran a root through his neck." Varr ran past me and squatted behind a tree. "You can thank me later."

Suddenly there came a massive booming sound and with it an almost scream… I was so close to the blast that my ears where humping, and all I could hear in them for a few moments was my own heartbeat. When the dust and mud settled down an ery feeling settled along with it. I could see the tree's blue bark cracked open and I could hear a whistling song escaping from it. It howled around the trees and through their leaves and seemed to resound in my mind. It was like a sickened cry for help, or a scream before death.

Next I saw Bectos running at it with his broad sword. Why was he being so foolish? I tried to stand up and walk, but I could see clearly. Where are my glasses?

"Stop!" I thought I heard myself shouting. "Stop! You don't know what you're doing!" But he kept on hacking away at it. Soon what looked like the tree's blood came pouring out of it. It was purple with white spots in it, and I felt instantly woozy falling to my knees on the ground. I could see my men dropping like flies in the poison air. I pulled off my shirt and wrapped it around my mouth and nose as I reached down to pull away Haru and Justin by the collars' of their shirts.

I am not a Pirate or a ninja, I'm not used to being poisoned. How can I get everyone out of here?

A strange wind blew stronger and a thick mist seemed to settle over us. "What are you?" I spoke absentmindedly into the mist.

"I am…." My eyes opened wide and I looked back to the tree. Something in it's centre was moving.

"WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"I am the Devil Fruit that was never devoured…" a blue root stretched out and stabbed at Bectos.

"STOP IT!" I lifted up Shigure and slashed at the huge root causing another spurt of gas to rush out of the tree.

"… I am the Devil Fruit that will never die…" Another root sprung up wrapping itself around Justin and pulled him out of my grasp and underground.

"GET AWAY FROM THEM!" What the hell is happening? I need to save them! Think! Think! What can I do?

"…I am the Devil Fruit that was hidden, no … planted so long ago…"

Am I starting to hallucinate? I can see faces in the tree itself.

It roots came alive before my dazed eyes and in one wrong step I tripped over a root.

Damn it body! Come on!

I set myself upright again and started running towards the unconscious Render.

"…I am the Devil Tree that needs to grow."

Wait… if Devil fruit users become powerless in the sea then it's highly possible that we'll be safe from the tree there as well. All I need to do is somehow get to the sea with as many people as possible. But why can it communicate?

I rolled over my shoulder three times to get some distance between us, but not to far that I would leave the tree a chance to get to the others.

"Um… Sir… Devil Tree." How on earth was I supposed to talk to this thing? "I have never met something as unusually beautiful and deadly as you, could you please tell me what is your name?"

"You were all speaking of cutting me up."

"I apologize for my foolish colleagues, but what is a tree of your beauty doing here."

I heard a twisting, creaking sound and the tree rustled it's leaves. "I was born here wretched human."

"How have you learned to speak?"

"The same way humans can use devil fruit powers…"

"What?!" That's when the truth hit me.

No… no way… this tree has been eating people?

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Heya Guys! I hope you liked it.

This is very important information!

I have decided to split this story in two. How and Why? You might want to ask? Well, I just want to get to the romance quicker. 'Tashigi's Heart' will continue as it is at the moment and will remain coherent to the original story until it reaches the 'Punk Hazard' arc. Then the story will continue in what I have called 'Hard Lines' after the battle with the Harpy, Monet. This story will be rated M, it will get more violent and scary, and it will not be running in conjunction to the original story… I don't think.

:D

I will be writing Tashigi's Heart and Hard Lines at the same time.

So you can go and check it out now!

xxxx

Spoilers!

…But be ready for some terrible heartbreak.

:D