Angel of Death Fruit

Book One: Deadline

By Dixxy Mouri

Chapter 14 – March 1, Two Years Ago, Mid-Morning

"Hello, Mother. . . Father. . . Onii-kun. . . how have you been?"

Sanae knelt before the old family photo, lighting three candles in front of it. Her parents and her younger older brother – seven in the picture – were smiling back at the photo, but she liked to pretend it was her they were smiling at. "It's been another year. . . Onii-san and I have gotten older and wiser. . . but the three of you haven't changed a bit."

"Yo, Sanae!"

Sanae turned around to see her eldest brother, Akito, standing in the doorframe of her bedroom. "Ah, observing the anniversary again," he said. He stepped into the room and knelt down beside her, leaning up against the smaller girl's frame. "You look more and more like Mom every year, you know that?"
"You think so?" Sanae asked, looking at a mirror. She could kinda see what Onii-san was getting at. She had her father's eyebrows (which she wasn't always fond of because some of the kids used to tease her about the swirls above her eyes), but she clearly had her mother's nose and eyes. Her hair was slightly lighter, but it was the same smooth texture. "And stop leaning on me – you're too big!"

"I'm a blacksmith – what do you expect?" he said, laughing. This was true. Akito was tall, solid, and stronger than most men she knew – his frame wasn't very big, but he did have a lot of muscle. Despite possibly possessing more strength in his arms than some of the local Marines, he was still one of the most gentle creatures she ever met.

Of course, that didn't stop him from being an older brother, picking her up, and throwing her over his shoulder. Sanae screamed and began to pound at his back and kick wildly in the air as he carried her out of the room and into the forge that had been their home for almost nine years. "ONII-SAN! PUT ME DOWN! ONII-SAA-AAN!!! PUT ME DOWN THIS MINUTE!!!"

Akito just laughed and continued carrying his captive.

Things hadn't been easy for the orphaned brother and sister – after their parents had died in an accident ten years earlier following the disappearance of the brother between them, Akito had made the difficult decision to run away from their home village in search of a better life for both of them (and it would certainly be something better than what their questionable uncle would have provided).

After a year of searching, they had found that home in the Grand Line with a grumpy old man named Anatak, a well-known blacksmith with a specialty in swordcraft. He'd taken Akito in almost immediately as an apprentice, but it took Sanae another couple of years and the consumption of a Devil Fruit before he relented and let her work with him as well.

"Anatak-sensei!" Akito called. "Found her!"

Anatak was a short, pudgy old man with arms as thick as his neck and a beard that was shaggy and coarse from many years of gathering the debris of his forge and livelihood. Even though both siblings were considerably taller than the man, he commanded a strict kind of respect from his apprentices and foster children that neither one dared to question.

As it would be, he was sitting in his favorite chair with a long, brown-paper package lying across his lap. Akito let his sister down, and she frowned at the package. "Aw, you're sending me on another errand, Anatak-sensei?" she asked. "Don't you need me to help fill the order from the Marines?"

"You've still got a long way to go if you think you'll be making something worthy of the Marines," said Anatak, pushing the package into Sanae's arms. "This is a ceremonial blade for the mayor's son – he's returning from training with the Marines to marry, and it's been requested that he carry something ornamental during the ceremony."

Sanae smiled. "Well, at least it's an important errand this time!"

"THEY'RE ALL IMPORTANT ERRANDS!"

Sanae frowned. "What about that laundry errand you sent me on last week?" she said.

"Well, that's what you get for lighting my apron on fire."

"It was an accident!"

"Can we just drop the apron argument?" Akito asked, stepping between the two. His sister and mentor calmed, but he looked pleadingly to his teacher. "Before she goes, is it all right if I show her the project I finished this morning?" The mention of the project seemed to calm their teacher, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, yes, of course!" he said. He turned to Sanae. "If you keep studying hard and perfecting your abilities, you'll be able to make something as extraordinary as what your brother finished this morning, Sanae." Sanae looked at her brother in curiosity, who only grinned wildly as he led her to his corner of the forge.

There, lying on his worktable, was a beautiful, silver katana.

Sanae placed the package on the table and picked up the sword. "Onii-san!" she said. "This is amazing!" She gently waved it around, her eyes wide in astonishment. "It's balance, its length. . . it's a masterpiece! This is the kind of sword that any swordsman would love to their their hands on!"

"Anatak-sensei says it's the start of my own legacy!" he said. After Sanae put the sword down, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "One day the two of us will be world famous as the best sword-smiths the world has ever seen! Even old Mihawk would want to visit our forge! Wouldn't that be something, Imouto-chan?"

Sanae frowned. "I'm still a long way from anything like this, Onii-san," she said.

"Yeah, but you're getting better. Just think about those ring-blades you made – they're really cool!" he said, grinning wildly. He pointed at the twin blades in the corner, which Sanae was trying to learn to use on a wooden post in the backyard (although so far, the post was "winning"). "They're a good mix of long range and close combat weaponry – it's a very good start."

"You think so?" asked Sanae

"Your brother has a point, they're very nice, BUT GO GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS DOWN TO THE MAYOR'S HOUSE RIGHT NOW!" Anatak fumed, waving his arms high above his head. Sanae nodded, kissed the old man on his bald spot (which made the old man grumble a bit in response) and walked out the door with the package in hand.

March 2, Two Years Ago, Mid-Afternoon

After being forced to wait for a couple of hours for a meeting to let out, Sanae finally delivered the package to the mayor. As was expected, he was pleased with Anatak-sensei's work and told Sanae to send him his regards. She nodded, accepted the payment, and left the mayor's office and started back home.

Coldstone Island, despite it's name, wasn't a bad place to grow up, Sanae thought. Although many of the inhabitants worked in the mines, the quarries, or as artisans and other craftsmen, the main street was still lined with several small shops and places to eat and talk. Over the years Sanae grew to like the atmosphere, although she still deeply missed her home in North Blue with her parents and having both of her brothers.

She didn't have many friends in town – she was on excellent terms with Anatak-sensei's patrons and a few of the shop owners, but she didn't have any friends her own age. The other girls in town thought she was weird for wanting to be a black smith, and the boys were a little freaked out by her Devil Fruit abilities, but Sanae didn't mind too much.

Sanae had found and eaten the Meru Meru no Mi when she was about eight years old, two years after she and Akito arrived on Coldstone Island. It was simply lying on the shore, and she somehow got it back to the forge without either her foster father or her brother the wiser. They would be mad if they knew what she was doing.

Despite being a very feminine little girl with dolls and dresses, traveling on the open seas with her brother for a year had given her a taste of things much more masculine and less childlike. She saw bounty hunters, Marines, and pirates and all sorts of strong men, and she decided that she wanted to be like them. When they'd ended up on the shores of Coldstone Island and Anatak-senshi had begun training Akito to be a blacksmith, Sanae decided that would be a good start to becoming stronger.

The trouble with that plan, at first, had been Anatak-sensei. Sanae wasn't very strong, and he was afraid she was going to hurt herself using the heavy tools of the trade. Still, that didn't deter Sanae. She had been begging Anatak-san to take her as an apprentice, too, but he insisted it wasn't safe for her and wouldn't allow her to learn – at least, not under him.

Eating a Devil Fruit, she realized, might change his mind. Devil's Fruits could do weird things to a person's body, and if the fruit would help her be a stronger person and work in the forge, she was willing to be a hammer if it meant following her dream. It would prove something to him, maybe.

So, without even bothering to figure out which fruit she had, Sanae took a bite. But when nothing happened, she began to wonder if it was just a nasty tasting, weird looking fruit and went to bed thinking that nothing had changed. Disappointed, she began trying to think of something else. She would need to find another way to convince Anatak-san she could be a good blacksmith.

And then her fork and spoon melted the next morning at breakfast.

At first Sanae was confused until Anatak-sensei and Onii-san started yelling at her, demanding to know if she ate any strange fruits. Sanae had brushed it off as nothing more than a nasty tasting fruit, but when she showed it to her brother and foster father, they confirmed that it was, indeed, a Devil's Fruit, and upon further investigation, pinpointed it as the Meru Meru No Mi – the melting fruit. Sanae now had the power to melt down metals, plastics, rubbers, and ice at room temperature.

And with a little time to learn to control her powers, Sanae demonstrated to Anatak that, with her ability, she could make metals just malleable enough that she could pound them very easily into weapons, horseshoes, and whatever else needed to made without needing to resort to the brute strength most blacksmiths used. Seeing that she really was capable of learning the craft, Anatak relented and Sanae began her apprenticeship.

Seven years later found Sanae nearly at the end of her apprenticeship. Akito had officially finished his study with their master, but since Anatak was getting older, it was good to have a younger, more hearty blacksmith around to help him fill orders and help finish his foster daughter's apprenticeship.

Plus, Anatak was basically family to them at this point. He'd picked up raising them where their parents had left off, getting them through the toils of late childhood and puberty with relative success (though he did politely ask the mayor's wife to give Sanae "the talk" and a few other things he didn't feel an old man would be able to help a little girl going through puberty with). He'd made sure they got a basic education outside of the forge and got them to the town doctor when they were sick. All things considered, he was making a decent father figure.

Since she didn't expect to have a lot of work to do, and she had a little spending money of her own (although Anatak didn't think she was ready for forging weaponry full-time just yet, he had to admit her smaller hands and Devil Fruit allowed her to do superior work in other metal-crafts), Sanae decided to get some ice cream and go for a walk .

As she walked down the street, she caught a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. Hmm? Blinking, she decided to take a second look. Once she turned her head to get a better glimpse, she dropped her ice cream and stared in shock at the man turning a corner. Eyes wide, her jaw dropped as alarms began to go off in her head.

No way, it can't be . . . Uncle Kenji? Sanae couldn't believe what she was seeing. Although she could vaguely recall Kenji's job required him to travel a lot, she never expected she'd see him all the way out there in the Grand Line. What kind of business does he have here? Something's not right about this.

Sanae watched from what she hoped was a safe distance before starting to follow him.

March 2, Two Years Ago, Late Night

Kenji hadn't done much of interest – he bought some food and basic travel supplies, talked to some women in a bar, and took a few minutes to look at some wanted posters. Sanae was about to give up – it was getting close to midnight, after all – before he turned into an alley that she knew didn't have much of interest.

Now THAT was suspiscious enough to keep following him. Quietly, Sanae followed him into the alley and around several corners. It wasn't easy staying out of sight – he was constantly looking around for anyone following him, and on several occasions Sanae was certain he could see her. Finally, he ducked into an old, abandoned bakery.

The little blacksmith frowned – she couldn't follow him through that door, but there were some windows open a little higher up, and some old crates she could climb – local kids probably used them to sneak into the building to do God knows what without their parents or the Marines finding out about it. Swearing under her breath, Sanae started to climb up the boxes.

When she reached the top, she slid through the open window and was pleased to see that the building was all one giant room with catwalks for upper levels – and her uncle was in the middle of the room, seemingly waiting for someone. Slowly, she got down on all floors and crawled across the catwalk.

Within a few minutes of waiting, someone else arrived – specifically, three someone elses. One was a woman with wild teal hair, another was a young woman around twenty or so with purple hair and freckles, and the last was a large man with a bushy red beard and mustache. The girl looked really upset, and was being held by the bearded man against her will.

This doesn't seem good. . . Sanae thought to herself.

"She almost escaped – Borgat spotted her trying to get to the shipyard, but was able to stop her in time. She's a lively little one, isn't she?" said the woman, gesturing to the purple haired girl. "I'm glad you've arrived – we could use the extra help keeping an eye on her, Kenji-dear. You know how much I hate it when they try to escape."

Kenji bowed to the woman. "Yes, Madame Stoker."

Sanae raised an eyebrow. Wasn't that the last name of that monster-woman who made children disappear and ate their souls after twelve years? I always thought that was just a story Papa used to tell us when we were kids. . . this has to be some kind of creepy coincidence! Sanae shook her head – as much as her gut told her not to trust her uncle – even after ten years – there's no way he'd work with such a terrible person.

Right?

Madame Stoker turned to the girl and grinned. "Not long now, hmm?"

"Leave me alone!" she cried, only to receive a slap from the other woman.

"SILENCE!"

Sanae watched the woman berate the girl, who seemed completely terrified.Even if she isn't the monster woman. . . I can't just stand here while that girl gets the beating of her life! Sanae tried to consider her options when the angry woman ripped the girl's shirt, revealing a strange tattoo on her shoulder.

"Twelve years without tasting the finest vintage of vintage wines. . ."

The girl started to shake her head. "No! No, no please!"

The woman produced a vile of liquid, which the girl watched in horror – the bushy bearded man and her uncle held her tightly so she couldn't move. A slight popping sound could be heard as the bottle was opened. The girl was whimpering now, sobbing about her mother and father, and asking not to die.

What's in that bottle that she's so afraid of?

"Your Mercy Task was to taste a bottle of the finest of rare wines, Oleaur de Perriere – but it appears as if you were unable to do so," said the woman. The girl was crying more outright, and Sanae felt sick to her stomach. She tried to jump out, but her body refused to budge.

Sanae! No! Get your ass moving! You have got to do something to save that poor girl! Something really bad's going to happen! What's wrong with you!? Why are you sitting there!? DO SOMETHING! But it was no use – she was completely frozen in fear, save for a bit of shaking.

The woman shook the vile as tears continued to stream down the young woman's face. "This vile contains a mouthful of this very, very fine wine – it's a personal favorite of mine, so it's shame that it's so expensive and difficult to find. But, know this – I will enjoy your life force greatly." With that, the girl cried one last no as the bottle was forced into her mouth and tipped upwards.

Then the girl stopped moving.

Sanae's eyes widened. This. . . this must be. . . that vile woman. . .

"Do you feel well, my dearest Elizabeth?" asked Kenji.

SHIT! IT IS HER! THE MONSTER WOMAN ELIZABETH STOKER!

"I feel delightful," said Elizabeth Stoker. She turned to her uncle and grinned. "I'll give you your payment for this young lady later today – once we've disposed of her body properly. Where did you say you found her again? Somewhere in South Blue? South Blue girls are quite good for my skin. . ."

"Ah, that was a lovely island," said Kenji. "White Star Island, I believe." He turned to the bushy bearded man. "Borgat, go leave her in a gutter somewhere – they'll think she's a prostitute who had far too much rum if you splash some on her clothing. Just another dead call girl."

Sanae watched in horror as the girl's dead body was slumped over Borgat's shoulder and taken away. Her eyes turned back to where her uncle and his employer were standing and talking. "So, have you spoken to Master Anatak about procuring a new sword?" asked Elizabeth Stoker. "Your last one broke rather easily – I won't have one of my best men without a sword."

"I haven't spoken to the old coot, no. Master Anatak is amongst the best of the best. I'm going to need my payment for that little girl if you expect me to be able to afford one of his finer pieces," said Kenji. He sighed. "He's one of the last great sword makers alive – certainly one of his blades will do me well."

"Just as long as he doesn't know you work for me," said Elizabeth Stoker. She snarled. "It's rather unfortunate when people find out you or any of the others do and we have to dispose of them – I don't like having to kill people unless they've been Garnished. It's more work and cover-up than we need."

"Yes, my lady."

"As it was you almost cost us a lot with the incident from ten years ago," said Stoker.

Sanae felt as if a rock had dropped to bottom of her stomach. He didn't.

"Oh, you mean brother's kid?" he said. "At least we got ONE from that incident, and if my little brat of a niece hadn't spotted me walking off with Sanji, we probably would have gotten her and the other one, too." Kenji laughed. "Ah, it was almost a huge loss, but even though Akito and Sanae got away, Sanji will be ready for you in about two years."

With that, Sanae lost control and started to scream.

Which easily got the attention of Kenji and Elizabeth Stoker. Sanae placed a hand over her mouth in time to see her uncle had spotted her and started to climb up towards the catwalk. "HEY! WHO ARE YOU!?" he demanded. Sanae shrieked and started to run towards the window, but was stopped short as her uncle grabbed her wrist.

Sanae cried out as Kenji pulled her hat off her head. He looked a little dumbfounded for a moment. Maybe he won't recognize me after ten years. . . she thought wishfully. But seeing his eyebrows reminded her that, without her favorite hat, it was a dead giveaway who she was. "What the. . .? Sanae?!"

"YOU. . . YOU. . ." Sanae was trying to jerk her hand away from her uncle. "YOU SOLD ONII-KUN TO THAT MONSTER!? HOW COULD YOU!? YOUR OWN NEPHEW!? YOU BASTARD! YOU SICK BASTARD! SANJI'S YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD AND YOU JUST SOLD HIM LIKE HE WAS SOME KIND OF DOG!? I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! YOU MURDERING SCUM BUCKET!"

Kenji growled. "You know too much. . ."

Sanae bent towards her hand and bit down – her uncle cried out in pain as Sanae dashed out the window and down the boxes, the whole while able to hear Elizabeth Stoker screaming at her uncle. She had to get to the Marines! She had to let them know Elizabeth Stoker was in town and that she was real and-

Once she was on the ground, she found herself face to face with Borgat. "Uh oh."

"If she's here, then so is her brother. Kill him." Sanae was about to scream, but Borgat covered her mouth with his hand. He uncle stepped closer, pulling something from his pocket. He waved it before Sanae, and she felt weak. "Ah, so she's an ability user – careful now Borgat. We don't want her to take advantage of you, now do we?"

"Relax – there's a cliff outside of town. I'll just throw her off – she'll sink right to the bottom of the ocean," said Borgat. Sanae's eyes widened and she started to panic, only resulting in her captor holding her tighter. "Sorry, pretty little lady, but we can't have anyone telling the Marines we're in town, now can we?"

Kenji snickered. "She's going to sink like an iron butterfly."

March 3, Two Years Ago, Wee Hours of the Morning

Sanae screamed once Borgat threw her into the sea, her arms flailing about as she tried to grab onto anything before she hit the water. Tears streamed from her eyes as she tried to fight the inevitable. I can't die here! I can't! I can't leave Onii-san and Master Anatak! I have to find a way to live!

Continuing to fall, Sanji's seven-year-old smile from a decade ago flashed in her mind.

Onii-kun. . .

Before she hit the water, she grabbed a large root jutting out the side of the cliff, which shook a large rock loose. Sanae watched as it hit the ocean waves below, then looked up to see Borgat gone. He must have heard the splash and assumed I'd fallen in the water, so he thinks his work is done. But I'm not dead yet – there's still time to do something!

Wearily, Sanae began to climb back up the cliffside.

March 3, Two Years Ago, Wee Hours of the Morning (One Hour Later)

It took a while, but Sanae finally made it back to solid ground. Gasping for breath and clutching the grass on the ground, she realized just how lucky she was. If I didn't catch that root. . . I'd probably be dead right now. Wearily, she got to her feet – she needed to let her brother know what was going on. Despite spending an hour scaling a cliffside, Sanae began to run for the forge.

Onii-san will know what to do! Uncle Kenji. . . he's a terrible man! Sanae ran hard and fast, fear and adrenaline fueling her weary body. She thought about what she had seen, and what her uncle had done to Sanji. Images of her brother being led away crawled through her mind, and horrible scenes of Elizabeth Stoker marking him began to weave together. He must have been so scared. . . so alone. . . and yet so close to home!

When the forge was finally in sight, she was surprised to see the lights still on. They must still be awake, up waiting for me, maybe, she thought. She was a little relieved and cracked a smile. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she hung her head and leaned against a tree. I have time to warn them before -

"ANATAK-SENSEI!"

Sanae's eyes widened at the sound of Akito's cry. Oh no!

The girl practically flew the rest of the way to the forge – just now seeing that the door was ajar – arriving to the sound of clashing metal against metal. Oh no! A fight! Staying in the shadows, she tried to move closer to the sound. Why is someone fighting inside the forge? It doesn't make any. . .

Sanae stopped short to find Anatak-sensei's body lying in the doorframe.

He was lying in a pool of blood, and he wasn't breathing.

ANATAK-SENSEI! Sanae dove to his side, trying to find a way to revive her teacher. But he wasn't responding to anything – he wasn't breathing, and his eyes were fixated on the stars. Tears began to stream down her face as Sanae tried to hold back the contents of her stomach.

Anatak was dead.

And the horrors of that night were not over yet.

Sanae could see shadows on the wall and heard the clashing of metal against metal. Akito and Kenji were locked in combat in the forge. Craddling Anatak's body, frightened of what was to happen next, she watched as her brother and her uncle parried sword slashes in the firelight. Akito was using what little he knew about swordsmanship from forging weapons to try and keep up with Kenji, who was clearly the more skilled of the two.

"You killed my sister!" Akito screamed. "You son of a bitch!"

"A necessary sacrifice for the cause!" said Kenji, laughing as he effortlessly blocked Akito's attacks. He sidestepped a more direct attack, grinning as he continued to mock his nephew. "And in two years time, your dearest brother Sanji will be just as dead as you and your baby sister!"

"What did you say!?" Akito was shocked by the comment, giving Kenji a wide opening.

The swordsman stabbed.

A sickening scream followed as the sword in Kenji's hand dove into Akito's stomach.

Sanae felt the world begin to slow down as she mentally screamed. AKITO!

The world seemed to slow down as Kenji withdrew the sword from Akito's middle, the younger man falling to the ground, clutching his stomach and coughing violently. "I doubt you'll last to the dawn," said their uncle. He coolly looked over the sword. "I must say, this is a fine sword you've crafted – I'll enjoy using it."

"Why. . ."

Akito, AKITO! Oh God, oh God oh God ohGodohGod. . . .

Casuaully, Kenji left, and Sanae rushed to her brother's side. "Akito! Onii-san!" She held his arm, looking at him in horror. There was so much blood, she was amzaed he was still conscious. Her brother looked at her wearily, shaking slightly as he reached up to touch her cheek with a bloody hand. "Akito-san! Akito!"

"Sa. . . nae. . . chan. . ." he said slowly. "I. . . thought. . ."

Sanae shook her head. "I'm okay, don't worry about me."

"I. . . couldn't. . . stop. . ."

Sanae shook her head. "No, no, no. Worry about yourself right now – that guy is worthless." Akito caughed, and Sanae braced his shaking torso. "Don't move – I'm going to go get help! Everything's going to be all right," She stood, making sure her uncle was not in sight, and flew out the front door.

March 3, Two Years Ago, Mid Day

Sanae sat beside her brother's bed of the island's only doctor's office. He was sleeping and breathing heavily, but he'd made it through the rest of the night – something Dr. French hadn't been convinced he would be able to do. Onii-san. . . Akito. . . please be all right. . . I don't want you to die on me. . .

Although by the time Sanae had woken up the closest neighbors Akito was still breathing (unconscious and bleeding profusely, but still alive), their foster father was, as Sanae had feared, beyond revival. Their neighbor, a retired Marine, said that he was probably dead before he hit the ground.

Unable to do anything for Anatak-sensei at the moment, Sanae stayed with Akito.

When Dr. French came back, she looked at him in anticipation. "Doctor. . . how is he?"

"His condition. . . isn't good," said the doctor.

"He's dying?"Sanae asked in horror.

"We don't know that," said Dr. French, taking a seat on the other side of the bed. "It's unlikely he will survive, but there is a chance he could. We'll know better in a few days. . . if he survives that long." The older man looked sadly at the young blacksmith, brushing brown hair out of his patient's face. "He's a strong young man, so he might make it."

"Then that means everything will be okay, right?" said Sanae. "Even with Anatak-sensei gone. . . we'll be okay, right? Akito just needs to spend a few days here in your office and then the two of us will be able to move on with our lives, right? Because that means everything is going to be all right."

The doctor shook his head. "Sanae. . . if your brother lives. . . you need to know. . ."

"Know what?" Sanae grabbed the man's shoulders and began to shake him as tears began to run down her face. "What aren't you telling me!? Why can't you fix him!? You stupid quack of a doctor, why can't you save him!? He's my brother! You can't let him die on me! You just can't! I won't let you!"
"Because he has very serious injuries from that fight!" snapped the doctor, shoving Sanae away from him, but still keeping a grip on the distraught young woman. "Your uncle's sword missed his vital organs by some twisted miracle, but his spinal cord was severed! We're doing everything we can to save his life, but if we are able to save him, things won't be like they were before. If your brother lives. . ."

March 4, 7:53 pm

". . . he will never walk again." Sanae shook her head. "I stayed on the island with him until I was sure he was going to be okay, then I took off to find you and Onii-kun and put an end to this. I've spent more than a year wandering the Grand Line, all the while knowing Onii-san is back home in a wheelchair because he can't walk."

"Never. . . walk?" asked Luffy.

"The spinal cord is an important part of the body's central nervous system," said Chopper. He watched the exchange with sad eyes. "With severe injuries to it, it can paralyze or even kill a person. I don't think that's something even Doctorine could fix. It's really bad when something like that happens."

Sanae pointed one of her weapons at her uncle, who was staring at her coldly. "He can't feel his legs anymore. He can't fell ANYTHING from that wound down. Because of you, Akito will NEVER WALK AGAIN! He's paralyzed! He's spending the rest like that because of what you've done!"

Kenji growled. "When I'm finished with you, I'll go back and finish what I started."

Sanae shook her head. "You took Onii-kun away from me. You killed my parents. You tried to kill me, you paralyzed Akito, and you killed our master!" The young blacksmith closed her eyes. "Now you're going after Nami? She has NOTHING to do with this and you know it! She wasn't in North Blue when you kidnapped Sanji and she wasn't on Coldstone Island the day you tried to finish me and Akito off!"

"She's capable of completing his Mercy Task!" said Kenji.

"Then it IS a kiss after all!" said Chopper.

"She's trying to save his life! I don't know if she's in love with him, but he's her nakama! He's saved her life plenty of times and she wants to pay him back!" said Sanae. Getting angry, she threw one of the rings at her uncle – he stepped out of the way, glaring at his niece in anger. "Now step up and fight me! One of us isn't leaving this room alive and I don't intend for that person to be you!"

Kenji closed his eyes and drew his sword. "Then die."

Author's Notes

I was torn on whether or not to let Akito live for a while. Part of the decision came after writing this and deciding to confirm with Wikipedia whether or not someone could even survive this kind of injury, but then again, it's One Piece. I find this series kind of requires a little suspension of reality – the characters in this series take some serious punishment.

I found this chapter tough to edit. A lot of serious things happen (Anatak dies and Akito is paralyzed) and it's a heavy focus on an OC, which makes it even harder. Mostly I was concerned about the fight at the forge, so that scene has had some serious attention.

How will Sanae vs. Kenji end? Who will be the victor? Find out next chapter!

-Dixxy