Chapter two

The room Ruri was hidden in was her sanctuary. The attic was full with junk but it also has some hidden treasures like some truly enlightening books that are a godsend in this hellhole. How she misses the internet. She never knew how many things she took for granted in the before. What she wouldn't do to get her hands on all the knowledge the world nobles have ouright destroyed or hidden away.

This town doesn't even have a library. No wonder so many people are illiterate. Now looking back to the manga she is curious at what kind of education Luffy and Ace got in that forest. It's a miracle those two can actually read.

It has been six months now Ruri thought contemplatively. To say that things have been going well would be lie. knowing how everyone feels about you and experiencing it are two different things. The only good thing about her situation is that almost everyone ignores her.

This world truly is disgusting. Blaming children for their parents sin. How pointless she thought. But what can she expect from the corrupt and uneducated.

It will take her years before she is strong enough to survive in the real world.

"Like she hasn't enough trouble." Ruri murmured looking vacantly through the biased history book. She is getting a headache just thinking about it.

She signed tiredly. Adding to that she has had a constant migraine that has been bothering her ever since she woke up that day.

"Where is that stupid girl." Ruri heard the Matron ask one of the workers.

"Getting into trouble no doubt."

"I will have the girls hide if she is getting into places she is not welcome. Ungrateful little brat. She is almost not worth it."

Ruri quickly hid behind a crate. Hoping beyond all hope that the matron doesn't find her in the one place she was especially warned away from. She knows all too well that no one is allowed in this place. If anyone finds her here. They will have the perfect excuse to punish her again. She shudders thinking about the last time she was caught being somewhere she wasn't supposed too.

"Now, now Mother. The girl is too obedient to do anything that will get herself disciplined." Trying to calm down the Matron before she took her anger out on the girl. She will be useless to them disfigured.

"That is where you are wrong, Mary. It is all in the blood." The matron said spitefully.

"Either way. It shouldn't matter. It is almost lunch time and the girl never misses a meal." Mary said walking away.

"I suppose. I have more important things to do that chasing after one ungrateful brat." Agreeing with her daughter.

Ruri could hear everyone walking away. She really has to be careful. Her body can't handle anything strenuous. The beating she got last time was painful enough. Without having being allowed to take care of her wounds. It is a miracle that she survived through the beating that caused her to remember. Not something she want's to get through again.

Relieved she quickly stored the book away. Standing up, stiff from all that sitting on the hard floorboards Ruri decided to do some stretches. Before going down to the dining room.

Ruri was elated. Not that anyone could see from how she acted. Finally some strawberries. Oh, how she had missed her favorite fruit. Savoring each bite. While the other children ate like barbarians.

After having eaten her fill of everything she stoically observed the anomaly around her.

It really is a dog eat dog world she thought while watching how some of the older children stole from each other. Behind the Matrons back of course. Everyone knows that the woman Quils Alice has quite a temper on her. The opposite of her daughter Quils Mary.

Not that the woman is any better. Ruri had soon realized that the daughter is just as bad as the mother, if worse. Mary only has a different way of getting her cruelty out. Cutting her hair so she is almost bald. Making sure to get her the last and worst portion for meals. Meanwhile pretending to be sympathizing with her. Her three years old self may have fallen for it. But now she could see that the woman was only showing her affection so she would get attached to the woman.

Someone so starved for positive attention would do anything for a bit of recognition. And it seems she is not the only victim she thought. Looking at the manipulative bitch while she was berating a teen for stealing food off of his neighbors plate. The same teen who is an unrepentant bully is now blushing for disappointing their Mary. Really, what a clever manipulative woman.

It makes her sick.

Ruri knows something is going on. But she has no way of finding out exactly what is happening in this orphanage.

This place gives her the creeps. How is this place even being funded. Not only that but everyone in the staff is far too, nice isn't the right word but it's like they are an investment or something. Who are being groomed. That and as far as she knows it's the older ones who get 'adopted' while normally it would be the other way around.

Her past self may not have gotten outside much but from what she managed to gleam out of her memories the children are clothed and fed better that some families in this town. It's too suspicious.

Except her that is. And thank god for that. Or she herself may have doubted her intuition.

No. She doesn't like this. Whatever their endgame is. She will make sure to be as far away from it as possible.

These past months she managed to figure out that the island she is on. Bezoom town. Is on the first half of the Grand line. At least something is going her way. In the meantime she will keep on eavesdropping on the caretakers so that when the penny drops she will be able to make a clean get away.

She has also been trying to train her body. That part is not going well. Her body is still too fragile and immature to put it threw anything strenuous. Stretches with running around is all she managed to do. And even then she easily gets tired out. It has gotten better Ruri thought while walking covertly out of the dining room but it is far from what she had in mind.

To the forest it is then. It is time to try to start a fire. She has no idea how to even start one but well sitting on her ass will get her nowhere. Before running off one of the things she wants to learn is on how to survive in the wild. If those three brothers can do it as children then so can she.

"Damn it." Ruri cursed at the leaves. Why don't you burn already she thought viciously at the smoking pile of leaves and branches.

She tried everything in her limited knowledge but the only progress she made is making it smoke. She is probably forgetting something important. But for the life of her she can't seem to be able to figure it out.

Defeated she sat down. Alright it is obvious that she has to find someone to teach her. In her past life she was a city girl through and through. There is no denying that she needs help, desperately. The problem is that there is no chance in hell she will find anyone willing to even look her way positively. And she sure as hell is not going to pull a Naruto.

That means she has to focus on what she can do. Like reading the stars. Strangely enough they are the same as the ones in her past life. The books she found in the attic are a treasure of information no matter the propaganda in it. She already managed to come across an encyclopedia on devil fruits. Not to forget the one about all the nutritional values one needs while traveling the ocean. Those rare diamonds among the trash makes any beating worth getting caught looking through all the crap.

More importantly she managed to figure out how she looks like. Not because she is vane. No, on the contrary. She prefers to be nothing more than average. Looks and all. Her beauty ruined her last life. She has no intention of having history repeat itself.

Too bad that even with the bad haircut she can still see that she will be gorgeous when she is older. With her straight black hair. Pale features. Full lips. And exotic bright, dark blue eyes that seem to have golden specks in them. She can easily see why she was named Ruri. The only nice thing her so called mother ever did for her. At least the shrew didn't name her something like Anathema. She wouldn't have put it past her.

Hiding her looks has also became a priority.

How vindictive could someone be. Boo, hoo. The guy who knocked her up ran for it when he found out that she was pregnant. So I should take it out on my daughter. No wonder he ran of. Can almost not blame the guy. Knowing what I do about Sullivan Sylvia, I too would run for the hills. The difference between her and her so called father is that she would have taken her child with her. Instead of leaving an innocent child into the clutches of an unstable woman like Sylvia.

The rest of this town is even worse. Indulging her. Everyone knows that she wasn't really raped. But they still went along with it. She hates people like her. How dare she pretend to have been raped. Like that bitch would know anything about the horror of having that forced onto you Ruri thought darkly. Like she would know anything about how disgusted, how angry, how ashamed someone feels when something like that happens to you. Never mind the aftermath.

Angry she stood up.

Enough with those depressing thought. She told herself that it was that type of thinking that got her in this situation in the first place. Instead she should look at the brighter things in life.

Like how they have given her, her fathers name Arson. It has a nice ring to it. Arson Ruri. Daughter of Arson Ludovic.

According to town gossip. The man went on to become a pirate of all things. What is it with people wanting to become criminals. Everyone seems to be obsessed with One Piece. Is it really worth it.

Never mind.

If Portgas D Ace can go through life. Knowing that the world wants him dead. I can do the same thing with one island. It is nothing like what he is going through. At least I have memories of a better time to keep me going. No matter how badly they soured at the end of it.

There is no comparison.

This world really is ridiculous. No matter how many times she thinks it.

If only she wasn't four years old. She would have tried to make her escape the moment she figured out something fishy was going on in the orphanage. She does feel guilty of not even trying to warn everyone else. But she knows that the moment anyone finds out that she is far smarter than she lets on. Having figured out that something is not right with the place. They will dispose of her. One way or the other.

These last six month she has seen the look in those people's eyes. They are ruthless. They are also the kind to thrive on people's pain. She would recognize that look everywhere. Just like the people that ruined her in her past life.

The only person she needs to look out for is herself. Not like anyone on this damned island would ever help her.