West Blue: Sanctus Island

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

Kilnorc: As I progress through the fic, I'll mark certain parts of the story with present locations. This chapter, for example, is in the West Blue Sea. Also, gonna make a small Pirates of the Caribbean reference, hehe.

"How did I get myself into this?" Axe muttered as he sidestepped a huge hammer aimed for his face. He and a large fighter circled around a pit-ring while the people above them screamed at the top of their lungs, Beli dollars clutched tightly in their hands.

The fighter grinned from ear to ear as he hefted his weapon, "You obviously pissed off the wrong people kid. When ya do that, ya get tossed into the Pit to fight to the death...,"

"Yeah, I kinda got that idea big guy. We gonna do this or what?"

His opponent let out a roar and swung that hammer again in a downward arc. "Oh shit!" Axe cried out as he ducked and rolled out of the way as the weapon came crashing down into the sand. The opposing warrior chuckled as he brought his hammer up, "You're lucky the ground is covered with sand boy...if that wasn't there, the ground would've shook and you would've been easy pickin's,".

Axe wiped the sand from his brow, "Easy pickin's ya say? Please I'm not a weakling...bring it on!"

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," Axe winced as he limped along the dark hallway, the yells of the angry fans echoing behind him. He had managed to set his leg into a makeshift cast with a couple of large, flat wood planks, but the pain was pretty bad.

He was about to go to his quarters when he sensed someone behind him, and turned around. In front of him, stood a man with black hair tied behind his head in a ponytail, wearing black slacks and jacket. Axe looked him over and shifted his weight, "I appreciate your help...but where was the World Government when I got stuck in there?" he asked quietly.

The man chuckled, "I'm not with the Government, kid,". Axe frowned, "Then who are you?" he asked quietly.

"Eh...," the stranger shrugged, "I go by a few names, but my name is Rayo Verrani. Now, to make things right in manners, what's your name?".

"...Axe,"

"What's your real name?"

"That's not really your business, pal,"

"I just saved your life, c'mon, indulge me,"

Axe growled and turned back around, "Forget it...I'm happy you saved me, but you can just kiss my ass,".

"Rayo, what exactly are you gonna try and teach me?"

Axe stood a short distance away from the transporter who saved him from the Pit Arena. The two of them were on the outskirts of the town where Axe used to fight for his life, and Rayo said that he would teach the young man some things that'd make him stronger so he could survive easier in the world.

Rayo pulled out a pocky stick and began to chew on it, looking thoughtful at the sky, "It's a set of techniques that a good man taught me. It's called Rokushiki, and it can serve you well in battle. Though, I think when you get stronger, you'll find rare occasions where you'll actually have to use them,"

Axe raised an eyebrow, "Ok...?"

"First lesson," Rayo relaxed his posture and looked Axe calmly, "Punch me, as hard as you can,"

"Excuse me?"

"Punch. Me. As. Hard. As. You. Can," Rayo repeated each word slowly, "C'mon, I won't fight back,"

"I'm not worried about that, I'm worried I'll break a few ribs...or worse,"

"Just do it!"

"Fine, fine...," Axe shrugged, curling his hand into a fist as it changed a dark color, the Devil Fruit making itself known, "You asked for it...,"

The young man ran as fast as he could towards Rayo and threw a hard punch to the man's face.

"Tekkai,"

As soon as Axe made contact with Rayo's body, his fist was stopped cold and Axe pulled back his hand, shaking it and wincing.

"Sonofabitch!"

"Good, now-,"

"Sonofabitch!"

"I know, it hurt, but now-,"

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Axe blew on his hand, "The hell was that?!"

Rayo lightly glared at him, slowly chewing his pocky, "Oi...,"

"Alright, I've shown you Tekkai...this one, I think you'll get a kick outta of,"

"Does it involve me getting more broken bones?"

"Oh, please, that's a sprain, easy...,"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever...baka neko,"

"I'm gonna ignore that," Rayo tapped the ground with his leg and pointed to a nearby boulder, "See that rock?"

"That giant rock?"

"Mhm,"

"That giant rock that's so big, no one can miss it,"

"Axe...,"

"What, I'm just asking, so I know that's the rock you mean...unless you mean the other rock right next to it,"

WHAP!

"Ow! DAMMIT!"

While Axe rubbed the lump on his head, Rayo pulled back his leg, "Watch closely,"

Axe looked up, "Huh?"

"Rankyaku!"

Axe's jaw dropped when he saw a blade of light shoot from Rayo's kicking leg and soar through the rock, slicing it neatly in half. He watched as the rock slid apart, perfectly smooth halves shown clearly,"

"Holy shit...,"

"HOLY SHIT!"

Axe's jaw hit the floor as he stared at the huge double-headed stone axe that lay on the table of the galley in front of him. Rayo laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "It took me forever to think of a parting gift for ya, then I remembered I had something in my stash. See, for my jobs, I get paid in either Beli, jewels, or even some gear. This I have no use for...my whip is enough for me,"

"That, your Fruit Ability, and your Six Disciplines," Axe interjected as he ran his hand over the stone blade, "What is this stone made of?". Rayo shrugged, "Don't know really...but I hear it's from the Grand Line...,"

"Sweet...thanks man,"

Rayo pulled his friend into a headlock and noogied him, "Ah, no problem...hope it works out. The only thing you had was the thing you once called strength,"

"Watch it...,"

"Test it out," Rayo picked up the weapon with ease and tossed it to it's new owner. Axe caught it and tested the weight, "Not bad...," he nodded before taking a few practice swings.

Rayo grinned and sat down, "Well?"

"It's gonna kick some serious ass...,"

"Kid...hey kid, wake up! The ship's docked!"

Axe slowly opened his eyes and found himself laying in a hammock aboard a ship he was using as transport to get to the next island. The island behind him was where he was formerly a Pit Fighter and where he met Rayo Verrani, and the island ahead of him was hopefully the one where he'd get a crewmate or mates. He had offered his services for work in exchange for passage on the boat, so after a few days of working non-stop, the deal was done and he had arrived.

He rolled out of the hammock...something he learned that he shouldn't do because he flipped over and landed flat on his face. Groaning, he lifted his head and blew his bangs out of his eyes, "I hate hammocks...,"

After gathering his supplies and the gift from Rayo, Axe walked out onto the deck and made his way down the gangplank onto the pier where the ship was currently docked. Shouldering the gift, Axe walked down the pier, only to be stopped by a man in a Marine uniform. Axe didn't have anything to worry about, he hadn't declared himself an adventurer of the sea yet, and he didn't even have a bounty, so he was safe.

"Excuse me, kid," the Marine held up his hand, "You gotta sign into the ledger,"

Axe looked at him, "Why?"

"The administration of Sanctus Island likes to keep records of those coming and going from the island,"

"Why?"

"If anything should come up, they'll know if certain people are still on the island or if they've sailed off,"

"Ah...well," Axe reached into his pockets and pulled out a wad of Beli dollars, "Listen, I can't write at all to save my life...how's about this?" he waved the wad, "You put down whatever name you'd like in the ledger, and keep this little tip for yourself?"

The Marine took the money and looked at him.

"It's not a bribe, pal, you won't get into trouble. It's just a little payment for a hard-working soldier like yourself," Axe smiled, "I'm sure even a Marine can use a little bit extra cash,"

The Marine clicked his tongue and pocketed the money, "Welcome to Sanctus Island, Mister Smith,"

"Thank you very much," Axe bowed his head and walked off, Smith? What the hell kinda name is Smith?

Axe walked through the streets of a large town on the island known as Sanctus. It looked like a very good, safe place to live, plenty of smiling people, a large police force from what he saw on the streets. Kids ran through the streets, playing all kinds of games while adults went about their business, whether it be errands or other things.

Even though he was a fourteen-year old pirate-wannabe, Axe found himself playing a few games with the kids at times as he wandered through town. He knew his strength would be an unfair advantage, so he let them win most of the time. He had a feeling they knew what he was doing, since he had enough strength to haul around a giant stone axe on his back without any problems.

Tired from his latest game, Axe found himself in a small diner where he parked himself on a stool at the bar. He ordered a "light" lunch that consisted of a huge amount of meat on numerous plates. Everyone in the diner stared as he gorged himself on the food without any problems. After a few minutes of staring, the customers went back to their own food.

"You got yourself one heck of an appetite, don't you?"

Axe belched and nodded at the server, "Yeah, I can't help it. I usually have half of this amount, but I got real hungry earlier,"

The server shook his head, grinning, "You must be knew to our island, I don't recognize you,"

"I'm just passing through," Axe swallowed his food, "Nice island you have here, though. Looks real peaceful. Aren't you guys worried about being attacked by pirates though?"

"Oh, heavens no. We have the Marines and police here to handle outlaws like that. Besides, we have God on our side,"

Axe paused in his eating and looked at the server, "God?"

"Mhm. Our island is blessed by God Himself. He has given us prosperity, safety, wealth, and happiness. He has also given us our wonderful Priest and Holy Knight,"

"Holy Knight?"

"Aye, a Holy Knight. A warrior blessed by God Himself, much like our humble island. The warrior goes around righting wrongs committed by the most impure souls that roam this earth,"

"Like...pirates?" Axe asked slowly.

"The ones who cause a ruckus when they come around. The Knight deals with them with heavenly justice,"

"You mean the Knight kills them?"

"Oh, no," he shook his head quickly, "Just punishes them before handing them over to the authorities,"

"What about the pirates who don't cause much trouble? What happens to them?"

"The Knight doesn't attack them unless a good reason is given. The Marines and police deal with them, but from time to time, those escape the island before they're arrested,"

That's good to know...that means I got myself a chance... Axe swallowed the last piece of meat and went through the money he had, "How much do I owe you?"

"A lot, actually," the server looked at the plates stacked off to the side, "But I'll make you a deal, kiddo,"

"Hm?"

The server brought a large metal box from beneath the counter and handed it to him, "If you can deliver these donations to the church for me, we'll call it even,"

Axe looked at the box and tapped it, "Money's in here? And you trusting a complete stranger to deliver it to a church?"

"You have a good face. I trust you kid. Besides, you steal from the church and the Holy Knight's gonna be after your hide,"

That's true, I suppose, I don't wanna cause too much trouble before I find my first crewmate...though I don't think I'll find anyone willing to be a pirate here... Axe took the box under his arm, "So, where's this church?"

"Okay, now that is a big ass church!"

Axe tilted his head back to look at the huge church in front of him. It was very large, made of stone and had beautiful painted glass portraits on the windows. The stone and wood that made up the church was ornately decorated and carved to show the beauty of the structure. It was so big, even the doors dwarfed the young treasure hunter. Axe took a deep breath, grabbed the ring and slowly pulled the door open.

The sunlight from outside flooded the interior of the church, which was filled with numerous pews, stone columns, etc. It looked like a normal church, like he had seen in books, but this place...it was special for some reason. Axe looked around the church and spotted someone tending to something ahead of him.

He cleared his throat loudly, "Excuse me...? I'm not interrupting, am I?"

A young woman with golden blonde hair, dressed in beautiful robes turned around, a book tucked under her shoulder, "Hm?"

The rookie stepped forward into the church, his hands in his pockets, "Hi, I hope I didn't do anything bad?"

"Of course not, of course not," she shook her head, "Welcome to Sanctus Island. I'm Kairi Lumina, an apprentice at this church. May I have your name, please?"

"My name's Axe,"

"...are you serious?"

"Mhm, sure am,"

"That's an odd name for a person,"

"You're like the hundredth person to say that, Sister Lumina,"

"Please, call me Kairi,"

Kilnorc: And so it begins!

On the next chapter of Origin...

Axe: I just brought this over for a favor. Don't worry, I didn't steal anything from it, I swear!

Kairi: I don't know who you are looking for, but you have God's blessings.

Axe: I didn't think people of the cloth were allowed to have pets?

Kairi: I never knew my real family. She and the Church are all I have.

Servants of the Lord

Kairi: Axe, this is Father Anderson, the head of this Church.