Servants of the Lord

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

"So, you were given this box in exchange for a meal?" Kairi asked, taking the donations box.

Axe held up his free hands, "I just brought this over for a favor. Don't worry, I didn't steal anything, I swear!" he looked around the church, "Or maybe I shouldn't swear in a holy place?"

Kairi giggled and placed the box on a nearby pew, "Don't worry, Axe. Thank you for bringing the donations over, I'm sure he appreciates the good deed,"

"I don't wanna sound like a selfish jerk, but it was for a free meal," Axe shrugged, "At least with my belly full, I can continue my search,"

"Search?" Kairi tilted her head slightly, "I don't know who or what you are searching for, but you have God's blessings. What are you looking for, if I may ask?"

"Not really what, but a who," Axe cleared his throat, "I'm...a traveler of sorts and I want to find a group of friends who can help me along the way,"

"With what?"

"Oh, just stuff," Axe said quickly, waving her off, "Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you, Kairi," he bowed his head slightly, "I should get go-AAAAAAAAAH!"

Kairi jumped a little at Axe's scream, watching him hop around on one foot, his other leg held in the air. He was bouncing around on one foot, trying to fling something off from his other leg. The thing was a blur of white and Kairi could hear some kind of strangled mewing from the white blur.

"GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET IT OFF!"

"Hold still, hold still!"

Axe came to a halt and lightly hopped on his free leg, allowing the both of them to have a clear sight of what was holding onto his leg. It was a poor, little white kitten with wide blue eyes. No doubt spooked by the screaming and moving around, but her claws were dug deep into Axe's pant leg.

"Victoria!" Kairi wrapped her hands around the kitten and gently pulled her off, "There you are...where have you been?"

"On my leg, or didn't you see that?" Axe hissed, shaking his free leg, Seems though I can stop bullets, I still get spooked by a cat using my leg as a scratching post...

Kairi held the kitten close and scratched under it's chin, "It's okay now, don't worry. You shouldn't wander around, Victoria, you could get hurt,"

"She uh...she a friend of yours?"

"Yes, she is," Kairi nodded, "She's my pet kitten. I adopted her not too long ago after I found her on the streets. Poor thing was starving, so I took her in and she's been my friend ever since,"

"Ah...," Axe nodded slowly, "Cute little furball,"

The kitten mewed at him, an irritated look on her face.

"Hey, I said you were cute, that's a compliment!"

"Are you sure I'm not distracting you from any church duties?"

Kairi smiled as she and Axe walked through a beautiful garden in the back of the church, "No, not at all. There are others besides me at this church, and we all pitch in to help out. Besides, it's not everyday I meet people around my own age,"

"How old are you?"

"Thirteen,"

"Wow. Most thirteen year olds I know are home doing chores or just playing around. Do your parents like you working at the church?"

Kairi looked away, "I have no parents,"

Axe frowned, "I'm sorry?"

"I have no parents. I'm an orphan," Kairi walked over to a nearby rose bush and leaned forward, smelling the flowers' aorma, "I was found on the church front steps when I was just a baby,"

"Oh geez...I am so sorry, I didn't know-,"

"It's okay, no harm done," Kairi shook her head, "I would be happy to find my birth parents and know why they did what they did all those years ago, but I'm also happy that I was taken in by the Church. There are many orphans living in the shelter, and as I got older, I knew that I should pay back the Lord for everything he's done for me. It's a way to give back, you know?"

Axe chewed on his tongue a little, "I think so," he looked down as he felt something rubbing up against his leg. It was the kitten Victoria again. Smiling a bit, he knelt down and pet the small feline.

"She likes you," Kairi observed, "She's a very sweet cat, she loves everybody in town,"

"Even the pirates and outlaws who come around from time to time?"

"She stays away from them. I don't mind the pirates themselves, but the ones who cause trouble deserve to be arrested. The ones who don't bother anyone and just go about their business, I'm perfectly alright with them. In fact, some good hearted pirates once donated half of their treasures to the church one year,"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, it's what paid for this garden and many other things this place has,"

Axe nodded, "That's nice. What do you do when they do all that good stuff, but they get into trouble?"

"We give them sanctuary,"

"Say what?"

"We let them stay on the church grounds with no fear or prosecution,"

"Don't the Marines have any problems with it?"

"Sometimes, but they abide by the church's laws,"

Impressive...maybe I'll get lucky and find a crewmate if I stick around the church awhile, Axe picked up Victoria, "I didn't think people of the cloth were allowed to have pets?"

Kairi looked at him strangely, "Why on Earth wouldn't we be allowed to have pets?"

"I dunno," Axe shrugged, "I heard all kinds of stories of them not being able to have sex, or have private time to themselves...,"

"You...," Kairi pointed at Axe and gave him a wry look, "...you are a strange person, Axe. How do you know all that?"

"I read a lot,"

"Well, we are allowed to have pets," Kairi held out her hands and Victoria leapt from Axe over to her, "I'm glad to have found her though. I never knew my real family. She and the Church are all that I have,"

Man, poor girl... Axe frowned, No known relatives, being left on steps as a baby, growing up in a church.

Clearing his throat, Axe looked back at the garden, "So, back to the topics of pirates and outlaws. What's the story about this Holy Knight I've been hearing about?"

"Oh, the Knight is a blessing, sent straight from God Himself," Kairi smiled widely, "Whenever there is evil, the Holy Knight punished and purifies the evil,"

"By...?"

"If it calls for it, the Knight goes into combat. After the combat is done, the evil ones are arrested by the proper authorities,"

"I heard the Knight never kills them. Is this true?"

"Oh yes, very true," Kairi nodded vigorously, "It's against the will of God to kill another person. Thou shalt not kill. You break this law of God, you find yourself in Hell when you die...unless you are able to redeem yourself in his eyes,"

"Doesn't the town ever worry about the outlaws getting loose and coming back to take revenge?"

"We trust in the Marines to do their job, just as the town trusts us at the church to give them wise words, blessings, and anything else we can do to make their lives easier,"

Axe and Kairi turned to see a tall, older man walking up to them, holding a bible close to him. The man had short, spiked, light-colored hair, a pair of round-framed glasses in front of gentle green eyes, and a heavy-set jaw with a fair amount of stubble. The man was pretty tall, taller than most people Axe had seen already, and had lean, broad shoulders underneath his gray cossack.

"Hello, Father!" Kairi smiled happily at him.

"Hello, my dear," the preacher greeted warmly, "How are you this fine day?"

"Wonderful, same as every other day, Father," she turned to her new friend, "Axe, this is Father Anderson, the head of this Church," she turned back, "Father, this is Axe, a newcomer to the island,"

The man smiled and shook Axe's hand, "Welcome to Sanctus Island, my son,"

"Thank you, sir," Axe smiled as he pulled back his hand, "It's very lovely. Kairi was just giving me a tour of the church garden. Very beautiful by the way,"

"You're too kind, my son, you're too kind," Anderson chuckled, "What brings you here?"

"Oh well-,"

"He's looking for some companions, Father," Kairi interrupted, "He's a traveler and he's looking for companions to take with him on his journey,"

"Is that so?" Anderson nodded slowly, "Well, you are in luck. The taverns here are filled with people looking for adventures and what not. What kind of journey are you on?"

Axe hestitated, "W-Well...uhm...," he rubbed the back of his head.

Anderson leaned forward, making Axe back away a little bit, feeling more nervous as the preacher looked into his eyes. The two men stared back at each other for a bit until Anderson pulled back, beaming.

"If you don't wish to say anything, you have no obligation to do so, my son. Don't worry, we do not judge people here. The only one who gives out Judgment is the Lord Almighty," he placed a hand on Axe's shoulder, "I wish you luck on your search, my son. Kairi," he turned to the young woman, "The children are wanting to talk to you,"

"Oh, I forgot about it!" Kairi slapped herself on the head, "Come on, Victoria, let's go!"

The cat mewed as her friend hurried away.

"They say no one judges anyone here, but then the Knight comes and kicks butt," Axe took a sip of his drink at the diner from earlier that day, "Odd place, this is. Still, better than the craphole I was at before. I think I pissed off every person there, they'd rather beat me to death in the Pit than join my crew,"

He had searched the town for hours, looking for a suitable crewmember to join him for his quest to find One Piece, but he ran out of luck and was now sitting at the diner at night, enjoying his dinner.

"You gotta place to stay tonight, kid?"

Axe shook his head, "I thought about staying at the church, since I heard people go there at night when they have no where else to go...,"

"Well, if you do sleep there, don't let Father Anderson spook you,"

"Too late for that,"

"Oh, so you've met Father Anderson then?"

"Yeah, earlier while I was talking to that apprentice girl," Axe popped a piece of meat into his mouth, "She was nice, her cat was a pain for a bit, but that preacher...gave me the creeps,"

The server smiled, "He may seem intimidating, but believe me when I say this, but he's a very good man. He is very devout, always taking in orphans and the homeless, letting them stay in the church until they get blessed by God and have their lives turned around,"

"Do they get better luck?"

"Oh yes," he nodded, "Shortly after they stay in the church, they come back all happy and in good fortunes, blessed by the Lord himself,"

Hmm...maybe I should go crash at the Church. Maybe their God will give me some good fortune of my own and gimme a crew and a ship.

Kilnorc: A new character! Yes, Anderson IS based off the guy from Hellsing...just to get that outta the way right now! I know it's not much, but hey, beginning of the arc.

On the next chapter of Origin...

Axe: Well, this place has good lodging...not bad for free, I'll give it that much.

Child: The Holy Knight was just spotted, fighting a group of people not too far from here!

Anderson: We owe the Knight so much for saving this island time and time again.

Axe: I can use someone like you on my crew.

Rumors and Sins

Patron: The people who go there...they're changed forever! Don't be fooled, boy! Beware the false prophet!!