A/N: A little longer than usual, but enjoy!
"Hold up," Nami ordered, raising her hands, "So Sakura had a sister, Keri, who called her Sa-chan?"
"That correct," Raoul replied, slightly miffed that he had been interrupted. Usopp let put a whimper as he made the connection.
"And Sakura drew pictures everyday and listened in on conversations for Keri. That's why she's so good at drawing and spying," Nami continued.
"That's correct."
"Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?" Usopp moaned. Raoul smiled grimly.
"If you don't want to hear more I can stop right here. Maybe you're weaker than I thought you were," he said mockingly. Nami furiously shook her head. The way this story was going, it reminded her an awful lot of her own past.
"I want to hear more," she pleaded, "Sakura sounds so sweet as a kid. I want to know how she turned out to be the way she is."
"You mean confusing and sensitive to every little thing we do?" Usopp groaned.
"Oi, watch it, brat. She's feeling a lot of frustration around you guys," Raoul warned, "But you're right. Sakura changed a lot from when she was just a little kid."
"Does it have something to do with those ships you mentioned?" Nami asked. Raoul sighed.
"My dear girl, it has everything to do with those ships," he murmured.
*BOOM*
Sakura awoke with a start, her head jerking up from Keri's nap, where she had dozed off for some time. She glanced around, before turning to Keri, who had a clear, worried expression on her face.
"What's going on?" Sakura asked, as she staggered to her feet. Keri attempted to hold her down, but Sakura wriggled away and ran further out of the outcrop.
"Nee-chan, is it pirates? We needa' go back home!" she called back to Keri nervously. Keri smiled, though the worry was clear on her face.
"Shhh it's fine, Sakura. It'll probably be the town making a ruckus. Just..stay here. I'll go check it out." Keri began to ease her wheelchair out of the outcrop. Sakura darted back and glared defiantly at Keri.
"I'm staying with you, Nee-chan! I don't wanna' be alone!" she protested. Keri sighed.
"Sa-chan, I really don't think you should-woah hey!" Sakura had ignored Keri and was now running to the town, pushing Keri along at high speed.
They didn't need to go very far when they saw it. Fire. The entire town seemed to be on fire. Flames lit the night sky, turning the world bright orange. The light illuminated the island harbor, where a huge pirate ship could be seen. Sakura and Keri gaped at the scene.
"Turn back, Sakura. We need to get back home. Now," Keri attempted to maneuver her chair around, but Sakura held it firmly in place.
"We can't, Keri. Garu and the townspeople are there. We can't just leave them!" Sakura's eyes were wide and filled with a mixture of terror and shock, but her voice was filled with determination. Keri slammed her chair with her fist in frustration.
"There's nothing we can do! We need to go back now!" she screamed.
"I don't care! I'm not gonna' let some stinky pirates hurt the town!" Sakura began to push the wheelchair frantically, with Keri screaming the whole way. As they approached the town, both girls went silent. Sakura carefully parked the wheelchair behind a house, then moved around to face Keri.
"Don't worry. I'm good at this! They won't be able to see me. I'll be right back," Sakura whispered, before tiptoeing away.
"Sakura! Get back here right now!" Keri hissed, helpless as she watched her little sister silently move away. Sakura ignored her, choosing instead to slowly creep around the houses until she got to the town square. The heat of the fire made her eyes water, but the sight that greeted her left her speechless.
The townspeople lay huddled in a mass together, looking fearfully at their captors. Sakura could make out Garu, defiantly staring into the eyes of the pirates as he tried to shield the others with his body. Even the boys from the afternoon were there, tears and snot running down their faces. The pirates themselves were the stuff of nightmares. They were clad in thick furs and belts, with horns seeming to sprout straight from their skulls. It was easy to pinpoint their leader, a humongous man with large, yellow braids, horns, and a strange metal mask. In his hands were two scythe-like blades, bigger than Sakura herself. Strangest of all was the man's bright red belt buckle. It depicted the jolly roger of a pirate, with horns and two white bars behind the skull.
"Ne, ne, Jack-sama, why don't we hurry up with the killing already, huh? How long are we gonna' stand here wastin' our time," the pirates laughed, leering down at the terrified townsmen. Their leader, whom Sakura assumed to be Jack, growled.
"Shut the hell up, ya' idiots. There's somebody still hiding. I sense it. You, go find them," Jack lashed out at one of the pirates with his foot, sending the subordinate flying. The subordinate quickly got up and ran off with yells of, "Of course, Captain!"
Sakura flinched. Keri was safely tucked far away, so it must of been Sakura herself that Jack was talking about. Fearful, she shrank down, desperately looking around for a better hiding place. She couldn't let those pirates find her, but where was she supposed to go?
Meanwhile, the pirates continued to laugh. One dragged a little girl away from the rest of the townspeople, laughing as she screamed and tried to wriggle away. Sakura could only stare in horror as the pirate ruthlessly flung the girl against a building, shrieking with laughter as the girl's body flopped to the ground unmoving. Jack himself, chuckled menacingly.
"A pathetic place like this won't have much to offer. But my men have been a little..bored..these past few days. I thought, as captain, it would be my duty to provide them with some entertainment," The rest of the pirates howled with laughter at Jack's words. Sakura bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
"Oh, what am I supposed to do?" Sakura murmured, tears dripping down her cheeks. Suddenly, a scream was heard from a distance, followed by laughter. Sakura's blood ran cold. That scream. It was all too familiar. Oh dear god no...
The pirate from earlier had returned, towing along a body. Carelessly, he chucked it at the ground at Jack's feet, where it lay whimpering and twitching. Keri.
Sakura could see the pirates laughing, see Jack's mouth moving as he said something, see the townspeople screaming, but all she could hear was the rush of blood in her own head. Not Keri. She couldn't lose Keri. Without even realizing, her fist closed on the nearest item by her, a broken broomstick handle. Within the span of a few seconds, Sakura leaped out from her hiding place, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"GET AWAY FROM HER, YOU MONSTERS!" she shrieked. With a yell, she swatted one pirate over the head with enough force to send him crashing into the building behind him, then stabbed the broken end of the broomstick handle into the stomach of another. She would have done more harm but another pirate sent her flying into the nearby food cart. She landed with a crash and lay there, buried under a mound of wood.
"SAKURA!" Keri screamed, struggling to drag herself over, her legs dragging uselessly behind her. The pirates around them howled in delight. Strangely though, the leader, Jack, seemed taken aback.
"Interesting….I can't sense anything. Even now, the brat's aura's incredibly faint..." Jack mused, "Though she doesn't seem like a weakling."
Sakura didn't know what he was talking about, and she didn't really care. With a heave, she righted herself, and staggered to Keri, attempting to shield her sister with her own body.
"You'll be alright, Keri, don't worry, we'll figure it out," Sakura murmured, smoothing Keri's bangs. Keri groaned and attempted to touch Sakura's face.
"You need to run," Keri croaked, "Get..out..here.." Both girls failed to notice Jack gesture at Sakura with a nod. With a single hand, one of the pirates grabbed Sakura and lifted her up by the back of her shirt. Sakura kicked and screamed, desperately trying to free herself.
"What are you guys doing! Let me go, you monsters!" she cried, fear and anger creeping into her voice.
"Please, let go of my sister!" Keri groaned.
"Stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it!" Sakura shrieked. Whether intentional or lucky, her leg was able to make contact with the pirate. She had been hoping to somehow hit him in the stomach, but her foot hit something slightly lower. With a shriek the pirate dropped Sakura, who, as soon as she landed on the ground, flew into the pirate's face and began to punching and clawing, aiming to injure in whatever way possible.
"ENOUGH!" Jack roared, with enough force to make several of the terrified townspeople faint, and Sakura to tumble off the pirate and collapse in a heap, "You're no ordinary brat are you..." he growled, "Take her along with us."
"Wait Jack-sama, what do you want with a little girl?" one of the men began to protest, as Sakura shrank further into the rubble.
"Are you questioning my orders?"
"Wha- of course not, Jack-sama!" The man scrambled to grab onto Sakura. With a scream she tried to lunge away, only to collide into two other pirates, who wordless each grabbed one of her arms so that she dangled in between them. "L-let me go! HEY!"
"Sakura, NO!" Keri crawled towards them, before attempting to claw at one of the pirates. "Please, stop it!"
The pirate only chuckled, as faster than Sakura could blink, plunged his sword into the sister's side.
The only thing Sakura could hear was a distant ringing, and then only thing she could see was her sister's ashen face, wide with shock, before she slumped back to the ground. With a howl of anguish she swung one legs up to kick the wrist of one man, before wrenching her other arm from the other man. Barely feeling as she fell to the ground, she scrambled over to her beautiful, loving, kind, battered sister.
"KERI! Please, stay with me, please, don't leave me," she sobbed, cradling Keri's head in her arms, "I'm sorry." Keri, slowly lifted one hand, carefully touching the side of Sakura face. With trembling hands, she grabbed her necklace, struggling to communicate with Sakura.
"My necklace…" she croaked. Sakura gingerly undid Keri's necklace, uncertainly holding it in her hand.
Keri's eyes seemed to glisten in the darkness. "Your dream…with the necklace...I...at your side...show me the world...live..for me...Sa-chan.."
"No no no nee-chan please," Sakura begged, "I should've kept us away I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry."
"Enough of this shit. Grab the girl, and if you can't actually hold onto her then you're free to join this town."
Sakura whirled around to see Jack watching them impassively. With a howl of rage, she launched herself at pirates, every inch of her filled with murderous hatred. With almost pathetic ease, Jack smacked the girl with one hand, sending her flying into a building, where she lay limply, an unconscious heap.
"That shut her up. Take her back to the ship. And burn this place up. It stinks," Jack turned and left, without a backward glance. His men leered at the destroyed town and its terrified people, laughing as it went up in flames.
"LET ME GO! I'LL KILL MYSELF RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO!" Sakura screamed, tears running down her face. She held out a small knife, brandishing it at the crowd surrounding her. The pirates laughed.
"Is the crying little wuss trying to be brave? Go on then prove how strong you are!" one of the pirates yelled, beside himself with laughter. "Save us the trouble of dealing with your miserable ass!"
Trembling, Sakura placed the knife to her throat. The last few days had been torture. She had no idea why the pirates were keeping her around and hadn't see even a sign of the captain. She was too busy being beaten, spat on, mocked, and worse. It truly would have been easier to be dead. As she slowly steeled herself to perform the deed, her shaking hand brushed against the two cords around her neck. Sakura's heart dropped.
"Your dream…with the necklace...I...at your side...… show me the world...live..for me...Sa-chan.."
Keri's words echoed in her head. No, Sakura couldn't die like this. Not here, on this stinking pirate boat. Not like this. She needed to live for Keri, didn't she? To travel the world. That was what Sakura had promised her, so long ago. With a sob, she dropped her knife, barely hearing it clatter to the grounds. The pirates howled with laughter, finding the spectacle hilarious. They closed in on her, their faces muddling up to become demons, monsters.
A nightmare.
She crouched at the doorway, struggling to keep herself hidden while listening into the conversation. With the nearby laughter and the constant paranoia of being caught, Sakura could only catch a few phrases.
"...so faint. I can barely feel her at all." That was definitely the captain Jack.
"..Sure? Maybe...some hidden power."
"Do you want to...? ...kill you right now..."
"...sorry...next time..."
"Maybe...weak brat, but...will want to know.." Dammit. Sakura could barely hear anything.
"And who do we have here?" Sakura whirled around to come face to face with one of the pirates. She shrunk back in fear, mind desperately racing to come up with something to say.
"Aren't you supposed to be cleaning the kitchens? We don't appreciate eavesdroppers, you know." Sakura could only whimper in fright as the pirate closed in on her.
The one question that continued to burn in her heart, keeping her awake every night as she lay chained in the filth and squalor below deck.
Why the hell were they keeping her alive?
"Alright. You're gonna go in and pretend to be a lost and crying welp. Use your brains to figure out where they keep their gold. We'll be coming at night. Try to run away and we'll kill you."
"Why do you need me to do that? You guys can handle it yourselves," Sakura spat, her body shivering pitifully in the cold.
"Cuz it saves us some time. If you're scared of dying, you gotta earn the right to live. You can do what we say and make it easier for us, or we can kill you right here."
Sakura felt ill. She wanted to hide, run, cry, anything but what they were forcing her to do.
"Remember, brat, we'll be watching."
They always were.
As Sakura shakily rowed the tiny lifeboat towards, tears poured down her face. This was for Keri. She had to stay alive for Keri. To fulfill her dream of traveling the world. Whatever it took.
Even if it meant hurting innocent people.
Sakura let out a sob of despair. She was no different from the monsters, wasn't she?
One nightmare after another.
"No! Don't make me pretend again! Please!"
Sakura defiantly stood against the pirate, her hands clenched at her sides. She could still hear the agonized screams of the townspeople, see their shocked, betrayed faces staring at her. She couldn't do it. She couldn't hurt others. Not like this.
The pirate glared at her. "You'll do whatever Jack-sama wants you to do or we'll kill you. Simple as that." With a sweep of his hand, he sent Sakura flying into the side of the ship, where she lay in a crumpled heap, her fingers brushing against her necklaces. She let her mind wander, desperately grasping for a good memory, any good memory.
A few months back, Sakura had run back home crying, her knees skinned from a fall. She had clung to Keri, screaming about the pain. After bandaging the wounds, Keri had taken Sakura into her arms and tickled her until Sakura's tears turned into giggles.
You'll be fine. A little fall can't hurt you, Sa-chan, she had chided, smiling as Sakura pouted, You want to know how I'm so sure? Because you're a fighter, and no matter what life throws at you, you'll get right back up and throw something back at life!
Sakura sobbed against the floorboards, her tears pooling around her eyes. Keri had been wrong. She wasn't a fighter.
She was a coward, hiding behind the deaths of others to survive.
A pitiless coward.
One Month Later
"Please sir! You have to help me! Pirates! They've kept me captive for so long! Please help me!"
Sakura had been groveling at the marine's feet for a while now. It was only a matter of time before they found her. Then, she would be dead, and Keri's wish would be left unfinished. The marines stared at her, unsure of what to do. She certainly looked like a mess. Her hair was in tangles, with bits of trash and dust stuck within. She wore a shirt that was probably once white, and pants with more patches than she could count. A mess.
"Calm down, girl. What pirates have been keeping you captive, huh?" the marine officer asked. Sakura stared back at him, her mind blanking out.
"Jack. His name is Jack," she managed to sputter out.
She expected him to help. To do something. He was a marine, for goddamn's sake. What she did not expect, was for him to kick her away, eyes filled with disgust and fear.
"There were rumors about a girl who pretended to be lost and hurt," he said, leveling his gun at her, "it's said that every time she arrives to a town, the town itself would be found in ruins. All because of the notorious pirate Jack and his crew. You're that kid, aren't you?"
Sakura fled, struggling to shield her frail body from gunfire. As she ran, she heard the marine calling somebody.
"Suspicious figure sighted at the north harbor. Expecting some form of attack soon."
Sakura grasped at her necklaces. Nobody. Nobody to trust. Nowhere to go.
She ran faster.
One week later
She lay in the straw, her bony fingers curled around her necklace charms. After her attempt to find help from the marines, the pirates had locked her in a room with mutters of "more trouble than she's worth." She had curled up in the straw, silent and defeated. She had a vague understanding that they were nearing the Grand Line, but she wasn't really sure, and she didn't really care.
Her hometown gone.
Her life shattered.
Her one possible hope, her ray of light, the marines, uncaring.
I don't want to anymore, Sakura thought, All I've done is hurt innocent people. I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to...
Her eyes slowly closed.
She stood in an open grassland. The sun shone brightly overhead, warming her bare arms. Clouds floated lazily across the blue sky. She wore a purple tank top and bright green shorts. The same outfit from Kaihana. So far back.
In front of her was a figure from so long ago. She sat in her wheelchair, clad simply in a beige sweater and skirt. Sakura felt tears run down her cheeks as she stumbled forward.
"Keri! Keri!"
With a cry, she fell into Keri's arms, where she lay, sobbing her heart out. Keri softly smiled back.
"What are you doing here, hmm? It's much too early for this, Sa-chan," she said sternly but not unkindly.
"I don't want to. The pirates make me do terrible things. If I don't, they beat me. I'm tired of it. I don't want to!" Sakura wailed, burrowing her head into Keri's lap, "There's no other way! I can't do it anymore! I just want to die!"
"Did you forget already, Sa-chan?" Keri carefully touched the necklaces at Sakura's throat, "You promised you would show me the world, didn't you?"
Keri gently stroked Sakura's hair before forcing her to raise her head. The two sisters looked at each other eye to eye, one sobbing, one smiling.
"There is always a way, Sakura. You must continue to look forward. Think, Sa-chan, what do you live for?" Keri murmured as she gestured toward the area in front of her. With an encouraging nod from Keri, Sakura stood and began to walk in the direction Keri pointed. One step after another.
*BONK*
Sakura fell hard on the ground, head throbbing. She looked around stunned. The grass and Keri had disappeared, replaced with the dingy, dark room she had felt so trapped in. She had walked straight into the room's door. Shaking, Sakura struggled to push herself back up to her feet. As she did so, she heard voices coming from the other side of the door.
"-found a devil fruit! It looks kinda stupid, though. "
"Well, it's still valuable! A real devil fruit...Ya' never know what power you might get! They're keeping it locked up in the safe for now."
The voices faded away, but a resolve burned in Sakura's heart. She was gonna get out, one and for all. She couldn't give up. Now yet.
Quietly, she surveyed the room. Now for an escape plan. One that wouldn't fail, no matter what.
"CRAP, THAT BRAT RAN OFF WITH THE DEVIL FRUIT WE FOUND!"
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I THOUGHT SHE DIED OFF A LONG TIME AGO!"
Sakura raced off, ignoring the rain and the weakness in her bones. Escaping the room, finding and cracking the safe, escaping onto the island, that was all easy if she had determination. Avoiding being caught was the hard part. She could hear the angry yells of the pirates closing in on her. She looked down at her hands, which clutched the stolen devil fruit, a strange pineapple shaped thing with heart swirls.
A Devil Fruit. Sakura had heard dark rumors about them back at Kaihana Island from sailors, and a few of the pirates even seemed to possess devil fruit powers. As far as she knew, it was nothing but trouble.
"WHERE THE HELL DID SHE GO?!"
"FIND HER AT ALL COSTS!"
Sakura hurriedly glanced over her shoulder, before staring at the fruit again. She had to do whatever it took to get away, no matter what. With trembling hands, she shoved it into her mouth, and forced her jaws to chew.
"Mmrph! Chomp! Bleurgh, what the hell is this! It tastes like an old sock!" Sakura groaned as she finished the last of the fruit. She rubbed her hands together.
"Ok ok now do your magic, fruit. Abra Kadabra Bibbity Boom! Magic fruit magic fruit!" Sakura waved her hands in the air, trying desperately to make it something happen. Nothing. Oh, she was so screwed.
So focused was she in the devil fruit that she ran straight into a passerby's leg. With a cry, Sakura fell onto her back. Terrified, she gazed up at the stranger.
Judging by the coat and lapels, it was a marine. He was thin and tall, with dark skin and narrowed eyes. Two shiny whips studded with thorns hung at his sides
"Oh? And what do we have here, hmmm?" the marine asked, leering down at Sakura, "Does this little brat not know how to show manners to a Marine Commander when she sees one? Nobody runs into Valier without getting on their knees and begging for forgiveness."
"Please," she croaked, "Pirates...after me...please!"
"GET BACK HERE YOU FILTHY BRAT!"
Sakura closed her eyes in frustration. The pirates had caught up.
"Oh, pirates hmm?" Valier mused, "This should be fun."
The pirates approached Valier. They seemed to show no fear over being approached by a marine.
"That brat. She's a deserter of our crew. We would appreciate taking her back now," one of the pirates chuckled.
"This little girl is part of a pirate crew? I suppose I need to arrest all three of you then." he said as he took a step back. Sakura stared in shock.
Too numb with shock after hearing Valier's words to pay attention to everyone around her, she screwed her eyes shut, her hands clenching her necklace charms.
Keri, save me! She thought desperately, I don't want to die!
What happened next nobody foresaw. A blinding, pink light surrounded Sakura, lighting up the stormy path with its glow. The pirates and Valier struggled to shield their eyes. With a boom, three circular shockwaves sprung out from Sakura. When they made contact with the pirates, they fell to their knees, before slumping forward, completely unconscious. Valier stumbled back, dripping in sweat. Pain blossomed in his chest, so strong that his knees shook and his vision blurred. He had never felt a pain like this. It struck him to the core, made him want to rip his heart out to stop it. With an enormous amount of effort, he managed to stay conscious, glaring down at Sakura.
"What are you?! Some kind of cursed witch?" he hissed.
Sakura stared back at the marine commander. She had no idea what had happened, but it left her feeling drained. Her vision was already bordered with black. She watched in mute shock as Valier unwound his whips, snapping them in the air.
"Whatever you are, you need be gotten rid of," Valier said, gritting his teeth as he grasped a whip, "A cursed one like you will only be a problem in this world!"
The blow of the whip was enough to send her flying into a nearby wall. Sakura let out a hoarse cry. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to die!
"STOP!" Sakura screeched. Her hands lit up again with the same pink glow from before. Valier hesitated. It was all Sakura needed. Shakily, she got to her feet, before darting into the nearest alley. Valier watched her go, his whips trailing at his side. The shock of the girl's previous attack made him too wary to venture after her.
"Tch...whatever. I'll find her sooner or later," Valier muttered to himself as he turned to walk away, "That power, though...even if it came from a devil fruit...for a little kid to be able to do that..."
Sakura stumbled through the alleyways. Everything felt numb, from her legs to her mind. All she wanted to do was get away from everything. With a cry she collapsed on top of a pile of trash bag.
Darkness swept over her.