Disclaimer: Do not own One Piece, Loreena McKennitt's 'The Mystic Dream', J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold' or Howard Shore's 'Song of the Lonely Mountain'. All plot and OCs belong to Volleys-chan and I.
The Dragon Chronicles
Chapter 6 - Conferring
"If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten."
-Rudyard Kipling
Silently, Rei began to long for the days to speed by, waiting almost impatiently for when she was put into the closed quarters with the pirate woman and instantly be whisked away to the places Gin's stories took her. She'd tell her tales of Gol D. Roger, otherwise known as Gold Roger, and Silvers Rayleigh, as known as the Dark King, and her personal travels with the two. She told stories about her boys, Buggy and Shanks. About how the two of them never seemed to agree on anything and would argue or fight to try to prove to the other that they were right, which always ended with either her or Rayleigh having to discipline the two when their shenanigans got out of hand.
Rei loved hearing about those two in particular because the stories about them were definitely the funniest, though there was a story or two about Gold Roger that had her holding her aching sides from laughing so much. She even told a tale or two about her two lassies, but they were more well behaved than her boys.
Gin also had stories about much more than just her former crew. It seemed that she had a story for every type of occasion that Rei could even think of. If Rei asked a question, like why a elephant had a long nose, instead of giving her an actual answer, Gin would tell her the story of how the elephant got his long nose. If she pondered why there were different seasons, she had a story for that too. The stories might not have always been realistic, but Rei didn't care, they made her laugh and smile and forget the woes of the world.
And, it wasn't just stories that Gin knew a plethora of. She knew all sorts of songs as well and she could sing all of them beautifully. Rei's favorite that she made Gin sing over and over again was Binks' Sake. The song was so upbeat and joyous that Rei couldn't help be love the catchy tune, exasperating Gin sometimes because of how much she loved that one melody. Gin took the time to teach her the words and tune to several songs, a few that were very odd and cryptic songs with hidden meanings. Rei tried to ask her why she wanted her to learn these songs, but Gin would shake her head and merely tell her that she would understand in time. Rei memorized them only because they seemed important to the woman.
Gin would tell her stories, talk with her, and do anything the little girl wanted when they spent their nights together. Sometimes, Gin wouldn't start up a new story right after finishing one. She would lie there, cuddling the small child and giving her affectionate touches, much like a mother would.
"Gin." Rei murmured sleepily one night. "Are you sure you're a pirate?"
"I'm sure. Why do you ask?"
"Cause you're really, really nice." Rei yawned, curling further into the older female's hold. "You seem more like a mommy than a blood thirsty pirate."
"Hunhunhunhunhun, Doggy's been yapping your ear off again about pirates?" Gin couldn't help but smiled at the man's futile preachings about 'all pirates are evil scum' to the girl.
"Sometimes." Rei admitted, "But... he's not wrong about all pirates... I mean... the ones that stole me were mean and... and..."
Gin hushed the child gently as Rei slowly became distressed about the whole horrible ordeal she had survived. "Would you like to talk about it?"
Rei shook her head violently, pulling her little hands further to her chest as if she was keeping them protected from whatever had been done to them. Her fingers still wrapped in white bandages as her wounds slowly healed. Gin hushed at her again, cradling her close as she tried to calm the girl down. Hot tears were slowly drenching her clothes as the girl began to cry into her bosom.
"It's alright. You are safe now. Far, far away from them and in the protective custody of the Marines and myself. As long as I have breath to breathe, you will not be hurt again." Gin promised, whispering the words into the child's ear.
"I hate them! I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!" Rei sobbed as she finally used her hands to cling tightly to the woman's clothing.
"Tut-tut-tut," Gin clicked her tongue at the young girl's response. "Hate is a very powerful emotion."
"I don't care. I hate them with every fiber of my being."
Gin frowned at that remark. Now, she wasn't a saint and she did hate a few people in her life, but not as fervently as this child before her. Her hate resembled more of Akainu's active version of hatred than her more passive. It worried her because Rei was such a sweet a loving girl most of the time that this level of hatred was nothing but a festering wound in her soul. If someone didn't treat this wound upon her heart, it would eventually eat at her until she was exactly like Akainu.
"I know they did you wrong." Gin spoke gently to the child. "I know that they deserve to be hated for what they did to you, but I think you need to let go of your hatred of them."
Rei's face shot up so she could look the old pirate woman in the eyes. Gold clashed with red as the child stared at her with disbelief. "Wh-what?"
"You heard me." Gin told her, "let go of your hatred."
Rei couldn't believe what Gin was telling her. She was a pirate! Shouldn't she be telling her to feed off of her anger and become stronger so one day she could get her vengeance? Letting go of her anger was not even something she had considered to be an answer.
Understanding the girl's confusion, Gin decided to elaborate now that she had the Rei's attention. "I can see it in your eyes. You want revenge. You want them to feel exactly like you did. But you see, the problem is, revenge is an empty promise. Hatred is like a festering wound. It infects the body and slowly kills it and anger is an agent that only further spreads that infection throughout the body. It feeds on your soul, eating away at your happiness and joy. After a while, all you can think about, dwell upon, is the object of your hatred.
"You'll eventually seek out revenge, thinking that if you finally get back at them for what they did to you, you'll feel better, you'll be okay, and you'll be able to move on with life. But you won't. Revenge will leave you feeling empty inside because after all that time, all that energy focused on that singular goal, you have nothing now that it has come to an end. Your life was spent on that one goal and now that you have achieved it, there is nothing left to live for. It makes you the very person you hated, if anything." Gin explained to the child in a sad, quiet tone.
She had seen several people she had considered good friends go down that path and in the end, after they had succeeded, they often took their lives shortly afterwards. "So I'm telling you now, Rei, let go of your hatred. In the end, it doesn't harm them as much as it harms you. In the end... they still win if you hate them with all of your heart." She paused, letting a smirk tug at the corner of her mouth. "And you're not about to let them win, are you?"
Rei sniffled, wiping her tears away with her arm. She thought about what Gin had said and didn't like the depiction of where her hatred would lead her in the long run. She didn't want to be obsessed with them, dwelling on them far longer than she should. Gin was right. In the end, they would win if she became obsessed with thoughts of revenge and hatred and it would only really hurt her. It was hurting her now to hate them because every time she thought of them, she could remember everything that thing had done to her. She would never let them win. Never, ever, ever. It might take a while, Rei knew she couldn't just let go so easily, but she was going to let go of her hate.
Rei looked at Gin with a new look of determination as she shook her head in response to her question. Gin merely grinned wider. "Good girl."
"But I'm not promising that I can ever like them." Rei told her stubbornly.
"Hunhunhunhunhun," Gin chuckled lowly. "I don't expect you to. You can dislike them all you want, just don't let your heart fester in hatred. That's all I'm asking for kid. However~" A sinister smile crossed her lips as her eyes danced dangerously. "Don't dwell on thoughts of revenge, but if the opportunity should arise, there is no need to pass it up."
Rei blinked at the last statement, surprised at how sinister the usually kind and gentle pirate woman could look. However, Rei wasn't scared of her or worried about how the last words didn't exactly line up with anything her mother would have told her. Instead, she let out a small laugh.
"That's sorta cheating, isn't it?"
"I'm a pirate. I play with loaded dice." Gin retorted smugly.
Rei only laughed more. Gin was definitely what her mother would not call a good influence, but Rei couldn't help but idolize the crafty woman. She was wise, kind, fun, wild, caring, strong, protective, beautiful, and completely and utterly free. Rei wanted to be just like her.
Gin let out a few strings of laughter herself, however, she eventually sobered up. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? It'll help, I promise."
Rei frowned, shaking her head no. Gin sighed, "Alright kiddo, I'll let it go, okay? But," Gin interjected, "I am telling you now. One day, you've got to tell someone, okay?"
"O...okay." Rei sighed, giving in just a little bit. She wasn't ready to talk about it yet, but she would keep an open mind into telling someone someday.
"Good girl." Gin purred, kissing the crown of her head.
"...Can... can you sing a song?"
"Of course." Gin smiled. "I have a special one in mind. I will sing it to you and afterwards, you are going to learn it, okay?"
"Okay."
Gin took a long deep breath. Eyes closed as she recalled the words of the song.
"A clouded dream on an earthly night
Hangs upon the crescent moon
A voiceless song in an ageless light
Sings at the coming dawn.
"Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
"On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.
"Her fate unknown, the Arkenstone
What was stolen must be returned
We must awake and make the day
To find a song for heart and soul
"Nestled in the emerald moss
The eyes declare a truce of trust
And then it draws me far away
Where deep in the desert twilight
Sand melts in pools of the sky
When darkness lays her crimson cloak
Your lamps will call me home
"And so it's there my homage's due
Clutched by the still of the night
And now I feel you move
Every breath is full
So it's there my homage's due
Clutched by the still of the night
Even the distance feels so near
All for the love of you."
Rei blinked. It was a very strange song and the tune changed from time to time but the entire time the song was slow and somber in mood. She didn't understand its meaning either. 'Nestled in the emerald moss'? 'The dragon-fire, in twisted wire'? What in the world?
"That song makes no sense." Rei finally said. "It almost sounds like someone made up it up on a whim."
"The man might have. But he taught it to me for some reason and I am deciding to teach it to you. If he taught it to me, it must mean it is important." Gin explained to Rei.
"Okay... I'll learn it..." Rei agreed hesitantly. "But then, afterwards, can you sing Binks' Sake?"
Gin let out her beautiful laugh. "Yes, after you learn the song, I will sing you Binks' Sake. Now. The first verse- A clouded dream on an earthly night..."
And so began a long night where Rei learned another strange song. One she would not be able to forget, no matter how much time passed.
After a few nights, it seemed that Admiral Kuzan caught on to the fact that Rei enjoyed her time with the pirate woman, and, though he wasn't all to concerned with Silver trying to escape, he assigned someone to sit in the brig at night and monitor the situation, just in case. Silver was there, so he wasn't concerned about the marine endangering the girl, and the marine was there, so Silver couldn't influence the child in less than reputable ways.
At first, Rei was nervous about the male entity within the brig, but when she realized that Gin wasn't at all bothered by the man, Rei began to calm down and pretty much ignore the quiet man. He would always bring a book and sit on a chair and mind his own business. He didn't bother stopping Rei at all from going into Gin's cell. He merely watched her do it before going back to his book. Gin, to Rei's surprise, didn't even bother the man, instead investing all her time on Rei until the girl finally fell asleep, which took a while since Rei purposely had naps with Admiral Kuzan during the long day so she wasn't as tired at night.
"Hey Gin," Rei asked the golden eyed woman one night shortly after lying down next to the pirate woman on her cot.
"Yes, little one?" Gin murmured lightly as she tried to get comfortable on her stomach.
"Where did the devil fruits come from? What are they, really?"
"My, what a curious question. Where did such a curiosity about such a thing come from?" Gin asked, glancing down at the red eyes of the young child with a mirthful gaze.
"It was something that Admiral Kuzan said earlier to him." Rei pointed over to the man reading his book. He glanced up when Rei referred to him, but as quickly as he did, he went back to reading his book.
"Oh? And what was that?" Gin asked, looking coyly to the man she had purposely been ignoring during her nights with Rei.
"Admiral Kuzan said that he had a lot of potential because of his excellent control over his devil fruit abilities. I've heard about them before - by you even- , but I don't really get what it is all about."
"I see. So you thought that I might have a story to fulfill your inquisitive nature?"
The girl didn't even hesitate to say yes. Gin allowed her pretty chuckle to escape her throat as she wrapped an arm around Rei's small form and brought her closer to her so she could cuddle as she told her tale. It was a delightful feeling for Rei, to be held so gently and know those arms were strong enough to protect her. She felt safe in Gin's arms and she knew that she would always feel that way.
"Well, once upon a time, a long, long time ago, there were humans who could manipulate the elements. People called them mages, though that wasn't what they were truly. They could only do so by making contracts with devils and with those contracts, they became a medium for the devil's powers.
"Those who knew about the devils' contracts were usually very tight-lipped, paranoid individuals, fearful that others would learn of how they had gained their unique abilities and attempt to kill them to take their place in the devil's contract. You see, a devil could only make one contract at a time and once its channeler died, it was free to make a new contract with someone else."
"Why?" Rei interrupted the story.
"Why what?"
"Why make a contract with humans? If its a devil, wouldn't it use its own powers to do whatever it likes? Why share?" Devils, after all, were always depicted as greedy creatures that only did things that benefited them. The elders from her island had already told her that.
"That is a very good question." Gin beamed proudly at the girl. "You see, the answer is simple. While devils are greedy creatures that only think of themselves, they were trapped. There is a gate that links this world to theirs, but they could not get through and they desperately wanted to."
"Why?" Rei asked, her brows furrowed with confusion. "If they had their own world, why did they want to come to ours?"
"Because they had ruined their world with their lack of discipline. It is a burning world where nothing grows and nothing has a pleasant taste or aroma. They live their lives there, paying for their greed. In fact, it is said that they can not experience deep feelings or emotions beyond the undying desire to feel such things. So, by making a contract with humans, they could experience these things through their contractee."
"Well... if not everybody knew about it, why does everyone know now? Devil fruits aren't exactly a secret, you know."
"Indeed they are not." Gin agreed. "It was because of one foolish man who was as greedy as the devils themselves. He and his brother had come to know of these devils through a man they looked up to as their master. He taught them about devils and the discipline they would need in order to control their given powers. One had attained the power to unlock anything and the other had the power to contain and bind energy to objects. Their master had the ability to create weakness.
"One day the foolish brother decided that he wanted another devil's contract. No one, you see, had ever attempted to be the conduit of two devils before because of the immense amount of energy it took to use their powers. But this man wanted more. The problem was, he couldn't use the same trick he used to make a contract with the first devil. He needed to go to the source in order to invoke another contract, so he had to find Hel's Gate. It was a well known fact that a different group of people knew the location of the gate, but would refuse to share such delicate information with the humans that shared their world. But somehow this brother found out.
"He found Hel's Gate eventually, and went to the threshold that separates our world from the devils' world. He then used his ability to unlock it."
"Unlocked it?" Rei's eyes were wide at that information.
"Yes, using his abilities given to him by his devil. You see, the gate was impossible to unlock on the devil's side of the gate, but not on the our side. The brother opened the gate so that he might ask another devil for a contract, but instead gave the devils what they had most wanted: their freedom from their decaying world. The brother was suddenly overwhelmed and killed by the devils as they began destroy our world like they had done theirs. Fortunately enough, both his brother and master, both good and wise individuals, had realized the foolish brother's intent and had come to stop him. Though they were too late to stop him from undoing the lock, they were able to minimize the damage that the devils would do by turning their own powers against them.
"Quickly, the master cursed the devils to be intolerant of the ocean, unable to touch water without being sapped of all their strength and forced to sink like a hammer within its contents. Though some attempted to fly away before the man could continue, the wise brother proceeded to use his ability to bind the spirits of the devils to the form of a simple fruit. Upon doing so, all those who held a contract with the devils suddenly died as well, their punishment for tying their lives with the devils who were now bound in the produce of the island's trees.
"Soon these fruits, though how is not exactly recalled, found their way off the island and spread across the ocean. Those who eat the fruit create a contract with the devil inside. By eating it, he accepts the devil within his own body as a benign parasite. The devil, now cursed to be a fruit when it is without a medium, experiences nothing. It feels nothing, hears nothing, sees nothing, tastes nothing, and smells nothing. It is quite aware of that and so, despite its grudging reluctance to give away its full powers to the one that consumes its earthly binding, it does so, if only to prolong its life in its host.
"Within its host, it can feel what they feel, know what they know, experience life as they experience life and the vast array of emotions that come with life. They know it is better to live as nothing but a benign parasite than dwell in nothing as a fruit. You see, if the one who ate the devil fruit dies, the devil's spirit must take form of a fruit once more."
"Wow!" Rei couldn't help but gasp. "Devil Fruit users must be unstoppable!"
"They are and yet they aren't." Gin informed her. "You see, the only downside to consuming a devil fruit is that, though they are mainly benign within the host, it comes with a heavy cost. The user too is weak to the things the devil is weak to. Whoever eats a devil fruit loses their ability to swim and becomes weak and rendered useless when in water or exposed to sea stone. A heavy cost for a powerful ability. It is an equal exchange."
"Equal exchange?" Rei looked at Gin confused.
"The world requires balance. If it is thrown out of balance, then either the world attempts to put itself back in balance. If not corrected, it will begin to rot and decay, much like the world of the devils. Too much on either side of the spectrum can cause monumental problems."
Rei was startled greatly when the marine answered her question rather than Gin. She craned her neck over her shoulder to look at the man who she had thought was reading and minding his own business. The man was watching the two of them with keen eyes, his quiet and stoic disposition never faltering even as he continued to speak. "The world requires equivalent exchange in order to function. That is why the devils world fell into decay, was it not? Because they did not honor balance?"
"You are indeed correct." Gin acknowledge him calmly, not at all surprised by his unexpected participation. "I thought you were listening. You haven't turned the page since I began my tale."
The man nodded, his reserved expression never leaving his face and his tone remained calm and cool. "You have quite an interesting arsenal of stories. I much prefer hearing your tales over reading a book I could read another time. Your stories offer much insight into the world and its history and mythology."
"Hunhunhunhun," Gin let out a soothing chuckle as she rubbed hard, soothing circle's in Rei's back. The girl was listening warily to the pirate woman and marine's conversation, not sure what to make of the man now that he had finally spoken to them. "A wise man for looking beyond my title and seeing me for who I am, not what I am."
"There is no doubt that you do not participate in the rules of normal civilization, opting to make up your own rules as you go along, as most pirates do, but that does not mean that you did not pave your road with good intent. Your wisdom and knowledge is not any less greater because of your reluctance to follow the social rules of the common people." He pointed out.
"Indeed." Gin agreed with a mirthful look. "However, don't let your superiors know that's how you feel, marine, or you might get in trouble."
"I know when to express my opinion and when to keep it to myself, Silver-san."
"What's your name, marine?" Gin asked, much to Rei's surprise.
"Drake." He said simply.
"You would definitely be someone worth keeping an eye on." Gin said mirthfully. "I can already tell you'll be something great one day."
"That is my hope." Drake nodded. "I recently passed my captain's exam. I am merely waiting for either admiral's letter recommendation to give to the fleet admiral to finalize the promotion."
"Well, Sengoku would be a fool not to give you the ranking of captain." Gin gave out a small wiry smile. "You obviously have a good, level temperament, able to speak to a known pirate without any contempt. You keep an open mind, which is good when dealing with petty crimes. Your posture tells me that you are strict with personal discipline, but your eyes tell me you're as gentle as a lamb when the situation allows you to be. Hell, give me a pen and paper and I'll write you a letter of recommendation."
"Though I am flattered you think so highly of me, I cannot help but doubt that Fleet Admiral Sengoku would be very pleased with me if I handed him a letter of recommendation from a pirate. No offense, Silver-san." Drake shook his head gently, politely declining the woman's offer.
"You'd be surprise by what my opinion of a person could do for them. Sengoku, Garp, and I go way back, laddie." Gin sighed. "I'll make sure that Bluebird gets you that letter. Even if I have to bug him about it."
Drake frowned slightly, confused at the pirate's odd kindness. "Why do something so kind to a man on the opposing team?"
"Because I'm not against the idea of good men working for the betterment of the world. I'm against the misuse of power and the inability to do what needs to be done because of stupid rules or regulations preventing such actions from being taken." Gin answered hotly. "Now take my words as a damn compliment upon your character and don't ask such skeptical questions."
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you ma'am." Drake gave one firm nod of his head before the whole room fell into a comfortable silence.
That is, until Rei decided to ask for another story. Gin let out a small laugh, before looking up and asking the young marine Drake if he would pick out a theme for the story to have.
"Gluttony." Drake responded, watching her in quiet anticipation for the upcoming tale. The pirate woman was truly entertaining, as he had said previously, and he couldn't help but listen to her tales with enraptured attention, much like Rei could not tear her eyes away from the woman as she spoke.
"Alright. Gluttony." Gin nodded, already having a perfect story in mind to tell to the two. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a small breath of air before reopening her eyes to begin her tale.
"Once upon a time. Not too long ago, there was a little girl. She was much younger than you, barely five, but she had always been very independent, even as a small babe. Now, even though she was five, her favorite thing to do was go into her mother's garden and pick berries, apples, cherries, peaches, anything that was sweet to the taste really, and either eat them in the shade of a tree or take them home so her mother could bake them into desserts. She would sometimes eat and eat until she got a tummy ache, but once she got better, she always was out looking for more sweet things to pick from her mother's garden.
"One day, her mother left the house on a short visit, only to return with a pretty fruit that the little girl had never seen before. Her mother told her that she had gone and retrieved it just for her, encouraging her to eat it. Though it was nothing the little girl had consumed before, she could smell that it was sweet and took a small bite. She took another bite bigger than the last. And another and another and another and another until she had consumed the whole thing. It had been the sweetest tasting fruit that she had ever had the pleasure of eating. Instantly, she asked her mother for more, but her mother shook her head, telling her that the fruit was special, offering her very unique abilities, but she could only ever have one or else."
"Do devil fruit really taste that good?" Rei interrupted the story.
"No. Devil fruit taste like decay and rot, much like the produce that the devils' world had. This story isn't about devil fruit." Gin shook her head.
"So... there's another fruit that grants power?" Rei cocked her head to the side in confusion. She had never heard of a different fruit that gave powers.
"It is a story, Rei. And not necessarily one based on truth. But there is a lesson in the story that must be heard." Gin calmly explained. "Now shall I continue?"
"Okay. Sorry."
"Do not apologize. Questions are important to ask, but let us wait till the end to ask them in this matter." Gin chided lightly before continuing her tale. "Now the little girl was somewhat mad. She felt like her mother had tricked her by not telling her earlier that she could only have one ever. She might have tried to savor it more if she had known, but all that was forgotten for a time when she realized that she was stronger, faster, able to understand things better, and so many other good things. She realized that the fruit had given her these gifts and was secretly upset that her mother would keep such a wonderful fruit from her.
"After a while, the little girl began to think, as little children often might, that her mother was purposely keeping the sweet fruit from her. None of the other sweets she had consumed before and since could ever measure up to that taste and she was left greatly dissatisfied with her sweets. Quietly, she stewed in her mind over the unfairness of the whole situation, dreaming up absurd ideas of where her mother was purposely keeping those fruits from her so she could have them all to herself. Determined, the little girl set out into the woods, where her mother often went when she was heading out of visits. She did not know who lived in the forest in the back of their yard, but she was determined enough to find those fruits to not care.
"Soon she came to a strange house, filled with many odd things, and a odd garden in the back. No one was home, or so she thought, but she never fully went to investigate, instead noticing the produce of an odd, but beautiful looking tree. It was the fruit she was looking for! And without hesitation or a second thought about the house nearby, the little girl climbed up the tree to a decent branch and proceeded to pick a piece of fruit. The first thing she noticed, before even taking a bite, was that this fruit was much smaller and harder than the fruit she had eaten, but she didn't care much, for it was just as sweet. She ate one, then another one, and another one and another one and so on and so on till she could not eat anymore without throwing up. By then, she had consumed a fair amount for a five year old and was content to take a nap in the tree. That is, until she heard her mother scream in fright.
"Her mother had been coming to visit the man who lived in the house, who had very much been home. He had seen the girl and he had watched her eat the fruit from his tree- the very fruit her mother knew she should only have one of- and never bothered to stop the child as she took her fill. Her mother rushed to the tree, snatching her child from the branch before inspecting the child, talking to her in great stress as if expecting her to be ill or perhaps crazed. When the child spoke back to her, she was greatly relieved and inspected the fruit her daughter had so foolishly consumed. They were like the fruit she had given her, only these ones were not yet ripe. Her mother told her that she had to be the most luckiest girl alive, for that was the only thing that spared her from a horrible fate.
"The child didn't know what her mother spoke of. If anything, she felt stronger! She felt smarter! She wasn't afraid of her mother's unknown fears nor of her wrath. Her mother, however, knew there would be dire consequences to consuming the fruit, no matter the fact that none of them had been ripe. After informing the man, who had watched and not done a thing to stop the girl, that she would not be visiting again, she left the woods with her daughter, but not before taking a flame and burning down the man's tree out of spite.
"The little girl, though upset her mother set fire to such a wonderful tree, did not seem to regret her disobedience. She was better for it! She knew she was! That is, until meal time came around. Despite her anger at her daughter, the mother understood that her child was just that. A child. She would make mistakes and that she would have to learn from them. So instead of punishing her fully, for she knew that eventually the consequences of her daughter's gluttony would arise, she baked her one of the girl's favorite meals. With her sense of smell enhanced as well, the girl was all too eager to take a bite of her dinner, only to pause when the hot piece of food touched her tongue. Thinking it a mistake, she swallowed and took another bite and another and another until she had finished the whole thing as was sobbing in despair at her realization.
"She could not taste a single bite. The fruit's sweet flavor had stolen away her ability to taste. From that day on, she could not taste anything anymore. The cost to her disobedience was heavy for the sweet-loving child. No matter how good something smelled or looked, she could not taste it. Her strength, her capability to learn and understand, her agility, her sense of smell and hearing- she would have traded it all for the chance to taste once more."
"She couldn't taste anything?" Rei's eyes grew wide with fear. "Is there really a fruit that can do that?"
"No, Rei. The fruit she ate was suppose to only be eaten once. That was the rule, but she disobeyed and though her consequences were not as severe as they could have been, she did get punished in the end for not listening to her mother. Her mother knew best and tried to do right by her child."
"Is that the end of the story?"
"Yes. It is."
"It's not a very nice or happy ending." Rei frowned.
"Not all stories end happily. If this one had ended happily, the child would not have learned her lesson about greed, gluttony, and obedience. She has to live with the consequences of her mistakes. After all, for every action we take, there will always be an opposite and equal reaction. That is how our world balances itself. In return for the enhanced abilities, she had something taken away. And sometimes the price outweighs the object or cause we so desired." Gin elucidated for the young girl. "Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?"
"Sometimes happy endings don't happen. We must pay the price that our actions might make and sometimes the price we pay is too steep in comparison to the actions we take, regardless of whether it was based off of good intentions or not." Rei managed to explain.
She was pretty sure she understood the implications of the story. It was a little difficult to understand why someone would purposely write such a sad ending for a story, but she had read a few books before that also had unhappy endings. She mentally shrugged it off as an adult thing and decided to move on. It wasn't like she was going to do what the little girl did. She always listened to her mommy and daddy and she never got in trouble anyways. So she did her best to humor Gin and disregarded the warning within the story. She listened and obeyed all the time anyways, so she had nothing to worry about.
Gin chuckled at how well spoken the answer was. Rei really was a smart girl if she could understand what she was trying to get across. Gin glanced over to Drake and offered him a lazy smirk. He nodded to her before opening up his book and returning to it. Gin turned her attention back to Rei.
"It's late now and ole' Gin is getting tired. I will sing you a few songs before I go to sleep, so start picking your tunes, kiddo."
"Binks' Sake!" Rei beamed, her mood instantly brightening despite such a sad ending to a story. Gin laughed, unsurprised that the child would want her to sing that song. It was her favorite after all, it seemed. So Gin opened her mouth and began to sing the song yet again.
A/N: Thank you everyone for your patience! Life hit us quite a bit since the last update, but we didn't forget you as we worked on this chapter! Now to talk about what we wrote, well, how the devil fruit came to be is one of the 'interpretations' I've mentioned on my profile. I've always wanted to display an idea of how such a powerful fruit came in the One Piece world and Volleys-chan turned the idea into a wonderful children's tale. :) And thanks to Volleys-chan, Drake was introduced! :D We hope you enjoyed his introduction as much as we did. The song that Gin taught Rei is a combination of the three mentioned in the disclaimer. Volleys-chan and I had a fight about this and this was our compromise: mashing three songs together and picking up the pieces where they fell.
Some of you may have wondered if the story will get more fun or interesting since not a lot of enjoyable canon characters aren't seen currently. I have a one word answer. Yes. I'm currently writing the two year training arc, which means I've done the Marineford and Post-Marineford arcs since Volleys-chan mentioned I've done the Straw Hats' separation back in chapter 2. And for the two year training, you'll get to see not only what my OC has to improve on but also the comedic interactions with few canon characters, one of them uses a sword and one uses a rifle. And no, they're not part of the same crew. ;)
See you in the next chapter.