[Author's Note: This is the first, and probably last, chapter from Karmen's point of view. The first draft of this was a log and I felt it needed to keep her voice.
Warning: This chapter gets a little dark and involves violent death, mental torture, and emotional abuse of young children.]
Sanji made tea in my china set. There is a new table sitting on the deck that I do not recognize. Franky must have made it early this morning or overnight. Everyone is sitting. "You said you wanted to discuss this with us over tea, right?" Sanji asks. Had I? It had been a week or two since I gave that half-asleep statement. Though the tea is delightfully warm, no one but Zoro is drinking it. He looks at me levelly over the rim of his cup but his expression does not reveal anything. I'm sure he and Luffy spoke last night. I know they are men of honor and hope that they can overlook the lack of mine. I sit in the empty seat at the end of the table and watch my tea cool. Taking a deep breath, I jump right into it.
"I've been using you, and I'm sorry. As you may have already guessed, the story of the shipwreck is a cover." Releasing my clenched fist, I set my family's gold seal and my signet ring on the table in front of me, facing them towards the crew. I hear Nami gasp at the insignia on both: a Neptunian eel crushing a cargo ship in its jaws, encircled by a G. My family symbol. I grind my teeth for a moment, clenching my sweaty palms in my lap. "My real name is Gallowcomb Jenevive Willow Karmen. My father is Gallowcomb Edward Herbert Ikaika, a merchant and nobleman of the West Blue. My mother is Gallowcomb Antwanette Jenevive Willow, a noblewoman and daughter of the Davenwell family of the East Blue."
Nami gasps again. "But that would mean that your family is a branch of the Celestial Dragons!" I nod. Everyone except Usopp, Zoro, and Luffy visibly stiffens, but Usopp is already staring slack jawed at the fact that I am a noble.
Something clicks in Zoro's mind. "Does your family make the DavenGallow wine?" I nod again. He cocks his head briefly in appreciation. "Good stuff."
I give a clipped, airy laugh. "I was raised on the vineyard, actually. It was more of a plantation on Valcour Island in the North Blue. We own property in every ocean, even the Grand Line, but we stayed there more than anywhere else. All of the servants and farmers were slaves. My mother has a whole fleet of bounty hunters on her payroll to track down anyone who tried to escape. She would inspect the vineyard once a week. If she found anything less than perfect she would beat the nearest person into a bloody pulp and then shoot them. If they were lucky, they would die. I tried to keep the death toll to a minimum, but if I was openly kind to anyone they'd be killed.
"The servants and I had to come up with a code that we could use to communicate openly. They would tell me when my family or their guests would go on a rampage and I would attempt to distract them from the servants. I tried my best to help them, but it was never enough. There were always those I couldn't save. I couldn't even trust some of the servants I was trying to help. They'd been given such harsh training that they would report my actions to my father.
"He'd set them in front of me and kill them along with anyone else involved. His favorite weapons were the noose and a whip. He would string people up by their hands and feet and spend hours on just one person before finally hanging them in the yard as an example. I learned from a young age that it only got worse if I reacted. He was a man who delighted in seeing a little girl cry. I can't tell you how many servants were tortured in front of me because I let out the slightest whimper.
"As I got older, my father became more subtle in his cruelty. He would take me to his business meetings as a showpiece starting when I was twelve. He dangled me like a piece of meat in front of lecherous men. If they pleased my father they had a chance of claiming my hand in marriage when I turned eighteen, so long as they stayed in his favor." I shiver with the memory and bite my lip. It wasn't that the memories of the deaths of the servants didn't chill me to the bone, but I had been allowed to react to the men surrounding me as a child. Even now I find it difficult to show my true emotions in either experience. "And if they displeased him, his business partners, rivals, and their families would have a tragedy at sea. He didn't discriminate between man, woman, or child. The navy passed it all off as casualties of a seafaring business, but everyone knew the truth. My father is an assassin who uses money as his weapon while he stays safe and unscathed behind his desk, preying on the weak and powerless." I spit out these words as tears well up in my eyes. I blink them back. If I start crying I won't be able to tell them everything.
"Days before my eighteenth birthday, father introduced me to a politician. His name was Itluk Baldwin, a sixty-eight year old man who was known for brutality towards women. He even left a dying concubine on our doorstep as he came in to greet my father. He didn't like the tea that was served and shot our butler on the spot." I clench my hand and rest my forehead against my palm, letting out a strangled sob. "Godwin was a good servant. He served my family for thirty years. He never hurt anyone and obeyed every order given to him without question. He was one of the nicest men I ever met and made up for all my father's shortcomings. He was shot like a lame dog in the streets and my father didn't even bat an eye! He lay on the floor moaning, so my father pulled a pistol and shot Godwin himself. Once in the abdomen, two in the shoulder, and three in the head. His blood was on my face and in my mouth, and I couldn't even blink. Had I even shed a tear, his body would have been further mutilated and left for wild animals to eat. I wasn't even able to mourn him properly."
I knew the crew recognized the name and were remembering the bad reaction I had had to the medicine where I screamed the name until I was hoarse. "Soon after, father took me into his office and told me that on the night of my eighteenth birthday, I was to marry this man. I begged my father to reconsider, but he had made his decision. I was just another pawn in his quest for power."
I struggled to get out the next words. "There was a servant who had been with me since I was a child. His name is Pierce." Usopp's mouth hangs open slightly at the name. "He had been given to me like property, but we never saw each other as slave and master. I protected him from my family and their acquaintances and he served me faithfully. The tortures decreased after he arrived, but the accidents at sea increased significantly. He gathered intelligence on Baldwin and found that he was just as awful as my father. We both knew that as soon as I had produced a male heir for that man, one who could inherit the Gallowcomb estate, I was as good as dead. I was resolved to die before that man ever touched me.
"The night before the wedding, Pierce came to me and said that he had arranged a way for me to escape the ordeal if I were to only go with him and cut ties with my family. I gladly accepted. I only took the clothes I was wearing and my family's gold seal to sell later down the road. We were sneaking out of the mansion to meet with his friend. Pierce was opening the garden gate in the back yard when Father caught us. He took one look and shot Pierce point blank." I'm crying now. "He was still alive. He begged me to run, and I did." I bite my knuckle.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I look into Luffy's eyes and force the tears to stop. "I left my best friend bleeding in front of a murderer because I was scared and weak. I've regretted my actions every day since. I wanted to go back, but Pierce's friend heard the gunshot and forced me to go. They bounced me from boat to boat for a month until I ended up at Syrup Village, where my parents wouldn't think to look.
"If Pierce survived the gunshot, my father would have kept him alive to torture him until he found out where I was. Even if he was forced to tell him, or he was unable to tell him, my father would have kept him alive to make his life a living hell. He'd want to kill him in front of me to make sure I understand the consequences of my actions. That's the kind of man he is.
"I've looked for Pierce in every group of slaves serving nobles in every port that we've stopped at, not that there have been many in the towns we visited. I thought that maybe father would get bored of him and sell him off. I know that he's probably dead, but I can't help looking. I even used Usopp to help me come up with lies to throw my father off my trail, hoping that if I kept some kind of contact, he would keep Pierce alive until I could find him or what happened to him.
"I already told this to Zoro, but the Mr. 6 in Alabasta was a spy for my father. He had detailed orders to capture me and send me back. He had my signet ring on him. Aokiji had given orders to the government agents at Enies Lobby to capture me alive because my father's been hounding the Navy to find me. You already know about the bounty hunter that attacked me yesterday. His powers… My mother sent that man specifically to mess with my head. If Pierce is alive they've done something terrible to him, or they want me to think they have.
"With everything that's happened I've realized that I never stopped running. I wanted to come with you so that I could get back to the other side of the East Blue to save my friend. I knew you were headed in the opposite direction, but I though by the time we circled around I'd have grown into someone reliable. I've worked hard to become stronger. Strong enough that I won't have to run anymore.
"It took me this long to tell you all because where I come from people get killed for knowing too much. Robin's life up to this point is only one example of that. The only reason they haven't come after me with full force is because they don't realize what I know. Silence has protected more than my life for most of my life. In this case, however, I realize that my silence and actions have put you in danger. My family has strong connections to the Navy and world government, and they're sure to send worse than bounty hunters after me now that they've confirmed my location. In the next few islands and beyond the Red Line there will be a lot of people who can identify me. I've enjoyed my time with you. Traveling with you, I've been able to speak freely for once and I didn't have to hide who I really am. Oddly enough, being a part of this crew has been one of the few times in my life that I've felt safe.
"I can't see any future that I won't cause trouble for you from this point forward. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of your association with me. If you'd like, I will leave the ship. I'll burn our mark off my arm and never claim the Straw Hat name again. You can keep my apple trees. Cruella won't produce any poisoned fruit next year." I push my chair back and bow from it. "I deeply regret deceiving you for so long and will humbly accept any decision you make."
The only sound for a few excruciating seconds is Zoro sipping tea. A few others join in. While I spoke Luffy's face was set and expressionless. It reminded me of when Usopp tried to rejoin the crew before he apologized. I stay bowed.
And then he speaks, going around the table from his right.
"Sanji?"
I hear Sanji take a sip of tea. "It seems to me that if a man is willing to give his life to help a woman escape sure death, she shouldn't waste it by going off to get caught again. I've become rather fond of you. How much suffering have you endured all by yourself? Feel free to leap into my bosom for comfort!" Someone smacks him.
"Robin?"
"I've heard horrible stories about your home island and your parents. I don't blame you for leaving or having a hard time trusting those around you. You and I think alike, after all. You, at least, haven't put us in any real danger yet, and now we know to be prepared for it. I told you when we met, I don't care who you used to be. I'd like to help you, if I can."
"Usopp?"
"I knew all along that you were diverting dangerous nobles with those letters you keep sending out. That's why I gave you my premium stories that I was saving for Kaya and special occasions. You don't come up with quality material like that for nothing, you know. If you think about it, I've saved this ship on countless occasions. You should call me captain."
"I'm captain."
"Oh. Right. Sorry. Anyways, I don't want to say goodbye three times in a week. We're family, right?"
"Franky?"
Franky breaks out sobbing. "I'm so touched. You've been through so much. You must have been so scared. And then to see Godwin and Pierce get shot by your father. Your own father! And Pierce would rather die than see you marry that awful person. What a man! I want to meet this guy. He's super!" Someone clears their throat. "Shut up, you idiot! I'm not crying!"
"Chopper?"
Chopper speaks in a rare tone of seriousness. "It's clear you've suffered great psychological trauma. Your recovery so far has been immense. I agree with Robin. Your family sound like monsters. For your own health, you're better off far away from that place." He sips his tea cordially. "If he is alive, I would like to remove Pierce from that environment as well."
"Nami?"
"Well, I can't say much for not telling us the whole truth up front to protect someone, and after that story I don't blame you. It would be dangerous for people to find out who you are. The real question is: if you leave, who's going to keep our logs or poison people and bring back their treasure? Also, your nobility could actually come in handy in a pinch. You'll know who we can rob. Plus I like having you as a roommate, even if you never sleep."
"Zoro?"
I hear him set down his tea. "So you were no good in a fight back then. We knew that from day one. You screamed it at us when you begged to join. I am a little insulted, however, that you didn't think we could take care of anything your family throws our way. I told you that I'd handle any trouble you caused. It can't be much worse than a buster call or a few admirals. What was your plan? Stay on the ship until we got close to your home and then disappear for a solo rescue mission? You saw how far we went to get Robin back. You have seniority." He lets out his breath in a huff. "What do you say, Captain?"
"You said they made you leave and that your father would keep your friend alive until you get home. If you go there alone and get caught, you're both as good as dead. You've been trying to get back there for two whole years, right? The answer is simple then. We'll help you get him back, because he's your friend." My head slowly rises in surprise as they speak. Deep down I know I should have expected this. The crew aren't like the people I grew up with. They don't turn on those who show weakness and vulnerability. They help them. They're helping me. Luffy audibly grins as she finally raises her eyes to the crew again. "That mark on your arm is a symbol of eternal friendship. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. All in favor of keeping our secretary and rescuing Pierce, say aye!"
Eight "Aye's" ring out around the table.
All I can manage to get out is "You guys" before I breaking into happy sobs. "I promise I'll get stronger. If they come for me again, I want to fight with you all!" I lean against my legs and cry freely. All around the table are soft smiles and the quiet noises of sipping tea.
Later that day, Karmen takes everyone into the city to shop and tells them to buy whatever they want. She gives her home address to the shop attendants, placing a wax seal on each one, and tells them to send the bill to her parents.