I do not own One Piece plot and characters. But I do own my OCs as well as plot twist. Directed by me and written by the amazing Aiikawarazu! Please read and leave a review!
It had been several days since Leia and her companions had arrived on Candy Island. As was agreed before they had left Funwari Island, they were there to help Mrs. Guava manage her small hotel. The kind elderly woman had unfortunately suffered accident at work, which resulted in a sprained ankle. Nothing too big, but doctor told her to rest and take it easy for a few days, as straining her sprained ankle would only delay her recovery. All in all, it basically meant that she needed someone else totake care of the hotel chores for her – and Leia and co were up to the task.
Leia had arrived at Mrs. Guava's hotel with mounting curiosity. She had imagined it as a small, quaint wooden cottage weathered by age, sunshine, and rain – something like what she used to read in fairytale books. And when she finally saw it in person, she realized that she was not far from the truth. Mrs. Guava's cottage was located on the outskirts of Candy Forest. Instead of wood, the cottage was made of – as the name of the island implied – real, edible candy. However, just like what she had imagined, the cottage had a charming rustic appeal, and the candy walls on the posterior looked finely weathered by age. In fact, unless one paid really close attention to it – one would probably think the walls were made of stones. When she took a step inside the establishment, Leia held her breath for a moment from the sheer excitement.
The interior of the cottage provided a comfortable escape from the outside world. Wooden beams criss-crossed on the ceiling, and comfortable wooden armchairs were spread about in the common area, amplifying the rustic atmosphere even further. The candy walls seemed to hold years and decades of history that Leia was pretty sure if they could talk, they would certainly tell her some amazing things that had happened on the island. Here and there, on the table or on the walls, Leia saw decorations made of candy – from candy paintings to candy flowers, which were… literally flowers made out of edible candies. A few months ago, Leia would think of this as strange, but Leia found that her tolerance of what made sense and what not had been altered since the day she arrived in this world. If people could use living snails for communication and take live spans out of other people's bodies, then flowers made out of candies certainly weren't enough to make her raise her eyebrows. It seemed almost normal, even.
Meanwhile, Jasper had returned to Funwari Island to take care of the delivery business with some of his friends – since Mabel and Leia were not going to be available for a few weeks, he had found some other people who were willing to help run the business. Mabel, on the other hand, was busy managing the small hotel owned by Mrs. Guava. Undoubtedly, she was skilled in management in since she managed her own delivery business, and was keen to assist in various hotel operations – from preparing meals to cleaning rooms and assisting Mrs. Guava whenever needed. More importantly, she was up to the task to keep all the hotel guests in high satisfaction. Leia had heard Mrs. Guava praising her countless times over the course of her stay there. Though she also helped Mrs. Guava manage the hotel, Leia was more focused on running errands for both the elderly widow and Mabel – since both of them couldn't afford to leave the hotel for too long, Mrs. Guava for her health reasons and Mabel because she had both of her hands full managing day to day operations of the hotel.
Today, Leia had been tasked with doing the dishes. She stood at the sink, her hands immersed in the warm soapy water before she started scrubbing the dishes and hummed lightly. Inevitably, her thoughts began to drift to the first day she arrived on Candy Island. Granted, it was a memorable first day. Leia had gone out of an errand as soon as she arrived. Since it was not an urgent errand, Leia had taken her time to explore the island a bit before returning back to the hotel. Just like Mrs. Guava's hotel, and much true to the name of the island itself, almost everything on the island – from buildings to pavements to a fountain in a public park in the center of the island was made out of the sweetest of treats. It looked as if someone took a whole confectionary and built an island out of it.
Granted, Leia wasn't too fond of candies, she had to admit that the island was beautiful. The architecture, and the surroundings looked as if they had been meticulously shaped by the hands of master craftsmen. The candy walls and pavements glistened when sunlight hit them, and the colorful candy decorations placed neatly throughout the island added to the vibrant atmosphere. However, amidst the beautiful decoration, Leia spotted something that made her frown.
Right at the center of the island's main square, Leia saw a huge statue (also made of candy) of a man. She assumed he was not just any man – for no one would have a statue erected at the center of the square if they were not a figure of importance. That man – or rather his statue – had donned a top hat, a long coat that went all the way down to his calf, and had a large candy cane stick in his right had. All of those would seem quite normal had that man not have a long tongue that protruded out of his mouth in an eerie way. Some people that passed by the statue, Leia had noticed, had shown nothing but great admiration toward that man – whoever he was. But Leia couldn't help but feel creeped out and intimidated. She couldn't really put her hands on it, she just knew she felt uneasy whenever she saw that statue. Shivering slightly, Leia decided to hop on to her bike and pedalled out of there, back to the hotel – since Mabel and Mrs. Guava were probably waiting for her.
When she arrived back at the hotel, she couldn't help but ask Mrs. Guava who that man was, and why he had a statue erected for him right at the heart of the island. Mrs. Guava's answer mildly surprised her.
"So – you have seen him. That man is Charlotte Perospero, the oldest child of Big Mom Charlotte. He is also the Minister of Candy – which means he is in charge of everything that is happening in the island." Leia nodded. She had figured he would be someone important, but had no idea that the man was in fact Big Mom's son. "Have you met him?" she asked the elderly widow out of curiosity. She didn't know why she asked that question, perhaps she just wanted to know how easy it was to run into Perospero, because… well, because she never wanted to run into him if she could.
"Not personally," the widow chuckled. "Goodness, I would have to be a pretty important person if I were to be able to meet any of the Big Mom's family personally! So, no – I have never met him. But I have seen him once – from afar. And of course I have heard stories about him too. People say he is rather a skilled user of his devil fruit, The PeroPero noMi, that is, the Lick Lick Fruit… and also great fighter."
So that's why his tongue was long, Leia commented inwardly, somewhat glad she had found an answer to that mystery.
"But – that's not all," Mrs. Guava continued. "People say he has a rather big ego, and he wouldn't take it lightly if anyone hurt his pride… I have also heard what happened to the enemies he captured, some of the things he had done are very gruesome and cruel. There was one time that he… "
"Actually, I'd rather not heard about it," Leia quickly cut Mrs. Guava off before the widow had any chance to proceed with the graphic details. She felt her insides took a downward leap when Mrs. Guava mentioned just how sadistic Perospero could be – she figured it was to be expected since he was a pirate. But Leia couldn't help wishing with all her hearts that she would never ever cross path with this man. Though – when she thought about it, was highly unlikely to happen as she was just a mere delivery girl on this huge island. The odds of it happening were probably less than 0.01 percent.
Leia was rather relieved at the thought, and she found herself somewhat more relaxed after that. Though, the image of the creepy man torturing his enemies still left a bad, lingering aftertaste that she was keen to forget.
The clinking sound of the dishes brought Leia back to the present moment. She had apparently allowed herself to drift into a daydream while still doing her dishes. Finding everything was done and neatly lined up on the drying rack, she turned off the water tap and proceeded to ask Mrs. Guava if there was anything else she could help with. The widow looked rather pleased at Leia's work, she had scrubbed and cleaned every piece of plates, glasses, and utensils off dirt and grease, so she replied there was nothing more that Leia could do. Thanking Leia for her hard work, the elderly widow yawned and said to Leia that she was going to take a siesta. It took a few moments for Leia to realize that Mrs. Guava had meant she would take a nap.
"You can have the rest of the day off, go out and have fun now," Mrs. Guava waved her hand, as though encouraging Leia to listen to her advice. "Plus, the weather is good today, don't waste it by locking yourself inside all the time."
"Thank you, I shall do that," Leia replied pleasantly. Just as Leia was thinking of what to do for the rest of the day, she heard the front door burst open and Mabel came into the room, breathless, practically bubbling with excitement.
"Leia! Guess what?" she went straight for Leia, her eyes were sparkling with sheer enthusiasm. "I just passed through the town square, and this news was spreading like wildfire!"
"What news?" Leia asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Oh, you wouldn't believe it, Leia!" Mabel squealed with excitement as she relayed the news, "They said Katakuri is here in this island! He had just arrived here to make a visit to the Minister of Candy! Can you imagine how exciting this is?"
Leia, who had been expecting a completely different news, sighed in disappointment. She was anything but excited at the news, in fact, she was groaning inwardly at the dreadful news. "Oh boy, what a joy," she muttered sarcastically in response to Mabel's words – but her sarcastic tone completely flew over Mabel's head. She seemed to be too excited to notice the sudden shift in Leia's mood. "Right!" she squealed once more. "And well… I was thinking, since you pretty much missed seeing him when we were in Candy Island, how about we go together to see him this time?"
"Thanks but… no thanks, Mabel. I think I'd rather do something else to spend my afternoon," Leia replied. This time, Mabel did notice that Leia didn't sound too enthusiastic at the prospect of seeing Katakuri. She frowned, taking a good look at her friend before continuing, "Well, you certainly don't sound too excited," Mabel started, "I remembered the same thing happened back in Funwari Island too? Do you hate him or something? I mean… you've never even met him."
"No, I don't," Leia answered after giving it a moment of thought. She didn't hate this Katakuri, though she did have a profound distaste toward him. "I'm just… I think all the rumors surrounding him are ridiculous, and… I'm really not a big fan of being in the crowd screaming and squealing and swooning over someone, it's just… not my cup of tea. Plus, I just really don't like overly-famous people like him," Leia concluded rather firmly. Mabel looked at Leia for a while, seemingly understanding that Leia wasn't going to budge on her opinion. Sighing, she shrugged and finally decided to leave Leia alone. "Fine, but… just so you know, you are missing out on a huge opportunity."
Leia was pretty sure that she was not – so she chose not to reply on Mabel's remarks. Instead, she just waved her head and said, "Have fun!" to Mabel, who already turned on her heels and was on her way to walk out of the front door. Just then, Leia looked sideways and noticed Mrs. Guava was looking at her rather thoughtfully.
"Umm, is something wrong?" Leia couldn't help asking, but the widow simply smiled. "Nothing much, my dear… I will be retreating to my room then for a nap."
"Then… I will be out to take a walk at the candy forest," Leia replied pleasantly to Mrs. Guava. "I will be back in time to help with evening chores. Have a good nap, Mrs. Guava."
"Have a good afternoon walk, my dear," she responded kindly, before walking to her room and disappeared from Leia's sight.
A while later, Leia found herself in a small clearing near the edge of the forest. The afternoon sun dappled through the candy leaves of the forest, making them glisten. Their colors reminded Leia of confectionary stores frequented by children over Christmas. The breeze that blew every now and then brought about the fragrant and sweet aroma of candy flowers, and though Leia wasn't a sweet tooth, she had to admit that she found the aroma quite appetizing.
Finding herself in a deserted and rather wide-open space, Leia's fingers deftly reached into her pocket to pull out her iPhone. She scrolled through her music playlist until she found the song she wanted to play: "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode. She pressed play, and the familiar melody started resounding from her phone speaker. As the melody played, Leia began to swing her head slightly to the rhythm. Before long, however, she had let the music guide her and she begun to dance as though she had no care in the world, losing herself completely in the music.
She swayed, twirled, rocked, and bounced to the music – her body moved as though she was under hypnotism, swinging gracefully to the beat. With the impressive landscape of magical candy forest as her backdrop and the rays of afternoon sun caressing her skin – she looked most majestic.
All I ever wanted,
all I ever needed
Is here in my arms…
The song continued to play, and Leia continued to dance, carefree and joyful. All she wanted to do was to have fun, to lose herself within the flow, to enjoy herself with the music. She had never told anyone, but she had a huge passion for dancing. She didn't consider herself the best dancer, perhaps not in terms of technical abilities. But in terms of passion, she was sure she wouldn't lose to anyone. She loved herself the most when she was dancing. Back home before things in her life were starting to get rocky, she had planned to pursue a career in dancing. Only, life had another plan to toss and turn her around – until she arrived in this new world, and undoubtedly, a career in dancing now would be out of option.
Without Leia realizing it, the sound of her music, as well as her activities, had attracted the attention of several nearby homies who dwelled in the forest. Not far from there, a group of candy flowers woke up to the strange music, feeling confused since they had never heard it before. They blinked and looked at each other in confusion, before noticing that not one of them had any idea what's going on. A huge tree finally decided to take a look and investigate where the sound of music was coming from, followed by a group of lollipops hopping excitedly behind him. And then they saw it – on the open clearing beneath the afternoon sun, a stranger girl was doing unfamiliar dance moves to an unfamiliar music. A confusing, and yet equally captivating scene. For a few seconds, the homies just stood there looking at each other, blinking in confusion, trying to find out who that girl was but each question was met with a shrug. They didn't know who she was, or where she came from but that didn't seem to be such an important issue. After all, they were too captivated by her wonderful dance moves. Watching her made them all want to join her and dance along, there was such an entrancing power in her dance. Soon, one lollipop had jumped in and started dancing. After hesitating for a bit, a flower homie joined, followed by another one, and… soon enough all the forest homies were completely absorbed in the music, dancing alongside Leia, who – despite being the center of attention, was unaware of what's happening around her as she was completely engrossed in her dancing.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, two figures could be seen walking on the small dirt path leading inside the woods. One figure was buff and incredibly tall – standing at around five meters high. The other person was shorter than him, though still much taller than average human height, standing at around 3 meters tall. Quite the opposite from the other man, he was slender and lean, with a candy cane stick in his hand. They were both Big Mom's children – Katakuri and Perospero.
"I doubt it's the handiwork of any pirates, Perorin!" said Perospero, his large tongue protruding out of his mouth as he spoke. "And I doubt it's any of the other race that resides here in Tottoland. It must be some… creature, something new, and definitely not from around here."
"I agree," said Katakuri with his deep voice. "I found some claw marks near the scene where it happened. It's like some beast had made that mark."
"Perorin!" Perospero remarked, "Are you suggesting the Beast Pirates might be behind that attack?"
"Kaidou and his crew are not the only ones to be associated with beasts," Katakuri responded. "And Kaidou knows not to make enemy with Mother. He has no reason to go around attacking people in Tottoland. Besides, we can't rule out the possibility of a Zoan type user. But something bothers me. The crime scene was too… clean."
"What do you mean?" asked Perospero, and Katakuri frowned, trying to put his words together. "Devil Fruit powers are superpowers, when used they tend to destroy the surroundings, or leave some kind of damage," he answered, pondering over the facts. "Devil Fruit users are not known to
limit or control their powers. But nothing was destroyed in the crime scene, except form some blood stains and the claw marks, there were no other damage. Although I can't say the same for the state of the victim when he was found."
"I see what you mean now," said Perospero. "Indeed, it doesn't seem like a Devil Fruit user was involved."
"At any rate, they must have escaped the island by now. It's unlikely they would continue to stay at Fruit Island," Katakuri concluded. "You should be careful too, Brother. There is a chance the perpetrator might come here."
"Actually… I do have a secret to tell you, Perorin!" said Perospero, his eyes glinting. "That incident at Fruit Island was actually not the first one to happen."
"What?" Katakuri's tone rose, his eyes sharpened as he glared at his older brother. "What do you mean it's not the first one?"
"There was a similar attack that happened at Milengue Island a while back. A family of four that lived at the edge of the small forest on the outskirts of the island were found slaughtered at their home and should I say uhh… consumed."
Katakuri's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean, consumed?"
"Exactly like what happened to the victim from Fruit Island, said Perospero. "They were found with some tid-bits of whatever remained of them, Perorin."
"Why didn't you and Broye tell me about this sooner?" said Katakuri. He tried to remain calm, though inside he was mildly upset at his brother's and sister's attempts to keep this incident a secret from him. "You should have informed me about this the moment you learned about it."
"In all honesty… Broye was about to tell you. But I was the one who told Broye to stay silent about it, Perorin," Perospero replied with in the same calm manner. "I told Broye I would be investigating this incident first, and I did find one interesting thing. Broye said the incident happened right after the strange hurricane. Surely you remember that odd hurricane that came out of nowhere a few months back? We don't see much like it even in Grand Line."
"I remember," Katakuri replied shortly. "Did any of you see the perpetrator, then?"
"We didn't – the perpetrator just left without a trace. No footprints, no marks, and as you said… no damage to the surrounding that could become a clue as to who, or what – the perpetrator was,"
Perospero shrugged lightly. Katakuri frowned even deeper, trying to figure out how the perpetrator went from Milengue Island to Fruit Island. They weren't exactly close. Did they perhaps take a boat? But whose boat? Who in their right mind would board a suspicious stranger covered in blood? Or perhaps they swam? If so, how did they traverse the waters? The more he thought about it, the more confusing it became.
"Tomorrow I shall hold a big meeting in the island, with all our siblings and officers," Perospero said, pulling Katakuri back from the depth of his thoughts. "We will investigate these incidents in secret. Our mom shouldn't be informed until we have the perpetrator's identity." Katakuri nodded.
Just as he was about to answer, the nearby clock in the clock tower began to ring. Distracted, Katakuri reached into his pocket and pulled out his gold pocket watch. "It's my merienda time," he announced to Perospero after checking the time. "Ah well," replied Perospero, "It's that time already? You can just have your merienda at my castle and stay the night until our siblings arrive tomorrow, Perorin."
"I appreciate it," said Katakuri. "Well then, I should be leaving now." He left quickly with long strides, while Perospero stood quite still on the spot and pondered for a while. He was just about to have his tea time as well at the castle, but he knew Katakuri absolutely must have his merienda time alone, so he would have to have his tea time separately.
Following the dirt path and walking slowly toward the outskirts of the forest, Perospero suddenly noticed something strange. A couple of homies, the dwellers of candy forest, were heading, no, rather – they were rushing deeper toward the woods. Perospero frowned, feeling his curiosity inevitably roused. What could possibly intrigue the homies so much that they were running in that direction? What could possibly be found there? His instincts told him there was probably something majestic to behold at the end of the road, and this matter was probably worth investigating. Following his instincts, Perospero tailed a few steps behind the homies, who headed deeper and deeper into the forest.
They were walking for a quite a long time, until Perospero began to think maybe the homies were trying to trick him. Just as he was about run out of his patience, the homies brought him to an open clearing on the other side of the forest, where a crowd of other homies had gathered, cheering and dancing to an unfamiliar music. And at the center of the crowd, Perospero spotted a woman, dancing endlessly to the music, seemingly so lost in her action that she was completely oblivious to the crowd that had formed around her.
Perospero raised his eyebrows. Surely, it was a magnificent sight to behold. She was not a pretty woman by his standard, no – he had seen a lot of other women much prettier than her. But there was something captivating in her dancing. Perhaps it was the way she was completely lost in her music. Perhaps it was the way she danced so carefreely, like she was free of all worldly thoughts the moment she let the music guide her. Perhaps it was the way the sunlight touched her skin, or her graceful yet energetic movement when she danced, or perhaps it was the combination of it all… She might not be pretty, but she was attractive. There was a strange allure, an unspoken enchantment that he couldn't ignore. What he wouldn't give to have this girl at his castle, and call her to dance for him, only for him. Perhaps her dance would be better with one, or two, pieces of clothes off her body… Perospero let the dirty thoughts continued to roam his mind even further, slithering into his consciousness, and a wicked, lustful grin began to form on his face.
She might not have the prettiest face, she might not meet the standards he usually sought for a companion, but something in her made him curious, reaching deep inside him, lingering around him. This mysterious forest girl undeniably intrigued him. What harm could possibly be there in indulging in his curiosity and desires? His eyes continued to observe Leia as she danced, entranced as she seemed, silently contemplating inside his mind just how sweet, how delectable this candy girl could be. He would certainly enjoy his time playing with her, if only he could…
The final note of the song faded away, and gradually, Leia's consciousness began to return to reality. As her surroundings slowly came into focus, Leia noticed the countless homies who were swarming around her, looking curious and excited, and loudly cheering for her. They were clapping their hands, looking very ecstatic, and some of them even started to shout 'Encore'. The sheer enthusiasm in their voices, the way they showered her with praise, was honestly a little overwhelming. Leia's heart raced, and her cheeks began to flush with embarrassment as she stared at the grinning faces surrounding her.
It wasn't long until the entire crowd was busy shouting 'Encore' nonstop, demanding that Leia went on another dance round. Their excitement was infectious, and Leia couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm. But, she was embarrassed enough as it was, being the center of attention. For a moment, she felt like she had been on stage and a spotlight had suddenly turned on her without her consent. What could possibly happen when she was lost in dancing, and how this crowd even came to form around her – she had no idea. Her neck and face suddenly felt incredibly hot, and she knew she was blushing red from the sheer embarrassment. Quickly, she gathered her belongings – her phone now playing another Depeche Mode song – and, not bothering to say anything to the homies that surrounded her, she parted the crowd and made a hasty retreat toward the direction of the hotel, heart still racing all the while due to exhilaration and embarrassment.
Seeing that Leia had taken off in a rush, Perospero sighed in disappointment. He would have loved for her to do another round of dancing. He felt as if he would never get bored watching her dance. The homies seemed to have felt the same way. Feeling dejected, they left the scene one by one, muttering that they would have loved to see her dance again. Some said wishfully that perhaps she would come here again, but others shook their heads and shrugged, saying she probably won't come back. Just then, a lollipop homie passed by close to Perospero and, to their surprise, shrieked when they were suddenly yanked to the side by a rather powerful force.
"Hey, what the –" they started protesting, but were even more surprised to find that they were face to face with Perospero, that they began to shiver. "M-m-minister Perospero?" they asked, almost choking with fear. They way Perospero hold the poor homie in his hand like a ragdoll did seem frightening, and the homie was unquestionably fearful of his life. "W-w-what is the occasion? Why would you visit us here in the outskirts?"
"I'm the one asking the question here, Homie," said Perospero, tightening his grip around the homie threateningly, and the homie gulped. "Y-yes Sir," he said weakly, "W-what can I help you with, Sir?"
"Who was that candy girl earlier? You better be honest with me, unless you want me to break you in half, Perorin," Perospero sounded rather calm, but the homie knew he would one hundred percent do what he said. "T-the candy girl – you mean the dancing girl, Sir?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Homie!" Perorin yelled, his rage apparent that the homie cowered in fear. "Y-yes Sir! H-h-her name is Leia, Sir."
"Leia? Hmm," Perospero was silent for a while, pondering over the fact that the name mentioned didn't ring any bells for him. "Is she not from this island, Homie?"
"I believe so, Sir. She is now staying at the Widow's home."
"How many widows do you think are in this island, Homie?" Perospero asked, his voice lowering dangerously at the end.
"Quite a lot, Sir," the homie replied, oblivious to Perospero's tone. They came to regret it soon after when they felt Perospero's grip around them tightened, and the Minister of Candy let out an eardrum-bursting yell, "Then tell me which one it is, you idiot! You want me to break you in half now?!"
"N-no, Sir!" the homie quickly answered, once again cowering in fear. "She stays in the widow's house that is also a hotel, just in the outskirts of this forest, Sir."
"Ah… that's more like it, Perorin." Satisfied that he was finally able to get the information he wanted,
Perospero released his grip and let the homie fall to the ground. Relived that he was finally out of harm's way, the homie ran as fast as they could without looking back. However, Perospero no longer paid any attention to them. His thoughts were fully occupied by Leia now.
"Leia… huh? Looks like I would have some fun with you before the meeting, Perorin…" Perospero chuckled slightly and muttered to no one in particular, a wicked grin slowly forming on his face.
Perospero is a creepy man! I mean he was very perverted towards Nami when she and Luffy were caught. Poor Leia! Let us hope she crosses path with, ahem, William! Read and review plz!