Yay! The grand finale!
Just because people have asked, this story is not connected to my other One Piece story. This is a completely independent short story.
Thank you so much for reading as always and be sure to look out of the for the sequel.
Hope you'll enjoy it :)
Chapter 5
Alexander And Bellatrix's Room
"W-what?" Bellatrix uttered as she pushed herself up from his lap, her tear stained eyes staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and confusion, "Escape? Now?"
"Of course. I used to do this all the time before you arrived," he told her as he got onto his feet, "Now, we haven't got much time. We need to-"
"Alex. Stop," she firmly interrupted, "We can't do this?"
He gave her a look of disbelief, "Why not? We have to try!"
The maid, who was still listening in from the other side of the door, stepped away and frowned in despair. She took a deep breath before she ran down the corridor to somewhere unknown.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Bellatrix had got onto her feet and stood over him with her hands on her hips, "Escaping will be dangerous. If they catch you trying to sneak me out then they are only going to punish you more. I don't want that for you."
"So what? I'm already scum to them. What more can they do? If we don't go now then you're going to die."
"I'm a slave! Alex! I was going to die the second they put the collar on me and branded my back!" she yelled at him before she reached down and grabbed his shoulders, "This is reality for me! I'm a freak to them! Nothing but fodder! But you have potential to get out there and do some actual good! Don't waste your life on me!"
"YOU ARE MY LIFE, BELLA!" he bellowed right into her face, making her lean back in shock, "I am nothing! They have taken everything away from me! My freedom! My chance of a normal life! My hopes and dreams! I don't even have my own name! I am cursed with the name of Ptolemy; a family that means nothing but cruelty and corruption!" he declared as tears formed in his eyes, "You're the only person…that I have. You're my friend…and I'm not going to let them take you away just like the rest of it," he reached up and grabbed her hands gently and stared up at her, "We are going to escape together. Just like I promise. If we get caught then I don't care what they'll do to me. Hell, they can kill me for all I care. At least I will die on my terms and not theirs."
They stared into each other eyes, neither them willing to back down or break the stare off. Eventually, Bellatrix turned her face downwards and released a sad sob from her throat. She got onto her knees and embraced him tightly to her, not wanting to let go.
"I…I don't want you out of my life either," she uttered as she buried her face into his shoulder, "And…I don't want to die a slave…fine, let's do it," he lifted her head up and smiled through the painful tears, "Let's escape."
Alexander grinned and hugged her back, happy that she finally agreed. Eventually, she pulled back and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"God…saying nice things like that," she said, "You're embarrassing me."
He chuckled, "What, it's true," he insisted, "I need you in my life…you and your fabulous legs."
"Oho! You think my legs are fabulous!" she proudly said.
"Let's not get into that," he said with a sweat drop, "Let's just focus on finding-"
Click!
They turned at the sound of the door lock clicking. The door to their room slowly swung open to reveal the maid from earlier, holding a key in her hand. She was trembling in fear, but her face was filled with confidence.
"I-I stole this from the guard's room," she told them, "If your quick enough then you can make a break for it."
"You…you're setting free," Alexander uttered in disbelief.
She gulped before she nodded her head, "Go! I'll return this to the room and they won't know until the morning. They won't suspect it was me. Go on and live your lives."
They stared at her in disbelief before they smiled in delight, ran to the door and stepped outside.
"Thank you," Alexander said gratefully, "Thank you so much. I don't know how we'll ever repay you."
The maid merely smiled, "You don't have to do anything."
"Come with us," Bellatrix told her, "We can all escape together."
She shook her head, "I can't…I'll only slow you down. Besides, somebody has to return the key."
"Forget about that. You told us about mother and your sister. Don't you want to see them again?"
"I-I do."
"Then come with us."
The maid was lost for words by the pleas. They looked at her with caring, gentle eyes which warmed her heart. She was still as much of a slave than anybody else in this house and was a victim of the harsh treatment from her masters. She had lost count how many times she would go to bed, after a long arduous day, and cry herself to sleep. Only the other maids and servants were nice to her, but even then, they were all busy carrying out their duties to care for her. She gulped nervously and took a step back from them.
"I-"
She was cut short as something hit her chest, right way her heart was located. She gave a gurgled scream at the sharp pain, felt her blood run cold and her knees feel week. Alexander and Bellatrix watched her stumble and fall over in slow motion, a spay of blood spurting from her chest as she landed hard on the floor.
Alexander felt his mind go blank as she saw her collapse and wither on the floor; his eyes trailing down from her face down to the projectile sticking out from her chest. His mind flashed back to four years previous when he saw the elderly man die before him. He remembered the nightmares he had for days afterwards of it playing in his mind…
…and it was happening all over again.
Bellatrix was the first to react. She got passed him and kneeled beside her, lifting her head up and putting pressure on the open wound. He watched her say something to her; probably words of comfort and reassurance. But all he could hear was the horrid cackling of the person who shot her.
"Ha! Stupid maid!" Bucephalus laughed from the stairs, his crossbow in one hand and a chest underneath his other arm, "I noticed you stealing that key. And that's what you get for being a traitor."
"No…" Alexander uttered as he fell to his knees beside the maid, ignoring the blood that was beginning to pool beneath her, "It'll be okay. We'll get you some help," he whispered to her before he looked over his shoulder at Bucephalus, "Why did you do this!? We were the ones trying to escape!"
Bucephalus shrugged and gave a snort, "Felt like it. It was fun. Her blood went everywhere."
"You-"
"Y-y-young…ma-master," he looked down and saw the maid looking up at him through tears.
He swallowed deeply before he leaned close to her face, "What's your name?"
"C-C-Cecilia," she stuttered as she trembled and coughed a bit of blood, "I'm…c-c-cold."
"I know, I know," he said, "But Cecilia, you have to stay with us. You have to keep awake and we'll make you feel better. Just please hang on."
Her body shook violently before she suddenly laid still in Bellatrix's arms, "I…I…I want…to…go home."
And with those last words…she slumped lifelessly in Bellatrix's arms.
Bellatrix gave a choked gasp while Alexander clamped his jaws shut to prevent a sob from escaping. The longleg girl gently laid Cecilia on the floor and looked down at her with tears falling from her eyes.
There was nothing they could do for her. Another victim of the Celestial Dragons.
"Meh. That wasn't as fun as usual. She didn't scream at all," Bucephalus sighed as he readied another bolt onto his crossbow, "Now get back in your room, you bastard. It's my birthday tomorrow and I don't want you ruining it. Mommy says I can kill that longleg monster and it's going to be so cool to see her fly- W-what are you doing?"
Bucephalus blinked in confusion when, instead of carrying out his orders like everyone else did, Alexander stood up and glared at him with searing rage. The young boy stepped back as he felt a feeling of dread fill him. His stomach felt like it was made of lead, his blood ran cold and mouth became dry as a bone. For the first time in his life, Bucephalus was afraid. Afraid of the piercing, deadly look that his older brother was giving him.
Alexander began to slowly walk up to him, a burning aura surrounded him which shook the younger boy to the bone. He had never been so angry in his life; years of compressed rage and agony and pain have now been released and there was no way of bottling it back up again.
Bucephalus raised his crossbow and pointed at his head, "Stop! I order you to stop!" he shouted at him. But he didn't stop, "Don't ignore me! I'll kill you!"
He fired his crossbow, but he moved his head to the side in time. The bolt flew by his cheek and slit it open, leaving a large, bloody cut from the left corner of his mouth up to his left eye. However, it did nothing to stop him from marching towards him. He didn't even move his piecing eyes off of him.
Bucephalus took a step back and tripped up the stairs, dropping his crossbow and the chest in the process.
"How dare you! I'll have you lynched!" he yelled as he stood over him, "How dare you defy my order you piece of-"
Alexander grabbed him by his collar and pulled him up to his height. He then raised his fist and slammed it down onto his face, sending flying and landing onto his back. Bucephalus screamed in pain; he raised a hand to his aching face and felt his blood on his hand. He even noticed some teeth missing. He took one look at Alexander towering over him and tried to crawl away, but he grabbed his legs and pulled him back.
"HOW DOES IT FEEL, HUH!?" Alexander bellowed as he punched his face again, "DO YOU FEEL HELPLESS!? DO YOU FEEL PAIN!? DO YOU FEEL USELESS!?" he roared as he punched him over and over again, "THAT'S HOW I HAVE FELT EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE! THAT'S HOW EVERYBODY THAT YOU'VE TORTURED FEELS! IT'S NOT GREAT IT IS!?" he bellowed as he shook him by the collar, "WHY DON'T YOU PEOPLE EVER UNDERSTAND!? THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TREAT PEOPLE LIKE VERMIN!"
A hand caught his wrist and stopped him from doing anymore damage. He looked over his shoulder and saw Bellatrix looking at him in fearful concern. She shook her head and whispered.
"That's enough. If we stay any longer then we're going to get caught."
He stared at her with a blank expression before he took a deep breath and dropped a bloodied and bruised Bucephalus back onto the stairs; he stepped back away from him and cast a look back at Cecilia lying on the cold, hard floor.
"He…killed her…"
"I know," she whispered as she fought back tears, "But we need to focus, Alex."
He took another deep breath and nodded in agreement. They were about to leave…when his eyes fell on the chest that Bucephalus had. He stared at it for a few seconds before he picked it up and opened out of curiosity. His eyes widened in shock at what was inside.
"Is that?" Bellatrix gasped as he came up beside him.
"Yes, I think so."
Inside the chest was a strange looking fruit. It was shaped like a rugby ball; its skin was covered in small white pointy cubes that felt rough in his hands and it had a black curly stem protruding from the top. He lifted the fruit out of the box and dropped the chest onto the floor, admiring it as it sparkled like crystal in the dim light.
"A Devil Fruit," he uttered, "An actual Devil Fruit."
"D-drop i-it," they looked down and saw Bucephalus looking up at him though his swollen black eyes, "Th-that's…my…birt-hday…present. It…belongs to…me. Get…your…filthy…hands…off it"
Alexander glared down at him before he looked at the Devil Fruit again. Coming to a decision, he kneeled down in front of Bucephalus so they he could see him.
"You see this," he said before he brung the Fruit to his mouth and bit a large chunk out of it, making the younger boy whine in complaint. Alexander swallowed the piece before he bite another piece and another and another and swallowed it all until every last bit was consumed. He showed his empty hands to Bucephalus and stuck out his tongue to show him that it was gone, "That pain you're feeling right now… that's what it feels like when something is taken from you. Remember it," he growled before he stood up and stepped over him, "Let's go, Bella."
"Right," Bellatrix said before they other ran up the stairs, leaving behind an unconscious Bucephalus and a poor deceased maid.
Hallways
The servant heard a commotion from down the hallway and hastily followed it down the stairs to the basement. He discovered Bucephalus on the steps; his face bloodied and bruised and his eyes fluttering as if he tried to remain conscious. He was a out to tend to him…when he discovered the second body further down the hallway. He stepped over him and got closer to them; he had to squint in the darkness, but he gasped sharply when he noticed Cecilia lying in a pool of her own blood.
He staggered over to her and collapsed to her side; he raised her head up gently and called out the maid's name.
"Cecilia…Cecilia…" be uttered before he took notice of the crossbow bolt impaled into her heart.
He held his over his mouth to stop a sob from escaping his lips and looked down at her lifeless form through his teary eyes.
"Ce-Cecilia…" he uttered in despair as he hugged her to his chest and wept into her shoulder, "No…please…no."
After a few seconds, he looked up and back towards Bucephalus and the crossbow in his hands. His eyes narrowed and his teeth gritted together in searing rage. He laid Cecilia back onto the ground, closed her eyelids before he stood to his feet and marched towards the stairs, stepping over Bucephalus once again as he went.
He needed to get the others.
Somewhere In The Mansion
Alexander and Bellatrix sneaked down the hallways of the mansion, twisting left and right as they tried to get to the nearest exit. Bellatrix looked down and saw Alexander gagging and sputtering as he stuck his tongue out of his mouth.
"Did it really taste that bad?" she asked.
"It was awful," he said as he spat to the side of the room as they ran, "It tasted salty. It was like I swallowed sea water Damn, I can't get the taste out of my mouth."
"Don't you know what you did? You can't swim anymore. If you fall into any body of water, you'll drown."
"I don't regret my decision. Giving a devil fruit to Bucephalus would only mean trouble. Besides, I couldn't swim before eating it," he told her as they turned a corner, "Come on, we need to get out of here before-"
He stopped mid-sentence as two guards stepped out from adjoining corridor and skidded to a halt. The guards immediately took notice of them and stepped in their path, preventing them from getting any further.
"Hey! What are you doing!? You're not supposed to be out of the basement!" one of the guards shouted as they marched towards them.
Bellatrix gripped the metal pipe in her hand and gave Alexander a nervous look, "What now?" she whispered.
Alexander gritted his teeth in anger and did the first thing that came to his head. He ran forwards towards the guards, gripped his fist tightly, reared it back and punched the closest guard in the breastplate. He didn't know what he was expecting; the armour they wore was made of the strongest alloy that the household had access to. What would punching with his fist do?
However, he was surprised, as well as the guards and Bellatrix, when the force of the punch broke through and shattered the metal plating as if it was made of tinfoil. The air in the guard's lungs got knocked out of him as he folded in half by the punch before he was sent flying back, slamming into an antique vase a little further down the corridor.
Alexander gaped as he witnessed what just happened, seeing the guard completely knocked out just from him punching him once was unbelievable. The second guard seemed to think so as well as he gawked at his passed out colleague before he turned his sights down at the young boy. Before he could do anything, Alexander twisted around, leapt upwards and swung his fist at his helmet; once again, his punched shattered the helmet and hit the guard right in the face, knocking him off his feet and slamming him against the opposite wall. Alexander fell back onto his feet and looked down at the second unconscious guard, his face filled with confusion.
"What the?"
"Alex, your hands," Bellatrix alerted as she pointed down at him.
His raised his hands up and yelped as he saw that his hands were completely encased in small white crystals…no, they weren't encased. They were his hands.
"What's going on?" he muttered as she tried to shake off the sharp white crystals that were now his hands, "What is these? Crystals?"
"Hold on," she said, taking his hand inspecting it closely. She narrowed her eyes before she plucked one of the crystals off of him and raised it to her eye, "It's not crystal. It's salt," she told him before she licked the fragment and rolled it around her mouth, "Sea salt," she said before her eyes widened in realisation, "Alex! The Devil Fruit. It must have been a Logia type! You're a salt man now!"
"The Salt Salt Fruit," he uttered before he sighed miserably, "Out of all the fruits, it had to be that one. I hate salt."
She gave him a deadpanned look, "Beggars can't be choosers, you know."
"But what the hell can salt do?"
"Hey! There they are!"
They spun around as they saw two more guards rushing towards down the hallway, their spears gleaming as they pointed them at them. Alexander stepped back, raised his fist and threw it forwards; imagining his salt hands extending down the hallway. Suddenly, they did just that. An entire pillar of sharp, rocky salt shot out of his extended fist all the way down the hallway; the pillar of salt slammed into the breastplate of one of the guard and shot him off his feet before pinning him against the back wall. The other guard, startled by what happened, stopped to look back at his colleague. Alexander then made another pillar branching of the main one which hit the second guard in the face, making him crash into the other wall and collapse onto the floor.
Alexander recalled the pillar back into his hand and shrugged, "Okay…it's pretty useful."
"It sure is," Bellatrix said as she snatched a spear from one of the guards and threw away the metal pipe, "Now let's fight our way out."
They took off down the hallways once more. They must have triggered an alarm or one of the guards had sent out a warning, because three more armoured guards appeared before them with their spears pointed at them. One of them charged at Bellatrix and thrusted his spear towards her, but Alexander got in between them, raised his salt arms up and crossed them over each other and took the blow. The force of the thrust impaling the salt caused the spear to snap him half to the guards disbelief. While he was distracted, Alexander ducked which allowed Bellatrix to twist around, raise her leg and kick him hard in the helmet, sending flying back and crashing into the second guard.
Bellatrix leapt over Alexander and thrust her spear at the third guard; he deflected with his own spear before he attempted to spear her legs. However, she dodged, raised her leg up and slammed it down on the spear before he swung her weapon and clobbered him in the left side of his head, making him fall to the ground like a ton of bricks.
The second guard pushed his colleague off of him and tried to get up, but Alexander spotted him. He rushed towards him and swung his leg and made it transform into a solid pillar of salt which he rammed into him, knocking him out in an instance.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this," Alexander said as they started running again…well, Bellatrix was running. Due to his salt leg, he was fast limping, "I just need to figure out how to turn it back to normal."
"They should really write a manual for new Devil Fruit users," she commented.
"We can do that once we get out of here."
They turned a corner and found themselves at the door that led to the gardens behind the mansion, but stopped short when they saw two guards standing in front of them. Suddenly four more arrived from the left and four more from the right and the back. Fourteen imperial guards surrounded them; some had spears while others had rifles trained on Bellatrix's head. The two teens stood to their backs to each other and stared down the platoon encircling them, trying to figure out what they're next move will be. However, one guard, by far the largest of all of them, cleared his throat and pointed at them sternly.
"Kill the slave and take the young master back to his room," he commanded as the guards got ready, "On my mark! Ready! Aim! F-"
SMASH!
The captain of the guard cried out as something heavy smashed into the back of his helmet. He turned around angrily, looked down and saw the remains of an antique vase at his feet before he glared up to see forty seven servants and fifty maids had gathered behind him. They were all armed with random objects, vases, broken table legs, rolling pins, cutlery and other things that looked as if they had just picked up as they were coming here.
And they all looked furious.
"What's the meaning of this!?" the captain roared at them, "Go back to your quarters now or you'll be flogged and- ah!" he cried out as another vase was thrown at his face.
Suddenly, the mob gave a war cry and charged at the platoon of guards and battered them with their makeshift weapons. The guards were startled at first and tried to hold them back; they were successful at first, managing to take down one or two, but they were quickly overwhelmed. Alexander and Bellatrix looked around in disbelief, amazed by what was going on.
"Come on, you lot!" one of the servants yelled over the noise, "Cecilia died to free those kids so don't let it be in vain!"
"Yeah!"
"For Cecilia!"
"Damn it!" the captain cried out as he took out his sword to defend himself, "What the hell is going on!? Why are servants rebelling!?" his attention was caught by his pocket transponder snail ringing. He brought out of his pocket and held it to his face, "What now!?"
"Captain!" a voice from the snail's mouth wailed, "We need reinforcements down at the barracks!"
"You need reinforcements!?" the captain yelled in disbelief.
"It's the kitchen staff, sir! They ambushed us in our sleep! And they're taking over- Wait! No! No! Stay back-"
The snail clicked as the line went dead, making the captain grit his teeth in frustration. Suddenly, the snail rang again and he quickly answered it.
"What!?"
"Captain! We have a problem at the gatehouse! It's the gardeners they're trying to- Barricade it, men! Don't let them get in! - they're trying to break down the door! We haven't got enough men out here! We can't hang on for much longe- Damn! They've broken thr-"
The transponder snail cut off once again and the captain of the guard gulped in fear, "Are you serious. We've got a full scale revolt on our hands! Somebody raise the alarm-Ah!" he suddenly cried out as he was rugby tackled by two servants.
His sword was knocked out of his hand and he was held down by several people as they beat them up with their makeshift weapons.
"Not so powerful now without your masters, huh?" one of the maids cried out as she pelted him with a table leg.
"You beat my friend to death!" a servant yelled as kicked off his helmet and began punching his face, "I kill you, you bastard!"
"Get them all!"
"They're just as bad as the Dragons!"
One of the servants, who had led the charge at the start, looked over the carnage towards Alexander and Bellatrix; they were watching the revolt play out in slight bewilderment, but the servant caught their attention by waving at them.
"Get out now! Run as fast as you can!" he called out to them.
They shared an unsure look, but nodded in agreement. Alexander ran up to the door; that had been previously been blocked, twisted around and slammed his salt leg into it. The force of the kick made it cave in and splinter upon impact, allowing them to run out of the mansion and into the gardens.
The servant smiled as he saw the two make a quick escape…but it slowly disappeared when he sensed a presence towering over him from behind.
Gardens
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, I think I can do it."
"You think?"
"90% sure. Now hold still."
Amongst the neatly clipped hedges of the estate gardens, Bellatrix was knelt down and her head tilted back and holding her hair up, allowing Alexander enough room to access her slave collar. She gulped nervously as he gripped his fingers around her collar before he took a deep breath and turned his hand into salt. The crystal salt spread across his hand and then along the collar, covering it completely. He waited until he could feel the metal become a little softer before he pulled with all his strength….
Snap!
…and the collar came off and fell to pieces. Bellatrix felt as if a weight had been taken of her shoulders. She reached up and felt her bare neck for the first time in years and felt her soft, slightly bruised skin. She gasped in delight.
"It's off! It's really off!"
"Yeah," Alexander said with a sigh in relief, "Glad that worked."
"I thought you said your were 90% sure?"
"Well…admittedly, it was around 70 or 80%. But never mind that," he said, ignoring her annoyed glare, "Let's get going."
They took off through the gardens as fast as they could, hoping to reach the main gate which should be overthrown by now. However, before they could get any further, Alexander spotted the large, dim, building hidden behind a row of trees alongside the wall of the estate and slowed down to a stop. Bellatrix looked back at hm and wondered what was wrong when she too spotted the building.
"The slave cells," Alexander uttered sadly, "There has to be over a hundred of them in there."
Bellatrix frowned at what he said before glancing at the building once again. She knew what he was thinking. They were so close to getting out. Going back for them would increase their risk in getting captured again. It was illogical to save them all…
…however.
"Come on," she told him, "Let's free them first."
They ran through the forest and came out on the other side to the doors of the slave cells. Two guards stood in front of them, acting as jailers, but they swiftly dealt with them. Opening up the doors to the cells, they rows upon rows of cages filled with people from the young to middle aged. Olympias had a great distaste for Fishmen, but she had no problem capturing other species to carry out for the families' pleasure. Alexander grabbed the keys from the guard room and began to unlock the cages and their collars off their necks.
"Bella, keep watch outside in case anybody comes," he told her as he freed a thankful slave.
"I will," Bellatrix said as he stepped outside and closed the doors behind her.
But then, she sensed a menacing presence and looked around to see a figure standing in the shadows of the forest.
Her eyes widened in fear when she recognised him.
Rob Lucci, with Hattori on his shoulder, brushed the dust of his sleeves before sending an icy glare at her. His eyes trailed down to her neck to see the missing collar, causing his eyes to narrow dangerously.
"I see," he gravely said, "It seems that the estate guards were caught unawares by this sudden uprising. I was wrong to assume that they can handle it but…that's clearly not the case. That's why I had to step in," he mused as he raised his hand up in front of him. Bellatrix flinched when she saw his blood covered index finger and assumed that it was from his latest victim, "You are tampering with Saint Ptolemy's property. I cannot allow that to happen."
Bellatrix took a nervous deep breath before she readied her spear and pointed it at him, "You are not to go any further. Alex and I are going to free everyone here and leave Marie Geoise tonight! And you're not going to ruin it!"
Lucci clicked his neck in preparation while Hattori flew off into the branches of the tree.
"I will have no problem killing you," he threatened darkly,
Bellatrix yelled, charged at Lucci and thrusted her spear at his chest, but her eyes widened in shock as he disappeared before her, allowing her to only pierce the air.
'No way! He's fast!' she thought in shock.
"Finger Pistol!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something fast coming towards her and so she lifted her right leg up to defend her torso. Her legs are usually strong, but the thing that hit her sunk into her leg as if it was a hot knife to butter, causing her to cry out in pain and fling herself away. She landed hard on the ground and gritted her teeth in agony. She looked down and winced when she saw a deep hole in her thigh, just above her knee, which was bleeding steadily. She thought she had been stabbed, but the hole was perfectly round. Then she thought she had been shot, but she didn't head any gun. Her questioning eyes turned up to see Lucci standing over her with his hand raised and his index finger extended; the finger was covered in her blood, making her to gasp.
'He…stabbed me with his finger!?' she thought in shock.
Lucci stared her down stoically and clenched his fists tightly, "You're disobedience to the Ptolemy estate will be punished, slave. Fighting back is fruitless."
Bellatrix growled and swiped her leg at him like a gunshot, "Don't call me that!" she yelled.
Lucci jumped back to dodged the kick, allowing her time to get back onto her feet. She used the spear as support before she got into a battle stance and charged at him furiously. She slashed, jabbed and stabbed at him as fast as she can; her movements becoming a blur at how fast her flurry of attacks were. But Lucci managed to dodge every single one as if it was nothing, moving and ducking faster than she could see. She grunted in anger before she twisted herself around and swung her leg at his head, but Lucci caught it effortless in the palm of his hand.
She cried out as he tightened his grip around her ankle, twisted around lifted her up and over his shoulder before slamming her down on the ground painfully. She growled in anger, rolled onto her back and thrusted the tip of the spear at him, aiming directly at his stomach.
"Iron Body," he murmured just as the tip hit him and went no further.
It felt like she had just speared a brick wall, making her hands strain from the force pushed back into them. Lucci grabbed the end of the spear and tore it out of her hands and tossed it to the side, rendering her defenceless.
"You're inexperienced," he gravely said as he reached down and pulled her up by scuff of her raggedy shirt, "I have been trained in combat as long as I can remember. You stand no chance against the might of Cipher Pol," he said before he used his other arm to punch her hard in the stomach.
The wind was knocked out of her as she flew back a few meters before hitting a nearby tree. She slid down the the trunk and slumped against its roots. She coughed a blood, her body was racked with pain and her head was dizzy; she was close to death and she knew it.
'Damn it! He's too strong. There's no way in hell I could beat him,' she thought through the pain is Lucci turned away from her and headed to the slave cells, 'We were so close. We should have run when we had the chance…now, I'm going to die…' she thought as tears appeared in her eyes, 'Ah! I'm such a crybaby! It's so pathetic! Alex puts all his trust in you and this-' she stopped her self-loathing train of thought and mentally slapped herself, "Stop it! What the hell are you doing! I am proud longleg person and I will not be beaten! Get up! Everybody is depending on you! Alex is depending on you."
She dug her nails into the bark of the tree and steadily got onto her feet, groaning and grunting as pain shot up and down her body. She hissed when the rough bark cut her hands, but she didn't let it stop her. Lucci heard her and turned to face Bellatrix staggering back onto her feet and get into a battle stance once again.
"Hey! I thought you said you were going to kill me!" she shouted at him, her eyes ablaze with fury, "Well, I ain't dead yet, bastard!"
Lucci gave her a dark glare, "You're emotional. It's clouding your judgement."
"Go to hell, Lucci!" she growled, "Alex is the greatest thing to ever happen to me and I will not let him down! I might die…but at least I'm going to die standing up!"
Lucci raised a single eyebrow at her before he clicked his neck, "Very well. Have it your way, slave."
In a split second, Lucci shot towards her with his hand raised and ready to strike. Bellatrix saw his hand coming towards her and gritted her teeth; she would not dodge it. She won't even flinch. She was going to fight until her last breath and die on her own terms.
Lucci fist flew towards her, ready to kill her with one punch…
…but then he sensed something coming towards him the right.
He just had time to raise his arm to block the kick that was heading for his head. Even when he used his Iron Body technique, he was sent skidding back several feet by the force. Lucci grunted as he quickly recovered as he glared at the culprit standing before a shocked Bellatrix.
Alexander, with his salt leg still raised, snarled furiously at the agent; his eyes filled with absolute rage. He clenched his fists and stood in front of Bellatrix protectively.
"Get away from her, you bastard!" he roared as his eyes turned a dark shade of red.
Lucci winced as he felt a wave of pressure hit him which shook him to his core. The feeling was not fully developed, but it was still strong. There was no doubt that it would get stronger over time.
Alexander, with his eyes still on Lucci, spoke to Bellatrix, "Bella, the rest of the slaves are free. Lead them out of here. I'll deal with him."
"We can fight together," she complained.
"No, they're scared and need a leader to rely on," he told her, "We must get them out of here so I'm counting on you, okay?"
Bellatrix frowned in worry but nodded in agreement. She mustered her strength and ran towards the slave cell, picking up the spear that Lucci dropped on the way here.
Lucci cocked his head to the side and cracked his knuckles, "I must warn you, young master, I have my orders to use whatever force is necessary to bring you back," he told him before he narrowed his eyes, "Even if I have to break bones."
"Just try it," Alexander growled before he charged forwards, turned his arm into a column of salt and shot it towards Lucci's head.
Lucci moved his head to the side and causally dodged the attack before he sped forwards and met him halfway. He threw a strong punch into his stomach and sent him hurtling back, but he caught himself at the last moment. Alexander looked down at his stomach and saw his part of his torso caved in, but his insides was crystal salt and so he easily built himself up again.
He grinned and raised both arms; he turned them both into two columns of salt and shot them towards him. Just like before, Lucci dodged them both, but Alexander commanded more salt columns to branch off and shot them towards Lucci. The agent was caught off guard slightly, but he was still able to get out of the way. Alexander didn't give up; he made more salt columns that followed Lucci's movement, they zigzagged sharply left and right and up and down. He made more and more and more until he felt himself becoming exhausted with sweat building up on his brow. Lucci, however, was never hit by them and expertly avoid all the attacks.
Lucci saw him getting tired and frowned in determination as he sprinted towards and threw a hard punch at his chest. Alexander raised his arms and crossed them over himself and took the blow. He held out for a few seconds before, to his shock, Lucci's fist broke through, shattering his arms into granules. Lucci's punched him hard, knocking him off his feet and skidding across the grass. Alexander grunted in pain and tried to get up, but the agent had already grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and held him up in the air.
"Please come with me, young master. The Ptolemys wish for you to return," Lucci coldly said, causing him to snarl in anger.
"I'm…not…going…back!" he roared as he grabbed his arm.
Suddenly, to their surprise, the part of the arm that he grabbed began to be covered in a layer of salt which quickly spread to his hand and up to his shoulder. For the first time in his life, Alexander saw Lucci's look shocked; he accidentally released Alexander from his hold and he fell onto the ground. The agent used his other hand to try and pry off the salt layer, but it was too hard for him to do it. He growled in anger and flexed his hand, but frowned in confusion as nothing happened.
"My power. It's not working," he muttered to himself.
Alexander blinked up at Lucci; the layer of salt was now up to his neck and covered part of his chest now and there was no sign of it stopping. He looked down at his legs and grinned to himself as he raised his hand and slammed the palm of his hand down on the ground, conjuring several columns of salt to cover his feet, trapping him almost completely.
Lucci continued to claw at the salt, but it was unstoppable now. The salt layer had now covered almost his entire body with only his face left open. The last expression Alexander saw on Lucci's face was rage before it was sealed over in white crystal salt. Unable to move or do anything, Lucci had turned into, what might has well have been, a salt statue before him.
Alexander sighed and got onto his feet and gave an exhausted sigh as he observed what used to be Lucci. He grinned victoriously before he took off after Bellatrix and the other freed slaves.
'I did it,' he thought to himself as he ran, 'I actually beat Lucci!'
However, unknown to him, Hattori flew over and landed on Lucci's shoulder and began to hastily peck at the salt. He pecked, tore and tapped at his layer over and over again until…
…several cracks formed on the salt's surface
Edge Of Marie Geoise
Bellatrix had led the newly freed slaves, and some mansion staff that managed to escape, out of the mansion's grounds all the way to the closest part of edge of Marie Geoise, overlooking the steep drop of the rocky Red Line. The wind howled around them, making them shiver in the thin rags that they wore. There were around three hundred of them: men, women, children of all species were huddled together under the night sky and looking fearfully around as if they were going to be rounded up and taken back to their cells. Bellatrix waited with them with her spear firmly clasped in her hands. She sighed in relief when she spotted Alexander running out of the darkness towards them and jogged up to him to meet him.
"Everybody's here. The slaves, the cleaners, cooks, maids, everybody. What happened to Lucci?"
"I trapped him in salt, but it won't hold him lo-" his eyes widened in shock as he sensed somebody coming towards them from behind, "Move!" he yelled as he pushed Bellatrix backwards.
He was pinned down to the ground by a large paw covered in a black rubber glove. He cried out in pain as he fell before he glared up at the beast that was Rob Lucci. Lucci had transformed into a monstrously hulking humanoid; his skin had become yellow fur with black spots, he had a long, thick tail, cat-like ears and long curly hair that flowed down his muscular back. His face had grown into a muzzle with sharp, pointy teeth and he had cat-like eyes that glared down at him. He still wore his usual uniform, but it was stretched to its limit because of his muscular form. Alexander knew he was strong, but he didn't know he was a Devil Fruit user; a Zoan type by the name of the Cat Cat Fruit: Leopard Model.
Lucci's eyes glared down at him like a predator would when it caught its prey and released a vicious growled that frightened the other people gathered, "Logia Type Fruit. A powerful one if the user is trained properly. Unfortunately…" he pressed his paw harder onto him, making him grunt in agony, "…you are far from trained."
"Stop it!" Bellatrix yelled as she pointed her spear up at him, "Get off him now!"
Lucci growled and swiped his other claw at her, whipping the spear out of her hands and sending her flying off her feet. He turned his attention down at Alexander again.
"However, what is interesting, is the sea salt. It seems to nullify the power of Devil Fruits just like Sea Stone. It was necessary to take precautions," he told him, looking down at his gloved paw before glaring at the crowds, "You are all property of the Ptolemy Mansion. Return to the household or I will be forced to terminate you one at a time," he snarled as he crouched down as if he was ready to pounce. The crowd of free slaves trembled and huddled together in fear under his intense glare.
Alexander gritted his teeth as he tried to push himself up, but it was no use. Lucci was far too strong.
Lucci was about to start killing…when suddenly…
"Stop! I order you to stop!"
Lucci's leopard head whipped around at the shouts before his ears flickered up straight in attention. Alexander looked around as well and gave a small gasp as he recognised the older man coming towards them.
"Oh no. Not him," he uttered.
Donquixote Mjosgard emerged from the shadows like a phantom and stood boldly before them. The freed slaves shook in fear at the sight of the Celestial Dragon, thinking that they were about to be imprisoned once again. Even Bellatrix looked on in terror and gulped nervously. Mjosgard frowned deeply and pointed at Lucci.
"Get off him, you oaf! That's a command from a Celestial Dragon!"
Lucci raised himself up and stood back before he began to morph back into his human form and nodded sincerely.
"My apologies. I was only returning Saint Ptolemy's property to the estate."
"Property, eh?" he sniffed as he looked over the crowd.
"Mjosgard!" Alexander yelled as he clambered to his feet, "Please, wait!"
However, Mjosgard raised his hand in front of him and shook his head before looking back at Lucci, "I don't know what you're talking about. Do you see them wearing slave collars?" he questioned.
Alexander and Lucci looked at him confusion.
"Lord-" Lucci began to say before Mjosgard tutted in annoyance.
"Do I have to spell it out for you? If they don't have slave collars then they can't be slaves," he told him, "Clearly, these are people who somehow wondered into Marie Geoise. How utterly despicable! Don't you people know that this is our home and not a tourist destination!" he shouted at them, earning perplexed looks from the crowd, "Take them to the port and send them all down to the surface. I won't tolerate this tomfoolery!"
"But my lord-"
"That was an order!" he demanded, sending him an piercing glare.
Lucci blinked and blankly stared back at him for a few seconds before he nodded, "Of course," he said before he turned to the crowd, "Follow me. You are to be expelled from Marie Geoise for trespassing," he declared before he began to stalk in the direction of the port that would take them down to the surface.
The free crowd were hesitant at first, but, not wanting to anger anybody, they slowly followed Lucci until only Alexander, Bellatrix and Mjosgard were the only ones remaining. The two teens were beyond confused by what happened and turned to the elder man in question. However, Mjosgard turned his back on them.
"Well…what are you waiting for? The guards at the port won't allow you through so you have to climb down. If you quick then you'll probably reach the surface by tomorrow morning."
"Mjosgard…"
"Go!" he shouted at him, "Why are you hesitating? This is what you want, isn't it?"
Alexander frowned puzzlingly, 'Is he…really letting us go? After everything that has happened? What's wrong with him?' he thought before he looked over at Bellatrix and nodded, "Come on. We should do what he says."
"Y-yeah," Bellatrix stuttered before she and Alexander headed to the cliff edge.
However, before they could climb, Mjosgard called out to him one last time.
"Hey boy!" he called before he said in a gentler tone, "I'm…sorry about what happened eight years ago. You're not a freak. Thank you for feeding those slaves…that was the right thing to do."
Alexander was now utterly bewildered. This was not like him at all.
'This is so weird. Is he sick or something?' he thought, 'Although, thinking about it, he hasn't really been the same ever since…' he train of thought came to a complete stop as realisation settled. He took a deep breath before he called back to him, "Queen Otohime….she was a great person, wasn't she?"
Mjosgard didn't respond at first, but he did look over his shoulder to reveal a single teardrop running down his cheek, "She was the best…I miss her."
"We miss her too," Alexander said before he and Bellatrix clambered over the edge and out of disappeared out of sight.
Mjosgard waited for a few seconds before he turned away and headed back down the pave paths towards his empty estate. However, he stopped in the middle when he saw Philip waiting for him in the light of a lamppost. He looked calm, stoic and, unusually for him, focused; his glare
seemed to pierce into his very soul. Mjosgard gulped nervously, but gave a straight face.
"Good evening, Philip."
"Same to you. What brings you out here at this time of night?"
"Well-"
"An evening walk? Stargazing? Or…did you allow all my slaves and servants run free without consulting me."
Mjosgard flinched at that, "Philip…I'll reimburse you-"
"Of course you will. And I'll expect it promptly. But I have a greater concern," Philip said before he narrowed his eyes at him, "You allowed Alexander to go as well."
The other noble began to sweat nervously at his scrutinising glare, "I…I did."
Silence fell between the two of them. Mjosgard kept his eyes on the ground and waited for his response while Philip maintained his intense glare. Eventually, Philip sighed and waved his hand.
"Very well," he said, much to Mjosgard surprise, "Good luck to him. The brat needs it."
"Philip?"
"Do you know why we kept that boy?" Philip questioned cryptically, "My wife believed we were keeping him to keep up appearances with the other families and to extent she's right. However, there's another particular reason," he said before he nodded towards the Pangea Palace that loomed over Marie Geoise eerily, "If they caught wind of the boy's insanity then he would be swiftly dealt with along with me, Olympias and Bucephalus for not giving him up immediately. We couldn't deal with his execution ourselves or else we rouse suspicion, so we had to bide our time. Is he climbing down the Red Line as we speak?"
"He…he is."
"No," he sharply told him, "Alexander, as far we are aware, fell off the Red Line by accident and that is the truth. Shame, really. His actual death would have been preferable, but this would do, I suppose," he gave him a sharp look, "Let's make a deal, Mjosgard. You will keep the matter of Alexander a secret and I will forgive you for releasing my slaves. Oh…and if you breath a word to anybody about our conversation then I will be inform the God Knights of your…treachery. Do you understand?"
Mjosgard gritted his teeth in anger before he sighed and nodded, "Fine…I agree with your terms," he muttered bitterly.
"Good," Philip said as he turned away, but then he stopped and looked over his shoulder at him, "Do you believe he will be alright? Now that he has fallen to the surface."
"Is that concern I hear?"
"Not at all. It's more curiosity. I do recall what happened to your relatives…what were their names again?"
Mjosgard sighed sadly, "Homing and his wife and his two children. Doflamingo and Rosinante," he answered gravely.
"Oh yes, that's right. As I recall things didn't go too well for them," he sighed uncaringly, "Gods, like us, can never exist alongside humans. Would you expect a lion to live among mice or a brilliant diamond to be amongst rocks? We can only reside over them because that it what we are born to be. Alexander…he is nothing but an abomination. A fault. An anomaly. An outcast. When the humans discover who he was then they'll turn against him. He will never belong anywhere," he said as he began to walk away, "If anything, I think keeping him locked away was too kind for him. He will soon find that out soon enough."
Mjosgard watched him walk away with a frown and clenched his fists tightly. Picking up the courage, he called out to Philip one last time.
"What happened to Homing and his family was unfortunate," he told him, making him stop, "I don't know what he was thinking. He was a Dragon who wanted to live among humans. But Alexander…Alexander never belonged here. He was never a World Noble. And he never wanted to be one," he said, "Maybe, you're right. Maybe he won't find somewhere that will welcome him. But that doesn't mean he won't create somewhere where he will belong. I think, that boy, is very special. He's not like us at all."
"You've changed your opinion on him very fast," Philip observed wearily.
Mjosgard couldn't help but smile at that, "A wise person once told me that it only takes one person to make a change and then everyone will follow."
Philip snorted in annoyance before he began to make his way back to his mansion.
It didn't take him long until he found the guardhouse of his estate; it was swarmed with armoured guards from around Marie Geoise that went sent to quash the rebellion within his manor. They were already dragging out the rebel servants, maids, cooks and gardeners that had failed to escape with the others. Most of them were dead while the rest were clinging onto life dearly. Over the noise of the clattering metal and the commands of the new captain of the guard, he heard a screech that he knew far too well.
"PHILIP!" Olympias, dressed in a simple gown as she had been previously been sleeping, yelled whilst carrying an unconscious Bucephalus in her arms, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!? A REBELLION!? IN OUR MANOR!? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!? IF THE OTHER NOBLES HEAR ABOUT THIS THEN WE'LL BE THE LAUGHING STOCK OF THE ENTIRE CITY!?"
"Yes, that's nice, dear," he sighed as he walked past her.
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID!? I SAID-"
"I know what you said," Philip sharply interrupted, "Now please, dear, do shut up," he demanded as he walked away, leaving a flabbergasted Olympias behind.
Foot Of The Red Line
It took them two nights and one day to climb all the way down the steep slope of the Red Line. It was difficult, but they didn't stop for a second until they saw the sea crashing against the cliff edge down below. They huddled in a small cave inside the cliff face and slept for a few hours, trying to shelter themselves from the cold sea breeze and the rain that poured down on them. But as soon as they storm subsided and everything was calm, they climbed the rest of the way down and perched themselves on an outcrop that overlooked the sea, watching the tide ebb and flow four meters beneath them in comfortable silence.
Bellatrix yawned as she tiredly looked out over the horizon. Her clothes were damp, her body was cold and her hands were scratched and torn from the climb down…but she was still happy. Happy that she had left the holy land and reached the surface. For the first time in years…she was free. However, she tore her eyes away from the seascape and looked down at her friend beside her. Alexander had said nothing for hours now and had been looking down at the water below with a blank expression. She was starting to get worried and decided it was about time she broke the silence.
"Alex…" she hesitantly said, earning a small hum from him, "Are you feeling alright?"
Alexander said nothing for a few seconds before he rubbed his cold face, "Yes…I'm fine," he softly said, "It's just…we're exhausted, we have no money, no food, no transport, no warm clothes, no maps, no…well, anything, really. I don't think I even know which side of the Red Line we're currently on. We're stuck…with nowhere to go," he told her, making her sigh at the reality they are facing, "…however…" he suddenly said before he got onto his feet, cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled out to the sea, "IT DOESN'T MATTER! BECAUSE I'M FREE!" he bellowed before he gave a hearty laugh, "HEAR THAT WORLD! I'M FREE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE! I'M FREE! I'M FREE! I'M FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Bellatrix laughed as she watched him shout to the top of his lungs before she got to her feet and did the same thing. They gleefuly shouted and cried out their freedom into the wind, and the sea and to the world. Proclaiming to their non-existing audience that nothing will ever enslave them again. Eventually, they sighed in exhaustion and sat back down on the rocky outcrop and leaned against each other with massive smiles on their faces.
"That…felt…good," he uttered through tired pants.
"Yeah…" she laughed before she frowned seriously, "but what now? We can't stay here forever."
"What do you think? We're going to your family's island and picking up a pirate ship," he said as he looked out over the horizon, "What do you think they'll have? A galleon? A warship? Ah well, I guess it doesn't matter. Just as long as it floats. I bet you're happy to meet your family after so long, right? I wonder what they'll-" he stopped when he noticed the guilty expression on her face. He frowned slightly in concern as he wondered what was wrong, "Bella, are you-"
"I'm sorry," she softly said as she stared down at the water, "I'm really, really sorry."
He looked up at her in confusion, but soon the pieces fell into place. He gave a weary sigh and closed his eyes.
"That thing about your family's island…that was a lie, wasn't it?"
She gave a small nod, "…yes," he slowly said before she looked down at him sadly, "Alex…I'm not a pirate. I have never been a pirate. I come from a remote island next to the Calm Belt. I ran away from the orphanage and have been hopping from ship to ship as a stowaway. The things I know I only picked up on the way like the swordfighting and how to navigate the seas. I was never taught that."
"Why did you run away from the orphanage?"
"I got too big. The adults didn't know how to deal with me…so I thought it would be better to, I don't know, go out and find my one people…I never did," she explained before she clenched her fists tightly, "I'm sorry, Alex. I lied because you were interested in pirates and I didn't want to anger you. This was before I was certain that you would never do anything to harm me. Then you promised to get me out if I took you to the island and it was too late to go back. I'm a sorry excuse for a friend and a member of the Longleg tribe, aren't I?"
Alexander opened his eyes and rubbed the side of his face, "Well…lying to me kind of sucks. I wouldn't have mind if you told me. I admit…I'm a little hurt. Even if you have a good explanation. We have known each other for over three years," he told her, making her look away guiltily, "However, I will have to say that this kind of a relief."
Bellatrix snapped her head towards him, "A relief?"
"Yes. You see, I didn't know how to tell you this, but I changed my mind about getting a ship from your family quite a while ago. I thought it would offend them in some way. But now, we don't have to do that anymore."
"What do you mean?"
He grinned up at her, "Bella, I don't want handouts. I want to have my own ship built, I want to choose who will be in my crew and for me to learn how to sail on my own. I feel as if that's the real way to become a real pirate. The freedom to choose your own path and I want you to come with me."
Bellatrix blinked in astonishment, "B-but what me lying to you?"
He climbed to his feet and put his arms over his wrist, "Well, as punishment, you will have to be my First Mate."
"That…doesn't sound like much of a punishment."
"I don't know. You are going to be the First Mate of a Captain who doesn't even own his own ship yet," he said, giving her a wink, "Do you accept?"
Bellatrix smiled softly before she stood to her feet as well and bowed her head slightly, "I do, Captain," she told him before she held her hands out and placed her fingers together as if she was holding a cup, "There is one more thing I know about pirates. To swear allegiance to each other, pirates would drink from a sake cup together as a sign of unity. Since we don't have sake….or cups, should we just imagine us doing it and then we can do it properly later?"
Alexander smiled and held out his hands just like her, "Sounds good. Ready?"
"Ready."
They both raised their imaginary cups of sake to their mouths and pretended to drink from them. Once the pact has been made, they laughed in amusement at what they were doing. Soon they calmed down and looked out towards the open sea.
"We still don't have a way of getting off this rock," Bellatrix sighed as she scratched the back of her head, "Maybe we can find some driftwood and make a smoke signal. Although, we don't have anything to set fire to it and we have to wait for it to dry," she mused.
However, Alexander looked down at the sea as it gently lapped the rocks below before looking down at his hands. He frowned in determination before he sat down on the edge of the outcrop with his legs swinging above the water. He took a deep breath before looking up at Bellatrix who was looking down at him in curiosity.
"Bella, I've got an idea. However, if this goes wrong then you have to dive in after me."
"Alex…" Bellatrix warned, "Don't you dare."
He grinned at her before he leapt off the edge and fell feet first to the water, making Bellatrix cry out in shock. As he fell, he focused on his Devil Fruit powers and called out to the salt that resides in the sea water, gritting his teeth as he concentrated more and more. He closed his eyes and waited for the results…
…but was somewhat surprised when he landed on solid ground.
He opened his eyes and blinked in astonishment before he looked down at his feet to see that he was standing on a circular patch of white salt that had surfaced from the water. He gawked at it in wonder before he knelt down and felt the coarse salt with the tips of his fingers, feeling how solid that patch was. He gave a small laugh as he stood up.
"There we g-OW!"
"IDIOT! DON'T DO THAT!" Bellatrix yelled furiously as she whacked him over the head.
"Sorry! Sorry!" he apologised as she glared at him, "But look," he told her before he raised his foot and slammed it down on the water.
Suddenly, breaking the surface of the sea, was a flat path of salt which cracked and hardened over the water. It formed from where his foot was and shot forwards like a torpedo until it reached the horizon three miles away, creating a safe way to cross the sea without getting wet. Alex couldn't help but laugh while Bellatrix gaped in awe.
"We can walk over the sea now," he told her, "This Devil Fruit power is useful…but I can still taste salt in my mouth!" he cried out in disgust.
Bellatrix got over her shock and jumped down on the path next to him, "Well, that's one way of doing it. Shall we?"
"We shall," he agreed as they began their trek over the salt path.
Further and further they walked across the water with ease, the peaceful morning soothing their tired souls. Not once did they look back at the Red Line as it disappeared into the distance; the only thing they focused on was the horizon in front of them. As they travelled, Alexander began to hum a song that Bellatrix first taught him years ago; a song that he enjoyed the most. Bellatrix picked up on it and began to hum as well, but then they finally decided to just sing to the past the time until they reach the closest island.
"YoHoHoHo! YoHoHoHo! YoHoHoHo! YoHoHoHo!~ YoHoHoHo! YoHoHoHo! YoHoHoHo! YoHoHoHo!~" they sang together, "Gather up all the crew. It's time to ship out Bink's Brew~ Sea wind blows. To where, who knows? The waves will be our guide~ O'er across the ocean's tide, Ray's of sunshine far and wide~ Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by~"
And with that, a new pirate crew was born on the cliff face of the Red Line by two unwanted, homeless children who are ready to take the world by storm. In six years time, the crew will grow and grow as more alliances are made and their strength will become notorious across the seas. The innocent will praise them, the Marines will fear them and enslaved will be freed by them. They will be a pirate crew that will eventually be known throughout the world as:
The Freedom Pirates
…but that's a story for another time.
The End
Aww! What a nice ending. And thus, I have completed my first story…so far.
So, I thought I'll say something about the Salt Salt Fruit that Alexander possesses. First of all, I did a lot of research on the possibility of such a fruit and what's it is capable of. Let's start with the latter.
My main concern is whether sea salt can actually sap powers away like Seastone. I mean, Seastone is known as the sea in solid form and salt is a main part of sea water. Although, after some research, it seems that in one litre of common sea water only 3.5% of it is actually salt so it seems like it's only a minor component after all. But that varies from place to place. The Dead Sea, with the one of the highest concentration of salt on the globe, has a salinity of 35% while Don Juan Pond in Antartica has a salinity of 40%! So, given some leniency and One Piece logic, if could be possible since sea salt can represent the sea in solid form as well depending on its concentration.
Secondly, would such a Devil Fruit exist in canon…probably, not. Unless Oda Sensei comes up with something. However, that's the beauty of fanfiction; it doesn't matter. It's all my ~imagination~
I would like to point out that Crow (an assassin from The Voyage of The Cavalier) also have the same powers so you can imagine what things I have planned for that story Mwahahaha!
Ahem! Anyway. Thank you ever so much for reading this story and a special thank you to those who reviewed it, favourited it and/or following it. I do hope you'll enjoy it. Be sure to look out for the sequel, set six years later.
Bye!