~~Yes, another OC One Piece fanfic! I just love writing these!~~
~~~Read Decisions, No Regrets, and A New Life for background context~~~
~~This story touches on Human Experimentation & Slavery (albeit that's a little more minor), as well as imprisonment later on~~
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N13 stretched out, only to come to a sudden stop when she encountered something soft underneath her and another soft thing surrounding her. Groggily, she propped herself up and looked at the blanket over her in confusion. Where had this come from?
Slowly sitting up, she rubbed her eye, but stopped when she didn't feel the bite of metal around her wrist. Lifting both wrists up, she looked at the bare skin, almost with fascination. She hadn't seen them bare in…well, ever.
Her hands flew to her throat, but that was bare as well. The collar was gone! How? Yet, she felt relieved rather than worried.
Slowly, her mind drifted back together and she remembered the blonde man with a flash. He had taken her from the auction house! He had brought her to a place he called a bar, and led her to this room here.
There was a creak, and she flew back against the wall, fingers splayed, but the black-haired woman opening the door stopped in surprise when she spotted N13. The air tasted bitter in an instant, though a curious, mint-like taste cut through after a moment.
"I didn't think you'd be awake yet," the woman mused, watching her. "It's alright. You don't have to be afraid here." Closing the door behind her, she brought over a bowl and a glass of water.
The air tasted of water, but something else. Bland, soft, and almost sweet. N13 eyed the woman warily; the mint taste had come from her.
The woman sat down in a chair along the curved wall, sitting almost directly across from her. "I just thought you might want something to eat."
N13 glanced at the food, but didn't move.
"I promise it's safe," the woman said.
Not moving her eyes off her, N13 grabbed the water first. She downed it quickly, then asked, "Who are you?" The clear taste erased the last of the grogginess in her head.
The woman smiled. "My name's Shakky. My husband, Rayleigh, was the one who brought you here."
N13 let her shoulders drop a little. He never mentioned a wife, but then again, all he said was he was taking her to safety.
"He's in the main room of the bar, talking to some friends," Shakky continued. "When you're up for it, I have a change of clothes for you. When you're dressed you can join them."
N13 flicked her gaze to the door Shakky had come through, then to the bowl of food, then back to Shakky. "How can I trust you?" No one had been kind to her until the marine who helped her get away, but that's how she ended up on a slaver. And after that, Rayleigh had been the only one to actually care.
Shakky tipped her head thoughtfully. "You trusted Ray enough to follow him here." She didn't look away.
That was true. And if he had wanted to bring her back to the auction house, or gotten rid of her, there were plenty of opportunities to do so. He had even told her to rest back here for a while and she hadn't hesitated despite there being only one way in and out.
N13 grabbed the bowl but didn't recognize what was in it. Sticky looking, it reminded her of goopy rice.
"Have you not seen porridge before?" Shakky asked.
N13 shook her head. She hadn't eaten much non-liquid food, actually. Mostly drinks or through IVs. But she didn't want to tell Shakky that. She couldn't stop her stomach from growling as the steam hit her face.
"I thought you could use something easy to eat. I don't know what you've been through, but eating too much can make you sick, so I stuck with something simple," Shakky explained.
N13 ate slowly, but it was surprisingly good. When she was done, Shakky smiled and handed her a bundle of clothing before leaving the room with the empty bowl and glass.
Confused, N13 looked at the clothing. A simple pair of black pants, a dark shirt with a tall neck but short sleeves, and a pair of slippers. It had no adornments of any kind, but was much better looking than her own threadbare lab clothing. And clean, she thought after a sniff.
Quickly putting the clothes on, she was surprised they fit. The one thing the scientist had complained about was getting her clothes specially ordered due to her height. The shirt fit weirdly, but mostly because of the collar. But thankfully, it covered her tattoo. She wasn't used to wearing something without sleeves though.
The slippers fit too, but she paused before opening the door, pulling her braid over her shoulder. She sensed Rayleigh below, his haki shimmering softly. Alongside him were three others, and she could sense Shakki, a soft wave, on the same floor as her. The other three were distinct; one felt almost like fire and salt, another made her think of wind and wood, while the third reminded her of steel or iron.
The hallway was empty as she stepped out. There were three other doors up here. One she could see was a bathroom, and the other two were closed. One opened and Shakky stepped out, startling her. "Oh, are you ready to go down?"
N13 nodded. "Where am I?" She had never seen curved walls before, and the fading sunlight shining through the windows almost hurt her eyes. It cut through the glass, sending it glaring across the walls and in her face.
"This is my bar," Shakky said, leading her down a set of curving stairs. N13 trailed her fingers along the wood as Shakky talked. "Ray is a ship coater, but helps sometimes when he doesn't have a job to do."
A ship coater? N13 almost asked when a thick, ashy smell rose as a door below opened. The air now tasted of some kind of spirits, ash, smoke, and cedar. It was almost cloying, but she bit back her cough.
Rayleigh waited until they reached the bottom of the stairs and smiled. "I thought I heard you. Come out here. I want to introduce you to the men who will help you leave." Shakky smiled at him, then disappeared through a different door as Rayleigh led N13 to a large, open room. The tastes from earlier were thicker here.
A semi-circular room, two booths on either side of the front door, and a semi-circle counter took up a lot of space. Tall chairs sat along the counters edge. It took her a second to spot the source of the taste, then she stopped.
Three men sat in the far booth, two facing her. A tall man with long black hair, a cigarette in his lips and a long silver weapon sitting against his side, and a shorter dark blonde man with a headband across his forehead. In the next moment, the third man turned and she was shocked by the brilliant red hair and dark eyes that contrasted with the bright golden straw hat he wore.
"Is this the girl, Rayleigh?" he asked. His voice was higher than she would've expected, and he merely sounded curious. His haki signature was the fire and salt she felt. With one hand on his hat, he tipped his head over the back of the booth to look at her, grinning.
"Yeah," Rayleigh said as he joined them. He waved N13 over. "Come on, they might be pirates, but they won't hurt you."
Pirates? N13 struggled to think, but she wasn't familiar with the word. She'd heard it a few times, tossed around by the marines who brought her here, but they never explained what it meant. She took a few steps closer, a hand on the bandaged end of her braid.
The three strangers exchanged a look, then Shanks sat straight and cocked his head. "Rayleigh's right, we won't hurt you. Come on." He scooted over and N13 sat down hesitantly. "I'm Shanks. That's Benn and Yasopp." He gestured to the other men. "Rayleigh explained you needed to get somewhere safe and thought we might help."
Up close, she thought he couldn't be more than, what, 19? 20? Not much older than her. He smiled while he talked, and N13 released her braid some. The taste of cedar came from him. He had a light stubble, but she could see it was just a shade darker than his hair.
"You may have to leave soon though," Rayleigh told him, crossing his arms. "We ended up running from a Celestial Dragon."
The shorter man, Yasopp, laughed. "How'd you manage to get away?" The taste of spirits was stronger from him, though all three men almost reeked of it. The wind and wood haki signature was weaker than the other two men's, but not by much. A short, silver weapon was tucked into his waistband; it looked like a short version of the other mans weapon.
The last man, Benn, just shook his head and took a long drag on his cigarette; that explained the ashy, smokey taste in the air. His haki almost made her shudder; steel and iron, though it didn't feel threatening. His gaze flicked to her briefly.
Rayleigh leaned back in his chair. "It was easy. I broke the ropes we had, then we jumped off the bridge heading into Grove 60 and swam to the roots. After that we just ran here as fast as we could. I couldn't risk escaping sooner, unfortunately." The two older men stared at him in surprise.
Shanks grinned and looked at N13. "Impressive. Ray's a good swimmer, I'm surprised you could keep up."
N13 shrugged, a little uncomfortable at the praise, but said nothing.
"You'll have to excuse the captain," Yasopp said, leaning forward. "He's easily impressed."
"I am not!" Shanks retorted hotly.
Benn cracked a grin as Yasopp and Rayleigh laughed. "No, you are. All most of us had to do was just show our skills once before you were almost begging us to join you." His voice was much deeper than the other two and N13 got the feeling he didn't speak much.
She stifled a giggle as Shanks' face turned nearly as red as his hair. He looked at his lap, determined not to meet any of their eyes.
"So what's your name?" Yasopp asked, distracting her.
N13 hesitated, not missing the look on Rayleigh's face. Despite the tightness around his eyes, he stayed quiet. Understanding why, she reluctantly said, "I'm called N13."
The three men went quiet. The air turned sour with anger.
Shanks glanced at her, but looked at Rayleigh, his eyes hard. "'Called'?"
N13 kept herself from flinching back at the minor shot of haki he released. Yasopp was tense, but just watched her.
Rayleigh shook his head. "I can explain later." N13 shot him a grateful look. He had guessed, correctly, about her origins and didn't want to explain it herself.
"Where do you think we should take her?" Benn asked, his eyes on her, but directing his question at Rayleigh.
Rayleigh paused, then sighed. "Somewhere the Navy or World Government can't find her."
There was an intake of breath from Yasopp and Shanks; the sour taste grew stronger, and a hint of spice was present now.
N13 glanced at them; both men looked furious, but the look in Shanks' eyes was almost terrifying. He looked dangerous.
"Are you sure we shouldn't leave tonight then?" Benn asked after a few moments, appearing almost calm but for the white knuckles around his weapon. His steely gaze was still fixed on her.
Shanks glared at him. "We need to wait until the repairs are finished, Benn. By that time, it might be midnight already. I'd rather wait until first light before we leave." He said it like a suggestion, but it sounded more like an order.
Benn exchanged a look with Yasopp, who shrugged, then took another drag on the last of his cigarette. "That makes sense, especially since Snake wasn't too confident docking earlier. He won't want to move out in the dark." He discarded the stub in a little dish in front of him.
Feeling confused, N13 just watched them chat back and forth about navigating and maps, but could make no sense of it. Benn didn't say much, but never removed his hand from his weapon. Yasopp and Shanks were much more animated, and Rayleigh just grinned and shook his head.
She hardly noticed when Shanks nudged her. "Quiet, aren't you?"
"Can you blame her?" Yasopp muttered, earning a shove from Benn.
"Give her time," Benn rebuked lightly. Yasopp tried to shove him back, but the larger man didn't budge at all.
Rayleigh's chuckle caught her attention. "Sorry, I'm afraid this is what you'll be dealing with until they can find somewhere safe for you."
N13 cast a glance at the three men. "But where will I go?"
Shanks leaned back, one arm thrown over the back of the booth. "Where are you from originally?"
A bolt of haki shot out, and everyone turned to Rayleigh. "You won't find where she's from." He gave N13 a sympathetic glance before continuing, "But she can't stay where she could easily be found."
N13 wrapped a hand around her braid.
Shanks looked at her for a few moments, then shrugged. "You could always stay with us." If he was bothered by the haki, he didn't show it.
"And her become a pirate?" Shakky's voice called over. She walked over a moment later and set down four tankards in front of the men, and a glass in front of N13. "Would you want to do that?" Shakky asked her. Benn, Yasopp, and Rayleigh all took drinks immediately, but Shanks didn't move.
N13 hesitated as the three men waited quietly, then sighed. "I'm not really sure what a pirate is, honestly."
Shanks looked stunned, his eyes widening. "Really?" When she nodded, he cocked his head. "Pirates are people who sail the seas, looking for treasure usually. We don't live by any rules but our own and we just explore where we want."
The corner of N13's mouth twitched up as she saw Benn and Yassop's amused expressions, but kept her focus on Shanks.
"It means taking a lot of risks along the way, but it just adds to the fun," he finished. She felt as if there were much more he wanted to say, but kept it short on purpose.
"You say fun, but it's not as much fun when the Navy won't stop chasing you for three days," Benn muttered, lighting another cigarette. A fresh taste of ash and smoke filled the air around the booth.
Rayleigh laughed. "Shanks has an idealistic view of the world, but he's been a pirate all his life."
"All his life?" N13 couldn't imagine that. Any of it, but if it was dangerous, how had he been surviving this long?
Shanks nodded, downing some of his drink; a bitter taste spread through the air and N13 tried not to wrinkle her nose. "Rayleigh and our captain raised me on their ship."
So Rayleigh was a pirate too?
Shakky interrupted them. "If your crew, and her, are going to leave before full morning, maybe you should head out now while it's getting dark."
"Shakky's right," Rayleigh said, glancing out a small window above a door behind him. The sunlight had faded to almost nothing now. "We just got out. I don't want anyone to go back."
The three younger pirates finished their drinks quickly and N13 retreated to the bar as they gathered in front of the door. Shanks watched her, his face unreadable. "I know Rayleigh asked us to take you away from here, but do you want to?" His hand rested on a sword she hadn't noticed before, tucked into the sash around his waist.
N13 bit her lip, thinking, her hand twisting around her braid lightly.
She couldn't remember when she was free, having been given to the World Government when she was an infant. She had only ever known metal walls, iron bars, needles and test and nights of pain. It wasn't until she was nearly 15 that they discarded her when the experiment failed, and a sympathetic marine took her away instead of following the order given.
That was the first time she remembered seeing the outside, seeing the sky and stars in person instead of a book.
But it sounded as though Shanks and his companions lived a life completely different from that. No rules? Running from marines? Risking their lives?
But then again…could they accept her if they knew what she was?
Shanks' gaze met hers and he smiled encouragingly, hooking a thumb into his sash and tipping his hat back.
Just because she left with them didn't mean she had to reveal anything, though. She could stay long enough to find somewhere that was safe, wherever that was, and mention nothing about her past.
She met Benn's gaze and he tilted his head, his expression unreadable, his weapon across his shoulders.
"If you don't want to go with them, I can find some other way to get you out," Rayleigh said quietly from the side. "I know these three look rough, but I couldn't find anyone I trusted more to help you if I tried."
Yasopp crossed his arms, but grinned.
"How long might it take to find me somewhere safe?" she asked.
Shanks paused, not taking his eyes off her, then shrugged. "It could be months, it could be a year, it could be ten years. It's hard to tell where could be safe for you." His eyes softened. "But I promise, we won't leave you somewhere that would be bad for you."
N13 closed her eyes briefly, and nodded. "Okay. But…"
The air tasted almost sweet as they waited for her to continue.
She had to tell them at least this, "I've never seen the outside world before. Not outside of a cage."
The rush of haki that surged from Shanks almost made her vision spark before Benn's hand clamped down on his shoulder. The red-head's eyes were narrowed, the fury visible. The sour taste came back, almost overwhelming now.
"Shanks." The haki disappeared as Rayleigh said his name quietly. "I'll explain what I know before you leave. Stay here for a bit. Let Benn and Yasopp take her back to your ship."
His shoulders nearly trembling, Shanks gave him a curt nod and sat down heavily in the booth. He stared at the table and N13 saw his fist clench on his leg.
Benn gave a quiet sigh. "Come on, we'll take you there now." He motioned for N13 to follow.
She had barely taken a step when Rayleigh's hand stopped her. Turning, she saw him holding out a thick hat.
"Hide your hair. Even with your neck covered, they could recognize you by your braid alone," he explained, low enough the others wouldn't hear.
N13 nodded and quickly stuffed her hair under the thick hat, though leaving her braid hanging down her back, before following at Benn's heels. Yasopp followed at her heels.
As the door closed, though, she couldn't help but taste the almost overwhelming dark, bitter spice of rage coming from the bar.