From a young age, Reyna knew just how cruel the world was.
Trust no one.
Open up to no one.
Love no one.
Or else you get hurt.
It was that simple, and no one in the world was going to change her mind.
Especially some handsome, flirtatious, fancy...
To an outsider, High Town was the epitome of wealth, status, and high society. The richest area in Goa Kingdom housed those of the highest standing. Beautiful mansions lined the sidewalks with well-maintained lawns; the envy of those who visited the town. Everything looked perfect. Absolutely and undeniably perfect.
A young girl, no more than seven years of age, walked along the stone walkway with a large bucket of water in her arms. Her destination was just ahead. The large brick building with its giant white plus sign bolted smack-dab in the center for all of High Town to see. As she approached the double doors, a red-headed man with a straw hat exited the hospital. He spotted the girl's dark, wavy hair straight away with her beaming smile. He couldn't help but smile, too.
"Thank you, sir," the girl said, noticing that he'd kept the front door open for her to step inside. "That is very kind of you."
"Don't mention it," he replied.
"Have a wonderful day. I like your hat!"
Kindness. Always show kindness to those you meet. Even if they do not show you any in return. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. One of the many lessons seven-year-old Reyna was taught by her mother.
"There you are, dear. I was afraid you got lost," the cheerful voice of Reyna's mother bounced through the hallway as she brought the clean water to the waiting room. "Thank you for getting this to me. I need to get someone to check on the plumbing. Seems something's clogged the pipes, and no fresh water is coming in."
"That's not good," Reyna replied, clasping her hands behind her back. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Momma?"
"No, no it is not," her mother shook her head, wiping the sweat away from her forehead. "There actually is something you can do to help me. Martha just came down with a case of the flu, and I had to send her back home to rest. We're short a pair of hands-"
"I can take Martha's place!" Reyna shouted excitedly, bouncing up and down on her toes. "You know I can, Momma! I've watched her work hundreds of times."
"I thought you might," her mother said with a smile. "Follow me. We have one more set of rounds to do before we can leave."
To a normal person, seeing a little girl trailing behind doctors and nurses, completing tasks alongside them would have raised eyebrows. Followed by immediately questioning what sort of place would let a child run around and pretend to play doctor. But those in High Town knew of the daughter of one of the best physicians High Town ever had. This wasn't the first time little Reyna has helped her mother, and it certainly won't be the last.
The usual tasks Reyna would do to help her mother were simple and a bit mundane, but needed to be done. Running files back and forth between doctors and nurses on various floors, replacing soiled towels, and fetching water or food were just a few of them. On this day, however, Reyna assisted her mother, as well as the other doctors and nurses, in fixing an elderly woman's broken leg, administering some cold medicine to a set of twins that came in with a mild case of the flu, and at the very end of the day-
"Ahh, bloody fucker!" The last, though an emergency, patient shouted at the pinch of the needle piercing through the deep laceration in his chest. "You sure you know what the hell you are doing?"
"There's no need for such language here, sir. You're almost stitched up," Reyna's mother said to the man, quickly tying a knot in the thread. "There. Reyna, dear, you can stop pushing the wound together now. We've successfully closed the hole in your chest. You, sir, are very lucky to have gotten here when you did. Any longer and you would have bled out."
"I'm lucky my crew was able to get me here on time, then," the man replied, his head falling to the side in exhaustion.
"Reyna, go wash up and meet me out in the front. I will finish up here then meet you outside so we can head home."
Home.
A place that was supposed to be an escape from the harsh realities of the world. A place that was supposed to be full of warmth, family, and love. But for Reyna, their home was anything but. It was more of a prison, and with every passing day, the girl wished she could pack up her and her mother's belongings and leave.
"Thank you for helping me today," Reyna and her mother walked into the front door of the mansion, shrugging off their coats in the foyer. The servants immediately took the articles of clothing to the laundry to be cleaned. "I hope you had fun. You are getting so much better."
"I always have fun with you, Momma," Reyna replied, slipping off her shoes. "One day, I'm going to be like you and help everyone I can."
"I know you will," her mother patted her on the cheek. "You are well on your way."
As the pair entered the main room, Reyna came to a halt. He was already home. He was never home first.
"Reyna, go help Nessa in the kitchens," the man's cold, deep voice sent chills down her spine. "We have guests, very important guests, coming to dinner tonight, so everything must be perfect. Do I make myself clear? I have to deal with your mother. Upstairs."
"Go, darling," the woman pushed her daughter towards the kitchen door, offering her a small smile as reassurance that everything would be all right. "I will be fine."
The girl said nothing. As much as it pained her to keep her mouth shut, she'd learned the hard way, years ago, to never get in the way of what the man did to her mother. All she could do was keep her head down, eyes trained on the floor until she pushed through the swinging door into the room smelling of baking roast and bread.
Reyna navigated her way around the kitchen staff to a small corner along the far wall near the windows. Just big enough for the girl to crouch down and hide from everything happening around her. Well, not everything. The painful cries from above came almost the second she sat down.
Reyna pressed her hands against her ears in an attempt to block out the heartbreaking sound. It never worked. Tears fell onto the floor and her body shook. Shook in fear. Shook in anger. How could her mother continue to let that man do those things to her?
"I know it's hard, Reyna," one of the line cooks knelt down before her, brushing the dark hair away from her face. "I'm so sorry."
"Why?" Reyna sobbed. "I don't understand."
"One day you will, but not today," the man sighed. "Come, you need to help Levvy skin the potatoes"
"Can I make the mashed potatoes this time?" she asked, rising up on her shaking legs.
"Absolutely not," the man chuckled. "You remember what happened last time."
"It was worth a shot."
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A short, little intro into the backstory of our main lady, Reyna. Poor, poor girl. I wonder what life has in store for her.
As stated previously, I have only watched the Live Action version of One Piece. That being said, I did a bit of research when it came to places in the One Piece Universe in order to try and make the story fit.
If I make mistakes about something, please don't hesitate to tell me so I can fix it. For now, High Town and Goa Kingdom will remain the way they are.
