Destined for Flames (One Piece Fanfic)

Marine Base Maya

Raya's POV

I shove my hands deep into my pockets, watching the little boy run away from me, a shrill shriek in his wake.

It makes me wonder just what sort of stories the villagers have made up about me this time around. Their imagination hasn't improved much in eight years, but still, they've somehow managed to brainwash the next generation into loathing pirates, so maybe I'm just missing something here.

The little boy - a runt with spiky blonde hair and watery green eyes - melts into the crowd of adults standing off to the side of Maya's (my village/island) main road. They swallow him up the same way I'm trying to swallow back my anger.

They look at me like I've just killed a puppy, for Kami's sake!

"I didn't do a goddamn thing!" I shout, throwing my arms out in exasperation. It won't do anything, though; I know that much. The way they see me will never change.

Growling incoherent threats under my breath, I turn sharply on my heel and start trekking towards the forest that rings our tiny village.

And then something hits the back of my head. Hard.

I'm rounding on whoever has the misfortune of being behind me, seething, shouting, "Who the hell just--" when I see the sniveling, bleary-eyed girl cowering a few feet away.

A blue rubber ball lies still at my feet.

So she hit me with that. An accident, then.

I crouch down to pick up the ball, rolling it between my palms for a minute before I offer it to the girl with a waning smile. "Here ya go. Sorry for yelling like that." I tack on a nervous laugh, hoping she doesn't --

"Mommy! Daddy! Scary pirate lady!"

And she's off - hurrying back to her parents' embrace, sobbing her little naive heart out. They're glaring again.

The forgotten ball falls, bounces once, then rolls to a stop just before the toes of my boots. 

Everyone here hates pirates, detests them. For them, the only good pirate is a dead pirate. There's even a bar somewhere further inland (that won't accept me no matter how shitty their other clientele is) called "Pirate's Head"; the sign is carved into the gruesome shape of a very unfortunate pirate's decapitated head. It's really classy. No really, it is. They dress it up on holidays too, so that's something to always look forward to.

Things probably wouldn't be so bad if not for the heavy Marine presence here on the island. The Marine Base towers over everything else, taking up about a third of the village. And there's the Commander who spews his propaganda (for himself, obviously, and against pirates) like he's paid to do it. Which, in a way, I guess he is.

He's a god to these people, the Protector of Maya, our savior come from on high to defeat the lowly likes of pirates who venture too close to our safe haven. 

I spat in his face once. It was a good day.

Because of guys like him, the people here have gotten it into their increasingly thick heads that all pirates are villains without morals, no qualms about killing the innocent. Scum, in a sense. I mean, yeah, there are a few of them like that (with the ruthless bounties to show for it) but not every single one.

I defend pirates, want to be one in the furture if I'm not really as cursed as I think I am - therefore, I get rocks chucked at my head whenever they think they can get away with it. Usually when there's a passing Marine patrol and they know I won't retaliate. I'm not a pirate, not yet, anyway, but they treat me like one.