A/N: First of all I am SO sorry this chapter took so long and I hope the length of the chapter makes up for it. Second, if I got the sword stances wrong I'm sorry I use Google to look up info and pics on fighting stances. Lastly, I completely made up the legends about Sea Devils and Mia Melinessia (except for Amphitrite, she's a Goddess of the sea in Greek mythology) so please don't get mad at me.
Early the next morning as his crew is loading supplies onto Red Force, Shanks is giving Devlin her first lesson on swordsmanship. They are in a small area near the docks that have been cleared of everything except for a steel pole that is as thick as Dev and taller than Shanks. One end of the pole has been planted near where Shanks is standing. Shanks and Dev are standing facing each other, Dev holding a shinai; or kendo stick; in her right hand and Shanks holding Gryphon, still sheathed, in his left. "Before we begin, Devi, there's somethin' important I want ye ta always remember...Swordplay that always harms whatever it touches is not real swordsmanship."
Dev looks at Shanks in confusion, "I don't understand. Aren't swords meant to be used as weapons to cut someone or something?"
"Not necessarily. It all depends on the hand that wields it." He pulls a sheet of paper out of his cloak and unsheathes his sword, "There are swordsmen out there capable o' cuttin' nothin'," he throws the paper into the air then slashes at it with Gryphon. To Devlin's absolute amazement the paper is unharmed by the sharp edge of the blade, even though it was a direct hit. "However, these same swordsmen can also cut anythin', includin' steel, usin' the same sword. Shanks slashes horizontally at the steel pole three times and the pole is cut into pieces. Dev's eyes are wide in surprise. "The strongest swordsmen are able ta protect that which they want ta protect, but also cut that which they want ta cut."
"WOOHOO! THAT WAS AWESOME! Will I be able to do that too?!" She shouts while jumping up and down in excitement.
"Dahahaha! Maybe someday, after years and years o' rigorous trainin'. Now, 'til yer more familiar with a sword, lass, ye will want ta wield yer sword with both hands. Just like this," he shows her the proper way to grip a sword with both hands.
Dev copies his hold as best as she can on her shinai. "Like this, Shanks?"
He walks over to her and slightly corrects her grip. "There ye go. Okay, now that ye got the grip down let's try a basic fendente or slash." He shows her how to properly swing a sword and she mimics him. After about 30 practice swings, her movements become smoother and quicker. "Very good, Luv! Ye seem ta have a natural talent fer swordplay." He moves to stand in front of her with six feet of space between them. "When yer facing another swordsman in a fight remember that ye need ta be aware o' yer surroundings at all times. From the ground; if it's uneven or not, if there's anything ye may trip over; ta yer opponent's body language includin' the height and weight difference between the two o' you." He raises Gryphon in a defensive position, "Now attack me, lass."
Dev's eyes widen, "Shanks...I can't attack you!"
Shanks sticks his tongue out at her, "Well, then it's goin' ta be impossible ta join my crew." Dev swallows but looks at Shanks with determination. She holds the sword just like Shanks showed her; gripping the hilt with both hands, her elbows slightly bent, and the hilt level with her waist. A smile spreads across his face when she takes the basic posture of chūdan no kamae. Shanks holds his sword in front of him in a defensive position. Dev swings her sword like Shanks taught her, but when her shinai makes contact with the blade of Gryphon it's like she has struck a brick wall and she's thrown off balance and falls backward onto her butt. Shanks laughs, "Ye didn't take inta account how much bigger than ye that I am did ye, lass?"
"No," Dev admits, blushing slightly.
Benn approached the two from the direction of Red Force, "The supplies are loaded and the ship is ready to set sail, Cap'n'."
"Alright, thanks, Benn. Just give me a moment. I wanna teach lil' Devi a defensive stance first." Benn nods before turning around and walking back to the ship. Shanks returns his attention to the little girl, "Okay, Devi. I want ye ta copy my stance as well as ye can." He turns his body sideways, his feet shoulder length apart while his right foot points toward Dev and his left facing outwards to the side. He holds the hilt of Gryphon with both hands level with his waist with the blade pointing at Dev's knees. "This stance is called gedan no kamae and it is used ta deflect blows and create strikin' opportunities." Devlin copies the way that Shanks is standing and holding his sword. He walks over to her and slightly adjusts her stance. He then takes the stance again and shows her how to deflect attacks properly.
Once he is sure that she has everything down correctly he puts an end to their little training session. "Good job, lass!" He sheaths Gryphon and places his left hand on top of Devlin's head, "Ye will make a fine swordsman one day. But it will take years o' trainin' both yer body and yer mind."
Dev's happy expression turns into a look of determination, "That's okay. I'll train every day until I'm ready to join your crew. Even if it takes me a thousand years."
Shanks ruffles her blonde hair, "Dahahaha! That's the spirit, lass!" He removes his hand from on top of Devlin's head before turning towards Red Force.
"Where are you guys going this time?" she asks as she walks beside him towards his ship.
"I'm goin' ta meet an old friend o' mine at a nearby island."
"Can I go with you? Since the island is nearby, it should be safe enough for me to sail with you guys, right?" She asks with big puppy dog eyes.
They come to a stop beside the gangplank leading up to the deck of Red Force. Shanks looks down at Devlin and sticks his tongue out at her. "Nope! Ye still can't sail with us, lass! Besides my friend and I are just goin' ta talk and catch up a bit. I'm sure that ye wouldn't want ta sit around and listen ta a couple o' old men talkin'. Ye would just be bored."
Dev snorts, "You're not an old man Shanks."
Shanks laughs, "Compared ta ye I am!"
"You're only 10 years older (A/N: remember that I made Shanks younger for this fanfiction. Instead of him being 29 when he meets Luffy he's 20) than me!" she shouts.
Shanks ruffles Dev's hair again, "We'll be back in a couple o' days. Keep practicing what I taught ye while we're gone, Devi."
She nods her head, "I'm sure that Ace will be more than happy to help me practice since that means he'll get to try and beat me up."
Shanks chuckles as he walks up the gangplank. Once he reaches the deck he shouts to his crew, "It's time ta set sail men! Hoist the anchor!!"
The Red-Haired Pirates all cheer and begin to follow Shanks' order and soon Red Force is slowly moving away from the dock. The pirates all wave and shout goodbye to Devlin who is running alongside the ship. She stops at the end of the wooden pier and just stands there waving as the ship sails farther and farther away. All of a sudden, something rams into her from behind and sends her flying forward off of the end of the pier and into the ocean. "WAAHHH!!!!"
Luffy now stands in Dev's place, waving frantically with both of his arms above his head at the departing ship with two large pieces of meat grasped in each hand. "Bye, Shanks!!! Come back soon!"
The Red-Haired Pirates watch as Dev swims to a nearby ladder, climbs it, then tackles Luffy down to the dock. The two wrestle around for a moment which ends with Dev tying Luffy's rubbery body into a large knot. Shanks and the other crew members burst out laughing.
Once everyone has calmed down and the island is nothing but a speck in the distance, Benn walks over to Shanks. "Well, we can rule out a devil fruit as the source of Dev's strange powers since she can swim in the ocean."
"Aye...but I don't like the option that leaves us with."
With the wind on their side and the unnatural speed of Red Force, the Red-Haired Pirates arrive at their destination later that night. Benn sets a schedule for watch duty on the ship before Shanks disembarks with most of the crew. Shanks and Benn begin to walk toward a small bar on the outskirts of the tiny village. Inside the bar is deserted except for two people: a short elderly woman standing behind a long wooden counter and a tall masculine figure sitting at a table in the far right corner of the room. The woman is wearing a light blue kimono and her gray hair is pulled up into a bun and is cleaning glasses. The man is leaning back in his chair with his feet crossed on top of the table and a bottle of saké in his hand.
"I'll get us a couple of bottles of rum and some glasses," Benn tells the redhead while walking toward the elderly woman.
"Thanks, Benn."
Shanks starts walking toward the man at the table and as he approaches the table, the man stands up to greet him. "It's been a long time since we last met in person, brat." The man is tall with white hair and a beard with a scar over his right eye that starts an inch from his hairline and stops at his cheek. He's wearing round glasses, a yellow button-up shirt, and maroon capris. A white and green cloak is hanging on the back of the chair that the man was sitting on.
Shanks walks up to the man and shakes his hand, "It has. Thanks fer agreeing ta meet me on such short notice, Rayleigh."
"You're welcome. I have to admit I am extremely curious as to what could be so urgent that you reached out to me." Rayleigh sits back down and Shanks sits down in the chair across from him.
"I was hopin' that ye would tell me everything ye know about Sea Devils."
Rayleigh looks at the younger man in curiosity, "All I know about them comes from old legends, so, who knows what is true about them and what isn't. The last time anyone has seen a living Seadevil was about 200 years ago."
"That's fine. I just need ta know everythin' ye know about them, Rayleigh, even if it is just legends. It's important." Benn arrives at the table carrying three glasses and two bottles of the strongest rum that the bar had in stock. He sits the glasses down on the table, opens one of the bottles, then fills the glasses with the liquor.
The three men each take a glass and Rayleigh asks Shanks, "Why is it important, Shanks?"
Shanks picks up his glass and swallows a mouthful of rum, "What I'm about ta tell ye has ta stay between us, Rayleigh. A sweet lil' 10-year-old lass' life could be on the line if it gets out." Benn sits down in the chair to Shanks' left before sticking a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it with a match.
Rayleigh narrows his eyes, "You think that this girl is a descendant of a Sea Devil?"
Shanks reaches under his shirt, grabs the jewel that's resting on his chest, then pulls it out to show the older man. "She gave me this. I think it may be a Devil's Diamond."
When Rayleigh's eyes land on the jewel he takes a sharp intake of breath, "It certainly matches the description of one. Can I have a closer look?" Shanks hesitates for a moment before lifting the necklace over his head and placing it in Rayleigh's outstretched hand. Rayleigh holds the jewel up to his face for a closer inspection, "I have some very important questions and you need to answer them truthfully."
"Okay. Ask away."
"Have you formed some kind of bond with this girl?"
Shanks shrugs, "She may have a small crush on me."
Benn snorts, "A small crush? She absolutely adores you, Cap'n'." He looks over at Rayleigh, "When we're at the island, she follows him around like a puppy and insists on joining the crew. I usually have to find and drag her off of the ship at least three times before we set sail."
Rayleigh chuckles, "She sounds like a handful." He becomes serious once again and asks, "When she gets angry, does the red in the jewel become more dominant?"
Shanks looks confused, "I don't know."
"Yes," Benn replies, causing the two other men to look at him. "I saw it when Dev confronted Higuma. When her forearm became covered in that white armor there was more red in the diamond than before."
"White armor?"
"Aye. The lass covered her right hand and forearm in this white armor that resembled Busoshoku Haki and blocked the blade o' a sword. The sword didn't even leave a mark."
Rayleigh briefly closes his eyes, "Did her eyes change colors? Did her sclera become black and irises yellow?"
"Aye," Shanks replies with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Rayleigh sighs heavily, picks up his glass, then tosses back the rest of the contents. He swallows the strong liquor before telling the two younger men, "I'm afraid that this is most likely a Devil's Diamond and the girl has the blood of a Sea Devil running through her veins." He holds the necklace up and Shanks holds out his hand. Rayleigh places the necklace on Shanks' palm. "I do not envy you and what you will have to do in the future."
Shanks frowns, "What do ye mean?"
"From what I've read, other than being killed by another Sea Devil, destroying the diamond is said to be the only other way to kill a Sea Devil. But the diamond itself can only be destroyed by the person that the Sea Devil gave it to."
Shanks furrows his brows, "That seems a bit odd. If the diamond is the only thing that can kill 'em, why would they give it ta someone? Why not hide it?"
Rayleigh shrugs, "Legends say that these diamonds were created because of a curse placed upon the bloodlines of the Sea Devils that betrayed their own kind. I will tell you all that I can recall of the legend. Thousands of years ago, Sea Devils were abundant and ruled the world's oceans and seas. Humans had yet begun to truly explore the seas and the two species lived peacefully; unaware of the other's existence. Then humans began exploring the oceans more and the two species encountered each other for the first time. Needless to say, the encounter didn't end well; Sea Devils are said to be terrifying in appearance and because of this the humans became frightened and attacked the Sea Devils. Of course, the Sea Devils were unharmed and killed the group of humans. After this encounter, the majority of the Sea Devils saw mankind as an invasive pest that was a threat to their way of life and needed to be exterminated immediately. And so the Sea Devils declared war on us humans. But not all Sea Devils viewed mankind in such a way, some were fascinated by humans and would come into villages to interact with them in secret. Some even fell in love with a human. These Sea Devils decided to side with mankind in the war and it was these Sea Devils that created the Devil Fruits to help balance the power between humans and Sea Devils. It was around this time, that the practice of using Haki was said to have also begun. Because, while they could not outright kill a Sea Devil, a human using Busoshoku Haki could at least hurt a Sea Devil.
After a long and very bloody war, they were victorious and the hostile Sea Devils were either dead or dying. With his last breath, the leader of the hostile Sea Devils placed a curse on the Devil Fruits and the Sea Devils that sided with mankind. The curse would cause the surviving Sea Devils to eventually lose control and ruthlessly attack the very humans that they fought to protect. The ally Sea Devils decided to create these special diamonds, that they embued with a bit of their essence, and gave the diamonds to a human that the individual Sea Devil loved and trusted so that when they finally lost control that human can destroy the Devil's Diamond and kill the Sea Devil before they can wreak too much havoc. That's how the remaining Sea Devils died out, at least the full-blooded Sea Devils because there were women that were pregnant with a Sea Devils child. But eventually, even these half-blooded Sea Devils would fall victim to the curse and the one that they loved would have to kill them.
"Another legend continues the story from there: the Legend of Mia Melinessia. Mia was said to be the wife of a Sea Devil and pregnant with their second child when he lost control and she had to break the diamond and kill him. Grieving and fearing the same fate for her children, she set sail to find someone that could break the curse. After sailing the seas for many, many years, Mia finally came across the Sea Goddess Amphitrite and pleaded to the Goddess to break the curse. Amphitrite told Mia that she couldn't fully break the curse since it was cast out of the purest of hate and loathing, but she could make it to where a child that would contain the full powers of a Sea Devil would be born to any surviving Sea Devil-Human bloodlines only every 200 years. The goddess warned Mia that since her children were already born that they shared the same fate as their father, but if they should have any children in the future, they would be born as humans and the curse would be avoided for them. The Goddess also warned that for her to cast the spell, she would require a sacrifice from Mia. Even knowing that it wouldn't save her own children's lives, Mia agreed on a deal with the Sea Goddess and gave her own life to save the lives of many descended from the ally Sea Devils.
"And now every 200 years, a child is born that will eventually lose control over the Sea Devil that is a part of them and go on a rampage. When they do, it is devastating. Sea Devils are rumored to be very powerful and ruthless in a fight. The result is always the same...the person has to destroy the diamond to stop the rampaging Sea Devil."
Shanks' face pales, "Certainly, there has ta be another way."
Rayleigh shakes his head, "I'm sorry, Shanks, but from what I've read, once they go full Sea Devil, there is no reasoning with them. Who they were as a person is completely gone and all that is left is a raging monster. That's the one thing that is consistent in all of the stories that I've read. Every single person born with Sea Devil blood eventually goes berserk and the holder of the Devil's Diamond has to destroy it to stop them."
Shanks picks up the bottle of rum and starts to chug the alcohol directly from the bottle. Benn stands up, "I'll go get us some more drinks. We're going to need 'em."