I do not own One Piece
Trigger Warning!
Abusive Family, Mental Abuse, Starvation, Physical Abuse
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The first three or so days were fairly easy. Though I was hungry, I was able to ignore it. The simplest trick I used was reverting back to the horrified memories I wished to forget. As unfortunate as it was, it helped curb the appetite that tried to start. However, by the fifth day all I could hear in the bare room was my stomach growling.
Sanji had once mentioned to me how he had gone nearly three months starving when he was a child. I haven't even made it a full week and I couldn't imagine how traumatic that was for him when he was a child.
By the end of the first week all I could really focus on was the pains that were starting in my stomach. Any energy I had left was completely gone. The combination from the hunger and sea prism completely zapped me dry. To make it even worse, I was only given a single glass of water today, the seventh day. Considering the fact that I haven't been given anything else, I've decided to try my best to conserve the water and take as few sips as possible.
Even with my low energy and rumbling stomach it didn't stop the woman, Kitiara, from forcing me to listen to these so called lessons. It was all stuff which I had no interest in. Something to do with this Kingdom, which has been ruled for centuries by the same family. All week has been basic history and such.
Really, this was something Robin would have loved to listen to. She could have relayed the information most important for me to actually remember. I didn't want all the extra facts, especially from someone who I wanted nothing more than to punch the lights out of.
Then there were these other lessons, which consisted of me walking, sitting, and speaking a certain way. Apparently I didn't do any of it correctly.
Everything from the way I walked, spoke, or sat was 'Improper' and 'proof of my bastard blood'. All the way to my values, specifically that every person on the planet were equals. Kitiara specifically loved ripping into my life choice of being a pirate.
At exactly seven in the morning Kitaria came to my room. After the first day I quickly learned that I had to be completely ready and 'presentable' on time. My body luckily still heals decently, so those bruises were almost gone.
"Mitsu." The door opened to the strict stone faced woman. She looked me over. Her eyes gazing down my hair, which was not allowed to be tied back by anything and had to be neatly brushed. When she looked over the clothes that hung off of me, she paid special attention to my shoulder. I had been instructed to keep a royal purple silk drape over my shoulder and down over my torso. The rest of the clothes hung off of me loosely, fitting like silk sheets that clasped on one shoulder. Then her eyes glanced at my feet, where the golden sandals were already placed on me, the ties wrapping around my ankles up to my knees and tied perfectly. She didn't remark on the dark purple bruises that riddled my ankles and feet, something I ended up doing to myself daily once taking off the shoes to stop myself from going crazy.
Once I had met her standard she looked back at me. Her eyes nearly narrowing into a glare when I almost met her eyes. "Come. Your lessons will begin soon." She took a step back to allow me space to leave the room.
As soon as I was beside Kitiara, I stiffened feeling her arm shoot out. With a hard grip, she jabbed my already bruised back while her other hand lifted my head.
"Perfect posture." She nearly growled, her words pronounced carefully and too perfect.
I clenched my teeth to keep myself quiet. Here I was, sure I had perfect posture. Somehow I'm reminded of this everyday and she always jerks my head upwards. It's harder to not look people in the eyes with my head up so high.
It's almost as if she is just looking for an excuse to hurt me and Sato.
"Go." She shoved me forward, but I didn't stumble. Another thing I found. Kitiara found a sadistic thrill when I stumbled, since it apparently wasn't allowed and always earned me a slap. The one from yesterday had left a bruise on my left cheek, which has yet to go away.
I'm positive she is making up some of these rules just to see if I'll follow them.
Of course, with Sato's life on the line there is no doubt I will.
The guard that was stationed to the library quickly opened the door for us. Her placed his right had over his chest, hand open and palm over his heart as he bowed his head. It was something all of the guards did.
As soon as we were in the room, the guard shut the door behind us. Our footsteps and my stumbling stomach echoed through the room filled with rows of bookshelves.
"I believe today is good for you to understand the Coming of Age Ceremony." Kitiara said, placing a book on the table before sitting down. Once she was seated she nodded to me to follow her example, which I did before it could earn me a hard pinch.
"The Coming of Age Ceremony is a tradition to the Purpura Kingdom. Strictly for Royals and the Kobayashi family." She explained.
I remember Kitiara mentioning the Kobayashi family. They served the royal family, and have for centuries. Nobody is more trusted tot he royal family than them. Each person of said family is assigned a member of the Kobayashi family as their bodyguards at a young age. They grow up together and form a strong bond.
Kitiara was a member of the Kobayashi family.
"The Coming of Age determines many attributes of the future ruler. Their physical strength and their mental strength. It can show how weak or strong a ruler the individual is. Failure is punished and not an option." She recited this by memory. "All throughout history it had been proven that the best rulers of our Kingdom have succeeded in their first try. Anyone else that has done it twice has also proven too weak or had been removed from the royal family."
I bit my tongue at 'our'. This was not my Kingdom.
"King Italus completed his Coming of Age in one try. His daughter, Princess Ayami, also completed it in one try and her timing was rather impeccable." She paused, a bitter look on her face for a moment before she cleared it and continued. "Your father failed the first time, but did complete it the second. Sato, your twin, has failed three times. After the third both the royal family and the Kobayashi agreed that he is not fit for the throne."
I paused, blinking at the information for a moment. "Wait." I mumbled, shaking my head. She just said Sato failed three times and is not fit for the throne. "What fucking throne?-" My head snapped to the side as she slapped me across the face.
"No such language is to come from your mouth." She stated, before sighing. "The Throne to the Kingdom of Purpura." She paused, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "You really are slow if you're just not figuring out you come from the royal family. It's going to be a pain if you also fail the Coming of Age test."
For the time being, I pushed the royal news to the back of my head. Instead I narrowed my eyes at the mention of the test. "What exactly do you have them do for the test?"
If Sato failed three times, what hope do I have to pass?
Kitiara's red eyes glared at me as if I had interrupted her, but she did answer. "It's simple. You're placed in an arena, where all the approved nobles, Kobayashi family, and higher class citizens watch, and you kill someone."
My eyes widened and I found myself unable to comment.
"It's a good test. You have to be physically and mentally strong to take someone's life. Typically the age that the Royal's participate is eight years old. You're older, so I', sure your test will need to be more difficult." Kitiara didn't seem fazed by the news, however her glare darkened. "Sato will receive twenty lashes for your failure to keep quiet."
I suddenly found the energy to jump to my feet. "That's not fair! It was a simple question, which I believe I have a right to know! You can't do that to him!"
"Forty lashes." She added, "Should I add more?"
My hands tightened into fists and I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. I didn't bother to lessen my grip as warm liquid began to pool in the palms of my hands. Slowly, I managed to sink myself into the seat once more and for once I managed to keep silent.
She stared at me for a moment. Her back was perfectly straight and her muscles were always clenched. She was always ready for me to attack, which I haven't even attempted to do.
Then, she smirked, which really sparked a nerve inside me. "You're still lively for a person being starved for a week now." She leaned forward in her seat. "You're doing better than Sato did. Granted, he was a child when that happened."
It felt as if ice water had come crashing down on me. The grip on my fists slackened as I thought of my twin. The realization of when Shanks had retrieved me after the passing of my mother came to my mind. Sato had vanished then, and nobody had ever told me what had happened to him.
All I had been told was that Shanks had worked to get him back. They never mentioned what had happened.
"Yes, we had hopes of him being strong, rather hopes of both of you being strong. We waited and as soon as that filthy pirate Sayomi was shot down we retrieved him. That bastard child had lied and said his twin was dead." She chuckled, her lips pulling into a sneer. "I suppose you're both liars. You must have gotten that from your filthy mother."
I shot up again. My eyes glaring down at Kitiars, no doubt making them look white with anger. In a second my fist was covered in haki and cam crashing down on the wooden table in front of us.
"Never." I growled, my voice dripping with venom. "Never speak of our mother that way. Or I'll fucking kill you myself."
Everything was lining up now. There was not a speck of a doubt in my mind on who was responsible. She was the one who had tipped off the marines, and she must have been the one who ordered the shot. She was the one who not only took away our mother, but she had taken Sato and Makoto away from me all those years ago.
Kitiara, while responsible, was only a pawn in the long run. Those that needed to properly pay were the two families she had taught me about. The Kobayashi and the Kiyomizu. Finally, I was starting to understand why everyone trying so hard to keep me away from my father's family.
I just hoped my father didn't take after his family.
Kitiara looked at me calmly, then her eyes narrowed into a dark glare. She stood up, her eyes going to my arm, which was no longer coated in haki. "Kill me? You can barely stand on your own feet, or keep you haki activated longer than a few seconds." In a blink of an eye she was in front of me. I could sense the hit coming, but I currently wasn't fast enough to move. Not when my energy was practically zero.
With blunt force to my stomach, my body curved to try to lessen the pain as the air was forced out of me. The only thing that saved me from broken ribs was the second of haki that coated the area that had been hit. Then I was sent flying back. The steel stopped me with a loud bang and I swore I felt something warm drip down my chin.
"Clearly you have too much fight in you. That must come from your mother, your father would have already rolled over." Kitiara wiped her hand on a napkin, as if I had gotten her dirty. "Now, I wouldn't get up from where you're at, otherwise Sato's life will be forfeit."
I wiped my chin with the back of my hand, the inside already covered in blood. A quick glance at the back of my hand greeted me with red. Ignoring it, I looked back up at the stalking white haired woman.
"You move, or fight back, I make the call." Kitiara growled. "I believe your actions call for a punishment. Besides, it will be good to see how much you can take."
She had already done this one other time this week, so I knew what was coming. Last time I had enough energy to fight back a little, but that clearly wasn't an option this time. The only reason I wasn't still black and blue and already worn ragged was because of the experiments that had been done to my body which helped aid my recovery time.
It pissed me off that I could be thankful for that.
So when the first haki infused kick hit my ribs, I didn't move. I didn't allow a pained cry to escape me either. Instead, I bit my tongue and kept still.
Kitiara didn't make any sound either. Her only attention was on beating me.
I had lost count to how long and how many hits landed. All I know is that the pain had numbed away after the tenth hit. Though that didn't stop the blood that dripped to the ground.
Kitiara gripped my bandaged arm, her fingers digging into my skin. "We'll have to find someone to take that mark off. This bandage won't last for long."
I managed to find the strength to speak, though my head pounded worse at the sound of my own voice. "No." My voice was small and raspy, and speaking just caused more blood to dribble out of my mouth. "It has to stay."
They can't take that from me.
My head snapped to the side as a slap rang through the air. "You weren't given permission to talk. Sato will go without food for another week." Then she shoved me away, making my land on the flood covered in my blood. "We're done for today. Clean this mess up."
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End of Chapter 105!
So ya'll got more family information... Technically speaking, Katsu and Sato are royalty. There's more to the story obviously, and you will all get a summarized version of it soon enough. Depending on how things go, I might release more backstory on Katsu's dad, Taro. Family wise, was it around what you were all thinking? I've tried to leave hints throughout the book here and there, but I'm not sure if I gave too many away or not enough.
This is not edited.