10 years ago, on a distant island in the North Blue, there was a special scientific laboratory operated by the World Government, and guarded by the Navy, called Plum Island. It was uniquely triangular in shape, and was once and tourist destination known for it's black sand beaches and delicious, rare plums, which only grow in this part of the world. Two decades ago, it was commandeered by the government, and utilized as a secret laboratory for Vegapunk's remote scientists.
Since that time, the 100 thousand citizens of the island have lived in peace, with many finding new jobs and secure futures working for the Navy. Yet underneath the mask of this secret facility, some often suspected a more sinister energy, and only time would tell if they were correct...
Inside one of the underground wings of the Plum Island laboratory, a 7 year old Aiku sits on an examination table, as three doctors surround her. One holds her eye open and shines a small flashlight onto her pupils. He places the light down and smiles at her. "Okay, Aiku. We're almost done. Just need to get another blood sample next, okay?"
Young Aiku is nervous, and timidly looks away. "...Okay."
Another doctor comes beside her and injects a needle gun into her arm, drawing a single vial of blood. He pops the vial out of the gun and holds it up to the light, then places it in another machine, which begins to spin in circles.
"Okay, Aiku, that's all we need for today!" The doctor declares cheerfully.
"All done?" Aiku asks.
"All done. And do you know what you get for being so brave?" The doctor removes a bright pink candy bag from his pocket. "Your favorite--cotton candy chewies!"
Aiku's face lifts in happiness and she smiles brightly. "Yay!"
Soon after, Aiku's mother enters the room. She is tall, beautiful and attractively dressed, grinning warmly with smiling eyes. "Ready to go, Aiku?"
The doctors look to her and welcome her in. "Hello, Faye!" One greets. "She's all yours."
Moments later, Aiku and her mother hold hands as they walk down a forested path leading away from the facility. The sun shines overhead, as butterflies and birds dart through the trees around them. Aiku chews her snacks joyfully and hums a tune to herself.
Faye looks down to her and smiles. "How did your appointment go today?"
"Okay." Aiku replies.
"Are the doctors still treating you nice?"
"Yeah, all of them are really nice to me!"
"I can see that! You even got your favorite treat again."
"Uh huh! It's my favorite part." Then another thought enters her mind. Her expression changes to worry. "Mommy..."
"Yes?"
"How much longer do I have to keep going back there?"
Faye squeezes her hand playfully. "Not much longer. Only a few more visits."
Aiku looks to her. "But I thought you said it was only one more!"
Faye frowns. "I know, I'm sorry. But sometimes doctors can be unpredictable. It all depends on what they need."
Aiku sighs. "I don't get it..."
Faye stops her and kneels in front of her. "Aiku--I know it's hard. I understand you feel scared sometimes. But you are the bravest girl I know!" She places her fingers under Aiku's chin to lift her face. "Will you continue to be brave for me?"
Aiku smiles and nods confidently. "I will!"
Faye gently touches her hair and rises to her feet, taking Aiku's hand and proceeding forward once more. "Let's go pick up a few of your favorite snacks on the way home, and I'll make a nice big dinner for you!"
"Okay!" Aiku chirps gleefully.
Later that evening, Faye stands over a stove and cooks a variety of foods, filling their small house with delightful aromas. Aiku waits at the table, playing with her toys. Just then, Dani, who is 15 years old, arrives at the front door accompanied by a young Tydal, Tiff and Chong. "Just wait here, I'll be right back out." He tells them. He walks into the house in dirty clothes and approaches the kitchen table.
"Hi, Dani!" Aiku calls to him.
He smiles to her. "Hey, Aiku." He walks around the table and comes in front of his mother. "Smells awesome, mom!"
Faye looks down to him with her warm, smiling eyes. "Thank you. It's almost done." She pulls a gold pocket watch from her belt and checks the time. "Set the table for me, and then I need you to watch after Aiku while I'm a work."
Dani becomes frustrated. "What? Again?! But we were all going down to the beach tonight!"
Faye sighs. "Dani--you know I have to work. I don't want to either, but I need these extra hours right now. You know that."
Dani's frustration changes to acceptance, yet he still expresses his unhappiness. "I know...I'm sorry."
Faye bends down and places her hand on the side of his head. "Thank you, sweetheart." She kisses his forehead. "Now go tell your friends you'll see them tomorrow. And I'll see you tonight."
Dani nods and walks past Aiku petulantly, who notices he is upset. She is concerned, but continues to play with her toys. Dani opens the front door to see his friends impatiently waiting.
"Come on, Dani, let's go!" Tydal orders.
Dani huffs and looks down. "Sorry Tydal, can't go tonight."
"What? Don't tell me you're babysitting again!"
"Yep."
"Ugh. That is so lame." Chong interjects.
Tiff punches his arm. "Shut up, Chongy! It's not his fault!"
"What the heck, Tiff?!" Chong rubs his arm.
Tydal sighs. "Whatever. Alright then, I guess we'll just see you tomorrow."
The groups waves to him as they walk away and disappear down the path toward the beach. Dani watches them go and sulks back inside.
Aiku turns to him worriedly as he passes her without looking in her direction. "...Dani?"
Dani begins to stir a pot of food on the stove with a wooden spoon. "Yeah?"
Aiku hesitates shyly. "Were you going to play with your friends tonight?"
"Yep. But not anymore." He continues to stir.
Aiku looks down sadly. "You can't because of me again?"
Dani turns to her and places the spoon down. "Well...I guess."
Aiku begins to tear. "I'm sorry."
Dani notices and walks over to her. He places a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's alright, Aiku!" She looks to him. He smiles. "That doesn't mean I don't want to hang out with you!"
Her expression brightens. "Really?"
"Of course! You're my baby sister. You're my favorite company!" He grins. Aiku giggles and smiles. "Let's get some of this delicious food. And then we'll go play, okay?"
"Okay! Can we paint tonight?"
"Sure!"
"Can we paint while we eat?!"
"No way! We tried that last time, remember? I put the yellow paint on my hotdog because I thought it was mustard!"
Aiku laughs hardily. "Oh yeah--that was so funny!"
"Not for me!" Dani protests.
Back at the government facility, two doctors work late under a starry sky, examining the blood sample taken from Aiku earlier that day. After subjecting it to a series of tests, they take a small amount of blood from the vial and place it under a microscope.
As one doctor looks through the scope, he adjusts the focus until he can see bright green circles forming around the cells. "There you are..." He breaths.
Another doctor comes beside him. "Do you see them?"
"Indeed." He lifts his head from the scope. "The count is off the charts. Over 20 thousand, I'd say."
"That high?"
"Yes. It's quite exquisite."
The other doctor smirks. "Wonderful. She will make a perfect subject."
"Should I schedule another visit?"
"Immediately."
The next day, Dani wakes from his bed to another hot, sunny day. He stumbles downstairs with sleepy eyes, then slides down the staircase banister and into the kitchen. When he notices that no breakfast is being made, he enters the living room and finds his mother and Aiku preparing to leave the house.
"Morning, mom." Dani comments.
She smiles at him. "Good morning!" She fits an oversized sunhat onto Aiku's head.
"Where are you going so early?"
"Oh, well, to the medical facility again."
"But you had to work late last night."
"This was the only time they had available. I need to get it done before I head back again."
Aiku gazes up at her bashfully. "We don't have to go, mommy. I don't mind if you skip it if it's too much trouble."
Faye kneels down and kisses her cheek. "Don't worry, my love! It's no trouble at all. We're going to get you all better soon, and then we won't have to go anymore, right?"
Aiku forces a smile. "Right."
Faye nods and rises to her feet. "Okay. Ready to go?"
"Ready!"
Faye looks to Dani. "Have fun today, okay? We'll be home in a couple hours."
Dani watches them apprehensively as the door closes behind them. A feeling of uncertainly flows through him. He is unclear of this emotion, but quickly brushes it away.
As the sun shines radiantly through high wispy clouds, it's another beautiful clear summer day on Plum Island. Down the hill from his house, Dani and his friends play on a black sand beach, running along the rocky coastline.
Tydal stops in front of a tall rock formation and gazes into the air, studying it's jagged surface. "Hey, guys! Over here! Let's climb this one!" He calls to them. Dani, Tiff and Chong dash to his location and come beside him, examining it's shape.
"Are you sure? It looks a bit high!" Tiff remarks.
Dani agrees. "Yeah, I don't know..."
Tydal scoffs. "Are you kidding? Not for me!"
Chong steps next to it and pulls a piece of seaweed off the rock. "And there's seaweed all over it. Going to be slippery."
"Fine, stay here if you want, I'm going!" Tydal confirms. He then begins to slowly make his way up the formation as the group watches.
Struggling up the front side, he reaches the middle of the rock and places his hand into a growth of sticky seaweed. When his hand enters, a crab flies out and latches onto his nose. "Yow!" He exclaims in pain. He losses his footing and falls backwards, landing head first in a tidal pool a few feet below, much to the amusement of his friends.
Dani chuckles. "I told you!"
Tydal pops up from the pool with the crab still attached to his nose, and new wig of seaweed draped down his face. "Shut up! You weren't brave enough to try it!"
"We weren't stupid enough, you mean!" Tiff corrects, stifling her giggles.
Chong comes in front of him and removes the crab from his nose. Then he flips it into the air and eats it whole. "Found a yummy snack, though."
Tiff grows nauseous. "Ew! Don't do that!"
"What? They're good!"
Tydal steps out of the pool and shakes the water off. "Lucky it didn't bite your tongue."
"I think he had enough of Tydal's nose!" Dani laughs. The group joins him.
Tydal places his hands on his hips. "Ha. Ha. Ha." He quips.
Tiff comes beside him. "Oh, lighten up, you big dummy!" She punches his arm.
Tydal turns to her in frustration. "Why are you always punching me?!"
"It's because she likes you." Chong comments dryly.
Tiff spins toward him and punches him into the rock. "I do not!"
Tydal chuckles. "Guess she likes you too, Chong!"
Tiff turns to them angrily and shakes her fist. "That's it! You're all dead!"
The group runs farther down the beach, laughing and smiling as they are chased by a raging Tiff, all the way to a small cliffside rising from the shoreline. When Chong arrives in front of the cliff, he trips over a rock and lands directly in a cactus bush. He cries out frantically as the group runs to the sound of his voice. When they find him, his is sitting in the thorny patch with his arms and legs spread wide, desperately trying to wiggle himself free.
Tydal points and laughs. "Look at you! Now who's a dummy!"
Chong tries to pull his arm away. "Just get me out of here, it hurts!"
Dani chuckles and steps in front of him. "Alright--just hold still, you're making it worse!"
After a few good tugs, the group pulls Chong from the cactus bush and frees him. They fall over themselves and land in a pile, then quickly jump to their feet again.
Chong picks needles from his shirt. "I'm still covered in needles. Get them off, help me!"
Tiff steps behind him and starts pulling debris from his back. "Hold still! I can't get it while you're squirming!" Then she notices something odd stuck to his back. "Hey--what's this?"
Dani and Tydal come beside her and watch as she pulls an object off his back. As Tiff holds it in her hand, Chong turns to them, and the group stares down at it with their heads together. It appears to be a large multi-colored fruit, with swirling indentations and a strangely shaped stem.
"What is that?" Tydal inquires.
"I don't know. It looks like a fruit of some kind." Tiff replies.
Dani stares at it wide eyed. "It's a devil fruit."
The group looks to him in amazement. "Wha--you sure?" Tydal says.
Dani nods. "Yeah. I read about them. I recognize these swirling patterns from the book. Devil fruits are the only fruit that look like this."
Tiff realizes what she's holding and drops it immediately. "Ah! Oh no, I touched it! Am I going to get infected now?!" She looks at her hand in a panic.
Dani places a hand on her back. "No! Don't worry. That's not how it works." Tiff expels a breath of relief.
"A devil fruit..." Tydal repeats to himself. "I never thought I'd see one in my life! Imagine that. One was growing right here on our island!"
"Crazy!" Tiff remarks.
Dani grabs the fruit from the sand and examines it closer. "But what should we do with it?"
The group looks at the fruit, then shifts their attention to Chong, who is silently watching.
"...What?" Chong wonders.
A few moments later, the group gathers around Chong as he sits on a large piece of driftwood at the top of the beach. He holds the fruit in his hands reluctantly.
"Come on, Chongy, just do it!" Tydal encourages him.
Chong looks to him, shocked. "Are you nuts?! I told you, I'm not going to eat this thing! I don't even know what it will do."
"That's the fun of it!"
"Fun?! What if it's something bad!"
Tiff turns to Dani. "Are there bad devil fruits? I thought they only granted weird powers."
Dani thinks for a moment. "Well, the only thing I can remember is that it takes away your ability to swim."
"For real? That sucks." Tydal comments.
Tiff giggles. "Not for Chong! He hates the water."
Chong agrees. "Yeah, that's true. I've been afraid of the ocean all my life."
Tiff turns to Dani again. "Anything else we should know?"
Dani shakes his head. "Not really. Just be prepared to hide it if it's something truly odd. Lots of people won't understand you."
Chong sighs. "A lot of people don't understand me anyway."
"Well there you go!" Tydal slaps him on the shoulder.
Chong takes a moment to ponder his situation. He looks to Dani. "Does it really grant you special powers?"
Dani smiles. "Like superpowers, I hear."
Chong smirks and lifts the fruit in front of him. "Why not." He throws the fruit into the air and catches it with his mouth. Suddenly, he begins to choke as the fruit is caught in his throat.
"Oh, crap! He's choking!" Tydal runs to him.
Tiff comes behind him and performs the Heimlich maneuver. "I knew this was a bad idea!"
After a few good pumps, Tiff finally frees the fruit from his throat. But as soon as he spits it out, it bounces off a rock and flies back down his throat again. This time he swallows it, then pauses and holds his stomach in shock.
"He ate it!" Dani exclaims.
Chong's stomach rumbles loudly. "...I ate it."
The group stands silently for a moment in bewilderment, unsure of what to do next.
"So...What now?" Tiff wonders.
"Yeah, what happens next?" Tydal adds.
Dani stares at Chong, who is still rattled and holding his stomach. "Not sure. I don't remember anything about how long it takes to show. Or even how you show it. I guess it will be a surprise!"
Chong groans. "Oh great. That's reassuring."
Tiff steps beside him. "How did it taste anyway?"
"It was disgusting!" Chong shouts. They laugh together.
As the sun sets later that night, Dani rushes home, the excitement of the day's events fresh on his mind. He runs through the front door and skips into the living room.
"Mom! Mom, where are you? You'll never believe what--" He catches sight of his mother, who is quietly sitting by the bay window alone, watching the sunset. The house is unusually silent. "Is everything alright?"
Faye looks to him with a weak, but happy smile. "Yes. Everything is fine."
Dani looks around. "Where's Aiku? Is she upstairs?"
Faye shakes her head softly. "No...She had to stay overnight today."
"What--why?"
"The doctors said they needed to do some observations."
"Well aren't you going to stay with her?"
"I can't, sweetheart. You know that. I have to work tonight." Her eyes grow watery as she checks her pocket watch.
Dani studies her face. He can see how much pain she is hiding. "I know..." He slowly walks toward his mother, and embraces her tightly. The hold each other for a long moment.
Faye looks down to him. "What was that for?"
Dani buries his face in her chest. "Thank you, mom."
She gives him another squeeze as a heartfelt smile spreads across her face. "It's okay. Don't worry about me, alright?" They break their embrace and she holds him in front of her. "Now--what did you want to tell me?"
Dani perks up. "Oh, yeah! Guess what happened at the beach today!"
"You're so excited. What was it?"
"Chongy ate a devil fruit!"
Faye is shocked. "What?! A devil fruit?"
"Yeah, he fell in a cactus bush and it was stuck to his back!"
"So he decided to eat it?"
"Well, kind of..." He giggles.
Faye grows concerned. "Dani, you know those fruits can be dangerous. They have extreme powers that many people still don't understand."
Dani sighs. "I know..."
Faye grabs his shoulder. "Don't be too irresponsible. Make sure you take Chong to a doctor in the morning and get him examined, okay? We have one of the best government medical facilities here. Make sure he's safe."
Dani nods thoughtfully. "Okay, mom. We will."
Faye caresses his cheek and smiles warmly. Then she rises from her seat. "Alright, my love. I'm off to work now. There's sandwiches in the fridge, alright?"
"Alright. Bye mom." He sits down in her seat and remains there for a long time, absorbing the new silence of the house with the setting sun.
By night fall, Dani has finished his sandwich and sits next to his empty plate at the kitchen table. He sketches a picture quietly, alone with only his thoughts. Then he gazes out the window, seeing the crest of the medical facility over the tress in the distance. His thoughts turn to Aiku, who he realizes is all alone with no family to keep her company. He looks to her toys and coloring material on the table, then gives himself an affirmative nod and gathers her things into a backpack, then walks out the door.
The moonlight and buzzing fireflies light his path as he makes his way toward the medical center. It doesn't take him long before he reaches the front door and walks inside to the front desk. After identifying her room at the nursing station, he finds the correct number and walks inside.
When he comes into the room, he sees Aiku sitting up in bed, staring out the window. When she notices him, she bubbles with excitement. "Dani!" She squeals.
"Hey, Aiku!" Dani smiles and strides over to her bed, sitting himself by her feet.
"I didn't think I would see you tonight."
"Well, mom had to work late again. And I couldn't leave you here all alone. At least not all night."
Aiku grins, filled with joy. "I'm really happy you came. This place is so boring! And it smells funny."
Dani agrees. "Yeah, I don't like this place either. There's not even any color in here!" He looks around the white, sterile room in disgust. Then he turns to Aiku, grabbing his backpack. "But guess what? We can change that!"
Aiku watches with great delight as he pulls her coloring material from the bag, placing an assortment of paper, markers and colored pencils on the bed. "My art stuff!" She exclaims.
Dani smiles proudly. "Yep! I thought you might be super bored. I knew this would cheer you up."
Aiku nods vigorously, grabbing a few random markers and a large piece of paper. "What should we draw?"
"Anything you want!"
Aiku thinks, her tongue protruding from her lips. "Hmmm...How about a lighthouse--for mom!"
Dani smiles. "That sounds perfect. I'm sure she'll love it!"
"Okay!" She picks up a few more markers. "What colors should we use?"
"All of them!"
Aiku laughs. "Yeah, let's use every one in the box!"
Then Dani recalls the day's events. "Hey, guess what happened today at the beach?"
"What?"
"We found a devil fruit!"
"Wha---really?!"
"You remember when we read about them together?"
"Yeah! Those are the superhero fruits, right?"
"That's right! And Chongy ate it!" Dani laughs.
"No way!"
The hours pass on as their conversation and art creation drift into the after hours of the night. Sometime later, Faye enters the medical center, having just left work, and walks to Aiku's room, tired and worn out from her long shift. When she enters, she finds Aiku peacefully asleep in bed, with Dani passed out at her feet. Her surprise turns to a loving expression, as she watches them sleep for a moment.
Faye quietly makes her way over to Aiku's bed and places a hand on Dani's head. "Dani..." She speaks softly.
Dani slowly wakes and realizes she's there. "Oh...mom...I fell asleep."
Faye giggles. "I see. Did you come to keep your sister company?"
Dani nods and sits up. "Yeah. I knew she'd be feeling lonely, so I brought her some things."
Faye smiles warmly. "That was very sweet of you." She looks to her gold pocket watch. "But it's very late. You should go home and rest now, okay?"
Dani looks to Aiku, then to his mother again. "Okay. Are you going to stay?"
Faye nods. "Yes. I'll stay."
"But you must be tired too!"
Faye's eyes grow happy, but Dani can sense pain behind them. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'll just stay until the morning, when the staff returns, alright?"
"Okay. See you at home." Dani hops down from the bed carefully, then sleepily walks out of the room and back down the hallway.
Just as Faye sits on the bed, Aiku wakes from her slumber and rubs her eyes. She is excited to see her mother unexpectedly. "Mommy! You came back!"
Faye smiles at her. "I'm back! Sorry to wake you, sweetheart."
"That's okay! I wanted to show you my new picture anyway!" Aiku grabs her drawing from the side table and holds it up. Faye can see it's a picture of her favorite object in the world, a lighthouse. And a very colorful lighthouse. Messily sketched, but tall and full of vibrant color. "I made you a lighthouse! I know how much you love them. Well--Dani helped too, but it was mostly me."
Faye beams with happiness. "Aiku, it's so beautiful! What a wonderful design. Look at all the detail and color! You are so talented."
Aiku giggles, wallowing in her praise. "Thank you!"
"I'm going to frame this and hang it in the living room for everyone to see!"
"You will?!"
"Of course!" Faye leans down to kiss her daughter's head.
As Faye carefully rolls the picture to place it in her bag, another thought enters Aiku's mind. "Mommy? Why are lighthouses your favorite?"
Faye looks to her, falling into deep thought. She gazes out the window and catches sight of the harbor's lighthouse, it's light flickering in the distance. "Well, to me a lighthouse has always been a beacon of hope. They assure the safety of all ships without discrimination. Traders, travelers, wanderers, the Navy, and even pirates. They are a guiding light through the darkness." Aiku listens intently. "Guardians of the coast line and protectors of all sailors who brave the sea. Everyone is equal in their light. I find them inspiring. And that makes me happy."
"Wow..." Aiku breaths. "I never thought of that."
Faye looks to her again and places a gentle hand on Aiku's shoulder. "How about I take you to our island's lighthouse sometime! We'll make a day of it."
Aiku gasps in excitement. "Really?! Yes!" Faye nods assuredly. Then Aiku remembers her current situation. Her demeaner changes to concern. "But...When am I going to get out of here?"
Faye squeezes her shoulder. "Very soon, I promise!" The words don't seem to have much affect on Aiku, as she slumps in sadness. Faye notices and removes her gold pocket watch again. "Here, Aiku. Take this." She hands her the watch.
Aiku brightens as she holds the watch. It's gold gleams, and in the center is the figure of a broad, stone lighthouse. "I can have this?"
Faye nods. "Yes. Hold on to it for me until then, okay? This will keep you company while you're here."
Aiku smiles cheerfully. "Okay, I will!" They come together and embrace.
As day breaks over the island the following morning, Aiku wakes from her bed alone, with only Faye's gold watch at her feet. She glances around the quiet room, then realizes she is alone once more. She sighs and picks up the watch, clicking it open and closed again. Just then, voices can be heard wafting through the halls outside. For a fleeting moment, her excitement returns as she hopes it is Dani and her mother. But dread soon fills her spirit as she sees the doctors instead. And behind them, a very large man dressed in all black, with a thick black beard and mustache.
One of the doctors steps forward and comes in front of Aiku. "Good morning, Aiku. This is Senior Chief Fukitsu. He has come just for you."
End of Episode 4