4.5 Years Ago
(Y/n)'s Point Of View
"(Y/n)~" A voice sang, getting louder as they descended down the staircase. I exhaled numbly before looking up from my position on the floor, pressed against the wall with my knees against my chest. A half eaten loaf of bread sat beside me, something I've been saving for dinner. My skin crawled at the sound of his voice and yet my body seemed to react accordingly, waiting for his orders- just the way he said it would.
"Today's the day." Sako then grinned, jumping infront of my cage and kneeling down to my height. I could see the eagerness in his eyes. Goosebumps ran across my skin as my eyes started to the devil fruit that sat idly on that box, having not been moved since the day it was first introduced to me. How long has it been now? A month? Two? Nine? I wasn't sure. I stopped counting after it hit fourteen days, my brain having lost its ability to think for itself. Now I just numbly follow orders to avoid punishment. Doffy would have a seizure if he saw me now.
"Sako, it's only been six months. Are you sure? We waited for almost eight when we tried this with Ari." Yuzu commented from behind him, a girl that I'd found out was the only female on the ship and the daughter of the captain of the sea dweller pirates. She was muscular and lean, with short hair that made it easier for her to work manually- the complete opposite of me.
"Yeah, and now she's dead. So what does it matter?" Sako replied with the roll of his eyes, making Yuzu scoff.
"And who's fault is that?" Yuzu asked, instantly making Sako stop speaking. I'd learnt that Yuzu was the female slave that they'd fed the snail snail fruit. Sako had poured salt all over her back to see if she'd feel the pain like an actual snail. She ended up melting into the floor only ten seconds later. That was when Sako lost the trust of most of his crew members.
"I don't care. We're feeding it to her now. We've waited long enough and I want to see what damned fruit that thing is!" Sako snapped, motioning over to the black fruit that almost looked like it was staring at me. I gulped at the realisation that it was really happening today. I'd be fed a devil fruit. This was what I wanted right? A devil fruit to be a worthy vice-captain for Luffy? No. Not like this.
"Today's the day." Sako repeated to himself as he reached for the fruit, throwing it once into the air before catching it again.
Sako then kneeled once again, looking me straight into the eyes with a serious expression. Behind him, Tora and the captain both descended the staircase- probably wanting to see the show.
"Now listen closely, (Y/n)." Sako begun, "You're going to eat this devil fruit and then show us what you can do, okay? The cell is made of sea prism stone, so don't even think of escaping, okay?"
I nodded numbly at his instruction, making his grin, seeming pleased. Sako then rolled the fruit through the cell, making it place through muddy rain water. It didn't like that. I scrambled to grab it before it could continue rolling.
"Look how eager she is! I trained her so well." Sako praised himself, now sitting cross-legged on the floor infront of my cell. I'm not eager, I wanted to say. I just didn't want to anger whatever devil was attached to this fruit.
I picked up the fruit up and held it in my palms, staring down at it with a distraught look. This was it. Once I ate this fruit, it would be one with me until the day I died. My lips trembled at the thought. I've always wanted a devil fruit that was calm- pretty. But this? This looked like it wanted to destroy kingdoms. This looked angry, and I wasn't sure how I could tell any of this.
"Go on." Sako proded, his eyes widened as he watched me with pure anticipation.
As if my body acted upon his command without permission from me, I lifted the devil fruit and took a large bite, a tear dripping down my cheek as I swallowed the bitter taste. It felt like chalk going down my mouth and yet I took another bite and then another, untill there was none of the fruit left and my throat began to feel like sandpaper. I exhaled loudly as I waited, nothing but anger simmering in my veins.
Was that my anger or the devil fruits? I wasn't sure. But other than this red, hot anger, there wasn't anything about me that felt different. Did it work? How long was I supposed to wait until something happens? Was something going to happen or was I supposed force it to happen with a flick of my wrist or something? Like how Doffy used his fingers to control his strings.
"Well? Which fruit is it? You're killing me here, (Y/n)!" Sako grinned, too excited to sit still.
I didn't respond, not knowing what to say. I waved my hand around in the air and moved a few fingers the way Doffy would in battle but nothing happened. I then snapped my fingers and punched out the way Luffy would but nothing changed. I was still just...me.
"(Y/n)?" The captain questioned loudly.
"I...I don't know?!" (Y/n) told them truthfully, making Sako click his teeth in annoyance and anger.
"Well, it has to have given you some sort of power?! Wave your hands around or something!" Sako ordered, making me flinch back. Nevertheless, I followed his instructions, begging for my devil fruit to work because if it didn't, Sako would beat it out of me. Again, red, hot anger flowed through my viens- getting angrier as Sako growled with frustration. I kept waving my hands around, doing different motions but nothing worked and by the time I looked up at Sako's angry eyes again, I knew I'd probably spend my next month recovering form injuries.
"This bitch!" Sako hisses to himself as he stood up, grabbing the key of the cell that was around his neck. My breath hitches as I backed away with tears running down my cheeks, fear coarsing through me. He unlocked the cage, making the door slam against the wall harshly and marched towards me.
"Now it not the time to anger me (Y/-" As he spoke, he grabbed me by the arm I'm attempt to lift me into the air. But the moment his fingertips touched my skin, the man became nothing but ash and bone.
My eyes widened as I stared at the pile of ash infront of me, silence taking over the whole room. The captain of the shop froze in place as well as the other two members of his crew. Nobody dared move, their eyes staring at remains of Sako on the floor. I just killed him...without even trying to. He touched me...and then he was dead, and there was only one devil fruit in the world that could do that.
"The life life fruit..." I whispered to myself, making the captain audibly gulp. Everyone knew which fruit I possessed now, because despite it's innocent name- all the fruit done was kill. The person who ate it would absorb the life of everything they touched- unless it was already dead. Every person who ate it died within hours because they were overwhelmed by everything they absorbed. Which meant... I was going to die today.
My eyes trembled as I looked up at the captain who looked completely shaken.
"Y-Yuzu, close the door!" He then yelled, trembling as he pointed at the open door of my cage. Yuzu immediately burst into action. But he was too late, I'd gotten there first, touching her hand as she grabbed onto the door. Within a millisecond, she was ash and bone, cluttering to the floor like a bag of stones.
The captain dropped to his knees with both grief and terror, watching his daughter die- knowing that he was next.
"(Y-Y/n), we can talk about this!" The captain cried out, shaking on the floor. I was also crying. My head throbbed more with everytime I heaved, standing over the man with swollen eyes.
"My life hasn't even begun, and you've already killed me!" I screamed. I didn't give him a chance to reply before I'd touched his arm, watching his ash flakes fall to the ground.
I then turned around to face Tora who'd said nothing as I killed his crew mates, his eyes wide in unresponsive.
"You're going to tell them, aren't you?" I asked him weakly, my voice shaking.
"I'm pretty sure they'll come down anyway after hearing your screaming." Tora replied stoically, his eyes returning to its natural composure.
"Not them..." I whispered, "The marines." Tora's stoic facade then completely slipped, his eyes widening again.
"H-how did you..." He couldn't even finish his sentence, too shocked to speak.
"I once knew another marine who went undercover as a pirate, and your approach to the task is exactly the same." I chuckled bitterly, rememberimg Cora is if I'd seen him yesterday. The man had faked mutism thinking that it would give him the upper hand. It in fact did not.
"So, what now? Will you kill me? Or let me go and report back to the marines who will send the highest ranked officers to find and kill you?" Tora then asked me calmly.
"If I'm not dead in a few hours... let them." I whispered shakily, "This fruit...if I'm allowed to live, so many people are going to die. I never wanted this." I croaked out, making a pang of sympathy rum through Tora's eyes.
"Then come with me. Someone can end it painlessly for you." Tora suggested, making me shake my head in refusal.
"If I live through the next few hours, then I want to say goodbye to a few people before the navy kill me." I admitted.
"If you choose that route, they'll see it as you fleeing. They will not give you a swift death." Tora told me, making me look up at him with a sad smile.
"Then pain it is." I whispered, making him purse him lips before nodding.
"If that's what you wish." Tora told me before making his way to the exit. I stepped aside for him so that there was no way that he'd be able to touch me accidentally.
As he ran up the staircase, other men ran down, completely baffled.
"Tora, what happened? We heard yelling?" A man asked with confusion.
"There's a situation down there." Tora replied, making everyone push past him and continue down the stairs. Thank you, Tora. Because if I do die within the next few hours, I want to take the Sea Dweller pirates with me.
I sunk to my knees as I watched them approach, everything feeling as if it were going in slow motion. Sounds seemed mute as their eyes widened, seeing me out of my cage. They yelled a few things to eachother before reaching to grab me. One by one they turned to ash, and one by one more men descendes down the stair case and made the same mistake. I closed my eyes and cried until the pool of ash around me almost looked like inch deep black snow.
By the end of the hour, Tora had escaped and (Y/n) was the only person left on the ship of the Sea Dweller Pirates.
(A.N ~ Hope you enjoyed!)
Chapter 8 Quote Teaser :
"Cocky for a man who can't beat me with my devil fruit."