How to Eat Life - Eve
Hey! Artists Can Be Strong, Too! - Opening 1
Chapter warning: Suicidal ideation mentioned. You have been warned!
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The Merry Go sailed away from Drum Island as the crew stared up in awe. Yuria leaned over the railing watching the pink snow fall. Next to her was the adorable reindeer doctor, Tony Tony Chopper.
"I'm leaving, Doctor...Doctorine..." Yuria held a hand out catching one of the particles in her palm and watched it melt as she listened to him speak. "My adventure...is finally starting."
When the reindeer finished speaking, Yuria placed a comforting hand on his hat. She couldn't help but feel sentimental over the sight of the pink particles. They reminded her too much of Shinkin Island and the start of her own journey four years ago.
"I never had this much fun before." Chopper said to Nami and Yuria who were seated on either side of him. They both grinned at his words giving one another a high five.
Yuria found a comfortable place to sit on the quarterdeck as she looked up at the moon. The festivities had long finished with the crew passed out drunk or heading to bed. Usually she wouldn't have minded drinking until she couldn't see anymore, but she didn't want to forget the sight of the pink snowfall. Not while the memory was fresh in her mind.
The sky was cloudless which allowed her to see the sea of stars alongside the bright full moon. She couldn't help but wonder if any of those stars were Sasha and Ciel. In the still night air she recalled the events of three years ago as she floated away watching the island she came to love burn.
She let out the breath she was holding as she willed her eyes to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. It wouldn't do her any good to cry about it now. Tears now couldn't and wouldn't change what had already happened. Besides, she had already shed enough tears for a lifetime.
When she floated away from the island, she had ended up drifting on the sea for over a month with only a flask of water, a small loaf of bread, and some mushroom jerky. She paddled herself away from her nightmares in the dark of the night with no direction other than to get away. Only to experience more than just her nightmares as the demons within herself came out to play.
She had clung on to life through sheer will. She had never loved the rain more than those days on the sea. Even when she almost capsized multiple times due to the waves, the rain brought a hope that she'll live another day. When she had run out of food, she would sit there with her eyes closed face turned up to the sky to catch droplets that would ease the ache in her stomach.
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Of course, there were days she wished that a Sea King would just eat her. Days where there wasn't rain on the open waters and she no longer had the energy to use her shield to block the relentless rays that beat down on her. Days when the thoughts of just slipping into the deep blue seemed welcoming before she was brought to her senses by the blistering pain of her sunburnt skin or the rumble of thunder in the distance.
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The slaps to her cheeks until they were blood red that she couldn't just give up and shamefully face everyone on the other side. She absolutely couldn't be that selfish when she was alive. So, she pushed on despite the pain, unwanted thoughts, and guilt.
By the time her Shishou's ship had come across her, she was on the verge of death; delirious and numb. However, the weeks she spent on that little boat couldn't compare to the agony of recovery on her Shishou's ship. The first days of clarity and consciousness terrorized her to the point of insanity. To relive the good and the bad all in the span of minutes or hours- she couldn't tell with the sight of men in white and blue.
With time, she could now oddly fondly think of those memories. Such as when she lashed out like a cornered animal, running through the ship, despite her weakened state biting and scratching anyone who dared crossed her path until she ran headfirst into a door and knocked herself out.
It was honestly embarrassing to recall. She had to meet the captain of the ship while tied to the infirmary bed with a concussion. She fully expected him to kick her off the ship, but instead he laughed at her injuries and offered her a donut.
The combination of the sweet dessert with her salty tears would be something she would never forget.
His knowing grin when she begged him to train her despite not knowing who she was and why. He had been a harsh, borderline abusive, instructor, but she wouldn't have had it any other way. In those three years, he never once asked her what her goals were or about her past.
It wasn't until she was laying in the infirmary from overworking herself that he asked why she was pushing herself so hard. He refused to continue training her until she answered it and when she did he literally knocked some sense into her before having her put under surveillance until she recovered. The training after that was even more strenuous, but he forced rest periods upon her with no opportunities to argue back.
He turned a blind eye when he caught her practicing her Devil Fruit when everyone was asleep. He treated her like everyone else even when she showed up to morning training at dawn with visible eyebags. When she failed to keep up with the others due to her lack of sleep, he would have her run to the canteen for his coffee and donuts as part of the punishment. Only to then have her eat and drink them whilst running laps as the other half of the punishment.
"Garp the Fist." What a fitting title for someone with punches that sent me into walls...
Yuria chuckled to herself before closing her eyes to enjoy the night breeze that had picked up.
Yuria was severely conflicted staring up at the Sea Cat.
I'm hungry, but...why does it have to be so cute?
She was glad when Vivi made the decision for her when she whacked the Monster Trio with a mop. She explained that it was a sacred animal in Alabasta- much to Yuria's amazement and relief. She would definitely have to draw one later if they ever came across one again.
"Wow, I wasn't aware you had brains, sword-guy." Yuria commented as Zoro had them tie white cloth around their arms to counteract Mr. 2 aka Bon Clay's Devil Fruit abilities. They all had their arms out in a circle.
"Hah?" Zoro glared at her which she returned with a shit eating grin. Yuria hid behind Nami who only sighed at her antics.
"Don't glare at her you shitty swordsman!"
"This isn't about you, curly brows!" The two started fighting as Luffy cheered.
"To a restaurant! Oh, and to Alabasta."
"It's a side note?" The rest of the crew mumbled as Yuria burst out laughing. Chopper was right, this was the most fun she's ever had.
Yuria's pupils shook as her eyes caught sight of the crest. She hadn't seen that grisly crest with her own eyes in years, but once in awhile it would come to haunt her in her dreams. It was a simplified chrysanthemum surrounded by vines. If one didn't know the meaning behind it, it would have been simply a beautiful piece of art. She wiped her sweaty palms on her dress and forced herself to look away.
Everyone, except Luffy who had run off, had snuck into town via Usopp's method of...walking under a blanket. The only ones who hadn't been seen by the enemy were Sanji and Chopper who ended up volunteering to get the supplies.
As they waited for Sanji and Chopper to return, Yuria's eyes consistently wandered back to the crest.
"What's wrong, Yuria-san?" Yuria jumped as she was pulled from her thoughts. It was Vivi who had spoken. Yuria hesitated as she gave the girl a forced smile. She was already going through a lot with her country in trouble and Yuria didn't want to add to her stress and baggage.
"Nothing, Vivi-chan! Just a little hot, that's all." Vivi nodded and gave her an apologetic look. At that moment, Sanji came back with a large bag of supplies.
Yuria stared at the outfit, that was basically a glorified bra and a skirt, in her hands. Both Nami and Vivi were already dressed with mixed reactions. Nami was elated with her new clothes while Vivi flushed with shyness.
"I know I asked you to shop for us but aren't these outfits for dancer girls?" Vivi asked, but Yuria wasn't able to hear Sanji's reply since she walked away from the group. Along the way she grabbed the fabric that they had used to sneak into town.
Holding up her finished product with a nod of approval she got dressed. She wrapped the excess fabric over her head to hide her hat.
Yuria's Alabasta Clothes
She didn't have a problem with the dancer clothes since they definitely worked as commoner disguises, but she wasn't comfortable showing off the skin of her stomach and back. When she returned to the group she came back just in time to hear Vivi.
"Everyone! Please lend me your help!" She watched Vivi close her eyes. "I beg of you..."
"Where did you go, Yuria?" Chopper looked up at her from his spot next to Karoo.
"To fix my clothes." She gestured to her new airy dress and the fabric over her head. Chopper ooh'd and nodded.
"Be careful to not get heatstroke, Yuria!" Yuria nodded in thanks at the attentive reindeer's words as both of them fixed their attention back to the group. They were discussing their trip across the desert to Yuba.
"Don't we seem to be missing someone?" Usopp pointed out after they all raised their arms in a cheer for the start of their trek. Yuria's mouth and eyebrow twitched as the realization struck all of them.
"Luffy!"
"That moron!" Nami's rage was apparent and Yuria could only chuckle awkwardly as she patted the orange-haired girl's back.
While half listening to Zoro explain who the shirtless guy looking for Luffy was, Yuria's eyes were locked onto one of the alleyways. To anyone else it would have been a normal alleyway: dark and inconspicuous. However, in the dim light, she could see a door on one of the walls with the same crest from before.
Deep in thought she didn't even notice as she was being dragged everywhere by Nami. When she finally refocused on her surroundings she realized she was running.
"Uh, why are we running, Na-chan?" Yuria asked as she faced towards Nami who was pulling her along by her hand. While continuing to run, Nami looked at her speechless for a moment.
"We're running from the Navy." The orange-haired woman asked concern thick in her voice. After living with the girl for awhile, she learned that Yuria could be quite...spacey, but it was never to this extent. "Are you okay, Yuria?"
With her free hand, Yuria raised a fist to her head knocking on it playfully sticking her tongue out. "Oh, right. And yeah, I'm okay...just thinking about something I saw." Yuria flashed her a reassuring smile, but she honestly wasn't sure who she was trying to reassure. Thankfully, she didn't have to dwell on it any longer as Vivi spoke up.
"Wait, Luffy! Who is he?!" Yuria wasn't sure when Luffy had even joined them, but it didn't seem to matter too much since their original goal before she spotted that door was to find him anyways. "Is he an acquaintance of yours?!"
Yuria didn't have a clue who Luffy was talking about and glanced over at Nami who was prepared. "The shirtless guy." Yuria made an 'o' with her mouth in acknowledgement nodding at her in thanks.
"Yeah! He's my brother!"
As she listened to the others talk about Luffy's brother there was only a single thought going through her mind.
If he's Luffy's brother, he'll let me draw him right?
"Who can win what now?!"
"Oh! Ace! This is the crew I was talking about!"
"Oh! Thank you all for taking care of my little brother!"
He's related to Luffy? He's surprisingly normal...
Yuria's eyes narrowed in contemplation at the shirtless man crouching on the railing. He met eyes with her, one hand on his hat, as he tilted his head in confusion.
"Can I draw you?" Yuria blurted out which caused everyone to turn to her. Yuria covered her mouth with her hands as a red flush crept up her neck. She received quite a range of different reactions. The more innocent ones, being Luffy and Chopper, were confused. While the others, except Sanji, sent her a suggestive smirk. Sanji looked like he was about to crumble away at the betrayal.
She cleared her throat before choking out, "It's not what you think. Lemme explain...my dream is to draw all the Devil Fruit users of the world."
At her words, Sanji, miraculously was revived as he began to shout.
"Yuria-chan! What a lovely dream for a lovely woman! If only I had the Suke Suke no Mi, then you could draw me n-" He was stopped by Nami's fist as his face was sent into the ground. Yuria chuckled awkwardly while hiding behind Vivi. Sometimes Sanji was a little too much for her.
"Wait why haven't you asked Luffy then?!" Usopp shouted suddenly.
"She already did." Luffy grinned before laughing. "I told her to draw me when I'm the King of the Pirates!" Yuria nodded sadly since who knows when that will happen. She could have just drawn him regardless, but she wanted to respect the captain's wishes. Before anyone else could say anything, they were interrupted by the appearance of multiple ships. Vivi hastily explained that they belonged to the Billions of Baroque Works.
"Luffy. I'll clean them up." Ace said to his little brother before turning towards Yuria and bowing. "I'd be honored to have you draw me." He straightened himself and sent her a grin before jumping off the ship. She could definitely see how the two were related.
They were slowly making their way to the next town. Everyone was off doing their own things to pass the time. On the open deck, Zoro was swinging a gigantic weight simultaneously fanning a napping Chopper. Yuria had joined him for a light workout as there was really nothing else to do.
Yuria had stripped down wearing only a pair of shorts and a blue tank top. To make sure nothing was exposed, she was also wearing a sarashi around her stomach under the tank top. She elegantly flipped herself into a handstand before raising a hand and beginning her first set of pushups. When she finished the set, she would alternate to her other hand.
"...498...499...500!" Yuria flopped onto her stomach as she stretched her sore limbs on the ground.
Urghhhhh, it's way too hot...
She let the air from Zoro's swinging cool her down as she sunbathed.
Some time later, Yuria was crouched down poking Sanji as he rolled in circles. The man had already been upset that Yuria refused to wear the dancer clothes, but now even Nami and Vivi had switched to more sun-protective clothing.
It didn't take long before everyone was set to leave, but not before they were stopped by an army of Kung-Fu Dugongs. However, to Yuria's delight, Luffy is Luffy and managed to tame them. She nearly cried tears of joys as she shook one of their flippers as she quickly sketched one.
After a harrowing trek through the desert, Yuria was sure she had more gray hairs. From the blistering day to the freezing night, the unusual species that lived in the desert, and sand pirates- Yuria was ready to take on Crocodile herself if it meant never having to traverse the desert again. So as she hid behind a rock with Nami and Vivi, watching the guys put on a show to test the fake Rebel Army soldiers, it was a rather enjoyable pause before a glint caught her eyes and her heart dropped.
One of the male villagers was wearing a chain with a giant pendant which the sun glinted off the shiny surface. However, that's not what had her transfixed her. Her nails dug into her palms deeply drawing tiny droplets of blood.
She couldn't ignore it any longer. Not when it appeared in every single town or village since entering this country. She never wanted to get involved with that crest ever again, but she knew they were taking advantage of a country on the verge of a civil war. Yuria couldn't bear to continuously choke it down after getting to know Vivi to only watch the poisons of the world corrupt the kingdom Vivi was trying so hard to save.
"Na-chan. Vivi-chan." Yuria called out to the two women who were watching Luffy with wide grins. The two turned to her in confusion due to her uncharacteristically distant tone.
"Can you tell Luffy that I'll meet up with you guys eventually? I have something to do regarding... my past which has done something terrible to Alabasta." Yuria stared deep into Nami's eyes to hopefully convey the severity of her words.
There was an edge in Yuria's tone that gave Nami goosebumps despite the warm temperature. Even when Yuria had just joined the crew, she had never displayed this side of her that truly made Nami aware that Yuria possessed a shadow that the crew had yet to make light of.
Yuria could tell that Nami was hesitant and she reached out to grab Nami's hand.
"I promise I'll be back. Please, Na-chan." Nami glanced down at the hand holding hers. She noticed that there were bloody smears from where Yuria's nails had dug into her own palm. Nami sighed before nodding giving the purple-haired girl a weak smile.
"You still owe me some Beri for those art supplies." Nami gave Yuria's hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. Yuria couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. "So, you better come back or I'll hunt you down, Yuria!"
"I don't know what it is you plan on doing, but please come back to everyone safe and...thank you, Yuria-san." Vivi chimed before pulling Yuria into an unexpected hug. Yuria awkwardly hugged her back, not use to the close intimate contact, before she nodded and waved the two goodbye.
Out of sight from anyone, she summoned her cloak and skirted around the outskirts of the crowd of civilians. She had already locked onto the crest-wearing man and she refused to let him escape. Why else had she become strong if not for this?
𐌕O 𐌁𐌄 𐌂O𐌍𐌕𐌉𐌍𐌵𐌄𐌃
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Yuria is swole purely to survive Garp's punches! Definitely not because she wants to be strong to protect the people she loves or anything.
"Yuria crouched down poking Sanji as he rolled in circles." » 8:54, episode 96 of One Piece anime, enjoy. :)
Suke Suke no Mi » Clear-Clear Fruit
This fanfic got me searching up "how to describe o: face" and I should have seen the results coming, but apparently I have hindsight as bad as my own character.
On a more serious note, if you are having suicidal ideations, please seek help from a trusted individual or professional! You are not alone!
Until next time,
Setsuna Adete
P.S. 13:10 and 15:15 of episode 94.