I do not own One Piece
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The hard part is over, so no trigger warning for this chapter guys! Also... just saying, but there are some big time hints in the chapter.
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3RD POV
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She opened her eyes slowly, blinking them to adjust to the lighting. It didn't appear overly bright, but the source of light appeared to be directly over her which sent a dull throb through her skull. The first sight that greeted her once her eyes adjusted were a set of glowing emerald eyes. The man smiled at her softly, which she answered by looking around.
"Hey, kid." Her eyes snapped back to the man. His voice, thought quite deep with a small gruff to it, gave a soothing effect. "I'm Taro Kiyomizu, what's your name?"
Taro was trying his hardest to appear the least threatening to the small child in front of him. He wasn't sure if it was because it was a small child that still looked quite hurt, and from his doctor's comments, had gone through a lot. Or if it was the fact that the child sitting in front of him with crimson red hair, which was choppy looking currently as if parts had been cut off for whatever reason, and blue eyes looked similar to the love of his life. Either way, he wanted to make sure to be as comforting as possible.
She stared at him, her eyebrows pulling together as her mind came up blank. However, she appeared to remember how to speak as her mouth formed a word. "I..." Her voice was small and raspy. "I don't know...."
Taro blinked in confusion before his eyes widened in realization. "Do you remember anything?"
She sat there for a moment before her eyes widened and her heart began to speed up while she shook her head. Nothing. Everything was blank. It was numbing. "I... I don't remember."
Seeing the child began to clutch at her chest, he reached his hand out and placed it on her head giving her soft taps. When she looked towards him, he offered a small smile again. "That's okay, I forget things too. If you want, how about I just give you a name then? Until you can remember your real name."
Immediately her eyes widened and her panic appeared washed away, "You can do that?"
He laughed in response to her awed inspired question, and she decided she liked the sound of the man's laugh. "Yeah! Are you okay with that?" When she nodded, Taro smiled down at her. "I think the perfect name for you is Katsu.-"
"You're naming her after pork..." The child looked towards the woman that spoke before looking back towards Taro who looked insulted.
"I would never! It has a different meaning." He pouted before glancing back at the child. "Is Katsu okay with you?"
A small smile crossed her face. Even if she was named after food she didn't care. She nodded silently as her answer.
Taro laughed softly this time, "So, what's your name?"
"K-Katsu." She answered quietly. "It's nice to meet you, Katsu. Would you like to meet my pirate crew?" The word pirate sparked something familiar, but she just couldn't place it.
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From what Katsu has seen, Kimiko reeks of confidence, which she rightfully should. She wasn't a particularly tall woman, standing about average height. Her hair was a long dark violet which looked black until light shined on it. Kimiko's clothing choice was fairly simple, black pants with a long leather red coat and a black bra all completed with a pair of black boots. Though her body appeared to be riddled with scars, she paid no mind to them, of course the six pack helped draw the attention away from the scars on her body.
Katsu liked Kimiko. She was loud and encouraged her to be so too. The first mate had taken an immediate liking to her as well is seemed.
"Katsu, so you wanna learn how to use a gun?" Kimiko grinned.
"What's a gun?" Katsu asked, crinkling her nose at the question.
"This." Kimiko pulled out one of the silver pistols that hung around her belt and showed it to the child. "They're used to protect."
"Protect what?" Katsu murmured staring at the gun.
Kimiko stared down at the child sitting in front of her. She had an idea of something, but she wasn't completely positive. Though even then she wasn't sure her knowledge would help with anything. "Depends. It can be used to protect kingdoms, cities. Or to protect family. Yourself. Or even the Jolly Roger you serve."
Blue eyes went from the gun to staring up at dark violet, nearly black, eyes. "What do you protect."
Kimiko smiled down at the red head, the silver band on her arm felt more pronounced. "I used to protect a kingdom with it. Now I protect my nakama, my Captain, and my Jolly Roger."
Katsu's eyebrows pulled together and she frowned, "But not yourself?"
Kimiko's smile widened and she was reminded of someone else for a moment. "Ah, but I also rely on my Nakama. I protect them, they protect me. Though, most people run from me once I've started my fight."
The child let out an impressed "Ooh" before humming then nodding and grinning up at the woman. "I wanna use a gun!"
Taro hummed out in thought, walking towards the two females. "Oh? Kimiko offered to teach you?" Katsu nodded making him blink in confusion before offering a smile towards the child. "That's something special! Kimiko doesn't teach anyone."
The woman ruffled Katsu's hair, her lips pulling down into a frown as she saw short bits in it as pieces had been cut. "Only if I find them worthy. Go wait outside." With a cheer, Katsu stumbled outside the bar bare foot. They hadn't bothered to make the child wear shoes as her ankles were still bruised and swollen from the cuffs that had been placed on her.
Once the child was out of the bar, Taro turned towards Kimiko with a raised eyebrow as he lifted his face enough for his hat to not shadow over his face. "What's up?"
"I have a hunch." Kimiko stated with a shrug. "You can't possibly not see any resemblance. She looks so much like Sayomi." She paused, looking at Taro with a look. "And you."
"She can't be one of the twins." Taro quickly dismissed, shaking his head. "Shanks has the girl, and he's probably gotten the boy now." He didn't want to think of the possibility that this child was actually his, considering all he's done to ensure his children's safety.
Kimiko frowned, already gaining an idea of where her Captain's thoughts were going. "Even so, the possibilities aren't zero. Considering the dumb ass has already lost one child to them, whats to say he didn't lose the other?"
Taro shook his head again, just wanting to believe it wasn't possible. Shanks would have contacted him as soon as something like that happened, as he had with the boy's disappearance. He didn't want his children to suffer, and this girl has suffered too much already. If he even added on the possibility of her being his child, her suffering would just double. Unless he was completely positive, he won't try to place that on her.
Sometimes it's best to be ignorant than to have knowledge.
"You can't just dismiss it." Kimiko argued, shaking her head as she realized Taro wasn't going to speak over her thoughts. "You may not know their names, or what they look like. But, she is exactly what you- what anyone would imagine your and Sayomi's child would look like."
"Enough, Kimiko." Taro mumbled, a frown pulling at his lips as he looked at her making her freeze.
Her gaze dropped and she offered a bow, "Forgive me, Taro-sama." When she stood back up she brushed past him. "Even if you ignore it though, I'm following my gut. And if she does happen to be your child, then I'm going to make sure she can defend herself." She paused as she stood at the door to glance back at her Captain who was looking towards her with a saddened gaze. "Because then she'll have more than just marines to worry about."
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Katsu watched Hiroshi cook while Kuro played a soothing melody as she sat on the bar her eyes following the chef as well. Katsu watched as the chef sliced through onions in seconds. His fingers were curled back, the fingertips holding onto the onion as his knuckles guided the knife back with each slice. Though his motions were fast and nearly invisible to the normal eye, Katsu could see each movement easily as her eyes caught each detail. With how fast he was cutting, she was sure Hiroshi would cut himself. He never did.
His dark hair overall short, with the exception for the long strand of hair which he always placed into a braid and was left tucked behind his ear as he cooked. Considering he was a pirate, Katsu had expected to see more scars covering his body, as Kimiko and Taro were covered in scars, but Hiroshi only had one minor scar which marked his chin covered in brown stubble.
"Did you clean those knives?" Katsu asked, remembering the chef had gotten in a fight on their way back to the bar. She had tagged alone with Hiroshi and Kuro today, going into the town and learning about different ingredients, those edible from Hiroshi and those that could turn poisonous from Kuro. It was quite educational. However, on their way back she had stumbled into another pirate who immediately went to attack her, Hiroshi had stepped in as soon as the man went to attack her. Katsu was absolutely positive he had used the same type of knives to attack the man.
The chef smiled looking up at the girl, making him mirror his smile with one of her own. "I have another set strictly for fighting. There's no way I would dirty my cooking knives with filth like that."
The child blinked, her smile dropping into a frown. "Why use kitchen knives then?"
"They're more comfortable in my hands, since I'm used to kitchen knives. Plus, it adds more stress to my opponent, they always seem to think I'm going to mince them and cook them in my next dish." Hiroshi answered with a laugh.
He found it wise to not mention that the first time he had fought a marine out of desperation was with a kitchen knife. Nor was he going to mention that said marine gave him his bounty name, claiming the man was insane. Hiroshi most certainly was not going to tell the child the reason they thought he was going to cook them was because he had threatened such to the marine, or that he had served the marine chunks of meat which he claimed were human but had actually been pork.
The playing stopped, making both Katsu and Hiroshi stop talking to look towards the white haired woman. A frown pulled at her lips as she looked at the two of them.
"I don't like interruptions." She stated blandly.
"Sorry Miss Kuro." Katsu grinned sheepishly.
"My apologies, Kuro." Hiroshi smiled, "I'll make you some peppermint tea as an apology."
The delicate looking woman rolled her eyes, setting her flute down on the counter. "You don't need to. Though I would love some."
Katsu looked between the two, her eyebrows pulling together in thought as the two seemed to stare at each other. "You two..." She spoke, gaining their attention. "You guys seem closer, have you known each other for a long time before Taro?"
Both smiled and nodded at the girl. "Yes, actually Kuro came from a noble family, and I was their Chef" Hiroshi answered.
"You were the assistant." Kuro corrected with a smirk, prompting a giggle from Katsu as Hiroshi's face busted into flames.
"Whatever." Hiroshi waved his hand, clearing his throat. "Well when Kuro found out she was going to be forced to marry some Celestial Dragon she wanted to run."
"And when I was trying to make my escape, I ran into this idiot." Kuro smiled, nudging the chef. "Who ended up helping me and running with me."
"She can't cook to save her life." Hiroshi grinned, "Besides, what friend would I have been if I let her go by herself?"
"A bad one." Katsu answered, prompting a grin from the chef.
"We were on our own for a year or so until Taro found us." Kuro answered, "Marines had finally caught up to us, and the Captain somehow saved the day."
Katsu looked between the two again, remembering something else she had overheard the others in their crew talking about. "Do you two sleep in the same bed like everyone says?"
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How many times has he fallen asleep? Katsu stopped counting after five. Currently, she couldn't count higher than five, but she knew there were more numbers after five.
Taro's doctor is weird, Katsu decided. She isn't sure she's completely comfortable with him, or any doctor for the matter as they seem to make her heart race, but he's been extremely kind to her. Though the doctor has a strange habit of falling asleep. Consistently.
"Oi, Tomi!" Katsu looked towards the navigator. He appeared to be the youngest in the crew along with the girl that liked sweets. "It's time to pay the shipwrights, they're halfway done with the ship. Tomi!"
Katsu looked up at Taro, who was sitting beside her with a bottle of sake. His red hat sat on her head, making her push it up to look at the glowing eyed man. "Taro, why does your doctor hold the crew's money?"
"Hmm?" Taro hummed looking down at the child, a smile forming on his face before he answered. "Oh! Because he's the best with keeping track of it. And he doesn't blow it all like the rest of us!"
Katsu was sure the only reason the doctor didn't blow all of the money was simply because he was always sleeping. However, a frown formed onto her face. "But... he's a doctor. Are you sure it's safe with him?"
She didn't have her memories, but her lasting instincts were telling her not to trust doctors.
This time it wasn't Taro that spoke, but the tall man with an eye-patch that hadn't really spoken to her much. "Normally, doctors are seen as good people, kid."
"Katsu." She corrected, making the man roll his eye as Taro grinned.
"You don't remember anything, how come you're so afraid of doctors?" The man asked, raising an eyebrow while refilling Taro's mug. His eye looked up to catch Taro's before he looked back at the child.
Katsu frowned, clenching the large shirt that draped over her tiny frame, a shirt that Taro had given to her for the time being until some clothes could be made for her. "They make me feel..." She paused, thinking of the word. "Bad? S... Sick?"
"Sick?!" Katsu jumped as the blue haired doctor jumped up and ran to her. Her body stiffened when he placed his hand on her forehead. "Do you feel okay? You have a low grade fever."
Slowly, Katsu pulled away. "I-I'm fine."
Concern laced Tomi's face, "Are you sure? Maybe you need to wear shoes, doesn't it hurt to walk around without anything? Your bruises are better now, so you should be able to wear some comfortably."
"Hurt?" Katsu questioned, her fear taking a back burner as curiosity filled her.
"Yeah! It's an unpleasant feeling, typically it makes a person stop to fix whatever is causing it." Tomi explained, "Like if someone pinches you!"
She remembered Kimiko explaining what a pinch is. So, she held out her arm for an example, which made Taro smirk and reach down to pinch her arm. She didn't react.
"What am I looking for?" Katsu asked, looking closer at her arm in confusion.
Tomi frowned, "Did you not feel that?" She shook her head as an answer. "Katsu, do you have any feeling? Like, can you actually feel anything?"
The girl paused to think, her lips pulling together tightly as her nose crinkled. Taro found himself wiggling his nose as he recognized he did a similar look at times.
"Um, if you mean do I feel anything when I walk or am touched then no. Is that not normal?"
This time it wasn't just Tomi who frowned, but the other two males as well. "That's not normal, kid."
"Katsu." She corrected.
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"Your hair is so pretty, Katsu-chan!" Yume, one of the islanders, had taken a liking to the new child.
With most of Taro's crew busy, Yume and Kimiko were keeping Katsu company. Since Mamoru and Katsu already had a tendency to get on each others nerves, they figured it was best to keep katsu occupied until they got used to each other.
Kimiko had just finished trimming Katsu's uneven hair, evening it out to an inch below her shoulder. Yume had just finished brushing it out again and was marveling over the 'bright red color'.
"If you want, Katsu," Yume continued as she patted the hair. "I can trim it a little more and make it shorter for you? It might be easier for you to handle if it's shorter."
"No." Kimiko shook her head, making Katsu look over towards her. "You should keep it as it is and let it grow out and then keep it long. Trim it only once every two years, and trim only an inch at a time. It's said strength comes from long hair."
Yume frowned, looking over at the pirate. "Where did you hear that?"
A smirk grew on Kimiko's face, "A family I used to work for said that. They had a good amount of proof behind it too."
Katsu thought it over. She felt like something inside her was telling her to agree with Kimiko. "I'll keep it long then."
Kimiko smiled, patting the girl's head. "Good thinking, ah, do you want to go and practice shooting?"
Yume's eyes widened at the sentence and she shook her head as Katsu cheered and hopped off of the barstool to rush towards the door with Kimiko. "W-Wait- No. That just doesn't seem safe- Katsu! Miss Kimiko, stop!" The blonde quickly got up and rushed after the pair.
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"Taro, why can't we just bring her?" Kimiko pushed, a frown on her lips.
"Yeah! I enjoy Katsu-chan!" Sango chirped, popping a lollipop in her mouth while messing with a sheet of metal and making obnoxious noises with it.
"Of course you do, you have the same mental state of a child." Masa, the navigator, rolled his eyes at the female. "Though, I do admit it would be nice to have the kid around."
Tomi, surprisingly not asleep, smiled gently at Taro. "She's finally warmed up to me too. I'd really enjoy her company, and it would give me some piece of mind having her around so I can do check-ups."
"She enjoys my music." Kuro smiled softly, leaning against the frame of the door to the kitchen as the crew gathered. "She even hears the notes that nobody hears."
Hiroshi grinned, sharpening his knives. "She's a cool kid. I'd love to teach her some cooking techniques... or at least try again." A chuckle escaped him as he remembered the batter she had been mixing catching fire somehow.
Their Captain frowned. He enjoyed Katsu as much as his crew did, if not more. There was nothing more he wanted to than to take the child alone with them. Heck, there was nothing more he wanted than to actually get to be a father to his own children as well. However, it was dangerous for a child to be on a pirate ship in the first place. Not to mention, he felt it wasn't fair to take on another child when he couldn't even be with his own children because of his situation. It wouldn't be fair to his own children whom he hadn't been allowed to even meet.
"She can't." Taro shook his head, his crew letting out groans of complaints. "I know she'd fit in perfectly, but it's too dangerous. She'll already be wanted by marines, being on this crew will double that target."
"What about my hunch?" Kimiko protested, still wanting them to take Katsu.
Taro sent her a look as the crew looked at them in confusion. "Triple it then. She's safest here, under Mamoru's care. He wasn't the Pirate King's navigator for nothing. He can properly protect her."
Kimiko frowned, her hands clenching into fists. "Fine, but under the condition that we come back for her when she's seventeen."
"Fine," Taro agreed, "But only if she hasn't already found a different path or crew. Let's not promise her anything for now either. Besides that I've just received some information from Shanks. We need to help find the boy. I think we are close enough to Sabaody to link up and stop them."
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End of Chapter 93!
I left a lot of hints towards Taro's family in this chapter. What are your theories towards Katsu's family now? I love reading everyone's ideas so please share!
Next chapter goes back into Punk Hazard, so be prepared for some... issues...
This is not edited.