001

— crooked grins and sly hands —

DEVIL FRUITS ARE MYSTERIOUS FRUITS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, KNOWN FOR PERMANENTLY GRANTING THEIR EATERS SUPERHUMAN POWERS AND AN EQUALLY PERMANENT INABILITY TO SWIM. A person can only eat one Devil fruit and acquire those powers, with only a few minor exceptions. These fruits are broadly grouped into three classes: Zoan, which allows a user to transform into an animal as well as an animal hybrid; Logia, which grants a user the power to create, control, and transform their body into a natural element; and Paramecia, which offers any of a vast array of strange abilities that do not fit into the other two categories.

Thundertop is a small island, a three-day sail from Shell's town. The island cut off from most of the surrounding islands, with only one dock. The small village down by the water held most people, small taverns and houses built into the mountains, some homeowners decks extending a few feet into the water. Beyond the hills of the city, a small orphanage hidden beyond the dense trees and rocky terrain lived a man named Niles Hawthorne who raised a dozen unfortunate kids. But these children were more than unfortunate souls abandoned or left without someone to care for them. They were a special few that had gotten a taste of a Devil Fruit.

Under a large tree that sprouted bright white leaves that resembled flowers sat a pair of two kids. Visenya, a small girl with platinum silver hair, no older than ten sat with a boy, just a year older with jet black hair and pale skin hair. He watched as her hands moved quickly, the small metal pieces twisting and melding to create two small dice connected with a small chain.

"You're getting very good at the Visenya," Niles spoke up, kneeling next to the pair. He was a tall, burly man with a thick slowly greying beard, a soft-spoken man who seem to hold too much love in his heart that he wanted to share. Visenya smiled and began to twist her fingers, the die following her movements. "And you, Orion, have you been practising?"

Orion nodded quickly, bringing his hands up, a small metal scrap in his hand. He twisted his hands, doing his best to mimic the way Visenya's movements. Eventually, he twisted the metal to create a slightly oddly shaped pair of dice. Niles laughed softly, nodding as he watched the small boy. "You're both doing remarkably." Orion gave him a small thank you before handing the metal to Visenya.

"Now Visenya," Niles spoke softly and the girl looked up. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, "Can I see you alone for a few moments? Sari and I need your help."

Visenya looked at Orion who let his scared eyes wander to the dice Visenya spun nervously between her fingers. Niles called her name again, and Visenya pulled her lips into a smile and nodded softly. "Of course, sir." Visenya stood and took Niles's hand, leading her back inside the quaint multi-level house.

TEN YEARS LATER

VISENYA WALKED TOWARDS THE SMALL BAR IN SHELL'S TOWN, HER BLACK CLOAK FLOWING IN THE WIND BEHIND HER. She waited for a group of Marines to pass her before pushing open the door, pausing for a moment to hold it open for a girl with tangerine hair. Visenya walked to the bar, her eyes surveying the patrons, lingering for a moment longer on the loud boy in the straw hat. Visenya turned her attention away and walked to the bar, nodding at the bartender. She greeted Visenya with a smile and Visenya pulled herself onto a bar stool. "Can I just get a whiskey, with ice," Visenya ordered. The girl with mint green hair nodded and Visenya handed her the last of her Beri.

A moment later the girl came back, setting the glass in front of Visenya. Visenya took a quick sip before running her finger on top of the glass, the condensation running down the side. The bartender glanced at the door that swung open with a loud thud before turning back to Visenya. "Can I get you anything else hun?"

Visenya shook her head softly, "No, thank you."

A boy with green hair and three swords walked to the bar, he almost seemed familiar to Visenya, but she couldn't quite place it. He stood three stools down from her, setting a large rucksack with the top of a man's red hair sticking out from the top on top of a bar stool. "A bottle for me, and one for my friend," He ordered, and the bartender nodded. "He's had a rough day." The boy turned to Visenya, and she looked over the boy and the man in the sack. "Never seen a pirate hunter before?" He scoffed.

Visenya brought her glass to her lips and turned away. "If I were you I'd get something stronger than beer," Visenya advised. He turned away and nodded as the bartender handed him two chilled bottles of beer.

A little girl with the same mint, crimped hair as the bartender, peered around the corner of the bar, giggling and smiling. The boy glanced at her, and she ran off. He looked up at Visenya, but she had already taken her glass and stepped away from the bar, heading for a small table two seats down from the boy in the straw hat.

Visenya set her glass down and slid into the seat without a sound. She took the dice from her belt and spun them between her fingers, the edges of the metal grazing her skin as she focused.  The sound of the bar settles around her into low hum, like the soft rolls of a deep wave letting her focus—

"Luffy! Stop eating," A boy hissed, his hair a dust-like pink. The sudden sound of his voice made Visenya huffed in annoyance, but she didn't move her eyes from the dice.

"Why?" Luffy, she assumed, questioned in just a loud voice as she heard before. The strap of his straw hat swung wildly as he looked around, his hands moving quickly to eat more of whatever he had ordered. "You need a full stomach to think." The boy with pick hair continued to complain about how much food his friend was eating.

If the boy was so insistent on his friend eating less food, maybe Visenya could convince them to give her a plate, she couldn't exactly afford to buy herself food. And if they continued to argue loud enough to break her focus, she couldn't put up with it for very long. "If you wish. . ." Visenya called, leaning on the back of her chair. The two boys looked up at Visenya and she smiled ever so slightly. "I can take a plate off your hands."

The boy with pink hair immediately grabbed a small plate of dumplings and handed it to Visenya. Visenya nodded at the pink haired boy and mumbled a thank you before spinning back and biting into the pork flavoured dumpling. Visenya had left Thunderdrop in the middle of the night, sailing through the harsh winds and washing onto the Shell's Town dock just after sunrise. She had to wait another 3 hours before the hotels had opened before finally collapsing and passing out the cheap bed. It was easy to say it had been a while since she had eaten.

The boy in the hat didn't have a chance to complain when a crashing plate made them turn their heads. Visenya looked over her shoulder. A tall, thin man with blond hair stood over the small girl with the mint crimped hair. A plate had shattered, dropped onto the floor with the rice treat. "You stupid, stupid girl," The tall man hissed, staring down at the little girl, her hands shaking. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"Rika, apologise to our guest," The bartender called, her voice soft but insistent.

"I'm— I'm so sorry," The little girl stammered, her eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry!" The man mocked, scoffing in the little girl's face. "Next time, I won't be so nice."

Visenya shook her head and took another bite of the dumplings. "Ass," she mumbled.

"Totally," The boy with pink hair agreed. He turned and held his hand out for Visenya to shake. "I'm Koby."

Visenya looked at his hand for a moment before her eyes returned to the bar, "Nice to meet you."

"You dropped my food," The pirate hunter with green hair hissed. He knelt down and picked off a small piece of rice cake and without hesitation, but into it and hummed softly. He completely ignored how the man grimaced at him, but did look at the mint haired girl. "Delicious." He stood and glared at the thin man, handing him the plate of squished rice cake. "Now you eat one. And apologise to the girl."

The man cackled and stepped towards the boy with green hair, "Do you know who I am?"

Koby swallowed hard and turned to Luffy, "Are they going to fight?"

"Not if he is smart," Visenya whispered.

Luffy looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Visenya stared at the straw-hat boy before grabbing her drink. "See his swords," Visenya whispered and sipped from her glass, "No one carries around three swords that proudly unless they know how to fight. Or incompetent, however considering he is a pirate hunter, I place my bets on the former." Visenya nodded as the thin man pulled out his sword, aiming it at the green-haired man. Koby flinched, his arms straightening at his sides as he watched both men.

"I wouldn't do that," The boy warned, his arms still resting against the bar top, nursing his beer.

"Oh, come on, tough guy. Three swords?" The thin laughed comically. "I only need one." The patrons in the bar had stopped at stared, each waiting with eager eyes for something to happen. It was a small town, not much happened here.

"Okay," he spoke softly. He sipped the beer a final time before placing it on the counter. "But it's gonna hurt." The thin man slashed down at him, but he simply pulled his sheathed sword from its holster and blocked his slash. He swiped another two times, knocking his ribs and the side of the thin man's face. He fell to the floor with a groan and the Marines moved quickly.

Koby kicked his chair out and ducked under the table hiding by Luffy's legs as the Marines rushed forward, knocking patrons aside as they charged. Visenya finished her plate of dumplings and reached for another plate from the boy in the straw hat. "He's a good fighter," Luffy whispered.

"That's what you get from a pirate hunter," Visenya mumbled, only half paying attention as she bit into a sauce-covered treat.

The thin man whimpered, trying to scurry away as two marines ran up to the pirate hunter. He tossed the stool down and kicked it under one of the marine's feet, making him crash to the floor. The second tried to swipe at him, but the man simply grabbed the marine and smashed his face into the bar counter.

As a third tried to run at him, the green-haired man took a sip from his beer then gripped it tightly and launched it at the Marine. The man stumbled, just missing the unconscious Marine, but he had started to fall towards Luffy. Visenya sighed through her nose, and she jumped up, grabbing the Marine by his collar, catching him before he crashed into the straw-hat boy.

Visenya took another piece of food from Luffy as the Marine's legs collapsed, passing out even as Visenya held him up. Visenya finished off the food and dropped the Marine to the wooden floor getting a squeaky thank you from both Luffy and Koby. But a shout made her spin, "Hey!"

A marine. Of course.

Visenya scoffed, glancing between the Marine and Luffy. "He almost crashed into my friend," Visenya said, motioning to the man on the floor. But the Marine didn't listen, and he pulled his sword out and swiped at Visenya. She kicked his knee and grabbed the sword, tossing it away. "Marines," Visenya sighed. She spun, kicking Marine hard in the chest. A dozen more Marines kicked open the door and Visenya stood straighter, her head cocking to one side.

"I truly hope you don not mind," Visenya said, quickly finishing a plate Luffy had already started eating.

She spun back to the dozen Marines, quickly taking down the first pair with quick with hard punches to their chests and throats. Visenya looked up at the pirate hunter and she threw the Marine into the man's extended sword. He stood still as a brick as the man bounced off his sword. "Glad I could be of service," He grumbled.

Visenya stepped closer to him, her hands poised behind her back, hidden beneath her cloak. "I got pulled into your mess," Visenya hissed, kicking up the leg of the broken stool and kicking it at an oncoming Marine. It slammed into his throat, and he fell back onto the floor, knocked out with a harsh thud.

The thin man stood again and both Visenya and the hunter noticed, and they spun at once, kicking the man into the bar counter. Glasses smashed and chairs slid away as he fell to the floor, whimpering like a small mouse. Visenya looked back up at the rousing Marines and she lifted her head, narrowing her eyes at them.

Visenya pulled out the mechanical silver handle of a sword, but it seemed to be missing a blade of any kind. She used it to deflect the sword swipes from the Marines, before knocking them both across the head with heavy strikes. The thin man looked up and laughed, "Great sword! Where's the rest?" He laughed and Visenya didn't waste a second, kicking the top of a stool into his face.

The green-haired man had finished off the Marines with a few simple strikes, the fight ending in a flash. The thin man held his head in pain, wincing as he looked at the two fighters standing above him. The pirate hunter grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him back, slamming him against the counter and holding him in place. "You shouldn't draw your blade unless you are prepared to use it," He warned.

"Don't kill me, please," The thin man whimpered. "My father will give you anything you want."

Visenya leant against the counter, "Who's your father?"

"Captain Morgan," he sputtered. "He's in charge of the Marine base."

So, this was the little weasel Helmeppo the hotel manager had warned her off. A skinny scared boy who flashed his father's name around to get whatever he wanted. But he couldn't hold his own, as Visenya and the hunter had just proven.

The hunter looked over the man's face and took a breath, "Then he owes me money." He grabbed his collar and ripped him up, making him stumble.

At the mention of a bounty, ordered this strongly from a hunter, and the extremely impressive way he didn't even need his 3 swords to fight. This was Roronroa Zoro, The demon. She had seen him in bars and marine bases, a pirate hunter that did a good job for a good price. And he lived up to rumours. "You're that demon," Visenya said as the boy looked at her. "You live up to your name."

He nodded and turned for the rucksack, throwing it over one shoulder, his other hand gripping Helmeppo's so tight he was almost crying. "Roronroa Zoro," he said with a simple nod. "You're quite a good—"

He looked up at Visenya, but she had vanished without a sound, or seemingly a movement. Completely gone, like losing darkness in the shadows, or rather rays of light in the middle of the day. Luffy and Koby matched his shocked expression, their eyes wide and confused as they looked around, searching for any sign of the silver haired girl. But she was gone. "How'd she disappear?" Koby questioned, looking at Luffy.

"I have no idea," Luffy admitted, his smile growing, "But I like her."

Visenya had just walked away, slipping out of sight in the blink of an eye, disappearing from the view of wandering eyes and down the hall. She had followed the girl with tangerine hair, her eyes following her the entire time she had been in the bar. From sitting by herself with a beer, to flirting with a guard and then disappearing down the hall with that same Marine.

The girl quickly slipped into a Marine's shirt and hat, tucking her hair quickly under the cap. She had completely blended in with the other Marines, the ones unconscious in the bar and the ones scattered through the base and town. The girl with tangerine hair looked over her shoulder and Visenya stepped back, melding into the shadows. And without even noticing Visenya, the girl turned and walked out the back entrance and onto the streets.

Visenya nodded to herself, noting the girl before turning back and walking out of the bar, headed for the small hotel across the street.

◈

THE SUN ROSE EARLY THAT MORNING, THE AIR CHILLED WITH THE FRESH SMELL OF SALT WATER. Visenya had stood on the docks while the golden sun rose over the ocean, the reflection bouncing across the top like diamonds. When the gulls had started to squark, Visenya moved on, wandering down the dock in search of Koby or Luffy. Visenya may pick a pocket and slide a few Berri into her coat from time to time, but the boy in the straw hat was an honest person. And they were hard to come by, she had to repay them.

With stolen Berri but they didn't need to know that.

She had found the pink haired boy sitting in a small dinghy, his hands gripping the wood tightly. His eyes were wide as stared at the large Marine base, his glasses making his eyes even larger. "What are you watching for?" Her sudden voice but him jumped, rocking slightly as he scrambled to look up at Visenya. She put her foot on the side of the boat, stopping its constant rocking. "Apologies."

Koby smiled at her, nodding quickly as he fixed his glasses. "It's alright," He stammered. "What— What are you doing out here?"

"I was looking for your friend, in the straw hat," Visenya explained plainly. "Trying to repay him for all the food I took. Where is he?"

"He is—um, he uh. . ." Koby trailed off, his hands nervously tapping the sides of the boat.

Visenya turned to him, looking down at Koby with her piercing eyes. "I saved you, and your friend from Marine attack," Visenya reminded. "Where is he?"

Visenya tilted her head and Koby's eyes dropped, "He's trying to steal the map to the Grand Line. He said he knows where the Marine's keep it."

Visenya turned her gaze up to the Marine base, both impressed at Luffy's commitment and shocked by the utter idiocy of the whole situation. She shook her head and stepped away from Koby's small dinghy. "Thank you for the information."

"What are you going to do?" He called after her.

Visenya stopped and turned back to the small boy. "Your straw-hat friend is walking into a heavily guarded Marine base to steal it's most valued possession," she repeated, and he nodded quickly. "I am going to stop him from getting himself killed." She gave Koby a half nod and turned, continuing down the track toward the tall base.

Visenya made it through town easy enough; the base would give her some trouble, if these men were experienced enough. Most Marines were bumbling, drunken idiots, acting more like pirates as they waved their title of Marine around like a badge of honour. A good one, let alone an honest one was nearly impossible to find. Visenya hoped these were the lazy kind at the least, hoping for an easy day.

Visenya slid through halls, hiding behind pillars and inside small closets, ducking out of view from any Marines. As she reached the third hall she ducked behind an archway, listening closely as a pair wandered down the hall, chatting loudly to each other. "—Yeah, he ran into some kid with a straw hat, some orange haired girl was with him," The first said. "Chic was a Marine."

"So?" The second questioned, shrugging his shoulders.

They passed her and the first marine whispered, "I saw them headed to Axe hands office."

Visenya's shoulders dropped, and she sighed in annoyance. Of course, the one good person in this god forsaken town had to also be the most stubborn. Visenya grumbled under her breath and raced off again, her feet carrying her quickly through the marine base halls. She followed the halls and staircases to the fifth floor, and down the far right to the captain's office. She yanked hard on the door, but it refused to open.

A Marine noticed her as he rounded the corner, and he yelled for hair attention. Visenya flicked her wrist, and a small knife shot from her belt. It flew through the air in a second and impaled the man through his jugular. The knife raced back to Visenya, and she clicked it back onto her belt, not even looking back as the man collapsed.

Visenya turned back to the wooden door and banged her fist against the wood a few times, the thuds sounding out through the hall. "Luffy!" Visenya hissed, raising her voice just enough that Luffy could hopefully hear her. And she didn't attract any Marines. "Luffy, open the door."

A moment later the door cracked and opened and Visenya slipped through the small gap, stepping around Luffy in the same movement. She shut the door, making little noise as she locked it and jammed it shut with a chair. Luffy stared at her the entire time, his eyes wide, "How did you find me?"

"Koby told me about your insanely stupid idea," Visenya said, turning and dropping the keys on a nearby drawer top. "Did you find your map?"

"My map—!" The orange-haired girl corrected.

Luffy was by the girl's side in an instant, leaner closer to the safe built into the ground. The girl barely had a moment to twist the dial on the safe when a loud, very loud, alarm shot through the base, making them all jump. Visenya glanced at the door and added a second chair to hold it tight.

"Uh. . . Do you think they know we're here?" Luffy asked, propping himself onto his knees to look between Nami and Visenya.

"How do you think I found you here?" Visenya said, walking swiftly across the room to peer out the large windows at the empty, sand courtyard below. "But it might be the other kid in the straw hat and the girl with orange hair they are searching for."

"What are the odds of that?" Luffy laughed, setting his hands on his hips. The girl turned to him, sending him a dark glare that made his smile drop, but he tried to give a light chuckle. "Kidding. But you might want to work a little faster."

Rough banging on the wooden door made the girl's head whip to the side and she watched the rattle, the metal of the door handle rattling. "Open up!" A gruff man shouted. "By the authority of the 153rd Marines!"

"Whatever you are doing Oranges, you need to do it faster," Visenya ordered.

The girl slammed her hands to the ground and scoffed, "It's Nami! And I can't rush this!"

Luffy looked between the slowly cracking door and Nami crouched over the safe, then he smiled. "I have an idea," Luffy spoke up. Nami and Visenya shared a weary glance, but Nami shuffled back. Visenya jumped as a silver axe began to axe through the door, snapping the wood that sent splinters over the floor.

Luffy scrambled, grabbing the handles of the metal safe and strained as he tried to pull it from the ground it had been cemented in. Luffy squeaked as his feet slipped but he continued to pull hard at the handles. "That's your idea?" Nami scoffed.

"Yeah," Luffy said through a strained voice. He got his footing and started to step back, his arms starting to stretch. Then continued to stretch like rubber. Nami stared at his arms, watching his skin continue to pull further as the concrete around the safe started to crack, but the thick metal bolts held it in place.

Visenya crouched by the safe and glanced back at the Marine's breaking down the door and Nami didn't waste a second to wrap her arms around Luffy's torso, trying to help him pull the safe from the stubborn concrete. Visenya looked at the window and sighed through her nose, "You'll make it," Visenya said to herself, then the axe broke completely through the door. "You'll make it!"

"What?!" Nami and Luff shouted at once.

Visenya stepped away from the window, her eyes focussing on the metal bolts all while ignoring the Marines yelling at them to freeze. "See you down there," Visenya said before flicking her hand, the bolts sliding out of place. The tension shot Nami, Luffy and the safe out the window, flying through the air with a yell before crashing to the ground.

— lethal lust —