019

— i will be brutal —

THE DEVIL AND DEATH ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BEINGS. The Devil causes pain without remorse, it is an entirely evil creature with an appetite for chaos. Death has no bias, no judgement, it is an entirely grey creature that strikes only when needed. It's the body's they possess that make them complicated, intertwined.

It's what made them destructive.

Visenya's body was littered with bruises and cuts, her breathing slow and ragged. Niles didn't fare any better; blood ran down his face from a deep gash running across the front of his forehead, his movements slower than when the fight had first started.

But his eyes were still cold and full of rage.

The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and sweat. Visenya tried to push herself to her feet, ignoring the stabbing pain running up her side. Niles threw her through the wall, knocking debris around her as she hit the floor with a thud.

Visenya struggled to breath and crawl away, but she barely even managed to do that before Niles was sending pain through her bones. He stepped forward the limp in his leg making it hard for him to step through the broken part of the wall.

Her chest was tight, air barely reaching into her lungs. Her broken ribs made it hard, but the panic and terror made it even harder. 

Visenya reached for her sword, the metal just brushing her trembling fingertips, but Niles stretched his arm toward her, and suddenly it felt like her veins filled with stone and her skin had been set ablaze. His power tightened around her like a vice, draining what little strength she had until she could barely move. A weeping mess trying to hold onto her life. 

Niles watched her struggle with cold satisfaction.

Visenya tried to push herself away one last time, but her arms gave out. She let out an exhausted groan and flipped onto her back, staring up at Niles looming above her.

Her bones were shattered and pressed against each other awkwardly, every cut on her body burned like fire, every bruise on her body felt like a brick had been thrown at her— it was hellish.

Niles kneeled next to her, reaching out to grasp her throat and end her life. He started to squeeze her windpipe, but she let out a shaky sob and he hesitated. His face softened softly, a deep sadness setting in his eyes. "I never wanted this for you," his voice was soft, low and remorseful as he moved his hand to gently touch her cheek.

Visenya sobbed again, hiccupping on the air, fear and pain taking over her bones. Niles wrapped his arms around her, cradling her close to his chest as if he were trying to hide her from the very pain he caused. He held her tight, possessive but still gentle. "I'm sorry, God I'm sorry. . . You just don't understand," he murmured, keeping his voice soft to try and soothe her.

His voice cracked and he shook his head, trying to pull Visenya even closer. "I know you're angry, but I never wanted to hurt you like this. You're. . . you're special. I didn't want it to end like this," he said, his words dripping with regret. He stroked her blood and dust-soaked hair, his eyes brimming with tears that may or may not have been genuine. "Please. . . it's not too late. We can still make this right. I can make it all go away. We don't have to fight anymore, Visenya," he rambled on, lost in his own voice. "You just have to trust me. . ."

Visenya wrapped one of her weak arms around Niles, pulling herself into his embrace and ignited her blade with the other.

Niles gasped, his eyes widening in shock and pain.

His grip on her slowly loosened as blood pooled around the wound and stained his clothes a crimson red. Visenya pushed him backward, keeping the red blade embedded deep into his torso. Niles wheezed, trying to get the air to entire his lungs but his body was slowly shutting down.

Visenya pressed her hand to her side, trying to hold her bones straight and ease the pain. She used a nearby table and pushed herself onto shaky legs. Visenya took a deep breath, crying out slightly as she felt her bones shifting again. Visenya stumbled back to Niles and grabbed the handle of her sword, tearing it from his body.

Niles cried out in pain and fell to his hands and knees, more and more blood pooling on the floor beneath him. The colour in is face slowly drained, his skin paling at least 3 shades and his body racked with shakes and shivers. Niles found his strength and sat on his knees, looking up at Visenya through a mess of blood and tears. And for the first time in her entire life, Niles was terrified. 

"Vis—"

He tried to call her name, but Visenya brought her sword down across his face in a heavy strike.

Niles's dead body hit the floor like stone, not even a flinch running through his corpse. Visenya stared at the remains of his face and the blood pooling around his body. Visneya shut her sword off and set it aside as she knelt in front of him. The terror in his eyes was frozen, his expression melded into fear. The image burned itself into Visenya's brain.

Visenya tried to push herself up but as soon as she did, the nausea and headache that had been slowly growing crashed into her. Visenya stumbled and before she knew it the world tipped, and she crashed to the ground.

Visenya woke with a startled gasp, her eyes opening wide to state at the wooden ceiling of the Going Merry. Goosebumps ran over her skin, the chills running through her body making her shake. Visenya groaned as she pushed herself to sit upright, a headache spreading through her head like a fire. Visenya took a deep breath and focused ahead of her, trying to clear her mind.

But it didn't take much to distract her when the sound of the rest of the crew shouting on deck.

Visenya sighed and pushed herself to her feet, pulling on her boots and grabbing a long-sleeved black dress made of structured folds and pleats. It was quite similar to her grey one but with more padding to protect her skin from cuts and slashes. Which if they found the Arlong pirates, she would need it.

She let out another groan as she heard the yelling above grow louder. She quickly flattened her hair as she rushed up the stairs as if the wind wouldn't immediately blow it in every direction. Visenya walked towards the top of the deck where she could hear Usopp and Buggy shouting back and forth.

"But you said five degrees starboard," Usopp called back, trying to steer the ship correctly.

"Yeah, it's the other starboard, Captain Shit-tastic," Buggy snapped right back, his head resting on a nearby barrel.

Usopp shook his head softly, "Thought clowns were supposed to be funny."

"What was that? Why don't you say it to my face?" Buggy bounced his head around to look at Usopp but when he saw Visenya standing behind him he let out a sigh of relief. "Finally! I never thought I'd be glad to see you!"

Usopp turned and jumped as he saw her standing just behind him, but he tried to play it off with a laugh and a smile. "Did you want me to take over?" Visenya asked and Usopp nodded while scratching the back of his neck. She steered the boat and straightened their course. "You did a good job Usopp," Visenya called as Usopp walked over to lean on the railing

Zoro walked up the stairs, shaking his head at Visenya. "I think once you told me I slept too much," he scoffed softly, shaking his head at Visenya.

"And who watched the boat so you could have all that sleep?" Visenya questioned, turning her eyes to Zoro.

Zoro just shook his head, turning his attention to the clown. "I know Luffy made a deal with you to find Arlong, clown, but if this is another tricks—"

"What are you gonna do? Bleed on me?" Buggy cackled, cutting Zoro off before he could even threaten him. Zoro took another step forward and grabbed Buggy by the top of his head. "Whoa! Whoa! Wait. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What?" Buggy rambled on and on, but it didn't stop Zoro from walking the end side of the boat and holding him over the ocean. "Because I said bleed on me? You can bleed on me if you want. I mean, a deal's a deal, all right? You want your map back. I want my body."

Zoro looked back at Usopp and Visenya, who raised an eyebrow. Visenya had no reason to not believe the clown but if he had already given them direction, she wouldn't mind Zoro's hand slipping and letting the clown fall.

"How do we know you're not leading us to a trap?' Zoro questioned, keeping his voice steady.

"Zoro, buddy! Honour amongst pirates. Right?" Buggy laughed again which only made Visenya roll her eyes in annoyance. "Come on. How about I sing a nice sea shanty to pass the time. Oh, there once was a girl with tangerine hair—"

As soon as Buggy finished the first lyric, Zoro spun on his heel and walked back across the deck, his eyes singled on the empty barrel by the stairs. Usopp noticed it too and pushed himself from the railing, both of them ignoring Buggy as he continued to sing.

"Stole my map and left me stranded somewhere. Truly a crafty and crooked young lass." Usopp pulled the top of the barrel and Zoro held Buggy over the top. "But you can't deny she had a spectacular— Ow!"

Zoro let Buggy fall from his hand and Visenya couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her when Buggy cried out. "God, right on my nose!" Usopp slammed the lid of the barrel back in place and then pushed himself to sit on top.

Oaklyn stood beside Luffy, a small fishing rod in her hand. She and Sanji leaned against the railing of the ship, watching his line move through the water—thankfully avoiding the dolphins that swam alongside them. Oaklyn took the knife from her hip and cut the knot from the line so could tie it off properly. The sun beat down on them forcing Sanji out of his jacket and the gold and purple stones on Oaklyn's waist beads shine brightly.

Luffy pushed himself up to look even further on the railing. It leaned on idiotic, but he sat at the top of the sheep's head without a problem, so Oaklyn didn't say anything. "Does it always take this long?" Luffy questioned.

"We've only been here two minutes. Be patient," Sanji scolded softly with a laugh. "Some days, they bite as soon as you drop the line, and some days, it takes hours. And then there are days when you don't catch anything at all."

"He's not talking about fish," Oaklyn said softly, turning her eyes to Sanji.

He nodded softly, "I know."

Luffy looked between them before he let his eyes wander over the ocean. "I just want to know if Nami's okay," Luffy said softly.

Oaklyn took a deep breath and spun so she was leaning with her back to the water. "She is, it's Nami," Oaklyn said although her voice was unsure.

"A beautiful, talented woman does not choose to ally herself with a pirate like Arlong," Sanji insisted, keeping his voice steady. "Nami clearly needs to be rescued."

"Her tattoo says different," Zoro stated clearly as he walked closer.

Sanji looked over his shoulder at Zoro and scoffed softly. "Well, tattoos don't tell the whole story," Sanji defended. "And like any woman, she's a mystery."

"Nami made her choice," Zoro said plainly.

"You don't understand why she had to," Oaklyn snapped, sending a dark glare towards Zoro. Oaklyn almost hated herself for defending Nami so quickly, she caught her trying to leave and she hadn't been able to convince her to stay. It felt like a punch in the gut, or a terrible joke, but she couldn't stop herself.

"And you do?" Zoro said just as harshly.

Oaklyn sighed softly and Sanji shook his head slightly, "Hey, hear the lady out," he ordered. "She's actually making sense. And since you won't listen to me—"

"Only thing I want to hear from you are dinner specials," Zoro scoffed, making Sanji laugh under his breath. "You don't know Nami."

"Sounds like you don't know her either, moss head," Sanji said quickly.

"It just seems like you're fighting now," Oaklyn scoffed, looking between them.

"I'm sure Nami has her reasons," Luffy said, letting go of the railing and stepping back. Zoro and Sanji turned their eyes away at Luffy's quiet voice while Oaklyn met Luffy's eyes. "Whatever choice she makes. . . I just need to hear it for myself."

Oaklyn sighed softly and looked away from Luffy. He smiled sadly before walking over to the other side of the boat.

Oaklyn spun back to look over the ocean, her eyes moving back to the ocean and watching her line bob. Oaklyn looked up at Sanji and she tilted her head in curiosity. "I thought you were whipped for Visenya," Oaklyn said in a small voice, her eyes darting over to the girl for a moment.

Sanji laughed softly, a bright smile growing on his face. "Nami is beautiful, Visenya is gorgeous," Sanji stated as if it were obvious. Oaklyn's eyebrows shot up in shock, not that he said but the confidence he did. Usopp called out a loud Land ho! and Sanji quickly pushed himself up. "But don't worry, you are—"

"Interested in Nami," Oaklyn said sharply, cutting Sanji off quickly. He chuckled softly and took the fishing rod from her as she walked to Luffy's side. They leaned over the railing at the front of the ship watching as the island slowly came into view.

Tall sandy cliffs stretched over the island, covered in thick dark trees disguising any village or life that was on the island. A few small rock islands were scattered around, growing the same dark trees and grass.

"Welcome to the Conomi Islands," Oaklyn joked with a nervous breath.

◈

The Coco Islands were chaotic, overthrown houses turned over and re-grown to stay like that. All of the colours had been burned and drained out, not even the sun managed to break through the trees to give it colour. Not a villager was in sight, the entire town felt like it had been abandoned and left to ghost.

The Straw hats slowly made their way down the dirt and stone path, eyes wandering for anything that even looked like life. Visenya had seen, and more often than not been the cause of many towns' downfall, but there was something entirely wrong with the place. This placed had never been left alone or had time to heal, it was living in a quiet chaos.

They turned down the corner and froze.

A house had not just been thrown over, but it had been unrooted from the ground and tossed into another. The wood splintered together and sprouted roots. Oaklyn's eyes widened as she stared at it. "Oh god."

"Never seen that before," Zoro said softly.

Sanji's eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the mess, "What could have done this?"

"Maybe I should head back, make sure the Merry's secure," Usopp said nervously, his eyes darting around.

Visenya stepped forward and pressed her hand to the charred bark, feeling the splintered wood and years of ash under her palm. Luffy watched her face fall into guilt and sadness, and he could feel his anger growing.

"Arlong did this," Luffy growled.

"Hey, shit-hat!" Buggy shouted; his voice slightly muffled through the sack bag he was shoved in. "I think we can all agree that Arlong's a bad fish. But why don't we quit lollygagging and get my body back?"

"Pipe down in there," Sanji shouted, shaking the sack bag to try and quiet him.

Buggy just laughed again, "Or what? You gonna whip me up a soufflé?"

Sanji let out a deep sigh and let the bag fall from his shoulder and into his hand. He led it out to Usopp, "How about you take him for a while?"

"Ooh, new guy carries the clown head," Usopp said through a tight smile.

Visenya walked to Luffy's side and looked up at him. She had seen Luffy angry for split seconds, but the anger on his face had started to slowly turn into rage. Luffy looked down at her and took a deep breath as he saw the sadness still clear in her eyes.

"There are people ahead," she mumbled, motioning beyond the line of houses.

Luffy turned his head, and he heard the distant voices. He turned and they all followed him closely, walking down the dirt path to find a crowd of people. But not even they had any colour or life to them, sad droopy faces in grey and brown clothes that had to be 3 generations old at the least.

Except for one girl that stood by the front; she had dark skin, bright blue hair and a sunflower yellow coloured tank top. But even her face was soured in anger.

"Everyone! Please!" A man called out, his voice struggling to be heard above the overlapping chatter. They slowly quieted down and looked up at the man with the scared slashes. "Please, everyone. We don't have much time, and we're short again this month."

A man walked over to him and emptied a bowl of coins into the small box. "Is it enough?" he asked.

The scared man shook his head and somehow their mood seemed to get worse. "Do we have time to get some more?" A woman asked.

"No. You don't."

Visenya felt her heart sink at the sound of Nami's voice. The crowd stepped apart, making room for Nami to walk between them. They whispered and mumbled; eyes glued on Nami's figure as she kept her head high. Luffy tried to rush towards her, but Zoro put his arm out, his hand pressing to chest to stop him.

The girl with bright blue hair stepped out in front of Nami, her eyes looking over Nami's figure with disgust. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face here," she growled, shoving her face closer to Nami's. She shook her head and spat on the ground Nami walked on before she turned and walked off without another word.

Nami turned her attention to the scarred man, "Got something for me?"

The scarred man stared at Nami with resentment and fury in his eyes, but he relented without an argument and handed her the box of money. Nami snatched it and flipped the lid open. She barely looked at it for a few seconds before she looked at the scared man. "You're short," she said, sharp and quick.

The crowd was quick to disperse after that, walking away quickly as Nami stared down the man. "Nami, please. This is all we have," He pleaded. "Arlong has bled us dry."

"Then find more blood," Nami said quickly, her voice low and commanding. The scarred man's composure fell and he turned, slipping off into the crowd.

Nami watched him walk away before her eyes wandered the crowd. Her gaze faltered as it landed on Luffy and the others, freezing in place out of shock. For a moment Visenya thought Nami might have been relieved to see them, but her eyes widened, and she stormed towards them.

"Luffy?" She called in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Luffy stepped up and stood in front of Nami, "I could ask you the same thing."

"This is where I belong," Nami said a little too quickly.

"I don't believe that," Luffy argued. "This is not you."

"No. This isn't the me you want me to be." Her voice was harsh as she stared at Luffy, but it didn't deter him in the slightest.

Luffy took a small step closer, "Nami. . . if you need our help—"

"No, I don't need any of you," Nami snapped, her voice angry and shaking.

"Nami please—"

Visenya tried to speak but Nami cut her off. "You were your fathers' murderous rabid dog; you don't get to tell me anything." Visenya's eyes darted away, and she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. Nami's words were mean and jarring. Nami was a lot of things, a navigator, a thief, and maybe even an Arlong pirate but she was not cruel. So, no matter how badly Nami's words had cut her, Visenya couldn't shake the feeling they hurt Nami just the same.

"Arlong wanted the map, and I conned you into getting it for me. And you bought it." Nami's voice soured with each and every word, her anger growing to a point it seemed to tighten her throat and made it hard for her to speak. But she still found the words to make Luffy falter, "I was never part of your stupid crew."

"You don't mean that," Luffy said, managing to keep his voice steady.

Nami hesitated before her eyes darted over the others. "Take the rest of these clowns and sail away from here." Nami's eyes paused on Oaklyn, watching her nervously twisting her hands. Nami looked up at Luffy and met his anxious eyes. "I never want to see you again."

Nami held Luffy's gaze for a moment longer to ensure he understood her. But all Visenya could focus on was Nami's bloodshot teary eyes. She turned and walked away without another word, and they all silently watched her disappear.

Usopp let out a deep sigh that turned into a soft chuckle, "Okay, that went about as bad as it could. So back to the boat before the fishmen find us? Sail the hell out of here?" Usopp laughed to himself in agreement. "Okay."

"She was going to cry," Visenya pointed out in a soft voice.

"There's something else going on here," Sanji added.

"She was very clear she wants us to leave," Zoro reminded.

"You don't know women," Sanji argued, "They never say what they mean."

"Whoa," Oaklyn said in surprise as she turned her gaze to Sanji. "Careful."

"Tell me again why the cook gets a say."

"Don't you guys get it? She's one of them," Usopp shouted in exhaustion. "She's a bad guy. The villagers are terrified of her."

Visenya took a deep breath before stepping away from Sanji's side. She walked to stand in front of Luffy, but he couldn't look away from the trail Nami disappeared down. "She is terrified, Luffy," Visenya said softly. "And not everyone is afraid of her."

Luffy glanced down at her before his eyes were searching the village again. "Hey!" Luffy called out as he stepped away, "Scar guy." Visenya quickly followed Luffy's footsteps, Oaklyn and Sanji following a moment after. Usopp and Zoro hesitated before they followed the others.

The scarred man slowly stepped from his home at the call of his name and walked to stand at the stop of the small stairs. Luffy walked over to him, but still kept his distance. "Who was that lady?" he asked, "You know, the one with the cool hair?"

"Who wants to know?' The man questioned.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I'm a pirate—"

"Hunter," Zoro added quickly, his eyes slowly moving to look up at the scarred man. "Pirate hunter. We're here to collect Arlong's bounty."

"You?" The man scoffed. "I've seen men twice your size and with twice your number go into Arlong Park. None of them ever came back."

"Just tell us where she is," Oaklyn said through a tired voice.

"We just want to talk to her," Luffy added with a sweet smile.

"Trust me, you don't. But if it'll get you out of my town," The scarred man took a deep breath and stretched his arm out, pointing towards the fields. "Try the house down that road, on the edge of the tangerine grove."

Luffy smiled at the man and turned on his heel, quickly moving toward the tangerine grove— Straw Hat's in tow. 

— lethal lust —