- Location
- Earth U.S.
Broken Adventure
- Thread starter theaceoffire
- Start date
- Crossover
- Status
- Location
- Finland
I think you meant "mini Marine" or this is another Pokemon crossover event.
Truth can be stranger than fiction.
And RL often makes better stories because you can not simply fake those hold my beer moments.
- Location
- Sol;Terra;EU;D;NRW
Nakama? 🤔
Also, meow meow Nami is a cow? Next hit single from the Haunted Isle of Plenty Snacks confirmned?!
Also, meow meow Nami is a cow? Next hit single from the Haunted Isle of Plenty Snacks confirmned?!
- Location
- Earth U.S.
I think Kuro did. The fake persona he created, along with the physical body? Not so much.
- Location
- USA
I'm gonna assume Gem did some hand-wavey bullshit in the background, because otherwise that butler is going to have an existential breakdown as soon as he realizes he's a shell of a person
- Location
- That place where I live?
If memory serves, a part of Kuro's fake backstory was that he was in an accident and lost his memories. So having missing chunks of history and backstory is something Kahladore should be used to.
- Pronouns
- He/him
Did she just turn Khalidor into Kuro's nobody? That would make sense with shadowofadam being a heartless. Then Bellmere would have just needed to yoink his heart, "losing it to darkness" as it were.
The first part of the chapter with Moira and The Thriller bark was incredibly somber.
Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
I TOLD you she had the means to create a real paradise... Just a Twist and everyone is "good".
Arc 4: Here in my garden of shadows…
- Location
- Here
Bell-mère smiled as she woke the girls, got them fed, and sent them off on their way to play for the day.
She smiled as she sent off notes to her people, she smiled as she checked on the progress in the city, she smiled as she discussed future development plans.
And as the day grew older, she smiled as she carefully got her needs handled and her responsibilities looked after.
But now, the girls had dinner and were off to bed.
Now, the house was quiet and night had fully fallen.
Bell-mère was not smiling as she looked into the Darkness.
When one's shoulders grew wider, it didn't simply mean you grew stronger…
It meant you could carry a heavier load.
Her Heart of Justice was to be there when needed.
And she was needed. "Yami yami no: [[Dark Visions.]]"
Show me the children. The lost, the hungry, the captive.
Show me the little ones, with no hope.
Show me the tiny people, with burdens too great to bear.
The images were endless. The scenes, tragic. The cries for help, endless.
Bell-mère didn't falter. "Yami yami no: [[Shady Grove.]]"
In the Darkness, a forest with white roots and white branches that glowed softly in the twilight. Not a true forest, not THE true forest, but a reflection of one that never existed.
It was a Shadow of something much grander, much farther away than was possible.
Too far.
The scale was too large.
The need was too dire.
That image, that grove, flickered. Faded.
The power needed to form these things was immeasurable. The focus unsustainable, the requirements unmeetable. Such a place could not be formed by any person, nor any Devil Fruit user.
But as she begged for the little ones to be safe, she felt a pulse of love from the Darkness, and her fumbling hands found warm acceptance. From the absence, energy flowed. From the Shadows, Power was granted.
And from that light, that unseen pink glow, warmth filled this place that never was and had never been. Light that felt familiar, that felt nostalgic.
Bell-mère blinked from the floor of her office, carefully shifting as she touched the blood flowing from her nose and felt the pain being washed away by those same warm waves of energy inside.
That… That might have been a bit much to attempt all at once.
But despite the cost? It was a payment that needed to be made.
In her mind, tiny forms cowered and cried and screamed.
Tiny forms with little hope, that suddenly found themselves being pulled by no one to nowhere.
They vanished into the Darkness from many places.
Most fell instantly into slumber, as the raw power in this Shady Grove began to heal wounds, both literal and metaphysical, and starving near corpses began to recover next to bodies that had nearly drowned, broken ones nearly destroyed, and worse.
But others found themselves walking in a mysterious but comforting glade in a forest, with strange black trees and glowing white roots and pure glistening branches.
Like a dream, they didn't question what was happening. When black claws formed from shadows and offered food and drink, they were not startled or scared. Although this dream was much less painful and scary than the others, there were no monsters here. No danger.
Not to them, at least.
Bell-mère still felt shaky even as her body rebuilt damaged brain tissue and broken tendons, and carefully Twisted to her bed to lay down a little bit as her Heartless Helpers carefully tended to the lost ones of the Sea.
Some of these tiny forms had scars and brandings that the Shadows began to Consume, others needed direct healing and careful handling.
A few species needed special environments, as the Shady Grove began to Twist itself to form cloud seas above and fresh and salt water environments below. Material 'borrowed' from the world, added as needed for comfort and safety and recovery.
Bell-mère winced as she felt her muscles reconnect and strengthen.
The other steps of her plan were going to have to be delayed… Which was fine. Time was needed for all the orphanages to be opened up on the nearby islands, places within her reach and under her protection.
And these lost ones would need time to recover, and would be 'found' and accepted into these orphanages over time anyway, once the locations were purchased or constructed.
Sure, she'd be spending most of her future building up the infrastructure to take care of this massive crowd… But as they slept and healed in that Shady Grove, she'd have some time to get things together.
Later, she'd need to get some trade schools together. Training camps. Apprenticeships. Which would be tricky for some of the more unusual orphans saved moment to moment, considering some of them had extra limbs or special abilities that would need specific attention to properly develop future skills.
Not now though. Now she could recover.
Her Shady Grove would continue to find and save those without family or caretakers now, guiding the lost and the captured to a safe haven beyond the reach of endless dangers.
Sure, tormentors would hunt them. In some cases, even the Marines would turn blades towards these tiny targets as powerful and evil people pulled their strings.
But in her garden, these children could sleep and heal and pass time safely. Those searching would be looking for lost ones of the wrong ages, targets who were now missing wounds and identifying scars and brandings and crippling injuries.
And when they arrived at their new homes, it would just be another oddity of these lands.
After all, these were the Haunted Isles… And people were 'found' here every day. A few more wouldn't be that unusual.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
"I'm just saying this is BULLSHIT!"
Damn it. "We know, Clyde."
The asshole didn't even pause. "We've been fighting random ass pirates every fucking day, puttering around these seas and bumping into bullshit EVERY DAY, and for WHAT!?"
Sigh. This was going to be one of his long episodes.
Clyde punched the wall of the ship. "Just because some assholes want to be seen 'doing something'!"
Yep. "We know, Clyde." Oh, and just in case this came up in court-martialing later. "Also, please don't call our supervisors…"
He was met with a raised middle finger.
Alright then.
Not like he was actually against what Clyde was saying, mind you, but none of the others were dumb enough to actually say these things out loud.
The man checked his blade. "Almost chipped my baby on the skull of that last pirate. And that's another thing! I love stabbing a few sea rats like the best of them, but what the shit is up with this random bullshit!?"
Sigh. "We received intelligence…"
Clyde snorted! "We received BULLSHIT! A whole bunch of secret places blew up and now we gotta 'find the culprits' and shit, but I don't think these 'culprits' even fucking EXIST! Someone is pulling some bullshit, you just wait. Just one rich asshole sabotaging another faction of rich assholes!"
Most likely. The concept of thousands of secret locations being bombed without witnesses or enemy movement being detected simultaneously? Ludicrous. It was most likely an insider job.
But in this case, 'insider' meant 'Celestial Dragon' which meant 'Even if they are guilty, they are not guilty', so… More orders to find the 'Pirates Responsible!' it was.
Although it was a bit concerning that more and more coworkers were starting to actually listen to Clyde now after weeks and weeks of dangerous and deadly deployment on these treacherous waters… "After this last deployment, I've been told that we will be taken out of rotation, so if we just make it through the end of the week…"
Karma banged open the door. "New orders!"
Now EVERYONE glared at the resigned man slumped at the entrance.
He didn't even bother to defend himself. "Yeah. Again."
Clyde actually growled! "Those rich fuckers better watch their back. Who knows when the NEXT bombing may suddenly happen!"
This time, no one actually commented one way or another.
…Which was a really, really bad sign.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Nojiko, as the older sister, had always tried to be responsible. Mature.
To help mom, and take care of her little sis.
The recent changes however, made it really hard to stay serious all the time.
Suddenly, each meal time was the best part of the day! Instead of slightly old leftovers and carefully cooked small portions, now each experience was more fun and delicious than the last!
All her friends were doing better too, and their moms and dads didn't fight as much either now that the island was doing so good. Everyone seemed more cheerful, and interesting stuff was going on all the time!
Ships kept showing up with workers and construction crews and strangers and interesting stuff from around the world, crazy stuff was being built out in the waters at a scale which just felt impossible, and the new places all felt like halloween or something.
Ghost decorations, plastic bats, fake cobwebs… While her home island wasn't changing much because apparently mom secretly bought it at some point, the new play area being built felt like a constant festival!
Sure, she was mentally repressing the memories of her mom shifting into a massive shadowy giant of death, and maybe was taking a bunch of the recent stuff and shelving it mentally into the 'Process this later' boat, but aside from that?
Things were going great!
Lots of new kids were joining her friends as they explored the newly constructed artificial islands, each one dedicated to different stuff as they got built. Although a lot of it had to do with the markets.
There were a LOT of markets.
Ones that sold fish or snacks or fruits and stuff, ones that traded boring adult stuff, weapon stalls, armor shops, all kinds of stuff! And if a kid put on a costume, especially one that was cute or 'scary', the nice old people at the snack stalls would offer tiny treats!
She suspected her mom was egging on the people about this, considering how often she tried to convince both of them to dress up in 'adorable' costumes and stuff, but it was rapidly becoming a tradition on the island.
It was common to see Loyd or Sarah dressed up as a zombie or boat cow or something and get some free apple slices, or for a group of children to make a club and all dress up as Marines or Bounty Hunters or Cats and pretend to be a cool gang that controlled the underworld and ALSO got to eat a free pretzel now and then.
Still, she tried to be mature and responsible.
Which is why she WASN'T freaking out right now. "Really!?"
Greg nodded! "Yeah, dad's friends were talking about it! It's gonna be a whole island thing, as long as you put in the effort and try hard, we can work with shops and learn how to do stuff!"
That sounded AWESOME! "Like how mom's friend was teaching us how to be mini Marines?"
A nod. "Yeah, 'cept it is also for people who sell stuff and make clothes and all that. Mom was really happy that these 'prentice ships' would not just teach us all how to fight and stuff."
Nojiko grinned! "Nami would LOVE learning from some navigators! Or even work at one of those shops that sell maps…"
Greg blinked. "Huh? What about you?"
Meh. "I'm gonna learn from mom." Cause mom was awesome. Plus, she loved working with the garden and the grove, and her mom was super cool and stuff. "But Nami has been dreaming about being a master mapper for years… She's going to be so thrilled!"
Would a Prentice Ship be hard to sail? They had both managed to get the Highwind to sort of go where wanted, at least when they had the help from Mom's 'Helpers' and followed her instructions… It couldn't be that hard, would it?
Greg frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, she did mention that a lot… And uh. Between you and me? I… I don't really want to be a bounty hunter. That's not my real dream." He glanced in both directions and whispered. "I want to carve stuff."
Huh? "Like the boat builders?"
He shook his head. "Like small statues and stuff. I've been practicing, and I'm not good yet, but I saw this model thing one of the shops was selling and it was like a tiny island! I mean, it was like a huge big island but in a really small size, right?"
Greg sparkled with a grin! "I'm gonna do that, one day! I'm going to carve all kinds of stuff!"
Nojiko couldn't help but smile at the boy's passion. "Really?"
He nodded! "I got a spot in our hideout that I keep my best tries, but I'm not ready to show anyone yet." He paused, suddenly shocked! "And you can't tell anyone, okay!? It's a secret, yeah!? If anyone asks, I'm going to be a cow-ty hunter or something!"
Her mind skipped a bit. Would that be a hunter of criminal bovinian prey? "You mean, a bounty hunter?"
Greg didn't even pause. "Yeah. Or that I'm going to be a tinkerer or something. Kay?"
Yeah sure. "Alright." Oh! The Prentice Ship stuff. "Will they teach us how to sail these 'Prentice Ships'? Or should I ask mom?"
Either way, Nami could do it, probably! She was great at sailing… Or at least, she would be!
This was going to be awesome!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Shadow frowned as another child was passed to Gem's [[Shady Grove]]. Well, technically it was owned and controlled by his Host, but she was too young and inexperienced to handle something this massive and unwieldy just yet.
So for now, Gem was directing it and Shadow was empowering the whole sucker directly using the Darkness instead of his host's Soul like normal.
What was concerning was selecting who to target for rescue.
Due to the nature of Bell-mère's request when forming this place, it would naturally detect and try to assist the 'lost ones' of the planet. Specifically, the young.
However, young means different things to different species. For some, it was a few months before a child would become mature… For others? Decades or longer.
Also, Bell-mère wasn't targeting people in bad conditions if they had support of any level. Because she wasn't going to steal kids away from parents and loved ones.
Thus, only children, only without parental units, only when in severe danger/risk/locked up/abandoned. Plus there were additional restrictions and rules… For example, reincarnated people in a kid's body didn't count, if they were already self-sufficient despite their apparent age.
One would think a situation like that would be rare or non-existent, but well… The Grand Line was weird. So you had to check that some random mass murdering assholes hadn't stolen baby corpses to try and slip in with the group and be included in the 'save me' category,
Not that they had FOUND any of those yet, but the 'Snack List' was prepped and ready for any jerks of that caliber. Just in case.
With so many restrictions and exceptions and stuff, one would expect the number of arrivals to be heavily restrained…
Which was why It was just so frustrating at how many children were being gathered in this hidden [[Shady Grove]] now.
Most weren't important, at least not according to society. Just more poor kids, destined to die in poverty and hunger. Supposedly destined, at any rate. Still, a number of the ones taken from abusive people should have set off all kinds of alerts, alarms, vengeful people off to hunt their 'property', etc.
Which gave Shadow an excuse to fine tune his latest, Gem-approved project!
Yami yami no: [[Dim Memories.]]
Not fully developed yet, despite the Heartless Helpers testing it out for a while now, it was SUPPOSED to cause records and memories and evidence get filtered away. Filed off. Noticed, marked, and then ignored.
Using the power of Darkness and the Shadow's of the past to cause certain information to be lost or marked unimportant.
It was a bit hit or miss. People with enough imagination or Soul power, like children or dedicated warriors, they could resist the ability to various levels. And the more you were exposed to the target, the less effective it would be…
But it was better than nothing.
It was why short term contact with people wouldn't be an issue for his Host, most of the time.
When his Host was doing something with her powers, the 'adult' and 'mature' mind that didn't easily accept the impossible would start justifying all of it. 'Oh, she must have moved this earlier.' 'I am imagining things.' 'She had help, but they were unimportant people.' 'She was very pretty, but we are not sure what she looked like.'
Stuff like that.
It worked mostly well, on a passive level. People just knew that Bell-mère had connections, knew people and suppliers, could access stuff and materials, and happened to drop by at convenient times.
They didn't however remember small helpers or impossibly fast traversal times, or how quickly she acquired needed materials or goods for sales.
It was just vague feelings. They knew she could get stuff done, and the why or how was less important.
The issue came with applying this new ability directly now, as children were being stolen away.
For the ones that survived shipwrecks or being abandoned on islands or whatever, this was a trivial issue. But for the boys and girls locked up, either for crimes they didn't commit or for future 'use' by others?
Well, this is where the problem came in.
Not only were there a LOT more kids in danger than Shadow expected, but he had to be cautious when saving them. Gem was working overtime when not taking care of the new charges, but even she was growing frustrated at the raw evil that seemed to grow from these powerful positions in society.
If they just vanished, these assholes would throw a fit. Killing slaves, servants, random citizens, screaming and ranting, sending the Marines off to do who knows what, and worse. The fact that the child was a casual plaything or toy that they rarely thought about or cared for didn't matter, if something they owned went missing then it hurt their PRIDE.
Here was where the hard part came in.
Not instantly slaughtering them.
As messed up as things were, if these people vanished the world would crumble. Unlike in Alice's London, where sleaze had slithered up the social chain, here? They WERE society.
So, for now, Shadow had to find a work around… And even the solution pissed him off.
Just leave a Darkness fragment of memory that implied that the boy or girl died.
Done.
These assholes killed so many people so often and so arbitrarily, they instantly completed the memory fragment on their own! 'I must have shot her', 'Probably kicked him to death', etc.
As more and more children vanished from expensive cells, NOW their 'owners' would simply mark it as having reached their 'expiration date' and order a new supply.
Though that might be a bit tricky for them, now that [[Shady Grove]] existed.
Good luck trying to find children in the future, slavers.
And maybe a few of the slaves who weren't also murders and rapists an stuff found keys to their explosive collars, and perhaps a few slave brands mysteriously got healed, and perhaps some official transfer agreements came into existance that offered escape opportunities…
But that was technically not THEIR fault, now was it?
Not according to the evidence, anyway.
Nope, Shadow and Gem were just making sure these kids were put into healing comas, healed on multiple levels, and carefully modified to be unidentifiable by officials! They were both FAR too busy to bother with all that other stuff, yes sir.
Good thing damage from aging could be healed though, it may take some time before all these children could be safely returned to his Host's islands.
Meh, good luck finding an escaped child slave when they don't match any of your descriptions, jerks! So sorry you wasted all that money looking for someone who now lives in a different sea with an unexpected age and new appearance!
Sigh, back to work on this [[Dim Memories]] ability. Maybe he could work it up to a full Stranger level skill and help his Host do sneaky sneaky stuff more often!
Plus, it could help surprise Snacks!
After all, Shadow's Snack list for this world was growing longer by the day. Especially as he and Gem saved more children.
His continuous efforts suddenly paused when one of the young girls being 'saved' from some sort of dingy abandoned shack sprouted a dozen arms and began frantically climbing away, despite her wounds and how starved she looked.
Oh? What is this now? For someone who looked so lost and broken, she shifted to action very quickly.
Gem pulsed as they watched her begin to sprout eyes and ears throughout her surroundings.
Interesting… But she still needed help. Only a day or so before dehydration kicked in, and some of those cuts were infected.
Best send this over to his Host to handle. She'd know what to do.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Robin Nico flinched as she had felt SOMETHING in the shadows attempt to touch her, despite her abilities marking this a safe place.
A near silent whisper. "Hanna Hanna no Mi: [[Treinta Fleur: Search.]]"
Thirty of her arms sprouted like blossoms, each and every one with her eye bloomed on the palm, as she searched the area.
No one. Just like before.
But she had FELT it.
A pull. Something in the dark corner she had been sheltered in had tried to TAKE her somewhere!
Her mind flickered through her daily fears. One of the pirate crews she had fled with and betrayed/was betrayed by? Another group of Marines who found her trail? Just a normal pedophile or rapist? One of those cannibals from this island?
Not like she had planned to come here in the first place, but sometimes a stowaway had little choice when being chased.
Still, this was not matching any of her worries so far. If someone had found her, had taken action like this, they wouldn't stay silent and hidden after a near miss.
Not with her being this weak, this damaged, this wounded.
No, this was the time for declarations, for cursing her existence, for gloating about having 'finally caught the 'Devil Child' and how Justice would be made this day as her existence was destroyed and history fully erased.
But still, in the dim shadows? Silence.
If anything, she felt like the shade itself was just… Observing her. Despite her seeing nothing. Her Devil Fruit limbs touching no obstacle. Her senses finding no one.
Her vision faded again, the ringing in her ears intensifying as the edges dimmed.
Rapid movement had been a bad idea.
Her body was not prepared, despite how much she had attempted to recover while hiding here.
But she wouldn't let reality stop her.
She'd survive.
Somehow.
This life was one stolen from fate, when her last protector and friend, Jaguar D. Saul, had died.
The same day when her home, her family, her island… Everything burned to the ground under the world government's relentless attack.
That brave massive giant of a man, despite being a former vice admiral Marine… He had not wanted her to die then. He would not want her to die now.
[[There is nothing more ridiculous than being born in this world to be alone… Someday you will meet brave friends who will protect you! Go and live with them, Robin...]]
Despite her grief and horror, she had followed his last wishes. The best she could. For so long.
She felt her focus drift as a wet cough escaped her lungs, even as something in the Darkness surrounded her.
She didn't cry.
But… It seemed like some promises were harder to keep than others.
Despite her determination, she fell into Darkness…
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Bell-mère hummed with a soft smile.
The girls were going to be having a slumber party today! But since they were just sharing a room tonight and not going anywhere, it was more a 'Share a bed and hide under the covers to talk instead of sleeping' party.
Idly she checked on [[Shady Grove]] as the healing population continued to grow. In a way, the sleeping minds drifting off to deeper levels of peace had a sort of hum to it. A symphony of sighs, a musical of drifting thoughts and memories.
Good, they seemed to be doing well. The music had a bit of a harsh edge, due to new arrivals having to calm down when saved, but somehow it just felt soothing to listen to the sound of silence.
Right, extra blankets, some flashlights, a few of their favorite books to sneak into bed when she 'wasn't looking', everything was pretty much set up!
As she reached to check if the pillow case was Nami's favorite one or not (She didn't like the one with boat anchors for some reason), Bell-mère blinked as a heavy pulse echoed in her mind.
Huh?
Frowning, she started to reach for the Darkness. "Yami yami no: [[Dark Visio… ACK!"
The shocked woman looked down at the hurt child in her arms. "What the… Huh!?"
Somewhere else entirely, pink pulses of frustration and admonishment ranted at an apologetic but slightly confused Shadow, but right now Bell-mère had her hands full.
Literally!
Thankfully her professionalism kicked in when she felt how injured the little one was.
Right, get this child medical treatment first, figure out what the hell was going on second. "Yami yami no: [[Heartless Helper.]]"
She felt her power reach for her people… But not her normal guys, she needed someone who could help this girl.
Her shadow shifted into some sort of strange flying creature wearing a witches hat, a green cloak, and glowing purple eyes. It seemed to pulse with unfelt power.
How did she instinctively know that this guy was called a 'Green Requiem'?
The child weakly coughed in her embrace.
No clue, not important, focus on the big issue! "Fix her."
The creature didn't bother to nod, instead glowing with sparkles.
[[Curaga.]]
Bell-mère just blinked at the magical floating flower bells that sparkled bright green glitter onto the child, nearly FORCING her body to recover before her eyes.
Miracle healing, at a whim. "Huh."
She felt the Green Requiem innocently float to one side, ready to help. Right, going to keep one of you around from now on! "You are officially our ship's doctor. Forever."
At her order it… Well, it just sort of floated there, but she felt calm acceptance.
Which was good enough.
Right.
So.
Uh.
Holding this far too light little girl in her arms, Bell-mère attempted to mentally recover.
She can do this!
First of all, define the situation!
Unlike ALL the other children, THIS one showed up HERE instead of over in the expensive healing magic forest hidden in Darkness. For some reason.
Probably should find out what that reason actually was at some future point in time.
Oh, and on an additional note to this madness? Her Heartless Helpers apparently had alternate forms they could take when being summoned. More than just this healing guy too, from what she could sense.
This new selection option was a choice that felt instinctual NOW, but went completely undetected in the past… Which sort of implied her powers were growing stronger over time.
And that was a little bit terrifying. Just a bit.
Her thoughts drifted a bit as she heard her daughters getting ready for tonight's sleepover… Oh crumbs! Hadn't she been doing something before all this!?
Bell-mère blinked at the suddenly messy room.
Dang it! She had JUST cleaned all this!
She needed to tidy up this bedroom again with some Twists before either of the girls saw this. And before this new little one woke up! There was now dirt and blood and stuff everywhere… And the new child needed to be cleaned up and given untorn clothing, and…
Sigh. One step at a time.
As a Mom, she would fix all this. Somehow.
She smiled as she sent off notes to her people, she smiled as she checked on the progress in the city, she smiled as she discussed future development plans.
And as the day grew older, she smiled as she carefully got her needs handled and her responsibilities looked after.
But now, the girls had dinner and were off to bed.
Now, the house was quiet and night had fully fallen.
Bell-mère was not smiling as she looked into the Darkness.
When one's shoulders grew wider, it didn't simply mean you grew stronger…
It meant you could carry a heavier load.
Her Heart of Justice was to be there when needed.
And she was needed. "Yami yami no: [[Dark Visions.]]"
Show me the children. The lost, the hungry, the captive.
Show me the little ones, with no hope.
Show me the tiny people, with burdens too great to bear.
The images were endless. The scenes, tragic. The cries for help, endless.
Bell-mère didn't falter. "Yami yami no: [[Shady Grove.]]"
In the Darkness, a forest with white roots and white branches that glowed softly in the twilight. Not a true forest, not THE true forest, but a reflection of one that never existed.
It was a Shadow of something much grander, much farther away than was possible.
Too far.
The scale was too large.
The need was too dire.
That image, that grove, flickered. Faded.
The power needed to form these things was immeasurable. The focus unsustainable, the requirements unmeetable. Such a place could not be formed by any person, nor any Devil Fruit user.
But as she begged for the little ones to be safe, she felt a pulse of love from the Darkness, and her fumbling hands found warm acceptance. From the absence, energy flowed. From the Shadows, Power was granted.
And from that light, that unseen pink glow, warmth filled this place that never was and had never been. Light that felt familiar, that felt nostalgic.
Bell-mère blinked from the floor of her office, carefully shifting as she touched the blood flowing from her nose and felt the pain being washed away by those same warm waves of energy inside.
That… That might have been a bit much to attempt all at once.
But despite the cost? It was a payment that needed to be made.
In her mind, tiny forms cowered and cried and screamed.
Tiny forms with little hope, that suddenly found themselves being pulled by no one to nowhere.
They vanished into the Darkness from many places.
Most fell instantly into slumber, as the raw power in this Shady Grove began to heal wounds, both literal and metaphysical, and starving near corpses began to recover next to bodies that had nearly drowned, broken ones nearly destroyed, and worse.
But others found themselves walking in a mysterious but comforting glade in a forest, with strange black trees and glowing white roots and pure glistening branches.
Like a dream, they didn't question what was happening. When black claws formed from shadows and offered food and drink, they were not startled or scared. Although this dream was much less painful and scary than the others, there were no monsters here. No danger.
Not to them, at least.
Bell-mère still felt shaky even as her body rebuilt damaged brain tissue and broken tendons, and carefully Twisted to her bed to lay down a little bit as her Heartless Helpers carefully tended to the lost ones of the Sea.
Some of these tiny forms had scars and brandings that the Shadows began to Consume, others needed direct healing and careful handling.
A few species needed special environments, as the Shady Grove began to Twist itself to form cloud seas above and fresh and salt water environments below. Material 'borrowed' from the world, added as needed for comfort and safety and recovery.
Bell-mère winced as she felt her muscles reconnect and strengthen.
The other steps of her plan were going to have to be delayed… Which was fine. Time was needed for all the orphanages to be opened up on the nearby islands, places within her reach and under her protection.
And these lost ones would need time to recover, and would be 'found' and accepted into these orphanages over time anyway, once the locations were purchased or constructed.
Sure, she'd be spending most of her future building up the infrastructure to take care of this massive crowd… But as they slept and healed in that Shady Grove, she'd have some time to get things together.
Later, she'd need to get some trade schools together. Training camps. Apprenticeships. Which would be tricky for some of the more unusual orphans saved moment to moment, considering some of them had extra limbs or special abilities that would need specific attention to properly develop future skills.
Not now though. Now she could recover.
Her Shady Grove would continue to find and save those without family or caretakers now, guiding the lost and the captured to a safe haven beyond the reach of endless dangers.
Sure, tormentors would hunt them. In some cases, even the Marines would turn blades towards these tiny targets as powerful and evil people pulled their strings.
But in her garden, these children could sleep and heal and pass time safely. Those searching would be looking for lost ones of the wrong ages, targets who were now missing wounds and identifying scars and brandings and crippling injuries.
And when they arrived at their new homes, it would just be another oddity of these lands.
After all, these were the Haunted Isles… And people were 'found' here every day. A few more wouldn't be that unusual.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
"I'm just saying this is BULLSHIT!"
Damn it. "We know, Clyde."
The asshole didn't even pause. "We've been fighting random ass pirates every fucking day, puttering around these seas and bumping into bullshit EVERY DAY, and for WHAT!?"
Sigh. This was going to be one of his long episodes.
Clyde punched the wall of the ship. "Just because some assholes want to be seen 'doing something'!"
Yep. "We know, Clyde." Oh, and just in case this came up in court-martialing later. "Also, please don't call our supervisors…"
He was met with a raised middle finger.
Alright then.
Not like he was actually against what Clyde was saying, mind you, but none of the others were dumb enough to actually say these things out loud.
The man checked his blade. "Almost chipped my baby on the skull of that last pirate. And that's another thing! I love stabbing a few sea rats like the best of them, but what the shit is up with this random bullshit!?"
Sigh. "We received intelligence…"
Clyde snorted! "We received BULLSHIT! A whole bunch of secret places blew up and now we gotta 'find the culprits' and shit, but I don't think these 'culprits' even fucking EXIST! Someone is pulling some bullshit, you just wait. Just one rich asshole sabotaging another faction of rich assholes!"
Most likely. The concept of thousands of secret locations being bombed without witnesses or enemy movement being detected simultaneously? Ludicrous. It was most likely an insider job.
But in this case, 'insider' meant 'Celestial Dragon' which meant 'Even if they are guilty, they are not guilty', so… More orders to find the 'Pirates Responsible!' it was.
Although it was a bit concerning that more and more coworkers were starting to actually listen to Clyde now after weeks and weeks of dangerous and deadly deployment on these treacherous waters… "After this last deployment, I've been told that we will be taken out of rotation, so if we just make it through the end of the week…"
Karma banged open the door. "New orders!"
Now EVERYONE glared at the resigned man slumped at the entrance.
He didn't even bother to defend himself. "Yeah. Again."
Clyde actually growled! "Those rich fuckers better watch their back. Who knows when the NEXT bombing may suddenly happen!"
This time, no one actually commented one way or another.
…Which was a really, really bad sign.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Nojiko, as the older sister, had always tried to be responsible. Mature.
To help mom, and take care of her little sis.
The recent changes however, made it really hard to stay serious all the time.
Suddenly, each meal time was the best part of the day! Instead of slightly old leftovers and carefully cooked small portions, now each experience was more fun and delicious than the last!
All her friends were doing better too, and their moms and dads didn't fight as much either now that the island was doing so good. Everyone seemed more cheerful, and interesting stuff was going on all the time!
Ships kept showing up with workers and construction crews and strangers and interesting stuff from around the world, crazy stuff was being built out in the waters at a scale which just felt impossible, and the new places all felt like halloween or something.
Ghost decorations, plastic bats, fake cobwebs… While her home island wasn't changing much because apparently mom secretly bought it at some point, the new play area being built felt like a constant festival!
Sure, she was mentally repressing the memories of her mom shifting into a massive shadowy giant of death, and maybe was taking a bunch of the recent stuff and shelving it mentally into the 'Process this later' boat, but aside from that?
Things were going great!
Lots of new kids were joining her friends as they explored the newly constructed artificial islands, each one dedicated to different stuff as they got built. Although a lot of it had to do with the markets.
There were a LOT of markets.
Ones that sold fish or snacks or fruits and stuff, ones that traded boring adult stuff, weapon stalls, armor shops, all kinds of stuff! And if a kid put on a costume, especially one that was cute or 'scary', the nice old people at the snack stalls would offer tiny treats!
She suspected her mom was egging on the people about this, considering how often she tried to convince both of them to dress up in 'adorable' costumes and stuff, but it was rapidly becoming a tradition on the island.
It was common to see Loyd or Sarah dressed up as a zombie or boat cow or something and get some free apple slices, or for a group of children to make a club and all dress up as Marines or Bounty Hunters or Cats and pretend to be a cool gang that controlled the underworld and ALSO got to eat a free pretzel now and then.
Still, she tried to be mature and responsible.
Which is why she WASN'T freaking out right now. "Really!?"
Greg nodded! "Yeah, dad's friends were talking about it! It's gonna be a whole island thing, as long as you put in the effort and try hard, we can work with shops and learn how to do stuff!"
That sounded AWESOME! "Like how mom's friend was teaching us how to be mini Marines?"
A nod. "Yeah, 'cept it is also for people who sell stuff and make clothes and all that. Mom was really happy that these 'prentice ships' would not just teach us all how to fight and stuff."
Nojiko grinned! "Nami would LOVE learning from some navigators! Or even work at one of those shops that sell maps…"
Greg blinked. "Huh? What about you?"
Meh. "I'm gonna learn from mom." Cause mom was awesome. Plus, she loved working with the garden and the grove, and her mom was super cool and stuff. "But Nami has been dreaming about being a master mapper for years… She's going to be so thrilled!"
Would a Prentice Ship be hard to sail? They had both managed to get the Highwind to sort of go where wanted, at least when they had the help from Mom's 'Helpers' and followed her instructions… It couldn't be that hard, would it?
Greg frowned, but nodded. "Yeah, she did mention that a lot… And uh. Between you and me? I… I don't really want to be a bounty hunter. That's not my real dream." He glanced in both directions and whispered. "I want to carve stuff."
Huh? "Like the boat builders?"
He shook his head. "Like small statues and stuff. I've been practicing, and I'm not good yet, but I saw this model thing one of the shops was selling and it was like a tiny island! I mean, it was like a huge big island but in a really small size, right?"
Greg sparkled with a grin! "I'm gonna do that, one day! I'm going to carve all kinds of stuff!"
Nojiko couldn't help but smile at the boy's passion. "Really?"
He nodded! "I got a spot in our hideout that I keep my best tries, but I'm not ready to show anyone yet." He paused, suddenly shocked! "And you can't tell anyone, okay!? It's a secret, yeah!? If anyone asks, I'm going to be a cow-ty hunter or something!"
Her mind skipped a bit. Would that be a hunter of criminal bovinian prey? "You mean, a bounty hunter?"
Greg didn't even pause. "Yeah. Or that I'm going to be a tinkerer or something. Kay?"
Yeah sure. "Alright." Oh! The Prentice Ship stuff. "Will they teach us how to sail these 'Prentice Ships'? Or should I ask mom?"
Either way, Nami could do it, probably! She was great at sailing… Or at least, she would be!
This was going to be awesome!
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Shadow frowned as another child was passed to Gem's [[Shady Grove]]. Well, technically it was owned and controlled by his Host, but she was too young and inexperienced to handle something this massive and unwieldy just yet.
So for now, Gem was directing it and Shadow was empowering the whole sucker directly using the Darkness instead of his host's Soul like normal.
What was concerning was selecting who to target for rescue.
Due to the nature of Bell-mère's request when forming this place, it would naturally detect and try to assist the 'lost ones' of the planet. Specifically, the young.
However, young means different things to different species. For some, it was a few months before a child would become mature… For others? Decades or longer.
Also, Bell-mère wasn't targeting people in bad conditions if they had support of any level. Because she wasn't going to steal kids away from parents and loved ones.
Thus, only children, only without parental units, only when in severe danger/risk/locked up/abandoned. Plus there were additional restrictions and rules… For example, reincarnated people in a kid's body didn't count, if they were already self-sufficient despite their apparent age.
One would think a situation like that would be rare or non-existent, but well… The Grand Line was weird. So you had to check that some random mass murdering assholes hadn't stolen baby corpses to try and slip in with the group and be included in the 'save me' category,
Not that they had FOUND any of those yet, but the 'Snack List' was prepped and ready for any jerks of that caliber. Just in case.
With so many restrictions and exceptions and stuff, one would expect the number of arrivals to be heavily restrained…
Which was why It was just so frustrating at how many children were being gathered in this hidden [[Shady Grove]] now.
Most weren't important, at least not according to society. Just more poor kids, destined to die in poverty and hunger. Supposedly destined, at any rate. Still, a number of the ones taken from abusive people should have set off all kinds of alerts, alarms, vengeful people off to hunt their 'property', etc.
Which gave Shadow an excuse to fine tune his latest, Gem-approved project!
Yami yami no: [[Dim Memories.]]
Not fully developed yet, despite the Heartless Helpers testing it out for a while now, it was SUPPOSED to cause records and memories and evidence get filtered away. Filed off. Noticed, marked, and then ignored.
Using the power of Darkness and the Shadow's of the past to cause certain information to be lost or marked unimportant.
It was a bit hit or miss. People with enough imagination or Soul power, like children or dedicated warriors, they could resist the ability to various levels. And the more you were exposed to the target, the less effective it would be…
But it was better than nothing.
It was why short term contact with people wouldn't be an issue for his Host, most of the time.
When his Host was doing something with her powers, the 'adult' and 'mature' mind that didn't easily accept the impossible would start justifying all of it. 'Oh, she must have moved this earlier.' 'I am imagining things.' 'She had help, but they were unimportant people.' 'She was very pretty, but we are not sure what she looked like.'
Stuff like that.
It worked mostly well, on a passive level. People just knew that Bell-mère had connections, knew people and suppliers, could access stuff and materials, and happened to drop by at convenient times.
They didn't however remember small helpers or impossibly fast traversal times, or how quickly she acquired needed materials or goods for sales.
It was just vague feelings. They knew she could get stuff done, and the why or how was less important.
The issue came with applying this new ability directly now, as children were being stolen away.
For the ones that survived shipwrecks or being abandoned on islands or whatever, this was a trivial issue. But for the boys and girls locked up, either for crimes they didn't commit or for future 'use' by others?
Well, this is where the problem came in.
Not only were there a LOT more kids in danger than Shadow expected, but he had to be cautious when saving them. Gem was working overtime when not taking care of the new charges, but even she was growing frustrated at the raw evil that seemed to grow from these powerful positions in society.
If they just vanished, these assholes would throw a fit. Killing slaves, servants, random citizens, screaming and ranting, sending the Marines off to do who knows what, and worse. The fact that the child was a casual plaything or toy that they rarely thought about or cared for didn't matter, if something they owned went missing then it hurt their PRIDE.
Here was where the hard part came in.
Not instantly slaughtering them.
As messed up as things were, if these people vanished the world would crumble. Unlike in Alice's London, where sleaze had slithered up the social chain, here? They WERE society.
So, for now, Shadow had to find a work around… And even the solution pissed him off.
Just leave a Darkness fragment of memory that implied that the boy or girl died.
Done.
These assholes killed so many people so often and so arbitrarily, they instantly completed the memory fragment on their own! 'I must have shot her', 'Probably kicked him to death', etc.
As more and more children vanished from expensive cells, NOW their 'owners' would simply mark it as having reached their 'expiration date' and order a new supply.
Though that might be a bit tricky for them, now that [[Shady Grove]] existed.
Good luck trying to find children in the future, slavers.
And maybe a few of the slaves who weren't also murders and rapists an stuff found keys to their explosive collars, and perhaps a few slave brands mysteriously got healed, and perhaps some official transfer agreements came into existance that offered escape opportunities…
But that was technically not THEIR fault, now was it?
Not according to the evidence, anyway.
Nope, Shadow and Gem were just making sure these kids were put into healing comas, healed on multiple levels, and carefully modified to be unidentifiable by officials! They were both FAR too busy to bother with all that other stuff, yes sir.
Good thing damage from aging could be healed though, it may take some time before all these children could be safely returned to his Host's islands.
Meh, good luck finding an escaped child slave when they don't match any of your descriptions, jerks! So sorry you wasted all that money looking for someone who now lives in a different sea with an unexpected age and new appearance!
Sigh, back to work on this [[Dim Memories]] ability. Maybe he could work it up to a full Stranger level skill and help his Host do sneaky sneaky stuff more often!
Plus, it could help surprise Snacks!
After all, Shadow's Snack list for this world was growing longer by the day. Especially as he and Gem saved more children.
His continuous efforts suddenly paused when one of the young girls being 'saved' from some sort of dingy abandoned shack sprouted a dozen arms and began frantically climbing away, despite her wounds and how starved she looked.
Oh? What is this now? For someone who looked so lost and broken, she shifted to action very quickly.
Gem pulsed as they watched her begin to sprout eyes and ears throughout her surroundings.
Interesting… But she still needed help. Only a day or so before dehydration kicked in, and some of those cuts were infected.
Best send this over to his Host to handle. She'd know what to do.
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Robin Nico flinched as she had felt SOMETHING in the shadows attempt to touch her, despite her abilities marking this a safe place.
A near silent whisper. "Hanna Hanna no Mi: [[Treinta Fleur: Search.]]"
Thirty of her arms sprouted like blossoms, each and every one with her eye bloomed on the palm, as she searched the area.
No one. Just like before.
But she had FELT it.
A pull. Something in the dark corner she had been sheltered in had tried to TAKE her somewhere!
Her mind flickered through her daily fears. One of the pirate crews she had fled with and betrayed/was betrayed by? Another group of Marines who found her trail? Just a normal pedophile or rapist? One of those cannibals from this island?
Not like she had planned to come here in the first place, but sometimes a stowaway had little choice when being chased.
Still, this was not matching any of her worries so far. If someone had found her, had taken action like this, they wouldn't stay silent and hidden after a near miss.
Not with her being this weak, this damaged, this wounded.
No, this was the time for declarations, for cursing her existence, for gloating about having 'finally caught the 'Devil Child' and how Justice would be made this day as her existence was destroyed and history fully erased.
But still, in the dim shadows? Silence.
If anything, she felt like the shade itself was just… Observing her. Despite her seeing nothing. Her Devil Fruit limbs touching no obstacle. Her senses finding no one.
Her vision faded again, the ringing in her ears intensifying as the edges dimmed.
Rapid movement had been a bad idea.
Her body was not prepared, despite how much she had attempted to recover while hiding here.
But she wouldn't let reality stop her.
She'd survive.
Somehow.
This life was one stolen from fate, when her last protector and friend, Jaguar D. Saul, had died.
The same day when her home, her family, her island… Everything burned to the ground under the world government's relentless attack.
That brave massive giant of a man, despite being a former vice admiral Marine… He had not wanted her to die then. He would not want her to die now.
[[There is nothing more ridiculous than being born in this world to be alone… Someday you will meet brave friends who will protect you! Go and live with them, Robin...]]
Despite her grief and horror, she had followed his last wishes. The best she could. For so long.
She felt her focus drift as a wet cough escaped her lungs, even as something in the Darkness surrounded her.
She didn't cry.
But… It seemed like some promises were harder to keep than others.
Despite her determination, she fell into Darkness…
~~~Broken Adventure~~~
Bell-mère hummed with a soft smile.
The girls were going to be having a slumber party today! But since they were just sharing a room tonight and not going anywhere, it was more a 'Share a bed and hide under the covers to talk instead of sleeping' party.
Idly she checked on [[Shady Grove]] as the healing population continued to grow. In a way, the sleeping minds drifting off to deeper levels of peace had a sort of hum to it. A symphony of sighs, a musical of drifting thoughts and memories.
Good, they seemed to be doing well. The music had a bit of a harsh edge, due to new arrivals having to calm down when saved, but somehow it just felt soothing to listen to the sound of silence.
Right, extra blankets, some flashlights, a few of their favorite books to sneak into bed when she 'wasn't looking', everything was pretty much set up!
As she reached to check if the pillow case was Nami's favorite one or not (She didn't like the one with boat anchors for some reason), Bell-mère blinked as a heavy pulse echoed in her mind.
Huh?
Frowning, she started to reach for the Darkness. "Yami yami no: [[Dark Visio… ACK!"
The shocked woman looked down at the hurt child in her arms. "What the… Huh!?"
Somewhere else entirely, pink pulses of frustration and admonishment ranted at an apologetic but slightly confused Shadow, but right now Bell-mère had her hands full.
Literally!
Thankfully her professionalism kicked in when she felt how injured the little one was.
Right, get this child medical treatment first, figure out what the hell was going on second. "Yami yami no: [[Heartless Helper.]]"
She felt her power reach for her people… But not her normal guys, she needed someone who could help this girl.
Her shadow shifted into some sort of strange flying creature wearing a witches hat, a green cloak, and glowing purple eyes. It seemed to pulse with unfelt power.
How did she instinctively know that this guy was called a 'Green Requiem'?
The child weakly coughed in her embrace.
No clue, not important, focus on the big issue! "Fix her."
The creature didn't bother to nod, instead glowing with sparkles.
[[Curaga.]]
Bell-mère just blinked at the magical floating flower bells that sparkled bright green glitter onto the child, nearly FORCING her body to recover before her eyes.
Miracle healing, at a whim. "Huh."
She felt the Green Requiem innocently float to one side, ready to help. Right, going to keep one of you around from now on! "You are officially our ship's doctor. Forever."
At her order it… Well, it just sort of floated there, but she felt calm acceptance.
Which was good enough.
Right.
So.
Uh.
Holding this far too light little girl in her arms, Bell-mère attempted to mentally recover.
She can do this!
First of all, define the situation!
Unlike ALL the other children, THIS one showed up HERE instead of over in the expensive healing magic forest hidden in Darkness. For some reason.
Probably should find out what that reason actually was at some future point in time.
Oh, and on an additional note to this madness? Her Heartless Helpers apparently had alternate forms they could take when being summoned. More than just this healing guy too, from what she could sense.
This new selection option was a choice that felt instinctual NOW, but went completely undetected in the past… Which sort of implied her powers were growing stronger over time.
And that was a little bit terrifying. Just a bit.
Her thoughts drifted a bit as she heard her daughters getting ready for tonight's sleepover… Oh crumbs! Hadn't she been doing something before all this!?
Bell-mère blinked at the suddenly messy room.
Dang it! She had JUST cleaned all this!
She needed to tidy up this bedroom again with some Twists before either of the girls saw this. And before this new little one woke up! There was now dirt and blood and stuff everywhere… And the new child needed to be cleaned up and given untorn clothing, and…
Sigh. One step at a time.
As a Mom, she would fix all this. Somehow.
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- Location
- Earth U.S.
Maybe. Could also be calling the Requiem a git, either one works really.
- Location
- Germany
The people of her Island/Queendom are going to be powerful and technologically/culturally advanced, if nothing stops. One of the strongest realms in the weakest sea, now that will be interesting... imagine people being taught some of the more useful techniques of the six powers
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- Location
- Sol;Terra;EU;D;NRW
We call this: Mom At Work.
Shadow is probably getting a bit less candy and hugs for a few minutes for being so quick on the trigger. Gem just cant keep being upset with him for long.
It is good to see the One Piece Babies Crew starting to assemble some more. Soon they can ride the Prentice Ships together.
There will probably a whole new level of shipping wars across the adult population to decide who gets to teach who first...
Shadow is probably getting a bit less candy and hugs for a few minutes for being so quick on the trigger. Gem just cant keep being upset with him for long.
It is good to see the One Piece Babies Crew starting to assemble some more. Soon they can ride the Prentice Ships together.
There will probably a whole new level of shipping wars across the adult population to decide who gets to teach who first...
Epro987654
Nordic Dragon Cultist
- Location
- Atop a mountain deep in the swedish wilderness
Thank you for the chapter!
How old is Nami again? Because I looked up the age difference between her and Robin, 10 years. So Robin must be somewhere around 16-18 depending on Nami's age (pretty sure she's somewhere between 6 and 8, but not even a little sure). Idk, this may be an AU element but the descriptors of "little one" and "child" aren't what most use to describe people in the latter half of their teens. Or I'm completely wrong, who knows?
How old is Nami again? Because I looked up the age difference between her and Robin, 10 years. So Robin must be somewhere around 16-18 depending on Nami's age (pretty sure she's somewhere between 6 and 8, but not even a little sure). Idk, this may be an AU element but the descriptors of "little one" and "child" aren't what most use to describe people in the latter half of their teens. Or I'm completely wrong, who knows?
- Location
- Here
They show up a lot in the Kingdom heart games and they're one of the few enemies that don't actually attack you. Pure support, they fly around the battle and heal all the enemies that are kicking your butt!
There are some boss monsters that also have some magic like attacks, but these little flying dudes are the most common magic users besides the mushrooms that you see in the video games.
@theaceoffire , when you write/create new concepts or take existing concepts and turn them into something else, how do you do it?
For example, I would have never thought of Haki and Rokushiki as soul magic, just a law of the world that made it possible to fly by kicking hard and fast enough.
For example, I would have never thought of Haki and Rokushiki as soul magic, just a law of the world that made it possible to fly by kicking hard and fast enough.
Fragnostic
Cheshire
- Location
- Neko City
Curiouser and curiouser...
You see, I am aware of a song since 2009 or so, which is surprisingly fitting.
And it started playing around the time you introduced this name...
Also, the album title itself is oddly fitting for Adam...
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KingOfWorlds
Exists.
- Location
- Universe #8758762952950231859269663
What about those children with abusive/indifferent parental units?
- Location
- Here
There's a fine line between saving children near death and just kidnapping hundreds of thousands of children... The problem is trying to judge whether or not parents are indifferent or just unable to properly convey their emotion through words.
That and I don't think her sense of justice would permit her to steal all children from all parents just because she feels like she's a better option. I considered it, but for now she's focused on the children that have no one there and who are in desperate need.
An act of triage, if you will.
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We Just Write
Blatantly Plural
- Location
- New England
- Pronouns
- Plural
T: It's my official opinion that the world of One Piece needs a Dragonslayer. Because if any dragons need slaying, it's the Celestial Dragons.
- Status