One Piece: The Freedom Fighters

Chapter 20: The Holy Healer

Genu looked down at the girl, unable to find his voice. She was small and whimpering, her curled-up position only subtracting from her height. They had hazel hair and big, tear-stained eyes that shared her hair's hue. She wore a gray hoodie and black sweatpants, which did a passable job of protecting her from the harsh conditions. "D-Don't hurt me!" She meekly squeaked, staring up at Genu with a look of genuine fear and covering her head with her arms.

"W-Woah, slow down." Genu nervously replied, taking a step back. What was a little girl doing on a Pirate ship? Well, truth be told, she only looked a few years younger than Genu... But still! "Nobody's gonna hurt anybody, okay?" He softly spoke, trying to calm her down.

The Girl gave Genu a conflicted look, still unsure if he could be trusted or not. "B-But aren't you a Pirate?" They asked. She had heard the noisy battle above deck and immediately took to hiding. Pirates are scary! She would know, being one herself.

Genu hesitated. He knows Ket doesn't consider them to be Pirates, but... They sorta are? "Not exactly... I'm part of the Freedom Fighters!" He answered, giving his attempt at an uplifting smile. "We're like Pirates, but instead of the whole... Piracy thing, we hate the Navy!"

"H-Hate the Navy?" The girl repeated, tilting her head slightly. It seems Genu struck a chord and a good one at that! The girl scanned Genu's face before noticing something and giving an odd look. "What... Happened to your nose?" She asked, a newfound hint of worry in her voice.

"Oh, this?" Genu replied, tapping his cast and wincing. Yeah, touching it still hurt. "It broke a few weeks ago. I uh... Got on the wrong side of a fist."

The girl let a small laugh escape her, wiping away her tears and standing up. She was around two-thirds the size of Genu, who was already on the shorter side of the spectrum himself. "H-Here, let me see..." She insists, holding her hand out to his nostrils. Genu was but decided to let her. The girl put her palm on Genu's nose, causing him to flinch in pain a tad. The girl closed her eyes and focused. Suddenly, a yellow light emitted from her hand! "Holy-Holy: Mend..." She whispered, the glow spreading to Genu's nose. The light felt warm and euphoric, a small tingle running along his nasal as the girl worked her magic. After a few moments, she took her hand off Genu's nose. As she did so, the light disappeared, and something felt different. Genu touched his nose and gasped. It's healed!

"Woah..." Genu muttered, quickly taking the cast off. Sure enough, it was fully fixed and functional! (Thank goodness, that cast was so itchy!) Genu looked down at the girl in bewilderment... How did she do that?! "A devil fruit?" He asks, almost certain that he's correct.

"Y-Yeah!" The girl smiled, holding her hands up and producing light from both of them. "I ate the Holy-Holy fruit! It's pretty... Useful, I guess..." She trailed off, a bit embarrassed by her sudden outburst.

"That's so cool!" Genu smiled, crouching down to match the girl's height. Just then, he remembered something: Sukato's still injured! "Say... Could you maybe heal my friend? He got hurt really bad a while back. He acts like he's fine, but I know it hurts..." Genu asked. He saw Sukato get hit with that club earlier, and it didn't look pretty. The girl looked worried but eventually nodded her head. Why not? This guy seems trustworthy, how bad could his friend be? "Great! My name's Genu, by the way. What's yours?"

"M-My name?" She asked, growing a little red. She still wasn't totally sure if she could trust Genu, but... "It's Belle..."

...

"Ah, much better..." Ket happily sighed, putting on his seventh jacket. He had taken Sukato's advice and borrowed a coat from one of the knocked-out Pirates! Or two... Or three... What? He wanted to layer up!