𝔄 𝔅𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔞𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔖𝔢𝔞 𝔖𝔭𝔯𝔞𝔶 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔉𝔩𝔞𝔤𝔰; one piece fic

vii; past connections

Since she had already stocked up on the few supplies she would need before leaving, Raye was free to go whenever. She had already said her farewells to Ace, and was ready to reunite with her cousin again.

It truly hadn't been too long since she had seen him, but being the only two living relatives of each other made him hold a special part in her heart. If she hadn't found out about him when she did, she might not still be alive to this day. He was the only one she had when her family had been killed twice.

•—•••—•

A small girl wondered through the murky streets of an unknown town. She had just landed at a new island, one she thought she recognized. Unfortunately, she didn't remember her way around the place. She had first set off to find her remaining relatives, but at this point she was just hoping to stay alive.

Only a few days prior she had been starving, her only available food ironically being a devil fruit. She had been trying to avoid eating one after seeing how it had affected her crew mate, Buggy, but there wasn't much of choice. Between dying of hunger or not being able to swim, the disability seemed better than death at the time. However, she wasn't sure if that was the right choice anymore. Sailing alone on the seas was difficult for a young woman like herself, and she couldn't even drink away her troubles without being harassed by men.

The biggest problem was now that she had a means to protect herself, she didn't know how to use it. Raye didn't remember the name of the devil fruit, so the only ability she gained was becoming unable to swim. Groaning in annoyance, she walked into a bar. Even as a 16 year old, she had always had a bit of a drinking problem. She had tried to stop on numerous occasions, but her stress levels were higher than ever currently, and she needed an outlet somewhere.

She took a seat on a barstool, holding her forehead with her hand. She rubbed her temples and ordered a drink absentmindedly. She felt a presence appear next to her, and sighed softly. "Hey, pretty lady, wanna talk for a little while?" She turned her head to see two men grinning at her, and almost rolled her eyes. After being tired and hungry, she just wanted to eat and drink her heart out alone. Wasting her time and energy on these guys wasn't the most appealing. "No, thank you," she smiled at him sweetly. He wrapped an arm around her waist tightly, hoping to corner her. "Aw, come on baby! The name's Dan, this right here is Mikey. What's yours, sweet cheeks?" She clenched her fists but remained calm. Making a scene wouldn't help. Unfortunately for them, though, she wasn't a very thoughtful person.

Raye tilted her head innocently, and the other guy placed his hand on the bar beside her, trapping her from the other side. She slid her hand across the surface and found a butter knjfe. Before the men could react, she stabbed it quickly between 'Mikey's' fingers, tightening her smile more. He stumbled back, and Dan slipped his arm away, trembling. All of the sudden they both got extremely angry, and Mikey went to punch her, raged by her harsh rejection. Before his hit could connected, she shot her arm out, hoping to prevent him desperately.

When nothing happened a moment later, she opened her eyes to see both Dan and Mikey blasted through the building's walls, groaning in pain while stuck in a stone structure behind the bar. Her expression was greatly shocked. Did I do that? she marvelled at the damage done all around her, and tried to grasp that feeling again. Everyone in the bar was watching her, stunned, causing her to blush a bit in embarrassment. "What is it?!" she growled, making most of them avoid eye contact in fear. This little girl had come out of nowhere and taken down two guys easily, clearly she wasn't an average person.

The bar tender shakily handed her the drink she ordered previously, and she thanked him gratefully. He nodded rapidly, not trying to start any trouble. After she ordered food, she closed her eyes and concentrated, hoping to find that same feeling of power once more. She didn't know what had triggered her devil fruit power, but she was happy that it was atleast something strong. It seemed like she had a Paramecia type, which made her happy. Not that she didn't want a Zoan type, but she didn't want to transform into a rabbit or something. To be honest, a Logia type was what she had really hoped for, but those were extremely rare.

Once she had ingested her share of booze and food, she walked out of the bar casually, leaving through the giant wall she had created. She stepped over the unconscious body of the men hitting on her prior, and made her way down the street of the town. Raye kept staring at her hand in fascination. Maybe I should try blasting something again, she mused. She thrust out her palm, but it was to no avail. She repeated the motion numerous times, hoping to find that sensation. Even after half an hour passed, she had no positive results.

She huffed in frustration, and slammed her fist into the wall of a nearby inn. Overwhelmed by all the recent emotions, Raye turned and leaned against the building. She hid her face in her hands and breathed, trying to regain composure. If any of her past crew mates could see her right now, they'd be making fun of her unraveled appearance. This fact was the only thing that kept her pride intact. Wanting to feel any sort of warmth, she slid down and hugged her knees, hiding away from the world, if only for a brief moment. She had been running for so long, and she was so, so tired.

"I wish I had stayed with Shanks.." her eyes watered a bit. She wasn't even sure why she had stubbornly refused to stick with either of her best friends, but after her captain died she wasn't sure what to do, and decided to chase after a family once again. It was too bad that the only relative she could track down wasn't a permanent resident anywhere. Just like an explorer, he didn't have a singular place to call home. She was like that, too, before. Rubbing her eyes and groaning, Raye finally got back up. "Damn, I'm sick of this sappy shit," she murmured. "What's the point of declaring my independence from the group if I can't do a single thing on my own?"

A small peptalk helped her regain her prior confidence, and now she was more determined than ever to find him. Her cousin, the one they called Dracule Mihawk.