Diary of a Devil Fruit Scholar

Day 1 - The Maiden Voyage

This is it. Today is the first day I set sail for a new life. A life of adventure and intrigue on the high seas. Nothing in the way between me and the freedom of exploration. It's been a long 18 years, but me and my friends have finally saved up enough to afford our own ship.

Y'know, ever since we were kids we've always set our sights on the water. Living in a peaceful farming village on a small island, we rarely got to see any excitement more than a drunken brawl through the window of our local pub. But today is the day we turn it all around. Today, we've finally prepared everything we need to set sail. Food, clean water, supplies, and navigational tools. Years of waiting have made us all the more excited to get out there.

We all have our personal roles on the ships, as well as reasons for being there:

There's the captain of our ship, Josephine. She was the one who brought us all together in the first place when we were just kids. She always had a way with words, which would be surprising, since she tends to be more on the clumsy side. She truly had an adventurous spirit. It doesn't matter the danger, the risk. Her heart races towards the thrill of excitement. That's her reasoning for wanting to be a pirate, at least. She has always wanted to live a grand life, and make a name for herself. She's a great captain, good at commanding and making the right call in times of stress, though she does lack the ability to fend for herself. She had always been on the weaker side, only making up for it in terms of her sheer cunning and grace during times of crisis.

Luckily, we have the muscle to back ourselves up. Our first mate, Thomas, is the main line of defense against any threats we might face. He had always been the strongest of our group, easily greater than any of us, but he was also quite humble and stoic. His strength wasn't just due to physical prowess though. He had abilities of his own. You see, when we were children, we would often play in the woods, and it was there that me and Thomas found it.

Sitting at the base of a large oak tree, it gleamed in the morning light. It was a small fruit... no, not just any fruit. The signature swirling pattern, the shape, the metallic sheen that had never been seen before on our island. It was unmistakable...

A devil fruit.

Of course, we didn't know that. We were only children after all, and curiosity had gotten the better of us. Thomas was quick to grab the fruit, which I would scold him for, as we didn't know what it was. For all we knew, it could've been poisonous. He didn't seem to care though, as his eyes were drawn to it. It was almost like a deep, primal urge overtook him as he began to chomp down on it. It's hard to remember, but I believe I recall him describing the taste as sharp and bitter.

Little did we know the powers this little fruit held. It wasn't but a few moments as we continued to play out in the woods that we had realized what Thomas had done. As he reached forth, about to punch me, I quickly dodged out of the way of his play fighting. Turning to see his arm, my eyes widened as I watched the joint of his elbow pop out and extend like a metal rod, his arm thrusting forward with the speed of a bullet. His fist slammed against the trunk of the oak tree, which must've been a few decades old. The wake of his punch echoed throughout the woods like a shockwave. The thick tree snapped at his point of contact, and was sent flying away with an intense velocity.

As he retracted his arm, it returned to normal, but not before releasing a small gust of steam. I was aghast, realizing that I had almost been killed. My jaw dropped as far as it could as my body shook with fear. Thomas was equally as surprised as me, and afterwards we had decided to run back to the village. We needed to find our parents and understand what was going on.

Only... the moment Thomas began to run, as his calves flexed against the ground, his knee joints popped just as before and as he began to run, his legs moved with a speed and vigor I had never seen before. Thomas had always been slightly faster than me, but this was at least three or so times his previous speed. I grabbed his arm as he ran, and I was practically flying behind him as I held on... it was... jarring, to say the least.

It wasn't until much later that we had discovered what had happened. Thomas had eaten a devil fruit. It was named the Piston-Piston Fruit, and it made it so that Thomas' joints could turn into pistons which could fire with incredible speed and power. I can't do it justice in this diary entry, so I might need to create a separate catalogue describing the fruits I encounter in detail.

It was this moment of my life, seeing one of my best friends with an awe inspiring power. This was the pilot light that set my mind and spirit ablaze. Devil fruits have and continue to be a great interest to me... I suppose that's why I want to be a pirate most of all. So I can research and study all the devil fruits in the world. I know it's a big dream, but if I don't follow it, could I really call myself a true pirate?

Anyways, I suppose that leads us perfectly into my roles on the ship. I, Steven, was assigned as the navigator, but as we don't have an entire crew at our disposal, I've been given the temporary position as shipwright. I've always been somewhat crafty and well read, so I found it easy enough to make decent repairs to a ship. I've also spent a large portion of my life studying charts and maps, and I'm more than capable of using a compass. Of course, I'm not the best at predicting the weather, but I've got books on meteorology, which I intend to study more during our voyage.

Overall, I've got three roles on our ship: Navigator, Shipwright, and Scholar. Of course, I'm not the only one who knows any history, but I consider myself to be the most well versed.

That leaves us with our last crew member. Her name is Vanya, and her role on our ship is the doctor, as well as the cook. She is, by far, the most level-headed crew member aboard the ship. She tends to nag Josephine and Thomas often, which I suppose she is just due to her being concerned about their safety. As a doctor, she sees the world through a somewhat cynical view. Most things that we view as fun, she views as dangerous. That's not to insult her, though. She genuinely cares for the three of us, and I can understand where she's coming from, not wanting us to get in any serious danger. I suppose that's her reasoning for being a pirate. Not gold, nor glory... she just wants to be with her friends. Of course, that's just my opinion. Maybe all three of them have their own personal reasons that I am unaware of... either way, I can't wait to set sail under Captain Josephine.

We've even got our own Jolly Roger. A skull with a set of pistons crossing behind it. The Piston Pirates set sail today at noon, and I couldn't be more excited. I'm currently standing in the crows nest, overlooking the waters. Captain Josephine is about to push us off the dock. This is it.

The first day of the rest of my life