Marionette (One Piece)

2| Sounds Familiar

After hours of drifting in the vast ocean, an isle rose up from the blue rim. Marie emptily gazed at the increasing size of the island while Perona was busy fixing the girl's hair.

The ghost lady explained how she met Marie and how she ended up waking in her arms.

Perona found her sleeping on a table of a toy shop. She bought Marie, thinking she was a doll and didn't listen to the saleslady who was explaining that Marie wasn't a toy of her shop yet Perona left a bag of money on the counter and left.

It's absurd as it sounds but it happened.

Marie didn't look like she was alive but she did when she woke up in Perona's arms.

There were small scratches on her but there was no sign that she died and got resurrected back to life.

The Marines wanted to take Marie because she was summoned by the World Government, specifically the Gorosei and live back there with them.

Perona insisted that she'll take care of Marie since she owned her and she finally convinced them since she noticed the Marines treated Marie like a bomb that will explode and kill them off.

They gave Mihawk the authority to execute her if she does anything bad which made Perona pretty mad. She was furious with the idea that the poor girl who works for the Government will get exterminated. They treated her like some tool that can be easily replaced with a new one.

"Am I not one?" Marie mused in her mind as she glanced at her hands. She felt like a tool but nevertheless, she did want to be useful.

When Perona asked how the girl got to work for the Government, the Marines told her that she happened to be Vegapunk's favorite. How she ended up with the mad scientist, they never told her but they assured that Marie wasn't blood-related to the scientist.

"Who are my relatives?" Marie asked herself once more yet knew very well that no one will answer her.

She tried to summon her memories but she received the same result.

A headache.

"Don't force yourself Rie" (pronounce it as RAY) Perona patted the girl's shoulder as she flew in front of her. "The memories will go back"

"How can she be so certain of that?" Marie thought.

She glanced around until a certain pair of golden eyes bored into hers.

"Those eyes are so... familiar" Marie thought as she felt her eyes dropping into a close as if the swordsman's gaze alone could put her to sleep.

"We're here Rie-chan!" Perona cheered as she pushed the ravenette off the small boat.

Marie's feet brushed on the sandy granules of the beach and the warmth that kissed them.

"Rie-chan, hurry up!" Perona called out as the swordsman passed by Marie, helping her snap out of her reverie.

Marie pushed the strap of her white sleeveless silk dress up her shoulder before she ran after the floating lady, overtaking the silent swordsman.

The brightness started to dim out as they ventured into the woods.

The atmosphere was dark and gloomy but there was something else that perked Marie's interest.

It wasn't the pairs of eyes that looked down on their small group or the constant squawking of concealed ravens in the trees.

Something was calling her out there. She felt something pulling her away from her consciousness. That something made her feel like she had a past shared with it.