The Puppet Master [One Piece]

Training

~Shank’s POV~

                “I don’t like this idea.” Echo grumbled as she stood in the center of the deck with a black cloth tied over her eyes.

                Yassop, Benn and myself stood around her each with a basket of small sand filled bags. She agreed to letting Yassop and Benn help her the night before. The rest of the crew waited on the island so as not to overwhelm the girl with their presence of mind.

                “Don’t worry Echo, they can’t hurt you.” I attempted to reassure the terrified girl, “You’re wearing your wires right?”

                She nodded. “I’m not worried about the little bags of sand, there’s a very strong aura of malicious intent coming from that direction.” She pointed directly at Yassop.

                He said he forgave her, but there was still a lot of tension between the two of them. “Hey! I’m not going to hurt you too bad, just a bruise or two.” Yassop chuckled.

                “Very reassuring.” Echo grumbled sourly.

                “Are you ready, Echo?” I asked trying to hold back a laugh as Yassop quickly began arming himself with small bags of sand with a wicked gleam in his eye.

                She hesitantly nodded.

                “Try to focus on our locations; don’t let it run away with you again.”  I called to her.

                Yassop hurled a bag at her with all his might and for a split second I was worried it’d hit her. Echo dropped to the deck with a squeak before the bag could make contact with her temple.

                “Hey! You were trying to hurt me!” She snapped as she quickly scrambled back to her feet.

                “Your enemies will also be trying to hurt you.” Yassop shrugged.

                Benn threw a bag lightly at her shoulder while she was distracted by Yassop. Her hand lashed out and caught the bag and with a deadly accuracy hurled it at Yassop hitting him right between the eyes.

                “Ow!” Yassop snarled as he stumbled backward a few steps, “That’s it, brat, it’s on!”

                “This is going to get ugly.” Benn chuckled as Yassop began hurling bags of sand rapidly at the blindfolded girl.

                Miraculously, Echo dodged them all with perfect poise and grace flitting out of the way of each one with ease. After a few moments of Echo dodging his attack, Yassop grew frustrated and began throwing the sand bags faster and with a more deadly precision. Echo suddenly gasped and stopped moving. Yassop held his fire as she slipped to her knees with a groan of pain and pressed her hands to her temples.

                “Echo!” I rushed forward and quickly removed her blindfold.

                She slumped against me panting softly as if she were in pain and trying to keep from crying out. Her skin paled and her lips took on a purplish tinge as if she were freezing. The skin beneath her eyes looked gaunt and dark making it appear as if she hadn’t slept in days. What was happening to her?

                “Echo?” I shook her gently.

                Just as suddenly as it had come, her episode passed and her skin tone and breathing returned to normal. Her eyes fluttered open, the deep murky pools of green wide in horror.

                “You okay, brat?” Yassop questioned as he and Benn knelt beside us.

                She shook her head wordlessly.

                “What did you see?” Benn asked her softly.

                “How far away is Alabasta?” She asked shakily.

                “Did you see something about Alabasta?” I asked curiously.

                “No, I saw something IN Alabasta.” She corrected me softly.

                “That’s impossible.” Yassop scoffed, “Isn’t it?” He asked me for reassurance.

                “It is unheard of. Echo, what exactly did you see?” I asked the wary looking girl.

                “The devil fruit user. He was fighting against a warlord in Alabasta.”

                “Luffy?” Benn, Yassop and I asked simultaneously.

                Echo nodded.

                If that were truly the case, and Echo could really see something happening on a completely different island nowhere near our current destination, she may possibly possess the strongest Kenbunshoku Haki this world has ever seen. I’d heard of some rare cases where users could get premonitions of sorts, but usually only things that would happen soon and close to their location, I’d never known anyone to be able to predict or see things happening islands away.

                “How do you feel?” I asked as she continued to lean against me for support.

                “Tired.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper and she looked ready to faint.

                “We’ll try again later, you should get some rest.” I rose to my feet with my arm wrapped tightly around her waist lifting her with me and tightened my hold on her as she swayed on her feet.

                “This isn’t normal, is it?” She whispered softly as we awkwardly made it to my room with me half supporting her.

                I could sense her darkening mood and could just feel the waves of self-loathing rolling off of her. She thought she was a freak, and believed that we did as well. “Not really.” I agreed with her, “In fact, it’s quite exceptional.” I smiled.

                “Huh?” She threw me a curiously hopeful look.

                “You’re an amazing young woman, Echo.” I chuckled softly and held back a laugh as her pale cheeks flushed with color.