The Puppet Master [One Piece]

Heaven's Haki

~Echo's POV~

I found myself lost in a void of blinding white nothingness. What had happened? Where was I? How did I get here? My mind felt muddled and hazy and it was impossible for me to try to concentrate on a certain location.

"It's alright, sweet girl." My mother's warm voice enveloped me in a loving embrace, "Everything will be alright, Echo."

"Mama?" My voice shook.

"I'm so proud of you."

"Mama, I don't understand, what's going on? Am I dead?"

"No, my sweet girl, you're very much alive." Her warm voice echoed in the white nothingness.

"I don't understand." I panicked.

"You're so very special my sweet girl, though I know I don't have to tell you that. I'm so sorry our time together was cut short, I didn't get to explain to you about your family heritage and left you so lost and alone to deal with all these changes within you." I could feel the warmth of one of her hugs envelop me and could smell the sweet coconut of her perfume. Even though I couldn't see, I sensed her presence all around me.

"It's all my fault, I'm so sorry-."

"Hush now! It's not your fault, Echo. You can't blame yourself. Our people would not have wanted you to make devil fruit for the government's purposes, it would go against everything we stand for." I could feel her gentle hands smooth through my hair. "If I'd known how strong your gift was going to be, I would have prepared you long before. I had hoped you'd only take after your father's family and have ties to the sea so you could create the devil fruit."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember the stories Grandpa used to tell you?"

I felt my heart begin to race, "I thought they were made up?"

"No, my sweet girl. It's an old family legend, and only one is born with the gift every few thousand years. I'm sorry my sweet girl, it's going to be difficult for you. You were meant to shake the world, to tip the balance of power and to stop the corruption."

This was too much to process.

"It's time for you to go back, Echo. Your father and I love you so very much and we couldn't be prouder of you."

The whiteness began to fade away with the smell and feel of my mother. The sounds of clashing steel, cries of desperation, screams of the fallen and the chaos of war encircled me. I appeared atop the scaffold at the same moment as Luffy and smiled at the two brothers, "Ace we're here to save you!"

Ace stared up at me in awe as I materialized before him, "Echo? What happened to you?"

What did he mean? I looked down and gasped as I realized I was no longer wearing the tattered clothes I'd had on before. Instead I found myself in an almost ethereal looking white gown of starlight with two long slits up the sides to give me more mobility. However, the most shocking thing about my appearance, was the lack of wounds littering my body. My body had been completely healed in the void of white light. I felt strength and determination burning through me once again.

"It's a long story. Let's save it for later." I grinned as I loosed my wires and launched myself at Sengoku so Luffy could free Ace. My wires kept him at bay and were surprisingly much more effective than I had anticipated. There was something different about the wires, they felt lighter, yet stronger and something about them reminded me of the sea. Did they change too?

The scaffold gave way as Sengoku unleashed his power and I noticed Ace still shackled and Luffy fumbling with a broken key as we all began to fall. One of the men that had been on the scaffold dressed as an executioner fumbled in the air for a moment with what looked like wax as I futilely cast my wires out in hopes of catching something to stop our fall.

The wax man managed to mold a key in the air and throw it to Luffy who was able to free Ace and our descent slowed as we were enveloped in a large explosion of fire. Ace had Luffy by the collar and Luffy caught hold of the wax man. Ace reached for me with his free hand as we fell and I couldn't help but smile as I placed my hand in his. I was struck with a vision the moment I placed my hand in his. I saw Ace running with the Whitebeard Pirates and making it safely onto a very familiar ship. Luffy was unconscious and being carried off to a strange yellow submarine. The vision only lasted for a few seconds and I gasped as we were about to hit the ground.

Ace tugged on my hand and pulled me closer. He landed swiftly on the ground and swept me into his arms keeping me from bodily harm. Luffy bounced off the ground behind him and the wax man landed in a heap. We were surrounded at once.

Hurriedly I scrambled out of Ace's hold and loosed my wires. We were all going to get through this. Shanks was on his way, he'd make everything better. Ace launched an impressive barrage of fire attacks that had me yelping and scurrying for cover, Luffy didn't seem the least bit phased. They fought side by side, their movements perfectly in sync.

I held back and watched them in awe. They may not have been related by blood, but no one could dispute the fact they were brothers. Ace paused after they fended off the first wave of marines and looked to Luffy with a slight smirk.

"I never thought that I'd be saved by you one day, thanks Luffy." He smiled proudly at his younger brother and I felt my heart swell in my chest and tears well in my eyes.

Luffy grinned, "Whitebeard and the others helped me to do it." He chuckled modestly.

Ace turned his gaze to me, "Thank you, Echo."

"That's what friends are for." I beamed and futilely wiped at my tears as they fell.

Ace smiled, "I'm glad we're friends."

"Ditto." I grinned.

What happened, little one? You disappeared? Linda's voice echoed in my mind. I was so worried, I couldn't sense your presence. She lifted her great big head from the water and met my gaze. He's almost here.

My heart began to race. Shanks would be here soon. He was going to be livid, though maybe he wouldn't be as mad as I appeared to have been healed from all my wounds. No, he'd still be mad, for putting myself in danger and letting it go this far.