Fire And Ice

Chapter 1: Captivating

"It's cold."

"Really! Never thought I'd hear that from you, of all people."

"I know. I haven't felt cold ever since I ate my devil fruit. But something about this place just makes me shiver. It's like there's some kind of magic that's preventing me from warming myself up even though the sun's out. It's like standing next to Aokiji. There's just this chilly presence."

A laugh sounded as the man who had just spoken finished.

"I'm sure you being shirtless doesn't help much either, does it." The other voice snickered.

"Oh shut up." The previous voice grumbled. "How was I supposed to know this was some kind of magic island?"

"It's not." An unknown voice cut into the two men's conversation, causing both to flinch.

"Who's there?" The two men asked simultaneously.

A shard of ice whizzed by the raven haired man's cheek, grazing it while drawing blood and drilling itself halfway through the tree behind him. He stood there in shock, as he's a logia type, meaning he should be intangible. Raising his hand to his cheek, a female figure landed on one knee a few feet in front of him, presumably from jumping off a tree. She stood up and turned to glare at both of them, looking them up and down. And in Ace's eyes, before him stood the most captivating woman he's ever seen. The blond man next to him was in no different shape:

Entranced by beauty.

"I am. This is my island. Welcome to Tigara. And trespassers are not welcome." She said smoothly, a chilling and deadly tone laced into her voice.

As if on cue, a huge white tiger pounced onto the two men. The man with the bleeding cheek dodged the attack and punched it right in the snout. The tiger stumbled back towards the woman whose eyes had widened ever so slightly, snarling and clearly annoyed.

"Yield, tigress." Her voice was soothing but still venomous at the same time. "They clearly are not weak. Let's see what they have to say."

The white feline growled but still sat down obediently.

"Now. State your identities and your purpose. Through the principles of Tigara, it will not be revealed whether you had even stepped foot on this island, much less spoken to me." She said, gently stroking the tiger's head.

She seemed almost friendly in a way, reassuring, even. At least, until her icy glare hardened. "Then it will be up to me whether you are to leave, if you can stay, or you are to die."

The two men exchanged a glance, before turning to face her once again. A brief moment of silence followed, until the raven-haired man spoke up.

"I'm Ace." He said, pointing to himself.
"I'm Marco." The blond next to him said.

The girl nodded, signaling them to continue.

"Um, we're pirates and we need to restock supplies. The rest of the crew is still on the ship, and we were sent to see if there was anyone or anything on the island." Ace explained. "And, well, that's about it. But, uh, who are you, exactly?"

The girl tilted her head slightly, blinking. "I'm Taiga. The last inhabitant of this island, as well as the last survivor of my race." She stated. "And I will have no business with pirates. Leave this island immediately. I am being merciful, you have 2 hours to leave this island. Otherwise, I will not take too kindly to any of your allies."

"W-wha?" Ace stammered. "But-"

Taiga cut him off with a wave of her hand, turning around and walking back toward the dense area of the woods. "Like I said, there is no business for you here. Leave."