Full Bloom (Katakuri X OC)

Chapter 2. Komugi Island

"He'll be fine," Flore dusted off his hands after launching oven sky high onto a random island the ship was passing by. The man had still been asleep pre-throw and Flore felt as if not even the fall would wake the man.

"If only we were closer.."

~~

"Is this where you wanted to be?"

"Yeah, but even looking at the place makes me not want to take it seriously," Flore looked out at the island before him and the captain.

Buildings that replicated sweet foods towered around the island, giving off a childish feeling to Flore who didn't have any appreciation for it. He wasn't much for sweet things, and the whole place reeked of it.

"Let's stop here," Flore ordered the captain. The ship slowly came to a halt in the water at the confusion the captain had for the order. "But it's still far away?"

"Totto Land is dangerous enough with us just being in the vicinity. Us pulling up to dock at a hostile island not expecting us could cause some issues. I'll go on from here so you can safely return back to Sunset Beach," Flore commanded.

The captain nodded slowly in confused understanding, and readied the ship to turn and sail back out to it's destination.

Flore stepped up onto the wooden railing of the ship, walking out to the front edge of it as he took in the salty see breeze that ruffled through his hair and shirt.

Flower blooms blossomed out from the sides of his back, each one growing larger than the last until he was left with two large and luscious rose petals laying out on each side of him.

He looked over at the island, judging if he needed to make any modifications for his newfound wings, and once satisfied he took off away from the ship.

The captain looked out in awe as Flore's red petaled wings raced him away and out towards Komugi Island. He quickly turned the ship away in the opposite direction to escape the area's danger.

Flore sped towards the island high above the water, judging at his rate he would land there in several minutes.

Oven managed to tell him of Katakuri's fight with Luffy, with the latter escaping Totto Land successfully afterwards. Flore had been surprised that someone was able to heavily injure Katakuri, the inheritant son of a Yonko, and decided to go over and check on the man.

~~

Flore descended down by the beach, landing gently on the hot sand with his bare feet. Wearing shoes was alien to him, and something he wasn't accustomed to in years. The sand stinging him from below caused no pain at all at this point.

The petal wings chipped off gently piece by piece onto the ground at his command, just in time for a large mob to meet him on the sand with weapons at the ready.

Flore wasn't expecting a welcome committee upon arrival, and imagined this wasn't the only patrol around out for his head today.

"It's the guy from the wanted posters!" One guy somewhere within the large group shouted.

"Careful, he has devil fruit powers!"

"So what? He can't fight back if we all charge at once!"

The last sentence sprung an uproar from the mob, who then rushed towards Flore with spears and swords in hand.

He frowned, wanting answers instead of violence, and stood in place unfazed by the band of meat heads that dared think they could overpower him.

He stood, and hatched a thought a split second within the moment of his opening, and unleashed his own personal hell upon the group soon after.

His soft and deaf footsteps set an eerie tone to any passersby, as the men now convulsed and seized around his feet minutes after their rush towards him.

Some had already passed out, others were stuck in a rhythmic convulsing pain while the hot sand stung at their exposed flesh.

Flore had always been more suited to deal with large groups, knowing just what to do to put a person at the brink of death without passing on. In a way he was considered a genius of his craft, but also a lethal menace of mass destruction. Sometimes he would shutter at the thought of anyone else having his abilities and the destruction they could cause.

He had left one person safe, with no effects at all to harm them, and made his way towards the horrified man who looked up to Flore's cold face in fear from where he sat in shock.

"I want you to answer my questions," Flore now stood over him, with sweat racing down the man's face as his pupils dilated to the size of the end of a needle. He gave a quick nod in response.

"Who put up the wanted posters of me. I'm not supposed to have any recent ones," Flore commanded in a very annoyed but enraged tone. He had been carrying a stealthy rage within himself after learning from Charlotte Oven that wanted posters were plastered all over Totto Land.

"B-Big Mom did," the man stuttered in a nervous sweat. "S-S-She put them all over Totto Land."

Flore's dark face lightened at that, hearing better news than he expected. "Good." He sighed.

"Just another question and I'll go," Flore said calmer now. "Where is Katakuri at."

The man seemed scared to tell. "We- We were meant to keep you from fighting him again."

"I know that he's injured right now," Flore kneeled down. "I don't intend to fight him, I just want to see how he's doing. Taking out people at their most vulnerable doesn't exactly do it for me."

A few silent minutes later, Flore had the information he needed and stood up. He offered out his hand to help up the man and explained how to cure his comrades afflictions with ease.

He began leaving, only for the man, now behind him, to say "wait" as he was now several steps away.

Flore turned back to him. "Was there anything else?"

"No-" the man shook his head. "Just- why spare me out of everyone?"

Flore gazed at him intently, deciding to share the actual answer with the stranger.

"I judged everyone here before they rushed me," he explained, tapping his finger over his heart. "You were the kindest, and only person with good still left in them. You had dreamed of once finding love and raising a family."

The man was shocked, and Flore expected no other response.

"If that's still what you want, I'd suggest a career change," he turned away, soon disappearing off the beach as the man looked on in awe.

Flore kept his head low as he passed through the island, his mind was fogged with a certain sadness he wasn't used to feeling.

"Finding love and making a family... I don't think I'll ever get to enjoy that."