(One Piece) Book of Oneshots and Such

Faerie AU

(????! Katakuri X Fae! Reader) A tale spun long ago, when the world was still unknown, and the fae roamed freely among their mortal brethren.

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The creature rumbled to itself pleasantly, starving eyes roving over the Tottonian docks as humans scuttled about left and right, evidently rising with the sun.

The air was already stained with smoke and even more smoke above that, either it be from a passing gent's cigar or the churning of a nearby factory, toiling away the lives of the poorer folk.

Despite the unwelcoming shadow over the town, the newcomer was delighted with what they were greeted with, even if it was more apparent that the fae had less control here than the ones in their homeland.

After all, less control meant there was only more disorder to be sown.

With a quick chatter in their own native tongue, the stowaway leapt from the upper deck of the passenger ship and melted into the hubbub of the streets, easily falling into the local rhythm with each step taken towards the center of town.

Their eyes darted to and fro, soaking in the unfamiliar yet not so foreign culture all around them with an obsession, a single minded focus.

Butchers would drag out bloodied hunks of bones and organs and throw them into the quiet corners of the streets, where rats formed writhing masses that would consume bone and all in minutes, yet hardly anyone spared a glance to the arguably gruesome display.

Shops of books, medicines, knickknacks and doodads all slowly came to life, opening doors to the public as workers greeted their first patrons of the day with smiles, not yet worn out by the day to come.

There were strange, wooden boxes pulled by horses that would occasionally strut by, and if angled just rightly, the creature could spot some posh dressed, stuffy looking none or other lounging inside as if seated upon the sultan's throne.

The streets were alight with chatter and excitement, whether it be from a group of fishermen taking an early visit to buildings that reeked of alcohol, or a posse of children brightening the morning with lighthearted mischief.

It all reminded them of the bazaars back home, how the near entirety of the human community would gather and mingle till the sun waxed along the horizon, and all of the tents would glow up with their oil lanterns, shining from miles on into the rolling deserts in the nights.

The similarity was there, yet they couldn't be anymore different.

A bell's tolling broke through the commotion and the creature stood on end at the haunting echo of its rings.

Staring into the direction the noise came from, the creature felt its interest pique as it made a beeline to where it came from.

Deep within the inner workings of the town, there laid a small building crafted like a fortress.

Its spires stretched in a desperate, vain attempt to pierce the skies, every layer visible to the eyes of the mortals were coated with a frosty shine of iron, the only aspect of it that contradicted the thought of it being a fortress was the too large door spread widely and welcoming to scores of humans who herded inside like cattle.

They recognized this building, they remembered seeing the strange new settlers building one upon their subjugation of the local population and pressuring them inside.

A church, they believed was the title it held.. should they burn this one down like the last as well?

They didn't like the place, it stole what was rightfully theirs and even went as far as to claim the fae were nothing more than spirits of evil.