Infection
Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eiichiro Oda. I own this particular story and it's original characters. Allan Maxwell and Genji Mori belong to two of my friends on Fanfiction.net. Image is from FastWallpaper.com)
Crescent Village is a small, quaint village in The East Blue and that's how the villagers wanted it. It had been that way for 15 years; the last exciting thing that ever happened there was when a pirate had docked there and ended up staying for several months.
There are clothes markets, food markets, trade markets, book markets and one or two taverns that always ensures its customers left with a smile. For children, there are playing fields, three schools and the forest that bordered the village in the shape of a crescent moon, which was how Crescent Village got its name.
Every cottage had its own story and many were home to some very fascinating people. It is a little known fact that a marine captain was born there, long before the village had gotten its name.
A 15 year old boy sat on the roof of a cottage that was painted a pale cream shade. His shaggy black hair reached his neck. His eyes glowed an interesting amber; almost like a fire on a winter's eve. His skin was a light brown; a small cluster of freckles on his cheeks and nose. His clothes consisted of a casual blue shirt, long brown cargo pants and dark brown boots. He was staring out over at the Crescent Forest, wondering if there was more beyond his quiet and boring village. He wasn't sure why but something in him longed for adventure. Like something was calling out to him and he felt like he needed to answer it. But he didn't know if he had the courage to leave all he had ever known behind just because something in his gut was telling him to go on an adventure.
The cottage belonged to the village beauty, Terry D. Marion. She lived there with her adoptive daughter, Jessica and her biological son, Riley.
A 25 year old girl with blonde hair, a scar on her left eye and green eyes in a fuchsia dress and matching shoes ran out, obviously looking for something. Or someone. She saw the boy on the roof. "Oi Riley! Get your lazy butt down here! Mom's looking for you! She needs you to go to the food market!" she hollered at him, her name was Gull D. Jessica.
The boy, Riley stood up and leapt down from the roof. "Alright, no need to go flying off the handle, sis." he teased his older sister, standing to his full height.
Jessica huffed and went inside.
A woman in her mid-30s' with warm amber eyes and long wavy orangey gold hair that framed her face perfectly came out and walked over to Riley. Similar to her son, her skin was also a light brown. Her dress was a light orange, her apron was blue and she wore brown boots that were similar to her son's. She was Terry D. Marion, Riley's mother and the most beautiful woman in Crescent Village. She handed him 250,000 beli and a list. "Just get what's on the list, Riley." she told him.
"Ok, mom. See ya later!" Riley replied, grinning widely at his mother before walking off.
Marion smiled sadly as her son went on his way. Thinking of 15 years ago, a few days after Riley was born and his father had left the village; the older Riley got, the more he resembled his late father. 'Riley looks more like him every day. He's got his grin and everything. It's too bad his father's gone. But he did it to protect us. No one must ever know about Riley being the son of a pirate. He's only a boy.' she thought.
Marion went inside and walked over to the table, glancing over a newspaper. She found an article that held an ominous title; Fatal Disease of Unknown Origin hits Crescent Village.
Riley reached the markets. He skimmed through the list, coming to the conclusion his mother was going to make some of her famous pastries. He smiled; everyone loved his mother's baking, especially him and Jessica. However, something in the village wasn't right. The silence was too eerie and haunting to be familiar. No one was out today, not even the resident athlete who was always out on a run. "That's weird, it's not even Sunday.." he observed.
Riley ran through the village, looking for a familiar face. Soon, he gave up and returned home. Then he found Marion and Jessica lying on the floor; they were coughing and spluttering. Riley ran over to them and felt their foreheads. They were burning up. "Mom? Jessica?" he asked.
Riley saw the newspaper and read the article quickly. His eyes widened as he read it. 'Everyone's caught this disease! That's why it's so quiet today! How long has it been like this? Why didn't anyone tell me? So I'm the only one not affected by it. Is it because of that fruit I ate when I was little? But I've got to help everyone else. I must find some kind of cure! Perhaps the legendary Sakura Cure will help. It's a long shot but I gotta try.' he thought.
After getting his mother and 'big sister' to their rooms, Riley packed some things. "Who knows how long I have to find something that can save everyone's lives before they could potentially get worse?" he asked himself. He exited his room and ran down the stairs to his front door. He glanced up at his mother and sister's bedrooms over his shoulder. 'Mom. Sister. Hang on until I find a cure. I love you two and will help you'.
Riley turned away and walked out the door. He walked over to the archway that served as the entrance to the village, casting a look of determination over to his childhood home before going on his way.
That strange feeling Riley had felt was finally being answered, albeit out of necessity.
"Wait. So Fire Fist actually fathered a child before we finally caught him 15 years ago?!" A young Marine officer asked a now elderly Marshall D. Teach in the Marine base in Logue Town.
"Yes, he did." Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard, replied coolly as the memory of Ace admitting to the former Vice Admiral Garp that he had a son came to his dark, cruel mind. Teach had been eavesdropping on their conversation when he found out. History had a tendency to repeat itself. Ever since, Teach had ordered thousands of marine to search everywhere for the child and his mother. So far, he'd had no such luck.
"Where is the child? We must eliminate it!" the Marine shouted, clenching his fist and making bone spikes jet out of his knuckles. "The brat won't escape me! I won't show any mercy, Father." he remarked with a wicked smirk.
"He never mentioned where, my boy. I assume that he was trying to protect the child and it's mother. Even Fire Fist was chivalrous. I've been trying to track them down for years.." Teach told his son calmly.
"Why would that filthy pirate have any reason to do that?!" the marine snapped, as he hit Teach's desk in anger. The desk would've shattered if seastone hadn't been built in the wood surface to neutralise his powers as well as Teach's.
"Because everyone knows the fate of any woman foolish enough to fall in love with a pirate.." Teach reminded the young marine, keeping aloof and collected.
The marine continued to rant on about the matter.
Teach just shrugged and listened; his son did get fired up quite easily.
Meanwhile, Riley had found himself in a large shipyard in the island's docks, 12 miles away from the village. 'Damn it. What am I gonna do now? I really need some help here. What kind of idiot leaves his home without knowing where he's going or how to take care of himself? Oh right, I'm that idiot. I can't even frigging swim!' He thought. He looked around the shipyard; he needed a ship and a navigator if he was going to have any chance of finding the Sakura Cure. It was just as mysterious and elusive as the One Piece treasure. The very thing that had sparked the Great Pirate Era.
Riley caught sight of a medium-sized ship. Its mast held no flag but had beautiful folded white sails made of cloth. It had no figurine. "Wow, it's magnificent.." he gasped as he admired it.
Riley then noticed a young girl on the ship. Her head and arms hung over the side. The girl's hair was orange and cut in a way that seemed kind of boyish. Her eyes were a bright violet that currently looked bored. She looked over to see Riley watching her and immediately straightened up. Effortlessly, she climbed down the rope to the dock below. She wore a white shirt and a denim skirt. "I wasn't expecting a visitor. Who are you?" she asked.
Riley could tell the girl was at least 15, like him. "My name's Terry D. Riley but call me Riley." Riley introduced himself, sticking his hand out.
"I'm Violet but feel free to call me Vi." the girl replied, shaking Riley's hand. "So what can I do for you, Riley?" she asked.
"Do you know where I can find someone who'll take me to find the Sakura Cure? I need it to save my village." Riley asked.
"I can take you, this ship's stocked up and ready to go. I've studied navigation all my life." Violet answered with a sympathetic smile, climbing back up onto the ship.
"Really? You can do that? Thanks, I need all the help I can get!" Riley remarked, hopping aboard.
"I actually lost my parents to an idiot with a sword so of course I'm going to help you." Violet replied as she unfolded the sails.
"Why would you tell me that when you barely know me?" Riley asked.
"I trust you, Riley." Violet answered as she raised the anchor and tugged the rope from the stone that prevented the ship from moving.
The ship soon drifted out of the peaceful harbour and out to the unforgiving sea. Violet kept a firm hand on the wheel as she changed course to calmer waters.
Riley felt quite content as a sea breeze blew in his face. He expected to get seasick since he'd never been outside Crescent Village before but the feeling never came. He turned to Violet. "So where now?" he asked.
Violet looked at her log pose which was on her left wrist. She smiled when the little needle indicated that they were on a calm, safe course. "Straight ahead until the needle tells me otherwise" she replied, looking over at Riley. 'Thank you, whoever brought Riley into my life. I've waited years for this day and finally I can see the world. Boy, I'm glad I prepared the ship.' She thought as her smile grew.
