Origin Story

Ace and I looked across the street, observing our first target, a slave house. Only a few guards guarded the door, but that wasn't a problem for Ace and me. Taking out the fruit Ace gave me, I took one of our cloaks and infused the item.

"I still can't believe you can do that." Ace took the now invisible cloak and put it on, pulling up the hood. "Just another side effect of my devil fruit, but don't tell anyone, and I mean anyone." Ace nodded, miming out, locking his lips and throwing the key away.

Pulling up the hood, Ace completely disappeared, and I could only sense him through my haki. Walking across the street, Ace slipped in between the guards and entering the building. A few minutes later, smoke started to rise into the air above the slave house, and the guards rushed in to see what was happing.

Running over with my cloak on, I walked into the building, no one the wiser. Knocking out the first staff I came across, I morphed my appearance to look average and stole their clothing. Now I just looked like another average joe running around screaming about the fire.

Exploring the building, I searched for the vault room and holding cells. Finding the treasure room in the back, I had a field day shoving gold and berri into my burlap sack. But I still had to find my future crewmates.

When I didn't find the room, I started to worry. I didn't know how much longer Ace could stall the fire before all hell broke loose. Saying screw it, I encompassed the building with my Haki. There were about twenty life signatures underground.

Smiling, I punched a hole through the floor, dropping down into the basement below. The smell of humans waste and blood assaulted my nose. I had flashbacks to my time in chains.

The light from the floor above illuminated the basement, and I locked eyes with sunken and gaunt faces devoid of hope. I took a step forward, and they all flinched, and I realized I was still wearing the uniform.

"I'm here to free you, but I don't have much time. Just stay calm, and I can get you all out of this." Going around, I rid each slaver of their chains. Most didn't speak besides one girl.

She only said two simple words, "Thank you." I paused a second as I noticed the two grey wolf ears on the top of her head. Resiting my inner weeb, I stopped myself and broke her chains.

When I freed everyone, I punched a hole in the building's side as the air inside had gotten noticeably hotter. I guided everyone outside and into a far away alley, making sure no one had followed us. I smiled, "Okay, Ace, you can come out now."

Ace removed the cloak revealing himself and startling those I had freed, "I made sure they couldn't save the place. Did you get the loot?" I hefted up the brown bag, and Ace grinned, "That looks heavy. I'm glad we helped them lighten their load. But what do we do with them?"

Turning to face the escapees, I transformed back into my original appearance, "I want to ask how many of you guys have lives you want to return to." Ten people raised their hands. Most were men who were able-bodied and who still some fight in their eyes.

"Okay, then once we get out of here, we'll give you some berri, and you can be on your way. As for the rest of you, I have an offer. My name is Soren D. Arvil, a man with a seven billion berri bounty."

I could see the fear and doubt in their eyes, but I could hear one of them murmur, "Damn Pirate scum. You're what got us into this mess in the first place." The stress of the day made my tolerance for bullshit thin, and my haki erupted out of me, "Do you understand the fate I saved you from. While those who enslaved you might have been pirates or other low lives, the people they sell you too are much worse. And though you might feel like your the unluckiest person in the world, I would say you found the pot at the end of the rainbow."

"Soren!" I blinked as that one word grounded me, and I reeled in my haki. "I'm offering you a chance to join my crew. Before I leave this planet, I want to see the constant system of abuse brought to its knees. So will you join me?"

They all averted their eyes, and it was understandable, and I thought I didn't have any takers when three people stepped forward. One was the half mink that thanked me earlier. The other two I barely remembered freeing.

A boy no older than twelve stepped forward, his nose crooked from having it broken before. The other was a mature woman who was scared and missing her right arm, "You three want to join?"

The half mink nodded, "The hope I had when you freed me was greater than anything I felt before. If I could give that feeling to others, I would do anything."

"I don't know about tits over there but I want to kill the bastards who did this." The weather woman spoke up making the mink blush and cover her chest though it did nothing to hide their volume.

The boy said nothing and only stared intensely into my eyes, nodding I turned to the rest of the crowd. "Okay let's get you guys out of those rags and a warm meal in your stomachs."