Chapter 22: Story Time

As they stood facing Zoe, anticipation hung in the air like a thick fog, the tension palpable among them. Ryo, Nami, Yamato, and Nojiko exchanged uncertain glances, their curiosity piqued by the mysterious woman before them.

Zoe's gaze lingered on each of them in turn, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she took in their expressions. "Quite lovely ladies you've got yourself there, darling," she remarked casually, her tone light and teasing.

Ryo's brow furrowed in confusion, his attention fixed on Zoe. Ignoring her remark, he pressed on with his inquiry, his voice edged with disbelief. "How can you be here? And what happened to our ship?" he demanded, his gaze unwavering as he awaited her response.

Zoe's smile widened, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes as she glanced at Ryo. "Ah, always getting straight to the point, aren't you?" she remarked playfully before growing more serious. "But you see, there's a lot you don't know about me, about this ship, and about the devil fruit that brought us all together."

As she spoke, a faint blush colored Zoe's cheeks, a rare display of vulnerability that caught Ryo off guard. He couldn't help but be intrigued by her sudden change in demeanor, his curiosity deepening as he awaited her explanation.

With a wave of her hand, the sails of the ship unfurled, catching the wind and propelling the vessel away from the port. The sight left Ryo, Nami, Yamato, and Nojiko speechless, their minds reeling with questions of how she could easily command the ship like this.

Zoe gestured for them to follow her inside the ship, leading them to a cozy common area where they settled around a table. As they took their seats, Zoe began to recount her story, her voice steady as she begun to explain the situation.

She told them all again the story about the previous owner of the devil fruit. How they died before unraveling it's complete power. And how the persons spirit was bound tho the ship she gave Ryo. It was the same story she told Ryo as he was in the land of the dead. "I know there are some things that don't add up and that are confusing. But i swear on my honor I didn't lie to you." She said in a tone mixed of confidence and embarrassment.

Her voice silenced a bit. "But I didn't told you the full truth either. She took Ryos hands and apologized. "Plese, don't be mad at me for not telling the full truth. I just didn't want you to overwhelm with information." Her face full of a slight blush and a shy smile. "Please go on" he replied reassuringly.

"I've hold back a major and important detail." She made a small pause. "The story about the person in posession of the Devil fruiz before you? ... That was me."

All of the four where shocked. They didn't knew what to say. So Zoe continued to talk. "It was me who found the fruit 800 years ago. At that time i didn't knew what they where capable of. My friends and I fought against a group of powerful individuals. We all knew we would loose eventually, but it didn't stop us from fighting them. In the end, they won. They formed the World Government. A opressive and corrupt regime, that uses the weak to fulfill their wishes."

She continued to swell in thoughts, her flirtatious nature towards Ryo paused completely. "Over the months I've always meditated and learned to control the fruit and it's powers, but it was a slow process. One day I had a vision. I saw my own death. And with my death, the powers of the fruit would be lost forever. But there was hope." She began to smile again at Ryo. "One day, a righteous man would be born. I saw him defeating the World Goverment and conquer the world. He would be the King of the world."

"Under his rule, there would be no need for the innocent people to live in fear. He would help those in need and would punish those, who try to achieve their goals through the suffering of others."

"I knew that I hadn't much time left, so my people and I decided we had to hold a ritual. This ritual had to bind my spirit on the ship we've built, the moment I die. I knew with this I am able to help you accomplishthe thing, I wasn'tstrong enough to do myself."

She had to surpress a small laugh. "Funny, that this ritual wasn't without consequences. It bound me not only to the ship and it's next captain, but it bound me to help the ones that died, on their way in the land of the dead."

Now her grin came back on her face. "Apparently the suffering I've endured over the eternity I was Lady Death had a good side. How else could I've met this handsomely looking young man and send him straight back to fulfill his destiny, mhm? I mean, I am sure you ladies are glad that I've brought him back, aren't you?" She looked at Nami and Nojiko. But her gaze rested on Yamato and with a teasingly knowing grin she continued to talk, deciding not talk about her reddening face.

"And what about the ship?", Ryo decided to ask. Zoe returned her eyes to him. "Ah yes. The ship. It was supposed to be the best ship in the world. To stop them defeating us. But it was to late. As we held the ritual we decided to enchant it as well. Only when you would have a crew, that is completely loyal and supports you completely, it shall reveal it's full size and might. As we finished it, we named it, the Black Serpent. A glorious name for a glorious Captain." There was a smile on her lips as she said this and eyed Ryo.

"And now to the Fruit itself." Zoe continued. "It's a Zoan type, as you already know. It's the fruit of a mythical God. It is part of the Human-Human Fruits. The complete name of the fruit is Hito Hito no Mi: Model Vibronius. He was said to be the god of the gods themselves. He was said to be so strong that he was able to contor every energy form there is. Even the energy of the vibrations that make up the universe."

That left them all speechless.