That's How It Goes Sometimes  

Those who had been partially frozen were led to the bathroom by someone with medical knowledge, using water to thaw the ice and warm their chilled bodies with hot soup. Being frozen was a first for everyone, including Junshi whose arm had iced over, though his injury was far lighter than the others.

He and Kanata sat with the mafia boss, George - a bald, thuggish-looking giant - to discuss matters further. George set down tea in the back room as Kanata, the long black-haired girl in a ponytail, settled onto the sofa cross-legged before them. To prove it wasn't poisoned, Junshi sipped from all three cups before Kanata drank, accepting his assurance of trust.

First Kanata explained her situation, then made it clear she had no definite plans moving forward.

"...I see. So that's the circumstances," George said with an understanding nod.

"I don't have any particular ambitions. But I do need money to live," Kanata stated, fixing him with her crimson gaze. 

George shuddered, seeming to shrink under her stare. As the flustered man pondered this beside him, Junshi considered their options. Originally this was just a small mafia outfit operating on the island, with minor ties to local authorities but nothing major.

There was little trade between islands around here, partially why that slaver ship tried passing through - the area was close to the Calm Belt, rife with Sea Kings. Ships seldom traveled these waters. But with Kanata's abilities, ferrying cargo would be safer compared to normal vessels.

"Listen up, George."

"Y-Yes sir! What is it?"

The man's sniveling deference made Junshi sigh. Just days ago George had some spine, but being thrashed by Kanata - an extraordinarily rare Logia user controlling a natural element - had broken him.

Discrimination against Devil Fruit users ran deep. Children accidentally ingesting them, cursed as "demon spawns" before facing persecution, was not uncommon. No wonder George feared Kanata's incomprehensible powers.

"You know some maritime traders, right? Get them over here."

"You want me to bring them in?!"

"Sticking to these petty rackets won't get us far. This could be our chance to earn big."

"I see...Got it, I'm on it! You can count on me!"

George scurried out, and Junshi sighed again, sinking back into the sofa. With the boss gone it hardly mattered - he and Kanata would decide their course, which the spineless man couldn't refuse.

"Sorry about him, he's a coward underneath that bulk."

"It's fine. So what's your plan?"

"With a ship, seafaring's the obvious move. Few vessels come around these parts, so trading would turn a decent profit."

"I see."

"You'd be helping out too, of course."

"Understood," Kanata stated simply.

In truth, she had no other prospects. Any way to make money using her own strength worked for her. Even these fortuitous ice powers had their utility if leveraged properly.

"What would I be doing?"

"Guarding the ship. I'll be aboard too, but you'd have the edge at sea."

"I only just obtained this power. I want to practice using it in combat."

"That'll take some time on our end too. There's a beach west of town, away from the harbor. Good spot to train."

"Sounds fitting."

With nothing better to do, Kanata decided to head for the beach and work on finer ice manipulation, which could prove useful in various situations.

Junshi would gather the others to relay their plans, returning here tomorrow.

No one was truly leading right now with George's shortcomings, but Kanata accepted it. She briefly wondered if some tough love might snap him out of this state, but dismissed the idea - her presence alone inspired dread within these cramped confines.

Stifling a sigh, she left the building towards the western shoreline, taking in the salty ocean air and crashing waves. A few squawking seagulls surrounded the sandy beach where she plopped down on a rock.

(Why do they fear me so?)

Just freezing them a bit shouldn't warrant such terror, or so she thought - unaware how overwhelming her abilities must seem from their perspective. With powers so potent, even moderate exertion appeared threatening.

For starters, she would test the full depths of her ice abilities. Extending a hand towards the nearby ocean, the seawater instantly froze upon contact.

As a Devil Fruit user, she felt the instinctive weakness to the sea, unable to swim - an alarming prospect given the seafaring work awaiting. She would need countermeasures eventually. But first, time to see what maximum output looked like.

Closing her eyes, Kanata released her full frozen fury.

Swoosh!

Her exhaled breaths turned white. The air rapidly chilled to frigid levels. Even the crashing waves fell silent. When she opened her eyes, the entire area had flash-frozen into glistening ice.

(So this is the extent...)

Now she understood the basis for such fear. She never imagined possessing this degree of power. No matter how large the rock, the ice refused to crack when struck. Even leaping around the shallow shores, the frozen surfaces barely scuffed.

If she fell into the ocean, freezing the surface would prevent any drowning issues, she idly realized. Though the thought of potentially having to replicate this scale gave her pause. For now, she practiced fashioning frozen lances and spikes from the ice.

The Hie Hie no Mi granted mastery over coldness itself, with no control over pre-existing ice from what she could tell so far. Perhaps refined skill could change that eventually.

But for today's purposes, assessing her full capabilities sufficed. She returned to the ship as evening fell, earning Junshi's outraged scolding the next morning.

***

One week later, a subordinate reported the maritime preparations complete. Bringing Junshi along, Kanata headed for the harbor to load up the cargo, manpower and other provisions.

Surveying the busy deckhands, she turned to her prospective business partner. "Where are we headed first?"

"Tija Island, closer to the Calm Belt. With your abilities, Sea Kings won't pose much threat."

Incidentally, the beach Kanata froze remained frozen solid days later.

"I've never dealt with giants that large. Best we avoid such encounters."

"Hah, you're absolutely right! Sea Kings in particular would vex even me."

"...You fight them barehanded?"

"I can use spears, but generally prefer my fists. As a Haki user, steel is easy enough to shatter unarmed."

Haki? Kanata cocked her head, racking her scattered knowledge before Junshi cheerfully explained.

"Enhancing one's body to strike intangible forces like Devil Fruits - that's Armament Haki. Precognitive sensory capabilities from sensing auras - Observation Haki. And subjugating foes with sheer willpower - Conqueror's Haki. Collectively these three skills comprise Haki."

"So that's what it is. Yet you didn't use it against me initially."

"Of course not. My Observation revealed just an untrained girl - no need to bother with Armament against such meager opposition."

Fair enough, Kanata accepted. He would use such powers unhesitatingly if needed, but their first encounter didn't warrant it.

A fortunate thing for her, she supposed, managing to bring him aboard rather than as adversaries. A valuable skill set to potentially learn regardless.

"The time has come. I'll remain behind."

"Very well. I'll accompany the young lady, but remember - we're committed partners now."

"Yeah, I got it, no need to worry. My mind's made up." 

George sighed, scratching his bald head. Sparing him one last glance as she boarded with Junshi, Kanata saw the exasperated boss give a feeble wave.

"Do your best out there, Miss!"

She returned a faint smile and wave before disappearing below deck. Was "Miss" going to stick as her permanent moniker?

***

Three days later, they arrived at Tija Island without incident, the voyage passing uneventfully.

"Is there anything of interest to trade here?" Kanata asked as they disembarked.

"Beats me...I heard this place is so close to the Calm Belt, they got next to no dealings with other islands," one of George's men - seemingly the only soul unafraid to address her casually - replied with a shrug.

"I see. I'll take a look around then, if that's no issue."

"You got it. I'll let the boss know."

"Good. I won't be long."

With Junshi accompanying her as armed escort during the trading negotiations, Kanata was free to explore the moderately-sized island for a respite after three days confined aboard with little entertainment besides news periodicals.

One decently large town sat amongst the surrounding farmlands and pastures amidst the island's mountains. A full tour wouldn't take too long, she estimated.

Strolling through the village streets, Kanata's youthful exotic beauty drew frequent lingering stares as an obvious outlander. While unlikely to find specialty trade goods, some produce or textiles unavailable on George's island could still turn a profit, she mused.

After circling through town, she hiked partway up the nearby mountains to survey the agriculture. The climate remained stable year-round in this Calm Belt-adjacent region, ideal for farming.

That's when an unusual procession caught her eye across the grassy fields.

Several villagers were heading up a well-trodden mountain path, past the leisurely grazing livestock. Curiosity piqued, Kanata stealthily followed, emerging into a clearing to crouch behind some bushes.

A sizable cage stood in the center, occupied by someone enduring a torrent of vile insults and hurled rocks from the jeering villagers.

(A criminal, perhaps?)

Small island communities often meted out vigilante justice without due legal process, though membership in the World Government would change matters. This appeared to be a case of indigenous island jurisprudence.

Once the villagers dispersed back down the path, Kanata revealed herself, approaching the caged figure - a tanned, heavily-tattooed youth lounging unbothered despite the fresh abuse from hard rocks.

"Hey, who're you? New face around here?"

"I'm Kanata, here for trading purposes as a merchant."

"Oh really? Pretty rare for this shit-hole island," he chuckled dismissively. "Well, enjoy your stay regardless."

"That's rich, coming from inside a cage."

"Fair point," he laughed again, undeterred.

Struck by his unruffled demeanor despite the relentless torment, Kanata waited as he seemed to read her expression.

"I've been dealing with stuff like that for as long as I can remember, so it's nothing new to me anymore."

"...I see."

"Guess there was one time some goody-two-shoes tried 'saving' me, but clearly that didn't pan out," he said, gesturing to his present confinement. "Anyway, they found out I ate a Devil Fruit, hence getting treated like this."

Kanata nodded, allowing the man to ramble about some "champion of justice" who once tried freeing him, but failed - leaving behind a wealth of enlightening lessons first.

Seemingly thrilled to have an audience, he regaled her with episodic tales from his caged hell until the sunset visibly dimmed their surroundings.

"Ah shit, it's evening already. My bad for running my mouth that whole time."

"It's fine, I enjoyed hearing your stories."

"You're too kind. Just the ramblings of a nobody trapped on this crummy island."

He recounted having bones broken, throats crushed, even being burned - only surviving due to his Devil Fruit powers, Kanata guessed. Not unlike her own ostracizing childhood.

Almost unconsciously, she found herself asking: "What's your name?"

"Huh? Nobody's called me by my name in ages...Hell, I can't even remember it myself. Call me whatever you want."

"How about Kuro then? Would you like to come with me?"

The man dubbed Kuro gaped, stunned by Kanata's unexpected offer.

"You can't be serious, lady! Taking on some freaky, useless runt like me - you aiming to make me your slave or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm only inviting you because you seem interesting."

"I'm a monster though. Like I said, they've done all kinds of tortures but I just keep on ticking."

"Then we're alike in that sense," Kanata replied, generating a swirl of cold air in her palm. "Why not two monsters watching each other's backs?"

Kuro burst into raucous laughter. "A couple of freaks looking out for each other, huh? Well, I can't argue with that philosophy!"

"So what'll it be?"

"In that case...Yeah, take me with you! Somehow I get the feeling things'll get real exciting by your side."

Cooling the air to sub-zero levels, Kanata shattered the cage, freeing Kuro who stretched his newly unbound limbs.

"Well then, let's make the most of this, Miss. I'm Kuro - the Darkness Human who ate the Yami Yami no Mi."