Chapter Eleven: Prophecy
Note: Heyy guys!! Sorry for not updating in a while! I keep having ideas for the Christmas Special so it's taking longer than I thought it would. (Read the A/n at the bottom for more information)
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"The gold piles upon their doorstep,
Each day we count, we prep.
Until the day she shall be born to this destiny,
unknown to our unease.
When death befalls upon her, the world shall wait,
while the birth of the new King is at stake.
From the ashes, she shall rise again,
Only soon to be trapped in a lion's den."
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Smoker choked on his spit.
"Okay, listen here you-" He paused, staring into your innocent eyes. You probably weren't talking about sex. Actually, probably was an understatement. He could feel his face heating up as his thought bombarded him. His head was swimming as you watched him struggle to get an answer out.
"Er, is that a yes?"
"Yes?" Smoker blinked at his mistake as you cheered excitedly. Now he was feeling guilty and he didn't want to ruin your mood. Well, at least you didn't seem to have any ulterior motives. He watched you with deadpan eyes as you flopped onto the bed, rolling around excitedly.
Oh wait.
Smoker paled visibly as he realized there was only one bed.
Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit-
"I- uh, have to go do somethings before I sleep. So I'll be uh back." He made a way for the door, only pausing when you asked him in a slightly nervous voice, "You'll come back though right?"
"Yeah yeah, I'll come back," he huffed. Opening the door, he walked out, shutting it behind him. Well that was embarrassing. Walking out of the inn, he decided that he would head back to base. He needed to time cool down and think. There were too many thoughts and emotions going through him. Hopefully Tashigi wouldn't notice and leave him alone.
* * *
"Luffy, can I talk to you?" Luffy took a bite of meat as he looked up at his navigator. "Yehwashup?" he said with a mouthful of meat. Nami internally cringed at his behavior, but she suppose she was going to have to get used to it.
"You remember when I... um..."
"Stole Merry?"
"No-"
"Laughed when Zoro forced me to drink my booger?"
"No I- Stop interrupting me!" she shouted as Luffy opened his mouth again. He had a sad frown on his face. The meat in his hands was held close to his face.
"I was going to take another bite of meat."
"Well you keep interrupting me!" Nami sighed exasperated. "I wanted to say that when I..." She instinctively reached to clutch the tattoo she had stabbed. "When I told you I needed help, I saw... I saw Y/n." Luffy stopped eating his meat, eyes wide and now very interested in what Nami had to say.
"But Y/n didn't come with us."
"I know but I just saw her. She was there, Luffy didn't you see her?"
"No," the boy said bluntly. "But I wanna see her too~ Nami why did you get to see her?" he whined, flinging his body onto his navigator. "This isn't fair..."
"Luffy, the reason why I'm telling you this is because I don't know how I saw her. But she was with someone." Luffy looked thoughtful for a second and Nami had to do a double take. Luffy, thinking? Impossible.
"Was it a man with a big sword with a weird looking hat?"
"Er, yeah?"
"Oh she's okay then." Luffy suddenly got up, inhaling the rest of the meat in his hand, before going back towards the party for the defeat of Arlong. "You can ask Y/n yourself when we see her if you wanna know." Luffy stretched. "I know I wanna know why. Why didn't she want to see me?! And why did she hide her new awesome power from me?! Man I wonder what else she could do now..." Luffy's voice began to fade away as he walked further away from Nami.
Nami furrowed her brows. She kind of expected Luffy to answer some questions, not raise more.
"Curious too?" She jumped at the sudden masculine voice, and she turned to see Zoro leaning against a building beside her. He had bandages wrapped around his torso from his most recent fight with Hachi. Zoro was lucky that none of his wounds from his previous battles had opened up or he would have surely died.
"It just doesn't make any sense."
"Luffy doesn't make any sense and you're not questioning it." Nami opened her mouth to reply before shutting it when she had none. Zoro was right though, but she couldn't help but feel curious about what you were capable of. And to an extent, reassured that you were strong and able to take care of yourself. She thought back to the incident in Baratie. Well maybe not that much, but still.
He patted the wounds underneath his bandages. "I can say that she's definitely not normal, but I do owe her one." He paused, before continuing. "But I don't trust her. There's something suspicious about her, but if the captain says she's the first mate, then she's the first mate. There's no changing that idiot's mind. I'm sure we'll get plenty of chances at seeing what she's capable of though."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You're weak. You need to be more careful than the others. And also because Luffy and that cook most likely won't listen to what I say about her." He remembered how defensive the two got when he mentioned how you were a little suspicious. The moss head didn't think he wanted to go through that again. He sighed.
"Wow Zoro... does this mean... you actually care about me?" Nami asked in amazement. The man jolted in his spot, giving her a death glare.
"Why would I care about a woman like you?" Zoro growled. "I'm making sure that you don't drag the crew down."
"What did you say?! I'm not going to drag the crew down. You're the one dragging the crew down getting lost all the time!"
"Damn woman I don't get lost!"
* * *
Smoker entered the room quietly, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. It was dark out, with the moonlight streaming through the curtains. On the bed he could see the rising and falling of your breathing, and he began to question why he came back. He took a seat on the bed, and tensed when he saw that you began to stir.
"Smokey?" you croaked out. "Is that you?" You began to sit up tiredly, clutching onto something dark in your arms. He couldn't tell what it was but it looked fluffy.
"Yeah, it's me." You turned on the bedside lamp, letting your eyes slowly adjust to the light before giving him a sleepy smile.
"I knew you would come back."
"Yeah." There was a red bird on your lap he noticed. Though he was curious, he choose not to question you. Smoker watched curiously as you reached down to the floor to grab your bag, pulling a relatively thick book out. The golden letters reflecting light, giving it a more ethereal glow. Smoker turned his head to read the title.
The Little Princess
"Can I read you a story? It's my favorite."
"Fine." You smiled. "I hope you don't mind it being a picture book. It's kind of long too." His blue eyes told you that he didn't mind at all as he got situated underneath the covers. "Alright then."
"Once upon a time there was an island filled with talented people. It was world of brilliance and power." You smiled softly as you turned the page.
"This wondrous place was dubbed by the people as Euphoria, the bridge of worlds. It was a place where the sand was of the purest of minerals, refined to be softer than the loveliest of blankets. Emeralds dangled above like little willows, chiming together to create a soft music as the wind blew by. And in the center near the base of the mountain was the home to the Ancient Ones, where the animals gather to glimpse one, where the wind moves to be gentle, and the flowers open to look presentable. This is the place where the rain never comes, only in small sprinkles, and the only terrible weather is the never ending sun. Euphoria is a place of paradise, and Euphoria waits for no one. But Euphoria wasn't just as it seemed, Euphoria had a secret, a prophecy that one day someone will unite or destroy the worlds. A Phoenix, if you will.
To save the world from destruction, a sacrifice must be made. A sacrifice of blood."
Smoker stared at the book appallingly. "Is this appropriate for children?"
You shrugged your shoulders. "I don't know. I think so?" He looked at you skeptically before letting you continue.
"So, in order to defy the prophecy, a manhunt had began. Euphoria wasn't only known for it's brilliance and power, but for it's beautiful creatures. One of such was the Phoenix. Now there was one particular Phoenix that was well known within Euphoria, and that Phoenix was named Azar. He was quite the trouble maker who loved to play pranks and was always seen accompanied by a young child of beautiful ombre rainbow hair, and the most beautifully intricate rainbow eyes.
The two had met one day coincidentally at a tree stump, and they became inseparable ever since.
Everyone knew of this child. Blessed by the heavens who bestowed a golden ball of light upon her, just like first of her kind. She was the Heir to throne, with golden blood that ran through her veins that made her who she was. An Ancient One. One of the last, and one of the greats.
With all her great achievement, she was loved by all, and some would say too much. People fought for her, friends upon friends, and a bloodshed soon shrouded the land for her hand in marriage. Driven by grief of what she had caused, she had put a curse upon the fruits, so that all who would consume them would be forever hated by the sea, to hopefully drive people away from consuming them.
But it only fueled them further.
The people knew she was devastated, but they couldn't stop. This bloodshed was for the princess and the good of their world. It was only when she died that they had come to their senses.
In the end she had tossed herself to the sea, knowing that no one would be able to save her.
The people wept and wept and wept and wept, begging for forgiveness.
But nobody can revive the dead. Nobody can revive the lives that were lost.
Once upon a time, Euphoria was a place of paradise, and Euphoria waits for no one."
"That was ominous," Smoker gruffly spoke as you tucked the book away. "I didn't take you for someone liking something so dark. I thought you said it was a children's book?" You gave him a sheepish smile.
"My grandpa read it to me when I was a child. He said it was important. And... well... I like it because it's not like other stories. This one is sad and doesn't have a happy ending. It's different. Sorry if that's a little weird." Smoker shook his head.
"It's different, I can understand where you're coming from." He sighed. "Life isn't all about shits and giggles. The story is somewhat more reasonable than most. Though those people were idiots, fighting over a girl." You smiled at him, nodding in understanding, before flopping onto the pillows. You closed your eyes peacefully, before speaking up.
"You've heard of the prophecy, right Smokey?"
"Yeah. What about it?" You hummed to yourself a little, absentmindedly stroking the firebird on your lap.
"Well did you know that the story and the prophecy are connected?" You opened your eyes, staring up at the ceiling. Smoker huffed. "How so? There's no evidence to conclude that."
"Well in the book they say that a Phoenix would unite or destroy the worlds, but also the blood of a Phoenix would stop the destruction." Smoker raised a brow at you. He sat up, leaning against the headboard, gazing down at you.
"Then they would have to kill a phoenix." You shook your head.
"The girl died right?" He gave a nod of confirmation, wondering where you were going with this. "Do you remember how the prophecy goes?"
"Yes."
"Though there are ancient texts that talk about the ancient ones, you can find your first clue if you look on the very first page right here-" You pointed to the picture of the base of a mountain. There it was, the mark of the ancient ones and a pile of yellow at the bottom. "This is their doorstep. And that's gold, it's offerings for the Ancient Ones. Just like the prophecy."
He quirked a brow. "So you're saying that there were two prophecies that were going on?" You nodded your head.
"But it's a picture book, it's not real." You pursed your lips, contemplating.
"I guess that's true, but there are plenty of connections to refute that. Like how the girl was born to a destiny, to be the ruler." You paused, getting excited that you finally had someone to talk about your findings after spending night after night reading the book. "Not many people know this, but the Ancient Ones were also called Phoenixes." Smoker widen his eyes, finally realizing what you were trying to say.
"She was the sacrifice," Smoker concluded. "And when it says the birth of a new King..."
"It means the Pirate King. A new King, meaning a new era. It means that her reincarnation is already born." You flipped the book to the very back where there was an intricately drawn map. "I found this map when I accidentally spilled my Ma- I mean friend's drink." Smoker studied it in fascination.
"I think someone wants someone to find the island, but only for specific people." You blinked, looking at him.
"You think so?" He nodded his head as he frowned at the map.
"You know I never would have thought I would be having such a deep discussion about a book with you." You gave him a big smile. "It was interesting, but why did you tell me?" You tilted your head, looking up at the ceiling, not really knowing why yourself.
"I don't know, but it was fun uncovering a mystery, right Smokey?"
"I- Yeah." He supposed it was.
* * *
"I am pissed."
"We can see that Captain," Yasopp spoke.
"How did I even loose to a dragon?" Ah, he was in shock, Yasopp concluded. It must have been a mighty powerful dragon. He held up a bottle of alcohol. "You wanna drink now that you've calmed down a bit?" Shanks was going for a bottle of booze before Benn abruptly stopped him abruptly.
"What is it Benn? Can't you see I'm trying to get myself miserably drunk?" Benn shook his head, holding up the book that was previously drenched in alcohol. Shanks narrowed his eyes at the book in distaste. "What about it?" There was a bit of malintent in his voice, but Benn was unfazed.
"I think you might want to take a look at this." Benn showed the red haired man the odd stains. Shanks studied it for a moment before widening his eyes. This was the key. This message was the key.
Shanks knew what to do. He internally thanked you, making sure to pay you back for you unintentional help.
"Benn, get my sword and some booze. We're going to have a little talk with this dragon."
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Author's Note:
And we finally get to know the story of the Little Princess. And sorry about the special, still working on that. I'm like 22 pages in, and I have like 20 left to write, maybe more. Lol it's going to be long. I'm also planning on posting it separately. I already have one chapter done, do you guys wanna see it?
Oh yeah and also I'm sure some of you noticed but I got a new cover for this story thanks to vasiadiadein !! It makes me so happy that they took the time to do this for me.