Darkness.
Great. My first sensation after waking up in a strange place is pitch-black nothing.
"Huh? Why is it so dark here? Am I… locked in a closet? No… feels smaller."
I reach out and pat around with my hands. My knees are jammed up near my chest. My back's bent at an awkward angle. My palms brush rough wood.
…A barrel?
I snap my fingers softly. "Fluorescent."
—Hum—
A faint glow blooms in the cramped space, casting shaky light on the curved wooden walls around me. It's not much, but enough to see I'm indeed inside a barrel.
"Well, magic still works. That's a relief. No clue how much I can use here, though."
Before I can think about crawling out, a gruff voice echoes from outside.
"You're slacking off again, Coby."
Coby? Wait—Coby? As in… pink-haired, punching-bag-for-pirates Coby? Which means…
"Oh no," a younger, anxious voice stammers. "I was just moving these two barrels…"
I hear footsteps and another voice—lazy, greasy. "Oh yeah? Then let us help lighten the load for you."
Three pirates, judging from the tone. And judging from the smell seeping through the barrel cracks, they reek of cheap booze and bad hygiene.
"No!" Coby's voice sharpens with panic. "If you do that, Miss Alvida will—"
The fat one cuts him off, shoving him aside. Wood scrapes. A thump. Someone grabs the barrel I'm in.
"Oh, fantastic," I mutter under my breath. "Nothing says 'good morning' like a concussion from a pirate's fist."
I feel the barrel tip, and—
Crash!
The fat man's attempt at barrel-breaking gets interrupted when another barrel next to me bursts open.
A young man wearing a straw hat pops out, grinning like he just won the lottery. "Hahahaha! That was a great nap!"
His sudden leap knocks the fat pirate flat on his back. The tall, thin pirate next to him staggers—
And that's my cue. I whisper, "Open."
Boom!
The planks around me explode outward, smacking the tall pirate square in the face and sending him sprawling. I step out, brushing wood splinters off my shoulders.
"Still as handsome as ever," I mutter, pulling a small hand mirror from my coat pocket. I tilt it toward my face. "Black hair, check. Deep eyes, check. Blue scarf still flawless—perfect."
The last pirate—neither fat nor tall, just unfortunately average—grips a sword and points it between me and Straw Hat.
"Who are you?" the kid in the straw hat asks, tilting his head.
"I should be asking you that!" the pirate barks, stepping forward.
I smile thinly, watching the glint of the blade. "Haven't seen anyone dumb enough to draw steel on me in a while."
The pirate snarls. "Quit talking nonsense!" He charges, swinging the sword down at my shoulder.
Clang!
The blade snaps clean in half when it hits me.
"…Huh." I look down at my coat. Not a scratch. The pirate, on the other hand, stares like I just turned into a sea king.
"You… what are you—"
Before he can finish, I flick my fingers. A shimmer of cold races up his body, and in an instant, he's frozen solid, mouth hanging open mid-word.
I tug my coat collar aside and inspect it. "Good thing I used magic. Would've hated for this idiot to tear the fabric."
Straw Hat's eyes are practically sparkling. "Sugoi! How'd you do that? Are you a Devil Fruit user too?"
"Not exactly." I give him a once-over—he's exactly as goofy-looking in person as I imagined. "That was magic. Ice magic, specifically."
His eyes somehow get brighter. "Magic? What's that? Sounds cool!"
Too bright. I push his face away with one hand. "Think of it like Devil Fruit powers, but without the whole 'I can't swim' drawback."
"Ohhh…" He clenches a fist into his palm, nodding like he's just uncovered the secret of the universe. "So that's magic."
Meanwhile, Coby's chewing his fingernails behind us, staring like I'm some mythical monster.
What's with that look? Kid, you've got bigger problems—like surviving your boss.
Straw Hat adjusts his hat and grins. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" Big, toothy smile. All sunshine.
I return a faint smirk. "Lock."
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A/N: Please Leave A Comment Or Drop A Powerstone It'll mean alot to me...