The Elementalist Lucia [One Piece x OC fanfiction]

XIX - Ace. Luffy. Sabo

I remember, above all, the blows, the fists pounding my face, the feet hitting my stomach, the whip cracking in my back. I remember my tears and my sobs, my blood and the bitter smell of the earth. My hair full of grey dust and my dirty nails. It was always like that, I walked around Gray Terminal every day looking for treasures, gold, stones, resources that could bring in money. Every night Porchemy would be waiting for me and because what I brought in was never enough, I would get beaten up. It didn't matter that I was a child. To them I was an extra pair of hands in the pay of the pirate captain Bluejam and I had to bring them money, otherwise I was useless. The only reason the pirates kept me was my size, I could slip in and out quickly and quietly, and the fact that I didn't cost them anything. I managed to find food. They hadn't paid me, I had fallen into their hands for free. I don't know exactly how it happened, how I got there. But it's been years now.

One evening, as I was sitting in the corner of Porchemy's hideout, tied to the wall with a chain, they came back with another child. It was a small boy who spoke loudly. I didn't quite understand why he was there but obviously Porchemy was angry with him. He kept asking him where an "Ace" was and where his treasure was. The boy refused to tell him. Despite the blows, despite the blood, despite the tears, he stood up to him. He was tortured, beaten to death even though he was only a child, but he said nothing. I was terrified, my hands clamped over my ears to stop hearing the screams and blows, my eyes closed to stop seeing the blood flowing. Tears came to my eyes and sobs escaped me. Porchemy immediately stopped hitting the boy and turned to me:

"Something's wrong, kid?" he asked in a rough voice.

"N... no..." I stammered, holding back my tears, terrified.

Without listening to me, he took me violently by the arm to bring me a little more into the light and see my face. He took me by the chin and forced me to look at the boy whose face was deformed from all the beatings he had received:

"Do you feel sorry for him?"

I nodded without saying anything, big tears still running down my cheeks.

"You want me to stop?"

I nodded again. The next moment his fist crashed into the back of my head and knocked me to the ground. He laughed as he saw me on the ground. I felt the blood running down my neck.

"Tell me, snotty. Tell me you want me to stop beating him."

The words collided in my throat, only a few sounds managed to pass my lips without really making sense.

"I didn't hear you," Porchemy replied, hitting the boy again.

Clenching my fists and lifting my head, despite the tears that were still flowing, I summoned up my courage and shouted:

"STOP YOU DIRTY PIRATE!"

As soon as the words came out, I put my hands against my mouth.

"N... no wait I didn't mean to..."

The fist with the sharp spikes came to collide violently with my face. The next second I was face down again and his shoes were hitting me from all sides. I coughed and spat out a little blood as I felt my bones crack under his assault. He then took me by the arm and lifted me to the height of his face. His gaze froze me in place. He then continued to hit me with his fist until he was tired. Then he dropped me and turned back to the agitated boy.

"Let her go... let her go..." he kept repeating, struggling to get out of the bonds that were binding him.

"You'd better mind your own business, you little brat," Porchemy replied. "I've had enough of you, I'm going to finish it now."