Daughter of the Sea (One Piece Live Action)

Episode 9 THE GIRL WITH THE KISS OF THE SEA Part 1

A/N: Some heavy stuff ahead. Then again, this is the One Piece Universe, so... Main characters are purely based from the live action, but OCs and secondary characters are inspired and expanded on based on the anime. Thought I'd let you know.

Enjoy!

THE PAST

According to its repeated mention in the archives, lockpicking had been known for the ages as the go-to skill for any pirate, even the most mediocre, to posses. She'd pushed herself to study the nature of clockwork and basic machinery, burying her nose in the science books the most good-natured professors recommended her to feed her sudden growing interest in artistry work. She kept in mind that once she came out of this place and if her brother and her ended up living a life of piracy as they'd always said, it might come in handy. Only she told herself she would only ever use such a skill to break-out.

It's why she bickered with herself the whole time, the night when with careful hands, Coral picked the office door of the Monacle professor. Her nimble fingers deftly turning the pick as the door clicked open and slipped inside to begin her search: she would be leaving Greymoore with Luffy, yes, but she wouldn't before retrieving her handkerchief.

The moonlight was the only source of light coming into the office, casting a pale glow over the small room, but a heart-raced and regret-filled Coral still sifted through the cluttered desk, growing frustrated with each minute that passed and she couldn't find her treasure.

An unexpected creaking sound filled the room. Panic seized her. The door, which she'd thought safely locked after she'd gotten in, swung shut behind her. She turned around, with a gasp. She'd been caught. But it wasn't a Monocle what her gaze found. Instead, hidden in the soft veil of the dark, a pair of glasses reflected the fire of the lit candle holder a girl carried in her right hand.

"Tilly." Confusion and surprise etched Coral's face. "What are you doing here?"

The solemn expression of the girl was poorly illuminated by the flickering flame, but when she approached her and stood beneath the moonlight, Coral saw she was still in her grey uniform, her left hand inside her apron pocket. She had never meant to go to bed.

"Did your brother finally come for you?" Her voice was monotone and distant, and before Coral could respond the girl pulled a familiar handkerchief out. "I thought you might want to have this before leaving." Coral managed to catch in the air as the piece of cloth was tossed her way. She stared at it, feeling the soft cotton under her fingers, speechless, before looking up. It seemed the girl wasn't here to rat her out, quite the contrary.

"I thought you didn't like me."

"Not that it ever stopped you..." Tilly looked to the side.

"Why are you helping me, then?" Coral couldn't contain the enthusiastic smile from escaping her.

Tilly hesitated for a moment, before pulling out the set of keys she'd used to get inside the office, she observed them for a moment. Then, she twirled the set around her index as her gaze became lost in the air:

"I was born on a summer island, far away from here. My family... they have money, alright? More than you could imagine, more than anyone else in this school, perhaps..." There wasn't an ounce of pride in her voice. "I had an apparently perfect life. The life of a... princess, if you must." She stopped the hand motion, before starting to pace around the room with a disinterest demeanor. "My parents sent me to Greymoore after they found out about a... friendship I had with someone... someone they frowned upon, someone they deemed inappropriate. He was my best friend." She grasped the keys with a cold cut in the air. "They brought me here under a single threat: that if I ever tried to escape, tried anything at all..." She met her eyes, "they'd hurt him." Coral' s features questioned whether she had heard correctly. There was no way she could have, but the girl smirked at her and nodded. "Don't let it impress you. Their empire... those are the bricks on which it was built, even if they now act like the perfect family." She scoffed, "But you..." Her shoulders fell in defeat with a soft shake of her head, "Oh, you're free from all that..." Her hands opened to her sides with emphasis, "You can do whatever you want, Coral." Coral's lips pursed as Tilly walked away. "I wouldn't share that with just anyone." The girl looked back over her shoulder. She was back to toying with the keys, "But what do I care now that you're leaving." Tilly took a deep breath before turning to face her with a turn of her heels. "I want you to leave, Coral." She emphasized each word, before muttering: "Because you can."