One Piece Katakuri x OC

Katakuri x OC

Ch. 15

I instructed Katakuri to grab my bag which contained minimal medical supplies.

"Before you begin pulling the stake out of my shoulder, I'm afraid I must ask you to sanitize your hands in the ocean. Not the most pleasant for you, but we have no choice."

Katakuri's eyebrows furrowed, displeased to be commanded by his enemy. While reluctant, he followed my instructions.

"The stake should have stopped me from bleeding out. Once you pull it, I need you to immediately apply pressure with the towel from my bag. Then, my life will be in your hands. No pressure." I displayed an exhausted smirk.

Clearly, Katakuri was not amused by my jokes as his face was solemn. He was too large to bend on his knees, Katakuri would have to adjust. Without warning, he suddenly yanked me up by my arm with extreme force and propped me up on his lap. I wanted to shout from the pain, but I silenced myself by biting my lower lip. He wrapped his hand around my waist to hold me steady as if my body was a doll. I had never felt more humiliated, but I had no choice. I had my suspicions, but the stake was lathered in some poison, the longer it stayed the more poison would seep into my bloodstream. The stake needed to come out.

Katakuri suddenly reaches for the stake, I yelled,"Wait!"
He paused and glared, saying coldly, "What?"
"You can't just yank the stake out, I'll be dead in minutes. You must proceed with caution."
I pleaded with my eyes, Katakuri only grumbled in response and grasped the stake. He pulled slowly, but not slow enough. I could feel the blood gush out of my shoulder. I clenched my teeth and strained to breathe. I couldn't contain myself any longer and let out horrific groans as I grasped tightly onto my thighs. Katakuri stared with obvious disgust at the sounds that escaped me.

He sighed, "A dying goat sounds better than your monstrous moans."

I let my hair become a veil across my face. Desperately, I wanted to curse in his face, but I had to prioritize my breathing in hopes of stabilizing my blood flow.

I shot up to glare at him, my eyes filled with tears from the pain my voice came out in a choked up whisper, "Slower...please."

A switch had flipped in Katakuri as his eyes looked shocked before he focused on easing his pace, gently pulling the stake until it was relieved from my arm. Acting swiftly, he applied pressure on my shoulder with the towel. I felt my eyes grow heavy and my body laid flat, his hand still pressed against my shoulder, blood seeping through the towel and dripping down my arm. I had to remain awake and control my breathing just enough for the blood to clot.

I commanded Katakuri, "Don't let me sleep until the wound no longer bleeds."

Katakuri did not respond, but a part of me hoped he was listening since I no longer had control.

Finally, after minutes that felt like hours, the fear of death had subsided for now. I took a deep breath in and exhaled, reminding me I had survived another day. And yet, I had never felt so weak, my enemy before me could still kill me and I would be powerless to stop him. As if a wall was swept away by a turbulent tide, the tears burst from my eyes. I had no strength to hide or wipe them away as they streaked down my cheeks. Were my tears a sign of relief? Fear or anger? Maybe regret? I was too exhausted to care. Too tired to know.

My eyes looked to the night sky, were my tears amusing to Katakuri? I didn't dare turn my head to find out.

I saw an ominous shadow out of the corner of my eye and flinched. A warm presence lingered under my eyes, was it really Katakuri's fingers lightly wiping away my tears?

Katakuri spoke in a tone softer than the wind whistling through the empty trees, "You handled yourself well, Iris the Reaper."

Those were the last words I heard before my eyes shifted into the darkness and my thoughts quieted without a fight.

My body suddenly felt warmer than the coolness of the night and I knew it was day. I peeked one eye and glanced at my shoulder, bandaged and cleaned. Katakuri must've bandaged my shoulder while I was asleep. Slowly, I propped myself up and saw Katakuri walking back in the distance with a handful of coconuts.

Without a word, Katakuri handed me an opened coconut. I drank the sweet juice and began peeling the white coconut into pieces to eat.

I still felt resentment toward all of Big Moms' pirates. However, oddly enough Katakuri and I share the same sentiments of giving credit where it's due, regardless of personal pride.

Letting out a sigh, I turned my body toward him and bowed, "Katakuri-san, I thank you for saving my life. If I were alone, I would've surely died here on this miserable beach. You have given me a second chance, I promise you it will not be wasted. My oath to you remains unwavering until the sirens of the sea come to claim my life.

He spoke in a threatening tone, "You live by my will. They call you The Reaper of Death, but you are still made of human flesh. Here in my domain, I am the reaper that decides when your life ends."

I said looking down, "My apologies, Katakuri-san. You are absolutely correct."

His voice had a domineering sternness that was present in our previous interactions. Was I hallucinating about how he spoke to me last night? I was doubtful, however, impossibilities are never truly set in stone.

Katakuri turned back to his coconut, eating the pieces while hiding his face in his fur, "You said you would be useful."

I spoke with certainty, "Of course, I would never lie to you."

Katakuri gazed in annoyance.

I gulped, "We are currently next to an estuary, fresh water may be found further inland in the direction of the mushroom cloud. I recommend we follow along the estuary, avoiding the dense vegetation that could be filled with traps waiting for us."

He responded, "We'll have to hide amongst some of the vegetation as we move, otherwise we'll become easy targets. However, I may be the first spotted regardless."

He appeared concerned due to the loss of his powers, the unpredictability and uncertainty of the situation made him appear uneasy.

"I can assure you that any danger that threatens your life, I will be the first to put myself in harm's way to protect you."

Katakuri felt insulted, and yet his eyes appeared to soften some before turning away to look towards the forest.

He quickly glanced at my arm, "Are you certain you won't become a liability?"

I glared, "My strength dares not heed doubt."

Grabbing a rock closest to me, using my other arm and still sitting down I stretched my arm back and opened my chest, taking a deep breath. Holding my breath to steady my arm, I exhaled shooting the rock across the water, the rock parting the waves crashing onto the beach and flying beyond our eyes view.

I smiled, "Losing one arm is no handicap, I won't slow us down."

Katakuri went, "Hmph." As he stood, the sand around us hopped in excitement.

"We've wasted enough time, let's head into the forest before nightfall."

It didn't take long before we were packed up and began to make our way into the forest, following the estuary further into the unknowns that lie on the island designed against unwelcome visitors. The previous attacks indicated we weren't the only ones on this island, the cause of the mushroom cloud may contain the answers and the missing piece I've been searching for since the day my island disappeared.