Free Heart

Ch. 1 - I am the Moon

-2 years before Luffy sets sail, Luffy: 15 years old-

Cold.

That was all the girl felt as she laid curled up in the middle of her cell. Her head rested on its side with her cheek pressed against the slightly damp wooden planks. Her thick blonde hair spilled all around her body and over her face. Her arms were clutched tightly around her chest with her knees tucked over them but yet she was still cold. The thin dress that she wore, although going all the way down to her ankles, offered no warmth. In actuality, she'd prefer to feel that way since the colder she was, the more numb she'd feel.

She wished for all her heart that the night air would turn even chillier just so that she wouldn't have to feel anything at all. She was actually thankful for the cold shackles that circled around her wrists. The Sea Prism Stone provided two benefits for the girl. It kept her power at bay and also made her feel completely exhausted. Feeling tired meant she didn't have to feel anything else and she was so tired of feeling.

Outside of her cell was the captain's bedroom. He had a large wooden bed with an ornate headboard, an oak writing desk, a matching chair, and, more importantly, a window. It was a small porthole but to the little girl, it was the size of her world. From it, while lying down at this angle, she could see the night sky.

Her cloudy blue eyes peaked through the openings of her blonde hair and she stared out the window in a daze. Tonight was a full moon and it shined directly back at her, like a parent reaching out to a child. I am the moon, the little girl chanted through her unblinking eyes. It had become her nightly prayer and wish, Cold and alone. No one can touch me. I feel nothing. I am the moon.

Outside the captain's door, there was more activity than usual. People were running, shouting, and screaming but the girl didn't pay much attention to it. It was another day. Another battle. If someone came to take her away, so be it. If she was going to be another person's prisoner, she's fine with it. If she was to be their slave, it would be nothing she hadn't experienced before. If someone came to end her life, even better.

The door finally swung open but the girl didn't move an inch. Her eyes were still fixed on the window. Even when she heard the sound of keys jingling and her cell door unlocking, she was unresponsive. Black boots appeared in front of her, just an inch away from her nose, and finally she blinked but otherwise, that was it. Her hair was brushed out of her eyes and for a second, she felt the warmth of a human hand. However, she remained motionless.

Only when she felt the keys get fit into her shackles did she jerk away and sit up. She stared wide eyed at the cell's new occupant and shook her head violently. She held her hands behind her head so that he couldn't get to the Sea Prism Stone. From the light of the moon, she could see that the man was wearing a fedora and his face was slim. He was squatting in front of her so she couldn't tell what he was wearing except that he had a white coat that hung over his shoulders.

"It's okay," the man said in a gruff voice but not unkindly, "I'm not here to harm you."

That seemed to not ease the little girl at all and she started to back away from him.

"Just let me-" he started to say, bringing the key closer to her again.

She let out a little gasp and turned her back to the man. She doubled over her hands, shielding him from her shackles. At her position, she didn't see the shocked expression from the man's face.

"Oy! What's going on in there?!" came a loud bark from outside. Soon, the whole doorframe of the captain's room was filled by a burly figure with wild hair. He, too, had a white coat draped over him.