Chapter Text
LOCATION: BATERILLA, SOUTH BLUE
YEAR: APRIL 15XX
One year after Aurelia D. Asha’s passing
Ever since Vale had started wearing her mother's pearl necklace, her father had become overbearing and protective. He would never let Vale outside the house anymore. Vale only had the company of her locked window and various books surrounding the house, including those in her father's study. If they had to go out though, Vale's father would always go with her and hold her hand so tightly that it stung Vale's palm sometimes.
They would occasionally visit Ma’am Averie just down the street. Averie has become the only other guardian in Vale's life that has become reliable to talk to. Averie's voice was soothing and calm—still quiet but loud enough for Vale to hear. Vale even managed to fall asleep to Ma’am Averie's endless talk about myths and legends. There was one specific legend that Averie often talked about. It was a common myth spread around the island of Baterilla. People from other places say the myth is fake—but many people in Baterilla truly believe that it is real.
A few months after her mother's passing, Vale, of course, started wearing her pearl necklace due to her father's advice. To help with the devil fruit predicament, Vale's father decided to visit the number one myth expert on the entire island; Averie. Vale jumped for joy when she heard the news of their upcoming visit. Vale's father did not want Vale out of his sight, and neither did he want her outside of the house if she indeed went out of his sight. So, Vale and her father packed their bags, and decided to stay the night at Ma’am Averie's.
Throughout their walk towards Averie's house, Vale's father held her hand firmly. She felt unease at the feeling of his hand gripping hers. It was as if he was putting all his force into that single grip. Then again, she understood why. Her father didn't want to lose her, not after what happened to Mother.
Vale looked around and took in the fresh air of the outside. It had been a while since she managed to walk outside. Besides her father's grip on hers, she’s never felt so free. Vale's father brought Vale close as other citizens in the village started looking at them weirdly again. Kids and their parents distanced themselves from both Vale and her father. They whispered to each other:
“Look! It's that girl! She's with her father this time!”
“I'm sure both of them are equally as creepy as her mom.”
“Aldrin… I can assume he's not feeling so good right now.”
“I still remember him, Asha and Rouge talking to each other like it was yesterday…”
Finally, Vale and her father reached the front door of Averie's residence. Vale's father gently knocked the door and anticipated a response.
Before Vale knew it, the wooden front door swung open to reveal Ma’am Averie. She sure wasn't in her prime any longer—she had her black hair and youthful hazel eyes, but those several gray streaks and wrinkles stood out like a sore thumb. She jolted in surprise at the sight of Vale and her father. “Aldrin! Vale! What are you doing here?” Her eyebrow raised in concern.
“Ma’am Averie, if you could please let us inside first, I can explain everything to you.”
Averie’s eyes darted to the floor, mind consumed with thought. After tapping her foot a few times, she finally looked up and allowed Vale and her father inside.
Averie's house looked vintage, as if it was as old as an old woman like Averie. Various old paintings hung on the walls, including an odd one with various pins and bronze, silver and gold badges framed on the wall. Vale didn't know what those badges were for, and what exactly Averie accomplished to earn such badges, but she brushed it aside and sat on a couch designed with different patterns. Averie sat on a nearby rocking chair whilst Vale's father sat on an armchair of the same design as the couch.
“Tell me what happened this time, Aldrin.”
“Well…” Vale's father began to explain the predicament. From Vale eating the weird-looking sea grapes to finding out it was actually a devil fruit. Vale sat uncomfortably as she listened to her father. The pearl necklace sat like a heavy weight across her neck. Vale never felt the strength that she originally had to run and walk around the island like she used to. She felt so weak and fragile, sitting there pathetically while she listened to the retelling of her own life-altering mistake.
Averie's body tensed as the story went on. “The Ryutai-Ryutai no mi? Of all devil fruits…” Her grip on the armrests of her rocking chair tightened. “This can't be good. If Vale has that fruit, then it's a matter of time until..”
Vale's father swiftly held up his hand, “I know..!” His voice broke. His hand went to cover his eyes, masking the emotion he was feeling.
What was it? What exactly about her devil fruit was her father and Ma'am Averie talking about? “I can see why you came to me now.” Averie stood up from her rocking chair. “I’ll make lunch for you two. I assume things must’ve been hard lately.” Averie walked towards the kitchen as Vale and her father followed suit. It was a matter of time until they reached the kitchen that also acted like a dining room as well. Vale sat at one of the chairs as Averie asked, “What do you want for lunch, Vale?”
Vale immediately thought back to her favorite dish; Takoyaki. Even if she didn't reply to Vale's compliments, Vale's mother always cooked Takoyaki for her daughter. It had been something embedded in Vale's mind ever since her mother passed. “Takoyaki..” Vale answered. Averie smiled at Vale's request and began to cook for both Vale and her father.
“Tell me, Aldrin.” Averie started. “Do you think you could get Vale to try her new power again?”
Vale was caught off guard, and it seemed her father was, too. “What? No… no way. I don't think Vale can train to control it yet. I mean… she’s still twelve.”
Averie shook her head as she sighed, “Aldrin, you’ll never know things unless you try. Who knows? Maybe with some training, she could become a great devil fruit user, especially with a power that can transform water.”
Vale's father turned his head towards her. “Vale? Do you think you could do it?” He asked.
Vale contemplated for a moment—looking down at her hands. She remembered that moment; her stiff arm, the water orb, the way it transformed into ice and fell immediately as it turned. When it first happened, it terrified her. She had never seen supernatural powers besides hearing about them. She had never seen something so… surreal. Now knowing her own Devil Fruit power, she wondered what other devil fruits might be out there. What do they do? Who are their users? Those were questions to be answered for another day.
“...Maybe I can.” She muttered.
Her eyes locked onto her father's glass of water. She held out her dominant hand and focused for a second.
And then another,
And another…
And another…
And there it was.
She heard Averie and her father gasp. She opened her eyes and saw that she had taken all of the water out of the glass, forming it into a sphere, just like how she did the first time. She thought about her ability for a moment. If she could turn water into anything—could she possibly make it evaporate into smoke? She focused for a while longer, her father and Averie watching in awe as she made the water move fluidly towards the center of the table. Then, she focused, imagining the water evaporating into smoke.
The next thing she knew, the water she controlled was gone, replaced by small clouds of white smoke. In the background, Vale could see Ma’am Averie smiling. “That was impressive.. considering this is likely your second time.”
Vale relaxed her body into her chair as her father snapped out of his trance after witnessing what his daughter had done. “I… No. Ma’am Averie I don't like what you're implying by making my daughter do such things.”
“Aldrin…”
“I don't want you to make Vale master the Ryutai-Ryutai no mi. You can't. Not after what happened last time.”
Averie stood stiff as she cleared her throat. “Aldrin, I wasn't implying that at all. I only wanted to see if such things were true.”
Aldrin didn't reply.
The Takoyaki made it to their plates. Vale ate in the most prim and proper way and wiped her mouth with a nearby towel after she was finished. She picked up her plate and walked towards the sink, placing it inside. She hugged herself with uncertainty and approached Ma’am Averie. “Ma’am Averie… where am I going to sleep for the night?”
Ma'am Averie's eyebrows raised as her eyes turned to look at Vale's father. After a few seconds, Averie nodded, turning to look at Vale and said, “Here, let me walk you to the guest bedroom, okay?”
Vale faced her father, a look of worry flashing upon her face. Her father gave her a reassuring look, and Vale let out a sigh.
Averie led Vale towards the guest bedroom. It had the typical queen-sized bed with an open window with flowing curtains and a bedside table. There stood an unlit candle, waiting to be lit once more. Vale ran and flopped on the bed, taking in its softness. Averie sat on the edge of the bed. “Don't sleep right now, Vale. I’ll be telling you a story first!” She booped Vale's nose, and Vale giggled, already burying herself within the covers. “But, Ma’am Averie, the bed is so soft! There's no way I would not fall asleep in a bed like this.”
Averie replied with a smirk, “Then, you’ll have to fight the sleepiness before I come back.”
“Fine..”
“Promise?”
“Promise!”
Averie exited the room to clean the kitchen table whilst Vale waited patiently in the guest bedroom. She went to look outside the open window and took in the fresh air. The moon shone brightly, its light being reflected by the ocean below. Stars were scattered among the night sky—some shining brighter than others. She watched the outside, counting the seconds and minutes that passed by. She wished so badly to escape, to experience the feeling of touching the sand with her bare feet again. Alas, she knew what her father would think. She couldn't go, or else she'd be in trouble. She didn't know why it was so bad to go out anymore, especially after eating that fruit, but she knew her father was always the type to have valid reasons, so she always follows what he said, no matter how strict or crazy they may be.
She spent the rest of her time waiting by laying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She thought about the happy things of her life. Flowers, seashells, coconut trees, fruits, the moon, and nature as a whole. Then, she thought of how she used to visit her mother’s and Rouge's graves every now and then.
A part of herself hated what happened.
She hated Rouge in a way. She was the reason her mother grieved so badly, and one of the reasons why her mother decided to just… up and disappear with no explanation. She hated it. She hated every thought of that day with the journal, and why every time she had to celebrate her birthday from now on, she would have to try and forget what happened on that exact day as well.
Averie came back with a smile. Vale was buried in the covers, awaiting the new tale that Averie would tell. Averie sat on the edge of the bed, right beside Vale. “Now, Vale. What story do you want me to tell?” She asked.
Vale thought about it all she could. Then, she thought of one that she liked a lot. “Tell me about the myth of Midnight Island again, Ma’am Averie!”
Averie laughed, “Again? Is this story this much of a favorite? I’ve already told you this several times in the past.”
“Yeah!” Vale quickly replied.
“Okay, okay… I’ll tell you.”
“Once, in a lonely, mysterious, and undiscovered island that was as old as time, chaos and sadness ruled the land. No one from the outside world dared to step a single foot on the island. Some say the island would be at its worst during midnight. This is why most people today dub it as, “Yonaka (Midnight) Island.” Everyone fought for survival, and no one ever felt even an ounce of joy.
That was until eight-hundred years ago… when a girl approached Yonaka with a sense of generosity, love, and genuine pity. She had a power that no one else knew about; a power that could help the island for good. She used her power to drain the chaos and sadness from Yonaka, using herself as a vessel for all of the pain and negativity that fostered over time. In exchange, she drained all the positivity and joy within herself, and converted it into an essence for people to drink in order to feel joy and love once more. The people of the island were forever grateful for her sacrifice, sealing the essence into various vials, calling them the “Amorian vials.” Yonaka had become peaceful since then.
People seek those vials to this day, longing for love and happiness. Alas, Yonaka Island, along with all the Amorian vials, has mysteriously disappeared since that day eight hundred years ago, and has been gone ever since.”
After Averie concluded the myth, Vale asked, “...Ma’am Averie?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think Yonaka Island is real?”
“Well… I think I’ve already told you before—of course I do. Almost everyone on Baterilla believes it existed once.”
Vale furrowed her eyebrows, “Yeah but… Why did it disappear? What was that girl’s name? And why did she go to Yonaka specifically? What was her ability? Why was Yonaka ever sad in the first place? Why couldn't it be happy?”
“Shh, now, Vale. No need to ask such complicated questions. We may believe that it's real, and people who don't come from here believe we're crazy! Despite that, Yonaka Island disappeared. It's over now… so we’ll probably never know the answers to those questions.”
Vale’s heart sank at the response. That answer was basically nothing. She poured her face as her eyelids started going shut. She yawned, getting comfortable under the covers. “Goodnight, Ma’am Averie.”
The last she could see of Averie's face was eyes full of… sadness? Worry? Vale didn't want to bother figuring that out anymore. She was tired—and all she wanted to do was to move on toward the next day.
She dozed off, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Then it finally went dark.
—
Vale's dreams had never felt like this before.
Vale held onto the edge of a cliff. She was on the verge of falling. She tried holding on with all the strength she could. She felt like her body was dragging down beneath her, beckoning and begging to give in to gravity and fall into whatever was waiting for her on the ground. It was dead silent. No one was there, but Vale was terrified.
Her dreams had never felt this vivid or alive. A question she didn't even want to answer loomed in her mind.
What if this was all real?
She tried grasping at the edge of the cliff, hoping to get herself up. Maybe someone she knew might help her. “Father! Ma’am Averie! Please! Help me!” She screamed desperately. Her legs dangled and squirmed beneath her in a panic. It did not make the situation any better. In fact, it only made Vale struggle even more to help herself up.
It all came down to when only her finger tips were touching the edge. Vale was nowhere ready to fall. She continued screaming. Some screams were even inaudible. She didn't even know what she was saying anymore. She just knew that she needed somebody's attention and help..
Finally, two silhouettes entered Vale's vision. She smiled in relief as she recognized who it was; her father and Ma’am Averie. “Father! Ma’am Averie! You’re gonna save me!” Tears of joy streamed down her face as she used the last of her strength holding onto the cliff.
“Who told us that we were supposed to save you?” Her father said. “C’mon, darling, you're barely even worth saving.” Ma’am Averie added.
Vale's heart dropped.
Vale's father reached out for the last of Vale's fingers that had a grip on the cliff. “Go join your crazy mother in the afterlife. Goodbye. You will never be my daughter.”
Averie laughed. “Yes, go on, Vale. You're dangerous to be let out on our island, especially with those abilities.” She paused for a second. “Now disappear, just like your mother once did.”
“Wha-” Vale murmured right before her father forced her fingertips to let go of the edge, making Vale fall at last. She screamed so loudly that it might as well make her own ears bleed—but she didn't care.
Her father and Ma'am Averie betrayed her.
They abandoned her.
Just like she feared they would.
Playbacks of the whispers from the nearby children and adults on Baterilla played in her mind.
“She's creepy…”
“Stay away from my child.”
“Go away! We don't want you messing up our game.”
“I don't know why she's like that. Just.. stay away from her.”
Tons of voices overlapped and whispered in her head so vividly that her ears might explode.
“YOU WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH FOR THEM.”
“YOU ARE A DISGRACE.”
“YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO EXIST.”
“YOU WILL ALWAYS BE ABANDONED.”
“YOU ARE FOREVER DESTINED TO BE ALONE.”
“Stop it, stop it, stop it, please!” Vale yelled continuously.
Finally, she hit the water below with a loud splash. She knew what eating a devil fruit meant: she couldn't swim. She kept going deeper and deeper into the dark sea, destined to be forgotten.
Destined to be an outcast.
Forever destined to be alone.
—
“VALE!”
Vale's eyes flew open. Her eyes were filled with tears. “Ma’am Averie!” She sobbed and wiped all her tears. Her eyes were red and snot was coming down from her nose. Vale was quick to embrace Averie, her tears staining Averie’s nightgown. “Shh… shh… it's okay. Nothing happened to you. I’m here, your father’s in the living room, we’re here, no one is gonna hurt you. You’re safe.” Averie comforted Vale, patting her back and stroking her hair.
“I had a nightmare..” Vale exclaimed in between all the sobs. “I was at a cliff, and you and Father pushed me off, and I drowned in the sea… I… thought you both abandoned me!” Vale cried out. Averie continued stroking Vale’s hair as she sighed at the story worryingly. “I knew this would happen…” Averie muttered to herself. Vale paused as her eyes widened.
The room went silent. The atmosphere in the air changed. Averie knew something that Vale didn’t. “Wha.. What do you mean you knew this would happen?” Vale asked. Averie freezed, as if she wasn't anticipating Vale's reaction in the first place. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and said, “I guess I should keep telling you the truth, shouldn’t I? I don’t think you’re a girl who likes being fed lies all the time.”
“Please tell me.” Vale begged.
Averie cleared her throat before she told yet another story. But unlike Yonaka Island, this story was most definitely confirmed to be true. “Your mother… when she ate this fruit—by accident of course, she kept having strange dreams. She would constantly wake up sweating. Some of us even heard her screaming and crying for help. Of course, we did everything we could to comfort her, but the dreams just wouldn’t stop. It was like these dreams came along with the Ryutai-Ryutai no mi’s abilities. Not only that, but she used to experiment a lot with her powers too. I used to help her hone her abilities—but she never really got to leave her mark outside of Baterilla. That’s why she was considered strange among our neighbors here on the island. She was the only one with devil fruit powers. She was considered dangerous and strange, and no one dared come near her.”
As Vale’s mind flashed to the old photographs of her mother, she felt pity for her. She looked so happy in those photos, and yet… she was only doomed to be estranged by other people in the community. She guessed it just ran through the genes. However, there was one thing she couldn’t shake off in her mind.
“Ma’am Averie… What about Father and Rouge?”
Averie lifted her eyebrows in surprise as Vale mentioned Rouge. “Well… I assume you know about your mother and Rouge’s history then. Don’t you?”
Vale nodded. “Well then…” Averie picked up from where she left off. “People like Aldrin and Rouge never wanted to judge the book by its cover. That’s why both of them were the only people to approach Asha, and they connected quite quickly. I still remember watching your father and mother fall in love like it was yesterday.”
Vale smiled as she thought about all the journal entries she read that contained nothing but her mother rambling on about her father in a way that looked like it came out straight from a romance novel. Asha was curious, and Aldrin was a huge nerd. The perfect match.
Averie continued, “Me and your mother tried to figure out a way to stop her dreams, because your mother just couldn’t handle it. But, you know what truly stopped her from being afraid of such dreams?”
“What was it?” Vale asked, urging Averie to answer her question.
“Well, it was your father.” Averie answered. Vale slowly started feeling better from everything Ma’am Averie was telling her—it was as if that nightmare didn’t happen in the first place. Vale smiled, listening intently to what Averie had to say. “Your father may be a scholar and historian, but one thing he might not tell you was that he used to travel the Grand Line.”
Vale gasped in absolute horror. “The Grand Line?! Isn’t that the place where you told me there were many dangerous pirates and evil threats that ruled the sea?”
Averie laughed. “Yes, I know, I know I said all of that. But, there is a different side to the Grand Line that isn’t totally just pirates or insane weather conditions. It has many different islands and locations—each one hiding mysteries and pieces of our world’s history.”
Vale remembered one time in the distant past, when she was still as young as six years old, approaching her father’s study. Endless books and papers lined the table and bookshelves. She was amazed at how organized the place was. It was the first place that encouraged her to be genuinely curious. Her father meant everything to her, and he was half of the reason why she’s become a girl so starving for new knowledge.
“One day, your father decided to move here to Baterilla—to research about the myth everyone on that island believed, just to see if it was true.”
Vale immediately answered, “It was Yonaka Island! Father always told me about his research for it, but I had to ask you about the story because he was too busy to tell me! Do you remember that?”
“Yes, I remember.” Averie chuckled. She continued on:
“Here, he met your mother, and it was like he became the antidote for the dreams she was experiencing. So, they fell in love, and he stayed here for good, because he loved her, and he never wanted to leave her behind.”
Vale laid her head on Averie’s lap, seeking comfort in her soothing voice. Yet another question popped up in her head. “Ma’am Averie… do you think I’ll be able to find someone someday that could stop what dreams I may get? Just like how Mother found Father?”
Averie paused, her hand that was stroking Vale’s hair stopped in its tracks.
“I’m sure you will. Someday.”