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Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of Like blue butterflies in amber
Collections:
cauldronrings favs ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
Stats:
Published:
2013-11-26
Updated:
2016-12-26
Words:
29,994
Chapters:
15/?
Comments:
60
Kudos:
653
Bookmarks:
212
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14,887

(I'll Condemn) the world for your sake

Summary:

'Poisoning the ones who threaten your family is a perfectly acceptable response, no matter what others say.'

'Strategic withdrawal is not cowardice.'

'Anonymity is my best partner in crime.'

As the older sister, teaching them was Serious Business.

Notes:

Chapter 1: Gifted

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The World for Your Sake

Part I: Cycle

- Gifted -

"Respect the sea and you'll have a wonderful life."

From the first glimpse of water and sand, it was love.

I ran as fast as toddler legs allowed, semi-worried parents not far behind.

But they couldn't stay away from the water either. They understood.

I stumbled on an abandoned sandcastle. The rising tide ate the remains soon after.

Tiny feet touched the cold waves.

My life began in water, thrived in water;

Ended in water and reformed in water.

{I'll do whatever it takes}

Struggling desperately to stay afloat on turbulent water; losing a battle against the tides and succumbing to my beloved sea. Cold water all around, inside, inside...

Nothing.

Water, warm, soothing.

A distant lullaby; synchronized heartbeats. One, two. One, two. One.

I tried to reach out to the beautiful sound–

Please, wait a little bit more…?

Against all instincts, I did my best to remain still.

At first, it was okay; I slept and listened to muffled conversations and the constant percussion of heartbeats.

Agony like no other. Stabbing, shocking, burning, freezing– 'Is it even possible to die twice?'

I think it was a hand, reaching out to me.

The nausea went away, and the excruciating pain gave way to calmness. No, that wasn't quite the right word; it was comforting and amazing and… I slept.

Time went by, unnoticed in that warm darkness. Throughout that time, the hand never let me go.

Light. Blurs. Fragmented s_o_u_n_d_s . Cold air.

I crIED.

Then, another scream.

A gentle embrace and the most beautiful face in the world.

The woman smiled and closed her eyes for the last time. Her mouth never moved, yet I understood the words she meant to speak:

"Protect each other, always."

{I'll do whatever it takes}

I finally found something worth more than the sea. So thinking, I braced myself, opened my mouth wide and. And. My jaw froze. I couldn't bring myself to bite it. I took a breath and tried again.

Ew! Bitterer than Spanish roast coffee, sourer than powdered citric acid and a stronger smell than overripe jackfruit! Somehow.

"Respect the sea and you'll have a wonderful life."

The inability to swim ever again isn't such a terrible price after all. Let's just hope I don't drown myself to death agai–

Uh, is it too late to regurgitate?

[I'll condemn] the world for your sake

Prologue end_

 

Notes:

Warnings:
Canon levels of violence;
Dark themes (canon-typical, but from the perspective of a somewhat idealistic 21st century earthian)
Swearing (I avoid it as much as I can, but... pirates, bandits, sailors, etc).

So, I wanted to write a self-insert, a twin parody, a dark!fic and a One Piece flashfics collection. Combining them all seemed like such a good idea at the time…