Devil's Luck Pirates

The old man is surprisingly fast considering his age. Pearl can still keep up with him with just a hurried pace, but still…

Since Malachite fled from the throne room, his daughter Pearl has been hot on his heels. Without ever saying a word, her cloak and hood covered almost her entire body. It was as if a phantom from the old king's past manifested itself to punish him for his evil deeds.

The man oscillated between trying to placate Pearl with empty apologies and promises, to cursing her very existence. She never responded to either of those. The girl simply pursued the man culpable for all her pain and suffering. Not to mention those of the people of Tarako, Duros, and her brother.

Malachite ran down one of the many lavishly decorated corridors of his castle and intended to turn a corner to the left until Pearl dashed forward, standing right in front of him. The king stopped on his heels and almost fell to the ground in panic, but he managed to recompose himself and continue running down the same corridor that ended in a flight of stars.

Pearl couldn't answer why she didn't stop him right then and there. Or why she didn't do it since they got out of the throne room. She has the strength and speed to stop him at any time. Was she still afraid to stand face-to-face with him?

No. Fear wasn't the thing that was keeping her from ending this ridiculous chase. But instead, it was the very same feeling that kept her going at this moment.

Pure anger.

After climbing to the next floor, Malachite was exhausted. He had forgotten how big his castle was since he barely stepped out of the throne room and his luxurious bedchamber. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, but quickly picked up the pace again as Pearl's head slowly rose into view as she walked up the steps.

After a couple of stumbles, some interrupted attempts of turning into another room or corridor, and yet another flight of stars; Malachite arrived at the tallest spire in the castle. The one containing the room where Pearl was incarcerated for almost half of her life.

The elderly king's face lightens up a little. Surely if these heavy doors were capable of keeping that beast in, surely they'd be able to keep her out until the Marines arrived.

Malachite pushed his old body one last time. He entered the room through a small gap between the partially opened doors and, with all his strength, pushed them until they closed, locking him inside.

Not permanently, of course. He always carried the master key to all the doors in the castle in case he wanted to bother one of his servants.

Pearl understood where she was leading her father the moment she climbed the first set of stairs. Though her memories were foggy, she still remembered the path she ran through as that brave knight held her hand.

It was not a conscious decision. But something inside her wanted her father to be in the same place he locked her in. Pearl stopped as she saw Malachite close the doors with a heavy CLUNK that echoed through the small corridor between them and the stairs. She clutched her scale-covered hands and approached the towering set of doors. They are smaller than she remembers.

-GAHAHAHAH!! What now, you stupid monster?! – Malachite taunted from inside. Despite her enhanced hearing, she can barely hear him – There's no way you'll get through these doors! And once Marrow gets here, I'll make him lock you in here again!!

She almost forgot about Captain Marrow. The last time she saw him was while flying over his head, outside of the prison. For a moment, her mind wonders if Atom and the others managed to get away from him.

She could leave him here. Maybe melt the door shut with her fire breath, then go help Jasper.

She was about to reach a conclusion when Malachite's feeble voice spoke once more.

-Nothing to say, eh? I bet you're trembling upon the sight of this room! You were and always will be nothing more than a pathetic, crying little monster!!

Pearl swallows her frustration and slowly brings her hand to her shoulder, grabbing her cloak.

-I asked for an obedient tool, capable of razing islands and destroying any battleship, and all I get is a sobbing failure! Incapable of even controlling its own Devil Fruit!

She tightens her grip and grinds her sharp teeth. Small embers jotting from them.

-You were already useless at birth, and when someone tries to make you into something useful, you couldn't even do that!! You barely served as a waste disposal!

She had enough. Pearl ripped the cloak from her shoulders, throwing it aside. And with a mighty roar, she closed her fist and punched the doors in front of her with all her strength.

The sound reverberated inside and outside the room. The old iron that covered most of the doors cried loudly. Malachite, now having fallen onto the floor, stays silent for a moment while all Pearl can hear now is her heavy breathing.

The girl pulls back her fist slowly, revealing the dent she left on the door. All she can think about now is doing it again.

She closes her other fist and yet again throws a punch with all her might, making the doors tremble once more. And again, she just thinks about doing it again.

SLAM!

The entire room reverberates around Malachite.

SLAM!

 Malachite's words echo inside the girl's head as flashes of the countless days she spent inside that dark prison cross her mind.

SLAM!

Her fists started to bleed. But she didn't care. She could feel the anger pumping through her veins at the same time more scales spread around her body and her horns became more jagged and bigger.

SLAM!

For some reason, Bullet's words pop into her head. Her advice was to not take to heart what others say about you. But… what if the answer is the exact opposite?

SLAM!

So what if she's a monster? It brought her immense sorrow, but it was also the only thing that managed to keep her alive for all those years she spent alone.

SLAM!

And besides… she's a pirate.

Pearl smiles. The answer was right in front of her this entire time. As the tears run down her draconic face, she pulls back her fist one last time.

This is who I am. And nothing will change that.

SLAM!!!!!!!!!

The hinges on both doors fly off, bouncing inside the cage the king is in. One almost hits his face as the doors he thought could protect him slam into the ground with a terrific metal sound. And what steps into the room was not the girl he called a monster.

It was the real monster.

The light coming from the stained glass windows invades the dark and damp room, casting the front part of the winged figure in shadows. The king can only catch a glimpse of its face when it breathes out flames now and then.

It walks over the destroyed doors towards him. Malachite can barely breathe thanks to his fear. Tears have covered his eyes and urine has stained his pants.

The creature now stands just a couple of centimeters from the frozen king.

-This… – The thing asked. Its voice didn't change. It's still Pearl. She grabs Malachite by the neck and lifts him off the ground – This is the real monster.

Pearl stabs through her father's chest with her claw and pulls out his heart. The man could barely scream in pain thanks to being choked by her. But that's not what she wanted. She didn't want him to scream or suffer. She just wanted this to be over.

As Malachite's heart stopped beating and his body stopped moving, Pearl let out a long sigh of relief. As soon as his body and heart splat onto the floor, the scales on Pearl's body start to slowly recede into her skin. Not only that, but her horns shrink into her head, and her wings and tail into her back. Her teeth go from sharp and deadly, to round and normal. And the burning air coming out of her mouth cools down.

Pearl almost pinched herself just to see if she was dreaming. The bloody claw covered in dark ping scales disappeared, leaving a small, soft yet still bloody hand fitting of a Princess.

The girl drops to her knees as tears cloud her vision. The dark room that incessantly echoed with cries of sadness, is now filled with cries of immeasurable happiness.