One Piece: Reborn in God's Valley

Ashen's Nether Eye flared open, its pupils dilating with an eerie, otherworldly glow.

After thoroughly examining Salles' soul, Ashen couldn't hide his astonishment, this was the first time he'd seen a soul like this.

Before Salles, all the souls Ashen had observed were uniform in color, only showing minor fluctuations when affected by external forces. 

Even then, the changes were subtle, nearly imperceptible unless one was specifically looking for them.

But Salles' soul was different. Its color shifted slightly every so often. 

The changes were small, yet Ashen could clearly detect them. More intriguingly, each color shift coincided with a dramatic swing in Salles' emotions.

"Salles' soul has clearly been disturbed. His emotions are fragmenting," Ashen muttered after a moment's thought. 

"If this isn't treated soon, the consequences will be serious. It could even lead to a full personality split."

Worried that Lafitte wouldn't understand, Ashen elaborated, "If he suffers from dissociative identity disorder, it means multiple personalities could develop inside him. 

And your brother's condition is even more severe. If not treated early, he might completely lose his sense of self."

"What…?"

Lafitte stood frozen, his mind nearly shutting down at the grim news.

Since their escape, only Salles had managed to keep their family bond intact, he was the closest thing Lafitte had left. 

Now, hearing that Salles might lose himself entirely, Lafitte was panicking.

Splash.

Lafitte dropped to his knees in front of Ashen, pleading, "You can see what's wrong with Salles, so you must know how to fix it, right?

Please save my brother. I'll give anything in return."

"Even your life?" Ashen asked calmly.

"Of course." Lafitte answered without hesitation. "As long as it means saving him."

"Keep your life. You might still need it."

Ashen smiled faintly, he'd gotten the answer he wanted. 

"Wait here."

He helped Lafitte to his feet and turned to leave, heading deeper into the ship's hold.

A few minutes later, Ashen returned with a small chest in hand. By then, Salles had regained control of his emotions. Lafitte stood close, clearly anxious but hopeful.

"This is a Devil Fruit I acquired some time ago," Ashen said, placing the chest down and opening it. 

"A Paramecia-type, Emotion-Emotion Fruit. It's exactly what you need to heal."

Salles' eyes widened. "No, Ashen-san. Lafitte told me everything just now. You saved both our lives last night, how could I accept something so precious from you?"

As the heir of the West Blue's Mafia family, Salles knew just how rare and valuable a Devil Fruit was. 

Even the most ordinary ones could fetch over 100 million Berries. And now, penniless and unsure of his future, his savior was offering one to him freely?

He was overwhelmed. He couldn't possibly repay this debt. He didn't dare accept it.

"Just eat it," Ashen said, his tone suddenly sharp. 

"Lafitte nearly sacrificed his life trying to save you. Are you planning to keep being a burden to him?"

"Yeah, Salles." Lafitte jumped in. "If I have to work for Ashen-san forever to repay this, then so be it."

Salles froze, staring at Lafitte's weary face. The tears he'd been holding back finally burst forth.

"I'll never forget your kindness… never."

He took the Devil Fruit from Ashen's hands and wiped his tears. "From now on, our lives belong to you."

Crunch.

He bit into the fruit.

"Urgh… cough, cough."

…

By dusk, on the deck of the Blackthorn, Ashen sat casually on the railing, watching the waves rise and fall. Behind him, Salles and Lafitte waited, eyes filled with expectation.

"Salles, I want you two to understand, being a pirate isn't a game. You could lose your lives at any moment.

The enemies I'll face aren't just small fry in the West Blue. They're monsters from the New World, Admirals, even the World Government. You'd better be sure."

Yes, after consuming the Emotion-Emotion Fruit, Salles had indeed recovered. He and Lafitte were overwhelmed with relief and gratitude. 

So much so, they'd spent the day scrubbing the Blackthorn clean before finally coming to Ashen with their request, they wanted to join his crew.

Ashen had seen it coming. He approved of them both, but still gave that speech.

He wasn't exaggerating. The path ahead was filled with deadly enemies. Joining his crew meant accepting the possibility of death.

"We're sure, Ashen-san," Salles said, his eyes bright despite his fatigue. 

"Our family's gone. If we want to restore its honor, we have to chase a bigger world. 

And if I'd died last night without you… I wouldn't have even had that chance. If I die under your command, at least it's for something that matters."

Though his wounds were still fresh and he was clearly exhausted from cleaning the ship, Salles' eyes blazed with determination.

Lafitte, panting and trembling slightly from overexertion, straightened up.

"Ashen-san, my dream is to sail around the world and become the greatest navigator ever. The stronger your enemies, the farther we'll travel. That's exactly what I want."

His eyes sparkled with excitement as he spoke.

Ashen finally turned to face them.

"Alright. In that case, welcome aboard the Helgrave Pirates."

…

"Then, to celebrate your joining, let's have a feast."

"Aye, Captain."

"I'll get the food ready."

That night, all three of them laughed and ate like friends.

…

The next day, a light rain fell from the sky.

After lunch, prepared by Salles, Ashen returned to his cabin and entered a meditative state.

Life at sea, while filled with unknowns and bursts of excitement, was mostly made up of long, dull stretches. 

But Ashen was already used to that, compared to ten years of survival training on a deserted island, this was paradise.

More importantly, he was no longer alone. With Salles and Lafitte now aboard, the Blackthorn finally had the heart of a true pirate crew.

Knock… knock… knock...

The sound at the door brought Ashen out of his meditation.

"Come in, Lafitte," he said without looking. He already knew who it was.

"Captain, I forgot to give this to you yesterday." Lafitte stepped in, holding a small box. "

It's the Devil Fruit I stole earlier. I was too flustered yesterday to remember."

"Oh?" Ashen glanced at the fruit inside, then nodded. 

"Do whatever you want with it. This looks like Human-Human Fruit: Angel Form. It's got good abilities, including flight. You might want to consider eating it yourself."

He studied the fruit, comparing it to the images in his Devil Fruit encyclopedia. He was nearly certain, this was the one that, in the original story, Lafitte would one day gain powers from.

"Really? I can fly?" Lafitte's eyes lit up like a child's.

"Yes, of course. You found it, it's yours. That's the rule on this ship, what you find is yours, always."

Ashen looked at Lafitte seriously. 

"Of course, it's your choice whether or not to eat it. But remember, once you do, you'll become a hammer in the sea."

"That's fine. I definitely want to eat it. I want to become stronger."

Without another word, Lafitte devoured the fruit.

The rest of the morning, he flitted around the ship's rigging, wings newly sprouted, zipping through the air with pure joy.

"Hey, Salles," Ashen asked at lunch, "how far is it from here to Gangster Island?"

"At our current pace, about five days on the Blackthorn. Normally it's a seven-day trip," Salles replied. Then he suddenly tensed up. 

"Wait, Captain, you're not planning to go there, are you? That place is controlled by the Capone Family. If we go, we might drag you into trouble."

"Trouble?" Ashen chuckled. "You're part of this crew now. Your problems are my problems.

And besides, there's no one in the West Blue qualified to be my enemy. It's settled. We're heading for Gangster Island. That's an order."

"Yes, Captain."

Salles and Lafitte stood at attention, their eyes misting with emotion as they shouted in unison.

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