One Piece: The Story of a Girl Who Ate the Ice-Ice Fruit

The ship that had conducted trade with the two islands returned safely to Marx Island.

The return journey passed without incident, save for a bump on Kuro's head during one of Junshi's training sessions.

Aboard the ship, Scotch calculated their trading expenses. Despite having started with nothing but cargo as capital, the results looked promising. He smiled, thinking that Georges—who had remained behind on the island—would be pleased with their success.

Junshi glanced at Kuro and thought to himself, I wonder...

Unfortunately, his prediction proved correct.

☆

Georges's face contorted in horror, as if he'd seen a ghost.

Kuro greeted him cheerfully, oblivious to his reaction.

"Hey there! I'm Kuro. The young lady invited me aboard, so please take care of me!"

Georges's gaze shifted desperately to Junshi, clinging to him like a lifeline.

Junshi shrugged and spoke calmly. "It's exactly as it sounds. While I wasn't watching, she picked him up from somewhere on Tija Island."

Georges turned toward Kanata with a face on the verge of tears, as if begging her to tell him this was all a joke.

Kanata answered with a smug expression, puffing out her chest. "Kuro's also a psychic."

"I knew it!" Georges flipped backward with a resounding thud, still the same timid man as always.

Apparently, he'd had a bad feeling about Kuro from the start. Since the man hadn't been there when they'd set sail and had gotten involved with Kanata, Georges had felt a strange certainty that trouble would follow.

Kanata's prediction abilities only made things worse.

Kuro poked at Georges, who was sprawled on the ground laughing hysterically. Watching them, Junshi sighed.

"I knew it would turn out like this."

"Are you okay? That was quite a fall."

"He's just timid," Kanata explained. "After all, psychics aren't something you see every day."

Even so, Devil Fruit users were rare in these waters. Having two such uncommon ability users was already highly unusual.

"That's just how it is," Kuro said with a shrug.

"That's just how it is," Kanata agreed.

Satisfied with this exchange, Kuro accompanied Junshi as he gave instructions to move the traded cargo to the port warehouse. With Georges—their boss—having fainted, Junshi naturally took charge.

Scotch remained on the ship, checking the cargo to be unloaded. It would take some time to finish.

"I've got some free time," Kuro observed.

"This is my first time on this island. How about showing me around?"

"Well, I've only been here a few days myself," Kanata replied.

This was merely a place they'd stopped to restock supplies after being kidnapped. Kanata only knew the port, the town, and the beach. As for the town, she knew little beyond the location of the mafia's office.

Including the day she'd been kidnapped, it had been less than a month.

"Life's unpredictable in such turbulent times," Kanata mused, gazing off into the distance.

The sun hung high in the sky. Despite her gloomy memories, the heavens stretched in clear, azure blue.

"So, shall we explore the island together? You too, young lady."

"...I like exploring."

"Of course you do. That's what 'freedom' is all about."

Kuro began walking toward the town with a chuckle, and Kanata followed.

She had come to understand the "freedom" of being able to see the outside world at will, rather than being confined behind bars. Even after being unjustly imprisoned in that place and enduring every form of suffering a human could endure, even though she naturally harbored resentment toward the people of that island—anger, hatred, and loathing—she had also discovered the joy of escaping that narrow world and savoring the "ordinary days" she had missed.

That's why she felt grateful to Kanata and indebted to him.

"Freedom, huh?"

"Don't you have anything you want to do?" Kuro asked.

"Not particularly. This business is just a means to an end—a way to make money to survive."

"I see. Money's necessary for survival, but that's not the whole story, is it?"

Kanata looked at Kuro with a puzzled expression.

Money was certainly necessary to survive, but it was just one of many means to that end. If someone truly wanted something, they could find a way. Of course, you'd make enemies along the way, but someone with Kanata's abilities should be able to handle that.

"...You—"

"Hey now, are you suspecting me? I wasn't locked in that cage my whole life, you know."

Before eating the Devil Fruit, he'd been an ordinary islander living an ordinary life. He wasn't completely ignorant of the world.

That made sense, Kanata thought.

"I hate boredom. I hate not being able to do anything. That's why I want to see different places and try interesting things. Isn't there anything like that for you?"

"...I..."

She had never even considered what she wanted. She had never wished for anything. She had always been treated like a commodity—meant to serve the country and the family. There had been no room for her own will; she was merely kept alive for others' benefit.

But if she were to choose such a path...

"...I wonder what it would be."

Honor, status, and titles were unnecessary. Money was needed to survive, but living solely for that seemed meaningless. If she were to live freely—perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to seek out the unknown, even if no one ever knew about it.

"Well, it probably won't come to that. But you don't seem interested in power or anything like that."

As they approached the town, they began encountering people more frequently. Kuro's full-body tattoos made him stand out considerably, but he laughed, seemingly unconcerned.

"For now, anyway. Without stimulation, life is boring, but living quietly isn't so bad either. I'm torn, but the world doesn't always go as planned."

"Yeah, you're right. One day, you might end up as a human sacrifice or something."

"That doesn't sound like a joke coming from you."

"It's not. An environment dependent on others can be easily destroyed by those same others. You need an environment you've created yourself."

Coming from someone who had been suddenly imprisoned and subjected to various tortures, his words carried immense weight.

But creating your own environment was difficult. Even if you became king of a country, external enemies or natural disasters could destroy everything. With enough money and power, though, you could probably handle most situations.

"Environment, huh? Maybe we should try building a country."

"Oh, that's a good idea! A country where we can laugh every day would be wonderful."

"A country where everyone can laugh... That does sound nice."

If everyone could laugh, it must be a good country. Eventually, they'd grow their organization. With money, power, and territory—maybe they could create such a place.

Not bad, Kanata thought to herself.

Being feared or intimidated was something that couldn't be helped now. At least it would be easier to live in such an environment.

"So, let's aim for that for now?"

"Yeah. The higher the ideal, the better."

With that, the two laughed together.

☆

Five years passed.

Georges's "Georges Family" gradually expanded their commercial activities and gained a reputation as one of the region's top merchants. They purchased a galleon to replace their original small boat, and it became known as a merchant vessel with such powerful guards that even pirates rarely dared attack it. As a result, their cargo capacity increased day by day.

Even the major families known as the "Five Great Families of the West" began to take notice and became involved in their underworld dealings.

—And then, a young girl and a horse appeared.

This would inevitably lead to turmoil.

***

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