Kaishi Island Arc

"Rise and Shine on Kaishi Island! Let's Start the Day!"

Flames and smoke! Flames and smoke! Buildings burning, people screaming, gun shots sounding through the night! Chaos everywhere as people flee! A gang of evil pirates trot from the shadows, all evil, all smiling, all happy at the terror they're bringing. There's a child in the corner, his eyes wide with fear, his body trembling as he tries to hide from the flames, but is caught right in the pirates' vision. They step closer, he tries to move back, but he can't. He's caught. There's nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. The pirates loom over him, each of them smiling, each of them pointing a gun at the boy.

"ATO! WHERE ARE YOU!" he screams before the pirates fire.

Atori falls out of his bed, cocooned in his sheets as he tries to wipe the dream…no, nightmare…from his mind. He takes a moment, frantic eyes focusing in the darkness before he sighs deeply and pulls himself from the sheets and stands. He walks over to the window near his bed in the bleak hostel room. The night is still reigning as he gazes into the darkness over the town, sighing deeply as he roughly drags his hands through his brown hair.

"I'm coming, Dallis. Just…just hold on," he mutters to himself, hoping that somehow his whispers can reach his little brother.

It had been nearly two weeks since that night. Atori had returned from his fights – the fights that he entered to provide for him and his brother. Their parents had died years ago, lost in a mysterious house fire. From that day, he'd only spent one week with his repugnant uncle before him and his little brother struck out on their own. It wasn't easy – far from it actually, but Atori was doing what he could to keep them afloat. He'd gotten them a room – more of a hut, paying their rent by working for the hut's owner in her restaurant by day, and Ato – that's what his brother loved to call him – would fight at an underground, seedy fighting ring at night for extra money over at a nearby island.

The next morning when he'd returned home, he was greeted with ash, the entire village that he'd grown to adore had been destroyed overnight by a gang of rouge pirates. They'd destroyed everything, killing as many as possible, and those…those bastards had the gall, the fucking balls to run off with Dallis, Atori's younger brother. Why they'd taken the fifteen year old boy, Ato would never know. All that mattered was that one of the few surviving citizens of the attack had managed to capture a few fuzzy pictures of the pirates' ship. Ato automatically took one for himself and set off on the hunt to get his brother back and to kill those bastards in the slowest way possible.

That was nearly two weeks ago. Atori had jumped island to island, following different leads from the people there. He hadn't been able to learn much about the crew of the pirates, outside of the direction that they were going in. All Ato needed was one good lead, like where the bastards were going, and he'd be there waiting for them. But for now, chasing a ghost was the best he could do.

The tall brunette stepped from the window, absently scratching at his bare stomach before falling back onto the bed, not bothering with the sheets as he picked up a picture from the side table. He held it up to his eyes, able to see it perfectly despite the darkness of the room. He'd stared at it so much, there was no way he'd forget it. The last photo he had left of Dallis, he and his younger brother sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant, arguing as usual and Dallis had actually thrown ice cream in his face. Atori had nearly contemplated killing his brother that day, but if it meant being doused in gallons of ice cream every day for the rest of his life, he'd do it to have his brother back.

Alas, life wasn't that simple.

"Just hold on," he whispered one final time before closing his eyes and tried to wait out the night. For the second the sun rose, he was going to be out asking anyone and everyone about those damn pirates, the pirates that he was going to skin alive and burn at the stake for what they'd done. Soon…soon, he'd have everything back.

The sun was gleaming brilliantly over Kaishi Island, its rays greeting the town's inhabitants as they bustled about in their typical rituals of the day. It wasn't an extraordinarily large town, but it had a bustling economy with many shops, stores, and restaurants. It was also a fairly popular stop for the sea travelers, making it a prime stop for pirates.

Atori hustled through the streets of the town, having been hard at working at searching for any leads since daybreak. After so much walking around, he'd already formed a fine sheen of sweat over his body, but it was easily ignored as he continued on. His metal tonfa rattling in his boots with each step he took. They were his main weapon, ones that had earned him infamy in the fighting ring he'd entered, and were always in arm's reach if he needed them. The rest of his outfit consisted of a deep red, form-fitting t-shirt above a pair of dark pants that shined a dark blue in certain lights. He'd left most of his other belongings at the hostel for the day, unneeded.

He huffed a deep sigh before glaring up at the sun through his long brown hair. After all this walking around, he could definitely use a drink. He stopped in the street, looking around to find where might be a good place to stop for a refreshment.

"A-atori?" a questioning voice called, the hesitance in it unmistakable. Atori turned to the voice, trying not to look surprised that someone had actually known him. "It is you!" the man called before running over.

Atori refrained from rolling his eyes, but couldn't hold back the irritated sigh. The object of his annoyance was a man that he'd faced many a time during the fights, not all that talented really, but he did have a few impressive moves when he was convicted enough to show them off. Still nothing compared to Ato, though.

"Oh, hey…you?" The guy's name was forgotten, but Atori didn't care enough at the moment to feel bad for it.

The guy came to a stop, big wide smile on his face as he greeted Ato. "Forgot my name, huh?" he chirped, not at all insulted. "It's Ches! C'mon Atori, how many times have we been at each other's throat? Twenty? Thirty times? You can't remember my name?" He laughed heartily when Atori simply stared at him without a single sign of actually caring.

The guy was an oddity in itself with his simply odd style of fashion. He looked like a rainbow on crack. His hair was a bright, neon green, clashing horribly with his bright pink bandana wrapped around his head. A long, yellow trench coat covered a white v neck shirt and dark blue shorts that rode down to meet what had to be unbearably heavy, red combat boots. His finger nails were a dark shade of purple and he had a long crescent moon earring dangling in one ear. How exactly did Ato forget a guy like this?

"Ah, yeah. Ches, the guy of a thousand colors," Atori replied in a bored tone.

"How've you been? It's been a while since I've seen you at the fights. You're usually there almost every night," Ches chirped, that big smile hardly leaving his face as he stepped forward and ushered Atori to walk along with him.

He ignored the fact that he was being led like a dog and said, "Been busy with other stuff." Which reminded him. Ato pulled out the photo of the pirates' ship and handed it to Ches. "You haven't happened to see this ship have you? I know it's a bad picture, but…"

"Yeah. I've seen it," the guy answered, handing it back to Ato with a puzzled expression.

"Really!" Maybe it wasn't so bad that he'd stumbled onto the weirdo.

"Yeah. They were hereeee…two days ago. I think." Ches stopped, putting a finger to his chin as he thought. "Definitely! They left two days ago."

Darn it all! Ato had just gotten there yesterday evening. "Where did they go?!" he demanded, rushing Ches and shaking the guy for a quick answer. If Ches was shocked by this, he didn't show it.

"Sorry guy. Don't know," he answered, looking genuinely apologetic. When Atori stepped back, face a mask of gloom, he asked, "What's so special about those pirates?"

Atori threw Ches a dangerous glance, his green eyes glaring threateningly before he sneered and kept walking. "None of your business!"

Ches paused all of two seconds to stomach the answer and shake off the threatening eyes before running to catch up. Completely ignoring the pirate ship now, he smiled. "I can accept that! So then, do you mind if I ask what else you plan on doing for now?"

Atori took a long moment before answering. "Other than trying to find someone who can tell me where this ship is, for the moment I need a drink. I've been talking in this sun for hours."

"Perfect! I know of a place you've just got to try!" Ches chimed, snatching Atori by the arm before he could protest. Something between a growl and a grunt rolled from Ato's lips, but wasn't given merit as Ches yanked them through the crowd of people, dodging around the area like criminals on the run.

"So I tell the guy I'm not paying that freaking much! And you know what? He actually pushed me. Pushed Me! After pulling myself from the ground, I…" Ches continued on about the story, blissfully unaware that Atori had stopped listening after his first word.

Ato pulled his lips from the empty glass, his body practically cheering in thanks for the refreshing drink. He looked over at Ches, who was still talking. The guy was obviously one of those people that talked just to hear themselves speak or something. In fact, he recalled that Ches had the annoying habit of actually wanting to talk during a fight, not trash talk but an actual conversation. Weirdo. Ignoring him further, Ato looked around the bar that they'd ended up in. They'd claimed a seat nearest the corner because Ato just liked to have a full scope of the area around him. It was a normal set bar, nothing special with its various sitting areas around the room and of course, the stools at the actual bar itself.

The only reason Atori hadn't beaten Ches up for pulling on him so roughly earlier was because the rainbow had promised to pay the bill. Free drinks and those gummies the place sold, they were like something right out of heaven and Atori didn't even really like sweets. What was the name of this place? The One Shot Tavern or something like that.

"How's it going handsomes?" the bartender called, appearing over at Atori and Ches's table. A lazy smile on the woman's face as she stood above them.

Her name was Sonya, a real fox for her age. Her curly brown hair flowing down her back and a perky chest under the rags of clothing she wore. She looked like a woman of knowledge, like she'd grown up in a rough setting but came out the other side unfazed, maybe even stronger. Atori liked her instantly.

"We're good, Sonya," Ches chirped, smiling that big dumb grin up at her.

"Well the question was more for old emerald eyes over here," she answered, locking eyes with Ato with a cunning smirk. "Haven't seen you around here before; you new or something, mister…"

"The names Atori and yeah, I'm new," he answered.

"Nice to meet you, Atori. Welcome to Kaishi Island. You've picked yourself a stellar companion while here." She pointed over in Ches's direction, the rainbow's smile growing bigger. "He's a good kid, good influence you know."

Atori recalled all of the times he'd seen the guy fight, remembering that he could be outright brutal, though those times were pretty rare. Still, good kid? Maybe. Good influence? No madam, no.

He didn't get a chance to voice this though before Sonya was called back to the bar by a noisy old man. The woman didn't seem bothered by him though – maybe she knew him. She went on about her business with a sly wink.

"You heard that Atori? I'm a good influence on you!" Ches chirped, trying to sound smug.

Atori didn't even honor that comment with a response. "Just worry about taking care of this tab. I think it's time I start asking around more. I've wasted too much time here with you," he said, beginning to stand as he ignored the look of hurt on Ches's face.

Just as he did so, though, an uproar of laughter sounded from the other side of the bar. Both guys' heads snapped over in the direction, glares settling as they took in the rowdy pirate crew that was just then deciding to head out also. Atori straightened up when the biggest of them – the captain he presumed – locked eyes with him. She was a woman, big and tall, with the ugliest face Ato had ever seen on a female. Her dirty purple hair on top of a pineapple head didn't seem to help either. She snarled at Ato and continued walking, laughing when one of her crew kicked over their tables, leaving the remaining glasses to fall to the floor in a mess.

"Your sake sucked by the way!" she chortled, leaving out without so much as a backward glance at the mess that her and her crew had made.

"Madame Kissaru…" Ches growled as he looked over the mess they'd made. "She's the worst kind of pirate that you can find. I can't wait for someone to take her down a peg or two."

Atori looked over at the guy, noting the look of contained rage on his face. This one of those rare moments where he might prove to be brutal fighter. "Well let's go then," Atori said, fully intent on finding the captain and giving her what she deserves.

Ches, not so much. The guy's rage ran as quick as it had come as he began shaking his head no. "Absolutely not! Do you even know anything about her? She's one of the most brutal pirate captains on the West Blue. She's taken down some pretty tough Marines before! Call me a coward if you'd like, but I only take on people that I know I can beat."

Atori scowled, deeply. "Then what about all of those times we fought?" Seriously, Ches wasn't implying that he could beat him, right?

"Well…" he started, looking ready to agree, but Atori equipped the most menacing glare he could muster that made Ches immediately lose whatever train of thought he'd formed. "Uh…uh…um… I…"

Ato sighed. "Whatever. Just pay the bill, maybe we'll see each other around sometime." Hopefully not, he thought.

He moved towards the entrance, hearing Ches stand as well and head towards Sonya, presumably to pay. Atori was ready to follow more leads and decided to run by the dock and ask some of the people around there for any information. But he didn't make it to the door before this guy walked in, pausing in the doorway for a moment just to glare ahead. Ato followed the guy's look and saw that he'd locked eyes with Sonya.

The guy looked fairly young and wasn't near as tall as Atori, but he looked muscular in his own right. His skin was shaded decently, but not the near sun-kissed bronze that Ato had either. He wore a simple sleeveless, baggy grey shirt with a pair of even baggier orange cargo shorts, all kinds of shiny little ornaments on the sides of the shorts that made Ato wonder what the hell they all meant. Simple black shoes adorned his feet and back up top, the guy had a messy mop of black hair that framed his face in bangs that showed off his big and oddly-stunning red eyes. They looked like shining rubies really. Atori didn't get any more time to observe the guy before he started walking forward, those red orbs never leaving Sonya.

"I see you've come back!" the woman said, though it sounded more like a snarl as she stood her ground. The rest of the bar had even grown silent as they watched the event unfold. "Finally want to pay that tab of yours," she continued once he'd come to stand right in front of her, the bar being the only thing separating them.

"No," the guy answered, voice flat.

"Then what do you – hey!" she suddenly shrieked as the guy's hand swept by her like a whip, snatching the gold medallion she'd had around her neck off and bolted for the door. "Get back here!" Sonya leapt the bar and was already running to the entrance, but the guy was off like a bullet.

She stomped her foot angrily and then turned her furious eyes to Atori. "You look strong and athletic!" she growled, sizing him up in one fell swoop as he just stood there. "Go get back my medallion!" She moved over to Ato, literally pushing him out the door.

"But I –" he wanted to protest.

"Get it back and I promise you all the free drinks and gummies you can eat!" she added.

The drinks were good and let's face it, those gummies were to die for. "Right!" he answered, sprinting off after the man, not even looking back as he heard Ches call after him.

Back in the bar, Sonya was standing by the doorway with her hands on her hips as she watched Ches call out for Atori. "Don't look so worried, chess square!" she said with a shrug and turned back to her bar. She stopped when the old man from earlier was just watching her. "You too?" she asked of the man.

He just shrugged. "You sent that poor guy after a Teko, Sonya!" Sonya continued watching the man as if he was crazy while Ches was biting his nails from nervousness.

"What's so special about the Tekos?" she shrugged in reply and was almost around the bar when the man dropped the news on her.

"Because Sonya. You just sent that kid after a natural-born killer!"

Thanks for reading!

I hope you enjoyed the start to this story of mine. It was an idea that I'd thought of a while back, but put on the backburner. It took reading Teruul's awesome "Race for One Piece" to inspire me to give this story another shot, and so here I am! Most One Piece OC stories start with someone proclaiming to be the next King of the Pirates, but that's just not how I saw this starting because, although the journey towards Pirate King will be a HUGE part of the story, Atori's journey to find his brother will be just as significant. All and all, I expect this story to breach 200 chapters easily if I stay devoted to updating as I should, which I promise to at least attempt to do.

For any of you creative readers, I'm not looking for OC's. Sorry. Trying to implement extra characters would be way to hard for me. I've pretty much mapped out everything from now until the crew reaches Sabaody, and even then there are still some details that I haven't quite ironed out. So, yeah. Not accepting OC's. I hope that doesn't deter anyone from reading, though.

This story of mine might not come out as awesome as Teruul's - in fact, I'd consider it a huge success if it's even half as good - but I hope I can still entertain any and all readers. I hope you'll continue reading and following the adventure with me. I can definitely promise that it'll be a wild ride!

Until next time!