Strangers in Different Cells

A strange sound creeps out from the cell across Eloia.

W𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵..

The noise stops as a gasp and a hiccup escapes from the cell across her. A juvenile voice suddenly calls out.

"Hey! You can't hold me in here forever!"

A young face approaches the cell bars, their eyes locking with Eloia's for a brief moment.

His pale hands stretch out beyond the bars and exhaustion instantly escapes his face. His eyes were faintly grey and wide. They told a tale of forgiveness. Naivety embraced his face with warmth, and Eloia found it to be irritating. His hair was white and puffy, resembling cotton. He seemed sapped of his energy and quickly stumbles back. It is then that Eloia notices the shark tooth dangling from the beads around his neck. She gently turns towards the wall, crossing her arms as she shuts her eyes.

"This whole place is covered in sea stone.." He mutters. The inquisitive boy crawls back onto the bench in his cell and gazes up towards the blank stone wall.

𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦.. 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵.. He begins to think to himself.

A realization dawns upon him.

He pushes himself up and stares at the strange girl sitting in the cell across from him.

"Girl!" He shouts across towards her. An annoyance quickly struck Eloia's face. She ignores him and continued to sit quietly.

𝘚𝘩𝘦's obviously deaf.. He sighs, feeling at a loss.

He cluelessly shakes his head and presses his back against the wall. He sighs again.

He begins to stroke his chin as he begins to recount every moment that led him here.

"I remember a huge wave taking me away, and suddenly I was here on this island... It wasn't long till I was approached by a Navy Captain," he rubs his chin as he thinks out loud.

"Next thing you know..."

The sound of commotion fills the room as new prisoners are forcefully placed into their cells.

"This is absurd! I end up in jail just because I made eye contact with a Yakuza?!"

"The Navy has become a laughingstock!"

"Hey! Let go of me!"

He lets out a deep sigh, feeling exasperated. Determined, he decides to make another attempt to speak to the girl.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! What are you doing here?" he shouts, but Eloia continues to ignore him.

"Boy, I advise you to leave that girl alone," a stern and clear voice emerges from the cell next to Eloia. The boy looks over curiously to find an old man.

"What do you mean?" he asks, intrigued by the old man's warning.

"She's nothing but trouble, son. Imagine her as a demon inhabiting a human body, and steer clear of her."

Cloud gives a frustrated expression.

"Tell me your name, boy. I am Shirahoshi."

"My name is Nortus, but everyone calls me Cloud. They say my head looks like one." He shrugs as he points towards himself, with his attempt a lighthearted joke.

"Hmm, I see," Shirahoshi chuckles, sharing a moment of laughter with Cloud. However, the old man's joviality is interrupted by a fit of coughing.

"I overheard you mentioning the Navy captain on this island earlier... He's actually involved with the Yakuza as well," Shirahoshi reveals.

Cloud's eyes widen in surprise.

Eloia's expression turns disturbed, her curiosity piqued as she listens intently.

"The Navy has been corrupted for a long time.. ever since that Emperor of the Sea began calling himself the Demon King of the Sea."

"I've heard rumors too... that he's the highest ranking Yakuza boss across all seas. He is known as a man without a face." Cloud remarks, recalling the stories.

"Yes, boy. They claim that outsiders who have laid eyes on him suddenly disappear" the old man responds, coughing once more.

"The Yakuza has been expanding its influence, permeating and corrupting systems of power across the seas. They rise steadily, conquering everything in their path," he continues.

"There was a time when the Yakuza was confined to the land of Wano. But when Wano opened its borders to the world, the deep-rooted corruption started spreading beyond its walls," the old man explains.

A loud sigh interrupts him.

"..I still don't get how I got here.." Cloud shrugs scratching his head.

"Are you even paying attention?" the old man coughs again, exasperated.

"Well, never mind then, boy," he says, calming himself.

Eloia seizes the opportunity to speak.

"Well, if I were to bet, I'd say it's your idiotic face that got you here," Eloia retorts, unable to resist a snarky laugh.

Cloud quickly turns to face Eloia, a frown etched on his face.

"So you're not deaf?"

Eloia glances at him with a condescending look, making it clear that she considers him beneath her.

"Well, you ignorant fool, feel free to keep talking to yourself. I, on the other hand, will find my way out of here soon enough," she asserts.

Cloud's eyes light up with a glimmer of hope.

"Hold on. Let's think of a plan. We can escape together," he suggests, eager to collaborate.

Eloia rolls her eyes in response.

"The weak should know their place," she scoffs dismissively.

Eloia concludes, turning around to face the wall, signaling her disinterest in further conversation.

Cloud sighs in total hopelessness.

"This was a cool moment of rest but now it's time to get out of here," Eloia decides to herself, determined to reclaim her freedom.

She extends her arms, holding them out in front of her. With a swift motion, she crosses her arms, forming an 'X' shape, and forcefully pulls them apart, causing the handcuffs to shatter. She shrugs it off casually before turning her attention back to the wall.

Positioning herself strategically, she focuses her energy. Slowly, she places her hand on the wall opposite her cell, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"There it is," she whispers to herself, feeling the faint vibration within the structure.

In a swift and calculated motion, she strikes the wall with precision, creating a small crack. Cloud watches her with a quiet curiosity, his interest piqued.

She opens her eyes and surveys the wall until her gaze settles on a specific spot.

"And there," she declares with determination.

She strikes the wall again, at first appearing without any impact, a sound reverberates through the air as beneath the appearance the barrier weakens under her relentless assault.

Cloud stares in amazement as Eloia brings back her arm, pulling it even farther than before, and delivers one final strike to the wall. The entire wall crumbles apart in an instant, revealing a path to outside. Eloia casually walks out, sighs, and stands amidst the grassy field that surrounds them. Without a word, she disappears into the distance.

Meanwhile, a rumbling vibration resonates throughout the remaining walls, catching Cloud off guard. Confusion spreads across his face as everything starts to shake violently. One by one, the walls begin to crumble and collapse around him. Suddenly, a sharp impact strikes his head, plunging him into darkness.

As Cloud regains consciousness, he feels the discomfort of dirt grazing his skin. The heavy weight of a boulder on top of him is lifted, as he is dragged out from underneath the rubble. Light begins to trickle back into his vision, revealing an older man of gentle demeanor.

"Hey, boy. You're safe now," the familiar voice of the old man reassures him. Extending a helping hand, the old man assists Cloud in sitting up as he catches his breath.

"I could have lost my life. Thanks old man. I owe you one," Cloud says gratefully, offering a kind smile to his savior.

He stands up, brushing off the dirt from his clothes. His gaze sweeps across the scene, observing men helping each other emerge from beneath the piles of debris. However, his attention quickly shifts towards the direction Eloia had disappeared.

"Where are you headed now, young man?" The elderly man inquires.

"Well, I can't ignore a debt of gratitude," Cloud replies with a mysterious smile, his mind fixated on the distant figure.

"You're not planning to track down that girl, are you?"

"Well, she seemed to have played a crucial role in our escape, and I have this nagging feeling that I should follow her" Cloud explains, lowering his gaze to meet the old man's eyes.

"Perhaps I might finally uncover what I've been searching for all this time." A determination reflects in his eyes as he gazes back into the distance.

"Hey, old man.. I have one more question," Cloud says, turning towards him.

"Where is this place, exactly?" A confused look strikes the old man.

"You mean you don't know where you've been this whole time?" The old man shakes his head, exhales deeply, and brushes off the dirt from his own body as he rises to face Cloud.

"This is the East Blue, we're on an island named Shanks," the old man responds.

"This place is a haven for criminals. It's filled with pirates but also a home for those who have nowhere to return to. Almost everyone here has a bounty on their head. That girl you're after, she carries one of the highest bounties on this island. She seems to despise everyone she encounters, especially men. She's a bitter woman, indeed. If you choose to follow behind her, good luck. But I'm afraid it will only bring you misfortune. Your best bet is to seize this opportunity and leave this island, boy. She's already gone, like the wind."

Cloud's expression eagerly shifts, as the old man realizes that his words may have unintentionally fueled him even more.

"Gone with the wind?" Cloud chuckles.

"Thank you for everything. I owe you one." Cloud stretches his body, preparing to take action.

"Well, if you really owe me one, how about you rid this island of these men?" The old man's voice drips with sarcasm. Cloud turns to face him.

"Sure thing, gramps. Consider it done."

The old man glances at Cloud and notices the sincerity shining through the gray of his eyes.

A strong wind begins to howl, swirling around Cloud and the old man. The old man shields his face with his hand and squints to observe what's happening. His eyes widen as he realizes what he's witnessing.

Cloud's lower body gradually transforms into wind, merging with the gusts that surround him. Dust fills the air, and the bewildered newly freed prisoners scramble to protect themselves.

He possesses the Wind Wind Fruit! The old man realizes, shocked by the revelation. Cloud, now fully composed of wind, takes off swiftly in the same direction as Eloia, leaving a trail of gusts in his wake.

The old man stands there, his mind filled with a mixture of awe and concern, as he watches Cloud rapidly disappear into the distance.

____________________________________________

Eloia arrives at the center of the island, Towns Circle. She is drawn to the statue of a man with a claw mark across his face, accompanied by a missing arm and a sword by his side.

She walks towards the fountain to take a closer look at the statue staring down at her.

"𝘐𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘢 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮."

Eloia sighs and takes a seat on the edge of the fountain, her mind preoccupied.

Something about that boy would not stop bothering her, she kept thinking back to the Shark Tooth that dangled around his neck. As she tried to shake him off her mind, her thoughts start to drifting towards the haunting memories of her past.