A Villain Uncorked! The Red Saga Begins!

[Kami-Gaz]

EJ

Today started like any other day in the simple antiques shop called ‘Ye Olde But Gold’, the dusty old shop whose owner flipped the sign over on the door to read open was just sitting back down in his comfy old wooden chair. He wiggled a bit as his rear adjusted to the new cushion he had put down on it. The many thick layers of dust that covered most of his shelves and wares helped to sell the age of the items, and the musty old smell did just as much. Today was just another day to the shop keeper.

It was about twenty minutes after he had sat down that the urge to relieve his bladder of its tension arose, it was the fastest he had moved all day as he shot out of his chair and into the back of the building and up a set of rickety old stairs to the rest room. It was 10 seconds after his old greyed form had left that his door opened and a young man with hair as red as fire walked in, his plain white shirt already collecting the dust that was thrown in the air due to his sudden arrival. The young man with ruby eyes scanned the shop and moved from shelf to shelf as if he had purpose, he was looking for something.

He let his hands wander over books, parchments, nick-nacks from far away lands and weapons so ancient and worn that they served no purpose other than being set pieces. As he quickly scanned shelf after shelf the man with a slick movement that seemed almost unnatural he found what he was looking for. The set of solid gold gem encrusted knuckle dusters that looked so tacky that even a sleezey rapper would use them due to how tacky they looked.

The sound of old foot falls stopped and were replaced with the tell-tale voice of a sleezey salesman. “Ahh Red! You finally have enough to get those enchanted knuckle dusters?” He asked, the crooked smile of a crook illuminating his old wrinkled face. A low chuckle escaped him as he walked over and looked the young man in the eyes “Those will give you the power to punch a marine admiral and knock him clean out!” He announced as he went to the young mans side.

“I can do that already… I just need something that people could know me by… so my crew can rally to it and people can look to me and know who I am wherever I am.” He said to the old man, his voice still young and enthusiastic… but not about this sale… “Have you got anything new in?” He asked as he watched the merchants smile shift to a thoughtful look.

“Why yes. I do! I got this from the hidden temple deep in jungle in the forgotten ninja territory... this is certainly a powerful artifact.” He announced heading back to his counter and producing a potion flask with a shimmering misty looking liquid on the inside. It was placed onto the counter. “This, legend has it is a powerful, murderous, villainous fiend that obeys the person who opens it command, it would surely be a good crew member and a symbol!” The man said as he picked the bottle up and began to tug at the cork with all of his strength. That was to no avail though. “No one has been able to open it, not even me!” He continued as the young man came over with curiosity in his eyes. “Here, I’ll let you try once for free.”

The young man shifted and took the bottle and raised it high into the air “Why don’t people just smash it?” He asked as he shifted his body into a stance that would allow for maximum effort to be put into the throw downwards. “That would be far easier!”

“NO! IF YOU DO THAT THE DEMON WOULD KILL US ALL!” The man shouted as he darted into the back of the shop. “You’d anger it, kill everyone on the island!” The balding old fellow chirped from the back room.

“Fine fine…” Red said as he adjusted and rubbed the cork and bottle, and then with a simple pull the cork slipped out with a mighty pop. “That was easy…” He chuckled, not telling the owner he had used his power to lessen all the friction around the cork.

[EJ]

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1

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“My Lord… I really want to get out of here and see the beauty of the world you created once again…”

“In due time, my beloved child.”

Countless moments of the old legend’s days went like that. Human expression of desire and a promise none but the faithful could say would actually come to fruition. It was a little over a year since Noone placed herself in solitary confinement inside of a bottle, yet she was still alive. Ached by hunger and pained by thoughts of never seeing the light of day again, the Vapor Woman believed it to be part of her punishment to live out the rest of her mortal life the way she currently was. After meeting and establishing a relationship with The Creator, an omnipotent spirit that she trusted lived within her, she practically begged day in and day out for her to have another chance to roam the earth. This time, as a much better human being than she was in the previous decades of her life. The rogue kunoichi was now seventy years old. She had no idea her prayers were going to be answered on this day until movement of her vessel stirred her hopes and someone with a young voice made an attempt to open the door to her prison!

POP!

A few seconds after Red made his last statement and chuckled, a large amount of thick mist began rushing from the opening, carrying with it a heavy amount of wind that shook and tossed things about the merchant’s shop! A huge cloud formed at the top of the room, a set of eyes and grinning mouth staring down deviously at the two men that occupied the store. The crooked salesman fell to his back, cowering in a cold sweat as he stared up at the sneering devil that he didn’t believe anyone would truly be able to release! “N-n-no,” the old man stuttered. “Now you’ve done it! We’re all going to die!!”

The evil face concealed itself back within a mass of cloud as the vapor descended to the floor before completely disappearing when it transformed into a solid, humanoid shape. A loud ‘THUD’ hammered onto the wooden surface revealing the human form of Noone. A sleek, tall figure of a tawny, orange-brown skinned woman with snow white hair that was pulled back into a long, thick braid that lied strung on the floor just like her body. The woman was still dressed in the form-fitting clothes, like that of a ninja, she was wearing the day she had herself sealed.

It appears I got a bit overexcited… That little display took up most of the energy I had left…

Unlike in the past, Noone was now a rather playful individual. Hearing the stories that floated by her bottle over the past year, she swore to herself that the day she was released, she’d give the people around a sprightly scare. Too bad she was too famished and exhausted to enjoy a small laugh at the situation. She pathetically pulled herself up as best she could, managing to prop herself onto her left forearm and elbow. Her head slowly craned up for her cat-like, sea-green eyes to meet the ruby gems of her salvager. Despite being a seventy year-old woman, she might not have looked it. Mature, yeah, but her years may have striked to be shorter than they actually were due to the lack of wrinkles in her skin. Being a living mist seemed to have that effect on the body because of its moisture.

“F-food…” The old maid labored to utter. “W-water… C-carry… P-p-please…”

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[Kami-Gaz]

The scene played out in front of the young man, his eyes locking with the woman’s after her misty form congealed and turned into that of a human woman’s, her visage looked weak, stricken with hunger but the woman her self did not look a day over 30. As she fell to the floor and struggled to prop herself up and look to the youngster for help… the shop keeper did not see this however, he had dropped to the floor unconscious from the shock, his thud followed soon after the woman’s.

Red stood there, trying to process this and when the words finally reached him he took a step forwards and leaned down scooping the woman up in a bridal style carry and hoisted her until he was standing up straight and he smiled to her. “Don’t worry miss, I got you. That man will not keep you imprisoned anymore!” He said walking out of the store, not looking over his shoulder as he booted the door open with a hefty kick.

“Your no demon are you?” He asked, still carrying her down the road towards the town, the smell of food wafting over the pair as they headed towards the source. A café that was cooking away meats and all sorts of treats. One called the Steaming Bun. “I will get us something too eat.” He added, his ruby eyes no looking down as he focused on his task at hand.

“Oh, I am Red by the way. I don’t know how long you were trapped but I’m kind of a big hero around the village!” He said cracking a grin as he finally looked down to the maiden in his arms, sitting her down in a plastic lawn chair by a table outside of the café… this was going to be the start of one amazing partnership, a good story… one where the world might just be saved.

[EJ]

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2

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So strong…, Noone mused to herself when Red scooped her up into his arms. Not that she was heavy at all; the Mist Ninja was considerably light. Her mental note was more directed at the firm feel of his hands and arms against her body as she was cradled out of the shop and down the road. It had been years – a time longer than the rogue kunoichi had been sealed in her container – since she felt the warmth of another human being so close to her. The nearest thing to a hug she’s ever had in her life was the dead weight of a spiritless vessel slumping over her shoulder after she violently ripped the heart from the standing victim. She was so glad that those hurtful, tiresome days were long behind her.

“You’re no demon, are you?” The young man asked, causing the old woman’s heart to jump. Visions of situations from her blood-stained background filled her mind – the screams of her marks ringing in her ears as fresh as the night they occurred. Her eyes were locked onto the ground before a deep sigh escaped her lips and she looked up at her savior with a sorrowful gaze. Still feeling a bit too weak to speak, but wanting to give the red-haired young’n the answer he deserved for saving her life, she mustered the strength to do so anyway.

“... Once… Long ago,” the wounded, but healing, soul voiced, slowly resting her head down on the man’s chest. Her eyes shifted back to the ground as she hoped the boy still accepted her. Although she had been conversing with The Creator and working to change the way she used to be for the past year, the rogue ninja was still uncertain if she could call herself anything but a demon. A new persona she may have had, but she still felt as if there were actions she needed to administer before everything she did in her past could be reconciled.

Delicious aromas floating by Noone’s nose made her stomach bicker to be filled. She placed the hand of the arm that wasn’t wrapped around Red’s shoulders and neck onto her belly, hoping to ease the pain. When she was placed in the lawn chair, a smile slowly grew onto her lips in the process of her getting comfortable and taking in more of Red’s features. Her playful nature began to come to the surface once again when she said in response to him, “I was sealed… For a year… But I’ve heard of you… What happened to… Your blue hair…?” Even when hungry, thirsty and struggling to speak, the old maid still found the chance to be jaunty!

Noone actually knew of Red and his brother, Blue. How could she ignore the uprising of two people Karate Island deserved after having lived with the terror that was her and the rest of her clan? Decades of wandering in loneliness out in the wilderness away from civilization made her curious to what was going on in the normal lives of the martial artists of her country. It eventually lead the former assassin to catching word of two teenage boys – and the rivalry they had – that went around doing the opposite of what she did for a living. If they were born sooner, they might have been able to kill her, but the Vapor Woman pushed that dark train of thought out of her brain. For now, she watched Red’s face intently, looking for a funny reaction in regards to him being mistaken for his older brother, and thus overshadowed yet again!

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[Kami-Gaz]

“I was sealed” The woman started soon after she was sat in her chair, she was saying something, she was trying to tell her story in her state of malnourishment… What was her tale?! Was it something grand? Amazing?!

“For a year” That was not all that long ago, she may have just heard of the hero, his deeds of strength and kindness that he and his brother alike liked to spread across the country known as karate Island.

“But I’ve heard of you” SHE HAD HEARD OF HIM! A smile spread across his face, it was big and it was almost of the size of a grin. IF she had heard of him then she would know of some of his epic deeds, how he has helped countless people on the island. Kept it safe in the last year since his brother had left to go and save the world.

“What happened to” She carried one, pausing for breath. What happened? Why was she asking what happened? Did she get trapped just before the big fight? During it? Is she wanting to know what happened to her family? Too many questions for the fiery haired individual to really process in this moment of suspense!

“Your blue hair…?” The smile instantly faded and a hurt look appeared on his face, this exact feeling of inferiority, of uselessness compared to his elder brother made the young man crazy. He just had to prove he was as good or better than his older brother Blue, it would show him that Red means something too! He just wanted to be recognised by his brother as someone who was strong.

“I don’t like you any more…” Red said as he instantly turned and moved to head into the café, plunging his hand into his pocket to get his wallet out of his pocket. “And just for that I’m going to get you the cheap nasty snacks and drinks!” The hurt young man announced as he walked into the store all in a huff. This feeling of being put down in such a way stung enough to make the young man just want to let out a frustrated sigh then go and train some more… there just wasn’t a big enough enemy to fight since his brother went away.

After a few moments Red came back carrying a small array of sweet good, meat pies and a few bottles of juice for the pair to drink. He sat it down on the table and took up a seat just across from the woman, putting his empty wallet back into his pocket when he was there. She better have been worth the last of his money. “Blue went off to fight an evil pirate group on the grand line.” He said before shoving most of a pie in his mouth.

[EJ]

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3

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“I don’t like you anymore... And just for that, I’m going to get you the cheap, nasty snacks and drinks!”

“...”

The Vapor Woman lied soundless in her chair in response to Red’s reaction, watching the boy’s back as he stormed off into the café. She expected a burst of anger, but the disheartened part of it made her feel a bit bad for her hero. That goes without saying: she still found amusement in his retort! “Hm hm hm...” Noone giggled to herself. “He’s such a child...”

When the red-haired man came back carrying a tray filled with all sorts of good-smelling, heavenly foods, the rogue kunoichi sprung up onto the edge of her chair, her face lit up as if she were full of life! She brought her hands together in front of her, closing her eyes and bowing her head as she said, “Thank you,” to both her savior and The Creator for her first meal in over a year. After her calm display of gratitude, she immediately went H.A.M. on a little bit of everything, pausing for brief moments only to guzzle juice.

“Ahhh~!” The old maid let out a sigh of relief as her hunger pains died down and her energy came back. “So good~!” She had a meat pie in one hand and a stick of dango in the other. “Your friend went to the ‘Grand Line,’ huh? I never heard of that place,” Noone spoke, chomping on another sweet ball of dango. It was obvious she had no idea that the two boys were related. “For the record, I heard of both Blue and you. I was just messing with you earlier.” The snowy-haired woman felt that she had to confess to her hero to raise his spirit again. It truly did hurt her to see him so disparaged.

“I’ve seen you more up close, though. You used to go out into the forest and train by yourself, right? Sometimes, I’d watch you from the shadows. Your technique was pretty good!”

Munch, munch, munch!

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[Kami-Gaz]

Red himself sat down and ate a few small things from the pile of food, leaving most of it for the older woman. She looked like she needed it, her movements were slow, like those of an old woman, something she clearly did not look like. After a few minutes of eating and drinking the woman looked a lot better, she had absorbed the energy and looked far more alive. “My elder brother.” He corrected the woman when she called blue his Friend, biologically and relationship wise they were brothers, best friends but also bitter rivals.

“For a woman caught up in a bottle you are pretty creepy.” Red joked as he crunched up the wrapper for a chocolate bar and tossed it into the rubbish bin that was a little ways away from their table. “Back then I did train alone to catch up… now I train alone because that’s all I can do. Blue left and he was the only person that was really a challenge for me on this island.” Red explained as he stretched out in the chair that he was sat on. “My technique was good? How would you know? Do you fight?” He asked her as she munched. His ruby gems locked on her as he weighed her up as a challenger, she looked sleek, a speed-based fighter if she was one.

The young man sat there pondering for a minute before a smile came to his face. “When your done we spar. If you think my technique is ‘good’ then you must know your stuff. I’m a lot better than I was when you saw me in the woods, when you were creeping around lady.” Red challenged, standing up from his seat, knocking it back to hit the floor.

“And as real payback for messing with me I won’t go easy on you!” He said with a large grin enveloping his face, his hand slicking back his messy fire red hair so it was away from his eyes.

[EJ]

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4

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Noone cracked open another can of juice, sipping on it as her ruby-eyed companion spoke and ate his chocolate bar. “Fufufu!” She laughed at his quip of her being a creepy, bottle lady. “I’ve only been sealed inside of that bottle for a year. I may not look it, but I’m actually seventy years old.” The elder woman hadn’t seen a reflection of herself in a whole year, but she remembered the type of effect her Devil Fruit had on her physical appearance from years long past. A slender arm reached for one of those chocolate bars Red had just finished eating – the rogue kunoichi curious as to what it was and how it tasted.

“Oho? Your brother was your only challenge?” The Vapor Woman inquired with piqued interest as she tore open the wrapper of her candy bar. Now, Noone had fought with many great martial artists in her days as an assassin. Many of her targets were the grandmasters of prominent schools that didn’t bend easily to the whim of her former masters. Did that little boy she used to watch train in the woods surpass all of them already? It was a notion that roused the fighting spirit of the old soul that, apparently, didn’t die with her turning over a new leaf.

The snowy-haired lady took a bite of her chocolate before responding to Red’s question of her being a fighter. “Yes, I did a bit of fighting back in my prime,” she responded humbly. “I don’t think it’s anything worth mentioning, though...” Not that Noone would keep a secret from her new hero, but if not directly inquired, she was more comfortable keeping the events of her past out of conversation. To her, her deeds were nothing to brag about – no matter how one looked at it. She had stolen the hearts of dozens among Karate Island’s elite, but if she could remake her decisions, now, she’d choose to go the opposite direction.

Taking a sip of her juice as the red-haired boy stood up from his chair passionately, a small smile formed on the rogue kunoichi’s lips as he issued his challenge. His own ‘fire’ was spreading to Noone herself as she grew evermore inquisitive of how much he had grown since the last time she had seen him. Finishing off the last of her chocolate, the slender woman placed the empty wrapper down on a tray devoured clean of all food contents prior to standing and stretching her arms into the air. “Fufufu! These old bones can use a bit of a workout,” she replied, accepting Red’s challenge. “But don’t get too excited,” she noted, picking up the tray of trash with one hand and her can of juice in the other. “Remember: I’m just an old lady,” she winked at the boy with a smile, walking the tray over to the trash bin as she downed the rest of her remaining juice and dumped everything.

“Shall we head over into the woods?” She turned back to Red. “It’d be quite nostalgic.”

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[Kami-Gaz]

The crunch of the sandy floor beneath the reds feet was muffled out to the Ruby eyed lad as he walked over to the woods that were not far away from the Café that the pair were eating at. Just a couple of Dozen feet was a small clearing that the young man had always used to train, recently all alone. Everything else in the world was muffled out as he prepared himself to have a good spar with the old woman who was following, she said she could take him at his best, well that was how he interpreted the comments she had been making.



“Right!” The young man announced as he entered the clearing, around it were broken logs, cleared away trees and patches of grass that had been stomped down from the amount of times feet had trampled it. “I’ll let you get the first punch in, first to admit defeat wins!” Red announced as he pulled his hands up and got into a light boxing stance where he was already bouncing on his feet.



The damp leaves that were falling against the red heads skin slipped right off as if he was air. “Come on old lady, I haven’t even gotten your name yet.” He said, keeping his eyes on her form, shifting his weight and moving to be in an advantageous position as she did.

[EJ]

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5

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As the old kunoichi followed her young savior, butterflies fluttered in her core, making it a bit difficult for her to contain the excitement that was building up. She had not fought since the day she wiped out her entire clan. This would be the first time in her whole life that she would fight without killing intent. Even when she would spar back in the days she was an assassin, her clan’s cutthroat leadership demanded vulgar execution. Whoever held back or lost a match would be sentenced to severe beatings – if not death, itself, by the hands of their opponent.

Noone wore a warm smile as she walked with her arms folded behind her back beneath her long, thick braid. Her posture spoke volumes of her stature of skill in the martial arts world, especially among Karate Island’s inhabitants. It was seen as the sign of a grandmaster – one who felt so comfortable in their skin that they didn’t need to have their arms free in order to be prepared at any given moment. When she had reached the ‘sparring circle’ with Red, she stopped where she would begin their bout, taking a gander at the surrounding environment. The sounds of the birds and trees, the smell of the woodland area; they all took her down memory lane to when she would watch the man before her train when he was much younger.

“Come on, old lady,” the eager redhead’s words called the old soul back to the present, “I haven’t even gotten your name yet.”

“Fufufu!” Noone chuckled, her cat-like eyes focusing on the young man about ten feet away from her. “Forgive me, Red-sama,” she atoned, slowly bringing her arms from behind her back and shifting into a fighting stance with her left foot forward. Her knees bent slightly, her arms raised in front of her with her hands open, fingers curled in a relaxed state, and her right foot positioned onto its toes – opposed to how her left foot remained flat on the ground. “My name is Na–” she abruptly stopped. No. She didn’t deserve to call herself by the name her mother gave her; not with the way she couldn’t return the woman’s love when she was still alive. “Noone,” she addressed herself proper. “You may, or may not, know me better as ‘Heartless.’”

As the kunoichi spoke, her stance remained firm and unwavering. If an observer could see auras, they’d see hers blaring strongly beyond the canopy of the trees. This was it; the moment her old bones would see action again after so long! Given that the young man was kind enough to bless her with the first move, she girded herself to attack. “Here I come,” the once villainous woman announced, her tone almost ominous as opposed to its usual welcoming resonance.

Immediately after, she ripped forward in a swift dash, throwing a quick jab aimed at Red’s nose with her right hand balled into a fist, planting her right foot forward as she did so. The punch would test the young man’s reactions – giving Noone insight on how he moved – and the stance would allow for her to, basically, make any maneuver necessary in response to how he countered. The perfect way to safely begin any hand-to-hand fight!

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