One Piece - Blackjack Freedom

The white haired boy used the curtain to wipe the blood off his sword.  The newly free slave stepped over the body of his former owner and looked around the manor for a new set of clothes.  After 12 years of slavery he had finally done what few have.  He had killed the man that bought him.  The man was a cruel former blacksmith who had done many unforgivable things to many people.  The slave was the only one to survive his last atrocity when the man, in a drunken rage, burned down the hut that his slaves slept in.  Luckily, the slave was locked in the forge making swords for his master.  

When he discovered this the next morning, he went to give his master the sword he had finished.  The sadistic master was impressed with the sword and threatened The slave to make more or he would meet the same fate as the others.  The slave decided then and there to test the sword.  After a brief fight, the cruel man's heart was run through.  The slave had managed to escape with a gash in his cheek.

The slave finally found an older suit that fit him and hung it on a pole outside the bathroom and went to clean up.  It took a while, but soon the wound had finally stopped bleeding.  He put on the suit and went and sat at his former master's chair with his feet propped up on the desk.  He saw a note on a nearby pad of paper.

"Pick Up Val's Replacement at docks at 2pm"

The slave hadn't really met Val, but he knew she was the girl who used to cook and clean around the house.  He also assumed that she was used for other things, but he didn't like to think about that.  Obviously, she did all the house work and a replacement must have been purchased earlier that morning.

The slave stared at the note and then looked at the clock.  It was almost 1pm.  The slave shrugged and decided to go have a look.

He walked to the docks and sat down at where he knew the slavers came.  He wasn't sure how early he was, but he knew the slavers liked coming early in case buyers were interested in any of the stock.  Sure enough, a ship was seen on the horizon.  About 10 minutes later it had pulled to the peir and one of the slavers came onto the dock and approached him.

"Mr. Tab Sard?"

The slave was sitting on a barrel when he heard his master's name called.  "Yeah.  You guys kept me waiting."

"Sorry sir.  We didn't expect you to be here so early."

"I expect a discount."

"Well you won't get one.  Sadly for you, you order is the only one left on the ship.  You're out last delivery."

The slave decided to play the part and look ticked off at the news.  He followed the man into the lower part of the ship.  He saw the familiar filthy cages that were usually filled to the brim with unlucky souls.  There were also a few lying dead that the slavers had just refused to clean up.

"Sorry for the smell.  You know how they are."

"Yeah."

The slave was getting a bit sick to his stomach to be playing the buyer.  Finally, the slaver led him to a single cell where there was a young girl chained to the wall.  She had to be 10 at the most.  Her hair was a mess and her eyes seemed to be looking nowhere in particular.  She looked like a person who had been utterly defeated.  Around her neck was a collar made of some strage stone.  The slave noticed this material at once.

"She has the power of a Devil Fruit?"

The slaver laughed.

"Yeah, we had to give that to her yesterday!  She kept getting free and jumping off the ship.  So, we chained her up like so and forced her to eat one.  We told her she could no longer swim and if she tried to swim away, she would sink like a stone.  This means you can use her as a body guard as well.  And if you train her right, you can use her for more pleasurable activities, if you catch my drift."

The slave had to force every bit of will to chuckle with the man.  He so wanted to kill him, but he knew he could not fight off the rest of the crew.  The least he could do was screw with the slavers finances a bit.

"So…..what's the price now?"

"Pardon?  I told you you won't get a discount for being early.  It's still 8,000 beli"

"Yes, but you given me faulty merchandise."

The slaver was taken aback.  The slave continued.

"You've given a slave a power that can kill ma and have put my life in danger.  You really expect me, or anybody to buy this from you?  God, I should spread the word that you try to kill anybody you sell too."

"Woah!  Woah!  OK!  I see your point.  No need to get extreme.  Umm…how about 4,000 beli and we we not tell anybody about this."

"1,000 is my final deal.  And I never want to see you come to this area again."

The slaver glared, but he had a reputation to uphold.

"Fine!"

The slave smirked as he paid the man.  The slaver hooked a chain to the girls collar and gave it to The slave and practically pushed the two out.

"I sincerely hope she kills you one day."

With that, the slavers sailed off.  The slave had to keep up the act until he reached his old master's home, all the while leading the girl along.  Upon arriving, he led her to the real Tab Sard's office.  

The girl was surprised to see the man lying there at first, but assumed it was another slave.  Then she felt the collar around her neck unclasp.  She looked up at the man who bought her.  He was on his knees so he could look her in the eyes.  He seemed looked sad about something.  Soon he bowed his head.

"Forgive me for the things I did back there.  I had to do it to save you."

The girl looked between the man on the floor and the person in front of her.

"You….saved me?"

The slave explained that he was a slave until earlier that day.  When The slave finally reached to the present point, he looked up.  Right then the girl had jumped forward and hugged him and was crying with joy into his shoulder.  He smiled and waited for her tears to subsided.

"Do you have a name that I could call you?"

The girl stood up in front of him again.  She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Jackie.  Jackie Ridotto."

"That's a nice name."
  
"And you Mister?"

"Kuro Tetsu."

*******

"WAKE UP KURO!!!"

The 25 year old man fell out of the chair he was sleeping in.  The cigarette that was in his mouth has fallen.  The 17 year old Jackie bent over and picked it up.  Kuro reached up to get it, but it was thrown into the forge.

"You shouldn't be smoking.  It's bad for you."

"Come on.  Why not?"

"It's bad for you."

Kuro picked himself up and sat back in the chair.  He looked at his cigarette crumble next to a sword that was still heating up.  Jackie set 4 large bags of money on the table.

"I won this in the casino."

"I still don't know how you do it."

"Neither do I, but who's complaining."

"The people who own the casinos."

"True!"

They both chuckled.  

"Hey Kuro, what were you dreaming about?"

Kuro closed his eyes.  

"The day I gained a nuisance."

Jackie hugged him.

"Awwww.  Come on, you know you like having me around."

Kuro pushed her off and smiled.  She was right.  That was a very big day in both their lives.  And there would be many more.

Especially when a certain "Dark Lady" came for a visit.