One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ Sitting on the Waves ❯ The End of Huncaza? Or the Beginning? ( Chapter 16 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

ONE PIECE
SITTING ON THE WAVES
CHAPTER 16
BY
Sgamer82

     Leda has lived far longer than any normal being. Not surprising, since she could become, and remain at, any age she wished.

     She gained the power of the Era-Era fruit several centuries ago, when she was seventeen years of age. She came across the fruit and ate it as a before-dinner snack. When she discovered the powers she had been given, she at first used it for selfish reasons. She would become older or younger so as to eavesdrop on people who knew her and learn interesting bits of gossip to pass along.

     After a while though, this got tiresome. Leda couldn’t help feeling that she should be doing something more worthwhile with her powers. Her opportunity came in the form of a medical ship that had stopped for repairs at Redisca. One of the patients aboard had been a young man who had suffered a nervous breakdown. He had witnessed his entire family’s murder when he was a boy. He had never been the same since and had just recently had a near total breakdown.

     Leda had felt powerful sorrow for the man, who was being taken to a sanitarium on some island somewhere to be kept for the rest of his days. She couldn’t bear to see him endure such a fate for something he couldn’t have helped. It was then that she had learned a purpose for her power.

     After telling the doctors aboard of her abilities, she was able to convince them of her intent. She was granted access to the man and, for the first time, was able to create the change in age in another human being. She regressed the man to infancy, and personally cared for him until he once again become an adult. A happy, healthy, normal adult.

     Leda came to believe that this was her calling. She would use these powers to help those whose lives had taken turns for the worse. Those who desired nothing more than a second chance to do things right. Be they suffering from illness or trauma. Be they criminals on the run. She would grant any who came to her a chance to start over.

     Leda had quickly realized just how powerful she was. She also realized just what she could do if she were to ever abuse or misuse her abilities. After her first child had grown up, she made a vow to herself. She would never use her powers on someone against their will. If she was to be successful in her goal, she had to be stern with herself.

     However, Leda made one exception to this otherwise ironclad rule. Only one thing would make her use her power on an unwilling subject. The rule was actually quite simple. As Huncaza was about to learn.

     If you dared try to harm one of Leda’s children, you would become one yourself. * * * * *

     As Leda stood over him, Huncaza’s fanged knuckles in her stomach, Huncaza felt his body began to change. As it did, he wondered to himself where it had all gone wrong.

     Had he underestimated the Straw Hat crew? Most likely. He didn’t know how the others had fared but it meant little now.

     Should he not have involved Leda? Getting her in on this plan was certainly biting him in the ass now.

     Were his plans not good enough? They had been. Unfortunately, he’d made some major miscalculations on just what Luffy could do.

     In the end, Huncaza realized the answer to all his questions was yes. He had simply gotten in over his head.

     Huncaza’s final thoughts before his mind regressed into infanthood were “If I could do it again, I’d handle it quite differently.”

* * * * *

     Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and all the children around watched as the caretaker of the Chibi no Mi Nursery turned the man who had just been threatening their lives into a helpless infant. She then fell to her side, blood coming out of the wound in her stomach. Luffy immediately rushed to get her. Meanwhile, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji ran over to see what they could do. Sanji took the now baby Huncaza out of the animal skin clothing that covered him like a large blanket. Leda and Huncaza were taken inside the building while Zoro examined the green substance all the kids were trapped, mulling over how best to remove it. Usopp took a small pellet out of his bag and fired it into the air with his slingshot. His Red Smoke Star was sent into the sky, creating an unmistakable signal for Chopper and Robin to come as quick as they could. However, they weren’t the first to arrive.

     “What’s going on here?!” asked some people approaching from the north. Redisca villagers attracted by the smoke.

     “We need some help!” Usopp answered, “Is there a doctor anywhere? Someone’s injured!”

     “Where?” asked an older gentleman as he stepped out from the crowd.

     “Inside.” the doctor went in. Sanji had performed some basic first aid, but the doctor would be able to fully treat Leda’s wound. As that happened, Zoro explained the situation to the villagers. Everything from Nami’s regression to the fight with Huncaza and his men. As he did so, Usopp examined the green substance himself. He thought he might have something in his bag that could do it. Something he had been cooking up recently might be handy here.

     Usopp removed another pellet from his bag and fired it straight down. He watched as the area around four feet or so of where the pellet hit started to bubble. When it stopped, the spot was so brittle that the children nearest where Usopp had shot, including Nami, were able to pull their feet free.

     “Ha! I was right! My newest Acid Stars were just the thing!”

     The kids all started cheering when they heard Usopp.

     “Now I just have to make more of them!”

     The cheering stopped. What could Usopp do though? They were his latest work. He’d only made one so far that he hadn’t had a chance to test until now. With nothing else he could really do. He sat down, opened his bag and began work.