One Piece: Control Fruit

Three days later...

After a round of treatment, Mo's injuries had improved, and he regained consciousness.

"Ugh... Someone saved me?" Mo propped up his bandage-wrapped upper body, clutching his chest with his right hand. "Damn, Whitebeard... One day, I'll kill you!" He swung his legs off the bed, pulled out the IV needle, and, unable to find his shoes, stood barefoot on the cold floor.

"Ah! Mr. Bandages, please don't get out of bed! Your wounds might reopen!" A soft-voiced, blue-haired loli rushed over, holding a bowl of thick, black, foul-smelling medicine. She stopped in her tracks, anxiously holding the bowl while spinning in circles.

"Hey, kid, where am I?" Mo managed a smile and reached out to pat Akshia on the head.

"Eep!" Akshia jumped back like a startled deer, the bowl falling to the floor with a crisp clatter.

"What's going on, what happened?" A doctor came running, clearly in a hurry.

"Uh, I just touched her head, and then she…" Mo Williams looked a bit awkward—he didn't think he looked that scary.

"Oh, I see." The doctor sighed in relief, wiping sweat from his forehead—then suddenly widened his eyes. "Wait, what?! You touched Akshia?"

"Is that… a problem?" Mo asked, confused, thinking it might be some strange local custom.

Then he crashed spectacularly to the ground. A shard of the broken bowl seemed to enlarge in his vision. A black, asphalt-like substance instantly hardened over his head, shattering the porcelain piece on impact. Cold sweat broke out all over him. What the hell just happened? With his strength, there was no way he should've tripped—especially while standing still.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the little girl cried, tears streaming down her face. She knew—this happened because of her ability.

By now, Akshia was over two meters away from the two men.

The doctor stepped back a few paces and sighed. "That's the reason. You must be a powerful fighter, right? An ordinary person just now… she might've been cursed by a priestess. Poor child…"

After Mo sat back on the bed, the doctor gave a rough account of Akshia's past.

Mo listened quietly without interrupting. Akshia clutched the hem of her clothes with her small hands, her fingers pale, her head bowed, her lips pressed together without a word.

"Akshia, is that right?" Mo finally spoke.

"H-hi." Akshia stole a glance at Mo's face—calm and unreadable.

"Do you remember eating anything like a fruit before this change started?"

Images of the exploding house from that night flashed through Akshia's mind, and she thought of that awful-tasting fruit.

"Maybe I can help you break this 'curse,'" Mo said, smiling.

"Really?" Akshia looked at him, full of hope.

"Yep!" Mo nodded.

"I… I only ate a little bit of a yucky fruit." Akshia gestured with her hands.

"Do you feel weak when you take baths?"

"Um—kind of." Akshia pressed her index finger to her rosy lips, thinking.

"Eighty percent sure," Mo said with a grin. A Devil Fruit ability... even undeveloped, it's this strong. If it's awakened… give Whitebeard a taste of it—heh.

"Didn't expect you to be a doctor, sir," the doctor said, squinting. Even if Akshia brought bad luck, he couldn't just let a stranger take her away.

"Well, not exactly, but I can fix her condition."

"Because of that strange fruit?" The doctor eyed Mo cautiously.

"Yeah, pretty much." Mo Williams rubbed his chin. "Why not let Akshia decide for herself?"

"Um… can you cure me, mister?" Akshia asked again to be sure.

"Promise!" Mo smiled once more.

"That's great! But... what do I have to do?" Akshia tilted her head, puzzled.

"Come with me. It'll take time." Mo's whole body turned black and hardened again. He reached out and patted Akshia's head. "This way, your ability won't affect me anymore."

Just as Akshia was about to step back, she paused at Mo's words and let herself enjoy the head pat. "Are you sure I won't be a burden to you, Mr. Bandages?"

"I'll be fine." Mo frowned slightly at the word "bandages." "Akshia, don't call me Mr. Bandages. Call me Mo. My full name is Mo Williams, affiliated with the World Government." The last sentence was directed at the doctor.

"I'll need to discuss this with the mayor," the doctor said, giving Akshia a warm smile. "After all, Akshia is a part of this town."

"Thank you all so much for taking care of me all these years."

Thinking of the kind villagers who had cared for her all this time, tears welled up in Akshia's eyes as she bowed deeply.

"Hey, could you also help me get a Den Den Mushi?" Mo scratched his head and smiled at the doctor. "I'll probably need a few more days to recover. You all can take that time to talk it over."

"I think the mayor has one. Alright then, I'll take my leave. Akshia, please serve Mr. Williams another bowl of medicine—and make sure he drinks all of it." The doctor grabbed his coat and closed the door as he left.

"Okay!" The girl's tone was a bit excited.

With the doctor gone, Mo and Akshia were left staring at each other, unsure what to say. Finally, Mo found something to talk about. "Akshia, could you get me a bowl of medicine? And don't spill it this time."

"O-okay, I'll go right away… Uncle Mo." Akshia hurried out the door.

Another three days passed, and by then, the entire town had heard about Akshia leaving. Some were happy, others were worried.

"That little priestess is finally leaving—hope she never comes back." —That was the joyful kind.

"Someone can lift Akshia's curse? That's wonderful." —Also joyful.

"Can Akshia take care of herself? I hope she doesn't bring misfortune to those around her anymore… poor child." —That was the worried kind.

The Navy ship that Mo had called via Den Den Mushi finally arrived. Mo put on his (cold) Navy coat, his body cloaked in jet-black Haki, with Akshia standing by his side. "Well then, we'll be going."

The entire town came to see them off—Mo had waived a year's worth of taxes for them.

The doctor and the mayor stood at the front, waving goodbye to Akshia. "This will always be your home."

Akshia sobbed uncontrollably, nodding over and over. Mo placed a hand on her head. "Let's go."

The warship slowly sailed into the distance...

..............................

"Hey, who exactly is this 'Uncle Mo' you keep talking about?" Lorno asked, chewing on an apple he had somehow pulled out of nowhere.

"He's that sunglasses guy who beat you up last time, duh!" Akshia replied as if it were obvious.

PFT— Lorno spat out his apple. That cold and aloof guy in sunglasses… had such a warm and gentle side.