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Mei, the Witch. Kid pirates encounter

Hello everyone!

Well... there it is. Mei origins. The little story that explains where does she come from. I hope you like it at least a little bit, because I love her immensely, Mei, my little crazy alchemist.

Just for a little bit of personal context, I am OBSESSED with celtic culture and galician heritage. That explains a lot of what surrounds this character. She is my little meiga.

I'm tagging some beautiful moots that I really admire and had inspired me a lot to put my ass to write, especially with OC-related themes, just in case you want to read this (If you want me to remove you from the list just let me know, it's ok and sorry I didn't ask in advance): @jintaka-hane, @igiulss, @punkcorazon, @icy-spicy, @fanaticsnail, @quinloki, @hannahbarberra162, @pandora-writes-one-piece, @alwayssassydreamer, @ye-old-hermit-woman, @armiliadawn, @erwinsgrimoire, @swampstew (And please if I forgot anyone don't be mad at me, my head never works properly ;_;)

Around 4500 words.

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Humidity. Humidity everywhere. Everything felt moist, everything felt wet. Beads of sweat trickled down two thick necks as their owners crossed the dense swamp. Dampness in the air. Condensation on the lower branches of the trees. Moss and water lilies. The buzzing of mosquitoes and cicadas. The trip was long and tedious. The path was barely visible; the forest was nothing more than a maze of narrow, winding trails that seemed to lead nowhere. Malicious little eyes watched from the surface of the quiet waters.

Kid and Killer were making their way through the dense vegetation. They had been walking for hours, they were tired, and the patience of the captain of the Victoria Punk was starting to wear thin. His irritation was quite obvious.

"Remind me again why I listened to yer stupid idea, Kil?", he growled, brushing aside a low-hanging branch with more force than necessary.

Following him with a steady stride, Killer replied calmly despite the inhospitable terrain they were fording, twirling one of his scythes to clear a path through a swarm of flying insects. "We need a proper doctor on board, Kid, ye know that. We've nearly lost men because of untreated battle wounds. Sometimes we struggle from something as stupid as the common cold. And when that happens, for some reason, the sick always end up coming to me for help, like I'm some kind of goose mom. You know I have no problem cooking for the crew, but I'm not the damn ship's nurse."

"Come on, s'not that bad? House's on it, from time to time, didn't she used to work hospital or something?"

"She used to work with cattle before joining us. She does what she can, but sometimes she deals with small wounds spittin' on them for some cleansing. She's a nice girl, but not a doctor."

Kid couldn't help but chuckle, but his brow remained furrowed. His partner was right, as much as he hated to admit it. There was no one on board with medical knowledge, the New World was full of dangers and challenges, and they had never been able to recruit anyone with a specialized background in medical field. When it came to someone in whose hands the crew's health would rest, an involuntary enlistment (aka kidnapping) didn't seem like the most plausible option, the first mate has insisted on that. They had to find someone. Someone with enough willpower (or lack of common sense) to want to join them.

"Ye sure that "witch doctor" lives around here?" His voice was filled with skepticism. "This place's a shithole."

Killer nodded. "Those villagers we questioned at the port, they all agreeded on the description. "Terrible woman". A "witch". Someone they ask fer help if they're really desperate, because she makes deals with demons or something. Hah. She being "really good with sickness"… but watch yerself ye ever dare to disrespect her, apparently." They exchanged a look, intrigued. "She's supposed to live alone in these woods, doesn't like to socialize, although is usually open to bargaining if we can offer her something of her interest. Seems to be not quite right in the head. Or so they say. Maybe is what we're looking for."

"All that sounds like absolute crap. Why would she join us, anyway? Ye say, "no kidnapping" this, "no kidnapping" that. Bullshite. Kidnappin's always the fastest way."

"Not if ye ever need to put yer dick in her hands for treatment". The redhead grimaced. "Well see… First we talk. Don't ye feel curious?".

"Curious my ass, it's the third fucking bug I swallow already. I hate this place."

"We should be close now." Killer continued, glancing aroun the forest. "Half an hour walking through the swamp, 'till a cabin in a clearing, is what they said. Look, it's brighter ahead, the wood's opening."

The captain sighed and continued walking, his strength somewhat a bit renewed. "I just hope all this is not an awful witch hunt dealing us to nowhere. Hah! A witch hunt. So stupid."

Killer just shrugged and followed him toward the clearing. "If this finally gets us a ship's doctor, it'll have been worth it," he replied. They continued walking, and as they advanced and the foliage parted before them, an uneasy silence settled over them. It was as if the forest itself had held its breath, waiting for something terrible to happen.

The mentioned cabin finally made its appeareance, deep in the woods, in a clearing, just as they had been told. It looked like something out of a fairy tale, the very embodiment of a classic witch's cottage: solitary, melancholic, and somewhat menacing. Its walls were rusty and covered in moss, firewood was piled rather haphazardly outside along one side, gardening tools were scattered about, and in the distance, next to the front door, a few books rested stacked on a wooden bench on the porch. Both men approached with their characteristic calm confidence, certain that no one living in such a place could pose a threat to them, and that the tales of "the witch of the woods" were nothing more than local folklore and superstitions.

"Looks like we found the place," the masked man murmured, as his eyes scanned the surroundings.

"Let's get this over with, by the seas," his captain muttered, facing his companion, one nonexistent eyebrow raised. "How d'ye intend to convince the 'witch' to join us, by the way?"

"No fucking clue, we improvise. Money, promise of adventures, the irresistible charm of our captain" Kid gritted his teeth. "Everyone has their price, we'll think of something. First, we need to meet her; place's a dump anyway, maybe it won't be so hard to convince her to leave."

While they spoke confidently, approaching the building surroundings… a soft "click" coming from their feet broke the wood's silence.

"WATCH OUT!!"

Suddenly, a series of traps seemed to spring, and chaos erupted in the clearing. Metal cables snapped with a clanking sound; explosions, smoke bombs, and menacing darts flew across the clearing in every direction. Reflexes kicked in, allowing them both to nimbly dodge several arrows hurtling toward them and some of the mines that ripped open the ground beneath their feet, leaving a trail of smoke and spores around them.

However, despite Killer's warning cry, one of the traps caught him before he could react, and a dart pierced his shoulder, causing him to collapse almost immediately. His body slumped and lay motionless on the damp earth with a crude "thud", completely unconciouss.

"KIL!!", his captain shouted, his voice filled with genuine concern.

"THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!"

The man turned his head quickly toward the mysterious voice. High atop the cabin, standing on the roof, was a hooded figure. Covered in dark fabrics that concealed its form, and armed with a crossbow, it spoke in a low but female voice, making sure to express aggression and rejection, in a clear declaration that it didn't want any visitors on its territory.

"Ok, number one, who the hell are you two? Number two, why are you here, uninvited? I hope it is just because you got lost, which is incredibly stupid to enter these forsaken woods in the first place. And number three, you now what? I actually don't give a fuck, please fuck off and get out of my yard."

The figure suddenly raised the crossbow and fired. Kid dodged the shot with a lateral movement, but in doing so he activated another trap, small green powder mines exploding at his feet, irritating his throat. "Fuck", he coughed. Those damn little traps were everywhere, and by now he was really, REALLY irritated. Killer remained motionless, a few meters away from him.

The figure fired again. This time, with a quick movement of his left arm, he deflected the bolt onto metal instead of flesh, and using his magnetic powers, ripped the weapon from the stranger’s hands. The attacker, startled, then tried to flee and run away from the roof, but with a few quick jumps, and dodging more traps, Kid swiftly closed the distance and grabbed it by the neck, violently. The figure then let out an high-pitched scream, starting fighting and kicking against his grab. The pirate spun them around in his grasp, violently tearing off their hood with his metal arm.

Kid was taken aback when the person he had grabbed met his gaze, terrified. In their search for the "witch doctor," they expected an older, perhaps more rural woman with a different profile. What he didn't expect was a youthful face, pale, with emerald green eyes, hair tied in a bun adorned with pins and needles, earlobes full of piercings, a studded choker, and a punk fishnet top. The young woman before him looked more like she belonged in a brothel than in a medical school. Was she the "medical proffesional"??

The girl seized the moment of confusion to reach for a vial on her waist and smashed it against Kid's arm, releasing an irritant substance. The pirate's arm began to burn intensely, as if on fire, releasing her.

“BITCH!” he exclaimed, his irritation boiling into fury. The young woman tried to ran away again, but before she could take more than five steps, Kid used his powers again, hurling a gardening tool at her. The tool struck her head with a nasty "thud", making her lose her balance and she collapsed, not unconscious but momentarily dazed.

Catching his breath for a second and noticing her attire, he focused on the thick studded black leather belt around her waist, heavily adorned with metal rivets. With a swift motion, he used his magnetism to pull her back into his grasp, tightening again his hold around her neck, ready to rip her head off.

"W-WAIT!" the young woman exclaimed, scared, his gaze flaying her alive. She gasped, terrified. "If you kill me, your friend goes with me. What he’s been injected with will take him out in a matter of hours."

He made a pause, breathing heavily, evaluating the situation. What the hell did she do to his partner? He used all his willpower not to kill her immediately.

"Then ye'd better start fixing it, or I'll make sure ye die slowly, choking on yer own intestines," he growled.

"Okay, okay… bring him inside my house. It's an easy fix, just don't hurt me," she pleaded, being able to feel the pressure of the man's thick fingers around her throat.

"Ye try to escape again, is over, ye fucking cunt". He loosened his grip, allowing her feet to touch the ground again. With his metal arm, he picked up his friend's body and followed her into the dark interior of the cabin.

The inside of the building was a strange mix. The man's eyes met the classic combination of cauldrons, vials, strange bubbling liquids and weird books and manuals, but the room was also dotted with unusual decorative elements. The young woman seemed fascinated by animal skulls. They were everywere, at least a couple of dozens in sight, with different sizes and shapes. The windows were covered by heavy, dark curtains, and the soft light came from several black candles and gothic candelabras placed here and there. A wide variety of metallic ornaments, quite punk-styled, like daggers and spikes, spiders and little metallic crows, five-pointed stars and crucifixes, were everywere. Kid would have been quite fascinated if he hadn't been furious. The place's aesthetic exuded a rebellious and defiant aura, quite fitting for the little creature that had dared to shoot him. Twice.

"Place your friend on my bed", she instructed. "I will administer the antidote". Then, she opened a heavy cabinet and plunged half of her body inside. Kid obliged, placing Killer carefully over the dark sheets. It smelled fainty like scented candles and herbs. After a few moments, her movements became more frantic, and a curse slipped from her lips.

"Fuck."

“Fuck WHAT, woman?”, he stated, colder. She stepped back from the cabinet, looking at him, paler.

“I've may have run out of supplies for that specific antidote…” Realizing the homicidal look was returning to the man's eyes and that he was approaching her again, she raised her hands and started speaking with rushed words; "Wait! But I have plenty of supplies to make it again! It won't take more than an hour! Your friend will be fine, he's just unconscious. The more severe effects of what I gave him take almost a day to manifest-UGH!"

Kid smashed her against the cabinet door and grabbed her by the neck again, crushing her over the wooden surface, her feet lifting off the ground, helding her inches from his face. "Then ye'd better get to work, witch. I want to see my friend awake and in shape before sunset." He released her violently against the floor, letting her fall with a "thud" against the wooden tiles. “Otherwise ye’ll wish ye had never been born, I ain't gonna be compassionate enough to kill ye"

She got back on her feet, trembling, and began moving frantically around the room. What kind of monster had shown up at my door?, she though.

Quickly, she gathered ingredients on her table, lit one of her burners and placed a small cauldron over the fire. She started the preparation diligently, her hands moving swiftly, separating, classifying, cutting, and crushing with skill and speed. In just over half an hour, she began distilling a whitish liquid into a vial. Throughout the process, they exchanged no words; Kid watched her working, his gaze fixed and threatening, though at times he found himself slightly mesmerized by her rapid movements. She reminded him a bit of Killer when he was cooking.

"Ready," she said, handing the man the little glass bottle. "Slip it into his mouth and make sure he swallows it. By tomorrow morning, he'll be as good as new. It'll be like nothing ever happened. I swear. Pinky promise."

"Turn around," he whispered, threateningly, ignoring her rambles.

"…What?" she said, confused.

"Just face the fucking wall or I’ll split ye in half" he repeated.

She obeyed immediately, unsettled. Sweat began to trickle down her forehead. She had faced intruders before and had always been able to dispatch them with relative ease. But the man in front of her was brutal; his aura emanating a promise of threat unlike anything she had ever encountered.

While giving him her back, the rustles behind her indicated that the red-haired man was following her instructions. Out of her sight, Kid had lifted Killer’s mask slightly to pour the antidote into his mouth. Once he ensured that Killer swallowed the vial’s contents completely, he put the mask back in its place.

"Done. It better start working soon…" he said, his voice laced with warning.

She interpreted his words as a sort of permission to look over her shoulder again. The man's cold gaze was fixed on his companion, attentive to any change in his breathing. They… seemed to be very close to each other.

A few minutes passed in silence, during which her gaze couldn't help but fixate on the pirate's arm. The effects of the irritant powder she poured all over his skin was starting to glisten. For a moment, her eyes shone subtelty with a hint of pride, although she tried to hide it, and then parted her lips to speak.

"Hmmm… Excuse me…. dude-sir? Mate. Let me treat your arm."

He turned his face, watching her in disbelief.

"Are ye fucking NUTS? As If I'll let ye touch us again, fuck off."

"It's… gonna get worse. Seriously", she insisted.

"What?!"

She cleared her throad. "It's… huh… my special recipe. I call it Inferno Mist Pepper, made with a mix of fire pepper, snake venom and a few other chemicals, some of them quite corrosive, but effect-delayed", she continued. "What you have in your arm right now is a mild irritation, but… in a few hours, you'll likely want to tear your skin off, and consequently, you'll tear mine off too."

Kid's eyes widened as she spoke. Certainly, the stinging sensation on his skin was becoming more evident. While she was explaining, she pulled a small canister from one of her pockets. "But this counteracts it immediately! Really, like nothing ever happened. Just… just let me apply it, it will be over" Her voice cracked with the last words. He kept staring at her, furious and deadly, as he extended his flesh arm.

"I assure ye're still alive tomorrow morning, ye'll be the luckiest woman in the entire new world, witch…"

She moved herself closer to the man, vial in hand, and cautiously started applying the ointment all over the injured skin.

"We let this sit for a couple of minutes, then you let me wash your arm. It has to be in that order, or the water might spread the product and worsen the injury. Once it’s clean, I’ll finish treating it."

As she explained herself, he continued to observe her silently. The girl was young, and rather… scrawny. Not much higher than five foot, and yet she'd not only had the guts to stand up to them, but also the skill to knock Killer out. Her appearance was very distinctive, with a tight black top and a short red tartan skirt, fishnet stockings, and so many metallic embellishments scattered all over her body that Kid could lift her using his magnetic powers. Over the punk outfit, draped over her shoulders, rested a black haori with floral designs and wide sleeves that completely covered her arms. Aside from that…

The redhead couldn't help but notice that she was working with bare hands, never gathered gloves or any kind of skin protection. Her fingers moved against his reddened skin, which still had traces of the irritant substance.

"How come it doesn't hurt yer hands?"

"Ah. Uh… I'm… used to it," was her only reply. After a few seconds of silence, she continued. "Hey… really. I'm sorry for attacking you, okay? But I'm so fed up of unwanted visitors; word's gotten around that I'm some kind of magic woman, and they're constantly bothering me, whether they're marines, pirates, or idiots looking for the promise of eternal youth."

"And ye're not a witch?" - he replied, irritated and cynical. He usually didn't believe in that kind of bullshittery.

"Well you can call it whatever you want. I can make things dissapear, if I use the correct amount of disolvents and corrosives!", she grinned. Lunatic, was the though in Kid's mind. "Anyway, I guess you don't give a shit and probably by tomorrow you've had probably crushed my skull, so whatever. I don't even know what the fuck do you want from me."

"A doctor for our crew is what we were looking for, here mi friend's brilliant idea. Apparently we ended up finding a fucking lunatic, one who's also unable to keep her pretty mouth shut."

“Well” she stated after a pause. “At least now I have some chances. Either being killed, or being kidnapped. Yay!"

Kid’s hard gaze faltered for a moment in the face of the woman composure. “Seriously. Ye talk too much.”

“And you need your arm to be washed. Come here.”

The man's gaze kept shifting between surprise, irritation, and murderous fury as he had to deal with the crazy little thing. He couldn't tell if her brain had short-circuited from panic or if she was always this impertinent. He stood up from his chair and followed her to a small washbasin. She removed her haori, likely to avoid getting the wide sleeves wet, and he couldn't help but exclaim.

“Holy shite what the hell? What’s wrong with yer arms?”

The metal arm grasped the delicate left wrist, allowing for a closer inspection of the area. In stark contrast to her pale skin, her arms were covered in crisscrossed scars, small marks, and uneven patches. They looked like a weird map.

“They're just… tests," she muttered, squirming to break free from his cold grip. "Well, as you said, I'm a doctor, innit? What does it matter to you? Give me that arm."

“Tests? What were ye trying to test, how long it takes fer the human skin to crumble and fall apart?"

“Says the scarred redhead with a metallic arm, at least I still have two.”

He suddenly grabbed her by the neck again, threateningly. She struggeled to breathe under his grip.

“Ok, ok, sensitive topic! I’M SORRY! I’ll learn to keep my mouth shout! Fuck, you like to choke so much…!”

A sudden groan drew their attention back to the bed. Killer was beginning to stir, clearly in discomfort. Kid released his grab and focused his attention on his partner, moving himself closer to the bed. The blonde was trying to open his eyes, to focus his sight.

“Hnng… Fuck…. Kid?…”

"Killer! I'm here, mate. Easy there, how do ye feel?"

“… Dizzy. My mouth is so dry, and I feel… like burning…. Can't move my toes, for some reason.”

“Aconitum napellus. Administered in very low doses and mixed with a potent sedative, which is what knocked you out. I've given you an oral counter-sedative, considering the poison takes a few hours to affect the swallowing ability and your throat was still functional; also with supportive treatment so that the effects of aconite subside as soon as possible. Tomorrow morning you'll be good as new."

The two men looked at the girl, cold fury in Kid's gaze. As for Killer, little could be sensed behind his mask.

"… and it's becoming clearer and clearer to me that I'll be dead as well" she laughed nervously.

Some seconds of silence filled the atmosfere. Killer broke it.

"Kid, we need to have her."

“ARE YE ON FUCKING DRUGS?”

“Yes he is.”

“SHUT UP, WOMAN!”

“Come on Kid…” Killer insisted. Even with the mask covering his face, Kid could sense a funny grin on the way he spoke. “Ye have to admit, she's resourceful. She managed to knock me out in a matter of seconds. And it seems like she knows what she's talking about. Just look at her. What the fuck is wrong with yer arm, by the way?”

The mixture of irritant powder and counteracting ointment had started to bubble on Kid's arm.

“Would you come to wash your fucking arm already? It is going to start husting for real in a matter of minutes!”

“FUCK YE’RE ANNOYING!”

“Yeah, yeah, I used to hear that a lot” She pulled the thick arm over the washbasing and began to wash it thoroughly. Then she dried it and applied another oily substance. After a few minutes, there was no trace left of the mixture on the skin, which was red, but fortunately, the burn hadn't gone deep. "Ten more minutes and you would have had a nice third-degree burn on your arm."

“THANK'S, I GUESS?!”

“Ye seem to know some weird stuff, girl. Why are ye here, all alone in the woods?”, Killer asked.

"…No particular reason. I grew up around here. Learnt 'bout' medicine and herbalism here and there and from the woman who raised me, this is her hut, she died a while ago” She made a pause. “Made a life treating people, gatherin my own supplies, gained some weird fame among the islanders. And, dunno, the more you know, the more exploitable you are. So I started venturing less and less into the city. I go there only when necessary, to get things that the forest can't provide; ended up so fed up with people and assholes all the time searching for me." She coughed. "With all due respect."

Both men were looking at her in disbelief while she spoke and after she finished. Then, the masked man broke the silence.

“…. Kid.”

“No.”

“She completely fits into our crew! She even has the looks.” the blonde argued. Kid could sense a very subtle note of amusement beneath his companion's mask.

“NO. I don't know what she injected ye with, but ye're out of your mind."

"By the way", he continued, ignoring his captain; "do ye even have a name or shall we just call ye Witch?"

The young woman relaxed sightly, considering that the masked man didn't emanate the same murderous intentions as the redhead (even after she understood that he was named "Killer"). Then, she shrugged. "I don't even know my birth's name. I was found as a baby, called "Meiga" by the woman who raised me since I have memory, ironically it means something like "bad witch". I just adopted Mei."

"Meiga?"

"Just Mei. You can call me that. And if my deductions are correct, you are Kid and Killer, easy to remember, nice to meet you, so happy that apparently I will live, I think. Guys, this has been an exciting afternoon, but it is a bit late and I start being hungry. Wouldn’t mind to share some dinner, you want?” Under the mistrustful gaze of the two men, she added, "I'm not going to poison you. Come on, friends? I already apologized. Also I have a good amount of pasta prepared for today. Aglio e olio. You want some?"

“KID!”

“OH FER FUCK’S SAKE!”

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Much later on, in a not so far harbour, same island.

"THIS IS SO FUCKING COOL, OH MY FUCKING GOD, IT'S HUGE!!"

"Told ye she would love The Punk. She had like three dozens of skulls in that hut, just in sight."

Kid was so irritated, again, he huffed. "Aye, I remember she insisted into bringing 'em all. I keep thinking she's a fucking lunatic. She better is a really nice doctor."

"WHERE IS THIS BEAUTY FROM?! HOLY SHIT. THE SIZE OF THE TEETH. IT IS FROM A DINOSAUR? A SEA KING?!"

The former Captain of the Victoria Punk was about to facepalm really hard. Killer remained unfazed.

"Well, she seems happy to be on board. That's a good start. Wait until she discovers there is another skull on the main dec-"

"THERE IS ANOTHER SKULL ON THE MAIN DECK?! IT'S SO PRETTY!! IT'S FROM A GIANT?!!"

"Killer, ye're in charge of her."

"Ok, ok, let's start on a good feet. Hey, she's fine. She wasn't even upset after ye throw her into the sea to check on any possible devil fruit".

"That shite she has with the chemicals is not normal, look at her arms. I had to be sure".

"Yeah, yeah, anyway. We have our little doctor, let's go. We better introduce her to the crew after she starts causing troub…"

"HEEEEEEY, hello, spiky boy!! Holy shit you're tall. How's the weather up there?!"

"… Kid, Killer…. What the fuck is this?", was the tired voice of Wire coming from the upper deck.

… "We better sail already", Killer hushed.

"We better ask Heat and Wire for a good leash." Kid scowled.

"Oooooooh, hi pretty! Nice scars you have there! Also, your dreadlocks are amazing. Can I touch them?"

"Huh…"

"YE WITCH! LEAVE HEAT AND WIRE ALONE, FER FUCK'S SAKE!"

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Bonus end:

Tomodachi-Mei, for anywone wondering about her idiotic face, hahahahahaha.

Thank you very much for reading!!

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