Darkness was your world now. The damp stone walls, the biting chill of the iron shackles digging into your skin, the stale air that carried the scent of decay—this was all you knew. How long had it been? Months? Years? Time blurred together in this prison, an island far beyond the reach of your kingdom. Before this, before your personal guard—no, your captor—had stolen you away, you were living comfortably within your castle walls, wearing beautiful gowns, even taking dance lessons with your instructor for your upcoming ball in the spring. But by the sight of the snow breezing in through a small gap in the wall, it was obvious you'd missed it.

Ever since he brought you here, you knew by that smug grin on his face that he was using you for his own twisted pleasure. Like he wanted some sort of personal punching bag, but he wanted it to crack more. The more he hung around you, you learned of his hatred of royalty—anyone who couldn't see beyond the gold in their hands while people groveled at their feet. You understood what he meant, but your kingdom played no part in the stories he told. Yet he thrived in your suffering, relishing the power he held over you and your people. If they hadn't done anything he said, he'd kill you.

As such, your bounty poster had climbed to 950 billion berries, an unfathomable sum. The world knew your name, but no one had found you, like you vanished off the face of the earth. Even those who had come close to finding the island never got farther than that; your captor was a devil fruit user after all, and no easy feat.

Like the many days before, you sat against the cold stone floor, chains clinking as you shifted. The weight of your broken legs was unbearable, a cruel reminder of your last failed attempt at rebellion. Even if you wanted to escape, you couldn't get far with broken legs, nor had you found a way to break out of your new chains yet. It would take months of grinding to get to a point where you have your hands free again. Weirdly though, today was really quiet—he hadn't come by yet.

It was silent. Oppressive, suffocating silence.

Then—

A boom.

The walls trembled. Screams echoed. Something massive had crashed into the fortress. Then dust, stone, and debris rained down as the wall before you exploded inward. You quickly shielded yourself with your cuffed hands, trembling. Terrified was an absolute understatement. After a few moments, a shadow emerged through the dust, the light behind him blinding from the outside. A man with messy black hair, his breathing ragged, his expression twisted with fury that suddenly softened once he laid eyes on you.

"Hey! Are you alright?" His voice was urgent as he crouched before you, scanning your battered form. As you looked at the man, your eyes flinched over to another figure rushing in from behind him—a small reindeer, moving fast despite his size.

"Chopper," the man said, never breaking eye contact with you. That single word was all it took for the reindeer to immediately drop a small blue bag, rummaging through it with frantic hooves, pulling out bandages, salves, and other medical supplies.

For the first time since being taken here, someone had found you.