Phoenix

A cry of the baby echoed in the place that ones a battlefield. There's nothing but dead bodies could hear the lone cries of a bundle, until an unexpected person arrived to the said ones battlefield. A woman around twenty walked in the dry blood and bodies, chocolates eyes reflect nothing and raven hair sways smutty from the iron scents surrounding the place.

The said woman reached the origin of the cry. What she had seen was a baby, surrounded by both blood and smell of ashes. Her eyes stared the crying baby for a moment before deciding to pick it up. The baby kept crying, small and fragile, something that would normally freak people when they found a baby in the middle of the bloodshed battlefield but not her.The woman kept staring the baby, holding gently before making a decision."I will temporarily raise you until I return you to your home... first commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco the Phoenix.". , . , .Five years later, a boy around five years old was running with a great smile heading to the hills. Ahead there was a small wooden house with little garden on the side, there was a woman tending her vegetable plants when the boy called her out."Anna!" The boy cried cheerfully. The identified woman named Anna pause from her activity as she turned around to see the boy coming toward her. She smiled, "Phoenix."Ones close enough the boy named Phoenix jumped happily to give her a hug which she didn't hesitate to return the said hug. Phoenix smile wider, "Anna guess what! I ace the whole test and they're very proud of me!"Anna giggled before stroking his head, "Good job Phoenix." The boy loved being stroke as he hummed.For some reason she can't help but mentally laugh at this scene and decided to keep it upon herself. "Now, why don't you go inside and prepare because as soon as I'm done here we're going out hunting."Phoenix nodded before running inside their home to prepare, unknown to the boy the smile of the woman was placed in tin line.Phoenix happily skip his steps as he arrived to his room then immediately opened his drawer to find something comfortable to wear.'I wonder what we're about to hunt.' Phoenix hummed happily as he finally choose a simple orange shirt and short pants for today. 'We need to make sure we hunt enough and hopefully it will reach three days.' The thought made Phoenix sweat drop, "Maybe that kind of thinking is impossible... we're talking about Anna here."The thought of her made him pause, eyes sadden as he remembered the day he tried calling her mother instead her name.'Anna cared for me, loved me and taught me everything I wanted to know... yet she never let me call her mother.' He remembered one time he saw her staring at the night sky, deep in thinking alone on the window. 'She's always deep in thought when she's alone, I wonder why...'He shook his head hardly, 'N-now is not the time to think that idiot.'He heard a door opened, Anna must be done cleaning up and now heading to prepare as well.'I better hurry.' With that, he quickly change cloths then took his weapon which was a sword, good length for a child like him and secured it to his waist belt before heading out. He was little surprise to see Anna also arrived with her sword secured on her waist and bow and arrow from behind. 'Anna is good in both sword and bow, she can switch weapon swiftly with no problem at all.'Anna smiled toward him which made him smile too, her smile was always really bright that if ever Phoenix wasn't raised by her, he would have become shy and blush a long time ago."Ready?" Anna questioned that made Phoenix smile brightly and nodded, "Yeah!"Both head off to the forest to start their hunting.Ones arrived they kept on walking as Anna who knew how to hunt taught Phoenix how to identify an animal around or how they'll learn there's an animal nearby. Later on after their hunt which they had collected a large size bear, two bunnies and one bird, they began their training in both hand to hand combat and swordsmanship.Phoenix in his life noticed few things that's quite questioning, like his combat stances and way of finding an opening, ever since he became accustom in combat training that he gained his fighting style on his own as if very natural that's totally not from Anna. Since she never voiced anything about it nor question his own fighting style, Phoenix had labeled this little strange as normal. Other than combat, Anna also taught him swordsmanship which felt very new for Phoenix so until now he struggle in learning her techniques in swordsmanship.After training, Phoenix will use his time to do his studying while Anna deliver her harvested crops to the village. Phoenix noticed how much he understood almost everything so easily even though he's young and surely never crossed them before. Because of it that the villagers called him a young genius. Now that he thought about it, when the villagers asked Anna how could she have a son so smart, all she ever say its because his mind is special. Not ones Phoenix understood what she mean and so were the villagers, when asking to elaborate, she would just smile and wave her hand saying to leave it as that.'Now that I think about it, after dinner Anna and I will have another strategy game.' The thought of the game made Phoenix felt very excited, 'I wonder what I should do today.'Phoenix enjoyed strategy games, time to time after dinner both will play a one round of their own made up strategy game where each player had twenty-eight soldiers, two spy, ten civilian, two lieutenant, two general and one king. The goal was to subdue the enemies king to take over an island/country. All in all, a strategy game that test the person's leadership.Soon Anna came back with food in hand and so both ate dinner, after that they began their little pass time strategy game.Next day they began their sparring which as always Pheonix ended up loosing. Its very clear for him Anna was much stronger than him and the fact she's not holding back makes him more determine to defeat her. Still something bother him that he had choose this moment to question this."Anna how come i have this power?"Anna tilt her head as if trying to understand the question before shrugging, "Who knows. Did you try finding it out?"Phoenix blushed and looked away but still giving an answer as he nodded, "I... tried searching it on my own and... I came across about devil fruit." Anna wasn't faze nor speaking. He took this as a good sign to continue, "I found it in the book where it tells a lot about Devil Fruits that said could give you power in exchange of being unable to swim. So I thought this power came from a Devil Fruit."Anna wasn't saying anything and it made Phoenix nervous but still tried to glance to her direction. Anna had a blank look, so blank that Phoenix had no idea what she's thinking. Finally she made a move as she nodded."So you think that's the origin?" She pressed. "I don't remember giving you any of them.""Same here. I never remember I had eaten some disgusting taste food according to the book I had read." Phoenix agreed. "Still the fact remain because of the devil fruit... because... I... I went to shore and had my finger... touch the water and... I felt my whole strength leaving me, as if absorbing me." He paused, feeling horror as he remember the small experiment he made to confirm his suspicion. Anna didn't say anything but eyes became harden. Phoenix continued, "That's why I figured its because of the devil fruit but... but how come I have this power? Your the one who told me I have this power since birth! Anna you must have known something. Why do I have this power? What is this power?"Anna wasn't answering but from the way her expression give made Phoenix convince she knew something yet she refuse to tell him. Instead of denying like Phoenix expected, she smirked."You have indeed eaten a devil fruit." Anna admitted much that shocked Phoenix, "The fruit you have is called Tori Tori no Mi model: pheonix.""Model... are you telling me I'm... a Zoan Type devil fruit user?"Anna blinked in amazement, "I'm surprise you know that but yes its a Zoan Type. What do you expect about having blue flame, feet turning talon and arms turning wings?"He blinked in realization because yes he could make his feet turn talon and arms turn wings, although until now he haven't tried full transformation yet."Still how come I have this power when you told me I have this since birth? Did you lie to me?""Nope" A straight answer from Anna, "I told you the truth. You have that power since birth and you have eaten a devil fruit. There's more of it to understand what I'm saying Phoenix.""Then what is it?" Phoenix was fully eager to find some answer. Anna smirked as if expecting it to happen. Instead of answering, "How about a covenant Phoenix.""Covenant?"Anna nodded, "Defeat me in our spar and i will answer everything you wish to learn."That widen his eyes in disbelief because she made it much harder to find the answer."Defeating me ones is very enough Phoenix." Anna assured, "If you really wish to learn everything you have to defeat me. How does it sound to you, very exciting huh."Phoenix had lived with her for his entire life to know Anna doesn't like being bored, she will do anything to keep herself entertain and it seems she found one toward him as well. He sigh before grinning, even if its for the sake of her entertainment he doesn't mind because if he could defeat her all questions he seek will finally be answered. He'll take this in a heartbeat."You're on!"That's how Pheonix's eagerness to defeat her started. Every chance to their mock battle he took, everything ended into a failure and every failure he will mule what he had gone wrong and what's best counter against it. He never noticed the amused look of Anna toward him nor times it was blank as if thinking something far from present.