One Piece: Jungle Juice

3rd POV

As the navy bombarded the Island, leaving almost nothing behind killing all the archaeologists on sight and destroying all their research. A giant and a Littel girl would be seen running away, the little girl Nico Robin crying as the giant Saul protected her with everything he had.

Yet on the other side, a young man in his early twenties ran with all his might, leaving behind his fellow archaeologist, taking a few books with him, crying as he did. A few Marine officers shot at him, injuring him but he didn't stop. Then when a few of his fellow scholars tried to ask him for help, the young man ignored him and kept on running until he reached the cliff side and stopped unsure of what to do next.

1st POV

I didn't want to die, that was the thought going through my head, I wanted to do all I could to preserve our research, but my first and foremost thought was "I don't want to die." I begged every god to let me live, to give me a chance to survive. 

Looking over the cliff's edge, I knew that I needed to jump, just to have a chance to survive. Looking behind me I saw that the navy officers had shocked looks on their faces as they lowered their rifles, I didn't understand why. They had all the time I spent thinking to shoot me, to kill and then I saw why. 

I saw the cannonballs roaring in the air, coming down on Ohara, hundreds of them ready to destroy the island. So I made my choice then and there, I chose to jump off the cliff. It was too late however, as the cannon balls hit and detonated on the island I was caught up in the explosion, same as the remaining scholars and the Navy officers still stationed on the Island. 

I could feel the sheer heat burn my body and burn me to a crisp, I could feel every nerve in my body scream in pain. I could feel the liquid on my eyelids dry off or burn off more accurately. I tried to scream in pain, but my lungs couldn't get the air necessary to let out such a big breath of air.

I fell off the cliff edge and the fire covering my body was put out by the sea, but the salt in the water didn't help as it delivered a different kind of pain to my newly burnt skin. I clung to a piece of driftwood with the burnt books, as the bombardment continued as I drifted away from the island slowly. 

I left behind my fellow scholars, I didn't stop to even try to help them, to try and make sure one or two survived. No, instead I ran like a coward, and the fire burning the island would remain ingrained in my memory. It would be forever planted in my mind for years to come, a symbol of my cowardice, a thing I would never forget. 

As I floated away, the Navy boats left as the fire began to die down eventually leaving nothing but charred remains on the islands. I tried to cry but I think the explosion burnt my tear ducts to a crisp, leaving only my pitiful sobs to display my sadness. 

As I drifted away, I passed by a few ships, some small and some rather large ones and most just passed me by with others looking over the edge in surprised, probably thinking I was a burnt corpse or something as I was exhausted from trying t stay afloat and swim around trying to find another island. 

I was honestly surprised none of the boats tried to see if I was alive or at least picked up my body to give me a proper burial if they thought I was dead. I couldn't understand why, maybe it was a punishment from the gods to have me adrift in the seas before my death all the while the salt in the ocean rubbed against my wounds, keeping me awake for days on end. 

Eventually one of the ships, I think it was a merchant vessel of some kind saw that I was breathing and hurriedly grabbed me bringing me onboard, and wrapped my burnt body with some basic bandages the on-board doctor began treating me, doing their best to make sure I didn't die and that my wounds didn't become infected and thankfully they didn't.

I honestly don't know how long I remained silent on that ship, I did eventually find out the vessel's name, they called themselves the "Golden Pelicans" or something like that. The onboard doctor Natasha an older woman tried to get me to talk whilst treating but eventually stopped seeing that I wouldn't respond. 

The captain of the ship, John Moore I believe tried to get me to talk as well, and to try and make sense of the burnt books I still had with me. Unlike Natasha, he tried every day to get me to talk, for even a name to address me by but...I was unworthy of their kindness, of the very idea of treating me like a human being. 

He treated me with a smile, like a human being, trying his best to get me to talk even once to give them some sign I was alive and kicking. The most I ever gave them were my labored breaths and the occasional slow blink that was followed by a roar of pain throughout my body. 

I eventually regained my strength after a week or two and began walking around, apparently, the ship made a few stops while I was regaining my strength. Honestly, I was surprised they didn't leave behind at one of their stops, or that they didn't try to charge me yet for treating me for so long. 

On one particular night, I left the room they were treating me in and went outside, then I began staring at the countless stars in the night sky and then at the ocean. I was tempted to let myself fall in, to try and die thinking I had gone insane. 

I mean I wanted to live and now I wanted to die, I wanted to stay behind and help, but I ran away. I begged the gods to let me live and yet I think they cursed me when I survived with burns long enough to meet a kind-hearted merchant vessel. 

"So you finally decide to walk around huh?"

I was startled as the old woman, the doctor Natasha showed up behind me with a pipe in hand smoking. 

"I can tell something bad must've happened, considering I checked your vocal cords and you should be talking just fine, any particular reason you don't want to?"

I just stared at her wordlessly before turning back around to stare at the ocean, wanting to cry but unable to.

"Huh, fine it's your choice if ya don't want to talk but you're going to need to let someone in eventually."

She then turned around and I assumed she went back to bed leaving me alone with the night air.