One Piece: Tempest Of Principles Book 1: Embers of Rebellion

### **Dawn in Hell**

The first light of dawn seeped through the barred windows of the slave quarters, casting jagged shadows on the stone floor. Zayn stirred, his body aching from the previous day's labor. The air reeked of sweat and rust, a metallic tang that clung to the back of his throat. Beside him, Jabari snored softly, his skeletal frame curled into a ball.

A guard's boot slammed against the iron door. *"Up, filth! Her Radiance demands the vault polished by sunrise!"*

Zayn staggered to his feet, his legs trembling. Around him, slaves shuffled like ghosts—hollow-eyed men and women with brands marking their collarbones. A girl no older than twelve coughed violently into her hands, flecks of blood staining her palms.

*"Bismillah,"* Zayn whispered, the prayer automatic now. *Please let today be different.*

Jabari gripped his arm, his voice a dry rasp. "The gem shipment arrives at noon. Stay close."

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### **The Vault**

The Celestial Dragons' vault was a cavern of gold and cruelty. Marble pillars stretched toward a ceiling painted with scenes of conquest—ships burning, kingdoms crumbling, slaves bowing. Zayn's task was simple: scrub the floor until it mirrored the heavens.

As he knelt, his fingers brushed a loose tile. Beneath it lay a rusted screwdriver, hidden weeks ago.

*Franky's blueprints flickered in his mind—a half-remembered panel of gears and levers.*

"Distract the guards," Zayn muttered to Jabari. "I can rewire the vault's lock."

Jabari's eyes narrowed. "Allah favors the bold, but not the reckless."

"They're shipping those gems to fund more raids. To take more *children*." Zayn's voice trembled. "I won't scrub floors while they profit from blood."

Jabari studied him, then nodded. "When the muezzin calls for *Dhuhr*."

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### **The Sabotage**

Noon arrived with the call to prayer. Guards shifted restlessly, their attention drifting toward the distant minarets of Mariejois's mockery of a mosque.

*Now.*

Jabari collapsed, clutching his chest. "Water… please!"

Guards cursed, clustering around him. Zayn slipped behind a pillar, screwdriver in hand. The vault's lock gleamed—a intricate puzzle of gears and seastone.

*Think. Franky used a triple bypass in Chapter 412…*

His hands moved, prying open the panel. Wires sparked. Gears ground to a halt.

*Click.*

The door creaked open. Inside, emeralds the size of fists glowed like captured stars. Zayn stuffed them into his tunic, his heart pounding.

A shout echoed. "The old rat's faking!"

Jabari met Zayn's gaze. *Run.*

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### **The Chase**

Zayn darted through corridors, gems clinking like laughter. Guards' boots thundered behind him.

*Left. Right. Through the kitchen—*

He skidded into a courtyard, sunlight blinding him. Ahead, a wagon laden with crates waited. The driver dozed, oblivious.

*The shipment.*

Zayn hurled the emeralds into the dirt, stamping them to dust. Green shards glittered like broken promises.

"Stop him!"

A net of seastone slammed down. Zayn collapsed, his muscles screaming.

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### **The Brand**

Saint Marcellus's estate reeked of perfume and decay. The noble lounged on a divan, sipping wine from a goblet shaped like a screaming face.

"A thief *and* a saboteur?" Marcellus chuckled. "You'll make a fine example."

They forced Zayn onto a steel table. Jabari fought, clawing at the guards until a rifle butt silenced him.

The branding iron glowed white. Zayn's screams tore through the room as it seared his left shoulder—a crescent moon encircling a chain.

"Marked as mine," Marcellus purred. "You'll fetch a pretty price at the Red Port auction."

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### **Nightfall**

Zayn lay in the dark, the brand pulsing like a second heart. Jabari's breathing was shallow, his face swollen.

"Why… help me?" Zayn croaked.

Jabari spat blood. "Because you remind me of… my son. They took him. Took everything." He pressed the charred page into Zayn's hand—Surah Ar-Ra'd. *"Change what is in yourselves."*

Outside, a seagull cried. Zayn clenched the page.

*I'll change this world. Even if it burns me.*

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### **Epilogue: The Auction Block**

**Red Port – One Week Later**

Zayn stood chained to a post, the brand exposed. Buyers leered—pirates, warlords, a man in a plague mask.

"Lot 47!" the auctioneer barked. "Prime stock. Defiant. Broken in!"

Saint Marcellus smirked from his private box. Zayn locked eyes with him.

*Remember this face. I'll see you in hell.*

As the gavel fell, a cannonball tore through the harbor.

Luffy's laugh echoed across the sea.

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**End of Chapter 2**

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