Name: Saruna (Apparently merpeople don't have last names)
Also known as: The Deadly Songstress; The Siren of Lonely Rock; The Mermaid Who Can't Swim
Race: Mermaid
Gender: Female
Age: 41
Appearance: If you just look at Saruna's body, she looks just like a petite middle-age woman. Although she has a very mature look about her, she still looks a little young for her age, especially given how she flips out when she discovers a wrinkle on her face and desperately tries to hide it. One can describe her appearance as high-class, that's for sure, or maybe just striking. First, there's the contrast between the paleness of her skin and the deep blackness of her curly and full-bodied hair. Then there's the amount of black and purple makeup shadowing her misty gray eyes, with long black lashes making them stand out even more. This matches the lavender colour added to her dainty yet shapely lips quite well.
Likewise, Saruna's attire must be nothing short of lavish, and a little on the flirty side. Foremost among it is a black satin blouse with flowy, draping sleeves and a very low-cut neckline, so low that the top of her lacy purple bra shows through (along with a little bit of cleavage). Around her neck is a pendant consisting of a circle of purple roses, and she has earring to match it (although they only consist of a single rose).
And there is her tail, because duh, she's a mermaid. In fact, her tail is twice as big and long as her body (she likes to say that the reason why she doesn't get chubby is that all the fat goes into her tail), covered with deep purple scales which she likes to keep all sparkly. At the end is a big fanlike crimson fin with black spines that end in sharp spikes. In fact, she can use her tail as a weapon in this way.
Personality: Bold, vengeful, lustful, and sometimes a little too aggressive for her own good. Saruna has a definite lust for power, easily becoming envious of those who seem to be in a higher position than she is. She won't even concern herself with the poor and helpless if at all possible; in any society, she associates herself with the most prominent figures in it and stays within that high-class culture. Indeed, hen she goes for something, she goes big. Queen of this. Most powerful that. Fairest maiden in all the land. Bravest warrior across the seas. When an opportunity comes that would bring much benefit to her, she won't hesitate to go for it.
Going with this is Saruna's highly vengeful, obsessive, and narcissistic nature. If someone does something bad to her, it will take her a long time to forget about it--if she even does forget about it. She'll start plotting against that person, though a lot of such a plan will revolve around making sure she's prepared to get her revenge. In fact, she's not reckless at all; she'll gladly wait for a good opportunity, and will make sure she has the necessary skills and resources to carry something out.
Given her music-based abilities, Saruna's lust for power also manifests as an obsession over her allure to other people, men in particular. Around them, she can be persuasive, manipulative, and flirty. But in a jaded and mature ladylike way. She's certainly not very energetic (possibly a side effect of her age)--in fact, she might come across as lazy while on board her ship, given how she frequently orders her crew to do things for her or bring stuff to her (though the latter makes sense, since she's not very good at moving around). And she does have a good hold on her temper.
But although Saruna may seem like a snobby and selfish sort of person at first glance, she's not quite such. She doesn't insult or look down on people that often, probably because she wants others to have a positive impression of her. She just puts up a bold and confident front, just enough to give people the message that it's probably not a good idea to mess with her. Oh, and that's the other thing. Though she's been forced to tone it down lately, she absolutely loves attacking people who she deems a threat. Especially around a crowd of people, she won't hesitate to give an offender a quick whack of the tail or a throw of a knife. Against more powerful foes, though, she keeps a distance and sticks more to her songs.
History: Like any respectable merperson, Saruna lived her early life in the Ryugu Kingdom under the sea. In fact, she was born into a noble family there, consisting fairly close cousins of King Neptune. Her family lived in one of the lower levels of the Ryugu Palace, a setting a bit more humble than the main royal family. One member of the family always bore the title of Count/ess of Atlantia, which is a fancy way of saying "royal attendant", and even "maiden in waiting for the prince/ss". That title used to belong to her father, but then it fell to... not her, but her little sister Chibu. Saruna would live her early life never knowing why she was not next in line to be Countess of Atlantia, though she suspected it was because Chibu was prettier and more innocent. Saruna was the tomboy of the two, always picking fights with other merchildren, not really seeming noble-like at all.
For sixteen years, Saruna lived in Chibu's shadow, babysitting her part of the time, and (her favourite part) training in the fighting arts the other part of the time. She figured that if she couldn't become Countess of Atlantia, she could at least become a powerful warrior and say that she was much stronger than delicate little Chibu. Still, she would remain jealous of Chibu all her life. In fact, in her spare time, she would often think of ways to somehow dispose of Chibu, usurping her position and becoming Countess of Atlantia herself. Or even the princess, if she somehow prevented the queen from having children.
In fact, that last part was just what Saruna did when the queen was about to have her first child. She had been preparing a poison that she would slip to the queen, which would kill the baby... but one of the kitchen attendants discovered what she was doing, and she immediately got into trouble with the kingdom. King Neptune immediately ordered to have her exiled from the kingdom. At this, Saruna merely smiled.
"Ha! Make me!" she sneered.
Then her own parents had a clever idea. They bribed her with an odd yet delicious-looking fruit. Interested, Saruna ate it... and immediately felt as if she was dying.
"W-what is this?" she cried in garbled speech, making lots of bubbles. "A poisoned fruit...?"
Out of pity, and without another word, the king ordered a group of dolphins to carry Saruna to the shore of a lonely island.
This island was Lonely Rock, and it was where Saruna lived alone in the next few years. At first she was enraged and upset, as her plan to best Chibu and the queen had failed terribly. But something good came out of it. The fruit she had eaten was a Devil Fruit, and the powers she gained from it could certainly come to her advantage. However, she was upset again, as she would never again be able to swim, much less even touch sea water for too long.
On Lonely Rock, Saruna put together a little house that looked like a gigantic lavender-coloured seashell. Clearing the frequently stormy skies around her, she created a little sunny spot right on Lonely Rock, lighting up her seashell house like a beacon. Pirate ships would be drawn to this beacon, and drawn in even closer with Saruna's songs. The ship would run aground on Lonely Rock's lowly slanted rocky slopes, and the pirates would approach, upon which Saruna would murder them all on the spot, taking the ship's treasure (if any was present). For several years, this same thing would happen.
Until one day, when a ship containing an unusually tough group of pirates washed up on the shores of Lonely Rock. This ship belonged to none other than Gol D. Roger and his crew. Unlike her previous victims, Saruna failed to overwhelm this crew. For a while, a battle raged on on Lonely Rock, between Saruna and Gol D. Roger, his crew sneaking an attack in occasionally. But something else happened. Saruna didn't feel a sense of superiority over Gol D. Roger like she did with previous pirates. She really liked the way he fought, and there was just something about his demeanour, the vibe he gave off that was powerful yet... worldly, altruistic somehow. It was interesting indeed.
In fact, then Saruna did something she hardly ever does: surrender. She complimented Roger on his talents, remarking on what a fine crew he had, and speculating on the amount of treasure he must have collected on his travels. She vowed never to harm his crew again, in return for him sparing her life. He agreed, and in fact he stayed to chat for a while, telling her about his adventures on the seas. As she listened, she began to feel a very warm sort of happiness, the likes of which she had never felt before in her life. And the fact that he had a goal of becoming King of all pirates intrigued her even more. It was love at first sight... on all sorts of different levels. Then that following morning, when Gol D. Roger and his crew left Lonely Rock, Saruna made a rash move, asking if she could travel with them. However, he refused, bitterly stating that she did in fact try to slaughter his crew at first. In fact, he didn't seem to trust her one bit.
However, Saruna's meeting with Mr. Rogers inspired her. Why stay cooped up on Lonely Rock, when she could gather together a crew and explore the seas just like he did? Perhaps she could even become Queen of the pirates! So that's exactly what she did. She lured people to the little island with her songs as usual, but instead of killing them, she sang them her Song-Song of Siren again, whereupon she asked any promising individuals to join her crew, dismissing the others. And when this was all finished, she took the ship of the last crew member she gathered and set off, leaving her home behind... well, it wasn't actually her home, except that seashell house, which she actually managed to take along with her on the ship.
And so the Lavender Shell Pirates were born, their ship easily recognisable from the giant purple shell on board. Saruna and her "harem" of pirates enjoyed journeying the seas, discovering its wonders and treasures. Yes, the rest of the crew counted as Saruna's harem, for after the effects of the Song-Song of Siren wore off, Saruna had to keep some of them still interested in being on the crew by taking turns sleeping with each one of them. It was in this fashion that she would eventually bear three children, which ended up being a boy, a girl, and a merman.
Still, she had her eye set on Gol D. Roger, striving to become good enough of a pirate for him. They did meet again, and by that time Gol D. Roger had officially earned the title of King of the Pirates. In fact, Saruna made a rash move: she asked if she could become his queen. However, he refused, bitterly stating that she did in fact sleep with like half of her crew already. In fact, he didn't seem to trust that she'd be faithful to him one bit.
Meanwhile, all that time on the seas had made a part of Saruna really miss living under the sea, in the Ryugu Kingdom with the other merpeople. However, she did have a son who was a merman. That son, who was named Hasaitsu, was her messenger for what was going on in the kingdom. She soon learned that by that time, a new princess, an oversized mermaid named Shirahoshi, had been crowned in the kingdom. Chibu was Countess of Atlantia as planned, and in fact had already started a family of her own. And her parents had both died of old age.
A few years later, Gol D. Roger was executed. Saruna attended this execution, sad to see him go, but knowing well that she had failed to gain his love after all. But then she learned of one more thing: his treasure, which he had (shockingly) never told her about before. Bingo. Having that treasure would be just like having him, well sort of. It was the next best thing, anyway. And so, the Lavender Shell Pirates set off for the Grand Line, braving the rough seas and the even rougher rival pirates. Just like old times, except even more extreme.
Goal: Originally it was to make Gol D. Roger her husband. But since he was killed, it's now obtaining his treasure, the One Piece, which she would cherish just as she (oddly) cherished him.
Devil Fruit/Techniques: The Uta Uta no Mi, or "Song-Song Fruit". This fruit allows the user to create various effects on people or the environment by singing certain songs. A rather peculiar type of Paramecium fruit, its abilities end up being unique to the user, and its powers can vary. However, it always has a limit of four different songs that can be sung, three of which have an effect on people, one of which has an effect on the environment. Saruna's four are:
Song-Song of Siren - Saruna's favourite Song-Song to sing, this one works especially well on people of the opposite gender, and causes them to be temporarily drawn to her. It also has the potential to cause a change of heart in any enemy she targets, causing them to attack their allies rather than her. But these effects last only as long as Saruna is singing, and the song does leave her vulnerable to attack (especially by any females present, since the effect isn't as strong on them).
Song-Song of Healing - This song helps heal wounds and minor injuries, and also cure poisoning and minor illnesses. However, it takes time to work on more serious injuries. Frequently someone who's had a wound healed this way will still feel a bit weakened by whatever caused the injury--that is, the effects of the song won't completely heal the person. Oh, and it can't fix broken bones or death (the latter is quite obvious, as that would be a power of the Shini Shini no Mi/Death-Death Fruit, if that even exists).
Song-Song of Sadness - Those who hear this song can start to feel depressed and unmotivated. Saruna likes to use this song right before attacking, as it usually prevents the enemy from fighting back, or at least makes them not attack as strongly as they normally would.
Song-Song of Storms - This song's effect is to create various kinds of storms, or to dispel existing ones in a small area. Saruna commonly uses this to make hail fall on an area or thunderbolts fall on enemies, or to whip up a small cyclone (the latter takes quite a while to form, as she must make the wind pick up a lot first, and it doesn't come out powerful enough to uproot a house or lift up a ship anyway). Since the sea hates all Devil Fruit users, this song cannot bring up sea-based storms like monsoons or hurricanes (those are too big to summon up with this song anyway). In fact, they must be sky-based, so no sandstorms. If Saruna is attacked while any of these storms are going on, the storm slowly dissipates away. But before they do, she does have the ability to fully control these storms.
Haki: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Color of Conquering King Queen
Weapons/Equipment: Saruna never sets sail without bringing along her trusty revolver, which she even took the time to decorate with little purple shells on the sides. Likewise, she also has a purple Flash Dial which she obtained on her voyage to Skypiea. She likes to use the latter to temporarily blind people or even send signals; the former to, you know, shoot people she feels threatened by, herp-a-derp. She also keeps a few throwing knives, which are also adorned with little purple seashells for handles. Their blades are infused with a poison that causes numbness in the body soon after impact. And to better protect herself, she brings along a shield that is big enough to hide her body behind, one which is tough enough to withstand both bullets and sword strikes and most elemental attacks.
It is from all of this equipment, not to mention her little house, that one can rightfully guess that she's obsessed with purple seashells.
