Maya

Maya is Saga's fiancée and Izaya's granddaughter. She is also the descendant of the priestess who sealed the Shichiseiken. She appeared in the fifth movie.

Appearance
Maya has long blue hair that is partially held up by lavender barrettes on the sides, with side-locks in large pink beads. In Oda's depiction, Maya's hair is a lighter blue than in the movie.

Maya usually wears a long, light-yellow shirt with a white-tasseled orange cloth wrapped around her waist. She also wears six gold bracelets on her wrists and brown sandals. When she was praying to create a barrier around the island, she wore ritual clothes.

Personality
Maya is a kind and noble woman who will do anything to help others, especially those close to her. She even sacrifices herself for others' 'sake. She also had a very strong fear of pirates and the controlling abilities of the Shichiseiken. Her fear of pirates dissipated after the Straw Hat Pirates saved Saga and her island.

Maya has a distinct style of laughing: "Aahoohoohoo".

Spiritual Abilities
As a descendant of the village’s ancient priestess, Maya is able to control the orbs and channel the island’s spiritual energy to protect against the Shichiseiken. She eventually uses this power and the orbs to seal the cursed sword away and save Saga, with Roronoa Zoro’s assistance.

Weapons
In the past, Maya was seen wielding a sword to protect herself. She does not seem very skilled in using it, as it was quickly knocked out of her hands by one of the invading pirates.

Past
Years ago, Maya met Saga when he drifted upon the island. While he was distant when he first arrived, Maya was able to make him open up, and they became engaged.

One year before the Straw Hat Pirates arrival to Asuka Island, the island was attacked by a group of pirates. The villagers tried to fight back but were mostly unsuccessful. Maya tried to defend herself from an attacking pirate but had the sword knocked from her hands. Saga struck down the pirate before she was injured and took her to the shrine that held the Shichiseiken. Maya watched as Saga was stricken down by a pirate and bled onto the sword's casket. Knowing the history of the sword, she was terrified as Saga rose from the ground with a start, wounds healing, and murdered the pirates before her eyes. She became terrified of her lover, but, when she fainted from fear, she was caught by Saga, who dispelled the control of the sword momentarily. She and her fellow villagers suffered under the strict grasp of Saga and the Marines since the incident, as the sword manipulated them all to terrorize everyone on the island.

The Cursed Holy Sword
When the Straw Hat Pirates arrived on the island, Maya was swimming in the island's lake before processing to the altar on the lake shore where she activated the village's ancient orbs in a prayer ritual. She saw the Straw Hats and, frightened, ran away; Luffy and his reluctant crew followed suit. Maya arrived at her village and told them of the approaching pirates. Maya was told by Lacos to protect her grandmother, but Izaya rejected the assistance. The Straw Hat crew caught up, and a verbal confrontation started and escalated between Lacos and Sanji before the Marines arrived, interrupting the tense relations. Zoro, now helping Saga, having knocked out most of the village's men with the backs of his swords, began to chase Maya and Izaya for the ancient orbs. Maya lost hold of the orbs which were taken by Zoro, despite a valiant effort by Sanji and Lacos to protect them. After the Marines left, Maya and Izaya made sure that Lacos was alright.

Maya, Izaya, and the Straw Hat Pirates tended to the wounds of the villagers following the confrontation. Maya, tending to Lacos’s wounds, noticed Chopper’s skill, commenting on his proficiency as a doctor. Chopper blushed and denied the compliment, much to Maya’s humor. That night, Maya approached to town gates to find a sleeping Lacos. She placed a blanket on him and left the village, running to the altar of her ancestor priestess. There, she cried and apologized to the not present Saga for bringing the control of the Shichiseiken upon him.

The next morning, Maya served the rising Straw breakfast. When they began to discuss the island’s mythical sword, Maya warned them that it was not treasure. She was greatly shocked when Robin started explaining the story of the Red Moon. Izaya finished the story for the group, and, along with her grandmother, Maya explained Saga and Zoro’s past to the pirates. She also said that Saga, now under the control of the sword, would bring darkness and war to the world with the same influence he used to bring together the Marines of his dojo. Maya then suggested that she sacrifice her own life to seal away the sword, as she is a descendant of the story’s priestess. As Maya’s friends were quieted her suggestion, Luffy and Usopp burst out of the ground from a geyser, much to Maya’s shock. After the duo told everyone about their confrontation with Saga, Maya broke down and declared that she would sacrifice herself, feeling responsible for Saga’s change and fall under the sword’s control. Luffy, trying to cheer her up, gave her the orbs, which he found in the tunnels underneath the ground where they were discarded by Zoro, not realizing the implication of their acquisition. The group formulated a plan to seal away the orbs, and Izaya explained the ritual. Maya performed the ritual to activate the orbs, and the group split off to put the orbs in each tower: Komon, Tonroh, and Hagun.

Maya, Luffy, and Izaya embarked toward the island’s central palace. Marines bombarded them, but Luffy picked the two women and protected them, battling off the aggressors. He carried Maya and Izaya to the base of the palace, where Maya ran to the top and began praying to her Gods for the power to create a protective barrier and seal the Shichiseiken. After Sanji and Lacos placed an orb at Komon, Robin and Usopp placed another at Hagun, and Nami and Chopper placed the last at Tonroh, Maya’s prayers channeled their power to create a protective barrier over the island, weakening the Shichiseiken. However, Saga shot a ball of green flames at the palace, unsettling Maya. Maya was knocked over the third time Saga shot at her, causing her to lose focus and the barrier to weaken. Izaya ran to Maya’s side to help her, and the two watched as Luffy fought Saga. When Saga used the Shichiseiken to gain power and began losing control to the sword, Maya called out to him in agony. After he was fully transformed, she called out to him again. Her cries were in vain, as she realized that the seal placed on the Shichiseiken had been broken through Saga.

To demonstrate his new power, Saga slashed the ground and palace, breaking it apart. Maya almost fell off the top, but Izaya caught her. As Saga and Luffy fought below, Maya began to pray again, having faith that she could weaken the Shichiseiken. Her prayers were successful, as she strengthened the barrier and, with Luffy’s help, forced Saga to his knees. Luffy continued to attack Saga, eventually causing this Shichiseiken to crumble. The battle seemed finished, but when Saga stood once more, Izaya explained that the Shichiseiken’s power was transferred from the sword directly into Saga’s body, creating a sword-shaped mark on his chest. Saga used his power to dissipate the barrier, and after Izaya explained that Saga and the sword were one and the same, Maya ran to confront Saga. She tried to appeal to him by express her faith in him, but he blindly attacked her. Luffy managed to intercept the slash but was slammed into the palace, causing Maya to fall over. Izaya ran to her side, and both watched as Luffy, who sprang up to challenge Saga again, was stopped by Zoro, ready to fight Saga himself. To aid Zoro, Maya began to pray once more. Her prayers caused the Seven Stars of Asuka to glow, aggravating the mark on Saga’s chest. Saga and Zoro clashed for the last time, with Saga being stricken down in the air.

With the battle over, Maya fell to her knees and Izaya comforted her. Maya then went to Saga and held his head in her lap. She looked up to see Lacos and the Straw Hat Pirates return from the towers. She smiled at their happy approach, and she felt Saga squeeze her hand before opening his eyes to meet hers, causing her to cry. She and the villagers gave the crew a large quantity of food for their journey. After the Straw Hat Pirates left, she sat on a cliff with Saga, Izaya, Lacos, and Toma to see their departure. She laughed when Izaya joked about the crew being pirates, and she was pleased to hear Saga exclaim that he would recommit to becoming the “sword of justice.” She looked at him as he recalled his childhood promise with Zoro before looking back out at the sea.

Trivia

 * Her name and the culture of her people appear to be based on the ancient Mayan civilization.

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Maya