《The Forgotten Devil Fruit》 Oh! What Do We Have Here? It was a bright and sunny day. The birds were chirping, while the ocean waves were rhythmically crashing against the shore of the sea. Next to this shore lied a little old town which harbored somewhere between 2-4 thousand people. Although small, it was a quaint and happy place to be. Pirates rarely came as they had little possessions and the island was small enough to be ignored by most map makers. Oddly enough, a boy who looked around the age of 9 was sitting by the shore, basking in the sun and enjoying the ocean breeze with no one around. It seemed that the kid didn''t have any friends whom he could spend time with, so he had to spend it alone. Well, not that he minded, he was an introvert by nature which contrasted with his outward appearance. Jet black hair and baby blue eyes, complemented with porcelain white skin. This was very unusual for an inhabitant of this island, as the sun was very strong in these areas. In fact, they would have been less surprised if he had turned black instead of remaining white. This led to a majority of the kids holding prejudice against him, althoughthe adults didn''t mind and only remained fascinated by his skin, they took no actions towards teaching their children right from wrong. ''Kids are gonna be kids. What can you do?'' This was the exact mentality of most of the townspeople towards this situation. Probably because of their hostility towards the child''s parents who threw him on this island for the people to take care of, instead of taking care of him themselves. The child slowly got up, as his long hair waved in the air, giving a picturesque scene on the beach. As he got up, one could tell that this child was very tall. He was 9 years old but he was at least 5 feet and 10 inches tall. He easily surpassed many of the villagers in height and stature. Yet, even with his imposing height, he could not cover up his scrawny build, likely due to malnourishment seeing the protrusion of his ribcage. The boy made his way forward and jumped through a thick brush of vegetation, continuouslymaking his way through a shortcut through the woods to reach the town. Carefully treading past small drops and thick foliage, he finally made his way to an opening in the vegetation as he moved out. Inhaling the fresh air, he smiled to himself. "Wow! It really is a waste to go to school on such a beautiful day!" He exclaimed out loud. He slowly moved his gaze from the blue sky to a large building which seemed to be an educational institute. Peering through the windows, he spotted a girl sitting in her chair, one arm on her desk while the other supported her sleepy countenance. She gazed around the room before getting bored, then turning her head to look through the window. Seeing the beautiful weather, she couldn''t help but feel regret at having to go to school. She looked down at the schoolyard and noticed a tall and slim figure, with long black hair standing there looking at her. A contagious and dashing smile appeared on his face as he looked towards her. She returned the expression by making an ugly face, then laughing silently. Laughing along, the boy began making ugly faces towards her, which made her laugh extremely hard out loud. "Sarah, do you need to be excused? I don''t find whats so funny. Would you like to share it with the class?" The teacher reprimanded. "Oh? I-I am so sorry- ahaha" She couldn''t help but laugh mid-sentence as she peered to the side and saw the boy spanking himself towards her while laughing. "?" Everyone in the class looked at her weirdly, even her close friends were confused. "Mr. Belton, I am so sorry, please excuse me for a second so I can straighten up for class," Sarah said. "Alright, seeing how you do exceptionally well in my class I will let you off the hook this time. Now hurry and come back quickly so you can take notes." "Alright Mr.Belton, thank you." She said quickly as she walked towards the door. After she shut the door, her expression immediately changed into one of hilarity and excitement as she sprinted down the halls and down the stairs. She made her way quickly to the schoolyard where she saw the boy whom she was playing with earlier. "Ah! Viktor! What is wrong with you?!" She yelled at him angrily. "Me?" The newly titled Viktor feigned innocence. "Yes, you! You made me laugh in class and the teacher even yelled at me!" Sarah yelled.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. " I don''t dare! That sounds nothing like me!" Viktor showed such a serious face which made Sarah stop for a second to stare at him. ''This idiot!'' "Sigh.. I can''t argue with you can I?" Sarah asked dejectedly. "Nope!" Viktor instantly replied. Sarah began chuckling again as she stared at his smiling countenance meaningly. She held her gaze for a while which made Viktor blush. "Ai! Am I really that handsome?" Viktor said jokingly. "Yeah..." Sarah answered subconsciously. ".........................." Complete and utter silence. Sarah''s pupils dilated as she stuttered her next few words. "W-w-what, wa-wait, no no no. You know I didn''t mean it like that." "Of course I know you didn''t." Viktor instantly replied. "Definitely." "Most definitely." "Of course." "Obviously." " Damn, it''s so obvious, I didn''t even need to explain myself to you." "You surely didn''t." This rapid-fire exchange of false assurances only made the situation worse. Sarah blushed hard as the conversation became awkward. Attempting to change the subject, Sarah began asking him questions. "Why are you even skipping class anyways?" "It would be a shame to not enjoy such a beautiful day." "It sure would, too bad my parents would never let me skip school." "It''s good then that I don''t have parents." Replied Viktor. "Don''t say that!" "Alright." He agreed instantly, showing his lack of care for the topic. ''If my parents wanted to leave me and threw me away, then why should I even care about their existences, surely they were devils in their own right, to be able to throw away their child. "Are you eating well?" Sarah couldn''t help but ask after looking at his thin figure again, he seemed to get taller and taller but also seemed to get thinner and thinner as he aged. She really was worried about his health, thinking of this issue. " Not really, but I make due with the scraps the mayor gives me," Viktor said. "Viktor!" Sarah yelled. "Kidding, kidding. The mayor gives me enough to eat but not enough to ever put any meat on my bones, I can''t blame him. It''s not like he can take care of every random orphan that gets thrown here." "Yeah..." Sarah frowned at the hard truth which Viktor spoke. "I have recently been eating less deliberately though! I am trying to save up for new sandals!" He excitedly said as he moved his toes to highlight the fact that his sandals were broken and he needed new ones. "...." Sarah remained silent for a while. As if debating something in her head. "Idiot, eat as much as you want! As for the sandals, I''ll see what my dad can do." Sarah said. "Sarah..." he looked at her emotionally. He slowly crept forward and began to give her a hug, which improved both their moods. In the middle of the warm hug, a head peeked out of the school window. "SARAH! What did I say about hurrying up? Its been at least 10 minutes since you left! And here you are, hanging out with Viktor!" The teacher took a second to process what he said. "Wait..... VIKTOR!!!!!!!" "Shoot! Gotta run!" Viktor quickly broke away from Sarah and waved goodbye as he sprinted in a weird fashion so his sandals wouldn''t fall off. "Damnit! That delinquent is always skipping class." This instance had the class giggling. While the boys made fun of Viktor, the girls talked about how cute he was. It seems that his social status in the school was complicated. .......... Viktor ran for a while until he felt that he was in a safe zone. ''Wait, where am I?'' He looked around and found a large boulder next to a sapling. "Ah! This is near the docks. Oh well, might as well try to snag some fish from some drunk fishermen." So Viktor made his way down to the docks and saw a horrid sight. A ship, and not just any ship, a pirate ship!! "Oh no no no no! Pirates never come here! Why now, oh god why now!" Viktor slowly crept up and examined the insignia on the boat once more. "Yeah, this sure is a pirate ship! What to do, what to do!" Hundreds of scenarios popped up in Viktors head as he thought of the consequences of the pirates coming and taking over this island and killing every man while raping the women. Pirates were notorious in the world, for not every pirate was like Luffy or Shanks. They were mainly an evil and horrid bunch of ragtag mercenaries on ships, armed with cannons. They weren''t valiant knights fighting against the injustice like the Revolutionary Army. No, they were simply criminals on the sea! Simple as that. Viktor quickly turned around and rushed back to go warn the mayor to take precautions against the pirates. But a tiny devil in his heart appeared. ''What did they ever do for you? Look at you, you barely have enough food to live and they don''t bat an eye. Listen here, go warn Sarah and leave on a fishing boat from the back of the island. Surely you can make it and live together!'' He hesitated for a second before directly killing this thought from his head. ''No, I can''t betray them. Although the circumstances were not satisfactory, they never had an obligation to take care of me in the first place. So I must warn all the others before anything bad happens!'' Viktor began running in the opposite direction. .................. Meanwhile, on the pirate ship. A red-haired man slowly walked out of a cabin and stood on the deck. He looked around and fixed his gaze towards a hurrying boy who''s sandals fell off instantly as he dashed the opposite direction. "Oh? What do we have here?" ----------------------END------------------ Pirate "Danger! Danger!" The mass of villagers all turned their heads to see a tall baby-faced boy running towards them while yelling. Some showed discontent while others simply brushed him off. "Kid, what do you think you are doing?" Asked a large villager roughly around the same height as Viktor. The man instantly showed some hostility as a sense of inferiority dwelled in his heart. ''This kid is as tall as me!'' "Sir! There are pirates at the dock! Pirates at the dock!!" He restated twice to show the utmost urgency. "Ai kid, shut your trap will ya? I''ve been livin'' here fer as long as I can remember and I haven''t even seen a single sign of a pirate, not ter mention an invasion. Stop bothering the villagers will ya?!" One old accented man with swarthy skin spoke with a strong demeanor. "I-I''m not lying! Really really really! Ple-please believe me! Why won''t anyone take me seriously!" Viktor started tearing up as he emplored the people. There was a hint of doubt in everyone''s eyes as they gazed at his emotional demeanor, one simply couldn''t ignore such powerful feeling from a kid. Even if it turned out to be true, the child still seemed to be thinking that he told the truth, and there must be a reason for that. "Who told you this?" The large Viktor that initially confronted Viktor asked with a serious tone, of course with a hint of skepticism. Viktor shook his head. "No one sir! I saw the ship myself, over there at the docks!" Yelled the young boy. "Alright," the man nodded, "lead the way." They made their way onwards through the town and reached the docks, Viktor spotted the pirate ship and before he could point to it he heard a thud behind him. Turning around, Viktor found the man from before, who showed confidence, was quivering in his boots, sitting on the floor. His hand was stretched outwards, pointing at the pirate ship. "P-P-PIRATES!" He yelled at the top of his lungs while running through the town occasionally tripping over his own feet. Viktor gave a grave look at the pirate ship. He steeled his resolve and this time made his way to the ship instead of running away from it. He was shivering, he was scared. Yet the look on his face was the most heroic one capable of being made by any child his age. ''To protect Sarah!'' He quickly imagined the outcome. And although he still hadn''t been taught what sex was, he knew the men would do bad things to the women by listening to the occasional crazed homeless men on the street. He found out that they surprisingly had a lot of knowledge which contrasted to their outward look. Anyways, back on topic. He made his way towards the ship, step by step. And although he was slow, every step he took was sure and steady, he couldn''t back down and he wouldn''t! He reached the docks and looked up at the ship. Gulping, he reached for the ladder and vaulted himself upwards, climbing to the top and throwing himself over. He slowly got up and brushed himself off. "Wow!" Viktor had never seen a ship this big, the biggest he had seen were probably trading ships that stopped by here for a bit. Yet this one really takes the cake. He slowly crept around, looking for any sign of the pirates that sailed here. "Hmm? No one''s here. Why is that?" Viktor whispered to himself skeptically. He carefully went around to the cabin area and checked the bedrooms, only to be greeted by dirty underwears and messy sheets along with a putrid smell coming from the room. "Pirates all right, just like in the books." Viktor nodded to himself, reminiscing about a storybook he had read when he was many years younger. "Seems like no ones here. I wonder where they could have g-!" He was cut off from his thought process as he heard a female''s high-pitched scream. "!!" Viktor''s eyes widened as he looked towards the source which was around 20-30 meters away. He hurriedly climbed down the ship and ran through the docks, making his way to the town area where he heard the scream. When he neared the source of the initial sound, he looked around to ascertain which building it came from. Thankfully the continuous sounds coming from the female helped him locate the presence to a tavern. Viktor slowly walked to the door of the tavern as he pushed it open and looked inside, only to see a crowd of people around a group of four men. These men had varying looks and bearing. One was tall with slick black hair and a chiseled face, another was simply too fat with a pair of tight-fit goggles, another was blond with dreads and a scruffy beard, while the final one had dark red hair with a straw hat. This ragtag team looked like they performed comedy routines and although some looked strong, they had a friendly air about them, letting others relax in their presence.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. As soon as Viktor walked in he noticed that everyone was looking at this group with eyes of worship and longing. They seemed to be listening to the stories of adventures that these men had to tell. The red-head was the most talkative and charismatic of them all as he took the lead in talking. "..... And so we had no idea what to do when the marines surrounded us from all sides, but thankfully we were able to ..." Viktor listened in a bit on the red-head talking about such unbelievable adventures. ''Is he really telling the truth? He doesn''t look particularly strong...'' Viktor couldn''t help but think. Yet everyone else seemed to completely believe all his words. He couldn''t help but feel a bit skeptical. Are these really the pirates? "EVACUATE! EVACUATE!" He heard multiple men running and yelling out to the civilians. One of these men ran into the tavern and bumped into Viktor who stood near the entrance. "Watch out kid!" The man snorted as he looked towards the people in the bar. "Get out while you can! Pirates are here!" Hearing this man yell, the ragtag group of pirates felt very awkward as they tried to explain. "Well, you see... we are the pirates." The red-head said. "What? Huh!! Oh, then I was worried for nothing, it''s not like the 4 of you can take on an entire town. Phew!" The man looked relieved at the sight of this awkward-looking group, no one looked particularly intimidating nor strong, which left him relieved. The red-head exchanged a knowing smile with his crew members as if saying that if he really wanted to, exterminating this town wouldn''t be too hard. Not many people took notice of this gesture as they were too engrossed in their imaginations of being adventurers or either too drunk to notice. Only Viktor gave a worried look which was noticed by the red-haired man. "Kid! Come over here, don''t be shy!" He charismatically said. " Shanks, don''t bother yourself, that kid is an introvert. You couldn''t get a word out of him even if you paid him money!" A man who was recently introduced to these pirates said to the now titled red-head Shanks. Shanks gave a weird look at the boy, he noticed a glint in his eyes that wasn''t noticeable in anyone else he saw on this island. ''There''s more to this kid than meets the eye.'' Shanks concluded. Viktor felt awkward at this mention of him. He truly wasn''t an introvert by nature but due to the consistent mistreatment and lack of interest of the people towards him, he developed a weird personality. Well, as long as he was with Sarah he would be completely open and normal, yet when it comes to others he can''t help but shy away. So seeing this pirate call him, he hesitated on whether or not to answer to him. ''Screw it!'' He quickly made his way over to Shanks and slightly tilted his head towards him, as if he was confused on why he was wanted. "Kid whats your name?" "Viktor" He replied nonchalantly. Yet right now, Viktors mind was in shambles. ''What? How did I do that, don''t I usually shy away? Yet, why am I so calm in this situation.'' This thought process went on for a considerable while in his head until he concluded that it was an anomaly. Yet, why did he feel so relaxed around Shanks? Likely because he felt like wouldn''t really care about his quirks or judge him like the people of this island. "Good name! Quite tall for your age, ain''t you?" His speaking was smooth and clear, every word was said with confidence and power. ''This! This is how I want to be! Why can''t I be like this?!?'' Viktor''s mind was truly a mess at the moment. Before he could reply, Shanks continued. "How do you feel about pirates?" Shanks asked completely out of the blue. The surrounding people quickly got over Viktor''s new surge of confidence while they were confused by Shanks randomness. ''Maybe one of his adventures hurt his head?'' This collected thought flashed through everyone''s minds in that moment. Yet Shanks didn''t really seem to care about other''s opinions about him. "Pirates...... I-I........" Viktor couldn''t think straight. "Sigh, forget it." Shanks seemed disappointed in Viktor as if he had misjudged him. A glint passed through Viktor''s eyes as he remembered an old children''s book he read when he was small. "Darin and the Stormy Seas" was a story he read when he was a kid. This story was about a young pirate who traveled around the world exploring islands and finding treasures. Every new island visited, he would obtain a new member for his crew, and every member would have a unique trait. Until the end where they grew old and found out that the biggest treasure was not the gold or jewels, it was their adventures together. This story wasn''t seen as a big deal by many others, yet for the young child trapped on an island with inhabitants who hated him, it gave him hope. Hope that one day he would grow older and become big enough to leave this island and adventure out. Yet certain external Circumstances disallowed that emotion to be shown. Shanks turned around with a disappointed face. As soon as he turned around, he was startled by a shout. "Pirates! Most of them are horrid criminal scum. They pillage and kill innocent people all across the seas and sing songs about it. They love kidnapping and some even love selling others as slaves. Truly pirates are the biggest scum on this earth!" Viktor yelled with emotion, his eyes tearing up. Shanks truly seemed disappointed as he shook his head and turned around again only to be startled yet another time. "BUT! Even through all that... I believe, I-I truly believe in my heart..." Viktor couldn''t help but tear up as thoughts went through his brain at high speeds. "That pirates are the freest people in this whole world!" He said with raging emotional tides in his heart. This emotional phrase ran through everyone''s hearts. Especially Shanks, who began smiling dumbly at Viktors exclamation. He put his hand on Viktor''s head and rubbed his hair as he smiled. "Good words kid!" Smiling, Shanks brought Viktor to sit next to him while he recounted his stories and adventures throughout his years. Uncle, Take Me With You! "Hey uncle, how''d you get that scar?" Questioned Viktor. Shanks looked down at the young boy, although with his naturally large stature, it was hard to look down at the boy by a large margin. He looked up and his eyes glazed over as he recalled his past and all the events that led up to his scar. "Sigh, I... I don''t think you''re ready!" Smiled Shanks as he slapped Viktor on the back of his head, causing him to trip. "HEY! Old uncle come back here!" Yelled Viktor as he chased after the red-head. ---------------- Shanks and his crew had been on the island for 2 weeks now, and all the fear towards them had completely subsided and was replaced by love and compassion for this jolly crew. Every night would be a celebration and Shanks would always win in drinking competitions, although he would wake up with a killer hangover, just to repeat the process again. Yet the most important changes were not in the villagers but in the young blue-eyed boy named Viktor. With Shanks around, he felt extremely comfortable and began to open up more and more. He, in fact, opened up to Shanks and co. than he ever did with Sarah. With clear eyes and a bright smile, Shanks was capable of obtaining everyone''s trust easily. And just like Viktor was liking Shanks more and more, Shanks was truly liking this kid more and more as he opened up. ----------------- "Uncle, why did you take me to this hill?" Said Viktor as he looked down at the town from his high vantage point. Shanks smiled a mysterious smile as he waved his hand outwards to the setting sun and all the surroundings. "Take a look, what do you see?" Said Shanks. "The sunset?" "Look harder!" This made Viktor squeeze his eyes together and attempt to scrutinize every detail to try and figure out what was needed to be seen. Shanks gave a knowing smile as he shook his head. "Don''t look with these," he said as he pointed at his eyes," look with this!" He exclaimed enthusiastically as he bumped his fist against Viktors chest lightly. Viktor''s eyes widened as he looked over one more time. Closing his eyes, he began to slowly and rhythmically breathe. Calming his mind and emotions, he took in the smell of nature, the sounds of the waves crashing, the seagulls crying, the trees swaying, the people bustling in crowds. All of it. He opened his eyes and stretched out his hands to the sky as if trying to grasp it. "I see," Viktor said slowly and calmly before his expression changed and he showed a joyful smile. "THE WORLD IS MINE FOR THE TAKIN- OW!" Viktor was cut off by a chop to the head by Shanks. "Sigh, I guess you were close enough, though that was too much of an antagonistic view of it." Viktor just shrugged as he looked at Shanks sitting on the grass, motioning for him to sit next to him. Next came a long silence. Though it wasn''t awkward nor was it boring, it was simply soothing and relaxing. Both sides understood this and kept a peace between them. "What do you think about these people?" Said Shanks from out of nowhere.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Viktor turned to stare at him for a while before making up his mind and answering. "I don''t really hate them....but I don''t like them much either. I don''t blame them for not taking care of me as it is not their responsibility but my parent''s, yet deep down I feel discontent that it had to be me, you know? I don''t know...... it''s kinda dumb and immature but it''s how my heart feels and I can''t control it. Shanks nodded while slightly smirking. "Why don''t you tell them how you feel?" "Well won''t that just be awkward?" "Nah, just yell it right here," said the red-head. "R-right now?" Viktor stumbled as he spoke. "Yeah, remember? You said that the world is yours, so if you can''t do something like this, then what hope do you have of doing something as big as taking the world?" With these words, Viktor steeled his resolve and straightened his gaze as he stared at the horizon and walked forward. "HEYYYYYYY! ALL YOU STUPID LOSERS!" He yelled out while sticking out his tongue in a childish way. " I''M GONNA BECOME SOMEONE GREAT ONE DAY, JUST WATCH ME! AND WHEN I DO, YOU ALL WILL TAKE BACK YOUR WORDS AND WISHED THAT YOU HAD BECOME MY FRIENDS WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE!" Although his words were that of a conceited prick, he was but a child and this was a child''s immature way of thinking, no matter how tall he is he is still but a child. .......... 1 more week flew by and Viktor began building some flesh on his body. Of course, this was mainly due to Shanks who began feeding this malnourished boy and began to teach him some exercises. Most of Shanks time was actually spent with Viktor, they seemed to have a sort of bond between each other that happened to keep them together. Of course, the villagers still didn''t care much about Viktor, but they had to somewhat take care of him in the presence of Shanks. - "Hey Viktor, scurry off now, go to sleep." Said, Shanks, as he laid on the grass gazing at the stars along with Viktor who laid next to him watching the stars. "Hmm, I don''t feel like it..." "Well, I said you should so it means you should." Stated Shanks simply. "Alright...." Viktor agreed without much argument, which showed his trust in Shanks. "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" A couple minutes later a loud snoring erupted, disrupting the tranquility that Shanks was feeling. As he stared over to look at the cute and youthful face of the boy, he couldn''t help but have a sad look and frown. He liked this boy, he really did. He had something special in him, something that made him different from other kids, yet ultimately he had to leave and he surely couldn''t bring this kid along with him.. could he? "No.." Shanks shook his head after mulling the idea for a while. He simply couldn''t bring the kid with him, for the seas are too dangerous for a child. ............ Morning, "SHANKS, SHANKS!!!!!" Yelled Viktor as he searched around for the red-head. ''Whats going on?! Whats going on!?!?!?!?'' His mind was in shambles right now as he searched for the man he considered his hero and the closest thing he had to a father figure in his life. He looked down at his sandals, a new pair... "Shanks, why did you do all this for me... I wanted to buy my own new sandals damn it! You better come back!" He yelled while crying. ''!'' An idea emerged in his tiny head... "THE DOCKS!" He yelled as he ran. Viktor now was an inch taller along with a fuller body, albeit not by much. Yet this was a vast contrast looking at his old self, so along with a better body, he had better stamina which allowed him to reach the docks without needing too much rest. There, he spotted a familiar wooden ship with a skull crossed by 2 blades and a scar running through its left eye, much like the actual captain himself. "SHANKS!" Viktor cried when he found out the boat had sailed a couple of minutes ago and was now a bit far our in the sea. Shanks looked towards the kid and waved his hand while showing a pained look on his face. "Become strong! And set sail one day! Come and find me, then I will accept you into my crew!" Shanks said as he finally agreed to the boy''s proposal which he was pestered with every day; to allow Viktor to join his crew. "You-you! OLD WRINKLY BASTARD! I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN! LEAVE! LEAVE, AND NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!" Yelled Viktor emotionally as he broke down crouching on the floor. The surrounding villagers sent looks of pity to the boy and scattered, going back to their daily routines after sending the boy off. "tak-take me with you! Uncle, take me with you!" As he watched the ship leave out of sight, he broke down even more and fell asleep chanting some phrases every now and then. "Uncle... why, why won''t you take me with you...." ---------END------------- Tragedy It had been 2 hours since Shanks had left the small village, certainly, the ladies missed him. Yet no one was quite as attached to Shanks as Viktor, who was still sobbing. "SHANKS!" Viktor continued to repeatedly cry out as he had been for hours. THUD! "Ah!" Viktor cried out as he was pushed flat on his face. "Oi, shut yer trap kiddo! The red is gone! Fix up yer act and go do some''in useful alright??" Said a burly middle-aged man. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! You don''t understand anything so just shut up!" Viktor yelled at the man with tears streaming out of his face. He slowly got up and ran towards the man abruptly and punched the man in his gut, only to realize he was still very very weak and that his punch didn''t even wind the guy. "Oi! I ought to beat you rig-" "STOP!" Yelled an aged, raspy voice. "Don''t harm the child. I don''t know if you realize it or not but you are currently fighting a 9-year-old boy!" Said the raspy voice. Viktor turned his head and saw a familiar old man with neck-long white hair and half-dull eyes which seemed as if they had given up on the world. "Mayor!" Exclaimed Viktor. "Viktor.." The mayor gave a weak smile. "Come with me, oh and you!" The mayor pointed at the man who was bullying Viktor," I surely won''t see something like this again, will I? Because I would be quite disappointed you know..." The mayor glared at the man which caused the man to fall on his ass and shiver. Viktor followed the mayor which now exuded an aura of a badass grandpa. "Hey, old man! How did you do that?" "Do what?" "What you just did to that man." "I''m just that handsome..." "Don''t lie to yourself old man." This lighthearted rapid exchange of words continued for a while until Viktor reached the mayor''s house. "Whoah, where are you taking me old man.. I was told by Sarah to never follow strangers into places by myself." "Am I a stranger?" "No, but you are strange.." "Aii... just come in kid." "Alright," said Viktor as he walked into the old, rickety house. Surprisingly the mayors'' house only had staple necessities and was an old style wooden house. "What are we doing in here?" "Oh, we are going to be living here." It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck Viktor. He began to tear up. "Wait! Old man! You-you me-mean this is my house now too?" "Yeah.." The mayor said while smiling. "You- you old wrinkle! Shut up! I''m not crying your crying! Wahhhhh" He began crying out loud like a baby. "Hehe." The old man began laughing along, it had been a while since he had actually laughed or even truly smiled. ---- Meanwhile, on the Red Force... --- "Wahhhh!" Shanks was crying loudly. "OI! I''m not gay get off! GET OFF! GET OFF!" Yelled Ben Beckman as he attempted to shake the crying Shanks off of his foot. "Why didn''t we take him with us, wahhh!" "CAPTAIIIN! WAHHHH!" Lucky Roo began crying too. "WAHHH! I LOVED THAT KID YOU KNOW!" Shanks cried even more. "WAHH!" Lucky Roo cried even more through his goggles. "I-I''m not crying I swear... losers..." Yassop tried to wipe away his tears quickly. Ben Beckman seemed to be the calmest and collected out of all of the crew. "Hold on!" Said Ben in a rough and serious tone. He looked over and squinted his eyes and found a ship, a very special ship sailing. "You guys may wanna come see this." Said Ben grimly. "What is it..." The rest of the members had gotten up and looked over the railings of the deck. "What the fu-" "Hold on a fuc-" "Are you kidding me?" Shanks concluded his mates'' exclamations. "What are they doing here.... all the way back here in the east blue? This place doesn''t even have many unique places to explore or any treasures for that matter. I wonder why they really came." Said BenBeckman. "Where are they headed?" Yassop pondered. Shanks brows furrowed as he looked towards their direction. "No.. NO!NO!NO! TURN THE SHIP AROUND NOW!" Yelled Shanks. "On it!" His crew ran to their stations and turned the Red Force around completely and began making their way back to the village, although their ship was much slower than the other ship. And what ship could be faster than a yonko''s ship? A celestial dragon''s ship. ----- "Here open your mouth and say ahh." "Ahhhh." *Bite* "Mmm, did you make this?" "Yeah.." blushed Sarah "This is really good Sarah!" "I haven''t seen you in a while though, I thought you forgot about me," "Never. I was just preoccupied with Shanks. I''m so sorry that we haven''t had time to hang out in a while." Said Viktor while scratching the back of his head. "Everyone! Be on your best behavior! Don''t move unless you are asked and make way for those who come here. The Celestial Dragons are here!" The mayor yelled. "Celestial Dragons? What are those?" "Oh, Viktor! I think we are in big trouble. The Celestial Dragons are the nobles that rule the entire world with an iron fist. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want to do it. I heard they take young children and healthy young men and enslave them! I also heard that they could make whoever they wanted to be their wife! Oh, I don''t wanna marry a Celestial Dragon Viktor, I don''t!" Sarah began sobbing. "Don''t worry, no matter what happens I will always protect you, ok?" Vik hugged her without waiting for her response. "Mhmm," she said. -------------- "Ok all of you little maggots, send me all your beautiful women here!" He waited for 5 seconds when nobody moved. His ugly countenance and unhealthily large figure along with his short stature made him very undesirable for even blind women. "I am speaking here! Am I not! You lowly East Blue scum!" He yelled this time. "Hurry or you are all dead!" The inner cowardice of these men was revealed as those who felt as if their wife, daughter, or even sister was even slightly attractive picked them up and lined them up in front of the dragon. A healthy son picked out his aged yet beautiful mother and lined her up to the celestial dragon. "Son?" "Not my fault! Not my fault! Not my fault! This is how the world works right? Not my fault!....." The son kept chanting as if doing so would release his guilt. A newlywed couple found themselves running far away to a secret passage behind the island and jumped on a small rowing boat. "Honey, are you sure we should do this? They will kill you if they find out." "I don''t care! No man is ever gonna touch my wife!" "Oh, honey!" The beautiful woman kissed the young man as they began to row away. But too bad, they seemed to be out of luck. "Master Gont, I sense a couple leaving the island." "Kill them." "Even the woman?" "Kill them, I won''t repeat myself." "As you wish, master." Said the tall, suited man before his figure flickered at an extremely high speed, allowing him to appear on top of the rowing boat, looking down on the couple. "My master wants you dead, so you must die." "Take her! Take her! Not me please!" Pleaded the man, ignoring the surprise and disgust received from his wife who had seen her true nature. "Don''t worry, I was only tasked with killing you both, not collecting the woman." Zing! Both the heads of the couple were chopped off by a long blade which extended from the suited man''s sleeve. He grabbed both the severed heads and flickered back, dropping them in front of his master.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "It is done, master." "WHAT! THIS WOMAN WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND YOU KILLED HER!" "That is what you asked of me si-" "SHUT UP!" roared Gont, the celestial dragon." I''ll kill you for this! No, I guess I do kinda need you so I will show my generosity and only take an eye for not being able to see such beauty. Yes. I will do that! " "It sounds poetic doesn''t it?" Said the celestial dragon to the people. "Yes sir, it really is amazing how you thought of that." A man attempted to kiss up to Gont. Big mistake "SHUT UP! You think I need your acceptance to know?!?! You think you know better than me? Off with you head!" The suited man flickered and returned in a second with a head held in his hand. "Here you go, master." "Good job, now about that eye." The suited man shivered before removing his sunglasses and using both his fingers, removed his eye. "Now go throw it in the ocean or somewhere. Hope you learned your lesson." "Yes, master." The suited man visibly quivered, yet he held it in. ---------- "Oh no, they got there before us. We gotta hurry up and make ourway to the island quickly." Shanks made a grave face. '' He better still be alive, or the world government will have more than just the revolutionary army aiming for their necks.'' ---------------- "Hmmm, all these women are beautiful but none are getting me excited. How about I try something new." Gont continued to look around and found something that made him click. "Ah, its been a while since I''ve experienced this seeing as how my dad never allows me to play with these at home. Bring all they young girls here!" Everyone exclaimed; fathers looked at their young daughters with distress and feelings of anger erupted in the brothers of these girls. "You are not gonna touch my sister you fat pig!" A young boy ran out attempting to punch the celestial dragon. The celestial dragon pulled out a gun from his holster and aimed it at the dashing kid. "Wait! Kill me! He is just a boy please!" Pleaded the father. The dragon smiled. "Don''t worry," hearing these words relieved the dad, but only for a second."I was planning on killing his whole family anyways. Now bye-bye, little bo-" THUD! A small, round rock landed on the Celestial Dragon. Although he was wearing a full body suit so the rock didn''t hurt him whatsoever he still got ticked off. "AHHHH! WHO HAS THE AUDACITY!" His bodyguard looked over and found Viktor holding another rock, ready to throw it and behind Viktor was Sarah. "Master, over there." Gont looked over and saw Viktor and his anger was ignited, yet when he averted his gaze and looked at Sarah, he revealed a vile smile. "Good. Hey, go get me that girl now! Kill the boy too!" "Yes, master." The suited man held a poker face. His body flickered and he appeared before Sarah, he attempted to grab her yet Viktor pushed her out of the way. "Run!" He yelled with his legs shaking. He was afraid, really, really afraid, yet he stood in front of this man to protect Sarah. The suited man''s face remained still like a stone as he cocked his fist back, charging it with overpowering, tyrannical strength likely capable of blowing Viktor into pieces, literally. Time seemed to slow down as Viktor stared at the fist coming towards him. ''Am I gonna die here?'' ''I guess I am.'' ''It''s ok, it''s not like I have family or anyone who cares for me.... right?'' Images of the mayor and Shanks flashed through his brain. ''Will they... miss me?'' ''I don''t know.'' Finally an image of him and Sarah under a tree sleeping next to each other before his eyes. ''NO! NO! NO! NO! I CAN''T DIE, NOT NOW, NOT EVER! I HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR! I CAN MARRY SARAH, I CAN BECOME A PIRATE, I CAN EXPLORE THE WORLD, I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO, SO MUCH I HAVE YET TO DO SO I CAN''T DIE NOW!'' "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"As time continued to flow a strange and tyrannical force erupted from within Viktor''s body. "AHHHHHHHHH! I CAN''T DIE!" He didn''t know why he was yelling, he didn''t know what was happening, all he knew was that he wanted to live, he wanted to live more badly than ever, and that he wouldn''t let this scumbag kill him. ZOOM! The force broke through the obstacles it faced in Viktor''s body. Now without any shackles, this strange force was released outwards projecting a terrifying intent. Gont the celestial dragon found himself in pain before his eyes rolled back and he began falling on the floor. But a quick flicker by the suited man saved him from falling. "Haoshoku Haki! The power of kings!" Exclaimed the suited man. "Just who is this kid. No! It doesn''t matter! He hurt Gont which is unforgivable, both of us need to pay for this with our lives, no the entire island does too!" This brainwashed, suited soldier dashed towards Viktor in a split second, he reached out with his palm, intending to crush the poor boy''s skull. TheHaoshoku Haki was luckily too weak currently to kill him seeing as how the host has yet to become strong and temper himself which allowed this suited man to only be slightly buffeted by it. Yet in the second before he had clutched Viktor''s skull, he felt a nudge on his stomach which pushed him back a couple steps. He turned his head up only to see an old man clutching on a broom, breathing heavily as if he had run a marathon. "Mayor!" Cried out Viktor. "Run you stupid boy, go and live on and let us adults do our business." "That won''t fly ''mayor'', I need to kill everyone on this island, so no one must be left alive. You surely must understand right?" "Hmph, come at me boy!" Yelled the mayor bravely. ''Mayor...'' "What is your name!?!" Asked Viktor. The mayor turned around with a smile and replied," Gus, hehe, my name is Gus" Yet that would be the final word he would say. ZING! The mayor''s head was lopped right off with but a finger of the now slightly more serious suited man. "It''s time to end all this foolery.." "MAYOR!" Viktor began sobbing as he ran towards the now dismembered head of the mayor. He held it close as he stared at the face which had accepted him into this village and had even remembered to send him money and take care of him when no one else wouldn''t. "Mayor..." Whispered Viktor. ''Why? Why am I so weak? Why does everything always have to go wrong? Why? WHY?!?'' Wiping his tears, he slowly got up and took a pathetic fighting stance. "Hey, you!" He pointed at the suited man, "Come at me! I''ll kill you!" The man blinked towards Viktor while punching out. Viktor, who was ready for death, found his body being moved out of the way. He turned his head and looked over to see his rescuer. "Sarah..." Thud! The fist penetrated her chest, going straight through her body as if it was paper. "Bleh" She spat out a mouth full of blood and she looked at Viktor with tears streaming down her face. "Yo-you know... I always had a crush o-on you, hehe. It''s pretty silly to plan a marriage and how many kids you want with someone when you''re nine right? Hehe. I was always afraid of telling you though... I don''t know why I am telling you now but Vik, I love you." She wholeheartedly said while spitting out blood. She gave a weak smile. "I''ll probably die... I''m not gonna lie, I''m pretty scared about it. You never really know whats on the other side, you know? But.. it''s probably much better than seeing you die. And hey! Don''t you dare get hung up on me, don''t lie to me I know you also like me hehe. How could you not wh-when I''m so...Gr-great. So when you meet a great girl in the future, treat her right ok? Oh.. also pr-promise me to take care of your health, and for goodness sake make some fr-friends. Hehe, it may b-be a bit selfish of me.. but don''t you dare forget me ok? Because I-I would really hate to ha-" Bang! Her head was blown to pieces by a flying bullet. Viktor''s tears that didn''t want to stop streaming down his face froze. His eyes dilated and he didn''t move. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the source of the bullet. Only to see the ugly bastard back on his feet with a pistol held out towards Sarah''s now mutilated corpse. "I-I-I, w-w-wha, huh?" Viktor couldn''t process anything as his body and mind just seemed to want to shut down. ----- BANG!! The whole island shook as pebbles began to rise, dark clouds seemed to be over the mountains and the wind began to pick up. "OH!??! Look what we have here. A little baby dragon has come out of it''s cage to play. So you wanna play, then we should take our time shouldn''t we?" The Celestial dragon visible shivered uncontrollably as he sensed this bloodlust pure rage. He looked up only to see a man with flowing red hair and a straw hat. "Wh-who do you think you are!?" Yelled Gont with a bit of fear and hesitancy, contrasting to his previous statements filled with gusto. "Oh, little old me? I''m just a normal pirate, in case we haven''t met, my name is Shanks." The suited man showed extreme vigilance and fear at that name as he blinked in front of the Celestial Dragon in a protective stance. "One of the four Yonko; The red-head pirate''s Shanks! What do you want with us?" Shanks smiled, yet this was not his usual charismatic and friendly smile. This was a smile with immense hatred and danger within. "You seem a bit stuffy, let''s try to take that suit off ok?" Shanks stretched both of his palms to his sides as far as he could before bringing them together and clapping towards the duo. BOOM! -- A sonic wave erupted bringing forth a gust of terrifying win which only seemed to harm the clothes of the duo and nothing else. RIP! The previously suited bodyguard and the Celestial Dragon found themselves nude on the floor with minor scratches. "Yo-you dare touch me!" Gont reached for a golden button he had but within that second something unexpected occurred. There was a second gust of wind, yet this gust of wind brought more than just scratches. This gust of wind was Shanks moving beyond the speed of sound. RIP! Shanks was back at his original place in an instant. Yet this time, in his hand was an arm. "Guess you won''t be needing this he said as he tossed it behind him into the ocean along with the buzzer in his hand. "YAHHHHHH!" Cried the currently one-armed Gont. "MY ARM! MY ARM! It is worth more than any object in this earth you maggot! You return that along with your head!" "Yonko Shanks! I am in no place to do this but in the name of the Celestial Dragons, I advise you to stop this now. You, as a powerful force, have our respect yet you cannot abuse this respect." "Blah blah blah! Keep on spouting the same bullshit! I have your respect, well I better have it otherwise a majority of the Celestial Dragons alive would be dead if they had even so much as looked at me wrong. You scum of the earth truly deserve to die, and yet there are some forces which are capable of having me hold back against you guys so be thankful. And although I may have your respect, you certainly don''t have mine so you asking me to stop is attempting me to show respect isn''t it?" Shanks looked up at the sky, thinking. He then looked back the frozen Viktor who was cradling what was left of Sarah''s body and the mayor''s head. "Sigh... I think it''s time for some change in this world." Crunch! Crunch! "YAHHH!" Cried Gont. This time both of his legs were crushed as he was no currently under Shanks'' foot. "Stop, please! Don''t kill him! I beg of you, don''t!" "Hehe. Don''t worry," this statement relieved the previously suited, one-eyed bodyguard for a second." I am gonna kill you too!" Crunch! The Celestial Dragons head was crushed under Shanks'' foot before he blinked and decapitated the one-eyed bodyguard in front of the entire village. "And this marks a war doesn''t it?"-Yassop "Maybe not.."-Ben Beckman "War sounds like fun!"-Lucky Roo --------- "Sarah, I''ll kill them all... The Celestial Dragons? Fuck it, everyone''s dying!" ------------- END-- Become Strong ---- On the deck "Hey,Vik, why do you keep doing pushups all the time?"- Lucky Roo "To become strong." --- During lunch "Hey Vik, why aren''t you eating?"- Lucky Roo "Because I don''t feel like it." "You know that eating makes you bigger and stronger right?"- Lucky Roo "!!!" ---- "Hey, Vik, why do you eat so much now?"- Lucky Roo "To become strong." --- In the bathhouse "Hey Vik, why is your thing so big even though you are a kid?"- Lucky Roo "To become strong- WAIT WHAT?!" "Hehe! Gotcha!" - Lucky Roo --- Viktor had been more quiet than usual and he didn''t talk as much anymore. Mainly due to the tragedy that occurreda couple of weeks ago in his village. With the only 2 people who cared for him dead, the Red-haired pirated took him in. They had been working on helping him open up and face his past and move on. But like all issues, it will require time and a ton of effort. "No, no, no! You are exercising in the least efficient way possible. Here let me help." -Shanks - "Like this?" "No." - "Like this?" "No." - "Like this?" "No" "Oh?" - "Wait, it was actually right the first time my bad." "SHANKS!" "HEHE!" The Redhead ran away from the young boy. ----- Little acts of playful banter and jokes helped ease up the broken child''s mood. Every time he would begin to smile and cheer up, an image would flash in his head immediately causing him to frown and ignite burning flames within his eyes. The crew didn''t know what they could do to cheer him up, so they just continued doing what they have been doing hoping that time will also help mend his wounds. ---- Months later~ --- Bang! CRACKLE! A peculiar ship was being tossed around in the tides of a storm. The waves upturning all while the wind decimates the remainder, and the raging lighting acting as a reminder to those who forget the immense power of the seas. "Ben! Drop the sails and switch to the storm sails!" Yelled Shanks while looking seriously at the raging storm occurringbefore him. He was expecting it had something to do with this island: Raijin Island. The crew got to work and Yassop began to steer as Lucky Roo went out for continuous maintenance checks and Ben Beckman was switching the sails. "Prepare to Heave-to!" "Yes, captain!" Yelled the crew. --- SNOOOOOOOORE! Currently, at this very moment, Viktor was sleeping soundly during this violent storm. As if unaffected by the thundering storm and the rocking waves. Crackle! CRACKLE!This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Thunder continued to erupt throughout the seas. The door to Viktorsroom was opened abruptly which almost knocked it off its hinges. Shanks came running in and stood next to Viktors bed, staring blankly at how this kid could sleep through such a mess. He quickly snapped out of it and began shaking Viktor to wake him up. "Wake up! Wake up! Hey!" "Wh-what''s going on Shanks?" "We''ve arrived at Raijin Island! Time to get out! We''ve got a job to do!" Viktor''s eyes widened as he realized the turbulent and ferocious storm occurringoutside. "How did I sleep through all that?" Viktor asked. "Haha, I think that there is no one in existence who can explain that." Viktor smiled as he got up and wore a shirt, covering his now relatively muscular and toned body. He walked towards shanks with his height towering over even shanks. "When do we leave?" Asked Viktor. "As soon as we can get past the typhoons and sharp rocks centered in front of us, then we will be alright." Said Shanks making an okay sign with his trademark smile. The talented and unnervingly lucky pirates had found a way to make it past this impossible path to the island. A specific cloaked man sitting in a large black tower was viewing this scene through a crystal ball of some sorts, simply gaping at the stupid luck these pirates had. "W-what the fuck? Right when they are nearing a typhoon, the water suddenly feels the need to change course along with the winds? What am I looking at?!?!" The cloaked man would never find peace with himself and would have countless sleepless nights wondering about this phenomenon and why and how it happened. Too bad for him, this couldn''t be explained with science. It was simply a divine power exclusive to only a minority of characters known as "Plot Armor". BOOM! The ship was struck by a lightning bolt, yet it held together and pushed through, making it to shore. An issue was presented thereafter. The ship was stuck in the sand and lightning was continuously falling randomly. The crew had supernatural speed and reflexes which rendered them fine for the most part. Viktor got to climb on Lucky Roo''s back which posed a slight problem due to his new height of 6''3. Viktor himself was now 11 years old and was extremely relieved to know that his growth slowed down a lot. "Well, I guess we have no choice but to look for others who can help us..." Said Yassop. "By the time we get back, this ship will probably be done for. The power of lightning isn''t something we are meant to fight..." Replied Ben. "I could attempt to continuously repel the lightning with my blade..." Suggested Shanks. "Hmmm, I think you can do it!" "Thanks, Roo, now get going quickly and find some help. We''ll be in deep trouble if there are no inhabitants on this island." ... Viktor had gone with the rest of the crew to search for help. He had to admit he was not liking being carried by a grown man and he especially didn''t like the high-speed movement when dodging the bolts of lightning, it made him feel nauseous. They had been dashing the entire time, constantly on the lookout for any signs of life. Each had trained their haki to a high level and were capable of sensing signs of life kilometers away from them, yet this island seemed to jam their senses and left them lost. After 15 minutes of searching, the group ran across a cavern near a hillside that contained purple and ethereal markings on it. Their instincts told them that those markings weren''t simply words or depictions; they held meaning and power. The group quickly ran in the cave as they were mentally exhausted from having to constantly look out for others and also dodge the relentless lightning strikes. The cavern seemed to have no end. Even after an hour of the group quickly rushing through the cave, there was no end in sight. The crew simply decided to take a small break and rejuvenate. They sat together for some time discussing what this cave could be and if it ever had an end or if they were just running around in circles the whole time. They soon realized that the conversation would get them nowhere and gave up thinking about it. They continued their exploration in hopes of finding any clue of inhabitants or the history of this island in order to establish some knowledge on their situation. --- After an hour. --- "YESSSS!!" Viktor yelled happily; a rare occurrence for him. They had found a light at the end of the cave, it wasn''t bright and didn''t seem like it led to the outside world, but it did give them hope. A couple of seconds later, the crew reached the light and found 4 cloaked figures sitting in a circle and looking into a well. The well held a purple electric energy of some sort. The men seemed to be chanting something under their breath repeatedly. They acted as if the crew had never existed. "Hey! What''s up with this place? What are you guys doing here?" Yassop asked curiously. The 4 figures broke out of their chant and turned to face the crew curiously. "Oh, and where do you folks come from?" Asked the cloaked figure on the far left. "We are pirates exploring the seas. We came upon this island in blind and idiotic curiosity and were rendered unable to leave due to some circumstances. We hope you can aid us with our problem and we will be on our merry way out of here." The figures simultaneously shook their heads. Then they spoke together in unison: " Arashi doesn''t allow anyone to enter, but the ones he wills. Arashi also does not allow anyone to exit, but the ones he wills. Our meeting was fated, you may not be allowed to leave.." The crew stared confused at the hooded figures for a while before Viktor decides to break the silence. "Who is Arashi?" The figures all turn their gaze towards Viktor, their eyes lighting up as they looked at him. "Can it be?" "It can''t!" "But all the signs show that it is!" "We must inform Muso immediately!" The four hooded figures quickly conversed before stretching out their arms above the well and making an incision with a small knife they had pulled out and passed around. The blood fell on the energy in the well and the energy began to rise and rupture, ultimately revealing a figure made of the Purple energy. "Muso! We have found a suitable vessel for Arashi!" The figure named Muso took a second to comprehend what these men were telling him before breaking into laughter. "Hahaha! HAHAHAH!" Bring the vessel to me my believers, and we shall ressurect Arashi and bring this world despair! HAHAHA!" The energy soon faded and the figure known as Muso was no longer visible. The four hooded figures then turned around to face the crew abruptly, startling them. Boom! While the crew couldn''t see the faces of the hooded figures, they could make out the horrifying glowing purple eyes as well as the weird glowing symol of 2 adjacent lightning bolts on their foreheads. "azaord asdom peisrer seas opensar eopen openeprer vertma" The figures began chanting in what the crew presumed to be gibberish. Zap! Fwoosh! A lightning bolt was sent out, jolting Ben into a wall where he was then covered in debris. The crew was left with their mouths hanging for a second before a serious look emerged on all their faces. They all took battle stances in attempt to resist against these stangers. But before anything could happen, the group was covered in a purple light and they were instantly gone, along with a heavy weight of Roo''s back. "Phew.." Roo sighed, " who were those guys?" "No idea, I can believe they just up an- ROO!" Shouted Yassop. "Huh?" "T-t-the boy!!!" Roo''s rosy face turned pale as he slowly turned his head towards his back and found the lack of presence of a certain young giant. "Gulp!" --------