The battle raged across God Valley. The God's Knights clashed with pirates and proved their power and superiority in the process. In the middle of the island, Roger and the now-rescued Shakky, along with Rayleigh and their crewmates, were fleeing the approaching Marines from the south and trying to reach where the treasure is. The Rocks Pirates were also storming from the south, looking for Shakky and other treasure, while Garp and the Marines were fighting pirates left and right.
Garling had cut down hundreds of pirates and was now clashing with Rocks in the northwest. Their blades clashed against one another with skill and both of their powerful Haki. Sid, having just learned about Haki, recognised it right away. The power of will fascinated him, and he saw great potential in its use. More importantly, he realised his own special attribute: he was invisible to danger-sensing abilities. Even Kenbunshoku Haki could not perceive him.
He waited, watching as Rocks being far superior cut through Garling more than once, and when he felt the moment was right, he grabbed what he came here for. A woman with a small child in her hand. But they weren't the only ones present as members of the Davy Clan, who had been transformed into grotesque dark forms, and another God's Knight was chasing them.
"He sure is strong... it takes quite a long while to regenerate from his sword slashes," Garling said as his head was slowly coming back together.
"But now we know he's also part of the Davy Clan. Finishing him will please the Great One!"
"Indeed. The interruption to our tourney has turned out to be a blessing!!"
Seeing Saint Garling regenerate and chase Rocks on his steed, Siddharta used all of his strength and charged from their blind spot. He leapt high and swung his staff with all his strength.
*BAANG!*
The massive head of the staff smashed into Garling's skull.
*Crack!*
A cracking of bones could be heard as Sid's staffhead connected. If we were to categorise Sid's strength, then he was already powerful enough physically to stand among the strongest characters in the Blues. That wasn't very strong overall, but against someone who didn't and couldn't perceive you, unless they looked directly at you and therefore didn't block or defend themselves, that was enough. Especially after having been affected by Rocks' haki.
Sid's strength had doubled every year of his life, now sixty-four times what it had been when he was first sold. Against a distracted and injured opponent, the blow was effective.
"That's for treating human life like trash," Sid said.
.
The infamous Rocks D. Xebec, as it turned out, hadn't arrived on God's Valley to rescue Shakky. The truth was that Xebec's name wasn't even Rocks at all. His actual name was Davy D. Xebec; he was a member of the Davy Clan. And God's Valley was his home. It was also where his wife and child lived. Thinking that they were safe there, Xebec had brought them there. The Davy Family had existed since the Void Century, and the king, Davy D. Jones, had ruled the kingdom, which was attacked and removed from history.
"Why ain't these guys dyin'?!" Xebec wondered as he ran away from the God's Knights and his transformed family.
"Xebec, put me down!" his wife, Eris, told him.
"We've got no choice but to run!! Some of the others got caught up and transformed!"
"Wait, Xebec!" Eris cried again.
"What happened?! Is it an ability?" Xebec wondered.
"Let me go, Xebec! Are you gonna try to fight them off one-handed?!"
"Don't ya get it, Eris?! If anyone bearin' the Davy name is caught... they'll go through so much sufferin' it'll make hell look tame," Xebec told his wife.
"I know that! I'm a full-fledged part of the Davy Clan now! Everyone here was always so nice to me. Even though I was a pirate...! I fully understand the fate our clan faces. Now put me down!" she shouted and pushed off of Xebec's shoulder.
"HEY!"
"If I were the kind of woman who just clung to you and could' protect a single child, you never would've fallen for me, right?"
"Don't be an idiot!" Xebec yelled.
"If it looks like they're about to get me... I'll kill Teach and commit suicide! We'll survive this by splitting up! Let's meet on Lulusia, Xebec!" Eris said and started to run off.
Xebec turned around and faced those who were chasing after them.
"Finally ditched your wife and kid, huh? Now then, what'll the next attack b--"
*BOOM*
*Crack!*
Sid's attack hit Garling's skull right then and shot him off his steed.
"That's for treating human life like trash," Sid said.
He raised his staff for another strike, only for a strong hand to grab his shoulder and pull him back. Davy D. Xebec, smiling, saved him from a counterattack from an angry God's Knight.
"Vohahahaha!! Keep your senses sharp, kid," Xebec said.
Sid nodded. Understanding that Sid was special, and telling him to leave wouldn't work, they fought side by side. Xebec raised his sword and brought it down, creating an explosion that halted those who had been chasing them.
"'Fraid I can't let ya go any further! Now bring it on! Ya monsters!!"
Xebec shielded him when an attack arrived, which was too fast for Sid to dodge or deal with, and Sid learned quickly, adapting as the battle went on. Without either of the fighters understanding how, Sid slipped out of their sensory range whenever they looked away for a brief moment and attacked from somewhere else.
Figarland was shaken with a sense of terrified awe at Siddharta's presence. The initial anger had been replaced with terror. He felt his very core shaken and wanted nothing more than to leave. He could feel his regeneration weaken and sometimes even stop whenever Sid managed to strike, and what's worse, he managed to purge the darkness, which affected the members of the Davy Clan. So they killed them right away, to make sure that none of them got away. Only to be cut in half and impaled by Xebec.
"How dare you go after my family. If ya want me dead, I'll take ya down first!!" Xebec stood looking at the dead and defeated people in front of him. Garling was still alive, albeit barely, and he was in great pain, having a sword impaled in him.
The strongest fighters on the island suddenly feel something unsettling arrive. But they aren't the only ones, as Siddharta looks to the distance and feels something vile and disgusting having arrived.
Edward Newgate arrived and stepped beside Xebec, ready for a fight.
"There's not much to gain here, ya know. Still gonna help?" Xebec asked.
"Don't sweat it. I owe you since I'm always drinking on your tab!" Whitebeard replied.
Kaidou, who had transformed into his full new Seiryu form, descends before the two to show off his new powers, which he got after consuming the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.
"Hey. You two! Check this out! Worororo! I finally got an ability!"
"Good on ya! At least someone's havin' a good time! Vohahaha"
"That's great and all, but... mind if I ask what the hell we're up against?! And what's with the kid?" Whitebeard asked.
"What is it, ya ask? If I'd had to, I'd say it's... the world!!"
.
The Marines were shocked at the Elder, Saint Saturn's new monstrous appearance. He was in his Mythical Zoan-type Gyuki form, towering above them. He looked like a monstrous bull-spider with his human face. But that wasn't all. But that wasn't all. On top of him, a towering, shadow-like silhouette with glowing red eyes and a crown could be seen. It looked as though Saint Saturn had been possessed, giving off an evil feeling.
"Saint Saturn, what is this form?!" the Marines shouted.
^Such eyesores...^ a new voice said as it looked down on the Marines.
Shadows lifted off the spider's legs and started attacking the men and women all around, not bothering with separating between pirates and Marines. The spider legs shot through the area, killing those unfortunate or slow enough to be there.
"Everyone, fall back!!"
"Keep your distance!"
"UWAAHH!!"
Roger, seeing the state of his crew, ordered Gaban to cover them and help them back to the ship, while he made his way towards Saint Saturn and the shadowy figure which seemed to have appeared from his body.
Garp, meanwhile, was shouting at one of his subordinates, asking what that monster truly was, finding it fitting for one of the leaders of those 'maggots'. No one seemed to understand what was going on at that time. The Marines pulled back, not daring to attack the Elder and risk getting killed. The pirates tried to take as much treasure and flee the attacks as well. Only very few, like Roger, Garp and some of the Rocks Pirate members, actually went towards it.
Xebec stood his ground, not bothering to move away, as the monstrous creature arrived.
"Hey!! If it isn't the Rat King!! Came to kill me in person, huh?" Xebec asked.
^So though are the one... Davy Jones!!^
"Afraid ya got the wrong guy. I've never even met the man. That said... I believe promises are meant to be kept," Xebec replied.
^That is precisely why your wretched ilk must be expunged from the annals of history!! Mu's world...^
Imu, the name of the being standing in front of Xebec right now, attacked him.
^...remains incomplete!!^
"The world ain't yours!" Xebec replied, cutting off the spider leg that had attacked him.
Seeing Rocks attack Imu, the marines wonder if they should back Saturn up, but while the Rear Admiral present hesitates, Garp charges forward.
"Why now, Read Admiral?! Should we provide backup?"
"Well..."
"Damn right we should! Move it!!" Garp said and moved forward.
"Wait, what?! Who exactly are you backing up...?" they asked.
Garp didn't listen to them and simply started running. Realising what the Vice-Admiral was trying to do, they wanted to stop him. They clung to him like flies, but they didn't manage to achieve anything.
"You can't, Vice-Admiral!"
"That's one of the world's overseers..."
"It looks like a pest to me," Garp responded.
At this moment, several figures arrived at the scene and attacked Saint Saturn and Imu at the same time.
"Save some for me, Rocks!!" Kaido shouted.
"Kaido, you damn brat!!" Charlotte Linlin yelled as she flew forward on her homie, Zeus. "I'll kill you for stealing the Uo Uo no Mi!"
"You jealous? Check this out!" Kaido responded by unleashing the strongest attack in his current form.
All at once,
"Galaxy... Impact!!" Garp,
"Divine Departure!!" Roger,
"Curse of the Abyss!!" Xebec,
"Shattering Void!!" Newgate and
"Dragon...!!" Kaido
...unleash simultaneous attacks on Imu, with Linlin's attack, which was aimed at Kaido, missing and hitting them as well.
*BOOOOOOMMMMM*
Despite the overwhelming assault, Imu easily regenerates themselves and unleashes a blast of Supreme King Haki that knocks out tons of people on God's Island.
"It's too late to throw it up," Kaido argues with Linlin.
"Then pay me back!" she shouts at him.
"My one attack was all it took!" Garp smiles proudly.
"No way! It was all me!" Roger argued.
Imu regenerated their body slowly and elongated their black figure, like liquid darkness, higher to get a better vantage point. He was almost in the clouds when he saw what he had been looking for.
^There they are. Far away in the forest, running.^
"Hey! Don't tell me you're...!!" Xebe realised what was going on.
^A new branch of the Davy Clan. The woman and her child. Frantically... frantically trying to survive. Such dangerous lives... must not be set loose^ Imu said.
"Stop it!! What're ya tryna do?!!"
Xebec, realising who they were talking about, attacked, cutting the head into different pieces. However, Imu seemed immortal, as despite being cut into several pieces, two dark tendrils shot forward and pierced Xebec's body.
^It will not be Mu who acts...^
"Humph!! What is this?! It doesn't hurt or even itch..." Xebec wondered as he was pierced.
^Thou shalt be the one to exterminate them!!^ Imu revealed.
"Huh?"
^Go forth and slay your wife and child...^
"That's absurd. What are ya talkin' about?!" Xebec asked.
^DOMI REVERSI^
A wave of malicious and corrupted energy enters Xebec. His body slowly begins to transform into an unholy creature. His teeth elongated, making him look like a sabertooth.
"AAAAHH!!" Xebec screams in pain.
Surprisingly, he is managing to resist the transformation's effects and hasn't lost his mind to it, despite being in great pain and the energy filling him with the will to obey all of Imu's words and commands.
^How obstinate.^
"Weez... weez... Ya shouldn't scoff at humans, ya beast!!" Xebec says.
His grin was back, and he wasn't ready to give up just yet.
"Davy D. Jones! That's the name of the previous King of the World!" he declared.
^Insolent fool! That wretch was never king... not for a single moment! Thou hast no place in the fate that binds Mu and Davy!^ Imu grew angry.
"Then ya shouldn't be so scared! It's just a name after all! Ya been afraid for a long time, haven't ya? Terrified that one day someone's gonna inherit Davy's will and fulfil the promise. I wonder who scares ya most! Davy D. Jones? Joyboy?"
^Cease this babble! They shall never resurface... so long as thouh fades into oblivion!^
.
Sid looked at the scene from the side. He hadn't been involved in the attack that the powerful pirates delivered against Imu. He had been contemplating. Contemplating what was going on. He was certain that he had found the cause for the vile that plagued this world. Greed, arrogance, delusion... it was all visible to him. In the dialogue between Imu and Xebec, Sid understood the state of the world and also why it was the way it was.
The human spirit was something magnificent, capable of pushing beyond limits and through boundaries. Freedom - that was the main topic of this world. The freedom to choose, to live, to exist, to be born. Seeing and listening to Imu almost made Sid barf on the ground, and it made him want to smash their heads in. And so, he would do that.
^Davy... Mu has found the perfect soldiers now... A certain nation of gentle and indecisive giants.^
"Giants? Ya bastard! Stay away from Harald! He just wants peace!"
^Inded. This is an unprecedented opportunity. A sovereign this pliable may never appear again.^
"Ya little--!!"
^Thy current deposition is quite similar! Now, make haste!^
Sid understood what was going on. The pathetic creature had the power to grant immortality and a power-up. But the cost was that those who were infected became mindless slaves to Imu's will. There was a catch, however. And that was if someone had a will strong enough to resist the transformation process; he or she couldn't be turned into mindless monsters.
That was why, Imu, the sly dog, used words to bait or anger Xebec, to cause his will and mind to waver and grow angry. That allowed him to infuse him with his corrupting energy further and finally turn him into a mindless monster.
^Put an end to Davy's dream!!^
"UWAAAHHH!!"
Xebec fell to the ground. Sid observed him and could feel the transformation working. His body was bigger and more powerful now. He was still in there, surprisingly, Sid could feel it, but the battle for full control over his mind was still going on. Imu, now controlled Xebec and could use him as he wished, even speaking through him.
^Annihilate Davy's lineage with thy own hand!! Snuff out all obstacles on God Valley!^ Imu commanded.
Xebec stood up. He now towered above Linlin, who had been taller than he was before.
"Is it me, or are you bigger?" Linlin asked.
"^Outta the way!! Their blood must be purged from the pages of history!!^" Xebec said.
He leapt into the air and stabbed Kaido's snout.
"ARRGH! Rocks what are you doing?!"
Xebec grabs Kaido and slams him into he mountain. Seeing this, Linlin attacks him. She doesn't understand what is going on.
"Damn you, Rocks! Aren't we meant to be allies?!" she shouts.
Rocks easily dispatches her and then moves towards Newgate, who stands his ground.
"We're in your way, Rocks?!"
"^You are...^"
Both of them attack at the same time. Xebec, with his swordsmanship and Haki, against Newgate's Gura Gura no Mi and Haki. Lightning and cracks appear in the air, sending a shockwave so powerful that it shatters the northeast mountain and sends it crumbling. After having dealt with his two former crewmates, Xebec runs after his wife and child.
The Marines were ordered to keep their distance from the island and prioritise the safe evacuation of the World Nobles. Everyone else continued to try to flee with their lives and whatever treasure they were able to secure. It was pandemonium and death all around.
Rocks pushes through a set of trees, finally catching up to his wife and child as they are running towards the sea. Eris turns her head and sees her husband.
"Xebec!! He looks... So you lost?! I'm sorry! It's our fault! You faced that thing to save us... even though you weren't ready yet!" Eris shouted.
Nevertheless, she didn't give up or despair, seeing her husband transformed and turned into a mindless beast like that. She pushed herself even further.
"We have no choice but to jump into the sea and swim! I won't let the Davy clan end here! We'll survive!! No matter what!!!" she yelled as Xebec appeared behind her.
Just as she reached the shore, though, the Marines stationed there opened fire on her and Xebec, who had his sword raised and swung it downwards.
"Oh no...!"
.
Imu observed Xebec dismantle his crewmates easily and make his way forward. Everything was going as he wanted.
^What fools. To think that they could stand against Mu. Next, Davy will extinguish all who remain on the island and--^
Imu felt something and looked down. All the way at the bottom, standing before the large figure of Saint Saturn and the ridiculously long figure of Imu on top of that, stood a young boy. On his shoulder rested an oversized prayer wheel in the form of a staff, and he looked at Imu without emotion.
^What is this... Are thou going to challenge Mu? How quaint.^
"I don't think I have ever seen such an old child," Sid said.
^Mu is not a child! Mu is the god of this world, and you shall remember it!^
A powerful wave of Supreme King's Haki permeated the surroundings and targeted Sid. And yet, to his utter confusion, Sid didn't even move a muscle. Not even his breathing changed. He was utterly unaffected.
"Just as I thought. Facing one's own fears... Confronting one's own callowness and trying to overcome it... That is adolescence. Through your will, I can feel that you're never gone through it... You are weak!"
Imu's eyes widened in anger.
^How pathetic. You are prepared to make an enemy of Mu and throw your life away.^
"Enemies, allies... The good, the bad... Gods, Fishmen, Bucaneers, Lunarians, humans... The Davy Clan, Joyboy, nobles, slaves... None of it matters! In existence, I am singular. I am Gautama Siddharta, and I do what I want."
No one could make Siddharta move but himself. The wave of Supreme King's Haki, which had been pressing down on Sid, suddenly ceased, and Imu's eyes widened.
^Wha--^
In a moment that would be remembered throughout history, he replicated what Imu and the other most powerful fighters had been doing and unleashed his boundless will on the world.
*VRROOO--------*
...
The world turned colourless, and everything became black and white. All the fighters in God Valley, all the slaves, the Tenryubito, Pirates, Marines, all the inhabitants outside of the island, and even Imu, who had taken control of Saint Saturn, felt the will of a being so far above him. The will was like an ant standing in front of a boundless white hole, crushing into him.
High up in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise, Pangea Castle — Imu experienced something that not even Joyboy made him feel. No one, not Davy D. Jones, not Joyboy had ever possessed a presence and will like that one.
Imu, standing in a luminous room filled with plant life, including grass, trees, and flowers, and where butterflies fly around, felt the will crash into him and Saint Saturn. Before Imu could even fall to its knees and tremble, before his brain caught up, his very will and spirit seemed to be compressed, and everything turned black.
Time seemed to stop, as one after the other lost time for a brief second, even those with the strongest wills. They didn't fall unconscious; they literally lost time. All of them. No one was an exception. The possessed Xebec, who was fighting against Roger and Garp, both Garp and Roger themselves, Whitebeard, Linlin, Kaido, the God's Knights... everyone.
...
As fast as it had appeared, it disappeared again. Sid stopped using Haoshoku Haki, realising what had just happened and looked around. The battle, which had been raging on the island, had stopped momentarily, then resumed. Those with powerful wills couldn't explain it, but weren't willing to wait around to find the one who had released it. The weaker ones were knocked out.
Sid understood that he had just used his will and forced it upon all living creatures. That's also why he immediately stopped, without killing anyone... well, almost anyone. The body of Saint Saturn lay on the ground. It looked like he was an empty husk, having lost all the strength, abilities and immortality granted by Imu's power. His will and spirit had been obliterated, killing him in the process.
.
Garp and Roger both lamented over how things did not go exactly as planned for both of them, as Garp wanted to arrest both Roger and Xebec. In contrast, Roger just wanted Shakky and some treasure, but now, with Xebec rampaging like this, the two had no choice but to work together to take him down. But as they fought to do damage and stop him, they realised he seemed immortal now, regenerating.
They tried to wake him or reverse his transformation, but nothing seemed to work. When the wave of Haoshoku Haki washed over them, it affected them all and momentarily stopped their fight.
Gloriosa decided to hitch a ride with the Roger Pirates, while elsewhere, Charlotte Linlin told Kaido that he owed her the rest of his life for stealing the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, from her, but Kaido rejected this, saying he got to it first. Kaido announced his plan to establish a crew where violence was everything, but Linlin declared he would never surpass her. Before they parted ways, Linlin assured Kaidou she would collect what he owed, with Kaidou retorting that he would be waiting to crush her then.
Newgate, meanwhile, met a man named Polo Gram, who was the captain of the Polo Pirates, who told Newgate he was a big fan of his and offered him to team up with him if he had no other ship to get on, but Newgate brushed him off.
Back to Garp and Roger, the immeasurable wave of the Supreme King's Haki had a fascinating effect. While the power which Xebec had been corrupted with didn't entirely disappear, it made him stagger more than others, since he was, in a way, connected to Imu. And because Imu and Saint Saturn were the targets and those closest to Sid's Haoshoku blast, the control and hold over Xebec weakened, removing a very crucial thing. His immortality and some power.
"Did you feel that, Garp?" Roger asked.
"Yeah, who was that? Another maggot?" Garp asked.
"No. It felt different. And golden..."
"Hmm... whatever."
"This is our chance. Huff... huff... Look at him, that blast weakened him. He's not regenerating as before. We can end this. It's all about the mass."
"The mass? What are you talking about? Weez... weeez...
"Armament Haki can normally counter Devil Fruit abilities, and I'm using Haoshoku Haki coating to boot. So there's no way my attacks aren't doing anything! Huff... huff..."
"Huff... huff... It's 'cause he's also using Haoshoku to guard himself. It's not a surprise we'd cancel each other out."
"Exactly! If we don't overcome that, the damage won't go through! And it didn't matter either way, with that immortality. But look at him now... he's no longer regenerating and even seems a bit smaller. We'll lose sooner or later if we just keep trading lbows like this."
"But if that Haoshoku blast affected him and took away his immortality, we might be able to match the monster."
"We might still lose in a battle of attrition," Roger said.
"So next time we use Haoshoku Haki, we should channel all of our mass into it? Huff... huff..."
"Yeah! Don't worry about how crippling the aftermath will be! Now that he is obviously weakened, we'll make it."
The reason why Xebec was still in that state and not fully released was that Sid had stopped his Haoshoku basically 0.001 seconds after unleashing it. And even that was already very dangerous, as it almost killed everyone on the island.
"Either way, it'll take all three of us out of commission... huff... huff..." Roger said.
"And if we don't land this, it's all over."
"Hey, Rocks!! I dunno if there's any words that'll comfort you at this point! I don't even know what's happened to you! But, I do know one thing! I can feel your frustration!!" Roger shouted.
The tears and snot dripped down Xebec's face as he was still powerless. Roger and Garp prepared their attacks.
"Kagutsuchi's Ace!!"
"Infinitum Explosion!!"
The attacks finally broke through Xebec's defences. Roger's cutlass cut through his body, while Garp's punches pierced holes on the other side. The attacks knocked out all energy from Garp and Roger, but it finally fully turned Xebec back to normal.
"Koff... koff..."
'Did they really... break the curse?' Xebec wondered as he lay there.
'C'mon, stay alive... this island is...'
Just as Xebec wonders whether or not he was going to die, he saw Saint Garling, Sommers and Maffey approaching him. They weren't at 100% either, but they could still move and fight. Garling was furious as he approached the figure of Xebec.
'Damn it... It's too late. Roger, Garp... Run! Ya can't die here... '
Garling brought out his sword, raised it and was about to stab Rocks with it.
'Oh yeah, there's one more thing I wanted to say. Thanks for stoppin' me...'
*VRROOOOMMMMM*
A wave of Haoshoku Haki washes over the area. The three God's Knights lose their strength immediately and turn around. They see Sid walking towards them, with an unchalant expression and his staff on his shoulder. Saint Garling gnashes his teeth in rage, seeing him again.
"You will--"
"Shut up. You're letting your puberty issues get out of hand."
The Haoshoku pressure increased, almost making the three of them pass out. The small child looked down at the tall and proud Celestial Dragons.
"I saw a red-haired woman earlier. She was bleeding from a stab wound. She begged me to save her children and make sure 'he' wouldn't get them. I assume you are this 'he' she was speaking of."
Two figures appeared from the forest at the edge of the battlefield. They had come here to save Roger and Garp, but from the looks of things, it wasn't as urgent as it seemed.
Garling was enraged, but his anger was pushed down forcefully by Sid's presence and Haki.
"Those eyes filled with arrogance and contempt for the world and everyone inside it. Usually, I'm cool with the mindset of doing whatever it takes to achieve your objectives, but you are different. Where there's shadow, there is also light. I'll be that light for the time being."
With a final push, the three God's Knights, dangerous and immortal, experienced the same thing as Saint Saturn did. They had their spirits crushed. Not even their bodies were exempt from that, as they were utterly broken.
Sid walked forward, sitting next to Xebec. The large man moved his eyes to look at the boy, remembering him instincitvely from before. There was something about Siddharta that pulled people in, and Xebec was no exception.
"Still... here?"
"Yeah."
"Are they?... alive...?" Xebec asked.
"Yes."
"Heh... *cough cough*... good..."
Sid sat by Xebec's side as the pirate who had terrorised the world during this time succumbed to his injuries and finally died. Because he had lost his immortality, Garp's and Roger's attacks left permanent damage. The two men stepped forward and picked up Garp and Roger's unconscious forms. They looked at Sid.
"Rayleigh."
"I'm Gaban."
"Siddharta, but you can call me Sid."
"Wanna join?"
"Sure."
"Let's go."
.
.
(Siddharta POV)
"Thank you for letting me ride on your ship," I said after we left what remained of God Valley. I had seen Kuma off after he saved many slaves and citizens of God Valley. He had grown, and I could see his pride at accomplishing what he set out to do. I will follow his growth and that of his friends, Ginny and Ivankov. Taking up Rayleigh's offer felt right to me, and seeing it now, I was definitely right.
The crew was not in very good shape, but I believed that most, if not all, of them would make it. This was quite a powerful crew, I had to say. The number of strong people I saw in the last day, compared to the 8 years of my life, is impressive. For years, I have only seen two strong men.
Saint Saturn and Garling. He gave me that arachnid feeling. I love all animals, but he had this weird feeling to him that tasted like rot. It was the feeling I got whenever he was around. The smell and taste of rot. I wonder where that came from. Not that it mattered now, he was gone after all.
"Rahahahaha, that's alright, kid. I saw you fight. That was an impressive display back there," Roger said.
Gol D. Roger is his name. A strong and bright individual, following his heart and wish for freedom and adventure. The fact that he could smile like this after what happened, and in the state he was in, was... commendable. I felt a kinship with this man for some reason. It seemed that we were similar in certain aspects. I also saw happiness and freedom as some of the most important goods in existence.
"That was more than reckless of you, young man. How old are you anyway?" Rayleigh asked.
"I'm eight this year. But don't worry, I might take things as they come, but I'm not an idiot."
"Rahahahaha, the kid's right."
"You can leave me wherever, I'm not picky," I said to them.
Everyone looked at me questioningly.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"I mean, you can leave me anywhere. It doesn't matter to me. I'll find a way."
"..."
"Weren't you a slave? The Navy and the World Government will hunt you. They will never let you go," Rayleigh said.
"So? Why would I care about being hunted down? I guess it makes sense, but why would that stop me? I do what I wish and go where I please."
"Raha, I like you, kid. What's your name?"
"Siddharta. But you can call me Sid."
"Raha, Sid, I like it. Sid ... wanna join my crew?" Roger asked.
He stated it like an order rather than a question. This surprised the rest of the crew, as Roger normally had a policy of not recruiting people who weren't ready for such harsh conditions. He was well aware of what it meant to be a pirate. And he didn't have kids on board yet. But for him to recruit me... I guess he also felt that kinship we had. So naturally, there was only one correct answer.
"I will!" I smiled brightly.
This made him smile and laugh as well.
"Rahaha, let's party to celebrate our newest crew member, everyone!!"
"YEAHHH!" "YEAHHH!" "YEAHHH!" "YEAHHH!"