(3rd Person POV)
This event would leave no mark on the pages of history. The government ordered it destroyed, and so the Marines obeyed. The crumbling island was swallowed by the waves and consumed by fog, like curtains closing on a grand stage. That was the essence of the God Valley incident.
The silence in the incident's wake lasted only a moment before a massive bolt of lightning split the heavens. And with that, the curtain rose for new tales to unfold. And Sid was bound to be at the centre of it.
Sid joined the Roger Pirates at the age of eight. After days of sailing with the Roger Pirates, he got familiar with the entire crew and, needless to say, they all loved him right away. He might have been the youngest, but that didn't matter. And even so, that status changed the day Roger woke up from unconsciousness.
"Roger!!"
"Sorry to worry you guys," Roger said as he finally woke up, fully bandaged.
"Yeah, yeah, we're thrilled! More importantly, check it out."
"Don't you care about me at all?!" Roger was annoyed.
"Shakky's safe and sound! And we scored a ton of treasure to boot!"
The crew was excited, since they had succeeded on all fronts. Not only did the Rocks Pirates fail to rescue Shakky, but they also disbanded, and their captain died. So everyone was naturally happy about that.
"What a great haul!" Roger agreed.
"WAAAH... WAAAH"
"Huh?"
"Gooo... Gaaa..."
"What the--? It's comin' from that chest!"
Strange sounds could be heard coming from a chest.
"There's somethin' in there!!"
"Open it carefully!"
Roger went ahead and carefully opened the treasure chest. And what they saw surprised them, to say the least.
"Huh..."
"A BABY?!"
"Kyahaha!!" the baby giggled.
"Uhh, what are we going to do with it?"
No one on the crew had any idea how to deal with the infant, since none of them had memories of their own infancy. The baby giggled at first, but then stopped and started crying loudly, making all the grown men nervous. One had to imagine all those famous pirates, with millions of bounties on their heads, were hopeless in the presence of a crying infant. No matter what they did, the little one wouldn't stop crying until Sid arrived.
"What's all this racket?" Sid asked.
Sid had taken a hammock at the front of the ship, which he called his own and where he spent most of his time, relaxing and enjoying his time. All members of the Roger Pirates enjoyed and welcomed his presence. Something about him reached directly into the hearts and souls of everyone, and he understood all of them.
His presence alone lifted the people's spirits and restored their hope, should they not have had any. Wherever he went, the suppressed, the slaves, and everyone saw him and found new purpose and courage. The broken rose above their suffering to go on, and the hopeless defenders would rally to defy the odds. Needless to say, he was beloved by all members of the crew, as they felt him like the rising sun.
"Oh, Sid. We found a baby in this chest."
"A baby?"
"Yeah"
"Haha, that's funny."
"Well, we can't get it to stop crying. Here, you do something," Roger said and handed Sid the baby.
"AHH----"
Immediately, Shanks stopped crying as soon as he was in Siddharta's arms. The two looked at one another, and it was as though they spoke using their eyes only. Everyone observed the two with interest, as if watching an interesting plot unfold before their very eyes. Suddenly, both Sid and baby Shanks started laughing.
"Kyahahaha..." The infant's laugh was still baby-like.
"Hahahaha. I can imagine."
"Bbabab..."
"That is funny. I met your mother, little Shanks. She was a wonderful woman."
"Ga!"
"Hardly. I enjoy lying on my hammock and feeling the sun tickle my belly after enjoying some sweets," Sid said.
"Gabuu bu"
"Sure. I don't see why not," Sid said and carried Shanks towards his hammock.
There, Sid lay down and placed Shanks on top of him. He took out two lollipops and gave one to baby Shanks. The infant took it with glee and then, with it in his small hands, which looked ridiculous, cuddled next to Sid, falling asleep with the lollipop in his mouth.
"Ahh..."
"That's right, Shanks," Sid said.
The rest of the crew looked at this with confusion on their faces. They had already started to grow accustomed to Sid's unusual behaviour, as he always did as he pleased, but this was new. And a bit strange.
"Did he just... talk to the baby?"
"They seemed to hold a conversation with each other."
"I think they are adorable," Shakky said and walked over with a content smile on her face.
"..."
"RAHAHAHAHAHAHA" "HEHEHEHEHEH" "BRARARARARA" "HAHAAHAHA"
The crew laughed. This would surely be a new chapter in their adventure.
.
(Sid POV)
Being part of the Roger Pirates was similar to how I imagined it would be. There was always someone from the Navy after us. One man in particular, Monkey D. Garp, seemed to have an unhealthy fixation on Roger. It was clear that he and Roger shared a friendship, but neither was willing or 'allowed' to admit that.
Still, that man was a bloodhound, I tell you. It was amusing to see the rivalry and friendship between Roger and Garp as they tried to 'kill' each other. No matter how much pride Garp had, if he truly wanted to capture Roger, he would have used underhanded tactics or fought him with more people than just himself. There were many ways he could have gone about this, but I felt he was merely using it as an excuse not to do what the World Government told him. I felt another free spirit from Garp.
The reason why he remained in the Marines, especially after God Valley, was strange. I heard that his son, whom I met briefly, had become a criminal. Imagine that, becoming a criminal because you had to force your fellow Marines to help transport civilians off the sinking island.
There was constantly something going on on the ship itself. Either we were chased by the Navy, which, as I stated, was mostly Garp, or we were chasing someone ourselves. There was also Roger's desire to search for new islands and reach the final one. However, we mainly just partied and enjoyed our free time. The crew would use any small reason to celebrate and get absolutely wasted. I had the strange thought that everyone seemed happier for some reason. It was amusing, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I could leave at any moment, but why would I do that?
I was put in charge of Shanks. I don't know what everyone found so special about my being able to converse with him. Unlike what most grown-ups thought, babies already had full-functioning souls and desires, like anyone else. All that would grow was their bodies. Living beings were not bodies and had souls; we were souls and had bodies. That was an important distinction.
I genuinely love Shanks. His innocence, the smiles he constantly gives me, and his following his dreams and desires brought me joy.
He has started to take after me in certain ways. We usually dealt with his hygiene first thing in the morning, then either went for a swim, walked around the island with him on my shoulders, or just lay in my hammock, enjoying the sun and the rocking of the ship. It was a very good time.
.
About two months into being on Roger's crew, I was approached by Rayleigh. It seems he had something specifically planned for me. I was once again relaxing on my hammock as I did most of the time, when he approached me.
"Sid, there's something I wanted to talk to you about," he said.
"Hm? What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, since you've been a part of our crew, I think it's time for you to start your training. I've seen how strong you are back in God Valley, and I think you have immeasurable potential. It would also be safer that way. You wouldn't hold anyone back, and when the World Government comes for you, you'll beat them up."
"The Vice Captain, looking out for everyone, hehe. I agree with you. I was planning to look into Haki anyway. I didn't get much training when I was in Mary Geoise."
"Very well then, let's start right away. I saw what you're capable of when you attacked Figarland. I initially thought it was a mistake or a lapse in focus on both our parts, but I have since come to understand the actual reason. The real reason why you managed to sneak up on him and me, respectively, was that we couldn't sense you. I believe his Kenbunshoku Haki didn't even pick up on you, so it didn't warn him.
I say this because I have experienced the same thing. And when I told Roger, he said he couldn't pick up on you either with his Kenbunshoku. I am not sure, but there might be a racial component involved, but in the end, it doesn't matter. The fact that you can't be predicted or sensed essentially makes you a very dangerous man on the Sea."
"Yeah, I noticed that as well. It was one of the reasons why Jay Saturn took me to his island and experimented on me. That and my refusal to show my pain or scream."
"Yes, I noticed your easygoing nature, and that is also why you fit in so well here. Your willpower is unbelievably strong for someone of your age. I can't accurately gauge your Haki strength, but from what I've seen, you are ready to begin training it. And that is what we'll do. Were you ever told what Haki is?"
"No. I just picked some things up from around me."
"Then I will explain it in detail. Haki is a latent power that everybody has! Presence, fighting spirit, intimidation ... It's no different from the senses that normal humans have. However, most of them don't realise their power or don't know how to bring them out, until the very end.
Having no doubt! That makes you strong. This is also the reason that you are so exceptionally powerful at the age of eight. You don't have any doubts. Your will is unbelievably powerful, and you take the world on without batting an eye. You will become truly powerful in the future. Now, let me explain the different types of Haki to you.
There are two prominent types of Haki! The first is the power to feel another's presence more clearly. This one is called Kenbunshoku no Haki, as we discussed earlier. If you enhance this power, you can tell where your invisible enemy is, how many there are and what their next move will be. They call it Mantra on the Sky Island - Skypiea.
Next is Busoshoku no Haki. This power is equivalent to wearing invisible armour. If the armour is strong enough, it can be used as an offensive power. The efficient part of this power is that, other than exploiting their weak point, Busoshoku no Haki is the only effective countermeasure against Devil Fruit eaters.
As I'm sure you know, Logia-type devil fruit eaters seem almost invincible because of their fluid bodies. But you can hit them solidly if you use Busoshoku no Haki. Another thing is that you can transfer this power to your weapon and coat it with it. And since you have weapons of your own, this will be important for you."
"I see. That is indeed interesting. But I feel like there is more than just those two, right? There was a feeling I got when the old Saturn tried to intimidate me during the fight in God Valley. He wanted me to do something. I thought it was interesting, but it got out of hand for a moment. That's the third type, then."
"You are correct. Kenbunshoku, Busoshoku ... Those are the two types of Haki that everyone has access to. However, there are a few rare individuals who can utilise a different type of Haki. If you paid attention during the fight on God Valley, then you saw that the weaker Celestial Dragons fell unconscious for no reason. And that pressure that you felt when they tried to intimidate you is the third type. Haoshoku no Haki, also called the colour of the Supreme King.
The people who carry the biggest names in the world, like Rocks and Roger, have this Haki. However, unlike the other two, you can control Haoshoku no Haki, but you can't train yourself to use it. It embodies the user's spirit! The only way to make it stronger is for you to grow stronger."
"Oh? I also have Haoshoku Haki, then," I thought out loud.
Rayleigh smiled when I said that.
"Yes, you most certainly do. For someone to have such strong willpower and spirit to endure whatever you did for over five years of his life and not even scream... You have an unbelievable spirit and willpower. I do not doubt that you will be able to use this consciously as soon as I put direct pressure on you. And I guess that you already unlocked it, but just aren't aware of it."
"No, I definitely unlocked it. But I'm still interested, so when do we start?"
Rayleigh didn't fully realise that Sid had not only unlocked it, but used it consciously, when he faced the three God's Knights. It was, of course, different from unlocking it and using it actively. And Rayliegh wanted to be thorough.
"Before we start, I should tell you a bit more about the different Haki types. As you now know, there are three types of Haki. However, each Haki has its own distinct set of stages that you can achieve.
For Kenbunshoku no Haki, these are primarily presence sensing, strength sensing, emotion sensing, and intent sensing. Those are some of the basic ways to use Kenbunshoku no Haki. Some who have advanced Kenbunshoku enough are even able to see a few seconds into the future."
"For real? That is an impressive use of one's will. This world is so interesting."
"Haha, yes, it is. Now Busoshoku no Haki. Here, the basic way to use it is to harden any part of your body or imbue it into a weapon of your choice. You are free to use it, but the more you use Busoshoku at a time, the more stamina it will cost you. If you advance enough here, you will be able to emit Busoshoku and make it flow out of your body. This allows you to unleash small, invisible bursts to knock things back. We call that Emission.
A step above the technique of emitting Busoshoku is having it flow into a target's body and destroy it from the inside out, which can be done by touching, grabbing, or even emitting Haki toward the object. This is known as Internal Destruction."
"Hehe, to think that there are such ways of using one's will. Truly, someone was imaginative."
"Indeed. Finally, we come to the last of the Haki, Haoshoku no Haki. As I told you, you can use Haoshoku to intimidate people and knock out those with a weaker will than you. When used with sufficient power, Haoshoku Haki can damage inanimate objects and structures in the user's vicinity. That is commonly called pressure. You already used this on God Valley.
A very small number of particularly powerful Haoshoku Haki users can "infuse" their bodies and weapons with this Haki, in a manner similar to Busoshoku Haki, greatly augmenting the power of their attacks. This is called Infusion. Now that the theory part is out of the way, let us begin with Haoshoku no Haki first."
"Yes, let's do that."
.
Rayleigh and I moved to an open area of the Oro Jackson. Some of the crew watched us, interested in what would happen. Rayleigh had masterful control over his power, but I didn't. At least not in all fields of Haki. My learning speed has been astronomical since I reincarnated. I take this as another boon from these two essences I drank.
"Good, since I am certain that you have Haoshoku no Haki, I will now try to get it to awaken once more."
"Sure."
*Fwoooooom*
A sudden pressure fell on me. Indeed, this is the same as what Xebec, Roger, Garp and Imu used, but theirs was even more potent. I just shrugged off this attempt at intimidation. It means nothing to me. It didn't work when Imu did it, and it didn't work when the others did it on God Valley. So why would I care about this attempt? I felt that Rayleigh was trying harder, but it still meant nothing. I will move when I choose to. After raising the power even higher, several crew members began to have trouble breathing. But before anyone fell unconscious, Rayleigh stopped.
"Haaaa, I was sure that this would bring it out. You have unlocked Haoshoku, which I know for a fact. Maybe you are just very resistant to Haoshoku Haki," Rayleigh guessed. But Roger interrupted him. He put his arm around Rayleigh and laughed.
"Rahahaha, Rayleigh, don't be discouraged by this. I believe that there is something else going on here."
"What do you mean?"
"Intimidation, pain, suffering... they mean nothing to Sid. I believe that there is nothing and no one that can push you around, Sid. So if anyone can truly make you use Haoshoku, it's you," Roger said and looked at me with intrigue and interest.
"Myself..." I said and smiled.
He was right. Since I arrived here, not once have I felt that I was changing in any way. I was capable of undergoing any disaster without batting an eye, ignoring any amount of pain, remaining mentally untouched by even the most terrible events, and even the most fearsome odds did not give me pause.
"You're right, Roger... regardless of whether they're God or Human, Fishman or Giants... only I can move myself!" I say, and as these words leave my mouth... the same monstrous pressure surged out of me as it did on God Valley.
*VVRROOO---*
The pressure was so great that instantly cracks appeared on the ship, and many immediately fell unconscious. Both Roger and Rayleigh responded with their own Haoshoku right away to stop mine from damaging the ship and crew members further. It wouldn't matter if I hadn't reined mine in, of course.
*FFWWOOOOOOOOOMMMM* *FWWOOOOOOOOMMM*
Understanding that I was about to do to them what I did to Saturn and the others, I toned it down a loooot. And once I used only the smallest fraction. We all smiled, and after a while of relishing this feeling, we stopped. This was amazing, and I felt that this wasn't even the most I could do... not by a long shot. There was no actual limit to this. How wonderful. I wouldn't have to fight many people to refine my control, but I would still do that, since I foresaw much more potential and uses in Haoshoku than one initially realised.
"RAHAHAHAHAHA" "HAHAHAHAHAHA"
We all laughed after that. It is amusing to let your spirit run free like that, and both Roger and I connected this way. It was a fantastic moment. Now I was expectant about this training and the future fights I would have.
"What a ridiculously powerful Haoshoku you have, Sid. You're barely 8 years old, and I felt that you had to hold back as well. I can only imagine the headache the Navy and the World Government will have in the future. Rahahaha," Roger laughed. Many others also joined in, and we ended up partying... of course, we did.
.
The next day, Rayleigh started my training in the other types of Haki. I used a blindfold from then on for everything I did. It was a bumpy first minute... until I dodged the first attack from Rayleigh.
"What?!"
"Hehe, I dodged Rayleigh. You should try harder," I said.
"We haven't even been training for five minutes, and you're already getting the hang of it. Just what kind of talent do you have?" Rayleigh asked me in frustration. I don't know how much time passed since we started, but I know that I was able to enter some form of hyper-focused state that made me understand the concept he wanted to show me that much faster.
I dodged another attack. This time it was easier than the last time. I really tried to feel his intent when he was attacking. I was getting the hang of this. Another attack came from the left, and I ducked underneath the Haki-coated stick. Not only did this allow me to train my Kenbunshoku, but it also allowed me to train my Busoshoku. I tried to block all those attacks, but I wasn't fast enough to dodge them.
The progress was incredible. Rayleigh understood what I was trying to do and used faster speeds, which I couldn't dodge every once in a while, so that I could get a feeling for Busoshoku as well. And it worked. I entered that state of peace and focus again and felt the energy that entered my body when his stick hit me.
I recognised it. Another attack came from above, aiming for my head. I dodged and then brought my arm up to block his next strike. He hit me again, and I felt the pain the hard stick produced. This went on for another few minutes until...
*Clang*
The sound of metal hitting metal was heard. Rayleigh's haki-coated stick hit my arm, which was also slightly coated with Haki. I smiled. This was amazing. I wanted to continue. I milked this experience dry and took the most of it. As Rayleigh increased his speed, it became clear that even if I could feel where he attacked from, my physical strength was not enough to keep up with him.
*Bang*
*Bong*
*Beng*
Rayleigh hit me from all sides and at quite fast speeds. He didn't increase his speed because he saw I couldn't keep up eventually. I abandoned trying to dodge and focused on blocking. Using Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku no Haki in tandem, I attempted to become faster at sensing the attack and then coating that area of my body to block the hit.
When we were finished, I was beaten black and blue, but I had a big smile on my face. I knew I didn't need to train extensively, but the feeling of using your body and muscles this way was amazingly freeing. I enjoyed using my will to achieve anything I wanted. I felt at peace as I tried to understand myself and the energies around me.
I got a small glimpse at the 'flow and essence' of this world. I felt like there was much more to it than I realised right now. Also, the fact that Kenbunshoku no Haki came so easily to me, and the concept of time, had a deeper meaning.
I would do my own training after a hearty meal and some rest. So from now on, I would continue doing this for as long as Rayleigh had time because, apart from Roger, he was the strongest on the crew. Gaban came in a close third, but Rayleigh was a true powerhouse in this world, and he would still grow stronger; I could feel it.