The Beast of the Beyond

Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.

Chapter. 1 – Out There

When society told you that outside was bad, there were two ways to take it. The first was to obey and not to question any further, the second was to go out and see it for your own. There were also two possibilities of how it would turn out if you decided to go, one could debunk the lies that were told, or one could find nothing but disappointment. Or at least that was how the scenario would play out for the typical person.

The other way to go was if you know what's out there and still didn't give a rat's ass about it.

Speeding through the field of garbage, towering piles of junk and metal scraps stretched across the horizon was a man. His feature was covered with the heavy shade of his hood and a gas mask to protect him from the poisonous air of the junkyard. Testing the limit of his bike on the rough terrain, taking sharp turns wherever possible, knowing fully no one would be able to find him here. Right, left, he could feel the adrenaline pumping through his vein as he turn his speed up, faster than he ever dared to. His hood slipped as he made another turn, revealing his jet-black hair, all pushed back thanks to the velocity. Trafalgar Law reveled as he threaded the fine line between life and death. The man knew full well that if he crashed into one of the junk piles at the rate he was going, he could easily bash his brain out upon impact. But what was life without a good thrill.

Reckless behavior was unbefitting for him, but it was his off day, and no one's here to lecture him about public safety, or the helmet he left behind on purpose. He could easily remove his mask to let his face feel the breeze, but even Law was not that daring. Death by poison was not Law's idea of a fun time.

Dodging stray pieces of cans and avoiding his imminent demise, Law put his senses and reflexes to the test. It was then he saw a tower of metal scraps collapsed not too far from his face. Cursing under his breaths, the raven-haired man took an abrupt turn, nearly slipping, to dodge the crumbling pile.

He halted to a stop, to enjoy the view of what almost killed him. He had been to this junkyard dozens of time and it was the first time he saw those seemingly immovable towers collapse. Well, it wasn't his fault. He knew he did not touch anything.

Law pulled his hood back up as he took a little break from his bike. He walked towards what was previously the base of the pile, and curiously he noticed a movement.

"No way." He muttered.

No living being was supposed to be able to survive in this toxic wasteland.

And then there it was again, not movement, but clearly enough the sound of something or someone digging into the pile of scraps.

Law cautiously ventured towards the rubble, and attempting to climb over it to find the source of his curiosity. Although Law was considered fairly athletic and possessed stamina greater than most, stepping on uneven pile of garbage slowed even him. Finally after a bit of a struggle, the hooded man reached the top of the ruins, using the higher ground to his advantage, and scoured the scene below.

Sure enough, he saw another man. A being that should not be there, digging fervently as if he was looking for something important.

Fascinated by the view Law took a seat and observed as if he had all the time in the world. View from above and through his green tinted goggles, he couldn't really make out anything, but admiring the bulging muscle and the pale skin of the man in contrast to the metal scraps. He noticed something odd about the man aside from being butt baked in this toxic place in the midst of autumn, was the stranger's left arm.

'Could it be?'

Law dared himself to go closer towards the man, as his curiosity took the better of him.

"No fucking way." He exclaimed, successfully catching the other's attention.

Strong facial features, sharp eyes, and no eyebrows. He stared on suspiciously as Law descended from the top of the pile. Stopping just out of arm's reach, Law pointed towards the stranger's metal arm.

"Is that real?"

Perplexed and seemingly offended, the man roared out death threats and profanities at the raven-haired man. To Law's surprised, the man started to come at him, and waddling and brushing aside any obstacle in his path. What exactly did he do to deserve such an unpleasant welcome? Law did not know nor keen to wait around to find out. Like what everyone would do when faced with an enraged, not to mention naked beast, he bolted. Tracing the steps he took to ensure stable footing, Law still had to dodge the occasional pipes and bricks zooming past him. Thank the holy deities, the lunatic had a very bad aim.

Law surprised even himself that he made it to the bottom of the other side of the ruins and made a beeline to his bike. Once he got on his ride, he revved the engine hoping to scare away, or at least halted the nut job.

"Stay where you are!"

"Or what?" Clearly, the man was not intimidated easily.

"Or I'm going to run you over."

Law didn't know where he found the gall to threaten the asshole twice his size, and now bloodied from the cuts and scratches from his frantic chase. Damn, he looked down right demonic.

"I'd like to see you try." The man replied, in the midst of his panting. He bared his teeth like a feral animal, and Law felt an itch on his neck imagining how easily he could rip his throat with those fangs. Forget about the toxic air and whatnot, the books should mention that there was a watchdog that would kill you if you dared to go beyond the wall.

"Who are you?"

Law's question earned him a growl.

"What's it to ya?"

Despite his challenge, Law noticed that the beast had not move a step closer towards him. He took it as a good sign and tried to push his luck a little more.

"If I'm going to die today, at least I wanted to know the name of the guy who would kill me." 'Not that I'm gonna let you to.' Law waited as the stranger pondered the question and decided that there was no harm in telling.

"Eustass Kid. Now come and let me kill you." Kid started to advance towards Law, paying no heed to his injury, but Law revved his engine once more and the monster stopped in his track.

"Whoa there! Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Pleased with himself, Law smirked under his mask.

"So, how did you get here?" Law enjoyed having the beast on his leash, and he decided to ask even more questions.

"You're a nosy bastard, ain't ya?"

"You could say that."

"And a dumb one too, at that."

"The fuck did you just call me?" It was Law's turn to get offended.

Law tightened his grip on the handle of his bike and took off with the intention to knock the son of a bitch down along with his attitude down a notch. Then, he saw a flash of blur, but not from his bike going too fast. A hand was gripping on his neck, tackling him off his high pedestal, and forcing his back on the cold hard ground. It wasn't the time for his mind to wander off, but Law suddenly remembered what his friend, Penguin said to him repeatedly, "You're gonna be found dead in ditch somewhere if you don't drop you attitude." Well, Shit. Penguin wouldn't be so thrilled that his premonition was going to come true so soon. Except, he was certain that his body would never be found. Like, Ever. No one ever came here and it just further raised his question on Kid's existence. Well, maybe this was not the best time considering the obvious menace is gripping at his air pipe right now.

'Think, Law. Think!'

Law forced himself to figure a way out of this mess. Sure, he had fantasized on dying while being ripped apart by a naked man, but it was on a whole different context. And he certainly didn't fancy dying with the view of everything looked sickeningly green. The tinted goggles concealed his eyes well, and helped him snuck pass the security drones, and also it looked kinda cool, giving him the bio-hazardous feel he always liked. Right that moment though, he damned every last shades of green to the depth of hell as he didn't want it to fill his last vision of the rotten world he live in. And then everything suddenly cleared up.

Huh?

The sky turned back to it's usual blue color dotted with white cloud, and the guy named Eustass Kid looked fine with that flaming red hair. It wasn't such a bad view, but he felt as if he had forgotten something crucial. Now what was it?

Law instantly held his breath as he noticed Kid had his mask, and is trying to catch every breath like a drowning man struggling for air. Upon that revelation, Law immediately covered his nose with his palm. He needed to get out of there before he breathed in too much of those toxic fumes. His silver eyes darted across the field, finding his bike, lying on the ground with its wheels still turning. His eyes swept across the field trying to find a way to get pass the redhead, onto his bike and after that, an escape route.

Beads of cold sweat started to form on his tanned skin. The air was getting cold and by nightfall, it would be impossible to find his way back. He prayed that the red head was still too preoccupied to notice his movement, and he bolted straight pass him towards his ride. Without glancing back, he took off and left the man, still hunched and breathing furiously through his prize. As for Law, he had never been so eager to get back to the border and drove as fast as he could manage. The threat was real, and his heart was still beating like crazy although he tried to limit his air intake, fearing each breath might be his last.

Pissed through his core, Law swore that it would be the last time he ran like a coward. He would go back there and beat the wretched beast to the ground.

'Pfff…That is if he hasn't keeled over by himself.' He mused.

Law was greeted by strange looks when he drove in the underground parking of his building – Well, his uncle's building, and he wouldn't be too fond to find a banged up bike parked next to his pristine collection of vehicles. Law couldn't care less, not after what happened today. Law was convinced that he would have died, and the worst part was no one would ever find his body there and he refused to imagine what would have happened to his body after. It sent a shiver down his aching spine. Damn, the fall was hard and his jacket did little to cushion the impact.

Groaning with each limping step, Law finally got off the elevator to his room, which was practically the entire floor of the building. He wouldn't complain, the view was amazing from the thirtieth floor, but it also kept him restless and curious about what was beyond the city's protective bubble. High sturdy wall around the perimeter, controlled weather condition, and of course, the layer of lies shaped like a dome showing a beautiful night sky.

Law knew what was out there, beyond the wall, piles and piles of rubble. It wasn't pleasant to the eyes, but it was the truth.

"I expected you to be ready for dinner."

Law turned around and found his uncle, with his irritatingly bright colored attire and an overstretched grin, making himself comfortable on Law's bed. The problem with having an entire floor as your room, was that there was no way to lock it. Especially not from the one owning the property.

"Say, does it hurt when you smile like that? Cause it's just not normal."

Doflamingo chuckled and ignored his nephew's taunt. He thought it was cute.

"Get dressed, you looked like shit. Care to share what happened today?"

"Not particularly, no."

Law never liked his uncle that much, or as the matter of fact, his entire family. Though ever since his father died in an accident during a factory visit, Law had started to drift apart even more. He knew his uncle had tried and put effort into winning his trust and all, but as Law got older, it got more and more annoying. At least his heart was in a good place.

"Alright then, I'll get the boy to patch you up after dinner."

Law watched as his uncle took his leave, and walked towards the elevator in the middle of the room. The grin was still there. Seriously, it must be hurting at least a little bit. Law was distracted as he was staring the cheek muscles contorting his uncle's face as they moved. Fascinating.

"Law, did you hear what I've just said?"

"I'm sorry. What?"

"Be gentle on the bike. And please, I'm running out of reasons to keep you out of jail."

"Well, they'd have to catch me first."

Law was a deviant one, and no one could deny that, and being an heir to one of the largest company in Grand Line City didn't agree with him. His uncle never married and didn't have anyone to entrust the company to, and Law was already like a son to him. But did he ask what Law had wanted? No, of course not. Law should already consider himself lucky that Doflamingo hadn't planned an arranged marriage for him.

After dinner, Law was back in his room being fussed over by his employees. Penguin and Shachi were already considered close friends by the raven, but it didn't mean that Law was inclined to share the illegal act he committed earlier that day. They were still his employees and when their pestering turned unbearable, he could always send them away.

That night, his mind kept wandering beyond the wall. Eustass Kid. Where had he heard that name before? Now that his mind were clear, he was certain that it rang a bell, it sounded too familiar, but he just couldn't seem to place a finger on it. Maybe he just have to ask the beast himself, After all, he now got a bone to pick with the man.

'But what are the chances of running into him again?'

Law did weight the possibility of that happening, but he was determined to hunt the son of a bitch down. The raven-haired man was determined. There were so many questions he needed him to answer.

Why was he there? Were there others? Why was he naked? Was the metal arm real, and how could it get there? How long has he been out there? How could he survive that long? Again, why was he naked?

He needed to, and he will go back out there. This time around, he would be prepared.

"Say, Penguin. Do we have any books about game hunting in our archive?"

To be continued…

A/N: Dystopian future, done to death, I know. But hey! It's really fun to write! Hope you like it and please leave a review to let me know what you think about this story!

Have a good day.