Chapter 1

Red-Eyes Rhevik was thirsty. He knew his body would never be fully sated, but water wasn't the answer to the thirst he longed to fulfill. He thirsted for meaning, for purpose, and for a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel he had been trudging through for over a year now. Today marked the first anniversary of the day his life had been shattered – the day Rhevik truly began to thirst.

The young pirate ran his fingers under the white beanie that covered the top of his jet black hair, massaging his temples as he leaned against the stern of the ship. It belonged to his pirate captain, Kaidou – one of the Yonkou feared across the Grand Line as the four most potent pirates of the pirate era. Rhevik didn't particularly care for Kaidou, but he owed the captain his life. One of Kaidou's ships had rescued him from a sure death after being stranded on a barren, deserted island for nearly three months.

Rhevik no longer had any nakama to go back to, and returning to his fishing community in the West Blue was never a viable option in his eyes. Thus he worked tirelessly as a crew member for the following nine months, quickly rising up the ranks as a result of his focus and willpower... but of course, possessing the powers of a devil fruit didn't particularly hurt either.

And so the pirate whom thirsted had quickly accumulated a total bounty of 75 million beri. The sum was enough to earn him a place on the flagship only several days earlier, and this transition was enough for the young man to question the direction his life was taking.

"Shell-head! Get off your ass and report amidship! We're approaching an enemy and if things get ugly, you and the dead carcasses of the rest of you useless excuses for underlings could give us more time to counter them."

The first mate had fondly called him by the nickname ever since the man had first caught sight of his white beanie. The man had taken a particular hatred in him, dishing extra cruelty out whenever possible.

But Rhevik didn't hate the man for that.

Rhevik despised the man for the way he abused his devil fruit power, throwing his weight around endlessly at the expense of others.

"Yeah yeah I'm going."

"I never said you could take your sweet old time, Shell-head! Haul ass and get over there!"

Rhevik rolled up the sleeves of his maroon crew shirt nearly up to his elbows and made his way amidship. He shoved his calloused hands into the pockets of his gray cargo pants, his brownish-tan boots leaving reverberating thumps as they resonated from the wooden frame. He was one of the last to reach the main deck as he ran a finger over his jet black soul patch in thought, coincidentally placing him near the captain as he came down the stairs from his quarters.

Kaidou let out a low, rumbling, ridiculing laugh as he recognized the ship's Jolly Roger. "HA AH HA AH HA! It's Red-Haired Shanks. What's he gonna do? He's no ally of Whitebeard, this doesn't concern him."

The first mate followed him and offered one of his usual boisterous remarks. "That one armed ginger freak is pathetic. Why should he care if we attack Whitebeard? That old man's death only means more power for both of our crews."

Rhevik whirled around at this comment, his eyes with pupils of midnight green wildly searching for any hint of a joke or lie on the man's face. He had always kept his head down, but he wasn't stupid enough to ignore news by word of mouth, and had earlier heard of Whitebeard's decision to war with the marines, with the intentions to free one of his fleet commanders: "Fire Fist" Ace. Helping marines take down one of the fellow Yonkou was preposterous!

"Kaidou! You fool, what is the meaning of this? Your plans could topple the delicate balance between powers in the Grand Line! This is more than just a game of 'who's the better pirate'!"

The captain turned his gaze towards Rhevik, with every sign of amusement at the pirate's comment. He didn't choose to do anything else as he knew his first mate would handle the situation.

His heart immediately begun to race, but Rhevik wasn't quick enough – within seconds he was on his knees, hopeless against the devil fruit powers of the first mate as he struggled against the agony coursing through his body.

"Heeyah-hah-ha! Shell-head looks like he wants to share his thoughts, along with a death wish it seems," shouted the first mate. He reveled in the pain he inflicted, a type of pain he hadn't caused since killing the pirate whom Rhevik was chosen to replace.

"Scum like you have no right to address Captain Kaidou, let alone challenge his decisions! But I must thank you, Shell-head. Since you arrived, I have longed for this as a wolf longs for flesh! DIE! Aheeyah-hah-ha!"

His muscles were corded and stalwart, his body tough and lean, and yet the young pirate had never endured pain like this before. It seemed to last for several minutes, then hours, perhaps even days. But as soon as it had began, the pain ceased.

As Rhevik fell to the deck, his senses quickly began to elude him. He no longer smelled the salty air of the sea, or tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth, or felt the sensation of millions of knives stabbing his nerves, or heard the maniacal laughs of Kaidou's first mate. But he was still achingly thirsty, and the last thing he thought was how fitting it was for death to come precisely one year later than the lone pirate had wished for.

The last image Rhevik saw was a man boarding the flagship – a flash of red highlighting his features – as he embraced the empty, desolate darkness of oblivion.

I made the first mate's name and power vague to try to remain as canonically close as I can. More on Rhevik's abilities the next couple chapters, more on his past later on. Comment please! :)