Hey ya'll! Wow. I don't say that often, but I had to right then. I just, well, had to. Anyway, this is my very first One Piece fanfiction EVER! So, if my writing is a bit different, please forgive me. I know One Piece tends to be goofy, and my writing is usually more serious, but I'm trying to tone it down to go better with this. If you have advice on ways to better it, please let me know. Anyway, this is a SYOC. The form is on my profile (as well as positions). I SHALL ONLY ACCEPT VIA PM! Unless you're a guest, in which case I must make an exception. This was basically all written today while I was watching The Voice, so I was really distracted, so please forgive me for mistakes. I really need thoughts here, guys. I'm really afraid of writing a long story in a different anime, so encouragement can really boost my ego here, which I have almost none of. And a lot of my stuff may be confusing at first, but please bear with me! Most of this stuff should be answered next chapter (I think). This may be a bit... asky? I dunno.

Lastly, a shout out to CSpacian and Shadow40000. Both have helped me with this story. CSpacian even inspired me to write this. If you haven't read any of his stuff, you really should. It's amazing. Jason should even appear later on (unless I misunderstood or there's a sudden change). So, no give away, guys!

I think that's it. On to the story!


"Grant!" He saw the small blurred hand reach out, his entire body throbbing in pain. Most painful, however, was the weight on his chest. The figures before him were disappearing in the dark, but one figure stood out. His body rose, trying to get his feet under him, but he slipped and fell again. "Grant, please, wait!" The voice came out pained, pleading for something it didn't believe would happen.

The figure in the middle of the group he could barely make out anymore stopped. Voices whispered to him, trying to prod him on, but the man turned to half way face them. A dark shape moved through the dark – his arm. Everything came into focus for only a second, and then what he was doing became clear. He was giving a thumbs up.

All this did was bring about more tears, but the darkness was quickly closing in. "Grant!"

A jolt ran through Jason's body as he snapped awake. At first he was in a state of panic, the emotions from his nightmare clawing its way into reality. It didn't help he was in the dark. His breathing picked up, adrenaline pounding through his system. If he didn't calm down, surely he would start to change.

"Calm down, child. You're safe now."

It was the sudden, unexpected voice that jerked him away from the clutches of his dream. Jason scrambled to his feet in panic, and then let out a pained groan. He reached down to touch his chest. A surprised yelp escaped as pain suddenly flared. Not only that, but there was blood.

A grunt came from the same place as before. "I told you to calm down. You just reopened that wound, and right after my treatment, too." The voice obviously belonged to an older male. "I even treated you when you just tried to kill me!"

Jason blinked, searching the surrounding darkness for the owner of the voice. At first it was a mere outline on the ground. As his eyes adjusted, though, he saw a man either in his late twenties or early thirties sitting down cross legged. All he could make out in the dark was his wavy blond hair, French beard, and long sleeve right shirt. Everything else must have been darkly colored because it was lost in the surroundings.

The man was also covered in claw wounds. By the smug, mischievous smile on his face, though, they didn't bother him whatsoever. Or he was fantastic at hiding his real feelings.

"Who are you?" Jason demanded. "What's going on here?"

Amusement gleamed in the man's dark eyes. "You really don't remember? Then again, the fight was only for two minutes, though your Berserk attack really did do a lot of damage."

Jason's eyes narrowed in confusion. The more he thought about it, though, the more he realized he did know this man. "You're the captain of that Dark Light pirate crew, "Traitor Marine" Kenage." As he spoke, memories of the said fight came back.

Flashes of his claws flashing out at the pirate. A dark blur attacking him from every side. The mere force sending his own claws back at him, leaving cuts on his chest. His control beginning to slip as he used Berserk. The pirate's blood as the attacks hit their target. Darkness creeping up on him as something banged into the back of his head.

"You knocked me out!"

"And you tried to slash my gut open and get rid of my right eye," Kenage retorted. "I figured the only way I'd get to talk to you was if I'd knocked you out and waited until you woke up. You're anger had to dwindle first." The man leaned forward, resting his arms on either leg. Never once did the smug smile leave his face.

The dark haired boy backed away, trying to put distance between him and his enemy. For a month the Dragons had been trying to get rid of the intruding pirate crew, and now their captain was suddenly trying to talk to him? It was ridiculous. Surely the others were waiting in the shadows, prepared to jump out and kill him. His eyes darted around, contemplating the best course of escape.

His thoughts were interrupted as Kenage said, "By all means, run away. I am keeping you here for your benefit, not my own. After all, I figured some kid like you would love to save your village."

Kenage obviously received the reaction he wanted. When Jason jerked his head around to look at him, shocked by his words, Kenage's smile increased. If possible he became smugger. "What do you mean save my village?" the boy demanded.

"Well, usually when someone says save, they mean to help out. In this case, I want to help you out. Now," Kenage said, resting his chin on his hand, "whatever kind of problem could I be trying to help you with?"

His mouth opened a few times only to shut again. This wasn't possible. Around twenty-five years had passed and not even the Marines had come to help. Why would some ex-marine pirate even try? He had been told there were no more than seventeen crew members, yet they dare thought they could take out the Dragons? "You're lying to me. There's no way," he protested.

Jason didn't even catch the movement. The Dark Light captain was suddenly to his side, the weapon moving in a dark blur. Something took his feet out from under him, sending him crashing painfully to the ground. The breath was knocked out of him, tears momentarily blurring his vision. When it cleared, though, he saw Kenage standing over him, smirking like he had no care in the world, and for the first time, he saw what the weapon was. The bo staff tapped against his chest, as if to say check mate.

"Never doubt the Dark Light Pirates, kid. It could end your life." To emphasize his point, he suddenly brought it back. The bo moved again, only now it was aimed at his head. Jason flinched, feeling the earth to the left of him give as the weapon slammed into it. Kenage leaned against it, peering down at Jason. "So, kid, you want me to get rid of your Dragon species infestation?"


So what do you think? Like? Hate? Criticism is welcome and appreciated. Thanks if you even read this ^_^. Disclaimer: Kenage was created by Shadow4000. Kinda. Half, I guess. But he's still an awesome one by Shadow-san ^^