I died a messy death. Let me assure you that it was not a pretty one. Falling on a rocky terrain from ten floors worth of height was surely a merry way to sign off your own life, but…. even a remote chance of being alive was closed to me when I realized that I was going to land head first. I was not a doctor, but I was pretty sure that my end was near in those precious few seconds.
Funny thing that we humans run around saying that we don't have time for many things in our lives during the time we live. But, those few seconds were stretched to eternity for me. I was in a separate time bubble. While the air around me rushed, and my wide, panicked eyes held terror, and whoever was in the vicinity of me stared in shock and disbelief, or in some cases joy and satisfaction, I could see that my time was running out right before my eyes.
The strangest thing was that, I was really in a separate time bubble. In the few seconds it took me to land on my neck and meet my ultimate demise, I was able to process a multitude of thoughts and eventually arrive at some haphazard conclusion on my life. I didn't know whether I was happy that my miserable existence is ending or sad that I was dying so young. Even the strange time bubble I was in was not enough to make me attain a sense of my messed up life. The only thought that was in my mind was that if only I had a second chance…..
Crunch!
It was the last sound I heard. A pool of my own blood was the last thing I saw. I didn't even have time to close my eyes. To say that I died with my eyes wide open would be an appropriate statement on many accounts.
But then, a strange thing happened.
I don't know whether it was the norm by which things act. I don't know whether all the mortal souls ended up there. All I knew was that I was dead… and floating in an endless void. I couldn't see whether it was dark or light or any other damn color that I could recognize. My sight, speech, hearing, taste and all the other damn things that we humans used to boast superiority over the others were all stripped. The only thing I could sense was that I was in a void.
Even the thought of being in a void was my own conclusion based on the fact that I couldn't sense any other thing. I didn't know how long I stayed in that void. Whether it was minutes or hours or months or year or even seconds, I couldn't honestly tell.
Then, suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of me and with came my faculties – sight, smell, sense and hearing. But not speech though. As I looked down a vague outline of me, more blurry and smoky than real, was all I could see. It was discomforting to say the least. I dragged my eyes from my blurry form in a detached state of horror and looked ahead to find a being made of light.
It was no different either. All I could see was a hazy form of it with what amounted to be eyes a face on it. I tried to greet it to only remember that my speech hadn't returned yet. The being looked at quizzically and then what seemed to be a sudden curiosity flashed across its face. Somehow, seeing the being eye me curiously didn't sit well with me. I squirted in discomfort with its attention.
"Interesting…"
The being hummed to itself in curiosity.
"How come I never thought of it, still it doesn't make much difference. I think the others will be pleased with my finding."
The being said in apparent sadistic glee and I shuddered at its tone.
Two more beings popped into existence. They looked similar to the first one with hazy forms and what passed to be a face on them. Yet, there were slight differences between them. The first one's hazy form looked normal, while the second one looked a little fat. The last one though, it was real giant. It towered over the others. Looking at the trio, I gulped.
"Why have you called?" the fat one whined.
"Look at him," the first one stated causing all their attentions to shift towards me.
I squirmed under their intense gazes and tried to make myself as small as possible. Yet, there was nowhere for me to hide from their gazes.
"Well, well, if this isn't an idea worth trying out. I mean, we haven't had fun in so many years," the giant said causing a tremble to emerge within me with its voice alone.
"Yes, yes. I agree,"
The fat one licked its lips which made me feel like an edible meat in front of the trio.
"But, how do we go about it. I mean we can't send him directly to the timeline. That wouldn't make sense," the fat one pouted.
"I think I might have an idea regarding it."
The first one stated with a wicked glint in its eyes that made all my metaphorical hairs stand on the edge. The others exchanged glances and I saw what passed to be a wordless communication appear in front of me. An uneasy feeling passed through me seeing the same wicked glint pass through all three of their eyes. I desperately wanted to object to whatever shit the three douchebags in front of me had planned for me.
Alas, I could only plead them with my eyes.
I could feel that nothing good was going to come out of whatever the trio has planned and I desperately wanted to stay out of it. But, as my rotten luck would have it, I could only watch them come to a decision.
"I can tell that you liked One Piece, isn't that right?" the first one asked.
A sinking feeling rose in the pit of my stomach and strangely enough I felt something loosen in my mouth.
"By One Piece, do you mean that shithole of an universe where pirates are the good guys and the government are the bad guys?"
I asked with horror clawing at my insides.
"Now, now. I think you liked that story a lot. Why would you say such bad things?" the first one asked with glee etched across his face.
I gulped realizing that I could hide nothing from the trio in front of me. It didn't surprise me though. But, once I realized that they could see through me easily, my mind flashed back to all those random fanfictions I had read that entailed some poor sour being sent to the said universe and struggle through it.
Oh no! Oh no! Not that, you bastards. Not that! It was just a crazy idea.
I frantically thought as I vaguely guessed what the trio was hinting at.
"Why not?"
The fat one asked in an amused tone that twisted my insides.
"Please, please. I don't remember much of the story. I can't…" I pleaded to them in desperation.
While others may think of pleading as something shameful, I was not delusional enough to not understand what the trio in front of me entailed. So, if I pleaded to a trio of dicks who could hold me captive (probably my soul) and discuss what they were going to do with it, bite me. I may have died, my common sense has not.
"Oh don't worry. You will be fine," the giant chortled causing a pounding headache in me.
I looked at the trio in horror as I realized that I had no option here. Resigned to my fate I grumbled a few unsavory comments about their intelligence which earned another chuckle from the giant.
"He has some sass, I will give you that."
The fat one said with mirth coloring his tone.
"Fine, fine. I will do it. But, not that scenario," I said shaking my head.
"You talk as if you have an option," the first one's eyes narrowed.
"Come on, you know how ludicrous that idea is. I mean, just think about it. How can it even be possible?" I argued in irritation.
"If it is possible in the previous era, why must this era be different?" the first one gleefully countered with my own idea.
I shot a venomous look at the bastard and his smile widened.
"Look brat, if you make it worth our while, we might even lend you some aid. After all, you are there for our amusement. It won't do for you to be a weakling," the giant rumbled causing yet another vibration to rock my body.
"Fine. Then you know what I need to make it happen. I can't be some random jack for it to happen," I countered trying to obtain as much advantage I could before going there.
"Well, I agree," the fat one said.
But the first one just frowned and shook his head.
"Nah, that won't be fun. Prove yourself boy, and I guarantee you will get what you want," the first one said with a tone of finality that made my shoulders slump in dejection.
"Cheer up, brat. We don't give this option to everyone that passes through here. Your insane idea has given you an opportunity. Now, prove your worth, we will help you make your fantasy a reality," the giant said.
I gritted my teeth in frustration. I cursed myself for ever dreaming up that idea. Yet, I couldn't refute the giant's words. It was true. Not everyone gets another shot at living. And that too in a fantasy world which I had jealously watched. If all it takes to make one of fantasies become reality was to do what I had dreamed to do, then so be it. I just hoped that I was not biting more than I could chew. After all, the shoes I had to fill were fucking huge.
"Fine," I growled at last, "I will do it. But, I might need some time."
"Two years," the first one said.
"Five," I countered, "You can't expect me to become so strong in two years. Even freaking Monkey D. Luffy had years of training even before he began his voyage."
"Three," the first one said cutting me off as I tried to argue. "and you will get some help. If you can't do it in three, then there is no use in sending you there."
"Three it is," the fat one nodded in acceptance.
"Three it is," the giant grumbled and the world around me bloomed in brilliant light that blinded my eyes.
I woke up with a start to find myself drenched from head to toe. I groaned as my head spun and felt like puking my guts out. A salty taste assaulted my mouth as I opened my mouth and heaved for air. I let my eyes roam and found that I was in a shore. Most probably washed up. And I exhaled a huge sigh realizing what a big fuckup it was. I could feel my body feeling too heavy to move and belatedly my brain supplied to me that the feeling was exhaustion.
I lay there on the shore for a long time trying to come to terms with what I had just went through. As the implications slowly sank through my mind, I grumbled in irritation. This was a colossal fuck up. And there was no two ways about it. And I cursed that stupid idea for getting me into this mess.
Sure, when I dreamed it up after reading some great fanfictions it felt great. But now, all I could do was curse my luck. Even cursing felt pointless at this juncture. It would solve nothing. If I wasn't mistaken, I was now in the One Piece universe. The great world that had both awed and amazed me for its sheer brilliance. The fucking scope of it just dazzled me and had always left me with genuine respect for GODA sensei. Even after being stuck into this ridiculous situation, I didn't begrudge the man for creating such a masterpiece.
Despite how complex and overarching the plot was, I have always felt that story had lacked one component. But, GODA sensei has created such a world that even that could be overshadowed with brilliant storytelling. One couldn't but help respect such a master at storytelling, even when it fucking lands them in a strange world.
My idea had formed from the one component I had felt missed in the story. Dreaming it up was well and good, but now I am stuck here trying make that dream a reality. I had three years to prepare before the shit hit the floor and then it is going to be one hell of a ride. A strange smile stretched my face. I could feel the manic glee deep in my heart being emulated in that smile. This was going to be fun. And I am gonna fucking do it or die trying it.
First things first though. Everyone who usually ends up in One Piece like me were given a Devil Fruit. I sat up and scanned my surrounding for any anomalies that may contain that mystical fruit that could grant the users with insane amount of power. I would need all kinds of help if I was going to make my dream a reality. There was nothing in the immediate vicinity though.
I consoled myself as I remembered that few of the characters that ended up in One Piece found them a little distance away from their initial starting point. So, I pulled myself up and looked around to see anything was visible a little ways off.
As I stood up, a wave of nausea attacked me but it immediately subsided as I scrunched my eyes tight. The scorching sun didn't help either. I slowly let my eyes adjust and to my surprise found the vision to be far clearer than anything I had experienced in my previous life. I let out a satisfying hum and stretched and little. Popping sounds emerged from my bones and I felt a smile creep across my face as I realized the current body I inhabited was far more flexible and limber than my previous one. I did a full stretching and found the body parts far more limber than I was used to. I hopped a few times to ensure that I didn't mistake it and then set off in search of the Devil Fruit that was waiting for me in the vicinity with far more spring in my steps and energy than I was used to.
Frustration filled me as I stared at my surroundings. It was some kind of a forest near the beach with tall trees and thick foliage. I had combed the entire beach for almost an hour before beginning my search in the forest. And a few more hours had passed since then. My rotten luck was acting up once more.
Despite searching for more than three hours, all I had to show for the effort was the sweat that was leaking out of my body pores. And I had to admit that I was beginning to get frustrated with the fruitless search.
"It has to be here. It has to be here," I mumbled to myself.
There weren't any other creatures in the vicinity too. I remembered one particular fanfiction having a snail that had ate Devil Fruit. It was a cool one too. But, I was the only one here and it was taking its toll on my body and mind.
I balled my fists in frustration and felt a need to vent my anger.
"You bastards. How am I to become strong?" I screeched at the sky.
It was easy to forget that non-Devil Fruit characters were mere second rate in the story. Despite how powerful they were, they always came second to Devil Fruit users. Even those ultimately powerful ones like Shanks and Mihawk had sword going for them. I know I was not a swordsman. It didn't suit me. I was basically a brawler. Without Devil Fruit powers I could only be a cannon fodder. Even if I put in insane efforts in the next three years, I would only end up as a second-grade fighter. And that was not acceptable.
Not for me. Not for the shoes I had to fill.
"You fucking jerks," I bellowed at the sky and threw a punch at one of the trees.
BOOM
I gaped as I watched the tree I had punched in anger break into splinters where I had hit. As the dust cleared I watched the result of my punch with slackjawed wonder. As I examined the imprint of my fist carefully, I saw nothing but splinters remaining in the thick trunk of the tree I had punched. Driven by curiosity, I mildly poked the spot where I had punched and with a groan the tree began to break. I hastened to the side and watched with glee as the top half of the tree broke and fell with a thud raising a dust storm.
When the dust cleared, I stood there with a manic glee tugging my heart. I let out a whoop of joy and did a little happy jig before calming down. The happiness I had felt didn't vanish. I curiously examined my hand trying to see if the punch has caused any damage to it. There was not even an impression left on my hand. Seeing that, a wicked glint emerged in my eyes.
I turned towards the next tree and inhaled sharply before delivering another punch to it. This time the result was less spectacular. There was definitely a mark of my fist wedged into the tree trunk. But, the trunk was still holding up. I frowned at that and went over the two punches in my head. After a while, I came to the conclusion that my anger at the trio who had sent me here had caused me to dredge up more power.
Curious to test this theory, I brought up the same anger in me before taking a stance in front of the next tree. The anger wasn't hard to summon either. I was rightfully pissed off with being denied my Devil Fruit. I let the anger course through me and delivered another vicious punch. This time the result was close to the first punch. However, the tree didn't fall when I touched the splintered part that had been the victim of my ire.
Confused, I scratched my head for a while trying to determine why the result was noticeably less than the first time. After a while, I shrugged and decided to let it go. After all, punching a tree through with a single punch was not something everyone could do. Hell, I wouldn't even have scratched the tree before my death. Maybe, it was the help those shitty scumbags had told I would get.
A super-strong body huh. I have to say that I liked it. It wasn't something extravagant like some of the people's powers in this world. But, when I thought about one particular marine who punched through the walls with his body to make an entrance, I couldn't help but smile. If I trained this proper, it would even be a great asset. But still, a Devil Fruit would have been nice.
"Jerks," I mumbled as I turned around to check if anything else was visible in the vicinity.
Apart from the trees, myself and few birds chirping overhead in the tree, there was no one else in the vicinity. I doubted if anyone else was there they would even approach me after all the ruckus I made. So, I decided to go check out the locality myself.
After walking for what felt like hours, I chanced upon well-trodden path in the middle of the forest in the island. I randomly chose to pick a direction and followed the path. Thirst and hunger seemed to gnaw at me and the sun wasn't doing anything wonderful either. Still I preserved in the hope that I could find something before the eventual exhaustion kicked in.
The path winded and winded leading me deeper into the island and I dutifully followed it. After what seemed like eons to me and my tired body, sounds of activity reached my ears. It perked me up from my exhausted walk as I came out on to a clearing to see a group of people in a camp. The activity froze as they heard my footsteps and I sheepishly waved at my would-be meal providers hoping to avoid any misunderstanding due to language barriers.
"Shit"
Just like that the spell holding all of us standstill broke and two figures raced towards me with obvious intent to harm written plainly across their snarling faces.
I groaned to myself at the sight. Of course, I couldn't receive some plain old fashioned welcome the heroes always received in tales where strangers provided them food. This was the world of One Piece and what else could I expect apart from general madness. And I thought that the factor that I was here for the amusement of those three assholes would have also come into play.
I ducked from the fist that was thrown at me and swayed out of the way from the next fist that followed the first one. I backed up quickly holding my hands in an appeasing gesture. But, as my rotten luck would have it, the bastards attacking me didn't seem to care for it. And from the corner of my eyes I saw a few others run towards me.
I let out a huge sigh as I moved out of the next punch as I realized that I might not have a chance to deal with these assholes peacefully. I danced lightly on my feet to increase the distance between me and the group by evading several blows aimed at me. These men were ridiculously slow and I had to admit that evading from their blows were like child's play.
Once the group caught up to the first two I backed off a few paces to regard the group as a whole. As I looked closely at them, I came to realize something very important that I had missed in the first place. These men were not angry. They merely looked eager and….greedy, like someone eyeing a suitcase of money. And I have to say, it unsettled me.
Did I perhaps stumble upon a group of cannibals? Do cannibals even exist in One Piece? It confused me a little. None of what I remember of One Piece talked about a place filled with cannibals. And it would just be my rotten luck to get sent to an island filled with cannibals immediately upon my arrival at this world.
"He looks fit," one of the men said as if to confirm my fears.
"Look at those muscles," another said with a greedy look flashing across his eyes.
Well, I have to admit that their statements creped me out more than the situation itself. A small rustle at the back of the group drew my eyes and a man who could at best be described as a dwarf or a midget pushed the others apart and came to stand in the front.
"I can't believe we missed such a specimen like him," the man said causing me to raise my eyebrows.
"Well, he delivered himself to us," another chuckled near him.
"That's true. It looks like our luck is good, my boys," I scowled at the mention of luck. "What are you waiting for, capture him. Careful though, I don't want him bloodied. Use your fists, no weapons," the man ordered and the others started fanning apart to encircle me.
Like hell I was going to give them an opportunity to encircle me. I immediately backed away seeing them fan before me. I tried hard to keep everyone within my eyesight, but it was proving to be more difficult than I thought with every passing second.
There was no fanfare or any other important point to note when it began, but the fight just began like that. One man tried to rush me and I jumped aside to let him pass and immediately chaos raged all around me. I could barely keep track of all the people trying to grab me. I didn't dare to engage someone lest someone else used that split-second to grab me or encircle me. I dodged grasping hands relentlessly for a few minutes as they were laughably slow.
As I danced away from their constant efforts to encircle me, it dawned on me that those men were indeed not slow. But I was that much faster than them. My body was in far more superior condition compared to my attackers that it felt like a bunch of children trying to grab an adult. A laugh erupted out of me as I realized it and I started taunting them by allowing them to attempt to encircle me. The key word here was attempt, because I would always slip away from the encirclement at the last moment possible.
I watched as frustration and anger began to fill their face. It was ridiculously easy and I reveled in the new found power I possessed. I was feeling giddy with the discovery of my power so much that I started taunting them as I evaded their attempts to encircle me.
"Oops, missed me there jackass."
"Faster dumbass, at this rate it would be evening before any of you catch me."
"Missed me again, baldy"
"Too slow idiot. Faster, faster…"
"Shit, you almost caught me, but better luck next time,"
"Attacking from behind is a dick move jackass,"
I was so giddy with the new found power rush that I didn't even notice the exhaustion settling in. It was only when one of the men delivered a vicious right hook to my shoulder that I came to my senses. I rightfully panicked for a second and was almost caught by a duo before I managed to escape and create some distance.
I huffed a little and looked at the group with tired eyes.
"Any chance of a time out?" I asked innocently as I breathed heavily.
"He is tiring boys," the midget roared from the side, "he will be a great catch. So, don't lose heart. Anyone who tackles him to the ground gets an extra reward from me."
"And you have to do that," I scowled at the midget and looked at their distant camp in yearning.
'I was sure that there were some food in the camp. If only I could have some of them. Come to think of it, avoiding these assholes was not that difficult. If I could get my hands on some of their food, I could dance a jig around these assholes all day long. And it would also be a good test on my abilities to see how long I last,'
I chuckled at the thought and my chuckle seemed to break the trance and we were at it again. This time though, I was playing the game differently. As soon as the chaos began, I slipped through their ranks effortlessly and started sprinting towards their camp. Enraged sounds followed me, but I didn't mind it much.
I took off like a hare into a bush, leaving my pursuers far behind in my search for sustenance. I arrived at their camp in a rush and stared looking around to find where there could be any food. I saw only a handful of tents, two of them seemed noticeably bigger than the rest. I concluded them to be important figures' boarding and decided to hunt for my food in the other tents.
My search turned out to be fruitful as the third tent I barged into was filled with food. I hungrily grabbed two chicken legs that were smoked and exited the other way with my pursuers on my tail. I created some distance biting into the smoked chicken leg and turned around watch my pursuers chewing it.
"Mmm tasty."
Angry eyes stared at me. The midget was furious as at last he realized that I was treating this as a mere game.
"Bastard," the midget growled, "I don't care about his injuries anymore. Use everything, I want that bastard tied and on his knees in the next five minutes."
"Hey, it isn't fair to change the rules in between," I complained with a mouthful of chicken which only elicited an angry roar.
Suddenly people charged at me waving swords and what amounted to be lead pipes and I wasn't ashamed to say that I booked it from there with a great speed. I ran laps around the camp with a bunch of angry cannibals chasing me with weapons and truly it was an embodiment of madness that befits the One Piece world. I was beginning to enjoy the situation a little as the madness infected me too and I started laughing like a madman as I escaped from them.
The scenario continued for what felt like half an hour and I was proud to say my endurance was nothing to sneeze at. In the meantime, I raided the tent that contained food four times. They wised up after the first two times and token force was left at the tent from the third time onwards. Yet, it was really easy to evade them and grab a few more.
While my hunger was satiated, my thirst was yet to be satiated. So, this time I picked a different tent – one of the large ones figuring that there might be some water in one of the bigger tents – and rushed into it and stopped short at the scene that greeted me.
Several people were lying on the ground with various amounts of bruises on every one's body. Their hands and legs were tied and all of them were in a sorry state – even the women. And what made my heart stop was the fact that there were three children in the mix too. Two girls and a small boy. Something in my heart clenched at the sight of children being beaten and tied up.
And I stood there gaping like a fish out of water, it hit me. These men were not cannibals. There were no fucking cannibals in One Piece. But there were fucking slavers though. Human trading was present in One Piece and I was seeing the proof of one the most vilest things this world contains right in front of my eyes.
As I stood there in shock, I heard sounds approaching the tent fast. But I wasn't bothered about it. What was in front of me held my attention for the moment. To be precise, the look on all the peoples' face held me in shock. They were all afraid. Each and every one of them were afraid. Especially the little ones, they were whimpering on the floor trying to edge away from me. And a vague part of my mind noticed the females trying to wriggle in front of the two girls despite the fear etched on their faces.
Something snapped in me.
And that was the exact moment the sounds reached the tent and what felt like dread engulfed the entire tent. I turned away from the sight that was going to haunt me for the rest of my life. I was angry. No, that was not true. I was livid. Livid with myself for fucking around with those assholes when I should have punched their faces in. Livid with myself for playing around when there were people suffering just few feet away from me. Livid with the fuckers for treating people like this. And definitely livid with those three assholes for dumping this shit on me right away.
I was fucking pissed off when the first person barged into the tent with sword in his hand. I heard screaming all around me and I watched the asshole running towards me roar. Me, I was silent. This time I didn't run. Instead, I rushed forward and cocked my arm back and punched the asshole right in the gut. Maybe it was my sudden decision to attack instead of running away. Maybe it was that he didn't expect me to fight back. Maybe it was something else. I didn't know. But, the surprise on the fucker's face was evident as he crumbed on my arm.
I removed my arm and let his limp body fall to the ground as the others rushing behind him looked on in horror. I could still hear the midget roaring outside the tent to capture me alive. In the tent though, the ten odd men and me stood in the silence as stunned faces looked up at us.
As I watched them cover before me, I realized the greed that I saw earlier in their eyes were not for my flesh or body. But for me entirely. Those fuckers wanted to sell me off into slavery and that thought alone added fuel to the already blazing bonfire within me. I recalled the midget's words from earlier and realized he was happy because I was a fine specimen to sell to a fucking Celestial Dragon.
I sneered at the thought and the men started backing away warily.
"Playtime's over assholes, now it is payback time," I growled at them and they blanched at the anger in my voice.
As they realized that the prey has become the predator now, they started to edge back out of the tent. I watched them retreat warily and smiled sharply at them. I watched their eyes occasionally drift towards the dead body of their gang and flinch at the amount of blood he was spat from my single punch. It warmed me and I was not done yet in any fucking way.
I pounced on them and they fled the tent in a hurry. But they couldn't outrun me for long. I was like a lone lion chasing a bunch of rabbits as I charged out of the tent in pursuit. Those who ran back got caught between their friends who were rushing inside and me on either end. And I didn't even flinch and I bashed into the wall of human flesh and steel sending men flying out of the tent.
I stood up and looked around to see the midget and his gang looking at the scene in shock. The assholes had wizened up enough while I was in the tent to surround the tent before barging in. But, to their misfortune the game has now changed. I was not playing tag anymore.
The shock tuned into anger and the midget screeched at his men to grab me. The remaining men who were watching at me in shock came out of it and rushed me. Too bad for them that they didn't see what happened in the tent earlier. If they had seen, some of them would have been wise enough to flee. Alas, those who saw were groaning under my feet. I rushed at the oncoming horde of men with anger blazing in my heart. And all hell broke loose.
I would like to say it was a fight, but I am afraid it was not. It was as one sided as it could get. I plowed through their ranks with ease. All it took was a single hit from me to make them crumble to their feet. It was, in short, a massacre. Bodies fell to the floor groaning and coughing blood as I weaved through the swath of men like nothing could stop me.
Fear took root within a minute and few of the men and the midget started fleeing from me. Like hell I would let them escape. I chased them down with such ease that it didn't even make me work up a sweat.
Five minutes later, I walked back into the camp with a struggling midget on my shoulders and groaning bodies all around the camp. The midget was one of the first to flee and he had covered a considerable distance when I caught up to him. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't a normal human and I was frankly way out of his league.
I secured him within seconds and brought him back to the camp. And dumped him in the center. I roused one of the groaning men at my feet and he tried to scurry away before a look stopped him in his place. I wasn't in the mood to play around and he realized it real quick.
"Are you pirates?" I asked depositing the scumbag on my shoulders unceremoniously on the ground.
"Yes, yes," he gulped.
I closed my eyes in exasperation. I figured it would be so. Of course, I would meet the scum right away. My luck was that terrible.
"Does he have a bounty?" I asked nudging the midget on the ground.
"Yes," he hurriedly replied.
"How much?" I queried.
"I don't know." The man said with sweat forming across his brow.
I frowned and the man whimpered. I could practically smell his fear. I ignored him to turn my attention on the midget. I had sinking suspicion that it would be the case. Not a big fish. But a scum regardless. If he didn't have a bounty the midget would not be able maintain a gang of rotten scum of grown men. It didn't work that way. So, I had assumed the midget would probably have a bounty. And maybe one or two others.
"Who else has a bounty?" I asked.
"The one who you killed, in the tent…" the man gulped.
Ah! That explains the shock everyone had expressed in the tent. The man must have been the second-in-command. Seeing such an authority figure die from a single punch would shatter their worldview a lot. He must have been responsible for the group sent to capture in the tent. Instead, he had ended up dead.
Dead. I killed someone.
I hastily set aside that thought to indulge in some other time and looked around to see groaning figures trying to sit up all around me. It would be bothersome to keep track of this much men. So, I decided to delegate some work. After all, it wasn't as if they were going to escape from him. I looked around to find a lead pipe and picked it up. The man in front of me blanched at the sight. I beckoned him closer.
"You have a choice," I said to him without any emotion. "You can either bash everyone with this pipe until they are unconscious or you can get bashed up. I assure you, I am not sure I will able to hold back after the day I have had. If it results in your death you can't blame me."
The man blanched once more before determination flashed across his face. He nodded to me and grabbed the pipe from my hands. I watched him get up shakily and walk towards the people who used to be his fellow partners in crime unsteadily.
"Ah! Leave the cook alone," I called after him as a pang of hunger attacked my stomach.
I watched him nod and get to work. Pretty soon I heard his grunting and the sound of lead pipe smashing into people's head continuously. I closed my eyes and let the sounds wash over me as I exhaled a large sigh.
I was not ready for this shit. Getting onboard with an adventure was all rosy until something like this happened. And as my luck would have it, I get experience shit like this on my first day itself. What happened to buffer time? What happened to period of assimilation? I was not ready for this so early into my adventure. I felt like banging my head on the ground to express my frustration but refrained from it.
I opened my eyes and glanced at the midget who was groaning beside me. I vented my frustration by delivering a vicious slap across his head and watched him eat dirt from the shock of it. It felt strangely satisfying. But, I refrained from doing more.
I heard footsteps approach me and turned to see the man walking towards me with a haunted look. As I expected, the fucker didn't enjoy what he did. I had chosen correctly. I didn't have to be afraid of him going bloodthirsty in the upcoming days. The man was all but broken.
"Follow me," I said hoisting the midget on my shoulders as I marched into the tent holding the prisoners.
He followed me dutifully and we entered the tent. As I entered, what greeted me wasn't something I want to remember. There was terror in the eyes of all the adults. They had watched me kill a man with a single punch. A man who had terrorized them until few minutes ago. And as I expected it didn't help me. The young ones were a different matter though. There was hope in their eyes. And that alone was worth what I had done.
"Cut them loose," I grumbled depositing the scumbag on my shoulders to the ground.
The man didn't hesitate to obey as he rushed to do as I ordered. The prisoners watched him warily until one of them was cut loose. Hope flickered across their eyes and I averted my eyes from the sight.
"If you think of any funny business or have any half-baked plans, know this, I have had a very trying day and my patience is already short," I warned the man who was cutting the prisoners loose and watch his shoulders tense for a moment.
Figures. If he had thought that he could escape holding one of the young ones hostage, he would be thinking about it twice now.
The prisoners were freed with a few minutes and I spent it by beginning to form a plan of action as to what to do next. In the end, all the prisoners were free and they sat up watching me warily. I snorted at their wariness. The young one were being held onto tightly by few females and they seemed content with it.
"Two of you get up and follow him outside," I told the prisoners and turned to the man. "Tie up the others who are incapacitated. Don't try anything funny and if I hear you had run away from these two men," I indicated at the two sturdy males who were standing up, "I will fucking hunt you down and rip your arms off."
The man nodded feverishly and the others gulped at the statement. The trio filed out and I let out a huge sigh. I was beginning to hate this more and more as the time passed. I can't help but feel bitter in the back of my heart. It was not the way I had imagined the day would turn out as I woke up today. And it was not definitely something someone should go through immediately after being reincarnated. I fucking deserved a break.
A headache was beginning to form and I desperately wished that I could just lie down and rest for a bit. The feelings of guilt, horror and all other crap I was keeping at bay were trying to overwhelm me. And I felt that I needed a drink.
I felt someone touch my face and was startled out of my thoughts. It was tender and soft. And it was the only reason I didn't react to it violently. I opened my eyes to see the young boy, who I estimated it to be four or five years of age, touching my face tenderly to reassure me. I smiled at the innocent face looking at me and the boy smiled in return. And Just like that, I felt overwhelming feelings reside to the back once more.
I affectionately ruffled his hair and picked him up. I looked at the men and women watching me warily and hoarse chuckle emerged from my throat.
"I leave this piece of shit here. Just don't kill him," I say to the watching faces and walk out of the tent.
I see the sun setting in the west and let out a huff and chuckle to the boy, "It's been a hell of a day boy."
And the boy just smiles at me in return.