Where to begin… The start would be appropriate, however, I can't really call it that now, can I? I guess, I could start with the end. Yeah, the end is good. It was the end of all I knew and the start of something I never could have imagined. So, this is my story of…a new start? That doesn't seem quite right. Waking up? I guess that works, after all I was waking up for the first time. The first time in this world.

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Awareness came slowly and sluggishly. At first it was just a sense of unease. I felt familiar surroundings, but at the same time, it was alien to me. New. Sound came next, muffled and far away. It would start and stop at random it seemed. I don't know how long I lay there, listening to it, but eventually I began to realize it was speech. There was someone nearby, which meant I should probably wake up and see what was going on so close to where I was. I opened my eyes. Where was I? The surroundings weren't familiar, it was dark, everything covered in heavy shadows. I began to notice other noises then, small consistent beeps, the sound of some sort of machine. The talking was getting louder, and I was finally able to start making out what was being said.

"…-a. How do you even know about this?"

"It does not matter. Where is he?"

"*Sigh* Over here…"

I heard the footsteps of someone getting closer and turned my head, eyes widening and heart starting to race as I saw two very large figures moving toward me through the shadows. I couldn't make out any details, just the silhouettes. I tried to sit up and that's when I realized I couldn't. I felt…weak. So damn weak, so tired. Why? I didn't do anything too strenuous yesterday. So why was my body so unresponsive? The two finally stopped next to where I was laying, towering over me and looking down. I still couldn't see squat, and I think that frightened me more than anything.

"You're awake!" One said in surprise.

"You said he would be unconscious for another week." The other one started

"I know! I know! I don't understand this! It's only been three days, not everything has had time to be processed! The conditioning protocols haven't even begun!"

"What?" I asked weakly, my voice strangely quiet. Even my voice felt weak. What the hell?

"This is a failure, doctor," one of them said.

"You think I don't know that! Damn, this has been over twenty years in the making!"

I frowned, not having the slightest clue what they were talking about. My focus shifted away from their discussion when I realized that I didn't feel panicky. That wasn't right. I should be panicky. I had just woken up in a strange place and couldn't move. Was I too tired to even panic?

"What are you doing?" one of them shrieked, bringing my awareness back to the current situation.

I looked up to find one of them standing directly over me, hand raised. The one standing above me spoke, "As I said, the project will continue with a new subject…a willing one, one with far more experience than this boy has gained."

"NOOO-!"

I saw the hand get bigger and realized it was coming down at me. My eyes widened, pupils dilated, yet ironically, I didn't see anything better. I blacked out.

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After that, things were vague for a while. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I knew I was somewhere else. There were people there, and they fed me whenever I managed to stay conscious long enough to eat something. Little by little, I guess they built up my strength. When I finally started being able to remember those waking periods clearly…I stopped seeing people come by. One day I finally got the strength to sit up an did so, looking around, I found myself surrounded by four gray walls, a heavy iron door set in to one of them, a small barred window on the opposite wall. I was in a prison cell. I tried standing and walking to the door, but passed out halfway there. The next time I woke up I was back in the bed and there was a meal sitting on the floor next to the bed. I ate greedily, finding the meal delicious, but far from filling. Then again, though, I guess everything taste delicious when you haven't eaten a decent meal in a while.

A few days passed of the same before I finally got up the nerve to try standing again. I did and wobbled my way to the door and started pounding on it. A slot at eye level slid open and I suddenly found hard eyes glaring at me.

"What?" The person asked sharply.

I blinked and finally spoke, my voice was still strangely quiet, "Where am I? What's going on? What is this place?"

The slot slid shut and I didn't get an answer. With a weary sigh I hobbled back to the bed and slept. That night was the first one that the dreams started. I was back in that dark place with those two towering shadows standing over me. It always ended with the one moving its hand toward me to hit me.

A week passed by, and then another. I was feeling almost normal again now. My voice was still quiet, though I've always had a quiet voice, it sounded strangely soft, unused. I guess I didn't use it much though. Aside from banging on the door, asking where I was, and never getting an answer, I didn't talk. So instead, I thought, trying to remember what I'd been doing the night before I woke up in that dark place. No matter how hard I tried though, I never remembered anything other than going to bed. So I started thinking about getting out of the damn place. I wore myself out thinking and fell asleep. When I woke, I found something that shocked me, and scared me. Who would've thought a newspaper could be frightening?


Ok, so there's the first chapter! I'm sure some of the sharp folks out there will already be able to guess at a connection I'm making with the character and the One Piece world. This is going to be a rewrite to another story I'd started posting here, but removed due to not liking it. I've chosen to instead change a few things, and write it in a first person perspective. Getting feedback is what fuels me to keep writing, so please, Read and Review!