"Otōto-san, is that you?"
White. All he could see was a frighteningly pale white.
"Don't be scared, Otōto-san, you're not alone. I'm always here, remember?"
As he looked around in the empty expanse, a warm feeling came over him. The walls surrounding him had changed ever so faintly to a creamy white, not as confronting as before, and it set him at ease, strangely enough. Hearing the voice seemed to be reassuring, but he didn't recognise the owner.
"Who… Who are you?" He managed to ask. His throat had been parched, but here, it was as if he was content and able to speak.
The calm sensation vanished momentarily, during which time the voice hadn't spoken. There was no clear reaction, but he knew that the voice was hesitating, thinking.
"… Say, Otōto-san. Would you like to hear a story?"
The prince woke up in a cold sweat, gripping the sheets of his bed. He placed a hand against his chest, waiting until his heart had stilled from its thundering pace. Once it had returned to a steady beat, Sanji wiped away the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.
That dream, again. It always went the same. He always heard that voice, and even in his everyday life, he could hear the faint whispers of a young boy speaking to him; "be careful, Otōto-san", "that idiot swordsman", "don't forget about your captain, Otōto-san", and other such things, that he couldn't tell if he was losing his sanity, or if it was his conscience.
Whichever it was, that same voice haunted him for as long as he could remember. And every time, that boy would always tell him the same story. In his dream (or whatever it was), Sanji would always nod, and listen to the boy's words. However, it had been quite a while since he last heard the story, let alone the voice; it would have been just before they left Punk Hazard, he guessed, that he had heard that voice last. Usually, he was given little quips every now and again, but it had been unusually quiet.
With a sigh, Sanji got to his feet, seeing the dock slide into view. Capone had been tasked with delivering him back home, and as much as he hated it, thankfully, it gave him time to think, even under constant watch. He grabbed his clothes and begun to change in silence, as that voice continued, as if he was stuck in the daydream regardless. Just like Germa 66, there was no running away from it.
"Our story begins more than thirty years ago, about a young boy. This boy was born, met by two men, one who called himself his "father", yet ignored him, and the other, who was more of a father than his supposed father. The second man, the fatherly figure he saw in his eyes, was a famous scientist. He explained in all sorts of complex, scientific terms, about them both, and about the boy himself. Although he was only a young boy, it all made sense to him, oddly enough, and he had nodded in understanding.
"What is my name?" The boy asked when he finally had the chance. Both men were surprised by his question, as if a name hadn't occurred to them. His father shook it off, and left the other man to label him. Shifting around, the boy saw a calendar. "September 6th… Is that my birthday?" He asked the scientist. Once again, a look of surprise came over the man, but the boy remembered that the fatherly figure had settled on a name, after he said that.
And from that day on, I, the boy now with a name, was born into this world."
Looking at the members of his family, the portraits hanging on the walls, Sanji felt alienated from it all. He rarely saw these walls, and when he did, it was amidst pain, tears, and a heavy iron mask. He never had the chance to look over them, and doing so made him sick. The idea of being acquainted with his siblings once again made the feeling worse.
"I'm always here, remember?"
Remembering that voice, Sanji took a few breaths, as the feeling of nausea subsided.
"Don't worry, Otōto-san. Your friends will be here soon."
Hearing him being called "little brother" once again left Sanji in a state of confusion. But, again, before he could question it any further, the boy continued with his story.
"Father taught me lots of things. Father gave me books on self-defence, warfare… There was very few occasions where I was taught much else. I never learnt that food was meant to always be eaten, until I was much older. The other man taught me different things, such as language, science, mathematics, and problem-solving, but those were sidetracked as Father insisted on running tests on me.
"I remember there was one day when the man had taught me about families and children, about how they were extremely close, even if they weren't related by blood. I asked him, "Do I have a family?" The man had that look of surprise again, but nodded, as Father came in, ending our conversation. He ordered I take a blood test to examine the fluctuations of change in my body, and I was eventually left alone with Father whilst the scientist had left momentarily. "Father, is it true I have a family?" I asked him hopefully. I had seen men and women walking hand-in-hand, side-by-side with children, and although I shared no characteristics with Father, I was eager to know all the same.
"Father looked at me darkly when I said that. I couldn't bare to make eye-contact. Father then shifted aside, answering,
"No. You do not. You are my son, and I am your father, but we are not family."
"I didn't dare ask Father anything more on the subject after that, in fear I would receive the same response.
"The scientist came in shortly after, and brought Father aside, talking in hushed tones that I couldn't hear. Then, they both looked over at me, and Father said in a cold voice,
"Do what is required,"
and stormed off. I asked the scientist what Father had meant, and he explained that Father wanted more tests done on me. He said that he was worried about my condition, because we were family.
"Family… I remember a sense of sadness overcoming me when he said that. The scientist asked what was wrong, and I told him what Father had said to me, that I was not his family. The scientist hesitated, and before I could ask what he was holding back from me, the man sent me back inside, and I fell asleep for some time — an hour? Two? I didn't know, aside from the fact I felt numb.
"Then I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck…and then there was nothing."
Despite the voice's reassurance, the ever-looming reminder of his arranged marriage, his family, everything… It left Sanji feeling exhausted, to the point where he found that physically fighting against his father became pointless. Reiju had felt some sympathy for her brother, and brought him to his room, tending to his wounds. Sani was still awake, and that voice was still echoing in his mind.
"Imōto-san looks beautiful, Otōto-san. Father brought her up well."
Clenching his fists, Sanji sat up in fury. "Shut up!" He yelled to the voice, stunning Reiju. The prince realised what had happened, and looked away awkwardly. "Oi… Reiju-san…" His sister looked up, having returned to wrapping a gauze on Sanji's arm. "Have you ever been labelled as "little sister"?"
The blonde-haired beauty shook her head in reply. "Ichi and Niji would torment us both if you said that. Why do you ask?"
Sanji scowled, looking away once again. "It's nothing, don't worry about it…" There was an uncomfortable silence looming overhead as Reiju finished, and began to pack up, but Sanji's sudden hold on her arm surprised her a second time. "R-Reiju…" He started a sentence again with a sense of doubt, but the lack of honourifics was what surprised her most.
"…that soldier," he whispered, recalling the face of the man his father used as a meat shield, "who was he?" The woman was brought out of her train of thought, and she felt Sanji loosen his grasp. "Why should you care? You're a prince, someone as lowly as him should be the least of your concerns."
"You sound just like him."
Reiju smiled a little, opening the door. "He is my father, after all." With that final comment, she shut it behind her and left Sanji, and the boy, to resume with the story.
"When I awoke next, Father was nowhere to be seen. The scientist asked me questions about what I was thinking, how I felt, and I answered everything with the same reply: "I'm fine." He finished his interrogation, and said I had asked a question earlier about family. I had vague memories of this, and nodded. He stood up and lead me outside. The sea of faces I saw was almost overwhelming, and the scientist explained that I had no family, but I was going to become part of a family. He said that Father had prepared tests for me, and if I passed, then I would be able to join a family.
"I felt something alike to happiness when he said that, and eagerly learnt what was asked of me; my lessons were much stricter, and Father would always sit in to examine my progress, discussing things with the scientist on matters I was forbidden from hearing of. One day, I remember the scientist disappeared. I remember asking Father where he had gone, and Father said that the scientist had finished his side of the tasks. Father said I would be of great use to him, that I would be his success, his pride and joy. Father said he was glad to have raised a son like myself.
"I never felt anything when he said that. I felt "happy" that he said that, and "sad" to hear the scientist had left us, but it was only a word in my mind; nothing more, nothing less. Father then said that the tests he would put me through would judge whether or not I was of any use to the unknown family. He said I had to pass the capabilities of a normal human being, and that I would have to accept this if I wanted to continue any further under his guidance. Of course, I agreed to Father's ideas; I wanted to make him proud, after all."
Nami-swan… Robin-chan… Luffy… Usopp… Chopper… Franky… Brook.. Hell, as much as he hated to admit it, even that stupid ass Marimo were walking straight into death. If the wedding was interrupted, then even Zeff, that old geezer…
How did he even find out that information?! He had sold off the idea his son had died young, but now, he had been proven alive and well, if the wanted poster was any indication; "only alive"… Not like a corpse would make the most useful of husbands.
As much as Sanji longed to let out his frustration, that voice hadn't finished. Now it just waited until his anger subsided. "Why are you still here, bastard!?" He yelled to himself, expecting everyone to hear the response. However, it was dead quiet, and the few servants still lingering had scattered from the prince's unexpected outburst.
"Did you know, Otōto-san," the voice said calmly, "that doing something over and over again helps you learn and remember things? For example, you never stopped cooking, which is what made you the person you are now. You never hit a woman, and that stuck in your mind even when faced with death. You listen to what others say, and you know how to respond."
Sanji froze up. "Listening…" He whispered. As much as his head ached, he tried his best to think, but the voice stopped him from wasting his energy. "I'm sure you've just realised what I mean, Otōto-san." The entire time, he had been under the assumption that voice was a boy's; he never paid attention to it, after all. But he had only now realised it wasn't a boy, but a man speaking.
A cold tone, that chimed a bell in the back of his mind.
"The tests Father put me through were under surveillance every time. All I can remember of those tests, was pain. It was all merged together into one horrific memory I can never forget. My body was pushed beyond the limitations of anything humane, and although the pain was indescribable, Father had showed me that my skeleton was able to withstand so much pain, and "store" it.
"That spot, where my heart was, that was my weak spot.
"Everything Father put me through was away from that specific area. He said that it was like a balloon, and the pain inflated that balloon. It surrounded parts of my heart, but the balloon was only tiny; the pain I could take in total was immeasurable. When I asked Father what would happen if that balloon "popped", Father gave me that dark look again, but I felt no fear towards it. He paused, then said,
"Your body will lose its ability to recover and immediately receive all this pain, every cell in your body will likely be eliminated. If the pain is too powerful for even your body to cope with, the pain will be released on your surroundings. Even the amount of damage you have built up now would be strong enough to kill us both."
"He leaned closer, and whispered,
"To put it simply, you're practically a suicide bomber. If you die, others will die because of it."
"Father seemed to be expecting a visible change in emotion, but I only nodded. He seemed to think this was simply naive thoughts, but he accepted it with a somewhat malicious smile.
"We need to get you cleaned up," Father said, turning away from me, "if you're going to meet your new family."
He lead me to his room, ordering someone to fetch me a change of clothes, and another person to bathe me. What felt like seconds was actually minutes, and I eventually had time to stop and stare at my reflection. I never gave it much consideration, but seeing a young man staring back at me, it made me feel proud of what I had achieved.
"Father returned, still wearing that dark smirk.
"You've grown up to be a fine young man."
I looked at him in confusion. "Grown up? How so?" Father then bellowed with laughter at my reaction.
"Of course, it was my mistake, forget I said anything."
"Later that day, Father introduced me to my family. It consisted only of a child with a scowl, but he shared traits that Father had told me about. Father said I was to follow him, even to my death. Father said this would make him proud of me. Although I didn't acknowledge it, I chose to dedicate my life to the child. He was my leader, my master, despite being younger. I knew from when I first met him, he would change the world. And when he did, I would have found my family.
"Father gave me one last order which my master also insisted, to which I agreed: they wanted me to become a "spy". In order to fulfil my master's desires, I was to become a Marine."
Bodies. Lifeless bodies inside tubes, cords connected to every part of their body, and each one looked the exact same as the other. "Human clones" were what his brothers called it; this was anything but.
"Father made alterations to me later…"
The thought of all this made him sick, made him disgusted…
"I never saw him again, but Father eliminated my blindspot. Of course, I could never be perfect."
Sanji felt sick, as if he was going to cough up his internal organs, but not of disgust, but despair.
"My family became so large, my master became so powerful…"
Everything seemed to go dark inside Sanji's mind, like someone had blocked out all source of light.
"And then you came, Otōto-san. Young Master never had so much interest in a pirate, as he did with your captain. I didn't expect to meet you so soon, I never knew I had brothers and sisters at all…"
Suddenly, it was as if someone had shone a spotlight on a figure in the distance, as the shape of a tall person came into view.
"I remember Young Master was so livid when he heard about what your captain did. He asked that I find as much information on your crew, and share it with him. Finding information on you, Otōto-san, was particularly difficult, until I met a great scientist working for the Marines, the man who worked alongside Father, the man I saw as a father…"
Even if Sanji couldn't see the figure moving, he could hear the dull clicks of their shoes on the ground.
"The scientist had changed since I last saw him. He was surprised to see me, a normal-looking Marine approaching him, at first, but when I introduced myself properly, the look of appreciation spread across his face. I asked him what Father had been working on, but he had lost contact with him after all these years. He did say that Father had started a family, however, and had lost a son recently, a possible prince. He told me that prince's name was Vinsmoke Sanji, Otōto-san…"
It soon became obvious the figure was moving closer, as the distance between them shortened, even only by a little bit at a time.
"At the time, I didn't care about you or Father, Otōto-san; I had my own family, I was no longer obligated to even acknowledge you. But my dreams consisted of you, Imotō-san, and Father, and I remember trying to tell you all stories of my life, and what had happened since — I wanted to tell Father I had accomplished my master's goals, that I had made him proud. Nobody except you had heard me…"
They had stopped in front of Sanji, looming over him like a king to the peasants.
"… I didn't expect to meet you so soon, though, Ototō-san."
The figure had fallen to their knees, head slumped back, like a puppet discarded by their controller.
"And in such a way…"
Their head came forward to its normal position, and Sanji could feel tears pricking at his eyes.
"… That would be our first, and our last. There was so much I wanted to talk to you about, Ototō-san. I wanted to be there for you. But, you were in the way of Young Master's plans, and only one of us would walk away alive. I knew it, Young Master knew it, and the scientist knew it as well."
Sanji felt his arms wrap around the figure's torso in a tight hug, and he hid his face in the white velvet jacket they wore, as the hot tears came streaming down his face.
"I'm sure you knew it as well, didn't you, Ototō-san? Even if I was taken from my family, I was happy I could at least see you for once in my life."
The figure's arms embraced him, their head resting upon Sanji's shoulder. He couldn't see it, nor believe it, but Sanji imagined that the figure was smiling.
"I know what you want to say, Ototō-san. Young Master and the scientist said the exact same thing as you are, I remember it clearly. When I finally left behind the world of the living, of my family, of Punk Hazard, they all said, just as you will—"
Sanji tightened his hold, sniffling like a child. His heart ached, his face burnt, and he felt he lost his pride as a man, but even still, he yelled in the loudest voice he could muster:
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you…
Vergo!"
Whew! Okay, that… I don't know what to say having just finished writing that. It's been too long since I sat down and wrote a fanfic… So, if you lost track, uh, this is in relation to One Piece 840. I made sure to mention "spoilers" in the description, so don't come crying to me if you haven't read it yet.
Anyway, I thought, having read the chapter and come under an assumption that Sanji was "not perfect", what if he and his siblings were the result of an alpha test? As in, they had been improved? Throwing the idea of Vergo in with the sudden "revelation" of his past, I figured I could mash them into a story, like what you just finished reading.
I couldn't find a reason on why Vergo was named as such, or his birthday, so I chose September 6th (a random ass day), which made him a Virgo… Eh? Pretty clever, am I right?
The "scientist" referenced is Vegapunk, and I can picture him being a kind man in honesty, if he allowed Kuma to retain his memories of protecting the Sunny during the time skip… I loved that scene, and I wanted Vergo to have something like that in his "story".
His "Father" is Judge Vinsmoke, and I called him this because a) I couldn't remember the cunt's name, and b) I decided that Vergo would be seen as a child from the very beginning, as he was the "alpha" of Germa 66's testing. Sanji is therefore his "little brother" and Reiju is his "little sister", as if to say he was the older brother, the first one in Judge's experimentation of cloning and such.
As for the title, well, there's several reasons: I thought there had to be a reason Vergo had become a member of the Donquixote Family, and I came up with the idea that because he had such a huge flaw by my own creation — invincible unless his heart was pierced — that any changes would ruin Vergo's "use" to Germa 66. If he saw someone who looked like him, but much better, he would likely break down, which is why Vergo has the first "blackout" shortly after he enters the world, to remove his emotions.
Vergo was later dispatched, Vegapunk had disappeared, and Judge began to play around with the original genetics to create his army. Vergo learnt of this, eventually, but because he lacked human emotion, this didn't affect him at all. He continued to serve Doflamingo until death, which, I like to imagine, caused Punk Hazard's overwhelming explosion. As unlikely as it is, I just like to think that.
So, there we have it. I hope you enjoyed the fanfic despite this long ass author's note. Uh… Yeah. Bye! (._.;