Hope you like this, it was the fruit of a moment of inspiration...
Mandrake wasn´t having a very good time, as the Marine Admiral was too strong for him. Lucky that he had prepared: stored somewhere I his body were more than a hundred bodies that won´t let him suffer any damage. He turned into dinosaur again, ready to use his predator senses in the light user. The other only smiled and lifted his leg to kick him. He tried to move away, but it was too fast… well, nobody say it was going to be easy.
In fact, nothing in this life was easy, he remembered, about to feel the kick at light´s speed of this hated man.
-Flashback-
X was just another orphan, found in the beach of a tiny island. He was lucky, or that was what the people said, and as a baby was adopted by a wealthy couple. They have more kids in their home, a lot… but they were not sons or daughter for them. They were free servants and workers. So when he arrived at the house he was immediately handed to one of the older kids, a seventeen years old girl named G. She nor the other servants were his family. They only cared for themselves. Their owners were snobbish and cruel, so they learned. He was a total stranger…
"You are about to die, F" was his first prediction when he was four years old. He had just saw a strange shadow over some boy´s head, the other servants only laughed. They told him to return to work. A few hours after the kid was thrown down stairs by a very angry owner and snapped his neck. He was immediately buried in the backyard, along with all the slaves that died. Since that day everyone stayed far away from him, saying behind his back that he was a murderer.
But predicting deaths was not the only thing he was capable to do. He was pretty good at fortune telling, hands reading and predictions. He kept in his room an old deck of tarot cards, the only thing he had from his true family, and practiced with it. Soon he was even better than the gypsies in the streets.
But his reputation of strange have grown between the servants of other houses. And it was entirely their fault. One day, when a lady had came to have some tea with the mistress, he saw the shadow of death over her. He told her and was beat up by the ladies. Later that day she was in a coffin, victim of an accident. Everybody said that he was the one that murdered her, even the police came for him, but they have nothing against him, so he was set free… but the others never forget and the rumors grew even more with every death and catastrophe he predicted.
When he was about eleven his masters were in a very difficult situation. They needed more money and fast. Talking with one of their friends, the man offered the amount that they needed for his virginity. He said he was attractive in a strange way. They didn´t even think about it, not the first time they sold one of their slaves. He was brought to the pervert´s mansion by his master, wearing a very uncomfortable attire.
"You will behave when you met this man and give him the best night of his life" ordered his owner, after reminding him how thanks to he and his wife he had a home and food on his stomach.
"Today is not the day for me to stop being pure" was his only answer. The man was about to hit him, but he resisted. The kid had to be perfect for his future rapist.
In the end, X was right. The man just leaned for a kiss when he had a sudden hearth attack. The kid watched him die, knowing that there was nothing he could do, collected the money and left. When they returned he saw a tiny family, the parents and one kid, through the window. That catch his attention, he had never left the mansion before.
"What was… my family like?" asked he.
"Eh?... I don´t know and frankly, I don´t care. Just stay silent" was the masters only answer. It was the first night he asked to the cards who his parents were, why did they die and where was he from. And for the first time in his life he came out empty handed.
"Why?" was the question he always asked to himself.
A few years later he escaped from the mansion to go to beach where he was found. The cards told him to meet his destiny there. He waited for hours, only to found by the boss and some of the older slaves. That wanted to beat him for that.
"Let me go! My destiny is waiting for me!" he yelled as the man grabbed him by the hair to lift his body and help the others to beat him.
"Your destiny? Your destiny is to work in my house until you die, you damn stupid! Keep that in mind! You are a slave!" answered the man in a cruel way.
"Freedom… I want freedom"
"You will never have it! You are my slave! Punish him, boys!" orders him. The boys, that have always wanted to beat him up, cheered and got ready. He closed his eyes and something appeared in his minds. It was a long lost memory, from when he was an infant. Someone… someone screaming and then crying…
"Hey, stop it, yoi!" yelled a feminine voice. It was a black haired girl with a cowboy orange hat. It had two smileys on it and a long skull pendant. He immediately knew she was the one he have been waiting for.
"Why do you care? He is my slave and I will treat him like I want! Get lost!" a fireball was thrown towards the old man, who got out of the way by merely inches. "Are you insane! Go get her!" the boys did as they were ordered and the female prepared. She was a pirate after all.
"Leave her alone, it´s not her who you need to fight… it´s me" his destiny was already here. He felt his skin changing and he turned into a giant dinosaur for the first time. The other slaves ran away, their master following them in terror.
"So you were a Devil Fruit´s user, huh? And a Zoan, very strange" said the girl.
"Yeah… I have never done that before, but it was destiny. The cards told me this morning that my life was about to change" said the crimson eyed boy.
"Well, Duh. You have scared your owner to death. You are free now! Aren´t you happy?" smiled her. "Shit, yoi! I haven´t introduced myself. I´m Portgas D. Alice, a wanted pirate"
"X… at least for now"
"At least? Until when?"
"Until I found the truth" answered him. "Now… you are going to teach me how to be a pirate"
"Why do you want to be one?" asked her in disbelief. Was this boy serious? He was the strangest thing she found in her trips.
"I have always felt a connection with the sea and wanted freedom… besides, I can hep you with my predictions" proposed him.
"No thanks, I will better get the adventure" said Alice waving goodbye, but he stopped her. X looked at her in the eyes and talked.
"I have known my parents, but I know that I will never find the truth about myself in this island. I want to sail to the ocean and be free, just like all pirates. My stay with your crew will be temporary, but… please, please, get me out of this damn place and make me a pirate!"
-End of the flashback-
With those words he entered to the crew… until he was seventeen and set sail alone, he remembered, as his body was propelled towards a wall. Mandrake did not miss the old X, he was glad that part of his life was finally over. He had found the truth just like the cards told him… by accident, helping a friend.
-Flashback-
"Damn thing! Why did it transported us here, yoi!" screamed a frustrated Alice. They traveled into the future, but not their future. It was a little bit earlier. Kumara was sitting on the sand, fingering the time bracelet to fix it.
"I don´t get it, there is nothing wrong!" yelled the scientist, a little bit frustrated. Suddenly a ship appeared out of nowhere. The youngsters hid and saw the crew getting out of it, first a man with long blond locks with a little bundle in his arms, obviously the captain, and then his man.
"It´s my imagination or that guy have the same eyes that you, X?" whispered Kumara and Alice nodded. Yes, the man´s eyes were so similar to his.
"Can you get a DNA sample?" asked him. He wanted to be totally sure, but his intuition told him that, indeed, he was looking at his mother.
"Hawkins-senchou, how much are we going to wait?" asked a man with a long black braid.
"Not much, they will be here shortly" said the strange captain, bouncing his baby. The tiny thing didn´t laugh as most infants would, he only stared back and moved his little arms, trying to reach his mother´s face.
"Who is that?" asked Alice in a whisper.
"According to our data base, that´s the Magician, Basil Hawkins. Apparently he belong to the same generation that your uncle and Kurohige" said the bear girl.
"The Worst Generation? He had to be a strong one, but what is he doing here? Waiting for someone?" inquired Fire Wings.
"Analyzing… Basil Hawkins is buried in the same graveyard that the Second Pirate´s King and nearly all his generation. His abilities were… predictions and voodoo. He shared his tomb… with the pirate Red Flag X Drake" then Kumara´s eyes widened. "Alice, when did two persons share a tomb?"
"When they were together… in the romantic way, I mean. So Drake and Hawkins were an item. So what?"
"Red Flag was a Zoan, he can turn into a T-rex"
"Oh… Oh! You mean that baby could be…?"
"Me" finished X before another ship reached the island. Out of that came a man in a leather attire that ran straight towards the blond captain and kissed him with passion. Then he looked at the baby and petted his hair with love.
"I´m… so sorry that I missed the birth, Basil. So, what´s his name?" asked the ex Marine. Hawkins lifted his head to look at his boyfriend, only for his eyes to widen when he saw something over his head. He started shaking, that couldn´t be.
"What´s happening?" asked Alice. "He should be happy to have all the family reunited"
"He saw the shadow of death over his lover´s head… and is in negation" he shook his head. "He should know that we can´t change destiny"
"Hey, you are possibly talking about your father and you say that there is nothing no one can do to save him?" asked his old captain in disbelief. Sometime she just couldn´t get this guy, he was so… strange.
"What do you want me to tell you, Alice. I´m an orphan for some reason. Even if I don´t like the life… that I´m going to have without them, I couldn´t change what is meant to be" he really wanted to avoid… whatever happened this day, but…
"At least you could try, like I am"
"Mandrake Hawkins" answered Basil, trying to forget what he just saw. This was supposed to be a fun day, one of happiness, forgetting about all the complications and just enjoying some time with the family. What could go wrong?
"Mandrake? It´s a very good name" the two crews worked in preparing the food while the new parents get to know the baby. All was happiness… until a Navy ship arrived. In it was Kizaru, the Marine Admiral that nearly killed both captains back in Sabaody. Drake was up in a second, in front of his family, protecting them. He told his boyfriend to run and, even if he didn´t want to, Basil obeyed. His baby was first.
"Oh, so you are going to fight me, ex rear Admiral Drake?" said the lazy man, lifting a finger to attack with his laser.
"I´m not letting you touch a single hair on their heads"
"Hooo, that baby… it´s yours?" asked Borsalino. He only catch a glimpse of the tiny being, but was somehow worried about his existence. "He seems like troubles"
"Don´t even think about shooting them!" the Zoan transformed and the fight begin. The hidden pirates chose that time to get on board of Hawkins ship, a fight of that caliber would hurt them no matter that they were involved or not. They noticed the blond was still on the deck, looking at the beach with desperate eyes. There were so many flashes of light and screams from a pre historic beast, fighting. A last flash of light and then… nothing.
"Drake…. DRAKE!" screamed the Magician with true pain in his voice. He felt onto his knees and started crying. The crew was amazed, they have seen their captain showing so much emotions before. His tears felt in his baby´s face… that wasn´t fair. Drake had so little time with his son… he should have been able to saw him grow up.
"X… is that the vision you always had?" asked Kumara. She managed to get some DNA samples in the pandemonium that Kizaru´s arrive have caused, but he was nearly sure that this was X´s past. It was the truth he was searching for, but… he shouldn´t have seen that. It was so cruel... the death of his father.
"Yes, it is" he said before turning around. He had seen enough. "Let´s go back"
Back in the future the theory was confirmed, he was that same baby, Mandrake Hawkins. He cried over the wanted posters of his parents that night, only stopping by the morning. He wanted… no needed to visit them and show his respects.
"I want to go to the graveyard" he told Alice. She nodded and told him how to go. In the way he got some flowers. Once in front of the tomb, he let his tears run free again and put the flowers in front of it.
"Mother, Father… it have been a long time…"
-Back in the present-
He managed to evade some of Kizaru´s lasers and moved to attack him with his teeth. T-rexes hands were not very useful and the Admiral used that to attack and escape from him. Lucky that he didn´t count on his other ability… suddenly his arms grew longer with straw and he managed to draw some blood out of his enemy with his long nails.
"Oh… that hurts" was his only comment.
"If I only can kill you… I would be able to die happy" yes, that was his goal. The total annihilation of the man that turned his life into a living hell, that killed his parents and left him at the mercy of those damn slave drivers. But it wasn´t going to be easy…
"You are good… but I´m better" said the Marine, appearing behind him and shooting multiple times… until he was out of bodies. Even like that he continued until at least five lasers have gone into his body, making him collapse. "Uhmm… you mother was on the same position the last time I saw him back on Sabaody… I couldn´t kill him then… but I could kill you now" he prepared his finger to shot, but another T-rex attacked him. Mandrake lifted his head and saw it, surprised… he wasn´t supposed to participate.
"Are you okay, Madrake?" asked X-Drake. He saw in the news that his son was participating in the war and, even if the boy wasn´t even a plan yet, he rushed to help him. "Damn, he got you well. I will take you to my ship to be patched up" the man threw the youngster´s arm over his shoulder to help him to walk.
"No… have to… kill him" murmured Mandrake, at the verge of fainting from blood lose.
"You are stubborn. This is not your day, just live with that"
"He killed… you both… don´t die… daddy" said Madrake before felling unconscious. Drake froze for a moment, then smiled at his sleeping face.
"I don´t plan on doing it, you will definitely need me and your mother" then he continue until he was away from the war. He looked at his son´s face, silently promising that he would change the future. After all, he didn´t believe in destiny, fate could always be changed.
What do you think about this? Touching moment, no? Reviews, please!
