A/N Hey guys I'm back with my biggest chapter yet. Some time soon I'm going to go back into the previous chapters and fix somethings to make it more appealing. Nothing too big just a couple things is all. I also want to thank Son of Whitebeard for reviewing. Every review helps me write better and better. :) This chapter took a while to make, and thankfully I was able to finish on New Years day! Awesome right?
Rebellion is the interworking that keeps the clock of anarchy spinning.
The monstrous explosion that erupted from my sinuses quickly announced my presence in the small room. My heart rate began to rise as a colossal power made its way down the stairs. I was hiding in that corner for no other reason than my own insecurity. Why? I asked myself that same question over and over. Why was I nervous? Perhaps I didn't perceive my existence in that room correctly. As my body trembled from the quaking ground, everything made sense. I understood why I hid beneath the staircase. I wanted information. I knew they would not have shared secrets if I was in the room. I smiled as the towering titan hovered over me with an upheaval expression. Without a word or a single breath the fleet admiral expelled his open fist onto my face. A gasp escaped my tight lips as pressure was exerted onto my cranium. My body fell limp as it was lifted from its solace. From the space between his fingers my yellow eye stared deep into his stern face. Scars from countless battles acted like a fine painting as they danced with each breath he took. My frame vibrated as he thundered a titanic shout.
"Who are you?" The fleet admiral had no look of compassion. The heat he expelled from his palm showed his overwhelming power. He awaited my reply with no patience for any foolishness. From his tenor of tone I knew that no human I had ever crossed was as staid as he. I slowly opened my mouth to reply. His clasp closing down onto my face caused my heart to excel. Suddenly a light exhumed forth from his eyes enveloping my body. I saw a demon replace his face. Chills spewed from my frame as I tried to cope with this new image. As my lungs scraped by for air, breath became an unfamiliar medium. "Who are you?" he repeated.
My right hand worked its way onto his forearm. Weakly I squeezed his forearm, begging for him to loosen up. Relief never came; I unhinged my jaw and forcibly took in air. "Yon" I exhaled with a shred of confidence." My name is Yon M. Blink." I met his gaze and searched for any sign of interest. With an unchanging expression he replied.
"What are you doing here?" The tone he withheld caused me to shiver violently. I knew at that moment, if I said one wrong thing it would be my end. Before I could collect an answer someone else retorted for me. "It was I Akainu. He is one of my test subjects. He was sent here to collect some data on the Straw Hats for me. You see I had forgotten we were going to meet here today." Vegapunk chuckled.
"Then why was he hiding?" Akainu stated. His eyes had quickly darted upward as he stared at Vegapunk. I silently thanked Vegapunk for covering for me.
"He has been a little skittish since he arrived." Vegapunk lied, "It only makes sense he would be this way from all the testing I have been doing on him." Suddenly he dropped my frame allowing me freedom from his grasp. I landed with a thud as the metal in my legs collided with the ground.
"How much did you hear?" The simple request sent a jolt down my spine.
"Some of it…" I replied with a hint of weakness.
Before anyone could do anything Vegapunk butted in, "Don't worry Akainu, I was going to wipe his memory anyway. He won't remember a thing after I finish with that today." I turned and glared at him. At that moment I hated him more than anyone. My memories are what made me who I am. No one was going to take them away from me.
"Alright Vegapunk, I trust your judgment." The fleet admiral replied. He ominously tread to his location on the second floor. Cautiously I followed him. My mind was still racing from thoughts of anger to thoughts of escape. Would Vegapunk really erase my memory? I quickly recalled that he had done so in the past. It pained me to think of the poor mutated man. When we arrived I saw Vegapunk and Kizaru were sitting lazily at a table. Akainu sat down and motioned for me to do the same. I quickly complied with his request.
"So Yon, what did you find out about the Straw Hats?" Kizaru dragged out.
"I had been reading about a misadventure they had in Alabasta. The logs were different in this library than the one outside" I pondered.
"I hope you understand that in order to keep the peace we need to stretch the truth every once in a while to keep people from hailing us." Vegapunk explained. Kizaru shifted uncomfortably in his spot.
"That is all done to keep justice alive. You know that Vegapunk." Akainu lectured. His face turned to a scowl as he scanned over the room. "Why were you looking into them anyway?" His nostrils flared as he spoke. I looked over to Vegapunk to try and find a hint of direction. He quickly dropped his gaze when he noticed my eyes. Nervously I looked down at the table we were sitting at. A deep purple color was interwoven with the ivy design on the table. I slowly brought my hand up to my right eye.
"I had been curious about them, because I had lived a very sheltered life; I never had a chance to learn about them. I figured that if there was anyplace that I could find out about them, it would be here." I took my hand off my eye and brushed some hair out of the way of my face, "When Vegapunk gave me that errand, I took the opportunity to try and find out as much as I could about them." When I noticed his heated stare I quickly added, "For curiosities sake, is all."
"Have you heard anyone's opinion on them?" Kizaru dragged out. He scratched his chin and look at Akainu. "I think hearing about them from other people would help feed your curiosity." He leaned back into his chair and folded his hand on his lap. When I swished my head to give him a, "no", his gave shifted from me to Vegapunk. He sighed. "To me they were a very interesting bunch of trouble makers. My first interaction with them was on Sabody Archipelago. Their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, had just punched a celestial dragon in a human auction house. From eye witness accounts the celestial dragon, Saint Charloss III, had just shot a fish man. This angered Straw Hat so much so that he punched the celestial dragon into the stage behind him. That one instance forged an instant opinion for me. I saw them as trouble makers who had guts. As years went by they became immensely strong. During one battle that I had with them, one of them, Black Leg Sanji, was able to keep up with my attacks and had almost beaten me. I want to say that this was about six years ago. To me they are a worthy advisory that any limb of the government should look out for." He shifted in his chair and looked over at Akainu.
The fleet admiral cracked his neck and let out a breath. He turned his gaze over to me and began his speech. "The Straw Hat Pirates are exactly that, pirates. To me no matter who they are, or what title they may claim a pirate is a pirate. By casting the skull and crossbones on a flag that person immediately becomes an enemy of the government. No matter how strong, or who they are, when a pirate needs to be taken down we will take them down. I don't care about the things their captain has done, he has the blood of the revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon in him. That alone is a reason to snuff him out." Throughout the entire time he spoke he never blinked. His focus was to persuade me. Now that I had heard each of the Admiral's thoughts on the Straw Hats I felt that I could make my own conclusion to who they were.
History tells me they are nothing more than ruthless pirates. The true history tells me that they tried to help fix problems, and in some cases they acted more human than most people. Coby hails them as great heroes, Kizaru thinks of them as an obstacle, and Akainu thinks of them as filth. Based on what I know I have decided that the Straw Hat Pirates where a family. It would take no genius to figure it out. A group of people who would fight the world just to save one of their crewmates seemed like my kind of people. Their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, must have been a very honorable man. From what I have read he had liberated entire countries and defeated large tyrants just to free people and help his friends. Such an astonishing thing could only be accomplished by a hero worth following. I want to find out how I can find this legendary group.
"Well," Akainu said, "What is your opinion of them?" his patience for my answer was clearly running out.
"I would have to agree with you," I lied "someone who would openly risk people's lives for selfish goals should be hunted down." Akainu smirked at my claim.
"You're lying." Akainu blurted out. I looked at him dumbfounded.
"What do you mean?" I retorted ever so confused.
"If I couldn't see through your little charade I wouldn't be fit to be called fleet admiral." His smirked soon turned to a sour scowl. "I know you admire them, it is written on your face. No matter what I say I know it will not change your opinion, but let me warn you. Your opinion will not matter once Vegapunk erases your memory." He gave a small chuckle. "Vegapunk, I would like to continue our conversation another time, perhaps with fewer distractions." He eyed me and stood up. "Kizaru, I need to speak with you." Without another breath spared he followed Akainu down the stairs and out of the room. I watched as the sliding door shut them out.
I looked over to see Vegapunk in deep thought. He had barely moved the entire conversation. Suddenly I remembered the letter he had given Coby. "You sent a letter to Coby, right?"
His ears perked up at the mention of the letter. "Yes, I did send you a letter. I'm glad he did not forget to give it to you." Vegapunk reached into a pocket on his left side and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "This is the map Bayssa had given me. It leads to the island of Little Garden; they say it is a place lost in time. I have always wanted to visit there, but with my research and such I am always cooped up and busy with work. Some of our troops have reported seeing many prehistoric things roaming around the island. To any normal person it would be a very dangerous and scary island. Before she died, Bayssa had been talking about going there." He trailed off and looked at the ground before continuing. "Bayssa was a very different person. She was strong, smart and very understanding. It was hard for me to understand that she had been a pirate. According to her she had been saved by Monkey D. Luffy and his crew when she was younger. Her mother died the same year she turned fourteen. Having connections with some of the underground brokers on her island she quickly started making a living for herself through shady dealing. She told me that after having some trouble with a deal she decided to become a pirate. Not long after we took her in and she became my test subject." His gaze turned from the table and directly at me. His brows furrowing, "When she was here I formed a very strong relationship with her. To me she was like the daughter I never had. She was very cooperative. This of course led to quick surgery and training. Everything went smooth for the first couple months. Then one day…" He began to choke up, "A tumor began developing in her spine. It appeared to be benign so I thought nothing of it. Little did I know that the tumor was a direct result of some medicine that I had given her months before. It slowly began to grow and began to concern me. On the day I decided to take it out…" He had tears streaming down his face as he spoke, "The tumor had become malignant. I rushed the procedure and used an experimental medicine I had recently developed. I had hoped it would speed her recovery process but instead her blood reacted negative when I fed it to her radial artery. Suddenly her body began…" Vegapunk took a deep breath before continuing. "Her body rejected the medicine and began destroying itself. The metal casting I had put in her before had begun rapidly pushing out of her and I could do nothing to save her. In a matter of seconds she was gone." Vegapunk stared off into space, his grief radiating off him like the heat of the sun. I could tell he wasn't lying just from the look on his face. He clenched his arm and turned his gaze towards the many shelves in the library. Maybe I had been judging him too hard, the things he had done he truly believed were right. Maybe just maybe all the things he said were true. Maybe I really could trust him. Trust was a funny thing, it was not something that comes pre packaged it's a product of work.
I had to know if what he said earlier was true. Was he really going to erase my memory? Was it a good time to mention that though? I pondered as I watched him silently whimpering to himself. I would ask him later, he needed comfort more than anything right now. For the first time I truly saw him as a human. Here the great Vegapunk was crying over the failure and murder of one of his patients. At that moment he really felt like a doctor. I stood up and walked over to him, "Look you still have me right?" I tried to give him a comforting smile, but being unfamiliar with the gesture I'm sure it looked wackier than anything. My thoughts were re-assured when he cracked a smile in-between his sobs. Seeing him like this made me think, should I really be so judgmental? Maybe there were more to people than I thought… I know that there are nice people in this world, but maybe status can sometimes be just status. Who the hell knows, maybe even some nobles don't act like the stereotypical noble. I put a hand on Vegapunk's shoulder, "Look together we can accomplish your goal. We can make me the modified warrior that you have planned. Everyone makes mistakes, I know that. Sometimes you need to let go of the past and move forward. You of all people should know that." I gave him a small nudge, "I understand how you feel, believe me. When I lost my father…" I paused at the painful memory, "I felt the same way you felt. The situations may have been different but we share the same grief. My father died because he tried to save people, some rogue marine killed him." I closed my eyes and took my hand off his shoulder, "He had given me a glass vial with the antidote, and I didn't know what to do with it. I ended up losing it in a bar when I got into a fight…" I trailed off.
(Monologue flashback)
I had lost it when one of the drunks refused to give me his dirty plate. I was eleven then. Bathal had just gotten me a job as a waiter from a bar he visited very frequently. The manager was a kind and burly man. He let me keep the tips I made and let me eat some of the leftover food after hours. The job was nice for my age; I screwed it up by fighting with a drunk who refused to give me his dirty plate. He claimed that he loved it and wanted to marry it. When I tried to take it, he punched me straight in my gut; I flew into the wall and almost lost my consciousness. The impact had loosened a small pouch I had connected to my pants; the vile slipped out in mid flight and slipped through a crack in the floor. I never saw it again. Sadly because of the fight I ended up losing the job. Bathal was sure mad about that.
(end)
Vegapunk pulled me out of my thoughts when he gave a slight cough, "I really appreciate your support Yon. It, it means a lot. I hope you understand that I lied when I said I was going to erase your memory." He looked up to me as he dried away his tears.
If he lied about that, then how did Akainu not pick up on it, maybe he was just that good at lying? No, there had to be something more to it. "I'm glad that you decided not to do that, but I have to know. Had you lied to Akainu when you said you would?"
He pondered my question and replied, "Yes, why do you ask?"
"How was he able to tell that I was lying? I kept a straight face when I told him I agreed with him about the Straw Hats." I met his gaze.
"He simply decided to use Haki. I'm sure he didn't use it when he was speaking to me because he trusts me." Vegapunk retorted. Haki? I had heard that term before, but I couldn't place it. When Vegapunk saw my shocked expression he followed up, "You do know what Haki is, correct?"
"I think I have heard of it, but I'm not sure." I scratched my chin and sat back down in my chair. I was prepared to learn about this power Akainu had.
"Haki is something everybody has. While this is true only certain people can actually use Haki to their advantage. The best way to describe it would be to say that Haki is the power from your soul. Based on your will power demonstrates your ability to use Haki. Therefore you must have immense focus and ambition to unlock even the most amateur of Haki abilities. Most people gain the ability to use Haki from intense training; others unlock it from an immense shock in their life." He stretched his arms and leaned back in his chair, "There are three colors of Haki." At my raised brow he added, "Err, colors being the term to describe the types. The Color of Observation is used in combat to predict the enemies move. When this happens the user sees a small vision of the move and how much damage the move will do. The more the enemy wants to kill the user, the better the user can predict the enemy's movements. Another way it can be used is to see people's emotions or their power. This was most likely how Akainu could tell you were lying. Not so much that he could read your thoughts, but more so that he could tell how you felt about the Straw Hats. This can also be used to see how powerful an opponent is. The second being Color of Arms. This is used to create an invisible armor around one's body. Thus the user gains an immense boost in defense. This form of Haki can also be used to nullify a devil fruit user's protection. Unlike Sea Stone, Haki can only allow the user to attack Logia's and some Paramecia's bodies, rather than totally taking away the devil fruit user's power. This form of Haki is a must when fighting devil fruit users." He scratched his chin and continued, "Using the invisible armor, with enough training, someone can transfer the nullifying effects to a weapon, or use the extra defense to coat their body with a black covering. The covering then acts, just like a carbon strengthener would to metal. The final form of Haki is very rare. Only one in a million can conceive the ability. It is known as the Color of the Conquering King. The interesting thing about this power is that it cannot be obtained through training; only people who are born with this form can manifest it. With this power the user can emit their willpower over a vast playing field. Those who have a weaker will power than the user, or the strength of the Haki the user lets loose, will be knocked unconscious. Those who have this ability and have mastered it can pick only one person in a crowd of millions to knock out and not affect others around them. With continual blasts of this power one can even affect inanimate objects." He let out a breath, "That is basically Haki." He smiled very content with his explanation.
"It seems that Haki is very useful." I said. "Do you think Coby would be able to teach me a color of Haki?" Learning Haki would not only make me stronger, but it would allow me to do things more efficiently, like finding the Straw Hats.
"About that…" Vegapunk interrupted, "I'm pulling you out of training." He warily pointed out.
"Why? He still has to teach me another tech…" I was interrupted by Vegapunk before I could continue.
"I need to finish some modifications on you. I trust that he has taught you the most important skill first. I had contacted him shortly after you left; he seemed a little relieved actually." Vegapunk added.
How was I supposed to get stronger only knowing one of the Rokushiki techniques? "All I learned was the basics of Tekkai… How is that supposed to really help me that much? If he could at least teach me how to use Haki properly wouldn't that be more useful if I'm going to become a tool for the government?" I argued with a point both me and him hated to talk about. Being a tool frightened me, but I trusted that the liberation he had promised me would come about soon enough.
His voice became a whisper, "You're not going to become a tool, and you know that." Then it raised back to a normal pitch, "This modification is to help protect your heart it is more vital than any training you will ever receive." He tapped his chin waiting for a reply.
"I understand." I sighed; he definitely knew something would happen if he didn't perform the surgery soon. I didn't want to end up like Bayssa.
"On the topic of modification, I learned something about that reaction you had in the biome." He said with a hint of excitement. "Up until know I couldn't seem to find out what blood type you were, but I was sure it was not –AB when you survived the reaction. I took the sample back to the lab and studied it. It seemed to have been an endothermic reaction over your retina cells that caused them to become a very dry solid. When I added some of the medicine to some of the experimental blood I had, I saw that it did the same thing when it touched a retina sample. Thus I deduced that you had HH blood. It all made sense, the machinery I was using to try and identify your blood couldn't pick up the difference between HH blood and -O/-AB." He had a smile from corner to corner as he relayed his newfound information. To be honest I was surprised that Dr. Gehane hadn't found that out sooner. I knew he couldn't seem to figure out my blood type when I was with him, but I would have thought he'd of figured something like that out sooner.
"That's good right, Vegapunk?" I questioned.
"Very much so, you have been the most stable patient we have had to date! With this last modification you should be 100% stable. When we achieve that I can add the special serum I have been developing that will help muscle development. Then you can go back to training." He smiled at me as he exclaimed his theory. Without a second going by he took out a pocket watch, "It's getting late we should leave here, and head back to the lab." He slowly stood up and looked over to my direction. "Are you coming?"
I flipped my hair out of my face, secured my hat, and followed Vegapunk.
"Hey Vegapunk," I asked as we walked down the stair case. "What exactly is the surgery going to do?" I pondered as he pushed the switch to open the hatch.
"Well, as of right now you at a risk of developing a clot, or a tumor in your aortic valve. I had developed a way to help transfer blood faster throughout the body using artificial artials and veinials to help distribute the blood evenly." He said as we passed by some other scientists in the hall who waved to Vegapunk. As he waved back I replied, "So this is going to help prevent blood clots? How are you going about preventing the tumors?"
"Well if my theory is correct, I should find a small bulge in your Left Subclavian Artery. When I remove it I am going to replace the scarred tissue with the leather from a Cocox. For some reason it has a weird property about it that helps to absorb extra tissue. Once that is complete you should not develop any tumors." Vegapunk replied as we walked down the corridor.
At the mention of the Cocox I remembered something that Dr. Gehane had told me. According to him the Cocox fur could not touch human blood otherwise certain complications would arise. Therefore whenever he used it, he would coat it in translucent Adam wood sap. This had allowed the absorbing affects of the Cocox leather to still work while not touching the human blood. I wondered If Vegapunk had known that. I replied to his small speech "That sounds good, my father used to use Cocox leather for some of his surgical procedures."
"Is that so?" Vegapunk replied, "Sounds like he dealt with people who had many blood problems."
"You could say that." I replied meaningfully.
Soon enough we arrived at the entrance of Vegapunk's laboratory. It had been months since my last visit to here. The outside looked exactly the same. It was nice to see that it had not changed in my absence. I reached out and touched the door. "Have you fixed up the lab since I was last here?" I chuckled.
"Of course, it would have been a pain working in a broken room. I also collected a little surprise for you." He unlocked the door and led me inside. The room had been given a paint job. Instead of being white and blue, Vegapunk had changed it to a dark green that was intersected by black and an array of blues. The desk that had been smashed was now replaced by an elaborate new work bench filled with many different chemical vials. I walked over to the brand new surgical table; a robotically manufactured hand was hovering over it. Behind it was a pure gold clock with silver bells dangling off of it. Where his old shelves used to be located, a strong, steel, and very organized filing cabinet now stood. I turned to Vegapunk and gave him a smile. "This place looks so different." I said
"Well I couldn't keep this place so dirty for too long. I imagine that you like the new layout?" Vegapunk asked.
"Of course, I'm glad that you decided to invest in better equipment." I walked over to the surgical table. "Can this hand perform surgery?" I asked.
"I wouldn't trust it to do so, I have only used it to hold open patients rib cages, or for it to hold scalpels while I would do something else." He replied "Would you like to see the Cocox skin that I had ordered?"
"Of course I would!" I followed him over the filing cabinets. He reached into one of them and pulled out a slew of leather pieces. He passed me a pure white Cocox strip. The material was extremely soft, "So this is what you're going to put in me?" I asked.
"Yes, I actually haven't used Cocox before but I have read up on it. Since the roc feathers I used to use became impossible to get, I decided to try this alternative." He replied. I rubbed my fingers over the material; something didn't seem right about it.
"Are you going to do anything to this piece of leather before the procedure?" I pondered aloud.
"Should I?" He replied.
"My father used to put Adam wood sap on it since Cocox fur can have a nasty reaction when touching human blood. Did you know that?" I replied. When I saw his shocked face I knew his answer.
"No, like I had said before this will be my first time using this fur. I'm glad that you told me this. Otherwise we may have had a problem." He gave a nervous chuckle. I guess even the smartest man in the world has a few things he didn't know about.
I walked over to a chair near his desk and sat down. I tossed him back the fabric, "When are you going to begin the surgery?" I said. He was rummaging through the file cabinet. Suddenly he pulled out a bottle. "Well, I would like to start soon enough, but I don't want to inconvenience you." He began pouring some of the liquid from the bottle onto the leather. "I'm glad I had ordered some Adam wood sap a year ago. Who knew it would come in handy now." He smiled at me. "Say how was your training with Coby?" Vegapunk asked.
I winced at the painful memories. "It was, well painful. Most of the time, I felt that he just wanted me to suffer through the training. Other than that it went very smoothly. Everyday was the same routine though so it did get a little boring from time to time. It was wake up, run a lap, do some 400 pushups, rest for ten minutes get a drink, do 300 sit ups and then he would make me carry a weight on my back while I walked around the training area. Throughout the day he would give me small breaks to eat, drink, or use the toiletries." I clenched my abdomen as I remembered the pain of the training. "Then he began to train me in Tekkai. Man I thought the other training was bad. Now he was punching me every day." I chuckled. For the next hours I explained how Coby trained me. While I spoke Vegapunk began taking my vitals and preparing the surgical table for surgery.
"Alright Yon, can you lay down on this table?" I complied with his order. The table had a thin paper on it that felt very cold to the touch. "Would you switch into this gown?" Vegapunk requested. He quickly pulled a curtain out to cover me and the table. I switched into the loose fabric and laid my old garments on the ground near the wall. I removed my pendent and my hat, placing them safely on top of the filing cabinet. I hopped onto the table and called Vegapunk back over, "I'm ready for the surgery." Vegapunk returned with a blue surgical cloth. He draped it over my body and said, "I'm going to give you an anesthetic shot in your brachial artery. It should knock you out almost immediately." I nodded in understanding and closed my eyes.
"Breathe in please." Vegapunk asked. I took a deep breath and held it in. He then attached a respirator around my mouth and nose. I opened my eyes to see him polishing a needle. "You can breathe now."He noted. I watched as the needle danced above my artery. Suddenly a sharp pain filled my arm, and then everything went black.
"You're doing well" A voice thundered down. As I opened my eyes I was greeted with a serene setting. I was sitting on a chair in the middle of a field filled with flowers. I searched for the source of the voice only to find nothing. I was alone. I stood up and turned around. The scene changed instantly, cool water swarmed my existence until it was knee high. In the distance I was greeted by a large ship. The vessel had a black flag dancing high in the wind tightly secured to its tallest mast. I gazed in awe as the ship began to near me. I squinted to try and make out any significant details that could be carved into the ship. Suddenly I noticed the silhouette of a man was standing next to the rails. Before I could identify the strange humanoid, his figure became dulled and overtaken by sudden flashes of light. I began to recognize certain scenes as being part of my past. My head began to feel like a pounding hammer was constantly thrashing at my cerebrum, I clenched my head trying to make the pain stop. Nothing seemed to be able to stop the pain. I fell to my knees and shut my eyes. Flashes of my past as a slave began to cloud my vision flash back after flashback until everything went silent. Suddenly I was without pain, my eyes slowly opened to reveal a dark room. I slowly stood up and began to feel around trying to find a support. When nothing seemed to fill my reach I quickly turned around. "You're becoming stronger." The voice began to reappear, this time, a little louder. Suddenly a light filled the room, I quickly brought my arms up to block as much of it as I could. Once I was comfortable with the light, I slowly raised my guard down. A gasp escaped my lips at what I saw. Sitting in front of me was a shadowy figure. The figure sat in my direction and let loose a toothy grin."Who are you?" I asked. The figure gave a small chuckle that sent shivers down my spine.
"You may just reach your goal soon enough." The figures smile became a crooked and twisted frown, "Time is running short, stay strong and we may meet again." He began to slowly dissipate, and with each passing moment I began to tire. Soon enough my tired body fell limp on the cold hard ground.
I was quickly greeted with an uncomfortable feeling in my throat and nasal passage, confused as to what it was I lifted my hand to touch the strange intruder. They felt similar to rubber tubing. I opened my eyes and slowly elevated myself to a sitting position. I was back in Vegapunk's room. Though I could not see him I imagined him to be close by. I looked around the room to discover nothing had really changed, except for a small gift chair was placed promptly next to my bed. Suddenly curious about Vegapunk's handy work I decided to check my chest for any scars. I at least knew that the procedure had been successful otherwise I might not have woken up at all. As my hands searched for any sign of scarring the metal door that concealed this room from the hall began to creek open. I couldn't tell who it was because of the sheet that blocked my view, but I imagined it was Vegapunk. I located a large scar close to my third rib on my left side. He must have not thought it necessary to move my rib cage, I deduced. I relaxed myself into the surgical bed I was in and called out, "Vegapunk," voice sounded hoarse and dry, "Is that you?"
A loud noise sounded off at his reply, "Y-your awake?" he stuttered. He quickly ripped the curtain that once concealed my privacy was away. "How is this possible" he questioned aloud. Vegapunk's hair was extremely messy, as were his clothes, it looked like he had been too busy to bother cleaning up for a while.
I cleared my throat, "Is there a problem?"
"No, this is wonderful! I had expected you to awake in at least a week, but it seems that the muscle enhancer sped up the recovery process faster than I could have predicted." He scratched his chin, "Would you care to let me know if you had any strange dreams while you were asleep?"
"Yeah," I replied. I quickly summarized what I could remember about the strange vision I had seen.
"Most interesting, I only ask this because I had tried a new anesthetic on you. I don't think I will be using that again." He chuckled.
"How long was I under Vegapunk?" I pondered. He looked over his shoulder and gave a yawn.
"You were unconscious for a little over two weeks." Vegapunk turned his gaze back over to me, "Yon, it is pretty late right now, I'm going to head on over to my personal quarters, tomorrow morning I will be back and we can discuss further. Before I leave I know you must be thirst, the robotic hand right above you can service you further." He gave a content yawn and waved goodnight. Slowly but surely he left the room, the lights following him. His rushed exit left me wondering if he was truly tired, or just had other manners to attend to. Though he was correct, I was thirsty. I glanced up and stared at the hand dangling at least a foot in the air above me. With my eyes I followed the bright orange cord from the end of the arm to a control box within my range. Though it looked like it would be complex the box only had two buttons, a brown button that shimmered quietly in the darkness, and a sky blue button that radiated a faded light. I stared at the contraption and came to a conclusion. Who the hell puts these colors on a freaking control box, especially a control box that has no words on it? I cautiously pressed the blue button. Blue meant water right? A shot of extremely hot liquid skimmed my left pointer finger as I pulled away from the button. What the hell was that? I looked over to try and find the source of the liquid. My jaw dropped when I saw that a tube shaped robot had appeared next to my hand. It held a hose in its tiny hand. A gurgling noise began to omit from the robot, it took no genius to figure out what that meant. The only difference from last time was that it was now aiming at my face. I bulge of sweat began to form and I realized the consequences that would arise. I jumped out of my bed and landed on the cold tile floor as squirts of boiling water flew over head. Vegapunk would be mad, but I'd much rather deal with him than third degree burns. I opened a drawer near me and found a hammer. That robot would get what was coming to it. I gave a fierce battle cry as I jumped over the bead and tackled the squirting robot to the ground. I proceeded to pummel my foe until its body became a dysfunctional piece of scrap. I wiped a bead of sweat off my fore head, getting a drink could wait until tomorrow. I climbed back into bed and tried my best to quickly fall asleep.
I awoke to the screams of Vegapunk. I shot up from my bed expecting something awful to be in the room. Then I remembered last night. "Crap," I muttered underneath my breath. I looked over to where Vegapunk was picking up the remains of the robot in agony. "Vegapunk, I can explain…" He stopped where he was and looked me straight in the eye. "I pressed the wrong the button and the robot tried to attack me." He stared at me for a second before a small smile creped onto his face.
"Button? The machine is voice operated. I thought I told you that." He placed the remains of the robot onto a table behind him and gave me a small chuckle, "I'm sorry if this thing caused you any trouble." He gave a small smile and walked over to the side of my bed.
"That thing gave a heart attack, next time I don't think I will take your advice late at night, unless you have explained my position better." I replied.
"I'm sorry Yon I'll be sure to tell you if I have any more robots that could harm you when you go to sleep. Say how does your nose feel? I took the respiratory tube out while you were sleeping." He said as he glanced over at a clock.
"Fine," I said, "It doesn't hurt at all. So what are our plans for today?" I swung my legs to the side of the bed as he thought about the schedule.
"Well, we can eat first and then I have some things I need you to do." He paused. "Say, when is your birthday?"
I had to ponder that answer for a bit, I hadn't really been keeping track, but if I was correct it would have been in a month or so. I hopped off the bed and wobbled as I tried to regain my balance, "It's in a month, why do you want to know?" I asked.
Vegapunk walked over to a drawer and threw me a fresh pair of jeans, under garments, socks, a shirt and some shoes. He then quickly drew the curtain and replied, "No reason, it was just for curiosity's sake. I brought some breakfast for you so when you finish getting changes you can eat that. While you eat I will explain my plan for you the next month.
I quickly hobbled out of the hospital rags and slipped on the fresh clothes, ending by mounting my hat on my shoulders and my pendant around my neck. I slicked my hair out of my face and removed the curtain. "Sounds good to me, where is the food?" I asked Vegapunk. He walked over to a desk and patted it. "Since you had been in a small comatose state before last night I was able to stabilize your gastric system, thus you should be able to eat hardy things." He proposed.
I walked over to the desk to see a delicious array of eggs bacon toast and a tall glass of milk. I wasted no second grabbing a chair and beginning my meal.
"In order to help re-strengthen your heart and muscles I am going to have you practice some aerobics and very simple strength building exercises throughout the next month. Of course this will not take the every hour of every day, so during your free time I will teach you some medical techniques I thought would be helpful. I understand that you enjoy medical practice so this should be a treat to you. Then with the rest of the time you end up getting, I suppose you will be able to roam on this lower level as you please. Does everything sound pleasing to you?" Vegapunk pondered. I quickly downed the last of the food on the plate to give him an answer.
"Yeah sounds good, when do we start?" I inferred. I was pumped up from the hardy meal I had just eaten. He gave it a small thought and replied, "We can start at noon." I gave Vegapunk a smile and stood up from my chair.
Throughout the next month, every day before and after breakfast Vegapunk had me practice yoga and other aerobic exercises. The morning routine helped me feel both physically and mentally relaxed. Soon enough I had become less tense and enjoyed the exercise. The new interior room Vegapunk had added to his lab allowed for easy access to the bottom floor with me having no worry of where I would need to stay. After I would eat lunch Vegapunk would let me read about different discoveries he made that set new milestones for surgery. I learned many things during that month. After he let me study him, for one hour every day he let me practice on rats, and other small animals. I was glad to get my surgical practice back in action. After doing that I would eat dinner, the meals I was served during that month were very delicious and I certainly enjoyed every one of them. After dinner Vegapunk let me access the library or roam the halls, during the time he let me have to myself, I learned many things about the straw hats and each ones background. Thus my opinion of them was even better. The sheer amount of help they gave while saving their own crew's skin showed how honorable these pirates were. I was surprised to hear how sad some of their life was, it reminded me of my own and I became attached to them. The month passed by quickly and soon enough it was my 16th birthday.
I awoke in my bed with the utmost energy. I had gained a large stamina boost since I started the aerobics, every day I felt better and better. I slowly pulled the covers off my body and hopped onto the cold marble floor. Today was my makeshift birthday. It was always an exciting experience for me. Whenever I jumped up a year I felt like it was a new milestone for my life. This year seemingly was probably going to be the most important. This year would change my life. I had been talking to Vegapunk and he said that I would soon be done with everything he could do for me. The thought alone made me feel very happy. I hummed a song as I got ready for the day. Vegapunk had told me that I had finished my training yesterday and he had a special prize for me today. I grabbed clean clothes and headed down to the showers. I sped down the hall almost knocking over a couple marines, tried to be one of the first there. Luckily I had woken up earlier than most and a single stall was unoccupied. I threw my toiletries into the stall, and my clothes into a locker. I was lucky enough to get a shower stall and even luckier that people had not used all the hot water. I let the clear liquid rinse me over while I thought about my life. Sixteen years ago I was brought into the world, for many years I was a slave, those times were hard. I quickly escaped that life because of the kindness of a doctor. I then got that life taken from me by a crook. I was silently abducted and made a slave again. Then was put on trial for a murder I did not commit. Fate had given me luck that I ended up here. If I did not who knows what trouble I would have gotten myself into. I chuckled to myself at the thought. The water started to become cold so I hurried up my pace. After showering I quickly dried and got dressed making sure not to forget my hat or pendent. Vegapunk had something for me today, I was ecstatic to find out what it was.
I rushed down the halls, no longer burdened by extra clothing, and barged into Vegapunk's lab. I walked over to my bed and flopped down allowing the comfy bed to accept my extra weight. I turned over to that I was staring up at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. This was probably the most exciting day since I arrived. Vegapunk invaded my thought with a loud shout.
"Happy birthday Yon!" He was holding a card in his hand as he gave a hardy laugh. I stood up with a smile and greeted him. "Thank you so much Vegapunk." I replied.
"Every one of my patients gets something special for their birthday, and just between you and me, you probably are getting the best present yet!" It was surprising that Vegapunk was acting so friendly, but over time I and he had bonded very well. He had even begun to feel like a second father to me. I was sure he felt the same way.
He handed me the card and awaited my opening. "Now just to clarify that is not from me." Vegapunk smiled. I stared down at the small package and opened it with care.
Inside was a plain red card that read in even deeper crimson letters, "Happy Birthday". I opened the card to reveal a small message,
Dear Yon,
Hey buddy it's me Kibin! I haven't contacted you in a while and I thought now would be a good time as any. When Coby told me that Vegapunk told him your Birthday was today I couldn't pass it up, so I got a News Coo to high tail it pronto. You're going to be big kid, and when you get to the top tell em I personally trained you. Live long and well my friend.
Sincerely yours,
Vice Admiral Kibin
"So he does think about me," I chuckled aloud. "Where are we headed?" I tucked the letter into my pocket and silently thanked Kibin for his thoughts. It was nice to know he thought of me as a friend. I looked back up at Vegapunk to see a smile was very adamant on his face.
"I have a couple special things I am going to get you today, all of which require us to head to Lougue Town." He replied.
Lougue Town? Now that sounded good to me. Finally I would get some fresh air and see the sun after months of working in this facility. It would be a really nice change of pace. I smiled up at Vegapunk and nodded in agreement. "Yeah that sounds great Vegapunk. Should I grab anything?" I asked. He gave a slight stare and replied with a dismissing hand.
I nodded and put my hat onto my head. "Well shall we head out?" I asked.
"I will lead the way." Vegapunk declared. He began walking out the door, so I quickly followed.
"Can I have a hint as to what this surprise is?" I asked
He locked the door to his lab and gave a small chuckle, "Be patient Yon, I haven't seen you this excited since you got down here." He began to quicken the pace, but not in the direction I thought he was going to go in.
"Isn't the exit that way?" I pointed in the opposite direction of where we were heading.
"That exit does not take us up to Lougue Town. It takes us up to another level of this base." He answered.
"Oh, well how far away this exit is?" I inferred. He made a sharp turn and I barely managed to follow his lead into the oncoming traffic of people.
"The exit is just a bit more this way." He replied. I followed him into a stairwell. We climbed two stories worth of steps until we got to a hallway.
"This is the elevator that will take us to a bank in Lougue Town. It is very convenient." Vegapunk pulled me through to the hallway until we reached the elevator doors. He pushed a button and the door opened.
"So what part of Lougue Town are you taking me?" I asked Vegapunk.
He pressed a button with the imprint B on it, and replied "You're not getting anything out of me I don't care how persistent you get."
The rest of the elevator ride was silent and very tense as we neared the exit. Soon enough a ding rung through the small elevator and the doors opened. We arrived at what seemed to be a lounge room.
"This way Yon, "Vegapunk guided, "We can exist from this door." He quickly headed for the exit and I followed.
"Welcome to your first true luxury visit to Lougue Town." Vegapunk said as he opened the door. The streets were bustling with all kinds of people, merchants lined the streets and the houses were extremely decorated. He led me around town where I was very busy taking in the large scale things that I had never seen before. He led me to a large circle plaza where all the side streets connected. In the very center there a scaffold stood. When Vegapunk noticed me looking at it he said, "This is where the first Pirate King had been executed, around eight years ago the lost Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy almost was executed by another pirate here." I stared at him in aw, was he really that close to death in the beginning of his journey?
"That can't be true, right?" I asked.
"It is very true, that fated day set the course for many events in the future and is another reason why we set up such a huge base on this island. The Marines think that this town has a curse on it, any pirate who enters gets some kind of moral boost they say." Vegapunk gave a chuckle.
From where we stood I could see the Marine base way in the distant, it looked so small compared to what it truly was.
"Well we have wasted enough of our time, let's get moving. "Vegapunk exclaimed. He began heading toward one of the most crowded streets so I kept close as to not get lost. He pushed and maneuvered through people until we came to the entrance of a clothing store.
"This is the first stop." Vegapunk said. I quickly followed him up the stairs and prepared for whatever he had bought me. When we entered he walked over to the counter and began talking to the clerk. I began walking around the store looking at all the different amount of clothes that the store was selling. Everything from socks to fedoras, it was a very interesting stock. Many different styles all conjoined into one place.
My train of thought and aw came to a crashing stop when Vegapunk patted me on my shoulder, "Happy Birthday Yon!" He exclaimed. In his arms were two bags filled with clothes. "Go try them on in the dressing rooms; I got them specially made for you." I thanked him and rushed over to the dressing rooms. I quickly emptied the bags of their contents. In one was a large white trench coat with lots of padding inside the arms were made a little wider than normal to fit my arms. The bag also contained a brand new pair of strapped black combat boots. The other bag contained a jet black Kimono that had two straps of pearl white dyed leather. Underneath the clothes was a messenger bag he had also purchased. It was white and had a Red Cross symbol on the front side. It was very spacious and would be useful for storing different items in. I quickly tried them all on and they fit like magic. I turned and looked in the mirror they had set up in the stall, the clothes looked awesome. The colors blended well and it made me look pretty darn cool, if I say so myself. I slipped off the clothes and returned them to their original packages. I exited the small stall with my old clothes on and the bags in my hand. I was greeted by an ecstatic Vegapunk when I left the dressing room area.
"So how does it look?" Vegapunk exclaimed.
"Awesome, I look like a real fighting machine in these, thanks so much!" I replied.
"Well, I have already rung up the clothes so we can head to the next shop. Follow me." He said. We walked out of the store and back into the bustling streets. It was nearing lunch time and thus it had become even more crowded. We had to push many people out of our way as we headed to the next area. I was very curious as to where he was taking me, since we left one of the major shopping districts in a rush. After an hour of navigating through the sea of bodies we finally reached our destination. We had arrived in a very fancy area in town where different grooming stations were set up.
"Yon, Kibin told me that you were planning on getting a haircut correct?" Vegapunk smiled at me. I did say that, didn't I? Well it would be nice to finally get this hair managed.
"Yeah thanks Vegapunk!" I replied with my own crooked smile.
"Do you have any idea of what you want for your haircut?" He asked as we entered the salon.
"Yeah I have an idea." I replied.
"Vegapunk went up to a counter and handed the clerk a slip and whispered in her ear. She nodded and giggled a little bit as she glanced over in my direction. The secrecy of the situation scared me a little since Vegapunk was known to be unpredictable.
"So they have a chair free, it's the last one of the left. Just tell the lady what you want and she will give it to you." Vegapunk said with a grin over to me.
"Alright I will do that." I handed him the shopping bags and my hat with a little hesitance. He gave me a reassuring smile and I headed to where he had directed. When I arrived no one was there so I took the liberty to sit down in the empty chair. After a minute or so a sassy voice boomed behind me.
"You the kid Yon?" the voice said. I spun the chair around to meet the owner to the voice. To my shock it was a very punk looking girl. Half her head was shaved and colored jet black. She had a couple piercings on her face and wore a corset with black skinny jeans and combat boots. So this was the person that was giving me my haircut? I looked over to Vegapunk but he was busy reading a magazine. I sighed inwardly and finally gave my reply.
"Yeah that's me." I said.
"I'm Roxy. Well what do you want me to do?" She popped some gun in her mouth and gave me a silent stare.
"I was thinking you could keep the front kind of long, just cut the bangs up to my lips on the right side, in fact I want the right side of my head to be kept untouched. Could you shorten the hair on my left side to look like it was a military cut?" I asked, realizing my hair was going to turn out more like hers than I was initially expecting.
"Sure just turn round and we can get started." She replied. I spun my chair to face the wall and relaxed. She flopped a bag over my head and forced me to fit in it. Then Roxy pulled the chair back and soaked my hair in water.
"So where are you from?" She asked as she shampooed my hair.
"Well I have lived in many places, do you mean currently?" I asked.
"Yeah sure where are you from currently?" She dried let my hair air dry as she reached for her scissors.
"I'm currently living with the Marines. You could say I'm a project they are working on." I replied.
"You don't say? Makes sense they finally made you cut the hair. Are you some rebel kid?" She asked as she cut my bangs.
I shut my eyes and replied, "I wouldn't say that Roxy, more that they are giving me a little more freedom than most."
"Well aren't you special. What branch you work in?" She had spun me around and was layering the right side of my head, even though I told her not to touch it.
"I thought I said not to touch the right side." I said a little annoyed.
"Relax I graduated from cosmetology school first in my class just last semester!" She gave a small laugh. I now understood why Vegapunk was chuckling a bit.
"So you never answered my question." She reminded me.
"Well I guess you could say experimental? I don't know if what I do has a name." I answered.
"Oh confidential work sounds fun. You know, I wanted to be a Marine but hair was my true calling." She put her scissors down and wiped my shoulders clean of hair. She grabbed the razor and positioned my head to a convenient level for her.
"Wait a minute," she turned my chair around and looked straight into my eyes. "What in the world is with those eyes? They are gorgeous! Are they contacts?"
Well, I'm surprised she finally noticed, I thought she was just ignoring them the entire time. "This happened a couple months ago, due to an experiment." I replied.
"You have got to get me some of the stuff that makes them like that!" She replied with the best puppy dog face she could muster.
"Uh, well I can't really do that it has a 50% chance of killing you when you take it…" I said trying to swerve her off the topic.
She stood up and looked a little defeated. "Well that's a bummer; I guess I will just haft to wait till they make contacts like that." She spun me back around and turned the razor on.
"So how old are you?" She asked.
"I turned sixteen today actually." I replied.
"That's cool, happy birthday." She said as she continued shaving my head.
"Thanks, did you grow up here in Lougue Town Roxy?" I asked.
"Yeah I'm a local, even went to a local college. Are you not from around here?" She inquired.
"I guess you could say I'm staying here for now, but in the past I have had many different homes." I answered.
"Sounds interesting enough, well this should be the finishing touch." She did a quick run over of my hair and spun me around to face her.
"This is probably my best work yet. If you ever need another haircut just ask for me." She gave me a wink and helped me take off the protective covering. I shook off the excess hair and walked back over to Vegapunk.
I coughed to get his attention, "Oh Yon, you look… good." He replied holding back a laugh. I turned to look at a mirror and saw that she had given me the exact haircut that she was sporting. It didn't look that ridiculous, it actually fit me. At least that was what I thought.
"Thanks," I replied. He stood up and called Roxy over. He handed her a large wad of beri and thanked her for her work. As soon as she got hold of the money she squealed and began counting it instantly. Vegapunk turned back to me and handed back the bags and my hat. I put the hat back around my shoulders and we exited the saloon.
As we walked to our next destination I asked, "How much did you give her?"
He smiled and said, "Well let's just say a couple hundred thousand beri. She did a good job and I imagine this is the first haircut you got since arriving here correct?" I shrugged and we continued the rest of the way in silence.
Vegapunk took me to an area that was bustling with all sorts of food; he ordered me and him a hefty bowl of ramen in which we slurped down very quickly. After a couple refills we headed to our next destination.
"Thanks for that Vegapunk, it was really good!" I exclaimed.
"No problem, it is your birthday after all." Vegapunk replied.
"So where are we headed next?" I asked.
"Well, I had a little something prepared for you by a very special person." He smiled at me as we walked.
"Awesome, will we arrive soon?" I asked eagerly.
"It should be just around this corner." He replied as we made a sharp turn.
We were greeted by a large dojo-like building titled, "Arms Shop".
"This is the place," Vegapunk said as he entered the shop, "I hope he hasn't forgotten."
I followed behind Vegapunk eager to find out what he had in store for me. I looked around, swords, pole arms, and guns filled the shelves each with unique price tags painted on them. Near the entrance a couple barrels were filled with swords almost like a pick your own station. Each one was very cheap only 50,000 beri each. Closer to the front desk armor stands with highly decorated armor that stood tall and firm.
Vegapunk walked up to the front desk and gave the little bell on it a small ding. Out of a door behind the desk a grumbling man with a funny hairstyle in a blue kimono came out.
"Welcome to the Arms Shop, how may I h-…" He stopped in mid sentence when he saw Vegapunk smiling down at him. "Oh so you came to pick up that guisarme-voulge. It's in the back let me pick it up. You owe me big Vegapunk." The funny little man said.
"Ippon, this means a lot to me and my colleague. I truly appreciate the amount of smuggling it took to get this item." Vegapunk reassured. The man looked over to me and gave me a smile.
"Is this the kid who is getting the weapon?" He smiled.
"Yeah, he has trained pretty hard for this moment." Vegapunk gave a small chuckle.
"You bad kid, like real bad?" Ippon asked me.
"Uh, define bad." I replied a little weirded out by the question.
"Well, bad enough to get a bounty, someone like this!" He tore a curtain that was shrouding something behind down. It revealed to be a bounty poster. On it read:
"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro Wanted Dead or Alive 700,000,000 beri"
"This guy got famous using two of my swords I sold here! Think of that the Pirate King's first mate shopped here when he was just a rooky. I'm sure you can imagine the publicity this cause right kid?" Ippon happily exclaimed.
I stood in shock seeing a bounty poster so praised; I was used to people constantly badgering people who were "bad", it was a nice change of pace. Why couldn't I get a bounty when I left this town? No one was going to stop me from finding the Straw Hat pirates. If I got a bounty doing so well so be it.
"Yeah," I smiled "maybe one day I could have mine hanging up in this shop."
He gave me an even bigger grin and headed into the back of the shop.
"He is a funny character, isn't he Yon." Vegapunk asked.
"Yeah, I kind of like him though." I replied. Soon enough Ippon re appeared holding a large case that was shrouded by a tan cloth. I walked right up to the front desk and waited the unavailing. He looked at me and Vegapunk then gave a small speech, "This weapon cost me a hundred million to make. I'm proud to reveal the 'Akuma no masshā.'"
He ripped off the cloth to reveal a halberd type pole arm. The actual pole was decorated in a gray metal with different runic designs covering it. The blade was shaped like a sort of like the body of a boar spear head but was longer and more curvy. The blade was pure black with a blue fire streak running along the edges. In entirety the blade was around six feet long. He opened the glass case and placed the weapon on the counter.
"That will be 300,000,000 beri please." He proudly said to Vegapunk. Vegapunk gave a small sigh and reached into his pocket.
"You and me both know that this did not cost you that much to make, I supplied the metal and sea stone." Vegapunk replied as he placed a check for the exact amount on the table.
"You know time is money Vegapunk." Ippon laughed as he stuffed the check into his pocket.
I slowly picked up the pole arm; to my surprise it was extremely light. I walked over to an open area and gave it a swing.
"How does it feel?" Vegapunk asked.
"Light, and very strong," I gave it a few swings "I could get used to this."
"I'm glad you like it, this weapon should act very similar to the weighted Bo staff you were using before. I don't think you will need to practice that much with it, since it is relatively the same height, correct?" He asked.
I turned to them and answered, "Not at all. This thing feels amazing. Hey Ippon what did you say this weapon was called?"
He scratched his chin and replied, "Akuma no masshā, I named it that since the bottom of the blunt end has been tipped with sea stone. It is a very small amount but it blends in with the steel the rest of the pole is made out of."
I smiled at them both, "Thanks so much Vegapunk."
"You're welcome Yon. Ippon where is the strap I asked for?" Vegapunk turned to him.
He scurried through the box until he pulled out a metal strap that had a large pouch at one end of the strings. He motioned for me to come over and give him the weapon so I complied.
"This here should go like this," He pulled the pouch over the blade and fastened the rest of the contraption together. "Now I need you to turn around." I did as he asked. He placed the contraption on my back and fastened it so that it was securely on my body. "Now all you need to do is press this right here, "He turned me around and showed me a clasp on my right shoulder. He pushed it back and the pouch popped off the top of the blade. "Now you can slide it right out of the holster for use, and slip it back in when you need to sheath it." He gave me a smile.
"Awesome thanks for showing me." I replied.
"Yes thank you for everything Ippon." Vegapunk said, "But we really need to get back to the base it is getting late."
We said goodbye and heading back home. By the time we arrived it was 7:00 p.m. so we didn't have much to do other than wait for the next day.
"It is getting late so in a little bit I am going to head back to my room." Vegapunk said while he helped me find a place to hold my weapon.
"Alright, thanks for everything. I think we should try and put it on this side of my bed." I told Vegapunk as we lowered my weapon from a shelf it was temporarily on over to the side of my bed. I took the bags he was holding and placed them at the foot of my bed. "I will wear this tomorrow, unless you have something big planned?" I asked.
"Nothing really, I was thinking we could have you help me finish my special logia project if you would be interested." He replied.
"Sure why not. I bet it will be interesting enough." I said.
"Good, I was hoping that you would have said yes." He yawned.
I looked over to my weapon and was reminded of what Ippon said about Zoro. "Hey Vegapunk, do you have any idea of how to find the Straw Hats?"
He paused and looked at me, "I have been working on that in secret with Akainu and Kizaru, and we have a large report that might just be what we need to find them."
"That's sounds interesting. If I remember correctly you had said something about Helmeppo being able to put people into a comatose state?" I asked.
"Yes, the whole operation was rushed, I wanted to get a vivre card so that we could track him, but before that was possible they had deployed him. I tried to explain the benefits of it but they said time was short and we would have to make do with what we had. I don't know the exact location, but I imagine it might be somewhere in the New World. If we have time tomorrow I can show you my analysis and report I was going to submit to the Gorosai." He explained.
It would be nice if I could get a copy of the documents before I left this place. "Sure, that would be nice." I replied.
"Just so that everything goes quickly they are in the third file cabinet to the right under H. You should be able to get them out tomorrow so I can quickly show you them." He said.
He gave a slight yawn so I told him he could leave if he wanted to.
"I think I will take you up on that offer. Goodnight, Yon I will see you tomorrow." He waved and headed out of the room.
I slipped out of the clothes I had worn that day, and changed into a fresh pair of shorts and a clean T-shirt. I hopped onto my bed and snuggled under the covers. Today was definitely one of the best days of my life. So much was in store for me. I pulled my hat tighter on my head and closed my eyes ready to drift off to sleep.
I awoke the next day feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new challenges that approached me. I glanced over at the clock on the wall, 7:30. I had plenty of time before Vegapunk would be having me work. So I decided to freshen up a little bit. I headed over to a sink and washed my face. The cold water woke me up very quickly. I wiped my eyes and stared at my reflection in the mirror. My hair looked a lot better than I expected it to look. I took a comb and began brushing it out.
Suddenly the ground shook violently. I grabbed the counter trying to hold my balance. What was going on? I thought it was just some testing up stairs, so I brushed off the sense of danger that was creeping up on me. I quickly stripped out of my pajamas and into the new clothes Vegapunk had bought me. The material was very flexible and allowed me to move freely despite its appearance. I decided to make an early visit to Vegapunk and surprise him. I grabbed my messenger bag from its place on a chair and walked over to the filing cabinet. Since it would be easier for me to visit Vegapunk, I grabbed the entire section of H and stuffed it into the bag. This was the least I could do. After all he did treat me out yesterday. I pulled my hat off my head and onto my shoulders. I glanced over to my new weapon and debated whether or not to bring it. While it would be sort of a hassle I needed to get used to it being on my back. I dropped the bag and headed towards the weapon. I took off my trench coat and fastened the leather onto my kimono. Once it was secure I slipped my new weapon into the holster. I fastened the pouch over the tip of the blade to prevent chipping and slipped my trench coat over it. I grabbed the bag and exited the room.
Another quake shook the ground and forced me to fall. I landed on my stomach and had the air knocked out of me. The ground continued to shake and alarms were blaring. Suddenly the lights shut off and the alarm continued to blare. What was happening? I stood up and tried to find a wall. Suddenly a crowd of people started swarming me I grabbed onto one marine and yelled, "What is going on?"
He stared back at me. "The Revolutionaries have invaded Lougue Town; we are evacuating the people on this level, you must escape." He replied with a hint of urgency. I let him pass by me, but I knew I had to check if Vegapunk was okay. I pushed past the people trying escape. I needed to find him. Suddenly a wall behind me was blasted away. I turned and saw that Marine soldiers that were nearby started flooding the new hole. Bullets and gun fire flew through the air the revolutionaries had compromised the defenses on this lower level. I ran and eventually got past the large traffic to get out. The hallway became empty and only the sounds of guns and screaming men could be heard. I was lucky I grabbed everything I needed just in time; otherwise I might have forgotten something. I eventually made it to Vegapunk's room, and not to my surprise he had already left. I punched a wall in anger. How the hell was I going to get out of here? Suddenly I remembered the elevator I had used to get here the very first time was located nearby. I bolted down the hall and headed towards the elevator.
Was fate being kind? Could this be my time to escape this hell? I admit I had begun to enjoy it, but if I was ever going to accomplish my dreams I needed to get out of here sooner than later. I smiled; maybe just maybe I really would find the Straw Hats. I turned a corner and found myself in front of the elevator shaft. I pressed the button multiple times trying to get it to come down. To my relief the doors opened. I rushed in and pressed the first floor button. This was all going in my favor. Another ground shaking vibration rung through the facility and caused me to fall. Just in time too, a large metal door had fallen at the exact same rate as I did, splitting the top of my elevator. I let out a breath and wiped sweat off my forehead. That almost just killed me. I looked up to see that one of the cables was beginning to snap. I had to react quickly. I scrambled away from my place on the floor and climbed the fallen piece of metal to get on top of the elevator. I looked up and saw that the door had fallen from the top floor of the building. My only option before this whole contraption fell to the ground was to climb. I grabbed on to the tracks the corners of the elevator used to slide up and down. They made nice footholds, so I began climbing immediately. My arms hurt as I climbed the shaft. I could hear screams and shouts coming from the different floors. Suddenly a person fell down, flying from the top floor and landed on the elevator top with a splat. I cringed realizing that could be me if I fell. I continued my labored journey to the top. Nothing was going to stop me. A door I had just passed exploded and a couple people shrouded in cloaks fell to their doom. Slowly but surely I finally made it to the top. I pulled myself up and closed my eyes as I fell onto my back. I gave a small chuckle and got up to my feet.
When I opened my eyes, I puked. What I saw not only caused me to cringe and puke, but also made me question who Vegapunk was. I recognized this floor as one of his testing ground. It was the very same one Minami had led me through when I had first arrived. The pain and seriousness in her throat, I now understood. Everywhere, to my right and to my left was horribly deformed people; fetuses with extra heads, mutated adults with intestines hanging out of them, I couldn't take it. This battle made it only worse, remains of scientist and soldiers flooded the area, this must have been one of the first places to be invaded. I wiped my mouth and quickly ran out of the room. Disgusted and scared, I had no idea where I should go. I burst through the mechanical door that had been disfigured from an explosion and made it to a hallway. Now I had to decide right, or left. I heard the sounds of war to my left and decided to run from it. I headed down the right wing hoping to find an exit. I ran for five minutes in what seemed like an endless loop of tragedy. Occasionally I would pass by corpses of marines and revolutionaries; it sickened me to no end. Then I heard a familiar voice.
"What do you expect to get from taking this place over Sabo?" Akainu exclaimed. They came into view just as I turned a corner. Akainu looked in the worst shape I had seen him ever. His left arm was barely attached to his semi lava body, and he had blood all over his uniform. They were taking up the entire hallway except for the small area where I was watching from. The man Sabo wore a trench coat and had long blond hair. In his hand he held a lead pipe that had a black coating on it. Based on the situation I realized it was Haki. Kizaru appeared in a yellow flash and kicked Sabo as fast as he could. He was blocked with a single finger and then flung across the hallway with a single strike from Sabo. I watched in awe as this man took on two Admirals all by himself.
"I expect to find information on where my brother is!" He yelled and slammed a Haki infused fist down on Akainu. It was blocked by a magma hand Akainu had conjured in front of him.
I looked behind Akainu to see that Vegapunk was just behind him. What was he doing there? He had noticed me and motioned for me to go down the hallway that was behind Sabo. That must be an exit. I was hesitant, what if he thought I was an enemy? Then again if I never took any chances, well I wouldn't be able to accomplish my goals. I began to make a run for the path behind Sabo. I looked over to Vegapunk one last time, only to have horror stricken on my face.
Sabo had reeled back a hand ready to do a finishing attack on Akainu. He screamed, "Dragon claw fist!" His fingers separated into two groups as his attack hounded down onto Akainu. In defense Akainu had grabbed Vegapunk and used him as a human shield. Time stopped as Sabo tore through Vegapunk and directly hit Akainu in the face.
I stopped.
I fell to my knees numbly.
I stopped and fell to my knees numbly, disbelieving what I had just seen. Vegapunk twitched. He was still alive! Pain was on his face, but he mustered up a smile and mouthed a single word, "Run."
I wasn't going to watch him die; I needed to get out of this place. I hightailed it in the direction he had nudged me in. Tears streamed down my face as I ran through the halls. I pushed through people and ran through the haze of bullets. I was lucky enough to only be grazed. I continued my escape as my mind raced through all the time I was here. It was a hell of a journey and ended in the worst way. Vegapunk was a very interesting man, he had the greatest mind in the world, but it wasn't enough in the end. Someone stronger took his life. I clenched my fist; Akainu had used him like a shield only to prevent his imminent demise. Vegapunk could have done more for this world than Akainu. Why did he have to go? Rage filtered through my being. I couldn't stand the Marines; I had to grow stronger, strong enough to protect the people I cared about. I needed to be strong enough to accomplish my dreams. I needed to become strong enough to defeat the Marines that would try and hold me back. I needed to accomplish this, for Vegapunk and my own ambition. I wouldn't let Vegapunk die in vain.
I approached the exit and burst through a group of grunts. I ignored their cries and deflected some bullets they flew towards my direction with my arms. I punched one that tried to stop me square in his jaw, and emerged into Lougue Town. Another horror was before me. The Revolutionaries had set the town a blaze; citizens were running around trying to escape death that was creeping up on them. I ran into an alley to try and organize my thoughts. Where should I go? I needed to escape this island. A group of people ran right past me, I couldn't let anyone stop me. So I looked to the sky, one side of the town hadn't been touched yet, so I headed in that direction. I hit the front of my knee caps simultaneously to go faster. I sped through the alleys avoiding civilians and trying to find a dock. Eventually I emerged on the other side of town. Large ships were leaving the city evacuating hundreds at a time. Hundreds of people where blocking the docks trying to cram onto the ships. I pushed through the crowd and made it out of the traffic. In front of me was a beach, it looked so serene, not a foot print was on it, and a small seagull was wading in the water, oblivious to the death and chaos. I wiped some tears off my face and sat down on the warm sand. A couple miles off shore a small caravel was slowly making its way to Lougue Town, too bad for them. Today was not a good day to visit.
Today, science, greed, selfishness, and desperation changed my life forever.
A/N Dun DUN so much writing my fingers hurt :( But this was a lot of fun. Till next time R&R I brought back some characters in thought this chapter but I also killed off some people too. I want to add Sabo in for some more complex story line. Nonetheless the future will be ruff for Yon and those looking for the Straw Hats. With the Marines weakened I can promise some interesting things will be happening in the near future.
If you have any criticism to give it will be much appreciated. As stated before I am going to fix up some old chapters that had some grammar problems. I hope you all enjoyed! p.s. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and has made some nifty resolutions!
