Unknown, New World

The hall of the cathedral was dark, with the only sources of light being the small flames of the candles which were by the walls. The ceiling of the cathedral arched upward like a cone, and the transparent glass panes allowed the dim light of the full moon to penetrate the ceiling. At the far end of the cathedral sat a golden throne, glittering even in the darkness of the cathedral, a symbol of the power its owner commanded. A red carpet was rolled from the entrance of the cathedral to the throne.

The atmosphere in the cathedral was heavy, as cloaked figures took their positions alongside the red carpet. On the throne sat an unknown man, although one could tell in a glance that he was the leader. He donned a blood red cloak, different from the dark blue ones the rest were wearing, and the aura around him warned that he was a person of authority and one that you do not want to mess with.

As the moon began shone brighter than ever, the man's commanding voice echoed throughout the cathedral. "Begin the procession."

Two of the cloaked figures entered from the entrance, dragging a struggling teenage boy in between them. The teenage boy did not look to be well off, as he was wearing a shirt that was so torn that one could see more skin than clothing. His pants were ripped in various areas, and he was barefoot. His flamboyant red hair complemented his red eyes perfectly, and his smooth skin made him look youthful. In any other situation, one would have called him an attractive young man. However, the boy's eyes were currently filled with fear, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

The leader laughed at the boy's current state. "Dearest Enzo, why are you looking so pathetic? The Guild dictates that all betrayers will be slain without mercy. You of all people should know that."

Enzo was terrified as his wide eyes looked towards the leader. "I'm sorry! Please spare me this time! It won't happen again!" he pleaded desperately.

The leader chuckled at Enzo's response. "Even if I wanted to accept your apology, which I don't, I believe the Guild wouldn't want you to be alive. After all, what makes up the Guild is not me, but is everyone here."

Enzo's lower lip quivered as he heard this. There was no way he was getting out of this alive. He steeled himself and tried to put on a brave front for the inevitable.

The leader took no heed of Enzo as he stood up and faced the sky, raising up both hands. "Oh worthy Gods, today we have a disciple who was misguided, and betrayed the Guild. We hereby offer his blood as a peaceful offering."

With that, the group of cloaked people started to chant, with their volumes increasing gradually. As the chant resounded off the walls of the cathedral, it sounded like demonic and ominous, which struck fear throughout Enzo.

Enzo began to struggle even harder as he saw two men whip out razor-sharp knives. The whole crowd of cloaked figures began to converge on Enzo, surrounding him and leaving him with no way out.

As the first slash came, Enzo screamed out in terror. The menacing knives had finally connected with his body. Enzo screamed out in terror again as the knives slashed against him again. Excruciating pain surged throughout Enzo's body, as his heart pounded rapidly against his chest. What shocked him was not the depth of the slashes, but rather the placement of it.

Down both of his arms were long slashes which started from his elbow and ended at his wrists. In the course of the slash, it punctured major arteries, causing Enzo's body to pump out blood at a shocking rate. Blood spurted from his body like a gushing fountain, and the cloaked figures around him scrambled to get a sip of his blood.

Enzo could not think clearly anymore. He was beginning to feel dizzy due to the loss of blood. The pain had subsided, and he could sense himself going into a deep slumber, one that he could not wake up from.

Enzo had no idea how long the men tortured him, nor how many cuts they inflicted on his body. He just wanted it to end, one way or the other.

His wish was finally granted not long after. Enzo found himself being tossed out of the cathedral, onto the snowy plains of the island. The town itself was abandoned, with the wood on the surrounding buildings rotting. There was absolutely no source of light except the moon.

Enzo's breaths were getting shallower and shallower, his head was getting dizzy, he could not even stand due to the blood loss. His body would have loved to shut down for eternity, but Enzo was determined to survive. And the first step to that is getting to a warmer place - inside one of the abandoned houses.

However, sheer willpower can only get you so far. The immense blood loss and the freezing cold proved too much for Enzo, as he collapsed in the middle of the town. His body could barely move anymore, his breaths were basically inaudible, and death was looming closer than ever.

However, his eyes fell onto a blood red fruit in front of him. The fruit was shaped like a pear, while it had an intricate maroon design on its sides. Enzo's eyes barely widened in shock as he realised that it was a Devil Fruit. During his time with the Guild, he had encountered many of such users, all of which possessed immense power.

Enzo willed his hand to grab the fruit and brought it towards his mouth. He fervently prayed to God that the fruit would grant him a power that would save his life. With all of his final strength, Enzo bit into the fruit.

The first instinct of Enzo was to spit it out. It tasted so disgustingly bad that Enzo would gladly down ten cups of a concoction of rotten eggs and blue cheese. However, Enzo knew that if he spit it out, his death was guaranteed. As Enzo swallowed the fruit, he willed for whatever power it was to happen. Nothing happened except him coughing and rasping due to the aftertaste of the fruit.

Alas, the fruit did not seem to have any immediate effect on his body. Enzo sighed, knowing that his fate was sealed. As he collapsed dejectedly on the ground, he gave up on whatever willpower that was keeping him alive, and began to slip into consciousness.

The last thing he heard were frantic shouts, and he vaguely saw a man whose hair was like a pineapple grabbing him and lifting him up, before darkness claimed him completely.

XXX

Enzo awoke to find himself back in the cathedral. Was he… dead? He remembered fuzzily that he was in snowy plains, not anywhere inside the cathedral. Unlike before, the cathedral was now brightly lit, with the flames on the candles by the side burning brighter than before.

Footsteps from behind caused Enzo to spin around abruptly. A cloaked figure approached Enzo confidently, at a constant stride. As the cloaked figure stopped right in front of Enzo, it reached up and pulled its hood off.

Enzo's eyes widened as he realised who it was. Beneath the cloak was a youthful girl, who was just a little shorter than Enzo. Her hair was a shade of a mesmerizing brown, and her azure blue eyes further emphasized on her beauty. However, her beauty was overshadowed by the glare that she shot at Enzo.

"Why did you do it?" She asked, her hostile tone evident in her question.

"Luna, I can explain," Enzo started.

"You ought to know how traitors of the Guild are dealt with," she hissed.

"Luna, listen to me, please," Enzo pleaded.

"None can do. I thought you were a decent man, Enzo. It seems like I was wrong."

The sadness could be heard in Luna's voice as she turned around and began to walk away.

"Luna, wait-"

As Enzo stepped forward to chase after her, the flames by the side grew to a blazing inferno, sending Enzo back into the darkness once more.

XXX

Moby Dick

Enzo woke up to find himself in a completely unfamiliar environment. In contrast to the dark and dimly lit cathedral, the place where he was in currently had light so bright that it was almost blinding.

Looking around, he realised that he was in some sort of infirmary. There were sophisticated medical equipment littered around the room he was in, however there were currently no patients occupying any of the other beds. Judging by the rocking that he felt, Enzo concluded that he must be on a ship of some sort.

Where am I? Wasn't I left for dead by the Guild? Why am I here? Thoughts raced through Enzo's mind as he attempted to make sense of what had happened. He tried to move about, before wincing in pain.

He surveyed his own body, and realised that the multiple slashes and cuts he had received courtesy of the Guild was already healing at a steady rate, thanks to professional medical care he had received. However, the two deepest cuts were still clearly evident. Even though it had been stitched up, a visible line still ran through, leaving a scar.

"Awake already, aren't you?" A voice suddenly called up.

Enzo looked up in surprise, and found himself looking at a woman donning blue hospital scrubs. A face mask covered the majority of her face while gloves covered her hands, leaving very little of her actual body exposed to Enzo.

The woman did not seem fazed by the fact that Enzo had woken up and instead began to walk towards him. "I'm Doctor Joy, and I'm the main doctor of this ship."

Enzo stared at her suspiciously, and asked, "Where… am I?"

Doctor Joy shook her head. "It's best that you don't know for now and focus on recovering. You'll know when it's the right time."

Enzo narrowed his eyes at that statement, but made no attempt to push it.

"What about… these?" Enzo asked as he raised up both hands, exposing the long scars on both his hands, "Will these heal with time?"

Doctor Joy bit her lip as she tried to find a way to answer. "Judging from experience, a cut as deep as that one should leave a permanent scar. However, it is impossible to determine for sure and there is still a probability that your scars will completely heal."

Enzo's face remained impassive. He already knew that it would scar from the first look at his injuries. His time at the Guild had exposed him to many injuries, to the point where it became obvious which injuries were fatal and which were not.

"Where am I?" Enzo asked again.

Doctor Joy shook her head firmly. "That's not something you need to know now. Concern yourself with healing up. Those injuries of yours you came with are not something you see everyday."

All of a sudden, Enzo's world flipped upside down. It looked like he was seeing double of everything. His world spun as his vision began to become blurry.

"Wha-?" he started to exclaim.

"Don't worry. It's just the sedative beginning to take effect again. Sleep well," chuckled Doctor Joy.

Not again… Enzo thought as he blacked out once more.

XXX

Enzo woke up with a pounding headache. Even though he was in the same familiar environment, there was a jarring difference.

For now there was a person lying on the bed beside him. The person donned a flamboyant orange cap over his black hair, and he was currently snoring away.

Enzo's eyes widened as he looked at the man's back and saw an all-too-familiar insignia. His mouth dropped as he realised where he currently was.

He was on the ship of the Whitebeard Pirates.

A/N: First chapter, first fanfiction, done! Hope you guys enjoy this story featuring my OC, Enzo! Not much is revealed about him as of now, but more will definitely be revealed in the subsequent chapters. So, look out for those! If you have any burning questions about Enzo at any point in the story, feel free to leave a review or PM me. I'll try to answer your questions as best as possible without spoiling the story. Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Bye!