"Fuck around and find out."

A boy found himself saying, fists raised as he stared at a group in the opposite corner of the alley, their relaxed demeanors shifting to that of annoyance. What had they done to exact his ire? He didn't have the slightest clue, a grin flashing on his face, as all of them wince at the sight.

Is there something wrong with how I look?, he thought to himself before shaking his head. There was no point for such useless thoughts, not when he had just taunted them. Inhaling deeply, he steeled himself and rushed them at full speed, intercepting the first boy with a sweep to his legs, making him stumble to the ground.

Not stopping for a second, he followed it up with a knee to the chin, sending both him and the boy skating through the air. However, he others didn't sit idly by either, picking up nearby pipes and knives as they cautiously approached. The boy merely regarding them with the same amount of attention as he would a box of toys.

He was going to have fun, whether they liked it or not.

Ducking under the first's pipe swing, his legs shot up with the force of a flintlock, upper cutting his foe. But he wasn't done yet, pulling onto the latter's shirt and into a devastating knee. He tossed the boy aside once he was finished, looking back towards the others, who had begun to quiver at the sight, all except one.

"You expect people to fear you when you can't even take down a single guy?" There, a little girl in a tank top, stepped forward, her brow quirked and her voice laying undertones of anger. "I didn't join to be disrespected by some walrus clown." The boys around her steadied their footing, nods of agreement passing between them as they all put faith in their larger numbers. "Then stop standing around and do something!"

They cried out alongside her, a horde of children run out of the shadows, far more than what the alley should've been capable of holding. To this, the boy shrugged, cracking both his knuckles and neck before facing the threat head on, his stance lowering as the first wave came near.

His right leg kicked off the ground, his body turning a hundred and eighty degrees before launching a crushing back kick, throwing those in the center into the crowd, while more piled in from the sides. Then, he hopped back, dodging several knife swings before weaving through a pipe's course of attack, snatching the weapon from its owner's hands and using it as his own.

The first swing brushed against the wind, missing by a wide margin as the boy was pushed back into the streets returning into the golden light of the sun. Gritting his teeth, the muscles on his shoulders tightened, bashing it into the ground in a wild bull charge, relying on his brute strength to push through.

However, his attempts were thwarted by the veritable barricade, his attack barely putting a dent in their numbers as several blows struck on the head, his brain blaring sirens for him to run away. Though, forcing him to give up would be an even more difficult task than beating all of them, a fact the boy knew very well.

Pulling his weapon arm back, he wound all of his power into one strike, breaking their stance by shoving them off him and taking a single step. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the pressure, upper body twisting as an aura of death surrounded him.

The group soon came to regret their actions as several of the larger kids were blown back by the force, crushing more than a few of their friends as the former moved on without a care. He didn't waste any time after the fact, capitalizing on the wide opening to beat down on those who were stunned, taking them out with a gleeful grin on his face. It didn't matter how strong they were, it was as if he was a one-man-army. Whatever he took, the boy returned twice as hard.

An intimidating aura coated his figure, the group in front of him rooted in place, legs trembling and their grips shaky, more than a few running away. The boy was just getting warmed up, his blood positively boiling for more.

He was a monster in human skin, the very air around him rippling with might as he strutted forward. "So, who else's up for the job?" He asked to those around him, tapping his dented pipe against the dirt floor. "Because all of you seem quite weak, barely even a challenge. Come on, give me something to bite on!" He demanded, spreading his arms out as those below him scampered away. "That girl from earlier had the right idea, perhaps she'll be better than all of you combined."

"Oh?" A voice called out from the back, the sea of bodies in front of him slowly parting to see the person in question walk out, a hand to her chest as though she were confused by his words. "And what would the menacing Katakuri want to do with me? Anyone can shout the words I did, and in my place would be them, so what made me any different?"

"Conviction." He said, taking two strides forward, propping the pipe on his shoulder. "There's a difference between spouting words and saying them with the upmost of certainty. So, you're quite convinced that this crowd of ruffians is enough to beat me, righ-"

A leg swept for his face, the boy's arms just barely able to make it in time to block the attack. "Well, isn't that quite rude?" Grabbing her by the leg, he pulled the girl in closer, forcing her to fall to the ground with a loud groan. "Wouldn't blame you though, these aren't the best of odds."

"Not for me, but for you." The girl shot back, her voice barely even a whisper. Her limbs wrapped around his arm, binding them in a tight grip. Katakuri's brows knitted together, arm shaking in the air to get her off. "How about I get that cocky mug off your face, yeah?" Pulling back, she placed him into an armbar, the discomfort on the boy's face turning into mild confusion in the next second.

"Was that supposed to do something?" He asked, feeling the tug of her weight on his body. "Awfully heavy, aren't ya? Would be a damn shame if I were to make good use of it, don't you think?" Winding his arm back, he looked towards those still in the alleyway, who were happy to watch their fight without lifting a finger. "Our guests seem pretty comfortable, why don't I change that?"

Panic shot through their eyes as their legs scrambled to get away. Though, their efforts were of no avail, a blockage swiftly filling the only other exit as Katakuri and co made their way towards the fearful group. Each step boomed in their ears like the roar of a Seaking, a bloodthirsty look etching itself onto his face as his grip tightened around the girl's arm, raising it to the sky. "Pop goes the weasel." He merrily sang, the girl brought down as one would a hammer to a nail.

In the same vein, several others were bludgeoned to a mess of purple and crimson with each strike, the path turning bloody as kids were snuffed out in waves. Bodies flew to the floor without mercy or regret, red droplets splattering against the wall. How many are there in this single alleyway, He wondered to himself, finding it hard to not stifle a chuckle.

All until a taller, muscular, figure stood at the end of the alley. His skin bearing an a sun tanned complexion, his hair dark, ruffled as though he'd gotten here in a rush, and his eyes calm as a cucumber.

The breeze brushed against Katakuri's face, dropping the girl in his arm to the ground as he stared at his new adversary, who pushed away those under him with reckless abandon. "You look strong." He initiated, a pair of fingers brushing against his chin. "But will you be more of a challenge than those kids from earlier?"

"I can't say for certain I will be." The boss of the group raised his arms up, copying his stance. "However, this will be the last time I we'll see your face again." Time stilled, the world around them coming to a crawl as each watched the other's movements with much vested interest.

Every minute detail was scanned, from the tiniest of twitches, to the steps they made to either close or widen the distance between them. Tick, He mentally played, his fists tightening bone-white, tock. He jabbed with his left fist, immediately following it up with a right hook. Neither of which hit their mark, the former getting parried away, while the latter was avoided entirely.

For all of his efforts, the boy attempted to follow up with a low kick, however, he was swept off his feet before he could do so.

Falling on his back, the boy's jaw clamped shut, breathless in the wake of the assault. Weakness surged throughout his being, Katakuri's limbs becoming shaky as he stood up. It was the first proper blow he took. And yet, it hurt more than anything done to him previously. There was something wrong.

Keeping his arms raised, he took back control over his breathing, stepping back as the older boy stalked closer towards him, a disappointed expression on his face. He couldn't keep running forever, not when he was pinned from all sides. Katakuri's head twisted back and forth, formulating whatever plan he could. Sighing with a chill down his spine, he gradually walked forward, picking up the pace with each passing second. All until he and his opponent were face to face once more.

Subtly shifting his stance lower, the boy's heel spun, its speed ramping up as his leg crashed into his foe's forearm, his timing horribly mistaken.

"And I thought you were smarter than this." The older of the two said, catching Katakuri in the middle of his recovery. "Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case." Throwing him to the ground, he was forced to watch as a mirror of his previous actions played out, the air in his lungs forced out of his body as he tried to break free.

His breath hastened, pain shooting through every nerve in his body. Katakuri's eyes shut as hard as they could, teeth gritting against each other until they were dust. It wouldn't go away… this wasn't a dream? He turned doubtful, shaking his head as a guttural roar bellowed from his core. There was no time to think, he'd be beaten black and blue if that happened.

Steeling his nerves, the boy twisted his angle, trying, and failing to gather momentum for the rest of his body. He couldn't get a grip, of the situation or his mind, a shaky fog blurring his sight as his head banged against the hard earth. One after the other, his attempts would prove useless, not working a single time over the course of what felt like hours. Soon, his body was thrown into a wall, blood spurting out of his mouth.

Everything hurt- no – burned. His eye lids swayed, the man before him blurring as his head tilted to the side. "It just isn't the same. There's no more fire in you. It's almost like you've forgotten how to do…" The taller boy paused, his fists shaking before punching the wall beside him, an explosion of dust erupting next to his head. "Anything! Now, you're just a damn wash up kid. God, why am I even here."

He clicked his tongue, visage just barely visible through the cloud. "Whatever man, screw this." Turning around, he pointed to one of those on the ground, the body waking up immediately. "Let's go, we're done here."

"But boss, what's stopping him fr-"

"I said we're done here." He emphasized, his tone rising with frustration and anger. "He's not worth our time anymore." It was the final nail to strike his coffin, perhaps the most damning one, the dream coming to an end as his eyes drifted to sleep, a cold darkness enveloping him from all sides.

[A/N: A quick pre-canon One Piece SI. Had fun writing the fight scenes, though it could use a bit more context. Whatever, you try to solve the mystery, I'll keep doing my thing.

Anyways, if you find anything wrong in the fic, let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and what I could have done in place of what is present.

I'm mainly active on 2 discord servers, you can find me on them when I have the time. Come and chat, I like interaction a lot. Channel name is #ball's pit for the servers that aren't mine.

SGO: discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd

Mine: discord . gg /eTb2kPab4z

I'm not telling you to join it, but it would be nice.

With that being said, back to the comissions!]