Chapter 9
Author's Notes: I'm sorry I took so long. I was on a holiday overseas for a week or so without any internet access… I have more people requesting me as their beta reader too so I might take longer to update. I'm sorry for the long wait. Here is the new chapter (:
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Eustass found himself falling down and crashing hard into tree branches, bruising him. He landed with a loud thud on the soil followed by a crack and was rendered immobile for a few moments before he could collect his scattered senses. Eustass grimaced at the stabbing pain in his side. He cursed colorfully.
He was about to get up when his hand brushed on something hard, sharp, long and huge. He blinked away the blurry images to see something metallic in a white casing. The object was snapped into two clear halves. Before Eustass could stay around to find out more about the object he broke there was rustling from the bushes behind him. In his panic, Eustass scrambled to the nearest undergrowth and waited.
A boy, bigger than himself, appeared from the bushes and all Eustass could see was small cloth shoe clad feet walking towards the object. It turned out to be a sword and the boy carefully picked up the pieces. Eustass gulped as he heard an unmistakable gasp.
The green haired boy's lips trembled as he sheathed the broken sword in the broken casing as best as he could. Eustass felt guilty even if he knew it was nowhere near his fault. The one at fault sat innocently somewhere in time and space. Eustass growled and immediately regretted it.
The green haired boy instantly snapped his head to where Eustass was upon hearing the growl. His remorseful expression quickly transformed into one that promised murder. Eustass feared for his life that instant. The body that Des had put him in was not meant for bloody battles like the one coming. He shut his eyes and prayed.
A moment later followed by a shrill squeal, Eustass was lifted into the air with his feet in the boy's tight grasp. The menacing eyes studied the strange creature he picked up. It had pointed ears, red spiky hair, goggles on his head and wore dirty jumpers.
Zoro scowled. This was the damned creature that broke Wado and he was going to kill it to make it pay. The creature could be his dinner. He was famished and had not eaten for days. A swordsman must be able to overcome any adversary and hunger would not falter him.
Eustass watched in pure terror as Zoro salivated in front of him. He paled even more if it were possible. The boy was thinking of eating him! Eustass panicked and he struggled as Zoro brought him closer. He let out a small "Eep!" when Zoro took out a small dagger. Why Zoro kept such a thing, Eustass had no idea. He always thought the swordsman held nothing else for protection with him except for his swords. Speaking of swords, Eustass noticed he only had one. Where were the other two?
The dagger was about to come down on Eustass when he finally found back his voice. "Stop!" he shouted in a nasal voice. That made Zoro halted a little, taken aback that the strange creature could speak. Taking advantage of his momentary opening, Eustass kicked Zoro's wrist with his other leg and Zoro released his grip on the leg. Eustass landed on the ground on his behind painfully. He groaned and started to run away.
Zoro got over his initial shock and started to give chase. The little elf was too fast for him. Zoro got cut by the thorns of the bushes while crawling after the elf. He gritted his teeth in pain as a thorn cut his cheek. The wound stung and bled but Zoro was determined to get his hands on the culprit.
Eustass was able to get away in a short run but as Zoro's stamina prevailed, it became increasingly difficult on his small lungs. Zoro let out a triumph shout when he finally got Eustass who was too tired to struggle anymore. Both of them lay on the open plain panting for oxygen.
Zoro was too tired and famished to move. Eustass heard the boy's stomach growl loudly. The green haired boy looked pale. He left for the forest.
Zoro watched as Eustass left. He was too tired and hungry to move anymore. The wind was comforting and the moving clouds above soothed him. "It's alright, the sword is broken now… there is no way I can become the greatest swordsman and carry on Kuina's dream. I just want to sleep… maybe I can dream of Kuina again."
Thinking so, Zoro fell asleep on the grass both mentally and physically exhausted.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Eustass scrambled into the forest in search of something that the boy could eat. It was not like the swordsman at all to give up. He looked so vulnerable. Eustass felt bad that he had been the one to snap that sword, which was Zoro's only salvation in this world, even if it was nowhere near his fault. Eustass was thinking as he climbed up a tree. What happened to make the swordsman this dejected? His outlook on life had always been something Eustass admired but that spirit was gone from those eyes. He only knew that white sword was everything Zoro deemed close to him besides his nakama. However Eustass knew nothing about the swordsman other than what he heard and seen about the green haired man in the future.
"Exactly what could have happened?" he asked himself. Eustass was nearing a nest on the upper branch of the tree when a big bird came. He screamed when the sharp beak pecked at him and howled in pain as more birds came to attack him.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Zoro woke up and found that the sun was disappearing behind the mountains. He can vaguely make out a few early stars in the sky. It had to be a good six hours or so that he had slept. Zoro flexed his muscles that protested. He was stiff from the overuse of it. The rest had done him good to refresh his mind. He could think clearly with the sleepiness gone. However, when Zoro's eyes found their way to the broken form of Wado Ichimonji, that determination dulled. A calloused hand made its way unknowingly to the broken form of the proud sword. A sword reflected its master. Did it break because Zoro was broken on the inside?
Before Zoro could wallow in self-despair, small pitter patter of feet alerted him of someone's arrival. He was surprised to see the culprit returning when he ran away. On closer look, Zoro noticed how it seemed to be carrying something heavy.
Eustass was bruised, scratched up and exhausted. Collecting food was difficult. Dragging the bag of food that weighed more than him was even worse. Nevertheless his tiny hands, bloodied from wounds, gripped the heavy bag tighter and dragged it across the ground leaving a trail behind. His feet were aching and swollen from all the climbing and walking. Eustass made his slow progress to the puzzled boy.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Zoro sighed and burped. His belly felt sated after finishing whatever he could. Eustass was only munching on a fruit and the boy had finished everything else, not that Eustass minded. Eustass's small stomach was incapable of consuming so much food.
Zoro then looked at Eustass with an unreadable expression and when Eustass saw it he gulped. They stared at each other in silence. Neither of them attempted to break the uncomfortable silence. Eustass fidgeted a lot under the stare. Beads of sweat started to form on his little forehead.
"Oi elf! Were you the one who broke my sword?"
Eustass fumed. "I'm a gnome you imbecile! Are you blind?"
Zoro raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. Is the elf serious? "Whatever. Answer the question."
The cold tone made Eustass gulp. He swore with all the swallowing he was doing he would have lost a tonsil. Then again, did gnomes have tonsils?
A slight nod from the red haired creature had Zoro battling the urge to cry and rip the creature apart at the same time. He was taught never to be ungrateful to his benefactor but he cannot just forgive someone who broke something so precious to him.
At a loss, Zoro merely waved his hand. Eustass felt the guilt eat him inside. If Zoro had thrashed him or murdered him for what he had done he might have felt better. Eustass shook his head. Since when did the ruthless captain of the Kid Pirates know something called guilt? He killed and plundered for entertainment. There was no need to feel sorry for anyone, much less the swordsman in front of him. This man is a future obstacle to his dream of becoming the pirate king too. "I should let him die…" Eustass thought. His heart protested and a part of his mind reminded him about how Trafalgar was meant more than anything else. Eustass clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. He had come too far to screw things up.
"Argh!" Eustass screamed and pulled his hair in frustration so hard that they nearly tore off their roots. Eustass ran over to Zoro with amazing speed and kicked him hard in the face.
Zoro was stunned and clutched his cheek, terrified at the creature on rampage. Eustass was so red in the face it matched his hair perfectly. Zoro could see the steam coming out from the elf's nostrils and ears. It fumed and rattled on like a machine gun.
"… you dare call yourself a man? It's just a stupid sword that broke. You can have it fixed in no time and be off! No need to sulk like a nanny goat…"
Zoro grit his teeth at those words. He became ballistic. Lightning fast would be an understatement because the moment Zoro moved Eustass did not notice anything until a few seconds later when he was suspended midair with a choking grip on his neck.
"You have no right to say that after what you did… Wado Ichimonji is a sword that held everything that was left of her in this world… nothing could replace it! You broke that you stupid elf!"
Eustass took note of the sorrowful pools in the young boy's eyes. He was surprised to see them. Then again he should not be surprised. Having seen Nico Robin's childhood, he could expect something similar from someone else. The world was never kind to anyone. For Zoro to have such admirable resolve and strength Eustass should have saw something like this coming.
Eustass frowned. Whoever she was, she was definitely someone important to Zoro and from the way he phrased it she must have died. Perhaps it was his mother?
Eustass was choking and Zoro's vice like grip was not helping. Somehow between the flickering lights of life and death Eustass managed to utter a few words to negotiate with the swordsman. The grip loosened and Eustass fell to the ground, not minding the harsh landing and thankful for the existence of oxygen.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
It took days of walking to the abandoned blacksmith workshop in the next town that had been wiped out by plague. Zoro had kept Eustass on a tight leash throughout their journey and Eustass could not blame the boy. As a pirate one can never trust anyone completely, contrary to whatever the Rubber Man believed.
They cleaned up the place when they arrived and then Eustass had sent the boy out into the woods to collect firewood while he examined the sword. Wado Ichimonji lived up to its name as one of the twenty-one finest katanas. The maker was very skilled in his crafting techniques as well as very careful with the design. It was meticulously engraved and the sheath was made of good grade wood. The circular hand guard was undamaged to which Eustass sighed in relief. If that were to be damaged, making an exact replica would be impossible because the heart of the sword laid not in the blade but the hand guard, accustomed to the sword's character.
Eustass noticed how the master who created the sword had used the seven layers method. He nodded in approval. The sword was worthy of being called one of the twenty one finest. However as the sword reflects the master, no matter how well built a sword was, it would break if the master wills it to happen. Zoro must have wished for it without knowing. Whoever she was must have impacted him a lot. His will to live is reflected likewise.
Eustass grinned. It was time to test his skills as a tinkerer. Forging a sword should not be so hard. In fact Eustass thought it should be similar to building his ship. The only reason why his ship's body would not be affected by cannonballs was due to Eustass's innovative recreation of reinforced metal. Initially it could only be used to build immovable objects like a safe because it was extremely heavy and dense. A normal person would be unable to move it.
Then when Eustass lost a hand in a fight, he had Killer help him develop a new type of reinforced metal that was lighter but no less durable. After much experimenting, he found the right materials to construct his mechanical arm. Only after he had affirmed the success of the arm did Eustass modify and rebuild his ship. That metal crafting was a difficult process because the materials were rare and easily damaged.
Eustass still remembered how he screwed up with trying to bend the metal after it had solidified. The bad part about it was that it could not bend. Once bent, the metal shatters. Eustass spent several months stuck on an island's harbor trying to figure a way to rectify it. His mechanical arm broke too many times that he had it removed completely.
Months later Eustass stumbled on an idea he never considered before. It was an insane idea pulled out from desperation. Eustass had collected a cup of his blood and put it to the mix. The result? Eustass could not have asked for better. He had tried it with other people's blood but the result was never the same as his. Killer explained his theory once that Eustass had the devil fruit power.
Then Eustass froze. Would his powers still work in this body? He looked around to see if Zoro is anywhere nearby and when he had confirmed the boy was nowhere near Eustass attempted to lift an anvil.
The anvil did not move as what Eustass had expected. He was slightly disappointed. Then he tried to confirm his hypothesis by lifting a smaller object. The hammer on the bench looked promising.
After much heaving, Eustass managed to confirm that he still had powers even if they were diluted to a hundred times of what it should have been. "I hope it holds…" Eustass grimaced at the prospect of failure.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Zoro was not lost in the forest. The trees just seemed to move. He trudged around endlessly in circles he refused to acknowledge he was going in. When had he become so pathetic? He did not know. When Kuina was still alive Zoro never had difficulties finding his way around. After Kuina died everything looked the same to him. That was probably when he lost his sense of direction. Zoro did not care either. The wind will take him to wherever he needed to be and as a wanderer it did not mattered where he was. No one was waiting for him.
No one that is, until he met the elf claimed gnome.
A small light ahead made Zoro brighten up. It should be the right way. He smiled and lugged the haul back.
Eustass was getting worried when the sky was getting darker. Surely Zoro was strong enough to fend for himself… Eustass's thoughts began to meander to somewhere less optimistic. He had not realized how he had paced a grove onto the dirt floor.
When Zoro's mug popped through the door Eustass smiled and then shook his head to wipe it off quickly. A scowl replaced the smile and he scolded Zoro a way a worried grandfather would scold a child who had forgotten curfew. Zoro flinched at the harsh tone and tolerated the nagging session.
Once Zoro had placed the firewood where it should be, Eustass stroked the fire in the fire place. While waiting for Zoro Eustass had managed to catch some rabbits in an improvised trap. The roasted the rabbits and ate them ravenously. Hunger is definitely the best sauce.
When they had filled their bellies Eustass decided to turn in because it was too dark to do anything. The duo slept soundly throughout the night.
Xx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Morning came early but the boy was up even earlier. He was out hunting while Eustass still snored without cares about the world outside. The forest slowly came to life the moment the sun rays filled the sky. Eustass woke up and yawned. It was a restful night and he felt refreshed.
He looked over at the materials he sorted out. There were the necessary materials available in the storage but they needed to be washed. He was about to ask the boy to fetch some water from the well but realized a heap of blankets on the floor beside him. The boy was nowhere to be seen. Eustass felt himself panicking as he walked around in search of the green haired idiot.
The green haired moron waltzed in with a grin on his face and blood on his hands. His dagger was sheathed not cleaned and Eustass raged. Eustass went over a presented the boy with a nice kick in the face. "How can you treat a blade like that? Clean it at once! Also, where have you been all morning? I was searching for you!"
Zoro whined at bit back tears. He threw the sack at the gnome who was buried under it. "Out hunting you obnoxious elf!"
Eustass huffed and puffed as he tried to get out of the bag pinning him down. "What did you hunt? Fat pigeons? It's heavy! Get them off me this instant…"
Zoro grinned and helped Eustass up after lifting the bag off For a small boy, Zoro was strong. "No, a medium sized wolf."
Eustass stared at the boy with saucer like eyes. "A wolf…"
Zoro grinned and walked away to find a rag to clean the bloodied dagger. Eustass nodded, impressed with the boy. He quickly got to work on their breakfast.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
It was around noon when they had all the preparations ready. Eustass had entrusted dinner with Zoro while he started working on Wado. The entire repairing process would take about six hours without break and he warned Zoro not to disturb him while he worked. The boy promised and Eustass set off to work on it.
Creating the same seven layers is a difficult task. Eustass had to remove the entire sword's blade and melt them all. Then he had to do fractional distillation to separate the seven types of materials used in it. As carbon has the highest boiling point no flame could reach, Eustass carefully collected the remains and set them aside together with the sand.
The process of recreating the sword using the seven layer method was tedious. It required precision of timing and position. Eustass's small form was exhausted by the third layer and he opted for a small break. Recreating the sword was not difficult. However he wanted to leave a little gift for the young boy. Wado was a relatively flexible and gentle sword. He knew the green haired boy would become a ferocious swordsman who would come to face many great opponents. Even if Wado was one of the finest twenty one swords, it would be unfit for Zoro's type of battles. Eustass was about to leave Zoro a modified version of Wado that actually suited him. Eustass was unaware that Wado was originally Kuina's sword and it suited her nature perfectly. It was never meant to be Zoro's. By modifying it, Eustass has granted something Zoro could not have asked for more, a sword capable of walking with him the path of becoming the world's greatest swordsman, a sword capable of actually defeating and parrying Mihawk's sword, Yoru. Yoru is one of the twelve supreme class swords and dubbed as the world's strongest sword. The color black was not carved by any metal ore. Instead, the entire sword was forged using carbon in high pressured environment. It was the rarest form of diamond in existence. Yoru was a sword made of black diamond that was artificially created without having to wait millions of years. Rumors of it were that the maker had forged it sacrificing many lives to go down to the interior of the earth.
Eustass would never be able to create such a sword for Zoro but he believed that with an improved Wado, at least that would give Zoro the chance to find his footing along his path to becoming the world's greatest swordsman.
The break ended abruptly and with new found determination, Eustass proceeded with casting the other layers.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Zoro waited patiently. His stomach was growling in protest at not being fed and the moon was up high in the sky. Eustass's hammering had stopped hours ago but he was still not out. Zoro did not dare go in the workshop in fear of disturbing the grumpy elf.
Just when Zoro thought the little creature would ever appear, he emerged all sooty with a wide grin. Zoro smiled.
"So what's for dinner?"
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
The next day Zoro and Eustass went to the forest to hunt and find suitable wood for the new scabbard. Eustass was looking for wood suitable to hold the newly modified sword. It was sharper than before and cuts through softwood easily. At the same time he needed soft wood to carve the designs of the original maker. Eustass sighed. It was not easy at all.
After hours of walking, shooting down a few squirrels and arguments, Eustass found what he was looking for. He told Zoro to help him saw off a good branch from the only redwood tree he saw and another good branch from any of the pine conifers. Zoro growled at being ordered around but obeyed. Eustass wondered about in search of some good flax plants. He smiled. Carrying a sword around with no place to put was going to be tedious for a boy.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Zoro found it tiring to strip, comb and spin the flax. There was no machine to aid him in the manual labor and his back hurt. He glanced to Eustass who was concentrating very hard on the task at hand, shaping the difficult redwood. Sometimes he would hear the man curse when he got a deep splinter in his thumb. Other times when they worked at their respective tasks, it was only the shaving of wood or the scratch from combing flax that can be heard with an occasional bird chirping.
A week passed and finally both of them finished their tasks. Zoro looked pleased with the new scabbard. It was well made and he could see how detailed the elf was with the design. "Any special requests?" Eustass asked the boy.
Zoro thought for a while before asking, "Can you engrave a shin character in kanji for me? It would mean believe."
Eustass looked at the boy and studied his expression. He smiled. It was a good sign. "Got that. Anything else?"
Zoro shook his head. Eustass grinned. "Alright then, back to the forest and get me some pine needles. Don't come back until you get them alright? After that soak them in some hot well water and stir it."
Zoro grumbled but followed the instructions anyway.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
After engraving the character, Eustass worked on making quick work on the flax and wove it into a band of some sorts.
By the time Eustass had returned and started on dinner preparations, Eustass was completed with his project. He smiled. It looked great.
They ate in silence and Zoro stirred the green dye every now and then.
After dinner Eustass sent the boy to find materials required for the white paint to coat the scabbard with for the next morning. Zoro obliged without a fight. Eustass smiled to himself as he watched the boy go.
Once out of sight, Eustass headed back to the woven fabric and green dye. "This ought to make a nice present. Green suits him, still a greenhorn ha ha ha!" Eustass laughed at that thought.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
As promised, Eustass fixed Zoro's sword and it was time for them to part.
"Boy, I have one last thing for you."
Zoro looked at the elf claimed gnome suspiciously. Eustass grinned and presented a green fabric.
Zoro took it curiously and Eustass smiled. "Try it on!" he urged and Zoro quickly put it on. It fit him well. Zoro looked pleased and flashed a wide grin. Eustass felt happy on the inside when the boy showed such honest appreciation. Zoro gave the little creature a small hug before leaving. Eustass watched Zoro leave with a smile.
"Be a great swordsman to protect the people you will come to love…"
Black tendrils came to claim Eustass once Zoro was out of sight. The wind blew pass where the elf should have been. All that was left had been a pair of footprints and that too shall be erased, as if Eustass had never existed in that time.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Des was playing with the orb in her arm. It was quite huge by now but nowhere near enough. Eustass was doing a fine job of being sentimental not that she cared. Law's conscious was growing stronger and soon he would be able to establish his own link with Eustass. Well, she would just keep it a surprise for now. What Eustass does not know will not harm him. If he knew Law was reading and prodding into his mind, he would probably be affected and change his decision. Des has come too far to accomplishing her goal and she would not give it up right now when she was so close.
"Welcome back Eustass Kid, I bet that was a pleasant one wasn't it?"
Eustass growled at her. "You did it intentionally didn't you?"
Des feigned ignorance. "I have no idea what you are talking about. I merely sent you to where you needed to be."
Eustass wanted to rip the toki-toki no mi user's head off. He gnashed his teeth to which Des found it amusing. "You might want to be careful or I might have to put a muzzle on you… the next one is no laughing matter."
Eustass became serious again. He mentally noted how many of the straw hat members he had helped so far. "There is only the perverted cyborg, the idiot captain and the money loving bitch…" Eustass shuddered at the thought of having to deal with a woman and Des relished his expression.
"Well then good luck Eustass Kid," Des sang as she whisked him away to a destination Eustass had not mentally prepared himself for.
Eustass cursed as Des waved goodbye, wishing him luck. Trafalgar watched with interest and chuckled at Eustass's distraught expression. Des's lips curled upwards. Unlike Eustass, she found herself closer to his lover. Trafalgar was a good partner for a decent conversation she knew she would never be able to hold with a muscle headed freak of nature.
"As we were saying, you caught him checking you out at the random bar you stopped at in Sabaody?"
Trafalgar Law would have blushed at how straightforward the woman was. He opted to brush it off with a laugh. "Yes but it was nothing much. I only knew that because I was doing the same…"
Des enjoyed listening to how Trafalgar spoke of Eustass. She could not deny that they were a match made in heaven if only they had more time. "At least they would have twenty two days to experience this bliss they deserve."
Twenty two days is hardly enough. Trafalgar and Eustass wanted to spend time with each other for a lifetime. No, even a lifetime would be insufficient. They deserved more. An eternity would have been just right but fate was cruel. The world was never kind to anyone. It just was not. Des knew this better than anyone else. It was the best she could do for them.
Sacrificing the human conscious she finally attained from thousands of years cultivating it as part of the devil tree for a couple a mere twenty two days is hardly a fair trade. However, that was what she could do.
"I only wanted to know what love is. Will they show it to me in the time I can give them?"
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Author's Note: I'm really sorry this chapter took so long. I really wanted to update it earlier but then my family dragged me for a holiday where I could not have connection to the internet to do anything.
Now that the chapter is up I hope you all enjoyed it. I don't really enjoy making long chapters or series so I'll try to make it shorter. It seems like this one is over 5,000 words itself. I have twenty two days after all the straw hat members' memories and I doubt anyone want to read twenty two chapters for a mere twenty two days… do you?
I hate sad endings even though they are the best so I'll try coming up with a happy one. No M rated, sorry but if more than 5 people request for it in the comments I'll do a one shot after the supposed ending for you in another story one shot standalone you can read.
Something you should know about this long chapter was the amount of research of dyes, swords, wood, paint and plants I had to do. It was extremely technical I just threw away some of them to make it 'logical' so please do not take everything you read here seriously. I made some of them up. I know nuts about all this… I can't even cook to save my life so you get the clue.
Anyways, reviews are lovely and they spur me on to write a new chapter. Do leave one although you are not obliged to. Until then!