Chapter 10
Author's Note: This series isn't too popular so I will be cutting it shorter on the twenty two days. Nevertheless, enjoy!
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Sea. That was the first thing Eustass saw when he opened his eyes. He was on a small fishing boat in the middle of the sea. Eustass felt a vein pop in his temple. Was Des messing with him? What can he possibly do out in the middle of the sea? It's not as if someone was going to drop out of the sky.
Eustass spoke too soon.
A man badly damaged flew from the sky and landed right smack in Eustass's fishing boat. There was a hole in the boat and Eustass shoved the body to a side as he did his best to plug the hole.
Once the hole was mended and the water scooped out, Eustass took his time to see whatever person it was that flew into his ship.
Blue hair reminded him of someone slightly bigger and flashier. The man wore rags and was covered in his own blood. Eustass made a brief check on the condition of the man. It did not look as if he would make it. Almost all his bones were shattered and some of his organs were smashed. Whatever hit the poor man had to be horrible. Eustass's guess was that the man was hit by a ship.
He was close. In fact, the wounded person had just been whacked by the sea train that was newly created. The Puffing Tom stopped for no one. To stand in the middle of the track in desperation to stop it from bringing its creator to the death gates had been a futile attempt. Cutty Flam knew that but he was helpless and that was the only thing that came to mind.
Eustass frowned. He was no doctor. He could not save a human life. He only knew how to salvage machine parts. An idea struck him. He looked around for land to dock on. It might work after all, this idea of his. It may not be the best but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
On a shipwrecked island, Eustass got to work quickly. He gathered all the parts he needed to ensure the man's survival. Pipes, tubes, magnets, motors and pumps were salvaged from various machines. Eustass put whatever knowledge he had into it.
Hours of struggling, panicking and lots of blood later, Eustass finally managed to get the man into a stabilized condition. Given, none of the smashed organs could be salvaged but Eustass had made makeshift organs for the man. All that he needed to do was to wait for the man to wake up. Eustass was exhausted. His eyes slowly drooped and shut. He fell asleep.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Franky woke up to the sound of beeping machines and surprisingly, he felt no pain. His eyes were not functioning well in darkness. He did not know where he was. "Perhaps I am dead?"
He heard shuffling from somewhere close. Franky immediately prick his hearing to locate the movement. It was about 34 centimeters to his right at 47 degrees. He tried to move but none of his muscles were working. His vocal chords were useless too. "Just how bad was that crash? I'm sure I'm not dead yet but then again I'm not exactly alive in the state I'm in…"
Eustass shuffled over. "Oh, I see that you are conscious now. Don't worry, you are in good hands. I could not save you as a doctor but I sure as hell will be able to save you as a tinkerer. Right now I just need to find the right parts to get started. Bear with me for a little while."
Franky was annoyed. He had no idea what was happening. For a long period of time Franky was only able to hear movements that stopped for a long while occasionally. He was sure it would have been at least weeks that he lay unable to do anything.
On the other hand, Eustass was dismantling machine parts to build new body parts for the man who was barely alive. Eustass had made sure the first thing he modified was the stomach. The man could not live without an energy source. Eustass salvaged a fridge of sorts and modified it to become Franky's power source. His eyes were damaged beyond repair but that was unimportant at the moment. Eustass connected wires together and tore out part of Franky's body to replace them. The nerves in the body were damaged badly and Eustass was thankful for that. If they were functioning, the man would most probably have passed out from pain.
Franky cringed as he heard tearing sounds. Surely they were not good. However, rendered useless, Franky could only wait patiently.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
It was a few months later that Eustass created bionic eyes for Franky. The man was thankful for the returned sight but was horrified by the modifications done to his body. His arms could move but he felt nothing. Metal arms that could lift rocks without effort were attached to his upper arm. The sensations on his flesh upper arm were missing. Franky gulped.
He moved on to access his legs and was relatively relieved to find them normal looking. However when he tried to move them, he was utterly horrified. They were unable to function and were merely for show. Eustass grimaced at the death glare directed to him. Franky sighed. It was not going to be easy.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Eustass learnt from Franky about building and modification of mechanical parts. Franky took his time to design weapons for his body. He got over it fairly quickly. Eustass was surprised how the man was so quick to accept he has become a cyborg.
One night after a major modification to Franky's legs, Eustass asked, "How are you able to accept this?"
Franky added more junk in the fire to burn. "I'm not. However I don't see how lamenting it would help me. Besides with this, I can move on and become even stronger. I will definitely protect the people close to me in order to prevent that kind of thing from happening again. If I need to become a monster to attain that power then it is a small price to pay. Rather than dying powerless to choose my fate, I prefer to sell my soul to the devil to make a difference. At least now I can choose how I want to die."
Eustass nodded. He agreed with those words. That was the reason why he set sail to find the One Piece. He wanted power to free him from his weak past. "I will never let history repeat itself. Now, I want the power even more than before… to save Law."
Eustass yawned and bade Eustass good night before snoring on the ground. Eustass stared at the crackling ember flame. He thought back about the time he came to love the doctor.
Eustass's crew arrived early. They were heading to a tavern in the lawless part of the Sabaody Archipelago. The Kid pirates were fairly famous and most people there knew to stay out of their way.
The swinging doors to a shady looking bar were kicked off their hinges. Eustass stepped in and took in the ugly faces of several notorious criminals in the district. His eyes landed on one man in particular.
Olive skin and grey eyes that stands out contrasted greatly with the childish dressing. No sane man would have thought this pirate capable of so much destruction. Mischief made itself known in those eyes and Eustass met that challenge. In usual cases, it would become a fight with Eustass tossing the trashes out of the bar but now, Eustass was just burning to know what made him so attracted to that man.
Deliberately taking the seat beside the man, Eustass called for the bartender and told his crew to order whatever they liked. Law watched the red haired man from the corner of his eye and continued sipping his drink. He was interested in the man. To be fair, Law was only interested in the red haired captain from an encounter many years ago. However, he was positive that Eustass had forgotten. Law on the other hand remembered every single detail clearly. Eustass's appearance had saved his soul. For a long time Law thought it was gratitude he felt for the man but as he matured, he begin to know it was different. What he knew he had for the man was love and it would probably be unrequited. Eustass did not seem the kind to be interested in a man.
Eustass made sure all his men had their drinks and were making merry before he called for his. The poor bartender paled as he stammered how they ran out.
Eustass went into rage and dragged the poor fellow by his collar, ready to spill blood. The merry making atmosphere was suddenly taking a turn for worse. Law recognized the telltale signs of a massacre and intervened.
Putting a hand on the large and broad shoulder, Law spoke in a low voice, "Eustass-ya, surely you could make do with mine. I barely touched it. It won't do good to get the navy here would it?"
Eustass felt his heart go wild when Law spoke to him. He struggled to keep the enraged façade outside while he was melting on the inside. Mini inner Eustass was running around in circles at the happiness that Law cared about him. Then again, he was a reputed pirate who was merciless. It was a tough choice.
"Captain…" Killer pleaded.
Eustass lowered his grip of the poor man who slumped onto the floor. He gave Law a good hard stare although he was really just taking the chance to study those pretty eyes. He sat down again and gave Law an expectant look. Killer sighed in relief as Law handed his drink to Eustass. Normally Eustass would have fussed about how half drank was not barely touched but when Law was concerned, Eustass overlooked it.
His crew was surprised with how easily Eustass gave in. Law gave the red haired man a sexy smirk. Eustass was about to take a sip when Law sat down beside him and leaned in. "I never thought that you would look like this in real life."
Eustass took that as a conversation started and put the mug down. "Says the one who looked like a woman in his poster."
Law felt a vein pop at that insult. He liked that man but this was pushing it. "Well, don't get your panties up in a bunch lady. I'm sure people will find the ruthless pirate sitting in a bar threatening lives about booze scary enough to bow when you pass."
Eustass smirked. He liked how this man was a challenge and how he had an attitude. Eustass leaned in until their breaths mingled. "Say, you like ruthless pirates?"
Law's eyes softened. "Not really. But I don't mind a red head like you. Your hair indicates a bitchy temper and I like it feisty."
Eustass chuckled. That man was something. How words made his groin spring to life remains a mystery. Apparently only Trafalgar Law had this power over him. "I can do more than that."
Law smiled and tapped Eustass's lips. "I'll take up your offer then, if we are meant to meet again."
With that the doctor left and Eustass's eyes followed the tanned man out the door. Killer observed his captain's interaction and frowned. His captain was new to relationships and he did not trust that doctor. Still, he said nothing about it.
Eustass took a sip from the mug and gagged. It was nowhere near booze. "What the hell? Apple cider?" he howled. Killer cringed and was about to take cover when Eustass started laughing. He was honestly afraid. His captain hated apple cider more than anything. Law had the audacity to cheat his captain…
Eustass smirked and glanced in the direction Law left. He was falling more for the man. He was perfect.
Killer watched in horror as his captain finished the drink and slammed the mug down. "Bring me another one!" he hollered to the bartender. Killer's jaw slackened and so did the other crew members.
"An indirect kiss from Law…" was what Eustass thought as he chugged down the vile tasting liquid.
It was so long ago and Eustass had almost forgotten what apple cider tasted like. Franky was fixing the cannon in his bulky arm and Eustass vaguely wondered how it fit.
Franky did not seem to be the carefree man he knew before. Even with the brief time they had together it was hard to believe how that man could make such a cold expression. His eyes were filled with hate.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Franky was well enough to do the rest of the modifications himself and Eustass decided it was time he left. Just as Eustass was leaving, he told Franky, "Look, I don't know who you are or what you have been through but I know from experience that being built of steel should not mean your heart has turned to steel. It just means you have armor there to protect those close to you even better. It's really none of my business but free advice should not hurt…"
Franky smiled at the strange tinkerer. "I'll keep those in mind. Thank you."
"No problem," Eustass waved and departed.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Eustass was sure by now Des should be calling him back. He was anxious to see Trafalgar Law. It should not make the light any smaller even though he was positive it was at least a month with the cyborg.
Luck was not on Eustass's side and a heavy storm swept Eustass away. Eustass struggled to stay afloat and when it finally died, he fell asleep, exhausted from the battle for his life.
Author's Note: I know it is short. I won't drag the series on too long either. Do leave a review. Nami up next!