Chapter 13.5
Author's Notes: A side story with Eustass. Enjoy and do review!
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
"What nonsense. The only difference is that I can't swim now. What devil fruit? Devil my ass… what bad luck…" Eustass muttered as he kicked a stone on the ground. A red haired child meant bad for the village. It was a symbol of ill omen not that Eustass cared. He was beyond caring. However this new fruit he ate made things worse. The village used to throw things at him when he passed. He got a fair share of insults and teasing but this is the first time he had been avoided like plague by everyone.
Eustass kicked a pebble in his path. He watched it fall into the river. The bridge he crossed wobbled dangerously but Eustass did not care. "I wonder if it were better for me to be dead. Wherever I go I become hated. It's just not worth it…"
Eustass headed to his usual spot with a full scowl on his face. He had a house back in town at the furthest spot and it was fine. Now though, it was trashed and Eustass did not feel like living in it anymore. "I'm sick and tired of this. What did I do to get the world hate me so much!" he shouted frustration. When he punched the air with the force of his frustration, something peculiar happened. All metal objects flew up as well. His pants button, the overall buttons, the screwdriver he always carried around and even a stray tin can from a distance away.
Eustass froze. A spanner dropped onto him making the young boy cry out in pain as he crouched on the ground nursing an enormous bump on his head. Tears sprang from the corners of his large eyes. Eustass should have been commended for his efforts at holding back tears if only there had been someone around.
Glaring at the spanner on the ground menacingly he wished it would just shrivel up and die. When did it start to rain spanners? At that thought, the spanner actually shriveled up which shocked Eustass greatly. Blinking twice and slapping himself several times to make sure it wasn't all a dream, Eustass tried lifting the spanner without touching it. He managed to lift it after several attempts.
Grinning madly, Eustass sneered. The villagers were going to regret messing with him very much now that he knew what he was capable of. Then again, revenge tastes the sweetest with the most careful planning. After all, he did not want to scare them all off the first time. He wanted to savor the fear they have on seeing a monster and a cursed child. "I'll make them all remember me…" he swore. "I'll become the world's greatest man. I'll become the pirate king!"
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
The first few weeks of building the small hut was a tedious process. Eustass needed to hide what he was doing from the prying eyes of the villagers and only worked at night. The materials were all stolen from the scrapyard. No one really bothered him as long as he did not appear on the streets. This was something Eustass rejoiced.
The first attempt to put a hut together ended up in shambles. Nothing worked out well. He chose the wrong tree and the whole thing collapsed. Glaring menacingly at the pile of wood and metal, Eustass kicked a plate which flew an impressive distance with his enhanced powers. The next morning the village mayor demanded to know who broke his window. Eustass quietly slunk away. No one questioned and the incident and it was put behind them.
For the next few days, Eustass spent most of his time cooped up in the dusty library that no one in town visits. The old coot there was almost blind and did not mind any red haired kid rummaging through thick dusty books.
Eustass slaved from dawn to dusk trying to understand the concepts of building a strong structure. He was also studying the kinds of metals and the abilities of his evil fruit powers. It worked well like a magnet on metals. Except with a little creativity, the devil fruit power lives up to its name as an invention of the dark lord. The abilities for magnetism can vary to a frightening degree to which Eustass deem extremely convenient.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
After several weeks of mugging, Eustass emerged from the depths of the godforsaken library triumph. Even with dark eye bags heavy beneath his eyes on his paler-than-usual skin the twinkle in his eyes could not be missed.
Eustass sped back to his little hideout and grinned maniacally. He examined the scrap pieces of metal and looked over to the wood.
An idea began to take form in his mind. Eustass tried to focus on the metal molecules as he tore them apart and shifted them. It took a great deal of concentration and it strained his body greatly. "A small price to pay for such a marvelous gift…"
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
The next few weeks were spent in Eustass's house trying to disassemble, assemble and reassemble metal objects. Eustass wasn't hopeful so he started small. It was difficult lifting at will anything that was heavier than his wrench but try he did.
At the end of two painstaking months, Eustass finally managed to master the basics of his ability. It took a great deal of concentration, something Eustass lacked greatly, and stamina. His efforts paid off on the day he decided to go back to build that hut n a tree he wanted so badly.
First, Eustass reinforced the tree's structure using fine metallic particles in their dust forms to strengthen the tree's structure so it would hold the weight of the hut. Then, he created stable flooring for the hut using several layers of metal and wood. The walls were put up with little effort due to the metal bending powers he had. Nails were deeply embedded quickly in a flash, holding the wood pieces together. No amount of hammering would get it hold the planks that firmly. Eustass relished in the fact that he could do something no normal human could. This gave him a boost in ego. Last to be constructed was the roof. It was a tedious process in which one minor detail or a lapse in Eustass's concentration would mean redoing it all over again. Eustass was particular about leakages in the roof so he designing on that would not have holes and more importantly, would not be blown off during a storm or worse, get struck by lightning.
It took a few attempts for Eustass to finally get it right but he did it at last. Every single wooden board was nailed in place with precision at the same time. Eustass took in greedily with his eyes every detail of his newly made hut. This would be his new home. He felt extremely proud of it. "At least this is something decent for a future pirate king. Now to plot my revenge…"
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
For several months, Eustass carried out pranks on small scales to get back at the village boys who often bullied him and made fun of him. He rejoiced at seeing how the leader of the bullies peed in his pants when he lifted two metal cars.
Eustass whistled a cheerful tuned as he skipped back to his hideout. Something made him stop in his tracks. There was a burning smell in the air and Eustass sniffed again. Unmistakable. The burning smell was evident. Something on a large scale caught fire. Could it be a forest fire?
Eustass looked up to the skies to see any trails of smoke. He did. A tall tower of billowing black smoke was spotted in the direction of where his hut was supposed to be.
Panic gripped Eustass's heart. His legs ran towards the heat that only got stronger. His lungs had difficulty breathing as the air became thicker. His heart pounded with every step he took closer to the smoke. Fear shrouded his entire being a Eustass could only pray to whatever Gods of misery existed. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.
Even though he knew somewhere in his mind it could only be his beloved hut, somewhere in his heart was still in denial even at the sight.
The hut he painstakingly built stood in its crumbling glory in the greedy flames. Black, red and orange was all Eustass remembered that day before he lost what little faith in the world he had.
By the time Eustass's hatred was quenched, all that was left of the village he hated was the blood of countless men on his hands. There was nothing else but to torch the village and that was exactly what Eustass did.
Using whatever metal he could find, Eustass fashioned a poorly made ship and set sail. At the age of twelve, Eustass was out in the sea alone, on his journey to become the next Pirate King.
What he never expected was to meet someone else who had a similar dream. He never expected to fall in love with that said man either but for now, that would be one of twelve year old Eustass's worries.
Author's Note: Finally done. I attempted humor in which you can see how it fails. In any case, do leave a review. I greatly appreciate them.