Chapter 1: The Quiet Beginning

AN: So, here I am, once again at the beginning of this story. If you didn't know why we're here again, it's because I realized how badly Gary Sue my OC was and I felt the nigh irresistible desire to redo him. It really bothered me, otherwise I would never be where I am right now and you'd be reading someone else's story after disregarding this one for the obviously bad OC. Guaranteed. If you're reading this recently after I updated my profile summary... thing, you can read my full rant there. If not, well... don't worry about it? I dunno.

Meh. You are all undoubtedly bored by my Author's Note at this point. Story time.

REVIEW REVIEW! I need to know what I'm doing wrong!

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Attacks! (Translations!)"

[l]

Somewhere on the Grand Line

It was drizzling steadily as waves from the deadly sea called the Grand Line pounded the razor sharp rocks on the side of the barren island rising from the water in a great column. The black volcanic obsidian that comprised the island twisted upwards like the hands of thousands of drowning men trying to claw themselves up to the air. But the air that was so desperately yearned for was not as safe as it was expected to be. A thick poison choked the air that nary a man could survive for long, turning the seas a putrid shade of violet.

The spire that was the island was taller than the mast of Man's greatest ship. A pillar so menacing could not possibly be natural in this world, but neither was it crafted by the hands of humans. Even if mankind has the correct tools to do so, this much untouched obsidian would not be present in one place, and in that particular shape.

Atop the towering rock, was a different story told. Where one would expect a sharp peak to be, there was instead a flat plain, shining with a luster of a mirror. The only other feature on the island was a light grey cube the size of a building inscribed with hundreds, no thousands of glyphs. If one looked down at this summit from the clouds, they would see nothing but a large grey square where the stone cube was.

Lightning flashed, revealing a figure standing on the edge of the sheer black cliffs with his arms crossed. The man had a white lab coat in pristine condition that reached down to his ankles with the wrench-and-seagull insignia proudly displayed on its back. The man's legs had been chopped off at the knees and replaced with mechanics far beyond what the world had ever known. The sleek metal boot-like legs were made of high quality steel and coin-sized holes were cut in the soles, creating a firm gripping tread... and perhaps something more.

Though his hands were hidden under his folded arms, they had thick scars, yet were delicate at the same time. Like the hands of someone that worked delicately and dangerously at the same time. Underneath the lab coat was a black polo shirt the same color of the obsidian tower tucked into brown work pants, which hung over the metal legs, making it look like the man was wearing silver pointed shoes. There was a black leather belt holding his pants up with a shiny silver disk on the buckle.

There was a sudden breeze and one of the hands snapped up to the man's head, snatching the worn navy blue ballcap that had blew off in the gust. The man flicked his wrist, then put the hat with the kanji 'SCIENCE' on his short, wavy, greying hair. The man looked up, revealing his deeply embedded light grey eyes on his tanned face. He sighed and fished some glasses from the front pocket of his lab coat. He snapped them open with practiced ease and placed the square lensed spectacles on his aquiline nose. Once he put the glasses on, he lowered his hand to his chin to stroke the beard he had started to grow a couple weeks earlier. He was careful not to disturb the finely trimmed and cultivated handlebar mustache that made his beard look gentlemanly.

Like he did every day, the man stared out to the sea, facing the setting sun which always shone between the clouds at sunset despite the perpetual drizzle of this Spring island's weather pattern, if the jagged spire could even be called an island. He closed his eyes and sighed again, depressed. He lifted his right arm to push the sleeve of his lab coat up. There was revealed to be a forearm-length screen attached to his arm. He tapped the screen to activate it and scrolled down until he reached the small bar that said 'progress journal' and brought it up. There was numerous dates listed there and tapped on the day's. A red dot appeared on the screen and he touched it, causing it to segment into three concentric circles. He let his arm fall to his side and the sleeve slipped back down.

"Vegapunk progress report, thirteen months, eleven days, seventeen hours, forty-eight minutes, twenty-nine seconds and counting since the assignment of project Regrowth." The man, now revealed to be Dr. Vegapunk, the foremost of the scientists employed by the marines said. His voice was no-nonsense and he spoke very precisely, as a professional of his calibre was due. "Little progress has been made on project Regrowth. Over the last year there has been several candidates with little luck, they haven't even the aptitude to begin testing. On the other hand, there has been a promising development. Three days ago a young male child drifted into the Miasma around Oninoiwa spire. The child does not look entirely human upon further examination... And that may be the reason behind his miraculous survival. He boasts a faster metabolism than any creature I've ever seen, the reason behind his survival of the powerful neurotoxin that is the Miasma perhaps?" He drifted off, deep in thought.

"I have my suspicions of what he may be, the pointed ears, green hair, green eyes, and unnatural pallor of skin point to a specific race, but there is no way to determine accurately until the child regains consciousness. This discovery is quite intriguing." Vegapunk reported, not bothering to raise his arm with the device. He knew that it would catch every word he said. "A book I procured from a... let's just say, a very, very reliable place states that the humanoid race I believe the child is from a time before the World Government came into being. As opposed to the more recently discovered races, such as Fishmen, Mermaids, and the like... this particular race may be from ages before the event that shaped our world as it is now."

The doctor's voice suddenly became grim, "If my suspicions prove to be correct, then this world as we know it will surely change, and this 'Great Pirate Age' will seem like nothing. I must find out where this child came from and ensure that no man, woman, or child of any race, no matter where they come from steps a single foot on that island. The world may very well depend on it, cliche as it sounds."

"Let's only hope that project Regrowth goes through without a hitch. Even a failure will be acceptable when dealing with these stakes."

The doctor slid the sleeve up and tapped the red dot on the display. A robotic woman's voice was heard coming from the screen on Vegapunk's arm. "Recording terminated."

"Thank you, Violette." He murmured to his artificial intelligence.

[l]

"Vegapunk progress report, thirteen months, sixteen days, seventeen hours, forty-five minutes, zero seconds and counting since the assignment of project Regrowth."

"The child has woken up, but only has the barest of motor control over his body. Despite his higher resistance to the neurotoxin in the Miasma, his nerve cells are fried for lack of a better term. He feels nothing, and cannot move whatsoever. I can be glad that the Miasma works slowly, else the child would have perished out there, an honorless death. Because of the absence of control, I am given the task of taking complete care over him. It is a small task, and one that I do not mind, but if the child's condition does not improve within the next week or so, I fear that it will become arduous."

An irritated grunt, "I am becoming off topic from my purpose of recording these daily reports. I cross-referenced a blood and tissue sample taken, painlessly I assure you, from the child and I indeed discovered the boy is not a human, fishman or one of the merpeople. That alone is not surprising, considering a lack of similarity, physical or otherwise with the other two races. The lack of relation to human was surprising, I must admit, despite the similar physical characteristics. Perhaps I should obtain a stem cell from the child's bone marrow to see if his race and humans are compatible to mate? I can see no reason why that is not possible. Hmph, something to look into while the child cannot feel anything. It is just a suggestion, but if it were possible, the information that would be available to us would be... astounding. The child exhibits very similar physical traits with humans, more support to the cross-breed idea, but he seems more, attentive while in the sunlight. I observed this strange phenomena when I was carrying him into The Cube to the intensive care unit. The child just seems more... alive for a lack of a better word."

Vegapunk sighed, "I may have to move the child, of whom I have most definitely decided to be the one and only candidate for project Regrowth, to a room with as much access to sunlight as possible. The old prism focusing room should suffice. As there is no identity for the child, and he is yet to gain enough strength to speak, for now I shall call him Suchiruamu, Steel-arm. His bodily grip on my own cybernetics despite his obviously weakened state were akin to the steel clamps that I needed to use to keep my body still during the operations to fit myself with robotics." The doctor laughed briefly before continuing, "Of course, this is also a slight against corruption among my very own affiliation. There was a task given to me, codenamed: project Suchiruamu. A previous assignment tasked to me by corrupt marines to see if a blade could eat a devil fruit. I scoffed at the foolish marines then, and I will do it again now." The doctor did so with derision, "Of course you can put the powers of the devil fruit in a weapon, they just needed to find the correct Devil Fruit in the first place to give it. It just so happened that I had said fruit in my possession at the time and was oh so generous that day. I was so righteously cheerful when the project in question immediately killed the corrupt marines trying to get their personal assassin. The pay they gave me for it was so nice. I still have the nice little beri cushion for when the Government puts pressure on me to complete project Regrowth. I am not so naive to believe corruption does not exist, and I shall gladly accept any opportunity to root it out wherever it rears its ugly head." Vegapunk snorted to himself, "How poetic. I surprise even myself occasionally by my own passion."

"I hope for the sake of my madness that Regrowth isn't a Tenryubito grab at furthering their own luxury. That would indeed be unfortunate. Project Regrowth would make a perfect Marine Commander. Virtually unkillable, bending plantlife at will, HA! Whoever holds the wielder of this project can single-handedly control the economy if they desired."

A beeping noise was heard in the background and Vegapunk was heard snapping his glasses open with one hand, presumably to place them on his face. Vegapunk sighed and tapped the computer built into his arm. "What's this? My radar is detecting a ship approaching my little slice of heaven. A certain scarred man has decided to mozy on down from his little vacation in the East Blue to visit little old me. How nice. I hope that our favorite 'Red-Hair' Shanks brings good news. I, for one have excellent news to give Monkey D. Garp regarding Shanks' involvement with his favorite grandson."

He tapped his arm. "Recording terminated." Violette, his artificial intelligence, said. Vegapunk looked out into the sunset and told Violette to let Shanks' ship come in.

"At once, Doctor Vegapunk." She replied.

[l]

It had been thirty minutes since Vegapunk's sensors first picked up Shanks' ship. Enough time for the doctor to clean up, and lay his plan down.

Vegapunk stood vigilant on the edge of Oninoiwa Spire, watching the Red Force come to the massive tower of black volcanic rock speedily. He knew that the correct route to the small, barely noticeable cove in the side of the hunk of rock was painstakingly difficult to navigate, not to mention time-consuming, but he couldn't help but tap his metal foot impatiently. The rather busy doctor pushed up his sleeve to read the time off of his cybernetic arm, wiping the rain from the waterproof screen. It was always raining.

When he looked up, there he was. The red man himself. Vegapunk raised an eyebrow at the man's appearance. "Now you start to look like your title claims you to be, Yonkou. Last time I saw you, you were a brat on the King's ship." He quipped. Shanks was, like his moniker said, a redhead, and his shining locks reached down to his cheekbones in a roguishly handsome way. Differing from their last meeting when Shanks was younger, the man now sported a whiskery goatee. The ever-present smile on Shanks' kind features was gone, highlighting his sharp eyes and thin eyebrows. The pirate had a black cape draped around his shoulders and a white button-down shirt left open to expose his muscled chest. Brown pants with gold studs down the sides came halfway down Shanks' calves, exposing hairy legs and the heavy-duty sandals he wore. To complete the outfit was a red sash around his waist with a long, heavy-looking cutlass tucked into it.

But there was something missing from the red-haired man, something that was seemingly attached to him. Well, two things actually, but his left arm wasn't as important as the lack of the straw hat perpetually stuck to the man's head.

Vegapunk rubbed his gentlemanly beard thoughtfully and peered at Shanks through his thin, rectangular lensed glasses. "Hmm... Something's different about you, boy." The doctor said, subtly trying to get a rise out of the man.

Shanks would have none of it, "You have something that belongs to me."

The doctor, of course knew what it was that Shanks was looking for. There was a certain book that Gol D. Roger had, that just so happened to be in the possession of Vegapunk. The boy must have inherited it after Roger's execution, and Vegapunk knew this day would come. That didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun. "I'm not quite sure I understand what you are talking abo-"

"You know damn well what I mean!" Shanks interrupted, in no mood to play games, "The book written by that stupid old man when the crew went deep into Paradise. The Men Who Stride the Forests has implicit details of that old man's life that could be used to find him. Zen might be retired and living happily, but there's no way I'm going to let the marines get their grubby hands on something that can help track down any of my Nakama! They're too precious."

Vegapunk grinned toothily, "And you shall have it. As I predicted, I knew this day would arrive. But I expected this 'old man' to come and retrieve the book himself."

The red-haired pirate was irritated enough to begin with when he discovered that one of his friends and mentors was in danger because of a marine, (albeit a marine scientist, but a marine nonetheless) being in possession of the book. Now that he was nearing his goal, Shanks was not going to let his guard down, but was willing to do more than necessary in order to obtain safety for one man that used to be in the crew.

"Follow me, Red-Hair. I will get you the book, but I have something interesting to show you as well." Vegapunk said, walking over to the large stone cube in the dead center of the obsidian island.

Shanks hesitated, but his resolve strengthened when he remembered that this was all so none of the former Pirate King's crew would be in danger. Never will he allow such leverage into the hands of the marines.

So both men made their way to the cube, where a large bay door seemingly appeared from the sheer stone walls. With a loud grinding noise, the stone gate slowly rose to let the two men in. "Let's get out of this rain, shall we?" Vegapunk offered, like the gentleman he was.

"The sooner this gets done, the better."

Vegapunk chortled, not expecting the lazy man to ever say those words in his lifetime.

[l]

The huge cube-shaped facility was even larger on the inside than what it had seemed like on the outside. Vegapunk led Shanks through many lefts, rights, even several staircases on the way to his office. "You see Shanks, this facility, The Cube, as it is being called by the occasional visiting marine, is not just my current home." Vegapunk said, providing a commentary as the two walked the halls. Vegapunk passed another one-way panel of glass without a second glance as Shanks stopped to stare in horror. "This is my laboratory as well."

"W-what are you doing to these... things?!"

The doctor stopped with an inquiring noise and turned to face the one-armed pirate. He looked into the room on the other side and shrugged. "Experiments. The marines seem to think that I can make their next weapon of destruction for them to waste on a petty battle."

Through the glass was a naked huddled human form, quivering in the corner with its back facing the door next to the glass window. Massive white feathered wings had been surgically attached to the human's back, and there was a myriad of scars connecting from the base of the wings to all around the man's back and chest muscles. The doctor tapped on the glass with the back of a knuckle and the thing turned blindingly fast to face the source of the sound, covering its face with the wings and screeching loudly.

If it were possible, the front of the man was even more gruesome. Scars with the stitching still on stretched over unnaturally large muscles all over the thing's torso and arms, with the chest alterations being the largest. "You see boy, the human body is physically unable of self-sustained flight other than being altered by the devil fruits." Vegapunk explained, "Project Inflight is yet to be seen as a success. The marines want a fully-functioning soldier capable of flight and keeping the ability to swim." The winged man lunged at the glass, finally uncovering its face. The man's nose, mouth, and eyes had been removed and replaced with corresponding parts of a bird of prey. "The idea was to have the same sensory ability as a raptor. Inspired by Pell the Peregrine Falcon of the Arabasta Kingdom. When he fully assimilates the changes, he will have the ability to fly and have the sight, smell, and hearing of a bird of prey. Brilliant, no?" Vegapunk asked. Raw, thick scars formed an intricate network all over, splitting in some spots to weep red blood. The man's hands had also been shorn off, revealing scaly, webbed claws capable of both swimming and tearing through flesh at the same time. The falcon... thing swiped its claws at the glass, making deep cuts into the barrier. "That's reinforced glass, too." Vegapunk added.

The thing continued to bash at the glass and Vegapunk tutted. "Now, now, Lieutenant." He purred into his arm computer, his voice being projected from a black speaker in the ceiling of the room. "You signed up for this, you said you dreamed of flying one day, didn't you? No need to be so hostile, hmm? Your dream will soon come to fruition."

The former man raked its claws across the glass panel again and Vegapunk shook his head before tapping the screen on his arm. "Violette, pacify Inflight before he hurts himself." He commanded his female AI. Small doors slid open on the walls and Tesla coils emerged from the holes. Shanks' eyes were wide as the electricity-emitting machines shot small bolts of lightning at the marine Lieutenant. The man went rigid for a moment before collapsing bonelessly to the floor, smoking slightly. "That man's resilience to electricity never ceases to amaze me, any normal man would be dead hundreds of times over by now." The doctor said, nodding with approval.

The shrill screech of metal-against-scabbard was heard and Vegapunk felt the cold tingle of Shanks' sword against his neck. "Give me one reason!" Shanks growled, "Why I shouldn't kill you right now!"

Doctor Vegapunk turned to look at Shanks, his eyes glittering with mirth behind the rectangular glasses and a cruel grin displacing his professional look. "Because, boy, I still have your leverage."

"I can kill you and find it myself."

The grin widened, "That's where you are wrong, pirate." Vegapunk said with an entertained voice, "Every turn, step, or flight of stairs we took took us further into my domain. If you indeed kill me, the lack of bioelectrical information being broadcast from my body to the sensors absolutely packed into this facility will trigger a failsafe coded into Violette's programming to destroy every living and nonliving thing in the entire cube. The book you so yearn to acquire will burn." The twisted doctor leaned in to whisper into Shanks' ear, "Can you, the honorable pirate emperor live with all the death? Project Inflight is one of hundreds of experiments in my little slice of hell." The doctor informed Shanks. "Can you, the honorable pirate emperor live with the extinction of the Ki no Hitobito race? That's right, the main focus of that damnable book is right here, in this very facility. Kill me, and kill the last thing that will be able to stop that demon from the book tells us about from remaking the world to its sadistic whims."

The scarlet-haired pirate's eyes widened, surely Vegapunk was lying? He quickly hid his shock and glared at the scientist, not much would ruffle him, but this did. The two men stood in tense silence, Shanks looking murderous while Vegapunk examined his nails without a care in the world that a sword was pressed up against his neck. Slowly, the cutlass was removed from the scientist's neck and he smiled to show many teeth, reveling in the superiority and control he had over one of the most powerful men in the world. "That's a smart boy." He said patronizingly.

Shanks angrily slammed his sword into the sheath on his hip. "Just get me the book so I can get the heck off of this island, marine." He snarled at the cyborg with the superiority complex.

"As you wish, pirate."

Vegapunk led Shanks for about ten more minutes until they came upon another one-way pane of glass, but the glass had been blacked out. The Kanji "Project Regrowth" boldly written in green paint on a metal door next to the glass. Vegapunk put his hand on the palm scanner and turned his head to face Shanks, "I neglected to tell you, Red-Hair that I forgot about where the book was until you came into my lovely abode." The doctor lied to Shanks' face.

"You planned this." Shanks accused.

"Whoopsies." Was the uncaring response. Vegapunk's arm beeped and the door next to the hand scanner unlocked with a loud clunk. The metal door creaked loudly as it swung open with a 'Welcome, Doctor Vegapunk' from one of Violette's speakers built into the hand scanner. "Meet project Regrowth, codename: Suchiruamu." Vegapunk said.

Both men entered the room and Shanks shielded his eyes from the bright light that immediately assaulted him. Blinking rapidly, Shanks' eyes adjusted to make up for the sudden brightness until he could see the room. There was a small hole in the middle of the ceiling that emitted light so strongly that there seemed to be a beam of whiteness coming down in a cone to encompass whatever was in the center of the room. Because he could not see whatever was in the center of the room, and Shanks had a sinking feeling that he already knew what it was, he instead looked around the outside of the room. There was absolutely nothing adorning the slate-grey room but a metal desk pushed against the wall with a chair pushed into it. There was really nothing to decorate it, but there was one thing that Shanks spotted immediately. A thick book, yellowed with age bound in tough brown leather. There were metal reinforcements on the corners and along the spine to prevent damage.

Shanks didn't even need to see the title to know that it was his quarry. The Men Who Stride the Forests sat there innocently on the desk while Shanks stared at it, all of his attention diverted to the old tome. Shanks' eyes narrowed, thinking of stealing the book and getting out of this horrible place before Vegapunk could react.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, Vegapunk knew exactly what Shanks was thinking and placed a palm on the book. "I'm sorry Red-Hair, but I still haven't shown you the big surprise! You can have the book when we're done." The doctor said to Shanks like he was a greedy child that needed to wait for his candy. The pirate scowled at Vegapunk and he blinked innocently, "Why, Shanks, what a hostile look you're giving my way. Have I done something to anger you?"

"I'm starting to regret my decision of not killing you." Shanks gritted out. "You're seriously pissing me off right now."

The doctor smiled at Shanks then flicked a switch. "Closing sunlight focus." Vegapunk's feminine AI said. A small panel slid over the hole in the ceiling and the room darkened considerably. Shanks growled as his eyes were forced to adjust again. Vegapunk raised an amused eyebrow then hit another switch and fluorescent lights flickered into life. "This, my dear redhead, is why I brought you here."

When Shanks could finally see again, he looked at what used to be blocked out by the cone of light and gasped, his surprise finally showing on his face as his suspicions were confirmed. 'So he really wasn't bluffing about the Ki no Hitobito child.' He thought. There was a hospital bed in the center of the room with many monitoring machines next to it. On the bed was a child with green hair and deathly pale skin. The child's face was rather impish, like a spoiled little ruler that was thinking of something devious. Angled eyebrows over almond-shaped eyes and high cheekbones. A strong nose with a mouth below where a smile wouldn't look out of place, much like Shanks. The most surprising part of this child's appearance was his long, pointed ears, those were just not natural. Even a well-traveled man like Shanks had never seen something like that. Shanks idly noted that the boy had nothing covering his emaciated torso, but had a worn pair of cream-colored burlap shorts on his legs.

What was worrying though, was the two long bandages going starting on his forehead and reaching down to his left cheek, going over the eye. "He was lucky." Vegapunk said. "Those two scars on his face are like yours, heh, in placement and damage. The wound is only superficial, and he will suffer no damage to his vision or to the eye itself."

"He still has not awoken from the nerve damage caused by the miasma." Vegapunk continued, managing to get Shanks' attention off of the child. "This child almost died when the little fishing boat he was in crashed into the base of Oninoiwa Spire. Luckily, I was there and rescued him in time. These metal legs are not just for appearance, you know. The rockets in these babies shot me straight outta there with one little Suchiruamu in my hands."

"I-is... He truly..."

"Yes, Suchiruamu here may be the last Ki no Hitobito alive. I have a sneaking suspicion that whatever forced him to leave his island at such a young age was not so kind to whatever relatives he had." Vegapunk said, his smile becoming a bit strained.

The pirate took a closer look at "Suchiruamu's" face, "You said nerve damage from that stupid mist down there? How will he 'suffer no damage to his eye' if that poison mist destroys nerves... Thank Kami that I had my men grab gas masks when I first saw it."

Vegapunk grinned, "It's the sunlight. It somehow speeds up Suchiruamu's healing. Something to do with the Ki no Hitobito for sure. You probably didn't notice, but there were mirrors set up all over the roof of this place to focus all the sunlight. Even with the low amounts of sunlight that peek through the rain, you obviously saw the outstanding amount of light focused into one point. That place is the ceiling, if haven't figured it out. Mountains of research can come from studying him, just because he is of a lost race!"

The doctor's grin faltered before falling completely. "Oh what am I kidding, I'll barely get any time to study the boy like I want to." By the time he had finished saying this, Vegapunk was openly scowling. "Damn Gorosei!"

Shanks was confused by the sudden change in demeanor, "What's really going on Vegapunk?" He asked. "First you are all happy, but now..."

Vegapunk pulled up the chair that was sitting at the desk and collapsed onto it heavily. He would no longer pretend that he did not know what project Regrowth was truly about. "The Gorosei want the weapons of the ancients, you know." He said. Shanks raised an eyebrow. "Pluton, Poseidon, Uranus. They seek to use these weapons to end the Great Pirate age, and then rule the world with absolute power. They claim that they are afraid of the ancient weapons and never want them be awoken, but I know that they seek a higher power to destroy even the ancient weapons. If the ancient weapons are turned against them, they want something so impossibly powerful that the weapons don't matter."

Vegapunk stood up sharply, knocking the chair onto the ground and looked into Shanks' eyes with a ferocity "This goes against the very fibers of my being! My justice, Pure Justice, is one with no corruption, and everybody knows that absolute power corrupts absolutely! That's why I design all of my creations with failsafes. When the corrupt marines use them, they fail spectacularly and the marines end up never being seen again... All that I am, my purpose... is to rid this world of corruption."

Vegapunk pointed to "Suchiruamu" on the bed. "The objective of project Regrowth is to make an artificial Devil Fruit, one capable of awakening something truly hellish upon this world. The damn Gorosei wish to circumvent the risk of awakening the three ancient weapons and just make their own! The only being fit for such a Devil Fruit is going to be this child, the last Ki no Hitobito!" Vegapunk yelled, pointing to the form on the bed.

Shanks' expression hardened and he pulled his sword out, "Then, you should just not do it. Don't make the fruit." He growled threateningly.

"I HAVE NO CHOICE!" Vegapunk roared. "If I don't do it within their time constraints, one and a half years from now, they are going to find the island and forcefully awaken the demon!" He picked up the book on the desk and shoved it at Shanks, "Read it in the book! The monster destroyed the world for fun and remade it however the monster wanted to! The only way that it was stopped was by the mass sacrifice of the Ki no Hitobito, and this child," Vegapunk pointed to Suchiruamu again, "...Will be the only thing that can stop it if the monster is ever woken. So Shanks, you tell me... Should I refuse to do anything I can to stop a world-destroying demon?"

Shanks sheathed his sword and took the book, tucking it into his red sash. "Let me tell you what you should do, Doctor Vegapunk." The pirate said. "Make this Devil Fruit, and train the child while it is being created. It is better for him to get the training when he is young and it will become more ingrained into his mind. Next, you will send him to East Blue. No ifs, ands, or buts. He needs to meet a certain man. I will arrange the transportation, all you need to do is to send me a letter when he is ready. Once you see the person, you will know that it is time for him to go. Before he goes off with my man, tell him to find me, to get this book. Once you send him off, your job is almost done, but mine begins." Shanks explained.

Vegapunk placed his face in his hands, "But what about the Gorosei? What if they awaken the beast before Suchiruamu gets to you?"

"That's the rest of your job. You keep them from going off with any half-baked ideas to awaken this monster. If they refuse to listen to any reason, well, your only choice is to do what the government did with Nico Robin. Hopefully, that will pacify the Gorosei, and they will send the marines to take him back." Shanks grinned evilly at the next thought he had, "But they'll never find him. The man in East Blue is the best at what he does, and I can tell you right now, if he wants something hidden, not even the devil itself can find it. Besides, we both know how incompetent the marines are."

Vegapunk smiled thinly, his faith returning, but he still put his face in his hands. "How can I know that you are telling the truth, Shanks? No offense to you, but you are a pirate." He said.

Shanks returned the expression and stuck his arm out for Vegapunk to grasp, "I give you my word as one of the four Yonkou. If that isn't enough, I don't know what is."

The doctor clasped forearms with Shanks, the ancient gesture signifying the finalization of an agreement. "I cannot thank you enough, Shanks. Suchiruamu is crucial to the coming years. I can just feel it."

[l]

The Boy

[l]

The light was bright. Coming down on me like the angry gaze of a god. If I squinted hard enough, I could see it coming from a tiny dot in the sky, but then the light would be too much for me to handle and I was forced to either cover my eyes or close them. This light was alarming, I'd never been in a situation like this. I opened my parched lips to talk, but was surprised at the lack of sounds that came out. "K-k...khaaa..." I rasped weakly.

My heart started to race. 'Th-this is scary! I just wanna go home!' I thought with a look of panic. I tried to move, to get out of this place, but all my body did was twitch. Tears started to brim in the corners of my eyes. I'd never felt so helpless in my entire life.

'Except...'

Images flashed through my mind. A sword held by a white-gloved hand. Green, a color I am familiar with, was everywhere. A manic laugh borne by a man wearing makeup. Orange blooming on the green, casting light through a cover of leaves. What would make orange like that?

'Fire...' Idly slid across the forefront of my mind, lost in the torrent of memories. Green being consumed by orange, fire everywhere. A shrill laugh and black clouds, dancing in the air from a wind that was not natural. A... leg? Green hair, brown skin-no... brown bark. A hand reaching back, "Kusa no HA!"

Blood, watering the ground. A blood-curdling scream of terror and pain, "ANDORU, RUN!"

I screwed my eyes shut, screaming in horror and pressing my palms over them only to recoil at the sudden pain. My left eye hurt, and flashes of a white-gloved hand slicing across my face came to the forefront of my memory.

Hard, cold hands gripped my arms and forced them into restraints. I struggled in vain, tugging at the cold bonds on my wrists until I felt white-hot pain lance through them. My eyes didn't seem to work anymore. I couldn't see, the whiteness from the angry god was too bright.

"Suchiruamu!" A sharp voice barked. I stilled, quivering in my place and drew my knees upward to my chest, rocking gently.

"K-kaa... Nee... T-tou... Jii..." I breathed from a dry, unused throat. 'No... NO! This isn't happening, this can't be happening!'

Memories. More of those accursed memories. Two forms being thrown on a pile of fire. Sizzling, burning flesh and cries of anguish. Fist full of knives plunging into the back of an afroed man. Tearing flesh and fountains of blood from an open throat. Wide, hateful eyes staring into mine as I drifted away. A fist full of knives raking shallowly across my face. The clenching of my throat as I breathed in the purple mist.

I wrenched at the bands on my wrists and the metal started creaking from the stress. 'I have to get out, go to the green place! Go home!'

Screaming, pain from a hoarse voice. I couldn't feel my hands, and the pain from my wrists had redoubled, shooting bolts of pain up my slim arms. My eyes were rolling wildly in my sockets and I coughed, blood speckling my bared chest.

"Dammit, Suchiruamu! Violette, sedate him before he kills himself!"

'WHO THE HECK IS THIS SUCHIRUAMU?! WHO IS VIOLETTE?!' I raged to himself, then the answer became apparent, the man was talking about me! A sharp pain in the meat of my forearms, and if possible I screeched louder. The world started to blur. 'Hey, maybe that angry god decided to send me to those people in the green place?' Finally, my voice gave out, sending little rivulets of red blood dripping down the corners of my mouth.

'The people... Family.'

'Slaughter.'

[l]

The world was fuzzy and tingly, that much I could feel. Whenever I tried to move something, there was more tingles. I thought the tingles were hilarious and tried to laugh, but no sound came out. As a matter of fact, everything seemed dulled and I felt like I was floating. 'This was the best! Everything was all a bad dream!' I relaxed in this cloud-feeling surface that I was laying on. 'Just a bad dream,' I thought with a sleepy smile.

Relaxing had been a mistake.

All of the happy, floating feeling came crashing down and I grit my teeth. My wrists, face, and throat hurt something fierce and I groaned softly, sending jagged bolts of pain into my throat. I opened my eyes then shut them immediately, 'That stupid light is really bright!'

Talk about a rude awakening.

'How long have I been here... and what the heck happened to me?' I thought. The puzzle pieces of what went went over at my home island started coming together and I felt like hitting my head on something until everything went back to the way it was before. Slowly, my head started to raise from where it was laying on a soft, comfy pillow when a voice startled me.

"There's going to be none of that, Suchiruamu."

I gasped at the sudden voice then winced when it caused my throat to throb. Against my better judgement, I turned my head towards where the voice had come from, ignoring the pain from my tender vocal chords. "Whha... hap-" I choked out before my voice refused to respond to my commands. I couldn't continue speaking because it felt like someone shoved a red-hot iron down my gullet... violently.

There was a man in a white lab coat standing to the left with his arms crossed, a stern look on his rather... gentlemanly face. The man's wavy brownish-grey hair was sticking up in a bizarre cowlick and I just couldn't help but look at the enigma for a couple seconds before moving on. He had glasses tucked into the pocket protector of his coat and a black polo shirt on under the coat. I couldn't see the man's bottom half because he was sitting in a padded leather office chair near a desk. There was an old navy blue ballcap on the black metal desk, removed for respect's' sake. He cleared his throat and looked at me with inquisitive grey eyes, "Done gawking?"

In response, I tugged at the metal cuffs on my wrists gently, careful to not disturb the cuts. He smirked and stood up, revealing brown pants over some weird shiny boots. He walked over to my bedside and leaned over me, "Wanna get out, huh? You gave me quite the scare, Suchiruamu." He pushed up one of his sleeves, and... poked his arm? I gave him an exasperated look, 'How is poking yourself going to open up these stupid contraptions?!' I thought aggressively. He laughed at my expression and tapped his arm once more. The restraints on my arms popped open and my eyes positively bugged out of my head. Hesitantly, I brought my hands to my chest and rubbed them softly. If all that was a dream, then why did my wrists and throat hurt?

The man chuckled again and rapped his knuckles on the arm he had been tapping, making a pinging noise come from it. "Ah, the young and stupid, how I wish to be like you once again, Suchiruamu. You see, my young friend, I am what they call a cyborg. A mixture between a robot and a man." He puffed out his chest proudly and pointed to himself, "I am the only cyborg in existence, but I'm not too naïve to think I won't be joined by others anytime soon. Doctor Vegapunk, the man who is hundreds of years ahead of everybody else in the knowledge department, foremost of the Marine scientists, and soon-to-be awesome guy-" He smiled, as if saying 'oh, silly me' "Oh, wait a second, I'm already awesome. Scratch that off the list..."

There was an awkward silence that I'm pretty sure Dr. Vegapunk didn't notice at all.

"Oh yeah! Ha ha! I forgot to introduce myself, Doctor Vegapunk, at my service!"

I sweatdropped a little, 'Is this guy an idiot?'

The man's happy face dropped and he wrinkled his nose, "Hm, you're more mature than you look, other children your age would be laughing." He then rubbed his beard with twinkling eyes, "Then again, other children in your predicament would be dead." At my aghast look, Vegapunk waved his hands in front of his face. "No, no. Not like that! What I meant to say was that nobody has ever survived such a prolonged exposure to the Miasma before. When I rescued you, you were about to die. It was truly a miracle that you survived."

My eyes widened, "You saved me?!" I tried to say. What really came out was "Y-you... saav-" before my voice once again shut down. I glared at my hands, I'm always too weak! I can't do anything right! I can't even fight in my dreams!

"Oi, oi, Suchiruamu." Vegapunk said. I gave him a glare so acidic that it would have melted the cuffs that used to be on my arms. 'My name is not 'Suchiruamu' you stupid marine!' At my look, his face hardened and he smacked the back of my head, hard, his flesh-colored metal hand ringing softly after the blow. My head snapped forward and my hands cradled the spot he hit me. "There will be none of that. As long as you're with me, you shall be known as 'Suchiruamu.' Or, would you rather be called project Regrowth?"

'I would rather be called my name you jerk!' I thought, giving him another nasty look. He backhanded me, causing me to slam into the soft, cloud-like bed. He sat on the bed to lean over me, and I could feel his hot breath on my pointed ear, "You had better start showing some respect to the man that saved your damn life!" He hissed. I quivered away from him and he sat back with an unhappy look, "You're lucky that I have a vested interest in keeping you alive, else your corpse would be getting devoured by sea-kings right now."

I covered my face with my hands to keep him from seeing my terrified look and he snorted. "Man up. You're no longer in the happy land of wherever the heck you came from. You are now in my domain. There is not a single soul to be found for days."

The man got off the bed and dusted his pants. He pulled a thick yellow pad of paper and a pen from one of his pockets and tossed them next to me. "If you're good for anything, write down the coordinates of your home island. If you can't do that, write your name or something, I don't care. Just give me some information about yourself." Vegapunk fixed me with a stare, "You can write, I hope?"

I nodded to him and he turned to leave, "Good. I will return shortly. If there is not anything on that pad by the time I get back, those light taps to he head will feel like nothing compared to what I'm going to give you."

And with that charming little remark, the doctor left the room, closing the heavy metal door behind him with a pneumatic hiss.

I immediately jumped off of the bed, only to collapse the moment my feet hit the cold tile floor.

There was a buzzing noise and Vegapunk's voice came from a speaker in a corner. "Oh, and one more thing. Don't even think of trying to escape. Your body is physically unable to, due to your nerves being completely destroyed by the Miasma. The neurotoxin in it is... quite potent."

I mentally cursed and punched the floor, only to cradle my wrist as tears sprung up from the pain of jarring freshly-healed nerves in my wrist.

'Dammit!'

[l]

"Vegapunk progress report, fourteen months, three days, seven hours, thirty-eight minutes, eighteen seconds and counting since the assignment of project Regrowth."

Vegapunk sighed breezily, making his breath cloud in the late afternoon chill of Oninoiwa Spire. The time around sunset was always cold enough to make the water vapor in the air visible. He looked down and could barely see twenty feet past the cliff edge where he stood, vigilant as a statue overlooking its cathedral.

"Project Regrowth, codenamed: 'Suchiruamu' has naturally repaired his body using sunlight and is coherent enough to control all of his functions. Regrettably, in one of his earlier moments of being awake, but not truly lucid, he screamed so much that his vocal chords are no longer able to produce sound. His ability to speak will return with time. It would most likely never return if he were human, from his obvious mental trauma as well as the physical damage to his body. Seeing as how Suchiruamu is Ki no Hitobito, the addition of the sunlight increasing his cellular regeneration and his apparent mental fortitude will see that Suchiruamu will speak once more." The doctor paused, "When, is the real question. I am going to predict that his vocal chords will heal in a week at least, from his faster healing. It may be weeks, months or possibly years before he decides to talk though. I'm fine with the silence, as long as the boy can write. If he can write, I'll just give him something to write on, and we'll communicate that way. If the opposite is true, then we may have a problem."

He cleared his throat, "On to the next part of the report, the Devil Fruit production for project Regrowth has finally gained some progress. Thanks to Suchiruamu, I have a subject, but I need more material to study. Though I have made some progress on the creation of this new fruit, I need all three raw variations of fruit, being Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan with close enough power-giving properties to make this fruit for the Gorosei." The doctor said. This was the difficult part in the process of creating the new Devil Fruit. Vegapunk needed all three of the types of Devil Fruit that already exist and are uneaten and bestow powers that are similar to one another before even thinking about creating one of his own.

The thought of all of it made a throbbing migraine come upon the cyborg-doctor.

"I am going to be making a trip to Suchiruamu's home island in three days, the delay being in place so that I can stabilize my more, ah, let me just call them more sensitive projects. On a sidenote, the marines have rejected project Inflight, calling it too 'inhumane.'" At this, Vegapunk barked a laugh out, "They really don't know half of what goes on in these four walls of the Cube. The punchline in this situation being that every one of my little 'projects,' deemed inhumane or no, the marines have sponsored. From my first project, Red Shower to my newest one, being Regrowth, the marines with their lust for power have told me to do... unspeakable things to mankind to better their so-called 'justice.'" He closed his eyes, his next breath coming out ragged, "I fear that I may have become desensitized to the suffering of the fellow men, my comrades, that I have been forced to work on. I will never forget them, the names of all the good men and women are carved onto the stone face of the Cube. As of now, almost one half of a wall of the Cube is covered with names. This... I cannot abide by."

"I do have some hope for humanity," Vegapunk said, his voice brightening slightly. "But I fear that the truly good men are those who are not in control of this world. The World Government, The Marines, The Tenryubito... they are wrongly in control despite the few Marines working to fix this world. Vice Admiral Garp, for example, is an exception to this rule of corrupt, tyrannical marines, alongside Admiral Aokiji and a new upstart being posted in Loguetown. I think he may be some newbie by the name of... Smoker, was it? There are too few moral marines like these three men in this world." The cyborg's approval of these people was so evident that one could almost feel the smile on his face. Then his attitude soured quickly, "The ruling 'protectors' and 'governors' in this age disgust me. Allowing slavery to exist and killing the slaves if they go for freedom with explosives. It is they who are the inhumane ones, not myself, despite what they forced me to do. Freedom is the core of humanity in the Great Pirate Age, and probably before, in the Lost Age as well. What these... things in control do, is oppress the people, stunting the culture development and forcing them to go their way or cease to exist."

After his little speech tapered off, Vegapunk was silent for a good ten seconds, looking into the sunset.

"...This, is why I agreed to help 'Red-Hair' Shanks and am going through with his plan for Suchiruamu. The power that he wields now, and will have later with the artificial Devil Fruit, could tip the scales in the world's power struggle. And I don't want the current rulers of the world to have the control here. The demon sealed in that one place is only part of this equation, as are the three ancient weapons. I have cast my lot with the Pirates, the fighters for freedom and purity. 'Pure Justice' does not allow me to side with corruption, therefore, I am going to Suchiruamu's home. I need to see for myself where the Ki no Hitobito lived."

Vegapunk sighed, "If I don't get all the information, this could easily become the death of this world as we know it."

A light tap on Vegapunk's arm screen. "Recording terminated." Violette informed.

The doctor grunted and scratched his face. "Violette, lock the incriminating data away. Only allow the first half of the report to be heard, and lock away the second half with maximum security encryption. The last thing I need is to be exposed as a traitor to the World Government and The Marines, I'm rather comfortable with being a spy for now."

"Of course Doctor Vegapunk." His Artificial Intelligence said.

[l]

Three Days Later

The pneumatic hiss of the large metal door was the only thing to give me any warning before Dr. Vegapunk walked into the room hurriedly, seeing as how the bright cone of light from the ceiling obscured my vision completely. Strangely, the light did not hurt my eyes, not even before all of this Vegapunk business. I tried to talk to him, to say his name, anything, but to no avail. The only sound that came from me was a wheeze and my other reward was a sharp stab of pain to my throat. I clenched my teeth and put a hand over my neck. Damn uselessness! What good can I be if I can't talk? Surely Doctor Vegapunk needs his prisoners to be functional, little toys. The smacks from my one little show of attitude were nothing but the occasional ghost pain by now, but the harsh reminder still kept me cowed. 'Like a child that needs to learn obedience. I'm not a child anymore, not after that stupid clown.' I thought bitterly.

"Suchiruamu, get up." The not-quite-a-man ordered. "We are taking a little trip to your home island. Everything is all set up to go, I just need you to come with me." I bolted upright from where I had been laying and looked at him incredulously, 'I'm going home?! Back to Toranku Island?' I thought with hope. At my look, the man chuckled, "Yes, my small charge, I'm telling you the truth. After I found that eternal pose on your person, I decided to find out what happened to the remaining Ki no Hitobito." Vegapunk pulled out a strange, hourglass-looking glass ball thing with a compass needle inside of it. If I looked close enough, I could see the the word 'Toranku' inscribed in the two wood bases. What was that thing, and how did it get into my possession? Apparently, Vegapunk had found it on me and now he is taking me home. Everything about that eternal pose thingie was suspicious, but my excitement about going home overshadowed it.

I stopped and frowned then. I was not going home on my own, Vegapunk was coming with me. All this to do with the 'trip' to my home island was to satisfy his curiosity? If that's the case, I kinda don't want this guy poking around my island. My chest ached with longing at the mention of my island, that blessedly green place that was always perfect for growing things. I just want to go home, to be away from this place. I longed for the sounds of cicadas on warm nights, the winds rustling through the leaves of hundreds of trees as I lay in my bed. The loving voice of my Jii-san, the shaman of the family, telling stories of times long gone. The five of us all sitting happily in the packed dirt around the huge stump that served as our table. The smiling faces of Kaa-chan, Nee-chan, Tou-san, and Jii-san's grin around his pipe.

My family, all that I have.

Had.

A blinding pain shot across my head as memories of those dreams came back. Fire everywhere, with its thick, oily smoke choking the blue sky.

A cold hand was placed on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Vegapunk gazing at me sadly. I looked at him with pain in my eyes, pleading with my very being that these dreams are just dreams and nothing more. He closed his grey eyes and shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Suchiruamu. Those... nightmares, really happened. A few days before you woke up for real and I gave you that pad of paper, you were screaming in terror about fire and... clowns for some reason. All the while begging for the lives of your... Kaa-chan, Nee-chan, Tou-san, and Jii-san, I believe."

I winced when he said 'clowns.' Not from a petty childish fear of them, as a matter of fact, I'd never seen a clown in my life before... him. "Clown" was just a sound when I was living with my family on Toranku island. Who would've know that those... things could be so terrifying when they are laughing maniacally and lighting a fuse on a cannon?

Vegapunk must have seen my pained expression because he placed a bundle of clothing on my bed. "I've taken the liberty of getting you some new clothes after I noticed that you were wearing nothing but a pair of burlap shorts, and thought that you might like something more comfortable." He gave me a half-grin, "How much do you like green?" He asked.

My eyes widened when I saw what was in the small bundle. I pulled out an emerald-colored shirt and a pair of brown cargo shorts. How did he know that green was my favorite color? The doctor ruffled my hair, causing my messy mop of pale green locks to go all over the place. Some got in my eyes and I almost facepalmed. Of course. My hair and eyes were green, so obviously he was going to give me something with a similar color. I looked at the shorts and shrugged, I guess brown works too. Brown like the dirt and green like the leafy expanse of Toranku Island. Reminders of my home were everywhere, making me more and more happy to be going back there.

The doctor tossed some wooden sandals with inch-high pegs onto the bed and I looked at them with a raised eyebrow. 'I don't know how to walk in those!' Vegapunk smiled, "Those are called geta sandals. Trust me, you're going to want to wear them when we go out of your room. I've kept this room nice and warm for you, but it's quite chilly on the stone floor outside and the obsidian of Oninoiwa Spire is slippery when wet." I pouted when he said this. 'I'm going to have to be cold? Aww. I hate the cold.' I cast a look at the wood sandals and my face dropped, 'I'm gonna have to learn how to walk on these 'geta' things, too.'

"Don't worry, we're going to your island! Isn't that what you've wanted ever since you got here?" The doctor asked. I nodded vehemently and slipped the shirt on, wrestling with the arm holes before coming out victorious. Vegapunk ruffled my hair again and said, "Ne, Suchiruamu, do you still have that pad of paper I gave you? I just want to look at it for a sec before I give it back." I was puzzled as to why he was going to give it back but fished it out from where it had been underneath my pillow.

He glanced at it before stuffing it in one of the pockets on his lab coat. "I'm going to leave for a moment while you get dressed. Tap on the glass over there when you're done." He said, pointing to the black, reflective surface on the wall. 'Huh, I thought that was a mirror.' I mused.

The scientist opened the door after telling Violette (whoever that was) to unlock it, and exited the room. The door swung shut and air hissed from its sides as the heavy metal secured itself to the wall, becoming impenetrable once more.

I looked at the shorts and sandals and shrugged. Might as well get this over with. 'I hope he reads what I wrote, getting called Suchiruamu all day is getting old.'

Outside, Vegapunk snorted as he read the yellow pad of paper. Um, hi. It wrote, What kind of greeting was that? My name really isn't 'Suchiruamu,' I was named Andoru by my Kaa-chan. Her name is Kiku. Back on Toranku Island, I lived with Kaa-chan, my Nee-chan named Riki, my Tou-san who was named Hansu, and old Shaman Jii-san. Kaa-chan never told me his name. By now I'm starting to think that he never had a name, because even Tou-san called him Jii-san.

The writing stopped there, but there were a couple of doodles on the bottom half of the page, suggesting that the boy got bored with writing. Vegapunk chuckled and was about to put the paper away when he heard Suchiruamu, now revealed to be named Andoru, rap his knuckles sharply on the glass. Vegapunk raised an eyebrow. That was quick. Well, Vegapunk did leave when the boy was almost finished, so it made sense that he would be done speedily.

The doctor smiled as he opened the metal door, Andoru must have been quite eager to go home. He held his arm out for the boy to grasp, but he only wrinkled his nose at it and crossed his arms. "Whatever you say, Andoru." The doctor said, watching the boy's face light up at the mention of his name. With a flourish, Vegapunk flipped the pad around and presented it to the boy, who took it with a puzzled expression. The doctor raised an eyebrow with an amused look, "Well, how do you think we are going to communicate if you can't talk?" He asked, slipping a pen from one of his sleeves and holding it to Andoru. The boy took it with a look of understanding and nodded to the doctor with a smile.

"Well then, we'd best be on our way, my small friend. Your home island is waiting."

[l]

After countless hallways and even a few staircases of wobbly walking, I finally got the hang of walking in the wooden sandals given to me by Vegapunk. We had even gone into this tiny room that Vegapunk called an 'elevator'... whatever that was. It felt funny when we were inside of it, like I suddenly became lighter and I laughed. 'Elevators' were fun! We were in the strange room for about ten minutes and I could overhear Vegapunk muttering something about 'Stupid tall-ass towers.' I wonder what that was about?

We exited the small room and walked some more. So focused was I on travelling with my new footwear that I nearly smacked into the wall that seemingly appeared out of thin air. Even so, I backpedaled sheepishly and saw that the two of us had come to a dead-end. 'Did this guy just lead me to a wall to nowhere? This isn't getting me home any faster.' I thought. With this mind frame, I cast an unamused look to Vegapunk, who simply twinkled his eyes in the opposite emotion and tapped his arm. "Violette, open up bay thirteen. It's time for Suchiruamu and I to go." He said. I frowned at him going back to calling me "Steel-arm," but he just shrugged helplessly. "It's what I programmed Violette to recognize you as, Andoru. The problem is now out of my hands." He explained.

'Doesn't mean I have to like it, you old geezer.'

The ground shuddered and I fell to the stone floor, stupid sandals tripping me up. Sure enough, the floor was cold and I hissed, trying to get up as fast as possible. I'd rather not be cold, thank you very much. When I returned to my previous position, I noticed that the entire dead-end was gone. The first thing I noticed was the raging waves of the Grand Line smashing against something solid. It had to have been, otherwise, the seas would've claimed whatever it was hitting long ago. Instead of cold, grey walls, there was now a brightly lit outcropping of... black pebbles? They looked really cool, like shiny gemstones. I was about to pick one up when the sound of Doctor Vegapunk made me pause. "These rocks are called obsidian, a rare kind of glass formed when lava cools quickly. The entirety of Oninoiwa Spire is made of the stuff, so go ahead and take some. Who knows, you might be able to sell it later for a pretty penny."

After hearing 'pretty penny,' I stooped down and stuffed all of my pockets (except the back pockets, that would be really uncomfortable) with the black glass. Luckily, the pieces weren't that sharp so they wouldn't poke me as I walked, that would have really sucked. Once I was finished, I took a look around to see that Vegapunk and I were standing on a black platform overlooking a huge sheltered cave. The sun was the only illumination in the place, casting its pale, white rays into the smooth beach of volcanic glass. There were huge logs pounded into the black sand, intended for multiple large ships to be tied off to. As a matter of fact, there was a sturdy-looking ship docked there now. It was a wide, short ship, obviously meant to be manned by a small crew. Strangely, it was constructed from steel plating, and had an odd-looking dark grey stone lining the bottom of it. There wasn't any sails on the machine, but there were two rotors that poked out of the water. The Marine symbol of the rounded 'M' and wrench was proudly displayed on the cabin that completely dominated the top deck. There was hardly any room near the bow or the stern for standing or doing activities.

Vegapunk started walking to the right, down a staircase hewn directly from the wall of obsidian and I jerked myself into motion to follow him. Getting down stairs in clunky sandals was quite the journey, but I managed it with nary a slip up. right as we reached the ship, I jogged up to the doctor with the geta slapping against my feet noisily and tugged on his lab coat gently.

He turned around and raised an eyebrow, "Yes? What is it Andoru?" The cyborg asked. I pointed to the ship bobbing in the water and he smiled. "Ah, yes. That is my trusty VegaShip, Model: IV, VM4 for short. This baby has some of my finest work in it. As long as it is in the sun is shining, the VM4 can shoot across these Grand Line waves like they're nothing. The idea to have the sun powering my ships is actually one that I've had for a while, but studying your... unique ability to heal quickly gave me the inspiration to finish it. This is mostly based off of the photosynthetic processes of leaves and..." The doctor trailed off, seeing my blank look, "Never mind all of that, all you need to know is that the VM4 is powered by the sun. To top it all off, there is a mobile laboratory in the ship."

My eyes widened, 'Does this mean that we're staying at Toranku Island permanently?' I thought, filling to burst with hope. My home island was infinitely better to stay at than a cold, emotionless spire looking over an endless expanse of waters choked by poison. As if he read my mind, Vegapunk grinned widely, "Yes, Andoru, the two of us are staying at your island until the completion of project Regrowth, which is going to last for about... a year at most." I scratched my head and looked at Vegapunk with an air of inquisition on my face. "Ah, yes, I'll tell you about it later, as you are the main focus of it. Right now, all you need to know is if I don't get project Regrowth finished, some very bad things are going to happen to everything in the world."

I gulped nervously, making my throat ache uncomfortably, and not from my sore throat. Whatever this 'project Regrowth' thing was, it needed to get done. At the same time, butterflies fluttered in my stomach after hearing that 'Regrowth' was focused entirely on me. What if it needed me to die? Or maybe it transforms me into some kind of... thing, that isn't me? Like, some sort of twisted monster! My hands started to tremble, and I shoved them into my pockets, ignoring the scraping and cuts of the obsidian against my hands.

Vegapunk must've heard the rustling of the glass in my pockets because he smiled at me in a comforting way and placed a hand on my shoulder, crouching down until our eyes met. "Don't worry Andoru. I swear that nothing bad will happen to you. After this is all done, somebody is going to pick you up and take you to a place where you can train and become so strong that you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way."

His words soothed me like nothing he had ever said to me before. The flutters of nervousness diminished, but did not disappear. The void left by the nerves was replaced by determination. "After what happened, I think you know that your life will never be the same, Andoru." I nodded firmly, the screams of my family ringing in my ears like they had never stopped. Vegapunk's smile dropped and his grey gaze became very intense, "Your will is going to be unmovable, and you will become part of a new generation of men, a generation that is incorruptible! You will wield power justly, and use it to help fix this broken world that we live in."

His grey eyes had lit up with a righteous will that burned with an unyielding ferocity, and he spoke to me softly. "But be warned, your path will not be an easy one. You will come across obstacles that you think will never go passed, but you must never give up! Listen closely Andoru, the Gorosei will unleash a terrible evil upon the world if they ever get their hands on you, and if project Regrowth is not finished in their timeframe, they will unleash it on their own. So you must never become a Marine!"

"Come with me, Suchiruamu Andoru to your home island, and you will take the first step to becoming Great." Doctor Vegapunk finished, standing up tall to make his appearance more grandiose.

He held out a flesh-colored metal hand for me to grab, an offer that I could not possibly refuse. It would be foolish not to.

After what he said, I stood there like a statue, trying to digest what I'd just been told. I needed to guide my own destiny, and he pretty much gilded the driveway so that I could go onto the road of life a step ahead of the others.

Vegapunk had me, hook, line, and sinker, and we both knew it.

I took his cold hand and together, we jumped onto the metal ship.

[l]

AN: Yaay! You are all undoubtedly really happy that this chapter is done because this means I write a chapter of Juuichi now!

I really can't think of anything else to say right now. I might think of something later, but I know that people really don't care about author notes.

Ja Ne.

The-Lancer-of-the-Sun, signing off.