This is a Oneshot based off a captain character I would like to make. I want to know what people think about him before I create him. Plus, one of my now retired characters will be appearing in this as well so that I can show what happened to him since his disappearance.
The Legacy of a Pirate: One Storm Ends as Another Begins
A blade of wind swept through a couple of trees before dying down and disappearing. For a moment, nothing happened. Then both of the trees leaned to one side and collapsed in a virtual explosion of leaves and breaking branches. (1)
A young boy stood, bent over, before the trees with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. His face and back were drenched in the sweat of his efforts and his muscles were aching. But it had all been worth it. Every single drop of sweat and every ounce of pain just proved what he had accomplished in the time since he had eaten his devil fruit: the Kaze-Kaze no mi.
The boy's name was Daniel and he lived on Azeal Island, in the Grandline. Other than Daniel himself, the island was uninhabited by humans. Or any other kind of sentient being for that matter. Daniel wasn't alone though. There were many animals that lived on the island and there was another island nearby where Daniel went when he wanted to have a conversation with people, which was rare. He wasn't exactly welcome on the island. Not after a certain incident involving his mother turning out to be a pirate with a bounty of twenty-eight million on her head.
Daniel straightened up and went over to examine the fallen trees. He smiled at the perfect cut he had made, severing the top half of the trees from their stumps. Not only was he getting stronger, but skill wise he had improved far beyond his own expectations.
Soon...very soon, he thought to himself.
Daniel looked down at his hands. They were rough and callused and covered in scratches. Some of the scratches were deep, but he wasn't worried. He rarely got sick and infections had never seemed to be a problem for him. Sometimes he wondered why, but most of the time he just accepted it as a fact of life. If his immune system decided it was going to be overly effective, he certainly wasn't going to complain about it.
Turning from the fallen trees, Daniel began to jog back home. His house was situated on the other side of the island. Going straight there from where he was would involve crossing a small mountain. Since Daniel wasn't feeling up to climbing the mountain he instead went around it, cutting across the island's beach.
As he ran he looked off to his right, out over the sparkling ocean. The sun was falling in the distance, sending out a gorgeous array of yellows, oranges, and reds. There was even a little purple mixed in as well. From where he was, Daniel could also see the neighboring island, Bellford, far off in the distance. The townspeople would be heading home right about now. And the Marines would be changing their guards.
Daniel's hands tightened into fists at the thought of a few particular Marines. His parents' killers lived on that island. He knew they hadn't left because he checked on them every few days to make sure. When the time came, they would pay for their actions. But until then, he would continue as he always did, preparing for that final confrontation.
Daniel was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost missed seeing a small sailing vessel, which was floating out in the ocean only a short distance from the shoreline. And even when he noticed that, he very nearly did not see the man standing in his path. The crash was, unfortunately, inevitable.
Daniel plowed into the man, sending them both sprawling on the sandy beach. Instinctively, Daniel kicked and punched as he tried to escape his unknown foe. His 'foe', on the other hand, grunted as the attacks stuck him, but did not try to stop Daniel. Instead, he reached out and pressed his hands to Daniel's chest before heaving the boy off of him with surprising strength.
Daniel was thrown a few feet over the man's head and he crashed into the sand. For a moment, he didn't move as he was still trying to reorient himself. Then, slowly, he pulled himself into a sitting position, only to find his 'foe' standing over him and staring down at him with a neutral expression. Well, maybe staring wasn't the correct term. After all, the man's eyes were heavily scarred and shut tight.
Daniel rolled backwards into a crouch and then backed away from the man nervously. It wasn't that he was an intimidating figure. Far from it. He was a young man, one who couldn't have been much older than Daniel himself. He was dressed in a ratty, old, blue trench coat, dark pants, and equally dark shoes. He even seemed to be about the same height as Daniel himself. The only thing that made him look dangerous were the two sheathed swords strapped onto the young man's back. The hilts of both weapons were visible, poking up over his left shoulder.
No, the reason Daniel was backing away was because he wasn't quite sure what to make of him. He had seen many oddly dressed individuals, but this man beat them all. And what was he even doing here so late in the day? Not to mention the fact that he looked like he was blind.
"Tell me, good sir, where am I exactly?" the young man asked quite suddenly.
Daniel started. Of all the things this person could have said, he hadn't been expecting that.
"You're on my island," Daniel growled, having regained his composure. "Leave! Now!"
"Well, that was rude," the man cocked his head to one side and frowned. "There's no call for that. You're the one who attacked me, remember? Besides, if I wanted to hurt you, you would be dead by now."
"So sure about that, are you?" Daniel asked him, now smirking. "Think you can beat me with your eyes shut? Come on. Don't kid yourself."
"Well, why don't we make a deal," the man said, reaching back and drawing one of his swords. The sword's hilt was white and its blade shone, despite the fading light. It was obviously well cared for. "If you win, you can kill me, make me leave, or whatever," the man continued. "But if I win, which I will, you must answer me a question and then I'll leave anyway."
Daniel considered this and then nodded, slowly. He didn't see how any of this mattered, and truthfully, it didn't. If a fight was the only way he could get rid of their intruder, then so be it. After all, according to the man's conditions, what did he have to lose other than a bit of information?
"Is that a yes, or a no?" the man asked.
"I nodded," Daniel replied. "Didn't you..." Then he frowned. "Oh. Right. You can't see."
"Ah, good," the man said, now also nodding. "Then I suppose I can do this?"
His arm became a blur as he twirled his sword and a tornado appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and it rushed towards Daniel, who was completely unprepared for it. The tornado lifted him into the air and flung him back a few feet into a tree. That wasn't the worst of it, however. Daniel also felt the rapidly churning air cutting into his skin, and clothing, all over his body. Fortunately for him, most of these wounds were shallow. The damage to his pride, on the other hand, was a completely different matter.
His opponent watched Daniel for a couple of seconds. When the other didn't respond, he simply turned away from Daniel and started to slide his sword back into his sheath. He sighed wearily.
"It seems I'm to be disappointed yet again. No point in even asking this guy the question. You really need to lead me better, Kazeshini. (2) Oh well. I'd better just keep on going."
Daniel knew he should have stayed down. Obviously he had underestimated his opponent, and now he was paying for it. Despite this, he couldn't stand being written off so easily. Not when he had tried so hard to become stronger. In short, his damaged pride the better of him.
"Wait!" Daniel called out. He rose to his feet. "We aren't finished yet! Not by a long shot!"
The man paused and then turned back to look...no, move his face into a position that seemed to be looking at Daniel. Slowly, a smile crept across his features.
"You are a very interesting person," he commented. "Most people would stay down after getting knocked on their back like that."
"I'm not most people," Daniel snapped.
"Apparently not," the man said. "But know this: I'm not going to play games with you anymore. Are you ready?"
Once again, he spun his sword immediately after speaking. Another small tornado spun towards Daniel, but this time he was ready. He flung himself to one side, pushing himself along with the air around him. Then he blitzed his opponent, coming in at an angle. As he ran, he raised his arms and crossed them over his chest. Then he swung them outwards, launching a blade of wind that spanned the full length of the slash he had performed with his arms.
At first, Daniel's opponent didn't react. The tiniest of smiles flickered across his face, but then it vanished only to be replaced by a look of utmost concentration. He pulled his sword back to his side and then slashed it outward, sending an air blade of his own towards Daniel's. The two attacks collided and canceled each other out.
Daniel used that moment to jump into his opponent's guard and launch an air powered kick at the man's chest. The kick connected, doubling over his opponent and he followed it up with a powerful right hook to the jaw, flooring the blind young man. Daniel flipped backwards and landed several feet away in a crouch, grinning triumphantly.
"How's that?" Daniel crowed. "Not so tough now, are you?"
To his great surprise, the man just rose to his feet and wiped away a trickle of blood that was coming out of the corner of his mouth. Aside from the blood, he looked completely unaffected by the beating he had just taken, even though Daniel hadn't been holding back. And it wasn't like Daniel was a weakling. He had once shattered the rib cage of a gorilla with a kick like that.
"Hmmm...not bad," the man said. "But I let you have that one. Next time it won't be so easy."
"What do you mean?" Daniel asked him, racking his brain as he tried to think of another tactic he could use.
"It means exactly what I said," the young man told him. He reached back and tapped the hilt of his second sword. "See this here? It's name is Crimson Rain. When I draw this sword, you will lose."
The claim sounded crazy, but Daniel couldn't take the risk of it being true. Everything this man did spoke volumes of his level of confidence. Either he was insane or he was just simply that good.
So Daniel didn't waste any more words. He dove back in, this time starting off by slashing at the man with his hands held in what was best described as a karate chop motion. The man brought his sword around to block, but instead of cutting into Daniel's hands, the sword was knocked aside by a wave of air that Daniel was swinging in front of his fingers. Now the man was forced back a couple of steps as Daniel pressed his advantage, battering at his opponent's defenses with wave after wave of air.
Then, in a heartbeat, the man regained his balance and swiped Daniel's hands out of the way before driving his fist into the younger man's gut. Daniel skidded back and fell to his hands and knees, but he didn't stop there. He pushed himself up so that he was performing a handstand and he reached with his feet, catching the other man's sword between his boots.
Daniel summoned a small whirlwind around his body, which spun both him and the sword at high speed, tearing it from the man's hands. The man hesitated as his weapon was flung away and that was enough for Daniel to come back to his feet, chopping at the man again with his hand and creating an air wave in front of his fingers. This time, however, he sharpened the air wave, changing it into a blade that cut a long gash across the man's chest.
Once more the man collapsed, though this time he only dropped to his knees. Daniel took the moment to back off. He was breathing hard, not only from his efforts to defeat this man, but also because of his earlier training that day. His opponent, on the other hand, was quiet and calm as he reached up to touch the wound on his chest.
"Not bad," he murmured. "Not bad at all. You pass."
"Heh...that's not all I did," Daniel replied. "I beat you! So don't go around talking so tough all the time 'cause I know I'm not the best fighter in the world."
"If only it were that simple," the man replied, still not looking at Daniel. "You see, it's like I said before. Had I wanted to kill you..." He suddenly vanished from sight. Daniel blinked, staring at the spot where the man had just been. He stiffened at the touch of cold steel pressing against the back of his neck. All at once, a feeling of exhaustion, the likes of which he had never experienced, washed over him and Daniel fell to the ground, face first. "...you would be dead right now," finished the man.
"What did...you do...to me?" Daniel spat out through a mouthful of sand.
"Seastone..." the man replied. "...is truly a wondrous thing, don't you agree? But then, seeing as you ate one of the devil fruit, I suppose you probably would not, seeing as when you come in contact with it, it weakens you."
"Get...off...of...ME!" Daniel growled, struggling to rise. "I'm not...done yet!"
"But of course you are," said the man, now sounding merely amused. "You cannot even move, let alone continued fighting."
Daniel no longer cared what the man said. Even though the man had said he would leave the island, should he win, he never said that he wouldn't kill Daniel and Daniel couldn't let himself die like this! Not when his parents' killers still walked free! But even worse than that, it would mean that his parent's sacrifice was for nothing. It wasn't fair!
"Move...stupid...body..." he growled. "...why won't...you...MOVE!"
Daniel's muscles tensed, but that's all they did. He couldn't even move a finger. Never before in his life had he felt so powerless.
The man didn't say anything at first as he listened to the boy's furious struggling. Then he crouched down next to Daniel, with his sword still lying across the boy's neck, and whispered, "Why do you persist?"
"Because...I have...something worth...fighting for!" Daniel snapped. "My parents...died...because...of me! I can't...die here...no matter...what it...it takes...I will...beat you..."
"So you're out for revenge," the man stood back up. "Hmmm...not exactly the most worthy goal, and a risky one at that. After all, do you think that your parents would want you to throw your life away needlessly?"
"Don't act...like you...know...them..." Daniel shot back.
The man sighed. "Perhaps you cannot simply forget what happened. The same thing happened to me when my sister's life was in danger. I fought so hard to save her...and I lost my eyes in the process. And for all of my efforts, I couldn't do a thing. By the time I reached her, she had long since died. Nothing seemed to matter to me anymore. Not my friends...my home...not even my crew." Daniel started at the mention of a crew and the man noticed. He laughed sourly. "Yes, I was once a pirate captain. I was such an idiot in those days...anyway, I managed to track down the man who killed my sister. I wasted three months doing it and when I found him, I tore him to pieces. You're right in saying that I don't know your parents. But I do know my sister. And I know for a fact that she wouldn't have wanted me to ruin my life like I did. You see, because I spent all that time trying to find her killer, my crew drifted apart. I no longer know where any of them are, nor do I think that I could find them again with my eyes the way they are now, but I can still remember each and every one of their faces clearly. Jake, Kaori, Immelman...I failed them. Maybe it's different with you. Maybe you don't think you have anyone to fail. But there is always someone, even if it is yourself." The man removed his sword from Daniel's neck and stepped away from him, staring sightlessly out of the ocean. "I won't try and force you to do anything, but I will give you this advice. Don't do something just because you want to. Do it because it is the right thing to do. And maybe one day we'll meet again."
Daniel didn't move or say a word as the man retrieved his other sword and sheathed both of his weapons. He didn't even do a thing as the man stepped out into the ocean and swam to his ship and climbed onto it. But then, as the man started to use an oar to push his ship away from shore, Daniel came to his feet and ran over to the edge of the waves.
"I'm going to become a pirate captain!" he shouted after the man. "And when I do, I'm going to get a massive crew and come and smash you into the ground! You can count on that!"
The man grinned at Daniel. "Fine, then let's make another deal! I'll get stronger as well and when we meet again, I'll give you the fight of your life! Until that time comes, make sure you become a storm that rages across the ocean because I want to hear people speak your name."
Daniel didn't move from his spot until the man's ship had disappeared into the horizon. Finally, he turned and went back home, head whirling from the day's strange events.
He would never forget his parents' deaths. That much he could not do. But maybe the man was right. Regardless of what he decided to do, he had a lot to think about.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
James D. Cook knew that the boy was watching him as he sailed away. He smiled to himself. Things certainly were going to be getting interesting as time went.
"It looks like I haven't completely ruined my life, eh Kazeshini? At least now I have something to look forward too. The future...it's wide open in front of us. Where will we go next?"
(1): Anyone else have a tree fall towards them and land with the tip of the tree five feet from their face? Not a fun experience.
(2): Yeah, I know it's a rip-off of Bleach, but that's what I decided to name this guy's sword back when I first joined this site, so I'm sticking with it.
Mon Aug 29, 2011 2:33 pm
