9 Calm Before The Storm

-Three Years Later-

I said a silent prayer as my blade claimed another soul. I flicked my sword with a practiced motion, cleaning it of blood before sheathing the wore down blade.

Looking behind me, I sighed at the waste of life, twenty men slaughtered by my hand in the span of a few minutes. I didn't regret it. The fact was if they didn't die, I would.

Besides, they were saints themselves. Many of them were pirates who had pillaged, murdered, and r*ped.

The haughty laughter of Shalria from her luxurious box forced me to bite down on my tongue from lashing out. It only took a few months for Shalria to grow bored of me slaughtering animals for her pleasure.

I remember how the day was like any other I was thrown into the ring, ready to face another starved animal. Instead, I was pitted against a grown man twice my size.

There was no room for thought. I still remember the look on his face when I used my devil fruit powers. A glimpse of pure terror, after killing him, I was messed up for days to the point where I wasn't stable enough to practice Haki.

But as with everything, it became a habit, though I always made sure to say a prayer every time after a battle and meditate. I didn't escape unwounded either. Sometimes I would lose limbs and more.

One time Shalria had me spare a man to return to the other slaves to spread fear among their ranks. There was even a brief period where there was a rumor that if a slave could defeat me, they would gain their freedom.

That was almost my breaking point: innocent men and women volunteered in hopes of returning to their families. Of course, the rumor was all part of Shalria's little sadistic play.

I wasn't going to give in. I promised for every soul I killed. I would inflict another hour of torture on the world nobles.

On some days, I would spend hours slaughtering men to satiate Shalria's love for pain and anguish. It got to the point where Shalria had my cage built within the arena for me to take breaks in between fights.

The past two years left me scarred in more ways than one, but I prevailed through it all. At fifteen years old, I had more kills under my belt than most pirates.

Sighing, I left behind the massacre closing the door to my cell. Placing my faithful sword to the side, I sat on my knees as I meditated.

My Haki had reached the five-meter mark, so it was almost impossible for someone to sneak up on me when I was awake.

I even found a way to combine it with my sword style. After killing a giant, I asked Shalria for a book on sword techniques.

Luckily, she was in a good mood and more than a little drunk, so I received a hefty tome filled with texts and pictures of sword forms the next day.

Scanning through the pages, I found a style that perfectly suited me called Iaido. A sword form based on drawing the sword from the scabbard and killing in a single cut.

After months of practice, I incorporated my Observation Haki to create my hybrid art. As soon as something entered my range, I would kill them in one cut.

Even with a low-quality sword like the one I had, now I could but through entire limbs. But in terms of power, I could feel that I would still lose to actual swordsmen like Zorro.

'Only a few more months until my time aboard this island is up. I might as well make it a time to remember.'

I waited until darkness fell before I started my plan, focusing my body started to stretch and warp.

Before long, my body separated into an identical clone. Putting clothes on my counterpart, I looked it over, making sure everything was up to code.

The clone was nothing more than a meat sack, but it would serve my purpose for now. Undercover of darkness, I slipped through the bars of my cage by flattening my body.

I walked as a free man for the first time in years, but I wouldn't try to escape today. Over the years, I memorized the guard rotations, so avoiding them was a stitch. And after a few minutes of searching, I found the stairway leading to the prison.

Walking into the prison, I looked into each cage, trying to find the Gorgon sisters.

At long last, I found the three girls fast asleep huddled together in a corner. Slipping through the cell, I gently coaxed Hancock awake.

Covering her mouth before she could scream, I gestured for her to be quiet.

" Boa, it's me, Soren, do you remember? "

Hancock scowled, and I uncovered her mouth, "Take your hand off me man-ape, how dare you touch me."

" Calm down. Listen, I can't be here for long. I need to tell you something. "

Despite my negotiation skills, Hancock's voice raised in volume, "No!! I won't let any man come close to me. " Boa screamed as her hands formed a heart and pointed it at me.

"Mero Mero Mellow!"

I sighed as the heart-shaped beam harmlessly passed through me, "Sorry, but your devil fruit won't work on me. I have no desire for someone like you.

Now in six months, someone will successfully break out all the slaves in Mary Geoise. We could cooperate, but it seems like I would do more harm than good. I wish you luck."

At this point, the other slaves had started to stir from their rest, so it was time for me to get out of there, " I am sure one day our paths will cross again. Maybe even as allies."

After saying my last line I slipped through the bars of the gate and snuck back into my own cell, dismissing my clone I assumed my meditation position.

" So many moving pieces, I just have to make sure I don't mess up the timeline. "