1 Strange Fruit

(AN: Kid has been aged up three years for the purposes of this fic.)

Ricordo Island, South Blue

In a fort in the woods of a small island in the South Blue, three young boys, no older than eight years old, crowd around a fireplace, warming themselves. The wind howls outside of their small fort, but the boys are all comfortable inside, insulated from the elements.

Suddenly, the stomach of one of the boys, grumbles loudly causing the boy in question to nervously bring his head down. While he was hungry, he knew that food was hard to come by in the forest, so he couldn't ask for more.

"Here you go Kid, eat up." A blonde boy said, offering some bread he had saved up to the other boy.

Kid's eyes light up as he quickly grabs the bread, munching down on it furiously. Killer raises a finger, considering whether or not he should tell kid to save some bread for later, but his finger falls as he decides against it.

"Don't worry Killer, one day… nmm nmm… I'm gonna be a famous pirate… nmm nmm… and I'll pay you back for all the food you... nmm nmm... gave me!" Kid says, ravenously wolfing down the bread without abandon.

"Come on Kid, you know that's not how we work. We're brothers, all three of us, and we stick with each other, through thick or through thin! Right Rex?"

The third boy, Vesta Rex, nods affirmatively to that, throwing a piece of meat to Kid to his delight.

"Of course you're right Killer. Out here, all we've got is each other, so we've gotta stick together. Then one day, when we all become pirates, the whole world will be eating out of our hands!"

The other two boys pump their fists in excitement at that thought while Rex only stares into the fire.

It had been eight years since he came to this world that so resembled that of his favorite manga. In those years, he had made friends with Kid and Killer, two powerhouses from canon who were also on the island with him and now their bond was unbreakable.

Rex and Killer were the same age, with Kid being a year younger than them at seven. Still, the trio were inseparable, having been friends since infancy.

A few months ago, the trio had been kicked out of their village because Kid kept threatening all the villagers that he would beat them up when he became a strog pirate. Since then, they had been living on their own in the wilderness, hunting and gathering for their own food.

Rex had also started off his training while young, knowing that there was not much time before the world would be thrown into chaos. With two monsters beside him, Killer and Kid that was, Rex was constantly motivated to train as he knew that he would have to be stronger than both of his companions if he wanted to be the captain when they finally departed.

While there were still a few years until that happened, Rex knew that it would not be easy to surpass these two monsters.

Grabbing a makeshift spear, he had crafted from wood and a stone, Rex stands up, eager to get some last minute training in before going to sleep.

"Rex, where are you going?" The two ask, looking in fear at the darkness outside. While it was relatively safe to hunt in the daytime, at night, the monsters on the island would go crazy and it would be much more dangerous.

"If Kid keeps eating up our food supply like this, I think we're going to need to stock up some more." Rex explains, "I saw a badger den a few miles up the mountain, if we're lucky, I can get the whole family and we'll have meat for weeks!"

Drool drips from the side of Kid's mouth as he thinks of this, but Killer snaps him out of his food coma.

"Well then, at least let us come with you." Killer said, frantically, not wanting to leave Rex out to hunt alone at night.

Rex shook his head. "With you and Kid around, the badgers will hear us coming from a mile away. Sorry to say it, but you're both awful hunters. Just go forage for some fruits and vegetables. And remember, if you see any strange fruits…"

"Remember to not eat them until we show them to you." The two respond in synchronicity.

This was one of the first rules that Rex had set up, under the guise of wanting to protect his comrades from being poisoned. In truth, Rex had his own motives for having such a rule.

Since Kid was able to awaken his fruit by the timeskip, it stands to reason that he had been training with it for a long time, since Law, who was the same age as Kid, got his fruit at twelve and awoke it at the same time. As such, Rex had deduced that the Jiki Jiki no mi was likely right here, on this island, likely in this forest.

Rex felt himself salivating as he thought of the fruit. While the flavor may be awful, Rex knew it would be all worth it to get a fruit like that.

With the Jiki Jiki no mi, Rex would be able to beat swordsmen with ease, manipulating their weapon, not to mention the fruits tremendous potential. From cyborg arms to mechanical golems to burying Big Mom under a mountain of steel, the Jiki Jiki no mi was undoubtedly a top tier devil fruit.

While the Jiki Jiki no mi wasn't on the top of Rex's list, he couldn't afford to be picky as the devil fruits that ranked above it were all difficult for him to get, either being in use or would soon be in use. Besides, it was way better than the trash-tier fruits like the stitching fruit or the jacket fruit.

In fact, other than the fire and lightning devil fruits, Rex wouldn't even know where to start looking for top tier fruits. Most of them were in the new world, with powerful owners, or they were in the possession of that tycoon, Doflamingo.

Rex finds himself shaking his head as he recalled the warlord's immense collection of powerful fruits. Every cadre barring Vergo had a devil fruit and over half of the officers were also fruit users. And these were all good fruits with powerful abilities. If only…

'No, there's no need for such thoughts.' Rex affirms in his mind.

By the end of the series, Kid was way stronger than Doflamingo was, and he had the Jiki Jiki no mi, there was no reason Rex couldn't do the same.

Gritting his teeth, Rex rushes out into the forest, convinced that today was the day that he would find the fruit.

Soon, Rex finds the place he had seen the badgers earlier. From his past life's knowledge, he knew that badgers were nocturnal, so they would likely wake up soon.

Rex finds a nearby tree with a good sightline and perches down there, ready to throw his spear atthe badgers. Now came the hard part, waiting. This was also the part Kid and Killer were the worst at.

In his past life, Rex's father was a big outdoorsman and he dragged him out to go hunting and fishing all the time. Rex personally hated it, preferring to stay at home and watch anime, but it had built up skills that were extremely useful now. Rex had already set up a pit trap just outside the badger den, and all he needed was to spook the badgers to it.

Rex stiffens up as he sees a single nose poke out of the badger den, checking to see if it was safe outside. A bright smile comes onto his face as he sees four badgers walking out of the den, all around the size of a size of a cow back on earth. They should provide enough meat for weeks of feasting.

In his past world, badgers like these would be considered massive, but in this world, animals in general, humans included, were all much larger.

Pulling back the spear in his right arm, Rex stretches out his left arm for balance. Then, with pinpoint accuracy, he launches the spear right at the opening of the den.

The badgers freak, trying to rush back into the den, but with the spear blocking their path, they were too large to make it back. The badgers then run in the other direction, moving to Rex's pit trap.

Moments later, four loud thumps can be heard, as well as a high dying squeals before the badgers give their last breath.

Rex's smile threatens to split his face in half as he prepares to go down from the tree, but a low roar freezes him in place.

'No, it can't be.' Rex thought, remembering how he had thoroughly scouted this area for any tracks or scat and found that there were no large predators in this area. There was no chance that he could be this wrong.

Still, apathetic to Rex's frantic thoughts, a massive tiger the size of a pick-up truck slowly meanders its way to the pit trap. The tiger's nose twitches fiercely as it follows the scent of blood, right up to the pit trap.

Paralyzed with fear, Rex watches as the tiger reaches its destination. It stretches its massive arm into the pit and grabs a badger, pulling it off of one of the stakes inside the pit. Then, without any further ceremony, the tiger starts loudly munching on the badger before him, with an almost human-like smile of delight on its face.

Suddenly, Rex is filled with anger. 'This lousy, freeloading tiger wants to use my pit trap as a buffet!'

Rex resists the urge to jump down and fight the tiger for his badgers, knowing that the only result of that would be him joining the badgers and becoming the tiger's desert.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Rex turns around to leave in silence before the tiger discovered him. However, in his anger, Rex doesn't notice a stray branch beneath his foot.

Crack!

The forest is filled with silence after this. The tiger gulps down the piece of badger in his mouth, before swiveling its head, its eyes locked on Rex.

'Oh ****' Rex thinks, before bolting away from the tiger at his top speed. 'Maybe if he doesn't think I'm a threat, he'll go back to eating.'

The tiger quickly moves to follow, ignoring the food before him in pursuit of this potential appetizer. Rex feels the urge to cry at this, pushing his short legs to run even faster.

Rex weaves through trees like a mad man, trying to throw off his dogged pursuer. Unfortunately, the tiger is as expert in forest travel as Rex and ignores these useless flourishes to follow the most direct path. The distance between the two rapidly closes.

Rex curses loudly, opting to scale a nearby tree. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Rex moves like a monkey, climbing halfway up the massive tree in seconds.

By the time that the tiger has arrived, Rex has already made it high out the animal's reach.

Rex sticks his tongue out at the beast.

"Try to get me now you stupid cat!"

The tiger seems to take offense at this and glares at Rex menacingly. Rex is amazed by how intelligent the animal is, but he just sneers in response. Even if the tiger was a reincarnation of Einstein, there was no way it could climb this high without opposable thumbs. Even if it did, the branches at such a height couldn't support its weight.

Seemingly aware of this the tiger walks away from the tree slowly, as if it were giving up on its prey. Rex grins in pride, but is not stupid enough to go down just yet. He would wait a while for the tiger to really give…

Slash!

The tiger runs at the tree, putting a decent sized gash into its trunk with its claws. Rex's eyes widen at this sight. The tiger couldn't be planning to…

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Three more slashes cause this gash to widen considerably as tree trembled under its own weight.

Rex cursed a thousand times in his mind, but wasn't angry enough to do so out loud and anger the tiger once more.

'Could it understand me?' Rex thought confused at why this tiger was acting so maliciously. Rex almost suspected that it was a Zoan user, due to its intelligence.

Rex looked frantically for a nearby tree to jump to but they were all too far away. There was only one way out of this.

Climbing down a few branches, Rex drops to about ten meters above the ground. Below him, the four meter tall tiger, salivates as he stares at Rex, but doesn't relent on its slashing.

Rex maneuvers around the tree to the opposite side of the gash, preparing to dismount at a moment's notice.

The next few moments seem to blur in slow motion as Rex makes his move. The tree falls, followed by Rex leaping off of it, the tiger then jumps at him viciously.

Rex face the beast head on avoiding it's claws by a breath as it sinks its teeth into his shoulder. A mangled cry of pain follows, but Rex simply grips a sharp stick in his right hand ferociously stabbing at the tiger's eyes.

After a dozen stabs, the stick has long broken and the tiger finally releases Rex's shoulder, howling in pain. Its left eye is destroyed, and its right is severely impaired.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Rex runs doggedly towards a nearby mountain. This time, his strategy of weaving through the trees is much more effective with the tiger slamming into trees left and right.

If not for the strong scent of blood Rex knew he was giving off, he suspected that the tiger would have already lost him. Still, he keeps running towards the mountain, hoping to find a stream or pond to throw off his scent.

After around a minute, Rex's vision has blurred, but he is able to barely make out a cave. He runs towards it with whatever is left of his strength, hoping that it was too small for the tiger to fit in.

It wasn't as the tiger followed Rex into the cave, he feared that this was it. He regretted not having listened to Killer earlier and vowed that if he survived this, he would become a vegetarian, no, a vegan.

Then, just as Rex felt that all was lost, a loud roar sounded out behind him. It was a bear.

Tears of joy sprung to Rex's face as he saw the bear ignoring him and attacking the tiger which it perceived to be the bigger threat. While Rex knew he was likely next, he lavished these extra minutes.

Hoping to find a place that was too narrow for either animal to attack him, Rex moved deeper inside the cave. At this point he was basically clawing for life, praying that through some twist of fate, he would survive.

As he reached the end of the cave Rex found several piles of bones. One of those bones were human, and next to it was a treasure chest.

On any other day, Rex would have been ecstatic to find treasure, but now all he wanted was some food. The chest's lock had long been eroded by rust, so Rex was able to open it with ease, seeing a small multicolored fruit inside of it.

'Devil Fruit' Rex thought, using the last of his strength to shove it in his mouth and wolfs it down. He resists the urge to vomit with a melancholic smile on his face.

"Sorry Kid, I just had to know how it tasted. You'll get the next one." Rex rasps out.

Then, the world turns dark. The last thing Rex hears is the bear giving a pained groan as it fell over defeated.

'Stupid cat.'

(Several Hours Later)

Rex drags the massive bear corpse with one arm, his other hanging limply to the side. Ordinarily, Rex would be unable to carry the bear corpse one-handed, but almost half of the bear had been ripped off, making it much lighter.

Covering Rex's mouth and body was copious amounts of bear blood, as he had ravenously devoured several kilos of meat in a semi-conscious state.

While Rex didn't have a physique comparable to Kid or Luffy who could recover immediately after a meal, the meat did help in the healing. He had wrapped his wound with some bear flesh and was now dragging the bear, with the treasure chest on top of it, back to his camp.

As for predators, Rex was not afraid. Most of the predators in the forest were nocturnal, and the few that hunted in the day would probably be scared stiff by the bear's scent and body, not knowing it was dead.

When Rex finally makes it to the camp, he is tackled by Kid and Killer who start viciously cursing at him.

"How could you leave for the whole night!? We were scared you died!" Killer chastised angrily.

"How could you steal all that meat!?" Kid says with an outraged expression, noticing that half the bear had been eaten and there was a bunch of meat in Rex's teeth and clothes.

Killer looks at Kid menacingly and Kid lowers his head in shame, but still drools as he looks at the massive bear.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Rex said, sitting himself up.

Now that he had returned to camp, a sparkling gleam filled his eyes as he was ready to use the Jiki Jiki no mi for the first time. Rex regretted the fact that he wolfed it down so fast in a haze, as he wanted to know what Kid's elusive devil fruit looked like. Still, his excitement superseded his curiosity.

"Oh yeah, we found a weird fruit Rex!" Kid says, remembering the strange fruit he had found while scavenging last night. He had felt compelled to eat it, but held off, remembering Rex's words about poisons that could melt your face off.

"Sure, that's great, Kid." Rex said, dismissively, wanting to try his powers out.

However, a moment later, his eyes widen.

"What did you say!?"

"I found a fruit scavenging with Killer! Well, Killer found it, but I was the one who said it looked weird!" Kid says, pulling out a strange, U-shaped, half-red, half-blue banana.

Rex's eyebrow twitched viciously. There was no doubt about it, that was the Jiki Jiki no mi. While he had never seen it in the manga, it perfectly fit Oda's quirky design.

Then, what devil fruit had he eaten.

Rex begins sweating as he imagines having eaten a useless fruit like a 'fish-fish fruit' that was completely unusable. What would he do if that was the case? Swimming was an incredibly useful ability in a world that was mostly water, if he had to trade it for a useless superpower…

'No, you're being too negative.' Rex told himself. Maybe it was a really good fruit.

Rex runs through all the South Blue characters he could remember with devil fruits. There was Bonney, her fruit was good, Mr. 3 and Foxy's fruits were also ok. It could even be that Usopp-nose lady from the Blackbeard Pirates, her fruit was a mythic Zoan.

Forcing himself to remain positive, Rex took a deep breath. Then, he activated his powers.