[1] The Banality of Life
[2750 words]
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"A stranger."
These are the words that echoed in the mind of a young boy as he glanced into a pond of tranquil water.
The bright blue sky reflected off as the young visage of a 7-year-old child could be seen.
A few ripples echoed through the water as some fish swam through, breaking the boy's concentration.
A heavy sigh escaped his mouth, unbefitting of his age.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's all so different," the childish voice broke out. "But this is reality."
It was quite odd to see such a focused gaze coming from a child, but it wasn't odd considering the mind of said child.
His name was Damien.
He had distinct hair: messy, raven-black hair with red streaks decorating the left side of his head. His red pupils, though seemingly unnatural from his previous life, were not overly uncommon where he currently was.
He wore a simple black tunic that seemed rather dirty, spots of mud and dried ounces of blood were apparent.
[Image (in Discord)]
.
"The One Piece world," he sighed. "Should I be thankful that I get another shot at life, but this world is so messed up!"
It wasn't hard for Damien to recognize the world, the villagers nearby gave enough information to connect the dots.
The One Piece World was exceedingly vibrant, just about anything could be found there. From superpowers such as turning into animals, elements and just about anything that could be imagined. Exotic plants and animals roamed the lands; a truly beautiful world.
But behind the beautiful curtain was a world filled with corruption, death, maladies, and disasters.
The ones who preached justice could be seen through many lights. Though they maintained the balance of the world, the dark hands hidden behind the curtains were soaked with innocent blood.
Nations coming together under the banner of the World Government. Mortals were idolized as Gods ruled from above. All the while the indomitable Marines of the Navy Headquarters acted as their face and greatest sword and shield.
The pirates that roamed the seas committed great tragedies whilst the innocent were the true victims.
Forgotten truths, a vast web of conspiracies and tumultuous seas filled the world.
.
Never did Damien think that one day he would be thrown into this messy world.
"Kids who have never seen peace and kids who have never seen war have different values! Those who stand at the top determine what's wrong and what's right!"
These words echoed in the boy's mind as he recalled the blond-haired psycho who preached them in his previous life.
It was considered quite an incredible moment in the anime, but having reached such a world, it was a whole new reality.
*Thump*
A blue-feathered bird suddenly landed on a tree nearby as many leaves rained down.
Damien shook his head, his mind was filled with too many thoughts.
.
He didn't have a "good" experience in his previous life.
All was well, he was an average child in a family of four, parents, himself and a younger sister.
If there was one word Damien could describe himself with, it would either be "resilient" or "unlucky".
Early passing of his parents to surviving a tough childhood and the eventual loss of his sister by illness.
Being born with an exceptionally strong memory went from being a gift to a curse.
Yet finding strength in his profound grief, drawing strength through the enduring memories of his family.
Powering through school and university, running off the renewed determination to honour his dead parents and sister.
Yet it was all for naught as Damien's story came to a close at the age of 18 at the hands of a drunk driver.
.
An odd occurrence persisted as the boy was lost in thought.
*Flutter*
The grass around his feet seemed to shiver and dance around where he stood, the flowers by the tree looked as if they were singing.
Damien was used to it, he attributed it to another phenomenon of this fantasy world. It wouldn't be the first thing that surprised him here.
The child then walked down the grassy fields and entered a large cabin that sat at the edge of the cliff in the small village he resided in.
*Creak*
The oldened door gave out a sorrowful groan as the hinges cried out from the abuse of being used for decades.
"Mom," he sighed. "You shouldn't move around in your condition."
The boy looked at the woman who was rummaging through the aged kitchenware, seemingly unaware of her sickness.
She seemed to be in her early twenties with long white hair and a slender body. Equipped with a rather radiant smile.
[Her Image (In Discord)]
"Don't worry about me, Damien-chan, go wash your hands, breakfast is almost ready."
The young mother gave a sweet smile, though, in the eyes of the boy, he only saw her hidden pain.
'She's gotten worse,' he thought.
His mother, Nadia, was the one who had taken care of him for the past seven years.
Most children wouldn't recall their early years, and yet Damien was fully conscious of everything since birth; his impressive memory carried over.
.
The one thing he's noticed over the past seven years: his mother was a devil fruit ability user.
She never talked about it much but it's not hard to notice. Weakness to the sea and still water, in general, was quite loud.
She also had some sort of illness that dragged her down quite a bit but her heart somehow always found the will to keep going.
Nadia gave her usual optimistic smile and dragged Damien to the table, clapping her hands and announcing: "Let's eat."
…
It wasn't an overly filling meal, mostly plants and vegetables with little meat, but it was enough.
The conundrum Damien faced was that of reality itself.
What to do?
There are schools and learning institutions in this world but it wasn't the recipe everyone here went by. You didn't need a college diploma to succeed amongst your peers, nor did you need to attend school itself. Most kids were taught at home by their parents, getting small jobs in the village.
Though it was One Piece, not every casual soul who had transmigrated over wanted to become an Admiral, or a Great Pirate of the Seas or dream of having a harem!
Reality and fantasy were two different things until one got plunged into a place where the fantasy was the reality.
Damien just wanted to live in a relatively comfortable home with his caring parent, a feeling that was robbed of him in his previous life.
The unfortunate reality was that the world was teeming with horrors, from giant sea monsters to crazy pirates, to disastrous weathers and corrupt governments.
…
A few hours passed as Damien went outside, to fetch some water from the well.
Though he was only seven, his body was unnaturally tough and resilient, Nadia said that he got it from his father.
"Good morning, Damien!"
"Diligent as always."
"I wish my son would be as hardworking as you."
The friendly villagers waved toward the boy as he carried four buckets down the road.
Small wooden houses decorated the side of the road, small shops around every corner.
*Chirp*
Birds flew on above as the sun's warm rays bathed the village in its warmth.
It was a rather poor village, but not poor in its vibrance.
A warmth that was robbed from Damien in his previous life.
The village was not large and had around 1600 inhabitants. It was built on a small island in the West Blue by the name of Renaissance Island. A forested land mass with lakes circling the main residence area.
A nearby island of Greta housed a Marine Base, the 111th branch of the West Blue; their existence warded off anyone with malice.
Renaissance was a poor island, but it had happy and genuine people, something worth more than what money could buy.
[Renaissance Island Image (in Discord)]
…
*Thunk*
The four empty buckets slammed onto the ground next to the well at the core of the village. The stone slabs that lined its walls were cracked and overgrown with moss.
"Damn," He murmured. "Almost empty."
It was a hot summertime, the well had begun to dry up, and the reservoir beneath was almost gone.
The young boy attached the bucket to the rope as it was lowered in, within moments, the water filled it to the brim.
Damien did the same with the second bucket, third and fourth as it took a decent while.
"Tch!"
A bright ray of sunlight reflected off the clear water and into Damien's eyes, causing an annoyed groan.
His eyes darted to the side, glancing at a tree that blocked the sunlight.
A sigh escaped Damien's lips as he picked up the buckets with ease.
"That fruit."
It was quite interesting.
The tree he was looking at was a rather giant apple tree, though it had quite the imposter amongst the fruits.
The fruit had the body of an apple, though with a vibrant look: instead of a uniform red, the fruit sported black lines running down the stem to the bottom and swirls throughout.
Without a doubt, a Devil Fruit.
[Fruit Image (in Discord)]
…
Though Damien had seen it there for seven years now, he didn't eat it, nor did he have the desire to.
A devil fruit was a lottery, a gamble.
Zoan, Paramecia or Logia.
Though he could be lucky and get some incredible fruit, he could also be equally as unlucky and get something trashy.
And there are MANY trash fruits…
Such as the Jacket-Jacket fruit: turning into a jacket to be worn by others, just the thought sent shivers down Damien's back.
"Considering my luck, my curiosity really isn't worth it," Damien resolutely told himself. "It's probably something like the Turd-Turd Fruit."
*Cough*
"It is our saving grace, young Damien," An aged voice called out from behind, making his existence known.
He turned around to see the 82-year-old village chief, Naruhe. Long white hair, sucking on a pipe.
"It has been here for decades, protecting us with its divine grace," Naruhe voiced out as he gestured to the fruit with a nod.
Damien rolled his eyes.
Devil fruits, though rather common in the Grand Line, were seen as myths and legends in many of the Four Outer Seas; Renaissance Island included.
"The fruit never rots over so many years, through the coldest of winters and the hottest of summers, truly a miracle!" the old man cried out.
Naruhe looked at Damien with an elderly smile.
"You too are a miracle, your mother was practically drained of life when she had you, we even invited a doctor from Greta Island who said the baby would be born dead, a stillbirth, what a tragic announcement…"
He placed his hand on the boy's head.
"It's a miracle that you were born so strong, weighing nearly 6 kilograms, my-my!"
.
Damien squinted his eyes while the old geezer continued his senile comments.
'A healthy woman is said to give birth to a dead baby. The baby is born exceedingly healthy, but the mother is left ill. Why?'
Damien never asked this question out loud as he knew his mother would chide him to death.
He bid farewell to the old man, walking back home.
Not paying attention to the nearby trees as they swayed joyfully, and the grass that surrounded them danced about.
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Night crept in from the windows left ajar. The dishes had been cleaned from a usual dinner. A soft wind blew through the home occasionally.
Nadia and Damien sat on a swinging bench outside, each swing sending out loud creaks from the old contraption. It was a miracle it hadn't fallen apart yet.
The boy leaned his head on his mother's shoulder as they watched the sunset.
Though the height difference was almost void.
At the age of seven, Damien stood at exactly five feet tall (1.52 m).
In contrast to his mother at 5' 3" (1.6 m).
[A/N: I use Imperial for heights and Metric for the rest, adding their corresponding counterparts in brackets.]
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"You seem very quiet nowadays, Damien-chan," Nadia said as she admired the glorious night sky.
"I can tell you're dying to ask me something."
The boy looked up at his mother, a little surprised, "How can you tell?"
Nadia giggled, "Hmm, I could always see the grace in someone's heart, it was a little odd growing up but now I'm glad to have it."
She cupped Damien's nose, "So, go ahead and ask."
A quick silence followed until Damien finally brought up his thoughts.
"Can you tell me more about my birth, mom?"
Nadia saw the solemn gaze of her son as she uttered a soft sigh.
"You are special, Damien-chan. A few months after my pregnancy, the doctor told me about your eventual death and it ate away at me," Nadia said as she stroked Damien's unique hair.
Her eyes then drifted into an old memory…
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[Seven Years Ago]
[Village Hospital]
Naruhemi, Naruhe's sister, glanced at the pregnant woman who lay on the aged bed at the center of the room.
It was nighttime and the chirps of crickets could be heard. And yet they were drawn out by the tense atmosphere present in the room.
"Is the medicine ready!?" Naruhemi yelled at the women gathered around the table by the side of the room.
At the center of the table was a small bowl with green syrupy liquid inside of it.
A nurse threw in a handful of ingredients and another nurse crushed them into a paste as they mixed.
"We need more magicae berries!"
"Ugh!" Nadia groaned as her eyes failed to open, her hands felt heavy and her heart slowed down.
"Madam! She's not going to make it, and the baby will be out any second!"
*Thwank*
The door bashed as another nurse ran in, a basket of small, green-coloured strawberries in her hands.
"I have them!"
She quickly threw in a handful of the green fruits as they were crushed into the medicine pellet, overlooking one berry that was greatly different from the rest, equipped with black swirls.
The nurse worked incredibly fast and a few moments later, the medicine was ready.
…
"Drink it, Nadia!" Naruhemi's voice rang out as she placed the bowl by the dying woman's face.
Nadia, with every bit of her strength, got up and began to drink.
"That's it!"
Nadia's face visibility scowled, the medicine was unusually bitter, disgusting even.
*Clatter*
Naruhemi collected the bowl as she saw Nadia's pale face slowly brighten.
"The baby is coming! Find your strength and push, Nadia!"
…
Time passed and the tense room turned bright as a joyful atmosphere pervaded the walls.
Nadia sat up, her tired eyes gazing at the wrapped-up baby in her hands.
Naruhemi smiled as she wiped the now-mother's sweaty forehead.
"What will you name him?" She asked.
Nadia peered at the child's crimson eyes as another face came into her memory.
"Damien," She answered. "Einar D. Damien!"
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[Present Time]
"Such a magical medicine…" Damien muttered as he heard the entirety of the story.
Nadia continued to stroke Damien's hair as she replied, "Mhm, though I've never tasted something so distasteful, it did lead to my beautiful boy's healthy birth!"
"You are so much like your father, both in appearance and maturity. You were born so strong, much like him, ah, you grow up too fast!"
She then grabbed Damien into a strong hug as she hummed a happy tune.
Damien sighed in her surprisingly strong grip as he thought about her words.
'My father left to get the milk years ago. Leaving mom so weak and sick, not exactly a strong figure to emulate…,' He thought.
The name of his father was Einar D. Ares, a name Nadia chose for Damien to carry on.
…
Time passed on as the village was enclosed in silent tranquillity.
A little too quiet.
*Creak*
The docks at the very edge of the islands bellowed in disrepair as numerous boots slammed onto the wooden boards.
A man with an eyepatch stood at the front, a wild grin attached to his face.
"What a nice little place, let's go see what treasure it hides!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
A slow opening chapter but there are just so many little things to incorporate that it's easy to break the balance with foreshadowings, character motivations and world-building.
See that "..." used to separate paragraphs is to showcase any short timeskip, a few minutes or hours.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q