Chapter 9

• As Time Passes

[Ninth Year of the Great Age of the Pirates]

There is a bright moon covered by many clouds, yet it shines brightly throughout the island, prompting many denizens to be wide awake, appreciating the view.

There is a cabin with a wide area located in the northern section, surrounded by small hills and a beautiful lake reflecting the moon.

In the garden, three individuals can be seen: Cain, Enzo, and the person called Silver.

At the moment, Cain and Silver are facing each other while Enzo is on the sidelines, devouring his prey's meat.

Silver has shaggy black hair that constantly hangs in his face. He also has very pale skin that looks almost the colour of silver. He currently wears a black blindfold over his eyes and an open black vest with a large collar, paired with long black pants with a large belt around them.

Cain, on the other hand, is wearing black shorts and no t-shirt, exposing his defined abs and muscular arms. He has long dark black hair styled in a short topknot. He has tanned skin and light blue eyes that flicker ominously, with white fur covering his elbows, neck, and knees.

Enzo hasn't changed much for six years. His hair, however, has grown massively, with a few braids.

Suddenly, Cain charges toward Silver, running around him a couple of times and punching his head, only to hit air.

Silver instantly counters with an uppercut that connects with Cain's jaw, causing him to move back but abruptly sobers as he dodges another punch by crouching down.

Cain swiftly swipes his legs, making Silver fall to the ground and attempts a devastating punch toward his face. Luckily, the shaggy-haired fellow dodges his head and is blown away from the impact, causing rocks to fly into the air.

Once again, they are separated, facing each other intensely. Surprisingly, Silver makes the first move, rushing toward Cain and feinting a punch before attempting to kick his side.

Unfortunately, Cain doesn't fall for the bait and catches Silver's leg instead. Rotating, he throws Silver over his shoulder and to the ground, making him spit out.

Jumping onto his chest, Cain tightly grabs Silver's hair with his left hand while threatening to slit his throat with his long, sharp, pointed nails. Silver's neck starts to bleed, causing him to wince heavily and raise his hands in surrender.

"Damn it! I admit defeat. Now, let go of me," says Silver with an annoyed expression, tapping his hand multiple times on Cain's claws near his neck.

Cain smirks and retracts his claws, transforming into human form quite easily. He looks toward his father and points at Silver, clearly not satisfied with the fight.

"He's not getting any stronger. I'm getting bored, father," says Cain as he crosses his arms, looking at Enzo for a solution.

The middle-aged man returns the look and understands why his son said this, as Silver hasn't improved his strength in months. He wasn't even trying to plan or strategise to defeat Cain. It seemed he had grown complacent and satisfied with the way he was.

"Let me talk to him. I'll fix this," claims Enzo, cleaning his mouth with a handkerchief and standing up while dusting off his pants.

Silver is confused by this development and has a bad feeling when Enzo stands up. The fact that Cain chuckles amusedly and leaps over confirms his instincts warning him of danger.

"Silver, do you remember our first meeting? Do you remember our promise? If you do, then why have you suddenly become satisfied with the way you are? You didn't come close to defeating my blood son. For that sin, you'll pay now," Enzo says.

Enzo walks step by step, causing Silver to become more frightened with each second. Desperate, he tries to escape, but the middle-aged man quickly blocks his path and approaches him again.

'I guess this is goodbye, world. I'm screwed,' Silver laughs nervously with an aghast expression on his face.

Flashback

Silver was born with terrible eyesight, though it gifted him amazing hearing, and he felt grateful for it as he could hear many miles away easily. He could also manage to control his hearing volume, and whenever he slept, he always put the volume to the lowest as he enjoyed sleeping.

However, his parents didn't like that he was still disabled and couldn't bear to look after him, so they sold him to an orphanage rumoured to be a safe haven for children. Unfortunately, it wasn't a safe haven, as the manager died after he arrived, and the new manager was very sinister, planning to sell the gifted children to slave traders.

Luckily, the manager passed him off as useless because he was disabled. He had starved many times due to poor management and neglect at the orphanage. He was going to try to find his birth parents and chanced upon an alleyway, where he kicked a soft object, pausing as he felt it was a fruit.

So hungry that he couldn't think straight, he quickly picked it up and devoured it in a few bites, despite it being dirty.

Enzo chanced upon him in the narrow alleyway and saw him biting the fruit, which made him stop in his tracks. He knew for sure it was a Devil Fruit and quickly walked over to the child, notifying him but then chopping his neck, making him unconscious.

Enzo grabbed the child and took him outside the city to the forest, where he dropped him on the ground and looked deeply at his face, even opening his eyelids. He became disappointed once he realised the kid was blind. Nevertheless, he still planned to test his potential and power.

Feeling the chill breeze against his exposed skin, the kid opened his eyes and stood up. He couldn't hear anyone except the loud windy breeze and rustling leaves. Trembling, he nervously questioned if there was anyone with him. No one answered; he was met with pure silence.

Suddenly, he moved his head unconsciously as a small pebble flew past him, hitting a thick tree.

"Who did that? Why are you doing this to me?" asked Silver, anxiety thick in his voice.

Enzo became speechless and immediately assumed it was a fluke. Wanting to check if it was truly a fluke, he gathered a couple of pebbles. This time, he flicked them toward Silver's head, torso, and legs. Shockingly, the kid managed to dodge all the pebbles thrown at him unnaturally.

Silver dropped to the ground, breathing heavily as if he had just done the most intense workout of his life.

'Interesting, this kid's reaction time is extraordinary. But I can tell his body isn't built for this. So, did he eat the Sense Sense Fruit or Reflex Reflex Fruit? No matter, I'll figure it out soon enough,' mused Enzo as he tapped his chin.

"Hey kid, would you like to be my son?" offered Enzo, hoping he would accept.

Silver instantly became cautious and suspicious. He had never had an easy time ever since he was born, but he was still a child, both mentally and physically. He hoped the offer wasn't a joke and didn't have a bad ulterior motive behind it.

"What are you going to do if I say yes?" questioned Silver, growing an expectation for the newcomers in his heart.

"Well, I intend to make you train hard and ensure you become a fine warrior capable of handling everything by yourself. Food, women, and many more are yours to take if you're powerful. How about it?"

Silver beamed with excitement, grinning as he stood up despite struggling to stand properly.

"I accept the offer, mister!"

"Good. Call me Father or Enzo instead. Do not call me that ever again. Before I take you with me, you should know that I have a real son, and he's very strong. I want you to promise that once you are able to fight, you will never slack behind him. Understood?"

"Yes, f-father!" shouted Silver, greatly joyful that he finally had a family that would probably never abandon him if he became strong.

Enzo, on the other hand, was satisfied with himself. He didn't expect to find a goldmine in this weak village. His son was still reading books at the moment, but even though he never trained, he had amazing strength hidden in his body.

He couldn't wait to see how this blind kid with the Devil Fruit would fight his son, who was inherently powerful without any training. He would bet on his son, but who knows if there will be any surprises.

After all, fate is unpredictable and uncontrollable. He would just have to wait and see the result.