Chapter 1 - A Cliche Ending...and Beginning

*Crash!*

*Sirens blaring!*

"Ah shit..."

There I was, lying down almost motionless, my body broken yet somehow still conscious.

They say your life flashes before your eyes right before you die. I remember reading theories suggesting that your brain frantically searches for similar experiences, replaying everything you've ever been through in a desperate bid to find a way out. But really, what's the point? You only experience death once.

*Sigh*

In those moments, I realized just how mediocre my life had been. Average looks, average height, average academically, and even an average 9-to-5 job that paid decently—contrary to what social media would have you believe. But in the end, it was just that...average.

*Screech*

I looked to my left and saw two men running towards me with a stretcher. Honestly, I just wanted to sleep. I was so tired.

Nearby, a group of cops was handcuffing and pinning down a guy on the ground. Yeah, that's the man who ran me over. The drunk fucker skipped the red light. Strangely, I felt no resentment towards him.

I didn't have much to look forward to back at home. No girlfriend, and not many friends left after college. Life happened—some moved away, some stayed in touch, but only as much as you can when you've got a family to look after.

At some point, my life became monotonous: wake up, work out, eat, go to work, come back home, eat, read manga, and sleep.

Without realizing it, manga had become my escape from a boring life.

I turned my head to the right and saw my bag lying in a pool of blood. My laptop was utterly wrecked—something I was oddly thankful for *wink*.

*Huff*

Breathing was becoming harder.

Then something caught my eye: a book with bright colors. Just looking at it brought a smile to my face.

*One Piece, Volume 104.*

My favorite story. The one that brought joy to my otherwise monotonous life.

'What a shame, I'll never get to see what exactly the One Piece is,' I thought with a sigh.

'Things are becoming blurry now.'

It didn't hurt much anymore.

'I wish I could get another chance at life.'

'Dying without really achieving anything is rather disappointing.'

_____

It was a sunny day, perfect weather for a fisherman like Old Rock. This wasn't his real name, but something the villagers called him due to his bald head and rough facial features. He was a tough man, standing at 7 feet tall with massive, bulging muscles.

At 60 years of age, he had been sailing the seas for decades. For him, this was just another Tuesday.

Or, well, it was supposed to be. He was returning to his village from a successful trip when he spotted a small figure floating towards him, barely holding onto a piece of wood that kept him from drowning in the ruthless sea.

He squinted his eyes to look at the figure, and when he realized what it was, his eyes widened.

"What the...?" He exclaimed in bewilderment.

Without wasting any more time, he started rowing his fishing boat towards the figure. Rock reached it within minutes, and what he saw shocked him.

There, lying on the small plank, was a little boy, no older than ten. His body marred with a plethora of wounds.

Horrified, he quickly pulled the boy into his boat and started examining the extent of his injuries.

Most of the wounds seemed superficial except a particularly nasty one on his forehead, "Damn, he busted his head open. He's definitely dehydrated and sunburned as well. Geez, what in the world happened." He thought with a troubled expression.

He pulled out the first aid kit he had and patched the boy up, trying to stop the bleeding. He quickly mixed a bit of sugar in some water and fed it to the boy. He didn't know how long the boy was on the sea, but he knew the boy was in a bad shape.

"I have to take him to see Mary, fast." Rock thought, deciding not to waste anymore time here and quickly rowed his boat towards the village.

(35 minutes later)

It didn't take long for him to reach the island port. It was a relatively less busy day today, so he didn't have to wait at all that much to land. He quickly picked up the little kid he had wrapped in a bundle and yelled and one of his workers to come over.

"Oi, brat! Come here and take these fishes to the market," Rock said in his gruff voice.

A lanky figure came rushing towards Rock and saluted him. "Sure, boss." He said with a high pitched tone. He too, was a tall guy standing at 6 feet and walked with a bit of a slouch.

The boy halted as his saw a small child in Rock's arms and was immediately worried about his condition. "Boss, who's that!? Did you kidnap him!?"

A vein popped on Rock's head. "You stupid brat!"

*Bonk*

He slapped the lanky guy on the back of his head, making sure not to hit too hard. He didn't want to kill the guy after all.

"Go back and do your damn job. Accusing your grandpa like that...stupid brat." Rock murmured with a tinge of annoyance.

"Oh, and Bob. Once you're done with the sale, go back and make a bed for this little boy as well. I'll bring him home once Mary treats him." He said in a serious tone. He couldn't just leave the kid like that to fend for himself.

The lanky guy, now named Bob, nodded in understanding. He cast a final glance at the boy in Rock's arms before picking up the fish and running towards the market.

Old Rock looked at the small boy in his and rushed towards a particular house in the distance.

.

.

.

The Blackrock village was a small fishing community. Most of their products were used locally, while the ones they exported, generally went to the marines.

The village itself was pretty small. It got its name from the black rocks it was made up of. These rocks supposedly came from an extinct volcano that existed here.

Old Rock ran through the streets as he subconsciously gazed at the lively village. Seeing all the happy faces around him brought a smile to his face, momentarily distracting him from the task in hand.

*Ugh*

He heard the bundle in his arms groan, something that brought him out of his stupor, "What am I doing, I need to hurry." He mentally reprimanded himself and began running.

It didn't take long for him to reach Mary's house. It was a simple two-storied wooden home, located a bit away from other houses.

Rock rushed to the door and hurriedly knocked on it.

*Knock*

*Knock*

He only had to wait for a moment before he heard a reply, "Who the fuck is it!?" a rather unfriendly voice called from inside that sounded like it belonged to a lady.

*Creak*

A woman opened the door and greeted Old Rock with a disgruntled look as if his presence alone had even ruined her day. She was a relatively tall, curvy woman, standing at 5'9. She looked nearly a decade younger than Old Rock, with flowing black hair with a tinge of gray locks scattered here and there. Her brown eyes stared at the man in front of her with disdain, before focusing on the bundle in his arms.

Before Rock could even speak a word, she quickly ushered him inside, seeing the condition of the little boy.

The woman guided Rock to a room that was full of medical supplies. Wasting no time, Rock gently laid the boy on the bed before being pushed aside by a grumpy Mary.

Mary examined the boy for a moment, before commenting, "Hmm...what kind of idiot gave him first aid?" She said with a voice full of disdain and glared at Rock.

"Hmph, guess it was you huh? What else can I expect from a brute like you?" She said, still glaring at the man, who had a sheepish expression on his face.

Mary ignored Rock and went back to examining the boy. She carefully removed the amateur dressing Rock had tied around and the boy's head to take a clear look at the wound, "At least it's not infected." She muttered quietly.

Rock was standing at a distance, anxiously eating to Mary to finish up the examination, when he heard her speak, "He isn't in a life-threatening condition. I'll wrap up all the injuries and give him a few IVs. He's dehydrated and looks like he's been stranded at sea for quite some time," Mary remarked.

"That's good." Rock sighed in relief. He didn't even want to think about the alternate scenario.

"You should check if there is a wreckage. Maybe there are other survivors out there too." Mary said, still wrapping the boy up.

"Yeah. I will." Rock nodded seriously.

She finished patching up the kid and snitched the wound on his forehead. Staring at the little kid, her grandmotherly instincts kicked in. "Come back tomorrow. Looking at his condition, he'll wake up by tomorrow morning. Let him rest for now. And you, get out now. Shoo." She shooed the old man away.

Rock looked at the old woman with a deadpan face but then sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll be back tomorrow."

Rock gave the boy one last glance and left Mary's house.

Once Rock left, Mary quickly cleaned all her equipments and sat down next to the boy. She was just staring at him absent mindedly, when she noticed the boy clutching something in his hands. Gently, she pulled it out and examined it.

"A locket?" Mary glanced at the thing curiously. While she was admiring the craftsmanship of the locket, she turned it over and found a name written on the back.

SILVERS D. RAIDEN

Her eyes widened in shock when she read it. "You're one of them...?" She whispered.

*Sigh*

"It had to be a D. This little one is going to bring so much trouble to this island. The ones with D in their name always do." She mumbled in exasperation.

She looked down at the boy who was sleeping peacefully and smiled gently. "Rest for now, Raiden."

She quietly got up and left the room, closing the door behind her, but not before casting one last glance at the sleeping boy.

The said boy slept peacefully, not knowing how big of an impact his presence would make in the world.

____