Kapitel 86: The painful past
In Ian's home island.
At the house.
Ian was talking with his crew. They had finished mastering all the six marine skills and were going to start to learn Haki next.
Ian turned to look at them one by one before he started speaking.
"I recently discovered something. Something that I can do that would make you all extremely stronger. And it is up to you to decide whether to do it or not." He said and had a small smile on his face at the excitement they showed soon after.
Stella was apparently the most eager as she jumped to her feet from her sitting position and grabbed his hands.
"Please-please tell me what to do," She said. The desperation hidden behind the joy in her eyes was not something he failed to notice, however. He frowned for a second before he smiled and nodded his head indicating he will.
The rest all nodded their heads. This time even Elene joined them at being perplexed as to the method. She was usually the most informed. She curiously stared at Ian.
"Well, all you have to know is that now I have reached a point where I can make you stronger with my abilities. It would be a bit painful, but in exchange, it would give you the strength you would need years and years to reach in a mere few hours." Ian hurriedly told them before they started getting violent… He recently had found out he could help any person and make them stronger to a certain point or limit. He also chose to do this, tonight before their training with Haki starts.
They all trusted him so they gave him a nod. Plus their excitement was visible to Ian.
"However" He added. Which made them stop and stare at him. They knew he might need something from them.
"However?" Stella said.
"However I want to know your real reasons for why you want to become stronger. Not to say that I didn't believe you about wanting to protect the crew, but I just feel like there is something more. I also want to know more about you." Ian said as he looked at Bert and Stella especially. He knew that these two had some problems in their past and he felt that for them to get closer he had to know more about them.
Previously due to the war, he didn't have the time to do this, but he was determined to do it now.
He didn't look at Elene and Robin as he already knew them well enough. As for their reasons to want to get stronger, he also knew that.
Stella looked reluctant, before finally shaking her head.
"Believe me Ian my reason is to protect you all." She said. Her excitement all vanishing in a second. She did not want to talk about this.
"But why?" Ian said. He didn't like the emotions swirling through Stella's eyes, as she was usually a very lively person.
However, Stella just stayed silent. With her face down and her eyes closed.
Elene from the side signaled Robin and Bert to stand up and follow her. She knew Stella needed her space to be able to tell Ian.
And they already knew. Bert because they had been journeying for a time now. While robin because the girls generally feel closer to each other. It was only Ian that didn't know because he was busy most of the time.
"I'll pass by your rooms later and help you. By morning you should all be quite stronger already." Ian told them as he watched them leave. They nodded.
When they all left, Ian turned back to watch Stella.
"Just so you know, I'll help you too. Whether you tell me or not. I just want to know you better that's all." Ian softly said. He didn't want her to think that he'll leave her because she didn't speak the truth.
Stella raised her eyes and finally gave a small smile. She wanted to trust him. So she spoke.
"Well, I did not lie that I want to be strongest to protect you all." She said. "You know about my devil fruit right?" when she saw him nod she continued on.
"Well in the past, I lived in a small village on an island in the new world. I used to play by the forests nearby when I was young, until one day I found the devil fruit." She said her eyes nostalgic.
Ian sat by listening.
"Bandits got wind about it and attacked the village. At the time I didn't even know about the effects of the fruit, but I had hidden it in my house. When I got back from playing, I found my house destroyed. My…my p-parents were d-dead… they k-killed them for the fruit." Tears started leaking from her eyes. She choked as she spoke of her parents' death.
She could remember that day as if it had just happened.
When she had searched her house at her young age, scared and crying. When she found her parents' bodies lying cold in their room… And then as she held them and cried even harder… the sound of someone coming towards her alerting her and she became even more scared. It turned out at the time to be an ugly man holding a crude rusty sword, with his teeth all messed up. His eyes had lit up at her sight and he threatened to kill her if she didn't give them the fruit… so as scared as she was, she tried to comply and brought the fruit from where she had hidden it.
But then the sight of her dead parents as she was coming back to the room had her stop in place. She looked at the fruit in her hand that the man was spouting bullshit about, what with it being able to give amazing powers. She thought that maybe she could take care of the bad guy with it so she ate it. And almost vomited at the taste.
The man saw her take a bite off the fruit and came running at her enraged and slapped her face and threw her, but this had triggered her abilities… a lone chain sprung from her right hand and went straight through the man's chest.
And if the fruit's terrible taste didn't make her vomit, the sight of the dead man finally did the trick.
She just sat there crying her eyes out for a while.
But then as she saw her dead loving parents, she became filled with anger and rage. She steeled herself and started to hunt every bandit in her village.
She was 13 years old at the time.
"But as I took care of the last bandit, which happened to be the bandit���s boss, I got information that it was a marine officer who bribed him to get him the fruit." Stella then said.
Ian nodded sadly. He knew that there were as many corrupt marines as there were corrupt pirates.
He moved closer to her and held her gently.
She didn't mind. She knew that Ian was just being nice to her nothing else.
"I tried hunting for that bastard but he was strong for me at that time. This is where Elene comes in. She had saved me at that time when I attacked out of desperation all of the marines surrounding that bastard… in the hopes to kill them and die in the process. But Elene saved me and even incapacitated that asshole for me, so I took care of him, and from then on I laid everything behind me." Stella said. Her eyes reflecting the pain she suffered as well as the happiness of getting to know Elene.
"From then on I joined Elene and Bert. We became closer, but I still knew my strength was weak in comparison to this cruel world. But as we met you, I knew I had found my chance. My chance to become stronger and protect my new family. To never let the past repeat." She said with conviction at the end.
Ian was shocked, to say the least. This was after all quite similar to him. Both of them shared the blame for getting their loved ones in danger… he made a vow to himself that he would never let anyone hurt Stella or anyone of his family from this day on.
He squeezed a bit tighter as he said.
"I would never let anyone hurt you guys. You are my family in this life. I would protect you with my life. This I promise you" Ian promised.
She leaned onto him with a small smile. All the events that happened in her past were already past her. It was just quite hard to remember it each time. But now her captain knew, and she was finally relieved.
Ian released her and stood up offering her a hand.
"Well let's go to your room. I think you should be the first to receive the power-up" Ian said with a grin trying to brighten her mood.
She smiled and nodded as she took his hands and stood up heading to her room.
{A/N: Sorry for bothering you with this but I have to write this. A lot of people have been saying cultivation this, cultivation that… my question is, when have I ever said this is a cultivation novel? When have you ever seen the MC meditating and gathering the natural energy to break through the realms? No this is not a cultivation shit novel. The MC's power is about evolution by fusing bloodlines to his own. Sort of like Madara did with Hashirama's cells. As for the names like earth realm and emperor realm, as I stated before they are names Ian (the mc) chose for the universal four stages of evolution. He likes Chinese names, meaning I like that naming sense.
The universal four stages are sort of levels that were established along the years of the universes. When one reaches stage four they would be able to leave their planets. They have no names other than stages. Example: Stage three human. Stage four alien. Ian found the names bland. This author note would not be included in the count of the chapter. Rest easy. Also sorry for the rant}
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