Bab 27: Chapter 27: Thorne's Obsession
The wooden door creaked as Vulcan stepped inside the shabby house. His senses immediately picked up on the faint smell of smoke, the dim glow of a dying fire in the corner casting flickering shadows across the room. A small pot hung over the fire, the scent of stewed meat lingering in the air. It looked like Thorne had been cooking just before their fight.
The house was a wreck, barely holding together with warped planks and hastily patched-up walls. A crude bed of leaves was piled in one corner, a thin blanket thrown over it. Nearby, a rough desk and stool stood, cluttered with scraps of paper and old quills. On the desk sat an open book. Its worn, dog-eared pages seemed out of place in this ramshackle space.
Vulcan's eyes narrowed as he moved closer. The book wasn't just some random notes. Judging by its battered cover and the sloppy handwriting sprawled across the pages, it looked like Thorne's diary. A pirate's thoughts, locked away in this lonely corner of the world.
Curiosity sparked, Vulcan sat down on the stool, flipping the book to the first page.
**"I wasn't always a pirate. Born in some worthless hole of a village. Poor. Weak. Not a future in sight. I left as soon as I could. Pirating... now that was life. Didn't take me long to figure it out. Power? Freedom? Only way to get that was to take it. And I did. Oh, I did.
Joined up with a crew—bunch of weaklings, but they got me started. I was smarter, faster, stronger than the lot of 'em. Soon enough, I was running the show. Those idiots never saw it coming.
Then came the fruit. The Mushi Mushi no Mi, Model: Giant Bee. I still remember the taste... disgusting, like rotten sludge. But damn, the power it gave me. Wings, venom, speed. I was unstoppable. I could crush anyone who stood in my way.**"
Vulcan smirked as he read. It sounded like typical pirate bravado, the kind of arrogance that leads most of them to an early grave. But something about Thorne's words hinted at something more—a darker obsession lurking beneath the surface.
He flipped to the next page, the writing becoming messier, more frantic.
**"They turned on me. My own damn crew. Jealous bastards couldn't handle what I'd become. Cowards. I took care of them, though. Left them floating in the sea, food for the fish. After that, I sailed alone. Didn't need anyone. Didn't want anyone.
That was years ago. Things were good, but then came the storm. Damn storm wrecked my ship, left me stranded here. I thought I'd lose my mind, stuck on this cursed island with no way out. But then... I saw it. The beast. The thing guarding the center of this hellhole.**"
Vulcan's interest piqued. The writing had shifted from cocky to desperate. He could almost feel Thorne's growing obsession leaping off the page.
**"It's massive. I've never seen anything like it—like something out of a nightmare. Big as a mountain, covered in thick fur and scales. Teeth like swords. Claws that could tear through steel. And right in the middle of its territory... there it was. Just sitting there. Like it was waiting for me. A Devil Fruit. The beast guards it like it's its own child.
I've tried to get close, but every time I do, it's like the island itself rejects me. The beast shows up, roaring like it's the king of this place. The ground shakes when it moves. I've barely escaped with my life every damn time."**
Vulcan could almost hear Thorne's frustration in his head as he read. His fingers tightened around the edges of the book. The more he learned about this beast and the Devil Fruit, the more his blood began to race.
Thorne's writing continued, growing sloppier, more erratic.
**"Years. YEARS I've been stuck on this forsaken rock. The fruit... it's so close, I can taste it! But that monster—every time I get close, it's like it's laughing at me. Mocking me. I don't know how much more of this I can take.
If I can just get past it... if I can just kill the damn thing, I can take the fruit. Sell it. Get off this island and never look back. It's worth a fortune. Enough to live like a king for the rest of my life. Luxury, power, freedom... all of it, mine. But that thing won't let me get near it. I've tried everything. Every trick, every plan, but nothing works.
DAMN THIS ISLAND! DAMN THAT BEAST! I'll kill it. I'll kill it if it's the last thing I do."**
The pages trembled slightly in Vulcan's hands as he read. He could practically feel the pirate's desperation, his rage. Thorne had been consumed by this obsession—his need to escape, to claim the fruit, to prove that he wasn't defeated.
The final entry was little more than a few barely legible lines, scrawled in anger.
**"I have to try again. I can't stay here. Can't rot on this island. That fruit is my way out. I'll sell it and live like a king. No more sleeping in this hole. No more hunting beasts for scraps. No more fighting to survive. I'll be free.
One more try. Just one more. If I can't take it this time... then I'll die trying."**
Vulcan closed the book slowly, his fingers lingering on the last page. His heart was pounding in his chest, his breath quickening. The Devil Fruit, hidden deep in the heart of the island, guarded by a beast so powerful that it had driven Thorne to madness.
Vulcan's lips curled into a wide grin.
The thought of facing this creature, of claiming the Devil Fruit for himself, sent a thrill through his entire body. The pirate had been obsessed with it, driven mad by his failures. But Vulcan wasn't Thorne. He was stronger, smarter. He wouldn't fail.
His hands shook—not with fear, but with excitement. The challenge ahead wasn't something that frightened him; it thrilled him. The beast, the fruit—it was all waiting for him, deep in the jungle, just waiting to be claimed.
Vulcan stood, sliding the book back onto the desk. His heart raced as he gripped his naginata, his mind already made up.
He was going to find that Devil Fruit. And he was going to fight whatever was guarding it.
Without hesitation, Vulcan pushed open the door to the shack, stepping out into the dense jungle. His muscles tensed with anticipation, his eyes locked on the direction of the island's center.
"Bring it on," Vulcan muttered, his voice low but filled with energy.
The chapter ends as Vulcan heads off into the jungle, excitement coursing through him as he moves toward the heart of the island, ready to face the beast and claim the prize that had driven Thorne to the brink of insanity.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone