บท 1: Chapter 1
Chapter 1
He looked up at the grey sky. It has been that way for as long as he can remember. Sighing in defeat, he dug up the rough ground from the mound next to him and poured it down the hole he dug earlier. He was very familiar with this action. He had it done more than a thousand times. More specifically, one thousand and eight-hundred fifty-two times.
Before he had help, there were others with him. But it didn't take long before they disappeared one by one. And finally, he was left all alone in this forsaken island. Once he finished burying the grave, he evened out the ground as much as he could. Then he put down the stones on top of it. Finally, he took a massive two-meter-tall blue umbrella made of Liqouer Iron and placed it near the burial.
He finally opened the umbrella, and it covered the ground under it, just in time, as acidic rain started falling. He sighed again before succumbing to a coughing fit. After he stopped coughing, he cleaned his mouth with his bandaged hand, finding a familiar sight. He stared at the blood on his hand before opening his massive black umbrella to protect himself from the acidic rain.
But he didn't leave yet. He clasped his hands and said a short prayer to any god who might listen. It wasn't for his sake but for those he had buried. He wished their souls would find a peaceful place to spend eternity in. After finishing the prayer, he looked up from the ground. He looked over thousand eight hundred fifty-two graves protected by blue, red, white, pink, violet, green, and other combinations of colored two-meter umbrellas.
"Well, that's it, Doc," He said as he turned away from the graveyard.
He walked into the town at the bottom of the hill where the graveyard stood. It didn't take long before he reached a colorful but empty town. He walked through pink, yellow, and red streets blanched by the acidic rain before going to the orange street. Here, he made a sharp turn and entered a run-down building. As he entered the dark and falling apart tavern, he stopped for a moment.
He couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy wash over him. He remembered the laughter, music, and camaraderie that once filled the establishment. It was always full of people returning from working in the mines. Most of the time, they were still dirty and sweaty as they ordered wine to finish the hard-working day.
Now, it was empty. The stone wall crumbled from its weight when he put down his umbrella. The floor creaked in protest as he walked to the bar. The once-polished bar was worn and weathered, with missing stools and chipped wood. Open shelves and broken glass had replaced the row of liquor bottles gleaming behind it. But it mattered little to him as he pulled a wine bottle from his black feathered cloak resting on his back.
"Sorry, doc. I know you were saving it until you found the cure to save us," He said as he found a still-intact glass and poured the wine into it. "But it is over now. Don't worry. I will drink your share, too. And don't dare to complain. It is your fault for dying before me."
It was delicious wine, rich and fruity. But it didn't lessen the pain he felt. It didn't keep him company for long, either. He drank one glass after the other until the bottle was empty. And at the end of the bottle, he only found regrets. He should have consumed it with the others. The wine would have tasted much better if they could have found the cure.
But he knew that wasn't possible. Yet, he let himself believe that it was. After all, everything should be possible in this world. If he could be reborn into this world, what was keeping him from finding a way to save everyone? Ultimately, he had to accept this wasn't an anime world he loved so much but his new reality.
"Damn them all," He gripped the empty glass until it shattered in his hand.
What was the point of being reborn here? His knowledge means nothing. If only this island didn't possess the rare and valuable Liquor Iron ore. If only that greedy king hadn't bought the island, and the Marines didn't help him. He could lament for eternity but couldn't change the past. He only had himself to blame for being unable to save his friends, family, and everyone he knew.
The coughing fit returned, as did the pain in his chest. Taking a pipe from his cloak, he poured some grounded herbs before lighting it up. The smoking helped with breathing and the pain. It was a unique mixture of herbs that Doc had discovered in his medical research. But he knew it helped temporarily with the toxins in his lungs.
The mining of the Liquor Iron ore took its toll on the island. It might be fine if this island's people weren't forced to work in the mines day and night. The greedy bastards didn't care that all that machinery that dug up the ore and refined it produced poisonous fumes into the environment. Well, they got what they wanted, and once the Liquor Iron ore was exhausted, they left the island to die.
Tired, he stood up from the stool at the bar, and after picking up his umbrella, he left the tavern. A bit tipsy, he went through the town, smoking from his pipe while acidic rain rained on his umbrella's canopy. He walked past the familiar building that was now crumbling and left empty. The acidic rain would soon destroy all the remains of a once-colorful town.
He couldn't help but be reminded of happier times as he looked over the colorful buildings that started to lose their wonder. Back then, the only thing that this island's people had to worry about was the never-ending rain. He didn't know what caused it, but this island was famous in the North Blue for its rain. Well, more specifically for its umbrellas.
Every child, once turned six, had to make their umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain. Back then, it was simple rain. And because of the never-ending grey sky, the people of this island liked to color everything. The clothes, the houses, the streets, and most importantly, the umbrellas. Because all they saw looking at the sky was grey. They had to replicate what it would be like above the clouds on the land.
Of course, every person imagined the sky differently. But he thought it was beautiful, so he loved this town and its people. Everyone was happy. Everyone was kind. The never-ending rain didn't hold them back, not even a bit. Well, there was a day when the rain stopped. It was the day he was born, or at least that is what they said to him. It snowed on the day he was born, so he was named Snow.
It was the only day that it ever happened. And he couldn't remember it. He didn't know how long he walked, but he arrived at only the black street of the town at some point. It was made seven years ago when the Liquor Iron ore was discovered, and that damn king bought the Island. He remembered it as it was yesterday. He was twelve back then.
King Chap of Deul Kingdom, the bastard that destroyed this island, came in after a few months the Liquor Iron ore was discovered. At first, the people of the island didn't want to work for him, but then he threatened them with war, and with marines at his back, all they could do was succumb to fear. If only he knew what it would bring years later, Snow would have fought back.
Well, at least he would have tried. But it was too late to change anything when the first acidic rain poured down on them. The toxins in the air already entered into the people's lungs and slowly started killing them. Maybe because he worked with the Doc after going to the mines, or perhaps because his body was pretty strong, or maybe it was pure luck. Snow was the last one to survive.
He stopped in the middle of the black street, overwhelmed with memories of the past. The black street starkly contrasted the colorful town, a symbol of the island's transformation from a lively, vibrant place to a desolate wasteland—the Liquor Iron ore, the curse that led to the island's downfall. Nothing was left anymore but the remains of the ores that the people hid in silent protest to their overlord.
As he continued walking, he couldn't help but think about the people he'd lost, the friends and family who had succumbed to the poisonous fumes, the relentless acidic rain, and the greed of King Chap. They had all suffered and died while he remained the sole survivor. But it was time to fix that. So, Snow turned to the only harbor and walked to it.
There was only one way out and on the island. The island was surrounded by cliffs and ragged stones, making it impossible for any ship to enter. But there was one place that didn't have that: the harbor. It was far enough from the mines that it was relatively safe to live in. But for that reason alone, no one but the marines could live here.
As he got closer to the harbor, he noticed more and more bullet holes on the ground and everywhere around him. Once it was discovered that the people of this island were sick, they tried to leave the island, but the Marines wouldn't let them go. After all, their lives were worthless now that the Liquor Iron ore was gone.
It was cheaper to kill them than save them. Snow could only speculate why they didn't just go and massacre the whole island. Maybe they didn't want to enter the town. It could be that they didn't want to waste their bullets. But most likely, they wanted to keep their denial of their deaths. The World Government would write it off as they died of an unknown disease and be done with it.
It didn't stop them from forbidding them to leave the island. A hundred marines were stationed on this island. They were armed and had a warship at their back. Everyone who got near them was shot on sight. To Snow, they were the most vile people in the world. Monsters worse than any nightmare could conjure. And he was going to defeat them all today.
"Stop!" Snow stopped as a marine pointed his rifle at him while the others gathered before him.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Gravedigger," Captain Jock, a big man at two and a half meters tall, laughed at Snow's appearance. "You know what will happen if you get any closer."
"Yes, I do," Snow replied as the rain stopped. "You will try to kill me."
"Gehahaha," The captain laughed as spit flew out his mouth. "It has been close to a year since someone tried to escape. I was getting bored around here. Nonetheless, I am willing to let you leave with only a warning this time. So, if you don't want to die, go back."
"Heh," Snow let out a short laugh as he closed his umbrella. "There is nothing to come back to. I have nothing to lose anymore. So, let me pour out my anger and hatred upon you guys."
The Captain of the Marines stopped smiling after hearing Snow's words. His eyes furrowed, and then he walked up to Snow. He drew his sword and brandished it before everyone to see it. It was sharp, and Snow could tell it would easily cut him as the captain put it by Snow's neck. Then, the captain pulled his sword back before swinging it at Snow.
Before the sword could reach Snow, the umbrella fell. The captain only had a moment to be shocked that the umbrella quickly snapped his sword before he was crushed to the ground under the massive weight of the umbrella made only of Liquor Iron. There was a funny fact about Liquor Iron: its mass was ten times that of normal iron.
So, an umbrella with a shaft, canopy, spring, handle, and ribs holding the canopy made of Liquor Iron weighed almost half a ton. With only one swing down, not only did Snow break Captain's sword but crushed most of his bones and made a small crater in the ground. Well, even Snow didn't expect this, so it wasn't a surprise that the Marines were shocked at this sight.
"Captain Jock!" The Marines yelled as they lifted their guns at almost two meters tall—nineteen years old man who defeated their captain.
Snow opened his umbrella and let the bullets hit its canopy. He heard the bullets effortlessly bounce off the canopy and fall to the ground. But he couldn't feel any pushing power of the bullets, so he started walking forward to the Marines. With each step he took, he heard more and more exclamations from the Marines.
Once close enough, Snow swung his umbrella, knocking the first four down for good. Since he was too close for them to use guns, they drew their swords, and Snow closed his umbrella. Then, the bloodbath began. Consumed by anger and hatred, Snow swung his massive umbrella, crushing everyone that got hit.
Snow didn't know how to fight. He never was in a fight in this life or the previous. So, he just swung the umbrella recklessly without any thought or reservation. Working in the mines for years, lifting heavy ores, and digging graves made his body strong beyond what he could have imagined. Compared to the Marines, who did nothing but sit in their posts, Snow was a monster.
With each swing, he took out four to five Marines, and once the massive slab of Liquor Iron hit them, they didn't get back up. It was shocking to Snow how strong he was and surprising to the Marines. He never considered himself a fighter; even the Marine Captain was bigger than him. That is why he never considered he could defeat them and leave this island.
"No, stop, we surrender," Snow halted his swing in mid-fall as the Marine before he whimpered and cried.
Only then did he look around and find that only fifteen of them were left standing, with fear in their eyes. As he looked around, he saw only beaten down and broken bodies of the Marines. Blood ran down Snow's black umbrella, and Snow's feathered cloak that protected him from the rain was covered in blood.
"Take everything you want, but don't kill us," The Marines begged as they fell to their knees.
"Then I will take your ship," Snow said, as he didn't think he would come to this.
He thought that he would let out all his anger on these guys and die by being outnumbered. Looking at the ship at the port, he didn't know what to do. He felt guilty for leaving, but maybe he could find a cure for himself. There surely has to be a doctor who could help him or a devil fruit user who could heal him.
Climbing into the Marine warship, Snow didn't know what to do. He pulled in the anchor, let down the sails, and let the winds take him. He had no idea how to steer or operate a ship like this, so he kicked back and let the ship go its way when it floated out of the harbor. It wasn't like he knew where to go. Putting his fate into the wind to take him where he would find help was all he could do.
A.N. I was just catching up with One Piece manga, so I thought I would write something for fun. Hopefully, it won't be as dark as some of my other stories. As always, If you want more, up to seven advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852. And if you have any requests for stories, I will only take them on my pa treon.
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