Chương 4: The Storm
The sun rises over the horizon, illuminating the calm waters across the Calm Belt. Cornelius was on the beach sitting next to a fire, eating the last remnants of poor Glutton while admiring the view of the sunrise.
''It's time'' Cornelius got up and went to check his luggage
Today would finally be the day that Cornelius would leave the island, he had been preparing over the months for his journey.
Opening a backpack made from his shirt, Cornelius checked out the items for his journey.
In the backpack were apples, two canteens filled with water made of wood, a knife, and three miniatures that he had made one of himself, another one of his akuma no mi, and one of Glutton.
Looking at the miniature of Glutton, Cornelius picked it up and looked at it one last time.
''Thank you for your sacrifice my friend, you were delicious'' He then threw her into the fire
Packing his bag back Cornelius prayed it would be enough for his uncertain journey. He didn't want to take more things to not have to carry too much weight after all he planned to cross the calm belt using Geppo and one of the problems he had with that plan was how long it would take him to find a ship or island, carrying a lot of things would only make it difficult to use Geppo in the long run.
Walking along the beach, Cornelius made his way to the north end of the island, where there was a hang glider he improvised using wood, rope, and Glutton's white leather.
The design was primitive but thanks to its Hand Hand no Mi, it was very well built. Cornelius believes that with the use of Geppo and the hang glider, he would be able to fly more easily and farther
Cornelius strapped himself to the hang glider and after a last check on his equipment, he grabbed the control bar and started running and propelling himself using Geppo.
Boing! Boing! Boing!
He started to gain altitude little by little, soon Cornelius was flying!
''This is amazing SASAHAHAHA'' he said smiling
Cornelius was heading northwest, he didn't know where he was in this world so he decided to head northwest out of pure randomness.
In one piece, the map was never detailed enough, and the cardinal points were never established, leaving everything too vague for Cornelius to locate himself. After all, is Norte Blue really in the North? or was it just a name?
Cornelius didn't know
Suddenly the sea below Cornelius began to vibrate.
Cornelius sensing the danger began to climb using Geppo more frantically.
Boing-Boing Boing-Boing
Out of the sea jumped a giant sea king, he had greenish scales with yellow stripes no less than five hundred meters long, and he had a yellow bird's beak, with bulging eyes.
And worst of all, he had spotted Cornelius.
Seeing this giant approaching, Cornelius panicked a bit, he then kicked the air
''Rankyaku''
From his kick came a slash of compressed air that went toward the sea king, hitting his face
But given his size, it was only a superficial scratch. which was soon ignored, the sea king opened his beak and went to swallow Cornelius at once
Cornelius who was trying to climb up as quickly as possible saw his attack having no effect and gritted his teeth in frustration. He was still too weak to do any significant damage to monsters that large.
''I have to hit the weak point''
Seeing the monster dangerously close to swallowing him at once, he pointed his finger at the sea king's eyes.
''Tobu Shigan: Machine gun
From his fingertips, several red lines of compressed air shot toward the sea king's eyes, the lines pierce his eyes.
"URGH!" The now-blinded sea king roared in pain
Seeing the opportunity Cornelius fled.
He jumped higher and higher taking a good distance from the sea level, the now distant sea king dove into the sea and disappeared in the depths.
Cornelius let out a sigh of relief.
In addition to being a still sea with light winds, the Calm Belt was the breeding ground for Sea Kings. Making them more aggressive in this area than in other parts of the ocean, it is not known for sure why they specifically choose the Calm Belt but Cornelius believes that due to the absence of the ocean current, sea kings tend to prefer places with calmer seas to breed.
Cornelius, fearing that another, even greater sea king might arise, flew even higher, until he felt he had taken a safe distance.
He thus continued his journey into the unknown.
After four days of travel
Cornelius was eating an apple while taking advantage of the benefit that his hang glider provided him, Cornelius confesses that his trip would be much more exhausting if he had to always use the Geppo, due to the hang glider he was able to glide giving his legs a break from the constant use of the Geppo
Until Cornelius something unusual on the horizon, dark and heavy clouds gather on the horizon
''I don't know whether to be happy or sad'' Cornelius said
Happy because it shows he successfully got out of the Calm Belt or sad because he's going to have to fly through the storm
''I have no other choice, going back now would be as risky as facing the storm'' Cornelius gritted his teeth and continued forward.
The storm came with relentless momentum, the cold rain began to fall on Cornelius and the strong winds began to make it difficult for Cornelius to stabilize the hang glider
RUMBLE!
RUMBLE!
RUMBLE!
The roar of thunder echoed in the air, the storms of one piece were not just any storms, they were stronger and more volatile, it was no wonder that there were many scholars like the citizens of the floating island of Weatheria who are dedicated to the study of the climate
Cornelius held tight to his hang glider as he cruised through the storm, the hang glider was taking the stress of the storm by the looks of it.
but suddenly there was a flash that lit up the dark sky, lightning came and went straight to Cornelius hitting him squarely
ZZZAAAAP! CRACK!
Cornelius felt the electricity go through his body paralyzing him and burning his skin, he was knocked down. his hang glider was now on fire he was falling now heading straight for the turbulent waters
Cornelius ground his teeth and recovered from his momentary paralysis and using his hand he broke the ropes that were holding him to the hang glider, used Geppo he stopped his fall but the hang glider sank into the ocean
'If I fall into the water I'll die' Cornelius thought
This is one of the main reasons that Cornelius didn't eat the Devil Fruit at first, after all, the price of power for any Devil Fruit user is losing the ability to swim.
Shaking his head Cornelius stopped thinking about it, being scared wasn't going to help him now. He then continued through the storm using Geppo as frantically as possible.
ZZZAAAAP!
Another lightning came
''Tekkai'' but this time Cornelius managed to use Tekkai at the last moment. The lightning hit him burning his skin but he was not paralyzed as before, ignoring the pain Cornelius continued with this rhythm using Geppo to boost himself and soon after Tekkai to protect himself from the lightning
Boing!
Tekkai!
ZZZAAP!
Boing!
Tekkai!
ZZZAAP!
And so it went again and again until finally, Cornelius made it through the storm.
''Finally, this was Tekkai's worst training ever''
Cornelius breathed a sigh of relief, his body was all burned and bruised but thanks to Tekkai he managed to survive the lightning strikes.
Cornelius then went to get an apple to replenish his strength grabbing his backpack Cornelius noticed something
''Huh? Where's the food? where is the canteen?
Cornelius looked inside the backpack, inside there were only his miniatures! The pack had been torn apart in the storm causing their supplies to fall into the sea. Cornelius was so focused on using Geppo and Tekkai that he didn't even notice this small detail.
That little detail could cost him his life. Without food and especially without water, Cornelius' journey became increasingly uncertain.
''Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!'' Cornelius swore
Cooling his head, Cornelius calmed down
'' I have to find an island fast now, I can last without food, but without water, it's another story '' he thought
A person can survive several weeks without food but only two to four days without water. if Cornelius takes too long to find something he can dehydrate and pass out in the middle of the ocean!
Having no choice, Cornelius continued to fly, praying he could find anything that could help him.
Five days later
Cornelius was in the air, nearly dying from exhaustion, his lips were chapped and his body was bruised and burned, his body was reaching its limits now.
In those five days, he didn't find anything, not even a deserted island. but Cornelius refused to give up, he continued to kick.
'' just a little bit more, just a little bit more, just a little bit more, just...''
He continued to kick with only his willpower keeping him awake.
------
On a certain pirate ship, a man was at the top of the mast muttering
''Damn, I lost the dice again. why do I have to keep watch? it's not like there's anyone who can challenge us'' He complained
So he grabbed a bottle of rum and took a hit
''Not in this sea at least'' he says
Looking at his ship he saw a bunch of pirates all drunk and sleeping was a normal occurrence on this ship
he then sighed
''I couldn't visit my family again, I'm a coward I can't even face my wife and son after I left them'' Then he looked in a certain direction, the direction where his home island was
''Banchina, Usopp. Forgive me'' Yasopp said with a sad face
''Huh?
Yasopp felt something strange, if it was any other pirate they wouldn't have noticed but Yasopp is not just anyone he is one of the best marksmen in the world, maybe the best
Even now on a dark night with the help of observation haki, he felt something moving
Looking in the direction of the presence he took a spyglass and pointed it at the presence, due to the distance he couldn't quite see what it was but he noticed that he was flying
''Hey bunch of drunks wake up'' Yasopp shouted
Drunk mumbles~
''Ah, what is it now? I already said you lost, you watch
A pirate said
''It's not that, something is coming. wake the captain'' Yasopp said
''What? Another Sea king? just finish him off'' the pirate complained
'' It's not a king of the sea you idiot, it's flying'' Yassop replied
The pirate then got a little more serious, they were in the east blue it's rare to have something flying around here thinking it might be some surprise attack by the navy he went to wake up his captain.
Yasopp was still trying to see what it was but the long distance was hindering his vision, but he noticed one thing, it was a human
''Oh my head, what is it? Yasopp?'' Shanks said when he woke up he was hungover
''Captain, has something coming that way, and it's flying'' Yassop pointed
Listening to his comrade Shanks calibrated his haki and felt it too
''Strange... looks weak, looks like...''
''is dying'' Yassop completed
Shanks then thought of what could it be, could it be an attack? he soon dismissed that possibility as the presence was too weak to be a marine attack or anyone strong enough to challenge him. curious, He ordered the pirate who woke him up
"Turn the ship" Shanks said
''Y-Yes captain'' the pirate obeyed and began to change the direction of the ship
As they got closer Yasopp could see what it was, it was Cornelius who was flying in the air almost dead
''it's a man, it looks like he's using Geppo, looks like he didn't notice us either'' Yassop said as he looked into the spyglass
''Geppo? here in the east blue? interesting'' Shanks smiled
As they got closer Yassop was able to better see who it was. His whole body was injured and he looked quite weak, his movements were getting slower and slower, and his arms were red?
''He looks like an Akuma no mi user, and he's badly injured and..... is he falling?'' Yassop wondered
In the skies, Cornelius passed out from exhaustion he had not noticed the pirate ship and if he noticed he would recognize him at the time for that ship was the Red Force one of the most famous ships in the world.
Cornelius descended from the sky at breakneck speed and fell into the sea.
SPLASH!
Cornelius then sank into the ocean
-----
In a world made of darkness where there was nothing, nothing except a Cornelius lying unconscious
Slap! Slap! slap!
''Hey, get your ass up'' A shadowy figure approached Cornelius and slapped him in the face waking him up.
''What eh? Where am I?''
Cornelius stood up confused, he looked around and there was nothing but the darkness he realized he was treading in shallow, dark water and then he noticed the shadowy humanoid figure was completely made of shadow
''Who are you?'' Cornelius asked
''Who I am? The figure gave a grim smile.
I am the lie, or the feeling, or the conscience, or the judge, or the executioner, or happiness, or sadness, I am you too.
The figure then pointed at Cornelius and began to change shape transforming into a young man with short brown hair, with a smiling face, dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie.
''Did you like the suit? it's a funeral suit, for your funeral'' the figure said while straightening his tie
Cornelius widened his eyes, he knows the appearance of what this ''Lie'' had become, it was his old appearance before coming to this world, it was Cornelius himself!
''STOP LYING, I AM NOT YOU ANYMORE'' The Lie Screamed and the dark waters began to rise higher and higher
''WHO AM I?'' the Lie demanded as the dark waters began to rise to Cornelius' waist, the Lie did not sink as he did, it was walking on the surface of the dark waters.
''You are me Cornelius'' Cornelius said he was a little panicked
''LIAR, WHO AM I?'' The Lie demanded in a screeching voice as the level of the dark waters now reached Cornelius' shoulders.
''I don't know'' Cornelius said as he starts to panic the water was seawater
''LIE, DO YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO I AM, WHO I AM?'' the Lie repeated itself
''I DON'T KNOW'' Cornelius said as the dark waters rose and he started to drown, the Lie was on top of him now looking down at him over the dark waters making a face of disappointment
''Oh no, goddamn it. how lucky are you huh? I wore the suit for nothing'' the Lie got frustrated
''Forget it, we'll meet again in a much worse situation. But until then, tell me who am I?'' The Lie then smiled as Cornelius sank into the dark waters
Everything went dark then
---------
''Look captain he's breathing again'' a pirate who was wearing a white coat said
Cornelius was lying unconscious on the deck of the Redhead Pirates' ship, all bandaged up, being treated by a pirate doctor.
''Really? Good, I thought he wouldn't make it. HAHAHAHA'' Shanks chuckled as he wrung out his water-soaked shirt.
''But captain, what are we going to do with him? '' Yasopp asked sitting on the edge of the ship
''It is not obvious? We'll throw you back in the sea'' Beckman said as he took a drag on his cigarette.
''What are you saying? We just saved him'' Lucky Roux said as he drank a whole barrel of rum
''He was using Geppo he could be a Cipher Pol agent, Besides, look at his hands. He is a Devil Fruit user. this all seems very strange to me it could be a world government trap '' Beckman said as some pirates nodded their heads in agreement
''So are we going to kill the boy for what it might be? Since when did we become a bunch of cowards?'' Yasopp said while some pirates nodded in agreement
''Who are you calling a coward? weren't you the one who couldn't even visit your son?'' Beckman said
''I'm protecting him, in case you didn't know we are enemies of the world government, I would only put him in danger. and who are you to talk to about my family? damn you '' Yasopp said angrily as he got up
''Ho? Is that so?'' Beckman said as he threw the cigarette into the sea
The two then faced each other while the pirates around were already preparing for the show.
"Fight! fight! fight! fight! fight!" The crowd of pirates chanted as tensions rose
''Enough'' Shanks said as he thrust his one arm through the hole in his shirt, the pirates then stopped.
He went to Cornelius
''What's his condition doc?'' Shanks said as he looked at Cornelius lying there.
''I did what I could. he was dehydrated, his wounds were not so deep but he is exhausted, with some rest, he should get better '' The doctor said while applying a saline solution
''Let him rest then, When he wakes up let me know'' Shanks said as he looked at Cornelius' red hands
He then noticed Cornelius' backpack
Opening it, Shanks noticed that there were only two miniatures one was Cornelius the other was a devil fruit. the miniatures were very well done 'I wonder if he's a sculptor?' thought Shanks as he looked at the miniature devil fruit and for a moment his eyes widened.
'Interesting he has a mythical Zoan' thought Shanks
"Interesting indeed," Shanks repeated with a smile.
''What's interesting captain? '' the doctor asked
''It's nothing, take it inside,'' Said the captain of the Redhead Pirates as he tucked the miniature Devil Fruit into his coat.
''Captain are you sure about this? we don't know what he can do, he can put us in danger'' Beckman said as he put another cigarette in his mouth
Beckman was right it is very risky to have an Akuma no mi user on board, even if the user is weak. The Akuma no mi are unpredictable and it could be some bigger plan to trick them. But what Beckman didn't know was that Shanks knew the Cornelius fruit.
It was one of the three Devil Fruits that he was looking for, He searched all over the seas for this Devil Fruit but ended up only finding the Hito Hito no Mi which was in the end eaten by Luffy. The other would be the Yami Yami no Mi that was still missing.
''If he proves to be a threat, I'll kill him myself,'' Shanks said in a decided tone.
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