Journey on the West

October 1576

There was a nice breeze. It reminded him of that time where he finally felt the fresh air on his face after not being able to for a few months. Those dreadful months...His mind shifted to those memories. But why? He wanted to forget, or did he? No. After all, he still left his scar visible to remind him of the pain he was subjected to.

August 1575

"What is going on!?" Yelled some soldier. "We don't know, we are being attacked!" Another one answered, from the other side of the walls.

Opening his eyes, Edward D. Sasaki observed the commotion in front of him, from the inside of a liquid filled capsule. He couldn't hear what was going on, but with the distraught faces of the scientists and guards, and the few tremors that shook the water that held him in, he knew, something was not right. This unexpected scenario, he knew he had to take advantage of it. It was possibly the only chance he had to escape from the continuous experiments he was subjected to. Why? Why him? He asked himself that every day, without having a possible answer on his mind.

"How many!?"

"J-Just two! Just two men! B-But they're incredibly strong!"

"Two men?!"

There was one, loud tremor, that shook Sasaki's entire being. It was just what he needed. Just to be a little bit loose. His left had loosened, and his breathing mask fell from his face. This was it. The opportunity he was waiting for!

He was a devil fruit user now, for some reason, but this liquid that held him...it had sea water mixed in it, but only enough to weaken him. Weak as he was, it didn't matter. He pulled with all his might, finally freeing his left arm. From his head, grew a pair of large horns, and with a mighty swing of his head forward, he managed to send a wave of pressure strong enough to crack the durable tank that held him. Just...one more push. He swung his left arm forward, and in an explosion of water and metal, Sasaki fell to the floor.

The liquid filled the room, reaching the scientists and guards feet. They reluctantly looked back, only to see the tall figure of a young, horned man, the one they had held prisoner for a few months.

Before they could point their weapons at him, as if a wild animal finally free from captivity, Sasaki dashed at his captors, ramming his horns and sending them flying all across the room. He went out to the corridor, and continued his rampage. The facility was in total chaos.

Sasaki was shirtless, and was only wearing some short trousers. Regardless, he continued on his way, trying to reach the source of the first commotion. He finally reached a large room, probably the cafeteria. His horns shrunk back into his head, somehow, when he saw the faces of the two responsible for the attack. How wouldn't he recognize them immediately, after all, they were his best friends.

But they didn't notice him. They were facing against a massive figure, that of an orc. Sasaki knew who that was too well, he was a mercenary, and the head of security in the facility. A large, muscular orc that wielded a massive hammer.

Sasaki jumped, and his two friends and the orc noticed him then. But it was too late, as he cam down, grabbing the orc's head with his left arm, and using the momentum of his fall, he smashed his head violently into the ground, creating fissures everywhere, and knocking the orc out cold.

"Hey! What took ya'll so long?" Sasaki said as he addressed his friends, while picking up the orc's hammer. "I've always wanted to hold this." He struggled a bit to pick it up, signifying its incredible weight."

That was more than a year ago.

Sasaki's mind returned to the present. He was lying on some house's ceiling, with his arms crossed to under his head. He opened his eyes and stared at the clouds for a moment. But his peace was interrupted by the sound of someone screaming at him.

"Hey you! Who the hell are you! Hurry and get down from there, unless you want me to drag you down!"

As if he had all the time in the world, he slowly got up, yawned, stretched his arms, and stared at the man yelling at him. The man was big, and was carrying a few guns on his belt and a bazooka on his back.

"Hmmm...I dont' wanna'," Sasaki returned to his sleeping position.

"Why youu!" The man jumped, surprisingly reaching the altitude of the house. He pulled out his bazooka, and without warning, shot a cannonball at Sasaki.

The sound of the explosion and smoke drew the attention of several people, who for some reason, were dressed similarly. They all had various weapons holstered in their clothing.

"Haha! That should teach ya'!...Stupid kid! Doesn't he know where he is! This is Mercenary Island!!"

The house's building had been blown away, Sasaki apparently along with it. The mercenary approached a massive hammer that was sitting on the side of the house. "OOhh...well, well, well...what is this? HA! I saw it first, so I'll take it!" The man said to the other mercenaries that had arrived to the scene, as he made way to the large hammer.

When he tried to pick it up, he pulled out his back. "AAARGH! WHAT!? That shit is heavier than I expected!"

A muscular mercenary approached. "Huhu...You're just too fat and weak. You gotta' be a man to lift this!" The man grabbed the hammer with one hand, and tensing his muscles, he still couldn't lift the hammer. He grabbed it with both arm, and struggled intensely...but it didn't budge at all.

"What the hell!?"

One by one, the mercenaries tried with all their might to lift the mysterious hammer. But to no avail. But how could such a heavy object had made its way there?

Suddenly, from behind the house, Sasaki appeared, wiping dirt off of his face. "Woah, I think I fell to the ground while sleeping."

"Whaaat!?" The mercenary who shot him was in shock. "But I shot you with a bazooka in the face!"

"Oh you did?", said Sasaki as he continued walking into the crowd surrounding the hammer. "I didn't feel a thing. Are you sure you're not drunk or something?"

Just before the mercenary could react, Sasaki approached the hammer, picked it up like it was nothing, and rested in on his shoulder.

"EEEEEEHHHHHHHH!??" The crowd tripped and fell at the sight. The couldn't believe it!

"B-But how!!?" yelled another random mercenary. "We all took turns trying to lift that thing! We Even tried to lift it with five people at a time!?..."

"Is it like a magic weapon where only those who are worthy can lift it!?" yelled another one.

Sasaki looked at his hammer, and right back at the crowd. "Magic? Naaaah...Worthy? Hmm...maybe! I mean, this hammer does weight FOUR AND A HALF TONS..."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!????" the crowd of mercenaries trembled in fear at what they heard. Four and a half tons? Nine-thousand pounds? No. It couldn't be possible, they all thought.

"huahuahuahua! Don't believe such lies. This is obviously some parlor trick. There's no way this kid can lift that much! I'm sure he did something with like... magnets! Like those things illusionists do on their performances!"

"OOOOOHHH! That makes sense!" responded the crowd. "In any case! Kid!...how does an idiot like you wander off into a town like this? Answer carefully" he said as he pointed his bazooka to Sasaki's face.

"Oh! Well to be honest, I'm looking for a mercenary, the one who captured me! I don't know his name, I just know his very big and has looooong black hair! Do you know of him?"

The mercenaries looked around, dozens of them fit that description, yet none had ever seen that kid in their lives.

"Stop messing with us, kid!"

"Yeah you fraud trickster!" the crowd began yelling angrily while they pointed their weapons at Sasaki.

Sasaki tilted his head to the side, in confusion. "So, are you guys ALL drunk!?"

"this kid is getting on my nerves! GET HIM!!!" The crowd of mercenaries began dashing at him.

"Ah well...I hope Rogers and Jack have had better luck than me." Sasaki grinned at the incoming attack from all sides, he lifted his hammer up, and swung it with force in front of him.

"GUAAAAAHG!" His swing created a massive whirlwind that made the entirety of the mercenaries attacking him go airborne. "What the hell is this kid!!!!??!?!" They all yelled from above.

They all landed heavily on the ground, and saw the young man walking away. "HEY! You don't get to go away!"

Once again, they all charged at Sasaki, and shot bullets, shurikens, cannonballs and even spears at him. Sasaki looked backwards to see the attack directed at him. "You morons."

He turned to face the attack, and once again, with a mere swing of his hammer, he sent a powerful shock wave, an air attack so powerful it blew a hole through various buildings, sending the mercenaries flying along with it.

Sasaki continued on his way. "Oh...where was I headed to?"