The Heretic

High Noon
The distraught laughter of children plagued the room. The instigator of said laughter was the same lad who was being dragged out of the door by his ear by the teacher herself, his emerald green mane the last of him to vanish from sight.

"On top of the innumerable disruptions you've caused, your marks do not uphold to our standards," the principal beamed from behind his desk, "tell me, what good are you to this school?"

Home sweet home. The green haired boy was going to be seeing much more of it from now on. "They've practically thrown him out of school, Bogle! When will you find it in yourself to discipline your child?"

"No son of mine will be a mess; just give it some time. Hess, my love, Veno just has a harder time paying attention than most other children. Getting him a tutor to learn from home will help him focus more on his studies --and I happen to have just the man for the job."

"Yes, good! Excellent work, Veno," the tutor chimed from beside Veno on the couch, feather in hand, "you're showing a lot of promise. Your father is going to be very proud of you."

"Zabaco," came the voice of Veno's mother, "I need your help with something. Do you think you could give me a hand?"

Long periods of study. Long periods of silence. Long periods of time to himself. Where did the tutor keep running off too? Day by day, week by week, why was it that Veno was always left to himself? Why didn't his mother ever ask for his help with any of the chores?

"Oh, yes! Oh, yes, Zabaco!" One peek through the door changed everything.

"What is this? What do you mean my company belongs to you now?" Veno had never quite seen his father so angry before.

"You signed off on it, do you not remember?" Zabaco's grin instilled a fear within Veno's heart the likes of which he hadn't experienced ever before.

"Zabaco, you bastard! What have you been doing with my wife?!"

Confusion. Anger. Betrayal.

The home he had once called his, stolen. The mother he had once adored, taken. The life he had once known, forgotten.

The Heretic
Aboard the nimbus, a gravely wounded Veno awoke, startled under the night sky. His breath had betrayed him, for beads of sweat trickled to and from his frow. He looked about the ship with weak eyes, the sights of his defeated mate, Luhr, and that of his navigator, Erin, flashing before him.

Erin stared at the island in the distance. His eyes were dim and his head was pounding. "I could've really used Thatch right about now" He thought as he steadied their ship's course and sailed forwards. His captain Veno lay on the deck badly injured along with Luhr who was still passed out. Thankfully his wind had held their wounds together long enough for clots to form but they needed to be still. "We're almost there captain we just need to hang in their." He shouted as his eyes flickered.

The small village of Haevyn was just in sight of the incoming ship. Individuals working near its port managed to see it but paid very little heed to the individuals on the ship. Pirates and Marines were a commonality in this village. So long as they did not actively disturb anyone's life, anybody was welcome.

That being said, there was a particular man working at the port today. A by the name of Hazen Yosef, clad in white, with his black hair and bespectacled, sharp features. "I see, so your sea sickness is acting up more intensely?" He asked his patient, who nodded in agreement. "Hmm, until I gain a concrete remedy shipped in, I'll have you take this." Opening his briefcase, filled with several liquefied medicinal herbs and a number of different surgical items, he picked up a vial. "Black Horehound and Ginger concocted. It may be a bit spicy, but please deal with this."

The patient drank the vial and immediately noticed a feeling of warmth spiking through their body. Yosef placed his palm on his chest. "Stack: Medicinal Effect — Threefold." As he uttered those words, no immediate effect was visible but Yosef soon added. "This cure should last for the week you are on your voyage. However, do not take any additional medicine in this time, it could potentially cripple you. The sea sickness might still appear in a minor form, but it shouldn't be a major hindrance."

"Thank you, Doctor Hazen! Here is your fee! I will be sure to catch some excellent fish for you as well!" The man smiled as he boarded his own fishing vessel.

"Thank you as always!" The Doctor responded before he began to pack up his own supplies only to notice another ship in the distance, and the stench of blood reeking from it, his expression tensing as a result.

The ship moved into port without Erin as he had almost collapsed from exhaustion. His various cremates hoisted him up and carried him off the boat. "You need to leave the other's." He spoke in a gravely voice. "They are too injured to be moved." He then had his mates carry him forwards towards what looked like a port doctor's office, his eyes were blinking very rapidly. His cremates had him propped up with an arm over the shoulder of each of them, his legs dragging behind. They barged into the office at full speed moving past the counter and straight to the dock. As they barged in they saw two men standing there. Erin immediately turned his head towards the one that looked more like a doctor and spoke as fast as he could. "Please sir we have two extremely injured individuals on our ship. They cannot be moved and are suffering from deadly injures. Could you please help them." He spoke before a coughing fit finally too his consciousness and he passed out from the exhaustion, he would need help too. His cremates however were standing by ready to take him and the doctor to the ship if he would help them.

"These men are...No matter, I need to help them." Yosef listened to the plea of the man who soon fell unconscious in his crewmates' arms. "Both of you, take me to the ship immediately. And give me a brief diagnosis of their injuries so I can prepare accordingly." As Yosef took his briefcase, he briskly walked towards the incoming ship, expecting the members to follow suit.

The men followed dragging Erin along with them. "This man here is suffering from severe exhaustion due to overuse of his devil fruit, it is a logia if that helps." They told him as they climbed aboard the ship. "Our captain is suffering from multiple wounds all over his body and other severe injures, we really don't know much about what they are though." They then moved to a fishman who lay on the ground. "He suffered a massive amount of electricity to his body while he was in the water. It was from a devil fruit if that helps at all." They spoke, laying Erin down on the deck next to Veno and Luhr.

"Who the fuck gave ye permission ta be on me ship?" A voice beamed seemingly out of nowhere as Yousef and the others stepped onboard. It belonged, quite surprisingly, to the captain, Veno, who was, for some unfathomable reason, still conscious.

As Erin was laid down beside him, he nearly choked on his own blood out of disgust. "Fuck's he passin' out for? Last I checked, we was the ones that did all the fightin'."

Though unable to directly move his body, Veno tossed around his eyes, catching ahold of the doctor. "Don't go thinkin' yer a bunch of hot shit just cause ya got me like this. Even now, I swear to ya, I can kill each and erey last one of ya with my teeth alone..

"So if it's a right yer wantin'... well then, bring it on!"

"Shut up." Yosef glared at his patient with intense eyes. "So he is the one..." Placing his briefcase down, he opened it and took out two vials, both labeled with Painkiller, respectively. Turning his attention towards his patients, he spoke, "Lie down. You are in no condition to fight. If you attempt to resist, I can very easily leave you and your crew to die, and you will never live to gain anything of worth, "Public Enemy" Veno." Yosef's voice took a harsh tone, his incredible attention to the news that Marines regularly dished out meant he was quite well aware of the status of notable Pirates in the Grand Line.

"Grabababababa! I suppose yer right. Whether ya help me or not, I may still be a goner. So when ye look at it like that... what other choice do I got?

"That bastard Ralph, puttin' me in a place like this one. I'll showem real hell the next time we cross paths."

His golden eyes stayed poised to Yousef's figure. "Don't think for a second that I trust ye. It's just as you said; I ain't got nothin' ta lose in this scenario. Either way, I'm a dead man. But what I can't seem to understand is yer benefit in all of this.

"Just what do ye get out of operatin' on us? The bounties on our head? Grabababababa!"

"The pride of a doctor is in saving people's lives." Yosef countered, as he approached the Fishman. "It's something that a buffoon like yourself won't understand."

Yosef's expression turned grim as he went through the standard procedure of checking Luhr's pulse and current situation. While badly electrocuted, healing was possible — but would undoubtedly be very slow. He possessed second degree burns across his body, and swelling was apparent in a vast majority of areas near his nerves. "Performing any stacking on this patient will cause him to inch ever closer to death. Fortunately, his symptoms are curable — but the cures are not instant."

Yosef began treatment of the burns with complete delicacy. First, he wore and sterilized his gloves. Next, using lukewarm water on a towel, he began to clean up the burns as he had the crewmates position Luhr in means which would not aggravate the swelling of the burns. As he continued to do so, skin began to peel off when he applied soap. After some period of time, he took out an antibiotic treatment from his briefcase, and instructed one of Veno's crewmates to apply this cream carefully across the burns after they wore sterilized gloves.

"Given that you're awake, Mr. Veno," Yosef began telling him, as he took off his gloves. "If you have the strength to laugh away, I suggest you focus that strength on telling me the nature of your injuries so I can treat you more efficiently. Also open your mouth to let me apply painkillers. And before you even dare to use that idiocy of a Pirate's pride, I'm warning you beforehand: I can make you experience far greater pain in an instant." He had worn his next pair of gloves and disposed of the others in a small bin-like compartment in his briefcase, and awaited for Veno's response.

Just as he was about to make a joke out of it, Veno was silenced by Yousef's otherwise assertive deamenor. He rose a brow at the doctor's statement, yet still was unable to cast aside his pride, even if it meant staking his life.

But one of the crewmates had most certainly caught on. Knowing all too well that his captain was much too stubborn to give in to such a demand --especially after having been had in such a manner-- the pirate spoke up, telling Yousef all he needed to know.

"Cap'n took a big hit right in the stomach, a powerful shockwave bein' sent to the rest of his body. That and a bolt of lightning straight through his right tit! Er, pectoral!"

Veno merely rolled his eyes. "Fuckin' hell, I gots me a band of filthy snitches. Why's it always gotta be me?"

Nevertheless, he propped his mouth open for the doctor, not feeling as energetic as he had earlier, due to the massacre of his cheerful vibe.

"I see. Meticulous surgery will be required of you, which will mean that I'd be leaving your other friend to nearly die of exhaustion." Yosef thought out loud. Putting his pianist-like fingers near Veno's chin, he fed the patient the concoction in his hand. "Stack: Anesthetic and Analgesic Effects — Threefold." In an instant, Veno would likely be incapable of feeling sensation in the vast majority of his body. "Oi, crewhands, use the bandages in my briefcase and wrap them around his more serious wounds. I can tell that clotting has begun but he's not out of danger yet. In the meantime..."

Yosef turned to the other Pirate, who had lost consciousness due to his exhaustion. He took out a vial of glucose, medicinal sugars, from his briefcase and fed it to the unconscious man. "Stack: Energizing Effect — Threefold." In doing so, the sugars that had spread across his bloodstream would act far more potently than even a stream of fluids, which served to stabilize his heartbeat and body's condition.

"Right, back to you." Yosef said, as he got out a pair of sterilized scissors, scalpel, needle and stitching thread. He placed them all on a towel near Veno's body as he began to stitch up the wound in his pectoral. He was forced to cut off all the excess skin peeling off it and began to clean it with an cotton bud covered with an antibiotic agent. Continuing to perform this delicate procedure, he eventually concluded through stitching up the open wound and ensuring that no bleeding was occurring.

In addition, Yosef slowly worked on the stomach. The attack didn't appear to be external; internal injuries were definitely apparent. However, from a brief scan, he wasn't able to detect any internal bleeding. Nevertheless, he had to take precautions given that he did not have the equipment to perform an. And so he placed his hand on Veno's stomach and spoke, "Negative Stack: Internal Bleeding — Twofold." In doing so, he seemingly was able to momentarily hold off any internal bleeding until he was capable of dealing with it.

"Crewmen, these three are in stable condition. You are able to transport them to my clinic now. Please, follow me posthaste." Yosef disposed of his used gloves and cotton buds appropriately, sterilized his needles, scalpel and scissors with and proceeded to pack his suitcase yet again. He walked down to his clinic, which was in the center of town, but waited for the crewmen to follow suit with his patients in tow first.

The tavern was bustling with business from all spectrums of life. Rough carpenters, covered in scars which told their stories, flirted with beautiful barmaids. Women danced and sung songs of their ancestors. Laughter of children rang through the windows and mingled with the warmth of a clear, sun filled sky. Days upon this island were peaceful - or so the ebony skinned man could tell. He almost envied the bar's patrons who spent their lives among loved ones. Working for two treasures more valuable than the shiniest piece of metal, friends and family. Salazar smirked, chuckling at the thought of settling down.

"My aren't yah a quiet one. " A flirtatious voice made him jump. "Sorry for tha scare, darling. Name's Jade! Would ya like 'nother shot?"

Salazar's heart raced. His palms slimy with sweat as he met her gaze - only to turn his head immediately. How could such a beauty appear on this realm?! Salazar thought. "And why does she want to talk to me?"

"Sorry love?" She asked.

"Oh! Nothing! Um. I'll take...a...I don't know...give me something sweet...like you...I mean...something for this heat." Salazar mumbled. His jumbled words tumbled over a saliva covered tongue. But the barmaid seemed to laugh while rubbing his cheek.

"Come on up, Sunshine."

Salazar took a deep breath when she walked away and slammed his head against the table. "Why am I so helpless..." He asked. "That's right....I was cursed to die without love."

"Guys! Guys!" A man erupted. "Pirates have docked at the port!"

"Ey, old man. Calm down. There are always pirates who come and go. They're probably here to see the Doctor."

"Yes." The interrupted continued. "But these pirates...these pirates -"

"Spit it out old man!"

"They're the Veno Pirates! The one's from the newspaper!"

"Y-you mean the guy who killed the celestial dragon!" A woman screamed in joy. "Why aren't we celebrating?!" The bar erupted in cheers of joy and happiness. They laughed and sung, played happy tunes of victory and danced. Danced as if they were pounding against the graves of the slain celestial dragon himself. But the old man slammed his newspaper on the ground.

"Don't you idiots realize what this means?" He roared. "There is a combined bounty of 434 million beli on this island plus a public enemy of the World Government - I wouldn't be shocked if they Buster Call this island for helping him." Those two words killed the atmosphere. People gasped and trembled. Murmurs of agreement. Helping pirates were often overlooked by the marines for some odd reason...but this man shed the blood of the Gods who ruled this realm. He was perhaps the greatest enemy to the World Government. And now they appeared to be sheltering this fugitive.

"Here you go darling." Jade reappeared from the back and placed a sweet tea on the bar. "A sweetie for my sweetie."

"Thank you. Question. Where is this Doctor located?"

"Why? Don't you worry about this madness. Something's always going on here. It'll wash over soon enough."

"Not this one. You're all in danger. Tell me where he's located before this island is reduced to a battlefield." Salazar spoke without a tremble. His sureness sent imbued fear in her heart.

"U-um...it's near the docks. A small clinic off the town's square. Down the street and to the right."

Salazar nodded and reached into his pocket. He retrieved a rather large bag of Beli and placed it in her hand. "You've been the nicest person to me here! There's enough in here to buy a trip to anywhere in the world. Just in case something happens." As Salazar walked off, the barmaid was stuck in a mixture of confusion. But she loosened her clench on the bag and smiled.

"Something is telling me I won't need it. Knowing that you're here." She called out to him.

Salazar smiled at her final words - exiting the bar.