Chapter 2: The Gluttonous Prince
The market island was a riot of color and noise. The air was a cacophony of vendors shouting, seagulls cawing, and the rhythmic clang of a blacksmith's hammer. The scent was an intoxicating mix of frying meat, sweet pastries, and salty sea air. It was a complete sensory overload. Kuro navigated the crowded streets with practiced ease, a shadow among the throngs of people. Roger, on the other hand, was a walking disaster. He clapped people on the back, tried to trade a half-eaten fish for a map, and laughed so loudly that people looked up from their stalls.
And then they saw him. A boy who seemed to be a force of nature unto himself. He was devouring a platter of roasted meat, his mouth a blur of motion. He had a wide, infectious grin and a hunger that seemed to defy the laws of physics. The vendor looked at him with a mix of awe and terror. The boy, who the vendor called "Prince," was on his third platter.
"Hey, where'd my meat go?! It was right there! I could feel it!"
He had just gone for the last piece, and it had simply… vanished. Kuro, hidden in the shadows of a nearby awning, let a slow, mischievous grin spread across his face. He'd used a small, focused tendril of his Yami Yami no Mi ability, not to steal the meat, but to pull it into a temporary void, only to release it a few seconds later. The meat reappeared, covered in a fine layer of dust, and landed with a soft thud on the ground.
"Must be a new kind of food-stealing… entity. You better eat faster before it gets the rest!"
Kuro called out, his voice feigning innocence with a smirk. The boy, Prince, looked around, his head swiveling, trying to find the source of the disembodied voice. He lunged for the meat, but another tendril of shadow snaked out, snagging a roasted chicken leg from his hand. This time, Kuro held it for a beat longer, making it pulse with a faint, dark energy. Prince's eyes widened. This was no ordinary thief.
The playful chase was on. Kuro's shadow repeatedly snatched food from Prince's plate, leading to a hilarious chase through the market as Prince, a blur of frantic energy, tried to catch the "invisible" thief. He crashed into a stack of barrels, sending them tumbling, and nearly knocked over a cart of fresh vegetables. Roger watched, his belly jiggling with laughter, a genuine, joyful sound that seemed to chase away the tension of the market. He didn't say a word, just watched the spectacle unfold.
[SYSTEM: INSIGHT – SUBJECT'S HUNGER IS NOT A PHYSICAL NEED. IT IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPULSION. SUGGEST DEEPER ANALYSIS.]
Okay, this isn't just a funny quirk. There's something more going on here. He's not hungry. He's desperate. I need to reframe this.
Kuro let the final piece of meat fall, and it landed with a soft thud. Prince, out of breath but intrigued, stopped his frantic chase and looked directly at the awning where Kuro was hiding. The game was over. The real conversation was about to begin.
The quiet alley behind the market smelled of damp stone and something vaguely metallic. The raucous laughter and the shouts of the vendors seemed a world away. Prince leaned against the wall, his chest rising and falling, a serious expression on his face. The cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by a quiet, almost sad resolve.
"What do you want? I don't have any food left to give you."
Kuro stepped out of the shadows, becoming solid once more.
"I don't want your food. I want your oath. A vow to find a world where you don't have to be hungry anymore."
Prince looked at him, confused.
"What are you talking about? Everyone's hungry."
Kuro shook his head.
"Not like you. Your hunger… it's not for food, is it? It's for something else. Something you can't get enough of."
A beat of silence hung in the air, thick with unspoken meaning.
[SYSTEM: INSIGHT - SUBJECT'S HUNGER FOR 'JOY' IS MISDIRECTED. SUGGEST NEW TARGET: PONEGLYPH.]
He's looking for joy. The System knows. My job is to give him a better target than a pile of food.
Prince's eyes went wide. He looked away, a flush creeping up his neck.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
But his voice was a lie. The cheerful mask was gone, and for the first time, Kuro saw the immense, crippling sadness beneath. It was an empty void, a gnawing, aching hunger that no amount of food could ever fill. He'd seen that void before, in his own reflection, in the quiet moments between late-night work binges.
Kuro took a step closer, his voice low and firm.
"That's what the System is for. It can help you make a vow. A promise to yourself. To find something else to fill that void. To find a different kind of joy."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"A promise to find a way to be happy, even when you can't be joyful all the time. To accept your past, and to live for a better future."
Prince looked up at him, a tear tracing a path down his cheek.
"A vow to… to find joy?"
"A vow to find a world where you don't have to be hungry anymore. A world that can make you whole."
Kuro held out a hand. Prince looked at it for a long moment, a battle raging in his eyes. He took a deep breath, and with a slow, deliberate movement, he took Kuro's hand.
"I vow… to find a world where I don't have to be hungry anymore."
[SYSTEM: VOW ACTIVATED - 'TO FIND A WORLD WHERE I DON'T HAVE TO BE HUNGRY ANYMORE.' VOW TAKER: PRINCE. VOW STATUS: SUCCESS.]
An intense wave of relief washed over him, followed by a sudden burst of energy. The mask was back, but this time, it was a real smile, a genuine expression of a boy who had just found a new purpose.
The galley of the Aurora Sovereign was a marvel of golden wood and brass fixtures. It was clean and functional, a proper home for a crew that was quickly becoming a family. The air was filled with the mouth-watering scent of roasted sea-beast, a feast to celebrate their new member. Roger and Prince were already in a full-blown argument over who got the last piece of meat.
"Get your hands off that! A captain needs his strength!"
"I'm the hungriest! You're just a drunkard, you don't need it!"
Kuro watched them from the doorway, a quiet, almost imperceptible smile on his face.
This is it. This is a crew. This is a family. Not a goal. A home. And that feels… right.
[SYSTEM: PROGRESSION - LEVEL 2, 2 VOWS. ABILITY: VOW ACTIVATION (GROUP) UNLOCKED.]
The playful banter turned serious as Roger and Prince, still bickering, talked about their next destination.
"We need a doctor," Roger said, wiping his greasy hands on his pants.
"Someone smart. Witty. With nimble fingers. A real miracle worker."
Prince, in a rare moment of seriousness, nodded.
"Yeah. A doctor who can heal more than just a broken bone. Someone who can heal a broken heart."
His gaze, for a fleeting moment, was far away, as if looking at something only he could see. They were not just building a crew; they were building a family of lost souls, of people who were broken in some way, who had a hunger for something more. Their next mission was clear. They needed to find a doctor. And they knew just where to look.