The morning air was cold.
Too cold for comfort.
Kevin stood barefoot in the training yard before sunrise, gripping his wooden sword tightly. His arms were still sore from yesterday, but he didn't stop.
He couldn't afford to.
"Again."
He swung.
Clumsy.
Slow.
Unbalanced.
"Too wide."
A voice came from behind.
Kevin didn't turn.
"I know."
Koushirou stepped forward, calm as ever.
"If you know, then fix it."
Kevin adjusted his stance and swung again.
This time—
Sharper.
More controlled.
Koushirou watched silently.
"Your body is weak," he said. "But your mind moves ahead of it."
Kevin exhaled.
"…That obvious?"
"Yes."
There was no praise in his voice.
Only truth.
Kevin lowered his sword.
"I don't have time."
Koushirou's eyes sharpened slightly.
"No one does. That is why we train."
Kevin clenched his jaw.
"You don't understand."
He couldn't explain it.
How could he?
That pirates like Shanks existed.
That monsters like Enel could destroy entire lands.
That someday, a boy named Monkey D. Luffy would shake the world.
And he…
Was just a weak kid with a stick.
"Show me," Koushirou said suddenly.
Kevin blinked.
"What?"
"Your urgency."
Kevin froze for a second.
Then—
He rushed forward.
His feet dug into the dirt.
His arms screamed in protest.
But he ignored it.
Swing.
Step.
Swing again.
Faster.
Harder.
More desperate.
Koushirou blocked every strike with ease.
But his expression changed.
Slightly.
Kevin wasn't just attacking.
He was fighting like his life depended on it.
Clack!
Their swords locked.
Kevin pushed forward, trembling.
"I can't be weak…"
His voice was low.
Almost breaking.
For a moment—
Koushirou saw something dangerous in the boy's eyes.
Not talent.
Not ambition.
Something darker.
Fear.
Then—
Kevin's strength gave out.
His sword slipped.
And he collapsed to his knees.
Panting.
Sweating.
Shaking.
"…That is enough," Koushirou said.
Kevin stayed silent.
"Strength is not gained in panic," Koushirou continued. "You will break yourself before you grow."
Kevin laughed weakly.
"…Then I'll just grow faster than I break."
For the first time—
Koushirou smiled.
Just a little.
"You remind me of someone foolish."
From the side, a familiar voice interrupted.
"You're still weak."
Kevin didn't need to look.
It was Shimotsuki Kuina.
She stepped forward, wooden sword resting on her shoulder.
"You train early now?" she asked.
Kevin stood up slowly.
"…Couldn't sleep."
Kuina stared at him.
"You're thinking too much again."
Kevin smirked.
"You're hitting too hard again."
"Want to test that?"
He raised his sword.
"Always."
They clashed again.
But this time—
Something was different.
Kevin moved smarter.
Less wasted motion.
Less hesitation.
Kuina noticed immediately.
"…You changed."
"I told you," Kevin said, breathing steadily. "I don't have time."
Clack!
Their swords collided again.
Kevin stepped to the side—
A move he never used before.
Kuina missed.
Just barely.
Her eyes widened.
But in the next second—
She adjusted.
Faster than him.
Thud!
Kevin hit the ground again.
"…Still weaker," she said.
But her tone wasn't mocking.
Kevin stared at the sky.
"…Yeah."
He didn't argue.
Didn't complain.
Didn't make excuses.
That… bothered her more.
"You'll lose like this," Kuina said.
Kevin turned his head.
"To you?"
She shook her head.
"To the world."
Silence.
Kevin slowly sat up.
"…Then I'll just beat the world first."
Kuina frowned.
"…Idiot."
But she smiled again.
Later that day…
Kevin walked through the village alone.
The sound of waves echoed in the distance.
Children laughed.
Villagers talked.
Everything felt… peaceful.
Too peaceful.
His eyes scanned everything.
Automatically.
Instinctively.
"Food stalls… small shops… no guards…"
If pirates attacked—
This place would fall in minutes.
"…Weak."
He stopped walking.
Something felt off.
The wind shifted.
Then—
A scream.
Kevin's head snapped toward the coast.
Another scream.
Louder.
Closer.
"…No way."
He ran.
Fast as his small legs could carry him.
Through the village.
Past confused villagers.
Toward the shore.
And what he saw—
Made his blood run cold.
A ship.
Black flag.
Cannons.
Smoke.
Pirates.
"They're early…"
Kevin's voice trembled.
This wasn't supposed to happen yet.
Not here.
Not now.
Villagers were running.
Some were already captured.
Others…
Didn't move at all.
Kevin's hands shook.
This wasn't training.
This wasn't sparring.
This was death.
A pirate grabbed a villager by the collar.
"Hand over the money!" he shouted.
"No money, no life!"
Kevin took a step forward.
Then stopped.
"…I can't win."
There were too many.
Too strong.
Too brutal.
His mind screamed at him to run.
But his body didn't move.
Another scream echoed.
Kevin's vision darkened.
"I know this…"
His memories surfaced.
Scenes of violence.
Of power.
Of monsters ruling the sea.
"…This is the real world."
Not anime.
Not a story.
Reality.
And he was weak.
Kevin clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his skin.
"…No."
He stepped forward.
Even if he couldn't win—
He couldn't stand still.
A pirate noticed him.
"Huh? A brat?"
The man laughed and walked toward him.
Kevin raised his wooden sword.
His arms trembled.
His breathing was uneven.
But his eyes—
Did not waver.
"Get lost," the pirate said, swinging casually.
Kevin moved.
Too slow.
The strike hit him.
Hard.
He was thrown to the ground.
Pain exploded through his body.
His vision blurred.
"…So this is it…"
The pirate raised his weapon again.
"Die quietly."
Kevin couldn't move.
His body refused.
His strength…
Wasn't enough.
"…I need power…"
His consciousness faded.
And in that darkness—
Something answered.
A whisper.
Cold.
Ancient.
"Do you seek death… or control over it?"
Kevin's eyes widened slightly.
"…Both."
Silence.
Then—
Laughter.
Not human.
Not alive.
"Then survive… until I reach you."
Everything went black.
Far away…
Deep within the sea…
A strange fruit pulsed faintly.
Waiting.