The world spun in a cold, dark vortex. The burning sensation in my lungs and the lingering salty taste on my tongue were the only real things.
"Where am I? And who am I?" My heart was filled with confusion and panic.
But amidst that confusion, a strange memory emerged: the God Valley War. The war that ended the Rock era, where Rock D. Xebec was defeated by the combined might of Garp and Roger. I was here, one year after that incident.
I, an individual from a strange future, found my soul trapped in the fragile body of a two-year-old toddler—Marshall D. Teach.
Panic and rage burned within me. I possessed knowledge of the future and the potential of the strongest Devil Fruit, yet I had to survive as a toddler in a cruel sea.
Despite my physical weakness, I felt a terrifying power. A dark presence pulsed through every fiber of my flesh, a void ready to absorb light.
Yami Yami no Mi. The Power of Darkness. I possessed it.
"Teach, are you awake?"
A soft, yet exhausted voice greeted me. It was Eris, my mother. Her face was scarred and worn out from days of drifting. Our small ship was nothing but a worn fishing boat.
"Mother," I responded, Teach's baby voice coming out hoarse. The word felt foreign, yet it radiated unexpected warmth.
"Thank goodness, son. I thought you'd never wake up." Eris hugged me tightly, tears soaking my tattered clothes.
We had been floating for weeks, lost in the West Blue seas without a compass. I knew, in my weakened state, we wouldn't last long.
Eris pointed east. "I've tried. But this ocean current... it's like something's pulling us."
Pulling us? This was the West Blue sea. I tried to focus Teach's senses, sensing a strange sensation. Not a normal water current, but a steady pull—gravity?
A few days later, the silhouette of land appeared in the distance. The closer we got, the stronger the gravitational pull I felt. Our ship was speeding along, pulled by an invisible force.
"Hold on tight, Mother!" I shouted, realizing this wasn't just a current.
Suddenly, our boat slammed into the rocky shore. We were thrown, and Eris hit the mast, falling unconscious. I felt a sharp pain, but Teach's body—somehow—held on.
I dragged myself out of the wreckage of the shattered ship. The air felt heavy, as if I were carrying an invisible weight. I quickly dragged Eris to safety.
When my vision returned, I stared at the scene before me. The island was divided, as if torn apart by fate itself.
To the left, the landscape was dark brown and black. Large rocks seemed to be pressed down as if struck by a giant hammer. This was the High Gravity Zone—each object had 10 times its normal mass.
To the right, the landscape was dominated by pale blue. Large fragments of rock floated calmly in the air, almost reaching the sky. A waterfall seemed to cascade upward. This was the Low Gravity Zone—almost massless.
A chasm cut through the island, where a vortex of purple and lime green energy swirled chaotically—a deadly Gravity Fault Line.
Gravity Fault Island. An impossible place, a place that challenges the laws of physics. I stared at the strange sight, feeling exhaustion hit me again, and my consciousness began to fade.