"...why?"
A question lingered, a voice unanswered. The voice belonged to that of a young teenager. His body lay flat on the ground as it was continuously pummelled with strikes from several other high schoolers his age. His head shielded by his own arms, whereas his body coiled into a fetus position.
Blood flowed from his nose and mouth, yet his eyes remained dead and unreactive. His hair dishevelled and torn, meet Kaizen Rend, a victim of intense bullying.
The main antagonist at this moment, the sole leader of this gang of thugs raised his hands. His actions momentarily stopped all other thugs' actions- displaying his authority over them.
His face, average yet mean, twisted into a sneer of disdain. A toothpick poked at his teeth as he spoke, "Kaizen.. you piece of lowly garbage- did I not tell you to start bowing every morning to me? What's the meaning of your previous actions? You're trying to disobey me or sum'?"
Kaizen listened with silence. His mind calm, his being accustomed to being abused by the world. He rose up a flicker of madness in his eyes-
His life was nothing but pain. His own parents suicide after his bullies had their family use their money and power to humiliate them and make them lose their jobs. Kaizen lost all hope for reality after that event. His eyes no longer wished to see what was shown to him, but rather what he could have uncovered.
Kaizen inadvertently became an observer seeking truth. As his eyes landed on the group in front of him that had now gathered together to face him, a singular feeling emerged from his chest. Not hatred or resentment. No- not those feelings anymore.
Only a pure desire for annihilation. And so, he responded to that feeling. The knife he had tucked away within his sleeve, preparing to end his own life with, slipped out as he equipped it efficiently.
No one had noticed it at the moment, and so the head of the thugs approached him disregarding any means of retaliation from Kaizen. Hands in his pocket, his eyes dripping with a touch of madness. "The fuck is wrong with you? Should I kill you and send you off to meet your fucking parents? Or are you even certain to meet them in the afterlife? You know since their probably burning in hell as we spe-"
Shing!
His knife swung, brushing against the skin of his neck, slowly bursting open revealing the fresh gush of warm blood.
Gurgle!
His eyes reddened as his throat flowed. Eyes of fear, pure unrestrained fear watched in terror as a pair of black abyssal eyes stared into his soul unapologetically. Then there it was, the collapse.
"This isn't fully annihilation- but it's a start."
The other teenagers felt their minds reel and stop. What had just happened? They were scared- a real life murder? They never intended for things to even cross this point so how did one of their own end up receiving such an end?
Tsk-
Almost as if Kaizen could have heard their thoughts- he launched himself forward. Surprised by the sudden ambush, the other three thugs panicked. Their feet turned as they prepared to take off. But Kaizen's smaller frame allowed for greater agility.
He striked, stabbing like an unrestrained serial killer. Three to the head, two to the side and one straight into the other's temple. His face was cold yet observant- he gave a light hum.
"Mother, Father- I hope with this you at least get some rest." And so with those final words, his knife rose to his neck, and the same way he took his first life- he did to himself.
Slash!
His body then slumped, thudding against the cold blood stained ground, in a broken alley way where unwanted creatures gathered alike. Such a thing marked the end of his first journey but not of the other.
—-----------
"Interesting."
A singular word, nothing more nothing less yet so divine and filled with majesty unmatched.
It was heavy. Too heavy. Commanding and downright bonechilling–
Within a space of absolute darkness, where light feared invading– a being of massive proportions stood blanketed by that very immense darkness.
His eyes, intricate and rune filled, stared at the figure of Kaizen that lay unconscious before him- a soul that should not have been here in the first place.
'To have made it here— was this fate? Ever since I was casted out of the Reincarnation Governance Council, this is the first time a soul has made it to me.' The Elder God, amused and darkly excited, raised his hand as the heavy darkness began to warp.
"I grant you life. I see a future where you come back to me, where we are allies, where we annihilate the corruption of this system and reveal the truth to the Cosmic Pantheon."
"Enter, Kaizen Voidrend!"
Whoosh!
VWOOM-
Reality tore, Kaizen's unconscious soul was pulled into that reality tear, the Elder God left behind in that space of black, analyzing the entirety of his plan.
"I tore into his mind, that world in which he appreciated as a child, One Piece- I amplified its difficulty, rose its powerscales, now he is absolutely destined to become powerful enough for worldly conquest— that is good."
"I don't ever believe in mistakes. You appeared before me for a reason, seeking another chance at life. And I sensed it— that unwavering obsession with observing, annihilating the faults and uncovering the truth. That lust for uncovering things buried within your very being! I've waited eons for you, my soon to be friend— and soon I'll have my first ally!"
HUM!
The void sang under the weight of his pressure.
It churned and danced. Almost as though it would cry and beg within moments.
The terrifying power however was soon reeled in however as his eyes slowly closed back shut-
____________
On an island that stood atop the tallest mountain known, RedLine, there gathered a large group of children from age 3 to 8. Leading them was persons in bright, powerful and divine armor. These individuals, if one were to see them as they were right now, are known as Holy Knights!
Currently, the children are undergoing their routine training and education process. Among the young recruits however stood a tall and well built eight year old boy. His hair was black with some streaks of white, his pupil and sclera of pure white. His skin was a caramel brown.
His name was–"Kaizen."
A voice called out, stopping Kaizen from his current training. Kaizen stopped in his tracks and turned, looking up to the powerful Holy Knight, Atherion. His armor was a sleek and unique purple- currently his helmet was off revealing thin eyes, long silvery hair and a sharp and refined facial structure-
"Your training is coming along well. Out of all your peers you have excelled the most. The Gorosei wishes to meet with you this evening; you may relinquish yourself to your other duties readily. Dismissed."
His voice was controlled, monotone if you could even call it that. With a nod he walked away leaving Kaizen to his own thoughts, staring at the back of that giant Holy Knight.
'It's been eight years since I've been brought to this world. One piece- it still feels like a dream to me.' As he reflected, he turned and headed for his room under the watchful gaze of his peers.
'Since coming here I've been noticing oddities about myself. I sometimes have these dreams, these nightmares that seem far distant into the past. Then, from time to time I'll hear a voice calling out to me…'
'But something feels off— no it is off. I heard of areas forbidden on the Grand Line that I didn't see or hear about before. Thats what makes these dreams and strange happenings even more bizarre. '
'They call these areas the Forbidden Zones. Places that shouldn't have existed yet do. Scars, left behind by either failed ancient experiments or the Void Century.'
'I heard that you have only two options when meeting them, sail through it and evolve or die. If such is the case then I'll have to train harder, and be far more considerate of the threats to come. It seems this world is far different from the one I remember—'
By the end of his recountance he had arrived at his designated room. Hoping inside he went to prepare a bath whilst thinking about what to eat. Since coming here he had long since made peace with his past, accepting the death of his parents and the start of a new life.
'Since the Gorosei wishes to meet me, I'm certain I have a lore thats either useful to them or fucked to the point where I'm an entire threat to their system. For now, I'll be cautious-'
And like that noon came, it was finally time to meet the Five Elders.