Alone on a Sandy Shore

In a dark wooden cabin lit by the light of the candles at the side of the room, a pompous man was sitting on a grand chair, holding a mutton leg with one hand and chewing it, while the other hand held a mug filled with rum, as he listened to the injured man in front of him. The more he listened, the sourer his expression turned, and before the other person could complete his words, he hit the person slamming him into the floor.

"How dare you tarnish my name like that?"

The poor man was KO-ed, his consciousness flying away with a single hit.

The big man shouted "You couldn't even handle such a simple task and returned after losing to a small boy. So what if he is a devil fruit user? He doesn't stand a chance near the Great Red Skull Pirates."

"Tonight we will attack with our entire crew of thousand and destroy this village. Boy, you did a mistake. I will now show you how a real pirate fights."

Hearing their captain, the pirates started running here and there to prepare for the night assault.

-:- Scene Change -:-

It was already late at night and everyone was returning to their homes. The day has ended for this small town and the only thing left to do of the day was to eat a delicious dinner and go to sleep. But a young boy was sitting all alone on the sandy beach looking at the starry sky and the waves below.

Seth could go back to Uncle Johnny's but he just didn't want to owe him anymore, nor anyone in the village. So all he could do was spend his time somewhere until he could figure something out.

But as it grew darker, the temperature turned colder but Seth wasn't a bit affected as he had donned a shroud of feathers which was keeping him warm. It was one of the abilities of his devil fruit. The feathers act as an insulator that would interrupt the exchange of heat, thus maintaining the temperature on both sides.

Seth looked at the waves reminiscing all that had happened after he had arrived in this world. At start, there was nothing except for sailing but slowly it became a torture and then suddenly being drifted to this island only to find that it was the hometown of Luffy.

"So many things happened today" he smiled.

Being arrived here, he ate the devil fruit granting him the abilities of an owl, then meeting Makino and Luffy succeded by the fight with the pirates who tried to loot the Partys Bar.

(I just hope they don't do anything.)

But back in his mind, he knew something was going happen. It was typical for villains to retaliate to satiate their ego.

(Should I go and defeat the pirates?)

With his strength, it shouldn't be a problem. Currently, ability-wise, he should be a little stronger than Luffy before he had entered the Grand Line which means that no one in the East Blue should be able to defeat him. And having eaten a Zoan class devil fruit, his physical traits are far stronger, so a direct fight would give him an advantage.

(But I am still new to this power and haven't assimilated with it. I may have the knowledge but that doesn't mean I can use it fully. If it is for a short period of time like in the morning, I may be able to execute it without a hitch or if it is like now when I have ample amount of time to adjust my power, then I can do it. But fights aren't that easy. One should know how to control one's power and carefully use it, not too much nor too less. One mistake and I may lose my life.)

Seems like the only thing he could do now was pray that things wouldn't escalate. If they did, at very least, he was sure that Luffy will be able to take care of it. But that didn't mean, he will not join in. He wanted to but he was hestitant to take charge.

He laid back on the sand looking at the moonless sky.

(Am I even suited to be a pirate?)

When he first arrived he believed he will lead a strong crew like the Straw Hats, have fun, journey together and create a legend. He was sure that he will outgrow everyone and create miracles in the world. But when reality hit him, his dreams and convictions are starting to waver.

But there was something else deep within his heart that was fueling this doubt. It was fear. Fear of helplessness that he had felt all this time when he had no food, no direction and could only wait for death. Unbeknownst to him, this feeling was eating away his confidence. Seth may not know this but the reason he didn't help Makino until Luffy was in dire position was not just because he wanted to see Luffy in action, but because he didn't have the confidence that he could fight as good as Luffy did. Seth may not believe that but it was the truth. This feeling was also hindering his devil fruit abilities. If only he could get over it, he will grow so strong that he will leave Luffy in the dust. But this was something he had to tackle one day, all by himself. If he wanted to live in this cursed world, he will have to grow, else he will be washed away.

As he was lying down, he saw something glowing. He rose up to see a few houses and buildings on fire a little far away from where he was.

It was very clear what could have happened, especially since it was in the direction of the Partys Bar. Seth gritted his teeth in anger. He knew that this would happen, but he was just wasting his time here reminiscing.

"Pirates" he murmured and ran towards the fire.