Chapter 14-god valley 3

Third person POV

Blood-red eyes glowed, and he stood tall, cracks forming under his feet with every step he took, The pirates froze in terror, they could hear their own heat beat thumping faster than normal.

"Since you guys like to follow the law of the Jungle, then allow me to enforce that rule unto you," Yami said coldly, grinning.

And then he moved.

The air boomed as Yami launched forward, explosions roaring at his feet. Smoke and heat filled the clearing as his quirk propelled him like a living bomb. The three pirates barely had time to react.

Boom!

The first pirate was blasted backward, slamming into a tree with a sickening crunch. The second lunged forward with a desperate yell, swinging his fist toward Yami's head.

Yami ducked effortlessly. "Too slow," he muttered, his palm sparking.

Ka-boom!

The explosion sent the second man spiraling through the air, landing with a lifeless thud. The last pirate trembled, sweat pouring down his face.

"N-No… Please, man, I—"

Yami didn't even let him finish. He kicked the last pirate slave and it connected on the pirate's slave face, an explosion rippling out on impact. The man crumpled to the ground, head gone from his body.

Yami dusted off his hands, his face expressionless. "That's that."

He turned to Kuma, who stood frozen like a deer caught in headlights.

"You okay, kid?" Yami asked, his voice rough but concerned.

Kuma's eyes widened, and without a word, he spun around and bolted.

"Hey—wait!" Yami called, but Kuma wasn't listening.

"Somebody help me!!, help me, he's going to kill me, the demon is going to kill me!!"

"Help me!"

"Help"

The young bear-like boy sprinted through the jungle, arms flailing wildly above his head while tears and snot were dripping comically. Branches scratched his skin, and vines tangled around his legs, but he kept running and then. . . .

Thud!

Plat!

Kuma's forehead met with the bark of a thick tree. His legs gave out beneath him, and everything faded to black.

"Jeez Louise kid, that's a nasty bump"

[3 hours later]

It was nighttime When Kuma came to sense his forehead head throbbed, his legs aching. The first thing he saw was Yami sitting beside him with a fire pit, arms crossed, and a faint smirk on his face.

"Smooth move back there kid," Yami quipped. "Running into a tree? Classic ."

Kuma groaned, sitting up slowly and leaning against the same tree that knocked him up. "Why… why didn't you kill me?"

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Why would I kill you? You're just a kid and besides you're just like me, a slave. . . and I can't let a kid get killed by scum." yami said while gesturing to the dead pirates in the distance.

Kuma rubbed his sore forehead. "You're not like the way I imagined you'd be. You're… strong and. . Kind."

Yami shrugged and was weirded out and was cut off guard by the compliment. "Uhh. . .Yeah, thanks, kid."

Then There was a long pause neither of them know how to start a conversation, that is until before Kuma whispered, "How did you become a slave, if you don't mind me asking?"

Yami exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing as he weighed his options. He knew he couldn't tell Kuma everything. But maybe a twisted small amounts of truth and a large amount of lie backstory would be enough to keep suspicion at him at bay, it's inevitable either his allies or enemies will see that yami can use multiple devil fruit like abilities without consuming a devil fruit.

"I was living a simple life," Yami began, voice low but steady. "Small village, peaceful enough… until it wasn't." His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms, playing into the part. "Some killers masked with white suits came, they. . . came out of nowhere. They Burned everything down. My family tried to fight back but they didn't make it not even my little sister was spared. And after eliminating the adults, Most of the children were taken alive."

Kuma's expression darkened with sympathy. "I'm sorry…"

Yami shook his head. "Save it. Sorry won't bring them back." He let the lie roll off his tongue smoothly. "After that, I thought I was done for. But the people in white suits had other ideas. They dragged me and the other kids to some secret lab."

Kuma's brow furrowed. "A lab?"

"Yeah," Yami said grimly.

"They said I was the most 'compatible' with their experiments. Whatever the hell that meant. They called it [project Green Blood]" He paused, letting the weight of the name sink in.

"It's this synthetic crap they use to mimic Devil Fruit powers without the side effects. They said if they could make it work, they'd have an army of super-powered soldiers, who didn't even need to eat real Devil Fruits."

Kuma then couldn't help himself but ask what happened after "So what happened after?"

 "They kept pumping me full of that crap and even put me in a vat container, thinking I'd either die or become their perfect soldier. Heh Guess I'm just too stubborn to die." He forced a wry smile. "Joke's on them, right?"

Kuma nodded slowly, though his jaw was tight with anger. "And then they sold you into slavery after all that?"

"Yeah," Yami lied smoothly. "Guess I wasn't useful enough to keep around, since I show the desired effects they wanted."

Kuma's expression softened, though curiosity flickered in his eyes. "Did you… awaken any of your Devil Fruit powers?" he asked hesitantly, as if unsure whether he should ask about a sensitive subject.

Yami shrugged casually, masking the tension creeping up his spine. "Yeah. The Bomb-Bomb Fruit, or something like that. Explosive stuff." He let out a dry chuckle. "Not exactly the friendliest power, but I make it work."

Kuma's eyes widened in awe with stars in his eyes. "Wow, that's so cool! "

"Heh, I Guess I'm just lucky to have a cool ability," Yami said with a smirk, keeping his tone light despite gaslighting a kid. "Though I wouldn't recommend taking the blasts head-on."

Both of them laughed for a while, and then There was a brief pause before Yami tilted his head toward Kuma. "What about you? You've been through hell too, haven't you kid?"

Kuma's smile faltered. He glanced down at his hands, dirt caked under his nails, with a sad expression etched on his face and tears swelled up. "I was born in Sorbet Kingdom," he said softly. "My dad's name was Clapp Bartholomew, he was a honest working man, He was very nice to everyone even to the other slaves. . . and my mother's name was Bonney Bartholomew, she took my father's last name. But what my dad told me is that when I was born, the doctors found out that me and my dad have buccaneers blood flowing in our veins and my dad begged the doctor who helped my mom during her birth, to not report us to the world government, that they just wanna live peacefully. But the doctor either didn't listen or didn't care, he leaked our heritage and sold out me and my parents to the World Government."

Yami frowned, sensing the raw pain beneath Kuma's words.

"They took us away," Kuma continued. "Made us slaves for the Celestial Dragons. We worked all day, got beaten all night, . My dad used to say I had to be strong, even when they hurt us, even when they killed my mom." His voice cracked. "He said that the Warrior of Liberation, Nika, would come one day. That Nika would save us."

"Nika?" Yami asked, faking curiosity.

Kuma's eyes lit up like a child talking about his favorite hero. "Yeah! Nika was supposed to be this warrior who dances and laughs while freeing people. He fights so nobody has to suffer anymore. Dad said I should always listen to the beat of his heart, even when things were bad."

Yami swallowed the lump in his throat. For a moment, he could see the innocent kid Kuma was beneath the scars and trauma.

Kuma's voice grew quieter. "He used to dance and sing for me, even when they hurt him. But one day… they shot him, just because he was being too loud!."

The air grew heavy with silence. Yami clenched his fists, real fury bubbling beneath the surface.

"I'm sorry, Kuma," Yami said softly.

Kuma forced a small, brave smile. "It's okay. I just… I still believe Nika's out there somewhere. Maybe not at this time, but he will appear, I believe in him!."

Yami nodded, respecting the boy's unshakable hope. "Maybe he will appear," he said, his voice steadier. "And until he shows up, we've got each other. That's gotta count for something, right."

Kuma's smile widened. "Heck Yeah. It does!."

Then Yami took a deep breath, his blood-red eyes gleaming with determination. "I've made up my mind," he declared firmly, cutting through the weight of the moment. "We're getting off this damn island—and I'm not talking about just us. I'm talking about everyone. Every single slave will get a shot at freedom again and only the innocent ones will escape."

Kuma blinked, stunned by the boldness of the statement. "That's… impossible," he stammered. "There's no way. The na, the Celestial Dragons, the admirals—they'll kill us all before we take two steps off this island."

Yami's grin widened, almost reckless. "Yeah? Well, I've survived worse. And I'm not planning to die here." He stepped closer, eyes fierce. "But I'll need help. I can't do this alone."

Kuma's brow furrowed. "Help?"

"Yeah," Yami nodded seriously. "I'm asking you to be my right-hand man kuma." He extended his hand toward Kuma. "What do you say?"

For a moment, Kuma stared at Yami, wide-eyed. Then a spark lit up in his gaze. Yami's unyielding resolve reminded him of the stories his father had told—the tales of Nika, the Warrior of Liberation. In his mind's eye, for just a fleeting second, Kuma imagined what Nika might look like. The vision stood beside Yami, laughing and free, with an aura that promised salvation.

The boy's heart raced. He didn't hesitate. "Yes!" Kuma shouted excitedly, gripping Yami's hand with surprising strength. "I'll do it! I'll be your right-hand man!"

Yami smirked. "That's the spirit, kid."

But then Kuma's expression grew thoughtful. "But there's someone I want to find first. Her name is Ginny… she's my childhood friend. We got separated when we were brought here."

Yami raised a brow, his grin turning mischievous. "Childhood friend, huh? Or is she your crush, hhhhmmmmm?"

Kuma's face instantly flushed a deep red, with smoke coming out of his ears. He waved his arms frantically, his voice high-pitched in protest. "N-No! It's not like that! She's just my friend!"

Yami burst out laughing. "Hahaha Damn, you're blushing like crazy! You sure that you don't have feelings for her?"

Kuma huffed, crossing his arms while his face remained beet red. "Shut up!"

Still chuckling, Yami clapped him on the shoulder. "Alright, alright. Let's find her first. Then we can figure out the whole escape plan thing."

Kuma nodded eagerly, the embarrassment fading from his face, replaced by renewed determination. "Yeah. Let's do it, but stop calling me kid, we're both kids" Kuma said with a humph.

"Yeah but I'm older than you by 4 years, that means you are still a kid while I'm a teen" yami said with a smug smile on his face.

Then Yami stood up, stretching. "But First, we need to rest and tomorrow we will look for your childhood crush and then snowball from there."

Kuma chuckled weakly while blushing. "Got it, boss"

To be continued. . . . .

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