It was a warm morning, birds chirped and the air hummed with a soothing breeze—calming and enchanting. Outside, gathered together in a training ring surrounded by stone—stood Kaizen.
His body, though young, revealed an extreme mixture of bulk and lean for his age. Drenched in sweat, his body moved in a precise, controlled manner. He would throw jabs, kicks and then—to counter, reverse his standard techniques and engineer them into a more sophisticated yet sharp blow seemingly reversing the flow of incoming blows.
His body didn't look his age one bit, that alone showed his physical potential. The Knights overseeing the training of the youths observed silently.
Their gazes were incredulous, sharp and analytical.
Eyes that were smothered in coldness.
Some may call it frost.
Far too intense to call gentle observers—and yet, the children along with Kaizen didn't seem to mind. Their minds were far too focused on what they were doing.
Focused too deeply in their training. Kaizen, continued his training as normal, refraining from going as intensely as his heart truly desired.
'I've garnered enough knowledge thus far to know the era I was sent into. The Great Pirate Era. Luffy should be a little younger than I am right now, a year at most.
...Must I truly wait until I'm of age to leave this place?' His inner thoughts betrayed the expression on his face.
His mind raced between choices yet still falling between two, almost inevitably.
'Train without a care, as intensely as I could.'
'Or—Hinder myself and fall short of my true abilities…'
Minutes felt like hours, his body instinctively moving at this point, his mind completely ignoring the fact that he now wore weighted bracelets on all far limbs.
A wicked smile peeked from the corner of his lips—it seemed he had decided.
'Fuck you, you old fuckers! Intense and mad! That's my motto from now on, I'll face everything life throws at me with that!'
His body moved with a strong burst of energy, each blow now seemingly tearing at the air itself, the wind howling and screaming at every blow. His peers looked on in shock, the Knights? A newfound grimness—Definitely, reporting such happenings back to their leaders.
The day went on and like so, everyday did. Kaizen would wake, train in new ways almost everyday. He tempered his Haki, both Armament and Observation—Tested his limits with the Rokushiki and ate as much protein as he was fed.
But as he progressed, and his strength increased—the Gorosei grew wary. Their already minimal responses turned even colder and more distant. Kaizen saw, he heard and he knew. His time was coming.
The seed of obsession and madness he had influenced on himself that day, had begun sprouting. Weeks turned into months and in the blink of an eye.
Years.
Through these years that came and went, Kaizen heard whispers. Whispers of his origins. Dreams of a place from a time forgotten—no, erased.
The Void Century.
He no longer refused and rejected his visions, his dreams. He embraced them as he began to realize at age ten, he was far different from the average monster. His blood, his bones, his entire biology screamed at him. He did not belong to this era. His biology felt older, ancient.
This discovery of himself only pushed that seed within. His obsession grew and with it, his entire being. He was now seventeen years of age—but if you looked at him you'd think that was some sort of joke. Kaizen, now seventeen years old, stood at a stunning 7 feet, 6 inches tall.
His body was forged with large, sculpted muscles—his dark skin shimmering with a sheen that told stories of hardships and discipline. His hair black yet tainted with streaks of white was tied into a ponytail that added an elegance to his barbaric form.
His eyes however were his sharpest feature. With a face sculpted as though his forefathers were of ancient Greek Gods, his eyes accentuated perfectly. Cold and sharp, his pure white eyes showed nothing but a pair of white sclera. Though they lacked pupils—they did not lack emotion.
Currently, Kaizen stood at the center of two large beasts. A Twin-Headed Serpent and a Three-Eyed Lion. The massive stature of these beasts dwarfed him, made him look like an ant even with his massive size.
Yet, Kaizen showed no change in expression. His gaze sharpened, and just like that his muscles flexed.
—Boom!
An explosion, or what should have been one, sounded. Yet there was no sort of blaze or large AOE impact. Just the sound of a stifled explosion—One that came from nothing more than mere muscles.
And just like that Kaizen vanished.
—Disappeared as though the world wanted him out of existence.
"Shigan—"
A deep, husky voice grunted quietly. It was all the beasts could hear as their bodies were pierced decisively. Mere seconds passed, and Kaizen appeared once more between the two. Their bodies frozen and his right middle finger coated in warm blood.
Thud!
Thud!
Heavy thuds suddenly shook the place as each beast dropped to the ground—dead.
Shaking off his finger, he approached both beasts lifting each casually over his shoulders.
He then marched forward as though it was a casual Tuesday for him.
Arriving back at the Training Base, the other trainees saw him approach and said nothing more as their eyes followed the two small mountains atop each of his shoulders.
They had long since grown numb to the monstrous strength belonging to Kaizen. They just kept to themselves and continued their own training.
A few hours soon blurred by—
The atmosphere was now filled with a delicious aroma, both beasts seasoned and cooked to perfection. This was his daily intake. Calories that amounted in the hundreds of thousands. Such a bizarre and unbelievable amount.
"Thank you for the meal." With his hands clasped together, he began to dig in.
Though, moments into his meal he had to stop for a moment's notice. His Observation Haki sensed a powerful presence approaching. He did not panic however, as he saw there was no unfamiliarity in the approaching person's presence.
Just calm and calculated stoicism.
Moments later, the heaving clanking of armor approached. It was a Knight—here to deliver news that only a specific group would allow.
Kaizen did not even bother glancing over—continuing his meal as he tore into a massive lion leg. "What now?" He asked—cold and detached. He did not mingle much in the unnecessary.
The Knight scrutinized this, his eyes squinting as he observed the barbaric scene before him. "The Elders wish to see you." He ordered—not requested but plain demanded.
"They shall wait. My meal has not finished."
Kaizen's reply irked the Knight, a vein bulging at his temple, his voice quaking at the next delivery of a sentence.
"Insolence! Trainee Kaizen this is a direct order! You are to report immediately to—"
Vwoom!
A pressure so immense was suddenly released. Not conqueror's haki just aura. Kaizen's eyes hung low—too low. His milky white eyes warped with a madness like no other. At this moment he commanded the room, "I said they will wait. Another word and I shall have your liver as dessert."
Shudder—
A cold chill sprung out into the Knight's body, the color fading from his face. Knees buckled, hair stood on end and body sweating literal buckets.
…Gulp
"I'll relay the message, Sir Kaizen.." His face contorted, embarrassed and angered yet too afraid to say. He retreated into the Hall—heading straight to the room of gathering.
——
"That brat." Saint Topman Warcurry whispered, black and red lightning crackled faintly around his body as he whispered those words of anger.
"Nevermind it Warcurry, he's merely a brat that's head is too big for him. This meeting is necessary, I mean it." Saint Jaygarcia Saturn interrupted.
"Agreed."
"Seconded."
Hmph— Saint Topman Warcurry blew a huff at his mustache, his eyes fixated towards the door.
Moments blurred.
Soon—those very doors swung open in a slow and controlled manner.
"Enter, Kaizen." Cold—So familiar yet so cold, a tone despised by Kaizen.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro commanded. Kaizen entered, his hands in his pockets, muscles quaking under his calm movements. His head hung high, his eyes low.
A shackled monster approaching his chains. The irony.
Kaizen maintained eye contact with each, his figure soon arriving at the center of the room.
"....You called?" His tone was neither respectful nor out of line. It was casual. Too casual however for their personal liking.
"Hmph, your arrogance can only be tolerated to a certain extent—boy." Saint Shepherd Ju Peter voiced. His presence leaked out, enveloping the room.
Kaizen's eyes narrowed, a pressure of his own gathering, preparing itself to erupt. Even though he was of no match for these powerhouses, he'd rather die a futile attempt rather than kissing ass.
As he grew, his unknown origin no longer allowed his will to waver in the face of adversary.
"Enough." A voice cut through the thick atmosphere, commanding authority. Saturn's voice eased the tension momentarily.
"And you, Kaizen. Enough of this arrogance. You should know the only reason we have let you get this far—this strong, is because you're an anomaly, a useful one—"
"—And today, we have a use for you." Cold yet nowhere near false. Saint Jaygarcia Saturn voiced nothing but the truth.
Even so, Kaizen could not help but silently grind his teeth. 'Fuckers—' he thought.
"So, what must I do?" He laid it out bare.
"A retrieval mission—and your first test as the trainee of the Holy Knights recruit programme with the highest potential thus far." Saint Topman Warcurry said.
He then added, "Prove your worth to us, to the Celestial Dragons. You have the potential to succeed in this mission, under no circumstances are you allowed to fail, do I make myself clear?"
"Tsk, sure do." Kaizen brushed off his warning, yet the tension within only built itself up.
"...What exactly am I retrieving?" He asked.
Silence—heavy and impactful was the first thing he thought as he received silence as an answer to his question. He couldn't help but get serious.
Seeing that Kaizen was finally taking things seriously, Saint Marcus Mars, for the first time since the beginning of this meeting spoke.
"You'll be entering one of the Forbidden Zones, two CP teams shall accompany you along with two navy ships of high combatant soldiers. You'll be given a list of fractured artifacts to retrieve from these ruins—gather all successfully and return. That is all."
His voice was rough, his orders direct. Kaizen said nothing, but his expression spoke many words. A few seconds shimmered by, Kaizen then made his decision.
"Alright.."
"—I'll do it."
As Kaizen went with it, something whispered to him once more. He had a feeling that this journey was necessary. He didn't know why but it felt as though someone or something was calling out to him.
That alone was enough for him to want to get out and begin his unravelling of truths.
"Very good, prepare yourself—you leave in ten days. Dismissed." A content Saint Topman Warcurry ushered out with controlled words.
His response got on the good side of his observers, their moods lifted with his acceptance of this task.
Kaizen paid them no more, simply bowing and turning, taking his leave immediately.
Preparation begins—!