Memories

(One Month Later)

Bonney leaps into a large bush only seconds before a massive Goayu bird sweeps down at her position. Dirt and grass go flying as the bird's talons rip into the earth like it was tofu.

Boom!

Gem, who was nearby, seizes this opportunity to fire one of Kid's new 'Gem bullets' into the bird's neck. The resulting explosion blasts the feathers of the bird off, but do little damage to the actual bird.

Despite Gem's protests to the… labor conditions from which these bullets were made, he couldn't deny that they far eclipsed his booger bullets. Firing three more at the bird's wings, the large beat is finally grounded.

Bonney leaps back into the fray at this time, the hair on her right arm grows rapidly, wrapping around her arm. The hair hardens quickly growing many nail-like ridge which gives Bonney a massive, pink, barbed right arm.

"CHICKEN BELONGS INSIDE MY STOMACH!" Bonney roars, a crazed ferocity coming across her face. "Bonney Barrage!"

Bonney's massive fist punches into the bird's throat over and over like an automated piston. The dying bird squawks out in agony, begging for mercy, but Bonney would show her dinne… ahem, opponent none.

Another Goayu bird in the distance hears its fallen comrades cries and caws out in rage. Narrowing its eyes on Bonney, the bird quickly gains altitude before going into a hawk dive at Bonney.

"Bonney get out of the way!" Gem cries, firing three exploding bullets at the descending bird.

"Huh?" Bonney thought, turning around to see the bird, only a few meters away from her.

Slash!

Blood and feathers fly as a pair of dual blades rip through the Goayu bird's throat. Their wielder, looks down at the bird with apathy in his eyes.

"Those who target my comrades, will all die." Killer says emotionlessly, finishing the job his first strike had started by decapitating the bird.

Killer then turns to Bonney, clicking his tongue in irritation.

"An enemy will not announce their arrival, so one must always be on guard. As the captain says, 'head on a swivel'."

Killer then rushes after a few of the birds who had fled, trying to cut them down before they did more damage.

Bonney and Gem just watched his receding back with awe. While they were all technically the same rank, both Bonney and Gem knew that there was a gap between them and Killer. There was a similar gap between Killer and Kid, and an even larger gap between Kid and Rex.

Gem just sighed, looking down at his gun as if it were useless. Killer, who had no devil fruit was more than his match.

The two then return to the second branch, seeing as the remaining Goayu birds were fleeing from Killer.

When they returned, Bonney was cheered on by many, while Gem was shunned off to the side. The Torino tribe was a matriarchal people, with their political leaders and scientists mostly being women while their men tended to be soldiers.

The second branch had long been lively and joyous since the arrival of the King Pirates. With the King Pirates' protection, most citizens of the third and fourth branch had emigrated down to the second branch and finally got to enjoy their lives.

While the King pirates were not able to eliminate the Goayu threat entirely, they had severely dampened it.

Not to mention, Kid had been stationed down on the second branch for the entire month, avidly studying the science and technology of the Goayu people. Kid had found that he had an avid interest for engineering, something Rex had ridiculed him for, and had been studying nonstop to digest the island's technology.

As for Rex himself, he was spending every moment training. But, instead of fighting on the branch settlements like the rest of his crew, Rex had climbed to the upper reaches of the tree, bringing the fight to the Goayu.

When night falls, a massive shadow descends from the tops of the tree. It was Rex, wearing Big Pan's body.

On his back, Rex carried a massive bird almost four times his size that had already been plucked. Rex's chest was riddled with wounds as he looked like a soldier that had come from a deadly battlefield.

"Who's up for some Goayu nuggets?"

The senior officers sat around a crackling fire, feasting on the spoils of Rex's last hunt. Each one of them had look of orgasmic bliss on their faces as they licked the leftover oils on their fingers.

While Rex couldn't make much of attestation to the intelligence or the society of the Goayu, their taste was absolutely delicious. In fact, Rex had planned to use Bonney's fruit to breed the Goayu on a massive scale to eliminate the need for food stops.

"Hey captain, munch-munch, why couldn't you, munch-munch, have gotten a bigger bird? Munch-munch." Bonney gets out in the middle of devouring some Goayu nuggets.

"Yeah, this stuff's the best!" Gem says, enjoying some spicy Goayu wings.

Rex just smiles, shaking his head. Even the bird that he had fought had put up one hell of a fight. As for hunting some bigger prey, Rex wasn't strong enough for that.

"Where're Kid and Killer?" Rex asks, seeing as his two closest officers weren't at the picnic.

"Kid's been cooped up in the Torinoan science center for the past few weeks. The only time he goes out is to drain me dry of blood for his 'research'." Gem shivers.

Gem had tried escaping Kid, but Rex had mandated that all the crew wear customized iron bracelets at all times so Kid could find them. It was a safety measure, but Kid often abused his power.

"And Killer?"

"Munch-munch, he left to go train, munch-munch, when you showed up with the dinner!"

Rex nodded, realizing that his show of strength had likely motivated Killer to redouble his training.

Then, there is a strange silence for a while as both Bonney and Gem seem to want to ask Rex something, but don't know how to put it.

Eventually, Gem goes out and says it.

"Hey captain, what's the story between you, Kid and Killer?"

Rex is confused. "Well, you know the story, don't you? We all met up on Ricordo when we were kids."

"No." Gem shakes his head. "The story of why you three wanted to be pirates. The story of how it all happened."

Hearing this, Rex cannot help but feel a smile coming to his face. The memories of his 'youth' with Kid and Killer were among the most memorable in his life.

"Well, me and Kid always knew we wanted to be pirates. We grew up as orphans, so I guess there was no one to give us any moral education. But what's more is that there was just something, deep inside us that longed to go out and see the world. Like a pull, to the sea."

Rex struggled to define just why he wanted to be a pirate. Sure, he had watched the anime and found pirates to be cool and all, but there was something more to it.

Ricordo was dull, monotone. Rex could never live his life like that. Not when there was a potential for so much more.

"How about Killer then?"

"Killer's story… is a bit more complicated than that." Rex recalls.

"First thing you need to know about Killer is that he was once, a really loud kid…" Rex starts, going into the story.

(Four Years Ago)

Killer hauled a massive boar on his back, a long gash on its neck from his signature swords.

As he carried the boar down the mountain towards the village, Killer couldn't help but feel some pride. This was his first, solo kill.

Killer reaches Ricordo village after a few minutes, rushing to the butcher that Rex usually dealt with. Heaving the large boar onto the table, Killer looks up at the butcher expectedly.

"Well, what's it worth?"

The butcher quickly goes through a few measurements, before lifting nine fingers.

Killer nods, retrieving the nine thousand Berries worth of bills from the butcher. A wild excitement gleamed in his eyes as he thought of how he would spend them. Maybe he could invest in some better swords or some guns to make hunting easier.

Regardless, this was the first money Killer had ever made for himself. It would be put to good use.

"Oww! That hurts!" A young girl cries out being thrown down onto the ground by two boys.

"That's what you get, curry face!" One of the boys laugh.

"Here, taste some brown pepper!" Another jeers, kicking dirt into her face.

Killer frowns, thinking that these kids were being a bit too mean.

"Hey, why don't you leave her alone?" Killer asks. "I'm sure there's no need to be so rough."

"Who asked you, brat? You think just because you have some fancy swords you can stand up to us? You're nothing!"

"Faffaffaffa! My friends, I don't think we need to fight."

Suddenly, the two boys look at each other and then burst out in laughter. Even the girl on the ground giggles as she hears Killer's laugh.

"Is that supposed to be a laugh!? That's hysterical!"

"There goes your tough guy routine now, brat! But I'll let you leave just because that laugh was so funny!"

The three then keep laughing at Killer, ruthlessly, even the girl he had stood up for. Killer clenches his dual blades in anger, but turns around and leaves.

Killer then finds an alleyway where he ruthlessly pummels a wall with his fist. Welts form on his fist as it starts to bleed, but Killer keeps punching.

Eventually, Killer cools off his steam and sighs. It was better to attack the wall then hurt innocents.

Killer then gets started on his way home.

"Fuffyfuffyfuffyfuffyfu! Thank you, Village Chief, I also think my laugh is the best sound in the world!" A boisterous voice calls out. "Unfortunately, I think I heard your daughter laughing at it!"

Killer turns his head to see a large, bull-like man grinning as a crowd of villagers cowered in fear. He notices many of them are complimenting him and imitating his weird laughter to placate him.

"No, lord Fuffy, no one would dare laugh at your honored and dignified laugh. Rena, she was just admiring it. She said that it sounded like a choir of angels!"

"Oh, she did, did she? Fuffyfuffyfuffyfuffyfu! Then why is she laughing right now! I'll have her head for this!"

Fuffy heaves a large club, getting ready to swing it.

"I don't think that is needed." Killer says, stepping up silently.

"Oh and who are you, brat?" Fuffy says, staring at Killer with a menacing glare. "I don't remember a brat like this in my village."

"Lord Fuffy, he is just one of the three mountain children who have been hunting for the village. If he displeases you, we can have him killed immediately." The village chief says, the other villagers hurriedly agreeing.

"What!? You think I, Fuffy the bandit king, need your help to beat up a kid?" Fuffy roars. "Fuffyfuffyfuffyfuffyfu! If it wasn't for the protection money you've been paying me. I would kill you all!"

"Of course, Lord Fuffy, I understand!"

"No, I don't think you do. This is two strikes now, and the great Fuffy is not a generous man. I just hope your successor is aware of who holds the real pow…"

Slash!

Fuffy's head goes flying through the air as a fountain of blood spews out of his neck. Killer looks down on him with disgust.

"Always stay on guard. Even animals know that. Your arrogance was the cause of your death. Head on a swivel."

The villagers are in shock for a moment, before they all look at Killer with fear in their eyes. They had just offered to kill him for Fuffy, what would he do to them.

Then, one of the boys from earlier, recalling Killer's laugh, decides to do what the village used to do with Fuffy.

"Lord Killer, your laugh is so great. Faffaffaffa!"

The other villagers hear this and parrot it immediately as dozens of fearful voices cry out 'Faffaffaffa!' on repeat. Killer just clenches his sword and walks away.

(Four Years Later)

"The End!"

"Eh!?" The officers ask curiously.

"What kind of ending was that?" Gem roared out.

"What did Killer do? Did he kill them all after that?" Bonney asks.

"Did he poison their meat?" Shelly offers.

"Or maybe he cut off their body parts and fed them to themselves."

"No, he let them go." Rex said.

"Then how is that the story of how he became a pirate?"

Rex smiles. "Because, after that day, Killer vowed to be so strong that no one would dare laugh at his laugh. Just like Fuffy, but even stronger."

After those words, Rex gets up, patting some dust off his body as he leaves the picnic. He climbs up to a much higher branch, taking advantage of the height to look up at the starry night sky, unobscured by the clouds.

"Hey Gem, what do you think the stars are made of?" Rex asks hearing a panting Bonney and Gem drag their bodies up to the branch he was on.

The two of them look at Rex with a seething hatred, for having left without finishing his story properly.

"You-" Bonney starts.

"They're made up of explosions you know. Explosions millions of times more potent than anything else in the world." Rex says dreamily. "Why do you think there are pirates in this world?"

Bonney and Gem pause in their thoughts, curious about the question that seems to come from nowhere.

"Well, maybe it's because the World Government taxes people a bunch and they don't like it so they go at to sea to make a living." Bonney offers.

"Nah, I think it's 'cos people are greedy bastards, every one of them. They just want stuff they don't have any right to have." Gem says. "Except you of course captain."

"Mhmm." Rex says, staring up at the starry sky motionlessly.

There is an odd silence for a few minutes.

"Well, are you gonna tell us the answer or not!?" Bonney cried out.

"Answer? Who says I have the answer?"

"Well, you asked the question. You must have some answer in your head."

Rex just closes his eyes, listening to the wind whistle through the branches above him and the waves crashing down on the shore below him.

"Winds blow, because they have to. Trees grow, waves crash, fish swim, predators hunt, prey flee, all because they have to. That's the same reason pirates exist. The very ecosystem of this world is designed on a massive misdistribution of wealth and eventually, it will all come crashing down."

Gem and Bonney pause at those words. What Rex was saying was dangerously teetering on rebellion against the World Government.

"Curious things, aren't they? The stars. Their so far away from us, and yet their one of the few things we can all agree on. We all agree that that star is named St. Chalroc, and that one is named Oars, yet we can't even agree on the facts that are right in front of us. Curious indeed."

This statement makes Bonney and Gem retreat into thought for a moment.

Both of them recall their own lives. Sometimes, an event that happened years ago seemed so clear, but they could hardly remember something from last week.

"Captain, you never asked us." Gem suddenly says.

"What's that?" Rex mumbled.

"Well, you said that when you, Kid and Killer first went out to sea, you guys all announced your dreams. Well, you never asked us."

Rex frowned, realizing that he indeed hadn't asked his officers that question. The past few weeks had been so hectic with Gion, Galdino and Foxy that he never got a chance to breathe.

"Well, out with it then."

Bonney and Gem look at each other, both hesitating. Eventually, Bonney starts.

"What I want…" Bonney hesitates. "Is to find all the best food in all the world and feast on it!"

Rex smiled, knowing deep in his heart Bonney was holding something back. Her real dream was probably something deeper, with regards to the World Government. Still, that was a good dream.

"As for me…" Gem pauses. "I want to be a star one day! A massive explosion, looking down on the world and laughing! Dance puny mortals!"

Rex smiles. That was also a good dream.

Meanwhile, at the top of the Torino tree, a solemn figure sits, looking down at a legion of wounded Goayu birds.

"You have all failed me." The figure says, shaking his head disappointedly. "A bunch of fat, tribal natives are enough to destroy my proud army! Then what will become of you when you face true power!?"

The figure faces the birds, spreading its massive wings intimidatingly.

"There will be no more failures!"