Baltigo

(3rd person pov)

[Forgot this last chapter: Picture of August]

The rest of the day went seemingly normal for August. Shortly after his conversation with Dragon, food arrived at the front door which he graciously accepted.

He ate the meal with respect, thanking the Animal that died and the cook for giving him this meal. The meal was so nice that he actually cried a few tears of joy. The few tears turned into a waterfall of tears, all the emotions August felt overwhelming him as the reality that was free finally hit him full force. Happiness, Joy, Relief, he was finally happy he was out of that hellhole and was a free man. It wasn't good to bottle up emotions, so August openly cried buckets while eating his steak. At the end of the meal his eyes were red, and he looked exhausted but he never felt better.

He wondered how the rest of the slaves were feeling, by now the reality they weren't slaves must have set in, and he couldn't imagine their joy. Lots of them spent much more time as slaves, so he was sure this hospitality shown would help the slaves and their mental state greatly.

After his meal his stomach was full, and August was tired from the long day so he decided to take an early rest. He sat down on the couch and fell into an endless slumber instantly.

August awoke 18 hours later feeling refreshed. He took a look at the clock, widening his eyes when he saw the time.

'I slept that long? Looks like my body really needed it' Thought August. It was the first time since he arrived that August actually felt full of energy and ready to go, compared to his nights as a Slave which he spent tiring himself out. The feeling of being tired was so familiar to him that he didn't know he had it until it went away, that was how exhausted he was.

'Time for breakfast' He said internally, his stomach responding to his call by rumbling. He thought back to yesterday, recalling the information that breakfast ran from 7am-11am in the cafeteria which was located near the center of the large ship.

Before leaving he quickly sniffed his clothes, nodding as he decided they were good enough to use.

He arrived at the breakfast hall, noting its emptiness. August guessed all the former slaves were still asleep, god knows they needed it after all they went through.

He walked up to the cook, making sure to be polite and put on his sweetest voice before asking for 2 pieces of bacon, 2 sausages and an egg with a side of hashbrowns and toast.

What? He was hungry.

Just as he was about finished with his meal, he nearly choked on a piece of bacon when a large face with an equally large set of large blue hair appeared in front of him. He pounded his chest, just barely managing to swallow the food as he stared at the perpetrator, who he quickly recognised.

'This must be Ivankov, the grandline commander of the revolutionary army, as well as the one who is responsible for saving luffy from death multiple times during the war of the best' He recalled this information from his knowledge of anime, but couldn't use much of it as he had to keep his knowledge hidden from others.

[A/N: Question, do you want me to change Ivankov's way of speaking to how he normally does(eg: vyour), or keep it the same?]

"You must be the boy everyone is talking about, you're quite popular you know?"

"Popular?" August was now genuinely confused, why was he popular?

"yes, rumors of a kid who killed a number of guards and was visited by dragon last night, very intriguing"

August sighed, knowing there was no point in lying, "The rumors are correct, I did kill a number of guards, 3 to be exact. The second rumor is also true, but all he asked me was if I wanted to join his organisation."

Ivankov had an expression of surprise on his face, but quickly masked it under his usual energetic demeanor and smiled.

'This little kid killed 3 guards, and Dragon personally invited him?' Ivankov contemplated, now properly studying the kid in front of him.

"And your answer?"

"I accepted, I'm officially a member of your organisation. I look forward to working with you" August replied, holding his hand out.

Ivankov shook his small hand, being careful not to crush it, but noticed like Dragon's it was rough and full of callous'.

"Since you're a member, I was wondering if you could help me. Before we arrive at your headquarters I'd like to know about some of your members before I meet them."

Ivankov seemed thrilled at the opportunity of being able to speak, so he naturally accepted the little boy's offer.

"Of course! Well first off is Dragon, who i'm sure you're already acquainted with. On the outside he may seem serious but he's really a softie. Second of all is Kuma, he is like dragon but instead of serious he always seems like a robot, especially how he never talks and always moves like one, scary! But don't be alarmed, on the inside he is a big softie as well, give him a present and he would probably die for you. Next up is..."

Ivankov trailed off into his own world, listing off members of the revolutionary army passionately some more than others.

"Oh, and there's also Sabo, a boy your age. He's a cut above the rest of the kids, just like you. I think you two will get along well."

"Sabo, eh? I look forward to meeting him" August grinned.

"And that's that! The Okama tour!"

August raised his eyebrow, "Excuse me Ivankov, but what's Okama?"

"Ah, you're too young to know about this" He leaned forward and put his hands on August's shoulders, "Just know, as you get older your body will experience many things. If you ever have any problems then come to me for advice."

August nodded, mainly due to the shock of Ivankov asking him to come to him if he has any problems with puberty.

"Valso, come to room G005 at 12pm, we have to get your body back in shape"

"Back in shape? What do you mean, my body is fine." He said, throwing a few quick jabs out.

"Silly boy, your body feels fine, but it isn't. Vyour time in slavery gave you some problems with your body: Malnourishement, torn muscles, fractured and cracked bones, stunted growth..." Ivankov began listing off all the things wrong.

Ivankov eventually stopped noticing the horrified look on his face, and immediately clarified, "Don't worry! The doctors will nurse you back to health, and coupled with my injections you'll be in tip top shape in no time, you'll feel like another person by the end of today, and by the time we get back to Baltigo you'll be at your best"

The explanation seemed to do the trick as August slumped his shoulders in relief.

"Well then, I guess I'll be going!"

"Ivankov, thank you" August said sincerely.

"No problem kid, I look forward to having you"

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(1st person pov)

[2 Weeks later]

"So that's what it looks like in person" I exclaim, looking out my cabin window at the view of Baltigo. The island was massive, and covered up a large portion of my vision due to our close proximity.

The island was dominated in grey and was covered with tall structures, the most predominant one being the one in the center standing high above the rest, I assumed it was the main base of operations.

It had been 2 weeks since I officially joined the revolutionary army. Shortly after my chat with Ivankov I had my checkup done where the doctors and ivankov nursed me back to health.

I didn't even know It was possible, but my body felt better, much better. I could work out for longer, my stamina had increased, and I was quickly growing back the height I should have had.

My body now felt in tip top shape like Ivankov said. I was strong before, but I was much stronger now with all the deformities and problems removed, it was like all the chains holding my strength back were broken.

Aside from the usual training with my improved body, I had taken to getting acquitted with some of the other members of the RA. I was never a social person, but I had no problems speaking to other people.Despite having barely any social interaction the past year, I still managed to retain my social skills from my past life, which was good as I would be spending the good part of at least 10 years with these people, I should probably get to know them at least.

So aside from those 2 things nothing much had really happened. I had a couple of chats with Ivankov, finding myself slowly getting used to his eccentric and buoyant personality.

I never saw Dragon again as I presumed he was too busy, but I could tell he was watching me from afar(not in the stalker-ish way, stop being weird). Shortly after a workout, I made my way to the cafeteria where I felt someone watching me. When I arrived back in my room there were 2 notes, each detailing diet and workout plans. I was taking my training as seriously as I usually did, and he seemed to have noticed that and helped me out.

We arrived at the docks of the island, the slaves who decided to join the army were escorted to the main base of operations, which obviously included me. I couldn't help but smile as I looked at the large group of people who were former slaves. From my estimates around half of them were joining, and I noticed they were doing much better, actually being able to walk with their head straight.

We arrived at the headquarters, a member at a desk greeting us and asking for our names. Our names were officially added to the member list, we were then given living arrangements. Rooms were usually split by age and rank, with some exceptions including the higher ranking members of the army who were at the top. Normal ranking members who were old were situated near the top while while the children were plenty in number, were near the bottom. Many of the children were orphans, either abandoned by the world government for failure to pay the tribute or left parentless due to pirates or corrupt marines. They were all living a bad life until Dragon came and took them in, offering shelter and a reason to fight.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, most likely as they wanted to ease us into a routine and get us familiar with the place.

After living like a dog for a year I had a newfound appreciation for the small things, so I had a huge grin on my face when I first laid eyes on my room. It only had a bed, a desk and a lamp, but it was much better than my previous living arrangements(which were cold jagged rocky floors in case you forgot). The bed felt like heaven, and the desk was greatly appreciated and something I should find myself using often. The room was small because of how it was for a single person, but I honestly didn't mind as it was very homely, I think anyone would like it(unless you're claustrophobic, sorry...)

I plopped onto the bed, my bed, burying my head into the comfy pillow and laughing. Over the past years I had often experienced nightmares, waking up in a cold sweat and an even deeper hatred for the kids father. The memories I had were connected to both my body and mind, so it certainly didn't stop me from having them. Memories of that monster hitting and beating him constantly plagued my mind. I buried my head in training to try and forget about it, but the nightmares were always there. However, since I had been able to sleep in a proper bed my nightmares have been much less frequent, and I feel once I kill the source of them it would stop. People always say revenge isn't worth it and only makes you feel worse, but I found it's the opposite after my killing of the guards. If revenge doesn't give you satisfaction, then you just aren't doing it right.