2 Evil?

Beware the cringe in this chapter. It is important though. 

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(Kuzan POV)

I have decided to follow my feelings. I don't know what it is that apparently calls me but I can only assume that it is a chance. Something will happen that I would want a part in. So I do that. And how do I do that? Well, I simply run across the sea. I have trained a lot in order to get rid of my water weakness. And I managed to get it so far, so I can still move while completely surrounded by water. I can't use my devil fruit yet but that will come.

So I start to run towards the direction. The sea freezes as my feet touch it. It is a very convenient ability to have in this world. Should it ever happen that I am hit by the water, I can simply freeze everything and get to the surface. That way I don't have to expose my secret. 

After running for a while, I stop. I use what I have learned and create myself a working bicycle. I think it fits the theme of this world. A bit backwards and yet still practical. I drive my bike across the sea and the days pass like this. The sea is unpredictable though and even with my knowledge about navigation, I can't help but get into a storm on my way. 

I do the one thing I can ... create an igloo on the sea surface. I freeze the sea to a degree and create a small little iceberg with an igloo on it. The storm hits hard and my iceberg drifts away from my course. That doesn't matter though as I can simply continue my way after the storm has passed. Multiple days pass and when the storm is over, I continue my trip. 

I fish along the way to get food. I just use my Haki to sense when there are fish around. And these fish are really big so it is good for me. I am thankful that I can't get sick or poisoned because I have to eat the fish raw. 

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Finally, after making stops on multiple islands along the way, I finally reach the place I believe I have to be. It is a tropical island with palm trees, rough terrain and a few forests and its name is Sorbet Kingdom. The buildings mostly follow a similar architectural design of popsicle-shaped towers. Quite a peculiar little kingdom. I wonder what I feel, I should be here. 

I walk around and after walking through the woods for a while, I come across a little church. There I see a lot of happy faces and a warm atmosphere. I see that the man taking care of the church is a very big man with rather short and thin legs. 

"Oh, who do we have here? Are you lost little friend?", he asks me with a very big and friendly smile. I can't help but smile as well and then shake my head. 

"No, I just feel like I will find something here that might be important.", I say honestly. He gives me a warm feeling, so I tell him half of the story. He looks at me questioningly and then nods seriously. Then he smiles again.

"I know someone that would be delighted to meet you, ... ehm what is your name and what about your parents? Aren't they here somewhere?"

"My name is Kuzan and I don't have any parents. I am alone. Who is it that you want me to meet?"

"Oh that's terrible, then where are you from?"

"I'm from an island called Grape Island."

"What?! You are that far away from home? How did you get here?"

"I walked ... or rode my bicycle. Like this.", I say and create my bicycle to show him. He seems very surprised at this and stares wide-eyed that a child of 5 or 6 years of age, can do something like that. 

"Hahaha, you are an impressive boy Kuzan. By the way, my name is Clapp. I would like to introduce you to my son. KUMA.", Clapp calls out to his son and after a moment a small child walks out of the church. 

"Yes, Daddy?", the boy asks and smiles when he sees his father. I can instantly tell that this is another pure soul like Clapp. I wonder what this is with these good people. I'm sure that in a world that has Pirates, there are bound to be bad people as well. 

"Kuma this is Kuzan. He has come all the way from another island to see our Kingdom. Wouldn't you like to show him around?", Clapp asks Kuma and Kuma has stars in his eyes and nods happily. Kuma takes my hand and leads me somewhere around the church. 

He starts to ask me all sorts of questions about where I come from and what my island is like, whether there are stories on my island and all these things. We walked and talked for hours and during this entire time, I never once got bored. This child has such a pure soul that I can't help but adore him. Not in a weird way of any kind, but his happiness seems to be sacred to me. I can't help but fear about the premonition I am having. 

Could there truly be a world that allowed such a pure boy to grow up without any hardships? That's not what life is about. So here I sit, a former grown-up, in a 6-year-old body, in front of a 4-year-old boy called Bartholomew Kuma and decide to protect that smile he has. I can't help but see him as my little brother even though our mental age is more father-son than brothers but that is fine for me. 

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(3rd Person POV)

Kuzan stayed in Sorbet Kingdom for months. He took the role of an elder brother seriously and helped all around the church. He would go to the woods and get food when they needed some and chop wood as well. Kuma was with him most of the time. 

The relationship between the two 'boys' grew and Kuzan would teach Kuma what he knew about woodworking and cooking. Although Kuma's mother was a far better cook than Kuzan was. She was another shiningly innocent person like the rest of the family. 

As the months passed, Kuzan almost forgot that he was in a world filled with pirates and marines and ... danger. He never really had a family and living with one now was something that filled him with hope and happiness. 

But all good things ... must sadly come to an end eventually. And come to an end they did. 

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It was a day that started so well when it all went to shit. Kuzan had gone to chop some wood in the forest when he came back rather late in the evening. His senses and Haki alerted him of something and he could hear screams and smell fire. He let everything fall to the ground and ran to the church. 

There he saw that the small barn had been lit on fire and people with strange suits were putting handcuffs on Clapp, his wife and Kuma as well. Kuzan's eyes widened and he started to run towards them. He saw tears in Clapp's eyes. His wife only had a sad expression that she tried to hide underneath a smile for Kuma. 

"Just take me! I'm the one with Buccaneer blood!! My wife is normal! Please let her and my son go!! Please I beg of you!!!", Clapp screamed at the people but they didn't care. Instead, they beat him to the ground. 

Kuzan reached the scene right then and started to scream as well. 

"Let them go! What are you doing?!!", he screamed and tried to free them from the cuffs. 

"Is that another one?", one asked. 

"He might be another of their child, they tried to hide."

"Should we take him?"

"NOOO, he's not our son. He came to us a while ago. Please he doesn't understand anything, let him go, please!!", Clapp screamed. 

One of the men grabbed Kuzan, or at least they tried. He jumped and punched the man. Surprisingly that punch managed to do some damage to the man and knock him on his behind. Kuzan then attacked the others as well. His short stature and young age managed to catch the other two off guard and he knocked them out. 

Then he ran towards the family and started to freeze the chains.

"Kuzan run away! Don't worry about us. It is important that you don't get caught.", Clapp pleaded but Kuzan didn't listen. He would free them, he had already decided. 

The chains began to freeze and he was about to succeed in breaking them when a punch impacted his face and almost knocked him out. 

*Boom*

"Uuff"

"What was that? The kid's stronger than I imagined. And he has a devil fruit as well. We better get this one, he is too dangerous to be left here.", the one man, whom Kuzan hadn't knocked out said. 

But that was not the end of Kuzan. His anger and frustration manifested and exploded outwards. A wave of this anger hit the man and caused him to freeze. That was enough for Kuzan though and he attacked the man with a stone. He smashed the stone on the man's head once, twice and just as he was about to do another one ...

*Bang Bang Bang*

A shot was heard. Three bullet holes appeared on Kuzan's head and he staggered before ...

*Thud*

"NOOOOOO"

... he fell down.

"What an embarrassment. A child knocks two of you out and kills a third? What are you? Cipher Pol or a bunch of commoners?", the man who was holding a smoking gun asked the two men who were waking up again. 

"Urgh ... what was that kid?"

"He got us good. That won't look good in the report."

"No, it won't you bunch of wussies. Now get to work, we are on a tight schedule."

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The Cipher Pol loaded Clapp, his wife and Kuma on a ship that would take them to Mary Geoise. And Kuzan ... he was just left there with three bullet holes in his head. But that was not the end. Not by a long shot. The bullet holes began to close and a moment later, Kuzan gasped and sat upright. 

"Gasp ... what happened? ...", Kuzan knew why he was still alive. It was his luck that this was the first time he 'died' and the healing factor due to this immortality was now unlocked. If they had seen him come back from headshots, they would have taken him with them and let Saint Saturn experiment on him. Little would they know that it wasn't some inherent trait, but thanks to his Essences. So no amount of cloning would yield any results. 

Kuzan thought about what had happened. It was simple. He was unable to protect his friends because he was weak. He was sure that this was a cliché at this point if he could remember any story. This was a dangerous world and he let this happiness blind him from the truth. Only the strong survive ... and those that are immortal, but that is beside the point. 

So what would he do now? 

He would train. He would grow stronger until he could protect the smiles of those like Kuma and Clapp and his wife ... whose name he still didn't know for some reason. He would join the Marines and protect those who can't protect themselves. All in order to protect the smiles of those who are as innocent as Kuma is. 

And he will find Clapp and his family and free them, wherever they are. Kuzan was very curious though, as to who those people were. They didn't dress like he imagined pirates to look like. He hadn't seen any pirates in the 6 years he lived in this world. That was special, but he was always training in the woods and this was his first time away form Grape Island. 

He would have to find out who those people were as well and make them pay.