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OP Gold And Fire Ch 3 : With Hopes And Dreams We Set Sail.
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 14:16:06 +0000 UTC“MOM”
He shouted, his breathing ragged, sweat was trailing down from his head and his back was completely drenched.
He jumped up from his place, almost bumping his head on the wall in front of him. But just then his years of training come into play and he stopped himself, only to come face to face with a completely burned charcoal colour wall.
Gently playing his hand on the wall, he supported him, catching up to his breathing he slowly looked around, and once again a familiar yet disdainful sight appeared in front of him.
He saw he was in a completely destroyed and burned house, this was his house of course, or it used to be.
“Can’t believe it’s already been 6 years…”He said, like reminding himself why he still stayed in this burned-down place even after having an entire island for himself.
“Sigh… it's finally time.”
He shook his head and slowly started to move out of the run-down house, whose half of the roof was gone and one side of the wall had collapsed. Everything was burned and nothing was there left in the house.
‘Though, even if the place was intact, it’s no home without her…’
He looked back to his makeshift bed he created by some leaves and soft materials he got from the island, anything that was left worth salvaging.
Once a poor yet lively island, was now nothing but a husk of what it used to be, 6 years ago, everyone on the island died in the pirate attack.
At least he believed that those who set the entire village were pirates.
He was the only survivor, a miracle if he has to say any, he was unhurt, unscratched and unburned when everything was over. He was alone on a completely blackened ash-filled island.
He couldn’t help but look up at the cloudy sky, it felt like it was about to rain, but he didn’t care, he wasn’t looking at the clouds exactly.
“If you were to take back everything from me anyway, then why bother giving me hope…”
He wasn’t expecting to get a reply, there’s never one, all he got was a familiar growl from his stomach indicating that his body needed food to keep going.
“I better get ready before the final departure.” With that said, he gets going, to get something to eat, doing his usual daily training and lastly to give his final farewell.
—-
“It’s finally time Mom, I’m sorry but I can’t wait until I’m 17 to go to sea. 15 is my limit before I depart from here.
I won’t be able to see you again for a long time, but I’ll come back, I promise.
I know you wouldn’t want me to go after those who killed you, but in this regard, I can’t listen to you.
I wasn’t strong enough to protect you back then, and that is a regret that I’ll live with my entire life, however, If I don’t get revenge, then I can’t look at myself in a mirror.
Take care and remember, one day I’ll make you proud…” Said the 15-year-old Ragna with slightly misty eyes. This was the second time he was close to tears after 6 years.
After six years of solitude, hard work, hatred and promise, now was the time to make all that count, it was time to set to the sea to achieve all his dreams, for himself and the one who he lived on.
He took a deep breath, clearing his misty eyes and a bright smile appeared on his face. Looking at the small stone under a tall coconut tree, covered with flowers which he picked up just this morning, he gave his best smile.
“Wawawawawawa… I’m an adult now, sort of, so I won’t be listening to your nagging.” He got up and gave his best grin as possible.
But remember, you’d always pick me up and take me home, whenever you like…Mom..”
That was the last thing before he turned around, ready to depart from the island. However, just when he was about to take a step, he felt something, a warm current around him.
In amidst of all the cold winds, a warmer breeze rushed at him, making him feel conformable. It was like a warm hug he used to get back when he had no ambition but all the reason to live and look up to life.
It was an almost forgotten feeling that he suddenly remembered, and with that, he was off.
Ready to write his legend on the surface of this sea, ready to claim his treasure, ready to pick some unsolved fights and above all… just like his Mom always used to say, ready to find his dream.
—-
“I knew it would rain…” Ragna gritted his teeth as his small boat which he created with the scraps and wood logs and his unskilled hands, started to shake, quiver and almost fall apart.
“What enmity you have with me to make me face a storm right off the bat ?” he glared at the sky and in reply he only got a thunderous response when a lightning bolt hit the sea only 20 meters away from his small raft.
“Never Mind, it’s good weather…“
He had no idea where he was going, had zero navigation skill. He tried getting something like a map on the island somewhere but even after having 6 years, he didn't find anything close to it.
He was purely sailing with his willpower, not sure whether he was going or what his destination was.
Usually in this world, people are considered adults when they are 15 years old age, but no one goes to sea before they turn 17.
His mother told him and that was why he knew, as he said earlier, he didn't wanted to wait for another 2 years, so as soon as he officially turned 15, he was off the island.
He could have left earlier but he didn't feel like he was ready to sail with a weak body of a 10 or 12 years old.
After years of hard training, now he was strong enough to protect himself, as long as he didn't die of this storm that is.
Lightning crackled and even bigger waves started to hit the raft, making him swing and hard time balancing himself.
"This ain't good..." He gritted his teeth as he saw the raft's condition wasn't looking very good. He himself wasn't expecting anything great from his amateurish creation but not surviving even his first journey, that was too much.
Conflicted, Ragna pondered what to do in this situation when suddenly he heard a snapping voice, the voice was muffled due to all the rain and lightning around him but he still heard it, and upon hesitantly looking for it, he found it was exactly what he feared.
The binding of the logs which he did with vines just snapped and the raft was already falling apart.
Ragna let go of the makeshift paddle he made out of the wood and launched himself to grab hold of the falling apart logs, trying to keep the raft from splitting apart.
He holds onto them for his dear life, knowing fully well that if he lets go, he is as good as dead. Losing his boat at sea is nothing less than death.
"Why today, usually this sea stays sunny and calm, or did I unknowingly enter into the grand line?" Ragna gritted his teeth, knowing that its impossible.
If anything, he shouldn't face this kind of chaotic sea if that was the case. Rather what he should face is the completely calm and dead sea of calm belt before entering the grandline.
"This can't go on like this, I have to do something quick..." Ragna reluctantly tore open the side of his shirt and wrapped it around the raft, trying to keep it from falling apart.
And when he thought that he had it under control, suddenly a large wave came, like mocking him and crashed into the already fragile raft.
Breaking it apart and even sending Ragna flying, deep down into the sea.
xxx
[Word Count: 1364]
