Trinket of Syzygy | One Piece fanfic

001.

Sunlight Village, a small place in the West Blue where peace is kept in order. As its name connotes, it is an island that despite its poverty, still contrives to prosper in pure happiness, warmth, and ambition all around.

Tufts of grass swayed in the gentle, skimming breeze, as birds rhythmically chirped in delight. The skies were tinted a lively orange, whilst the sun gradually sank into the horizon. Half of the village's expanse were thus, blanketed in shade.

"Hey! I'll have another ale!" Male civilians were at a bar, they'd been working hard, and were having a relaxing afternoon. "Coming right up sir!" The cute bar maid poured a pint of ale for the gentleman. Empty wooden jugs were lifted, and were eventually filled right to the brim. "Make sure you don't get too drunk! I'm sure he's gonna arrive any minute!" "Oh yeah! Guess you're right!" As they were chatting, footsteps could be heard. "Speak of the devil, I guess he brought a few friends!" "Well he's already at-"

Before the revelry could resume, the man's speech was lost as he turned around and saw five bandits. One of them grinned. Judging from his muscular build, he was likely the leader. "Now, now don't look so scared! Just gimme some free food and booze, and we'll be on our merry way." His tone and smile were both very intimidating and everyone there could sense the malice he evoked. "Claudine, I'd just do as they say..." one of the lackeys turned to the customer who just spoke "Why don't you all leave? You're ruining our atmosphere. The cute lady can stay of course since she needs to serve us."

Elsewhere, a white haired boy was seen sleeping on a stack of hay in a small shed. He woke up, realizing what day it was very quickly. Running into the village hospital he started yelling "I'm gonna set sai-" he was interrupted by one of the doctors "Quince, we have patients who want to sleep." The doctor then smiled sweetly at him "Happy birthday Quince. As your parents promised, you can now set sail. I've packed you a bag with first aid equipment." "Thanks Rosa!" Rosa was sad to see Quince leave, but the village would probably get their long deserved peace and quiet. "I'll treat you to an apple pie, I know they're your favourite." Quince cheers happily after hearing that.

In what appears to be a few seconds, Quince was already seated in the dining room, having prepped himself to gorge on his pre-journey meal - his favorite one, at that. Soon, the irresistible scent of a freshly baked apple pie, wafted out from the kitchen. It eventually pervaded the entire room. Quince, without a second thought, craned his head to the kitchen's direction and quickly spotted Rosa, leaving the doorway. "One apple pie for the famished birthday boy!" Rosa noticed Quince's visible excitement, which made him almost seem as though he was about to pounce on the food and chow it down directly like a voracious predator. Despite this, Rosa couldn't help but beam in delight, knowing how long she hasn't allowed him to feast on his favorite dish, as it would generally cause quite a ruckus, on top of her additional worries with regards to his compromised health. She wanted him to consume healthier portions and those that give decent nutrition overall.

Once he finished his meal, Quince raised an arm and brandished it repeatedly, an empty plate lodged within his grasp. "I'm done eating, Rosa! Mind if I have seconds?" The giddy young male chortled in delight. Nobody replied, however. After what seems to be a bout of eerie silence, an air of curiosity washed over Quince. Hence, he gently stood up and waltzed over into the kitchen, a smattering of pans, clanging into each other stifling the muffled, unintelligible noise that seemed to originate from a woman's voice. Upon entering, he involuntarily came to witness a cluster of bandits who had already ensconced themselves within the empty, spacious cupboards, minutes before Quince arrived for his meal. They were simply awaiting the go signal to initiate their ambush. Quince yelled out, "Rosa! Quit struggling! You won't get hurt if you stay still."

Before Rosa could even voice out her response midway through her squirming, the bandits tightened their grasp on her and stuffed her mouth completely with a handkerchief. It was another of the lackeys who was the first to speak "Didn't you hear us the first time we told you, sweetie? We don't want any customers here." He let out a twisted chuckle. He pulled out a pistol and pointed it towards Quince. "I'm not afraid to kill ya kid, so ya better stand down." Quince then directed his attention towards the bandit, his usual beaming smile, shifting into a solemn, yet chilling gaze, his eyes almost resembling that of a beast who is ready to pounce. "Rosa, this won't take me long." From the cruel grin of the bandit, a bilious burst of flaming anger gushed out. "You bastard..!" Who do you think I am?! I'll tear you apart!" He then had his sweating finger, click onto the trigger, which shot out a piercing bullet. Rosa fled the restaurant without Quince.

As the bullet hit Quince, a much more sturdy figure emerged. The bullet made a clanging sound and steadily fell into the floor. Much like a marble dropping. The figure then stood strong, with oversized horns growing out of its temples. It played the role of an impenetrable armor. The bandit's pupils dilated, stammering in shock. The shabby white haired boy, was no longer present. "You..." The shaken bandit was faced by what appears to be a silver-eyed ram. "W...who are you?!" The bandit was petrified, his knees beginning to falter out of fear. At any moment, this ram could clobber him into mince meat. "Hayes D. Quince, the next Astral King." An ice cold tone spoke in response. Even so, his passion erupted throughout his entire body.