Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There’s an isolated island, non affiliated with the World Government, located in the South Blue. 43 miles away from the nearest island and 7 more from the Marine’s basement.

It’s quite extensive and has a favourable climate for growing a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. Also, it has a small mountain range, where the flocks where guided there in the summer to graze.

It has everything for a family to live peacefully, especially in the small main town. There are natural resources, there are shops, livestock farms, agriculture, a small mining operation. There is even a small hospital.

However, if there is trouble, you are not going to get any kind of  help.

And in an age where piracy is the order of the day, it's crucial to have somebody willing to help you.

Ferro island could be a paradise to live in... or a living hell.

Especially if the island is ruled by a gang of bandit smugglers who run the population as they please and rule them with an iron fist.

An island autocracy, where the boss dictated who lived and who died. Bass Kassaral dominated the lives of the villagers from the moment he rised to power. The richest and most powerful, he had ties with the most infamous pirates whom he supplied with weapons and welcomed them with great flattery and lavish displays of affection.

The surrounding pirates knew that the port of Ferro was safe for them, that they would be warmly welcomed by the governor and that they would be presented with powerful and lethal weapons. In exchange, however, for huge sums of money that Kassaral pocketed and squandered on expenses for his own benefit and for his acolytes.

His motto was "you are with me, or you are against me". So, if you went along with his demands, you would be rewarded. On the other hand, prison and a certain death sentence for any dissident.

On this secluded island six years ago a little boy was born, the son of a retired pirate, weapons craftsman and part-time mechanic Eustass Will. A boy who tinkered with nuts, pliers and bolts in his father's workshop and whose name, over the years, would be feared around the world: Eustass Kidd.

Chapter Text

“Son, stop messing around my workshop and please, go and have your breakfast” Will sighed while watching the little redhaired hurricane, wandering around and grabbing his tools, storing them over a little wooden table.

But the boy just stuck out his tongue, catching a blowtorch.

“No way” said his father, retrieving the gadget and keeping it away from his little hands.
“You can’t use this yet, you can burn yourself”

“Then teach me how to use it!” yelled Kidd, trying to reach out for the blowtorch, on a high metal shelf.

“Once you eat the breakfast, I told you before, come on” Will pushed his son towards the door that separates the workshop from the main house, while brushing his long hair in order to do a ponytail. After hearing a soft grunt coming from his kid, he smiled and caressed his chin, where a three-day beard was growing too much. He wasn’t bothered by it, though his son started to complain about it when he kisses his son goodnight.

Since his wife and mother of Kidd died a year ago, Will have been falling into a deep depression. As days went by, the knot on his throat kept tightening, and his only desire to keep on living was thanks to his child, who had inherited his mom’s fiery red hair and her nerve.

He wasn’t even pleased designing weapons, grenades and other weaponry. He stopped planning the projects that now laid on a dusty rack, completely forgotten. The only income he perceived came from reparations on small appliances that the neighbours bring from time to time.

He followed the steps of his son towards the kitchen, where the little one was looking for something to eat. Will grabbed a small bag and took a piece of bread, slicing it and placing the slices on a toaster grill.

“There’s a little bit of butter in the fridge, and also a bottle of milk”

“Can’t see it, dad” muttered Kidd, closing the fridge and sitting next to his father, with a hint of sadness on his amber eyes. His guts growled aloud.

No butter, milk, fruit or anything to eat at the moment. Neither a small biscuit, like the ones his mother used to bake and that made the whole house smelled so good.

Kidd looked at his father, while the bread was getting darker on the grill.
“Dad, the toasts are burning!”

Will woke up from a daydream and yelled, turning off the toaster grill and throwing the bread over the table. His son watched the carbonized toasts and started scratching them with a knife.

“Throw them away” said his dad, sighing aloud and leaving the kitchen “They’re not edible anymore, otherwise you will suffer tummy ache”

Another day he failed as a dad. Another day that he couldn’t feed his son as much as he recquired. He lost weight quite fast and though he was tall and buffed, the lack of food was visible all over his well-built body. Back in the days, his son said that he wanted to be as strong as him, making him proud.

He didn’t reach the workshop when he heard two knocks on the main door. Securing the door with a chain, he opened it.
“William?” asked a woman’s sweet voice “It’s me, Rose, your neighbour”

The man closed the door and unlocked it, only to find a lovely blonde-haired woman with blue eyes and a wide smile on her face. She was holding a basket full of red apples, while a little one was hiding behind her legs. The kid was peeking through his thick and long bangs, with a golden hair as shiny as his mother’s.

“I’ve brought some apples from my orchard” said Rose, giving the basket to him “Take them all, please”

“But Rose, there’s no need to…”

“It’s fine, we got a lot of them and since we’re going to leave this island, it would be a total waste” the woman caressed her son’s head “Now that my husband and my boy are back, I want you to take all the fruit that’s there”

Will took the basket and thanked his neighbour for her kindness. This wasn’t the first time she did something like that, as she was alone in the island and Will was always willing to help her in anything she needed. Nevertheless, this behaviour led to some nasty rumours that other people spread around, pointing out that her attitude was reprehensible, since they all knew that she was married. Obviously, those rumours were just lies, because her husband was away with their son just because of work and the private school her son was attending.

Like a little nosey monkey, Kidd sneaked between his father’s legs. Thanks to this, an apple fell down and rolled upon the other boy’s feet. He bended and grabbed the apple, giving it to the redhaired.
“Looks like your hair” muttered the blonde boy, astonished about the colour hue similarity.

Rose giggled, gazing at the little boy, who was doubting about taking the fruit or not.
“Geez Kidd, you are growing so fast!” she smiled at the child “Look, this is Kamazo, my son, the one I talked to you some time ago. Say hi, my dear!”
“Hi there, Kamazo! Nice to meet you, at last!” Will smiled as the blonde was introduced “Your mom praises you a lot. How old are you?”

His blue eyes weren’t visible behind the thick and long bangs, but he smiled back at Will.
“I’m ten years old, sir”
Finally, Kidd dared to catch the apple and after rubbing it, he bit a big chunk.
“It’s delicious, Mrs. Rose!” exclaimed the redhaired, smiling too.
“What do you have to say, son?”
“Oh…erhm…thank you very much! Yep!” replied Kidd, devouring two more chunks, then he looked at the other boy, trying to figure out where his blue eyes were “My name’s Kidd, and I’m six years old. I love building robots and listening to music, what about you?”

“I love music too! My mom said that when we go back to her island, she will buy me a drum set, isn’t it mom?” said Kamazo, pulling his mother’s skirt “You promise me”
“That’s so cool!” Kidd was astonished “We could start a music band!”

Their parents listened to the frantic chattering that both of their sons were dragged into, while running across the house to enter the workshop, as Kidd wanted to show his inventions to his new friend.

Left alone, William turned his smile into a concerned face.
“Rose, are you sure that you can return to Mary Geoise? Aren’t you scared about what happened to your sister and her family?”
She dropped her eyes and sighed.
“That happened because Homing appeared in public as a noble and he didn’t consider the possibility that the villagers could hate him just because of that high status” muttered Rose, lowering her voice “No one here knows that we both come from a noble family, except you, and I haven’t got any problem in settled down as a villager. If I want to return to Mary Geoise is because I want to give my son a better life expectation, I’m scared of the governors here. I don’t want Kamazo to grow up surrounded by scoundrels and knaves who can lead him into the wrong way…”

Understanding her concernings, Will chugged.
“I wish I could leave this rotten island and give my boy a better life too, but I dunno where to go”
“My husband knows some people at the Marine base nearby” cheered Rose “Maybe you could work and settle down there, wouldn’t you like it?”
Before he could reply, they heard a hubbub coming from the workshop, just to find the two boys playing around with the robots and having fun together, enjoying the moment.

Chapter Text

The pot filled with rice was still warm when Will served another portion to his son for dinner. The unexpected visit of Rose and her son cheered up both of them, spending a pleasant time together. And though Will decided to leave all the rice for his son, and therefore he only ate an apple, seeing the joy in the eyes of him was the best he could ask for. All his concerning faded away as long as Kidd was happy, chatting about all the things that his new friend and he did through the evening.

The little redhaired only stopped chatting when his dad put him to bed, tucking him in and sliding his rough fingers through his son’s hair. Once he kissed him goodnight and turned off the lights, he went to sleep too.

However, through the early morning he heard an uproar coming from outside that woke him up immediately. Puzzled by this, he tiptoed upon reaching a window, so he could peek what was going on. He could see a bunch of unknown people that were making a fuss all over, maybe thanks to their drunkenness. Or so he thought, as he saw two unconscious bodies being carried by their arms.

Only to found out that there weren’t drunkards, as the soft light of the street lamp revealed the real state of the unfortunate pair.

Kassaral’s personal guards, recognisable by their colourful uniforms, were dragging the two battered bodies. They left a bloody trail through the dusty path, while the guards were hurrying the pace and were delighted by the gruesome scene. Some of them were muttering about throwing the corpses into the sea, meanwhile others suggested to bury them not far away from there.

William gulped while watching the macabre scene, crisply hearing the conversation between two of the guards.

“What a pair of dupes,” remarked one of them, cracking a horrible laugh “thinking that we wouldn’t know their true nature. It was worth it.” He whispered while taking out a gold watch from his pocket. “They were rich”

“You shouldn’t keep that watch for you, if Gallard gets to know this, he will hang you from a beam by the sea, for sure” Other guy warned him, who was scanning nervously the surroundings, looking for intrusive eyes or ears.
His partner laughed again.
“Gallard, you say?” retorted, “He can suck my dick, he’s there thanks to his family ties, but he’s a fucking snooty that only serves to get all the money he can for this kind of situations, where he doesn’t dirty his hands. Look at us,” he carried on, facing his mate “we are here dragging two corpses in the middle of the night, while he’s in his palace, loafing around and drinking all the booze his liver can handle. “What’s the matter if we just take our bounty?”

Facing the truth, his partner remained silent and shrugged, relocating the arm of the corpse he was holding, while other two partners urged him to hurry up.

Out of his sight, Will exhaled heavily and shook his head outraged. He didn’t feel special devotion towards his oldest partners, as most of them were the same or even worse than the criminal organization that ruled the island, but he knew some of them that were very friendly. He thought that those unfortunate dead pirates had done something that really pissed Gallard off, and that was their sentence. It wasn’t anything strange there. And nobody was free from being executed for mere entertainment.

Without anything else to worry about, he walked into his bedroom and started to sleep again.

Next morning, he woke up to prepare a coffee maker and take it back it to the owner, a nearby neighbour who asked him to fix it. Afterwards, he thought about going to the bakery and buy some biscuits and pastries in order to surprise his son.

Outwardly the streets seemed calmed, but Will had a bad gut feeling. Being a pirate himself in the past, there was something going on that unsettled him.

When arriving to his neighbour’s house to give back the coffee maker, the man pulled him into his house and quickly closed the door, locking it.
“What’s going on, Mac?”
The neighbour hushed him and gave him the money for the deal, urging him to get back to his house as soon as possible and lock the door.
“Haven’t you heard about what happened last night?” he asked, and after Will nagged with his head, he carried on. “Last night a couple were killed”

William raised his eyebrows and shared what he had witnessed through the window.
“Well, it seems that this couple were nearby neighbours; she lived alone here, but few days ago her husband and her son came back to pick her up and leave this island.” whispered Mac. “It turns out they were nobles, you know…”

Nothing else to say, the armourer skedaddled to Rose’s house, only to find it closed. With his heart in his mouth, he banged the door, waiting for someone to open it.
“Kamazo” he muttered, thinking about the boy. He decided to walk around the humble house and forced a window.

Upon entering the house, the few family’s belongings were scattered on the floor, like if they were worthless. William run across the rooms, looking under the beds and inside the wardrobes. He called the little one, but nobody replied to him.

Desperately, he run through the streets towards governor Kassaral’s main building. Like a hurricane, he ditched two of the guards that were standing up by the entrance, without asking for permission.

The bustle led to more guards kept coming to stop that man, who was screaming out loud the governor’s name, demanding his presence immediately.

Meanwhile, at his house, little Kidd woke up upon hearing a soft knocking on the main door. Stretching out, he rubbed his eyes and jumped out of the bed, worried about not hearing his dad answering to the door. He should be awaken.

He went downstairs and opened the main door, finding Kamazo waiting patiently. The redhaired smiled and welcomed his friend.

“May I come in? My mom told me to go here and stay with your dad” asked the blonde boy, without daring to cross the door frame, therefore Kidd stepped aside to let him in.
“My dad must be at the workshop, but I’m going to have breakfast, are you hungry?”

Kamazo nodded his head, following the redhaired whirlwind who was yelling at his dad, while walking towards the workshop, but his dad wasn’t there. He shrugged and turned around.
“Dad’s not here” he said without further ado.

The two kids went back to the kitchen and reached out for the apple’s basket that Rose gave them the day before. Kamazo grabbed an apple when Kidd spotted something strange at the bottom of the basket.
Stretching out his hand, he removed the red apples to reveal a strange fruit.
“What is this?” he asked, putting it on the table.

It was somewhat larger than the apples, greyish with metallic hues, with a bright yellow spiral that was ascending surrounding the fruit. The drupes that conformed the main fruit had a spiral ending in a protruding zigzag.

Kidd was mesmerized contemplating the fruit and asked Kamazo if he knew what it was. He shrugged and replied that it seemed a toy rather than something edible, so he warned him to not try it.

However, the redhaired bewitched by the aspect, decided to pull out one of the drupes and felt a running tickling that made his hair go bristly. That sensation intensified when he ate it, though a bitter liquid emanated from the fruit, making him swallow it as fast as he could. He remained shocked with his mouth open and his eyes went blank.
“It’s disgusting…yuk” grunted Kidd.
Kamazo looked worried to his friend.
“Hey…look at you in the mirror…”

The little one focused on his reflection and screamed.
“My hair is standing on end!”

Chapter Text

“I demand an explanation!” yelled that man, out of control, while some guards barely couldn’t restrain him. Eustass Will was a downcasted man, but his sheer force was difficult to restrain yet.

A command caused the guards to finally release him, but with their swords still pointing at him. Will snorted and saw the corridor opening up to a person shorter than him and overweighted. His appearance provoked a grimace of distaste on the armourer’s face, who recognised him instantly. His round face glistened with sweat as he dabbed at it with a handkerchief. His hair was very short, barely distinguishable whether it was blond or grey, but clean-shaven. He was walking wearily, probably at hearing the commotion, having rushed out of his office, where he had spent hours gorging himself on food. He wore a brown overcoat, a bright shirt and shorts above his knees, all in shades of green. From his belt hung a variety of weapons, two well-crafted revolvers and a pair of daggers of different lengths.

As he reached the group, he smiled and bared his grey teeth as he pulled a cigarette from his coat and lit it quickly, blowing the smoke into Will's face.

“Well," muttered the newcomer, "long time no see..."

“Gallard," Will mumbled, focusing his amber eyes on the man, "I want to talk to Kassaral”

The governor's brother-in-law was second in command of the entire system on that island. Everyone knew he had to be kept happy, as he was terribly impulsive. Kassaral was cruel and violent, but you could arrange a deal with him. However, Gallard depended on his mood at the time.

“He's not available right now, so anything you want to ask him must pass through my filter," said Gallard, flicking the ash off his cigarette. “Have you finished the weapon I entrusted you?”

“Why were Rose and her husband murdered?” Will blurted out bluntly, "And where is their son?”

Gallard's face seemed unfazed as he took another long drag.

“What’s it to you?” he replied, fuming, "They were riffraff, that's all”

Will's muscles tensed and he clenched his fists in pure rage.

“They were my friends! And they weren't riffraff!” he bellowed angrily, causing his interlocutor to drop his cigarette and step back.

The swords of the guards encircled the armourer, while the vice-governor pulled himself together and lit another cigarette.

“They were nobles, they deserved to die," Gallard spat, "they are not welcome on this island. Besides," he said, turning around and flicking ash on the ground, "they were going to run off with something they stole from us. By the way, just for putting on a show, you're under arrest. Guards!”

Before the armourer could do anything, he was surrounded and had no choice but to raise his arms and be taken to the dungeon.

At Will's house, Kidd and Kamazo were still shocked by the strange effect of that fruit, which began to rot quickly after being tasted by the red-haired boy.

“How do you feel? I told you not to eat it..." asked the elder, seeing the rottenness.

Kids remarked on the unpleasant taste and put his hand over his belly.

“I don't feel bad at the moment," he said, sticking out his tongue in disgust, "but it's left a funny taste in my mouth...and my tongue is kind of fizzy”

Kamazo required him to open his mouth and the boy obeyed.

“I swear I saw some sparks," he said quizzically, "and I hear a buzzing sound”

“Maybe there was a bumblebee inside!” yelled Kidd, making a face of even more disgust.

His friend began to laugh and retorted that the bumblebee should be dead then, not alive. The red-haired boy pursed his lips as the buzzing became more insistent. He began to tremble and Kamazo panicked, as he realised that he was hearing a very strange metallic sound.

He didn't even have time to cover the red-haired boy when small metallic objects flew straight to Kidd’s body, sticking around him. A scream was heard and before the little boy fell to the ground from the chair, Kamazo managed to break his fall. Once they were both on the ground, the metal objects magically detached, as did the buzzing sound.

“Are you ok?” asked the blonde to his friend, who sat up visibly dizzy, while looking at his arms with small marks and cuts from the impact, “That was really weird...but...it would make sense if...hey,” said removing a spoon from his friend's hair, “do you know what devil fruits are?”

Kidd blinked in confusion and thought for a few seconds.

“I think my father once told me about them, that they are very rare and give powers to those who eat them," to which Kamazo nodded.

“Yes, but in return you lose the ability to swim and the salt water weakens you," he remarked as a warning. “Maybe you ate a devil fruit, but which one, and what does it do?”

Chapter Text

With a loud bang, Gallard closed the door of his office and, sitting with his legs up on the desk, stubbed out the cigarette that was between his lips. As he exhaled the smoke, he drummed his fingers on some documents on his desk. With a grimace of displeasure, he picked up the snail's microphone and with his chubby fingers dialled a number.
“Darby? To my office, now.”

After a few minutes, two metallic knocks sounded at his door and entered a sturdy man, his face covered with an iron mask that revealed only his dark eyes. He wore brown overalls, from which hung two wide belts, and over his shoulder he carried a double-barrelled rifle. His hands were also covered with metal gauntlets, as well as shoulder pads, and across his chest, at the heart, a metallic plate for protection.

Gallard grimaced at the sight of him.
“Fancy a drink?” he asked, rising from his chair and opening the small glass cabinet to his left, waiting for his guest's response.
“Please," he replied, as Gallard picked up a pair of tumblers and placed one in front of him.
“Last night you carried out the order I gave you," began the lieutenant governor, removing the cork from a bottle and filling the glasses with the drink, "and I know it was a success. You finished off those two swines," Darby swirled the liquid around a couple of times before removing his mask, revealing a dirty, big-nosed and big mouth face with droopy eyes, shaved clean, including his head.

After a long sip, Gallard slammed his glass down on the table.
“Do you remember seeing a child with them?" he asked, feeling the scorching liquor burning his throat.
“No, there was no child in that house." Darby answered quickly, raising his glass to his lips.
“Because someone just confirmed to me that they both had a child...and that child is now missing..."
Darby grimaced and shrugged.
“Well, I didn't see anyone else." he replied, clicking his tongue. “This brandy's shit...”

Gallard's gun was pointed at Darby’s head, but his guest did not seem to mind.
“It's the truth," he retorted quietly, while his metallic hand flattened the barrel of the gun as if it was made of clay, "I saw no child, and I repeat, this brandy is a real rubbish. If this is all you called me for, you're wasting your time. Oh," he said, rubbing his fingers, "you owe me the money for killing those two”

The vice-governor held back the rage that boiled through his fat body and looked down at his unused weapon.
“Well, you've got to find that boy!” howled Gallard, throwing the gun to the ground in a huff. "If you find him, then you will have the full reward and a bottle of the best brandy, for sure.”

Darby sat up with his usual heaviness and repositioned his metal mask.
“I hope so." he replied listlessly. "Do you want the boy dead or alive?

Gallard lit a cigarette and frowned.
“Alive, I need him alive." he ordered bluntly. “Don't you dare kill him, no matter how badly he behaves, all right?”

With nothing more to say, the lieutenant governor's hitman left the office, ready to carry out his orders, leaving Gallard alone, who took a long drag on his cigarette.
“That kid must know where that fruit is... shit," he snorted indignantly, "if only I could go and look for it myself...”

Not far away, in the dungeons, Will was waiting with his hands cuffed behind his back when he heard the gate to the area creak loudly. Heavy footsteps moved towards his cell and he raised his head. The strands of his hair were dishevelled and sticking to his temples with sweat.

“You look terrible," muttered a very recognisable voice to the armourer, who looked up into Kassaral's grey eyes. With his grey hair slicked back, his beard neatly trimmed, and his portly appearance, he looked more like a navy admiral than the drug and weapons dealing governor of a remote southern island. He was dressed in a dark grey suit, well-tailored and without a single crease. A white handkerchief peeked out of the breast pocket of his jacket. From the light blue tie came a tiny glint of the golden pin, decorated with a small diamond. His smile revealed a fang of gold as he looked at Will.
“What's all the fuss, gunsmith?" Kassaral asked, emphasising the last word in order to put distance between himself and the imprisoned man.
“Cut the crap, Bass, we know each other." Will muttered. "Who ordered the murder of Rose and her husband?”

Kassaral's laughter echoed throughout the dungeon.
“Who was it?” the governor asked, puzzled.
Will kept his eyes fixed on Kassaral and knew he wasn't lying. He didn't seem to have any idea about what had happened.
“Are you telling me you don't know that a married couple and their child have been slaughtered?” replied the armourer. "Being executed by your guards?”

The governor's face turned grim and he pursed his lips. He held up a hand as a plea to wait and hurried out of the dungeon. Though he was some distance away, Will could hear the governor call his secretary, who informed him of the news. Back in the dungeon, Kassaral stroked his beard in a worried gesture.
“I had no idea until now." he confessed grumpily. “I suppose it was someone else's order, but still, what's troubling you? From what I've been told, they were nobles, and the order to execute on the spot anyone belonging to that social class is active. Ever since I broke ties with the World Government, those scum know there are places they shouldn't go." he muttered contemptuously. “After all, they have a lot of privileges. Somehow you have to balance the scales, don't you think, pirate?”

Will narrowed his eyes.
“They weren't bad people, quite the opposite." the armourer replied, not taking a step back and not letting his former reputation affect him.
“You would have done the same thing years ago, wouldn't you? You weren't exactly a merciful man when you were pirating, Captain...”

The words resonated with the armourer, who smirked a sinister smile.
“I knew you were still holding a grudge on me," Will mumbled, defiantly, "but let's not talk about me...but about who had executed my friends without your express permission. Someone is going behind your back...”

These words caused the governor to become uneasy, and he gulped. His reaction did not go unnoticed by Will, who let out a chuckle of agreement.
“He who lives by the sword...”

“Dies by the sword.” Kassaral finished the sentence, rushing out of the dungeon, leaving Will smirking.

Chapter Text

The new orders given by Gallard were not pleasant for Darby to comply with. He did not feel like chasing after a child he didn’t care for and who would sooner or later die without his parents' help.

Remembering everything that had happened the night before when he murdered that couple, no one had told him anything about it. He did his job, that's it. Snorting with annoyance at having to search that house again, he slowed his steps thinking about what he would do instead. Maybe he was playing somewhere when he killed his parents. But no, that was in the early hours of the morning, so it was unlikely. Maybe his mother heard something and warned her son to run away? She probably did.

He entered the house after pulling the door with a little push, as he had deliberately locked it the day before. He walked through all the rooms, not bothering to make a sound. He knocked on walls and floors looking for a hollow sound that might hide a secret place, not visible at first sight. But he found nothing of note. Not even a trapdoor leading to a cellar. The cottage was rather humble, even for nobles.
“They could have had everything and chose to have nothing." he muttered, picking up a small photo frame with a picture of a couple holding a baby in their arms. He recognised his victims. He smiled to himself and put the object back in its place.

With nothing more to observe in there, he was about to leave the house when he noticed an open window. Puzzled by this detail, he concluded that someone had entered the house in the hours that followed. Perhaps the son? No. Those windows were too heavy for a brat to open. Darby pulled out the snail he carried with him and dialed a number, which was quickly answered by the voice of his boss.
“What's the matter with you now?" Gallard grumbled on the other end. "I hope you're not bothering me for some bullshit?”
“And if I am, so what?" the hitman replied grumpily. "Hey, do you know if anyone else has ransacked the house?”
 The lieutenant governor took a long drag on a cigarette and exhaled a sigh as he scratched his sweaty forehead.
“I don't know, why do you say that?”
“There's an open window, and none of my men or I opened it. I'm sure of that.”
After a few seconds where Darby heard a few fed-up grunts, he returned to the device.
“Now that you mention it, that gunsmith...the one I sent to the brig for throwing this couple in my face?
“You mean Eustass Will?” asked the hitman again, frowning. "Did he entered this house?”
“Probably, I'll go and ask him later, I'm busy now." Gallard retorted in annoyance, before cutting off the communication.

With that detail, Darby decided to set off for the gunsmith's house. Because if that couple and Will knew each other, it would be obvious that the little boy would have gone to that house. Especially knowing that he had a son as well.

Kidd stood up with Kamazo's help and shook out his trousers. He was still in a bit of a daze when they heard a knock at the door. The boys were puzzled, and Kamazo indicated that it was probably Kidd’s dad, but he frowned even more.
“My dad always takes the key with him whenever he goes out, he would have let himself in." He whispered, dragging his friend under the kitchen table. “Let's see who it is...”

The two little ones crawled towards the door that connected the workshop, just as they heard more knockings on the front door.

In the dungeon, Will sighed with impatience. He wanted to get out of there immediately, so when he heard the door creak, he approached the bars of his cell. The illumination caused him to squint to see who was entering.

Gallard's portly figure stepped through and sent the guards to rest. Once alone, he closed the door and secured himself until the footsteps had conveniently receded.
“Will," he said, lighting a cigarette, "Captain Eustass Will..." he emphasised after taking a long drag. The smoke clouded the air momentarily. The armourer looked up, defiant. His amber eyes were piercing and menacing, he never lost that.

“When are you going to get me out of here?” he asked without looking away from Gallard, who composed a grimace of displeasure. "My son is waiting for me.”
“Well, let him keep waiting," replied the lieutenant governor, "but first I have to ask you something...how did you know that couple?”
 Will did not answer. He just kept his gaze fixed on his opponent.
“Don't you want to answer? All right," he declared, "you're going to make me make decisions I don't want to make, but...if that's what you want...”
“Why you want to know that, Gallard?” asked the armourer again. "What are you looking for?”
Gallard turned his hand away from the pistol he still held and smiled broadly, his grey teeth showing.
“I'm looking for his son, you wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?” he asked inquisitively.

An uneasy feeling ran down his spine. He'd heard rumours about this bastard and it seemed they weren't wrong.
“What do you want to know for?” Will muttered, in a defiant tone. "What do you want to know where that boy is for?”
Gallard drew his revolver and pointed it at the head of the prisoner, who raised his brow and maintained a serious and menacing countenance.
“That's none of your business, Captain," he mumbled, removing the safety from his weapon. “I'm surprised that a pirate has moral values...”

“Are you surprised?” Will snarled. “I was a pirate, I spent two decades plundering and destroying those islands plagued by infected and corrupt rats. Islands ruled by infamous worms that had the population drowned, except for those who were on their side and collaborated as ass-lickers," he enumerated. “I have robbed riffraff, I have murdered cowards, I have cut off the heads of scoundrels. Yes, I have. But I never," he said, emphasising his words, "I never hurt a woman, a child or an old man. I never killed anyone who didn't deserve it. And much less," he whispered, approaching the bars, "did I traffic in minors...that would only be done by a monster...”

A shot rang out and the bullet slammed into the dungeon’s wall. Will had only bent his head to dodge it, seeing the trembling on Gallard's hands and the sweat running down his temples.
“You fucking bastard!” the lieutenant governor mumbled, as he heard the hurried footsteps of the guards approaching.

Chapter Text

A trickle of smoke was still rising from the gap in the wall when the guards approached the dungeon door and asked if there’s was something wrong.

Gallard hurried out, wiping the sweat from his head, and indicated that he was feeling unwell, but that was all. Once the guards were satisfied, they returned to their guard posts, while the deputy governor left the area walking towards his office.

No sooner had he arrived when Kassaral's personal guard blocked his way.

“The boss wants to see you" the man said, indicating with the palm of his hand the direction to go.

Gallard grimaced in disgust.

“Right now? I'm very...”

“Right now." urged the guard, who did not take his eyes off him until the deputy governor had made his way towards Kassaral's personal office.

He entered the place with some apprehension. Usually, when Kassaral called him, it was not to give him good news. And from the look on his face, it was clear that he was going to admonish him.

“Gallard, sit down." the governor ordered his brother-in-law, who, visibly nervous, did as he was told. “I'm not in the mood today, and if I'm putting up with it, it's because your sister is begging me to turn a blind eye, but you're going too far.”

The lieutenant governor gulped and tried to decipher his brother-in-law's reaction.

“What have I done to make you feel upset, Bass?" he asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

Glaring at him, Kassaral placed a piece of paper on the table, with the official seal of the organisation and the death sentence signed by Gallard himself. On that paper were written the charges that led to Rose and her husband death penalty.

“Explain this to me.”

The lieutenant governor relaxed at the sight of the warrant and smiled, showing his greyish teeth.

“Well, they were nobles so, as it says there," he chuckled with a nervous laugh, "they had to be eradicated.”

“Not without my prior authorisation, asshole," Kassaral bellowed, slamming his fist on the table, after which he raised his hand and pointed at his brother-in-law, "I don't know what the hell you're up to, but I know this isn't just because they're nobles. You can tell me what you know, or I swear the next time my wife wants to visit you, it'll be at the cemetery, ok?”

Gallard suddenly turned pale, as thick beads of sweat continued to drip down his head.

“I just wanted to teach them a lesson," the vice-governor muttered, averting his eyes, "I swear. I'm terribly sorry I didn't tell you about my intentions, but since it was such a small thing, I thought it would bother you if I told you about it, and I simply took the initiative...”

Kassaral's grey eyes focused on his brother-in-law. He looked over the paper and the stamped signature, as well as the seal and the names of the condemned.

“Fine," he retorted without looking away, "but don't let it happen again. Any execution like this has to be previously reviewed by me, I don't want any more trouble, understood? Now shove off”

With as much speed as his body would allow, Gallard slipped away without saying a word.

Once alone in his office, Kassaral called one of his personal guards.

“Business and family, never put them together." he muttered, adjusting his tie.

Chapter Text

Once they reached the workshop, the children walked over to the big door that Will used to keep open when he was working. They put their little heads next to it, where a small crack allowed them to see what was going on at the front door.

“I can't see anything," whispered Kidd, as he tried to steady himself on tiptoe.

“Because you can't reach it," replied Kamazo, half-mockingly, pushing his friend out of the way and take the place. “Let's see...I see a huge man...he's carrying a rifle...”

Kidd began to recall the people he knew in the village, without coming across anyone who fit the profile.

“If he's carrying a gun, he's probably one of my dad's clients." he muttered, and then asked the blond to lift him up so he could see better through the crack. “Yes, I've seen him here, guess he’s not dangerous.”

Once Kamazo had placed him on the ground, the red-haired boy went to the gate and, pulling the bolt, opened the door with his little head poking out.

“Hey!" he shouted, calling out to the newcomer. "My dad's not here, do you want anything?”

Darby turned slowly to see the boy's red hair and smiled behind the metal mask.
“Hello, little one!” he replied, walking towards him and stopping in front of the boy. "Are you Will's son?”

The boy nodded, still standing in the doorway. Something told him to close the door immediately, but he stood still. With a wave of his hand, he beckoned his friend to hide.

Darby recognized the fear in the boy's attitude and placed his hand on the edge of the door, forcing to keep him from closing it.

“Well, well..." he muttered, as his eyes tried to scan the darkness of the workshop, "Are you alone, then? Maybe you can help me...”

Kids gulped and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
“Sir, you'd better come back when my dad's here." he stuttered as he tried to force the door shut, panicking when he felt he couldn't. His amber eyes were fixed on Darby’s metallic hand, as it was blocking the way.

“Mind if I take a look?” the man asked, pulling the door back, causing Kidd to stagger and fall to his knees on the floor. The light from outside illuminated part of the workshop, reflecting the sun's rays with metallic sparkles.

He scanned each object in detail as his eyes adjusted to the surroundings. On the floor, the red-haired boy stood up, visibly angry and shaking off his trousers.

“You wouldn't happen to know a little blond boy, would you?” Darby asked without offering to help him. “A little older than you”

Kamazo, hiding behind a table full of junk, cowered in fear knowing that the man was looking for him. And it wasn't a good thing.

In response, Kidd shook his head.

“I don't know any other children around here," he lied and blocked the way, "and if you don't mind, wait till my dad comes back and talk to him. I don’t want to talk to strangers.”

“But I'm no stranger," replied the hitman, removing his mask, "I'm Darby, one of your daddy’s customers.”

Even though Kidd had recognised him, he hold himself ground, provoking the impatience of the hitman, who snorted angrily.

“I'm starting to lose my patience, you little shit," he snapped, grabbing the boy by the tee and pulling him up to face him. Kidd tried desperately to wiggle out of his grip. “Tell me where the blond kid is right now, because I know you're lying to me.”

“Get off him!” shouted Kamazo, coming out of hiding, eliciting a sinister grin from Darby, who threw Kidd to the ground like an old rag.

“Look who is here." muttered the hitman. "Come on, boy, behave yourself, I've got to take you to see someone.”

The blond, armed with an iron rod he had found in the workshop, approached his friend, who crawled out of the hitman's reach.

“Don't hurt him again! I'm not going with you! Get out of here!” he shouted as loudly as he could, trying to stand up against a man who was looking condescendingly at the little boy's bravado.

Darby strode over with giant strides and stopped in front of Kamazo, who began to strike the hitman with the rod. However, the hitman's body stiffened and covered him in metal, making the blond's attack attempts useless. When he felt the boy’s strength flagging, Darby grabbed him, but not before snatching the iron bar from him and bending it in half.

“Next time try not to face someone whose devil's fruit allows him to be made of metal," he reported with a chuckle. ”Not even the strongest man in the whole world could break my iron defence, much less a little brat...”

Carrying Kamazo, Darby continued laughing as he left the workshop, but suddenly he felt something that stopped dead on his tracks.

Startled, he felt the same force pushing him backwards. Taking advantage of Darby's bewilderment, Kamazo broke free of his grip and with a jump landed on the ground out of the way, looking back towards the workshop. There was Kidd standing still, right hand outstretched, as a buzzing sound echoed loudly and sparks flashed around his body.

The hitman was able to turn around before he was knocked to the ground by the enormous magnetic force pulling him towards the workshop.

“What the hell?" he shouted, trying in vain to stand up in vain.

Kidd's fury increased as his power unfurled, pulling the hitman harder and harder as he was dragged helplessly and faster. With a simple wave of his right hand, the red-haired boy threw Darby against the wall of the workshop, where a shelf collapsed, knocking over all the items.

Stunned, the hitman pushed aside some of the junk, still half buried.

The two children looked at what had happened and whispered to each other, something that brought a wicked grin to the younger one's face. Kamazo picked up a sickle he found nearby as a weapon and Kidd began to gather with his power the metal junk scattered around the workshop, from small screws to sharp nails, hammers and saws.

“Damn you..." growled Darby, staggering, as he was struck by the mass of junk that knocked him back down, causing various cuts and bruises to his skin.

Kamazo, who held the sickle tightly to prevent his friend's magnetism from taking him, nimbly leapt through the debris to stand at the hitman's level.

“What a bad luck is to eat a devil fruit that turns your body to metal and to meet your counterpart..." said the blond, with a twinkle in his eye, as he raised his arm with the sickle.

Before he could use it, the hitman moved quickly, causing the boy to stagger over the junk and jump aside. Darby's face was cut and dripping with blood, but he didn't seem to mind.

With his own power he metallised his arms and lunged at the little blond, delivering a brutal blow that sent him crashing to the ground.

Darby turned his head to locate the other boy, who was startled to see his friend lying on the ground, while the junk crashed down. Taking advantage of his inexperience, he went for him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him face to face.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, you little shit?” the hitman snarled, spitting in the boy's face, who held back the retching he felt at the man's foul breath. Holding him down, he slammed Kidd hard against the same wall where he had previously been thrown.

“Fucking kids." he mumbled, grabbing Kamazo and hauling him out of the workshop.

He had barely taken two steps out of the workshop when he felt something sharp piercing his abdomen. He looked down and saw a bloody, pointed iron bar. He gritted his teeth in pain, loosening Kamazo's grip. The boy looked back to where Kidd was standing bruised, showing signs of exhaustion.

With a small gesture, the sickle landed at the blond's hands, who quickly picked it up. He moved towards Darby, who was on his knees, clutching the metal bar that had him impaled, while blood gushed from his mouth.

And without saying a word, Kamazo jabbed the sickle into Darby's thick neck, decapitating him with three hard blows.

Darby's huge body slumped sideways, his blood spraying all around him. The head had fallen heavily to the ground, completely detached.

Kamazo was drenched in blood and breathing wearily through his mouth, staring blankly at what he had just done. His hands dropped the sickle to the ground with a metallic clang. He ran his hands through his fringe, sweeping it back and dyeing his hair with fresh blood.

Limping and in pain, Kidd walked over to his friend and surveyed the scene. A shiver ran down his spine and he gulped.

“Why did he want to take you?” the red-haired asked his friend, who was still shaken by the experience.

“I don't know," he replied, trying to regain his composure, "but we're in danger because of this...”

“What do we do, Kamazo?” Kidd's voice cracked, as tears began to well up in his eyes, "I'm scared...”

In response, the blond hugged him and they both stood for a few moments without knowing what to say or what to do, while the sunset casted strange shadows on the road.

Chapter Text

Gallard's office was opaque from the smoke of the tobacco he smoked incessantly. Without taking his eyes off some photographs, he smiled with pleasure at the little treasure.
 “He’s perfect," he murmured to himself as he took a long drag on his cigarette, "Just the way I like it..." The sound of a den den call woke him from his reverie and he picked up the phone. “Ah, it’s you…tell me…did you get what I’ve requested?”

On the other side, the voice of an acquaintance answered affirmative.
 “Shall I get on with it then?” he asked quietly, to which the deputy governor replied with a sinister laugh and hung up the receiver.
 “That prick won't bother me again with his impertinence." he muttered to himself, as he looked back at the photographs spread out on his desk.

The two boys entered the workshop immediately.
“He's still carrying the rod you impaled him with," said Kamazo, pointing to Darby's corpse. “Try dragging him inside. At least while we come up with something better, because if the guards see us...”

Kidd felt exhausted from the fight, and he ran his hands over his eyes, trying to concentrate. He didn't really know how he'd managed to do all that, but what was clear was that if he could do it then, it wouldn't be a problem now.

He raised his right hand and closed his eyes, concentrating. Slowly, he let the strange magnetic energy flow and quickly felt the buzzing and sparks around him.
 “It's too heavy," he grunted, trying to drag it away without success. Beside
him, Kamazo cheered him on as he pushed the corpse with his hands to help his friend.
The energy flowed quickly, ruffling Kidd's red hair even more until he felt a strong shock that caused the body to be dragged quickly into the workshop, crashing against the back wall.
 “Be careful!" shouted his friend, who had lost his balance and was rising from the floor, picking up the sickle in his wake and kicking Darby's head back to the same place.

Then they both turned the soil to hide the traces of blood as best as they could.

Once all inside the workshop, the children closed the doors and locked them. They were really very tired and it was almost dark.
“I have to go home," muttered Kamazo, "my mum must be nervous”

Kidd nodded and escorted his friend into the house.
 “When my dad comes back, we can explain to him what had happened and he'll help us," he reported, sitting down in a chair. “Although your mum might be angry that you come back dirty...”

They both looked at each other and discovered that they were stained with blood. One from beheading Darby and the other from the hug he gave to his friend. They burst out laughing, though Kamazo soon stopped.
 “What's the matter?”, he asked, intrigued to see his friend suddenly become serious, “Don't you like your laugh?”
 The blond looked down and shook his head.
 “People laugh at me," he muttered, his voice choking. “That's why I've never had friends, I hit them and my mother has to apologise later”
 “You hit them because they laugh at you and then your mum apologises?”, Kidd
snorted, "Well, your mother should hit those who make fun of you...not apologise”
Kamazo smiled.
 “She says it's not right to hit others, even if they pick on you," he reflected, remembering her words. “That it's better to ignore the fools, because violence is not the solution and then they play the victim. And I look as the bully”
 “My dad also scolds me because I get into trouble with other boys," mused the red-haired boy, with a sigh. “They pick on me because I'm always creating robots and because I'm the son of a pirate...they say no good can come of it. And because my mum died...”
“Your dad's a pirate?”, Kamazo exclaimed in amazement, "How cool! I'm friends with the son of a pirate!” He fell silent for a moment and looked at the red-haired, "Because we're friends, aren't we? Come on, if you want to be" said Kamazo, smiling and holding out his hand, to which Kidd shook it and smiled in return.

Once the friendship was agreed, the two boys went out the front door of the house and waved goodbye.
“It's too late now, I have to get back," Kamazo reported, with some concern. “It's strange that my mother hasn't come here... and neither has your father. Maybe they are at my house...are you going to stay here by yourself?”

Kidd nodded.
 “I don't think he’ll be away for too long, and besides, I've stayed alone a few times, only for two hours." he replied, smiling. “As soon as my dad comes, I'll tell him everything and we'll see what we can do about that man who wanted to kidnap you”

 With nothing more to say to each other, the blond left the place in a hurry towards his home.

He met no one along the way and the night was beginning to cool down. Fearing of being discovered, Kamazo hid in every bush, streetlight and tree he came across. He was scared. Very, very scared.
“I should get back to Kidd." he muttered when he had been walking for almost fifteen minutes.

At last, he spotted his house but he was surprised that everything was in darkness. He stopped short, not daring to go any further. He expected all the lights to be on, the smell of noodle soup, his father's laughter. But everything was dark.
He moved slowly forward and, when he reached the door, tried to open it without success.
 “Mum?” he called, walking around the side. “Daddy?”

He saw the open window and climbed up to enter the house. Kamazo's blue eyes became accustomed to the darkness of the place, recognising the furniture. And the mess all around.

He walked among the discarded furniture, the open drawers and broken chairs.
 “Mummy?” his voice cracked as fear clutched at his heart, "Daddy!”

No one answered and he ran upstairs to his parents' bedroom. He switched on a light, but the room was completely empty, with no sign of them.
“What's going on? He muttered in anguish, "Mum, dad, please stop playing games! Have you gone without me?”

The fear of having been abandoned by his parents became very strong. It was not the first time his father had scolded him and jokingly told him that he would be sold to pirates if he continued to misbehave with the other children. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he looked around the house for his parents.
 “Don't leave me alone, I promise to be good from now on!” he wailed disconsolately, leaning against a wall and letting himself fall to the ground, "Please...come back...”

Meanwhile, at Will's house, the little red-haired boy wiped his face. It was past midnight and his father still hadn't returned. Worried, he went to the workshop, but remembering that Darby's body was there made him reluctant to open the door. 
Fear took over his mind and he ran out of the house, the same way Kamazo had walked.

Like a bullet, he ran as fast as he could, without meeting anyone. Since he did not know the house where Kamazo lived, he passed it in his mad dash. However, the blond, who had left his house to go to get help, saw the boy crossing in front of him like an exhalation.
 “Kidd!” he called out to him, and at the sound of his name, he stopped dead in his tracks and ran back to his friend, to whom he hugged tightly.
 “My dad's not back and I'm scared, let me stay with you." the red-haired boy begged, tears in his eyes.

Kamazo swallowed hard and began to tremble.
 “My parents aren't here either," he said, his voice breaking. “I don't know what's going on, but I don't like this... not at all”

The children decided to hide in Kamazo's house so that they could shelter from the cold of the night. At least they could keep each other company until the morning when they would decide what to do and see what was going on with their parents.

That night a guard brought Will's dinner, consisting of a glass of water and a bowl of soup. The armourer appreciated the gesture and asked if he knew when he would be released, to which the guard shrugged.  
“I'll ask a colleague who is Kassaral's personal guard," he replied nonchalantly, "but I don't think it will be long. You're lucky he holds you in some esteem, though”

The armourer's mouth twisted in disbelief, but he accepted the dinner and set about eating it.

An hour and a half later, when that same guard came in to collect the remains of the dinner and announce the release order, he was surprised not to hear a response.

Will was sleeping in his cell, on his back facing the wall.

“Mr. Eustass, you are free to go," said the guard, opening the lock and entering the room. Still getting no response, he bent down to wake him up, moving him with his hands.
 As he did so, Will's body moved heavily, revealing his open mouth from which foam and vomit dripped.
 Quickly, the guard rushed out to call for the doctor to come immediately.

After a little hustle and bustle, the doctor ordered the place cleared out completely, leaving him alone with Will, but after a few minutes, he came out to announce the prisoner's death by poisoning.

 “My God!” exclaimed the guard, "But I brought him his supper! Someone must have put something in his food!”

The doctor twisted a smile.
 “I don't think that excuse will do you much good," he replied, leaving the dungeon. “Tell it to the governor personally. I'm just doing my job and that's all”

 The news spread quickly throughout the building, reaching the ears of Kassaral
himself, who jumped up from his chair and rushed downstairs to check.
“Who is responsible for the death of Eustass Will?” he asked, looking at the body of the former pirate.

The two guards holding his coworker dragged him in front of the governor.
 “Governor!” pleaded the guard, "Mercy! It wasn't me, I had nothing against him! Someone must have poisoned his dinner! Ask in the kitchen!”

Kassaral frowned, his grey eyes glittering in the gloom of the dungeon.
 “Execute him”

He turned to leave the place and return to his office, while the guard was shot in the temple.

Once alone, the governor slumped into his chair in front of the desk and put his hands to his head. Before him laid the paper releasing Eustass Will from his prison.
 “I started the mutiny against you, Captain," he muttered between his teeth, "but I would never have ordered your death...”

Kassaral felt uneasy, especially when he remembered that Will had a young son.

Chapter Text

It was already dawn when Kamazo woke up and pushed Kidd off him. The two boys had slept together in the blonde’s room, waiting for their parents.

He tapped him a couple of times to wake him up, to which the red-haired boy responded with a stammer, calling for his father. His eyes finally opened and he was startled when he didn't recognise the place.
“We're in my room," his friend replied, "we have to go out and look for our parents, someone must have seen them”

The little boy climbed down from the bed and, avoiding the mess, grabbed his friend's hand and pulled himself out of the room.

As the front door could not be unbolted, they went out through the window, which was still open.

Outside, the two boys took the main road, clinging together and looking pitiful.

They heard a ruckus of voices and footsteps coming in the distance, so they both ran to hide behind some bushes.

“Come on, let's go!” shouted the one who looked like the officer. "Both houses are this way!”

A troop entered Kamazo's house, breaking down the door. They went through all the rooms and came out quickly. One of the guards informed his officer that no one was there.
“Let us then proceed to Will's house”

Kidd wanted to shout out, but Kamazo placed his hand over his mouth, asking him to be quiet.
“We'd better follow, but hiding from them." the blond whispered to his companion, to which he nodded.

The two children cautiously made their way back to Will's home and by the time they arrived, the guards were searching the whole place.

A warning call was heard and the officer went inside.

Looking at each other, they knew at once what the troops had discovered. The gate of the workshop opened and Darby's remains were brought out. Paying attention, they heard the officer making contact with someone over the den den.
“Yes sir," he reported with a worried look on his face. “Yes...it's Darby...yes...dead, just as I say...impaled and beheaded...but that's not possible...all right...no, no sign of the children....”

They both turned pale, not taking their eyes off what was happening, when a shadow came up behind them.
“Here they are!” yelled the voice, startling the two friends, who tried in vain to flee, as the guard held them tightly. “I've got them!”

The officer had hung up the den den before passing the information to his interlocutor and smiled in relief.
“Thank goodness they're all right”

At the governor's mansion, Kassaral was slowly lighting a cigar as he leaned back in his chair, when one of his personal guards entered.
“They are here, sir," he reported, squaring himself before him.
“Let them in," Kassaral mused, immediately extinguishing the cigar and pushing it aside.

The huge doors of his office opened wide and two children entered, dirty and trembling. One blond and one red-haired. Behind them, several guards escorted them.

The governor raised his eyebrows in surprise at the scruffy children.
“Where have you been?” asked Kassaral.
“Sir, where are our parents?” Kamazo ventured, without brushing aside the thick fringes that covered his blue eyes. It was still stained and matted with Darby's blood.

Kassaral cleared his throat a couple of times and waved his men out of his office, leaving him alone with the children. Once the doors were closed, the man rose from his desk and, circling around, approached the children, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

“How old are you?” asked the governor.
“I think he's six," replied Kamazo, pointing to Kidd, "and I'm ten”

In response, Kassaral took a deep breath. He had never dealt with such young children before and felt sorry for them.
“Your parents are not coming back," he said quickly. “They have passed away.”

The two children were stunned by the news.
“What?” stammered the blond, unable to believe what he had just heard.
“Your parents were killed in an ambush by pirates," lied the governor, clearing his throat. “There was a scuffle at your house, they wanted to rob and my guards didn't get there in time. They were found dead. But," he said quickly, "we caught the culprits and they have been executed, little one. Your parents have been duly avenged. Your father," he looked at the red-haired boy, "tried to save them in vain...he was there when it happened. I'm... I'm sorry for your loss”

Kamazo blinked a couple of times repeatedly, before bursting into uncontrollable tears. Next to him, Kidd clung to him and began to cry as well.

The scene brought a lump to the governor's throat and he gulped, feeling uncomfortable.
“Was it the bad man who came to my house?” whimpered Kidd, remembering everything that had happened with Darby.
“Who?” asked Kassaral quizzically.
“The man who wanted to kidnap me" Kamazo sobbed.

The governor scratched his head in confusion.
“Who do you mean, little ones?” he asked intrigued. "Who wanted to kidnap you?”

 The children spoke hurriedly, describing Darby.
“Wait a minute," Kassaral snapped, "do you know what happened to him?” Bending down to get to the children's level, he looked into their eyes indistinctly, "Is there anything I should know?”

Both Kidd and Kamazo hugged tighter against each other. Tears still rolled down their cheeks, even though they were still in shock at the news.
Kassaral sat up again in disbelief, running his right hand over his head.
“You two, ten and six years old, killed a guy that big?”

“Sir, he assaulted us first." Kamazo burst out, trying to rub his nose. “He almost killed us!”

Beside him, Kidd shook his head affirmatively, his face dripping with tears.

“Unbelievable..." muttered the governor, still stunned by what he had just heard. He had been informed of the discovery, but he had never thought that those two children were responsible. At the time he thought it was Will, and hence the revenge of his death in the dungeon.

The seconds ticked by as the governor tried to fit the pieces of this strange puzzle together. On one hand, he had two orphaned children. One was Gallard's responsibility. The other, he still didn't know who and why had poisoned him, but it was clear that it was someone close to him. And, on the other hand, the appearance of Darby's impaled and decapitated corpse by them. What was clear to him was that he didn't want to leave them to free will. If they already showed that potential as children, they would serve him well in the future, perhaps in a few years' time.

As the two children tried to console each other, Kassaral leaned against his office desk.
“I think I know what I'm going to do with you." he uttered, smiling and showing his golden fang. “Don't worry, I'm going to introduce you to some people who will take care of you from now on. You've got guts," he said pointing at the two of them, "you've got a lot of potential ahead of you. Don't let me down, ok?”

After saying this, he took his den den and made a call for a meeting in the square in front of his mansion.

Chapter Text

In the South district, a 22-year-old man grimaced as he heard the news of Darby's fate. The scar that ran across his cheeks like a forced smile crinkled as it narrowed back.  
“Who was the bastard who killed him?” He muttered, stroking his chin. "He's got to be a hell of a guy, or else Kassaral wouldn't have summoned us”
“Boss," said another colleague, blue-haired and younger than him, "you won't believe this, but rumours said that the one who killed him was a devil fruit user. But that's not all..." he informed, bending down and pulling his boss's long hair aside to whisper in his ear.
 “What are you saying?" he exclaimed in fright, "It can't be! Are you sure about that, Bubblegum?”
 His subordinate nodded.
 “I have to go check this out for myself." he declared, frowning and sitting up, as he grabbed the waistcoat full of banded patches. “I find that hard to believe...”

In another district, to be precise in the West, an 18-year-old boy with a languid look was taking the news with the same astonishment, but at the same time serenity. Next to him, two 14-year-old twins were busy composing the lyrics of a song, trying to make the verses rhyme.
“Hip, Hop," their boss called out to them, "we got a call from the governor, I want to know if the news we've been given are real”
 Without another word, the young man stood up, revealing his enormous height, and picked up a trident, while bending down so that Hip could help him put on a shiny black jacket, with studs and fringes.

In the huge square in front of the governor's palace, a curious crowd had already gathered.

Onlookers milled around the figure of Kassaral, who was chatting quietly with one of his personal guards.
 The same crowd opened up as the two heads of the South and West Districts arrived, glancing sideways at each other as they recognised themselves.
 “Good morning, Heat," greeted the taller boy first, standing next to him.
 He looked away from him and frowned.
 “Greetings to you too, Wire," he declared politely. “Glad to see you're in good shape.”
“Did you want to see me as bad as you or what?” teased the Western chief with a half-smile, to which Heat replied with a grunt, "Don't get mad at me, there will be time for that once we know what really happened," he retorted, pointing with his chin to where Kassaral was standing.

When the two arrived at the centre, the governor smiled with pleasure and greeted them both.
“You have come, Heat, head of the South district, and Wire, head of the West district," he beamed, smiling broadly, "I have called you here because, from now on, you will no longer have to take care of either the North or the East district, as those places will be assigned to these two”
 Kassaral stepped aside to reveal a frightened Kidd and Kamazo, who gulped at the sight of the elders.
 Both Heat and Wire looked at the two kids with shock.
 “They're the ones who took out Darby," muttered Wire, crouching down to get a closer look at the youngsters. Kidd clung to Kamazo's arm and, feeling secure, stuck his tongue out at
him.
 Heat folded his arms and sighed.
“They're too small to carry those districts, aren't they?” he asked, looking at Kassaral, who adjusted his tie around his neck.
 “That's why you'll keep an eye on them in the meantime," the governor declared, smiling again. “They'll learn quickly, since their lives depend on it...”

Wire and Heat shared a few shocked looks, but before they could utter a complaint, the governor quickly took his leave and returned to his palace, leaving the two children in their care.

Bubblegum and the twins Hip and Hop approached their bosses, looking curiously at the newcomers.
“They're such brats!” blurted Hop, laughing, to which Hip elbowed her and crouched down to catch up with the children.
“Hiya, my name is Hip!” uttered the other twin, holding out her hand first to Kamazo and then to Kidd. “This idiot is my sister Hop, and our boss is called Wire. You have to listen to him in everything he orders you, ok?”

“What about that one?” asked Kidd, pointing at Heat.
 “That one's name is Heat," Bubblegum grumbled, irritated, "You owe him respect, or else I'll whip your ass until it’s the same hue as your hair”
 Kamazo cackled, while Kidd's face reddened with rage.
“If you dare to hit me, I'll kill you!” he exclaimed furiously, facing Bubblegum, who began to laugh at the blond's laughter. "And if you laugh at my friend, I'll kill you twice!”
 “He’s got a temper, isn’t he?" chuckled Heat, appreciating the boy's potential, ordering his subordinate to keep his composure. “All right, we have no choice but to deal with you”

Wire shrugged his shoulders and composed a grimace of resignation.
 “As long as they don't give us any trouble...”

Inside the governor's mansion, Kassaral moved quickly to his office and locked himself in after the events. He sat back in his chair and turned to look out of the window behind him. He folded his hands under his chin in a reflective pose.
“I hope I can keep these two kids under my control," he muttered to himself, "especially Kidd, being a devil's fruit user...but which one does he have, the same as Darby? Did he eat the fruit once he was killed?”

With all these questions running through his head, he stared out of the window, seeing the heads of the districts in the distance taking the two little ones away.

In another office, away from his own, Gallard had been briefed on recent events. His round face was sweating incessantly, with thick drips trickling down his temples. The cigarette he had been smoking had long since been slowly extinguished in an ashtray littered with ash and debris.
“It can't be..." he quivered. "There's no way those two kids could have taken down Darby...something doesn't add up...and on top of that, my brother-in-law has taken that kid under his wing...shit...”

Chapter Text

Heat and Wire walked to the front, a little away from their subordinates and the children.
“We’ve got to bite the bullet," commented the first one, brushing his hair back, "and a hard one. I've got enough with my own group; the boss could have kept them...”
“Look on the bright side," Wire replied, adjusting his jacket, "future allies. They're really doing us a favour," he muttered, lowering his voice even more and leaning in a little closer so his colleague could hear him, "If these two little brats have been able to take down Darby, it's possible that they could overthrow both the fat paedophile and the big boss in the future...".
His partner nodded, stroking the scars across his face.
“True," he mused, "and at least we've got them away from Gallard”
Wire patted Heat on the back and they carried on whispering to each other.

Behind them, Hip and Hop were still arguing about the rhymes of the song they were preparing while Bubblegum asked them to please shut up for a while.
“Hey!" growled Hop, shoving Heat's subordinate. "Nobody tells me to shut up!”
“That would be asking the impossible!” retorted the young man, regaining his composure before looking back. "Hey brats, come here”

The two children had stopped in front of Kamazo's house, standing perfectly still.
Hip approached them and caressed their shoulders, trying to comfort them.
“Is this where you used to live?” she asked, staring at the house.
“I lived here with my parents," mused the blond, sobbing, "I want them to come back...”

The boy ran away without Hip being able to do anything about it, and then Kidd took his hand away from her and chased after his friend.
“Wait!” shouted Bubblegum when he realised that the children were running away, but Hip stopped him.
“No," she told him, “Let them go…”

“What’s going on?” asked Heat a few metres ahead, when he saw that the party was not following his footsteps.
Hip pointed to Kamazo's home with her chin.
“That's where he lived." she reported, biting her lower lip in a pouting gesture. Beside her, Hop came over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, hugging her back.
Wire joined the group and let out a long sigh.
“Their parents were killed by a pirate gang," he informed, stroking his trident. “They've been orphaned”
“What pirate gang?” Heat grimaced, "This wasn't the work of pirates, we would have heard about it sooner or later”
They all turned to the eldest of them all, puzzled by the news.
“Boss, what are you implying?” Bubblegum asked.
Heat snorted and adjusted his denim waistcoat full of music band patches.
“Nothing that happens on this island is casual." he replied sharply. “Nothing. These children have not been orphaned by some random pirates, who nobody knows anything about," spatted the South District’s boss. “Kassaral told them that story to keep them quiet”
“And why would he want to keep them quiet?” Hop questioned, crossing her arms, "They're just children, what danger could they pose?”
“Well," Wire interjected, looking at the house, "those two kids you're calling were capable of killing Darby. They're not as innocent as they seem...”
“And the red-haired boy is the son of former pirate Eustass Will, haven't you heard of him?” Heat added, clicking his tongue, "One of the few decent people on this island, despite his past. Kassaral must have made a mistake and he's trying to make up for it by trying to control these brats, but we'll find out in due course”

Inside the house, Kamazo was walking through the rooms when he heard Kidd calling out to him. He wiped tears from his eyes and watched the little red-haired boy come to him.
“What are we going to do?” Kidd asked his friend, as the blond picked up the photo frame with the snapshot of his parents, removing the cardboard on the back and taking it out.
“I don't know... but we can't survive on our own...”

They both turned when they saw Hip entering the house.
“Hey, there you are," she said, straining a smile, "do you want me to help you pick something up?”
Kamazo held up the photo he was holding and showed it to the girl, who took it in her hands, caressing the smiling faces in the picture with her thumbs. She recognised the baby as the child in front of her.
At least you have a memento of your parents" Hip sighed, handing it back to Kamazo.
“Don't you have parents?” asked Kidd, his amber eyes widening to the max.
Hip shook her head.
“Someone brought my sister and me to this island when I was very little and I don't remember much else," she answered quickly, running her hands over his arms in search of comfort. “But that doesn't matter now, is there anything else you want to take with you? I don't think we'll be coming back here for a long time, as it's not our territory. Make the most of it...”

The little blond shook his head and took Hip's hand as she held it out to leave the house.
“Kidd, do you also want to go home to pick up stuff?” asked the girl, looking at the red-haired boy who was running his hands over his reddened eyes, while nodding his head.

They caught up with the waiting party and continued on their way to the redhead's house. When they got there, Kidd's heart dropped and he began to cry uncontrollably as he ran towards it.

The twins embraced, Hip sinking her head into her sister's arms as Hop watched Kamazo following his friend.
“These two are going to grow up like brothers," Wire predicted with a pleased smile, "at least they have each other.”

At his father's house, Kidd went through all the rooms, still crying, calling out to him from all sides. He arrived at the workshop, which was a complete mess, both from the junk and the blood from Darby's.
Overlooking all this, Kamazo located the sickle with which he had decapitated the hitman, which was still stained with blood, now dried. Not far away he found another sickle, picking it up with his free hand.
“Do you mind if I keep this?” asked the blond to his friend, who looked away as he held a small metal robot on a string.
“Fine" was his terse reply as he rummaged through papers and tools, hoarding whatever he could find useful on a belt his father used to hang them on.

Seeing his friend frantically searching for something, Kamazo approached him and asked what he needed.
“The welder's goggles," said the red-haired boy. “They are round and have a black elastic band that fits over the head”
From the rubble he picked up the blowtorch he had so often wanted to use, but his father forbade him to do so.
“Are these the ones?” asked Kamazo, holding up a pair of glasses he had found under some papers.
Kidd ran over to check and smiled through his tears, thanking him and placing them on his forehead. They both finally left the house.

Outside, their new comrades were waiting for them. Kidd carried the tool belt slung over his shoulder and the blowtorch in the other hand, while Kamazo wielded the sickles.

Heat and Wire's eyes widened in surprise at seeing them arrive with all that tools.
“Your father was the gunsmith Eustass Will, wasn't he?” Heat asked Kidd, who nodded, rubbing the snot hanging from his nose, "I've got something for you then, but you'll have to wait.”
The red-haired boy grimaced and looked at the young man with the scar-face.
“Why don't you give it to me now?" he demanded with a frown, while Hip, seeing him with the snot hanging down, passed him a handkerchief to remove it.
The leader of the Southern district laughed and folded his arms.
“You're impatient, impulsive and a bit... grumpy, aren't you, little redheaded ragamuffin?”
“I'm not grumpy!" grunted the boy, pushing away Hip's hand that was still trying to wipe his nose.
“Yes, you are!" teased Bubblegum, joining in the revelry, "a snotty, red-headed stingray.”

When Hip was finally able to accomplish her task, she looked at Kamazo, who was walking around with his sickles in his hands.
“Your friend is calmer, though," she said, balling the handkerchief into a ball. “You could learn to be quieter, at least when I want to clean you up...”
Kidd sniffled at the snot that still remained in his nose.
“He was the one who cut off the head of the fat man who attacked us.”

An awkward silence fell among the elders, who looked at the little blond in horror, as he continued to fiddle with the sickles, pretending to attack with them, oblivious to the comments.
“Hey... okay..." Bubblegum cleared his throat, the colour returning to his skin, "Now I think it's all starting to fit together more... but... I think you should tell us what happened with Darby... more than anything else, just so we know where we stand...”
“Oh well," the red-haired boy began, once again adjusting his tool belt over his shoulder, where he slung it, refusing to let Hip take it. “That filthy pig came to my house looking for my friend," he said, pointing at Kamazo, who stopped wielding the sickles for a moment. “He wanted to kidnap him.”
“Yes," Kamazo confirmed, “but then Kidd dragged him across the floor and slammed him against the wall.”
“Excuse me?” Hop asked, puzzled. "Dragged him? How?”
“Yeah, thanks to his fruit," he explained, pointing at Kidd. “It's magnetic, it attracts metal. And the bad guy who wanted to kidnap me was made of metal, so that's why he was able to do it.”

The gazes of the elders crossed each other's eyes nervously and they stopped dead in their tracks. Heat crouched down and squared up to Kidd, who was glaring at him with challenging eyes.
“Are you the devil fruit user?” he asked, grabbing him by the shoulders.
The affirmative answer filled the faces of the others with concern.

“I thought it was him," he snorted, pointing at Kamazo, "but do you know which one? Your friend said it was magnetic, didn't he?”
“We have a book where the fruits and their effects are listed," Bubblegum reported, thinking about where he had put it, "we can look at it and see if he recognises it.”

Wire cleared his throat and asked his companions to calm down.
“They've been through a lot and they should get something to eat too," he uttered, tapping his trident on the ground. “We're in this together, for now, so... how about we all go to my quarters?”

Heat and Bubblegum nodded, although the latter commented to his boss that he would go first to get the book about devil fruits.

Chapter Text

“Hello boss!“ Greeted a rather tall girl with curly copper hair as she opened the gate leading to an inner concrete courtyard. She didn’t look over 17 years old. "What are you bringing? More visitors? Oh..." she exclaimed when she saw Heat behind Wire, "Wow...you around?”
“I'm glad to see you too, pretty face." replied the man, advancing unceremoniously inside.
“Quincey! “ yelled Hop when she saw her comrade, "Look what we've got!”

The two children appeared and the young woman gave them a warm smile, crouching down to their level.
“Hello, little boys! “ she beamed, stroking their little heads, causing confusion on both of them, "Oh, how dirty you are, I'm going to give you a good bath, what do you think?”

But the two boys held hands and shook their heads.
Quincey began to laugh and folded her arms.
“Nobody eats on my table unless they're clean," she chuckled, "and Moai has baked a spongecake”
“Did he?" asked Hip, drooling, before running off into a half-ruined building, with graffiti all over the walls.
 “Wait for me!" shouted her sister, following her in a hurry, without even greeting her friend. “But take the children for a bath!" Quincey yelled, so that Hop stopped in her tracks, stepped back and pushed the two of them into the building, "What a nutter..." she muttered, clicking her tongue and heading towards Heat and Wire, "What about you two? Are you going to tell me where you picked up those ducklings? Another shipwreck? Rescue from Gallard’s claws? What did they do to them?”

“Don't worry," Wire soothed her, noticing his friend's growing tension, "these are two orphaned children that Kassaral has entrusted to us to look after for a while, until they can take over the North and East districts.”
“Are you joking? “ snorted the girl, pointing at both of them, "They're too young to be out on the streets on their own, aren't they?”
“It's just until they grow up a bit," said Heat, "maybe a couple of years or....”
“No way! “ Quincey bellowed, facing the South District boss, "The red-haired boy got to be five years old at the most...!”
“Six, to be precise," Wire corrected, "maybe he'll be seven this year, he's got a lot of spunk...”
“So what? “ The woman snorted, "They're too young to be on their own! It's too dangerous, so they'll stay here as long as it takes. Is Kassaral crazy or what the hell is wrong with him?”
Wire hesitated, scratching his chin, "In any case, they need to be trained to defend themselves. Then we'll see how they manage, but I assure you they're not useless. After all, they're the ones who killed Darby...”
Quincey's eyes widened in surprise.
“Is that son of a bitch dead? “ She asked astonished. "Are you serious?”
They both nodded, eliciting an exhale of reassurance from the woman.
“I know you wanted to kill him yourself, but well, they beat you to it," replied Heat, taking a seat on some wooden pallets. “You should thank them.”
“Yes, because asking for your help didn't do any good," replied the girl, emphasising the last word.
“But do you still hold a grudge on me?” Heat was gobsmacked. “I told you I couldn't because it would get me in trouble with Gallard.”
“And whose fault was that the ambush we set up went wrong?“ Quincey remarked, crossing her arms.
“Honey, what did you want me to do?“ Heat retorted again. “I had a last-minute problem and the mission had to be aborted. It wasn't my fault, just ask Gig..."
Quincey snorted angrily and stormed back inside the building, leaving the two bosses alone in the courtyard.

Wire fiddled with his trident pole, twirling it and listening with a grin on his face to the argument between the two.
“She drives me crazy," snorted Heat, when Quincey disappeared, "and not in the way I'd like... what a temper..."
His partner's laughter lightened the mood.
“What do you think about that? “ he asked once Heat's countenance had returned to normal, "Should we train them longer? The red-haired one is going to be quite a challenge, being a devil fruit user. None of my people are, so I have no idea how it's going to go.”
 Heat took a deep breath and tried to get comfortable on the pallet.
“I don't have anyone in my ranks who has eaten that kind of fruit either," he said contritely, "it's certainly going to be a challenge for all of us, but as we talked about earlier, it's in our best interest. And especially knowing what kind of fruit it is, if the blond has told the truth about the magnetism thing...let's see if Bubblegum comes and we can get more information.”

As he said this, they heard a brisk trot, leaving a dusty trail in its wake.
“Speaking of him..." muttered Heat, smiling at the sight of him.
Exhausted, Bubblegum handed the book to his boss and sat down panting.
“You didn't have to come running." said Heat, as he opened the book. “Let's see...”
Wire moved a little closer to look at the pictures in the book, as a burly man with a headscarf, two hoop earrings and a huge ball necklace arrived, holding a tray with a couple of bottles of beer and a plate of seasoned fried potatoes.
“Bubs! I didn't know you'd come too! “ exclaimed Moai, laughing at the sight of the poor exhausted man. “Wait a moment, I'll bring you a beer...”
“Water... I need water..." asked Heat's subordinate. "And when you can, strawberry milkshake...".
“Got it! “ replied Moai with another loud laugh, as he headed into the building.

Inside, Hop had dragged the two children against their will, and they were resisting, clinging to anything that could serve as an anchor.
“Damn brats!“ she growled, tugging at Kidd's legs, who was clinging to a metal beam and unwilling to let go. “Come on, you stink! “
“I don’t care! I like to stink!" replied the red-haired, kicking Hop in order to get rid of her.
 Quincey arrived and smiled at the funny scene.
“Are you sure you like to stink when you're surrounded by girls?" asked the girl, approaching him.
“I don't care about them." he replied, sticking out his tongue, "You girls stink more!”
“This brat will try my patience," Hop snorted, giving up and looking around for Kamazo, who was also clinging like a suction cup to another beam, but sitting on the floor.
“As if you had an ounce of it…" said Quincey with a chuckle. “And where's your sister?”

From an adjacent room she heard Hip giving a muffled shout, as she tried to turn on the tap of a bathtub.
“I don't understand you at all! “ exclaimed Quincey, walking over to find Hip banging on the hot water tap to no avail, while clutching a piece of cake in her mouth.
“Gimme that…" the older woman asked, as Hip kept chewing her food. “You can't be at two things at once...damn...it's hard..." Quincey pulled hard, but it still wouldn't open. “I'll have to get some pliers or something...”
“Well, Kidd got some tools," Hip informed, swallowing what was left of the cake and cleaning her hands.
“Really? Better then," Quincey said, leaving the room and heading for the beam where Kidd was still clinging with all his might.
 When he saw her coming, he squeezed even tighter.
“Is it true you have tools there? “ asked the girl, catching sight of the belt slung over his shoulder. “May I, dear? It'll just be a second..." she said, looking around for pliers, until she found them.
“Hey!" grunted Kidd, "That's mine! Don't steal from me!”
“I don't steal anything from you," sang Quincey, opening the pliers, "I borrow them from you, and will return them in a sec.”

 Hop tugged at Kamazo's legs as he shifted his position to keep his grip on the beam he had chosen. At one point, he was upside down as the twin tried to release him. Hip walked over and turned her head as she saw the boy in that position, his fringe out of his eyes and revealing his face.
“You're so cute! “ she smiled, "You have the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen.”
Immediately, Kamazo's face turned even redder than it already was from being in that position, but it was enough for him to loosen his grip and Hop was finally able to unhook him, pulling him up. She quickly wrapped her arms around him to prevent a possible escape.
“Hold it right there, you little weasel." Hop growled. “We're not going to do anything bad to you, understand? We're just going to give you a bath, because seriously, you smell like shit...”

 Kidd had slid down the beam to help his friend, but Hip intercepted him from behind.
“At last you're finally getting loose!" she said, rounding on him as well. “What a pair of skunks you are...come on, let's go to the bathroom. Quincey! “ shouted the twin, "We've caught them! Have you managed to open the stopcock?”

The red-haired boy tried to get out of Hip's grip without success, as did Kamazo.
“No," said the older woman, leaning out exhausted, pliers in hand, "there's no way...I don't know who could have locked it so tight...I took a shower this morning and had no problem. I'm sure Moai has messed it up...”
“What's going on? “ asked Kidd, surprised. "My pliers aren't any good?”
“No honeybun," muttered Quincey, placing the tool back on the belt the boy was wearing, "we're going to have to bathe you in the kitchen sink, I'm going to prepare it...”
“Let me go for a moment," asked the little boy, "I'm not going to escape, I swear," he said, reaffirming himself to Hip, who wouldn't let go of him.
“I don’t trust you," muttered the girl, holding Kidd by the back of the collar of his tshirt, while she directed him to the bathroom, which was where he wanted to go.
“Which one won't open? “ he asked, looking around at the copper pipes.
“That one over there," Hip pointed to the pass key, "but take it off, you can't, you're not strong enough. Now Moai will come and open it for us.”
 In response,  Kidd focused until sparks began to surround him and everything metal around him began to vibrate.
“What the hell?" the twins exclaimed in unison.
 Quincey stood still, looking around, searching for the source of the screeching sound.
 It took a few seconds as metal objects began to gather around the red-haired boy, until finally there was a loud hissing and screeching sound, causing the hot water tap to burst open and gushing water out.

“No way!," exclaimed Hip in amazement, "But...did you do that?" she asked, as all the small metal objects fell to the floor at once.
“It's like a human magnet," Hop muttered, equally astonished, loosening her grip on Kamazo, who took the chance to slip away and run towards Kidd.
“Well then...jump in the water!" commanded Quincey, grabbing the two boys and pulling them into the tub. “Clothes off, they're filthy.”
The two boys resigned themselves, while the three girls quickly soaped them to prevent them from running away.

Chapter Text

Once cleaned and groomed, Quincey searched for clothes for the little ones. She rummaged through cupboards and boots for something suitable for the two little devils, returning to the living room where the little ones waited wrapped in towels and the twins finished drying them, sitting them on chairs to dress them.

 “Well," said the young woman, laying the towels down beside them, "they're a little worn from use, but they're clean. It's been years since we've had children this young around here, but I'm just making my best wherever I can find some of other inhabitants," she murmured, unfolding a black t-shirt with holes in it and trying to fit it on Kidd, who was fidgeting uneasily.
“My glasses," he demanded quickly, as Hip combed his damp hair back. The girl reached for what the boy demanded and he placed them on his forehead.
 When he was done, he stood behind Kamazo, who was already dressed in a blue t-shirt that was a bit too big for him and jeans that were a bit too short, judging by where they reached despite the fact that Hop was slipping on trainers. His twin went to push his hair back, but the boy sulked, wanting to push the comb away from his face. He tucked his fringes back into place in front of his eyes.
“But Kamazo, you can't see that way," said Hip, trying to shove the comb in to untangle the blond hair.
“I like it" he retorted, and as soon as his shoes were on, he got down from his chair and shook his little head, ruffling his hair to his heart's content.
“These are brothers from different fathers," said Quincey, finishing with Kidd. "Right," she said, slapping him on the butt, "go away. Don't leave the enclosure, ok? We'll have lunch soon.”

Outside, the bosses and Bubblegum were still busy looking for the possible fruit that Kidd had eaten, and as soon as they saw him come out like an arrow, followed by his friend, they called out to him to join them.
“Oi brat, come here a moment," said Heat, motioning him to the book. “Do you remember the shape of the fruit you ate?”
 Bubblegum held up the book and turned the pages in front of the two children, who were looking carefully at the different varieties of fruit. They were all shaking their heads.
“The colour was like grey but metallic." said Kamazo, looking at a grey but darker fruit.
“It tasted really bad," said Kidd, stopping at another fruit with yellow details. “This one too... it had a weird yellow strip around it.”
 They kept turning pages, until they came to one, almost at the end of the book.
 The two children took a closer look at the picture.
“It looks a lot like this one," Kamazo muttered, "But I could have sworn the one you ate had pointy things on it.”
“Yes, like little rays coming out of the balls," added the Kid, pointing to the fruit.
“Is it possible that whoever made the book hadn't seen the fruit in reality and drew it as it was described?" asked Wire, taking the book to read the description, "Magnetism-Magnetism fruit, paramecia type, discovered in...wow, you can't read this well...magnetic powers...electromagnet...possible awakening...Well, I can barely read what it says, the ink is blurry, as if some liquid had fallen on it and diluted it.”
“Didn't you say your powers could attract metal? “ asked Heat, looking at the red-haired boy, who nodded, "Would you mind giving a demonstration, right now?”

At that moment, the girls came out into the courtyard, bringing food and drink.
“There's no need, he did that a while ago," Quincey reported. “He turned on the hot water tap in the bathtub downstairs. It wouldn't turn on and he made a funny move.”

“What weird move? “ asked Heat, intrigued.
“Well, there were sparks flying around him, and there was a buzzing sound," the young woman recalled. “Then we heard the water start to run when the tap was turned on.”
“Also, the metal objects swirled around him," added Hip.
“Interesting," muttered Wire, scratching his chin, "It's possible that this is the one in the book, but there's little information about it. “
“By the way," said Heat, holding a beer, "wasn't Darby a devil fruit user too? “
Bubblegum, next to him, picked up Wire's book and closed it.
“Yes, one that made his body turn into iron at will," he reported. It's a logue type, you can transform your body into a natural element. They're more unusual than the paramecia type.”
“ And what happens if a fruit bearer dies? “ Quincey asked, sitting down next to Wire and taking a couple of beers for both her boss and herself.
“Well, if there's a normal fruit nearby, it transforms into the deceased user’s devil fruit," replied Bubblegum, "like a reincarnation.”
 They all looked at each other.
“Let's go get it," ruled Heat, placing his beer on the table, "and the sooner the better. Let's hope Kassaral's guards haven't fallen for this and we can retrieve it, using it in our service.”
“Children! “ shouted Quincey, seeing that Kid and Kamazo were planning mischief all around, stacking metal containers, "Come here and eat something now, we'll be leaving shortly!

Inside his office, Gallard kept lighting one cigarette after another, quickly filling the room with smoke. His most loyal hitman had been brutally murdered by two brats, one of whom he was particularly interested in. That did not amuse him, for he hoped that by killing his parents and orphaning him, he could lure him into his den. Have him under his control. But his plans had gone awry once again. Or not so much.
“Darby's fruit..." he muttered to himself, smiling a sinister smile.
He hold the stub on his hands, squashed it against the ashtray, and then he stood up from his seat and hurried out of his office.

 On the way he met Kassaral himself, who gave him a sidelong glance before stopping him.
“Where are you going?" he asked.
 Gallard adjusted the collar of his shirt, which tightened his jowls, and stopped smiling.
“I'm going to take care of some business, nothing relevant," he replied, resuming his march and walking away from his brother-in-law, who watched him as he disappeared through a doorway.

The governor put his hands in his jacket pockets and sighed with concern, but without giving an order, he locked himself in his own office.

Chapter Text

The road was no longer paved and had become dusty. The houses furthest from the centre of the village had hardly any basic infrastructure, except for lighting.

Gallard was already walking wearily, along with two of his most loyal guards, who had been dragged against their will to go with him to an undetermined location.

They arrived at a humble house, with the door broken down. The interior was already completely trashed. Surely more people had come by for looting. Or even those small youth gangs his brother-in-law had given permission to run the four districts Ferro Island was divided into.
 The vice-governor walked into the wrecked home, making sure his clothes did not touch anything around him.
“I still don't understand why my brother-in-law insists on supporting these criminal gangs," he muttered, lighting a cigarette. “It's absurd, we could do it ourselves.”
“Calling these kids crooks, knowing full well what we do..." replied one of the guards next to him.
“Shut up Fersan! “ bellowed the vice-governor, "And keep looking for what I asked for!”

 In another room of the house, the other guard shouted that he could see nothing.
“Have you looked in the kitchen? “ Gallard replied, visibly annoyed.
“Yes," retorted the guard. “I've told you three times already; there's nothing in the kitchen. It's all empty.”
 Fersan ran a finger over the layer of dust on a piece of furniture.
“This place has been completely burglarized, it's possible that the fruit was taken by someone else.”
“You party-pooper" Gallard growled, stepping outside. “This house will be torn down tomorrow, I don't want to see it here anymore," he kicked a stone, causing him to limp in pain. “Let's get the fuck out of here!”
“But boss," said the second guard approaching, "didn't they kill Darby at Will's house? “
Gallard turned his head slowly, dropping the cigarette that hung from his lip.
“Why the fuck didn't you say so in the first place, stupid dickhead?" bellowed the lieutenant governor angrily, "This is unbelievable, you're wasting my time!”
 He quickly made his way back to the road, down the hill towards the former pirate's house.
“You could have shut up" Fersan reproached his colleague with a snort and started off, "now he's going to keep us searching until we find it.”

The group consisting of Heat, Wire, Quincey and Bubblegum were joined by a burly man from the South group. Gig had been summoned to join them, as they run into him while he was returning from a mission his boss had given him.
“I don't think there's anything left, I walked past and looks like it has been blasted," reported the newcomer, surprised to learn of the group's intentions, "and what are you doing with these freaks? “ he said, pointing to Wire and Quincey, who both insulted him back as a greeting.
“We have to search thoroughly," replied Heat, cutting off all animosity between the groups. “Kassaral has never been interested in the subject of the devil's fruit. Remember the scene when that desperate guy came with one of them, wanting to sell it for a very high price," he said, recalling the scene. “He didn't even bother to steal it, he threw the corpse into the sea with the fruit wedged in his mouth.”
 Remembering that scene sent shivers down the spine of everyone present.
“The  governor is a bit of a beast sometimes," muttered Quincey, to which Gig let out a satisfied chuckle.
“If you don't strike terror into your enemies, you won't get very far.”
 In response, the girl shrugged her shoulders before walking into Will's house.

The others followed the woman, trying to find their way around the house.
“We should have brought the tadpole," said Bubblegum, pushing some junk out of the way, "he could have given us some guidance in case he knew where the fruit could be.”
“No way," Quincey cut him off. “They're having a hard time already and I don’t want them to suffer all this shit again. Would you like to make them suffer? “ she pointed to Heat's subordinate, who held up his hands with a half-smile and shook his head, "Well, they had no business being here. Poor babies...”

“All right, you oafs, listen to me for a moment," declared Wire, tapping his trident on the floor, "we're looking for some fruit in a workshop. Can't anyone else see the stupidity?”
 Except for Gig, who was still processing the answer, the rest of the group looked for a way into the main house, finding the door that connected the workshop.
“Search the kitchen and, if there is one, the cupboard," ordered Heat, as they all scrambled to open cupboards, drawers and the kitchen fridge.
“Is this it? “ Gig asked, picking up a slimy mass from the kitchen floor.
“Gig, put it away, it stinks," Bubblegum snorted, "Whatever it is, it's rotten.”
 The rotten remains of the fruit the Kid ate were thrown back onto the floor.
“I think there's something weird here! “ Quincey exclaimed, triumphantly. She held up a strange fruit, oval-shaped with small bumps and a dark reflective grey colour, with a greenish stem  "This has to be it, by hook or by crook. The rest are red apples.”
 All eyes were fixed on it.
“And how do you know this could be a devil's fruit? “ Heat asked, taking it in his hands and turning it over, before handing it back to Quincey.
“Because it resembles hematite, the mineral from which iron is extracted," the young woman replied, placing the fruit on the kitchen table. “And if Darby was able to harden his body as such, this is what it looks like most.”
“Then we'll confirm it with my book," Bubblegum declared, lowering his voice. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I think someone's coming...I hear voices.”

 Before they could do anything about it, the front door was kicked down and Gallard appeared along with the two guards that accompanied him.
“Well," said the lieutenant governor as he saw everyone gathered there, "what about this secret meeting? What are you doing here?”
 Quincey clenched her fists tightly, but Wire held her close.
“We were looking for clothes for the children," Heat reported quickly, stepping to the front of the table in an attempt to divert attention.
“What's that you've got there?" Gallard pointed with his cigarette, as he tried to peek.
“Nothing." Gig replied, moving to help his boss hide the fruit.
 Gallard grinned, showing his grey teeth, and let out a chuckle that made his jowls quiver.
“Come on guys, we know each other." he said, patting Heat a couple of times on the face, who twisted his face in disgust at the touch.
 One of the guards had slipped over the side and caught a glimpse of what was on the table.
“It's what you were looking for, sir.”
“Stand aside," ordered the lieutenant governor, "come on!”

Reluctantly, the young men moved aside, but the fruit was gone. Gallard's face began to show signs of impatience.
“What is the fruit that was on the table?” yelled the vice-governor. “Oh, Quincey, my dear," he said, softening his tone, "do me a favour and give me what you have in your hands.”
“I got nothing," she said, defiantly, as the hands behind her back squeezed the fruit.

 The vice-governor took a sharp puff, squinting his eyes, letting the smoke escape gently.
“I don't like being lied to, precious," he hissed, reaching out with his free hand from the cigarette to stroke the coppery curls of the young woman, who instinctively leaned back. At this gesture, Gallard composed a grimace of displeasure and ordered the two guards to seize her.

 Quincey's companions stood on guard and positioned themselves beside her, to prevent her from being taken, Wire leaning his trident against the guards and Gallard and the others prepared for a fight.
 At this attitude, the vice-governor lost his patience.
“I can see you are not really up for it“, grunted Gallard. “We’ll see what Kassaral thinks of all this, and where you end your short lives.”

He drew a dagger from his belt and aimed it at Quincey's throat.
“Some of you know what it means to get on my nerves," Gallard threatened, looking at Heat. “For the last time, my dear, hand over what you have hidden.”
 Trembling, she still resisted, looking at her comrades. She looked at Wire, who stroked her to comfort her. Finally, she relented and handed the fruit to Gallard, who took it in his hands.
“How I love it when people understand me," he murmured, a grey smile returning to his face. “Now get out of here, before I regret letting you go alive.”

The troop rushed out of Will's house, with gestures of disgust and pent-up anger.
“Why did we let him get away with this? “ Quincey burst into tears as Wire hugged her, "We found the fruit! It's not fair!”
 “Because we can't do anything against him," Heat replied, running his hand over the scars on his face. ”It's bullshit... since Kassaral lets him do and undo as he pleases, we'd be in jail in a few hours!”
 “Or under the sea," Bubblegum muttered, kicking a pebble. “I'm sick of living here, we're supposed to have the freedom to do as we please, we lead our territories... but when it comes down to it…”
“We'll go back to our headquarters," informed Wire. “Tomorrow we should talk among all the members of our districts and see what we can do about it. Is that all right with you, Heat?”
 The South District boss nodded slightly, and his path changed direction on one road, along with his subordinates, while Wire and Quincey took another route.

Chapter Text

The fruit rested on the desk in his office. He stared at it through the perennial cigarette smoke, pondering what to do with the treasure. 
He had already threatened the guards to shut up under death penalty, but he still didn’t trust the thugs in the South and West Districts. He was sure that the threat would be enough, as it had been on previous occasions at the slightest hint of rebellion. But he was sure that they knew the value of a devil's fruit, and that troubled him greatly. Sinking into a tangle of thoughts, he leaned back in his chair.

In the meantime, Kassaral received a personal agent in his office. He had asked for an urgent audience with him and was present immediately.
“What have you found out? “ asked the governor, leaning over his desk.

“He’s got Darby's fruit, sir," reported the newcomer. “Do you want me to try to retrieve it?”

The governor took a deep breath and clicked his tongue uncomfortably.
“No," he finally resolved. “I want to see what he wants to do... what he's planning," he murmured with some trepidation. “He's been behaving even more erratically than usual for some time now, and it worries me. I don't know what he's up to, but I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“But sir, he had threatened the leaders of the South and West districts," the officer reported. “Isn't that going too far? Knowing that you are personally protecting these kids?”
 Kassaral's gaze turned cold and sharp.
“They know what to do and what not to do," said the governor, "They won't do anything unusual, even if Gallard has been an asshole, acting so high” handedly towards them. “In any case, if my suspicions are true," he said, lowering his voice even further, "I can profit from the confrontation between the two. It suits me to have some tension between Gallard and them. For the sake of appearances, you understand?”
 The agent gave a half-smile.
“ At least so your wife doesn't get angry with you," he muttered even more softly, emitting a chuckle as he finished.
 Kassaral joined in the brief chuckle, finally leaning back in his chair.
“ Let the dirty work be done by others, that's it," he said, opening a wooden box with cigars inside. “I think it's time for a little celebration, isn't it? To a job well done.”
 The agent broadened his smile and accepted the gift from his boss.

 When they reached their settlement, Wire and Quincey collapsed on a threadbare sofa inside the building. Soon the twins came out to snoop around and, seeing the older ones with worried faces, they approached.
“You haven't found the fruit, have you? “ Hop asked, crossing her arms and sitting down next to Quincey.
“Worse than that," muttered Wire, twirling his trident stick, "we got caught by Gallard and he stole it.”
 Quincey was still trembling, and Hip went to caress her in order to reassure her.
“If only..." the young woman mumbled, as two tears fell from her eyes, giving her no time to wipe them away. Wire gave her a sidelong glance and sighed.

 At that moment, the two children came in, making a racket with their games. Amidst the laughter, thrashing and occasional cries of pain, Kidd and Kamazo entertained themselves.
“Look at them," muttered Hop, "they've just lost their parents and they're already playing.”
“Kidd's too young to understand what really happened," Quincey murmured, sniffling, "and even if Kamazo is aware, they're living in the moment right now. They have the immense good fortune of having each other. But these first few days of adjustment will be hard for both of them, so be careful what we say in their presence, ok?”

 The two little earthquakes stopped playing and went to the sofa where the older ones were. Seeing Quincey's discomposed face, Kamazo approached her.
“Why are you crying? “ he asked when he saw the young girl's red eyes. Next to him, Kidd climbed up to stand between Hip and Quincey.
“It's nothing," she said, sniffling again and wiping the tears that had streaked down his cheeks. “Don't worry about it.”
 The blond stared at her through the gaps in his thick fringes, looking worried. He sensed that she was lying to him, but he didn't know if he should insist. Instead, the redhead leaned against her, seeking to get under her arm. Noticing Kidd's intentions, Quincey put her arm around the boy to hold him close, caressing him affectionately.

Wire stopped fiddling with his trident and got up from the couch.
“Tomorrow you will begin your training," he informed the two boys. “You've got a tough few years ahead of you, but you've got to be strong enough to run the North and East Districts without our help," Quincey clicked his tongue in disgust. “But you can always come around if you need to. For now, let's get some dinner and rest, which I think we all deserve. “

That said, he headed for a staircase, which he ascended, followed by the twins.
 “Come on, let's go see what Moai has prepared for dinner," Quincey reported, patting Kidd on the shoulder, who let himself slide down the couch to the floor and took up a new chase with Kamazo.
 “At least they're bringing some joy," the young woman muttered to herself, as she made her way to the kitchen.

In the evening, the two children began to cry. Everything that had happened overwhelmed them, and both Quincey and Hip went to see them to comfort them. Finally, they both decided to sleep with the little ones, telling them stories to distract their minds.

Next morning, Heat showed up at the West District’s headquarters along with Bubblegum, Gig and the rest of his gang, which consisted of eight boys and two girls. Prominent among them was a short, rather big-headed boy by the name of Pomp, and a taller, orange-haired boy, shaven on the sides, called Uk for short.
“These are the youngest members of my clan," reported Heat. “Pomp is thirteen and Uk is ten, like Kamazo.”
“I'll be eleven in a month! “ said Uk, folding his arms, "I'm not a kid any more!”
“What about me? “ shrieked a blonde girl, her hair shaved on the sides, with long locks on the sides of her head and a mohawk hairdo that drooped.
Heat sighed and looked at the child.
“Emma, you're still too young for this," said her boss, "You're staying with us for now.”
“I'm nine years old! “ she said, showing her little fingers, whose nails were painted bright green, "I'm old enough!”
Next to her, the adult woman, sighed with resignation.
“I think she will be better with them, she has been a brat lately."Grunted the woman. “Can’t stand her anymore”

Heat snorted and shook his head when he heard Wire coming to meet him, a tired expression on his face.
“Did you have a good night? “ asked the head of the South District, smiling, "Isn't it fun to have kids around?”
“Don't talk to me," he growled, "ours haven't stopped crying all night, I've hardly slept a wink. And these are the youngest ones, you say?”
“Yes," reported Heat, pointing at Pomp and Uk, as Emma made her way forward to introduce herself. “Emma! No!”
“But why not? “ shrieked the girl, stomping her foot angrily on the floor, "I want to go with them!”
“Fuck... see? All happiness," growled her boss, running a hand over his face.

 At last Quincey, the twins and the two kids arrived, and they were pushing each other, until Kamazo pushed Kidd too hard and he ended up on the ground.
“Kamazo! “ scolded Hip, "Don't be a brute, he's smaller!”
Suddenly, the red-haired quickly got up from the ground and pushed his friend
back, who was not expecting it, and ended up landing on the ground anyway.
“They're even now." Hop muttered, as Quincey held the two boys before they resumed the game.
“Hello, everyone! “ greeted the new arrivals, "Long time no see!”

So the meeting began.