Work Text:
You are Koby. One day, you decided to go fishing, but got in the wrong boat. A boat full of pirates, you thought they were going to kill you, throw you in the ocean, it would actually be a better fate than the one you actually got. You had to work for them, clean all the blood they spilled, that was your only choice, or they would lock you up until you starved to death.
You dream that one day, marines will come, arresting all the pirates and saving you, maybe you could even join them, and become a hero too. So you can save people in danger too.
Two years pass, you get more wounds, more scars, you are full of remorse, you hate pirates even more than before, you wish you could take them on, then lash off, but you are too weak to fight back. But one day, a pirate arrived inside a barrel. He said he was different from those other pirates, and it was true, after all. He saved you, and he punched the people you were more scared of like it was nothing.
You arrived at a small town that also happened to be a marine base. It was finally your chance to enlist and be a hero! Then, you see officers hurting a child, almost could've killed her if your pirate friend hadn't catch her. Then, you were held at gunpoint. It was scary, even if you've been threatened a million times before by your former captors, it was scary because someone allied with the marine was doing it, even if you didn't do anything. When everything was over, you had to part ways with your pirate friend, knowing that next time you'd meet him, you'd no longer be friends.
You joined the marine and started training, your mentor is harsh and merciless, he won't let you go soft. The one that pointed a gun at you trains along you, you slowly lost the fear of him as he lost his hatred. You became friends, saving each other, relying on each other, he wasn't as bad as you thought.
After arduous training, you encountered your pirate friend once again, who just had declared war on the World Government, all because of his crewmate. At first, he didn't recognize you, which was definitely awkward, but you let it pass, because when he did, he told you he was proud, and was excited to when you get strong enough, you can fight as equals, his smile motivated you even more.
You're at war, you don't quite remember enlisting in one, but apparently that's part of being a marine. Your pirate friend's brother is going to be executed for the sins of his father. Pirates and marines fight relentlessly, painting the battlefield red, there is no remorse, no mercy in either side. You feel their screams, their pain, their last breath, no matter who they are, you feel every last moment. And then, your friend's brother is dead. Whitebeard is also dead. So why does everyone keep fighting? Why does everyone keep dying? And why, please, why do you keep feeling their pain? It hurts so much, you cry and scream and beg everyone to stop this meaningless massacre.
An admiral tries to silence you. This isn't right, aren't you supposed to be on the same side? And the one who saves you from him is a pirate, someone that should despise you, someone that should want you dead.
The war is over. But the screams still echoes inside your head, the blood still flows like a neverending stream, and you're drowning in it. You're drowning in everyone's blood, and no one is coming to save you. So you'll save yourself.