~Hayden~
__________________________________
The sun is still blaring and now I'm far past 'annoyed' and I'm just out and out pissed the fuck off. What shitlord decided it'd be funny to place some blazing ball in the sky? Whenever I find the source of the 'sun', I'm going to shove Sin so far up his or hers' ass they're going to become my sword's second sheath.
Still trudging onwards, I scowl as my vision steadily becomes blurry and I feel the effects of dehydration. Is this really how I go? Killed by the fucking weather? Ain't that some shit. My father always said that, if I was lucky, I'd die from being shot or stabbed from behind. At least I'd have some sort of excuse. But this?
This is some bullshit.
Staggering onwards, I let out a raggedy sigh as I fall to my knees, the butt of Sin's sheath digging into the ground being the only thing keeping me from eating a mouth full of dirt.
"Shit." I curse weakly, my vision going hazy as place another hand out in front of me, pushing against the ground as I fight against my body's exhaustion. I can't go like this. Not here – not now. There's too much for me to do – too many people to
kill.
I wonder, if I were to die, what would I see? After so many years of travelling and being exposed to various religions and beliefs, I've been left with questions. Maybe that's why I kill – to find out what happens after death? No, that's bullshit. I do what I do because it's the only thing I'm good at. Father made sure of that.
Groaning, my strength fades as my arm buckles against my weight and I fall face first into the ground, slowly slipping into unconsciousness.
________________________________________________
"Wakey wakey." A voice rouses me from the abyss that was unconsciousness and I blink away the haze that covered my mind, slowly coming to. Sitting up slowly, I realize I'm lying on a sofa and there's a faint noise in the background, as if it was being muffled.
"What…?" I question to no one in particular as my vision remains blurry and I can only make out the overwhelming smell of alcohol and food.
"Take your time, kid." The same voice which woke me says and I begin to make out the room I'm in. It's small yet lavish – though, lavish might not be the correct word. It's as if this 'den' I'm in is the trophy room to some criminal. And by that I mean it was filled with some ugly motherfuckers, sexy whores, a tiger in a cage and various pieces of furniture.
"Who are you?" I question while pushing myself off the floor, focusing on the one eyed man standing before me. Wait, when did I even fall on the floor?
"Thanatos." He walked towards me while giving me the coldest smile imaginable. "Thanatos Zaynesworth, nephew."
My blood ran cold.
I instinctively scrambled to my feet. Where were my weapons?
"Now, now, kid, calm down." Thanatos attempts to calm me down, the smile on his face disappearing as a smug smirk replaced it. "I ain't gonna hurt you – you're family kid." He grinned, placing a hand on my shoulder as he pushed me back down onto the sofa before sitting on the edge of a table across from me.
"You can't imagine how surprised I was to find my nephew face first on the outskirts of town."
"How can you be so sure I'm your nephew?" I question curtly and he hums.
"The sword –
my sword, Sin. I named it after my ex. Gave it to you after my brother slaughtered your family. You probably don't remember it, though." He chuckles and I curl my fingers into my pant legs. I don't like this. I have no weapons and he, obviously, has the upper hand.
"What do you want?" I inquire, my eyes darting back and forth as I search for an ideal escape route.
"What do I want? Not much." He stands up, dusting his lap off. "I want my brother dead just as much as you do, if not more so. But, you're a Zaynesworth, kid. And, like all Zaynesworths, you have to prove yourself." He states and, before I can ask him to clarify, he grabs my throat before throwing me across the room.
I grunt as my back makes contact with a wall and I feel it crumble as I pass through it and, suddenly, the noises that were muffled become loud and everything becomes surreal as time seems to slow down. There are blinding lights all around me, some in different colors which is beyond confusing, and beneath me, as I sail through the air, is roaring crowd, all circled around a pit.
A pit I am now falling into.
Yelling, I land on the rocky and dirt covered surface on my back and I groan as I stare up at the mass of people looking down at me, screaming incoherently. Soon, my uncle appears, leaning on the railing meant to keep people from falling into the pit and everyone goes silent.
"Highly estee- Ah, who am I kidding? None of you fuckers are highly esteemed. Let me restart – Ahem! My fellow scumbags and degenerates-" Everyone roared in excitement. "I have a special guest for you here today! This little bastard here is my one and only nephew – to my knowledge – and now he's going to prove he has to balls to wear my family's name. And, to do that, he's going to have to survive a gauntlet of some of the meanest, toughest sons of bitches here!" He announced and the crowd went wild.
Goddammit.
"So, only five of you fuckers will get a shot. It's a fight to the death, as per the rules, and whoever manages to kill him will be greatly rewarded!" He announced and I swear to God I heard a Wilhelm Scream in the background. "Now, let's get this shit on the road!" He said while stepping back and instantly someone jumped over the rail, landing across from me.
Remaining silent, I glared at the freak across from me. He had a creamy skin tone and pitch black eyes. He was completely bald with what I can only assume to be bones sticking out of his skull and eyebrows. He wore rags which hung loosely on his body and protruding from his arms were blades of pure bone.
"Fuck're you?" I question while cracking my knuckles, finally becoming aware of the fact I have none of my weapons. Though, I suppose I should be somewhat grateful of the fact I even have my boots and pants considering the fact my
lovely uncle withheld my shirt.
Not that I really care - the armor rating was
terrible anyway.
"My name isn't important to you, dead man. The only thing you should know is that I ate the Bone Bone Fruit, and because of that I can control my own bones." He states with pride and I narrow my eyes.
"Why the hell would you tell me that? You should have kept it a secret." I state and he snarls before rushing me. Clenching my fists, I run towards him, dropping into a slide as he slashes wildly. Effortlessly evading his attack, I sweep my arm around his ankle, causing him to fall to the ground.
Going into a roll, I recover quickly before twisting to the side as my opponent lunges at my midsection and I can't help but curse how fast this jackass is.
"Oh, this is just pitiful – you're all speed but no technique. You can thrust all you want, but without proper skill you'll just humiliate yourself." I taunt as I flip backwards, deflecting one of his bone slashes with the toe of my boot. Landing on my feet, I raise one leg while spinning, thrusting the sole of my boot into his solar plexus.
Smirking, I fall into a cartwheel before flipping over him, my acrobatic ability taking him by surprise while also providing me with an opening to kick him in the back of the head, sending him staggering forward. Landing in a crouch, I wait as he recovers, quickly whipping towards me while opening his big fat mouth to let out a yell of anger.
Fucking noobs were all the same.
Kicking against the ground, I break out into a run before jumping from the floor. Allowing my momentum to carry me, I run alongside the wall, catching my stupid opponent off-guard before quickly rebounding off of it, spinning through the air before slamming my heel into the side of his head.
Flipping in the air, I land in a handstand before spinning on my palm, bending elbow while extending my leg, allowing me to nail him in the side with another kick. Pushing away, I land on my feet before immediately rushing him, launching a flurry of punches onto his body.
First, I target his ribs. The quicker I break those, the less mobile he'll be. Narrowing my eyes, I deliver a punch to his throat which causes his eyes to water as he drops to a knee.
"Having a Devil Fruit doesn't make you some sort of God, shithead. It just makes you stupid – bet you thought you could take on the whole world, didn't you? Let me guess – that's why you told me about your fruit. To intimidate me. Well, jokes on you, because I don't get scared easily." I smirk while kicking him in the side of the head, causing him to double over as I stand over him, smiling cruelly.
"Bye bye, Bone Man." I speak softly before raising my foot before stomping down on his throat repeatedly until the only thing I can hear is his strangled attempts at gaining oxygen. "Hard to breathe through a crushed windpipe, huh?" I question while rubbing my nose as I look up to the onlookers, everyone looking awkward while my uncle has a proud expression on his face. Accompanying that look, though, is one of the most malicious and vicious grins I've ever bore witness to in my life.
"
Next."