The moon hung low over the wreckage of Noctis Island, casting a cold, pale light over the scorched land. The fires from the port still smoldered, their embers swirling in the midnight air like the last flickers of a dying world. The island, once alive with the sounds of laughter and trade, was now nothing more than a hollow shell — a graveyard where dreams went to die.
Raizen walked through the ruins with a new purpose burning in his chest. His body was sore, and every step felt like a reminder of the horrors he had witnessed — the faces of those who had screamed, the bodies that had fallen, the fire that had consumed everything he once held dear. But through it all, there was something else. A hunger. A burning desire for vengeance, for power.
With the Devil Fruit's power coursing through his veins, he could feel the world around him differently. The shadows of the night whispered to him, beckoning him into their embrace. The mist that clung to the ground twisted and churned at his will. He was no longer the boy who had dragged his dying brother across the mud. He had become something else. Something greater. Something unstoppable.
Raizen reached the edge of the island. The docks, now in ruins, were littered with the remnants of ships that had been set aflame. The scent of charred wood and saltwater mingled in the air. He stood at the broken edge of the pier, staring out over the turbulent sea. The ocean stretched before him, its vastness both a promise and a challenge.
He needed a ship. He needed a crew. He needed to leave this place behind.
But leaving Noctis Island wasn't enough. He knew this in his bones. The island had been his home, and it had fallen. The world itself was no better. Raizen was only a child of twelve, but the weight of the world already bore down on him. No one had come to save Noctis. No one had even cared to stop the slaughter. The pirates, the marines, the mercenaries—they were all the same. They devoured the weak. They feasted on the dreams of the innocent.
Raizen's hands clenched into fists, his nails biting into his palms. The wound from the Devil Fruit still ached, but it was nothing compared to the fire in his heart. He had made his oath. He would not rest until the world was bound by chains of his own making.
He turned away from the ocean, walking deeper into the heart of the ruined town. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks. The streets were littered with the debris of a once-thriving port — splintered wood, shattered glass, and the remnants of lives now lost to the flames.
Raizen's eyes scanned the wreckage, his mind racing. There had to be something here. Some way to move forward.
And then he saw it.
A ship, half-submerged in the rubble. It was an old vessel, weathered and broken, but still intact enough to float. The hull was cracked in places, and the sails were torn, but it could work. It would have to work.
He approached the ship cautiously, his heart pounding in his chest. The deck was littered with debris, and the air around him felt thick with the remnants of death. But Raizen paid it no mind. His hands reached for the ropes, his fingers slipping into the knots as if they belonged there.
The ship groaned under his touch as he climbed aboard, moving with the precision of someone who had spent years at sea. The ship was battered, but it was his now. And with it, he would escape. He would leave the island behind and set sail for something greater.
The wind tugged at his hair as he adjusted the sail. The sky was dark, but the stars were out, and they seemed to shimmer with the promise of something new. A new beginning. A new world.
As the ship slowly drifted away from Noctis Island, Raizen felt a weight lift off his shoulders. But there was no relief in his heart. The pain of his brother's death still gnawed at him, the memory of Kael's final breath still echoing in his ears.
Raizen gripped the wheel tightly, steering the ship away from the island's shore. He didn't look back. He couldn't afford to.
He had made his choice. He had chosen vengeance, power, and domination. And with the Devil Fruit's power surging within him, he could feel the world beginning to bend at his will.
The darkness around him grew deeper, as if the sea itself had recognized him for what he was — a predator.
And predators don't look back.
Hours passed as the ship cut through the waters, leaving the ruins of Noctis Island far behind. The island was a fading silhouette on the horizon, but the weight of its destruction still hung heavy in Raizen's chest. The sea was calm now, the stars above shimmering with an eerie glow.
Raizen stood at the helm, his eyes fixed on the horizon. His mind raced with thoughts of the future. There was so much to be done. So many to crush, to conquer. He could feel the power within him, the raw, untapped strength of the Devil Fruit coursing through his body.
He had taken the first step on his journey.
But it was only the beginning.
In the silence of the night, a single thought echoed through his mind:
"The world will know my name."
End of Chapter 3: Escape into Darkness