"Join my crew Sebas!" Said Diddy with a grin while sitting down beside the grievously injured Sebas, who looked up at him as if he was crazy.
"A-Are you crazy? W-What makes you think I'll ever join your pirate group!?" Exclaimed Sebas in confusion and disbelief between his bouts of coughing and grunts.
"B-Besides, even if I wished t-to join your so-called crew, I've been defeated twice a-and am on the verge of dying." Added Sebas as he lay in a puddle of his own blood while breathing heavily, to which Diddy smirked.
"Hehe, I wasn't asking you, Sebas; It was an order! Either join my crew, or I'll leave you to die." Remarked Diddy with a chuckle, though his words caused Sebas to squint as he eyed him.
"L-Leave me to die? That must mean you have a way to save me, don't you?" Asked Sebas lightly as he spit out more blood while his weakly beating heart continued to slow down.
"Yes, I can save you, but as I said, if you don't wholeheartedly join my crew, I'll have no reason to save you; besides, I don't desire someone who'll join my crew just so they won't die, someone like that will be useless." Replied Diddy with a slight grin as he rubbed his head, which emitted waves of throbbing pain.
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While weakly lying on the ground in a near-death state after having been defeated twice, I looked up at the one responsible for this and intently scrutinized his expression; I've been alive for a long time, and I've dealt with many people, so I'm very confident in judging someone's character.
Crazy, power-hungry, battle junkie, instinct-driven, and incredibly determined; those were some of the few characteristics I could glean from him. Following such a person would only result in a quick or gruesome death, yet at the same time, no one can reach the top of this world without containing at least a little bit of these characteristics.
'Seeing this man slightly reminds me of my younger self; now that I think about it, when did I start to lose those parts of myself? No, I hadn't lost them; I can sense them deep within me; all this time, I've been suppressing them unknowingly.' Mused Sebas with a glint as he looked at Diddy while reminiscing about his younger self, the days when he desired more power and pushed his mind to its limit.
"I-I've gotten complacent; it s-seems creating and managing a gang has unknowingly deprived me of my true self, turning me into nothing but a man who would willingly accept death before achieving his ambition." Said Sebas as he looked a the ceiling, his words slightly confusing Diddy though he didn't bother questioning it and left him be.
"T-Tell me, Kong, w-what is your desire, your dream; what is the reason you fight?" Asked Sebas as he turned and looked at Diddy, who displayed a feral grin.
"To be the strongest! I've always wished to become the strongest, the absolute pinnacle of power, and I won't stop until I reach it!" Stated Diddy with an unshakeable will that Sebas could perceive, amazing him at Diddy's sheer determination.
"T-That's a crazy goal, t-to be the strongest, no one has ever achieved that; such a dream is even more difficult than becoming the King of the Pirates. W-What if you die during your travels? What then?" Replied Sebas as he coughed blood while eyeing Diddy, who laughed at his words.
"Die? Hahaha, I refuse to die! Now that I'm given a chance to truly chase after my dream, I'll never stop, no matter what obstacles and tribulations I'll face in the future!" Declared Diddy with a grin while Sebas laughed at well, though given his state, he started spitting blood again.
Feeling myself weaken, I deemed that my time had come, and while if it were before, I would've gladly accepted my death, yet after being defeated twice by Kong and then speaking with him, he had awakened something that's been suppressed for far too long, something that was on the verge of being lost forever.
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'No, I don't accept this; just like Kong, I refuse to die, not before understanding my existence!' Thought Sebas as the fire from his youth erupted into a blazing fire, igniting his ambition once more, practically revitalizing him.
Although conversing with Kong had managed to awaken my long-lost desire, It had happened too late; I was already dying; the mind may reign supreme, but it was just as vulnerable as the body is weak. As I looked to the ceiling while breathing my last breath, I couldn't help but remember something that my late mother had said.
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Walking down the slums of Baterilla with a bruised and bleeding body, I turned down an alley and continued walking until I arrived at an isolated and broken-down hut that was even smaller than stables; entering the shed; I closed the door behind me, yet it seemed I was too loud as I had awakened someone.
"Did those boys bully you again, Sebas?" Asked a sickly and malnourished woman who turned her head and looked at the bruised, battered, and bleeding child.
"N-No, I had tripped while walking outside; sorry for waking you, Mother." Said Sebas as he approached the woman and sat beside her while lying through his teeth, and although she knew, she didn't comment on it.
"I-I'm sorry, Sebas; I-I'm sorry that you were born into poverty; I'm sorry that you were born with a weak body; I'm sorry that you're forced to care for a terrible Mother like me." Stated the woman quietly as she began sobbing.
"I-It's not your fault, Mother; if I weren't alive, you wouldn't be in su-" Said Sebas as he attempted to appease the woman though he was interrupted by her slapping his face, although given her sickly and weak appearance, it didn't hurt, though it did surprise him.
"D-Don't ever say that, Sebas; Y-You understand!" Yelled the woman harshly as she looked at her Sebas, who was still shocked.
"L-Listen, Sebas, I'm sure you've probably wondered whether it was better to die than to live such a pathetic life like this; however, promise me you'll never willingly throw your life away. It may not seem like it, but you were born for a very special reason, and until you figure out what your existence is, promise me you'll never die." Added the woman sternly as she eyed Sebas, who was trying his best not to cry.
"I-I understand, Mother; until I figure out what my existence is, I-I'll continue to live." Replied Sebas with a nod as he wiped his tears that threatened to fall, causing the woman to smile slightly before she broke into a fight of coughing.
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That was the last day I spoke with my Mother, as the following day, she died in her sleep, and while I was full of anguish, her words echoed in my mind, and even nearly fifty years later, her words continue to reverberate within me, spurring my to desire to live.
However, just when I felt Lady Death's embrace, I suddenly sensed a substantial amount of energy flow through my body, reinvigorating my mind and body as it swiftly dispelled Lady Death's presence, causing me to open my eyes, only to see Kong with his hand placed on my chest.
"Heh, don't give me that look; I told you I had a way to save you, didn't I?" Said Diddy with a grin as he looked at Sebas's confused expression.
"B-But I still hadn't agreed to join your crew-" Replied Sebas, but he wasn't allowed to finish speaking as Diddy interrupted him.
"And? I wasn't asking you; I was ordering you to join my crew." Stated Diddy with a devilish grin as he retracted his hand while causing Sebas to release a boisterous laugh unbefitting his age.
Feeling the pain in my body slowly vanish, I sat up and leaned against the wall opposite Kong as I looked at him with a large smile, who did the same, though because of his sharp fangs, he looked scary.
"Want to know my dream, Kong?" Asked Sebas, but before Diddy could even reply, Sebas spoke anyways.
"My dream, my desire, is to know why I'm alive. What's the point of my existence? Is it just to live, find a woman, procreate, raise children, and then die? Or is it something different? Something more meaningful?" Added Sebas with a slight chuckle as he looked at the smirking Diddy.
"Hehe, who cares about such a thing? One's existence, the reason for living? Those things have been questioned and answered many times, yet it's always the same flimsy concept; what makes you think you'll find the correct or true answer." Replied Diddy while grinning as he stood up and looked at the much healthier Sebas.
"Because I must, no, I will find the answer I seek." Declared Sebas as he also stood up, though with much difficulty.
'I miss you very much, Mother, and I wish to see you again, but you'll have to wait a little longer; I still haven't found out the reason for my existence.' Thought Sebas with closed eyes as he swiftly opened them and extended his hand toward Diddy, who was grinning.
"In order for me to achieve my goal, I'll need to explore and experience what the world has to offer, I've already seen everything there is to see in this Kingdom, so I figure it's time to move on and broaden my horizons. While I could do it by myself, having a group would be helpful, not to mention following someone crazy like you will give me a unique view of the world." Declared Sebas with an elegant smile as he shook Diddy's hand.
"Hehe, welcome aboard the Frenzy Pirates, Sebas Visage; you're my second crewmate." Said Diddy with a large feral grin.