Four Years Ago

“Lieutenant Heflin reporting for duty sir!” I said with a salute and a smile on my face.

When it was discovered that I had a Devil Fruit, even if it was just a Paramecia, I quickly rose through the ranks in the East Blue.

I discovered that my Devil Fruit was the Goremu Goremu no mi, a paramecia that turned anything I touch into a golem that will obey my every command, I was wrapped in a ton of bandages, covering practically my whole body save for my eyes, mouth and seastone laced gloved hand, making sure I didn't actually touch someone's flesh… power testing got ugly with that frog. And we didn't want to test it on any innocent people, such a shame there weren’t any pirates that could be ‘redeemed’ through my touch. I mean, I hope it’d work that way, the frog followed every order I gave it, I still have Little Hopper with me, he’s grown on me.

“At ease Lieutenant” The captain, Captain ‘Axe-hand’ Morgan ordered.

“I just want to say, what an honour it is to be working under you sir, I mean you single-handedly caught ‘1000 plans’ Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates!” I said happily.

Now, while it may sound like I was sucking up. I actually admired the man, even with a few of his more… glaring flaws.

The Black Cat Pirates killed my family. And I will get my revenge on that bastard Jango and his lieutenants Sham and Buchi.

They’re going to die gruesome deaths at my hand.

Or, they’ll be ‘redeemed’ into great marines.

The world could use more good men.

“Well, it’s good that at least one of my men sees me for how great I am!” Captain Morgan said with a smug grin as he posed righteously.

“Daddy!” A whiny voice called out from behind us.

Captain Morgan and I turned around to see a skinny, tall teenager with an expensive suit and blonde hair in curls, running towards us with tears in his eyes.

“What is it Helmeppo?” Morgan asked.

“Daddy! There are pirates attacking the village!” Helmeppo shouted fearfully.

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“What!? Those pirates would DARE! Go to the Great! Captain ‘Axe Hand’ Morgan’s island!? I’ll show these bastards what happens when they mess with Shells Town!” Morgan shouted angrily as he ran towards the town.

“I’ll go with you, sir! My Devil Fruit could be of some help!” I shouted as I ran after him, unsealing my left glove and touching a bunch of large rocks, causing them to fuse together to become a 20 ft tall Rock Golem, which I instantly jumped on top of.

“Follow the Captain!” I ordered the golem.

It took a few minutes of running, but we were able to get to where the fighting was happening.

Pirates were murdering the citizens like they were cattle!

And just like that, the memories of my family being murdered by these… BASTARDS!!!

“KILL THEM ALL!!!” I shouted, frothing with anger.

Captain Morgan stopped for a moment to look at me, concerned, before focusing back on the task.

My Rock Golem obeyed my command and started attacking the pirates fervently.

I then started to touch other surfaces. Rocks, wood, straw, grass, my frog, Little Hopper and even an unfortunate pirate.

And they all fused together into an… abomination.

Rocks for legs, wooden arms, straw and grass were interwoven to form a torso and a mixture of a frog's and humans heads for the… head.

“KILL! KILL! KILL!” The abomination shouted furiously, its eyes glowing red with rage. Its long tongue shot out to grab a terrified pirates leg, dragging him towards it, before crushing his head with its stone arms.

I just watched as the pirates were destroyed mercilessly by my… servants.

It was a truly horrific, yet strangely beautiful sight.

But, I snapped out of it quickly and drawing my sword with my covered up right hand, charged at the pirate captain, who I would later learn was named Vilkur Raas, worth 4 million beri.

I will admit. I didn't expect such a low-level pirate to have a Devil Fruit.

The Kuma Kuma no mi, Model: Brown Bear, a Zoan that allowed him to turn into, well. A Brown Bear.

“GROOOAR!!!” Vilkur roared as he turned into his Hybrid form.

I simply stabbed him in the eye as hard as I could, before touching the ground under him, making it grab him with dirt arms that quickly entangled his entire body, holding him in place as I continued to stab him until he died.

As luck would have it, the fruit regenerated nearby, into a pear that was being sold in one of the fruit stalls, and I later got an amazing price on it. 100 beri because the owner of the stall thought it had gone rotten.

We had beaten the Brown Bear Pirates, as they were called, and I got half of the bounty from killing Vilkur, one remaining quarter went to my commanding officer, Captain Morgan and the other quarter to the town to pay for damages.

“Good job out there Lieutenant. If you keep this up, you’ll end up outranking me in no time!” Captain Morgan said with a grin. He may be a bit arrogant, but he was truly a good man, who wants to help cleanse this world of evil and corruption.

I spent another year shadowing under him before I was ordered from higher-ups to go to Loguetown under the command of Captain Smoker. A fellow Devil Fruit user.

I was allowed to take my two golems with me. Mostly because the villagers and marines were a bit uncomfortable with a 20-foot tall rock monster and a chimaera of objects and live creatures.

Boy, was Captain Smoker in for a surprise.