Augustus watched Stephen leave as he grabbed hold of the Den Den Mushi, his mind swirling with thoughts that betrayed his cold exterior.
"Tony, how is it coming along? When is it going to be ready?" Augustus asked, his voice steady despite the growing unrest inside him.
"In about a month, the first one will be completely produced and ready to use," Tony replied, the loud noises of banging and clattering in the background barely masking his own exexhaustion.
"Alright," Augustus responded, cutting the call. He sat there, staring at the grand hall around him, a hall that had transformed under his reign from a place of emptiness to one of splendor. Yet, despite the magnificence that now surrounded him, he felt a void within.
His head leaned back onto the throne, the cold handles grounding him, the warm fabric of the seat a stark contrast.
The hall, once decorated with empty frames, was now filled with bright and illustrious paintings that told the story of his rise.
The walls glistened, the chandelier sparkled overhead, and the red carpet was cleaned to perfection, a testament to the relentless efforts of his and his summons.
But despite all the success, all the progress, Augustus felt drained, as if each step forward had taken a part of his soul with it.
He had always known he was different.
Born into a family where power was everything, where ruthlessness was a virtue, and where emotions were seen as weaknesses, he had learned early on that compassion was a liability.
His father, a towering figure in the world of politics, had drilled into him that mercy was for the weak and that those who ruled needed to do so with an iron fist.
By the time Augustus was ten, he had witnessed more backstabbing and betrayal than most people would in a lifetime. And he was sick of it.
He'd seen allies turn into enemies overnight, family and friends disappear without a trace, and heard the whispers of his father's enemies being "taken care of."
Augustus grew up in a world where survival meant not flinching at murder, not hesitating to make hard decisions, and certainly not letting anyone see your fear.
But there was a part of Augustus that yearned for something different, something normal.
He wanted to escape the cold, calculating world of politics and live a life free of the shadows that haunted him.
So, he set out to accomplish this desire of his. He built a facade, convincing himself that he was just an ordinary man, that the darkness in him could be buried, forgotten.
For years, he lived as a workman, distancing himself from the power and bloodshed that had defined his upbringing.
He took on mundane tasks, made small talk with neighbors, and even tried to enjoy the simple pleasures of life that others seemed to cherish.
He worked with his hands, felt the sweat on his brow, and tried to forget the cold calculations that once governed his every move.
But as it turned out, the facade was fragile.
The psychopathic nature, the dictator within him, and the desire for power were things he suppressed and he went against his nature successfully.
Although it was ingrained in him from a young age—a part of him that would never truly disappear—he had reached a point where it was almost nothing to him.
But then he died.
When he was reincarnated as a king in a world where power was more tangible and survival even more brutal, he was forced to make hard decisions.
Each decision chipped away at the mask he had so carefully constructed, slowly ripping apart his well-built facade.
When the time came to execute the traitorous ministers and order the extermination of Vanhiem's military, the mask slipped. The man he had always tried to run from—ruthless, unyielding, unmerciful—slowly reclaimed control.
He made excuses to himself when he was making those decisions.
Executing the ministers: It was to punish traitors. Exterminating Vanhiem: It was because his kingdom was threatened. But at some point, he realized that he was just making excuses and was forced to face who he really was.
The World Government, the Emperors, and the Revolutionary Army were groups that simply stood in his way.
And he decided to nuke them, as that was the easiest way.
In those moments, Augustus realized that no matter how hard he tried to be someone else, the past would always catch up to him.
The darkness was part of who he was.
So he thought that there was no point in fighting it. Somehow, he managed to end up in a position of power even after trying to avoid it.
He was here, and he couldn't do a thing about it.
Running away from being a king was never the problem. He wanted to run away from himself rather than his past, but in the end, he chose to stay and rule.
Augustus let out a long breath, his eyes closing as the weight of his choices pressed down on him. He wondered if there was any redemption left for someone like him, someone who had tried to run from his nature only to have it catch up with him in the worst possible way.
But there was no turning back now. The path he had chosen was one of blood and power, and he would walk it to the end.
---
[A/N: Now stick with me here, this is a good opportunity for some major character development. Let me cook!]
---
Augustus rang up another number on the Den Den Mushi, the device heavy in his hand as if it carried the burden of all his decisions. It rang for a while before it was picked up.
"Hello, who is this?" a female voice came through, causing Augustus to pause and look at the phone in confusion.
"Is Cobra there?" Augustus asked, his voice betraying nothing of the turmoil within him.
---
Inside the castle of Alabasta, in the main office of King Cobra, a blue-haired young woman was taking a nap when the phone suddenly rang, waking the sleeping Vivi.
She blinked blearily as she looked around, noticing that her father was not there. She considered whether she should pick up the phone.
It rang for about a minute before Vivi decided to pick up the call and tell whoever it was that her father was not available.
"Hello, who is this?" she asked, her voice polite but firm.
Silence followed her question, causing Vivi to feel like she had done something wrong.
But finally, the person on the other line responded.
"Is Cobra there?" Augustus's voice came from the other end, shocking Vivi a little.
This was the first time she had heard someone call her father's name so directly.
She wanted to correct Augustus but decided against it, as she didn't know who the other person was or what relation he had with her father.
"He is not available at the moment. Can I get your name?" Vivi asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, sure, it's Augustus," Augustus responded nonchalantly, cutting the call without wasting a second longer.
"So rude," Vivi huffed as she set the Den Den Mushi aside.
She was about to walk toward the door and inform her father about the call when the office doors opened, and Cobra walked through with a smile.
"I see you're up," Cobra said as he made his way to his chair behind the desk.
"Dad, some guy named Augustus called. He was very rude," Vivi said, sitting on the couch and casting an annoyed glance at the phone bug.
"WHAT!" Cobra, who had just sat down, suddenly stood up, startling Vivi.
"Umm," Vivi stammered, looking at the startled Cobra. She thought he was angry because Augustus was rude, so she began explaining.
"Yeah, he didn't even refer to you as king and called you by your name."
"Vivi, leave the room," Cobra said, his voice firm as he looked at her quietly.
"What's the matter, Dad?" Vivi asked, confused by his reaction.
"There is no problem; I just need... privacy," Cobra said with a sigh.
Vivi hesitated, wanting to ask who Augustus was since she had never heard her father mention anyone by that name before. But in the end, she simply decided to leave the room. Of course, she didn't actually leave, instead standing near the crack of the door, eavesdropping on the call.