The sky flashed a brilliant blue, masked behind dark swirling clouds that hid even the small light given off by the stars and moon. Thunder followed soon after clapping through the cacophony of crashing waves and roaring wind.
The elements themselves seemed to be screaming in protest to the storm overhead as it pushed the world into a maddened state. But for the large ship tearing through the massive waves as they careened into its hull with enough force to shatter stone, it felt fitting.
It was a large and imposing vessel, even in this storm it felt like it could smash right through any obstacle in its path. White sails hung tight as they struggled against the wind, holding on to the mast despite the gale's best effort to tear it away.
All except for one at the very front. Black in colour and with only a single word embossed in large letters across it, letting all who came too close know who they will meet their end to.
ROCKS.
The figurehead of a corpse tearing forth, if it was from one of those unlucky to cross paths with them, only those onboard could know.
As the winds soared and screeched a horrible pining wail, the crew onboard seemed wholly unaffected. Grim set faces mixed with jolly and unbothered alike.
"We're almost to the Island, Cap!" A loud, slurred shout broke through the noise, it's tone way too merry for what they were facing. A tall, wiry man with long light pink hair flapping madly in the wind.
His cheeks ruddy from how much he'd already drank and yet he had another bottle clutched in one hand as the other wrestled with the wheel to keep the ship moving in the right direction.
Wind whipped about as silence reigned between the crew again. A moment later came a gruff, gravelly voice. Barely above a murmer yet heard as clearly as a shout in an empty church.
"Good.. ready yourselves. Attack as soon as we land."
With that a figure emerged from inside. Dwarfing the other man from before, his sun burnt skin blending in with the pitch black of the night. The occasional flash of blue from lightning striking overhead lit him up for barely a second.
Maddened eyes stared out straight ahead with a murderous intent as a wide toothy grin stretched tightly across his face. His unruly mess of dark locks tussled in the wind as his very presence left everyone uncomfortably stifled.
Even his own crew felt suppressed under his gaze as he joined them, the feeling of a knife being pressed to their throats every time he drew near.
The others all continued to stare ahead, refusing to look at him as if it would trigger some curse. Instead they looked at the solitary island holding on through the strong storm battling to wipe out all around it.
It was nothing special as far as islands go, but that was by design. No pirate or merchant or anyone for that matter would give it a second glance. That was if they even ever came this way in the first place.
Stuck in a never ending storm cloud that could tear the average ship to shreds in seconds, no one would be willing to traverse all that to get to an island with nothing worth noting.
But the truth was much more interesting than its appearance. It was, in fact, a secret laboratory, created by none other than one of the elders of the council of elders. The council that ran the World Government!
Among their ranks was a man they called Saturn. The warrior god of science and defence, that was the title they gave him. And this, this was his lab.
Tonight it would become his death bed, if the Rock's pirates had their way.
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While the Rocks ship pushed through the destructive storm outside, inside the facility things were different.
Gone was any sound of the storm or sea. Instead silence pervaded every corner, a pin dropping would sound like the crashing of a thousand waves.
White and sterile, the lab was clinical. Soft padding of footsteps on the ceramic floor tiles broke the silence occasionally as people in white lab coats with impassive faces stalked around in a robotic gate.
Within this lab, for all its size and secrecy, there was only one experiment being held.
Atlas awoke with a start. The lights flashed on a moment later, the exact same time as they had every day for the last ten years.
He could barely remember the life he had lived before he was brought here, it was simple and.. nice.
The sight of a river of blood and bodies splayed about, lifeless and dismembered, flashed across his mind before he had time to stop them.
All because of him. They died because he ate some fucking fruit. He would have laughed but after all he'd been put through, he wondered whether it was better they died than go through this too.
"Subject 00, please make your way to training hall 01." The disembodied voice crackled through his empty room.
Standing up and donning white clothes embossed with 00 on them, incase his identity wasn't known already by the few handful of people on this entire island, he headed over to the door.
With a soft, click, the door slid open. There was no handle or lock. Atleast not on the inside.
He slipped into the corridor, making his way down it to the hall. The facility wasn't all that big, with him being the only experiment, at least as far as he knew, there didn't seem much of a point to make it any bigger.
Coming up to the hall, it opened up with the same click and smooth woosh as his door had.
Inside he was greeted by a stoney faced man in one of their signature lab coats. These people never seemed to change what they wear, ever.
Atlas raised his hands without a word, the scientist nodded perfunctorily before moving forward with a device.
Waving it silently over Atlas' wrists, the sea stone bracelets fell off with a thud as they hit the ground.
A sigh escaped his lips as the suppression effect lessened. Even still, he knew the walls were lined with a thin layer of sea stone to stop him from being able to go all out.
It was funny to him, they wanted to test his limits yet knew they couldn't allow him to have full control.
Even now, ten years in, they didn't trust their own brainwashing procedures to have fully taken ahold of his mind. The thought that they still tried that on him almost made him smirk.
Even a kid like he had been could work out what they were doing, did they really think that would work? Especially after he had seen them slaughter his entire village just to get their hands on him.
He couldn't tell if they were just that confident in their own abilities or incredibly stupid, but either way he could only remain thankful that they were.
The punishments had slowly lessened as he played along though. Now they seemed like just a bad memory, one that left a burning pit in his stomach that he swore he would fill soon.
"00.. Subject 00!"
A stern voice broke him out of his dark thoughts. Looking up, he saw the scientists now looking at him safely from behind the glass window of the control room.
"Good, you're responsive again." The voice said dully. "We will begin with test n.134, you will keep going for as long as you can." With that the crackle of the speaker ended abruptly.
As soon as it did, a loud groaning echoed through the hall. Atlas shuddered as he prepared for what was to come.
He hated this test in particular, if he didn't know any better, he'd think it was just a way for the scientists to let their sadistic side have some fun.
The groaning ended as the top of the walls had slid open, revealing grates behind them. Soon a new sound came though, the sound of gushing water.
It flooded the room, flowing down from above in an endless waterfall as it slowly filled the space.
Atlas stood in the centre as his feet were slowly submerged beneath the salty water. His strength left his body rapidly as the water had wrapped around his ankles by now.
Quickly he used his fruit, his body changed. Grabbing desperately onto the image of himself as a Fishman, he pushed his self belief into reality. Distorting his image of his future self to become that of a tall robust Fishman.
The scientists watched without a single change in their expressions. Atlas' body started to change, growing slightly larger as his skin became blue and scaley. His knashed teeth sharpened into points as gills formed on his neck and webbing between his fingers and toes.
Finally the transformation was complete, instead of the tall young human man, now there stood a giant fishman.his long limbs pact with muscle as scaley blue skin shimmered slightly in the flourescent lighting.
His eyes snapped open, full of scorn and hatred as he looked straight at the scientists. Yet still they seemed completely unaffected, the sound of pens scribbling down notes and soft murmers being shared between each other filled the control room as they fiddled with the data outlaying the details from within the hall.
Soon the entire hall was filled. Sea water from the ocean left salty residue on the walls as it sloshed around. Atlas remained unmoving in the centre.
He couldn't move, that was the simple truth of it. This wasn't the first time they had done this test, each time they made him stay under for longer and longer till finally they emptied the room.
Every passing second, strength sapped from his body as he felt himself deflate in power. Energy seeped out of him like he was a sieve.
As he lost more and more it became harder to keep his transformation up, but still he gritted his teeth harder as refused to give in.
He would make it through this test and any other that they put him through. One day, he would get out of this hell hole and when he did, it would be his turn to make them suffer.
Till then he had to endure. The pressure from thousands of litres of water beared down upon him as his every muscles burned, still he refused to fall. He would remain standing if only to deny them the sight of him struggling any more than he already was.
Each second felt like an eternity as his body screamed at him to just give in already, but he refused their call, instead doubling his efforts everytime.
Instead he took a step forward. The weight of the water trying desperately to squash him as his strength rushed out of his body in a steady flood. Each step felt like it weighed a ton and took all he had left to take it.
But he didn't stop, first one, then two, then three. Steadily he moved, his gate awkward and clearly struggling but he moved even under so much pressure.
The scientists watched, their faces hiding any sign of worry even as they stopped writing notes and instead stared at him. Each step seemed to cause them more concern.
The room was lined with a thin layer of sea stone and he was currently submerged under about ten metres of sea water! How was he still moving.
The dangerous glint in his eyes made some of them shift uncomfortably in their coats as they stared in concern.
Half way to the window, one of the scientists finally spoke up. Gone was the calmness that he always tried to keep, "Sir.. shouldn't.. should we do something?" He said, his voice carrying signs of a slowly building worry.
He spoke to the only man still sat comfortably in the centre of the room. It didn't seem like he held even a hint of the others fear. Although when you have lived for hundreds of years as one of the strongest entities in this world, it's not hard to see why.
Saturn lifted his gaze from the young man in the fish tank to look at the worried scientist with distaste. He hated the weak willed.
"Do what exactly... Doctor Roff?"
His voice came out languidly as he stared the smaller man down. Dr. Roff shrunk in on himself under the intensity of Saturn's eyes. A chill ran down his spine as he struggled to form any words.
"I I.. ddon't kkn n now sir, n nevermind... I it wwas stupid of m me to ss say."
He finally stuttered out as each word caught in his throat. He looked away helplessly as he tried to hide within the shadows of the room.
Saturn grunted at the pathetic display, he would remember to have this man removed after today. He held no interest in keeping such weakness in his labs.
Instead for now he focused back onto subject 00. His eyes now holding a different light, one of fascination at a successful experiment.
'he will become the perfect weapon for our council yet.' the thought made him happy as a small smile traced his lips.
Lost in thought, he watched as Atlas took another step, now almost to the glass. Suddenly the facility shook. The lights switched off, leaving them fumbling in the dark before the emergency power kicked in.
Loud blaring alarms rang out as red flashed through the rooms, signalling an alert.
The scientist broke into action. Rushing around to understand what was going on, they tried desperately to fix the power problems.
The door to the control room burst open as one of the few guards on the island burst in. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"