A young boy ran and ran more, away from those who were hunting humans for fun, the Celestial Dragons.
"Huff... huff..."
God Valley. That was the name of his home land. One day, the Celestial Dragons came down, berating them for calling their land 'God Valley'.
A massacre it was. Everyone was being hunted without an exception. Be it the children or elders, they were being killed as if they were livestocks and toys whose sole purpose was to be belittled and provide an entertainment to those so-called Celestial Dragons.
Eventually, he ran out of strength. Tripping and flopping, the boy rolled down the hill.
The dirt got onto his blood and sweat-covered skin. He eventually bumped into a tree bark.
The boy wondered where he was, but there was no time to think.
The explosions and horrifying noises were keep occurring here and there.
He wanted to live. He had to keep running. So he was running, to one area he could think of.
Standing up, he limped. He saw that the trip and subsequent roll sprained his ankle. Gritting his teeth, he resumed moving, no matter how slow it has gotten compared to before.
"Huff... huff..."
As if the acts of those Celestial Dragons weren't enough, the pirates then came. And the pirates weren't just any other pirates.
It was the Rocks pirates, the infamous scourges of the sea. Rocks D. Xebec himself was here, and they aimed to snatch the devil fruits that were to be given as the prizes of the Celestial Dragons' human hunt.
Of course, the boy wasn't aware of the devil fruits. He simply moved, trying to survive as long as he could.
And eventually, the boy arrived at his destination—the secret base of his that made and used to come time to time.
There was nothing but a pure destruction.
The entire landscape was ruined. The whole chunk of woods and grass were gone. There was nothing but a gigantic crater, and in the centre of it was a muscular man full of critical injuries.
"...Hm?"
Nothing needed to be said for the boy to understand who the man was.
Rocks D. Xebec.
Of all possibilities, the boy ended up walking into the sight of the world's worst pirate.
As Xebec's crazed eyes headed toward him, the boy gulped while backing slowly. The pain in his ankle was forgotten as the fear overwhelmed his body.
"A young boy... what are you doing here?"
Xebec then grinned as if having found something fun, as if unaware of his impending doom.
"Why, did you come to see me? To watch the fall of the man proclaimed as the devil?"
He had to stop speaking, for he then spurt blood out uncontrollably. His body shook painfully, but he then grinned once more as if the pain was of no significance.
"This... isn't that bad either, I suppose. Tell me, boy, what's your name?"
"...Amon."
The boy didn't know why, but there was an irresistible pull in Xebec's question. He found his mouth opening by itself and speaking the answer.
Then, it was just as he answered. The loud noises of humans speaking resounded from the back. The boy's eyes widened, for it meant that his pursuers were near.
"Vohahaha!"
Xebec laughed, however.
"It looks like the both of us are in a pinch. Here I am, about to face my death. Here you are, about to be caught for who-knows-what."
He then, pushing his trembling body up, raised his bloody hand, toward the boy, Amon.
"Say, how about we make a contract?"
Xebec's grin widened. At this moment, Amon wondered if this is how devil looked.
"I will help you live. In return... help me live as well."
The voices were getting nearer. Amon gulped.
Really, there was one option, right? Even if he were to join hands with a devil, he wanted to live.
Raising his thin arm, Amon slowly grabbed Xebec's outstretched, huge hand.
That day, Rocks D. Xebec disappeared. Although a young boy named Amon too disappeared, no one noticed it or took an interest of it. After all, there were hundreds of missing people, or peasants as the Celestial Dragons called it.
Soon enough, the World Government would announce this case as Xebec's death, fulfilled by the hands of the marine hero Monkey D. Garp, and unofficially, through the joint effort with Gol D. Roger who would be called the king of pirates in the future.
...
Years after, in a small town of the West Blue, a young man appeared, with his eyes gleaming in ambition.
'Are you ready to go, Amon?'
From within his body, the voice of Xebec asked him.
Amon grinned—in a similar matter as Xebec.
"Of course, Xebec."
It was time to subvert this world.