Chapter 70: A Seed of Vengeance

As dusk settled by the riverside, Karl finished building a cabin from trees and now sat at the doorway roasting a massive tuna.

White Tiger lounged beside him, nose twitching at the mouthwatering aroma, drool pooling at his feet.

“Where am I?”

“Where’s my box?”

The moment Sparrow woke up that evening, his first thought was to find the chest his mother left him.

Hearing the voice from inside, Karl could only manage a wry smile and nodded for him to look at the table nearby.

“Relax, kid. The box is right there.”

Karl sighed, half amused, half helpless. He’d left childcare behind long ago but somehow found himself back at it after arriving in East Blue. Still, he couldn’t just ignore the boy’s innocence, though he did need to speed things along.

“Where’s your father, anyway? Why isn’t he looking after you?”

Sparrow spotted the box on the table, hugged it close, then took in the newly built cabin around him.

He sat down slowly on the bed after hearing Karl’s question.

His mother came from a minor noble family.

With her sweet looks, she’d won his father’s affection.

But that only drew his stepmother’s wrath. The woman schemed until she drove his mother to her death, then kicked him out of the house. Because of this, his father no longer cared for him either.

It was just these past two days that his stepmother threw him out. Even then she wouldn’t let it rest, sending people to torment and humiliate him every day.

That explained why Sparrow clung so tightly to the precious box—and why those people hadn’t just killed him.

“Sparrow, let me teach you something.”

Karl turned from the door to look at him.

His expression grew stern.

“Real power doesn’t belong to the naturally strong, the fast, or the clever—no. Power goes to those willing to do whatever it takes to reach their goals.”

Karl watched Sparrow wrestle with himself, then continued.

“I opened your mother’s box for you. Inside is a Devil Fruit.”

“Eat it, and you’ll gain the means to take your revenge.”

“Or would you rather spend your whole life this way, never avenging your mother?”

Karl’s words dripped with temptation. He was riling the boy up, stoking both his anger and his courage.

In truth, the box had only held a few pieces of jewelry. It was Karl who put the Devil Fruit inside—a Paramecia-type, the Rain-Rain Fruit.

Moved by Karl’s speech, Sparrow slowly lifted the lid.

Inside lay a mysterious, patterned fruit.

He hesitated, but it was clear a decision had been made.

He snatched up the fruit and took a huge bite.

“Ugh…”

“Spit it out, and it won’t work.”

At those words, Sparrow clamped his mouth shut, tears of pain brimming in his eyes.

He forced it down, an angry edge settling over him. Thinking back on his suffering, he chewed quickly until the Devil Fruit was completely gone.

“Savor the power in that fruit. It’ll be your greatest ally from now on.”

Back when he was on Blue Star, Karl had seen all sorts of things. In his eyes, if you truly developed a Paramecia Devil Fruit in the One Piece world, it became a power at the level of the very rules of reality—the only difference was in how well you used it.

To Karl, a fully awakened Paramecia Devil Fruit was a rule-breaking force. The only thing that mattered was how far you’d take it.

Because there are no weak Devil Fruits—only weak users. That’s the rule.

“Here, take this. Swallow it.”

Karl tossed Sparrow a tenth of a Shaolin Great Rejuvenation Pill.

“Only the power truly under your control counts as real strength.”

“If you want revenge, I’m giving you a chance.”

No sooner did Karl finish than Sparrow shoved the pill into his mouth.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Please, let me settle some personal matters first.”

“After that, I’ll always stay by your side.”

Sparrow felt strength welling up inside him, knowing this was the chance Karl had given. He dropped to one knee, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply.

“You don’t have much time. I want to see you again before sunrise.”

“Don’t worry, Lord Karl.”

Karl watched Sparrow’s departing figure. This was as much a test as anything else.

He wanted to see if the boy had the guts—and Karl had no need for indecisive followers.

“White Tiger, keep an eye on him.”

“As long as he doesn’t die, let him be. Leave everything else alone.”

“Awoo!”

White Tiger nodded and trotted after Sparrow, steps light and sure.

“I wonder what kind of seed this will become.”

…

“Bang!”

“Ah!”

“Boom!”

Sparrow arrived at his old home, only to be beaten and thrown inside by two servants at the door.

“Lord Leike, Madam Tana!”

One servant, knocked to the floor, scrambled up and rushed further inside.

“You ungrateful brat, what do you think you’re doing?”

Leike Hodis heard the commotion outside and ran out, spotting Sparrow standing in the doorway, arms crossed, scorn in his eyes.

“You’re no father to me.”

“I’m here today to retrieve my mother’s things.”

“And to kill that wretched woman.”

When Sparrow saw Madam Tana come out, he pointed right at her and roared in fury.

“Hmph, someone’s gotten cocky.”

“Butler, take care of this.”

Hodis turned to his butler. He knew the man’s strength—far more than most pirates, and certainly more than a thirteen-year-old boy.

“Understood, sir.”

“Young master, wouldn’t it be easier to live quietly outside? Why come back and anger the master?”

But a cruel smile crept across Krell’s face. After all, he’d once been a pirate.

The butler’s name was Krell. He’d failed in his attempt to conquer the New World and was saved by Leike Hodis on his way back to East Blue. That’s how he ended up serving the family.

“Step!”

Krell struck first, pushing off hard with his left foot and charging straight at Sparrow.

Sparrow didn’t know any combat techniques, but his new eyes could still track Krell’s movements.

“Wham!”

Sparrow threw out his right fist. Their punches crashed together with a heavy thud.

“How are you so strong?”

Krell stared at Sparrow in disbelief. How had he grown so powerful in just a few days? Did he eat a Devil Fruit?

Why couldn’t fortune have favored him instead?

Krell’s face twisted with fury.

“Shing!”

He drew a dagger from his belt with his left hand, slicing in a half-moon arc aimed right at Sparrow’s throat.

“Slash!”

“Drip…”

Sparrow caught the attacking blade above his right hand with his left. Blood gushed as his hand was cut open.

Ignoring the pain, Sparrow lashed out with his right leg, kicking Krell clear across the room.

“Bang!”

“Boom!”

Krell’s body flew back, crashing inside the house.

“Surely you’re not going to kill your stepmother?”

Leike Hodis saw the butler’s failure and frowned, uncertain what had changed in Sparrow.

But he’d never allow Sparrow to kill Tana Jones.

“And where were you when she killed my mother?”

“When she threw me out, why didn’t you stand up for me?”

“All the good guy roles seem to go to you.”

Hearing his father’s excuses, Sparrow felt a wave of sorrow for his mother.

With dagger in hand, Sparrow strode toward Tana Jones.

“No, don’t kill me!”

“It was that whore who deserved to die!”

“She stole my love!”

In Tana Jones’s eyes, it was Sparrow’s mother who seduced Hodis and stole his affections.

She collapsed in terror, watching Sparrow approach with the dagger. Fear overwhelmed every part of her.

“Doesn’t matter. You still killed my mother.”

“As her son, I have to avenge her—no matter what.”

There was a flicker of hesitation on Sparrow’s face, but thoughts of his departed mother hardened his resolve. He pressed the dagger against Jones’s throat.

“Don’t kill her. She’s still your stepmother.”

“Everything of your mother’s is in her room, untouched. Go get what you want.”

Hodis knelt before him, sobbing and clutching the dagger.

“Yes. I’ll take my mother away.”

Memories of happy times with his mother flashed through Sparrow’s mind.

“Squelch!”

Sparrow stared in shock at Hodis’s right hand.

With a twisted look, Hodis drove a dagger straight through Sparrow. The boy lashed out instinctively, sending his father sprawling.

“Ugh…”

Head spinning, Sparrow clutched his bleeding side and stumbled back a few steps.

He could feel his blood draining away. Lifting his right hand, he saw only crimson.

When he looked up again, his eyes were blood-red, and a light rain began to fall.

His strength may have reached the level of a commodore, but a wound like this was still deadly.

“Rip!”

He tore his clothes apart to staunch the wound, fashioning a knot as blood continued to seep through. He was already losing too much.

Agony shot through him. He gritted his teeth, tying the fabric tight.

He glanced at the pair huddled together.

“You stabbed me. From now on, we’re no longer father and son.”

“And as for her—today, no one can save her.”

Swaying, Sparrow made his way to Tana.

“If you kill her, you’ll have to kill me too.”

“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!”

Tana’s hair fell wildly around her, hysteria etched in her voice.

“I want you to live in pain.”

Sparrow plunged the dagger into Tana’s throat. Blood sprayed over the blade.

Hodis broke down, holding Tana’s limp body and wailing.

“Clang!”

Sparrow flung the dagger aside and walked slowly towards his mother’s room.

There was nothing left to tidy. Tana had already gathered all his mother’s belongings, preparing to throw them out that very day.

“From today on, there’s nothing left between us.”

Sparrow didn’t kill his father. Instead, he carried his mother’s keepsakes and walked out of the estate, one determined step at a time.

All that remained were the faces at the estate—Leike Hodis, full of regret.