One Piece: Blackbeard the Mad

A/N: There are some minor spoilers.

…

…

Two full weeks had passed since their shipwreck on Wano. Teech along with much of the crew looked off the back of the repaired Moby Dick as they watched in incredulity as Oden had escaped from his duties and chased the ship.

Holding onto a chain, Oden was dragged across the surface of the water. While the retainer who had managed to catch up to Oden, begged Whitebeard to stop him from going.

Pops showed a challenging glint in eyes as he looked at the determined samurai. 

"Oden!"

"Three days! If you can hang onto the chain for three days without letting go, I will take you to the sea with us."

'So it begins!' Smirked Teech.

Oden looked at Whitebeard in surprise. Then a challenging smile was directed back at Pops.

"You sure, Whitebeard?!"

"Yes, you have my word!"

As the Moby Dick sailed out of Wano and landed back into the seas of the New World. Oden's tortur… challenge had started.

On the first day it was actually fairly easy for Oden as the weather and sea weren't too unpredictable.

Oden's eyes were constantly closed as he tried to conserve as much energy as possible, almost as if he knew challenges had yet to come.

It was mesmerizing to watch as he willingly put himself through this torture, just to join the Whitebeard pirates.

Teech couldn't help but silently cheer for Oden, even if he knew how it would play out.

On the second day, Oden wasn't so lucky. The Grand Line finally started showing its true colors as storm after storm hit the Moby Dick. Massive freezing waves slammed onto the samurai. Yet, he refused to give up!

Gritting his teeth, Oden did his best not to think about the pain that now lingered in his arms, hands and fingers!

Suddenly, massive fish jumped out of the water, surprising everyone on board. The sheer size of the fish was just as large as the Moby Dick.

As everyone looked back at Oden they realized a smaller fish was approaching from behind. They could only watch in horror as the human sized bait was devoured.

"ODEN!!" Marco yelled!

But with astonished looks they saw Oden biting down on the chain while holding the mouth of the fish open.

"Dude! That's badass!" Teech couldn't help smiling.

…

The third day started by arriving at Yukiryu Island. The snowy island chilled the nearby water to below freezing. A blizzard also hit the Moby Dick! Teech, who was shivering just standing on deck, couldn't even imagine what it was like for poor Oden.

As they sailed past the island, Oden's bloated body ended up slamming against the reefs.

*Crash*

The previously strong looking Oden was now extremely bloated! The constant exposure to the seas left his body in a less than desirable state. The crew honestly couldn't even tell if Oden was even conscious anymore. 

The single retainer who had managed to make their way on board after Oden, couldn't help but be extremely worried.

Thankfully after leaving the area of the island the water gradually warmed, relieving Oden of some of his stress. 

As we approached another nearby island, the crew began to cheer for Oden as the 3 day challenge was finally coming to end. There is the light at the end of the tunnel for Oden.

However, Oden's unfocused eyes suddenly gained clarity as he looked around. Finally his eyes settled on the nearby island. 

When Oden was still going strong, only a couple hours from completion, he did the unthinkable. The people who were cheering were shocked when Oden purposely let go of the chain!

"WHAT??!!"

Even Pops who was usually stoic showed a hint of confusion. Bringing the Moby Dick to a halt, Pops looked into the direction of the island, and couldn't help but smirk.

"Bastard!"

…

On an island not far from Yukiryu, pirates and human traffickers are chasing someone throughout the island.

A tall beautiful woman with emerald green hair and pearl white skin, ran for her life. 

She was extremely exhausted, as she reached the shore. Seeing that she had backed herself into a corner, she unsheathed a katana in preparation to fight. Her eyes closed as if concentrating, as a small glow began to be emitted from her.

*Crash*

Water from behind her exploded into the air as a bloated Oden made his appearance.

"I heard a woman's scream. Was that you?"

The pirates seeing his massive figure were startled.

"What the hell is that?"

In response, Oden spat out a fish which hit one of the pirates in charge. 

"Aaahhhhhhh! Run! Sea Spirit!"

Along with his intimidating size and nearly grotesque appearance, the pirates were too afraid to stay near him. They took no time to run for their lives, thinking this was retribution for all the horrible things they did in life.

Seeing that the woman was out of danger, Oden collapsed causing more water to splash.

…

Back on the Moby Dick, the crew was discussing what happened to Oden and why he would let go.

Marco, who was particularly concerned couldn't help but ask.

"Pops! What happened to Oden? Where is he?"

Whitebeard simply rolled his.

"To go save a woman."

"Huh?"

The entire crew was confused except for Teech who only smirked.

'Kouzuki Toki. The time traveler of the One Piece world. It's pretty sad having to run 800 years into the future, just to escape danger.' He thought.

Pops told the crew the Oden was on the nearby island. Hearing this the crew went into a frenzy, turning the ship and circling the island.

For hours they sailed around the edges of the island trying to see if they could spot the missing samurai. Ultimately they decided that searching for him on land would be far more efficient, than from a distance.

As they were about to dock, the Lookout screamed.

"Pops! There seems to be a gathering of pirates on the opposite side of the island."

Pops nodded and directed the ship to the location. Sailing over they found a pirate ship and docked right next to it.

In the distance they could see Oden clashing with an Octopus fishman, who used six swords. The fishman was none other than Karma, the captain of the infamous Takotupus Pirates.

When Teech saw Oden, he was severely confused on how he looked normal. Only a couple hours had passed since he let go of the chain and was bloated. 

'One Piece logic…'He sighed.

Teech had finally started accepting the insane world that he now lived in. Anything could happen, so might as well expect the unexpected.

The surrounding pirates who saw Whitebeard immediately scattered, not wanting to be entangled with him.

The only pirate who stayed was Karma, who coincidentally had his back turned unaware of the impending danger coming his way.

"It's time to finish this, you weak bodyguard!" Taunted Karma.

Pops who had arrived behind him raised his eyebrow as he "lightly" dropped his naginata on the head of Karma.

*Bang*

"Is this dude deaf or something?" Teech silently mocked.

How he did not hear a 6 meter human walking behind him, was beyond Teech. Either Karma was deaf or he had no sense of survival.

Pops walked up to Oden.

"Come to the ship, Oden."

"What? But I failed the challenge! I let go of the chain…"

Pops gave a knowing smile as he gazed over to Toki.

"Because of a woman's scream, you gave up your ambition? How naive can you be?"

Oden became embarrassed.

"Alright let's go Oden! We'll set out on a grand adventure beyond your wildest dreams! Welcome to the crew!"

Oden and everyone who heard it cheered in celebration!

…

After officially joining the crew, Toki joined in as well. Other than the romance that began to blossom between the two new additions, nothing particularly interesting happened.

One day Oden, who was cleaning his blade next to Pops, heard the sound of something slamming into wood.

Looking over to Pops he asked.

"White-Kichi-chan, what is that noise?"

"Hmm? Oh, that's the brat, Teech. He seems to be training again. Though I don't like him hurting himself, he's been making considerable progress."

"Teech? I don't think I've met him!"

"Yeah, he's a bit of a recluse who knows nothing but training."

Oden developed an intrigued look and even Toki who just happened to hear the conversation couldn't help but become curious. 

Together, both Oden and Toki walked to the other end of the ship. 

*Crack*

As they etched closer the curiosity continued to grow.

*Crack*

As they arrived, the curiosity was swiftly replaced with concern at what they saw.

Teech, an 11 year old boy with a stocky frame, struck a wooden dummy.

Although the action itself didn't startle the couple, the scene certainly did.

Over and over, Teech struck the dummy with full force. He continued throwing punches and elbows to the point that his own blood covered his forearms.

At one point Teech just kept throwing punch after punch, with no regard to his physical condition.

*Crack*

The Wooden dummy's head snapped, flying into the ocean. Removing it, Teech grabbed another and began again, except only kicking it this time.

Toki saw this and went to stop him but was held back by a serious looking Oden who only shook his head. He understood something about the boy by just looking at the way he trained. 

Underneath the innocent youthful stature, he could see it! Something primal was hidden underneath. Oden, who was most of the time naive, showed an unusual understanding. To Whitebeard, Teech was just a child that didn't know how to properly train. However, to Oden, a warrior of Wano, this was something else! A raging fire that consumed his very being! A hunger that he had never seen before!

But, how could someone so young become like this? What had he gone through to have such a burning fire within him? 

As his shins slammed into the side of the dummy, blood was drawn. But he paid no heed as he relentlessly kicked at the body of the dummy.

Oden gazed into the eyes of the boy and saw no hesitation. He had an uncanny understanding that the boy was level-headed. There was no fear, no pain! Just drive! But, the drive was unusual, almost empty! There was nothing pushing it but his own will. Witnessing it for himself, Oden couldn't help but admire and even somewhat fear it.

Shaking his head, Oden watched as the boy's legs shattered the body of the dummy. Exhausted, Teech went to get another dummy but found himself stumbling to the ground. He willed himself to continue, but his body wasn't as strong as his mentality.

*Thud*

A worried Toki tugged on Oden's orange kimono, which he let her go to him.

Teech stared at the cloudless sky as his body ached. His face showed no emotion whatsoever, but the amount he was feeling would make most people scream in agony.

Although there were no clouds, shade had somehow covered his face leaving him confused. Then he looked up from his position and saw the figure in an upside down position.

Teech was stunned not by their presence but the concern etched onto her face. An almost motherly look, which gave Teech a sad nostalgic feeling.

Quickly sitting up he saw Toki get closer and grab his bloody hands. She brought out a handkerchief and began cleaning them. He winced as the wounds were still sensitive.

"Why…" She asked.

"Why put yourself through this pain?"

The softness of her voice nearly made Teech's eyes water. It reminded him of his parents from both lives. The ones who were murdered in this world by pirates and the ones who lost their lives in an accident back on Earth.

Instead of answering, Teech stayed quiet. It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, it was because he couldn't. 

He didn't know why he liked to put himself through such torment. He kept thinking that he was just a masochist, who enjoyed pain and maybe screamed "youth" after every session. But no, every session was just a silent resolve.

Even in both lives, his life was just training and more training. 

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he hadn't been enjoying life. When he came into this world, he said that he would find a dream of his own. Yet, here he was, cutting himself off from everything and everyone to train himself.

He needed something! A motivation to keep him going! But what could it be?

That's when it hit him. He looked around the ship and saw the crew walking about, hanging out with each other. The occasional concerned look thrown towards Teech made him open his eyes. They were free.

Teech had put himself in such a deep metaphorical prison, he didn't even realize that these people weren't just characters from an anime. They were real people with real emotions. 

These people cared for him like he was family! Yet, he saw them as nothing more than glorified bodyguards. How selfish!

He finally understood that this crew was his family! A family he needed to protect! He had already lost two families! He wasn't going to let it happen again!

Oden who was watching the young Teech witnessed how the empty resolve in his eyes slowly filled with something. This brought a small smile to his face as he approached.

"Young man, why do you train?"

Looking at Oden, Teech thought for a second before answering.

"I train to get stronger."

"And why do you need strength?"

A smile slowly made its way onto Teech's face.

"To protect my family!"

Seeing no waver in his resolve, Oden smiled.

"A warrior's true strength is not their body, but their will to protect their ideals."

Toki didn't quite understand what was happening but knew it was important as she stayed silent.

Oden got closer as he tapped Teech's chest.

"Only by following that path, can you obtain what you desire."

Teech nodded in understanding as he got up from the floor. He bowed his head to both Toki and Oden.

"Thank you!"

"No problem, young man!"

Toki realizing the mood was beginning to lift a bit spoke to Teech.

"You shouldn't harm yourself, like that! It is not healthy for your body or your mind!"

Feeling like a scolded child, Teech could only laugh as he apologized profusely. Going over to Marco, Teech had his wounds treated.

Though he was scolded again as they found out that there were multiple broken bones in both hands as well as several miniature fractures in his shins.

Pops who had got wind of it, banned him from training until he healed properly.

…

…

A/N: I know I made this chapter a bit sappy. But, I wanted to have a little more character development, than just "I gain strength". I'd also wanted to do it sooner rather than later.

I wanted to make Oden a little more wise, so that he becomes something of a mentor for Teech. 

P.S TimeSkip will be coming soon. I won't drag this childhood on too long.