ONE PIECE: FLOW OF FATE

As the group made their way home that evening, an unsettling thought nagged at Renjiro. It's strange… I don't remember anything after walking toward the beast. Just blackness—and then I woke up beside Renzo. I'll have to ask my little brother for details.

They continued to walk, at last exiting the forest. Yurie was the first to speak up, her voice laced with inquiry about what had truly happened.

"Renjiro, what did happen? At least tell us a little, you do have dry blood on your hands," she questioned vigorously.

Renjiro instinctively gripped his stomach, where a reddened area was visible beneath his shirt.

"Argh," he grunted softly. "Oh, it's not major. We just ran from a horde of animals running towards us. Nothing major." As suspicious as he was, Yurie grabbed his arm away from his abdomen and lifted his shirt, revealing the prominent reddened and slightly swollen area he'd obtained.

"Huh?!" she exclaimed. "You idiot! What did you do? What happened truly? If you don't tell us, you'll be in big trouble!" she cried.

Bram also noticed, his expression hardening. "Renjiro, why did you hide this from us? We couldn't see any serious injury, we thought otherwise, but a mark like that... this is from a beast, and you dare not speak of it?!" Bram questioned him seriously.

"You'll have to tell us right now, or else!" he remarked, his voice edged with a nerve-wracking intensity.

Renjiro sighed inwardly. I don't even know why I tried hiding it in the first place. I guess I'll tell, even if I don't know why I'm still alive. He sighed and began to speak.

"At first, I decided that we would go and explore the forest, but not traverse too far," Renjiro started, immediately earning an angry glare from Yurie.

"A little while after entering, we heard a noise and decided to walk away slowly, just for the beast to appear and charge towards us."

Bram looked at him, his face contorted in anger. "You know why I told you NOT to go there, boy! You could've died for all we know! I've told you many times, unless you're with me, not to enter that forest! To add to that, you decided to go with Renzo! How did you two even make it out alive?!" he exclaimed, furious about the events that had transpired.

Renjiro turned away out of embarrassment. Yes, Grandpa, I take full responsibility, he thought to himself. I mean, what was I thinking? I'm older than Renzo; why would I just accept? I'm a dumbass for letting this happen.

Yurie grabbed him, her voice thick with unshed tears. "Please don't do that again! If you and Renzo were to die, you'd only make us sadder!" she cried.

Yurie had been taken in by Bram and Kaia at two years old after her parents were murdered by thieves during a raid on the town. She couldn't bear the thought of losing another precious family member again. This deep-seated fear fueled her desperate plea.

Bram, still furious, grunted, "Continue on then! What happened next?" He looked ahead, Renzo still cradled in his arm.

Renjiro faced him. "Well, of course, we couldn't outrun that beast. It lunged towards us, smacking me really hard into a nearby tree." Yurie whimpered at the news, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

"Dummy! Dummy!" Yurie cried out, her face visibly red, like a furnace exploding.

"After that, I only remember standing up and falling unconscious while I approached Renzo, trying to help him." Renjiro looked downwards, overcome with shame.

Bram stared at him, his face visibly red, like a furnace ready to explode, then screamed, "HELP?! I commend you for your bravery, but how many times have I told you not to go there?! And you still haven't explained how you survived a beast attack!" he exclaimed.

Yurie pulled on Bram's arm, yelling at her grandpa, "Don't scream at Renjiro! We all make mistakes, forgive him this time, please!" Yurie had a soft spot for Renjiro. He and Renzo had been taken in as orphans at the same time as her, and they practically viewed each other as siblings. Although she would scold Renjiro from time to time, she couldn't bear Grandpa or Kaia getting angry at any of them. She would always try to de-escalate the situation.

Bram, although still visibly angry, slowly calmed down. "I forgive you and Renzo," he said, his voice now a low, stern rumble. "But promise me that you won't go back there once again unless I permit you to go."

Renjiro, mentally sixteen, wasn't as shaken by the scolding itself as a true child might be.

Bram pulled Renjiro closer to him as a sign of forgiveness. Yurie held onto Bram's arm as they continued their walk home.

On their way home, Coal confronted Bram. "Mr. Bram, taking your kids for sightseeing, I see. What's with the little one? He looks roughed up," Coal said, visibly concerned.

Bram tried to lighten the mood. "Ho ho, this young fellow has balls made of steel! He went into the forest and outran a beast, he might be the bravest kid in town, ho ho ho." Yurie giggled at that remark, while Coal smiled and replied, "I guess Lumi will now have to compete for the 'balls of steel' title in Tundveil." Coal said, laughing as he carried a portion of his hunt towards his own home. They bid farewell and went their separate ways.

As they entered their cabin, Kaia confronted them. "SOO," she said, banging a wooden plank against her arm, ready to spank a trespasser.

"What were you up to, Renjiro?" Her gaze sharpened as she took in the dried blood on his hands and forearms, the tear in his tunic, and the weariness etched on his young face. "And what are those marks?" she demanded, pointing to his abdomen where he still instinctively clutched.

Bram stepped forward, addressing Kaia. "Don't worry, I handled it. Long story short, a beast attacked him in the forest." Kaia's face went pale, as if she'd just heard news of a relative's death.

"Stop with the jokes," she said, thinking Bram was pulling her leg. "Renjiro, what's Grandpa saying?" She looked at him with a glaring eye.

Renjiro responded, "He's not lying. I got attacked by a wild bear."

Kaia screamed, "Are you out of your mind?! You went to the forest, didn't you?! We told you not to!" Bram calmed her down, saying, "It's okay, we came to an agreement, and he promised not to do that again."

Renjiro wasn't too bothered, as he wasn't a kid, technically, so it wasn't like he was affected once more by another scolding. On the other hand, Yurie wasn't liking that Kaia was mad.

"And Renzo, something bad could've happened!" Kaia exclaimed.

"It's alright," Bram said, calming her down again.

He laid Renzo's unconscious body gently on a mattress. Afterward, Kaia said, "Well, just sit down and rest up. There's soup if you guys feel hungry. And Renjiro, come over here for a moment."

Renjiro accepted and went near Kaia. She turned around, hugged him tightly, and said with a sad voice, "Please, Renjiro, don't do such stuff again. If anything were to happen, you'd only make us even sadder. You don't want Grandpa and Grandma sad, right?" Renjiro nodded as she hugged him even tighter. Then she said, "Okay, go sit near Yurie, and when Renzo wakes up, tell us why you fainted the moment you were about to die."

Renjiro thought, If this were Earth, no one would even act like anything happened. I'll need to protect these people as much as I can, although I've got to stop making these dumbass decisions. We'll be alright for the time being. Starting tomorrow, I've got to train my body enough for a child to withstand. He then went to sit near Kaia, who had fallen asleep, her head resting on the mattress.

It's refreshing having a sister that loves and parents that cherish you, and a brother that looks up to you, he mused. My father would be mad that the bear didn't actually fatally kill me. What an asshole.

As the sun set, Renzo started to wake up, which in turn roused Yurie and Renjiro. Bram and Kaia quickly came over, hugging Renzo tightly since he was the youngest and had been truly scared by such an event.

Renzo asked in a small, fearful voice, "Umm, where's brother Renjiro? Is he safe?"

Renjiro poked his head out from behind Bram and said, "Here, dummy."

Renzo immediately exclaimed, "Renjiro! How'd you survive?!" he said, a mix of surprise and relief on his face. "You were so cool, saying 'Don't kill my brother!' and walking towards the bear!" Renzo said, imitating Renjiro's so-called heroic feat. Kaia, Bram, and Yurie all laughed at Renzo's cheerfulness, even though most young ones would still be scared.

"What happened afterward?" Renjiro asked.

"I don't know, I only remember you standing up and now I'm here," Renzo said with a not-so-bothered face. Bram and Kaia, too, were shocked.

Renzo then added, "Grandpa Bram killed the beast, right? Nothing is stronger than him!"

No one answered.

Bram said, "I didn't kill the bear, and Renjiro told the same story as you." Everyone was shocked.

Kaia then said, "If nobody killed the bear, and you guys fainted the moment you were about to die, then no one knows what exactly even happened at all." She sounded confused.

Bram added, "Truly weird. Maybe they received help from another village? There are only four hunters here in town, and nobody went out today." Everyone shrugged their shoulders.

Yurie then said, "It doesn't matter as long as they're safe, right?" She said, hugging Renzo.

"Yurie, you're hugging me too tight! I'm gonna die for real this time," Renzo remarked, as a small laughter erupted.

Deep down, Renjiro was speculative, knowing that something weird and unexplainable did happen. What the hell? If anyone was there, we would've noticed. There's definitely something weird in that forest, either a person did drive off those beasts or it was a miracle from above. Renjiro's thoughts drifted, But it doesn't matter. It's settled that I'll need to get stronger to protect those that I love.

As Renjiro turned around, Kaia called after him, "Boy! Don't forget the ointment from Mr. Drake's place. Go on, get it now!" Renjiro nodded and quietly slipped out of the cabin.

As their day concluded, it marked the dawn of a fated legend. Unbeknownst to him, in that chaotic moment, Renjiro had unknowingly awakened Conqueror's Haki; his destiny was irrevocably determined.