ONE PIECE: WORTHLESS PROGRESSION

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" Blaugh! " Blood spattered from his lips, staining the dirt beneath him. His entire body screamed in agony, his legs limp and unresponsive no matter how hard he willed them to move. His vision swam, darkness creeping in from the edges, and the heavy chain around his neck felt like it was choking him, dragging his head down.

' Damn it... I'm dead. ' The thought came, cold and certain. Hope drained from him like water through a sieve, leaving only the bitter realization that he was too weak, too broken to fight back. He lay there, barely able to move, waiting for the end. ' This is it... I'm going to die... again... '

Anger bubbled up in his chest, a fury directed not just at Gorr but at himself—at his helplessness, at the cruelty of the world that had pushed him to this point. ' And I haven't accomplished a damn thing... '

With a desperate snarl, Toshi clawed at the dirt. His fingers dug into the sand, gripping it as if he could hold on to his life, refusing to let go even as his body refused to listen.

He was a slave, shackled by the will of others, a puppet at the mercy of fate's cruel strings. Why was he the one who had to suffer? Memories of the auction flashed in his mind...rows of faces, eyes devoid of hope, yearning for freedom they'd never have. He remembered their silence, the way they'd all stood, broken, in chains.

But Toshi didn't want to be like them. He didn't want to be just another lost face in a sea of despair. He wanted freedom. He wanted the power to shape his own destiny, to wrest control from those who saw him as nothing but a tool. He wanted strength, the kind of strength that even fate itself would be forced to acknowledge.

His grip on the sand slackened, his fingers uncurling. ' But... I'm weak... ' The thought clawed at him, dragging him down. ' Worthless, even. There's nothing I can do but accept my fate... ' His body screamed as the pain overpowered him.

Then, through his fading vision, a dark shadow fell over him. Gorr stood there, towering like a mountain, the vicious grin splitting his face. The axe rested casually on his broad shoulder.

Toshi's body screamed in agony, but he forced his gaze upward. Gorr's grin widened as he raised the axe high above his head, ready to end it. But in that moment, Toshi's gaze did not hesitate. It was as if, for the first time, he was refusing to look away from his own death.

Time seemed to slow as Toshi glared up at Gorr, his vision narrowing to the edge of the axe and the cruel glint in Gorr's eyes. 

"DO IT! I DON'T CARE!" he screamed, his voice hoarse. The crowd's chants faded into a dull roar. "BUT I'M SURE OF ONE THING!" His voice cracked, but the rage only made him louder. "I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!" The vow echoed through the cage, carrying with it a raw promise of vengeance...blood for blood.

Gorr's smile twisted into something darker, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction at Toshi's words. "Not if you're dead..." he sneered. With a snarl, Gorr hoisted the massive axe high, the blade catching the dim light as it rose above his head. "Now die like the little shit you are..."

There was no hesitation in the swing...he brought the axe down in a swift arc, aiming to cleave Toshi's skull in two. The sound of the blade cutting through the air was a death sentence.

But Toshi's eyes remained fixed on Gorr's, unblinking, even as the shadow of the axe loomed closer. There was no room for fear, no room for doubt. Just hatred....a hatred that burned so hot it drowned out the pain in his broken body. 

*DOOOMM*

. . . . .The spotlight flickered off, plunging the arena into darkness and silence. The once bloodthirsty crowd fell eerily quiet, their chants swallowed by the sudden darkness.

*CLANG*

The sound of metal connecting with another. 

*WOOOOSSSHHH*

The sound of a heavy wind resounded through the air.

*CLANG* *BOOOOOM*

A loud sound echoed throughout the arena. 

The lynch mob that had just moments before been baying for blood was now stunned into silence, faces drained and eyes like saucers. The lights flickered back on, illuminating the arena, and whispers began spreading through the crowd, shock with a twist of confusion.

The cage, once whole and unbreakable, now lay half-demolished, its rods of metal twisted and shattered. The ring floor was a mess of churned dirt and splintered wood, while a huge crater stretched from the middle of the arena across to the now-splintered stands, their stone seats crumbled and broken.

At the other end of the crater, Gorr lay unmoving. His body was sprawled in the most awkward of ways, his limbs crooked at unnatural angles. Blood welled from a great gash in his belly, tracing dark rivulets across the ground beneath him in an expanding pool.

His axe laid beside him, no more than a tangle of shattered fragments of metal. The blade, the handle...all had been shattered in an instant.

Toshi's vision was barely holding together, wavering between consciousness and darkness, when he saw the figure...a man draped in a dark green cloak, wearing an orange jumpsuit that seemed almost out of place in the bloodied arena. His long black hair flowed over his shoulders, and his sharp green eyes pierced through the darkness with an intensity that froze Toshi in place.

As the man in the green cloak moved closer, a shadowy presence seemed to shift behind him. Toshi's blurry gaze widened as a group of masked figures landed from above, kicking a cloud of dust, each one dressed in a orange jumpsuit identical to the man's orange one, their faces obscured by a white, featureless mask.

"Who are they...?" someone murmured, voice trembling.

"Yeah, who are they...?" echoed another, confusion turning into raw fear.

Then a scream split the air. "Wait... Isn't that... RUNNNNNNN!!!"

Toshi's vision wavered, the world around him blurring into a haze. Blood dripped down the side of his face, mixing with sweat and sand. His body screamed for rest, but even through the exhaustion, he could make out the figure standing in front of him.

' Who the hell is this guy...? ' Toshi's mind raced, but his body refused to move. Every instinct told him to react, to run, to fight, but he was frozen—paralyzed by exhaustion and fear.

The man look towards Toshi, his eyes sharp, that seemed to see right through him. Then, after a beat, a faint smirk tugged at his lips. "I like your ambition, kid," he said, his voice smooth. "I need people like you.... So, what do you say...wanna join me?"

Toshi blinked, the words barely registering through the fog clouding his mind. His chest heaved, his breaths shallow and ragged, as if the very act of breathing might kill him.

For a moment, Toshi couldn't speak. The world tilted slightly, the sand beneath him feeling less like solid ground and more like a void ready to swallow him whole.

The man's smirk faded, replaced by a firmer expression. His voice deepened as he added, "You'll become stronger if you do."

The promise hit Toshi like a lifeline. Strength. That's what he needed...what he always needed. Strength to survive. Strength to make it through another day. Strength to never become a slave again.

Gathering every ounce of willpower he had left, Toshi forced his lips to move. "Y-yes..." he croaked, the word barely audible, more air than sound.

The man's smirk returned, a glimmer of approval in his eyes. "Good choice," he said simply.

But Toshi wasn't done. His head drooped forward slightly, his body trembling as he fought to keep himself conscious. With all the effort he could muster, he stammered, "Wh-who... a-are you?"

The man knelt slightly, meeting Toshi's faltering gaze. His smile widened. "You'll find out soon enough, kid. Rest now. You're going to need it."

Then from the shadows of the arena, a group of men walked through, their presence announced by the scrape of boots against rumble. Leading them was the scarred man from before.

His scar twisted grotesquely as he spoke. "I can't have you breaking into my establishment... It's bad for business."

The man stood motionless, his back turned to them. Slowly, he pivoted to face the gang, his expression unreadable, unfazed by them entirely. 

But then, something shifted. His eyes narrowed, and his face darkened. When he spoke, his voice was deep and cold. "People like you disgust me to my core," he growled, each word cutting through the air like a blade.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The air around the arena began to swirl, the once-still dirt lifting from the ground in fine, spiraling clouds. The winds picked up, carrying with them an almost suffocating pressure that made the scarred man's face tighten. The sccared man instantly went into a defensive position, preparing himself for an attack.

*SWOOOOOOSSSSHHHH*

The swirling winds abruptly halted, and the suffocating pressure that had engulfed the arena vanished as quickly as it had come. The dirt and debris that had filled the air cascaded back to the ground in a soft patter, leaving the pit eerily still.

The man turned his back on the scarred man and his gang without a second glance. His gaze shifted to Toshi, lying crumpled on the floor, his body trembling on the brink of complete collapse. His piercing eyes softened for a fleeting moment, but only briefly.

"You're not worth it," He muttered, his voice cold, dismissive.

He turned to the masked figures standing silently behind him. With a simple, commanding nod, he issued his order. "Deal with them."

The masked figures stepped forward in unison, nodding to his command.

Toshi lay on the ground, his vision blurred and his breathing shallow. Toshi's body gave in at last, his consciousness slipping away as he succumbed to the weight of his injuries. 

TO BE CONTINUED.

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