One Piece: I Understand It Now

Chapter 18: Why am I Here?

Ken just happened to enter when a wave of darkness flew out, making the group behind him stop in their tracks and change their plans to just guarding the entrance, not letting anyone enter.

Thus, the ones who were inside the house were namely, Ken, Linda, and the young girl.

Let's not forget the mother. Sleeping on her bed, she seemed so in pain that one could feel it with one look.

Her face was sweating buckets, her skin wasn't smooth, and her previous beauty was overcome by black patches of skin that had overpowered her body, a sign of the virus.

Nobody knew where it came from or how it came to be. Was it truly a virus or did someone deliberately poison? Nobody could say much, and only time was left to speak the truth.

if another person was to be infected after, then it's a virus; if not, then it's either a virus that doesn't latch onto others, or...

"A poison." Linda spoke, her face starting to sweat and her face was nothing but serious.

It seems no further analogy was needed as we had already reached a conclusion. This was a poison, and to overcome it, they needed...

"The antidote isn't something we can find quickly, nor do we have time to make it. Little girl, do you have any idea who might have caused this?" Linda turned towards the girl and asked.

"I don't know." The girl hearing that her mother was in true danger of dying started to cry once again. Still, she resisted and tried to think of ways, but that's when she remembered...

"I really don't know. My mother never really told me anything, not even the reason why we are living in this cave. I don't know if we had enemies or if we are escaping from whoever my father is or if my mother is some important figure somewhere... I know nothing!" The girl shouted.

Linda looked at her and then her eyes gazed at Ken, the only one who was here aside from them, and that slight action... Made her flinch.

'This guy... Just what kind of life did he live to not even flinch?' She thought.

The way Ken was looking right now was as if this was how life should be. That the early scene of friendly neighbors, clean streets which weren't clean at all, nice clothes, which only commoner wore, and village houses which were anything but luxurious... Those were things that were far too good to be true and this was normal.

"Hey, young man. Have you ever seen a poison like this? Can you help?"

"No." Ken replied.

"..." Linda looked at him for a few seconds before she closed her eyes and put her hand between her eyebrows.

"Little girl... I will try my best, but don't expect anything. Before anything happens, I want you two to leave me alone." the second she said these words, and before the girl could even react, Ken left the house.

"I-" The girl tried to speak but couldn't say anything

"... Okay." And thus, she left the house.

After coming out, she saw the group of men who had followed Ken looking at him as he went back towards the direction of the bar.

While they didn't understand what happened inside, he was thinking of the reason why he came this far only to return with nothing gained, nothing lost.

Well, saying he gained nothing would be a lie...

The girl also gazed at him, but for only a few seconds then back at her house.

Time passed, and fast forward three hours later, Linda came out of the house with a saddened expression.

That night, that part of the village was all trying their best to comfort the little girl who had lost her mother.

-----

When ken reached the bar, he entered and sat there in wait of Linda, and while doing so, he thought back to the poisoned body of the mother.

"The human body is so fragile." He raised his fist and looked at it.

"If I were to be poisoned like that... Would I survive?" He asked himself.

Then he put back his hand, got up from his seat, and went to get himself a cup of water to drink.

he didn't have to reply as he already knew the answer.

Maybe if he didn't go to that house, things would be different if he were to be poisoned by a fast acting poison, but one look at the mother and he had already realized all the flaws.

If he were to be poisoned by any poison with a lower efficiency than that one, he wouldn't even need to act before his body deals with it. And if here were to be poisoned by a stronger one, his body will have a much easier time adapting to it.

In short, through this short trip, Ken has become immune to poison.

-----End-----

Check out my Patreon for advanced chapters and to support me! Please :)

patreon.com/ADAPT0