Chapter Text
Kutsukku Island was an island of hunger.
Of sickness. Of things the World Government had stopped pretending to care about.
It had been left to rot—and the people with it.
Eustass Kid called it home.
He was seven years old.
Old enough to know no one was coming.
He moved through the wasteland, picking through scrap with bloodied hands—
anything he could sell, anything that might keep him alive another day.
“OI, KID!”
Kid didn’t look up.
He knew that voice.
Victoria.
His only friend on this godforsaken island.
“I was calling you. You deaf or something?” Victoria said, shoving him—firm, but playful.
Kid wiped his face, smearing grime across it.
“Or what,” he shot back, smirking.
That’s when he noticed the boy behind her.
Tall.
Thin.
Shaggy blonde hair falling into his eyes.
Kid scowled.
Victoria dug into her pocket, pulling out an old watch and shoving it into his hands.
“Fix this. Grandpa broke it again.”
Kid grunted, already looking it over.
“Who’s that?”
He jerked his chin toward the stranger.
Victoria didn’t even look.
She was busy kicking scrap across the ground.
“His name’s Killer.”
Kid’s hands moved quickly over the watch.
“He don’t speak?”
The boy had been watching him the whole time.
“When needed.”
Kid grunted.
“Cool name.”
Killer smiled—sharp, clean, out of place here.
“Thanks.”
Victoria snatched the watch back, stuffing it deep into her pocket.
“I heard a fisherman say a Sea King got stuck in the caves down at South Beach.”
She crossed her arms, grinning.
“We’re gonna poke it with sticks. You coming?”
Kid’s face split into a wide, gapped grin.
“Yeah.”
“I bet it smells like ass.”
Victoria grabbed both boys by the wrists, already dragging them along.
“See, Killer? Told you he’d want to.”
⚙️⚙️⚙️⚙️
The rocks were slick underfoot salt-stained and sharp and the sea crashed lazily against them like it didn’t care who slipped.
The three of them picked their way down toward the beach until Victoria broke into a run.
“There!” she shouted, already ahead of them, pointing toward the mouth of a dark cave.
“It’s this one! You can smell it from here!”
She wasn’t wrong.
By the time Eustass Kid and Killer reached her, the stench hit thick salt, rot, something sweet and wrong underneath it.
Kid recoiled immediately, scrunching his nose.
“Ugh—” he gagged, “that smells way worse than ass.”
Victoria grinned.
“Told you.”
She ducked forward before either of them could stop her stick already in hand.
“Move, wussies. I’m gonna poke it.”
“I’m not a wuss,” Kid snapped, pushing in after her.
Killer lingered a second then followed two pieces of driftwood already in his hands.
The cave swallowed the light quickly.
Cool air.
Damp stone.
And there the body.
A Sea King massive even in death its scales dulled, ribs partially exposed where the tide and time had begun to claim it.
“…it’s definitely dead,” Killer said, stepping closer.
Victoria didn’t wait.
She jabbed it straight in the ribs with her stick.
“It is, look!”
The sound was wet.
Unpleasant.
Kid grimaced then stepped closer anyway.
“…that’s disgusting.”
He poked it too.
Of course he did.
For a while, that’s all they did poking prodding daring each other to get closer to touch it properly to not flinch.
Eventually Killer glanced toward the cave mouth.
The light had shifted.
“…I’ve got to go.”
He looked at Kid a small smile breaking through.
“Come North tomorrow? We’ll go frog catching.”
Kid blinked.
“…you eat them?”
“Sometimes.”
Kid laughed.
“You’re weird.”
Behind them Victoria tossed her stick aside and turned, hands on her hips.
“C’mon, you two—we gotta go. You can kiss later.”
Kid bolted past her shoving her as he went.
“Shut up, idiot.”
She stumbled then shoved him right back.
“You wish.”
Killer caught up easily, falling into step between them.
“I’ll meet you outside The Rusted Armistice tomorrow morning,” he said to Kid.
“Are you coming?” he added, glancing at Victoria.
She groaned.
“Can’t. Grandpa’s got me cleaning tables.”
She tried to sound annoyed.
Didn’t quite manage it.
Kid smirked.
“Sucks to be you. Maybe we’ll bring a frog back for you to kiss.”
Victoria shoved him again.
“Idiot.”
Then she turned already moving.
“C’mon, Killer!”
They took off down the beach laughing racing side by side.
Kid slowed.
Watched them go.
Until they were just shapes then dots—then gone.
He didn’t know it yet standing there with the stink of rot still clinging to him.
but he’d just met the most loyal friend he’d ever have.