The world was cruel, wide, vast, and full of unexplainable happenings, such happenings could be summarized in questions such as-

Where did my daughter disappear to?

What happened to my home?

Why were both my parents found dead, and in such a strange way?

When questions like these started to froth up from the woodwork, the exorcists came into the picture.

They were the ones who made justice, they were the ones people idolized and respected.

Everyday, they would run all around the world to exotic places, with a chance in not only dying violently on the job, but being damned and dragged into the depths of hell for all eternity.

That, was what Eustass Kidd signed up for, and was completely prepared for..

But never got.

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The redhead sighed tediously as he flipped through the pages of his bible almost haphazardly, uncaring whether the paper got frayed or torn in the process.

Glaring at the messy symbols, his lips parted to speak them aloud- if only to humor himself, when a group of exorcists barreled through the door without as much of a knock in warning.

Watching amusedly as the traditionally robed people stumbled around without hesitating to run themselves over, the redhead's mood took a swinging turn at the sight of two recognizable faces parting from the mass of panic.

"Kidd! Kidd! Get your lazy ass over here and help us heal these exorcists!" The arriving redhead shouted.

According to the exorcist's bible, a true exorcist must always make level headed decisions after evaluating everything carefully, emotion cannot impair judgement with God's justice on the line.

Apparently Nami was too quick to judge, and her fiery temper didn't help either, as such, she was briskly rejected from a full-time exorcist's license and forced to undergo apprenticeship training just like him.

The boy, Chopper was his name, who was flinching and shying away from every little noise besides her, nervously fished out a handful of wolfsbane and began adding it to some ghastly concoction.

Chopper may have been half the age of most of the people in the room, but according to the rumors, the only reason he wasn't a full-time exorcist either was because he lacked the backbone to handle the things such a profession would bring, or because of some bloody curse.

And honestly Kidd could kind of agree, like don't get him wrong, the kid was a pretty good lad, and whenever he wasn't going on and on about demonic curses or supernatural infections, he was helping Kidd study for some fucking stupid test.

But the thought of him out in the workforce nearly made him physically cringe, all Kidd could imagine were violent deaths and pitifully desperate pleas on deaf ears.

Chopper was more suited to be an assistant or, hell, even a shaman or witch than an actual exorcist.

"Kidd!" Being brought out of his morbid thoughts by another shout, more desperate than the first, the redhead rose from his little perch by the windowsill and stomped over to help with the bubbling mixture that was slowly becoming a healing salve.

The rushed shouts from the exorcists in the room did nothing but give the apprentice a forced dose of anxiety, and Kidd was too busy focusing on not using too big of a dose of any of the ingredients to notice the tiny vial near his elbows before it was too late.

When he felt it, he turned just in time to watch it topple into the cauldron.

As if it knew his worst fears, the cauldron began to overflow and froth up with a soft hiss whilst the injured exorcists all began to yell out frantically, one of them in the swarm of hysterics shouted above the rest, and Kidd felt his stomach drop like lead, "you fool! That was dragon's drool you dropped in there!"

Dragon's drool.. also known as the nuclear reactor of magical ingredients..

Letting his body go on autopilot, Kidd grabbed ahold of both Nami and Chopper and kicked the table the vial was on over, causing it to shield them from the cauldron- which was now glowing a stark white with red blemishes, not good.

The screams seemed to have reached an uproarious crescendo when a mummer went unnoticed by everyone but the detonating mixture, "minuere, explosione" and with those words that might as well been a whisper, the glowing faded.

As the injured exorcists slowly became aware of their surroundings and launched into cheers for the unknown savior, Kidd slowly peeked his head out from behind the table and blanched at the cold stare of Akainu, the head honcho himself.

Everywhere you looked, you'd find people spreading the man's name like the gospel, hell, there were folks out there trying to convince everyone else that he was the carrier of the Lord himself, his holy prophet.

What a farce.

It was sung all around the world, how he was the first man of the decade to ever slay a demon, never mind including that it was a Commander of the White Devil on top of that, just pulling off something that was thought to be myth was enough to rouse the eccentric people of faith.

But if only they knew just how Akainu pulled it off, killing a demon may have been a great act of loyalty to God or whatever, but if what Kidd saw streaming on the dark web all those years ago when the news was still hot was true, no doubt the methods used were disgusting enough to cancel that holy shit out.

Kidd wouldn't be surprised if Akainu came back as a demon himself, wouldn't that be a riot?

"Eustass Kidd, and here I thought we were over the violent period of your inadequacy" the words were almost scorching, like flames, but the expression was monotonous, and Kidd was convinced that Akainu never truly saw him, he just looked through him.

And that brought up the point as to why he wasn't a full-time exorcist.

Kidd was what Akainu would like to call, an inadequate screw up..

Damn fuckers couldn't be more wrong though, just they wait.

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There was a long groan as Kidd was led through the exorcist's training grounds.

This particular area was exclusive to the long time legends and rising prodigies, a place that Kidd has tried on few occasions to sneak into, but unjustly denied again and again.

While they- as in Kidd and Akainu, walked across the wooden catwalk that cut the room in half, there were many aforementioned exorcists below, honing their skills be it via combat, meditation, or some other form of bettering themselves.

Usually Kidd would be weary, since there was no way Akainu would bring him to such a place without a catch, but that was the last thing on his mind with everything he ever wanted to be being on display right below him.

They were exorcists, respected, renowned, and had the right to fight for the world for everyone else out there that couldn't, they were the people who peered into darkness and charged in head on.

They did the things that Kidd should be out there doing.

Just by watching them, even with his admittedly untrained eyes, Kidd could tell theses guys were no joke, they were strong, they were fast, and they were better than him.. at the moment.

Just a little more experience, just some more training, and he might be able to change that.

"Kidd, do you see the big difference between you, and them?" The redhead turned to face the head exorcist for the first time since they've arrived, though he just ended up boring holes through the back of his head since the man didn't seem to see it fit to face him either.

Turning back to the training grounds, Kidd watched the exorcists with a blank look, maybe one of longing, maybe one of envy, only the apprentice could know what was running rampant through his thoughts during that time.

He saw exorcists, who worked themselves down to the bone just like he did, the only difference he could point out was that for some reason they succeeded where he failed.

"I don't know sir? What's the difference?"

Was it some kind of special diet? Some strict training regimen? A difference of quality in the education given to them?

What was it, that Kidd was lacking?

Akainu turned to face him, and Kidd followed suit, not knowing what to expect from the deadass blank look of a zombie, "they don't screw up, Kidd"

There was a moment of silence between them, before the redhead's face slowly started to colour an angry hue, whether Akainu noticed was uncertain, as he only continued his lecture.

"They don't speak out against the rules, they don't talk back to their superiors, they don't do things that weren't ordered of them, they don't accidentally spill dragon's drool into a cauldron.." there was a brief moment where his icy expression curled in disgust, but Kidd knew it for what it was.

The fucker was laughing at him and burning him alive with his eyes, he knew it.

In a burst of rage, the redhead stepped up to the head exorcist, just a few inches away from shoving his chest against the other's, he stopped and allowed his scowl to take full shape, like a dog with their hackles raised.

Kidd barked, "you think you're something don't you? Just 'cause you took out a demon- big whoop, that's been done before! Just you wait, I'm gonna be a bigger exorcist then you could ever dream of and be the first in a millennia to tame a demon!"

Everything abruptly went silent at that, no more clashing swords, no more crackling of magic, not even a whisper, and Kidd didn't need to look down to know that everyone else below must have been staring at him, he could see it in his peripheral vision.

It was only broken by a raucous laughter, one shared by everyone in the area expect for Akainu himself, who only scoffed dryly.

He'd never know, why did that hurt even more than all the laughs?

"That was a very.. interesting statement Eustass, considering the art of demon taming has been long lost even before the exorcists were given a name.. boy, you're better off sealing a demon away than taming one, if you're even capable of that"

The laughter only built up, becoming a droning roar that for the life of him, Kidd couldn't focus on, not when Akainu still looked at him as if he wasn't even there.

Not being able to take the frustration anymore, the apprentice darted off with shrugged shoulders, making it a point to avoid eye contact with everyone on his way out.

Last thing he needed was to get kicked out just because he couldn't keep himself from snuffing some guy's lights out.

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The dark bedroom was dead, save for the continuous thuds, a fist slamming against the limestone wall again and again until blood coated the knuckles like an ill fitting brass knuckle.

It wasn't til the abused wall began to crumble did Kidd's rage stop mounting up into something growing continuously bigger.

Kidd bit back the growls and curses, he knew they had every right to laugh, he claimed the impossible, but by God if he wasn't going to do it he was going to stab somebody.

His dream was a long shot, but if it was going to put those bastards back in their places? If it could finally show everyone how incredible he was? What a mistake it was to cross him? Finally make him the bloody exorcist he should have been months- if not years ago?

Then by all means whatever will be thrown his way is nothing, he was going to tame a demon even if it killed him.

Flopping back onto his bed, the apprentice briefly regretted the damage he'd done to himself, as it just made it hard for him to relax into the cushions, but with a groan from the back of his throat, he just decided to suck it up until he ran into Chopper again.

Until a knock sounded on his door.

Snarling at the warning of an upcoming intrusion, Kidd halfheartedly rolled off the bed and ripped the creaky door open.

Kidd felt his temper damper at the sight of the near-instigator, recognizing the man as someone he definitely didn't want to push right now.

Dracule Mihawk, an exorcist famous for wielding the fabled demon blade, Yoru.

Though Kidd personally thought that such a reputation shouldn't have been earned just because he had some fancy sword, the redhead could still recognize his skills with the said blade, as a force befitting an exorcist.

"You're the apprentice, Eustass Kidd?" Kidd gave the big shot a bitter glare and nodded his head hesitantly, not knowing what exactly the other was there for, he was on high alert, and considering the fiasco Akainu put him through, there was a chance it was it wasn't for something good.

The man, however, just looked unimpressed as he held out a neat envelope, "congrats boy, a mission" the old fashioned man then proceeded to push it into the redhead's hands and walk off into the deeper corridors, seemingly not wanting to converse with anyone anytime soon, much less Kidd.

Watching him as he left, Kidd didn't move from the door until he was sure Mihawk was out of earshot and let out a cheer of victory.

Slamming the door behind him as he sat back on the bed, Kidd carefully, but eagerly ripped open the envelope, knowing full well that with the formality used in getting it to him, this was his first official mission.

His first mission! His first step to becoming the greatest exorcist!

Wrestling the paper out from it's envelope, Kidd swiftly unfolded the paper and began to read with earnest eyes, though once he reached the end, they softened into something a little more.. disappointed.

'It is stated here, that Eustass Kidd is assigned to complete the 'F' rank mission in the Himalayas of exercising a haunting in the Hiriluk shrine. The ghost and/or spirit is reported to be a level two being'

'F' rank.. they were sending him all away to the Himalayas for an 'F' rank mission?! Something that could be easily taken care of by having a volunteer recite some words and be done with it?!

Oh, Kidd was sure that this was just Akainu's way to get back at him, that, and it was probably some stupid method to keep him out of his hair.

Hissing irritably, Kidd ran a few fingers through his hair and groaned, hunching over to avoid the sunlight in favor of hiding in his own shadow, the only thing that kept him from losing it was the fact that despite how stupid it was, and how obvious an excuse it was for Akainu to get rid of him, it was still a mission.

A mission that would later be documented as his first step in his path to becoming an exorcist.

Setting his sight on success, Kidd grabbed his sack and started to throw things he'd need, because he knew for a damn fact Akainu wasn't going to fund anything for him.

But fuck Akainu, he'll become an exorcist on his own.