"Jean, give me back my phone you asshole!" I hear from behind my bedroom door. Blearily, I open my eyes and look at the ceiling of my dorm room. I slightly turn my head and look over at my work desk where my alarm clock lays. 10:34 am. With a zombie-like pace, I pull my blanket off of me and I make my way over to my restroom. Slowly opening the medicine cabinet, I take my bottles of antidepressants and I start my morning routine. 4 pills later, I'm in the shower and singing along to the music I'm playing on my phone.
I hear a muffled shout come from behind the walls to my right. "Alright you two, calm down! Martin's still trying to sleep!" Marcus still trying to be the mediator between the two men. Jean probably stole Sam's phone at some point and now the two of them are fighting. My guess is that Jean is trying to send a message to Sandra the woman Sam likes. I step out of the shower and dry myself with my towel as I look in the mirror. My tired hazel green eyes pierce through my long dirty blonde bangs. My strong square jaw is off-put by my feminine cheekbones. The mole right above my lip stands as the bane of my existence whenever I shave. Luckily I shaved yesterday so there isn't very much facial hair apparent on my face. I quickly brush my teeth, floss, and then use mouthwash before I head out into the emptiness of my room.
It's hollow except for my bed, dresser, my work table that has acted as my pillow on more than one occasion, and my Shelves that are covered in Anime Memorabilia like One Piece, Fairy Tail, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and even Clannad. I walk over to my dresser and start picking out my wardrobe for the day. A plain white long-sleeved button-up shirt and a pair of blue jeans should do. I quickly sit down at my work table and I start thumbing through my Art Project. I've been tasked with coming up with a character from any form of media. I've chosen drawing a Stand User and their Stand but all of the drawings I've done so far have been garbage.
One of a child being cuddled by a Flower-like Lion with a large golden mane, green body fur, and root shaped legs. This one was based on the song "Golden Dandelions" by Barnes Courtney. Another of a glamour model walking down the catwalk with a floating woman with Sia's haircut, metallic skin, a leather peacoat with pointed shoulders, and a pair of pants that connect to her high-heeled boots. This one is based on the musician Sia. The final one is a Punk Rocker with a large mohawk and a cigarette in his mouth, holding a lighter far from his body as a large flame-like ghost comes out it. This one is based on the song "The Heat" by The Score. The last one is a doodle I've been sketching of Korra from Legend of Korra with Raava as her Stand.
*Knock Knock Knock* "Martin, wake the fuck up! It's past noon!" I hear Jean shout from behind my door. I grab my drawings and a pencil before I walk out of my room. "There you are. See, he's already awake!" Jean childishly says. I look at the Teal-haired Asian and glare at him.
"Before you two start fighting, I made breakfast." I turn to Marcus and look up at the giant man. The bald African American man moves between the two of us and grabs his boyfriend's hand. "C'mon, Jean, I made pancakes," Marcus then leads Jean to the dinner table. I swear if the two of them weren't such a cute couple I would have kicked Jean out months ago.
I follow the two to the table and I sit down at the opposite end of the table. I lay my sheet in front of me and I start sketching a human body, barely taking a minute to do so. "So, Martin." I look up at Sam as he speaks. "What's your plan for the day?"
"Considering I slept most of the day away, I'll probably just head to the library until about 5 and then I'll swing by the Chinese place on North. I'll bring you guys back some dinner." I turn back to my paper and start drawing more features. I'll probably turn this one into a self-portrait or something.
"Wait, you mean the one with the duck egg noodles?" Jean asks. I nod and he pumps his arm. "Yes! Bring me back some of their Lo-Mein." He turns back to his breakfast and starts eating it. I stand up and walk over to the counter to get myself some food. "So, what are you drawing?" Jean asks. I turn and see that he's looking over at my page. "Another self-portrait? You know you're good at them so why do you do them so much?"
"I use them to keep my hand warm while also picking up new features on my own face. It's the one thing you're not familiar with. If you saw a clone of yourself on the street, would you recognize him?" I ask.
"Man, how much sleep did you get last night?" Jean asks. "Because that made no fucking sense."
"I fell asleep at about 8 in the morning," I walk over to the coffee maker and I pour coffee into one of the nearby mugs. I take a sip of the foul brown liquid before I start chugging it. I hate coffee but I love the caffeine. "I'm gonna need at least 5 more of these things if I wanna stay awake."
"Maybe you should go back to bed. It's Saturday after all," Marcus chimes in. Sam takes a sip of his orange juice before he starts coughing up a storm. "Hey, you alright!?" Marcus shouts.
Coughing, Sam manages to wheeze, "Went... down the wrong pipe!" He starts pounding on his chest before clearing his throat. "We all know Martin won't sleep until this project is done. You going to the library to get something to help you?"
I nod as I sit down. "I'm drawing Stands from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for 's class." Jean coughs into his hand but it suspiciously sounds like he said "Weeb".
I start eating my breakfast and the others do the same. Once I'm done, I take their plates and start washing the dishes before heading over to the front door. I grab my blue hoodie and satchel bag from the hook on the door before I turn back to my roommates. "Anyone need anything while I'm out?"
"Nah, Jean and I are going out to lunch with my parents and Sam was saying something about going to the movies," Marcus says.
"I'm gonna go watch the new Star Wars with John and Sarah," Sam confirms.
"Tell me if its good or not alright?" I ask. Once he nods, I turn and start making my way out of the building. I walk down the pathway to my dorm and press the button at the crosswalk and I wait until it says it's safe.
As I start making my way across the street I hear someone shout, "Look out!" I turn my head and see a giant bus barreling toward me. I try to jump out of the way but I was too late. I feel nothing but pain as the bus charges over me. My legs are shattered and my ribs are definitely fucked. I raggedly breathe as people start running up to me, surrounding me. "Hey, are you alright!?" The man from before shouts. I barely hear him as the blood rushing into my ears starts to fade away. Soon after, everything starts to become dark and I feel myself slipping away.
"Wake up." I open my eyes quickly and I sit up. I start checking my body as I take deep ragged breaths. I check myself over as many times as I physically can before I hear someone say, "You're awake, good." I turn toward the voice and I see a small child standing before me. Her long silver hair rests just above her knee and her long white sundress rests just below it. Her bright viridian eyes glare into mine as if she's judging me for something.
"W-Where am I? I just died! I know I did but now I'm awake and I'm in a giant white void! What the fuck is going on!?" I quickly cover my mouth and turn to the small child. "Sorry! I didn't mean to cuss!" I start freaking out again. "Oh my god! Oh my freaking god!" I grab my head and get into the fetal position. "What the heck is going on!?"
The child walks up to me and slaps me across the face. "First things first, stop freaking out. It's embarrassing. Secondly, welcome to heaven, I'm God." Wait, what!?
"I-I'm in heaven!? You're God!?" She nods. I start taking deep breaths and I slowly calm myself down. "B-But I thought god would be... you know... older," I say, hopefully not offending the small child.
"I get that a lot," God deadpans. "On to business. You died way too early. Like 76 years too early. You were supposed to die at the age of 96 to a heart attack during your great grand-daughters wedding." Wow, that's kind of shitty. "But now, I need to find a way to repay you for those 76 years." She starts pacing the floor. "I can either send you back home through reincarnation. Meaning you would be a completely new person and your life would essentially reset. Or, I can send you to another universe with a sick ass new power so I can finally get some entertainment!" She looks at me hopefully.
"W-Wait, what?" I ask. She walks over to me, grabbing both of my cheeks and pressing her forehead against mine.
"Do you know how boring it's been watching your universe!? The other gods have their own universes but I'm stuck with Universe Prime as my job and I'm getting tired of your guys' existence! All you do all day is sit around and shout at each other and shoot each other when you should be creating and making things so more universes can be created! Do you even want to know how many times I've almost destroyed you guys just for the hell of it!?" I slowly open my mouth before she interrupts me. "Way too many!" She throws herself onto the ground and holds her head while shouting, "I'm going insane!" She relaxes and lies on the ground like a starfish.
Wow, that sounds like hell. "How long have you been doing this for?" I ask.
"Let's just say that you weren't the first civilization on earth..." She sighs. She places her hands on her face and rubs it for a bit. "I know it's selfish of me to ask this of you but can you please choose the second option?"
"Can I think about it for a little while longer? I still want to come to terms with the fact that I'm dead," I look over at her and see her nod. "Thanks... Hey, can I have something to draw on? It helps me think." She snaps and a notepad and pencil appear before me. "Thanks." I start drawing the basic outline of a person before I start drawing my own features. Okay, so I'm dead. What the fuck do I do now? I mean I can be sent back home but then I wouldn't be me anymore. Or I could do what God wants and be a real-life version of the Truman Show. I finish drawing my face and I set the pencil down and think, What the hell should I do?
"Wow, you're fairly good at that," I hear God say. I look to my left and see that she's looking over my shoulder at my picture. "I've never been good at creating things, just watching over them. Why do you think humans look so weird? I tried drawing monkeys and I ended up making you guys." She says. "Hey, can you draw me?" She asks.
"Sure, it's not like I'm going anywhere." I flip the page and I start drawing God by eye. "So, do you have a name?" I ask.
She shakes her head. "Nope. I've never been given a name, not even my creator gave me one. I've always been God, Zeus, Kami, or one of the other gods."
I start drawing her face in detail and I start focusing on how her eyes look. "Well... Why don't you name yourself? Wouldn't that make it easier?"
"I tried that a while back and I ended up making a cult," She yawns and stretches. "Why do you think I just go by God nowadays?"
I guess that makes sense. Adding the final touches I set my pencil down and extend the notebook out to her. "Here you go."
"Wow, that was quick. I would have thought it would take a little longer than that," She says. She grabs the notebook and starts appraising the picture. "You're really good at this aren't you?"
I nod. "I was going for an Art Major in college before I died. My motto was Speed is Key. I was also going for a Minor in Criminal Law. I was planning on becoming a Sketch Artist for the Police back home, but now I'm here." I reach over and take the notebook from her. I look down and my pencil and then I reach over and hand it to her. "Here, why don't you practice drawing me?" I ask. "Maybe you can find some new hobby's while I decide on what to do."
She smiles brightly and then flips the page. I turn away from her and I start thinking about what I should choose. I don't want to forget who I am but I also don't know what kind of things could be waiting for me if I choose the second option. I'd literally be the play-thing of God if I chose that option but I don't want to do anything that could harm the human race, she did say she was close to erasing us multiple times. Maybe the second option would delay that for a little while longer. "Hey, does this look good?" I hear her ask. I turn to her and see a crudely drawn stick figure that barely resembles me.
"Before I go, I could show you some of the basics if you'd like." She nods and I walk over to her. I sit down next to her and I take the pad from her. "When drawing, you should focus on learning basic shapes first. Like the cylinder, a square or cube, a circle or sphere, and then rectangles. You can find shapes everywhere from cylinder-shaped tree trunk to a human's rectangular torso." For the next few hours, I show her the basics while also giving her tips I've learned from my teacher.
"Hmm... I think I get it. Here, let me try again." She takes the pencil and pad from me and moves so she's sitting across from me. "Just sit right there and do nothing, okay?" I nod and she starts drawing me.
Should I take her offer or not? I mean she did say she would give me a power but she hasn't told me where she'd send me. It could be fun but it could also be terrifying if shit goes south. You know what? I'm gonna take her deal, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. "Hey, God?" She looks up from the paper and glares at me.
"I thought I told you to stay still!" She shouts.
"I know, but I think I'll take you up on your offer to go into another world," I say. Her face explodes into a large smile. She quickly stands up and runs toward me, enveloping me in a hug.
"This is gonna be sick!" She shouts.
I quickly get a small grin and start laughing as I say, "Sick?"
Her face explodes in a bright blush as she lets go of me. She then starts stomping her feet and throwing a tantrum like she was a child... Wait, she is a child. "S-Shut up you asshole!"
I quickly raise my hands in a placating gesture and she starts to calm down. "A-Anyways. I can give you one power to keep you alive in this new world. If you had one choice, what type of power would you like?"
"Jesus, that's a hard question. With all of the stories I've read over the years, it's hard to pick just one," I say as I lay on the ground.
"Hmm... Okay, how about this. One Piece or Fairy Tail but after you choose your power, you'll be sent to the opposite's dimension. I'll even let you join the main storyline," She says with a grin. "It will make things more interesting to see someone who knows the story by heart join the fray."
"Well then, I'll choose a Fairy Tail magic as my power. I fucking love One Piece," I then cover my mouth once more. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to cuss."
She then deadpans and grabs my face between both of her hands, squishing my cheeks. "I made cussing in the first place. Do you really think I care?"
"N-no... I'd still rather not cuss in front of a child though,"I say as I pull her hands off of my cheeks. She then slaps my head as a bright light overtakes her body. I cover my eyes as the light becomes a blinding ray of pain. Once it dissipates, I slowly rub my eyes and look over to see her standing there in a new body. The general look is the same but she's taller and her breasts seem to have grown.
"Is this better?" She asks in a more mature voice.
"I... I have no idea what the hell is going on anymore," I say as my brain stops working.
"Ugh, you're hopeless." She then chops my head and walks away. I quickly stand up and start following her. "So, have you decided what type of magic you'd like to have?"
I start thinking about what type of magic I could work with. Water Magic would be fun but I feel like in a world of people weak to water that I'd be overpowered and I wouldn't like that, Fire Magic would kill me seeing as how I'm kind of a pyromaniac, Ice would be fun but I'd just slip on it whenever I'd use it... Requip. I could become a Requip Mage like Erza or Bisca but I doubt I'll ever be able to reach their skill levels. "How about Requip?" I ask. I've had some training with guns thanks to my father being a gunsmith but I haven't held a sword before in my life.
"Requip?" She then takes a thinking pose and then she shrugs. "Whatever you want. Just know that I'm gonna be giving you enemies of your own so you had better learn to use it quickly," she says. "I'll put a book in your satchel bag that'll give you the basics on how to use your new magic so you better read it quickly." She then snaps her fingers and a weird feeling overtakes my body. It's as if Ice has started running through my veins and it's sort of like my body feels lighter. "Just know that your body is far stronger and more durable now. I don't want you to die immediately. You're about as strong as Nami now so if you want to get stronger, you'll have to actually put some work into it."
"Hey, I wasn't that weak!" I shout.
"I know you weren't but you were far weaker than anyone in the One Piece story. Roronoa Zoro was able to lift as much as you when he was 8 years old, nowadays he could lift a Semi-Truck with ease. Do you really think you'd be able to do something like that with your old body?" She asks with a quirked brow.
"W-Well... No," I say as I look at my feet. Was I really that weak?
"Don't think too hard about it, you'll only make yourself depressed. You ready to go?" She asks.
"What about you?" I ask. "Are you going to be alright?"
"Please, I've been alone for countless centuries. You leaving is hardly bothering me. I'm just glad you agreed to do this," She says as she rubs her hands together. She then claps her hands together and the white void starts shaking. I quickly lose my footing as the shaking increases in intensity. As I fall to the ground, the white void starts falling apart and an ebony black mist starts forming around me. "I'll be watching you closely."
I start falling into the black mist and I scream until my lungs hurt. After screaming for approximately 5 minutes, I stop and I take a deep breath. I then reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. "How long have I been falling?" I ask as I look at the time. I fall for a little while longer before new senses start appearing. The black mist slowly becomes a bright blue hue with small white clouds starts forming below me. It's at this point that I realize that I'm falling toward a small green and grey dot that is slowly becoming larger and larger... "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" I start screaming again as I come to the conclusion that I'm falling toward an island and that I have no way to slow my descent.
As the island creeps closer and closer, I start seeing animals flying below me and I soon find myself trying to grab them in any way to slow my fall. As I come close to the ground, I see an explosion below me and an equally terrified/excited person flies into the air, colliding with me. I quickly grab onto the man and we both crash into the ground with me landing on top of him. I slam into the ground and I feel my left shoulder dislocate as I'm thrown aside. I roll for a little while before I come to a halt on my back, breathing heavily.
I slowly manage to regain my strength and I pull myself onto my feet, shuffling to a nearby wall so I can relocate my arm. I slowly bring it back into place as I slam my arm against a nearby wall causing a disgusting pop and squelching noise to erupt from my shoulder. I scream in pain as I start hopping around cussing. "MOther fucking son of a bitch! Jesus Christ that fucking hurts!"
"Why did they shoot me with a cannon?" I hear someone ask. I turn and see a boy with raven black hair that hides underneath a straw hat. He starts brushing himself off before he lifts both of his hands, bringing one down in a closed fist into the palm of the other one. "Ah! Who was that other guy that fell with me?" He then starts looking around for me.
"Boss! You're finally here!" I hear someone else shout. I turn and see a woman with bright orange hair and a blue and white striped shirt start talking to us. "I've been waiting for you to save me!" She then turns and starts sprinting away. "I'll leave everything to you two!"
"The hell is her deal?" I ask myself. I then felt someone place their hand on my shoulder. I slowly turn my head and see 3 tall men surrounding me and the other boy.
"We don't have to chase that girl anymore, her "boss" is still here," One of them says as they pop their knuckles.
"Am I right, Boss?!" One shouts as they punch the other boy in the head. "That map was Captain Buggy's Treasure!"
The boy leans his head back as he watches his hat sail off of his head. He then brings his fist to the man's face before catching his hat. "Don't you dare mess up my hat!"
"You... Damn you!" One of the men shouts. They then draw their swords and try to attack the two of us. I quickly roll out of the way as one of them brings their sword down on me. I guess I'm fighting. The man starts swinging his sword at me and I roll backward and before I can attack the guy a fist flies into his face and he collapses.
I turn and see the boy from before standing over the unconscious people. "Wow! You're really strong!" I hear the same woman from before shout. I look up and see her sitting on a balcony's railing. "You beat those guys with swords barehanded!"
"Ah. Who are you anyway?" He asks. While the two of them talk, I walk over to the unconscious men and I take one their swords away in case one of them wakes up. "Who are you too?" He asks. I look over and see the two of them looking at me.
"I'm Martin. Who are you guys?" I ask.
"I'm Luffy, that's Nami." He then turns to her and asks, "You only steal treasure from pirates?" I guess I really am in One Piece. Judging by the conversation and the placements, I'm guessing that we're in the Orange Town Arc with Buggy and his crew.
"Yeah! I'm a thief who steals from pirates. If we team up we could get a whole lot of money!" She says.
"No way, I'm not interested in teaming up with you," He says as he starts walking away.
Nami jumps off of the balcony and shouts, "Hang on a sec!"
I quickly follow after the two of them seeing as how I have no idea where I am or how I'm alive. "So What's the deal with your hat? When they knocked it off of your head you got so angry, is it expensive?"
"This is my treasure," Luffy says.
"Treasure?! Are there any jewels in it? Maybe it's a treasure map?!" Nami exclaims.
"It's probably a sentimental treasure. I have a few of those myself," I say as I adjust my satchel bag.
I remember that God said something about putting a book into my bag so I open it and start searching through it. "You guys hungry? I can get you guys something to eat," Nami says. Like a moth to a flame, Luffy nods and she leads us into a nearby house.
As we enter the house, Nami goes to a nearby fridge and starts rifling through it while Luffy and I sit at a nearby table. "So, Martin. Why were you falling like that? Are you an angel or something?" Luffy asks.
"I... Guess? I kind of died a while ago and God gave me an ultimatum. I either be reborn or go to another universe, I chose the second option," I say as I start opening the book.
He then places his fist in his palm and he says, "I knew it! You are an angel!" A wide grin overtakes his face and he starts laughing. "Shishishi!" I grin as I start reading through the pages. After about 10 or so minutes, I get to the part of the book that tells me how to access my new magic. My grin widens as I start reading through the chapter.
"What are you two talking about?" Nami asks.
"Just introducing ourselves. So, Luffy, why were you in the air?" I ask.
"Ah! I was trying to catch a bird when it caught me in its mouth. I was separated from my crew, thanks to that bird," he says with a grimace.
"Eh... so you were separated from your crew... How many people are on your crew?" Nami asks.
"Only one. Is this your house?" Luffy asks.
"No, I don't even know whose house this is. Everyone in the village is hiding in a shelter outside of the town. They're trying to avoid conflict with the Buggy Pirate Fleet," Nami informs. "When a bunch of kids from a village where he once stayed made fun of his nose, he used a cannon to wipe the whole village out. And it's said that he's got a strange power."
"But then why isn't there anyone in this village?" Luffy asks.
"They ran away," I tell Luffy. Hmm, so it seems that my magic is just a part of my will, all I have to do to use it is think about using it. I look down at the blade that I stole from those mooks and I touch it with my hand, trying to put it into a pocket dimension... And nothing happens. Maybe I'm missing something? I start reading through the next chapter and find that I need to focus on what I do before I do it. I need to visualize what I want to happen in order to make it happen. Okay... How do I visualize my Requip magic? I've never even used it.
"Aha, so you're stealing from these empty houses!" Luffy says.
Nami angrily charges toward him and shouts, "That's despicable! Didn't I just tell you that I only steal from pirates?!"
I guess I could base my magic off of Erza's Requip. Okay, now to test it. I can base the seal off of the one from Full Metal Alchemist so maybe that'll change it up a bit. I press my hand against the blade and I start focusing on the seal in my mind, wanting to store the sword in my pocket dimension. As I sit there while Luffy and Nami argue, I feel something pull on that ice like feeling in my veins and I feel my blood warm a little as a bright light appears underneath the sword. The seal in my mind appears beneath it and the blade is covered in a bright blue aura as it disappears into the seal.
"Sugoi!" Luffy shouts. "What did you just do?!" He childishly asks.
"I-I just used magic... I just used magic!" I shout as I realize what I just did. I then start reading the book trying to find out more about the properties of magic.
"You can use magic?! That's so cool! Join my crew!" Luffy shouts. Then he stops himself, "By any chance do either of you know how to navigate?" He asks.
"Yeah!" Nami says. "Of course I know! Don't look down on me. Navigational skills, well, there aren't a lot of people who know more about it than I do. Especially because I love the sea," she says with a cocky grin.
"Yeah! That's great! We're also on our way to the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaims.
"Really?!" Nami asks.
"Hey, you, come join our crew as our navigator! Become a member of our pirate crew!" Luffy says.
I facepalm as Nami backs away from him. "... NO WAY!" She backs away a little more. "Oh.. so you're a pirate? Forget it. We didn't even have this conversation, I don't want to team up with you." She turns away from him before turning back, "Aah! So you're going to use that treasure map under your hat to find the treasure!"
Luffy puts his hand on his hat protectively as he exclaims, "I told you it's not a treasure map!"
"Yeah right! Then what is it? Why would you call that stupid rag hat of yours a treasure?" Nami asks.
Luffy pulls off his hat and looks at it whimsically. "I got this hat ages ago from a friend. It's my precious treasure!" He then turns his gaze to Nami. "I swore to myself that I would become a great pirate just like the man who gave me this hat!"
Nami looks at him in surprise before sitting on the table in front of us. "Huh. Everything's Pirate this, Pirate that. It's a pathetically sad era," she says. She then slams her hands against the table as she screams, "The things I hate most in this world are pirates! I only like money and oranges!"
I look up at her as I say, "Really? The thing I hate most in this world are the marines. They're morally corrupt and use their governing power to lord over the people of the Grand Line in terrible ways. Slavery, Murder, Destroying Islands, Allowing pirates to join their side as long as they give them a part of the loot. No side is perfect and the whole world is a shit case. I personally side with the revolutionaries but I guess everyone has their own opinion." I turn back to my book, ignoring the look that appears on Nami's face.
"Hey, become our Navigator!" Luffy says.
"You think I'm crazy?! Shut up you dumb pirate!" Suddenly, she stops herself and she chuckles a bit to herself. "Well, it looks like you're in a fix, so under on condition, I'll consider it."
"Really? Thanks. I am kinda in a fix. But what's the condition?" Luffy asks.
"Go with me to where Buggy is. That's all I want you to do," Nami says with her finger pointing at him.
"Okay, Okay, let's go!" Luffy cheers as he gets up, he then starts walking toward the door. "Where's Buggy anyways?"
Caught off guard by Luffy's sudden departure, Nami says, "Ah! Hang on a second! I've got one more thing to prepare!"
As we leave, Luffy and Nami start talking as I lose myself in the book. It's telling me secrets on mana conservation and mana theory itself. As long as I have mana I should be able to use other spells from other types of magic as long as I can figure out how to do the basics. I doubt I'll ever use other spells but I guess I could start learning other things. "Hey, Martin." I look up from my book and see Luffy tied up on the ground with Nami standing over him. "I need your help dragging him to the bar, can you help me?" She asks.
"Why did you tie him up?" I ask.
"I'm gonna turn him into Buggy so I can get closer to his treasure!" She says with a grin.
"Well then why didn't you tie me up?" I ask.
"You're not a pirate, like him," Nami states.
"I'll help you with your plan but once it works, I'm breaking him out," I say as I start dragging Luffy.
As we drag him up the stairs, when we set him down I hear Nami start talking. "I captured the thief!" Nami shouts. "I will return your map too!" She says as she pulls the map out of her shirt.
"Y-You tricked me?!" Luffy cries. Nami just looks down at him with her tongue out.
She turns back to Buggy as he threateningly says, "I see you're obediently returning the map to me... But why are you doing this?"
Nami then places her arms against her body as she says, "You see, we came into an argument with our boss and I'm tired of it. Please let us join the Buggy Pirate Crew!" I nod as I turn back to my book.
Buggy is quiet for a brief moment of time. "...Huh?" He then starts laughing loudly as he asks, "So you two are tired of it eh?! Hehe! You're a pretty amusing girl!" He then starts slapping the side of his chair as his laughter starts spreading to his crew. "Okay! I'll let you two join as a part of my crew!" Some of his men then start dragging Luffy over to a nearby cage as the other start pulling out liquor and food. "The stolen map of the Grand Line has now been recovered! Furthermore, we've recruited some new members to our crew! Our navigation is now perfect! Now drink to your heart's content! Then at the battlefield let us fight well!"
His crew then starts cheering as they start gorging themselves on their food and liquor. I grab some food and bring it over to Luffy, I then crouch down next to him and say, "I'll get you out of this soon, Captain. I'll be joining your crew when I do." I grin at him as he starts laughing in joy.
"Oi! New boy!" I turn to Buggy and see him looking at us. "What are you doing over there?" He asks.
"I'm insulting him. I don't like cussing in front of people so I was doing it in private," I say as I walk over to him. "I guess you want to see what I can do, right?" He nods. "I'm an alright marksman but my true talent lies in magic. Can someone please get me some guns please?" I stand there for a little while before someone brings me a few rifles, pistols, and a few shotguns. I then start putting them in my pocket dimension as Buggy's crew looks on in surprise. "I'm a Requip Magician. I'm also a gunner." I try to summon the weapons back and I get a shotgun out. I then start shooting at some nearby targets, hitting two of them but missing the third. "Please, take good care of me!" I say as I bow to them.
"Haha! He's even a polite one! Hear that, boys?! We've got magic on our side too!" His crew then starts cheering for me. Nami then walks over to Luffy, presumably to talk to him about something. I turn back to the party as I reload my shotgun with some nearby rounds. I then Requip to a rifle and I start looking over it to see the differences between the ones here and the ones at home. They have a clip-like reload setting but the bullets are still rounded. If I had some tools I could point them and then rifle the barrel, thanks to what my dad taught me over the years.
I look up just in time to see Buggy shout, "Alright, show them it's power!" Just as he says this, his crew points a cannon at some nearby houses and then they fire it. The aftermath is terrifying as the ball tears through multiple blocks worth of houses with ease, destroying the town behind the cannon. "It's power is so great, that it can destroy an entire village in a single shot! This and the powers I have gained from the Devil's Fruit will assure my success on the Grand Line!" I then raise my hand and Buggy points at me, "What do you have to say, my boy?!"
"What about the Log Pose?" I ask. He's quiet for a little while before I continue, "Wouldn't we need a Log Pose to travel around the sea of the Grand Line? Each Island on the Grand Line has their own magnetic waves and the Log Pose is the only type of instrument that could point us from island to island. Hell, even the ocean has a mind of itself seeing as how the animals there range from Sea Kings to island-sized Goldfish. I've lived on the Grand Line for most of my life before I escaped from that dreadful place, I just wanted to warn you before you entered the sea," I say, trying to buy time until Zoro appears.
"You grew up on the Grand Line?" Buggy asks. I nod and he breaks out into a wide grin. "Finally, someone else who knows what that place is like! I know all about the place, seeing as how I too sailed those seas when I was young. I already have a Log Pose and I already know what islands are the safest to sail too!" He starts laughing as he walks over to me, wrapping his arm around me. "Where are you from?" He asks.
"Water 7. The shipyard served as a great playground growing up," I lie with a grin.
"Water 7?! I stopped there when I was sailing with the Pirate King!" He says with a wider smile. He then starts going off on a story about how he sailed with the Pirate King and then it slowly turned into how he even fought alongside Rayleigh and the crew. I slowly walk over to the now unattended Luffy and I cut his ropes a little so he can break them when he needs too. I walk over to him and after the story, he has his men point the cannon at Luffy. "Now! Shoot him with the cannon, Nami! And swear upon this, of your loyalty and your sincerity. Of your desire to rule the world with me! Get rid of your old boss, once and for all!"
"K-Kill that guy? Me?! N-No, Captain Buggy! I don't think that's necessary! More importantly... Let's uh, Let's drink! Yeah, let's keep drinking! Let's just ignore that guy!" She says trying to shift the attention.
"Kill him..." Buggy says with a feral grin. His crew starts shouting at Nami to kill him. As Nami stands there catatonic, Buggy shouts, "Nami! Stop spoiling the fun and light the damned cannon already!"
Luffy then starts talking with a confident grin on his face, "Your hands are shaking. The strong oath is what I pirate has sworn himself to and you lack the strength of that oath!"
Stammering, Nami replies, "S-Strong oath? I wonder what that is... is it killing innocent people like insects?"
"No, it's not," Luffy says boldly. "It's the idea to be strong enough to risk your life!" He shouts as Buggy's pirates shout at her to stop standing around.
"Oi, new kid. Stop wasting your time! Here, I'll light it for you," One of his lackeys says as they pull out a match. He strikes it and is about to place the flame against the wick when Nami slams her staff against his head. I then spring into action and Requip to a shotgun, pointing it at the nearby crew with my back turned to Nami. "What the!?" The crew shouts.
"Nami, Martin! What the hell do you think you're doing?! I actually gave you the honor of lighting the fuse of the cannon because you're my new crew members!" Buggy shouts.
"Sorry asshat but I'm Luffy's crewmate," I say as I cock my shotgun for emphasis. I then feel all of the blood start rushing through my head as adrenaline starts kicking in. I zone out of the conversation as I aim my shotgun at all of the nearby mooks. A few of the men start charging at us and I unload the shotgun into them, killing three of them as the fourth charges past me. Nami then turns to stop the wick and I know what happens next.
I hop back next to her as Zoro stops the fourth man with his scabbard. "Just what do you think you're doing charging a girl like that?" He asks. My hands start shaking as I realize the impending fight that's going to happen.
I turn my head slightly to Zoro and I whisper, "B-Buggy has the Bara Bara Devil Fruit, he can't be cut but blunt attacks work on him. He's also a notorious backstabber so watch your ass."
"Zoro!" Luffy shouts.
Zoro looks at me and nods before turning to Nami asking, "Are you alright?"
Nami nods as Luffy starts shouting at us, "Thank goodness you actually found this place! Get me outta this thing, quick!"
"You! Is this your idea of fun?! You get carried away by a bird and when I finally find you, you're in a cage?! Stupid!" The Buggy's crew then starts talking about Zoro and who he is.
Nami starts talking to herself as Buggy says, "You're definitely Zoro. Are you aiming for my head?"
"No, I've no interest in that. I'm no longer a Pirate Hunter as I've quit..." Zoro replies.
"But I have some interest, if I kill you, my name will become even more famous!" Buggy says with glee.
"If you don't wanna die, then just leave me alone," Zoro threatens. Buggy's crew then starts cheering their captain on as Buggy starts pulling knifes off of his belt.
"If you don't want to show your skills now, then you'll be covered in your own blood!" Buggy threatens.
"Mutoryu: Zutsu!" Zoro shouts as he meets Buggy's rush. He then slams his head into Buggy's, knocking him to the floor.
"No sword style?" The crew starts talking about what just happened. "Did he just headbutt the captain?" One then cries, "That isn't swordsmanship! Boo!" Buggy's crew then starts booing us as he starts walking over to Luffy's cage.
"Zoro! Get me outta this thing!" Luffy shouts.
As Zoro and Luffy talk, I look over in time to see a knife flying toward Zoro. I aim my shotgun and pull the trigger blasting the knife away in time. I quickly charge over to the two and aim my shotgun in the direction of the crew with my hands shaking like a leaf. "W-We s-should probably go!" I shout. I slowly turn toward the two and a pain erupts in my lower back as blood starts rushing into my mouth.
"Martin!" Luffy shouts.
The knife is quickly pulled from my body and I hear the crew start laughing raucously. "The hand! The hand is floating!" I hear Nami shout.
I look over and see Buggy slowly stand back up as his hands fly back to his body. "The Bara Bara no Mi, that's the name of the Devil Fruit I ate!" I hear Buggy shout.
I ignore the scene as I start tearing my shirt. I then tightly tie it around my wound to slow down the bleeding. I feel my knees give out a bit but I quickly stand back up as pain flares across my body. I feel something rush past my head as I look over and see Luffy holding a knife in his mouth. He crushes it with his powerful jaws and he says with a wide grin on his face, "I swear, I'm gonna take you down!"
Buggy then breaks out into a loud laugh as he says, "You're going to take me down?! You're hilarious! You four are going to die right now where you stand!" Luffy then starts laughing at him. "So you have the will to die, Straw Hat? And just how do you plan to take me down in this situation?! Boys, laugh at them!" Buggy's crew then breaks out laughing at us.
"Zoro, Martin! Run Away!" Luffy shouts.
Nami then turns to him, screaming, "Hey, your friend just came here to rescue him and you're telling him to run away!?"
Zoro and I look over to Luffy and see him looking back with a confident grin. "... Okay," Zoro says.
"You stupid idiot! You think I'm gonna let you go, Roronoa Zoro!?" Buggy shouts as he shoots his hands at him.
Zoro easily blocks the blows, the two of us then sprint to the cannon and I take the matchbook from the unconscious guy Nami knocked out. Zoro flips the cannon and I shout, "Suck it!" I light the fuse at its base and the cannon goes off immediately, blasting Buggy and his crew to high hell. As we stand there for a little while, I send my Shotgun back to the pocket dimension and I start holding my wound. "Jesus fucking Christ this hurts!" I shout before I cover my mouth. "Didn't mean to cuss..." I say as I grit my teeth.
"This is a good time to go... Who are you two anyway?" Zoro asks.
"I... I'm a thief," Nami says.
"That kid is our Navigator!" Luffy says with a wide grin.
"I'm Martin, I'm your new Gunner and Magician," I say as I walk over to the cage. I take a deep breath as I say, "I'll grab one side you grab the other." I then start trying to lift the other side of the cage as Nami starts screaming at Luffy for calling her a part of the crew. Zoro then pushes me aside as he lifts the cage by himself. "Fine... But I'll be watching your asses," I say as I Requip a rifle. The 3 of us then start sprinting away from the wreckage, jumping from roof to roof."
"We're quite far away from the pub now. They won't be able to catch up with us immediately now. Our escape was okay but this cage is starting to annoy me!" Zoro exclaims.
"Yeah. If this thing doesn't open then even though all those bad guys come, I can't even attempt to fight them!" Luffy shouts.
I slowly shamble alongside the two of them before I collapse to the ground. "I..." I swallow some spit to satiate my dry throat. "Think I might die... If I die then remember me as the guy who fell from the sky," I say with a small grin. I slowly look to my side and see Chou Chou sitting in front of me. I reach over and pet the dog on his head and grin at him, "Good dog."
"What is this?" Luffy asks as Zoro sets him down. "Is it really a dog? Hey look Zoro, the dog isn't moving at all."
"Whatever... What it does is up to the dog, right now, you've got to think of a way to get out of that cage," Zoro says as he walks over to me, lifting me up and propping me against the bars of the cage.
"I may be able to do something about it," I say as I slowly place one of my hands into the cage. I then start focusing on my remaining magic and I pull the cage into my pocket dimension, freeing Luffy.
"Oi! Martin! You got me out!" Is the last thing I hear before I pass out.