Jumper in the East Blue

by BrandonianKnight

After his foray through the Holy Grail War in his last life, Jumper returns to fight his way to the Grand Line, reminding everyone that the power levels used to be pretty low. Stops at Reverse Mountain, overpowered self-insert leading the not!StrawHats, AU, this story is trash and so is Jumper, sequel to The Jump - Fuyuki City.

1. A Mace, an Axe, a Clown, and a Cat

A/N: Hello and welcome to Jumper in the East Blue! If you're a returning reader from The Jump – Fuyuki City, then you're in the right place, seeing as this is a three-chapter snippet of what followed the events of Jumper's Holy Grail War. For various reasons, this will likely only contain Jumper's East Blue adventures, and no Grand Line shenanigans.

If you're here without reading The Jump, then you'll likely miss out on some information involving the original story, so I'd recommend reading it. It explains key details such as Jumper's eyes, his swords, and is casually referenced at several points. You don't have to read it, but it'll probably make more sense if you do, since the recap isn't exactly perfect.

If you already know and/or don't care about the backstory and the how of Jumper getting here, just head down to where it says "Episode 1" or ctrl+F it and you'll be there.

However, whether you're a new reader or if you read the original, here's the first chapter of Jumper in the East Blue, all the way up to the Gecko Archipelago!

_LINE BREAK_

In a place removed from time, separate from all of creation, there were two.

The first was a young woman, a red and white sundress shifting slightly in a wind that shouldn't exist, her scarlet hair falling to her shoulders. She had the look of a teenager ready to go to the beach… If it weren't for the steel-gray eyes that spoke of more experiences than a human could survive.

A goddess in the guise of a human, shackled not by the laws of reality, but by boredom alone. A goddess that had sent countless beings across the Multiverse, watching them struggle and succeed, or fall in battle, returning to their first home world.

Across from her, there was a young man that had just finished his first journey. Looking to be in his late teens, his body seemed to shimmer and glow at all times, moving between a black-haired, scruffy-looking boy, and a red-haired man with eyes like amber. He was still split, divided between his first life and his second.

Those eyes showed pain as he was offered his choice.

Would he return to his home as the black-haired child, living a life of calm normalcy? Would he return home to his family, to the ones who had raised him?

Or perhaps he would stay as the red-haired boy from a world of magic, surrounded by friends in a world where danger lurked around every corner, where each day might kill him if he let his guard down around the wrong sort of beast?

In the end, he could choose neither one.

"I'll miss all of them… My friends, my family. It'll hurt, but… I wouldn't be me. If I turned my back on people just because I'm afraid of losing the people I care about… If I ran away from the people who need me I help, then I wouldn't even be the person they've come to love. I'm proud of that."

He grinned, looking up at his benefactor, choosing the third option.

"I'm proud of who I am, Jump. I won't stop going forward, I won't stop moving from one world to another for as long as I have strength in these bones. To do that… Would be to shame the name I had in the last world, and to shame my first name as well."

"…I see. Then go through that room," Jump said softly, her smile faint as she pointed to a door that appeared from nothing. "There, you will find five doors, each representing a different world. Whichever world you choose, I have no doubts at all…"

She smiled a bit wider, stepping aside.

"I have no doubt that you will live through another interesting adventure… My young little Jumper. I wish you the best of luck; you have my blessings in all worlds you walk, and you shall always have my support. Never forget that."

With that, her body began to fade, disappearing into small motes of light as the boy walked forward, opening the door wide.

When he saw the five worlds offered, he was surprised for a moment before laughing.

Each of the five had a name, a difficulty rating, and a Goal. Reach the Goal, and you win and advance to the next world.

There were several options that, for a moment, had him pausing. In the end, though, the Elemental Nations might have been interesting, and Shin Tokyo would have been a place where he would form bonds like no other, but…

When he saw that world, he knew the decision had been made for him.

How could he resist the pull?

"I always did love pirates growing up," he said with a wry grin.

The name of this world was simply The World.

But the Goal, the End of this Jump?

Now that was just as simple, and infinitely more tantalizing…

This story ends at Raftel.

And just like that, the world began to shift, to shudder, to crack…

And finally, to simply fade to black.

_LINE BREAK_

Jump, an incredibly powerful force of existence that can move between worlds of the Multiverse. If so inclined, she could bring other beings along for the ride, dropping them into worlds that could be drastically different from the world they come from.

Such a powerful force, capable of nearly anything she wishes, has only one problem.

Boredom.

So, in one small section of one small speck of a world, in one small speck of a universe, which isn't even a speck in the grand scheme of the Multiverse, Jump decided to have some fun.

Thus, was birthed The Grand Game, or GG.

The rules of GG are simple. Get thrown into another world, one of fiction. Your job is simply to make to the end of the story. Where that end is will vary depending on the story. Maybe it's only a few short hours away, or maybe even ten years will pass before you leave.

Make to The End, and you win whatever you got from that world... Within limits, of course. Then, you move on to another world, where the trouble may get better, or get much, much worse.

Fail, and you get nothing from that world, and the game ends. You retain your previous winnings, but you return to your life as a mortal, changed though it may be by what you have experienced and gained.

This is the story of one Grand Game, and a returning Jumper's second foray. Having finished the Fuyuki City Jump, fighting against ancient legends of history and wielding powers beyond the ordinary humans, how will he fare here?

How will the Jumper survive in the East Blue, in Paradise, and, should he survive, the New World?

The answer to that… Lies within.

Welcome, dear spectators, to the Grand Game, and allow me to introduce our dear Jumper…

_LINE BREAK_

In countless worlds, there was a child who survived through a Hellscape of flame and pain, their identity and even their soul charred away by the flames of the darkest kind.

In countless worlds, that boy would survive and be saved, and try in turn to save those around him.

In one single world, in which this boy died, the soul of the Jumper was placed within the body, his eyes snapping open to the sight of a man who smiled as if he had saved the whole world, knowing he had saved just one single person.

Thus, the boy who would become Shirou Emiya, who would have once become a Hero of Justice, was lost… And another boy of the same name rose.

Trained in the magical arts by his adopted father, Kiritsugu, Shirou learned the basics of thaumaturgy; how to strengthen his body, how to see the history of an object with a touch, and how to create a solid object from the energy of his own body and soul.

Armed with this, a poisoned dagger, a blade made from the bones of a half-demon and a thaumaturgically enhanced bow, he trained. Though he had no talent for magic, he still worked, using the power of ancient Runes and carving them into his bones to become stronger for the day that loomed closer with the changing seasons.

When the Holy Grail War began, he was not ready.

When the heroes of ancient lore rose, he was not ready.

Even as he stared down the mighty titan Heracles, a monster that had more power than a human should possess, he still was not ready.

Even so, with a blade that had chosen him, the legendary blade Ascalon, he fought and died in combat.

But he refused.

The first time that mad titan killed him, he stood up again, his eyes pieced together by a miracle that laid within him, forever scarring him but leaving his eyes capable of perceiving an objects history.

The second time he was killed, his bones fused with an old weapon formed from the bones of the Oni, and he rose again, half-dead but unwilling to allow the titan, blinded with madness, to hurt anyone else.

He had been killed so many times in less than two weeks, but he refused to die to his wounds, and stood again and again.

Witches, demigods, and a black-hearted human worse than any other creature were slain, and for the first time in ten years, this boy was allowed to rest.

And when he did, he awoke in an empty world, and Jump offered him his choice. Return to your old home, stay in your new one, or adventure forth and find another.

Now, with no more to his life than a few weapons, a warped body, and two mystical eyes for adventure, he steps into this world as he stepped into the last.

By opening the eyes of a man who had died, staring forward in a body changed to look like his own.

This is the story of a Jump…

His story.

_SCENE BREAK_

EPISODE 1: ENTER, ALVIDA AND THE JUMPER

When I opened my eyes, I wanted to find a way to stab the sun. It was bright, it was painful, and it was waking me up.

"H-Hey! He's waking up!"

It took me a moment for my eyes to adjust to the light, but when I did, I saw an elderly man standing in front of me, holding up both hands.

"Are you okay, sonny?" he asked worriedly, one hand on my shoulder.

…Oh! He's only holding up five fingers, I'm just seeing double!

I closed my eyes again, gathering my energy, my prana, and forcing it through my system.

Sure enough, my Magical Circuits are fine; since they're part of my soul, it makes sense there'd be no problem…

Plus, the body was changed a bit to match my old one. My hair is blond, now, but it looks like my scars, while faded, are still here.

Well, at least my body seems fit. It'd be a shame to work back up to human peak from nothing.

…Not that peak-human from the last world means jack-diddly-squat here. Hell, most Marines are as strong as I was physically, and I don't mean Captains!

Though… My prana feels different here. I'll need to do some tests to figure out what's wrong, and I'll avoid using my abilities until then.

…Ah, damnit. I jinxed it, didn't I…?

"Sonny? Can you hear me?"

Ah, right. Old man.

"Yeah, I'm… Fine. Probably."

I slowly pulled myself to my feet, stretching out a bit. My joints let out a nice few clicks as I did, obviously not quite ready for the movement.

"Ah! That might not be a good idea there, sonny," the old man said quickly. "We found you in floating in the water, half-dead! There's no way a body, no matter how young, could recover that fast!"

A soft thrumming within my chest made me grin.

The ancient miracle that had saved my life countless times… The sheath of the legendary King Arthur, called Avalon.

Without Excalibur, it could only help heal me in small amounts, but it's still more than a human would have here.

"I'm fine, old man," I said with a grin. "I heal fast."

He frowned at that, but nodded.

He opened his mouth to speak, but someone else came running, a single word on his mouth that made me sigh.

"P-P-P-P-"

"I really did jinx it…"

"PIRAAAAAAATES!"

I frowned as I looked to the old man, who stumbled back with terror in his eyes.

"Hey, old man," I drawled lazily. "Where's my stuff?"

"W-What?" He took a moment to process my question, before pointing to the nearby wall.

Sure enough, there they were.

My knife, Bleeding Wolfbite, my bow, Artemesian Agony, and my two swords.

Picking up Oni-Hone (Ogre's Bone) and Ascalon, I strapped them both to my hips with a grin.

"Let's see… No Reinforcement, no Tracing… No powers in general, aside from what I've got in my hands…"

I laughed, shaking my head.

"Never gonna make it easy for me, are ya Jump?"

I turned to look at the pirate ship, squinting to get a good look at their Jolly Roger.

…Hm… A single heart on a skull? Well, it's not the Straw Hats, but it's been years, so that could be pretty much anyone else…

Well, whatever.

First step, drink what they've gone in the kitchen and get rid of the chapped-lip feeling.

Second step, break the pirates, steal their ship, and set sail for Anywhere-But-Here.

Thinking that, I took the first few steps down when I heard it.

"I-It's the Alvida Pirates!"

…Oh. Oh, dear.

I picked up the pace, immediately slamming open the door to the kitchen with a grim expression.

When I burst into the storeroom, I bit back a rather powerful series of curse words.

This…

This isn't right.

After ten years, you forget the fine details, but you don't forget this:

Monkey D. Luffy pops out of a barrel, and he beats Alvida so hard that he knocks six-hundred pounds off.

…Or, something involving a Devil Fruit. That's… Probably more accurate.

So why the HELL are all of the barrels filled with BOOZE and FRUIT!?

Damnit…! Damnit, damnit, damnit…!

What the Hell am I supposed to do here!? Without Luffy, the entire timeline is screwed!

"WHY ISN'T THAT STUPID OAF IN HERE!?"

Slamming the storeroom door shut, I snarled and stalked my way back up the stairs.

There was a bang, before the wood beneath me shook violently as a cannonball hit the sea to the side of the boat.

"I'm going to break whoever fired that," I muttered, my pleasant mood completely dispelled.

Whatever version of this world that Jump sent me to, it is not Canon-Standard. We're talking full-on AU territory here, and I am not fine with this.

I stepped out onto the deck just as the first few pirates swung over on ropes.

I had half a mind to cut the ropes from here, but something like that would take power I can't afford to use. If there was one thing that Father taught me, it was to never underestimate how badly magic can turn out.

So, as their feet hit the ground, I drew out my favored blade, the whisper of her steel sounding like a symphony to my ears as she escaped her sheath.

"Sacred Blade by which Force is Cut…"

I surged forward, swinging out.

"ASCALON!"

And with that, three blades hit the ground, the handles still in the hands of the pirates even as I spun around with a vicious spin-kick, knocking the first into the second and third.

"W-What!? Y-You bastard!"

I turned to look at some idiot with a bandana covering his shiny bald head.

"D-Don't you know who we are!?" he shouted. "We're the Alvida Pirates, the scourge of the Blue-"

"On your left."

He stopped.

"Wha-?"

"WATCH OUUUUT!"

And, with a thump, the annoying pirate was hit with a pink-haired kid at a speed of, if I had to guess, around Mach Pain.

I was just about ready to make a quip of some kind as I heard rage-filled screaming. As a shadow passed over me, I sighed and raised my blade.

When a massive iron club, backed by about 600 pounds of Alvida hit my blade, my arms started screaming from the strain.

I barely had time to leap back before she swung her leg at me, showing ridiculous flexibility for someone who looks like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

"You… You don't seem like Zoro the pirate hunter…," she muttered, glaring down at me.

After a moment, she looked at the pink-haired kid.

"COBY!"

The boy jumped up, his body shaking from either the pain, or from fear.

"Y-Yes Lady Alvida!?"

"Tell me… Who's the most beautiful woman on the sea?"

Coby's whole body tensed before he said, "W-Why, it's y-you, L-L-Lady Al-"

"Isn't it Boa Hancock? I mean, no offense but…" I paused and looked her over. "I think you're a bit… heavy-set for that title."

Silence reigned after my comment, and Alvida's grip tightened around her club.

"Y-You…"

In an instant, she moved, her face contorted with a hateful scowl.

"YOU BASTARD!"

There was the sound of crunching wood right where I stood as I rolled, Ascalon still held in my hand.

"Too slow, Alvida-chwan~!" I shouted, even as a pair of pirates came at me with swords.

Playing around a bit, and testing out this different body of mine, I dodged the first few sloppy sword-strokes before slapping his hand with Ascalon's side.

He hissed in pain, dropping his blade and stepping back as his partner went for my throat, only to jump back as a dagger nearly sunk into his hand.

Of course, his sword didn't go with him, considering the fact that I nearly took the sword's edge off with Bleeding Wolfbite, the sickly-purple poison dripping off of its tip.

Still, it wasn't over, as evidenced by the fact that I had to spin around and mule-kick a guy in the jaw that thought I would hear him stomping towards me with a blade.

As he slid across the deck and slammed into a wall, I lazily stood up, Ascalon hanging from one hand and Wolfbite spinning in the other.

"Maa… Is that the best you've got?" I asked, my voice low. "I get that the stronger guys live up on the Grand Line, but… This's a little sad, isn't it?"

The rest of Alvida's crew took a few steps back in fear, clearing the path of the rather obese woman to take a step forward, her expression significantly more calm now.

"You're quite skilled, boy," she began. "What are you, a bounty hunter?"

"…Eh, you can call me a wandering blade, I guess," I replied with a shrug. "Until I find the One Piece, anyway."

There was a moment of silence that ran through the whole area.

"You!?" Alvida shouted, grinning. "You think you have what it takes to find the legendary One Piece at the end of the Grand Line!?"

"…Nah, not really," I admitted with a shrug. "But I plan on training a lot, so I should be there in two… Nah, more like three years…?"

"Tch… You damn brat…!"

I looked up at Alvida, her face going red with anger.

"Are you trying to make fun of us, you damn fool!?"

Screaming that, she swung down her massive club, but I caught it pretty easily with Ascalon.

She's got a strong right arm, but compared to the full weight of her body on top of it, this's a bit easier.

"Not at all," I replied smoothly. "I was looking for a particular idiot pirate to be my captain, but it looks like he's not coming along for the ride, and I don't plan on waiting up for him."

"What? You plan on being a pirate, but don't have a captain?"

At that, Alvida began to grin.

"Then why not join me, boy? With my club and your blade, I imagine-"

"No chance in Hell," I cut her off coldly. "I refuse to be subordinate to any man but him, and him not being here isn't enough to make me sidle up all cozy-like with any ol' pirate crew."

Forcing all of my strength into it, I swung my blade forward, knocking aside Alvida's club.

"You're a bit stronger than me. I'll give you that."

I slowly sheathed Wolfbite, taking Ascalon into both my hands.

"But strength is nothing without skill, and that… That's something I have in spades."

As I stepped forward, I looked into Alvida's eyes for a moment, seeing potent rage. Apparently, she's not a girl used to being rejected.

Doesn't matter, though.

I took a moment to take in the sight of what should be the last I see of this particular mug, and I swung.

Ascalon, magical sword of protection it is, can keep its edge dull enough not to kill someone if I swing.

Still, even as I built up every bit of strength I had, I couldn't help but grin.

From deep within my gut, I bellowed out with great force,

"FORE!"

And as I struck, my arm and Ascalon's blade surged with black, and Alvida went out to touch the stars.

"…Huh. So that's why it felt weird," I muttered, holding up my arm. "Haki… It's a kind of energy formed from both the energies of the body, and the mind…"

Huh… Didn't Father tell me that prana, the life-energy that resides within all practitioners of spellcraft, was formed of those energies as well?

He called them Od and Mana, but…

Eh, whatever.

I can worry about semantics and terminology a little bit later.

For now, I put my attention into to turning towards the Alvida Pirates, who seem to have collectively vacated their bowels and bladders with perfect synchronicity, and I grinned.

"I'm looking for someone to help me look for a few crew members I've decided on," I said to them, hefting Ascalon onto my shoulder. "Now, which one of you wanna volunteer and play chore-boy for lil' ol' me?"

Almost all at once, all of the Alvida Pirates turned to look at a single person in their midst before literally throwing poor Coby at me.

When I caught him by his jacket, I took a moment to stare at his awe-strucken, and also incredibly terrified, face.

"What's your name?"

"C-C-C-Coby, s-s-sir!"

"Quit it with the stutter." I dropped him, looking up at Alvida's crew. "Your captain flew off in a generally north-northeast direction. Save her, ditch her… Don't care. Just get lost; you're scaring the civilians."

Almost a good six of the pirates stayed long enough for me to finish, but even they leapt back to their ships with incredible speed, making their escape very quickly.

I looked down to Coby, who was a bit shorter than I remember, and gave him an appraising look.

"Tell me, Coby. Do you have a Dream?"

He looked shocked for a moment, before nodding once.

"I-I want t-to be a Marine, s-sir!"

"You're stuttering less. That's good." I grinned at him. "Now, if you become a Marine, then we'll probably meet one day as enemies."

His eyes went wide in terror, before I laughed.

"I look forward to the day," I continued. "After all, a certain old dog once taught me that today's enemy and tomorrow's friend may be the same man, but nonetheless, you should enjoy their company."

Ruffling his hair, I walked towards the life-boats.

"I'll be taking you to the nearest Marine base." I looked over to him. "Do you know the way, or are we asking the people on the ship where we're going?"

"I-I know the way, sir!" he shouted. "But… Why are you helping me? You… You said if I become a Marine-"

"Then I have no doubt you'll be a good one." I shrugged. "There's something in your eyes, Coby, that tells me that you have Will. It's a powerful motivating force, and it can push you forward when your whole body tells you it can't take another step."

I loosened the ropes.

"Never underestimate the power of one's Will," I said lowly. "Whether we're enemies, friends, or whatever… I want to see you become something strong. But if you'd rather cower in fear, afraid of what might happen if you end up standing on the opposite side of someone stronger than you?"

I shrugged again.

"That's fine too. Everyone has the potential to be great, but that's their choice."

With that, the small boat finished its descent into the water, and I held out my hand to the little brat.

"So, which is it? Are you afraid to become strong, or do you have the Will to stand up to fear and become a Marine?"

At that, his doubts were finally shaken, and he stood up ram-rod straight as he seemed to look up.

"I-I'm not afraid, sir!"

"Then let's go," I said with a grin. "The whole world's waiting for us, and I, for one, am ready to set sail."

"AYE AYE SIR!"

Grabbing him, I leapt off the side of the cruiseship with a grin, landing on the little boat with a thunk.

"Tell me which way to go, and we'll get there faster than any ship I know can sail," I said confidently, before getting my directions and gathering energy.

Raising back one arm, I summoned up a lot of energy and created an old, spiraling blade from legends, and put it into the water. It wasn't even a tenth of its true power, but I can't go bleeding myself dry for a little speed boost.

Sure, some might actually weep at the thought of using an ancient blade that could wipe out an entire town with its unrestrained power as a glorified engine, but…

Really, would this journey be any fun if I was normal?

And thus, with my deep laughter and Coby's high-pitched screaming, we were off on the adventure of a lifetime…

_SCENE BREAK_

EPISODE 2: EXECUTIONER'S AXE-HAND

When we arrived at the Marine base, I was… Unimpressed.

It's definitely an island, and the good dozen or so ships are definitely imposing, but…

Well, if I'm being honest, if it weren't for Zoro being held here because he wasn't a dick, and Morgan being a total dick, I wouldn't have even come.

As it is, I'm here strictly on business. I don't know where the rubber man went and got himself lost this time, but there are people whose lives would've been pretty bad without the Straw Hats.

Though… Without Luffy, they won't really be called that, will they…?

"There we go!"

Coby tied the knot tightly, keeping the little boat from drifting away.

"Cool. Let's go find this Roronoa that seems to scare you so much."

"A-Ah! You should be afraid of him too, sir!" he said hurriedly. "I-I mean, he's a demon! Didn't you hear what I said earlier!?"

"I did," I confirmed, nodding as I crossed my arms. "And someone that strong clearly belongs on my crew. No ifs, ands, or buts, excepting Roronoa's butt getting on my ship."

"A-Ah…! You…"

Coby trailed off, shaking his head.

"I…I guess, with how good you are with that sword, it makes sense that you wouldn't be afraid, huh…?" he muttered. "Unlike me, you've got the power to stand up to people like him, and like Alvida, without even flinching…"

"Power is nothing," I told him, scowling. "Like I said, it all comes down to Will. If you don't have the power to realize your Will, then you will get more power."

I tightened my hand into a fist, recalling the feeling that came with first fighting against a Servant…

He nearly killed me in seconds. He moved so fast that it was like he simply stopped existing in one place and started to exist in another…

And, if I'm right, the people in the Grand Line are just as strong, if not stronger.

…Heh. My chances of victory are so low, yet I can't stop grinning…

"A-Ah? S-Sir, you're… You're scaring me…!"

I stopped, looking at Coby, my head tilted.

"W-Well," he started, "your grin… It was really…"

"Bloodthirsty?" I supplied, to which he nodded quickly before realizing what I actually said and looking horrified. "It's cool, little dude. Remember, my end-goal is Raftel and the One Piece. You have to be unhinged in some way to go looking for that."

He thought about it for a moment before nodding, still looking a bit uncomfortable.

Looking up ahead, I grinned a bit at the sight of a few food stalls… Before immediately groaning.

I have no cash! Not a single yen- er, beri, I guess, to my name.

…And as easy as it would be, I'm not stealing from anyone. I'm a pirate now, not a jerk.

I walked calmly through the area, my eyes set firmly forward, due to the fact that the smell was hard enough to take without being able to see the freshly baked bread, or the ripe apples and pears, or…

Damnit!

Shaking my head out, I sighed.

"Looks like we're comin' up to the marine base itself," I told Coby, my voice low as the gates came into sight.

When we actually arrived, I paused to gauge the height of the wall for a moment. Coby started saying something about parting, but I focused instead of not screwing up the power balance in this new body.

With a slight crouch, I pushed off against the ground with a surge of prana, kicking up dust and rocks before landing on the metal wall with only a light thump.

Sure enough, there he was.

He looked like he'd gotten the ability to stand beaten out of him with a stick, the way he was slumped against the large wooden cross. All around him was nothing but a sandy fenced-off block, and his head was hanging in a way that made me scowl.

I don't even remember what he did, but I know that it wasn't worth this.

"Oi."

He stirred slightly, looking up towards me even as Coby began to climb.

"Huh…? Who the Hell're you?" he growled out, glaring from beneath his bandana.

"Hm?" I thought about it for a moment. "…I dunno," I said with a shrug. "Names aren't too important, Roronoa. The main thing is that you're gonna join my pirate crew, since a certain bastard missed his time-slot."

At that, Zoro began to scowl deeply, his eyes glinting with anger.

"If you think I'm gonna join some no-name punk's pirate crew, you're not just dead-wrong, you're a damn idiot. Now get lost; you're an eyesore."

I frowned slightly, but shrugged.

"You can change your mind later. I'm not in any hurry or anything just yet."

"I'M NOT JOINING YOUR DAMN CREW!"

"That's what they'll all say… Probably…"

I leaned back, lying down on the wall with a contented sigh.

Surprisingly, this metal is actually pretty comfy. It might just be because I'm almost criminally lazy at heart, but on a warm day like this, with fluffy clouds floating about above…

It just makes you wanna take a nap, y'know?

I shut my eyes, ignoring the sounds of grunting as a young girl scaled the wall, as well as the sound of that same girl sliding down a rope, carrying a pair of rice-balls.

I ignored her and Zoro as they spoke, and I ignored them as that stupid blond walked in.

When he disrespected her attempts at making something, her first-time no less, I sighed and began to move.

When he swept his hand out to smack the food she'd put an effort into making, my hand lashed out and caught his wrist.

I stared right into his eyes, even as my own were still closed, and spoke softly.

"This little girl put her heart into making this guy some food, y'know," I drawled. "It's one thing to insult someone's cooking in such a tactless way… It's a whole different ball-game to try and ruin it, when it was never meant for you."

His wrist was shaking in my hand and he tried to pull away, but he couldn't muster up enough strength to even shift my stance as I stood.

"H-How DARE you!?" he screeched out, trying (and failing) to backpedal. "Let go of me right this INSTANT! Don't you know who I am!? Unhand me, or I'll tell my father about this!"

I scowled, tightening my grip and pulling him close.

My other hand grabbed him by the front of his shirt, lifting him a good few inches to put him just above me.

"…Tch."

And then, I dropped him, scratching the back of my head.

"Sorry about that," I muttered. "I had a little sister a while back, and… Well, I lost control of myself."

His look of terror faded quickly, turning to a look of smug superiority.

"Hm. Well, maybe just this once, I'd be willing to spare you and the girl…" He paused. "…That is, if you were willing to beg me for it!"

I tilted my head slightly, frowning.

"Is that all?" I asked calmly. "You say that as if it's some big thing."

I slowly took my blades off my hips, sliding down.

I lost control, and that was wrong.

To a magus, losing control is everything.

It could kill you in an instant; you could liquefy or detonate your own internal organs, and if you pull too much energy at once, you could incinerate yourself from the inside out.

That, and the girl…

It's not like it's a big de-

"AND you will, of course, need to give me that beautiful blade right th-"

There was the sound of cartilage compressing, of a body soaring through the air, and of a steel fence bending and breaking.

My hand, now covered in a bit of blood from that arrogant bastard's face, slowly picked Ascalon back up as I began to gather energy.

"Begging is fine," I said softly, "especially for a mistake on my part, and to keep the blame off the girl. But this?"

I held Ascalon in my hand, my grip tightening on her.

This blade had chosen me to inherit the will of her old master, to become a true Guardian Knight and defend those who could not defend themselves.

This was the blade that had fought until her steel screamed against the power of divinities far beyond me and had seen me through to the end.

Hefting it gently, I aimed it at the blonde's unconscious body with a hateful scowl as I finally opened my eyes, revealing, for the first time, the blood-soaked eye and the golden glint of a black-crusted iris in the other.

When I'd blown my own damn head up against Heracles, not even the miracle of Avalon could have healed the damage, and that's what was left.

However, with my eyes open, I could see it again.

As the first Marine ran towards me, I could see his actions as if they were slowed down, watching as each muscle tensed and readied themselves for movement.

Just by watching the muscles along his right side and down his arm, I could already tell that his blade was coming in at a 16 degree angle, moving at just the right speed-

THUNK.

-for me to catch his wrist with one hand, and slam Ascalon's handle into the Marine's skull.

"This right here, boys, is Ascalon," I said, my voice calm, "and I will rip off every single limb off of every single Marine in this little play-fort you've got before I give her up to someone who isn't worthy of her steel."

With that, I slowly moved Ascalon back to my hip, even as the second of the blonde's escorts charged at me.

With a swift motion, I launched his blade high into the air with a stroke of Oni-Hone. Never leaving its sheath, it slammed into the handle of the Marine's sword with enough force that it whistled as it spun through the air, flying dozens of meters upwards before cresting and beginning to fall.

"Now," I said very quietly, "you can tell Marine Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan that a single swordsman came here and picked a fight all on his lonesome… Or you can tell him that the little girl that was next to him had literally anything to do with it, and I will make you live as a eunuch."

There was another whistling sound as Oni-Hone left its sheath, stopping so close to the marine that it nearly split the front of his pants open.

"Make the smart choice," I breathed, before sheathing Oni-Hone and looking back at the girl as the Marine sprinted away. "Get lost, kid. If anyone sees you here, all bets are off."

She shakily nodded, dashing off towards the rope over the wall and leaving me to sigh.

"Damnit…," I muttered, palming my head. "I wasn't supposed to do that to him… I didn't want to fight Axe-Hand yet…"

"Yet?"

I looked over to Zoro, who had a bit of a smirk on his face.

"You've got guts, kid, if you think you can take on Morgan. Gotta say, though… Watching you break that bastard's nose was almost enough to convince me to join your crew."

"Then you'll just need another display?" I said with a grin. "That's good, because I went and started something that won't end with anything else that exactly that."

I closed my eyes for a moment, before using prana to Reinforce my hearing.

…There. Not too far from here, and a bit up, so…

Cool.

I looked right up to the top of the building, seeing a large statue trying to be lifted.

"Hey, watch this," I said with a grin, drawing out Artemisian Agony.

She was, to put it simply, the end-all when it came to natural bows. Sure, the Yew Bow of Robin Hood would still put it to shame, but excluding Noble Phantasms, this is the pinnacle of bow-crafting expertise right here.

Commissioned by Father, it is the only thaumaturgically-enhanced, Rune-inscribed bow made from carbon-nanotubes to exist.

Thus, as I performed a bit of sleight of hand, making it look like I drew an arrow from my sleeve (I actually just Traced one and made it from prana), I pulled it back.

Gathering my energy inside of the arrow, I waited until it began to crack and glow through a thick black cover before firing.

When I let it loose, it shot out with enough force to displace the air around me, and when it hit, it tore a perfect hole right through the face of the statue of Axe-Hand Morgan.

I slowly lowered AA, tossing her over my shoulder to Coby as I shut my eyes again and barely being able to see.

Sure, they were good for combat and learning about history, but they devour my prana reserves like nothing else.

After a thought, I tossed Wolfbite to Coby as well.

"Take that and find this guy's swords," I told him as I heard rage-fueled shouting from the top of the building.

I looked over to the blond brat, cracking open an eye for long enough to read up on his recent history.

"…Yup, they're in his room. Go get 'em, Coby," I muttered, closing my eyes again. "And Zoro? Your execution was moved up."

Both of their eyes went wide.

"W-What!? B-B-But I can't! T-That would go against what the Marines-"

"I told you once already, Coby…"

I turned and looked at him, staring at him even through shut eyes.

"You have the potential to be a good Marine. But, at the same time, you have the potential to become a powerful one." I sighed, shaking my head. "You saw how that Marine brat was acting…"

I took a moment to shake my head.

"Some things aren't as simple as black and white. Justice is one of them. I can't call it Justice, when a good man is sentenced to execution on the whim of an entitled brat. So you can either follow the Justice of the Marines… Or you can define your own Justice. No matter what, though… Make sure your choice is something you don't regret."

With that, I shifted into stance as the Marines began pouring out of the front of the building, charging towards the execution yard with a massive blond man walking out behind them.

"…Damnit…" Zoro growled, his body shaking. "Damnit…! I refuse to die like this! I-"

With a swift motion, Oni-Hone cut through his bonds, making him nearly fall over as he was suddenly unbound.

"It's been three weeks. You'd better not be rusty."

His hands moved quick, catching Oni-Hone and its sheath even as he forced his unused muscles to start to work.

"What…?"

"This is not Just. This is not Good." I hefted Ascalon to my shoulder, scowling at Morgan as he strode forward. "This is not Righteous. These are not the actions of a hero, and I refuse to allow it to continue. Whether you join my crew, or hunt me down the moment I get a bounty… I don't care."

Slowly, Ascalon began to hum in my hands, the call to protect, to be a Guardian Knight, coursing through my body and her steel.

"I refuse to let you die because of a corrupt man's will and a spoiled brat's whims. That's all there is to it."

He was quiet for a moment, before I heard him chuckle softly.

"You… You're a real bleeding-heart, aren't you?"

"I am, and always will be, someone who wants to help others. That's just who I am."

"YOU!"

I looked forward at the scowling Marine Captain.

"Who was it that destroyed my glorious visage!?"

"That'd be me, Mr. M," I told him coldly. "Y'see, it was a bit of an eyesore. Really messed up the skyline from my point of view so, of course, I took the time to deal with it." I shrugged. "Really, you oughtta be thanking me for removing such a disgusting-looking mug from everyone's view."

"You BASTARD!"

He lunged forward, swinging his axe down quickly.

Ah, my beloved Taunt skill. How I love you so~!

Ascalon began to move quickly, but I was caught off-guard as Morgan's attack was repelled by Oni-Hone.

"Tch…! After saying something like that, how could I let you go and get yourself killed?" Zoro slowly began to grin. "But, it looks like I've gone and gotten myself on the bad-side of the Marines, so I might as well become a pirate, right?"

"You… You absolute scum!" Morgan shouted. "First, you ignored my orders, then you assaulted my Marines, and you destroyed my statue! Do you have any clue of who I am!?"

"No," I deadpanned. "Please. Enlighten us."

"I am Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan!" he continued, somehow missing my thick sarcasm. "I am the most powerful man on this base! In this world, titles are everything, and with my power and my title as Captain, I am the absolute authority! Thus, when I do something, I can NEVER be ANYTHING but RIGHT!"

He swung again, but Ascalon lashed out quickly, deflecting the blow to the side and throwing Morgan off-balance.

"Even if it means killing someone who doesn't deserve it?" I asked coldly. "Slaughtering the innocent, exploiting the people… Scum like you don't have any right to call yourselves Marines."

I looked over my shoulder.

"See this, Coby?" I stepped to the side, letting Zoro deflect Morgan's next swing. "This is what it means to be a powerful Marine. Those with strength shall always stand above those who are weak, and those with the Will to become strong can easily reach this man's level. However…"

I looked at Morgan, cracking open one eye as I did.

Fault lines analyzed. Structural weak-points identified.

"…However, there is a difference between a strong Marine, and a good one, for even if the good Marine lacks the strength to defeat Morgan, they will still stand against him. Not because they believe they can win…"

I took a step forward, and I saw Morgan's blow begin to swing towards me.

His muscles tensed, and he raised his arm.

Manipulating the momentum and force, he'll swing almost straight down, before curving harshly and coming up at my side.

"But because it is right."

And then, I swung.

I saw where he swung, and I saw where his axe-blade was weakest.

With Ascalon, a legendary blade that had slain even dragons, there could be no mistake.

There was the sound of steel carving through steel, before the sound of steel cutting flesh could be heard.

The axe-head flew off of Morgan's arm, sinking itself into the cross-shaped logs that Zoro had been on moments before, and I slowly drew back as Morgan screamed in agony, clutching where the lower half of his forearm had been moments ago.

"Do what you believe to be Just, Coby," I said quietly, swinging down Ascalon and sliding the blood from her blade. "Even if it means dying, if you're at least dying for something you believe in… Then you can die without regret."

Ascalon went into her sheath, and I released an explosive sigh as I shut my eye again.

However, just as I did, the sound of dirt being kicked up could be heard.

"Single Sword Style…"

Morgan had raised his other arm, his eyes filled with rage as he lunged out at me.

"You SON OF A-"

"Lion's Song."

There was a soft sound, like a soft breeze over the ocean, before the sound of Morgan's blood hitting the ground filled the air, followed by the sound of his unconscious body slamming down.

There was a moment of silence before Zoro swung the blood off of Oni-Hone's blade before he slowly sheathed it.

"It's a beautiful blade," he told me. "But it isn't mine. Even as I swung, it rejected me."

"Like calls to like," I said with a shrug. "Its blade and my bones… are one and the same. That is why it is named Oni-Hone, the Ogre's Bone. Oh… And thanks for the save."

"Hm. Like you even needed the help… Captain."

The Marines were knocked out of their shocked silence, each of them taking a step back in horror

"N-No way…!" one said.

"T-They defeated the Captain!"

"T-That's impossible! What are they, monsters!?"

I paused, and then grinned at the whole lot of them.

"I'm just a wandering blade that wants to be a Hero of Justice," I told them honestly. "For that purpose, I'm gonna head to the Grand Line… and find the One Piece!"

There was a moment of silence, before all of the Marines began to grin as well.

"We… We're free!" the first shouted.

"Morgan's finally defeated!" shouted another.

"WHOOOOOO!"

All of their weapons were tossed to the air, and joyous shouting broke out through everyone.

"Huh?" Coby began. "They're… Happy?"

"Remember that feeling, when you saw your Captain get knocked into the skyline?" I asked with a grin. "This is the first time they've felt free. It's a beautiful feeling, isn't it?"

"A-Ah! You're right! They must be-"

THUNK.

I looked to my side, frowning as Zoro hit the ground.

"R-Roronoa Zoro!" Coby shouted. "Were you inj-"

Grroooooowwwlll…

"…Hey, little girl!" I shouted loudly. "I know you're still hiding on the other side of the fence! Zoro's hungry!"

After a moment, I heard her scrambling over the wall and sliding down the rope.

"H-How did you know?" she asked. "Was it some kind of superpower!?"

"No. You were cheering for Zoro when he attacked Morgan the first time," I deadpanned. "Don't need super-powers to hear someone screaming, 'Go, Zoro! Stab that super-jerk!' "

Her face went red before she saw Zoro, immediately panicked a little, and heard the follow-up growl.

…clang… clunk-shing…

…Hm?

I looked towards the building, hearing what almost sounded like a fight…

No, more like… Someone slamming something hard and heavy into the back of someone's head…?

"Coby, belay my earlier order," I said quietly. "I'll pick up Zoro's swords."

With that, I surged forward, leaping almost twenty feet straight up and swinging out Ascalon, carving through the window easily.

Rolling gracefully, I stood up straight just in time to see a bright orange mop of hair disappear almost perfectly behind a desk.

…Nami…?

I shook my head.

"I know you're in here," I told her. "I could hear you smacking around those two Marine guards."

There was no response.

"…I can hear you breathing behind the desk."

"Urk!"

She slowly stood up, an embarrassed grin on her face.

"U-Uh… Hey there!" She shifted in place a little. "I, uh… Heard that you beat the Captain here?"

"Yup." I looked behind her, seeing a safe that she'd been trying to crack. "…If you're here to plunder the place, I'd recommend hopping to it. With Axe-Hand gone, the Marine'll be partying for a bit, so you should be safe to take whatever you can carry."

With that, I turned to the door out, before pausing slightly.

"Actually, that safe looked kinda tough," I said. "I can break it open for ya."

"N-No!" she shouted. "I mean… I'm fine, thanks. I've got it handled here, Mr. Pirate."

"…Okay," I shrugged. "Good luck with your plundering, Lady Thief."

With that, I took off into a sprint towards Helmeppo's room.

It… Wasn't hard to find. Even if I hadn't seen the path through Helmeppo's eyes when I scanned his history, it's still pretty damn clear that the room labelled 'My Room' with a flowery garland was it.

A quick few motions had the door open, given that the Marine's idea of a high-class lock seems to only involve three tumblers, and I let the Traced lockpick and lever disappear into motes of prana.

Oddly enough, my prana supplies seem a bit… Larger, around here.

I'll need to figure out the details when I get on the boat. I don't really remember what comes after this part, but I assume that I'll get some time to rest, relax, and test to my heart's content.

Whatever the case, though, my eyes caught sight of the swords immediately. Even through shut eyes, I could feel their history as Swords resonate within me.

Grinning, I picked them up, and stopped.

At a touch, the soul of the swords surged into my body, flooding my mind with memories that weren't my own, skills that didn't belong, and the feeling of a young woman and a young man, bound by rivalry.

These swords…

I remember, now.

I remember Zoro's past, and Kuina's life.

"…Tch. When it comes down to it, I just can't help it," I muttered. "Regardless of what I call myself, I am, and always will be a Sword, huh…?"

Shaking my head, I stepped towards the window and swung.

The weight of it, of this blade…

Wado Ichimonji is a beautiful blade, and I don't have any right to hold it.

As I leapt down, I landed in front of Zoro with a solemn expression. I dropped them onto him.

"Never let them go," I said softly. "Those blades… That blade is yours, and no one else's."

He just nodded, even as Coby and the girl helped him out.

_LINE BREAK_

The rest of the day flew by in a blur, though that was probably caused by the haze that hung over my mind as I tried to piece together all of my memories of how all of this is supposed to go down.

We returned to town, had a short little party, ate until we were stuffed, and were shoved off by the Marines in the only way they knew how to help us.

Even if the true captain of this crew isn't here, I'm still acting in his place as a pirate captain. If HQ heard about this, they'd probably send someone in to investigate, and then the whole island would end up suffering.

It was easier this way.

When the time came, and we set sail, it was to the backdrop of two dozen Marines saluting us as we left, and to the shouts of Coby.

"I-I promise, sir!" he yelled. "I promise that I'll a-always remain a good Marine! I'll fight and protect the people, and e-even if it means that I have to fight you in the future… I WILL NEVER REGRET MY PATH!"

"…He's a good kid," Zoro muttered, lying down in the boat.

"Yeah," I replied, grinning as wide as I could. "And I just know that one day… He'll be just as good of a Marine."

_SCENE BREAK_

CHAPTER 3: CLOWNING AROUND

We should've packed more food.

This is what I determined on the second day of drifting, my prana-infused wind blade taking too much energy to sustain.

On the upside, I've thus far determined that, while prana and Haki are similar, they are not the same.

The first element is that prana uses the energy of the world around you, whereas Haki is exclusively internal.

Additionally, Haki is a bit more… Instinctual, I think. Prana is all about thought, order, and structure. To put it simply, prana is the outcome of mathematical formulas calculated both by the body and the mind.

Haki, on the other hand, is something that simply flows. It doesn't take intensive thought or focus; unlike prana, which burns the body due to being an aberration that doesn't belong, Haki is something that is intrinsic to life itself. It… Belongs.

Compared to the constant pain that prana surges through me when I use it, Haki is… Calming. It soothes and heals, feeling like a cool breeze on the inside of my skin.

As I was sitting, experimenting with the flow of the energies of the body and the soul, I heard Zoro speak.

"Right before Morgan… Your arm and the arrow you were holding went black, just like your arm right now. What is that?"

I looked up from my arms, shrugging at him.

"Something called Haki. I think it's the manifestation of your willpower and the strength of your mind and body combined, but…"

"But you're not sure?" he supplied.

"Yeah. I only learned to use it a bit before me and Coby found you, so I'm no expert."

I leaned back in place, staring up at the sky, littered lightly with fluffy clouds.

"Hm… Since you used to affect that arrow, what would happen if I used to it my swords…?"

"Haki makes skin as tough as steel. I imagine it would make steel even tougher."

"Is that how you cut that Captain's arm?" he asked. "I've heard of people being able to cut steel, but I never got a straight answer on how it works."

"…Nah. I cut his arm with a different method." I paused to think. "Let's see… Think of it like this. Imagine a chain. In this chain, there are a hundred links. Of these hundred, there is exactly one that is weaker, but to the untrained eye, they are indistinguishable."

"So you targeted the weak link?"

"Not quite. I determined which link was the weak one, figured out why it was weak, and exploited flaws in the crafting process that left certain portions of that metal slightly weaker than the rest." I shrugged. "Truth is, I don't know how to cut steel. I just know how to cut weak steel."

"What about my swords?"

"I could cut the ones you use in your hands. They're strong, but there are fault lines moving through them. The Wado Ichimonji, though?" I chuckled, shaking my head. "I couldn't cut that thing without using Ascalon."

"…So that sword can cut steel?"

"There is no sword on this planet that's stronger," I said softly, my hand going to her hilt. "…Doesn't change the fact that her wielder sucks ass, though. I only win through targeting weaknesses, exploiting them, and stabbing them while they're surprised."

"Hm… But how do you tell?" he asked, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "Not about the better sword, but where the weak points are in the steel."

"You'll figure it out," I told him confidently. "You're Roronoa Zoro, the Demon with Three Swords. I can't tell you, since if I did you might not learn, but you're a smart guy."

He went quiet, sitting with his sword in his lap. For a moment, it seemed like he was mouthing a few words; I could've read his lips if I opened my eyes, but I get the feeling it's just some cryptic advice he got from someone or another on the subject.

However, just as I was beginning to relax, I heard a sound in the distance.

"Land ho," I muttered, sitting back up.

He turned and looked behind him, and after a moment of squinting, he nodded.

"How'd you tell?"

"The sound of the waves slamming into a cliff."

"Hm. You have good ears."

"You will too, soon enough."

He frowned again, before shaking his head.

I sat up and held my hand under the water for a moment, gathering the energy to Trace a low-level weapon.

"Hold onto the boat," I told Zoro.

It wouldn't be much, but the contained powers of the wind burst should speed us up quite a bit.

As we surged forward, I glanced far ahead with a frown.

I don't know exactly where we are, but…

…Well, it's gotta have food, right?

Plus, there is that suspicious splashing sound…

_LINE BREAK_

When we arrived at the island, it was with a realization of what's going on, and three Buggy Pirates beaten senseless for trying to commandeer my ship.

It might be some little thing that wouldn't survive a good storm, but it's still mine, damnit!

Anyway, after throwing the three of them onto the docks, I told Zoro to 'question' them and figure out where Buggy is located.

Meanwhile, if I recall correctly, Nami should be involved in this whole debacle… Somehow.

Stupid memory. I kinda wish I'd gotten a chance to re-watch the show before making my way here, but beggars can't be choosers.

I felt energy move through my body as I leapt forward, moving from building-top to building-top.

This Haki is a lot easier to handle than prana… I think I might just make a habit of using it.

…Though, weren't there multiple kinds of Haki? And weren't there more effects…?

"…-ac here…!"

"Thief…! …-ole that chart…!"

Found her.

It took another few seconds before I'd actually made it, leaping high into the air for a good view.

I immediately reached for Artemisian Agony, before grasping air and frowning.

"Forgot it on the boat… Damn…"

I could always just Trace it and launch a few arrows, but…

Well, it's not like I need to blow them up or anything, so I'll just Trace a few daggers.

Throwing them towards the ground, a few of them very nearly skewered the Buggy Pirates before I landed with enough force to crater the ground.

As I slowly stood up, I looked over to Nami and grinned.

"Well, if it ain't the Lady Thief," I said happily. "These clowns here bothering you?"

"A-Ah!" She took a moment to think, before nodding and grinning right back. "Yeah, actually! Thanks for the save, Boss! You go ahead and take these small fries, and I'll go back to getting the treasure~!"

My grin grew a bit more, taking on a predatory glint.

"Well, there's a bit of a problem there…"

With a swift draw and a lunge, I was already swinging Ascalon.

With a single sweep, their blades all fell apart before I leaped up and kicked.

Three enemies, and all of them ate heel pretty quick.

As I touched down, sheathing Ascalon, I looked to Nami.

"Small fries like these will barely slow me down," I told her. "Now, what did you say your name was?"

"Wow…" She looked at the three guys. "You really kicked their asses. And I'm Nami: a talented thief who steals strictly from pirates!"

I nodded. "Cool, cool. What's this chart they were yelling about?"

She flinched, starting to sweat a bit. "Ah, yeah. I stole a sea chart from their captain, Buggy the Clown, and now they're after my head."

"Significantly less cool, but also not my business," I said with a shrug. "I target Marines and pirates that abuse their power. Just seems easier that way."

"Oh, really? Well, what if I told you that Buggy happens to be a very bad clown?" she asked with a grin.

"Prove it, and I'll kick his fat red nose through his face and give you… What, does 30% of the treasure sound good?"

"Eh…" She looked like she wanted to object, but her eyes drifted to the unconscious pirates. "How about 60?"

"Jesus… Are you trying to bleed me dry?" I groaned. "Forty, and what the Hell do you need that treasure for?"

"Fifty-five, and those reasons are mine."

"Tell me the amount you're building to, and deal."

"Sixty and the info."

"Eh, close enough."

She nodded. "I'm building up to a hundred-million Beris."

With that, I hefted Ascalon again with a grin.

"Good to know. Lead the way, Lady Thief," I said, gesturing for her to take point.

"Don't mind if I do, Mr. Pirate," she said with a laugh, before pausing. "Actually, I never did get your name."

"I know. Now, let's go find this Buggy punk! My crewmate should've gotten the info out of these three idiots whose boat capsized."

"O-Oh, really? Capsized, huh?" she asked nervously. "Y'know, on second thought-"

"You can stay around the corner, out of sight."

"…Thanks."

_LINE BREAK_

According to Zoro, Buggy's at the highest point in the village, where he can easily use his cannon to fire his Buggy Balls all over the town whenever he feels the urge.

Also, out of context, that phrasing is absolutely disgusting.

Now, Nami decided that her plan, as simple as it sounds, is to tie me up and throw me at him, hoping that he thinks she's on his side.

I did not like this plan, as it has a relatively high chance of me dying.

I did not have a better plan.

That is why, when Buggy told her to light fuse to the cannon aimed right at me, I was frowning rather deeply.

"Y'know, when I first met you, I took you for a ballsy gal," I said, even as the red-nosed pirate captain stared at us, at her trembling hands. "Takes guts to steal from a Marine Captain, after all. But are you telling me that you can't even kill one pirate?"

Her hands stopped, and she scowled.

"What!? If I lit this, you'd die! As in, you'd be dead! Do you want to die!?"

"I'm just wondering, Lady Thief…" I paused, before taking a deep breath. "I'm wondering what kind of weak-ass goal you have, that you can't kill me."

Her hands tightened around the box of matches.

"If you can't even kill one person… How the Hell can you consider yourself on the same level as us pirates?"

"Y-You…!" she growled.

However, she was cut off as a member of the Buggy Pirates lunged forward, now holding a lit match.

"Oh, quit being such a tease!" he laughed. "I'll show you how it's done!"

He raised the match, but even as he did, she was already swinging a staff at his head.

As she did, I couldn't help but smile.

"What is the meaning of this!?" shouted Big-Nose the Clown. "Just shoot him already!"

"No… I refuse!" she growled. "I won't let myself drop to the level of you inhuman pirates!"

"Heh… Now this story's shaping up," I muttered, gathering prana through my arms. I had to actively focus to keep Haki from following, but it would be better if Buggy didn't see that.

Easily breaking the ropes, I slowly drew prana into my hand and swung upwards, a powerful uppercut vibrating the stone cage I'd been locked in.

"W-What is he doing!?" asked one of the pirates. "There's no way he could get through that! It's solid st-"

CRACK.

The second punch caused it to form spiderweb-like cracks along the top, before my third was thrown as I stood upwards, throwing my entire body's force into a blast clean through the top of it.

Slowly stepping out of the wrecked cage, I grinned as I heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Zoro, sword me!"

There was the sound of Ascalon sailing through the air before reaching me, the hiss of her steel leaving her sheath as I took a step forward.

"You pirates saw what I can do with my bare hands," I said predatorily. "Wanna see what I can do with a blade?"

"Gyahahaha! That was a very flashy display there, boy!" Buggy began, stepping forward. "But unfortunately for you, a blade will have no effect against me!"

I looked him over, taking in his… eccentric choice in clothing before pointing Ascalon at him.

"You're quite the bastard," I said coldly. "Hurting the town like this… Looks like I owe the Lady Thief 60% of your loot."

"You WHAT!?" Zoro shouted, turning to glare at me.

"Small price to pay," I told him with a shrug. "She's greedy, but deep down… She's not a bad person. She couldn't even kill me!"

"Tch… Damnit, fine," he said with a sigh. "But next time, don't just let some pretty face bleed your money out of you."

"Huh… I said nearly the same thing."

"Grr…! How dare you ignore me!?" Buggy shouted. "I'll show you the power that makes me the most terrifying pirate on the East Blue! CHOP CHOP CANNON!"

He raised his hand up, aiming down his fingers and his knife like sights, before it surged forward with incredible speed.

"Captain!"

There was a hiss of steel, and the hand was batted away by the Wado Ichimonji as Zoro scowled at Buggy.

"Let me handle him," he said, slowly drawing his other two blades.

I just shrugged, relaxing a bit as I stood.

"Go ahead," I told him, "but it looks like his body parts separate. Are you sure you can cut him?"

"I won't know until I try."

With that, he stood in front of me and raised his blades.

"So… You must be the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro," Buggy said with a grin. "If you're here for my head, you're in for quite the struggle."

"Hm. I'm only here to see if I can't cut you," Zoro replied, raising Ichimonji to his mouth. "I gave up pirate hunting."

"Gyahahaha! If you want to cut me, then you'll be struggling for the rest of your short life!" Buggy shouted. "Like your friend there said, I can split my body up easily, and into many different parts! There's no way that a sword could truly cut me, for I'm already in pieces!"

Zoro scowled. "Hey, Captain. Can this guy use a power like yours or something?"

"Nah," I replied. "He ate a Devil Fruit. I just trained my ass off."

"Oh?" Buggy looked at me. "You have some sort of power, then? After I'm flashily finish off the Pirate Hunter, I'll just have to see your power for myself!"

With that, Buggy grinned and took a step back.

"CHOP-CHOP-!"

"Three-Sword-Style…"

"FESTIVAL/ONI-GIRI!"

With a lunge forward, Zoro swung with his three blades and struck easily.

On the other hand, as Buggy shot into pieces, he hit with both knives that his hand held.

When Zoro stumbled back, injured, he scowled at the sight of an uninjured Buggy.

"D-Damnit…!" Zoro growled.

"Maa… That's unfortunate," I said with a sigh. "Zoro… If he's separated his ass into so many pieces, how am I supposed to kick it?"

There was a moment of silence, before Buggy let out another bellowing laugh.

"Kick my ass!? How in the world do you plan on doing that, you idiot!?"

"That's what I'm wondering! I do have two feet, but I can't kick very far apart!" I growled, thinking deeply. "That means that, unless your ass is in two close-together pieces or less, I can't kick it!"

…

"…Your captain is an idiot," Nami said plainly.

"I agree."

"Oh, shut up…!" I growled, stepping forward. "That's insubordination, damnit! As your punishment, I'm taking your fight!"

"What!? No way, Captain!" he shouted. "I'm just getting warmed up!"

"Too bad! Consorting with bad-mannered witches, bad-mouthing your Captain…If we were in the Marines, I'd have you on toilet-scrubbing duty for weeks!"

With that, I stepped forward and slid Ascalon into her sheath. She just wasn't a good match against him.

"Well, aren't you a good Captain?" Buggy asked tauntingly. "Here you are, willing to take your dear subordinate's flashy death as your own! I'll do you a favor and try to remember your name!"

"Well, when you do, tell me what it is," I groused. "Besides, it's not like I'm gonna die. If a Marine Captain couldn't beat me, what makes you think you can?"

"Well, I'll just go ahead and show you! CHOP-CHOP-!"

"Shut your mouth and blow out your big nose," I snarled, lunging forward and throwing a vicious right hook.

He froze for a moment, his face twisting in rage, and that was just long enough for my fist to get some purchase.

As his head flew from his shoulders, though, I still had to contend with the two daggers coming up on my sides.

Willing it, my prana formed daggers that slid from inside my sleeves, sparks flying as steel met steel.

Gathering Haki into my hand and blade, I slashed down and drew blood from Buggy's wrist, resulting in a howl as he tried to reform.

"What!?" he shouted. "My Chop-Chop powers should leave me invulnerable to attacks like that!"

As I raised my knife, its steel colored black, his expression changed to horror.

"Impossible! Someone with Haki in the East Blue!?"

I just shrugged, sliding the dagger into my sleeve and letting it fade into prana.

"I'm not exactly a normal guy," I told him. "To be honest, I don't actually want to fight, y'know? I'm just a wandering blade on his way to the Grand Line." I sighed, shaking my head. "I don't suppose you could just take your guys and leave? I don't doubt that you're strong, but against someone with Haki, you can actually be cut. Even if you win… Will it be worth it?"

Buggy's eyes narrowed, crouching a bit.

"Hm… I'm afraid that if word got out that I ran away from a fight from some random no-name brat, my reputation would die flashily!"

"Who says that's how it has to go down?"

He frowned.

"Explain, brat."

"Think of it like this," I said quietly, so only he could here. "A couple of no-name pirates popped up. But, let's say that you happen to see potential in this group; the potential to become much stronger pirates. Now, let's say that, when you fought, you held back, but they managed to impress you."

I grinned. "Now, you let these guys go, and you leave the town because it isn't entertaining anymore. When said brats, that's still us by the way, make it to the Grand Line, and we will, you'll be able to say that it wasn't that you were 'flashily running away,' but that you let a group go because you saw potential that only someone with your experience could see."

At that, Buggy thought for a moment, before grinning widely.

"That's a decent plan," he admitted. "It'll jump my reputation, and all it would take is to leave this town. Plus, we've already looted the place, so it's not like we have anything left to do here, expect party a bit and fire a few Buggy Balls."

"I am sensing an impending 'but'."

"…But, how do I know you'll make it to the Grand Line? I've seen how monstrous that sea can be, but I've also heard rumors about a certain White Hunter heading the Marine Base at Loguetown."

"…" I closed my eyes, focusing on what I could remember.

White Hunter… Smoker, I think. Can turn into smoke?

"Haki can nullify his power, just like yours," I muttered, more to myself than him. "But… That just gives me that chance to hit him. If I caught him off-guard…" I paused, before shaking my head. "I can't say for sure I could beat him, but I know for damn sure that he won't stop us."

"You sound quite confident. Do you have some flashy way to guarantee your escape?"

"I do, just… It's difficult to control," I admitted. "I could easily get us out of there, but it would be a lot like using a Buggy Ball as a propulsion system. Unnecessarily destructive, but ultimately successful."

"As a propulsion system…?" Buggy stopped to think, cupping his chin in thought. "That's not such a bad idea… It would certainly make for a flashy way of escaping, should I even need it."

"Yeah… If you were willing to destroy whatever ship you're aiming near, and are fine risking the chance of capsizing," I grumbled. "You could do it with your ship, but my dinghy? I'll probably get a better ship before then, but-"

"Ah, excuse me?"

Buggy and I both turned to Nami, who was looking worriedly at Zoro.

"Err, I mean, I think he's bleeding out."

"…Zoro, you got knifed in the sides."

"Yeah," Buggy agreed. "And I didn't even target any vital organs!"

"Shut up!" Zoro growled. "I'm fine! It's not like I'm the one complaining here!"

"Meh, I'll patch him up later," I said, waving my hand at him. "I might not be a doctor, but I know how to close a knife wound, at least. Anyway, Buggy, where were we?"

"You were convincing me to let you and your two crewmates live."

"Right, right… So, how about it? We leave, you leave, neither of us end up with life-threatening injuries, and you get a reputation boost. Hell, I plan on making a name for myself even before I reach Loguetown, so you might not even have to wait that long before spreading the word!"

"Hm… Well, it certainly wouldn't be any skin off of my teeth, but you see…"

Ascalon surged from her sheath, my hand moving her just fast enough to deflect Buggy's knife as he scowled deeply.

"You called me a big-nose earlier, so I'll have to kill you for that, you flashy bastard!"

Well, damn.

Ascalon was more than enough to defend, but she won't be able to cut him… Yet. Oni-Hone, charged with Haki, could, but Ascalon has a will of her own; a Sentience of Steel, of sorts. I can't just flood her with my own will.

Damnit… Neither of us can hurt each other right now.

The differences in our styles of combat were easily evident, with his being a rough style refined through experience, whereas mine was a rough rendition of a much smoother style.

Unfortunately, Buggy made use of a certain particular weakness of mine.

Namely, that I can't predict an attack not in my field of vision.

When his elbow slammed into my lower back, I had to bite back a shout. I managed to bat the arm aside before a second blow, and just barely managed to stop Buggy's knives from cutting into me from the front.

All the while, Buggy was just standing there, grinning widely.

"Just die flashily, brat! There's no way you could've survived on the Grand Line if you can't even handle this! GYAHAHAH- UHK!"

His laugh was cut off when a Haki-infused dagger nearly carved through his chest, courtesy of my throwing skills. He barely managed to separate before it reached him, but in a moment of distraction, I had an opening as his hands stopped moving.

Surging forward, I tossed Ascalon up towards Buggy, immediately drawing Oni-Hone in a smooth motion.

There was the sound of cutting, and the sound of blood slowly dripping down as I caught Ascalon in one hand, sheathing Oni-Hone with the other.

"G-Guh…!"

Buggy stumbled backwards, clutching his chest, where a massive diagonal gash had torn him open from hip to shoulder.

Yet, at no point did it go deep enough to truly 'injure' him.

"I'm very firmly against killing," I said quietly. "But just now… You know what happened. You will leave this town. You will not return, and you will be letting Lady Thief keep that chart of hers. Otherwise…"

I sheathed Ascalon, a hand now resting on Oni-Hone's handle.

"…You will die."

He scowled, looking at his chest before back up at me, but I could see it in his eyes.

Fear.

"D-Damn you…!" he ground out. "I won't-"

Sssssssshk.

His eyes went wider as I slowly drew Oni-Hone, inch by inch.

"You have three hours, Buggy," I said coldly. "Pack up and ship off. And, if I ever hear that you decided to terrorize another town like this one… I won't hold back."

Sheathing Oni-Hone smoothly, I walked over to Zoro, who was already sitting up.

"We're done here. Get to the ship."

"…Tch. I really wanted to fight the clown," he said with a sigh.

"You'd die," I told him casually. "Your Will isn't strong enough yet. If you want to become the strongest swordsman in the world, firm your resolve and let that weight flow into your blades."

I offered him my hand, helping him up.

"It is only when your blades carry that weight, that they will be as light as the air in your hands."

Zoro scowled, pressing one hand to one of his wounds.

"That's not just cryptic, but also idiotic."

"Well, I'm new to the whole 'cryptic advice' thing, so shut up. I'm not giving away free sword advice; besides, I'm not even a freakin' swordsman in the first place! Now, we're leaving, so get to the ship."

"Alright, Captain."

"And that means you too, Lady Thief," I said, pointing at Nami. "Back to the ship."

She looked like she was going to point out that we didn't share a ship but, after sparing a glance at Buggy, she caught on.

"Right; got it, Boss."

With that, she took off quickly, and I kept pace with her easily, sticking to rooftops as opposed to the streets.

I don't remember much about Buggy, but I wouldn't put an alleyway-ambush beyond him…

_LINE BREAK_

"You totally could have taken him!" Nami pointed out, scowling. "Then, there'd actually be treasure to split!"

"I don't kill needlessly. I'm a blade, not a butcher." I untied the rope binding my ship to the dock. "If he'd tried to stop us from leaving, I'd've cut him down, but since he didn't, I won't fight him."

"Oh yeah?" she growled. "And what if he had one of his guys figure out where our ships are, and is aiming a Buggy Ball at us right now!?"

"Then he'll be enjoying a 'flashy' end of his own, given that I messed with his cannon."

"W-What?" Nami paused, thinking. "When Pirate Hunter Zoro was preparing his special attack…!"

"Yup. I just messed with the structure a little; if they look closely, they'll find it and be able to fix it. If they try to use it before then, though…"

I left it hanging.

Truth be told, it was a bit more difficult than I made it out to be. Over-charging something with prana is easy, but filling it with just enough prana to weaken certain patches of metal exclusively, and only partially masking the damage at the surface level?

That is not easy.

"I see… So, if he tries to fire, and he blows himself up-"

"Then we get all of his treasure," I finished. "We split it 60-40, and you get a step closer to your goal."

"…Still, that's a big 'if'," she muttered. "I mean, you spooked him pretty bad back there."

"That was the goal. I don't want them to fire at me," I reminded her. "That was just a backup plan. Now, this rope is gonna pull me into the damn ocean in a minute if I don't get on the boat, so unless you plan on sticking around with us, we're outta here."

As I stepped onto my boat, I sighed a breath of relief as I felt the familiar swaying of the water.

"Actually… I think I will stick around."

I paused.

"…Eh?"

"Think about it. I'm nimble, quick, and definitely smart enough to outwit any stupid old pirate, but I lack the raw power you guys have."

"I almost feel offended that you're lumping me with the 'stupid old pirate' group, but continue."

"Well, I wouldn't mind helping you as a navigator, if you helped me with a few raids."

"As long as they're on pirates, I'm up for it. 70-30, in our favor."

"Seeing as I'll be the one actually leading you to the hauls that you'd never find? I think 80-20, my favor, is more than fair."

I quirked an eyebrow at her, starting to grin.

This might take a while… But at least it won't be boring.

"66-34. You get more than each of us, since we have to split it."

"Haha… No."

_LINE BREAK_

"Damn… Damn, damn, DAMN!" Buggy slammed a foot down, leaving a dent in the ground as he scowled. "Who does that flashy idiot think he is, messing with the great Captain Buggy!?" He whirled around, turning to one of his men. "You! Find out where they're docked! I want a Buggy Ball launched at them ASAP!"

"E-Err… Sir, that's not such a good idea…"

"DO YOU WANT TO DIE FLASHILY, YOU IDIOT!?" he screamed at his crewman.

"N-No, sir! But it's the cannon! I-If we fired, it would explode us instead of them!"

Buggy stopped, before screaming out an insensate howl.

"That- That insolent- That- That- THAT BRAT! How DARE he mess with MY cannons!? Crew, get ready to sail! I want to follow those little brats like smoke on a fire, and when we get them, we'll use our Buggy Balls to SLAUGHTER THEM FLASHILY!"

"S-SIR YES SIR!"

As they all clambered and moved, Buggy's scowl slowly shifted into a malicious grin and his hand touched his bloody wrist.

"Haki or not, I refuse to let myself be so flashily embarrassed," he hissed. "I don't know who you are, you damn brat, but when I find you… I'll kill you…!"

_LINE BREAK_

"How the HELL did that witch talk you into 60-40, her favor, again!?"

"Zoro."

I slowly rested my hand on his shoulder, a haunted look in my eyes.

"Never, ever get between that woman and her money," I said softly. "What I saw today…"

Slowly, a full shudder flew through my body, carried into his through my hand, and a cold breeze flew over the ships.

Zoro's eyes widened, no doubt feeling like Satan himself had just slowly licked his way up his spine.

"T-The witch can't possibly be that scary!"

I closed my eyes, dropping down and kneeling on the deck of ship.

"May God have mercy on that foolish fool's foolish follies," I said quietly.

"Y-You're serious…!?"

_SCENE BREAK_

EPISODE 4: LIAR AND A PUSSY-CAT

"Where are we?"

"…The sea?"

"Funny."

*THUNK*

"OW! Wait, your sword wasn't sheathed!"

"The man who seeks to cut everything must be capable of cutting nothing." Actually, Ascalon is just good at defending things, even from herself.

"What? That sounds almost exactly like something my master said!"

"I'd say that that makes your master a very smart man, but seeing as he took you as an apprentice, I'm left questioning that."

"Why you…!"

"Boys, boys!" Nami looked over to our boat with a wry grin. "If you two are done flirting, we're coming up on an island!"

"I know, Thief!" I shouted. "But Smart-Ass here misunderstood when I asked what island it is!"

"Well, we're coming up on the third island in the Gecko Archipelago! There should be a village here, where we can stock up on supplies!"

"Thank you, Lady Thief. I'm always glad to receive a straight answer."

"…Suck-up…"

*THUNK*

"HOW!? I DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT COMING!"

"Then maybe you should spend more time training, and less time napping, Marimo."

"The Hell'd you call me!?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, should I refer to you by some title?" I growled. "You were asleep half the damn voyage! How many times did you get up and listen to the witch's orders to keep us on-track, again!?"

"…Tch."

"That's what I thought. Thief, what's the plan on docking? Your sail is still running Buggy's Roger, so I don't imagine we're parking anywhere obvious."

"We're coming up on the north side, and I can see a slope leading up the walls. Looks like it's the only way up, so we have no choice but to go there!"

"…I see. Got it!"

I looked ahead, focusing for a moment on Reinforcing my eyes.

It took a bit of effort, and it certainly stung since I haven't done it in a while, but…

…There. Shifting in the bushes.

Someone already spotted us, huh?

"Oi. Zoro."

He looked at me, still annoyed. "Yea-OOF."

Ascalon and Oni-Hone hit him in the chest, along with my coat.

Diving into the water, I lowered the Reinforcement. Sure, the saltwater still stung a bit, but that was all there was as I started swimming.

Letting both prana and Haki flow through my body, I surged through the water quickly, and I made it to the island before the ships had made it any further than halfway.

Stepping out, I slowly popped a few of my joints and strained my hearing.

…Yeah, there are a few people coming. Three kids, and a guy who's practically shaking with every step.

Grinning, I immediately charged up the slope, reaching and jumping into the trees just before a certain Long-Nose came down.

"L-Look! See!? I told you I wasn't lying!"

"Onion's right!" shouted a small boy with his head looking like a pepper. "Carrot, Captain Usopp, what do we do!? That really is Buggy the Pirate's flag!"

"T-There's nothing to b-be a-afraid of! I-It's j-just one s-s-ship after all!" Usopp shouted with a shaky laugh, and knees just as much so.

I sat in the tree above them, my breathing muted and my body still as they went about trying to get ready.

Now, I very much doubt that these four can do any lasting damage to anyone with this little prep time, but…

"You know, I can't let you just ambush my crewmates."

All four of them froze in place, before slowly turning as one towards me.

The three kids all fainted immediately, while Usopp let out a high-pitched scream that got caught in his throat as I scowled.

"Y-Y-Y-You-!"

"I am a pirate," I said calmly. "Now, shut up and listen."

"Y-YES SIR!"

I looked him over for a moment, before sighing.

"You've got as much spine as an invertebrate," I muttered. "Anyway, you're clearly panicking, but I'll be blunt. We have no plans of attacking the town. We have no plans of raiding, pillaging, hurting, or really doing anything to the town, or to you. We're here to stock up supplies and head out to the Grand Line, where we will revel in fame, fortune, and limitless danger."

Hearing all of that, Usopp seemed to relax a bit, but he still looked wary.

"A-And how do I know you're not lying, huh!? You could just be saying that, so you don't anger me, the Great Captain Usopp, Master of 1000 Men!"

"You have three crew members, they're all unconscious, and why would I bother lying when I could kill all four of you with my bare hands?"

To emphasize, I reached over to a tree, infusing my hand with energy before shearing through a layer of the bark.

"I'm dangerous," I admitted, "but I won't be a danger to you, or any of your people unless you attack first. Capische?"

Once again, he just slowly nodded, even as my ship and Nami's got closer.

"Cool. Now, when my crewmates get here, you're gonna lead us to somewhere where I can eat something aside from rice gruel."

I offered him my hand, smiling a bit.

"By the way, Great Captain Usopp, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a wandering blade, and captain of a budding pirate crew of two people, including myself, riding in a pair of stolen ships."

He cautiously took my hand, letting me help him up.

"You only have two crew members?"

"Well, almost three, but our navigator hates pirates. She's with us because we're scary strong, and she likes money."

"I… See?"

"Good. Now kick your crew awake and help me greet everyone."

_LINE BREAK_

"So, you're looking for crew members and a ship?" Usopp asked, frowning.

"Yup," I answered around a nice chunk of steak and bread. Swabbing up some of the steaks juices with the bread, and rolling the rice in what was left, I swallowed almost the whole plate with a grin. "That, and I'm looking for a certain man."

My grin faded as I pushed my plate aside.

"Have you heard of a man by the name of Monkey D. Luffy? He wears a straw hat with a red band on it, and he's a 'rubberman'. 'Bout as easy to miss as a knife in your side, and twice as memorable."

"Er, no… I don't think so," Usopp said. "And what's a rubberman?"

"If you ever meet him, you'll get it," I told him, leaning back in my seat. "So, since you can't help with that, what about a ship and crew?"

"Well, the only person who can help you is the owner of the nearby mansion," Usopp said, before looking down slightly. "Of course, even if she's the owner, she's actually just a sick young girl that has to stay in bed…"

"Eh?" Nami frowned, looking at Usopp as she took a bite of food. "But then why's she the owner?"

"Well, a year or so back, her parents died of illness," Usopp explained. "They left her the mansion and around ten servants, but money doesn't make you exempt from sorrow."

I paused, thinking for a moment.

"Is her illness physiological, or psychological?"

Usopp turned to me, confused.

"What does it matter?" he asked. "Even her family's doctor couldn't do anything about it!"

"…Eh, just curious," I fibbed.

In reality, I'm somewhat curious about how a Traced Avalon would affect her body. If it were a psychological condition, would it heal her? Avalon is a very soothing thing, after all.

And what if it's genetic? Would it heal the affliction, or would it see it as a 'natural function' and leave it the way it is?

Ah, so many questions, yet only one answer…

"Anyway, I'd like to meet this young lady," I told him. "If she can help us, even a little, then she's worth talking to. I assume you're talking about the mansion up the hill?"

Usopp paused, before nodding.

"How did you know that?" he asked. "I mean, you can't see it when you come in from the north, and I know for sure that you can't see it from here."

"Mansions are usually built in high places," I pointed out. "Rich people will generally seek out the best view, and the top of a hill overlooking the village or the sea is just the best option, since you'll be able to sell it for exorbitant prices to the people who place more value in opulence than actual worth."

"You know how real estate works?" Nami asked. "Can't say I expected that of a pirate."

"It is literally a pirate's job to steal from the rich. Knowing where the rich guys live just makes it easier to steal their stuff faster."

"Touché."

"S-Steal?"

"From idiot rich people who exploit others, Usopp, not just richies in general."

"A-Ah, right… But, there's one more thing." He sat up a bit straighter. "You said you were looking for crew members, right?"

"Yup."

"Then make me your Captain, and I'll-"

He was cut off by the sound of breaking glass, the cup in my hand breaking.

I frowned, looking down for a moment, before sighing.

"There's only one man in the world that I could call Captain, Usopp," I said casually, pulling shards of glass out of my hand.

As I did, I put them on the table in front of me, watching as Usopp's face paled with every bloody piece.

"You are not that man."

With that, I slowly stood up, sending prana to my hand to force its healing to speed up. With my other hand, I drew out a small wad of bills, putting it on the table.

"For the glass and my crew's food. Nami, Usopp, pay your parts and we can get going."

There was a moment of silence, before Nami shifted a bit.

"Well, actually, I left my-"

"You have around 6000 Beris in your bra."

"Damnit, I was found out… Wait, how did you know-"

"Magic."

With that, I started walking, Zoro already standing up behind me.

"Now, let's get a move on," I said a bit more cheerfully. "Hate to burn the daylight away and bother the young lady when she should be sleeping."

_LINE BREAK_

"Why do I feel like a cat burglar?"

"Probably because we're sneaking our way past guards, so that we can enter the mansion of a rich girl and see what we can do about getting what we want."

"Nami, when you put it that way, it makes me sound like a thief, and I am an honorable pirate, a veritable 'warrior of the seas' as Usopp has put it."

"To this day, I have never met an honorable pirate, and I don't expect to meet one in my lifetime."

"Ha! Jokes on you, you already met two! Me, and Zoro! Checkmate, Nami!"

"Are you guys trying to get us caught!?" Usopp hissed, starting to move a large block of the hedge. "Keep this up, and the guards'll hear us!"

"This argument isn't over, just paused," I told Nami. "Plus, I bet you 10000 Berries that by the time we reach the Grand Line, I'll have proven that me and Zoro are, if nothing else, decent pirates."

"Deal. Easiest ten thousand I've ever made."

With that, we stepped through the hole in the hedge, and I looked around.

Usopp took point, walking up towards a window and knocking on it.

"Knock knock!" Usopp said, grinning.

"Usopp!" There was the sound of rustling bedsheets, before a blond girl in a white dress came to the window.

"You looked depressed again," Usopp told her.

"Ah… Sorry, I wanted to greet you like a real guest, but Klahadore won't allow it. It's not like you're a bad person, though…"

…Klahadore? Was that the dude with the knife-hands, or the dude with the sheep head…?

"Ah, never mind that!" Usopp said, grinning wider. "The stuffiness of that room would've bothered me anyway! For a brave warrior of the seas like myself, the open air is where I feel most comfortable!"

"Well said," I laughed, stepping forward. "Hello, miss."

"Ah!" She looked over to me, then towards the rest of my crew. "Usopp, are these friends of yours?"

"Of course! These guys heard of my reputation and came all this way to join the Usopp Pi-"

He froze suddenly, and started sweating for a moment.

…Ah, right. The glass thing.

"U-Uh, I mean, they came here because they heard I was such an amazing pirate, and wanted to meet me while restocking their supplies!"

"That, and we have a request."

She frowned a bit, though it seemed more in confusion than anything else.

"A request? Of me?"

I nodded.

"Of course, it would be rude to ask anything of you without first introducing ourselves. I'm-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

"…being interrupted, apparently," I muttered lowly, looking up.

As I turned, I cracked open an eye to look him over, and my gaze was drawn to his glasse-

BLOOD.

I flinched, stepping back as memories hit me like a freight train.

They were clean. They weren't covered in it, and not even an enhanced nose could catch the smell, but they'd been around it so much that they were indelibly stained.

Just the spray of the blood as it went into the air, the minute amounts of it, had required cleaning so many times, and even now, flakes of it from years ago were still ingrained deeply into the frames.

So many people were dead.

He killed them all.

"C-Captain…!"

I stopped, looking over at Zoro, and realized something.

Everyone's staring at me.

"…Ah!" I immediately bowed, hiding my face. "I'm sorry, the man approaching just reminded me of something from an old memory. I apologize if I was making a scary face."

I'm proud of myself for delivering that without a hint of anger, despite the fact that my mouth is starting to fill with blood from biting clean through the inside of my cheek.

As Kuro drew closer, he looked over all of us with a look of disdain, though his glance at me seemed a little more in-depth.

If he suspects me, then I can fight him that much sooner, but right now, I would just trouble Kaya.

I'd seen too much of his history to want to hurt her. She was innocent; she didn't deserve any more pain.

"You can't just barge into the mansion like this!" he admonished us, though his eyes seemed wholly focused on Usopp now.

"Listen, Klahadore-"

"There is no need to explain, Miss Kaya," Kuro interrupted. "I will ask you about this later." Refocusing his attention on us, he scowled. "Now please, get out if there is nothing for you to say!"

I stepped forward, slowly raising my head.

Swallowing the blood in my mouth, as foul as it tasted, I smiled slightly and kept my teeth hidden. No need to bare such bloody teeth at him… Yet.

"Yes, you see… I was hoping to speak to the young mistress, as I've heard that there's a ship here that would be very-"

"No."

My smile died, and I just stared impassively at him.

"Hm…" He turned towards Usopp again. "I've heard rumors about you, you know," he told him.

"Ah! Thank you, they call me Cap-"

"Rumors of you being an incorrigible liar." Usopp stopped, but didn't drop his grin. "That… And that you're the son of a filthy pirate."

Now, he stopped grinning.

"I'm not surprised you turned out to be such a liar, but I will not allow you to corrupt Miss Kaya… Usopp."

"Did you just say-"

My hand reached over, stopping Usopp.

"Now that, sir, was a rather rude thing to say to someone like Usopp," I said quietly. "Did you know that there was a group of pirates this morning? Bearing the flag of Buggy the Clown, in fact, who's even more well-known than old Black-Cat Kuro of a Thousand Plans."

Klahadore flinched.

"So, did he put you up to that lie, then?" he asked after a moment. "If there truly were pirates here, don't you think we'd know?"

"Oh, you do know…"

I looked up at him, grinning widely.

He flinched at the blood on my teeth, and I narrowed my eyes.

"You're looking right at them."

Both Zoro and I began to rest our hands on our swords' hilts as I stepped forward.

"You see, Usopp is a good man. He's an idiot, and a coward… But he is good. No amount of intelligence, strength, or speed will ever be able to overcome the simple fact that unlike some who run the Jolly Roger, like both Buggy and Kuro, he isn't garbage."

Now, it was Klahadore's turn to grit his teeth, forced to take that insult to the face.

"Though, since you have such a terrible opinion of pirates, tell me… Wouldn't you agree? Buggy the Clown, Fishman Arlong, Iron Club Alvida and, of course, Captain Kuro…Aren't they all just disgusting pieces of crap?"

I slowly turned away from him, hiding my joyful grin by looking towards Usopp and my crew.

"What do you think, Klahadore?"

"…Get out…"

"I can't hear you. I thought you said you disliked pirates. Is there a certain name I said that would make you feel hesitant? A pirate you don't loathe?"

"…You're right," he finally said. "All pirates, no matter who they are, are loathsome creatures that deserve death, especially at the hands of the Marines. You said yourself that you're a pirate, didn't you?" He slowly stood up straighter, adjusting his glasses with his palms. "It would be a shame if someone were to call the Marines."

I felt Nami's hand grab my shoulder. "Blade…! We can't risk the Marines coming here, and you know it! We need time to restock, or we'll get caught for sure!"

Kuro just smirked as he saw this.

"If you understand your place, then you should just lea-"

"Did you just threaten me?"

He froze.

"You're threatening to call the Marines, huh…?" I looked up, shaking my head and letting out a hearty laugh. "Of course, of course! You've really got me there, huh? The nearest Marine Base isn't too far away, and I hear it's headed by Captain Axe-Hand Morgan himself!"

I just shook my head, looking to Nami.

"Well, we'd better jet, then," I told her with another laugh. "Can you imagine me fighting Axe-Hand?" My grin only got wider. "It'd be a one-sided curbstomp!"

That was when the dam burst, and me, Nami, and Zoro all started laughing.

"W-What?" Kuro looked between us, confused. "Why are you laughing!?"

"N-No reason!" I told him, wiping a tear of mirth from my eyes. "It's an inside joke, is all. Don't worry; we'll be out of your hair soon. Just got one more thing to say."

I turned to Kaya, offering my hand to her.

"It has been an incredible pleasure to meet you, young miss. Do remember that Usopp always does mean well, no matter what he says."

At that, she returned the smile, and reached out to accept the offered hand-

When I felt another grasp my wrist.

My grin didn't falter.

"I will not allow filthy pirate scum to touch the young miss," he told me.

"Klahadore, let him go!"

One second, then two…

And then release.

"As you wish, Miss Kaya," he ground out.

"I apologize sincerely," she told me, bowing her head. "He means well, I assure you!"

"Do not apologize for the actions of another," I told her. "They, and they alone, should bear that responsibility."

My hand was still extended, and she slowly shook it.

"Ah… Your hand is a bit warm, isn't it?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry. That would be the adrenaline rush; your butler sure can be a scary person when he wants to be!" I said with a laugh, shutting off the flow of prana.

It's stress.

Her sickness is partially physiological, but primarily psychological. She's constantly stressing out about how she's worrying Klahadore and the other servants, which makes her body a bit weaker, which in turn makes her worry more.

Avalon can strengthen the body, rejuvenating it enough that it will lessen the worry, lessening the symptoms, and ultimately curing her…

But only if I can remove a certain stressor from the environment in the first place.

Unfortunately, much like surgery, if one were to simply try and rip the problem out without care, it would only worsen it…

Even so, it's no matter.

All will be well in time.

Of that, I am absolutely sure.

_LINE BREAK_

It would have been easy to take both him and Jango out when they were talking.

It would have been easy to take them out after they noticed Usopp.

It would have been easy to take either of them out when they parted ways.

In the end, I am not a man who chooses the easiest route.

It was not easy to let them walk away.

It was not easy to sit quietly as Usopp told Kaya the truth, as she called it a lie.

It was not easy to watch Kaya slap Usopp, not knowing he just wanted her to be safe.

The only easy thing about all of this was how easy it was to stare into the stars just before the sunrise and hate.

Hate comes easily, and it comes without stopping. It pours forward, and it takes everything else with it. It will be fueled by anger, by sorrow, by pain… Even joy, at times.

It is easy to hate, and hard to forgive.

But while I might not take the easy path, I don't always take the hard one either.

"The oil's all-"

"Their ship is coming from the north," I said coldly, my ears picking up on the sounds of shouting. "They're around one hundred and sixty meters off from where the waves break against the sand."

I slowly stood up, placing one hand on Ascalon.

Once again, I'm stuck standing between a cruel man and the one thing he desires most.

Kuro, though, isn't anything like Kotomine.

Kotomine was cunning, cruel, methodical, and, to an extent, so is Kuro.

In the end, though, Kuro can still feel.

Kuro can hate, and loathe, and rage.

And, oh boy, does he hate me if his expression was anything to go by when I was taunting him.

Either way, they'll be getting off of the boat in a matter of minutes, but that won't be enough.

Just as they were pulling in and starting to exit the boat, I was there.

I was holding Ascalon in my hands, her blade singing her way out of her sheath as I drew her, and I remembered why it is that I'm here.

Nami… She called me Blade, earlier.

I like that name.

Just calling me Captain would be pretty dumb, after all, and it's not like I could settle on a name anyway.

"W-Who is that!?" I could hear a Black Cat pirate call.

"Who, me?" I asked good-naturedly.

As I held up Ascalon to the sky, the sun beginning to peek over the horizon, I began to grin.

"I'm Blade, a wanderer and aspiring Hero of Justice. And today, that means I'm the man that's between you, your captain, and a whole lot of money."

I looked down the edge of Ascalon, directly at the hypnotist they called an acting captain.

"Retreat, or I'll crush you like Axe-Hand Morgan, Buggy the Clown, and Iron-Club Alvida."

Jango's eyes went wide behind his glasses as he stepped back.

"I-Impossible… You defeated all of them!?"

"Captain, he has to be lying!"

I looked at the Black Cat that said that, and focused.

A knife flew past him, shaving off a bit of hair and probably a few years of his life, if the way he screamed and jumped was anything to go by.

"One hundred and sixteen," I calmly intoned. "That's how many hairs were severed from your head."

A wave of terror spread through the group, and a few of them actually started counting.

Now, I admit that I didn't know how many I'd cut beforehand; I just cracked an eye open and checked after the fact.

Still, they didn't know that.

"C-Captain! He's right! What do we do!?"

Jango ground his teeth together, looking between his crew and me.

"Damn…! We can't retreat! Just go attack the village!" he shouted. "If we mess up Kuro's plans, he'll kill us all!"

Whatever fear they had for me was overpowered by the terror that their captain inspired in them, and they began to run.

Too bad for them, I guess.

I'll need to conserve my energy to fight against Kuro, but I can't really fight them all on my own…

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

…Well, I guess I'm not technically on my own, now.

Usopp stopped in front of me, still huffing a bit from the run.

"I'm warning you!" he shouted. "I am the Dread Captain Usopp, captain of the Usopp Pirates and master of a hundred million men! Retreat, or die!"

…

As if anyone would be stupid enough to-

"One hundred million!?" Jango shouted, stepping back again. "T-There's no way-!"

"Captain, he's lying."

"Guh-! They saw through it so easily…!"

"Usopp, you are an amazing liar… When you're calm. When you're panicked, you forget basic things, like how a hundred million men couldn't possibly fit near this one island without literally everyone in the East Blue already knowing."

"What? Damn! I should've thought of that!"

"Grr… Damn you!" Jango shouted. "How dare you lie to me!"

"Captain Jango! Good news!" Another Black Cat ran up. "We found treasure! It's a least four, maybe five million Beris!"

"Touch that treasure at your own peril," I warned them. "That's the treasure horde of a witch that sails alongside my crew. If you enjoy drawing breaths that don't send coursing pain through your body, leave it alone."

"Yeah, right! Like there'd really be a witch on the East Blue! If we were on the Grand Line, we might believe you!"

I sighed, shaking my head as I heard running.

"Yo, Nami! They're stealing all your treasure!"

"WHAT!? THOSE BASTARDS!"

She ran out beside me, her face twisted in rage.

"Blade, run out there and gut them!"

"…Seriously? You're sending me out?"

"Well, it's not like Usopp would be able to do it."

"Hey!"

"Usopp, don't object unless you actually want to go down there."

"Ah, right."

"Come on, Blade! It's not like you weren't gonna beat 'em anyway!"

"Well, yeah, but if I want to beat Captain Kuro, I kinda have to play it safe."

"But without Zoro, who's gonna fight all of them!?"

"…Nami, what did you do to Zoro?"

"…Funny story?"

Jango looked between us.

"Did they… Forget about us?" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter! Men, charge! Take the village, before Kuro takes our heads!"

"CHAAAAARGE!"

"…Eh?"

I looked over the group, frowning.

"Ah! I've got this!" Usopp said confidently.

When he began throwing out caltrops, and the Black Cats began yowling in pain when they stepped on them, I nodded.

"Good plan. No other way up, right? Now, what do we do after they clear the path in… Oh, six more seconds?"

"I didn't think that far ahead!"

"WHY DO YOU SOUND PROUD OF THAT!?"

I just sighed, watching as Nami slammed her staff against Usopp's skull.

Hm… If it's just one little blast, I won't exert myself too bad. Plus, Kuro's only really terrifying trait is his speed, I think. If I just de-claw him, I should be fine.

Of course, I'll need to make sure I don't actually hit any of the Cats…

"Hey. If there's anyone still in the ship, they should get out."

I hefted Ascalon above me, listening to her song as energy began to course through her.

As she began to glow brightly, I focused, honing the energy and compressing it.

Further, and further, and further, until it threatened to burst out of her blade.

And then, I simply aimed, and she howled.

The burst of energy wasn't anything significant if you compared it to some of the more powerful foes I'd fought, but here, it was enough.

A lash of energy tore out, aimed directly for the Black Cat's ship, and two people leaped out of it just in time to avoid being killed as their ship lost a full quarter of its mass.

It started raining wooden shards around them as I lowered Ascalon, her steel still faintly glowing from the prana output, and I sighed.

That was… a bit more draining than I expected. I'll need to train a lot more before I can call myself a 'heavy-hitter'.

Still, it served its purpose.

"W-what!? What is he, some kind of monster!?" one of the Cats shouted.

"He destroyed our ship with a sword!"

"He can't be human!"

I looked them over, and smiled a bit at the terror that passed through them all.

If they're scared, they'll hesitate.

If they hesitate, they'll be open.

If they're open, I can knock them out.

Then, nobody has to die.

I like that.

"So," I started, hefting Ascalon to my shoulder, "how about you guys just go ahead and retreat? I might be pretty against killing, but, y'see, one pirate crew versus the entire population of this island…"

I shrugged.

"Aren't the scales weighted a little unfairly here?"

They began to back up, but Jango once again stepped forward.

"Men! Look here!" He raised his pendulum-blade. "On the count of Jango, you will all become fearless, powerful men that can shatter mountains with your fists! One, two-"

*ssssshunk*

He stopped, blinking once and looking down.

His chest was bleeding, the knife having grazed his chest, and his pendulum's thread was severed.

"Sorry," I apologized honestly. "I hate ruining someone's weapons like that, but I can't afford to let you reinvigorate your party. If you did… I would definitely have to kill them all."

I grinned, shrugging once.

"This way, though, I'll only have to kill whichever one of you charges at me first! Isn't that way better?"

Hearing that, nobody had the guts to run ahead of anyone else, even at the thought of Kuro. Sure, he'd kill them all later, but their lives were on the line now.

There's a certain terror that comes from that sense of impending death.

That's the sort of weapon I'm most proficient in. It's certainly far less violent, after all.

"Huh… Well, Captain, it looks like you've handled the situation pretty well on your own."

I glanced over my shoulder, grinning at my crewmate.

"Ah! Zoro! What took ya so long? Nami said it was a funny story, but didn't say anything else."

He twitched.

"Funny story, huh?" He turned to look at her. "Hey, you damn witch! What the Hell were you thinking, going and kicking me like that!?"

I chuckled, shaking my head and refocusing.

Namely, on the two 'cowards' that were currently being ordered by Jango to come at me.

"W-What!?" they shouted as one. "B-But we're just the ship's watchmen! We don't fight people like that!"

…Ah, right. That's the ploy they run.

With one eye cracked open, it was easy to read the history of the blades on Sham's hands. His claws said enough about him that it would be fine, even if they came after me.

So, I stepped forward, drawing out Oni-Hone to match Ascalon in my other hand, even as Shame began to run forward.

"Hey Zoro. You wanna take 'em?" I asked dryly.

"It'd be my pleasure, Captain."

He stepped past me, raising one of his blades.

"Underestimating them will kill you," I muttered, and he paused.

He was drawing his second blade when Sham surged forward, revealing that he was far more skilled than he let on.

With both him and Buchi attacking, Zoro was pushed back for a moment, but he didn't let it stay that way.

Sham's claws were fast, but they followed a pattern; prior to every swing, his shoulder would shift slightly downwards for any rising blows, back for side swipes, and up for any crushing strikes from above.

On the other hand, Buchi didn't reveal his attacks before they flew out, which was a bit surprising for someone with so much raw power. On the other hand, though, they were just overall slower than Sham's, making it a moot point anyway.

It took about three seconds of blocking for Zoro to piece this together, and around two more before he saw a slight opening, where Sham and Buchi both drew back at once.

Both of Zoro's blades surged forward, and the sound of a blade cutting through flesh could be heard as they both stumbled back.

Buchi was visibly bleeding as he held his stomach, whereas Sham was clutching his side.

As Zoro lifted Ichimonji to his mouth, he gave a dark grin, and both of the Nyaban Brothers felt fear.

It was over two seconds later, because Sham and Buchi tried to flee but were too slow.

"Hm. They were hardly even a challenge," Zoro said, scoffing around Ichimonji.

"Would you have been able to win so easily if you'd had one sword?"

"…Hm. Fair enough; I'll keep that in mind."

"Damn…!" Jango growled. "At this rate, the Captain will- URK."

He froze, and after a moment, so did I.

Not because Captain Kuro arrived; I was expecting him, so that didn't come as a surprise.

What's shocking is, of course, that I didn't hear him.

Even with my ears Reinforced, he'd still moved fluidly enough that even the grass beneath him didn't let out even a whisper to hint at his presence.

I looked over my shoulder with a scowl, staring at the man that I'd forgotten was one of, if not the highest-level assassin in the East Blue.

"So… You somehow knew my plan. I thought you might, with what you said at the mansion."

I shrugged, my grasp on my blades tightening.

"When you lifted your glasses, you used your palms," I pointed out. "It was a bit of a giveaway."

"…Hm. I see. I'd thought such an action would be harmless, but I suppose even the most minute elements can affect a plan. Still… I would have expected the Black Cats to at least be able to take out a few children."

"See your ship?" I gestured to the missing quarter of it. "That was what happened in the first minute or so. It's not really your crew's fault; we're just monsters, y'know?"

Kuro scowled, raising his hand, wearing the bladed gloves, and lifted his glasses with his palm.

"Hey… Actually, aren't you a little calm?" I asked, a bit confused. "You've never had a plan fail before. I really pegged you as the kind of guy to shout it out when your crew doesn't follow through."

He ground his teeth together, before shaking his head.

"You… When I grabbed your hand to keep you from touching the girl, I felt it. I understand that my crew wouldn't be strong enough to stop you. It's only been a few minutes since dawn, and yet here I am. Do you know why this is?"

I frowned.

"Huh. You're a lot more skilled than I thought, if you could figure out my strength at a touch."

"Not a touch. A glance. I saw your eyes, boy, and no normal human can have those eyes. But, in the end, even if you aren't normal, that won't be enough to stop me. After all…"

I felt a breath go down the back of my neck.

"Nobody can-"

*THUNK*

Kuro went flying backwards, skidding across the ground slightly before catching himself.

My hand, Reinforced with prana and Haki, was black with a faint blue glow.

I looked up at him, opening both eyes now and glaring.

"If you think I'll let you touch me, little pussy-cat, then you're in for a surprise," I growled. "Either kill me, or lose the fight. None of this special taunting crap."

I pointed Oni-Hone at him.

"Kill me, Klahadore. If you can't even do that much, then you don't deserve the life you're trying to steal."

"…Tch. Fine, you brat," he growled back. "I can't afford to let you ruin my plans after so many years begging and scraping for some little girl! I'll kill you now, with my ultimate technique."

"C-Captain, you can't mean-!"

"Jango." He looked over his shoulder. "Head into town and find the girl. Hypnotize her into leaving her will to me."

And with that, his hands slowly fell limply at his sides, he looked to the ground, and he began to sway.

Jango immediately started sprinting, moving to get past me, but Zoro stood in his way.

"Y-You idiot!" Jango shouted. "You need to run too! This attack, the Shakushi… When he does that, he can't see who he's attacking! Friend, foe, it doesn't matter! Everyone will die!"

That was the only warning that almost everyone in the area had.

Almost not including the man whose eyes could see the muscles tense.

I saw which direction he was moving before he moved.

The first movement would be the only one he could aim, because after that, he'd be moving too fast for him to be able to actually see.

Given that I'm his enemy, he's targeting me first, and he'll be moving to my left and attempting to disembowel me in a single motion.

I can't see what he'll do after that. If I can't stop him, everyone dies.

That's why…

"SHAKUSH- GAH!"

I won't let him even start.

Kuro fell to his knees, vomiting right beside me.

I couldn't catch him since he was moving too fast, but he could only move in straight lines.

I don't need to move faster than him.

I just need to make him run into me.

With a swift kick, I felt bones begin to break in his ribs.

He swung out, but he could hardly see through the tears that came from heaving.

Reinforced, flooded with Haki…

His blades were beautiful. They were well-kept through the years, glorious pieces of masterwork steel designed to cut and gouge with precision; they were a privilege to lay eyes on and ultimately far too weak.

Blood dripped from my arm as his blades broke like glass against stone, and I reared back.

I didn't swing down Ascalon, or Oni-Hone, or any Traced weapon.

When I broke his nose, his cheekbones, and a small part of his skull, it was with a punch.

His face bounced off the ground, and I followed it up with a swift stomp.

He didn't scream out when his kneecap was shattered so completely, so he's definitely not just faking unconsciousness.

Still… With a leg like that, he'll never be able to use the Shakushi, or even his Silent Step maneuver again.

He wouldn't be able to kill anyone as easily, so even if it was a bit violent, I don't mind what I did.

I looked up at Jango, and spoke clearly.

"I told you from the start that I don't kill people needlessly. When I broke the ship, I targeted non-essential parts. Technically, she's still sea-worthy… Barely."

I grabbed Kuro by the collar and threw him at Jango, who barely managed to catch him while falling back.

"Take him and leave. Drop him off somewhere, call the Marines, and find a shipwright. I want Kuro jailed for this, but I can't throw him there myself, so if you can do that much, I'll ignore the rest of you."

I sighed, picking up my swords from where I dropped them, carefully wiping away the sand on them.

"However, if I hear that the Black Cats are operating like this again, killing innocents because it's easier to loot corpses…"

I raised Ascalon, feeling energy surge through her as I swept down, clearing the sand off of her blade, and kicking up a small burst of wind from the force.

"I will find each and every one of you, break every one of your limbs, and throw you into Impel Down by your god damn testicles. Am I understood?"

"S-SIR YES SIR!" they practically screamed, running for their still mostly-sailable ship.

Jango, however, took a moment to look at me, his fear overridden by something else.

"Who… are you?" he asked quietly.

"…? I already told you. I'm a wandering blade and aspiring hero of justice." I shrugged. "Now hurry up and get out of here. It'll be better for your crew if you can leave Kuro somewhere before he wakes up."

"R-Right…"

With that, he picked up his former captain and began running to the ship.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair as my vision began to swim.

"Tch… Damn island weather…"

I felt someone start supporting me as I began to waver.

"D-Damn! You're burning up!" Usopp hissed. "Did you fight them with a fever!?"

…Ah, heatstroke. That's why I feel sick.

The prana was heating up my body internally, and the Haki must have been keeping me solid enough that it didn't affect me, but with the flow cut…

"I'll be fine," I said quietly. "Just… Take me t' the mansion… I need to rest fer a bit."

"R-Right! And…"

Usopp smiled at me.

"Thanks. Without you… We wouldn't have been able to stop them."

"…Tch. Don't thank me, you troublesome brat… Just get me a bed."

"Alright!"

_LINE BREAK_

On our way to the mansion, we met with Kaya. Apparently, Kuro had attacked Merry, and in doing so, revealed that he was a pirate. Kaya felt a bit sad that she couldn't even make it there fast enough to do anything, but Usopp chastised her about how much she could've done anyway. Same with Usopp's little pirate-wannabes.

I don't remember things too clearly after that, to be honest. Kaya ended up helping a lot, as she had more than a few medical texts to refer to.

Apparently, though, I had an internal temperature of 146 Fahrenheit. That hadn't been great, but thanks to a certain Miracle working on my insides, I recovered quickly. The ice packs that I was given helped a lot too. After a while, I returned to a rather reasonable 120… Reasonable for one with Oni-blood, anyway.

Y'know, thinking about it, I never really thought about why I never suffered from heatstroke from overuse of my abilities in Fuyuki. I mean, I only really used them during the Grail War, and that was during a Japanese winter. Maybe that's why?

Eh, whatever. As long as I don't go fighting all-out under the desert sun, I'm sure I'll be fine.

…Maybe it's the heatstroke, but thinking that sentence sent chills throughout my body. Weird.

In the end, despite Nami's repeated explanation about how I should be unconscious and in dire need of emergency medical aid, I was up and about three hours later.

I'd ended up having a nice conversation with Kaya after that, and it'd taken a bit of effort (and another few ice packs), but Kaya was now sporting a small blue and yellow necklace.

Something like that had taken a lot of effort, and it would only last a week, even in this mana-rich world, but it would help.

She said that she 'can't be so weak now' after spending a year sick and bed-ridden. Faced with that kind of resolve, I couldn't call myself an (aspiring)hero of justice if I couldn't help her out.

When the time came for us to leave, it was with a grin as I saw Kaya's gift for us.

"It's a caravel!" Zoro said.

Now, I admittedly have no idea what a caravel is, but I know I like this ship.

The Going Merry – a beautiful ship designed by Merry himself, filled with supplies that we'd been meaning to pick up.

Which is good, since I don't have enough cash to get the supplies, and Nami would give me a loan with an interest rate so high that I'd be better off just turning myself in to the Marines for three square meals.

After seeing Merry's condition though (the man, not the ship), I whispered to Kaya, "Maybe you and him should share the pendant…?"

I mean, he doesn't look bad, but…

…Okay, no, he looks like he got his face kicked in by a Warlord.

Still, I'm glad for everything that's happened.

Thus far, what I've done here on the East Blue… It's totally different from home. I mean, I spent years building up for a single moment, and in less than a fortnight, it was over.

Here, though, it's like I'm getting a chance to rest. It's not one dangerous mission after another without a break, but rather, it's like I'm living a life on the sea with a few crazy events happening every so often.

It all boils down to heart-pumping adventures either way, but there's just something special about it, like nothing I've ever felt.

Seeing Usopp, Nami, and Zoro all laughing together, talking about the ship with Merry and Kaya…

I think I get used to things like this.

TO BE CONTINUED

_LINE BREAK_

AN: Thanks for reading! If you had any thoughts on the story, feel free to leave them as reviews! Whether they're positive or negative, I'm always happy to see that someone took the time to say something, whatever it may be.

To confront a certain issue first, though…

One of the things that I usually see done in a Self-Insert fic that makes me drop a story is usually when they replace the main character, make the Self-Insert ludicrously powerful, and then have them curbstomp everything. However, this, as you may have noticed, is exactly what I did. This was mostly for the sake of fun, and showing off Jumper, especially since I don't plan on covering anything after Reverse Mountain.

It did not erase Luffy, though. Luffy still exists in this world. He's alive and has been doing his own things, and he will appear in the third chapter. If you're curious as to what those things are, then feel free to read on!

I just wanted to make sure that people knew that, since I imagine the number one question would be about that.

Enjoy the preview of the next episode! ...Which is being put up at the same time as the first, making it mostly pointless anyway!

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Next time, on Jumper in the East Blue…

Episode 5:

"That was… Severely underwhelming, Lieutenant. Is there something wrong with your cannons…?"

"Oi, black-leg. Your restaurant got on openings for some last-minute diners?"

"…This dish… It's a modified canard à l'orange, isn't it? You used the taste of turmeric and the orange to counterbalance the gamy smell and taste duck often has… But, there's more… No way…! Gooseberries…!?"

GOD DAMN, LOOK AT THAT MUSTACHE.

"Pride is for the marines and the idiots that die at my hand! I'll take my victories anywhere I can, and claim my place as King of the Pirates!"

"See, Zoro!? I told you I could smell a sea-hawk!"

"Usopp Rubber Band of DOOOOOOM!"

"Look out, you shark-nosed son of a bitch… We're coming for you…!"

Episode 6:

"Here we are! Arlong Park!"

"Sing for me… Ascalon!"

"You damn traitor…!"

"You hurt my friend, Arlong. You hurt Nami, and I will break you and leave you for her to judge because of that. Trace On."

"Taking it this far, hurting all of those people… You're not even at the level of humans, you damn monster."

"A Body of Steel; a Heart of Glass."

"Sweet dreams, Blade…"