Act 1: Enter A New Star!
Chapter-1: Crossing Super Novas
LSSN (Logistics Specialist Seaman) Patterson D. David walked down the streets of the infamous Loguetown, resting place of the Pirate King Gol D. Rodgers. David was a skinny yet well toned young man standing on the shorter side (at roughly 6'7") with naturally tanned skin, dark hazel brown eyes, shoulder length black hair, and a well cared for goatee. He had on a yellow/white button up shirt (with only a third of the buttons buttoned) baring the Navy insignia on the back and right breast pocket with its sleeves rolled up to just below the elbow, under a dark blue long coat he wore as a cape. His red slacks were held up by a plain brown leather belt and tucked into a set of black combat boots, and the top of his head was covered with a crimson bandana under a brown tripoint cover.
The young man was quite exited, he had just finished A-school and was now heading to his first command, and thanks to his family's connections it was going to be a Loguetown command! David had always wanted to visit this legendary city, ever since he first heard tails from his father. David was a second, thirdish, generation Navy brat, his great grandfather on his mother's side had been in the Navy and his father was a former chief with quite the fearsome reputation back in the day. In fact he was forced to medically retire do to a fight with Gol D. Rodgers himself, in a battle that devastated three islands in the "New World", even Admiral Akainu spoke to his father with respect!
On his way in from the docks he'd already had a strange encounter, he'd come across Commodore Smoker himself and a strange kid who set off both his Kenbunshoku Haki and "Cosmic Awareness" like nothing else. He grinned to himself, THAT kid had a destiny, and he could tell Smoker had the same feeling though the Captain probably didn't realize what it was yet. But as he made his way through the groups of crowding he noticed a larger than normal commotion about one of the groups. Extending his Kenbunshoku Haki the man caught a vision of a pretty, short haired, blunet, young woman in glasses facing off against a pair of weak pirates. Chuckling to himself David continued walking into the crowd, it should be a good show.
As the two idiots charged, he noticed a green haired swordsman about to intercede, however the fight (if one could truly call it such) was over before you could blink. The young woman had unwrapped, drawn her blade, and struck the two down before he could even draw his sword. David could only laugh as the swordswoman fell in an exceedingly clumsy manner and then the green haired man, in an attempt to help her, accidentally crushed the glasses he picked up for her. Walking up to the pair David stopped their arguing with a hand.
"How about I pay for your glasses miss, this guy here looks pretty penniless."
"That's not the point though!" David and the green haired man looked questioningly at each other then back to her, "If you pay for him then he'll fall into a habit of irresponsibility and…" and she went on like that till David cleared his throat and brought her back to reality.
"Alright then what do you suggest mam?" Giving him a smile so cute it should have been illegal the woman dragged off the green haired man, David in tow, both sweat dropping.
A few minutes latter and the trio found themselves in front of the Loguetown Marine base. "Alright, you can pay me back by working here! And as long as you can work for the Marines you won't have to worry about money!" Said the blunet as she shoved a brush and bucket into Zoro's hands.
"Why would I want to work here!?" But the green head's answer just seemed to piss her off further. Which in turn made the LS Seaman chuckle quietly.
"So do you intend to just be the kind of person to throw another's kindness into their face!"
"HEY! What the!?" Before he could even form a counter a random Seaman ran up to the woman and saluted her.
"Master ChiefTashigi! It's time for drills!"
"Cool mind if I join in before I check in then Sarge?" The three talkers gave David a shocked look before Tashigi gasped and pulled out a notebook.
"Of coarse you must be the new recruit for the McCampbell, LSSN Patterson D. David, right?"
"That'd be me." Replied the handsome young man with a roguish grin. He chuckled once again at the blush that spread across the young Sarge's face.
"Of coarse feel free to join us! I'm afraid you won't have much to do other than train and explore the town till your ship returns in a month."
"That's fine with me. I think I'd rather like getting to know the chain of command better." It was really fun to tease her, thought the young Devil Fruit user as he fallowed her down into the practice yard.
The drills were simple enough, consisting mostly of basic sword forms and some shooting practice. Everything MOST Sailors/Marines would need to at least keep them alive in battle. But the sad truth was that most of these men would probably be killed or medically discharged before they made it to E-6, unless they developed some special skills there was little hope of getting noticed or even surviving in the waters on or around the Grand Line. Coming out of his thoughts David sweat dropped as he suddenly realized that he'd been throwing around several armed guys like rag dolls, probably unconsciously using his Kenbunshoku Haki while lost in thought.
"Wow, and without even using a weapon! Your pretty good Patterson."
"Heh, I owe it all to my dad's training. But please Master Chief call me David or at least Pat."
"Alright… Pat." Her cute blush and slight smile brought a definite smile to the Seaman. Behind them he could already tell that the green headed man who came in with them and beaten a pair of guards on the way out. Though he knew he probably should have stopped him something in the back of his mind said things might be more interesting with the guy out and about. Fallowing the Master Chief as two other marines informed her of the attack David fallowed her in as she examined the KOed pair.
"If your worried about that guy why don't you go look for him MC? Though I've got a hunch that he's perfectly fine." She gave him a questioning look before nodding to him and then regaining that blush he was starting to like so much.
"Um… would you mind coming with me… to help find that guy! You seem to have a knack for things like this." Nodding his head in agreement David fallowed her as she ran out the doors. They searched the town for almost an hour before Tashigi sighed and said,
"We'll keep looking for him down this way." said the clumsy, sexy Marine Master Chief even as they turned down a new road. "I need to pickup my sword from the smith right now."
"Whatever you need mam, I'm just enjoying my time with you." Replied David cheerily. Tashigi blushed furiously at his comment, and didn't fully notice when she looped her arm with his and pulled him off.
Several minutes later and the pair found themselves at one of the local smith's shops, from the quality of their displayed weapons he could tell they were good. Looking at the counter he noticed a shock of green hair and smirked, it seems that fate had once again placed them with their strange acquaintance. But upon looking at his unsheathed sword, he could have sworn he had seen it somewhere. Luckily for him Tashigi seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge of meito and a tendency to voice her thoughts.
"Ahaa! Is that really the Wadō Ichimunji! It's one of the 31 Ō Wazamono swords, it's worth at least 40,000,000 beli."
"Shut up! Are you trying to ruin my business?"
David laughed at the scene of the owner throwing Tashigi's sword to her and the clumsy Sargent losing her balance and knocking over a display, before walking up to the owner. "Hey no real harm done, and anyway that guy obviously wasn't going to sell the Wadō for any price."
Grumbling in anger the owner eventually grunted his agreement, "Alright. There's the 500 beli pile, pick a couple of cheep swords and get outta here." The green haired guy scratched the back of his head as he headed over to the four barrels of junk swords and started rummaging through. Turning his attention away from the green haired man David began looking over the store's selection, it was decent. But he was a little disappointed that it didn't carry any of his weapons of choice, i.e. the short handled war hammer, two-handed jian, naginata, or trench knives. But the sound of the owner yelling that he wouldn't sell the green head a sword instantly caught his attention. Turning around his eyes widened at the blade in the swordsman's hand, 3rd Kotetsu! Now he was no expert on swords, but even he had heard the tails about those three "devil swords" and how every one of their wielders had died or disappeared mysteriously. He wasn't surprised that the guy wouldn't sell the sword any longer, who would ever wanted that kind of knowledge on their conscience.
"Well let's just see which is stronger this sword's curse or my luck?" David grinned, he knew this guy would be interesting. They all watched as he tossed the sword into the air and held out his arm. The sword spun down in a steady rotation, but when it seemed that the blade would take his arm off it moved in the most unusual way and missed his arm by the merest of centimeters before lodging itself nearly to the hilt in a floorboard. Tashigi let out a sigh of relief, the owner and his wife were speechless, and David and the swordsman wore identical grins. "I'll take it! Hey you," the guy said to David, "pick another sword for me, you look like you've got a good eye."
"I don't think that will be necessary." Said the Devil Fruit user as he looked towards the owner. The man nodded as he suddenly turned and ran up the stairs before returning with a covered item that he revealed to be one of the finest swords David had ever seen. The owner stated some facts about the blade before saying, "Wazamono meito, Yabashiri! This is my shop's finest masterpiece!" he bowed to the swordsman, "Please take it!"
"I told you old man, I don't have that kind of cash." Said the swordsman while the Sargent Major looked on in awe.
David interrupted with a low chuckle, "I may not be a swordsman, but I've heard that some special swords, katana especially, choose their wielders. The Sandai Kotetsu obviously chose you."
"That's right! And because of that I want you to also take this Yabashiri free of charge! Any swordsman found worthy of a Kotetsu will certainly bring this blade to glory as well!" The swordsman grinned and nodded before taking the two blades and placing them with the Wadō and walking out the door.
Beside the grinning LSSN, Tashigi sighed, "It looks like I completely lost to him." A small smile on her face.
"That's only cause he has a dream." The Master Chief gave the Seaman a strange look. "He is steadfast in his goal and looks to nothing else, his conviction makes him strong, and will carry him to its end whatever that may be!" Looking at the girl knelt next to him and now staring at him in awe. "When you find the kind of conviction he has to strive and die for a dream… you will have found your own strength Tashigi."
The aura of his Haoshoku Haki and the power of his words made the swordswoman look at him as if he were some kind of sage and take his words to heart. She blushed as she looked at his grinning form caught in the glinting window light.
"Well then shouldn't we get back to the base Tashigi?"
Her blush deepened even more, "Y-you shouldn't be addressing your superiors so informally."
David laughed good naturedly as he helped her up and walked with her out the door. The two walked back to the base almost arm in arm while discussing various mundane things, he was intrigued to find out that Tashigi was a closet manga otaku, it also surprised him how easily he opened up to this strange clumsy young woman. Normally David was actually quite a reserved and laid back individual who stuck to himself or his few close friends. And yet here he was chatting away with a woman he'd met just hours before. He wasn't sure weather to take it as a good or a bad sign.
The pair arrived back at the Marine Base just after noon and as they walked through the gate Tashigi was informed that the Captain wanted to see her. Bidding her farewell David decided to explore the base a bit before heading to his barracks. But several minutes into his wandering an all hands call roared out across the base's 1MC. Apparently some pirates had invaded the central square around the execution platform.
Once again his Kenbunshoku Haki and "Cosmic Awareness" were going wild, something was about to happen, something that would change the course of history, or perhaps define it. Whatever was about to happen he knew he couldn't miss it. Fallowing the trail of Sailors and Marines, David eventually found himself in a building overlooking the execution grounds. Using his Devil Fruit powers to move quickly around and between people till he was at an open window. There on the block was the goofy kid from earlier with the clown (in more ways than one) pirate Buggy ready to take the boy's head off. Slowly an unnatural storm front pulled in overhead. Gazing up into the clouds David knew what would happen, up upon the platform Buggy asked if the boy (revealed to be "Straw-Hat" Luffy) had any last requests. Taking a deep breath Luffy yelled to the crowd,
"I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!" Instantly the people burst into talk.
{To say something like that, here of all places! What a bold declaration you make Monkey D. Luffy!} Thought David as two of the boy's crew attacked the clown pirates in an attempt to reach their captain.
"Zoro, Sanji! Sorry guys, looks like I'm dead!" The boy smiled, a large cheesy grin, even as the sword came down. When inches from the boy's neck a huge bolt of lightning struck the tower and bringing it crashing down. From the wreckage Luffy emerged unharmed, not really surprising considering the boy's rubber body. Not even waiting for the call he knew Smoker would make, David leaped into the fray and blasting an escape rout for the civilians with the shockwave of a Busoshoku Haki equipped shoulder charge. He then turned back and began to demolish any and all pirates between him and Luffy. Suddenly waves of… rainbow energy? Rained down upon him and his fellow sailors and marines. Looking up he saw a man on a unicycle charge straight through him.
Cobaji looked at his now melted sword and the chunks of molten steel now burning into the flesh of his comrades and then back to the still flaming "wound" through the man's chest. "Just what are you?"
"Me? Why I'm a star-man!" David's comment was accentuated by his entire body bursting into golden plumbs of "flame". "Afterburner!" A wave of pure heat energy smashed into Cobaji flaying skin from bone and causing the man to fall screaming. Not willing to waist more time ethereal blue energy began emanating from his arms. "Solar Wind, Magnetizer!" instantly tornadoes of azure energy flew forth from his arms and entrapped the Buggy Pirates, forcing them to stick together and pulling all sorts of metal towards them.
"Fire the special nets!" Captain Smoker yelled as he watched his new subordinate effortlessly takeout the trash pirates. As soon as the nets fell, David was off, racing towards the Strawhats. Smoker couldn't help but grin, the boy was better than most of his officers twice his age and experience.
Some ways down the street, David careened after the retreating pirates. That Luffy character was something else, untrained and unrefined sure, but given time and the right kind of master and he'd be a force to be reckoned with. Seeing the Strawhat's green haired first mate fighting his favorite Master Chief. David smirked for a moment, that Zoro wasn't the type to hurt a female so far below his own level and she might just learn something from fighting a guy like Zoro. Moving on as soon as he was sure Zoro wouldn't kill Tashigi he sped off towards his real target. Sighting the Strawhat running up ahead of him David flashed ahead of him as a flair of solar flame.
Reforming in front of the young captain and his blond teammate, he gave the pair a grin as both their attacks passed straight through him. Luffy held his slightly burned hand in pain, good thing his rubber body had such quick snapback, but Sanji's lack of heat damage was honestly surprising. Never letting the Strawhats' Captain leave his sight David extended his arm and gave him the traditional 'bring it' motion. "Let's see what you've got Luffy. If you can't even get past me, then The Line will eat you and your crew alive."
"Heh. But that's part of the fun isn't it." David returned the rubber boy's grin.
"Then show me you've got what it takes to protect them!" Without warning he charged the pirate and delivered a barrage of martial arts strikes. Though the wannabe Pirate King had a lot of potential and some reasonably impressive dodging ability David still firmly connected with over half of his strikes, and he hadn't even begun to use his true speed, let alone his Haki or Cosmic Awareness. Spinning slightly to his right the LSSN delivered a powerful backhand to the back of Strawhat's head that sent him careening into a wall.
"Luffy!" Sanji moved to intercept David with a spinning high kick to his head only for the young sailor to easily deflect it with a raised arm. Without even turning to look at the blond cook David delivered a perfect reverse Flash Kick to his chin, sending him flying into and tough a wall.
"Looks like you lack what it takes to enter that place they call the New World. To become the Pirate King you'll need more than just the power of the Devil Fruit." David drew back his arm ready to KO the rubber pirate captain… only to have it grabbed by a powerful Haki equipped hand. Looking back at his new opponent David's eyes went wide as he noticed who now stood behind him. "Dragon, the World's Revolutionary! Why risk coming out to save some no name like Straw-Hat?"
"Why take away a man's right to sail the sea free?" Lightning flashed and showed the wide grin on his tattooed face. Returning the revolutionary's toothy grin David ignited his arm, forcing the powerful man away.
"You've got me there Dragon." the young seaman stood and faced the World's Most Wanted Man. "But do you really think the kid and his crew can survive the Grand Line as they are now?"
"Is that for us, or them to decide?" Away from the two powerful fighters Luffy and Sanji had gotten up and were making a run for it.
On their other side Smoker's lower half exploded into smoke and he rocketed after the pair. "You're not escaping on my watch Straw-Hat!"
"How About We Let Destiny Decide!" Exclaimed Dragon as he rose his hand to the sky.
"Why Not Dragon!" And David's form exploded into dark, azure blue, stellar flames that spiraled into the clouds. As the powers of storm and star collided shockwaves and storming winds blasted about the entire town. Marine and pirate alike struggled not to be torn airborne by the chaotic forces unleashed by two monsters in human skin.
For over a minute this storm of destruction roared before dissipating to normal storm levels. Catching his falling tripoint David stood amongst the rubble with a slight smile on his face. "So for now that's all I can do eh?" Looking towards the harbor he laughed as he watched Luffy slingshot himself back onto his boat alongside Roanoa Zoro. Dusting himself off the young Navy enlisted began his trek back to the base. Without a doubt this fiasco will have Smoker up in arms and he'll order the first ship he can get his hands on to chase after them. 'It looks like you'll be ushering in a new age of pirates Straw-Hat.' Thought the starman as he nearly burned with excitement. The future was starting to look really exiting.
—
Okay I'd just like to make one thing clear for those who will inevitably think I'm pushing David and Tashigi's relationship to fast. Tashigi has been shown to have an unusually shy side at time, so as she finds David physically attractive, and begins to have a great admiration towards him, she has developed a crush but not real romantic feelings as of yet. Combine with the fact that she basically is looking up to a subordinate, who in her philosophy should look up to her, makes her embarrassment even worse. David on the other hand finds her endlessly amusing and both cute and sexy so flirts with her and teases her. He dose have growing feelings for her and is slightly shocked by how her quirks seem to bring him out of his usual shell of aloof introversion.
I'd like to thank avatoa for his review and corrections. Please review this fic with any corrections, questions, and suggestions you may have. Flames will be used to help Ace burn the trolls in Hell though.