Chapter 4: Learning from a Dragon?!
"You want me to teach you the sword?" Sen asked me. I nodded in response. I needed to have a way to fight, not just self-defence anymore. Most of the Straw Hats have their own unique fighting techniques, and all of them could take out many goons with ease.
Even Usopp, fucking USOPP, can hold his own well.
If I'm going to join them, I need some kind of edge of my own. And I doubt punching and kicking hard is good enough. Thus asking him.
"I took you along to train you, but not in swords." He stated, "Even if I train you in that, it would take years to properly wield one."
"Then teach me faster!" I shouted. I don't have years to train! Luffy probably reached Loguetown within a few months' time! If I missed that opportunity, I probably will be in the backlash in all the events that followed after! And I do not wish to be in the tornado that they creates!
"That's impossible!" Sen shouted, "Besides, I never said I'll teach you!"
"But I need to!" I cried.
"Why?" He asked, "Why the rush, anyway? First the Morgan question, and now the need for strength suddenly? Rein, what is going on? Who are you?"
I closed my mouth in silence. Crap, I didn't mean to be so pushy… and now Sen is suspicious of me… What do I do?
"And don't try to excuse yourself out of this." He added, "I've seen your actions since we met. You acted like you're waiting for something. Anticipating for some grand event. You always been keeping the eye on the papers, and checking out the latest wanted posters from each town!"
"Who are you waiting for?!"
…I didn't realised my actions are so obvious… Checking the papers was the only way for me to see if there's anything in the plot have happened yet. And the wanted posters is more of a check to see if Arlong is defeated yet. The timeline and date for each incident is unknown to me at this point, so that's the only way to get info.
What should I do now…? I don't any excuses for those! Should I tell him the truth? What is the truth to him? I'm some guy from another world that happens to read a story about this world through a manga some guy wrote and I'm waiting on the main character to show up some point in time?
…Yeah, I'll probably get sent to the mental hospital for that!
"If you can't say it, I won't train you anymore. I believe there's a nearby port that you can stay." He stated.
Oh hell no! I can't get thrown out now! Not that this point of time! And I can't truly survive on my own in this world! I'll be turned into a sex slave within weeks!
There's no other choice… I have to at least try to tell him!
"…I'm… actually waiting for a pirate named Monkey D. Luffy…"
"Monkey D.-?!" Sen muttered in shock, "Wait, how you know of this guy?!"
Well, no turning back now…
"I'm not from this world." I stated, "I'm from another world, one a lot different from this one. There, I was originally just some guy who happens to read a comic book called One Piece, which happens to star Luffy as the main character."
"…Wait, huh-"
"I've read the entire manga until its latest chapters!" I continued, "I know a lot of the characters, I mean people, in this world! I can name a few, Monkey D. Garp, the marine hero! Dracule Mihawk! Gol D. Roger!"
"Rein-"
"I know some of the secrets as well! Like Boa Hancock being an ex-slave to the Tenryuubito! Or that Portgas D. Ace is actually Roger's son-"
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Sen suddenly shouted. I closed my mouth in shock. Did I go too far? Was it too unbelievable?
"O-Okay…" He panted, "…no need to blurt out the most dangerous secret in the world now…"
"…" I nodded.
"Well, huh…" He looked at me numbly, "A different world, huh… That would probably explain the lack of knowledge you seems to possess…"
"Wait, you believe me…?"
"Well, I've been to the Grand Line, Paradise and New World, thousands of times." He stated, "There's been stranger things in those oceans. Although a human from another world is a new one for me."
"Grand Line…? You?" I muttered, "Never mind that, you truly believe my bizarre story? Not going to accuse me of lying?"
"Hey, you know about Ace." He stated, "That's more than enough to believe you. That secret is held only by Garp and Dandan, excluding me since old Roger told me about it."
"Old Roger…? You know him?!" I cried. This must be a joke. Sure, Oda never truly shows all of Roger's main crew members, but to meet one as my mentor?!
"What can I say, I and the captain have a close bond of comradery." He stated, "I was the Roger Pirates' Chronicler, after all."
"You're part of Roger's crew?!" What are the odds?!
"Yes, and their guide on the Grand Line too." He chuckles, before giving me a serious look, "So, that talk about knowing things… Do you know why Roger was captured?"
"He surrendered himself since he was dying of a disease, right?"
"And you know the truth of One Piece?"
Huh? The truth? "Um… no. It never reached that part yet."
"Oh, that's good…" He sighs in relief.
"Good?"
"Let's not talk about that." He stated, "Then, this… 'manga' was it? It tells you the story of this pirate named Monkey D. Luffy? That means any future events?"
"Pretty much any. But usually the ones caused by him and his future crew." I stated.
"Then, the Morgan question was…"
"It was when he pick up the first member of his crew."
"Ah… so let me guess. You want to join them?"
"…Yes…" That's the truth. If I were to survive in this crazy world, the best way is to team up with them. That's where my knowledge would work best. "That's why I need to get crazily strong as fast as I can! Ah, but no Devil Fruit please! That's just gives me a really pathetic weakness in this world."
"So… you need to become stronger in order to join them, huh?" He muttered, before smiling a little, "Well, at least you're not questing for vengeance or desiring power and all that stuff. I guess I could teach you."
"Wait, really?!" That was enough to convince him?!
"Hm… but to train you with such short time… we'll need to move to a different area…" He muttered, "The East Blue doesn't have good enough locations for it… And I doubt she would appreciate heading into the Grand Line early…"
What is he talking about? Grand Line? Are we leaving the East Blue?
"Well, that's settled, since you have told me your secret, it's only far to tell you mine." He smirked, before leaping into the ocean without warning. What is he doing? I peered over the side, trying to see where he is. A dark shadow starts to appear from under the water surface, the waves start to increase dramatically.
I took a step back just as the dark shape emerges from the water, and boy, did I not see this coming at all.
In the water, now standing in the ocean that is below its KNEES, is an enormous reptilian animal. A being of mystic that even fucking One Piece considered them a myth. A creature of intense power- IT'S A FUCKING DRAGON!
A big ass, red scaled, DRAGON!
It is way bigger than any skyscraper I have ever seen in my entire life. I think it might be bigger than the largest building in the world!
It leans its head down towards the boat I'm, allowing me to take notice of the large black horns on its head and its- wait… jewel-looking eyes…?
Don't tell me…
"S-Sen…?"
"Surprised?" The DRAGON chuckles, his voice deeper than usual.
"WHAT THE FUCK?! HOW ARE YOU A FUCKING DRAGON?!" I screamed, "What are you? A Devil Fruit user? No, wait… you're in the sea so that can't be it…"
"Nope, this is all natural." He stated.
"NONE of this is NATURAL!" I shouted at him, "Hell, I'm no biology student, but the size change doesn't make sense! I mean, you were human just moments ago!"
"Well, if you been on the Grand Line, nothing really make sense." He stated, moving his hand down under the boat before lifting it, along with me inside of it, out of the waters, "Come on, it's time to hit the road."
"H-Huh…?"
"You want to get stronger as fast as you can, right?" He stated, "Well, you won't if we stay in the East Blue. The place is just filled with idiots that are way over their heads. No, we're moving somewhere else."
"U-Um… where…?" Why do I have the sinking feeling I'm not going to like this…?
"The Calm Belt." He laughed, "All those unexplored islands are great for your quick speedy training practice."
"H-Huh…" I looked at him in terror. "You mean… the Calm Belt where all the Sea Kings lived…?"
"The one and only!"
Oh god, I'm going to die!
You know, I never thought that I would be flying in the One Piece universe, with the lack of technological development in aircraft research. The only time I might be able to experience such is during the Skypiea arc or after Thousand Sunny is finished.
Not on a dragon though.
Nope! Definitely didn't see that one coming!
And here I am, in the sky flying in the palm of a fucking DRAGON! And turns out to be my mentor!
I knew there was something inhuman about him, but a DRAGON is the last thing came to mind!
May I repeat the fact I am learning from the DRAGON!
DRAGON!
A DRAGON!
I'm never going to forget this moment as long as I am living in this world! Nope! Never! It's seared into my brain at this point.
Can I say this is the most unexpected things I have experienced ever in the history of myself? A DRAGON!
…Just one more time.
DRAGON!
…Okay I'm done.
But that begs the question. If such creatures exists, why didn't Oda mention any of them? Sure, there have been mentions of dragons in the latest chapters, like Kin'emon's history with them, or the whole dragon slaying deal with Ryoma.
But never like glimpse or sightings of them anywhere.
"Hey, Sen."
"Gotten over the shock?" He asked cheekily.
"Nope, still a little terrified…" I tells him, "I was just wondering. What are you?"
"Hm? I'm a dragon."
"No, no. I mean, you said it yourself that you were part of Roger crew at one point." I stated, "But in the manga, you were never mentioned at all. A dragon in the crew of the Pirate King would definitely be eye-catching."
"Oh, that's a little complicated but I'll give you a brief rundown." He stated, "Long story short, dragons have been around for millenniums now. We were one of the few creatures that existed WAY before humans even evolved from primates."
"We were around for so long, that we pretty much made an entire civilizations of ourselves all over the place. Then, a lot things happened here and there, then the World Government came to be, and we're retreated into a life of nomads. You'll be surprised how many dragons are there in the world right now."
"So… Dragons are pretty much the original humans, in a way…?" There have been stories like that, of previous civilisations of some unknown creatures that was on earth before humans.
"In a sense yes, but not entirely true." He stated, "When human civilisations came to be, we were way more advanced. There lead to some thinking they are better and tried to rule over them, which in the end backfired on themselves. At first, we became a reclusive race, observing the world of humans and how they advanced. We have records of them, all previous kingdoms that came and gone, all matter of history and so forth."
"Records of history…" Wait… could it be… "Are you guys the ones that made the poneglyphs?"
"Giving your circumstances, I'm not that surprised you've heard of them." He stated, "But no, we're not the ones who made them. No, humans made them."
"Ah, damn…" Thought I found the answer of the fandom's biggest mystery. So close… "Hey, wait… all dragons I have read about are known for their long lives… Sen, how old are you?"
"I dunno. I lost count once I reached a thousand."
He's over a thousand years old?! Damn, I'm learning from quite an experienced person… But hang on… that actually puts him near where the Blank Century has occurred!
Should I ask him about that…?
…
…
..
No, I shouldn't. No spoilers for me. That's my job for the Straw Hats. Like Cross and Jones! Shouts out to them!
Besides, that knowledge is useless to me right now.
"But then, why weren't you that known?" I asked. He didn't seem to get to the point.
"Oh, because I was in human form the whole time." He stated, "The only ones that know are Roger himself and Rayleigh."
"Wait, that's it?"
"Yup."
…Huh, that actually made some kind of sense.
"By the way, since you know pretty much every secret in the world…" Sen asked, "Do you happened to know what happened to Ohara?"
Ohara? That's random. "Yeah. Buster Call pretty destroyed them because they were getting close to the Blank Century."
"I see…" He sighed, "I thought as much… And what of its last survivor? You know where she is at this point in time?"
Okay, this is completely out of nowhere. Why would he want to know about Robin? Is he related to that incident in some way? "Not completely sure myself… But the Straw Hats will meet with her in the near future. Save her from herself, too."
"Ah, that's a relief…"
"…Are you… part of Ohara in some way?"
"In a sense, yes." He nodded, "I'm, kind of… part of their little research group. Never there when the attack happened though. I was on Roger's ship at the time."
"Oh. I'm… sorry for your loss…"
"Eh, it's been over twenty years, I'm pretty much done mourning." He stated, "Not the first time I outlived my friends. Though I am worried about Nico Robin, though…"
"She'll be fine." I tells him, "As an avid One Piece fan, I can assure you that she is going to be in good hands."
"If you say so. Then I'll leave her to you." He stated, "At any case, we've arrived."
That took note as I notices the lack of clouds in the sky. It was… jarring to say the least, I can still see clouds on the other side, but it's like they vanished as soon as they reached that patch of sea. And the lack of humidity and wind, it's like being in an enclosed room with no windows.
And that's already an unsettling metaphor in of its self.
After a few more moments in the air, Sen landed onto an island filled with unique flora and an absurd geology. A huge lush forest surrounded by steep cliffs, with waterfalls falling down on all sides, in near the shoreline, followed by what seems to be several other small pockets in the cliffs that are large enough to serve as its own biology biome.
Quite a unique island, even by One Piece standard. It's like the island was created by some biologist as an experiment to-
Wait a minute here…
"This is the island of Grand Terra." Sen tells me, he changed back into his human form, "As you might have guessed, it's a man-made island created by a few dragon scientists long ago as to study most biology in the world. The 'pockets' in the earth are filled with several different species of different parts of the world. The area we are in is for species native to the Grand Line."
"Isn't that the worst part?!" I shouted at him.
"Not for what we're doing." He stated, "You wish to learn how to use a sword, right? I can teach you my style, but with your current physical state, you'll pull multiple muscles at once if you even attempt to. No, you're going to do some combat experience training first as well as some basic muscle building regime."
"So… why are we here again…?"
"This particular forest is filled with the most competitive carnivorous animals and plants in the whole of the Grand Line, and that includes the New World." He explained, I looked at him in horror, "For the first few weeks, this would be your training ground and your resting area. Everything you would need is here."
"Wait, are you tossing me into a survival test all of the sudden?!" I cried. I don't even know any real survival skill at all! I would die within hours!
"Nah, I'll be here." He stated, "But that's a good idea. You could use some survival skills."
Oh god, I regret even asking him now!
"After that, THEN we'll move to sword training. We'll move to a different pocket, but I'll tell you later AFTER you start running."
"Running…?"
*GROWL*
I froze, feeling a slight hot breath from behind me. I slowly turned my head around, an extremely large tiger looking at me with a hungry look in his eyes.
"Good luck!"
OH FUCK YOU!
…
To be continued…
There, it's a little short, since I'm rushing to get to the plot, but there we are.
And no, while I think that dragons are an actual thing in One Piece, they are not like that canonically. This is just what I imagine dragons to be.
So, a little fun fact: I originally wasn't going to write a SIOC story at all. My One Piece fic was originally supposed to focus on Sen. HE was originally going to join the Straw Hats as a sort of wise figure in their little group of outlaws.
He is going to be the quirky grandfather who knows a lot of things but trolls pretty much everyone with that knowledge.
And is going to be my most OP character of all time.
But as I start to take notice of certain fics, I start to change my mind on it and make a SI fic with Sen as a mentor character.
The OP-ness is going to show in later chapters so look forward to people getting utterly destroy by him in the future.
And another thing, I like to thank the amount of favourites I'm getting for this fic.
Maybe because it's a more popular parody but to have that many favourites and alert for a fic that I posted just a week ago, I'm utterly blown away by how many actually liked this.
With that, I thank you for reading this!
