Hours later.
Inside Gorgeous George's wagon.
"Ow-wo-wow!"
"Ugh, hold still!"
Vivienne Tara sat next to Swiss, applying ointment on his back.
"The horror, it burns!"
Meanwhile, Gorgeous George was racing in and out with different assortments of medical supplies for the rest of Swiss company.
Grit, Raito, and Jinzo were laid on the floor, unconscious and covered in bandages.
Luckily for Swiss, Gorgeous George was happy to carry his heavy and unconscious companions back to camp.
"Heh, thanks for patching us up, Tara-chan," Swiss smirked at the beautiful brown-haired maiden.
"Whatever, idiot! You're lucky you weren't killed! Especially after what you said.."
"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad." Swiss retorted.
"Talking smack to the world nobles in front of them? Are you crazy?!"
"Well, I don't know. It was a big arena. I thought maybe they wouldn't hear me from where they were sitting. Besides, this is about a man's pride! OWWW!"
Vivienne Tara ignored Swiss and rubbed the ointment in more vigorously, prompting Swiss to shut up.
"Still," she went on to say, "You're incredibly lucky…"
"Trololol, tell me about it."
The two gazed up and their minds wandered into a flashback.
.
..
…
….[ "*Munch.* 3"
A great silence engulfed the Main Stage.
No one created a sound.
Not James Shelby.
Not the celestial dragons.
Not the rare few who survived Admiral Strife's blast of conquerors haki.
And most surprising of all, not Swiss.
All they could hear were the loud crunching noises of Kimagure Joka eating the Devil Fruit.
"OMG!"
Well, perhaps this narrator spoke too soon on 'no one created a sound'…
"Joka, you mother fucker!" Swiss shouted up at him.
"Kukuk- Bleh! This tastes terrible! +" Kimagure Joka's face turned paler than usual.
"Trololol, well what did you expect?"
"…"
Admiral Strife checked out the visage of Kimagure Joka atop that ladder with a neutral expression.
"Damn. Got me there."
"Don't try to act casual about it!" Swiss did not let the opportunity to rub a win in such a superior opponent's face go to waste.
"Haha, right." Admiral Strife put his hands in his pockets.
With a relaxed smile, he started to make for the exit.
Saints Lauren and Lazlo were appalled at the sight, "Oi! Strife! We ordered you to execute him!"
"No, you ordered me to win the fruit." Admiral Strife calmly retorted.
"Why you!" Saint Lazlo reached for his golden pistol. But when he tried to aim, a hand covered his path.
"Stop. The match is over. I'll not have the Royal Jam be tainted with blood that is not part of the show." James Shelby peered at Saint Lazlo with his poker face, his coarse voice sounded much older than he looks.
"You fucking-" Saint Lazlo stopped what he was about to say.
He had to do something he normally never had to do.
He had to think before he spoke.
Saint Lazlo looked into the intense, all-knowing emerald gaze of James Shelby and his instincts made him heed Shelby's words.
"Grrr.." Saint Lazlo grumbled, "As you wish."
Swiss wearily watched as Admiral Strife made his way past him and toward the exit stage.
Just as Admiral Strife passed, he halted next to Swiss, opened his eyes, and said
"Well fought."
"Pfft. Yeah right.." Swiss replied.
"I'm serious. A good effort, minus the illegal narcotics and the blatant disregard of sanity, that is."
"Yeah, yeah! I'm still not joining the marines! But thank you." Swiss felt awkward in thanking Admiral Strife.
For well over a decade, Swiss had been locked in the world of One Piece Online.
It felt weird for Swiss to be thanking a member of the 'cops' when Swiss played his entire career as a 'robber'.
"Haha, don't mention it. Stay out of trouble, you hear?"
Admiral Strife continued on his way.
"Oh, before I forget." Admiral Strife said, "What's your name?"
"My name?" Swiss got choked up at the question.
"Uhh…"
Swiss got locked into deep thought.
All his life, he told people his name was Swiss. Only close friends and family called him Jack.
But now, with a prominent figure of the world- an admiral no less, was asking for his name.., Swiss did not know what to say.
"Why do you ask?" Swiss deflected.
"Just curious."
'Bah! Whatever! I turned you down, and now you want to stalk me!'
Swiss placed a hand on his chin and pondered the question of his name, "Hmmm."
"Well? Do you have one?" Admiral Strife's patience was surprisingly strong.
"I'm thinking!"
'I could just go by the name 'Swiss'. I mean, a lot of epic people have just one name! Prince, Madonna, Beyonce..'
Then Swiss shook his head, 'No! That's stupid. Maybe I should go by Jack Swiss? Nah..'
Swiss thought about it for a while. He thought about his life, both before and now.
He thought about his journey up to that point, and some interesting names he could adopt.
But nothing, in particular, came to mind.
Finally, in what was an amount of time unknown to Swiss, he had an epiphany.
"Ah hah!"
"You remembered your name?" Admiral Strife teased.
"Uhh, no! I was just tossing up whether to tell a marine clown like you. But then I figured it wouldn't matter anyway, because I could just kick your ass!"
Admiral Strife rolled his eyes, he was already immune to the provocations of Swiss.
Then a gleam caught Admiral Strife's eye.
'Huh?!'
And the tides turned. It was now Swiss that was inflicting the electric shock.
A gleam of gold.
It was faint, subtle..
For a moment, Admiral Strife wondered if he even saw it in the first place.
But he was certain.
Through his circular shades, deep in his pupils, did a golden ray shine at Admiral Strife from the gaze of Swiss.
"The name's Swiss,"
His smile curved, his teeth showing
"Jack D. Swiss"
[Name: Jack D. Swiss || Age: 18 (23) || Bounty: 0]
The reasoning behind his name was as follows:
As a fan of the One Piece manga, a long time player of OPO, and a lover of the many mysteries that Eiichiro Oda wrote about-
One of his favorite mysteries in the story was behind the meaning of 'The Will of D.'
Swiss loved everything about how Oda danced around the romance of the Will of D.
Furthermore, the initial D. struck fear in the hearts of the World Nobles, whose world domination ideology made Swiss cringe in disgust.
Swiss, a long-time virtual pirate, and lover of freedom, as well as a masterful troll.., could not resist the urge to take up the D. (not suss)
It did not matter if he was a real D. or not.
What mattered was that Swiss decided to embody an inherited will.
"D?" Admiral Strife struggled to hide his curiosity, "And what do you know of that name?"
"It's a long story," Swiss replied, smirking at Admiral Strife.
Swiss could sense Admiral Strife wanted to know more.
It was at this moment that he could somewhat understand Eiichiro Oda.
To possess such an incredible secret, but to hold yourself back from sharing it until the best moment…
Swiss could not help but admire Eiichiro Oda's patience in his masterful storytelling.
"Hmm. A shame. Perhaps you can tell it to me sometime?"
Admiral Strife did some internal calculations and concluded that Swiss knew much more than he was letting on.
But, to play it cool and not alarm Swiss, Admiral Strife decided to leave it at that.
"Farewell, Jack D. Swiss"
As Admiral Strife exited the stage, Vivienne Tara and Gorgeous George came running to assist Swiss company.
At the sight of Vivienne Tara sprinting towards him, the slight tear in her eyes, Swiss smirked in victory.
Collapsing to the ground.
*Thud!*]….
…
..
.
"Welp, we tried our best," Swiss sighed.
"And your best was totally helpless. At first, I was laughing, but then I got seriously concerned. That man.." Vivienne Tara rambled.
"He was strong, wasn't he? Trololol."
Swiss laughed.
He laughed at his condition. He laughed at his weakness. He laughed at how powerless he was made to feel.
One Piece Online was the only skill-based non-pay-to-win One Piece game on the market.
One Piece games were rare.
The ones that did exist, their developers would allow players to buy their way to power.
This resulted in a world of children running around with ultra-rare fruits and leveled haki, bought for by their mother's credit card.
It didn't matter which game you played; the results were the same.
A trash community.
That is until One Piece Online came along.
It was the first and only of its kind to rely on combat systems adopted from other games to act as the basis for its gameplay, allowing skill to become its main component first and foremost.
It was a game where pro gamers could overcome the obstacles otherwise impossible if they played a game where people could pay to win.
[Narutoworl: what fun is sailing in a world where people can pay real money for advantages?]
Indeed, all it took was a group of skilled game developers to make a One Piece game without caring about easy profit.
Even still, why was such a game so rare?
Swiss was a master at the PvP combat system, with great knowledge of how players would fight using their fruits and haki.
As a result, it had been a long time since he felt powerless. Even after coming to this world.
Until he encountered Admiral Strife.
"Heh, I got a lot to learn." Swiss chuckled.
Then he remembered, "Oh! Speaking of strength, where's Joka?"
Vivienne Tara was wondering the same thing.
The amphitheater that is the Main Stage, capable of sitting nearly 200,000.
Each Royal Jam is a grand spectacle. This year was no different.
Yet all the same, after the Royal Jam is all said and done, the Main Stage is left eerily silent.
Much like the creepy silence that's heard if you visit your old school after hours. A good idea to visit at the time, but once you're there, it's an instant regret.
Up above, the thick clouds that appeared due to Admiral Strife's powers had cleared enough that the full moon's light shone into the amphitheater.
The destruction of the events hours past remained.
Cracked walls, blown sections of crowd seating, ash marks from explosions..
Who should be sitting alone, high in the cheap seats, overlooking the grandeur that is the main stage
Was Hugh Antonio- the 'official' highlight of this evening's events.
Hugh Antonio smiled, his top hat leaning slightly, his round spectacles reflecting the moon on its glass.
His charlatan attire befitting that of the accomplished magician he is.
Hugh Antonio hummed a happy tune.
His feet were tittering up in down. He sat like a giddy birthday boy who awaited his surprise.
And who could blame him?
Hugh Antonio had unraveled the magic trick that would define his life and managed to get standing applause from none other than James Shelby.
He was now a made man in show business, destined for worldwide fame.
Hugh Antonio saw no reason to stop just there.
He was going to make his name be etched in show business history.
He was lost in the fantastical daydream that these possibilities brought until a voice broke his trance-
"There you are, Antonio-san. +"
"Ah, Joka-kun. Good work tonight." Hugh Antonio smiled brightly.
"And you too, your trick was marvelous. ~" Kimagure Joka replied, taking the seat next to Hugh Antonio.
"Haha, thank you. Still, your natural talent is something else. To be honest, it scares me." Hugh Antonio admitted, gazing down at the moonlit amphitheater.
"… +" Kimagure Joka joined in gazing out at the marvelous arena.
"Quiet, isn't it? That's always how it is after a show. Always makes me feel melancholy; happy a show was well done, but sad that it's over." The veteran ringmaster shared his emotional truth.
"Much like life, no? *" Kimagure Joka added.
Hugh Antonio remained in his own world, "During a show, I'm a magician. But when it's over, all I am is a man who wipes his piss off the rim of the toilet seat like everyone else."
"… ~"
"What's more, as the magician, I know all too well that the magic is not real…" Hugh Antonio's voice had the sadness of someone watching the last drop of rainfall, "Bah! What am I talking about!"
High Antonio slapped his cheeks, waking him up from his moping, "Anyway! The show was a phenomenal success! I wonder what life for the troupe will be like from now on?"
He turned his gaze to Kimagure Joka, "After your performance tonight, I think I can trust you with much more responsibility. It's time to start making you seriously part of our family!"
That's when he puckered his lips with inquisitiveness, "So we ought to get to know each other better. For example, why it was we found you that day, half-dead on the side of the road..?"
Kimagure Joka's handsome features were complemented brilliantly by the moon. His pale skin made him look like icy royalty. The color of his dark green hair only just noticeable in the moonlight.
"I care not for the past. +" He replied.
"Aw, come onnn, don't be like that. Let's be transparent with each other! Tell me, and I'll tell you about myself!"
"Oh?" Kimagure Joka narrowed his eyes like a cat focusing on prey, "Well then, ~"
Crossing his legs femininely, Kimagure Joka smirked at Hugh Antonio, "How's your cheek? Has it healed yet, Antonio-san?*"
Kimagure Joka raised an all-knowing detective brow as he delivered the punchline-
"Or should I call you Richard Roe? 3"
"!"
[ssyffix: ayooooooo]
[ssyffix: is Hugh Antonio Richard Roe? NANI!?]
[ssyffix: xd]
[ssyffix: thx for reading. double chapter release today. after i wrote the last chap, the addiction compelled me to write another LOL]
[ssyffix: so yah imma bounce]
[ssyffix: bai 3]