Chapter 7
This sudden discovery opens up a lot of possibilities for the future me, who knows I might just be able to create devastating attacks with this knowledge.
Now many may be wondering how something as simple as this can lead to creating a dangerous attack, and the answer to that is quite simple, the human body.
More specifically how the human body actually works, and even more specifically for my case: the brain.
The brain is one of the most amazing and complicated organs to ever exist, it controls everything from memories, emotions, thoughts, to the body itself, and all of these amazing functions comes with great risks as well, that is, if something damages the brain even slightly, then there's a high risk of permanent brain damage, which most times than not ruins that person's life.
What I'm trying to say with this is that if I can directly influence the brain of my opponents with this new method, then I might just have a foundation for an attack.
An example of what I believe can happen to oneself if I use this new method directly is that after 30 seconds of cutting off the brain from the body not only will my targets likely be knocked unconscious out due to lack of direct oxygen to the brain, but if the effects last longer then this can lead to permanent brain injury and even death.
This might seem dangerous, which it is, but i'm considering this method of attack for a few reasons, firstly this is a dangerous world, and secondly this is currently the only method I have to defend myself. Lastly, I believe that 3 minutes is not actually enough to directly permanently injure someone nor is it enough to kill.
As I think this, I came to a quick way of implementing my new method for an attack: a pattern design that, if aimed properly, can not only immobilize my targets, but if done in a slightly different manner could also cause internal damage at some point.
Afterall all that this is, is basically cutting off your body into separate sections and waiting to see the end results, the only difference from dismemberment is that after 3 minutes pass everything will go back to normal…if that is even possible, after all nerves and many other things are very sensitive to this sort of thing so…
Once I finished with my thoughts, I quickly came up with a simple pattern that I can use, which is the basic star formation.
It would have to be aimed at the torso for the intended use, this should be able to not only separate the brain from the body, but also immobilize a person quite nicely.
As I think this, I again raise my right hand into the air but this time instead of going with the spider-man pose I go with a clawing motion and think of the pattern that I want to use, it should be composed of five large disks that intersect each other in the middle. - (*)
And just as I predicted, it worked!
My main attacks are clearly still disks, but instead of going outward to form an expanding cone, they are directed inwards to create a star shape.
I fire it off and the results are quite pleasing, everything in a large area in front of my is frozen in a strange star shape
And just as I predicted, the effects were much more severe as everything hit is almost completely frozen solid in time, and it even lasts 3 minutes. (Let me just say that it's not frozen frozen, just slowed down to the point where it seems to be frozen, in the end it's still a slowing effect).
After seeing this I gain a huge smile because now I have a simple ranged attack that I can use to defend myself from hostile people in this world (if they are weak enough).
As I repeat this attack a few more times to get comfortable in performing it I once again start to brainstorm on how to further improve my use of this devil fruit in the future.
All that I can currently say is that it appears that my control of the devil fruit is still in its infancy so I cannot control the length of the plates as of yet, nor can I create overly complicated shapes either.
The only thing that I can think of to try to advance the use of this fruit even further is trying to use this energy internally, as inside of my body.
Afterall all of this energy originates from inside me, so if I can consciously use it internally, I wonder what would happen and what effects it would have.
As I think of the results, I remember a comparison that was made in the anime, this devil fruit was compared by Luffy to Hancock's powerful Love-Love fruit.
And I can see why he thought this, she similarly shoots out beams that are heart shaped as her main attack, and she can even control her powers in order to create arrows, bullets, and even have the same effects with her kicks, which means I should be able to as well.
"I also remember that foxy guy also being able to make a whip out of this energy so I should be able to do that as well in the near future," I think out loud.
"Well, that's for the later me, I've been playing with these devil fruit powers for long enough and it's best to go find that village that Porche pointed out to me before the sun sets, after all I really don't want to sleep in the jungle, and I also want to find out where the heck I am and what year it is."
With that I turn around, find the original direction that's meant to lead to a village, and start trotting my way along.
Chapter 8
With that I turn around, find the original direction that's meant to lead to a village, and start trotting my way along.
It's been about 30 minutes since I've been walking and I have got to say that this island is truly beautiful.
Everywhere you look you can find delicate flowers of all kinds, from roses, to daisies, to lilies, and many more. I suspect that this island specializes in flowers.
After a while of taking in the scenery I finally spot the village not far away in the distance, and there seems to be a fire or something because I spot a large plume of smoke above the village.
I quickly remembered what was happening, "Wasn't that long-arm giants' crew supposed to try to kill foxies crew if they tried to escape or something?"
With that thought I quickly speed towards the village in order to see what is happening and if I can help in some way, after all I want to get my bearings here, and having a happy population behind me is much better than not.
I quickly approach the village and to my surprise the village is not actually burning down, however there is plenty of chaos going around.
Every direction I turn I can find people fighting, weaklings of course, but to the current me they are more like strong men and women fighting to the death.
As I see this I am again stunned for a bit because this is the first real-life battle that I've seen, and it's pretty much what you would expect, blood, guts, and body parts all over the place, unlike in anime where all they do is slash the torso and the opponent is defeated.
As I'm overseeing the situation, I see in the corner of my vision something burning, which seems to be producing all of the smoke that I previously saw, which appears to be a pile of burning wood and flower buds that for some reason remain relatively intact, even when engulfed in hot flames.
If you look carefully, it's also clear that the smoke is unnaturally increasing in intensity, size, and density very quickly, and that for some reason those within the smoke are fighting much more brazenly and wildly not caring if they get hurt or killed.
As I'm spectating all of this chaos, and trying to figure out what is happening, I suddenly hear a loud scream from my immediate left and quickly turn around only to suddenly see a large mace the size of my head coming towards me, seeing this I blanch profusely and somehow someway react quick enough to duck and have it pass a few centimeters over my head.
I quickly back away a few feet in order to get a view of my attacker and what greets me is a 3-foot burly man with a large beard, broad shoulders which he uses to hold a mace 5 feet tall and most strangely of all a toddler face.
When I see this, I am a bit stunned by his features, but I am mostly enraged at myself for not remembering that I'm on a fucking battlefield and that this one mistake could have cost me this new life that I just received, so I no longer hesitate and quickly take aim at his center mass and fire my newly dubbed slow-star beam.
The results of the attack are what I expected, he immediately stops in his tracks, and then some of his appendages like his shoulders, hands, and feet are struggling and spasming, everything else seems to be chained down.
After about 40 seconds of watching this guy struggle as well as paying close attention to my surroundings in case of more trouble, I finally see him closing his eyes and passing out, yet he is still held aloft floating there like a zombie.
As I see this phenomenon it's pretty strange and creepy because it's one thing to imagine the effects and another to see them in action, and finally around the 2:30 minute mark I see his face and some of his body parts starting to swell up and redden, which is likely due to many issues, but mostly loss of blood circulation and oxygen.
Just as I was getting a bit worried that I might cause permanent damage or something, I finally see the guy falling face first and laying there unresponsive.
"Huff," I sigh out of relief, not only out of the fact that I didn't unintentionally kill someone, but that this technique actually works.
With this ability in my repertoire, I now feel much safer and much more confident in dealing with whatever problems may crop up in this world, at least against these small fries.
With the confirmation that my newly created technique works as intended, I start going around the battlefield and targeting all the remaining combatants 1 by 1, and after 15 minutes I am the last one standing among a pile of bodies.
Just as I was about to start looting some things that I found interesting from a few bodies on the floor I hear a loud *creak* As the front gate of the village opens and out comes rushing forward a throng of civilians with a few farming tools, machetes, and a few old looking guns here and there.
The next thing that I hear is an old, wizened voice yelling "Stop right their young man! Don't move a muscle!"
And that's how I come face to face with the leader of the village.
Chapter 9
And that's how I come face to face with the leader of the village.
After some back and forth where they question me and I answer that I'm a wandering bounty hunter, they seem skeptical at first but after I resort to freezing all of them with the regular slow-slow beam, which entraps them for 30 seconds, walking around them, and then going back to where I was, they seem to accept my answer.
With that quick display of my powers, they seem to become frightened of me, but at the same time lower their weapons, as it's true that if I wanted to, I could have hurt all of them very easily.
It also appears that even though they are afraid of me due to my abilities they don't find my powers very strange, which would mean that devil fruits here are not too uncommon, unlike what I remember in east blue, where they are considered a myth.
With that out of the way I quickly go around looting some belly and some golden trinkets a few of the pirates had on their person and pocketing them, it wasn't much, about 100 thousand bellies in total and some gold, which together might earn me half a million belly, not much but it's a start.
After the quick scavenging session, I ask the chief of the village, which was busy ordering people around in order to tie up all of the unconscious pirates, if I could stay in the village for a bit, and if it's too much trouble I can even pay my keep with the money I just picked up.
He declined my offer and generously lent me a small one bedroom shack in order to repay me for stopping the commotion that the battling pirates were causing.
He also muttered something about saving them from having to waste more precious flowers in order to end the conflict.
I ask him on what he meant, and he replies that it isn't the first-time multiple parties of pirates come to this island - as it's known as Lily Island - which is famous for its collection of rare flowers with many effects; and that they usually end up becoming hostile and fighting each other, and that most of the time the village receives significant damage.
So now when multiple hostile parties seem to be interacting with each other the village closes its sturdy village gate and throws burning flowers and slow burning wood in order to propagate certain effects caused by the flowers, sometimes it's calming gas, sometimes it's sleeping gas, and sometimes as was used in this specific battle is enraging gas, which usually lead to more destruction, but at the same time much quicker battles.
It all depends on where the fight is taking place and what the situation is (calming and sleeping when inside the village, rage outside, etc.)
They then apparently call over a marine ship to collect the bounties and use the money to repair the village and upgrade its defenses and such.
After I hear about this crazy plan I'm amazed by such tactics, firstly at the fact that a small village in a remote island employs such underhanded tactics, that seem to always somehow work for whatever reason.
Secondly, that somehow this village is still standing, because from my point of view this tactic seems quite risky to me, and its probability of backfiring is quite high.
As I mention this, he laughs a bit and replies, "young man, is this your first time visiting small islands here in the West Blue? It's quite common knowledge that many small islands and villages use underhanded tactics in order to safeguard against pirates and criminals."
This statement tells me a few different things, firstly I'm in West Blue, and secondly that I shouldn't judge things in this world based on my prior pre-conceptions, I for one didn't think that a small village like this had the balls to pull something like that on dangerous pirates, which might have bit me in the ass in the future if I hadn't known.
This revelation gives me a few things to think about.
After all of the commotion and hubbub of the day dies down, it's already sunset and I ask the village chief where I can sleep for the night, which he sends a villager to show me where.
A few hours later as I'm lying on an uncomfortable mattress staring at the roof of this wooden shack I ponder on the events of the day and what I just learned not so long ago.
I am in One Piece, I have the powers of the Slow-Slow Fruit, which to be honest wouldn't be my first choice of fruit, but not the last either; I'm apparently in the south corner of West Blue on an island called Lily Island, and lastly the year is 1520, 2 years before cannon starts.
All of these facts lead me to one final thought before I close my eyes.
"I have two years to get strong before all the crazy shit starts happening."