I own nothing here, so just enjoy…


Oddly enough, in the months that Uchiha Sasuke had found himself entrapped in this new world of his, there were moments upon moments when he'd do nothing but think. When his mind would fall into a series of introspections about everything and about anything.

Now, it had become worse as he increased his mastery over Mantra.

Everything was different.

Wyper had called Mantra a sixth sense— an extra layer of perception that allowed one to sense the presence, strength, and intent of others alongside danger itself. An astounding power that allowed one to be aware of the world itself and listen to the voice of everything.

Sasuke remembered placing his doubts on his words at that moment, for it seemed too good to be true. But, as he had later discovered, if anything— Wyper had understated what Mantra could do.

It was more than what he could have ever expected.

Not only had he awakened a sixth sense, entirely separated from his usual means of perception that was better than any form of cognition he had, but as his Mantra had evolved, his other senses had also evolved with it.

His sense of smell had gone through the roof, turning into an awareness that could perhaps match that of an Inuzaka. He could pick out individual and distinct people from their unique smells alone, he could tell what ingredients had been added to a meal by taking a mere whiff, and he could differentiate the physiology of males from females easily due to their different anatomical features.

The way his sense of hearing had developed was no less extraordinary. Sasuke could hear distinct heartbeats. He could hear the heartbeats of people in his immediate vicinity, and if he tried harder, he could even hear the contractions of muscles as they moved and the sound of the blood pumping in their veins and tell when it either quickened up or slowed down.

There was a strange, ineffable feeling in being able to sense every living and non-living thing in his vicinity. Each person functioned differently, but he could tell, from certain cues about who felt what due to simply listening and smelling everything around him.

The most extraordinary was his sight— it was like awakening his Sharingan once again, but even more.

It was why, odd as it was, he had not just outright shut down the men that had hurriedly approached him with weapons drawn. He could hear the frantic heartbeats and the rushing blood, and the constant trembling of their hands. He could smell their bodies overcome with the emotion of excitement and trepidation all at once, and knew instantly who they were.

"Sasuke-san? How did you get into my office?"

Sasuke turned to gaze at the old man who came rushing into the chamber with an entourage of guards and he could hear it— the sound of their heartbeats slowing, and the smell of their actual respite as they saw him; of their bodies seemingly preparing itself as it entered a fight-or-flight mode before they relaxed when greeted by a familiar face.

He was Gan Fall— the current Kami of Skypiea. An old man of average height who had his long white hair tied up in a ponytail with equally a white beard and an even whiter moustache. He wore a white zip-up hoodie with the kanji for Kami embroidered on its front.

"Does it matter?" Sasuke drawled.

"You cannot just keep breaking into my office Sasuke-san; it's supposed to be illegal."

"Hn" Sasuke just grunted in response and leaned back into the comfortable chair that the ruler of Skypiea was supposed to occupy. Gan Fall seemed to be taken aback by his dismissal, and he coughed into her hand what Sasuke assumed was embarrassment.

If the roles were reversed and Gan Fall was to break into the Hokage Tower, then he would have been captured, tortured for information, and then summarily executed, that is if he were lucky.

It still amazed him— how trusting and casual these people could be. In just a few months, he had gained enough reputation with these people to pull a stunt like this and get away with just a half-hearted reprimand. Naruto would have fit right into them.

Such people were fools— naïve idiotic men who had no place in a world as dark as his. But Sasuke appreciated them even more for it, it was people such as these that his world needed more of.

"Be that as it may Sasuke-san, may I know what you are doing in my office?"

What had he been doing there? Ah yes, he had been thinking.

His mind was oddly clear, and with the luxury of so much free time on his hand, he had found himself doing it much more frequently than he would have liked. He found his mind wandering, going to long forgotten topics or things that he had no idea as to what spurned them to come forth.

Most of the time, it seemed that his thoughts travelled towards the battle and its supposed conclusion, and each and every day he saw the cerulean blue in the eye that usually was hidden behind the curtain of raven hair, he knew with surety that Momoshiki and his ilk were most likely defeated and gone.

Naruto was strong, of this Sasuke had no doubt. For all the blond dobe had his faults, his sheer tenacity was overwhelming and it would be a cold day in hell before he gave up. With the Rinnegan, there was no conceivable way for Naruto could lose.

So he had wondered, what was going on in the Elemental Nations? Had Naruto eventually returned peace to his world? Had those who knew him been informed of his fate? Were they mourning him?

But if that wasn't the case, even if somehow, someway, he was to find a way to return… what was there for him to return to?

"Sasuke-san?"

The last Uchiha turned his gaze once more, and it dawned on him that once more he had zoned out. He had been doing that more and more lately.

"I apologize for this, Gan Fall" Sasuke nodded at the old man, one of the few in this world he had come to respect. "But there is something I need to say."

"What must be so important that you've seen fit to break into my office like this?"

"Perhaps I might not have done so if the Mantra of your guards surpassed that of mine. A pity that it's not true."

"Cheeky brat!" Gan Fall snorted half-heartedly, "Not everyone can claim to possess genius talent as you can. Consider yourself fortunate."

"Hn"

Sasuke just smirked and gave that trademark Uchiha reply that had been passed down through generations, neither disagreeing nor agreeing.

How could he attribute his success to something as fickle as a mere talent when he himself had seen hard work smash through the bounds of fate itself?

He had seen prodigies without peer, without equal with potential that could surpass a generation, he had walked alongside the geniuses of his era and witnessed all their glory. Yet none could match the splendour of capability wrought by hard work.

Prodigies were made mundane as they stood next to men with nothing but determination to their name, a resolve so beautiful that he could look upon it for a day and night and not have enough of its sight. He himself was the greatest of them, brought to his knees by Uzumaki Naruto.

"Wyper tells me that you have surpassed everyone on this island when it comes to the usage of the colour of observation. Tell me Sasuke-san." Gan Fall asked after a moment, "How does mastering the Mantra feel?"

"Loud. Bright. Strong."

Gan Fall rose an eyebrow in confusion.

"I fear you know more of it than I do considering the vast distance between our experiences, so I would not bore you with the standard depictions of the colour of observation." Sasuke stated, "Even so, there are some variances that arise in my case that I have seldom seen with others"

Sasuke paused and then, for a second he seemed to muse over it.

"I seem to have been blessed with an extra sense beyond the standard layer of perception all users of Mantra are known to possess." Sasuke elaborated, "Without using any of my basic senses, I can hear more accurately and more precisely than I did before in my base form, at the very least. Lights are brighter than they ever were and I keep seeing different shades I never knew existed. Smells are stronger and deeper. Even sounds resonate around me as they never did before."

Gan Fall pursed his lips. He knew about the sensory differences and enhanced senses that users of Manta possessed, but what Sasuke seemed to be describing was on an entirely different level. The man in question glanced at her once more as though surprised by his odd expression of amazement, before he continued onwards.

"I can hear heartbeats and the sound of breathing, of the expansion and contraction of muscles, and everything in between."

Gan Fall's eyes widened. Some people did possess enhanced hearing due to Mantra, but not to the level of being able to pick out the sound of distinct heartbeats. Slowly, a small amount of dread began to seep in.

"Downstairs, in the third room down the long hall, a worker just opened a can of orange juice underneath his desk and two more floors up there is the smell of blood, a guard seems to have nicked his finger on his own sword."

Gan Fall was finding it difficult to retain his calm demeanour. He could smell just as good as he could hear. But even so he had to ask.

"And your eyes? What do you see?"

"Everything."

Maybe it was the utter confidence of which he had uttered the sole word that sold it for him, but Gan Fall asked no more questions and allowed the silence to stretch.

Sasuke used his lone eye to coldly regard the old man before him, gazing at him in a way that completely betrayed the hint of warmth meant to be hidden underneath, before he sighed and stood up.

"Gan Fall," He slowly spoke, without adding any honorifics as a force of habit, "I have stayed in Skypiea for months by now and have learned more than I could have hoped for— and not just Mantra either. It would not have been possible without you accommodating me despite my demands which were unreasonable at times."

The old man, once a proud knight, stared at Sasuke as he carefully regarded him with his wrinkled eyes. Even now, his old gaze which had penetrated the souls of every man that once stood before him could not unravel the true heart of the dark enigma known as Sasuke.

Gan Fall did not directly respond, but rather he walked towards the tall window through which bright sunshine entered his chambers and looked at the vast country he had taken charge of. The beautiful Skypiea that he and his people loved. He sighed…

"You are leaving, aren't you?" Gan Fall asked after a moment, frowning "That's why you are saying all this."

He had spent months here in Skypiea, more than the entirety of his time spent on the surface by a manifold. His stay had been needlessly extended by none other than himself, he could have taken the knowledge he needed and departed if he so wished.

He knew all too well that it was wasteful and unnecessary, but even so, the months he had spent here were the most lucrative he had ever had in this world.

Mantra alone made it worth it.

"Indeed, which was why I wanted to express gratitude for your troubles." Sasuke said, "You took care of me as honoured guest, even when you did not have to. I would not forget that."

Gan Fall said nothing in return.

Just months ago, this man before him had just been a stranger— a visitor who had been allowed to stay just because of his deeds. But times had changed now, and there was no person in Skypiea now who did not know of the quiet man who came from the blue seas.

He had helped farmers plant crops, held discussions with scholars, trained with their warriors, and played with their children. Even now, Sasuke regularly interacted with the people regardless of who they were, sharing tales of grand adventures in exchange for a story in return.

Slowly but surely, Sasuke had turned from a stranger into a friend of the Skypiea itself. It astounded Gan Fall, and he admired him all the more for it.

"Gratitude does not suit you, boy." He finally grunted.

Sasuke just hummed in response. A thousand thoughts flew through his head, but he voiced none of them for he had never been too good with words.

At that single moment, it seemed as if their intangible souls were given voices to be heard and connected as emotions and feelings which they would have never spoken of out loud were wordlessly and soundlessly conveyed even with both of them facing away from each other.

His office was empty by the time Gan Fall turned.

Sasuke left Skypiea, taking with him fond memories and unbroken comradeships that would stay with him for a lifetime…


Her mind and her body were absolutely numb from the pain.

Even though she could feel them dragging her bodily through the deck of the mighty battleship, none of the hurt that she should feel from her rough treatment registered in her mind. Neither did any of the kicks that she was only vaguely aware were hitting her in places that should have been painful. She wondered how many of her bones were broken this time around. Was she still bleeding?

"... better not run away again," said one of the men walking beside her, her mind barely comprehending the words he had been speaking. He had apparently been talking to her this whole time, but she had only managed to get that last part. What else had they been saying?

"Yeah, because if you do run away again..." The man sneered cruelly, "Well..."

She numbly felt the kick hit her side, surely haven broken something going by the crack that reverberated through her body, but she could not even react to it anymore. Everything hurt and every part of her very being screamed in pain and anguish, so adding on some more did not mean much in the end.

She tried to move her head to get a look around, to see the faces of her cruel masters who dragged her across the deck so that she would know to be more cautious around them in the future, but she was too weak.

"At least Saint Nicholas would be happy we brought one of the runaways back in one piece... mostly, I mean." another of the men shrugged with a mixture of amusement and relief. "And this one is from the latest batch, correct?"

"Yeah, think so. But to be honest, they all look the fuckin' same so it's hard to tell." The first one sneered, as he turned towards his companion, "This is the last one left, so if something were to happen to the bitch then it would be the gallows for us."

"The Saint would not be too pleased to lose one of the newer ones. The CP0 or an Admiral should've been the ones doing this but apparently, the higher-ups did not use them because they report to the rest of the World Nobles." The third man stated, "We should've brought that other one back too, just to be safe. I think she was from the same batch."

She could vaguely feel the group glancing at the burly man standing at the back with sharp accusing eyes, even though her own were too swollen with blood and pus to see properly.

"It's not my fault that she fell into the sea like that trying to run away from us." He scoffed and shrugged, "That dumb bitch was clumsy."

"Riiight." His companion slowly drawled, his tone dripping with disbelief "Just like it wasn't your fault that your dick happened to slip into her before she happened to drown with seastone tied to her ankles."

"Shut the fuck up! You all had a piece too, you bastards!"

Something inside of her broke, as a sound that barely resembled a sob escaped her torn throat even as something salty brimmed at the corner of her swollen eyes. She knew whom they were talking about— her sister who had disappeared suddenly from her cage some days ago.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter that much to us." "As long as we never return empty-handed, we can have our fun and the Saint and those above him won't be too mad. The most important thing is to deliver a subject to Vegapunk alive and breathing."

Their conversation continued in that vein for a while and she did not care enough to listen any further.

Everything was just a haze of pain. All the hungry, exhausted nights of the last few weeks had blended together into a nightmare of anguish and sorrow. She had barely slept during that time. Every day she was experimented upon or completed any other tasks they had for her and whenever she fell short of that task, she was punished. Beatings and whippings were the lightest of the punishments she had received thus far, in her opinion.

She vaguely recalled stolen whispers among her people who were held there as slaves. The scantest looks of hope as they figured out some half-baked plan to escape. She remembered the patience. The will to endure because soon it would be over. Soon they would be running away and free from this nightmare.

But the plan failed. Miserably. And now there was more pain than she could ever remember experiencing in one instance. This was true hell, she thought, and she may as well have been dead already. Yet she was not…

Not yet…

She could barely open her puffy, bloodshot eyes, but she managed to force them to part enough to see a little. Above her was the endless expanse of the starry night sky, and they looked like the cold eyes of the cosmos were watching her, judging her. Her vision was blurry, but she could still see their pinpricks of light in the darkness.

Please... please someone help me...

She tried to speak the words, but all she managed to do was a croak, eliciting another swift kick to her side as something was said that caused the other to erupt in laughter.

Please...

Her broken soul cried out to the silent Gods above, hoping beyond hope that her prayers would be answered. The Gods existed, did they not?

She had heard of them. There were four, or maybe ten. The number was irrelevant as long as there was one that might hear her plea. Would they not take pity on her? Were they even watching?

BOOM!

As if on cue, above them there was a mighty shockwave of pure strength and power that reverberated across the sky. The wind howled for a few seconds, the ship they were on around swaying dangerously as if a tempest had come in all its fierce fury.

The men all jumped from the booming sound of the explosion of sound above and covered their ears, momentarily defeaned by the sudden bright light. Their years of violent experience allowed them to stay somewhat composed, their hands going to their weapons as they crouched low to the ground.

"What the hell?" yelled one of them over the sudden windstorm as they all glanced around and above warily.

Then as quickly as it had come, the wind died down and everything around them was once again calm. The one thing that had not gone away though was the single spot of strange darkness that loomed from overhead.

Peering up at it, they realized that darkness light was actually getting closer, and not knowing what it was they felt genuine fear for the first time in a long time. They had never seen such a sight before.

The shadow faded somewhat as it got closer as if it were allowing them to see what was sheathed within its light, and at its core, they beheld an astoundingly beautiful being with raven hair wrapped in pitch black cloak.

The humanoid being was descending from the sky, held aloft nothing that could be seen by the naked eye. He looked like a cross between an angel and a demon, though to her he seemed more angel than demon, but she had never really seen either of those beings in person before.

"What... the fuck..." one of the men managed to speak, unable to do or say much else beyond that.

Even the broken and battered girl could hardly believe what she was seeing. It would not have surprised her at all if this was all a figment of her imagination, a way for her mind to trick herself into thinking that salvation was possible— that she could be saved or was this unknown angel going to finally be the death of her?

Maybe... just maybe...

The Gods... did they finally hear me?


Shaking his head to focus his mind, Sasuke tried to think of what to do next.

First things first, he needed to survey his surroundings and find where the nearest island was. He had to find civilization and continue onwards with his search. To do that, he figured it would probably be easiest to fly around by jumping in the air instead of swimming through some vast unknown sea, even though the latter would have consumed less energy.

Though he was now a hundred times more knowledgeable about the affairs of this world than the regular common man, there were still too many unknowns in this new world and most importantly he did not want to attract undue attention by staying out in the open within these pirate-infested seas where he could be observed trivially.

With but a brief concentration of thought, Sasuke once again kicked the air he was on, even as a shockwave erupted below him that roared loudly as it traversed through the air and displaced water hundreds of meters below. As if there were a platform below him, Sasuke jumped on empty air with a brief tap that pushed the air beneath him with explosive power,

The rushing wind felt cold across his skin and roared loudly as it rushed past his ears at speeds that surpassed that of any manmade vehicle. He felt a tinge of excitement, as he leaped into the air and shot straight up into the night sky like a rocket.

Sasuke could not contain himself in that rare moment as his lips parted minutely in a small smirk. He savoured the feeling of freedom and excitement that flooded through his system— along with a healthy amount of what he felt was adrenaline— as he soared across the night sky, losing himself to the activity for a few minutes as he did loops, barrel rolls, and other aerial tricks.

He had to get used to this means of movement so that he could move in the air with the same graceful ease as in the ground. Moreover, manoeuvrability played a major role in an aerial battle that could change the course of the fight itself and he needed every advantage he could get if he were to ever encounter an enemy that could fly.

All the while, he hummed a tone whose origins he could not remember, not that he could really hear himself that well as he moved so quickly the wind drowned out his voice. This was what it felt like to truly fly, to be like a bird or even a dragon moving through the vast expanse of the open sky!

Sasuke was not sure how high he was exactly, but he noted that had managed to break through a handful of thin clouds that lazily sauntered through the air in a just few seconds even as he focused on the task at hand after taking a moment to admire the beauty of the world that lay far below him at that moment.

There were white clouds on the distant horizon, a scant few islands scattered throughout the vast blues, and an endless expanse of water whose end he could not see. All of it was unrecognizable to him and nothing he saw looked like anything he had seen in the various worlds he had seen. It was strange to think that they of another world completely separated from his own, even now with months to wrap his head around it.

Even during the very first moment when he had been banished here by Momoshiki, he had been absolutely certain that this was a new world, and he would know having visited all the dimensions Kaguya and her ilk had to offer. He had spent years of his life scouring most of his planet, so he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was not on one of those worlds.

Looking up at the night sky that hung overhead, he could not help but stare in wonder at the innumerable stars that shone so clear and crisp that he thought they as real as any stars he ever looked upon back home. So beautiful, and yet so alien. This was a night sky that did not look at all recognizable to him…

With that thought, he remembered the main reason he took to the skies, and he turned his attention once more to the world beneath his feet. He did not really notice at first glance before while sweeping his gaze across the world, so caught up was he in the breathtakingly beautiful view that he had not really registered until now that there were dark spots far, far ahead of him.

It was a convoy of about three ships. Packed together in a standard formation, they were so distantly located that Sasuke even with his potent eyesight almost missed them.

They were headed southwest— opposite of where he himself was going and were located so far away that even at the most minimal, the distance between them and his own location could be measured in double-digit kilometers.

It was no wonder he had missed them, considering they were no more than specks in the distant horizon even from high above the clouds. But now that he had seen them…

Sasuke frowned and then with another powerful jump that tore a sizable hole through the cloud beneath him, he angled his trajectory toward the convoy and flew at it with great speed that tore through the sky itself, gradually descending as he did so.

He swept the area with a studious gaze once more, making sure there was no way for anyone nearby to see him as he descended before leaping into the air once again, accelerating down away from the mostly clear starry night sky.

Enjoying the wind on his skin and the feeling of hurtling through the empty expanse of sky, he angled himself to fly southwest, even as he made sure to keep an eye on the sea rushing by below him, in case he caught sight of anything interesting.

It did not take long for him to catch up with the specks clumped together on the horizon that now appeared far denser than the ones he had seen before.

Sasuke narrowed his eye, he could make out the details of the ships ahead that were armed with hundreds of deadly cannons. Some of them were impressively grand, and especially the ones located above the centre of the deck appeared to be enormous, the turrets seemed to be capable of downing a castle in a single volley by his estimate.

They were battleships— ones that far outclassed even the strongest ships used by the navy which only the vice-admirals or above embarking upon the New World were apparently allowed to command— and they seemed to belong to someone whose authority far outclassed that of the entire marine force even when combined by spades going by the golden crest proudly embroidered upon their sails.

Celestial Dragons…

As he got closer, Sasuke started to look for a secluded place to conceal himself. Somewhere far away from any potential watchful eyes, but not too far since he needed to follow and observe these ships. It was as he was scanning the area below him that he noticed something peculiar. He thought it might have been his imagination at first, but a closer look proved that his eyes were not in fact deceiving him.

Out in the open deck of the ship at the centre which was flanked by the other two, there was a group of what looked to be three armed men dragging a bound person behind them. Sasuke was not entirely sure what was going on, but that cold instinct that had saved him numerous times before told him it was not anything good.

He angled around and circled around high overhead, debating with himself whether or not to intervene as the men continued to drag what seemed to be their victim through the dirt. Every now and again, one of the thugs would kick the captive and he knew they were not saying anything pleasant when doing this.

Sasuke frowned.

According to what he had learned, slavery was not only legal but widely practiced in this world. A large part of the agricultural and industrial workforce was comprised of slave labour and then there were slaves who were kept solely for entertainment. So, it was only logical to conclude that the scene below had something to do with it when he noticed the chains that the woman was bound in. Perhaps it was a case of the masters punishing a disobedient slave. The world government did not seem to think slavery was anything wrong, and in fact, their masters—the Celestial Dragons, were the greatest endorsers of slavery.

Sasuke knew what he was witnessing was very well within the realm of legality and acceptable behaviour around these parts of this world.

Sasuke was also aware that he could keep on flying and ignore this incident. He might not feel so great about it initially, but he would not be sticking his nose into the affairs of someone he would rather not get involved with either and potentially inciting revenge from that party. He'd probably forget about it after a few days and move on. Moreover, he would also be able to protect his anonymity and remain focused on getting more information.

Who was he, an outsider from another world, to force these people to change their culture and way of life?

Yet, he continued to circle over the field like some bird of prey, unable to decide on a course of action. He kept an eye on the people below who never suspected for a moment that they were being watched from above. They appeared to be making their way toward the cabin that probably led to the sections on one side of the farm. They kicked their defenceless captive again, for the sixth time now.

Sasuke sighed again. But who was he to think he could just barge into this world and tell people what to do and what not to do? Would that not be equivalent to looking down upon an entire culture because of his feelings of moral superiority that may or may not be misplaced?

Moreover, it was not as if he would end slavery itself just by saving a few slaves, the situation would remain the same no matter what he did today and it was not his goal to bring about such a grand change in a foreign society, he just wanted to remain anonymous.

Clicking his tongue, he glanced up at the stars, breathing in the cool evening air as his hair waved in the wind. The most logical choice would be to ignore what was happening before him and move on. Yes, the most logical one.

He looked down at both of his hands, his fingers curling as he balled them into fists. They were shaking...

Sasuke did not need to think any further. He casually touched down in the middle of the group, landing right next to the terribly wounded and bloodied figure bound with ropes as if she were some animal they were dragging back from a hunt. He ignored the three startled men around him as he took a closer look at the captive for a second, who turned out to be a young girl.

Her clothes, or what was left of them, were torn and torn and stained with blood, revealing almost all of her bloodied and bruised skin. She had a frighteningly thin body from what he guessed were the effects of severe malnutrition and there were obvious signs of more than a few broken or dislocated bones. The girl was missing some of the nails on her fingers and toes, and the ones that remained were cracked and broken. Her silver hair was dry, filthy, and dishevelled looking as if it hadn't been washed in weeks, just like the rest of her dark skin. Both her eyes were swollen and purple like a pair of big grapes, and her lips were dry and cracked as if she hadn't drunk any water for days.

Surprisingly, she appeared to be somewhat conscious since she seemed to be looking straight at him, and Sasuke couldn't even imagine how she must have been feeling at that moment. She had been crying, the tears mixing with the blood and dirt on her sunken cheeks.

Sasuke could see the fear and desperation in her eye, which was red from all the tears, or possibly from the bleeding too.

She tried to say something, moving her mouth and revealing missing teeth and bleeding gums. However, she could only muster a feeble wheeze. The woman was more than halfway to the grave, and some might even think it a mercy to simply kill her and put her out of her misery.

Sasuke, his face colder than ice, knelt down and gently cupped her cheek and what he saw surprised him— a resolve almost as great as any he had seen before.

These actions seemed to have taken everyone by surprise, because the men seemed frozen as if they were unsure of what to do.

A single tap on her neck sent the girl to the numb realm of Morpheus before his emotionless gaze shifted to the three men around him who were spaced out about ten feet apart from each other and were forming a triangle with the girl, and therefore Sasuke, in the centre. Two of the men each had one end of the thick chain made up of some strange metal that was tied around the girl.

"Hey!" One of them shouted, taking a single step forward "What the fuck are you doing here?! Do you know whom this ship belongs to?!"

"Who is the leader among you?" asked Sasuke instead, ignoring everything else as he gently held the girl in his arms.

The eyes of the two with the chains instinctively flickered towards the third, a man with an athletic build and a rough, bearded face with numerous scars— the one in the rear and held two drawn swords in his hands.

Sasuke turned and slowly walked right up to him until he was about an arm's length away, not caring at all that the man was armed. No one moved from their places, as he loomed over the man who was several inches shorter and seemed to be stunned at his direct approach.

The man blinked, opened and closed his mouth, then blinked again. "This ship belongs to Saint Nicholas! By trespassing you have committed a grave sin worthy of the harshest punishment!" he managed spit out with some effort.

Before Sasuke could say anything else, he gracefully leaned sideways from behind along with the cracking sound of breaking wood and metal shattering.

Turning his head slightly, he saw in the corner of his eye that one of the other men held the handle of his weapon— a long rifle. The man stared at him in disbelief, stunned by the fact Sasuke had dodged a bullet that was shot directly from behind.

"Observation Hak—!"

"That was a mistake," Sasuke stated simply, suddenly right before him as if he were always there. Almost casually, he brought up his arm and for the first time since his arrival in this world smacked the man holding the gun who could not even keep track of his movements with all his might.

What happened next was almost comical in the most morbid way. The man simply exploded— turned into a fine red spray of blood and gore that was sprayed across the deck in a sickening manner. There were no bones left nor could any organs be seen, everything that made him a human had been pulverized by that single blow. The only thing that remained was the reddish liquid that was sprayed across the deck in a gruesome manner.

The comrades barely had any time to be surprised before Sasuke was upon the next one of them, this time lashing out with the back of his hand in a mighty slap that created a shockwave that almost tore apart the entire battleship when it landed.

The air around his hand almost ignited with friction as he emotionlessly struck the man on the right who was almost vapourised by the sheer force of his blow before he even had the time to scream.

Just like his comrade, by a single bow he too had turned into a fine red mist that was sprayed over the deck with a single blow accompanied by a sickening sound as his remains were splashed onto the wooden floor.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, reaching out with his Mantra just to check once again— to make sure that the blood which was about to taint his hands would not bring him remorse he could not escape from.

Something cruel flashed in his mind as the question was answered, there was nobody in these ships whom he would regret murdering except for the girl beside him.

Gently and with a grace that would have turned even the greatest of dancers with envy, Sasuke elegantly pivoted on his left foot and used the momentum of his body to cut through the air in a semicircle with his right leg extended outwards.

It was a perfect roundhouse kick that sliced through the air with unparalleled grace. A thing of beauty that any warrior would have admired, an art that he was not proud of but one he excelled in all the same.

RASP!

The air around him absolutely erupted— shrieking loudly as a single blade comprised of vacuum that tore through seas themselves. The water that separated the ships parting as an unseen force tore through the air itself in order to reach the prey that had been doomed for destruction.

That single crescent-shaped blade of invisible vacuum rushed towards the ship on his left with unrivalled speeds. There was no further sound beyond that of smooth wood sliding against each other as a single flawless cut separated the two newly distinct pieces of the ship on the left.

Sasuke had just cleanly cut down an entire battleship with a single kick!

Sasuke followed up with his momentum, using the torque generated by his previous kick to spin his body around towards the opposite direction in a smooth circle before elegantly unleashing another deadly kick.

RASP!

He then turned towards the last man with cold expressionless eyes, ignoring his trembling as he glared at him. Sasuke did not need Mantra or even the Sharingan to know that the ship on the right was also cleaved in two.

The last man never even had a chance to react. A compounding wave of force crashed into him as though he had been instantaneously subjected to being crushed by water pressure several hundred kilometres into the ocean. It felt as though a titan had decided to crush him underfoot, or as though she was an ant who had been unlucky enough to be caught within a vice-grip.

His will simply shattered.

He powerlessly dropped to his knees, holding his stomach as he threw up his breakfast and gasped for breath.

"You will tell me what you know. Depending on what you say, I may let you live."


Another chapter and the story progresses…

Sasuke has learned Mantra— Observation Haki and mastered its basic form. Moreover, he has also left Skypiea and ended the first arc. The description of his Mantra was inspired by the Devil's Dark Knight which struck me as unique, and so I decided to make my own resemble it in the best way I can.

Also, he met his first crewmate, which people had been asking me about. One thing I want to say- that girl is going to be stupidly strong. She would be a part of the monster trio of Sasuke's crew.

For the manga readers, if her dark skin and her silver hair alongside being sent to Vegapunk was not enough of an indicator then I have a single word for you— Seraphim.

Lastly, there was some gore in the chapter though I tried to keep it mild. But if it was too much, can someone let me know if I have to change the rating?

Thanks for reading.