Alright and here is chapter 4 of The Fallen Huntsman of the Grand Line. Like I said I DO NOT own anything in this story regarding franchises. RWBY, One Piece and any characters from other franchises belong to their respective owners.

The sound of seagulls echoed in the area as Jaune let out a sigh while making his way to the next island, a bored expression on his face as he had fully understood what Miles meant about sailing. It wasn't exactly quick and that was with an actual ship that could cover greater distances than the small ship the older assassin threw together for him.

Looking down at his hand he gripped the eternal pose that supposedly lead to some phantom island gently while contemplating what he would need to do to find it. It was a hard task to be sure but he was sure he could do it if he had the right help and tools. He however hoped he could find them that wouldn't mind going into the New World with him.

Yes, Jaune had thought about it and decided to look into it. According to Miles, this was somehow connected to Remnant's story of the Girl who Fell and this world's story of The Sailor and the Witch. Jaune didn't know how the pieces stacked up but if they really were connected then there might be a way back after all…

But then the thoughts of if he really wanted to go back. The blonde closed his eyes and leaned his head back as he wondered if it was worth trying. It had already been three years since he landed here and he wondered how his family and friends would react to him if he suddenly came back. Would they recognize him or think he was a faker? How did time work between the two worlds, his head begin to hurt as he wasn't sure if he would even make it back even if he tried?

And if he could, what then…? He couldn't just leave and abandon his crew just to get home and then if he could bring them with then what would that do. He wasn't an idiot, after seeing the fall of two kingdoms and the near-collapse of one of the academies it was clear that Salem, even without the relics, could do a lot of damage. And if Cinder and Tyrian survived long enough to tell Salem he was worried what that would spell for them all if she found out.

He was confident that Salem, even with her magic and immortality, wouldn't pose too much of a threat to the world here, especially when they had monsters like the Yonko running around. But on the other hand, if someone like a Yonko would make it to Remnant. The knight didn't want to imagine what kind of disaster he might lead back home, especially when they already had to deal with Salem and the Grimm. Having someone like Kaido or Big Mom in Remnant would be a nightmare that they couldn't face.

…But if he managed to get stronger and make it back…

Jaune raised his other hand in the air and clenched it. Maybe he could find something to stop her for good while Ozpin stalled for time. It was possible that a devil fruit could help him defeat Salem; it was something that the swordsman spent many months thinking about since he first heard about the devil fruits.

The Ope-Ope no Mi to remove her immortality… the Kage-Kage to cut off of her shadow and have her burn in the sunlight? Those were two of the ideas that could work if what Miles said about them were accurate. Hell if Jaune didn't know better he would assume that Salem went through that immortal surgery thing that Miles mentioned. It was some kind of secret but he still told him… among other things he wish the older man hadn't.

And even if he could get the fruit, how would that work for him. Miles said that if Jaune did have a fruit then it would probably influence his semblance or his body to a point where it would do more harm than good. It was speculation sure but Jaune wasn't exactly confident in losing his semblance for a random ability he hadn't even heard of until after he ate the fruit.

When he asked about that, Miles just said that there were… complications or alterations in certain features of behavior with some specific fruit eaters. Kizaru for example was too light-hearted. It got to the point where he would be too casual with his assignments, or as Miles would call it, the "Unclear Justice of Kizaru."

Another person of note was Akainu, whose fruit made him more… hot headed of sorts. Miles stated that even before eating his fruit, Akainu was a firm believer of Absolute Justice but with his fruit's influence he became even more dedicated to it, more firm to the point of going the way Ironwood went and that wasn't a good thing.

When someone became too devoted and had an influence that drove them to ever-growing means of preserving it then often they become true monsters. Such as when the man destroyed the civilian ship in Ohara to prevent a single archeologist from escaping, or when he openly killed a marine who disobeyed orders in front of others to prove a point about…something…

He didn't know and Miles was drunk when he told him. Hell if he was on that subject the fact Miles was another prime example of fruit influence. His Hito-Hito no Mi fruit that turned him into a dryad or druid or whatever it was called made him have a more firm belief of nature, it was why he chose to live his remaining days on an uninhabited island, surrounded by nature and away from people who would "Complicate things."

So if Jaune ate a fruit… what would happen to him? Would he still be the same or would there be a noticeable difference. He didn't know and that was something he was hesitant to find out unless he needed to. 'I'm thinking way too hard about this' Jaune thought to himself as he tried to clear his mind with another distraction.

Looking around, it was clear there were no islands around him in eyesight and that was a little troubling. He already spent an extra day at sea trying to find land and it's not like he could just catch fish and cook them without a source of heating or fire. Unless he wanted to burn his boat to a pile of charcoal when he failed to try and cook.

Him being lost, him being hungry, those were just further reminders that he couldn't do it alone. He needed to find a crew like Miles said since it would be suicide if he attempted to sail to the New World alone in a small boat. Maybe if he could navigate the seas better… it couldn't be that different from when he and the rest of Team RNJR made their way to Mistral.

His body moved to a small chest on the ship that pulled out a small notebook and pen. It was one of a few Miles gave him with some notes for sailing, a dummy's guide to sailing as he called it. After some time sailing, Jaune scanned through the notes and made sure to transfer some of the more important parts to his own notebook.

'Okay then… crew positions' he thought to himself as he looked down the list he made from himself.

First Mate:

Jaune stared at the words in deep thought; the first mate would be the most important in terms of the crew positions. They were supposed to be his right-hand man, someone to have his back and help him lead. Thinking back at his time in Beacon, Ren was typically the one who acted as the second in command. He often offered council to him and the others, same as Pyrrha. A small faint pain entered his heart as he recalled his former team. Team JNPR, life seemed so much easier, simpler back then…

He was truly blessed to have had them as his team; they were a second family to him. They accepted him, his flaws and all. He could only hope that he could find a crew even a fraction to them and Team RWBY. Speaking of that, he thought back to the sister team of his, or rather one in particular.

Blake Belladonna

Was she here somewhere in South Blue or the Grand Line? Hell while he was on the subject was anyone else here? Blake, Emerald, Mercury and even Neo… they all fell too, right? Well if he could find Blake then maybe she would join him find a way back. That was if she was even still around, a bit of dread filled him at the thought of one of his friends being attacked or worse by some of the worse things in the world.

No, he was over-thinking it again. Blake was a capable fighter and was smart enough, if not stubborn enough, to stay out of trouble. She would be fine if she was around the world here.

…Wherever here actually was…

Looking at the next word on the list, it was one that he needed filled next.

Navigator

Jaune knew he needed a navigator, hell he might recruit one as soon as he got to the next island he found. He was lost for an extra day trying to find his way. And if he could maybe they could teach him how to navigate as well.

Cook

Another good position needed filling eventually. While he could cook decently enough, one of many skills he obtained while living with seven sisters and a mother wanting to turn him into a house husband of sorts, he wasn't a professional. Ren was a better cook out of them and that was only when he followed a recipe to the T.

Nora would more than gladly express how bad some of her partners homemade recipes could be, they had a plant in their room once. It took one smoothie Ren made and a bit of Nora vomit to kill it in an hour.

More so, Jaune had to admit that even with his small skill-set, it wasn't much compared to experts. Once he had a big enough ship and supplies like a stove and a fridge then maybe he could get somewhere with some lessons.

Doctor/ Dentist

Jaune needed one immediately, as soon as he could if he was honest. Even if he had aura and a semblance to help him heal faster than others and his semblance was capable of capitalizing on that fact it was nothing in comparison to experience on the field. He wasn't a surgeon and he didn't know anything about illness. Surgery, scars, ECT…

All of those were things not even he could do. But with a doctor that would be for the best. He needed someone help keep the health of his crew up to code, so to speak. He wouldn't let anyone die, that was one of the things he promised before he set out. He lost too much already; he would be damned if he did something stupid and lost someone else.

He owed them that, he owed her that…

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, feeling the extra exhaustion escape him from a large sigh. Not only that but he probably needed someone qualified in other fields. Dentists, psychologists and probably more and more than one if he was being honest. A doctor made sure that whatever was wrong with the crew could be healed, contained or nullified. But when the doctor is hit then that would leave the crew without them. Having a second doctor or a third wouldn't hurt. He needed to think of the long game. He could navigate and he could cook. He could do basic patch works to the ship and to injured people. But he wasn't a jack of all trades. He was probably a five at most.

Shipwright

Speaking of patch work, a shipwright was going to be a necessity eventually. It would have to be someone who could do a great job patching up the hulls and repairing damages, mending the sails and making sure things are in good enough shape. Miles had told him time and time again how many pirates don't make it because their ship wasn't up to par. And in the Grand Line where the seas are dangerous, especially in the New World, he needed to make sure their ship was in perfect condition. The last thing he needed was to be stranded on an island with no way off.

Blacksmith

Looking at the word, Jaune placed a hand on Saint's handle as he knew that a blacksmith would be important in the long run. Miles had told him that equipment was important and needing to replace it constantly wouldn't help their eventual budget. Closing his eyes he wondered how well they were going to deal with that down the line. A blacksmith however could limit the costs of having to replace some of the weapons and tools, maybe even event some new weapons for some of the others.

Jaune however was content with Saints, it was a gift from Miles after all and he wasn't going to let that break to pieces anytime soon. While it might not have been one of those great blades he heard about it was a fine weapon, a simple sword. He was somewhat hopeful that Ruby would agree… despite her having high standards of what made a weapon.

Hey maybe if Ruby fell she could be their blacksmith, or was that just hopeful thinking? With a small laugh, he went down the list.

Merchant

Back to the budget issue it seems. He would admit that he wasn't that good with the budget; once again Ren and Pyrrha would help him with any team-related budgeting. It wasn't until he started traveling that it became more of a shared thing. They each got a share to spend and kept some for emergencies. Often it was to fuel Nora's pancake obsession… something that Ren and him had to deal with since Beacon, Ren more so since he was a child.

Laughing at that memory he thought back to what a merchant was supposed to be. While he could just give anyone their money to manage it or divide it all and let everyone use it for what they will, a merchant to take notes and make sure they got what they needed was important. It had to be someone he could trust, someone they all could trust.

Maybe they could elect someone to that role and have them focus on that role while they did the rest. It was hard to say. But having enough supplies, food, resources and more was important, a bigger priority than something like treasure in his opinion. But that didn't mean he didn't mind some gold and gems here and there.

Gunner

That was another given; they would have to defend the ship if they got into conflict with pirates. Someone who was capable of shooting like that one girl back on Team BRNZ. May, he thought as he tried to remember her name. He wondered how they were doing, he hoped they were alright but from what he heard they weren't seen after the aftermath of Beacon's fall.

Just another reason to hate Cinder's ambition for power he supposed. At least he managed to fuck her over in the end, even if he did nearly die as a result, his throat never healed and he was sure that the faded scars would remain for the rest of his life.

But back to the topic at hand, Jaune had to focus on having someone capable of taking care of the cannons and shooting things for long-range combat. But he would probably make sure they were capable of unarmed fighting as well. Miles proved to him that when people relied only on weapons like guns and swords then without them they become vulnerable. You had to be either very strong or very resourceful to be able to fight without your weapon if that was all you knew how to fight with.

Ruby was a perfect example. Give her a weapon and she was a reaper of monsters that she laid to waste. Take away her weapons and… well… she had her semblance and her silver eyes. Soon Jaune felt a bit more grief flood him, remembering that Ruby lost both her weapon and her eye. After seeing her filled with optimism most of the time, it was hard to imagine her with an eye patch or a scar over her face because of someone like Neo.

He felt a spark of rage but left it at that. He needed to take his mind off of that topic before he got pissed off over something he couldn't do anything about now. Still, he hoped that Ruby and the others were alright.

Bartender

Jaune looked at that word and stared for a solid minute before sighing at the addition. Metz D. Miles, his mentor and the ever sadistic drunk he was just had to put that in his notes. And by this point Jaune had to agree, not because it was an important role but because thanks to the time he spent with Miles for three years he grew a taste of different kind of alcohol.

If there was something he wished he could simply leave back on Dusk Island it would be his sudden urge to have some kind of drink every now and then. The fact that Miles would force some kind of alcohol down his throat every now and then made any hope of escaping without that taste nearly impossible.

Hell he was confident that Miles was on Qrow's level of an alcohol addiction, if not worse since he never saw Miles drink anything other than some kind of rum in those three years of training. May the brothers have mercy on his liver…

Eventually, Jaune just closed the notebook and sighed before lying down on the deck of the small ship. He needed to find land soon. Taking his eternal pose, Jaune opened it up as the needle pointed to the right, indicating he wasn't going the right way to wherever that island was. But for now he needed to find an island.

Several people looked around in fear as they sat in a large cave with lantern light illuminating the formerly dark area from their spot on the ceiling. "Come on, get moving. We're on a schedule here, people!" a man shouted as he held a gun while another man nodded his head. While the people continued to work away, three of them were sitting alone with a glare.

"Tch, damn bastards. If it wasn't for that bitch taking our best fighters-" a man said as he gripped his arm in pain as blood continued to fall from a wound he received by the men in suits while another man glared at them as well.

"I know but we can't do much right now. We don't have our weapons and we can't exactly fight them all without risking the others" he informed with one of his eyes closed with a still-fresh wound covering his face. The last man nodded as he sat down and closed his eyes.

"As much as I hate to say it, we need a miracle, these aren't normal people we're dealing with here, we have to take out that damn Zero person first. But with his men around him all the time I doubt anyone could get a chance" the man cursed as he looked down. He visibly shook and anger with heat of his contained rage fueling him to stand up despite the cuts littering his body. Even in his condition he wouldn't rest until he found a way to make those bastards pay for what they did to them.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" a new voice came as a man with two others followed him down in the cave. The man in question wore an expensive looking suite with his hands in his trench coats pockets and a cigar in hand. Looking at the three men, he smiled at their condition while they snarled at him. "My, what vicious expressions you have gentlemen, much like the dogs you really are" he taunted as one of them men tried to lash out but was frozen as the two men held their pistols at him, ready to shoot if needed.

"What the hell brings you into the mines, Zero?" the older man in the cell demanded as the man outside, known as Zero, merely kept up his upbeat demeanor.

"Why, do you think I wouldn't take time to inspect how my operation is going here, this is my assignment from the big man himself, why wouldn't I see how this little collection of clay is coming along. Though I have to admit I'm a little confused why we even need this outdated stuff to begin with. The resources we have should be enough to make this dirty clay unnecessary to our ultimate goals" the man complained at the end while the older man frowned.

"And just what is this goal of yours, I doubt that you bastards would just take over Little-Moss Island for just the harder clay deposits" the man stated while Zero turned to him and frowned.

"That is on a need to know basis only. There are many things you don't need to know right now. What our plans are, what your island's roles in this all are, even I'm not fully sure on the agenda by the big man himself. But I know something that we need to just have a talk about, gentlemen" he said as he glared at the three of them. "The thing is, I keep hearing these things from my men, about how the three of you just keep on fighting against us. After helping you improve your island's living conditions, furthering your mining operations, why don't you want to work with us?" he asked dramatically.

"Work with you, you took over and separated us from our families. Not only that but you slaughtered them like they were animals!" one of them men, despite his gash on his arm shouted before he was shot twice in the torso while Zero looked on with a mixed expression of uninterested boredom and uncaring annoyance.

"Thank-you gentlemen" he addressed his bodyguards before looking at the three men with a bit of disappointment. "Now then, as I was saying, why don't you want to work with us again? With just how gracious I'm being here I think this is a very good deal. You and your men gather up the resources we need while we provide your families and island with our protection. And after our operation is over here you vermin can get back to doing whatever it is you do. I don't know, fishing, sailing…" he trailed off thinking as the older man glared. Seeing this, the boss simply grinned.

"Oh I think I'm seeing the issue now… you're worried aren't you. You have family back in your village and that's keeping you from working to your heart's content" he mocked in a tone similar to the way one would talk to a child. The older man, hearing that instantly stood up and ran at the bars before grabbing Zero by his shirt, a glare turning into a cold look of death while the two men reloaded and shot the man.

Zero growled with a glare of his own before pulling out his own pistol and shooting the man in the chest, the only uninjured man jumping up in horror. "Forx!" he cried out in fear as Zero watched the man stumble back. Dusting himself off and reaching for his cigar, the black-haired suited man spat on the older and injured prisoner before taking a puff of his cigar.

"Forx is your name… now I remember, you were there when Miss Kimimota culled the herd of you vermin. If I recall I heard your wife was among them?" he asked with a glare while Forx coughed up blood but was forced to stay down. "Hey, not exactly my call there, buddy. She is on the higher end of the pecking order, one where if I pull this off then I'll soon be at myself. But I'm much more… shall we say, kinder than her so instead how about we make a deal, you continue to work without a fuss and I'll make sure your friends and family aren't… reunited with your wife. Sound like a good deal to you?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.

Forx could only look on in horror as Zero walked away. "Oh, and I expect you to gather twice your load tomorrow my dear friend. otherwise your dear little daughter will have a bit of a family reunion" he called to the injured man before laughing, his two bodyguards following him silently as Forx coughed up some more blood.

Damn it, he was going after his daughter. He tried to get up but between the hunger and the pain, he slowly felt the darkness begin to take him. 'Rails… please be careful… please be safe…' he thought desperately as he finally lost consciousness.

Jaune was ecstatic to have found land, whether it was deserted or not, land was land and a welcome change to sitting in a rowboat for a day or two. Pulling his little boat up to shore and finding a palm tree to tie it down to, Jaune grinned as he put away his stuff and locked it in his few chests he kept nailed to the boat.

"Guess my luck is starting to look up after all" Jaune finally said to himself as he hoped this place had a village on it. He could get a shave and some clothes first, or find an inn to stay at for the night. Maybe hit a bar and get some actual food that wasn't something roasted on an open fire or raw fruits from the island. Scratching his beard, he pondered what would be the best course of action.

He needed a lot of supplies and with the little amount of money he had on him he knew he couldn't afford much. Not only that but he also needed supplies for his next voyage. With a bit of reinvigorated spring in his step, Jaune headed deeper into the island as he practically debated whether or not to use Soru to get to the island's center and explore it faster.

'Wherever I am I hope I can get something out of it. Maybe some directions would be nice, or maybe a navigator to help me find the next island' Jaune thought to himself as he continued to walk until he heard something in the distance. Echoing in the area and filled with fear came a woman's scream and it was close. This time he wasn't going to debate using Soru or not. Disappearing from sight, he decided to investigate with a hand on Saint's handle if something broke out.

Reaching the area, he stopped and crouched down to avoid being detected. His eyes narrowed while he examined the scene playing out before him as it looked like two guys were approaching a young woman. It reminded him of Velvet in a way, the only difference being the lack of bunny ears on her head. "Please… I told you I don't have any money" she called out in horror as one of the men walked up to her.

"And we told you that we need some money. After all, aren't we being paid to protect your island? Or don't you even care?" the man asked with a sword in his hand while he grinned at her, scanning her body, Jaune would admit that he somewhat find her a bit attractive, she seemed to be just a few years younger than him, maybe around nineteen. But that didn't mean he liked the way the guy was leering at her.

"Maybe she wants to pay us back in a different way" the suited man said to the first as he rested his hand on a pistol with a crooked smile on his face as the woman paled and stepped back. Grabbing a fallen branch she fell into a stance as she prepared to defend herself.

"A branch, sweetie, do you really think a stick can match a sword?" the first man taunted as he prepared to fight. "If you weren't such a beauty I would've just shot you and been done with it but why not have a bit of fun first?" he said as Jaune repressed the urge to intervene and shove a few fingers in the man's torso.

"Like hell I would, I'd rather die than be with any of you monsters!" she shouted, tears beginning to pool as she prepared to rush them with her temporary weapon. She needed an actual weapon though, her branch would do nothing against them. Meanwhile the second man sighed.

"This was a waste of time. Let's just be done with it and use her as an example, man. There is better looking ones back at the village" he said as the first man frowned and nodded.

"Yeah, be quick and ditch the body though" he said as the second man aimed his gun. The young woman however ran away and tried to close the distance before stumbling back to avoid a sword aimed at her. As she stumbled she leaped out of the way to barely avoid a bullet. Landing on the ground, she soon rolled back to her feet and glared as both men now moved in to close the distance, one with pistol raised and another with sword drawn.

'This is how I die then… killed by two damn criminals alone in the woods… I… I'm sorry, mom, dad' she thought as she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. Even if she did fight back and beat them she knew that someone would have noticed. If it traced back to her then her father would be… she glared. No, she wouldn't just die like that. She would die fighting. Before she could move again however, she saw the man with the gun aim at her again and she prepared to move. Something however blurred her vision and scooped her up in an embrace.

The shot of gunfire echoed in the area as she froze in fear at the sound. But she looked to see she was protected by something. Or rather someone as she was let go of and found a strange taste of hair in her mouth. She looked to see something she didn't expect to and judging by the two hit men's expressions they didn't know what to think either.

How would you rationalize the sudden appearance of some shirtless vagabond-looking man with long blond hair and a ripped and shredded pair of pants. It didn't exactly help that the only thing even remotely tamed about him was that he had a decent-looking sword strapped to his waist. "You alright?" he asked calmly but with a hint of restrained anger as he looked over her quickly.

The young woman could only nod dumbly before one of the two men snapped out of their own stupor. "What the hell, who the hell are you supposed to be?!" one of them shouted as he pointed his gun at the bearded man's head. Jaune however was not amused and glared at the two before speaking up. His voice was quiet but it carried a large amount of weight, it frightened them if they were being honest.

"I'll give you two choices. Leave this island and never come back… or else" Jaune stated clearly as he merely took a step forward while the all took a step back. The man admitted an aura around him of something filled with danger. Jaune eyed the man who held the gun before he soon found it pointed at him by the gunner who mustered up some bravado.

"You think you're some kind of hero or something?" the man said as he pulled the trigger and expected the man to fall to the ground with a hole in his forehead and a pained look on his face. The woman couldn't help but look away and flinch under the sound of the weapon being fired. Jaune sighed.

The bullet connected but fell to the ground. Even if he didn't use his Tekkai he still had his aura to protect him. Bullets and swords, unless wielded by strong enough people or had haki amplifying them would probably do nothing. And he was correct as the bullet fell to the ground by his feet. A second shot came and similarly to the last time the bullet landed without any damage to the swordsman dealt.

"…You done?" Jaune asked as he was shot once again, and again…

…And again…

And again until the next time the sound of clicking was heard instead of the blast of the gun, indicating he was out of ammo. Jaune sighed. Yeah, he was done and he wasn't going to let the man shoot him again anytime soon. Closing the distance, Jaune grabbed the man's hand and glared. Soon the gunner screamed loudly as what was his hand that held the gun was crushed into a barely recognizable form. As the man stumbled back in agony, Jaune glared before sensing something behind him. Using Tekkai again, he ignored the sound of shattered metal that now laid around him with the second man's sword left in pieces.

"The hell are you, some kind of super hobo?!" the swordsman cried out as Jaune frowned. Before the man could get a response from him however, Jaune closed the distance and extended his finger. Muttering a few words that the young woman barely heard but couldn't make out, she froze again seeing the efficiency of how the mysterious hobo had taken the criminal down.

Seeing the man filled with holes and feeling the blood drip from his finger, Jaune sighed. Even if this guy deserved it he made sure to avoid any vital areas when dispatching with him. With one final punch he delivered to the man, Jaune felt him collapse and soon held the unconscious man before dropping him to the ground.

Looking back to the other criminal, he walked away from the unconscious man and approached the woman who suddenly backed away and held her tree branch to defend herself from the super-powered hobo. "Take your friend and get off of this island, last warning…" Jaune said as the man shook in fear before glaring. Despite the overwhelming pain in what used to be a hand, the man just ran and left his partner there to die. As Jaune saw him leave, he looked at the unconscious man and sighed.

"Well that was fun…" he muttered sarcastically as he wiped his index finger on his pants to try and wiped off some of the blood before turning to the woman. "Are you alright?" Jaune asked as the woman looked at him owlishly with the branch she held fell to the ground with a thud as she soon joined it while breathing heavily, still trying to come to terms with what just happened. She was saved, saved by some strange super-powered hobo. She could barely think rationally anymore. "H-hey, y-you're alright, aren't you?" Jaune asked with more concern than before, causing the woman to nod and get back up.

"Y-yeah… I… thanks" she said dumbly as Jaune nodded, he didn't expect her to be calm about this, hell he half expected her to attack him or something. Thankfully she seemed to relax a bit as Jaune was unsure what to do or say next. The two stood there in silence until said silence was disturbed by a strange growling sound. Jaune had the decency to blush a bit while the young woman looked at the man and sighed.

This was becoming one hell of a day…

"So, what's going on here?" Jaune asked with a small glare, thankful for a few extra articles of clothing that the young woman gave to him as she frowned and looked out the window to see if anyone was looking. "I mean you were really worried about anyone seeing us, and the way you made it look it seemed like this place is under quarantine or something" Jaune pointed out as the young woman sighed.

She did but for great reasoning behind it. "Your name is John, right?" she asked as she tried to remember his name, catching it barely when she lead him back to her shop as Jaune frowned slightly.

"It's Jaune actually. Like the color" he said a bit as the woman nodded unsure. "So what exactly is going on, who were those two who attacked you and why are they crawling all over the place?" he asked as he recalled what she said to him. How she would explain to him just what was happening and why everything was closed.

"I did… this is bad… I've gotten you involved too" she muttered heartbroken as Jaune frowned at her tone. "Ok, so those men outside belong to the Panda Family, and because of me you're in serious danger now" she said as Jaune frowned at that.

"Danger? From them…?" Jaune asked as the woman nodded. Jaune found a nearby chair and sat down "No offense but I've never heard of these Panda Family guys, they a pirate crew or something?" Jaune asked as the woman froze. Seeing this, Jaune was confused. "Uh, Rally? D-did I say something?" he asked as the woman known as Rally looked at him in disbelief.

"Y-you don't know who the Panda Family is?" she asked as Jaune nodded. She merely didn't know what to think, the Panda Family was infamous in the South Blue and he had never even heard of them before.

"Jaune, the Panda Family is a mafia family in South Blue. And not only are they a mafia family but the entire group is considered the strongest and most influential in the South Blue… and you just took two of them down like it was nothing" she elaborated as Jaune looked at her for a second.

"…You're saying I just started a fight with some kind of sea mafia… seriously?" Jaune asked before she nodded with a serious expression on his face. Jaune stayed quiet, processing the fact before bringing his hand to his face, his palm covering his eyes as fingers latched onto his face. The young woman said nothing as she saw her savior take a deep breath to try and calm down. She didn't blame him for that however.

After all, he just started a fight with probably the strongest group of people in the South Blue, capable of killing him without any-

"I can't believe I proved that drunk right, seriously I'm sure he'd be laughing his ass off if he learned this" Jaune muttered just loud enough for Rally to freeze for a second, her mind stopping as she tried to comprehend what he just said. He just started a fight with a crime syndicate and he was worried about some drunk laughing at him? W-was he an idiot…?

"J-Jaune, you just got involved with the Panda Family, a group of criminals well-known in the underworld… and you're focused on some drunk laughing at you? Don't you understand what situation you're in?" Rally cried as Jaune looked at her confused. "It's the mafia, Jaune. They are well-renown" she said as Jaune shrugged.

"So was Torchwick… and Ruby managed to hold him off well-enough" Jaune said bluntly as he recalled what she said about him. Roman Torchwick was a criminal, a gentleman thief and allied with a group or terrorists with the real threat with him being Neapolitan. And even then from what he heard from Penny after she was back to normal it seemed like she was defeated by Maria, she wasn't invincible.

And since then he had been training nonstop for three years and learned a lot. He was sure he could take down someone like Torchwick if he was the example. Then again Miles did advise him to not get cocky when dealing with the underworld. He also said to avoid Joker at all costs, or rather Doflamingo.

"Torchwick, wait you fought off the mafia before… wait, hold on, I think we're missing some context here. First of all, who the hell even are you?" Rally shouted as Jaune frowned. He already introduced himself, "And I don't mean your name. You don't know about the Panda Family but fought off some mafia?"

Technically the closest he got was the Breach of Vale, he never fought Torchwick personally and even when he fought Neo it was more like her dancing around them and taking the Relic of Knowledge.

"Not only that but you clearly aren't weak if you were able to survive being shot at and shattered something like swords with your bare skin" she said as Jaune nodded, they were really weak. Hell he probably had a harder time fighting Cardin back at Beacon if he was being honest. At least then he might have gotten hit with something with a little force behind it.

"But you still don't know what you're getting yourself into and… ugh… my head hurts" she groaned as Jaune seemed a little worried. "N-never-mind, just… just don't say I didn't warn you, alright" she said as Jaune hesitantly nodded. Looking out the window he narrowed his eyes as he saw some of the men in suits laugh with another woman fleeing into her house.

"Right, so care to explain why they're here to begin with? I mean from what I was told this place isn't that popular for tourism" Jaune said as he recalled some of what Rally said. Rally herself just sighed.

"They want harder clay" she said as Jaune looked interested but confused all at the same time. Some mafia wanted some clay so they took over a town on an island nowhere near popular enough to really go to? He was missing some context here and Rally seemed to realize that. He must not be from the South Blue then, if he didn't know about the Panda Family that was the safest bet she came up with.

"Alright so a hundred or so years ago, this island was a mining island that specialized in a substance called Harder Clay" she said while putting some emphases on substance in question. "That clay might seem ordinary at first but this island's geology managed to make it the perfect spot for creating it. When that particular clay is mixed in with some of the islands other resources it is capable of creating a clay-like substance that shipwrights considered to be miracle clay."

"Miracle clay… that's a new one if I'm being honest here" Jaune said as Rally nodded, if she wasn't from Little-Moss she would've brushed it off.

"I'm not a shipwright but this stuff was used by marines and other sailors and shipwrights to coat the hull and keel. You see it acts similarly to a natural lacquer of sorts when mixed together properly. People in the South Blue have used it to more than double the life-span of ships here for years and people even say that it is a must-have to venture into the Grand Line if anyone thinks about going. But honestly I hardly doubt it" she said as Jaune nodded, beginning to understand what was happening now.

"So this harder clay is used to better keep a ship in good condition. Make sense since the world is more or less water and ships are a must-have to travel. But there are better ways I take it?" Jaune asked as Rally nodded.

"Yeah, after Little-Moss was considered empty and harder clay became a less-than-preferred method to use, the island lost a lot of tourism and people moved away except a handful of people like my grandparents. After that people switched over to becoming a fishing village and we were left alone for the most part. But now the Panda Family wants harder clay and a lot of it."

"But wouldn't that be unnecessary, you said that there were better ways to-" Jaune stated as Rally interrupted.

"Better doesn't mean cheaper. If you have a lot of ships then you want to take advantage on how well they work. The Panda Family is connected to a lot of illegal actions Jaune, weapon smuggling, human trafficking, if they can exploit it and put it on a ship then they will and if they can use old ships for longer than why not take advantage off of something that works but is old fashioned?" she asked as Jaune frowned once again.

He could see why, they needed ships to work and making ships designed to last longer was easier than making ships that would need to be replaced earlier. Not only that but the seas weren't always peaceful as he saw himself back on Dusk Island. As much as he hated to admit it the fact that the Panda Family was using a resource like harder clay was a good investment overall. Simple enough to fulfill their needs but cheap enough not to spend enough money on a gamble if something went wrong at sea like pirates or storms.

And he was willing to guess it was easier for them to enslave an island's population to mine or make it than it was to have someone else from your own pool of resources do it.

"…Did you guys fight back at all?" Jaune asked carelessly while he soon realized his mistake as the young woman glared at him, her icy gaze managing to make him flinch while she balled her hands into fists and looked away until she brought one of her hands up and slammed it against the wall.

"We tried!" she shouted as Jaune realized he was on thin ice for the casualness of the question. Rally continued. "When they first got here some of us obviously fought back. My mom and dad were some of them, even I was in the mix. But we were wiped out because of one of their executives lead the invasion. She wiped us out without even trying and we were used as an example" she said as she rolled up her sleeves.

Jaune said nothing as his eyes widened at the scar that was adorning her arm, it healed but was enough to make Jaune recall his own scars, his hands clenching as his throat felt drier than normal. He needed a drink but didn't say anything while she rolled her sleeves back down.

"Jaune… I was one of thirty people to fight… and half of us were killed before the battle was even over" she explained as Jaune looked at her. "Not only that but the only reason me and my father were left alive was because they needed workers and people like me to help them out" she said with venom in her words. Jaune was confused by that however. Her father made sense since he was probably being held in the mines to work but why her?

"The Panda Family is mercenaries and hit-men, they can't cook and they can't clean and if they can they need supplies and suppliers. My friend was left alive because she ran a restaurant to feed them, I was left alive because of my skills in tailoring" she said as Jaune looked at her interested at that last bit. She was a tailor?

No, back to what matters, this wasn't the time to get distracted. She was spared because of her abilities while he was sure that others weren't as lucky. Either placed into the mines or imprisoned of trafficked to who knows where. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to see what the whole picture is. But before he did anything he needed to know one last thing.

"The person who did this, is she here right now?" he asked as he recalled the executive being a woman. Rally glared at him while Jaune narrowed his eyes, both knowing what the other was going to do.

"Jaune… I know what you're thinking" Rally warned as she crossed her arms while Jaune followed suit.

"Then you should know why I'm asking" he said while Rally glared further.

"We can't win here-"

"But I can" he said in a tone of either confidence and reassurance of false bravado that would get him killed. Rally looked down slightly as his eyes seemed to reflect the former over than the later. Jaune was stronger than she was, that was evident enough. Still one thing still lingered on her mind.

"Even if we beat them now they would still come back. As much as I hate to say it we might as well just let them be" she said as she though how bad they would retaliate. Jaune said nothing to that because she was right. This wasn't a game for children or something like poker, this was a chess game and they were probably all pawns at the end of the day, if one was taken then a knight would come in and wipe them out and replace whatever pawns were taken from the board.

And he had apparently gotten into some kind of battle with them now. He weighed his options, Rally was making sense, it would be easier if he simply just restocked some food and left before these guys learned who he was. Then Rally and the others would be safe from any retaliation. But he felt sick thinking about it.

Closing his eyes he thought what he could do, what he should do.

"Jaune… I know you hate that idea, I hate it too, trust me but this isn't your fight, you can't just-" she started before they heard the door being pounded on and froze. Jaune getting up and Rally looking on in fear, immediately she pointed towards the stairs and Jaune nodded, understanding what she was saying. As he sped up the stairs to hide out of sight he remained close enough to prepare to fight if need be with Saints in his hand as he crouched down while Rally went to the door to answer it.

As she opened the door however she was greeted with two people in suits, her eyes widened in shock as she recognized them as Rein Zero's personal body guards

"Hello there, you must be Miss Rails" one of them stated as she nodded, taking a step back out of fear. Why were they here, they cling onto their boss all the time, what could they possibly- "Our boss wants to have a few words with you. It is about your father's… lack of motivation" he finished as the second one grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the house as she struggled to get away. Jaune heard it all but chose not to intervene. If he did now then who knew just how many of these guys would attack them or worse, if anyone would get caught in the crossfire. He cursed mentally and heard Rally screaming as she was lead away to wherever their boss was. Looking down, he waited for the coast to clear and sighed until he heard more voices from outside.

Several other suited people entered and scanned the area, one of them approaching the stairs; Jaune cursed as he fled back into a nearby room and prepared himself to fight. A minute later, Jaune was greeted with a man in a suit who looked around and spotted him. "What the-!" he shouted before Jaune grabbed him by the arm and delivered a swift blow to his gut, causing him to fall to the ground.

One down…

"What's going on up there" one voice shouted as Jaune cursed, he was heard, so much for subtlety or stealth. He just hoped Rally would forgive him for the mess… one down, who knew how many to go.

"The last of the shipment has been sent, boss" Zero said calmly as he sat down at a desk with his arms crossed. Before him was a snail that seemed to resemble a panda of sorts with a device on its shell. The snail soon started to laugh, eager to await its order on the other end.

"Hehahahahaha~ Good to hear, Zero. I first had my doubts of your early… promotion as it were but it seems like your handling this little job nicely. We should be done for now on that island, wait for further orders" the snail said before closing its eyes and falling into a silence. Rein Zero prided himself on his work, having been promoted recently to much better earn the respect of his colleagues. As he heard the door open, he turned to see his two men bring a still struggling Rally into his office, the criminal grinned in delight.

"So… you're little Forx's brat? Not too bad on the eyes to tell you the truth" he said as Rally was let go and a gun was aimed at her head. "Take a seat, we aren't here to do you in by any means, instead I think we should talk about some… other business" he stated before he reached for a controller next to the snail and pressed a button. Nearby monitors turning on in several parts of the mines as he gestured for her to look at them.

Rally held back her tongue she knew would insult the man and complied, only to see a familiar man lying on the ground and against the wall in a cell. "F-father!" she shouted in concern as she turned to Zero in absolute disgust and horror. The man remained emotionless as he knew that the second she tried anything she would be rewarded with a little lead to her brain, courtesy of his two friends behind him.

"Indeed, I have been getting some rather nasty complaints from my men about talks of rebellion and a lack of team spirit as it were. But I digress, I was hoping you would be able to set him straight, remind him just what he is fighting for. Normally I would just shoot you dead and show him the body to break his spirit I do have some good news to share with the villagers here. Would you like to hear the early version?" he asked as Rally snarled at him before the gun one of the two men was pushed in her head, much to her annoyance over fear.

"What, you're done and leaving forever?" she asked with some obvious sarcastic venom. Rein Zero however either didn't catch it or didn't care.

"That we're currently done and might be leaving forever" he said as Rally said nothing, somewhat taken back at the man's response. Was she being messed with or was this some kind of miracle. "Or rather I might be leaving for a little bit, consider it some news waiting to be revealed from the boss. We just sent the last shipments out today and that should be enough for our project, but alas I feel that there is so much more resources to be gathered, so much more time to spend with one another… oh well."

"What do you even need all that clay for anyways?" Rally demanded as Rein Zero sighed dramatically. Youth now-a-days, so blunt and disrespectful…

"That is on a need to know basis only my dear friend. While we're on the subject of need-know things, I think I should ask you a few questions for myself. Since you're going to be in the mines now helping your father catch up on his work and such I feel like we could have a better relationship than me and your old man."

Rally glared at him as he stood up from his chair and brushed himself off. Was her father alright, were her fellow villagers alright, she was going into the mines but this made no sense to her.

"Sir" a new voice shouted out as everyone turned to see a man run in with an expression of fear on his face, like he just saw a ghost. "Sir, some of our men found two of us unconscious near the forests outside the village" he called out as Rein Zero looked at him confused. "N-not only that but there have been words of some hobo in town fighting some of our men" the suited man said before Zero sighed and interrupted him.

"So some homeless man found his way here and picked a fight with him, just chuck his body into the sea. I doubt he could actually do anything too bad now that we know he-"

"B-but, sir. H-he's winning" the suited man said again as everyone else looked at him confused or in one's case, shocked. Rally was sure she knew who it was, she wished she didn't know who is was but deep down she knew.

'O-ok, maybe Jaune was just leaving and got caught, and once he gets to his boat he will be able to escape. So long as he doesn't actually pick a fight with this bastard and can escape he should be-' she thought to herself while Zero flipped through the cameras placed all over the town. To say that what he saw actually made them look on dumbly.

"Why won't you just drop dead!" one of five men shooting at the intruder shouted annoyed as said intruder seemed annoyed as he effortlessly had tank the bullets that pelted him from all over.

"When will you realize bullets don't work, stop shooting me you assholes" Jaune shouted before he jumped up at ridiculous heights and was able to injure the gunners with some kind of razor attack from his feet. "Rankyaku" he shouted as he landed to the ground and ran towards the remaining criminals. "Seriously, I'm kind of in a hurry here. I need to get to the mines fast… hey, you. Where the hell is that Rein Zero guy?"Jaune ask boldly while one of the men glared at him.

"F-fuck you… you damn hobo" he said before Jaune sighed.

"I'm not a hobo" he said disappointed as if he wasn't called that or worse by these guys several more times already today. Instead he just reeled his fist back and punched the man in the face before he fell unconscious on the dirt road. This wasn't getting him anywhere and he was running out of time.

As he ran out of view the others in the room looked at the feed differently. The three underlings were slowly showing fear as the strange man beat their fellow criminals so effortlessly. Rein Zero was still trying to comprehend how all of his men were being defeated by some hobo of all things. A hobo that was trying to find him…

Rally however openly gawked at what she saw. That idiot got caught and was now making his way towards Rein Zero and the mines. Not only that but he just beat the shit out of several armed men even easier than the first two. "S-sir?" one of them men asked as Rein Zero roared.

"What the hell am I watching here!" he demanded as the three men and one woman had to wince back at his tone. "Where is that punk. Stolen, get me the ones in charge of the village!" he said as the man named Stolen shrunk slightly.

"T-those men he defeated were the ones in charge of the village" he said sheepishly as Rein Zero growled. Eventually he snapped and headed out the door.

"Fine then I'll do it myself. You take the brat to the mines, as for you two, you're with me. We're putting down this dog and showing him what it means to cross the Panda Family" he shouted as he and his two bodyguards left to deal with this strange super-powered hobo. Meanwhile both Rally and Stolen stood there for a second.

"…So-" Rally said unsure before the sound of a gun clicking and the sight of said gun pointed to her face replied for the man. Rally sighed and began to walk. "Okay, I get it…" she said as she made her way down to the mines with the man holding her at gunpoint following. Honestly it was starting to get annoying now. But seriously how was she supposed to take it.

That idiot was going to get killed. Even if he was stronger than the grunts here, like much stronger than the grunts here, what could he do against an executive. One of them managed to nearly kill them all effortlessly. She needed to think of a way out of this. He needed help and she hoped that he didn't do anything even stupid again until she found a way to save her father and the others. It was too late to go back now.

Now it was time to fight…

And with that Chapter 4 is done. I hope you all enjoyed and have a good day.