Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eichiro Oda and Rising of the Shield Hero belongs to Aneko Yusagi. I own nothing but the plot.

Romance Dusk

"Ri...Ri...Rifana-chan?" Raphtalia, tears freely escaping her eyes, took a temptive step forward and gently brushed her childhood friend's cheek.

"That's me," Rifana answered with a shy shrug.

"But how?" the raccoon girl asked, voice filled with disbelief. "You...died."

"I...was called here. They said you'd be here, so I came…" the weasel demi-human answered in an uncertain tone, but her confusion quickly morphed to happy excitement. "But look at you! You're so big! And you look so strong, too!"

"I'm so sorry!" Raphtalia finally broke down and started bawling openly. She moved in and hugged Rifana close to her. "I'm so sorry! I couldn't save you. I wasn't strong!"

"Hey!" Rifana admonished. "Quit it."

"But…"

"It wasn't you who killed me. And you're the one that helped me hold on to hope to the very last moment. So please, don't blame yourself." Rifana held Raphtalia's head and gently stroked her to console her. "You managed to save Keel-kun. You got big and strong. You're fighting for the world. I'm glad I was able to be part of that."

"Rifana…" the raccoon girl managed to get her crying in control.

"Besides! And you're traveling with the Shield Hero! I'm so jealous!" Rifana said with cheerfulness. "You have to live for the both of us and marry him!"

"W-w-whaaa?!" Raphtalia's sad mood quickly turned to embarrassment. "Rifana!"

"Oi! Raphtalia is not into that sort of thing!" Naofumi finally decided to interject.

"Mr. Naofumi!"

The weasel girl pulled the raccoon girl close to whisper in secrecy. "Looks like he's a little dull. But I'm sure you'll charm him in due time. I'll be cheering on you from the other side!" Rifana said with a smile.

"Thank you!"

"You have your future ahead of you," the pink-haired girl said after talking back in a normal tone. "I miss you a lot, but I don't want to see you in a long time, you hear? You still have a lot to do. I…, no. We believe in you."

"I won't let you down!" Any visible sadness on Rapthalia's side was replaced with determination. "I will rebuild the village and we'll raise that flag. I promise!"

"That's the Raphtalia I know. I know you'll be able to do it," Rifana said with a proud smile, but her face grew a sad smile. "I've said what I needed to say. I'd love to stay, but I need to go back. It was nice seeing you, Raphtalia-chan."

"I...understand, "Raphtalia said, trying to hold back tears again. "It was really nice seeing you too. And...thank you. Thank you so much!"

Rifana just smiled a little wider before bursting into blue flames. The ghostly fire burned for a couple of seconds before dying down, leaving Princess Adelita in her place.

"So that's who Rifana was," Naofumi said as he reflected on the scene. He put a hand on Raphtalia's shoulder. "I see why you were close. And she's right. Even if we couldn't save her, it wasn't your fault. And think of all your growth."

"Thank you!" The demi-human, despite her efforts, couldn't help tearing up again and wiping a tear away. "I have to keep going. For Rifana. For everyone in the village that died. I will succeed."

"I know you will." Naofumi smiled, beaming with pride and a great deal of affection for his slave-turned-companion.

"Group hug!" Filo, in typical Filo fashion, jumped to them and held them in a tight hug. Her companions didn't seem interested in ending it too soon, though.

After a few moments of basking in the group's care for each other, they broke up the hug. It was Naofumi who asked the question to the princess. "What was that? How did you know Rifana?"

"I ate the Shinde shinde no mi (Dead dead fruit). I am a dead woman." She winced at her choice of words. "What I mean is my devil fruit allows me to communicate with the souls of the dead, and if they choose to, allow them to temporarily use me as a medium to communicate with the living. However, I can only communicate with those who were close to the person I'm touching."

"A devil fruit, huh?" Naofumi mused.

"Yes," the princess nodded. "This particular fruit has been in my family for generations. It is the true legacy of the Tacos family in the world and a big influence in our culture."

"I see… Pozole mentioned a devil fruit as well. Just what are devil fruits, exactly?"

"You mean you don't know?!" Adelita gasped in shock. "How can you be this deep in the Grand Line and not know what a devil fruit is? Scratch that. How were you able to use all those powers back there?"

"Hey! Like I said before, we are not from around here," Naofumi reminded her. "I've never heard of these 'devil fruits' before. They don't exist where we come from."

"How can they not?!" the princess retorted. "You have abilities! And the whole world knows about them! So unless you come from another world entirely, I can't fathom how you manage to be on this part of the Grand Line without ever hearing of devil fruits."

The trio of adventurers looked away nervously.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Afraid not. I don't even know what the Grand Line is."

"Wow…You're serious. You really aren't from this world." Adelita looked at them with shock. She quickly recovered, though. "You must be quite the adventurers."

"You could say that," Naofumi replied.

"Back to your question. Devil fruits are mysterious fruits that grant whoever eats them special abilities at the cost of being able to swim. For example, I'm able to communicate with dead people and Pozole was able to transform into a cactus human. If you were to submerge us under water, we would be unable to move and sink like a rock."

"I see," Raphtalia commented. "That's why Pozole threatened Mr. Naofumi with throwing me to the sea. He must've thought I had eaten one."

"I would like to know more about this world and its mechanics," the hero said. "It sucks being stuck somewhere you know nothing about."

"I can imagine," the princess empathetically said. "Then how about I show you what I know about the world tonight? For now, let's take you to Madame Guadalupe."

"Very well."

The group made their way through the massive graveyard. The many altars and the offerings they provided did a good job in keeping the atmosphere both eerie and joyous. The offering mostly consisted of food offerings, flowers, and what looked like personal belongings. After a few minutes of walking, they reached a gift shop. There was a sign on top that read 'Guadalupe's fortunes and souvenirs'. The inside of the shop was filled with shelves packed with little trinkets and doodads, most looked hand-made. Naofumi made a mental note to borrow some designs for his accessories; he never passed a chance to make money.

"Hee hee hee. I've been expecting you-lupe," an old woman at the end of the shop, who had her back turned to the guests, said with a mysterious air.

"What a cliché line," Naofumi complained.

When the old woman turned around, she jumped in fright in an overly comedic manner "GYAAAAAAH! Who are you?! What are you doing here?"

"DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY YOU WERE EXPECTING US?!" Naofumi exploded.

"Ah, my mistake-lupe," the old lady quickly recovered her composure and took a better look at the people before her. "I thought you were Don Manuel. He was supposed to come and- *cough* What can I do for you-lupe?"

The woman said as she produced glasses from nowhere and put them over her eyes. She was very short in height, probably shorter than Filo in her human form. She wore a vibrant green robe with golden accents. Her face was a light brown and covered in wrinkles. Her hair was silvery blue and was done in a perfectly spherical style that comically resembled a crystal ball, complete with a hair band that served as a little cushion.

"Good afternoon, Madame Guadalupe," Adelita greeted.

"Ah, princess! So glad to see you back safely-lupe!" Madame Guadalupe happily exclaimed. "I heard you were kidnapped, but you seem to be safe. What brings you to my shop-lupe?"

"Thank you. Pozole kidnapped me, but I was rescued by these people," the princess motioned to her three companions. "There are Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo. They are the ones who rescued me. They needed help so I brought them here."

"Pleasure to meet you," all three persons said in unison.

"Nice to meet you too," she gots closer to Naofumi and nudged him with an elbow, which made him shudder. "It's always a pleasure to meet a nice, handsome young man."

"We are here on business only!" Raphtalia quickly said.

"Ahh… A shame," the old lady dejected said. "Well, what can I do for you? My specialties are reading fortunes and selling souvenirs. I recommend the little skull brooches, they are my most popular merchandise-lupe."

"Master! I want the shiny things!" Filo excitedly said while pointing at several pieces of jewelry.

"We're here for a fortune read," the hero replied. "But I'm curious about some of the accessories. If you behave, I'll buy some."

"Yaaaay!"

"Really?" Adelita asked with surprise. "You don't look like the type of guy that likes souvenirs."

"I'm a bit of an accessory craftsman myself," he answered. "I'm curious about their design."

"Ah, you have a good eye, young man-lupe," I'm quite proud of these hands of mine. "But you mentioned you need me to read your fortune. I'm legally forced to tell you that I only voice what my crystal ball tells me and I offer no refunds for fortunes, even if you can't make sense of it-lupe."

"I understand, but it's still worth a shot," Naofumi said. Living for some time as a merchant made him understand that mindset. He also knew it was important to show interest, but no desperation.

"Very well," Madame Guadalupe said. She bent over and picked up something from behind the counter. It was a crystal ball. "Alright, so what is it that you are looking for-lupe?"

"We are lost," the shielder answered. "We don't know how to go back home."

"I see…" the fortune teller closed her eyes and made some hand gesture over her ball, and if sensin something. "Hmm. Your home does seem difficult to reach-lupe."

"Can you help us?" Raphtalia asked with just the tiniest hint of desperation.

"I can only voice what the ball shows," the old lady replied. "Whether that's useful will be up to you-lupe."

"Then let's hear what your ball has to say," Naofumi said.

Guadalupe continued with her hand movements, eyes closed in concentration. A couple of minutes after tense suspense, her eyes shot open. "AHA! I can hear the ball's words-lupe!"

"Well?" the hero pushed."What did it say?"

"'In a distant land of history's warriors, you must heal heaven's wound. Only then will a loyal monster show you the way.' That's what the crystal ball told me-lupe," Madame Guadalupe recited.

"Heaven's wound?" Raphtalia repeated in thought, then turned to Naofumi. "Do you think…?"

"It sounds like the waves," he answered.

"The waves?" questioned the princess.

"It's what brought us here in the first place," the hero answered.

"Looks like you were lucky to make sense of the fortune," the old lady commented. "Not many people understand what the ball says-lupe."

"Yes, thank you."

"Now, would you be interested in buying some souvenirs-lupe?"

"Alright," Naofumi answered. He turned to his party members. "Raphtalia, Filo. Pick something you like. I'll treat you since you did a good job with the fight earlier."

"Thank you, Mr. Naofumi."

"Yaaay! Shiny things!"

The hero watched with the tiniest of smiles as his partners looked around for something they liked. Naofumi himself picked up one of the skull brooches. It was a small silver skull with two green gemstones serving as the eyes. After some minutes of browsing, Rapatalia chose another skull with red eyes. Finally, Filo went for a small mariachi figurine that moved its hips left and right as it pretended to play the guitar. It was "cool", was her reasoning. After paying for the services and merchandise, the group left the shop and headed to the plaza.

The time in the plaza was spent mostly by wandering around and listening to Adelita explain things about the place or some customs. In all honesty, Naofumi cared very little for the tour, but he promised Raphtalia and Filo they could have the day off. And after the princess's heart-touching display earlier, the tanuki girl developed an almost instantaneous fascination for the country's culture. Filo, on the other hand...was Filo. Her attention seemed to go all over the place, but she certainly looked focused when talking about food.

Once night came, the group returned to the castle to join the royal family for dinner. They explained the fortune-teller's reading to the king, making special emphasis on the 'distant land'.

"So you plan on setting sail soon?" King Tacos asked, sensing what was coming next.

"That reading is the only clue we have," Naofumi explained. "Judging from her words, we need to go somewhere far. I don't know where, but I believe it's better to explore this world than stay."

"I see," the king replied. He put his hand under his chin in thought for a few moments before speaking again. "Well, I still owe you from saving my daughter. Tomorrow we have a shipment for Limbo island. I can easily have the merchants give you a ride there. It's as good a place as any to start searching."

"Limbo island?" questioned Raphtalia. "What a curious name."

"It's an island located very near the entrance to the New World," Tacos explained. "It's a popular place to rest and get supplies for ships that avoided Fishmen Island."

"New World?" Now it was Naofumi who asked.

"What?!" You don't know what the New World is?!"

"We are not from this world," Naofumi irritably said. He really hated not knowing things.

"That's true, father," Adelita added. "They don't know much about this world, so I offered to teach Naofumi about it tonight and show him some maps."

"So you two are going to study tonight…" The king looked at them intensely for a few moments. His serious face turned to a knowing grin. "Riiight. You kids have fun. Make sure you learn all the good spots, muchacho."

The king winked at them. It took a whole three seconds for his words to have an effect.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" That was Naofumi.

"KING TACOS, YOU'RE SURELY KIDDING!" That was Raphtalia.

"PAPA, QUE CHINGADOS?" That was Adelita.

"..." Filo just watched the scene with confusion.

"Ñahahahahahahaha!" The king couldn't help bursting out laughing. His laugh only lasted until his daughter went over to him and kicked him in the shin. "Sorry."

The rest of the night was peaceful. When they finished eating, the king excused himself and left. Naofumi and Adelita headed to her room to start the lesson, and Raphtlia tagged along because 'she also wanted to learn'. Filo also joined because she was told by Raphtalia to do so.

Naofumi was up early the next morning, used to do so from his merchant days. His team was now armed with basic knowledge about the world's geography and politics, having been taught by a royal. The hero himself was checking the wagon and the goods it carried, a generous gift from King Tacos himself, as well as all the shipment getting ready to leave to the country. The merchant in him made him appreciate all the materials exported, so much he even bought some for himself. While tequila wouldn't serve him much, all the spices and fine silver would prove useful in their travels.

"Mr. Naofumi, good morning."

"Good morning, maaaster!"

Raphtalia and Filo, who was in her human form, approached the wagon. They greeted each other and joined the hero in his inspection. Filo was beaming at the idea of pulling a heavy wagon again. Truth be told, she missed it; she hadn't had a chance to pull her wagon in a long time.

The hero finished his inspection and went back to the palace with his companions to get something to eat. The ship wouldn't leave in two hours, so that gave them plenty of time to fill their stomachs and make any last preparations. Also, even if he wasn't too fond of royalty, he figured it would be in their best interest to politely say their good byes and thanks to King Tacos and Princess Adelita.

They were summoned to the dining room almost as soon as they entered. The king apparently had the same idea because the princess and he were waiting for them with another banquet on the table.

"Good morning, muchacho!" King Tacos happily greeted.

"Good morning, Naofumi!" Princess Adelita was on the seat next to her father. "I hope our session was of use to you."

"Good morning," the hero in question replied. "And yes, thank you. You were very helpful."

"Still a shame…" Tacos complained. "You have the qualities of a good king. I would love it if you and Adelita got married."

"Ugh…" Naofumi groaned in annoyance. "Please don't make me puke."

"Excuse me!" Adelita stood up slamming her fists on the table. "Are you implying I'm disgusting?!"

"Please excuse Mr. Naofumi!" Raphtalia jumped to his defense. "He has a trauma regarding women. It's not his intention to insult the princess in any way."

"He seems fine with you…"

"Raphtalia is not interested in things like love or relationships," Naofumi said, which caused the demi-human in question to fluster a little and the princess to change her insulted expression to a deadpan one. "Besides, I can trust Raphtalia with my life."

"Big sis is awesome!" Filo added.

"Are you serious?" Adelita asked him.

"Yes."

"Wow. If there was any interest in you, it's completely lost now," Adelita said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Now it was Raphtalia's turn to be offended.

"My condolences, Raphtalia."

"W-what?"

"Raphtalia," Naofumi intervened. "Let it go. This works better for me."

"You're quite the unusual type, muchacho," the king commented. "But I guess I can't force you to do anything. That always backfires."

"I appreciate the understanding," Naofumi replied.

"It's better to die standing than live kneeling," King Tacos said with a serious face, but quickly turned joly. "For now, let's eat! With any luck, we'll meet again in the future."

"Yaaaay!" Filo couldn't agree more. Her angelic little form betrayed the sheer appetite he held. The girl started eating with gusto. The rest of the people followed suit.

Once breakfast was done, Naofumi, Raphtalian Filo, King Tacs and Princess Adelita headed to the docks, where the merchant ship awaited. The vessel was pretty big, but given the amount of goods it would carry, that was to be expected. Crates of mostly big sizes were being loaded into the ship. Bottles of tequila, silver ingots, a wide variety of fruits and seeds, and several styles of clothing were the goods to be traded. Naofumi didn't wait to set sail before doing some business and acquiring some goods.

"This is it, then," King Tacos said with a hint of melancholy. "You didn't spend much time here, but it's kind of sad seeing you go, muchacho. I took a liking to you."

"For what it's worth, you're by far the best king I've met," Naofumi replied. The fact that the only other king he's met was a complete piece of shit didn't need to be said.

"This ship will take you to Limbo Island," the king said. "Since I don't know where it is you need to go, I can't do much else. But the island is almost on the entrance to the New World, so I'm sure you'll manage to find your way. You're a resourceful guy."

"I can't thank you enough for rescuing me and putting a stop to Pozole," Princess Adelita gratefully said, but her expression quickly turned patronizing. "And please stop being so dense. It's not a cute attribute."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Nevermind. Still, I wish you all good luck. May the spirits beyond look over your travels."

"Thank you, princess," Raphtalia said with a bow. "And thank you so much for letting me see Rifana one last time. I promise I won't let her down."

"Always happy to help," replied Adelita with a big smile.

With a final handshake, Naofumi and Tacos said their goodbyes. The adventurers boarded the ship and it soon set sail.

"Bye bye, mustache man! Bye bye, spirit princess!" Filo, with all her childlike energy, waved to the rulers of Shishano Kingdom as they shrank in the distance.

The trip lasted a little more than a week. During that time, Naofumi used some of the materials to power up some of his shields. He didn't manage to unlock any new ones, but he did manage to upgrade and strengthen his newest shield, the Whale Magic Core Shield. With more defense and a stronger counterattack, the shield was already among the best ones in his arsenal.

He also used the time to make some medicines and craft some accessories from the materials he had. He attempted to copy the skull design he bought at the fortune teller's shop and was happy to see he did a pretty good job. Add a little magic imbuement and he got himself a nice product he could sell in case they needed money.

Raphtalia, on the other hand, spent her time studying the world's language and exercising her body. She would also chat with the crew and pass the time; and truth be told, she still had certain fascination for their beliefs. On less fortunate matters, her sword was in bad shape. To make matters worse, there was no one on the ship that could repair it. Thankfully, Naofumi's Sharpening Shield managed to at least keep it sharpened, so it would at least keep working for battle. But she would try to give it its due maintenance as soon as possible.

FIlo, for her part, was as bubbly and energetic as usual. Despite not being allowed to swim by Naofumi and the captain due to the treacherous weather patterns on these seas, she wandered around the ship with a happy smile. Whether she enjoyed snacks or joined some of the crew in songs and music, the filolial girl never failed to keep the mood in high spirits.

"Master! Master! I learned a new word! It's pendejo! They told me it means you're really cool!"

Judging by the snickering of some of the guys, the hero figured he should pay more attention to what Filo learned on this ship.

Nights were spent in their room, where Naofumi would spoil his girls. Whether brushing their hair or giving them more head pats than usual, there was no doubt they enjoyed their time with him. He figured they deserved it, at least for now. They had always given it their all, never let him down, fought hard and brave for his sake, and were always there for him. And with the coming adventure, he figured they deserved at least these days to relax and unwind from the hard life they've had so far.

At long last, they reached Limbo Island, where 'you leave paradise and enter hell', as the crew said. From what he learned, the island served as a last true resting spot in the Grand Line, since the second half was apparently so dangerous only some of the elite crews managed to navigate through it.

"Bring it on," Naofumi said to himself as he and his party disembarked. Filo was in her monster form pulling the wagon with the hero and his demi-human companion on it. By their sides, the same type of small donkeys he saw in Shishano Kingdom pulled other wagons with the goods the merchants were going to trade.

"Señor Naofumi," one of the crew members stopped them before they got far. "I have just been informed that a pirate ship has been tailing us. Reports say it's the same pirates that made deals with Pozole. Since it was your party that defeated him, I suggest you take care. He is a dangerous man known as 'Ship-Sinker' Blast. And that's not mentioning all the other pirates that frequently stop on this island."

"I see," Naofumi replied. "Thanks for the heads-up. You guys make sure to take care too."

And with that warning in mind, the party set out to explore the island. Three more days passed.

The island was small, and didn't offer much in the view department. The climate was mild and pleasant, green and fresh. The island seemed to thrive on commerce and lodging, judging by the many stores and inns scattered throughout the island. However, nothing on the island gave the party any clues on the prophecy, so they decided to try their luck on the next one. And so, Naofumi had set a small stand by the main street where he would sell accessories and medicine, becoming relatively successful. He would man the stand while Filo and Raphtalia would usually wander around looking for someone that could take them to the next island. Things were not looking too good, but they figured they were barely starting. Money was good, though.

It was on the fourth day that something happened. While Raphtalia and Filo went out to try finding someone again, Naofumi was about to open his little business. People were already waiting for his shop to open when his instincts kicked in and he turned and blocked a beam of light aimed at his stand. It was powerful enough to drag him a few feet before subsiding. People naturally ran away in panic, except for one guy that approached with some lackeys behind him.

"A guy with a green cape and a small weird shield. It must be you. Tch. Looks like your defensive powers are the real deal. You sure are a pest." The man in question had very pale skin. He wore long, baggy yellow shorts, a white sleeveless shirt, a few golden and silver chains around his neck, and yellow-tinted sunshades. On his chest was the tattoo of a jolly roger: a lightbulb-shaped skull with crossbones and a crude glowing effect in the form of lines. His hair was styled in a dark yellow short afro with a short strand just on the center of it that made it look like a yellow bomb. The guy looked like he frequented rave parties.

"And who the hell are you?" Naofumi asked with clear anger in his voice.

"I'm Blast, captain of the Shiny Pirates," the strange man answered. "I'm a bit of a hot-shot, you see. I have a bounty of 180 million berries. But news came that a certained crew resurfaced after everyone thought they were dead, and that they were recruiting strong pirates for their fleet. I can't have that. I was about to head to Sabaody Archipelago to crush these rising stars before they set sail, but they turned out to be fake. And then I hear the real crew actually set sail, and they're a lot stronger than before; so much that even Caribou Brothers were no match for them. So I needed to raise my crew's power first. I was about to pick up a new strong recruit, but you seemed to defeat him. His name is Pozole. I've been very frustrated because my plans have been getting ruined lately. And that makes me really angry. THAT MAKES ME REALLY ANGRY!"

"You talk too much."

As he yelled in rage, three balls of light formed just above him and floated around him. A few moments later, one of the glowing orbs grew in size and shot another powerful beam at the shielder. Naofumi barely had time to raise his shield and tank another hit.

"What's with those beams?!" Naofumi said in frustration. "They're strong!"

"Hehehehe. Surprised?" Blast taunted. "I ate the Bimu bimu no mi (Beam beam fruit). I can fire beams of light as strong as cannons! I can sink ships as easily as setting aim."

"Tch. You're annoying."

"That's my line!" Blast screamed. The other two orbs grew and fired one after the other.

This time, Naofumi was ready. His shield transformed into the Whale Magic Core Shield. With a strong swing of the shield, inspired by one the games he used to play, Naofumi parried the beam back to the attacker, causing an explosion that sent several of the lackeys flying.

"Damn you!" Blast screamed again. This time he made finger guns and shot several smaller beams at the shielder, who simply blocked the weaker beams with his shield. Naofumi then sprinted towards the pirate, blocking all attacks, until he was right in front of Blast and punched him in the face as hard as he could. Blast was sent flying, but not before managing to land an attack on Naofumi, who couldn't block it due to the momentum of his fist. The beam connected and exploded, but thanks to his resilience the beam didn't do any severe damage.

"You sure are annoying," Naofumi said.

"Right back at you." Blast quickly got up and made three more orbs of light circle around him. "They were not kidding when they said you were sturdy. You would've made a good addition to my crew."

"Save it. I'm not interested in joining a third-rate pirate."

"Why, you!"

"Captain Blast!" Before the fight could continue, one of the pirates from Blast's crew came running with a look of urgency. Naofumi knew it was one of the lackeys due to him having the same jolly roger tattooed on his visible shoulder. "It's an emergency! We have to get out of the island now!"

"What is it?" Blast responded with anger. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of a fight?"

"But, sir! Straw Hat Luffy has disembarked on the island! He's here right now!" The man said as if he were talking about a force of nature.

"WHAT!? GRRR! Why do things keep going south?! We have no time to lose. Everybody, time to retreat!" He yelled at his men, who quickly turned to run away. Judging by Blast's reaction, the guy in question sounded really scary. He turned to Naofumi with a glare full of hatred. "You're lucky we need to leave, but mark my words, we'll meet again."

With that, they all left in a hurry. Whoever this Luffy guy was, he sounded scary.

But he was not Naofumi's problem.

Once things calmed down, Naofumi finally opened his stand and continued making sales. Despite the set-back, he was making good money. A couple of hours passed before Raphtalia came back, holding a bag full of food and ingredients.

"Hello, Mr. Naoufmi," the demi-human greeted. "Anything happen while I was gone? I heard a bit of a commotion earlier."

"Some guy came and attacked. He was the pirate that made contact with Pozole," he answered. When he saw her face, he calmly continued. "Don't worry, I took care of him. I'm unharmed."

"That's good to hear," Raphtalia sighed in relief.

"I'll close shop for a while to make some lunch."

"Oh, that sounds great!" Raphtalia said excitedly.

"Where's Filo, by the way? I thought you went together."

"She met a new friend," Raphtalia answered with a warm smile. "She wanted to go play with him so I let her go. I told her not to come too late."

"I see," he nodded. "Well, as long as she comes back before dark."

"I remember when we met Melty. Filo was very excited."

"What kind of person did she meet, anyway?"

"Oh, well…" Raphtalia didn't quite know how to answer that. "You see…"

"Maaaaasteeeer!" Just then, Filo's cheery voice was heard.

"Whaaaat? 'Master'? Does he own you" Another voice, equally young-sounding, asked.

"Yep! Master is Filo's Master."

"Eeeeeeeh?!"

Filo came running in her human form, the biggest of smiles on her face. Next to her was...a weird creature. It looked like a tanuki, but its nose was blue and it had small antlers on its head, which was really big compared to the rest of its tiny body.

"Maaaster! I met a new friend! Look!" Filo picked the creature up and proudly showed it to Naofumi, who had a quizzical look on his face.

"What...is it?" the shielder asked. "I've never seen anything like this. A creature of this world?"

"I'M A REINDEER, YOU ASSHOLE!" the creature in question yelled with quite a funny-looking angry face.

"It can talk?"

"Yep!" Filo answered. "Isn't he funny? He said he wanted to buy your medicine."

"AHH! That's right! Filo said you sold medicine?" the strange tanuki-looking thing asked.

"Err...yes. But why would a monster need medicine?" Naofumi asked back.

"I'm Chopper," the creature answered. "I am the doctor of my crew. You never know when you'll need medicine, so I want to stock up."

"Seriously? You're a doctor?"

"Yes."

"Alright," Naofumi conceded. "Here."

"Let's see…" Chopper said as he paid for the medicine. He inspected a bottle, then sniffed the liquid inside. After a long sniff, he poured a little on his tongue and tasted it. "This is unlike any medicine I've seen before."

"Call it my own special brand," Naofumi said with a special merchant tone. "This medicine is a jack-of-all-trades. It will reinvigorate you and help you heal wounds, while also treating any minor illnesses. Keep in mind, though, that it probably won't help with more severe cases."

"Woah! That medicine sounds very impressive!" Chopper said with sparkles in his eyes. "Can you teach me how to make it?"

"Trade secret," the hero answered quickly.

"Aww…" Chopper deflated in a rather amusing manner.

"I also sell accessories, if you're interested. I use a special technique to imbue them with magic, so they can be helpful in many ways."

"Wow! Really?!" the little reindeer looked on with stars in his eyes.

"Don't let him fool you, Chopper," a female voice said. A girl with long orange hair stood beside the easily-excited doctor. "He's probably trying to oversell his jewelry."

"Oh?" Naofumi raised an eyebrow. "I don't like people underappreciating my wares, lady."

"Relax, I'm not saying they're bad products," the lady said. She leaned over to show more of her ample cleavage. "I'm actually quite interested in them. What do you say you give me a special deal, hm?" She finished with a playful wink.

"Alright," Naofumi said. "Just for you, I'll charge you triple the price."

"What?!" the woman whined. "How is that a special price?"

"I hate slutty women."

"Wooooah! What a beauty!" another male voice said. In the blink of an eye, a blonde man dressed in a suit dashed toward Raphtalia. He was promptly bashed in the head with a shield.

"Back off, you damn pervert," Naofumi exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Master, he is like the spear guy," Filo mentioned while pointing at the blond man. "I saw him chase after many ladies."

"Wait, 'master'? You mean he…" the man said while glaring at Naofumi. The orange-haired girl also tensed and grabbed what looked like a baton.

"Yes! Master is Filo's master!" the angel girl cheerfully confirmed.

"Filo and Raphtalia belong to me," Naofumi declared. "You got a problem with that?"

The man had a dark expression. He almost seemed to disappear, only to appear before the shielder. However, his extremely powerful kick was blocked by the small shield on Naofumi's arm. They stood like that, foot on shield, for a few moments, both trying to overpower the other. After the brief stalemate, they both jumped backward to get some distance.

"You sick bastard!" the blond man yelled, enraged. "How dare you treat these ladies as if they were property? You are the lowest of scum."

He was about to go for another attack, but reflectively moved his head back. Had he not, a blade would have been embedded in his skull. He looked at the origin of the thrust and was surprised to see the same beautiful lady protecting the very man that owned her.

"No one may insult Mr. Naofumi in my presence," Raphtlia said with ice in her words and venom in her glare. "Apologize now, or I will cut you down."

"Sanji, stop," the orange-haired girl said with a sigh. "Don't cause any trouble."

"But Nami, they…"Sanji retorted.

"They obviously hold him in high regard," Nami countered. "I don't know what their situation is, but he clearly is not abusing them."

"As she says," the demi-human said. "I will gladly give my life for Mr. Naofumi."

"Filo too, so don't be mean to master or I will get mad!"

"Raphtalia. Filo. That's enough," Naofumi said with authority. "No need to escalate the issue." Despite his words, he glared at Sanji.

"Agreed," Sanji glared back. "I apologize for my outburst."

"How about you buy some shiny things to apologize to Master?" Filo asked with an innocence that betrayed her words.

"Filo!" Raphtalia admonished.

"While your initiative to sell makes me really proud, please don't be so shameless about it," Naofumi sighed. "It makes it sound like I'm desperate to sell."

"Weren't you just trying to scam our doctor?" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No!" Naofumi was annoyed. "I really do have accessories imbued with magic. But if you're not into that, I have normal accessories, too. Not to mention bottles of medicine and weed killer."

"And what kind of magic are you talking about?" Nami was still not convinced, but decided to humor the shielder.

"Mostly resistance charms," Naofumi answered. "Things that will lower damage from electricity and fire, for example. I can also make custom pieces, but those take time and are pricier."

"You make them yourself? That's really impressive! What about this one?" Nami said as she picked up a simple golden bangle adorned with two blue jewels. "It looks nice."

"That one is on sale," Naofumi replied. "It's the result from an experiment. It will nullify any damage you receive once, then it'll break. But since it's an experimental piece and I'm not certain it will work, I'll sell it for the price of a regular accessory."

"I'll take it!" Nami happily declared. She paid for the piece and immediately put it on. "How does it look?"

"It looks really good on you, Nami-san!" Raphtalia said with a smile. "It compliments you nicely."

"Everything looks amazing on you, Nami-swan!"

"Thank you! It's nice having a female opinion," Nami said. "Well, it's time to go. Don't wanna keep our idiot captain waiting."

"Yes, Nami-swaaan!"

"Okay!" Chopper said. "Bye, Filo! It was nice meeting you! I hope we can meet again."

"Me too, Choppa! You're fun!" Filo replied while giving Chopper a big hug.

Nami giggled at the sight. And to think they were worried about the little girl when she looked so happy. "Chopper, time to go. Maybe we'll meet again."

"Yes!"

Filo waved as Nami, Sanji and Chopper left. A little later, Naofumi made some lunch, which they ate in peace. The day carried on with little more in the realm of excitement, which Noafumi was grateful for. Today had been a tiring day, but it also meant the true beginning of their adventure in this new world.

It honestly sounded like a drag.

A/N: And that's it for chapter 3! I'm so very sorry for taking so long to update, but work was kicking my butt, and now family is visiting for the holidays so I haven't had much time to write. I hope this chapter kinda makes up for the long wait. Hopefully the next chapter will take less than a month.

In respect to the story, it takes place just after Fishman Island, so the Strawhats haven't reached Punk Hazard. Regarding Shield Hero, I'm mostly using the anime as source, tho I am reading the light novels, so I may take some inspiration and tidbits from there, but nothing spoilery. Like I said, if you watched the anime you're good.

Reviews are always greatly appreciated! Nothing gives me more inspiration to keep writing than all the feedback I get. Thank you all so much!