26
Chapter 2
I woke up gasping for air. Oh thank god. It was just a dream. None of that was real. I still had my normal life. I wasn't stuck in a white room, in character creation, choosing my race and traits. It was all just a...dream?
I looked around, and there I was, sitting up in a small, unfamiliar room. There was a small desk in the corner and a closet with clothes in it. Then I was hit by a deluge of memories. Memories that didn't feel like they were mine, yet I knew they were. It was my clothes. This was my room.
My name was still Krishna Khanna. I was sixteen years old, and living with my maternal uncle, because my parents had passed away a long time ago. My previous lifestyle was that of an aimless aim, doomed to mediocrity. I had no real skills, nor did anyone on this island think very highly of me.
Last night, the old Krishna had come home drunk after wasting money at a bar. He slipped on the floor, and hit his head on the corner of the bed, and died. All in all, it was a pathetic life and death. I was appalled. This guy was completely useless. He had no contacts or connections. The old Krishna didn't have any real friends either. I got to say, I expected...more. That guy was truly sad.
The disappointment completely washed over me. God, it was like I had lost everything all over again. It was really hard to move on when faced with reality.
Even though I wanted to, I couldn't sit here all day bitching about my transmigration. The world was still moving outside, regardless of my troubles. Sometimes, you have to overcome your anxiety and depression, even if it's scary. I had work to do, and no saved up money. The old Krishna was an idiot.
My relatives let me live here in exchange for low rent. Don't think poorly of them. They ask me to pay 5000 berries per month, which is nothing. Normally, renting an apartment would cost at least 10000 berries per month for the worst of rooms. What they ask for doesn't even cover food costs for the family. The old Krishna has been paying that off by doing menial tasks around town to earn money every day. According to my new memories, life was difficult, but acceptable.
All of a sudden, a bunch of screens popped up.
*DING*
MISSION ALERTS!
MAIN MISSIONS – Direct shape the course of your life
Making your Choice
Now that you have reached the One Piece Universe, you need to plan out your next steps. The world is yours to do as you wish and there are many routes that you may choose.
For Example:
Join the Straw Hat Pirates. They will arrive at your destination in 2 months. Find a way to impress Monkey D. Luffy to join the crew!
Join another pirate crew and go up the ranks! Obtain wealth and power as you see fit.
Create your own Pirate Crew and be your own man! Choose to aim for adventure, piracy, or even aim to be the Pirate King!
Join the Marines. It is possible to join the Marines to hunt pirates in the future. Convince the Marines to allow you to join!
Become a Bounty Hunter. Hunt down pirates and turn in their bounties to earn money and fame!
Become a respected member of your town and remain here for the rest of your life. A peaceful happy life in East Blue is pretty good too!
These are just some of the options available. Do whatever you wish to do!
SIDE MISSIONS – Indirectly influence the course of your life. Completing Side Missions generally make completing the Main Missions easier. (Side Mission Rewards tend to be lower as Side Missions are meant to influence User Growth in a specific, helpful manner)
Learn to Fight!
You are a complete beginner with no inkling of self-defense! If you want to do anything other than be a basic town citizen, you should learn how to defend yourself! Whether you plan on being a Marine, Pirate, Bounty Hunter, or anything else, they all have some fighting skills. Even weak townspeople aren't respected. Better get moving and get trained in combat!
Reward: You won't be dead weight during a fight, More likely to be accepted as a Marine or Pirate
Learn to Fish
If you plan on sailing the seas, you better know how to fish, unless you eventually want to starve! Find someone willing to teach you to fish.
Reward: Fishing Knowledge and Proficiency, You can fish for your own food on the seas in the future.
Learn to Brew
Everyone likes alcohol, whether it's Marines, Pirates, or just your common man. A great cup of alcohol can make a stranger into a friend or spill all of their secrets! Feel free to learn to brew a good drink.
Reward: Brewing and Drink-making Knowledge
Learn to make Cigars
Just like people like to Brew, some people also like to smoke. Making cigars can be useful to "grease the wheels" in some places of power. Learn to make Cigars and maybe you'll be able to garner favors.
Reward: Cigar-Making Knowledge
Learn how to Swim
What kind of idiot lives in a world of island nations, where the only way to travel is by the sea, and doesn't know how to swim? If you want to join the Marines or a Pirate Crew, don't even think about convincing anyone if you can't even swim. Either learn it yourself, or find someone to teach you.
Reward: The ability to swim and not be useless around water.
Learn some Basic Geography
If you plan on travel and adventure in the future, you should probably have an idea of what the world looks like. You knew the basics of what the world's map looked like in your old world, and you should definitely know what it looks like now.
Reward: Knowledge about the world, and not be totally clueless about the world.
Memorize Wanted Posters
Whether you're learning about your future targets, the future competition, or just who not to offend, it's best to know the different Pirate Crews in the world. You never know when some information could be useful.
Reward: Knowledge about who is on the wrong side of the law
Scope out the Local Marine Talents
You're just a measly townsman with no fortune nor power. Better find out who the local government bigshots are so you can avoid, or at the very least, don't accidentally step on their toes!
Reward: Knowledge about who is important in town
Earn Some Berry
You're living at your relatives place and you need to pay rent! Make sure you have 5000 Berry at the end of every month.
Reward: Don't be a jerk. Pay your dues, or get kicked out of the house.
LOCATION MISSIONS – Missions located in the area. Completing these missions increases Reputation on that Specific Island, and may also increase your World Reputation.
Signore Phillip
Phillip needs extra help in his Kitchen. Go talk to him and help him out!
Reward: Basic Cooking Knowledge
Master Ma
Master Ma requires your help getting students for his Dojo. Go talk to him and help him out!
Reward: Discount for services at the Dojo
Daddy Masterson
Daddy Masterson requires help. Go talk to him and help him out!
Reward: Connection to Daddy Masterson and other bounty hunters
Ipponmatsu
Ipponmatsu requires extra help at his shop. Go talk to him and help him out!
Reward: Connection to Ipponmatsu and other weapon stores around town.
Raoul
Raoul requires extra help at his shop. Go talk to him to help him out!
Reward: Connection to Raoul and other bars in town.
DAILY MISSIONS – Repeatable Missions that occur daily.
Help your Relatives with the Daily Chores
Your relatives have been taking care of you for a long time, and they expect very little from you due to their kindness. You should help them out by doing some of the chores in the house.
Reward: Improve your relationship with your family
Feed the Stray Animals
On the streets, there are lots of animals that require food. If you have some extra cash, feel free to spread the wealth and feed some of the unfortunate cats and dogs roaming the streets!
Reward: Decreases presence of strays and unhappy animals in town. Animals tend to like you more.
Help Clean the Town
Your town is a hub for trade for all kinds of people in the East Blue. As a result, the town has gotten dirty as people are known to discard their trash everywhere. Do your part to help clean the town to make it into a better place!
Reward: The town slowly looks cleaner and it improves the town's impression of you.
Help Unload Daily Shipments at the Docks
The docks are always looking for cheap labor to help unload ships and transport goods. Wake up early and help them out to earn some cash!
Reward: Earn some money and develop relationships with people at the docks.
Help Set Up the Fish Market in the Morning
The people at the market need help setting up shop every day at the market. Wake up early to help them out and earn some cash!
Reward: Earn some money and develop relationships with people at the Fish market
The number of missions was staggering! I was wondering how I could get stronger using this system, and it turns out that I can use these missions to help lead the way. The Pathfinder trait was already paying out dividends. I can use these missions to learn different skills. That doesn't seem too bad.
Anyways, now that I've looked through all of the quests, it's time to start doing them. I went out of my room and greeted my Uncle Mickey. Yes, just like Mickey Mouse. And before you ask, yes, somehow he married someone named Minnie. No, they aren't mice. Not sure if this is the otherworldly attraction trait taking place.
My uncle was a jolly looking man, with a short beard, and always a smile on his face. He was the kind of person that would light up the room and generate laughter. He and my aunt already had two children who have already moved out. Except for me, they were already empty nesters. Even so, they never pressured me to move out.
"Good Morning Krishna! How are you doing?" My uncle boomed loudly. Thank god he didn't have Mickey Mouse's voice. It was a nice baritone.
"Good morning to you too Uncle Mickey! I'm doing alright! How about you?" I was slightly anxious that he would notice that something was different about me just by looking at me, but I was thinking too much.
"Busy, busy, busy! I was wondering if you could help out around the house before you go, because today is a bad day for me." My uncle seemed resigned to my refusal. Prior to my transmigration, apparently the original would always make excuses and run away.
"Sure. What do you want me to do?" I do have a quest to help out in the house, but I'd do it anyways because I'm not a jackass. They were my family on top of letting me live with them. If someone at home asks me for help, I might whine, but I'll still do it.
"Yeah, I didn't think you had time—wait, what?" My uncle turned his face towards me so fast, I thought he would get whiplash. Oh shit, did he notice something? "What changed today? Oh lord, did you screw something up? You did, didn't you! Oh god, the marines are coming after you aren't they? OH MY GOD, WHAT DID YOU DO?"
He ran up to me and started shaking me. Ever since my parents died, he has been extremely overprotective. That is probably part of why the previous Krishna was so hopeless. He always had his uncle help him out and take care of him.
I rolled my eyes. Uncle Mickey was just being a drama queen like always. "Everything is fine. What do you want me to do?"
"I'll definitely figure out what you did...Ahem." My uncle cleared his throat after his loss of composure. "There's a list on the fridge. I usually do them every day before I leave for work. It usually doesn't take more than half an hour."
Good, so he hadn't noticed anything. "Okay, got it. If you want, I can do the morning chores every day from now on."
My uncle stares at me with a strange look on his face. "…Seriously, are you sure you're not dying and paying your final respects to this family?" It was scary how close he was to the real answer.
I threw one of the spoons on the table at his face. "Stop being stupid! Go to work!" My uncle ran away laughing with a huge smile on his face. Once he left, I got a look at the new notification that I just received.
Throwing (Level 1)
The ability to propel an object with force through the air by a movement of the arm and hand.
I checked my status and I discovered that skill was now on my list.
KHANNA KRISHNA
Race: Human
Titles: East Blue Dweller
TRAITS:
Gamer's Body - Grants a body that allows the Gamer to live life as like a game. Grants Regeneration of Health and Mana over time. All status effects are temporary. The Gamer is unable to gain any abilities from Devil Fruits.
Genius - Greatly reduces requirements to learn new skills
Resistance Body – Allows for the generation of Damage Mitigation Skills.
Martial Talent - Born to do Martial Arts. Martial Arts Skills improve quickly.
Supernatural Talent - Possess the ability to have and use Supernatural skills.
Pathfinder – Many Missions will be made available in each area without having to stumble upon them first.
Plot Seeking – You are drawn towards the main plot of the story. Missions related to the characters of the story tend to have higher rewards.
Otherworldly Attraction – Your presence causes distortions to occur across the multiverse.
SKILLS:
Throwing (Level 1)
The ability to propel an object with force through the air with specific body movements.
As expected, the skill was in my status. I didn't feel stronger, but somehow I knew that I could throw better. I felt a bit more...confident that I wouldn't miss within a certain range. The sensation was quite wonderful. Now I completely understand why people grind stat points and skills as gamers. That feeling of...competence is just so satisfying.
I went to the list and there was just a basic set of cleaning instructions, such as sweeping the floor, washing the dishes, and taking out the trash. Nothing that was difficult, just annoying. So I made sure to do everything, and when I finished, there were more notifications.
During this time, I was just...thinking. Even though I lost my original life from an unexpected transmigration, I could still make a new life here. I had people that loved me and took care of me. I could be happy again. I just had to try.
Daily Quest (Help your Relatives with the Daily Chores) has been completed.
Cleaning (Level 1)
The ability to both notice dirty areas and make something or someone free of dirt, marks, or mess, especially by washing, wiping, or brushing.
Nice! That skill should make doing these chores in the morning go even faster. The faster I'm done with all of this domestic stuff, the faster I can go and explore and learn necessary survival skills.
I made a quick plan. I was going to do the daily missions this morning at the docks and the fish market. Earning cash while developing connections is a good use of my time. On the way there, I'll pick up some trash from the streets and dispose of it. That way, I'm not wasting any time. I'd like to do some of the other quests if possible. I definitely want to start that Dojo quest, and it sounds like Master Ma may be a good way to get started.
I headed out to the docks and on the way I picked up some trash that I saw laying around. People stared at me with some curiosity, but they didn't say anything. Eventually, I received a notification.
Daily Quest (Help Clean the Town) has been completed.
Great! I'm glad this quest doesn't require a lot of effort on my part. I wouldn't want to have to waste too much time doing this, especially since there is no physical reimbursement. Although the town looks cleaner, it's not going to fill my stomach or pay rent.
I took the trash and placed it in my inventory discreetly by pretending to place it into a bag that I'm carrying. I'll take it to the local trash yard later today.
When I reached the docks, people were already working. There were all sorts of people carrying cargo on and off of ships. Fishermen were also unloading their goods to sell at the market. I walked up to a familiar face. It was the dock foreman who was in charge of the freelance helpers. The previous Krishna would stop by every day and nag him for some work at the docks.
"Hey, is there any work for me today?"
He looked up and down at me and sighed. "Hey Krishna. I keep on telling you not to come here. You're a bit too weak for this kind of work." He sighed again, looking at my overweight body. "I guess you won't stop nagging me until we find something for you to do. Go help the men at Pier 15. There's some especially big cargo coming in today. The marines are getting restocked."
So I went down to Pier 15 to one of the marine ships. I will say this for the marines-their ships were nice. It was a well maintained ship, super clean and orderly. There were Marines manning all of the stations, and watching us to make sure we didn't mess anything up. I helped to carry some of the smaller stuff down and helped others carry larger cargo. The men laughed at me, but it was all in good fun. After about 2 hours, I eventually stopped to move on to the next place.
Hauling (Level 1)
The ability to carry objects from one place to the next.
Nice, I felt like it became a little bit easier to carry stuff. Did I become more skilled at carrying stuff or did my strength increase? Probably became more skilled because it's a skill system. I don't know. Hopefully, doing this every day can help bring my strength up to an acceptable level.
Daily Quest (Help Unload Daily Shipments at the Docks) has been completed.
"Hmm. Not bad." The foreman looked at me begrudgingly. "The men said you helped out more than they thought you would. Feel free to come back every day in the morning!"
"Thanks! I'll try to come every day."
I headed to the fish market afterwards. There were stalls with all kinds of fish everywhere. The previous Krishna had never helped out at the fish market before. He didn't like the smell. I had a mission available, and didn't have the luxury to be lazy. I went up to one of the men who was helping to prepare the market. He pointed out someone named Sapi at the Fish market.
Sapi was a half human, half fish-man. That wasn't very common, but it wasn't rare either. You could tell by the dorsal fin on the back of his head and neck. He had a shaved head and a muscular body from his work. He had the polite smile of a salesman. Sapi saw me heading towards him. "Hello, how may I help you?"
"I heard there was some work at the fish market. I was wondering if you still need some help."
"You're a bit late, but we still have some work out here. Hey Colim!" He waved at a guy nearby. "I got another one here! Why don't you go join the men over there and help set up the fish?"
"Got it." I walked over to the stands and started placing the fish on ice in a nice alternating pattern. It wasn't really hard work, since the men had already brought over all of the catch, but it was annoying and reeked of fish (obviously). I spent another 2 hours doing this tedious work, but in exchange, I received two useful new skills.
Cold Resistance (Level 1)
Decreases the effects of Cold on the body
Odor Resistance (Level 1)
Decreases the effects of odors on you and your nose.
Coming to contact with the ice repeatedly generated the Cold resistance. As a result, the ice didn't bother me that much anymore. Same thing with the fish smell. Odor resistance was highly appreciated.
Daily Quest (Help Set up the Fish Market in the Morning) has been completed.
Sapi came up to me. "Nice work! We usually start setting everything up at around 6 am. If you want to get more work, we pay 200 berries per hour. Come by whenever you want and there'll always be some honest work for you!"
"No problem! I'll try and come here every day for a few hours."
Sapi smiled. "Great! We can use more workers like yourself!"
We said our goodbyes, and headed out. Clearly, I needed to wake up at least 2 hours earlier so that I could complete most of these daily requests along with other location and side quests. Today, I worked 4 hours, so I received 800 berries that I placed into my inventory. I have to work at least 4 hours every day to earn at least 800 berries that can be used for rent, food, and other purchases I might need to make. Unskilled labor wouldn't make a lot of money, but it was enough to live on for me, since I was living with my relatives.
I wanted to take a short break after working, and I wanted to visit the previous Krishna's so-called 'friends'. Apparently, old Krishna used to spend a lot of time in the tavern. It was in a seedier part of town, so I could already tell that this was a horrible idea.
I entered through a pair of doors that were like from an old western movie. I walked up to the bar where my acquaintances were hanging out.
"Look who finally decided to drag himself on over!" It was Robbie, one of my drinking buddies. "How are you doing? Family hold you back again?" They passed me over a drink.
Dear God. Old Krishna had a great family, and he just goes around bitching about them to everyone? Why, yes. Yes he did. I see it in the memories that I obtained. God, he was the worst.
"Nah, just doing some work at the docks and other stuff. No big deal." I took a sip of my drink. "Ahh that tastes good after all that work." I was really thirsty. I would have preferred water, juice or cola, but you know. When in Rome...
"Awwwww! Look at little Krishna trying to act all grown up!" One of my other 'friends' jeered. "How long do you guys think it's going to last this time? I'm guessing he'll be back to normal tomorrow lounging around here like the rest of us."
Nope, I've taken over your buddy's body so things will be different. "Well, you know how it is. You gotta do what you gotta do. Anyways, what's going on?"
"Nothing much. We were just talking about some of the recent changes happening in town."
"Changes? What changes?" Too many things are happening at once. I've changed into a different person, and now there are changes in town as well. The last thing I need right now is more change.
"Well, there are a number of new people that moved into town in the last week. They've been sighted all over town."
"That's it? So what? People come and go all the time." God, I thought it was something important.
"Not like this. These people are different from the normal people that come through. Weren't you listening? These people all moved here. And they all look like thugs."
"Thugs?" Did Loguetown have something like that? "No way! Captain Smoker is stationed here. No way the Marines would let that pass." Did I mention before that this was Logue Town? Yep.
"Apparently, no one knows where they came from. So there isn't any information on whether they are honest people or criminals. All it takes is one look at them though! Clearly, they are suspicious!"
"Other than how they look, have they actually done anything suspicious?" You guys can't just judge a book by its cover!
"Well, no. But I saw them putting some posters up. Here, take a look!" Robbie pushed over a flyer that was on the table.
It read:
Want to be the strongest man in the world?
Want to learn how to protect everyone and fight for justice?
Join us and you can be powerful too!
Sign up at our new martial arts dojo at the south edge of town.
Come by now and you can receive training at our discounted price!
75% off for the best Martial Arts training in the world if you join now!
Ask for Master Ma!
"Umm…" That sales pitch is so...
'I know right? It's suspicious!" Robbie commented. "It has to be a scam. No one in town trusts these people. Part of them are in the south part of town, but another part is currently in Raster's Mansion!"
"What? Raster's Mansion is only for political dignitaries! How the heck did they get into there?" It was common knowledge. Even the previous Krishna knew that.
"No one knows. When people questioned the mayor or the marines, they told us in no certain terms to mind our own business and stay away from them. That's even more suspicious right?"
"That's true…" It was at that moment I remember that 'Master Ma' was one of the quests that I had available. On top of that, it seems that they are actually looking for students. Damn, this might end up being more complicated than I thought. On the other hand, there's also that dojo quest. I have to learn to fight anyway… "Alright. I'm going to check it out."
"What?" "Yeah! Check it check Krishna!" "Show everyone who's boss." "I bet he'll chicken out before he gets there."
And this is why these people weren't really friends. They would always egg Krishna on to do stupid things.
Of course, I wouldn't really do it either if I didn't have a quest for it. I didn't have time for other stuff right now. Ah, the Gamer's curse. Must...do...all...quests!
I got directions for Master Ma's suspicious dojo, to check it out. They were looking for some new students, and I was about to volunteer. If it took a bad turn, I guess I could always go to the marines.
I used the walk over to consider some things. What did I want to do with my life? I needed a goal. Something that wasn't just 'do mission XXX'. The system was amazing, but it couldn't be my entire life. I needed something to devote my life to. Something that would make me happy.
I was in the One Piece World. What is something I always wanted to do here? When I thought about it, the answer came fairly quickly.
What I really wanted to do was travel. The One Piece World was so interesting! I wanted to go and see all of the amazing unique features and people with my own eyes.
I wanted to be an explorer. The greatest explorer that the One Piece World has ever seen and document all of my travels. I would write a book with all of my travels. Maybe even a series of books. I think that would be awesome.
To do that, I needed to figure out a way to travel across the world. I suppose I had some options. There were Pirate crews like the Straw Hats, the Marines, or the revolutionary army.
The revolutionary army-Hell no. I wanted to explore the world, not be stuck in the middle of deception and schemes.
Joining the Straw Hats would be lots of fun, but dangerous. Luffy loves adventure and has no fear, unlike myself. I'm scared of a lot of things and going on a journey with the Straw Hats would be intense. Also, they eventually declare war on the World Government, even when they aren't prepared to take on the New World. I know I have a system, but I'm a nerfed Gamer. I'm not sure I can keep up with the rest of the Straw Hats. Of course, if Nami and Ussop can keep up, I probably can too. Also, I have the Plot Seeking Trait, which would provide me with missions related to the main plot. If I'm with the Straw Hats, clearly I'm getting the most of this trait.
Logue Town is practically the Straw Hat Pirates' last adventure in East Blue. I don't know if that's good or bad. If I was going to join Luffy, I would miss out on the recruitment of half the crew—Zoro, Nami, Ussop, and Sanji. I'm missing out on each of their recruitments, which is an important bonding thing. I mean, it's not a huge deal since I already know what happened, but I'd still like to be a part of things. I'll be the 6th member of the crew if I join from LogueTown. And that is assuming that Luffy is okay with me joining his crew.
I didn't understand the Straw Hats for a long time. Why do they state that they are Pirates, when they rarely do anything evil? Pirates pillage and kill ordinary town folk to get money. I feel like they were better off calling themselves adventurers, explorers, or treasure hunters. I didn't realize that anyone that didn't unconditionally obey the World Government was automatically a pirate in their eyes. That was the only thing that made someone a pirate. Being a pirate didn't make you automatically evil. It just meant that you were operating outside of the system, and therefore, needed to be taken down.
I suppose I could go and travel to where the Straw Hats are, but I don't think that I'd be able to get to them safely. Also, that requires money and a crew to get there. It's just too hard to track down specific people in the ocean. We might miss each other, although my Plot Seeking Trait might help with that. It's just too much of a risk right now. I'm weak. Weaker than Usopp and Nami right now, and less useful.
On the other hand, staying long term in LogueTown is a bad idea. Smoker is here. I hate that guy. Not only is he smart, he's strong, relentless, and possesses a powerful logia devil fruit that turns him into smoke. He starts chasing the Straw Hats even when they haven't done anything wrong other than help Islands exposed to tyranny from pirates or marines. The only thing they did "wrong" at the time was raise a flag that stated they were pirates and wouldn't do what the World Government wanted. They strived for freedom, which was almost considered a bigger taboo in this world than committing acts of evil.
Anyways, Smoker was a pain no matter what. I don't know how he will react to my presence. Therefore, I can't get on Smoker's bad side for as long as I'm in LogueTown, otherwise it'll lead to loads of trouble.
Actually, it would be even better if he never noticed my existence.
Even though the World Government was filled with hypocrites and power hungry people, at least Smoker worked by his own code, so he could still be reasoned with. Many other people in the World Government and Marines aren't as righteous.
I was thinking about my main mission, and all of the options it had provided. I kind of want to be an ordinary citizen, but that was the weakness and coward within me that wanted to never take any risks. I could feel it in myself. I wanted to give in to the anxiety and depression of losing my old life and withdraw into my shell.
I wanted to avoid the reality of my situation, but there is no escaping reality. I was here to stay.
In the One Piece World, weakness means others control your life. I needed to do whatever I could to regain control over my life to the best of my abilities. I don't want to feel as helpless as I was in that White Room for the tutorial. Someone took me from my home-my life, and I had no way to return. I don't want that to ever happen to me again. I need to do whatever I can to control my own life and fate.
I have a system, something countless people in my world wanted. I will never let it go to waste, and therefore, I will never be ordinary. I will just end up attracting attention and being watched and restricted.
Ordinary people didn't travel much either in the One Piece world as far as I knew. Weirdly enough, I hadn't heard of other people like ordinary merchants traveling the seas, but I know they exist. I'm sure they have to pay a cut to the Marines regularly. That's assuming that they don't have to bribe corrupt marines either. On top of that, there are always pirates to worry about for them.
If I decided to stay here and plan on doing the country building route, that might be interesting. But realistically, building a country would just lead to the World Government coming over to suppress us or end up subduing us through force. Unless the Revolutionary Army backed me up, it probably wouldn't last. Even then it would be too dangerous and lead to many deaths. Plus, it didn't seem like fun. I wanted to explore this interesting world, not be stuck in one place (It's One Piece, not One Place). No…I didn't want to do that route. At least not until I've had my fill of exploration and adventure.
Marines…was a choice. I'd have strong backing, and they could definitely make me strong. On the other hand, eventually, I would be ordered to do something evil, and then pretend that what I did was 'justice'. In addition, I am 'special'. I have a system, and someone would probably notice that I was unusually strong and was capable of doing things others couldn't do. It's possible that the World Government would 'volunteer' me to be one of Dr. Vegapunk's experimental subjects. They might even directly sell me to World Nobles too since I'm interesting, and would be someone they would want to show off as a part of their collection. The only way out of it is if I get so strong even the World Government would hesitate to mess with me.
I could also make my own crew. I kind of like the idea of doing that. My crew and ideals would be similar to the Straw Hats, except I wouldn't claim to be a pirate. I would just be a traveler who makes some money on his journey. Maybe I'd do a bit of everything such as being a part time merchant, bounty hunting different evil pirates, treasure hunting, and exploring new territories. Conversely, it sounds like a pain to recruit trustworthy people with similar goals, and I'm not sure I want to be responsible for everyone else's safety and all of the money problems. It seems like a lot of stress.
There is always that strange option of joining another random pirate crew, but I can't guarantee that any pirate crews out there are like the Straw Hats. That sounds highly unlikely. I don't plan to spend my life in a crew like the Buggy Pirates doing anything for treasure.
There's another option that the Main Mission prompt didn't include. The fact was that he could go on an adventure alone. I don't have to join any organization. I can live my life as if I'm playing a single player RPG game. Do all of the missions in an area slowly over time, making lots of friends and contacts, and once they are completed, move on to the next island and repeat. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't be involved in the plot of the story all that much and my growth would be slower since my Plot Seeking Trait wouldn't come into effect as much. I would be unlikely to have any sort of back up ever. No matter how many friends you make, on a solo journey, every time you leave a place, you start all over again. My nerfed gamer abilities make this option harder than necessary. Also, completing missions would increase my reputation. Eventually, the marines would find out about me, and attempt to recruit me. When that fails, who knows what methods they will use next.
I have some time before I choose which way to go to pursue my goals, so I'll make the decision when it's time based on the circumstances.
Anyways, I finally reached the dojo. It was hidden along the outskirts of town where it was more spacious. There was an impressive looking new fence and gate with the word, Ryōzanpaku, written on top. Ryōzanpaku…sounds very familiar. I tried to open those huge doors but they wouldn't budge. Thankfully, I noticed another smaller door to the side and used it to enter. There was a small flower garden near a tall run down building in the center. The entire time, I felt like I was being watched.
On the porch, there was an old short man wearing traditional Chinese clothing and a hat sitting around drinking tea. "Hello sir. Are you Master Ma?" I assumed that he was, but better to check than be sorry.
He took a sip of his tea. "Yes, I am. How may I help you?"
"Yes. I heard that your dojo is taking in new students. I wish to learn Martial Arts and I was wondering if I could join your classes for training."
"Sure. It's currently on sale for 2000 berries per week."
"…Sorry, never mind. I can't afford that right now."
"…Alright then, 1000 berries will do."
"…"
"…How about 500 berries?" How did it become a fourth of the price? Technically, for the services they were offering, it was a super cheap price and I was able to afford that. Wait a second...this feels familiar. Must be déjà vu. I gave him the money and he took my name and address.
"What martial art do you teach here?" I know there are many styles, and I was wondering what martial art would be located in the East Blue. I didn't have my hopes up because East Blue was the weakest ocean for a reason.
"It doesn't seem like you have any foundation in martial arts, so I wouldn't worry about that yet. Akisame will probably be your teacher."
Akisame…? Oh god. I recognize them now. Ryōzanpaku, Ma Kensei, and Kōetsuji Akisame were all characters in History's Greatest Disciple. Damn, how did they get here? Is this what my Otherworldly Attraction Trait has caused? Is this considered a gamer starting zone bonus or something?
"I object! All of you always throw the work to me." I looked behind me, and there was this tall thin man wearing a Hakama with a small, well-groomed moustache behind me. I recognized him as Akisame from the anime. "We just happened to find ourselves in this world too. We need to spend time doing reconnaissance instead of trying to teach new students."
So I was right. Otherworldly Attraction brought them to the One Piece World.
"No…I think teaching suits Akisame...the best. I will handle... reconnaissance. Elder has already checked everything out...once." I turned around and there was an expressionless, pretty, young woman with a sword on her back, and a cocky looking mouse on her shoulder. She has long waist-length raven hair tied back in a high ponytail, peach skin, and light purple eyes. She is wearing a purple choker around her neck that contains numerous small pins, and dressed in a small pink kimono and long purple stockings. This was definitely Kōsaka Shigure. She was amazingly beautiful. Kenichi was always scared by her training the most.
"Apa! Akisame is great!" A tall, tan-skinned man with ridiculously large muscles, short spiky silver hair, and a happy smile seemed to teleport into the room. He was wearing a yellow tank top and red shorts and a mongkol around his head with bandages wrapped around his hands and feet. "Apachai wants to take another disciple, but Apachai is afraid of breaking new student before he is strong enough. Apachai is still working with Kenichi!" Yeah, Apachai Hopachai says some scary stuff with a smile on his face.
"I don't take disciples!" A large, scary looking, gruff man with a long scar that runs horizontally across the bridge of his nose was holding a bottle of beer in his hand. He was shirtless while wearing a brown leather jacket and blue jeans with bandages wrapped around his forearms. Sakaki Shio looked like one tough dude. "I mean, other than Kenichi!" He corrected himself quickly.
I felt a towering presence behind me. "Ho ho ho, I think Akisame is best suited for teaching our new student, while the others can play with-I mean train Kenichi or go out exploring. What do you say, Akisame?" It was a towering fair-skinned man with blue-eyes and blond hair. His hair reached his mid-back, and also has a chest-length beard and macho mustache. Despite his advanced age, he's very tall and muscular and well built, has very few wrinkles, and not a single gray hair. Fūrinji Hayato is a monster of a man. I don't know how he's still in good shape like that at his age.
Sakaki Shio, Karate Master that Claims to hold 100 Dan!
Apachai Hopachai, Muay Thai Master and known as the God of Death in Asia!
Kōsaka Shigure, Master of Sword and all weapons!
Ma Kensei, Master of Chinese Kenpo, and known as the Master in all of China!
Kōetsuji Akisame, Jujitsu Master and known as the Fighting Philosopher!
Fūrinji Hayato, Mixed Martial Arts master and known as the Superman with no equals!
User is under the Status Effect
High Level Intimidation – Reduces all ability by 50%
Of course I'm under a status effect. Didn't even know that could be a thing until now…and another pop up was generated right after.
Fear Resistance (Level 1)
Decreases the effects of Fear
Not bad. I feel a tiny bit less afraid too. I'm guessing I'm going to be leveling this one up a lot. That Resistance Body Trait is paying back dividends already. I'm definitely glad I chose this trait.
Akisame stroked his chin. "I suppose, I don't mind, but shouldn't we be focusing on getting back?"
"Ho ho ho, might as well have some fun while we are here, right? And he seems like an interesting person. What do you say?"
Akisame sighed. "Alright, I suppose it doesn't hurt to leave a piece of ourselves behind in this place."
The Elder looked at me. "What do you say young man? Do you have the resolve to join Ryōzanpaku?
Ryōzanpaku is strong, and would be a good place for me to strengthen my fundamentals and foundation. I'm not sure if they would be at the top of the Food Chain in the Grand Line, but at the very least, they could probably survive there without any problems. Of course, their teaching left a lot to be desired…but you can't argue with the results. Kenichi had no talent and they made him into a fighting machine. I'm the Gamer. I'm sure that they can make me plenty strong.
The time commitment might be a problem if I want to do all of those missions before three months are up. I might have to let go of some things if I want to take advantage of this opportunity to the max!
I smiled. "Of course! Otherwise I wouldn't have come here."
Akisame looked at me. "You want to learn martial arts, correct? It'll be alright, because I'm not that strict at all." He smiled at me.
That Liar.
New Skills learned!
Detect Deception (Level 1)
Increases your ability to differentiate lies from the truth
Location Mission: Master Ma Completed!
Master Ma needed help getting a student for Ryōzanpaku in East Blue, as they are a new addition to LogueTown and their reputation is unknown, and therefore, their source of funding is cut off. As you have graciously volunteered to be one of their test subjec—new students, you have inadvertently solved Master Ma's crisis.
Reward: Training from Ryozanpaku.
New Side Mission!
Help Ryōzanpaku!
You have discovered a strange anomaly. The members of Ryōzanpaku have somehow been sent to the East Blue from their original world. Help them prove the strength of their martial arts in this world.
Rewards: Level Up in each Attribute Based Trait, Dimensional Transport back for everyone related to Ryozanpaku, and a Reward of Choice.
Kōetsuji Akisame, a Master of Martial Arts has agreed to teach you! Related skills improve faster by 1000% while under his tutelage.
Oh Nice! That location mission ended up being a chain quest with a nice reward. And that's a nice new skill.
But no matter how the system puts it, it is super weird that Ryōzanpaku has appeared in this world. Things are already starting to deviate from the original story of One Piece. Well, that's not really important to think about. The moment I came into the picture, things were going to deviate. How much? I had no idea.
Once they agreed to take me in, the Intimidation Status Effect went away because they were no longer focusing all their attention on me. Akisame placed me into the horse stance, then made me hold a jar in each hand that had the words 'spirit' and 'effort' written on them. There was a bowl of warm food that said 'endurance' balanced on top of my head. He added on some torture implements with sharp edges to "encourage" me to keep my arms up. Similarly, underneath me, was some incense that had "Mind" written on it, which was meant to cause burns in case I lowered my stance. This reminded me of that same torture training in the story that Kenichi had to go through. It sucked worse than you would believe.
Unlike Kenichi, I wasn't going to scream about it. Holding this stance in this way was meant to train my body to be stronger. After ten minutes of agonizing struggle, lo and behold, a notification popped up.
Foundational Training Exercise (Level 1)
Increasing the basic ability of your body is the foundation of Martial Arts and other skills. Increases the overall strength and abilities of your body and willpower. Allows increased awareness of your body and mind.
This was a nice skill to have. Every level would make the foundations of my body stronger and provide various benefits. It even provided a boost to willpower. Willpower is useful against mental attacks. If my willpower was high enough, I wouldn't have been affected by their intimidation. I know willpower is also tied into using Haki.
"Oh? Strange, it seems like holding this stance suddenly got easier for you. I guess I need to increase your load." Akisame noticed my increase in strength really quickly and added some more weights to my arms.
In another 15 minutes, I was getting tired but I kept going. Then, surprisingly enough, I gained another level in Foundational Training. Nice! My body seemed a little bit stronger and I was less tired all of a sudden. The weight felt like a lot less too.
"Hmm. It happened again. You seem less...fat. Your body is strange. I've never seen such rapid increases in strength or changes in someone's body." Akisame stroked his chin. "How interesting."
I decided to explain somewhat. It was best to let them know my relative circumstances to get more effective training. "My body is a bit different than normal people. If stimulated properly, my body will adapt and strengthen itself in different ways much faster than normal."
"Is this one of those infamous Devil Fruit abilities?" His eyes practically glowed when he asked that question.
"Nope, I've never eaten any of those as far as I know, nor am I incapable of swimming. It's just something I discovered with my body recently. That's why I looked for a place to make myself stronger." He seemed a little disappointed at that information, probably because he didn't have a Devil Fruit User that he could experiment on. It didn't dampen his enthusiasm though.
"Magnificent! How interesting! It seems that I am going to have to change up your training if that's the case. It'll be interesting to see how much you can tak—I mean, it'll be interesting to see the extent of your abilities!" His eyes were glowing now. Oh crap.
User is under the Status Effect
Terror (Level 4) – Reduces desire to fight by 40% and increases desire to flee by 40%.
I wanted to run, but I knew it would be a lost cause. Even if I run from Akisame, Shigure will catch me and drag me back. Of course, testing my wits against Shigure might also be a good way to increase my skills, but today isn't that day. Whatever happens today will probably increase my strength significantly, and repeat every day. Oh, seems like my fear resistance went up again...
He tied a tire to my body with rope and sat down on it. "For the next step in training, we are going to take a stroll once around the Island."
"I'm going to drag this around the Island?"
"WRONG! YOU'RE GOING TO RUN DRAGGING THIS AROUND THE ISLAND! GET MOVING!" Master Akisame's eyes were doing the crazy glow thing. Oh shit. He pulled out a whip from out of nowhere (and seriously, I have no idea where he got it from. I have an inventory I can pull things from, but how does he do it?) and started whipping me. It was much more painful than I thought it would be. Master Akisame really knew how to cause the most pain with the least amount of injury.
Obtained a New Skill!
Blunt Trauma Resistance (Level 1)
Decreased effect and duration of contusions, abrasions, lacerations, internal hemorrhages and/or bone fractures.
Of course I got this skill. It's a good one too in the long run.
As I was running, Master Akisame was yelling at me. "TOO SLOW! EVEN A TURTLE IS FASTER THAN YOU! I BET EVEN A SNAIL IS MANY TIMES FASTER THAN YOU!" He's such a jerk. With poor insulting skills.
It was super embarrassing to run through town while he was shouting things like that. Everyone was staring at us, and I'm pretty sure this was basically an advertisement to not join Ryōzanpaku. I'm pretty sure that people will avoid Ryōzanpaku like the plague now. Normal people can't withstand the level of intensity and embarrassment that he is putting me through.
Of course, the masters at Ryōzanpaku would tailor their workouts to the individual, but everyone else won't know or see that. They will only see the crazy, vicious training I'm going through and the gossip will spread all over town by the end of the day. Ryōzanpaku was destined to have lots of trouble if they were planning on staying on this Island long term. Ha! Sucks for them! That's what you get for embarrassing me like that.
Regardless, I tried my hardest. Whenever it seemed like I was letting up, Master Akisame would whip me, and I would speed up as much as I could. After the entire trip around the Island, my gains were fairly substantial.
Foundational Training Exercise (Level 3)
Increasing the basic ability of your body is the foundation of Martial Arts and other skills. Allows increased awareness of your body.
Running (Level 2)
Move from Point A to Point B with faster speed.
Exhausted (Level 2) - All skills and abilities have decreased by 20%. Time Remaining: 3 hours 42 minutes
"Apa! Krishna is so interesting! Apachai wants to teach too!" Apachai materialized out of nowhere and scared the shit out of me.
"Actually, I'm done for today, because I have some other plans. But we will train together some other day!" I placate him before running away. I wasn't Apachai level yet.
The other masters wanted to continue training too, but I had other things I wanted to do, so I promised to come again tomorrow. There were a few easy quests that I was able to accomplish today if I wanted to. All of the side quests were important to do because they would make doing future things easier.
I decided to go back to the bar, which was busy at this time, and order a drink. It was one of the best places to hear information about things happening around. I also bought one of the latest newspapers with all of the latest bounties in the East Blue and took a look at them. Familiar faces like Buggy, Alvida, Don Krieg, and Arlong had wanted posters, while there were also other unfamiliar faces with far lower bounties. There were also bounties on different pirates in the Grand Line. I didn't recognize most of them, but they were still good to know for the future.
Side Quest (Memorize Wanted Posters) has been completed.
It was interesting to see all of the different faces. If I wanted to hunt one of these guys down in the future, it wouldn't be a bad idea. It's quick cash, if you have the strength to back it up. I kept the different bounty postings in my inventory in case I need to refer to them later. I'm going to make a book out of them later so that I can have everyone's information. I'll continue to add updated bounties to the book too.
I went to the bar to get a drink. In the background, I heard people praising and cursing the Marines in the background.
"Did you hear? Smoker caught another group of Pirates! They were just small fry, but still."
"Hahaha, ever since he took over, he's been catching all of the pirates coming to town. Never felt safer!"
"I don't know. The town used to be more interesting! Pirates used to stop here all the time before they went to the Grand Line. We would hear stories about how some of them even became bigshots on the Grand Line and have huge bounties placed on their heads. Business was always booming thanks to the trade with them too. Ever since he came, my shop barely makes enough to get by."
"Still, you never know when a pirate would try to stab in the back those days."
"True. Still, the town had more life back then."
"I don't know. It's all the same to me. Instead of pirates, marines visit our shops instead. I rather deal with them than with Pirates. At least with the marines, we have relative safety. The pirates always leave chaos and destruction in their wake."
"Doesn't hurt that Officer Tashigi is nice on the eyes haha!"
"Don't let her hear you say that! She has some wicked skills with that blade of hers!"
One of the guys lowered their voice. "Still, you know Captain Smoker? He freaks me out. He's so...so scary! He's like a monster made of smoke! Nothing can hurt him, but he can hurt any of us whenever he wants. Doesn't that scare the rest of you?"
"...Maybe a little. The devil's fruit, huh? Still, pirates are mostly scum. It's better if the marines and pirates focus all their energy and freaky abilities on each other and not on us."
"Cheers to that!" They burst out in a happy drunk cheer and the sound of clinking glasses was heard throughout the pub.
The two most obvious names were Smoker and Tashigi the swordswoman. Interestingly enough, as I listened, a third name, Mashikaku, came up in conversation as well. Apparently, he would take care of the day to day operations of the Marines on LogueTown. Anybody else mentioned were just random members that did some good deeds for the day, or family members of people at this bar.
Side Quest (Scope out the Local Marine Talents) has been completed.
I was glad to know that nothing has been changed there. If there were other strong individuals in the Marines that I had to watch out for on this Island, it would be a problem.
"Hey Krishna!" Robbie and the group had finally noticed me and waved me over with a smile on his face. "How was your…*snicker*...training?"
"Rough. I'm really tired from doing all of their exercises."
"Saw you running while getting beaten all over town." The group burst out laughing. "Man, you haven't done something that stupid in a while. Gave us a good laugh. But at least we determined that that place is a scam, right? No legitimate place would train their students like that. They are clearly just messing with you. Do we need to get the marines involved?"
"Nah." I shook my head. "Those guys are actually all professionals. They use extreme methods to get extreme results. If you want, I can't introduce you guys to the dojo too. They can train all of us."
"No way!" Robbie backed away. "None of us are going to go anywhere close to that place." He eyed me carefully. "Did they brainwash you?"
I couldn't expect them to know about Ryozanpaku. "No, I'm just trying to be more serious about life. Maybe this can open some options with the Marines or something if I get strong enough. At the very least, I can lose some weight."
"Mhmm." Robbie just stared at me. "You are different. I don't know what happened to you, but you're acting a lot different from how you normally do."
"Let it go mate." "Let's see how long he can keep this up!" "It's hilarious to see him get tortured all over town!" "Wonder what other kinds of twisted things that they'll make him do!"
Yeah, most of these guys were definitely not good friends. Robbie seemed like a decent enough fellow though.
I had one final daily quest to feed some of the animals around. I bought a little bit of food from the store and found a couple of stray dogs and cats loitering around. I gave them the skewer meat that I just bought. There was one particularly cute dog that was so happy to receive food that he showered me with affection.
"You're a good dog, aren't you?" I gave him lots of pets and he was simply shaking with joy, wagging his tail like a maniac. He completely licked my face and hands clean before leaving.
I nicknamed him Springer for the way he would just bounce all over the place happily. It made my heart feel at peace. I can't wait to see him again. I hope I see him again.
Daily Quest (Feed the Stray Animals) has been completed.
I'm not sure why there was a daily quest to feed stray animals, but I'm sure it would all work out somehow. The tutorial did say that all missions are useful in some way. I started heading home for the day to collect my thoughts. A lot has happened today, and I need to sort things out and make a plan of action. I took a shortcut through an alley, when someone spoke up.
"Oh, so you're the kid that just joined Ryōzanpaku?" The voice had come from behind me.
I quickly turned around, but no one was there.
"Hmm. I wonder why they chose you. That Shirahama boy was interesting, even though he has no talent. You, on the other hand, don't seem to be the kind of person that would resolutely follow the path of Katsujinken."
"Katsujinken?" I questioned the voice.
"It's known as the Life Saving Fist. Those who follow the path of Katsujinken believe that martial arts were created in the defense of innocent lives. They refuse to kill others and refuse to be killed as well." He voiced absentmindedly. I turned around again, but I still couldn't see who was talking.
"I'm not sure that's possible here." I put my arms up in, what I thought, might be a defensive position. Whoever this was, I knew it was futile. They knew Ryōzanpaku, and they didn't seem like they were on their side.
"On the other hand, I want to see if you are more inclined towards Satsujinken,also known as the Death Giving Fist. We believe that martial arts were created to kill your opponent as quickly and efficiently as possible." Oh god, I only remember one other group from that story, and that's not a good thing.
I turned around again, and there he was. I saw a tall man with long purple hair down to his waist with a muscular build and a calm face. He had a cloak on, bandages around his wrists, a buckle belt around his waist and a small side pouch. I recognized him now. He was a member of Yami. It was Isshinsai Ogata, also known as the Sage Fist, one of the One Shadow Nine Fists.
"Come with me." Although he said it with a smile, it felt like it was an order. My Fear Resistance skill went up by another point. I didn't need to see my status to know that I was under the Terror status effect.
He led me through town to a nice part of town where we eventually reached a huge plot of land with a mansion on it. Raster's Mansion. Of course it was Yami that was in the place reserved for political delegates.
The difference between where Yami was staying and where Ryōzanpaku was staying was huge. Yami probably made contact with the World Government already, and were allowed to stay here for the moment.
He led inside and called out. "Hey everyone! I found out that Ryōzanpaku picked up a new student and I brought him here! I've decided to train him in martial arts! What about you guys?"
All of a sudden, a bunch of people rushed into the room. I was surrounded by a large number of masters. There were far more people here than there were at Ryōzanpaku. When I counted, there were a total of 11 people here! I don't even know how the masters at Ryōzanpaku would survive if a fight broke out between the two groups.
Kuremisago Senzui, the man masquerading as Furiniji Saiga, Master of Kuremisago Style Unarmed Ninjitsu and Known as One Shadow!
Isshinsai Ogata, Master of Ancient Martial Arts and known as Sage Fist!
Hongō Akira, Master of Karate and known as God Fist!
Colonel Alexander Gaidar, the Strongest Combat Sambo Master and also known as the Fist of Destruction!
Silkwat Jenazad, Master of Supreme Silat and known as Demon God Fist!
Diego Carlo, Master of Lucha Libre and known as Smiling Steel Fist/Angry Iron Fist!
Mikumo Kushinada, Master of Kushinada Style Jujitsu, Known as the Bewitching Fist!
Cyril Rahman, Master of Kalarippayattu, and known as the Fist of Brahman!
Agaard Jum Sai, Master of Muay Thai and Muay Boran Master, Known as Sovereign Fist!
Ma Sōgetsu, Master of Chinese Kempo, known as the Fierce Fist God!
Yogi Ōganosuke, Legendary Master of Niten Ichiryū-style Kenjutsu, and known as Second Hades and Lord of the Two Skies!
User is affected by Intimidation (Level 7) and Terror (Level 10)
All Ability has decreased by 70% and no longer able to find the will to flee
Damn, this is really bad. It seems like both the armed and unarmed masters of Yami appeared here too! These guys were all monsters, and most of them were not the kind of people you would like to hang out with.
"Sounds like fun to me."
"I don't mind taking something away from Hayate. I'm in."
"We're all going to train this baby like Kano Sho?"
"Forget it. I don't want to share a disciple with anyone else."
"Me neither."
Kensai interrupted them all. "How about this? I'm going to train him, along with anyone else who wants to. If you feel like it, just join in. If not, forget it. Either way, while we are collecting information and planning our next move in this new world, we might as well play as we want! I just want to see if the kid here is suited towards them or us. You can think of this as a battle of principles. Will this kid choose their path or ours?"
A guy wearing a freaky looking mask looked at me and my body unconsciously shivered. I got another pop up stating another increase in my Fear Resistance skill. "This kid is too weak to teach. Look at how fat he is too. Once you're done with strengthening his body, maybe some of us might teach him." I didn't want to be taught by Silkwat Jenazad, the Demon Fist, someone that enjoyed indiscriminate slaughter.
"Hahaha! Don't worry! Between the training I'm going to give him and what he gets from Ryōzanpaku, his body should be able to strengthen to where we can finally start teaching him martial arts! Luckily, when we arrived a few days ago, I had a few training instruments made anyways for my disciples. They'll speed up the process." He looked at me. "Hey kid. I haven't officially asked you yet, but do you want to get training here? I can see it in our eyes. The drive to be strong. We can give that to you even better than Ryōzanpaku."
Ogata had easily captured my weakness. Damn it. I really wanted to become stronger. I want to be strong. So strong that no one can step on me in this world. Even though some of them were horrible people, they could definitely teach me stuff. Of course, I would need to be able to live through that training...If I wasn't able to recover quickly as a gamer, I would never consider this.
"Sure, but I can't pay you guys or anything. Also, I'm only available in the afternoons to night-time for training with you guys. I have to work to contribute to my family in the morning, and late morning to the afternoon is for training with Ryōzanpaku."
"What? You're still going to go to work?" I don't know why Ogata was so shocked.
"Why wouldn't I? Do I look like I'm made of money?"
"..."
"That's why. I have to contribute to my family. I already joined the Ryozanpaku dojo, and I will go to them earlier in the day. I'll learn from you guys in the evening."
"You sure are greedy. Fine! We start now!"
Learn from Yami!
You have discovered another strange anomaly. The members of Yami have also been sent to the East Blue from their original world alongside Ryozanpaku. Help them prove the strength of their martial arts in this world.
Rewards: Level Up in each Attribute Based Trait, Dimensional Transport back for Yami, and a Reward of Choice.
Isshinsai Ogata, a Master of Martial Arts, has agreed to teach you! Related skills improve faster by 1000% while under his tutelage.
Master Ogata led me inside. "Right now, you're too weak to practice martial arts. That's probably why Akisame has you working on building your strength. We are going to do the same thing with different methods." He pulled the curtain off of a machine. "I had this made by a bunch of people here to train the physique of my disciples, so it'll probably be extremely useful for you. Every day, you are going to use this machine to exercise and build up your body strength. It's...experimental though. I'm going to put it through different tweaks and adjustments every day, so that it can help you continuously improve in a whole body sort of manner. I can't wait to see it in action."
Master Ogata's eyes also did that crazy eye glowing thing, like Akisame and the other masters. Oh shit. This was not going to be pleasant.
I was right. This was highly unpleasant. All my limbs were attached to this machine and moving my limbs at unique angles. The machine worked muscles I didn't even know I had. I had a gamer's body, and it was making me tired fast. I had to work through all of the resistance over and over again, and try to move my body in ways that I feel it was never meant to move. On the other hand, an hour in this machine netted me amazing results.
Foundational Training Exercise (Level 6)
Increasing the basic ability of your body is the foundation of Martial Arts and other skills. Allows increased awareness of your body.
"Amazing! I've never seen someone grow so fast! It's like I can see the fat melt and muscles growing as you train!" Master Ogata exclaimed. "It's like you were made for martial arts! At this rate, if I don't continuously improve this machine, you will render it obsolete. On the other hand, it's good to know that this machine isn't remotely good enough for my disciple's training. Don't worry though, between all of us, improving this machine shouldn't be too hard!"
"Great…" *sweat drop*
"Hey now! The results you achieved in a single day, would take anyone else a full month of constant training! At this pace, it won't be long until you are able to start learning martial arts!"
I nodded. That was always good. The faster I get stronger, the more I can do and the more control I have over my destiny. "I can tell Ryozanpaku that I'm getting training here right?"
"Heh! You think they don't already know?" Master Ogata leads me outside. All of the Masters from Ryozanpaku are assembled outside. On the other side was all the Masters from Yami. They were having a good old, high powered standoff.
User is affected by Intimidation (Level 10) and Terror (Level 10)
All Abilities have been sealed and no longer able to find the will to flee
Damn, I feel so weak right now.
"Oi! That's my toy-I mean student." Really Master Akisame? Really?
"Ara ara. It seems you have something that doesn't belong to you." Master Ma was looking pretty cool. Until he saw the Bewitching Fist. "Ohhh! Hey there pretty lady! Want to get a drink?" And there goes that impression…
"I don't take disciples, but that doesn't mean I'll let you take him from us." Why are you drinking beer while you say that, Master Shio? Also, why does your grin seem more evil than the people from Yami?
"Stealing other people's students...is not good." Shigure was doing a superwoman pose. Then she looked at me. "Was I cool?" *Sigh* I nodded yes, and she cheered.
"Apachai takes Krishna back to play! I mean train!" Woah, woah, woah! Your playing can kill me!
"Ho ho ho! Looks like we are about to have a party!" Be serious, Elder!
I totally understand Kenichi's feelings now. Having masters like that is hard. I wonder how they knew I was here. Then I saw a mouse speedily run towards Shigure. I guess Tochimaru was following me. That's actually pretty nice of them to send someone to watch over me. Or creepy that they are spying on me. It doesn't matter which way you want to look at it.
"Return my student at once." Akisame looked kind of angry right now.
"Finders keepers." Really Master Ogata? What am I? A toy they found on the ground? Huh...I guess they probably do think of me like that.
"...Oh, it seems words won't settle this..." Oh shit.
The intensity radiating from both sides, continued to rise. It looked like they would actually break out into battle until I couldn't stand it anymore. A clash between the two groups would be very dangerous here in this world. "Hey, are you guys going to battle in the middle of town? Don't you think that's going to cause a lot of damage and attract attention from the local authorities and everyone else?"
Just like that, the fire went out. I guess they still don't want to reveal themselves and their strength to the public.
"Whatever." Ogata just shook his head. "You've only been training him for a day. He's just a student of yours, not a disciple or anything. We'll take him from here."
"No thanks, we've got this. Anyways, it's better if you give him back to us. Krishna is too talented to be wasted by you guys." Master Akisame is totally picking a fight.
All of a sudden, all of the Yami members that were ready to fight but weren't all that interested in the conversation all were provoked.
The Demon God Fist crushed the apple he was eating. "What do you mean?!"
Master Akisame yawned. "Exactly what it means. If we leave the teaching to you guys, it'll just waste his talent. In our hands, he'll definitely become much stronger and complete from our training than yours."
"Oh? Is that a challenge?" The Bewitching Fist, Mikumo Kushinada, asked.
"Challenge implies that you are the superior ones. Those at the top don't challenge anybody." Master Akisame is being savage.
Diego Carlo, the Smiling Steel Fist, jumped out of the crowd. "AHAHAHAHA! You think you're better at raising Disciples than us? How interesting! Alright, fine! Let's make this into a spectacle! On behalf of Yami, I challenge Ryozanpaku to a disciple raising battle!"
"Foolish." Hongo Akira, the God Fist, interjected. "Diego, who gave you the right to choose for everyone?"
"I suppose we should play this by our normal rules." Kuremisago Senzui, the man masquerading as Miu's Dad, and known as the One Shadow, finally spoke up. "We put it to a vote. All in favor?"
Nine people in Yami voted in approval, while Hongo Akira disapproved, and Yogi Ōganosuke, the Second Hades, didn't appear like he cared enough to vote.
"Motion has passed." The One Shadow turned to Ryozanpaku.
"Hmph." Ma Sogestsu, the Fierce Fist God, interjected. "A fight between disciples requires two people. There's only one kid we both want. How are we going to determine this?"
Akisame thought for a moment. "We measure Krishna's progress together every day, after each training lesson. The group that develops him faster the most number of days over a month wins and the other group gives up their claim to Krishna.
"Ma, let me interrupt there." Master Ma cut in. "I know a better way. We are all interested in guiding Young Krishna, are we not? Instead of determining a winner at the end of the month, how about we determine a winner every day? Loser has to do something for the winner." He stared at the Bewitching Fist with his mega pervert eyes.
"I'm fine with that." Alexander Gaider stated while humming a tune. "What does the loser do for the winner?"
It was silent for a little while, until someone spoke up.
"Loser will play host for a proper meal to the winner." When the Second Hades spoke, everyone listened. "Having to break bread with people you disagree with fundamentally and generally dislike is punishment enough for the losing side, without escalating in this...unique environment."
"Agreed, on one condition." The Elder stated with a glint in his eye. "If one side loses three days in a row...they automatically lose all claim to Krishna!"
"Survival of the fittest is one of the tenants of Satsujinken. If one side isn't able to win three times in a row, they don't deserve to continue." Cyril Rahman, Master of Kalarippayattu stated calmly. "On behalf of Yami, I agree."
"Hooray! Apachai will play with new disciple in celebration!" He came forward, grabbed me, and placed me under his arm.
"Apachai! Don't break the kid!" Agaard Jum Sai, the Sovereign Fist, and elder brother to Apachai shouted out.
"Apachai careful! Apachai treat him like he treats Akisame's precious treasures!"
"You usually break...Akisame's stuff." Seriously Shigure? Why aren't you saving me then?
"Heh. We start tomorrow then." Master Sakaki was looking at me with his evil eyes.
"Ha ha ha! This sounds like fun!" Ogata laughed with joy. "This is what martial arts is all about!" No it's not! Stop making stuff up!
Two Martial Arts Organizations have taken an interest in you! Associated skills improve 1000% faster when trained by anyone in Ryozanpaku or Yami.
Ryozanpaku left quickly, carrying me back to their place. We all sat around a table.
Akisame looked at me and sighed. "This is troublesome. I didn't expect that Yami would discover you so quickly."
"Really?" I was dumbfounded. They were looking at me as if they had no idea how the information could have leaked. "You mean, having me run around town while whipping me, couldn't possibly have alerted anyone?"
"Ah, yes, we did do that, didn't we…" Akisame looked a little sheepish. "If you hadn't agreed to get training from them, this wouldn't have been a problem though."
"I wanted to become stronger, and they offered to train me too." I shrugged. "I didn't see a problem with learning from different people."
"Their ideology is different from ours. We treat all lives as precious, while they do not." Master Ma explained. "We didn't want you to be poisoned by them."
"It's all in a matter of perspective." I tried to explain. "Even if I learn from them, it doesn't mean I have to kill. On the other hand, just because I will learn from you doesn't mean I will never kill. We can only hope for the best and trust in one's resolve. I'm sure that all of you have moves that are capable of killing people, so you should understand what I'm talking about. I don't want to kill, and only when you are stronger than the other side do you have that choice. I want to reach a point where I can take people down with my own strength, without having to kill them."
They remained silent about it because they knew what I said was true. "Well Krishna, you better be ready for tomorrow. You wanted to be strong, and we are going to make that happen." Master Sakaki grinned.
"Huh?"
"Ryozanpaku and Yami's pride is on the line, and it's all going to be focused on you." Master Ma added.
"Aren't you glad I made that bet just for you? You're going to receive the most extreme training that both sides have to offer. LUCKY YOU!" Master Akisame declared. "I can't wait to wait out all of the new methods! Be here early in the morning after work! We have lots to do!"
"Errr...can I back out?" This is a horrible idea.
"Either you become stronger through our tutelage...or die trying! That's the way of martial arts!"
"No it's not! Stop making up things Elder!" He just laughed at me.
"Don't worry! Apachai teach you super punch and super kick!" I'm so doomed.
After all of that, I headed home. I was tired. I even had an Exhaustion Status effect that would end after 8 hours.
My uncle and aunt welcomed me home with a strange look on their faces.
"Come on in. We were just about to have dinner." Aunt Minnie was finishing up the cooking while Uncle Mickey was setting the table. Once everything was ready, I helped to serve all of the dishes and we sat down to eat.
"So I saw you running around the island today." Uncle Mickey sighed. "It was the talk of the town."
"Ah yeah. I heard that a new martial arts training hall had opened up, and they were looking for students. So I joined the place. Their training is…eccentric, but it shows results." I'm not even going to mention Yami...
"I can see that. Somehow, you even look like you lost some weight. Your trainer scared half the town though, so I don't see them getting any students anytime soon…" Uncle Mickey coughed awkwardly.
"Yeah…they didn't think that one through, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Those guys are pretty tough." The people at Ryōzanpaku are survivors. They won't be kept down for long.
My uncle became serious. "Speaking of which, are you okay? That man was whipping you a lot. It seems more like torture than training!"
I thought for a second. "The whipping was meant to hurt, but not cause any injuries or damage. It was supposed to motivate me to train as hard as possible. Even though the training is harsh, it brings results far faster than ordinary training. Basically, everything was with a purpose. They weren't doing it out of ill intent. They were doing it to help me become stronger."
He stared at me for a while and then nodded. "I understand. You've been acting differently since this morning. First, you're helping with the house, and now this? I don't know what happened to motivate all of these changes, but just know, if you ever want to stop, no one will say anything here. We will support your decision one hundred percent."
"Thanks." I was grateful that they were okay with it. It would be a problem if they weren't. I don't want my family life to get all weird. I'd have to move out then and spend even more money to get a place of my own. "I'll actually be training a lot starting tomorrow. I'll be waking up earlier to do all my chores and work."
"Alright, but don't push yourself too hard. You know, it feels like you changed a lot today." My Auntie Minnie was smiling happily. "I mean that in a good way. You helped at home. Earned some money by doing a job. Decided to learn martial arts to get stronger. It's like your life finally has some direction. You were aimless before, and were just doing the bare minimum to survive. I'm glad things are looking up."
"Me too!" Although I smiled back, I was sweating internally. The reason I have been really different is because I'm technically not like the original Krishna Khanna that she knows. I don't plan on ever revealing that I transmigrated to anybody, not even the Straw Hats Pirates. The fallout would be something I wouldn't be able to handle if that information ever leaked to the World Government.
All of a sudden, she got a sharp look in her eye. "I can tell you're getting stronger from your training. You've definitely lost some weight and gained a little bit of muscle. What do you plan on doing long term? You know we have some contacts with the Marines, if you would like to join—"
Uncle Mickey slammed down on the table and roared. "MINNIE!" He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and was silent for a moment to gather his thoughts. "If he wants to become a Marine, I will support him, but do not attempt to push him toward that direction ever again. Life as a Marine is still dangerous, and doesn't offer as much protection as people would think. You should understand exactly what I'm talking about."
Aunt Minnie looked ashamed. "I'm sorry Mickey. I just—"
"I know Minnie. But some things should be left alone." Uncle Mickey seemed somber and depressed. I have no idea what's going on, but regardless, things feel super awkward.
They were hiding something from me, but now wasn't the time to press for information. My uncle would tell me in his own time. So, I attempted a forceful topic change. "Man, this meal tastes great! I know you both heard about my day, but how was both of your days?"
Aunt Minnie seemed to be grateful for the escape topic and went with the flow. "My day was really interesting! I had this one tough customer that kept asking for the most ridiculous things…" She proceeded to tell us a funny story about her day. We were all laughing and the depressing mood was quickly forgotten.
Once dinner was done, I dragged myself to bed. Today was...tiring, in a good way, but tiring nonetheless. And it was just the beginning. I had many long days ahead of me.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
If something doesn't make sense, please let me know. Previous comments and reviews were very helpful.
Does the story sound better now?