Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own anything aside from my OC. One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
- o – o – o – o -
It was a nice morning atop of the Merry-go. The warmth of the sun was a contrast to the cool of the ocean breeze. It has been a few days since Niijima boarded the ship and joined Luffy's crew. In these past few days, he had been searching nonstop for any traces of miasma.
Sitting in a darken room of what appeared to be the man's bunk room, with only the sound of crashing waves to accompany him, Niijima held a small basin of water in hands. Stationed in four corners that made up an invisible square were candles that basked the room in an orange glow. He sat in the center of said square, eyes focusing on the water. Despite the gentle rocking atop the ship, the water in the basin was oddly serene. Like a mirror, it showed the perfect reflection of Niijima, who gazed into the water as if waiting for something.
Then, as if the timing was right, he set the basin down and reached for a small circular mirror. Giving it one annoyed look, Niijima couldn't help but remember the deal he had with Nami. He now owe the devil a thousand Beli—with interest—for the usage of this mirror. If he hadn't needed the item so much, he wouldn't have agreed to it. After all, her smile had been too sweet for his liking and he knew better than to make deals with people like her.
Sighing, what was done cannot be undone. He gently lay the mirror on top of the water. Instead of sinking, the steel mirror floated on the surface like a lotus blooming atop of a lake. With a soft chant, power seemed to infused into the very air of the room.
He peered into the glowing water and with the softest touch of his finger, a clear bell-like sound fanned out from the mirror. It began to rotate in a slow manner and Niijima eyes grew vacant, as if he was seeing something no one else could see.
His hand waved across the surface of the water and the wind follow afterward. It was as if he was waving through a screen of haze. Every movement left behind trails of white smoke that quickly sank into the water, where it dissolved like ink. The swirly white substances condensed and began to take shape.
A bird. No. Not a bird. A Hawk, stood for bravery, fierce, and sharp.
Another wave of his hand and the shape in the water transformed yet again. A fish. No, that wasn't it. A Shark, stood for persistence, danger, and power.
"What do these symbols mean?" Niijima murmured. He moved his hand once more and sweat began to accumulate over his forehead. His movement seemed more sluggish now, as if struggling to cut through the smoke. Slower this time, the smoke dripped slowly into the murky water and as abruptly as it was, the white smoke disperses, refusing to coagulate into shape.
He scowled into the air and swept his hand aside, dismissing all the smoke trailing around him. Only the murky water in the basin remain as the mirror sank to the bottom.
Divination often gave cryptic answers that wouldn't really make sense until it was already too late. The Art was never his strong point and he would prefer it if he wouldn't have to do it. In this case, however, he must use it to gain a lead into what he sought. The symbols he received, though, were anything less than helpful. He grabbed a nearby knife and cut his hand, letting the blood flowed freely down into the basin.
Equivalent exchange. For every piece of information he gained through this way, something of equal value must be offered if he wanted to avoid the Debt Collector. With each droplet of blood, the water turned clearer and clearer until all traces of the white smoke disappeared altogether. Finally, only the circular mirror remained at the bottom of the transparent water.
"A hawk and a shark… What could they mean?" Niijima said as he absentmindedly clean up the equipment.
- o – o – o – o -
To Zoro, the older male was a strange person, if not a little bit secretive. He didn't know how Niijima would fare in a fight, but from what little he gleamed, the man was no pushover. He remembered the state Jango was in and also Niijima's pristine condition, if not for his bloodied clothes—but the man was already wearing the bloodied shirt when they first met. From his speculation, it was a very clean fight for Niijima. At this point, he couldn't tell if Niijima was strong or not, but if they were going to be heading into the Grand Line, everyone would need to pull his own weight.
He hadn't fully trusted the man yet. Even more so, when said man showed up with a bandaged hand. For now, the swordsman would keep an eye on Niijima. If Zoro noticed the bandage around Niijima's hand, he didn't comment much about it aside from a curious quirk of an eyebrow.
Usopp, however, was more vocal in his curiosity. "When did you get that wound?"
Smiling enigmatically, Niijima replied, "It's just a small wound. Nothing to worry about."
They gave him another look before each went back to their own business. It wasn't until Luffy decided to shoot at the nearby rocks that things took on an interesting turn.
"What are you doing?" Usopp called and headed over to Luffy, who was fiddling around with the ship's cannon.
Witnessing Luffy's horrendous aim, Usopp couldn't help but took the cannon from the captain. Proceeding to shoot at the rock, his aim flew true and as the rock shattered upon impact, Niijima could have sworn he saw something behind the explosion of dirt and stone.
And that was the cue that Luffy needed to hold a crew meeting. With the whole crew ushered into the kitchen, where Luffy proceeded to name each crew's member's position, the deck was left free for attack.
"That's it. I have decided! You shall be our sniper!" Luffy said and pointed to Usopp, who looked extremely proud of himself. He began to marvel at his greatness and at the same time, trying to convince the crew to vote him as captain, which they all promptly ignored.
"And ossan! You shall be the ship's mystery man!" He ignored the boasting Usopp and turned to Niijima. His gaze appeared to be sparkling in excitement.
"Oi, oi, I don't want to have such a crappy title…" Niijima deadpanned. There was no way he would be known as the ship's Mystery Man.
"What? Why not? It suits you. You are always doing that voodoo magic thing," Luffy pouted.
"First, it's Onmyoudo, not voodoo. Second, people who practice Onmyoudo are called Onmyouji. Third, it's not magic, but science for the supernatural." He couldn't help but disagree. As a scholar in the art of Onmyoudo, one could not simply label it as mere magic.
For a moment, Niijima thought he had finally gotten through Luffy's thick skull when suddenly the boy blinked and exclaimed. "Yea, that's mystery man, someone who uses mystery power!" He wiggled his fingers around for added dramatic effect and Niijima was hit with an urge to swat those disrespectful fingers away.
"Oh for heaven's sake, if you can't say Onmyouji, then at the very least, call me an exorcist." He grumbled, arm crossing over his chest in a displeased manner. "Although that's still not very accurate." He mumbled, more so to himself than other.
"Okay! You shall be our ship's exorcist then!"
Nami shoot him an unimpressed look as she raised her head up from her map, "You do know that there's no such thing as a ship's exorcist position right? That's just a glorified self-proclaim title."
"Hush, you. Don't pop my bubble, girl."
"Actually, I think on some ships, I heard that that position was usually filled by a priest." Usopp interjected and Niijima was glaring at him long before he could finish that sentence.
"Please, don't label me as a priest. I can still marry, thank you very much."
"Guys, can we stop discussing about this. We have something else more important to discuss." Zoro said before the conversation could come in full again.
"Like what?"
"Oh yea, I remember now. We're still missing one more important crew member to fill in one important position before we could really set out toward the Grand Line." Luffy exclaimed, making sure to use the words important twice for emphasis.
Hearing the unfamiliar terminology, Niijima raised his hand. "Excuse me, but what's a Grand Line?"
"Huh! You haven't heard of the Grand Line before and yet you are sailing with us!?" Everyone exclaimed in various degree of shock, Luffy more so than the other.
"You should count yourself lucky that you are traveling with us. You would not even survive on the sea for one day if you had sailed by yourself," Nami sighed out of exasperation. "How could you not know the general geography of the world?"
"Well excuse me; I'm not exactly from around here!" Niijima said defensively and crossed his arms over his chest.
"And that just got me curious. Guys don't just appear out of nowhere like you did." Nami frowned and got into a thinking pose. "Makes me wonder what you did to warrant that treatment."
Her question raised several eyebrows and Zoro looked to him expectantly. However, Luffy came to the rescue.
"Guys, guys, that's not important! What's important is to look for a new member!" For someone so carefree, Luffy was pretty sharp. The young captain could sense the feeling of unease from their eldest when that question was posed. At the same time, he could also feel that the older male was not ready to share his story with them yet.
Conceding to his wish, Nami sighed and dropped the topic. "Well, I do agree that we need a new crew member." She looked meaningfully at the stove and admire the kitchen's wooden walls. "After all, we do have this lovely kitchen here."
Catching on to Nami, Zoro perked up. "Yea, we would definitely need that member on our crew."
"Ooh! You guys think so too right!?" Luffy bounced up and down in excitement.
"Yea, definitely, having a cook who really knows what he is doing would be a great help." Usopp added and Luffy immediately tilted his head in confusion.
"Ha?" He asked, not comprehending what his crew was talking about.
"Wait...If it's not a cook we are talking about, then what position are we talking about?" The rest of his crew asked simultaneously, each spotting a different degree of confusion.
"A musician, of course!"
It was silent for a while before the whole kitchen was filled with outburst.
"Are you retarded!?"
"What the hell, Luffy? You got your priority wrong!"
"And here I was thinking that you have finally thought of something smart…"
"Captain, I feel like I have understood you better from that statement alone..."
"What!? Pirates need to sing too!" Luffy pouted, but before anyone else could respond, a loud crash signaled the enemy's attack.
"Come on out! You pirate scum! How dare you kill my partner!" A gruff male voice said. From his voice alone, it appeared to belong to a man in his early twenty.
"I'll go take a look." Luffy said and disappeared out the door before anyone could protest.
Curious, Nami and Usopp peered out from behind the window of the kitchen. Niijima stole a concerned glance at the door but shrugged it off when it appeared that there was only one enemy. Hearing that, Zoro, too, calmed down, confident in his captain's ability.
Although as the fight drags on, more and more crashes could be heard on the deck. Niijima could not stand it any longer and opened the door. Luffy should have knocked the opponent out as soon as possible. At this rate, the ship would be damaged more than it should have been!
Whatever he was expecting, he was not expecting to see Luffy stretching his arms like rubber. He blinked once, then twice, and turned to look at Nami and Usopp. Seeing their nonchalant looks, he asked. "Is that normal?" He pointed at the absurd sight.
"What? The stretching part? Yea I was pretty surprised too." Nami nodded.
"He ate a devil fruit." Usopp explained. "You'll get use to it."
Well, the thing was, Niijima had no clue what a 'devil fruit' was supposed to be! He added that to his growing list of questions. "Can you explain that? What's a devil fruit?"
Nami and Usopp turned to him once more and blinked. "You have never heard of it?"
"Uh...no? Should I?"
"Where in the Four Blue have you been!?"
"Guys, guys. I don't know what it is, alright?" Niijima put his hand up in a placating manner when Nami and Usopp bellowed at him in shock. Another crash reminded Niijima of his concern. Before he could do anything else, though, Zoro walked passed him with an impassive look. Apparently, the noise level was getting too much that even Zoro was annoyed.
While Zoro went to deal with the newcomer, Nami and Usopp gave Niijima a quick run down of Devil Fruit. The more Niijima heard from them, the more fascinated he became. He couldn't understand how a fruit could simply grant the consumer a unique power at the cost of his or her ability to swim and something about being weak to water, especially sea water. It was unheard of! And his captain was a consumer of one of those fruit, a Gum Gum Fruit, to be exact! It was simply fascinating and eye opening. It seemed like this world was a lot more dangerous than he thought if human could gain ability like that.
The commotion outside suddenly quiet down when Zoro recognized the enemy. Even so, the ship had taken plenty of collateral damage. That was how they met Yosaku and Johnny, the duo bounty hunters. It was also when the crew discovered the invisible threat known as diseases. Of course, it hadn't really clicked then that they needed to have a doctor on board. Part of it was due to the way Nami handled the situation. When they discovered that Yosaku was inflicted with scurvy, Nami had shown that she was very knowledgeable with the disease.
One thing led to another and the crew was sidetracked by the beautiful kitchen that the Merry-go was equipped with. In the end, Luffy decided that it was a cook that they need and here they were, on their way toward the Baratie, a sea restaurant – courtesy of Johnny's direction. Niijima supposed, this was a great turn of event. Where else could he acquire more information if not at the Baratie, a mobile restaurant! Surely, one of the guest there must have a lead for his search?
It was there that Niijima got a taste of this world's version of law enforcement. He wasn't sure if this was what a Marine was supposed to act like, but this Fullbody person was haughty beyond words, as if he simply could use his status to get away with anything. The fact that bystanders seemed to cater to his words spoke volume of the world's politic. From that alone, it didn't take him long to figure out that the Marine had a great influence over the global welfare. He should keep that in mind for any future endeavor.
A loud bang broke him out of his musing as a cannon ball was shot at their way. He hadn't needed to do anything when Luffy inflated himself into a giant balloon—an act that still baffled Niijima, no matter how much he told himself that this was a different world. It seemed like it would take a while for him to get used to this new environment.
All things aside, what should have been a perfectly reflected attack missed the target entirely. Instead, the roof of the Baratie exploded as the returned cannon ball crashed into it.
"Where the hell are you aiming at!?" The crew cried out in alarm.
It would have been a funny sight if Niijima hadn't caught the stern look on Nami's face as she gripped the bounty poster tightly. She appeared shaken by what she had seen on the poster. Stowing that bit of information away, Niijima turned away and pretended he hadn't seen anything.
- o – o – o – o -
While Luffy went to apologize for the damage, the rest of the crew docked the ship and entered the restaurant. Stationing around a round table, they each ordered from the menu. Niijima glanced uneasily at the menu when he didn't even recognize half of the ingredients used for certain dishes. Opting for a more safe choice, he went with the dish that he knew what the ingredient was.
He glanced warily at Nami. Knowing the girl, he wasn't sure if this meal would be taken out of the crew's fund or if each of them had to pay individually. Either way, he shouldn't risk it for now. Setting down the menu, he decided he would just grab a cup of water or something. In the meantime, he had something more important to do. Letting slipped two paper dolls along the ground, he moved them around the area, listening for anything interesting and at the same time taking care to not be seen by other people.
One particular piece of information caught his attention as it was regarding their captain, Luffy. Apparently, the boy would have to work one full year as an errand boy to pay back for the damage he did to the restaurant. Hearing that news, Niijima couldn't help but frown. If Luffy was staying here, then there would be a very high chance that they wouldn't be sailing anywhere else. If that was the case, it would be terrible for his goal.
Speaking of the captain, Luffy came up to the table wearing the typical apron of an errand boy. Niijima shot him a frown while the rest of the crew were oddly amused. He simply couldn't understand how this was an amusing situation. For now though, he would have to wait and see. Excusing himself from the group, he went back to the ship and attempted another divination. He never noticed the looks the other gave him when he left.
"Hey, don't you think Niijima-san was acting a little bit weird?" Usopp started.
"Just leave him alone." Zoro grunted and picked up a glass of water. Noticing the booger in it, he turned around and shoved it into Luffy's mouth. That was enough to cause Usopp to break into a snicker.
Nami gave a glanced at the guys but didn't say anything except to frown. She was distracted, however, when Sanji, the cook came swooning after her. Suffice to say, he didn't even stand a chance before she dwindled a free meal out of him.
Back on the ship, Niijima meditated in the bunk room with another basin in his hand. He growled in annoyance at the latest reading. No matter what he tried, the vision was always the same, a Hawk and a Shark. He tried one last time and was surprised when the Hawk's symbol was a little bit blurry. Usually when a symbol was blurry, it signified a choice. Someone relevant to the reading must have made a choice and the future was changed. He swooped his hand once more and a blurry symbol of an Orange showed up. What did an orange have to do with anything!?
"Is it so hard to give me a clear reading for once?" He pleaded to the sky, but sighed when silence met him.
Two days had passed since then with Niijima growing more grumpier with each day passed. So far, he had tried divination, scrying, and even dream walking. None of it had produced anything relatively relevant. It had always been about a hawk, a shark and lately, an orange. No matter how he thought of it, the signs were there, but they were not clicking to him in anyway. He knew that there would be a choice somewhere in there, but he didn't know who would make those choice and how it would relate to his mission in anyway!
If the numerous cut marks on his hands were not enough proof of his desperation, the fact that he considered going with Yosaku and Johnny spoke much of his states of mind. It didn't help that his strangeness had already begin to draw suspicion from the other crew members.
Finally, Usopp couldn't stand it anymore and decided to confront the older man about his recent behavior. "Uh, Niijima-san, are you alright? Where have you been getting all these wounds from?"
"And no, I don't want to hear that everything was fine. Something was obviously not fine." The long nosed sniper cut Niijima off before he could say anything. Usopp gestured to the various bandage covering the Onmyouji's arms in a frustrated manner. The man's black jacket was flung over his shoulder and he had his shirt sleeves rolled up for convenient sake. It would take too long to roll up the sleeve every time he needed to pay the price for his divination.
Sheepishly, Niijima pulled the shirt sleeves back down to hide the wounds. "I know what I am doing, so you don't have to worry about it." His business was his own and he shouldn't really share his burden with other people. "I apologize though, if it had worried you."
"It looked self-inflicted." Zoro called from the railing when he noticed one of the freshly cut one that hadn't been completely covered in bandage.
Niijima scowled when he caught onto what's Zoro was implying. "I am not suicidal, if that's what you are thinking."
Whatever they were about to say next was interrupted by a large shadow looming over them. Turning their heads, they were greeted by an eerie galleon that looked so torn and worn down that it could have been mistaken as a ghost ship. The sails were ripped and the figureheads were smashed. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this ship must have gotten caught in a particular nasty storm.
"It's Don Krieg's ship!" Yosaku and Johnny called out and the Straw Hat pirates quickly tensed for any kind of confrontation.
"This couldn't be any good." Zoro murmured while Usopp and Nami shivered out of fear.
Niijima sighed in relief when it looked like they weren't going to press on with their questioning. He wasn't exactly keen on explaining his situation. Though from another point of view, there really was no harm in telling these kids about it. It was not like it would affect them anyway.
"I'm gonna take a look. You guys coming?" Zoro shot Niijima and Usopp a look, which Niijima inclined his head while Usopp shakily replied. "Y-yeah!"
"Sorry guys, I'm staying here. I'm not that good with fighting, anyway." Nami perked up and received a nod from Zoro.
"In that case, Yosaku, Johnny, can you stay and watch over the ship?" He asked the pirate hunter duo, who nodded.
With everyone role's assigned, the trio headed into the restaurant, just in time to hear Luffy disagreeing with Don Krieg's statement of who should be Pirate King. Truth to be told, Niijima still didn't understand the significant behind that statement. Apparently it must have been a big deal when everyone just looked at the boy in shock, some in anger.
"Oh goodie..." Niijima sighed. He didn't expect trouble to be this soon when he agreed to go take a look.
"Need a hand, Luffy?" Zoro called and suddenly everyone's attention was on the three of them.
"Ah, everyone. Nah, I'm good."
Don Krieg took one look at them and laughed in a haughty manner, "Is this your crew? Three meager men?"
He mocked them and proceeded to recount how his crew of thousands men and fifty ships were defeated by the Grand Line. While Niijima didn't know how true his statement was, but from Don Krieg's tattered states, he concluded that it must be true. Even after he left, what was more shocking was when his subordinate, Gin, claimed that their whole fleets were taken down by only one man.
At that point, Niijima truly didn't know what to believe anymore. On one hand, he would like to think that said man was exaggerating, but the reaction from the various cooks around quickly dissuade that idea. He was more interested in the blond cook, who Luffy pointed out as their potential new crew mate.
From what he had seen, Luffy sure had a good eyes for picking up crew mate. Sanji, the cook in question, seemed to be a "good" guys, as Luffy putted it, or trustworthy in Niijima's words. He was roused from his internal musing when Gin began to describe the person who was responsible for their defeat.
"It's just too terrifying to believe..." Gin recounted as fear laced his voice. "That hawk-eyed man… I can't forget." He shivered and brought his hands up to his face.
Both Niijima and Zoro quickly snapped their heads toward Gin. The crew member glanced at once another in surprise but quickly focused their attention back to Gin.
"Did you just say 'hawk'?" Niijima sharply cut into his monologue.
Gin shakily looked up and said, "Y-yes, his eyes were like a hawk..."
This was it. The sign was finally showing itself! Maybe he would be able to get some information from this person. However, he needed to be careful, if what Gin said was true. Going in unprepared will get him killed.
The owner of the restaurant, Red-Leg Zeff, interrupted. "Well, there could only be one man that fits your description and could sunk your fleet, as you described it. It's Hawk-eye, no doubt."
While everyone reacted with a degree of shock and awed, Usopp just had to break that by asking Luffy, "Who's that?"
"Beats me." He shrugged and all traces of seriousness was gone.
Zoro gave Niijima another glance and answered Usopp's question. "He's the man I'm—or should I say, we're—looking for."
His eyes locked momentarily with Niijima's, who asked, "What do you know about him?"
Zoro quirked an eyebrow at the question, "You could say that he's the greatest swordsman in the world."
"That's bullshit!" Gin shouted and everyone's attention was back on him. "There should be no reason to attack us simply because we disturbed his nap."
"No need to be so irritated. That was just an example. It's the Grand Line, where the abnormal is the normal." Zeff shrugged. "Things will happen without reasons or with the oddest reason."
Contrary to others, Luffy was extremely excited by Zeff's words and Niijima could see the appeal in that. In the world where every day life was a repeat of yesterday's events, people will crave for something new. The Grand Line sounded like a place of wonder and adventure, yet dangerous—a theme that was very appealing to people who are tired of the normal life.
"Well, regardless. It seemed like my goal now lied in the Grand Line, since that man is there." Zoro commented and leaned back against the seat.
Niijima thought back to his personal goal. If his interpretation of the reading was correct, then this hawk-eye man held the one of the key to his quest. It wouldn't be too far fetched to conclude that his highest odd of finding what he was looking for was in the Grand Line. Similar to Zoro, it seemed like he should stick close to Luffy for now—although the boy would seriously need to get himself out of debt as soon as possible. While Niijima pride himself as an honorable man who wouldn't necessary betray people, even he had tolerance of how much time could be wasted.
Having overheard the conversation, Sanji commented, "You lots are all idiots, rushing to your death like that."
Zoro's next lines caused Niijima to see the swordsman in a new light. Zoro was someone who knew exactly what he wanted and what he needed to do to get to that stage.
"Ever since I've decided to be the world's Greatest Swordsman, I threw away my attachment to life. The only one who have to right to call me an idiot is me alone, and no one else."
"Well said," Niijima nodded. "Only yourself can decide what is right and wrong."
"Oh, me too!" Luffy quipped, followed by Usopp, who said, "As a man, the same goes for me."
Of course, that last statement was quickly called out by Zoro, who hit Usopp with the hilt of his sword, as if to wake Usopp up from his dream. "Liar."
Niijima took one look at his companions and smiled in nostalgia. He was like them too, in the past, but that past was no longer possible to go back to. He shook his head. He shouldn't get too attached to these people.
"Is he the one you are looking for?" Zoro asked, recalling Niijima's joining condition.
Thrown off guard for a second by the unexpected answer, Niijima blinked. "Huh? Oh, no. He's not the one I am pursuing, but I think he holds the key to my quest."
Zoro raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn't comment.
Speaking of the devil, Don Krieg's galleon creaked ominously as it cracked in half, courtesy of his pursuer. Everyone's jaws simultaneously dropped at the shocking sight. The colossus galleon was gone, just like that.
It was a moment of silent as everyone tried to compute what they have just seen. Niijima didn't know who moved first, but it was chaotic as everyone rushed to their stations. As the giant galleon fell into the water, the waves produced from the impact was enough to wash everything away.
"Shit! Check the Merry-Go. Nami and the others are docked there!" Zoro shouted, but Luffy was already running ahead of him. Luffy didn't need to be told for him to be concerned for his crew mate. The moment he realized the danger the wave posed to his friends, he was already off.
Usopp, Zoro and Niijima quickly followed him. They were stunned when they saw Yosaku and Johnny trying to stay afloat the crashing waves. The Merry-Go was no where to be found.
"Aniki!" Their cries of distress snapped them out of their confusion. "Nami-aneki took the ship!"
"What!" All four of them shouted simultaneously.
Recounting their tale, they spoke of Nami's weird behavior, ranging from checking the bounty up to the point where she took their treasure and shoved the duo over board. Her last words, according to them, had been, "Tell the others that if we're truly linked by fate, we'll meet again."
"Silly girl..." Niijima sighed as the other reacted negatively to her betrayal. They were mostly troubled and frustrated by the fact that Nami ditched them during this "crisis" as Usopp so aptly put. But, Niijima didn't consider this to be a crisis. If anything, this was a golden opportunity for him to witness the strength of someone who frequent the Grand Line. This should be a good gauge to see if they were ready for such a grand adventure.
"Wait," Luffy said, "I can still see our ship."
"Just leave her be. There is nothing good with having a thief on our seat." Zoro shrugged and didn't seem to be that much concerned about the betrayal.
"But what about our ship!? She took our ship! That's important too!" Usopp protested. If Zoro wasn't so intimidating, Niijima was sure that the long-nosed boy would have been grabbing at his collar and shaking him.
"I will reserve my judgment until I hear an explanation." Niijima crossed his arms over his chest. If his gut feeling was right, then the Orange symbol must have been referring to Nami. The choice that Nami made was reflected in his reading. If the reading told him that she would be able to guide him to his goal, then she must have her reason for betraying them. Now he just needed to figure out what the Shark meant.
"Zoro, Usopp, I want her to be my navigator, no matter what." Luffy stated seriously. He didn't include Niijima in that statement after what the man had said.
The two paused from their musing. Grumbling, Zoro shook his head, "Fine, fine. Why had I chosen to follow such a captain?"
"Captain?" Niijima looked to Luffy as the other headed toward Johnny and Yosaku's ship. He hadn't really decided if he wanted to stay and help or if he should go.
"Sorry, I can't go yet. I haven't paid them back for what I did yet. I'll catch up with you later."
"Be careful, Luffy. Things will get a bit rough here." Zoro said and was about to board the ship when the atmosphere changed.
People was shouting and men was running around. But above all, one lone black boat sailed in between the split galleon.
"Don Krieg! It's him!" In the midst of all the shouting, that was the clearest of all and it signaled the beginning of something much more dangerous.
Niijima could feel the sharpness in the air digging into the back of his neck, as if someone was holding him at blade point. Throughout his career, he had encountered many individuals before and individuals who left such an impression on him was countable with two hands. If this man in question was the norm in this world, then this just proved to be a lot more dangerous. He might not even be alive by the time he found the enemy!
"Impossible! Why did he follow us here!?" Don Krieg clung to the ship's railing fearfully.
Zeff took one look at the incoming danger and nodded. "No doubt. That's him. The world most renowned swordsman, 'Hawk-eyes' Mihawk."
"Damn it! What did we ever do to you!? Why did you follow us here?" One of the pirates shouted at Mihawk. The response he received was one of the most unexpected one.
"Just to kill time."
"Bullshit! Don't fuck with us!"
One of the men fired at Mihawk, but the swordsman merely withdrew his sword and redirected the bullet's trajectory. His movement was so quick and smooth that Niijima had trouble following. From that moment forward, he realized that if he ever got into a melee fight with this man, he would lose. The only way to even have a chance against him was if he had sufficient time to prepare his spells and as long as he stayed at a distant where he could safely predict the attack. That was under the assumption of flying slashes caused by the cut in the atmosphere. That was often the common case with most swordsman. After all, every competent melee fighter must have at least a few ranged attacks in case they couldn't reach the enemy.
When Zoro challenged the man, Niijima already knew the boy would lose. He just simply didn't have that air of sharpness that this Mihawk person exuded. Seeing the conviction in Zoro's eyes, however, Niijima could only prepared for the aftermath. Zoro wouldn't be swayed anyway, especially not when he was this determined.
Off behind him, Usopp was anxiously calling after them when he noticed Nami was sailing further and further away. If they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to know where Nami was going. His voice fell deaf to his crew mates as the others watched Zoro's carefully.
"Zoro-kun won't win..." Niijima murmured.
"Hey, don't talk about Zoro-aniki like that! He's strong!" Having heard the man, Yosaku couldn't help but defended Zoro. There was no way that the person he admired would lose!
Ignoring him, Luffy fixed Niijima a serious gaze. "You sure, ossan?"
"As much as I hate to admit, but yes. Mihawk is much stronger than him."
The young captain didn't say anything except to grip the railing tighter, a fact that did not go unnoticed from Niijima's eyes. "Don't worry, captain."
Niijima said and put a reassuring hand over the boy's shoulder. "Everything will be alright."
Confirming Niijima's assessment, Mihawk pulled out a small knife that couldn't even be called a sword and used it to block Zoro's attack. The man did it with such ease that it spoke volume of his skill and strength. With every strike from Zoro, Mihawk would parry the attack with that tiny knife.
It was fascinating as it was the first time Niijima witnessed a Santoryu Style. The way Zoro swung his three swords around and the way he held it was eyes opening. Never in his life would Niijima imagined using the swords that way. Again, to be fair, he wasn't a swordsman to begin with, so figuring out how to use three swords were never his priority. Even so, he could tell that it was no easy feat.
Abruptly, Mihawk lunged and slipped past Zoro's guard. With one smooth movement, the dagger buried itself into Zoro's chest.
"Zoro!" Luffy shouted and the railing beneath his hand broke.
For a moment, no one spoke. In the silent, the conversation between the two swordsman were loud and clear.
"Why won't you step back?" Mihawk asked. "Do you wish for me to pierce your heart?"
"Beats me. I don't know why, but I have a feeling if stepped back, I would have lost something important. And I wouldn't be able to get back to where I am standing now." Zoro wheezed as blood flowed down his mouth and chest.
"Yes, that is defeat."
"Ha! Then the more reason I can't step back."
"Even if it meant your death?"
"I'd rather much die." Zoro stared into Mihawk's eyes, not looking away as he declared his conviction.
Apparently, he must have seen something in Zoro's eyes. Under everyone's gaze, the world renowned swordsman withdrew his dagger. "Kid, tell me your name."
That seemed to be a signal when Zoro positioned himself for one final attack. "Roronoa Zoro."
Similarly, Mihawk drew his sword, the one that he refused to use on Zoro in the beginning, and said, "I shall remember it. And to pay respect to a fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my black sword."
After saying that, he lunged at Zoro as the boy also unleashed his own secret attack.
"Three Sword Style Secret: Three-Thousand Worlds!" Zoro shouted as he spun his three swords and met Mihawk head on.
With a loud clank, Zoro's swords crumbled beneath Mihawk's parry. Only the swords in his mouth remained. Without him seeing, he could tell that Mihawk was about to struck his back. Sheathing his swords he turned around and stretched his arm wide open, causing Mihawk to paused momentarily.
"What are you doing?"
"A wound on the back, is the shame of a swordsman."
"Splendid!" Mihawk said as he swung his sword, but quickly leaped back when his sense alerted him of incoming danger.
As soon as he leaped back, a torrent of paper talismans flew passed his former spot. Like the sound of birds flapping, the talisman swerved and floated protectively in front of Zoro. Zoro recognized these paper. He had seen them once before back at Kaya's place and he only knew of one person who could use these.
Niijima didn't know why he chose to interfere. Even if he told himself not to get too attached to these teenagers, seeing the way Luffy had been so stressed about the situation was like turning on the protective switch in him. Aside from that, even though he hadn't interacted that long with the green-haired boy, Niijima surely didn't wish for him to die!? They reminded him so much of his students that before he knew it, he was already intercepting Mihawk's strike.
"Sorry, Mihawk-san, but I can't let you kill him." Niijima smiled enigmatically, though the smile never reached his eyes. His eyes was cold and serious. He could not afford to drop his guard against an opponent like Mihawk.
"Who are you?" Orange met Niijima's brown eyes in a challenging manner.
"What are you doing, Niijima!?"
"Saving your life, brat. The least you could do is to refer to me as Niijima-san." He snapped, eyes never taken off of the opponent.
"Ossan!" Luffy looked relief when Niijima interfered. Zoro was quiet as he realized how much he had worried Luffy. While he mulled over his defeat, Niijima continued.
"And to answer your question, Mihawk-san, I'm just a fellow crew member. Like I said earlier, I can't let you kill him. My Captain was getting a little bit agitated, you see."
Mihawk fixed a curious glance at the floating papers and turned his gazed back at Niijima. "Interesting. I thought your kind had all died off long ago."
Niijima tensed, "My kind?" Whatever he was expecting, he was not expecting for this!
"You don't know?" He lifted an elegant eyebrow and something seemed like amusement entered his eyes.
As sudden as it came, the man moved. If Niijima hadn't been watching earlier, he would have been sliced in half by a flying slash coming at him. Fortunately, the talismans immediately aligned themselves into a net formation, forming a barrier that blocked the incoming attack. It was powerful, Mihawk's slash. Niijima had to focus most of his energy to counter the force behind that flying slash. Even then, the barrier briefly flickered and the aligned talisman exploded into a shower of strips of paper. The attack had been neutralized but at the cost of a hefty amount of talisman. Niijima himself was not left unscathed, suffering some internal injury from the after force, but he masked it well with a strained smile.
Retaliating, several talismans broke away from the protective circle around Zoro and swept at Mihawk like swallows, slicing and pecking at the man. Without batting an eye, Mihawk swiftly cut down any incoming pieces of paper.
"What do you mean?" Niijima stated in a tight tone when things calmed down bit. He had thought that he was the only one in this world. Discreetly, he swallowed down the blood that threatened to spill from the corner of his mouth.
"Long ago, the World Government ordered the death of your kind." Mihawk said, voice devoid of emotion. "I supposed, it's really none of my business, but I must admit. I am curious of your ability." He relaxed his stance and glanced at the wary Niijima, who knew the man was anything but relaxed.
"There is a saying that curiosity kills the cat, Mihawk-san." Niijima tightly stated. There was something shocking about this conversation. Just what had the Onmyouji done in this world that warranted a mass genocide!?
"Oh, is that right?" Mihawk said but sheathed his sword. Even so, the tension between the two man was no less than before. "No matter. We'll have to test that some other day." He said and Niijima was fine with that. He had never wanted to show off too much of his ability where so many people could see it.
Still, what Mihawk said was troubling. Remembering the reading, he shouldn't have actively sought out the hawk. Once again, divination proved to be too finicky for him to grasp the art. After the swordsman's statement, everyone present could be a potential enemy. Perhaps, the most concerning was this "World Government" that Mihawk spoke of. He ignored the looks he got from Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku. Only Luffy seemed to be unfazed by Mihawk's declaration.
"Now, back to you." Mihawk disregarded Niijima when it looked like the Onmyouji would not attack him again. "Although your friend there interfered, I have never intended to kill you. It is much too early for you to die.
You must know thy self, know thy world, and become stronger, Roronoa. No matter how many years or months pass by, I, Dracule Mihawk, shall stand atop of the world and wait for you. So force on ahead with that fierce conviction and try to surpass my sword!''
Staring straight into the boy's eyes, Mihawk announced. "Surpass me, Roronoa!"
Zoro gritted his teeth as he admitted his defeat. Through this exchange, he had realized how outmatched he was. The defeat was humiliating but he must endure. Drawing his sword, he lifted it up high and made an oath to Luffy.
"Luffy! Sorry for worrying you. I know… that if I don't become the world's greatest swordsman, I will only embarrassed you. That's why I'll swear here. That I'll never lose again! Until the day I fight him and win, I will never lose again! You got that, Pirate King!?" Zoro roared emotionally into the sky as he made his oath to his captain.
"Yup!" The smile that Luffy returned was one of the biggest and brightest Niijima had ever seen on the boy. He must admit, the smile was contagious for Usopp, Zoro, him, and Mihawk of all people was smiling.
"Pirate King eh? That's a tough path, indeed." Mihawk nodded in amusement. "You two would make a good pair, and you Onmyouji, I wish you luck as well. The world won't be so kind to you now that your kind had resurfaced once more."
With that said, the world greatest swordsman turned to walk away, but not before Don Krieg's stupidly interrupted. Of course, Mihawk just took one bored look at him and swung his sword, creating a huge gust. When the whirlwind was gone, the man, too, had disappeared along with his boat.
Hopping into the boat, Niijima, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku sailed to pick Zoro up. As Zoro passed by Niijima, he murmured, "Thanks, Niijima...san." The man had at least earned that much from Zoro. He didn't have to block the attack and in turn draw the swordsman's attention to himself. As he did, Niijima had drawn more trouble than worth.
"Don't mention it." Niijima smirked and lightly knocked on Zoro's shoulder, but anyone could see that the smirk was strained. "Now, let's go get our navigator back."
He stole a look back at Luffy and grunted. "Captain will be fine. After all, he won't be fighting alone."
Following Niijima's gaze, Zoro's eyes landed on Sanji, their potential new crew mate. "Ah, I think you're right."
"Luffy!" Usopp hollered. "We're leaving! So make sure to get our cook! When we have six member, let's all sail to the Grand Line!"
"Yea!"
- o – o – o – o -
With that said, the crew parted way. With the way it was, it was difficult to locate Nami. If not for their delay, they would have been able to follow her. As it stands, they could only sail in the general direction they last saw the ship. The atmosphere was a little bit weird, especially after what happened. Usopp shiftily glanced at Zoro and then at Niijima, as if he wanted to say something. Finally, as if making up his mind, he awkwardly said.
"So...was what Mihawk said true?" He started, unsure of the reaction he would receive.
"Usopp, let's look for Nami first." Zoro interrupted before the can of worm could be opened. Granted, Niijima was as clueless as the rest of them. Zoro's interference was welcome but unneeded because the man himself was as curious as they were.
"But Zoro-"
"Nami's first. That was Luffy's order," the green-haired male firmly said.
"R-right, so, where do you think Nami was heading to?" Usopp stammered, but received negative responses from the companions.
Going with the flow, Niijima decided to change the subject. "Say, this may sounds strange, but if I said 'shark,' would that be helpful in anyway?"
"A shark?"
"What, where!?" Usopp automatically shouted and looked around warily for the iconic fin.
"No, no. I'm just saying. There's no shark here." Niijima furrowed his brow. "I know it sounded weird, but I just have a feeling that-"
"Wait!" Johnny held up a hand to stop Niijima from talking. "That's it! Arlong's Park!"
"Right! The fishmen! Arlong is a shark fishmen!"
Niijima looked to Usopp and Zoro for help. "Uh...what's a fishmen?"
That sparked off an impromptu lesson on the different between fishmen and merfolk. By the end of the explanation, the only things Niijima got from that was fishmen are fish with human characteristic while merfolk are human with aquatic creature characteristic. Still pretty confusing to him.
"Ok, so fishmen are like Kappa and merfolk is ningyo. Got it."
"I have no clue what a Kappa is, but ok." Usopp commented dryly.
"Well, since that's that. I'm gonna tell the Captain of our finding." Niijima said and rummaged around for a paper doll.
"How are you going to do that?"
"I have my ways," Niijima gave them his signature mysterious smile, which Zoro just grumbled. "You and your mystery power."
"I heard that. It's Onmyoudo, by the way." He quipped and murmured a quick spell. It was a good thing that they hadn't sailed too far away from the Baratie. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to maintain the spell.
"Are you sure you should be doing something like that?" Zoro couldn't help but be concerned, especially after what Mihawk said.
The doll stiffened and stood up on Niijima palm. Using his index and middle finger, he drew some form of incantation on the doll and watched it morphed into a swallow.
"Honestly, no, I don't think I should, but then again, it's our only mean of contacting the Captain." Niijima frowned and paused when he realized he didn't know where they were going. "Where are we heading to, again?"
"Arlong's Park on Conomi Island—if our deduction was correct. But Niijima-aniki, can't we just send a message to them after we have confirmed it first?"
"I wish I could but there are two problem with that. One, the distant will be too far for me to maintain the spell. Two, even if I could send the message, Luffy might have already set sail." Niijima shook his head. Focusing back onto the spell, he finished up the instruction and threw the swallow up.
"Go." He commanded and the bird flew away. If one were to glance at it, one wouldn't suspect it to be a paper doll at all.
Mulling over Niijima's reply, Zoro sat back and frowned. The more he witnessed Niijima's power, the more he became mystified by it. Mihawk's words came back to him and he couldn't help but be troubled by it. On one hand, he was sure Niijima would be able to hold his own in a fight—after all, one didn't simply block the attack of the World Greatest Swordsman so easily.
On the other hand, he was conflicted when it came to the crew's safety. After his match with Mihawk, he realized there were far stronger enemies out there. If the World Government were to send someone after them now, it would be disadvantageous to the crew. Steeling his resolved, he would just need to become stronger. Strong enough to be on the same level as Mihawk. Only then would he be able to protect the crew.
In his musing, he failed to notice the slight grimace and furrowed eyebrows on Niijima's face. Nor did he notice the way the older male would nurse his chest, as if trying to stabilize something. Wordlessly, the four of them sailed toward Conomi Islands.
- o – o – o – o -
… To Be Continued.