Brand New World
Ch. 15: Money and Memories
-X-
Disclaimer: The following is a fan made work of fiction. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Fuji TV, Shueisha, Shonen Jump Manga, and Eiichiro Oda. I do not own One Piece or any of its characters, nor any of the songs I put in here. The only thing I own here is Kakusei and a few fan characters.
Summary: I`m Kakusei. I have no idea where I am, or who I am, but I feel I m in a familiar world, just not my own. Mentions other mangas as the character is from our world. I`m being realistic. Also, Robin x OC later.
Rating: T for Language, Violence, and Blood.
-X-
"Searches are halted...?" the two monkey-like brothers, Masira and Shoujou, asked Cricket.
"Of course..." Cricket replied. "The City of Gold was in the sky... There's nothin' down at the bottom of the sea... that's it."
"Pops...!" Shoujou and Masira replied.
"Thanks for everything, boys," Cricket said as he continued to look through the book of drawings Kakusei gave him. "Thanks for spending these years of your lives together with me. Kakusei even gave me a written archive of what really happened to my ancestor here, so there`s no need for me to look for any more of that city."
"This can't be... goodbye?" Masira and Shoujou asked aloud and crying.
"So tell me..." Cricket asked them as he closed the makeshift book Kakusei had given him. "What kind of passion shall we pursue next?"
"Woh-hohhh!" Shoujou exclaimed happily.
"Ook ook!" Masira cried out.
"We'd follow you anywhere, Pops!" the two brothers told Cricket full of pride and happiness.
-X-
"Gwaah!" Kakusei said as the Going Merry hit the water, and the waves spilt onto the deck of the ship.
"Yowwwww!" Usopp yelled in pain as he hit his head on the deck.
"Uwaaaaaah!" Chopper said as waves splashed him.
"Brr, cold!" Luffy said as the shock of the waves ran through his body.
"Bwaah!" Zoro said as he recovered quickly from hitting the deck.
"Nami-san, Robin-chan! Are you okay?" Sanji asked with hearts in his eyes.
"MBFF! Glerk!" was all Luffy could get out as the now shrunken Octopus Balloon latched onto his face.
"Hahh... hahh... I sure didn't expect the octopus to start shrinking...!" Nami said breathing heavily.
"What happened?" Zoro asked.
"I suppose the air leaked out..." Robin said calmly as she caught her breath.
"How did that happen then?" Kakusei asked. "Did a seagull peck the octopus?"
"Hahh... still... We landed... without dying..." Luffy said happily. "Thanks... buddy...!"
"The water's... so blue..." Usopp commented.
"Everyone all right?" Kakusei asked as he looked over his friends.
"Hmph... We sure visited... a wild place," Sanji said as he tried to light his cigarette to get his nicotine fix.
"Now that we're back down, it seems so far away again..." Robin said looking at the sky.
"I feel like I was dreaming..." Nami said dreamily as she looked at the sky as well.
"It was the land of dreams..." Chopper said as he too looked at the sky. "I wonder if we'll go there again."
"You will when you die," Zoro said smugly. "Or close to it."
"Are you confident you're going to heaven, Zoro?" Usopp asked Zoro.
"I`m sure the good we`ve all done outweighs the evils," Kakusei said as he also looked towards the sky.
"Okay... LET DOWN THE SAILS!" Luffy said loudly. "WE'RE GOIN' TO THE NEXT ISLAND!"
"Wait a minute, Luffy, give us a break, would ya?" Usopp said a bit tired.
"I don't think so! Nobody would have trouble sailing if it was that easy, hmm?" Nami asked a bit cutely. "The waves look weird."
"Oh, come on," Usopp said commenting on Sanji falling for Nami yet again.
"Up and at 'em, boys! Rudder to port!" Nami said looking behind the Merry. "See it now?"
"WAAAAAAAAAAA!" Chopper screamed as he found what Nami was talking about.
"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Usopp said fearfully.
"IT`S A TSUNAMI!" Kakusei yelled as he grabbed the ropes connected to the sails.
"Look, there's something in it!" Zoro pointed out.
"Sea monkeys!" Luffy said excitedly.
"Friends of yours, Luffy?" Kakusei said jokingly, making everybody but Luffy laugh, and causing Luffy to start a fight with Kakusei.
-X-
Later…
-X-
"Seems to have calmed down," Kakusei said a bit tired.
"You can't let your guard down here..." Zoro said to him calmly.
"Goeff! Glurg!" Was all Luffy could get out as Usopp helped him out of the water.
"Over the rail," Usopp said as he pulled Luffy over the rail of the Merry.
"See? I told you that you couldn't do it," Sanji said laughing at the situation. "Hahaha!"
"I couldn't do it in the sky..." Luffy said tired, "but I thought maybe, here..."
"DOCTOR!" Chopper yelled at the top of his lungs. "Aah! I`m the doctor!"
"So Nami's still the only one who can ride it," Usopp said as he watched Nami take the Waiver for a spin.
"Nami-swaaaan! Be careful!" Sanji said lovingly as he watched Nami drive the Waiver through the sea.
"This is great!" Nami said as she rode the Waiver across the surface of the sea. "I can still use it in the Blue Sea!"
"Oi, Nami, can I give it a shot?" Kakusei asked loud enough for Nami to hear him.
"You`ll have to pay me!" Nami said happily.
"I`ll just wait till later then," Kakusei said as he grabbed two ropes and jumped down the side of the ship.
"Pull it up for me, Chopper," Nami said as Chopper pulled on the rope Kakusei had connected to the Waiver.
"That's so cool, Nami," Chopper said as he pulled it up.
"Kakusei, you better not put a scratch on the Waiver," Nami said as she leaned over the railing, looking down at Kakusei, who was holding up the bottom of the Waiver and climbing the other rope he had dropped earlier.
"I know, I know," Kakusei said as he neared the railing.
"Only the "Milky Dial" doesn't seem to work," Usopp said as he worked on the Dials he had gotten.
"It seems that being able to form clouds that way was a central focus for people up there..." Robin said calmly.
"It's not that bad, the other kinds are still worth a lot..." Zoro said just as calm as he ate some breadsticks.
"Hey! Bread Sticks! Sanji! Get me some too!" Luffy said as he noticed Zoro eating.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Nami said as she laid out the treasure they had "stolen". "The pirate booty is split between all members! It's only fair, seeing how much gold there is!"
"Yahooo!" Usopp said as he whistled loudly.
"Finally! I'm gonna buy a statue!" Luffy said loudly.
"Can I buy books?" Chopper asked excitedly.
"New pot and frying pan..." Sanji said as he put on a pair of glasses and went down a list, "… new dishes and one giant mousetrap..."
"All I can drink," Zoro said bluntly.
"I might have to get some training equipment," Kakusei said realizing what he may need to get.
"First, 80% goes to my savings," Nami said as she slid away a good pile of treasure.
"Hold on a second...!" all the guys in the crew said worriedly.
"Just kidding..." Nami said smiling at her joke.
"YOU BETTER BE!" the guys yelled in unison.
"Who would take THAT MUCH for their own savings?" Usopp yelled loudly.
"Our ship? The Merry?" Luffy asked.
"Yes," Nami replied. "It's falling apart."
"That`s true…" Luffy replied calmly. "TIME FOR A GOING MERRY SUPER UPGRADE!" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Approvedl!" the rest of the crew yelled.
"And we don't know how much that's going to cost, so we'll have to put off the money-dividing for now," Nami said.
"Yeah, I guess there's only so much Usopp's crappy patchwork repair can do," Zoro said while munching on a sandwich.
"Hey, I'm just our sniper!" Usopp said defending himself.
"Yeah..." Sanji said for once agreeing with Zoro. "We should go to a real shipbuilding dock, and get an actual shipwright to repair it..."
"Ah!" Luffy exclaimed as he drank his hot tea.
"Wow... there are people even better at fixing things than Usopp?" Chopper asked innocently.
"Well, yeah, it`s their job," Kakusei replied answering Chopper`s question. "A shipwright is a person who not only has the ability to build a ship, but knows how to take care of any problems that may arise that can be fixed."
"Come to think of it, this ship`s been taking us on this entire journey ever since my village back in East Blue, without any major repairs," Usopp said as he munched on a sandwich and held his tea in his other hand. "We gotta fix it up sometime, or we'll sink before we know it."
"Okay, then," Luffy said standing up. "LET'S GET A "SHIPWRIGHT" ON THE CREW! We've still got a while to go, and we'll need his help. The Merry is our home! And our life! Let's look for a shipwright who will protect our vessel!"
"Did he just...?" Sanji asked in awe of Luffy`s speech.
"He just said something smart..." Zoro said amazed at Luffy`s speech as well.
"Hey, even a blind pig finds a truffle once in a while," Kakusei said smiling.
"What`s that supposed to mean?" Luffy said glaring at Kakusei as the others laughed at his joke.
"That's our best choice!" Usopp said confidently.
"Let's go!" Chopper said excited.
"Set course!" Nami said optimistically.
"I hope we find a good one!" Sanji said also optimistic.
"And so, a new chapter in our adventure unfolds," Kakusei said looking at the horizon.
"Oh, we can`t forget to get a "musician" too!" Luffy said back to his normal level of focus.
"Give it a rest, already," Zoro said a bit sullen.
"Come on!" Luffy said whining a bit.
-X-
At Marine Headquarters…
-X-
" ...Vice Admiral! He... he's not here!" several officers began to worry at the news one officer brought them. "I'm not settling for that! Where the hell did he go? His bicycle is gone, so... probably to sea. Tell the Gorousei at once!"
"...him again? Well, it's probably only reconnaissance," one of the Gorousei said in light of the situation.
"Honestly, what does he consider his own position to be...?" a second of the Gorousei said in response. "He can't just act on the spot like that. The Marine Headquarters' Strongest, "Admiral" Aokiji..."
"...sigh... It seems that family is full of trouble…" a tall man on a bicycle said as he rode on a small road of ice over the sea, as he was looking at Luffy`s wanted poster.
-X-
A Few Days Later…
-X-
"Hey, has anyone seen Kakusei today?" Nami asked on a clear calm day. "I still need to talk to him."
"Haven`t seen him since breakfast," Sanji replied.
"Nope," Luffy said as he sat on the Merry`s head.
"He asked to borrow a few of my things and my notes as well," Chopper said.
"He asked if he could use a few of my chemicals and my workshop for a bit," Usopp commented in response to Chopper`s answer.
"He went into the lounge last I saw him," Robin replied calmly.
"Well, whatever he`s doing," Zoro said calmly as he lifted his weights, "I`m sure it`s…" KRACKA-BOOOOOM! "…SAFE?" The explosion that originated from the lounge where Kakusei was rocked the Merry, and sent everyone into a bit of shock over what just happened.
"Is everyone alright?" Luffy asked as he hung from the Merry`s figurehead above the water.
"I think so," Zoro said coughing a bit as smoke poured out from the windows of the back room.
"Oh crap, Kakusei was in the lounge!" Usopp said shifting everyone`s attention to the back room.
"WE NEED A DOCTOR!" Chopper yelled as he ran around in a circle worrying himself sick. "WAIT, I`M THE DOCTOR!"
"That shitty asshole better not have wrecked my kitchen," Sanji said as he ran for the door.
"Oh, no!" Nami screamed realizing more consequences, "I HADN`T MOVED THE GOLD YET! WE NEED THAT MONEY TO FIX THIS SHIP!"
Just then, the door slammed open and hit Sanji in the face, and Kakusei walked out, covered completely in soot, smoke pouring out behind him, and holding a stack of what looked to be cream-colored pieces of paper with a red border, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "I DID IT!" Sanji fell to the deck with a THUD and Kakusei closed the door behind him, and looked at Sanji. "Hey, Sanji, what`s up? It`s not like you to take a nap. I`d expect that more from Zoro."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji yelled Kakusei angrily.
"You better not have damaged the treasure!" Nami said as she ran past Kakusei to check on the treasure, and punched him in the head on her way.
"OW!" Kakusei said as he clutched his head with his free hand. "Sometimes I think she hits harder than the guys we fight…"
"It`s true," the guys agreed.
"It`s a good thing I covered anything important in cloth before I started experimenting," Kakusei said as he dusted himself off a bit, and Sanji headed into the lounge to check on the appliances.
"You`re lucky that the treasure wasn`t hurt," Nami said glaring at Kakusei, sending shivers down Kakusei`s spine.
"So what are those papers?" Sanji asked as he walked out of the back room.
"I was able to replicate something from another world," Kaksei said with a huge Luffy-like grin on his face.
"WHAT?" everyone exclaimed, save for the calm and collected Robin, shocked at this development.
"This is no ordinary paper," Kakusei said confidently as he held up the paper cards. "This is a special paper which when infused with Ki, can determine a person`s natural elemental Ki affinity."
"Really?" Luffy said. "That`s so COOL!"
"So do they explode normally?" Zoro asked his interest piqued a bit.
"No, but the kind I made have a similar effect for a good reason," Kakusei said holding up his index finger in front of his face. "The ones I made can also determine whether or not a person has Haki too."
"Haki?" the crew asked in unison and all but Robin tilting their heads at Kakusei.
"Haki is a force from this world that most people have within them, but haven`t awoken," Kakusei began explaining. "And Haki is the power that let me hit Enel."
"WHAT?" the others said in shock.
"Wait a minute," Sanji interjected. "If Kakusei isn`t from this world, how does he have this Haki if it`s from our world?"
"I`ve been wondering that myself," Kakusei said nodding his head, "but as the saying goes, never look a gift horse in the mouth. I do remember though that Haki was introduced later in the manga, but I can`t remember where or any exact details, so that doesn`t help much. But still, now that I have these, I can train anyone who wants to in Ki control, element control, and possibly Haki, once I figure out a method of training Haki."
"That sounds like it`d come in handy," Zoro said looking slyly at Kakusei. "Sign me up."
"Me too!" Luffy said grinning widely.
"Me too, me too!" Chopper said excitedly.
"If it helps me protect Nami-san and Robin-chan, I`ll sign up too," Sanji said heroically, yet calmly.
"I`m good," Usopp said holding his hand in front of his face like he was miming "stop". "Besides, I`ve got a lot of work to do in Usopp`s Factory."
"I`m out," Nami said almost immediately after Usopp`s answer. "If you all are going to be training, someone needs to guard the treasure."
"And you Robin?" Kakusei asked the only member of the crew who hadn`t answered yet.
"I`m flattered you`d offer, but I`ll be fine," Robin calmly replied.
"Alright then," Kakusei said staunchly. "Nami, do you have any idea where the nearest island is?"
"Actually, there`s an uninhabited island, not that far from here," Nami said as she pulled a map out of her cleavage.
"Thank you Anime Rule 37," Kakusei said in his mind.
"Looks like we`ll be stopping there on our course anyway," Nami said smiling, "and with this good weather, we`ll be there tomorrow!"
"Perfect," Kakusei said smiling. "Then it`s settled. Tomorrow, we begin Ki training!" Everyone else yelled in approval.
"I`m finally gonna be able to fire a beam!" Luffy yelled loudly as he punched the air.
"Should`ve seen that coming," Kakusei said nervously as he face palmed himself as everyone else laughed.
-X-
Later that Night…
-X-
"So tomorrow, we start training," Kakusei mused as he leaned over the rail and looked at the night sky. "Well, before I do anything else tonight, I better move some of my funds around. But first I need a snack." Kakusei walked towards the door of the lounge. He opened it, and, as he got a nosebleed, was shocked to see Nami in her underwear hanging some of her clothes on a laundry line.
Nami turned around, and flushed immediately, screaming, "YOU PERV!" She chucked a bucket at Kakusei and hit him right on the head, sending him backwards and out the door. "I guess we`ll have that talk I wanted in a minute," Nami said a bit angry and still blushing a bit over what happened.
-X-
In his sleep, Sanji kept tossing and turning. He was having a dream about Nami revealing her body to Kakusei for free. "Why do I feel like this is happening right now?" Sanji asked himself in his dream.
-X-
"So, how much do I owe you then?" Kakusei asked with a giant swollen lump of flesh protruding from his head. Nami had also gotten dressed in some less revealing clothes, but she still looked like she was about to go to sleep.
"Well, you owe me not only for that little peep show, but also for the one you gave everyone a few days ago back in Skypeia!" Nami said almost scolding Kakusei. "You also owe me for when you grabbed my butt when you were getting us down from that cloud after Luffy beat Enel, and for seeing all my lingerie just now."
"Oh come on!" Kakusei objected. "I at least said I was sorry for grabbing your butt!"
"That`s not the point!" Nami yelled at Kakusei as she punched him again. "Well, anyway, with all that added up, you owe me 210,000 Beri for the show in Skypeia, 250,000 Beri for today`s mishaps, and I`m gonna be nice and cut the Beri you owe me for goosing me down to 340,000 Beri."
"I`m at least glad you didn`t charge me full price for the goosing," Kakusei said with a sweat drop appearing on the back of his head. "I guess she charges more for actually touching her body," Kakusei said in his mind as he got up. "So I need to pay 800,000 Beri huh? Alright, I`ll be right back."
"What`s he gonna do, go rob a bank?" Nami asked herself in her mind. Kakusei came back carrying several of his briefcases. "Aren`t those empty?" Nami asked.
"Nope," Kakusei replied as he opened one of them with Nami`s tattoo watermarked into the handle. Inside, there was just as much Beri as there was in the first briefcase he had handed Nami, if not more!
"Where did all this come from?" Nami exclaimed as her eyes changed to Beri signs.
"You heard about the locals having a giant cannon right?" Kakusei asked, building up tension.
"Yeah?" Nami asked wondering where this was going.
"Well, it wasn`t a cannon," Kakusei clarified. "The Skypeians were going to give us a solid gold pillar that had broken off from the Gold Bell as a token of their thanks for saving them."
"What?" Nami said shocked at this story. "And why the hell didn`t you bring it to us?" she said as she pinched Kakusei`s cheek and pulled hard.
"OW! Easy, easy, I`m not a rubber-man remember?" Kakusei said as he rubbed his sore cheek. "I didn`t bring it to the ship cause the pillar would have sunk the ship had we tried to carry it onboard or if we had tried to tow it."
"It was that big?" Nami said almost drooling at how much money that much gold would have been worth. "Wait, are all of those briefcases filled with money?"
"Yes," Kakusei said as Nami swiftly began pounding him onto a bloody pulp.
"YOU ASSHOLE! WHY THE HELL WERE YOU HIDING ALL THIS MONEY FROM US? YOU`RE EVEN GREEDIER THAN I AM, AND THAT`S SAYING SOMETHING!" Nami said with seething anger and somehow, flames rising from behind her.
"I didn`t hide it," Kakusei said weakly in his defense, "I put the briefcases in the storage room. And you never let me explain how much the pillar was worth, or how I divided the money up."
"Wait, you divided it up?" Nami said gaining her sanity back. "Well, how much was the pillar worth?"
"The pillar itself was worth about Two Billion Beri…," Kakusei began saying before Nami punched him again. "OW! Let me finish, Nami!"
"Sorry, reflex," Nami said trying to hold herself back.
"As I was saying, the pillar was worth about two billion beri," Kakusei began again. "I divided up the money from that into the briefcases according to what I thought might be needed in the future. I put about 500,000,000 away in case we needed anything like emergency supplies or in case of another emergency. That`s in the case with the cross watermarked on it. I put another 500,000,000 away, in case something like this happened and one of us had to pay you back. That was in the case I just opened, the one with your tattoo watermarked on it."
"That was quite insightful," Nami thought to herself as she realized Kakusei had forseen himself getting in a situation like this. "So what about the rest?" Nami asked Kakusei.
"Well, I put about another 500,000,000 away in case Luffy did something stupid, like clear out an all-you can eat buffet and leaves one of us with the bill, or break a building and then the owners or city hold us for collateral damage. That case is watermarked with our pirate flag logo."
"That`s actually a pretty good idea," Nami said nervously as she remembered Luffy`s appetite and destructive tendencies.
"The last briefcase is watermarked with a candle, and that 399,900,000 Beri is for parties or birthday and holiday presents, you know, in case someone`s birthday comes up, and you know we love to party here," Kakusei said smiling a bit at the thought of the good times they had so far. "The briefcases cost 20,000,000 Beri each, but it was worth it so we can keep the money safe, and out of Luffy`s hands. The rest was a finder`s fee."
"That`s true," Nami said smiling at Kakusei. "Wait a minute," she said as she whipped out a piece of paper and a pencil and added up the numbers in a few seconds. "You mean, you only kept 100,000 Beri to yourself, and you gave the rest to us?"
"Well, yeah," Kakusei said nonchalantly, as Nami looked in a bit of shock and awe at Kakusei`s kindness. "If I ever get back to my world, there is no currency exchange rate for Beri, so it`s worthless back home, and besides, you guys definitely need the money more than I do." Kakusei gave a big grin and closed his eyes as he tilted his head towards the night sky. "Especially with Luffy as a captain."
"Kakusei, I want to apologize for earlier when I called you greedy," Nami said sweetly after a short pause. "I should have let you say your side of the story first, and I should have known that you wouldn`t have been stupid with the money like Luffy or Usopp."
"No, it`s fine," Kakusei said waving his hand with a modest look on his face. "You`re basically this crew`s accountant, and you were just making sure everything runs smoothly."
"Well, if you wouldn`t mind, could you help me manage the money here?" Nami asked still sweetly. "I could use a hand, and you seem quite good at it."
"Thanks," Kakusei said blushing a bit. "My dad said I got that from my grandpa. By the way, I was going to move some of the money around so that we have a bit more money to repair the Merry. Want to help?"
"Sure," Nami replied as Kakusei began opening some of the briefcases. "So I have to ask," Nami said slowly after they had finished moving some of the money around, "what was with you and Robin dancing the other night?"
"I should have known someone was going to ask about that sooner or later," Kakusei said laughing. "I just figured Sanji would ask first."
"Well, we already asked Robin, but she only told us she was teaching you," Nami replied laughing a bit.
"She was teaching me," Kakusei said looking Nami in the eyes. "I didn`t really know how to formally dance, so she taught me as a favor."
"Well, that makes sense," Nami replied. "So how do you like being on this crew so far?"
"I love being on this crew!" Kakusei said confidently and full of vigor. "I`m doing what most One Piece, hell, all anime and manga fans can only dream about doing right now! I`m living out the adventures I always read, with some of the characters I love the most. Right now, my only regret is that I didn`t get here sooner, so I could see the whole story as I know it unfold."
"I kinda wish that too," Nami said smiling. "It would have made our journey a bit easier."
"I really would have liked to sock Arlong in the jaw once or twice," Kakusei said clenching his fist in front of his face. "Oh, I`m sorry, is it alright if I talk about Arlong?"
"Only if you talk about him like that," Nami said giggling a bit. "So how would you have fought him?"
"Who knows?" Kakusei replied. "It`s not like I can change the past anyway. But all I know is that someone would have kicked Arlong`s slimy ass one way or another. He had it coming."
"What else would you have liked to do?" Nami asked.
"I would have loved to help Vivi out and meet her," Kakusei replied. "And it would have been a plus to help in the fight against Baroque Works."
"You really love fighting, don`t you?" Nami asked sarcastically.
"I don`t know why," Kakusei said looking at the stars, "but I think before I left my world, I suddenly gained this urge to learn to martial arts, and use those skills I learned to fight."
"That`s a bit weird, but it was nice talking to you Kakusei," Nami said as she stood up. "I`m gonna go gather up my clothes and go to bed. I`m sure my clothes are dry by now."
"Alright, good night Nami," Kakusei said as he stood up as well.
"Good night Kakusei," Nami said as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "See you in the morning," she said sweetly as she closed the door behind her. Kakusei blushed a bit as he tried to process with his now scattered mind what just happened, and if that sweet girl that just kissed him good night on the cheek was really the Nami he knew, or if she was working some sort of angle.
-X-
Sanji awoke from his sleep in a cold sweat. "Nami-san, am I losing you to Kakusei too?" He shook his head, tired and trying to calm himself, said, "No, it`s just a bad dream, Sanji, it`s just a bad dream…"
-X-
So, now we`ve moved on from the City of Gold, and did a bit character bonding as well.
Next chapter, we`ll start up the part you`ve all been waiting for, Ki training!
Tsugino jikan made! (Until next time!)