Hello Readers, new author here who has been sitting on an idea for a good while and I have decided to recklessly try myself out in writing it out. Since I am new, I expect my work to have quite a few flaws here and there, and as english is not my first language, the primary thing you will likely notice is capitalization of words. I still have another language's rules deeply ingrained, so forgive me for that.
Now, first things first: The story might be in the Crossover section, but that is purely for the correctness of the general terms of service and rules for any author on here. The character will only have powers. No identity, no other pieces of canon or headcanon content whatsoever. With how minor the second world's content is, one might think you can post this as a non-crossover, but I've seen stories with this kinda minor intel be removed for not being posted as crossovers and don't want to risk it.
Secondly: I want to make it clear right away that I have a layout, start to finish, for this story, however that does not mean everything that comes is set in stone. You are still free to drop suggestions in the reviews and if they appeal to me I just might actually consider additions, with the justified credits being given in the Author's Notes at either the beginning or the end of a chapter. So do not shy away from voicing your desires and thoughts on continuations.
And lastly: I will be writing large chapters after the initial Pilot, so releases will probably be sparse, so you are warned in advance. It might damn well take over a month for a chapter, so do not panic thinking the story has been abandoned. I am just a slow writer by nature.
Now that everything is out of the way, let us get into it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Danmachi, nor do I own One Piece. All rights go to their respective creators.
"EINAAAAA!"
The Half-Elf employee of the Guild perked her head up as she heard her name being called, only for her eyes to widen in slight horror as she saw the source of the calling, a certain white-haired boy with blood-red eyes running and waving at her, all while being covered head to toe in monster blood, with a big smile on his face that was making the scene only more unnerving.
"AAAAH! BELL!?" She shouted as she slammed her hands on her desk, disbelief striking her hard. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?"
Bell got visibly nervous and reached to scratch the back of his head, having an apologetic smile on his face. "I uh... I went to the 5th floor and-"
"YOU WHAT!?" Eina immediately exclaimed before she went around her stationed desk and checked Bell out for any immediate injuries or any other signs of needed treatment. "What did I tell you about not going on dangerous adventures?"
Bell could only squirm slightly under her scolding. "But..." he then started, earning her attention. "That wasn't... all... a Minotaur appeared on the 5th floor-"
"WHAT!?" Eina immediately howled in a mixture of worry and fear, as not only were Minotaurs a type of monster that appeared in the middle floors, earning them the ranking of a higher end level 2 monster, but they were also monsters that have their strong suits in dueling and upfront battles, which made them an absolute nightmare to deal with if one wasn't strong enough to consider them a slight annoyance. "Why was a Minotaur on the 5th floor!?"
"I don't know! But it almost killed me, but then I was saved!" Bell continued to tell her, suddenly having this bright smile on his face. "I was saved by an Adventurer I never saw or heard of before! He was incredibly strong and tough and he defeated the Minotaur with a single hit!"
Eina listened to everything carefully while she still almost glared at Bell, her mind meanwhile working in overdrive to try and think of who might have saved Bell. "Oh, that is good to hear, Bell. I am just glad that you are safe" She confessed, sighing out slightly. "Who was it that saved you? Do you have a name or a description?"
Bell didn't even need a moment to recall the person that saved him. "He was about a head taller than me, with raven black hair that ran down just past his shoulders. He wears a white overcoat over his shoulders and had an eyepatch on his left eye, under which runs a long scar from forehead to past his cheekbones... that was all I managed to glimpse before I ran..."
Eina nodded her head and started to relax herself. "I can't recall right away who that might be, but maybe by tomorrow I will have a name or at least an alias. For now, however, you should get yourself a shower, you smell of monsterblood and have it all over you."
Bell nodded his head swiftly before he rushed off and out of the guildhall, leaving Eina to resume her work. However, what he did not catch was her worried expression as she returned behind her desk.
Since Bell's safe return to the surface, a full day had passed. His skill, Liaris Freese, had activated, and Hestia had opted to keep it a secret from him. After the update, Bell had decided to go back to the Dungeon, after freshening up and getting new guild issued beginner's daggers of course, and managed to meet Syr Flova on the way, to which she pulled her little trick to get him to come for dinner in exchange for her breakfast.
As Bell was running off to the dungeon, he completely failed to notice that not only was he being eyed by Freya, now that she discovered his soul, but he was also being watched by another figure, who was sitting right ontop of the Hostess of Fertility's rooftop, with a book in hand and writing something down into it, a small bottle of ink balanced next to said figure.
"Damn..." Came a voice, deep, loud even though it was clearly a very calm one, followed by the sound of a book closing and a writing feather being dipped back into the ink bottle. A few moments later, said book was set aside and the dimm light of the single candle at the nighttable shone light over a face. Raven black hair that ran wildly down the head, a single brown eye, the other covered by a pitch black eyepatch. Thick, black eyebrows that formed a very strong line, making his facial features very expressionate to outside beholders. He also had long, pointed ears, the signature trademark of an Elf. "My diary is almost full... I need to buy another one for documentation"
That person however had more features across his figure to give identification. Under his overcoat, he wore nothing, making his entire chest bare, several scars running across a muscular form, the most noteable one being a very large X shaped scar on his left side, just below his spleen, the horizontal cut of it running across where his abs begin all the way to his spine on his back, indicating he either had been cleaved through across half his body or had been tortured with a singular cut being drawn around his torso. Furthermore, he had a tattoo on his right chest below his collarbone, which spelled WICKED in a Helvetica font. And he had a fat cigar in his mouth, from which he managed to successfully take inhales without the help of his hands, an indication of someone who's smoked long enough to be able to balance a cigar with just his lips and teeth.
"I might as well also grab myself a bite, I think... but I should wait until Bell is inside. Wouldn't wanna miss the opportunity to give Bete a good talking to" he commented to himself. "Can't believe the time is finally here... I need to tell Ganesha to transfer me to Hestia's Familia tomorrow."
That person was named Jay Rosée, and he had been an inhabitant of this world for some time now, specifically since almost 15 years, he himself being aged 43 now in total, meaning he was reincarnated within this world when he was 28 years old.
"Still feels like yesterday when I got my ass hauled into a literal anime world" he continued to comment to himself. "Well, no use worrying now. Let's see what happens..." he finished up his thoughts with this, put the diary and the inkbottle aside and carefully descended from the roof to the backside lawn of the Hostess, as he had been a regular there and rented a room since short over a year now.
The fated night had finally arrived, and Bell was panting lightly as he entered the Hostess of Fertility for the first time in his life. Immediately, he noticed just how packed and lively this place was, the scent of food immediately making him want to drool from his mouth but he had enough self control to stop himself from doing so. He slowly approached the back of the Hostess, where the bartable stretched itself across, behind which the owner of the establishment, Mia Grande, was positioned. And as soon as Bell noticed the large, female dwarf, he was greeted by a familiar, cheery voice.
"Bell! You came after all!" Syr exclaimed with clear joy. "I was worried you wouldn't show up!"
Bell smiled shyly at her as he took his seat. "Sorry, I got a bit distracted and stayed longer in the Dungeon than planned, but I promised I'd come so I wouldn't go back on it!"
"Attaboy!" Mia commented. "Keeping a promise is always a good sign, especially if it means a new customer!" She boldly commented, followed by a short laugh from her. "So, what will it be for tonight?"
Bell was visibly hesitant to order something at first. "I-i don't really know..."
However, Mia had decided for him. "You gotta eat your fill to grow big and strong, boy!" She exclaimed before turning her head towards the kitchen. "A large plate of noodles with meatballs!" She then turned her head back towards Bell, then back to the kitchen once more. "And a glass of juice!"
Syr positioned herself next to Bell, smiling at him the entire time. Bell, who took notice fairly quickly, let out a very nervous chuckle before he spoke. "I wanted to apologize again... you went hungry this morning after all..."
Syr just widened her smile ever so slightly. "Nonsense! I offered it to you, so it is more than alright! Tell, was it good?"
Bell nodded his head once. "It was! I am surprised that you can cook so well!"
Syr scratched the back of her head and made a small smile in return. "Well, I have been taking lessons for some time now. It wasn't as good around a year ago, truth be told. But I am happy that you liked it-"
"I DON'T PAY YOU TO SLACK OFF! BACK TO WORK!" Mia suddenly howled at Syr, making the silver-haired girl pretty much jump from her seat before she excused herself to the white-haired boy and returned to taking orders.
It wasn't long before Bell was served his plate, and he reached into his pouch, taking out the necessary coins to pay up, much to his displeasure as it was just under half of what he had left after he had distributed his daily earnings to Hestia, restocking potions and putting aside reserve funds for improving the Familia's day to day living standarts, which currently meant saving up for a proper place to live in.
A short while later, the door burst open and quite a number of people entered the establishment. What made them outstanding was the fact that each one of them was a known face to everyone there... except the ashen-haired newbie, of course.
"Curious?" Syr asked as she saw how Bell was eyeing the group, the nod of his head giving her the confirmation she needed. "Well, those are the Loki Familia. They are regulars here and they usually come to celebrate after the return of each successful expedition."
The name Loki Familia rang within Bell's mind and he realized they were the de-facto number 2 Familia in Orario. A Familia that held many wonders of its own, such as the physically strongest Dwarf in the world, Gareth Landrock, or the Successor to the Elven Throne, Riveria Ljos Alf, also known as Nine Hells. Name after Name, Bell recognized immediately and his face became more expressionate in awe of the famous faces he saw. But amongst them were also some newer looks he hadn't heard of before. Twin amazones for example, one on the flat side while one was deceptively busty for her stature, another elven girl who's eyes were all but completely glued to the person next to her, which was a girl of golden eyes and hair, with a somewhat distant, almost non-present look in her eyes.
Nevertheless, Bell couldn't help but admire the lot, that was up until a loud, brash voice began to sound itself, gathering all attention. "Hey Aiz, tell everyone about that incident yesterday!" A wolfman Bell did not immediately recognize spoke, the slight tint of pink on his cheeks and the trademark cocky smirk betraying that he had quite a bit too much to drink for the day. "You know, the thing with the Minotaur!"
"An incident that was our fault, I remind you" Riveria chastized Bete, an annoyed expression on her face.
"There were two people in the dungeon, this one black-haired elf and a boy who was completely bathed in the Minotaur's blood! And both of them seem to have completely rejected her! The tomato boy ran off screaming and that elf was scoffing as if just being there was insulting to him!"
Bell knew right away who Bete was talking about, and being called 'Tomato boy' and being described as 'the guy who just ran away' both cut deep, a sense of shame washing over him. An Adventurer who could only run and be saved... Bell was tormenting himself at that very moment.
"Bete, that's enough" Riveria further chastized, becoming fed up with the wolfman's drunken attitude. "Again I remind you that the Minotaur was supposed to be our issue. We are extremely lucky there were no casualities that day, no thanks to us. If it hadn't been for that raven haired elven adventurer, the ashen-haired boy would have been dead."
"And why the hell are you so protective of them, huh? What's wrong with calling trash trash. One is so weak he couldn't even try to stand up for himself and the other couldn't even be bothered with aknowledging us!" Bete provocatively asked, eyeing the elven matriarch of the Loki Familia with a look that was almost testing her, daring her to give him any even remotely wrong type of answer to further fuel his bravado. "And you, Aiz, you've been really silent about it. You were the one closest to the Minotaur, after all, don't you have anything to say?"
Aiz, the airhead she was known to be, just shrugged her head and kept her answer simple. "Why should I? They both survived, that's all there is."
Bete just scoffed and crossed his arms. "Then let me rephrase my question. If you had to choose between one of those two or me, who would it be?"
The question was immensely distasteful, and it became clear by the many looks Bete received, not just from his familia, but from pretty much everyone in the entire Hostess. Riveria was at the end of her patience at this point. "Bete, that's enough!"
"Cmon, answer me, Aiz!" Bete continued.
At that point, Bell had enough of the humiliation and got up, ready to run. He made it all the way to the door, when suddenly, a large Halbert dropped straight in front of him, burying its blade into the wooden ground and blocking the ashen-haired boy's path.
The sound of the weapon got everyone's undivided attention and they all turned to the direction. Bete, of course, did not miss the opportunity to recognize Bell. "Eh? Tomato boy? HAHAHAHAHAH! HE REALLY HAS NERVE SHOWING HIMSELF HERE-"
"SILENCE!" Suddenly came a loud, audibly annoyed voice. Following the announcement, all sound within the tavern died out except for the distant cooking sounds within the kitchen, as slowly, steps echoed across the hall. A figure descended from the upper floor, making its way down until a foot firmly stomped onto the wooden ground, revealing Jay Rosée, the raven-haired elven man who had saved Bell a day ago and was the second subject of Bete's mockery. His one good eye immediately scanned all across the room, taking notice of everything he had to. His attention then turned to Bell, pointing with his right hand to the spot the boy had sat on. "You didn't finish your plate. Sit down and eat, boy." His voice left no room for negociation, and Bell could tell he had no room to go against the command, so he reluctantly nodded his head and did as told, returning to his seat.
"Heh, Can't even stand up for yourself, Tomato boy?" Bete chimed in, further downing Bell's already terrible mood.
"And who are you to talk trash of anybody?" Jay suddenly asked, his eye fixiated on Bete. "You have mighty nerves, preaching about trash and weaknesses. I don't like hypocrites."
Bete immediately shot up from his seat and walked up towards Jay all until he was right up in the elves' face. "The fuck did you say?"
"I think I spoke clear enough" Jay retorted, a completely bored expression on his face. "You got something in your ears too?" Bete was visibly fuming at the provocation, but it was clear that the raven-haired elf wasn't done yet. He took an audible whiff with his nose and scrunched his face. "I don't like your stench, boy. It smells like Bitch."
That was it for Bete. His familia noticed immediately that, with the alcohol in his system, he was much more easily irritated than usually and the insults were hitting his buttons. He reached his right arm up to throw a hook, connecting to Jay's face, the force of the punch causing a gust of wind to blow towards their surroundings, but Jay hadn't moved a single inch, his head barely turned at all from the strike, his one good eye still boredly staring down at the wolfman. "The fuck you think you are talking to me like that!?"
Jay just slowly closed his eye, breathing out before opening it again. "The one person in this room who, more than anyone else, knows that your trashtalk is just projection. You yourself are the one, big failure, and because you have no coping mechanism, not even an unhealthy one, you instead regard your own mistakes and weaknesses with the utmost hostility, lashing out at anyone and anything who reminds you of it."
Bete was about to throw another hook in sheer anger, but this time, the raven-haired elf did not let him. He apprehended the wolfman by grabbing his right hand by the wrist, twisting around the man's form to grab him in a Sleeper Hold, keeping his right lower arm against Bete's throat enough to not press him into unconsciousness, but enough to let him know the threat to do so was there. "You act out in anger and violence because you are nothing but a child who doesn't know when he himself is outclassed. Your only defining traits are arrogance and a big mouth. Now, I will let you go, and you will shut up and sit back down, understood?"
Since Bete gave no protest other than the occasional attempt at freeing himself, Jay let him go, pointing at the now empty seat at Loki Familia's table. Bete growled at the elven man, not moving to his seat but just standing at his spot and glaring bloody murder.
And so, the Elven man decided to make a point clear. "Every person who likes the Isekai idea dreams of the chance to copy one of the epic speeches. Oh am I going to egotrip myself tonight" he thought at first, then started to slowly turn around. "Alright, let me make a point clear. Look around you. We got: Freya Familia's retired lvl 6 captain, the entire executive chain of Loki Familia, a couple lvl 4 waitresses done with the adventuring lives, two dozen adventurers who have lasted years in this city, and three off-duty guild officials" he listed down, then his right middle-finger became envelopped in a transluscent, white sphere and he positioned his hand in a way to flick the wolfman. "Now I wouldn't have a second's hesitation blowing your head off right here and right now in front of all of them! Now that's power you can't buy! That's the power of fear."
"Huh!?" Bete exclaimed at the words. "Fear? Of who? Of you? Who the hell is afraid of you? Because I sure as hell am not!"
Jay narrowed his eye slightly in response. "Because you think you got nothing left to lose, but you haven't thought it through" The elven male responded, earning him a fair share of raised eyebrows, mainly from the other Loki Familia members. "You haven't thought about your lady-friend down at the Ishtar Familia, Lena was her name I think, you haven't thought about your divine benefactor, Loki! BANG!" He continued, raising his hand and flicking the sphere off, causing a loud thunderclap to echo, which in itself did no harm but those of sensitive hearing, such as elves and beastfolk, had to close their ears and suffer a momentary Tinnitus ringing in one or both ear canals. After a few seconds, the raven-haired elf continued.
"People from your world have so much to lose..." He circled around Bete as he continued. "Now you think because your mommy, daddy and baby sister got haul-assed to heaven that you know about the ugly side of life, but you don't. You never tasted desperate!" He further exclaimed, stopping after a round around Bete, starting to gesticulate with his hands according to his next words. "You're uh, you're Vanagrand, the mascot of Loki, you'd have to leave the continent to find somebody who didn't know your name! So don't... don't come down here with your anger, trying to prove something to yourself. This is a world you'll never understand! And you always fear what you don't understand!"
Bete's expression meanwhile had shifted. Ever since his deceased family was mentioned, he had wide eyes on his face and his mouth was lightly gaped, unable to say anything in return. By the time Jay was done with his words, the wolfman was processing everything that was said, and he wanted so, so badly to lash out in anger, to punch this elf before him for invoking his dead family, but there was something about the words that just... hurt. Bete knew he was right. Ever since his family and the Virdas Familia were both taken from him, he had become bitter, lamenting his own past weaknesses, and generally lamenting all manner of weaknesses. He knew better than most people what loss can do to you, and in his own, aggressive and morally challenged means, he just wanted people to realize that they need to be strong to remain part of Orario. But... it did not distract from the fact that this desire was born out of self-loathing, out of lament for his own failures. At the end, it was just like this elf had said. Bete was nothing more than a hypocrite. His attitude was an insult to those he lost and those he still had... it got him thinking, just how much of an asshole had he been to the people who cared? Definetly not something he could answer in one night. Without any words spoken, he gave Jay one more look before he silently returned to the table of the other Loki Familia members, shoving the mug with the alcohol aside.
Jay suddenly snapped his head around at the Hostess. "THE FUCK Y'ALL LOOKING AT? BACK TO EATING AND DRINKING!"
Without a second after he said it, everyone returned to their business as if all of that just now didn't ever happen. Of course, the Loki Familia was still eyeing the raven-haired man, as did Bell, but the majority seemed to have understood that this was not something to pry into any further than necessary.
Jay approached Bell meanwhile, letting out a small sigh. "I would say sorry that you had to see that, but that implies that I feel apologetic for the incident. Eat up, I got lots to talk about with you" He commented before sitting down next to Bell, reaching into his own overcoat and taking out a small sack filled with coins. "This is for the damaged floor, Mia. As well as payment for next month's rent for the room, and it should have enough gold to cover at least two dishes for both me and the boy. I want the usual"
Mia, who seems to have completely forgone the incident just now, took the sack and nodded her head, turning to face the kitchen. "A large plate of Ribs with fries and steamed carrots, and a second plate of noodles and meatballs for the boy!"
Bell, having finished processing everything, gave the elven man a solemn look. "I uh... I wanted to-"
"No need to thank me" He suddenly interrupted, stretching his right arm out for a handshake with the boy. "Jay Rosée, nice to meet you."
"Bell Cranel, likewise" Bell answered and accepted the handshake, smiling brightly now.
Jay let out a small humm and turned his face forward. "You really look just like her..." Hearing this, Bell curiously glanced at the man's face, but Jay could sense the question and answered it before it happened. "Your mother, I mean. I knew her, met her many years ago, if only very briefly. You have her smile and her hair, though your eyes are clearly your fathers."
Bell's curiosity skyrocketed, and an impatient eagerness was visible on his face. He never knew his parents, so meeting someone who did know about them immediately had his complete, undivided attention. "You knew my parents!?"
"That I did. Though, I don't wanna talk about them here. This is a place to chat about non-sensitive information and to get your belly filled. Tell you what, eat your fill, my treat as you already know, and I will tell you everything you want to know tomorrow morning. I will visit you and your Goddess around 8 in the morning."
Bell didn't want to wait, not about this, but he once again could tell there was no arguing about this, so he obliged.
For the rest of the night, Loki Familia resumed their celebration, if only after a rather long moment of profound silence and regaining their bearings, Bete having remained uncharacteristically silent except for answering any questions aimed directly at himself. The Hostess remained as lively as ever, Ryuu stashed away the halbert so that it didn't block the exit anymore and Bell and Jay continued to talk to each others about the dungeon, the young red-eyed adventurer receiving some verbal tips and hints for future combat as well as learning some useless but interesting things about some of the famous adventurers.
And thus comes an end to the Pilot Chapter.
As aforementioned, leave your thoughts behind and let me know if the writing and the content so far is interesting to you.
Of course, as the story progresses, more and more information about the Isekai'd character will become known as well as info on what he did for the 15 years he's been alive in this world. However, I didn't want to spill too much right away, and I wanted to write a beginning that was different from the usual recipe, having someone who's already been in the world some time and follow his presence within the main plot as we know it instead of watching the experience from its very beginning and tracing back every single change, big and small.
I look forward to your Feedback and will see you... well, whenever the next chapter drops!
