A/N: Hi everyone! I thought Seimei Kikan was pretty obscure but I guess not lol. I'll get more into it in the chapter, but y'all pretty unanimously guessed right. I will say that it isn't true seimei kikan just yet, he is using a shortcut!

Sorry for the long wait, I got fired from my job and had to eat instant ramen for a while XP

Reviews!

cheesebox123

I agree!

Lopez760

Right!

JJafan

You are the closest with your guess to the complete technique! It isn't an inward use of conquerors, but it was Seimei Kikan assisted by an inward facing use of haki! Thank you so much for your continued support!

DeadKing24712

Correct!

BoombaTheSaint

Thanks for the review! While Luffy is our main example of how people with conquerors haki operate, it's important to know that not all people with conquerors haki act like him. Kaido has suicidal tendencies, Boa has PTSD that causes her to nearly pass out, Big Mom has manic episodes and faints when her favorite picture is damaged, and Zoro has intense anxiety that leads to overtraining while injured, which I would categorize as a form of self harm/punishment. Just because someone is a conqueror, doesn't mean they don't feel fear/negative feelings. I also want to make it clear that just because Jasper has the potential to unlock conquerors, doesn't mean he is a full blown conqueror yet. He is similar to Zoro in this aspect, as he has the potential to unlock it, but unless he can get in the right state of mind and gain the resolve to manifest his will on the world, he won't ever unlock conquerors. It took Zoro till wano to unlock his conquerors haki, and it was because he let go of his anxiety, and finally viewed himself as Luffys equal partner rather than subordinate. (At least that's my interpretation) To answer your second point, I think writers have Reincarnators often hesitate to tell people the truth because there really isn't a realistic way to tell people that doesn't make you look like you belong in a mental institution.

thhk1232

Correct!

ItsNotTheMoon

Good input! I'm assuming by "Coo" you mean observation haki. While most high level practitioners are to the point that it is a passive skill, if you go over skypiea you can see that beginners like satori have to focus to maintain it. Jasper pushed his observation haki hard when he first unlocked it which caused it to evolve to an advanced level, so it still uses a shit ton of stamina and focus. Don't worry, he will get used to it in time ;)

NastySquire

Thank you so much! Your review made me laugh out loud! I don't know about a million, but I'm definitely in this for the long haul!

Guest

I don't know who you are, but thank you!

Zeromk7

Thanks for your support! While I don't think I'll have Jasper use a Kanabo as his main weapon, I might have him use one for a chapter or two in an arc I have planned ;)

FairyTailLink

Interesting! While I believe it's always healthy to keep fantasy and reality distinct and separate from each other, it's fun to imagine and dream! Got an idea? Write it! You may be surprised how rewarding it is. :D


Previously on TDoL:

"Mr. Beaumont is right! Now come over here and let me take a look at those feet!" I sighed in resignation, and came over to where Lia had a chair and a pail of clean water set up. I sat on the chair, and the kids gathered around us, wanting to hear the story of the hunt. Though I winced occasionally at Lia's cleaning, I had a wonderful time telling my story and watching Louis work. As the wonderful smells of an expert chef cooking up a storm reached my nose, a smile made its way onto my face.


After butchering the meat, Louis put most of the largest cuts in my homemade smoker to be smoked slowly at low temperature. He had mixed the honey and peppers with some of his own spices, and slathered them on the outside of all the meat. The enormous stone smoker was completely packed full, but he masterfully checked the temperature of each cut, and rotated them to make sure they were all cooked evenly. He still had a lot of the pork belly meat set aside, which he said he would prepare on a frying pan as bacon when we got a little bit closer to the party.

As the hours passed, I realized just how sore my body had gotten from the technique I used earlier, and my stomach rumbled loudly as I smelled the sweet smell of woodsmoke and well seasoned meat. My mouth watered, and I got excited, I'd be extra hungry by the time the food was ready, and it would probably taste twice as good!

As I waited, I took the opportunity to focus, turning my observation haki inwards once more. Just as before I felt every aspect of my body, all the life energy flowing between my cells. It was mesmerizing, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I didn't try to do anything with the energy, just observing its flow throughout my body. I must have lost track of time, because I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone tapped me on the shoulder. My eyes flew open to see it was Lia. She snorted, and her hand flew up to her mouth to suppress her laughter, "Sorry Jasper, were you asleep?"

I took a breath to calm myself, "No, I was just zoned out I guess, what's up?" What the hell was that? I was using observation, why didn't I sense her approaching?!

She gestured to a fit younger woman next to her with wavy brown hair and a red dress, and I felt like I swallowed ice.

"This is my good friend Brandy, she lives in town, and she and her boyfriend Jack came here a bit early to help with setting up the picnic tables! Isn't that nice?"

I floundered for a bit in surprise, and Brandy hand a wide smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Hello Jasper, it's wonderful to finally meet you, Lia has told me so much about you!" She held out her hand to shake. It was bad manners to shake a standing person's hand while I was still seated, and I was nervous, so I bounced out of my seat to shake her hand.

From the near immediate sharp pain in my feet I knew the deeper cuts had reopened, but pain was low on my list of priorities right now, and so paid it no mind. When I took Brandy's hand I expected one of the two commonly used 'pretty girl' handshakes. Either the 'dead fish', where the girl puts her hand in yours but keeps it completely limp and lifeless (very unimpressive), or the 'princess' where she puts her hand in yours with her knuckles facing up, as if expecting you to kiss it. (quite annoying)

Brandy did neither of these, clapping her hand into mine palm to palm, and squeezing firmly (wonderful). Though her hands appeared slender, the strength in them wasn't dainty at all. I could feel the tough calluses on her palm and fingers, and the pressure she was casually exerting was starting to become painful. Not to be outdone, I clasped firmly back, and my eyes widened in surprise. Her hand felt strange, the flesh on it didn't give at all, it was like I was trying to squeeze the hand of a metal statue! She raised one eyebrow with a slight smirk, and I realized I had held on too long and it was becoming awkward. I let go.

"N-Nice to meet you Brandy! Thanks for helping out, you'll have to let me know what you think of the pork! hehehe…"

She maintained eye contact in silence for a second or two, just long enough to make me sweat, before responding cheerfully, "Of course I will! You've done alot, and it would be a shame if I after all this I didn't catch up with you~" I might be imagining things, but that smile of hers was starting to look like a cat that found a mouse. She turned back to Lia, and her expression brightened, becoming genuine, "Good talking with you guys, but I'm going to go help Jack with the tables, it getting pretty close to 5:30, and we'll need to be ready by 6:00, right?"

Lia nodded, "Right! I'll join you in a second." As Brandy walked off toward the tables, Lia turned back at me, her face a cross between irritated and concerned. "Jasper! Sit down! Your feet are bleeding!" I did as she said and saw that the reopened cuts had already began to bleed through the bandages. She huffed, irritated, and and started tending to my feet. "Jasper, I want you to stay in that chair, alright?!"

I sighed. It wasn't that bad. But whatever. "Ok" I said with a chuckle, "I promise"

As she finished, she nodded, satisfied, and went over to where several people were setting up tables and chairs. My eyes traveled over to Brandy, and I went over the conversation in my brain.

Fuck! She definitely knew. I don't know how the hell she pieced it together, but somehow, she found out! She also seemed a whole lot stronger than she used to be. This was the first time I was sensing her 'voice'; It was extremely strong, and was different from other people's somehow. While other people shone like little melodic campfires, her 'voice' was… refined somehow, like it had been distilled and made more potent or something. It didn't wisp out every which way like everyone else, but was coiled brightly around her skin, like a shining, skintight cloak of living sunlight and song.

It would have been quite beautiful to sense if there wasn't something inexplicably dangerous about how it felt. It was weird, but something about it just triggered the primal 'danger! Stay away! Monke get killed!' instinct in the back of my head. For now, she seemed to be content to just go with the flow of the party and enjoy herself, which suited me fine. She probably had some kind of plan, but was willing to wait, so I was probably fine, for now at least. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I looked over everyone else that had shown up so far. There were several chefs that were wearing the same uniform as Louis, and they all had their own carts, several of which had built in stoves. They were all quite busy, either helping Louis with the main meat in the smoker, pan frying the pork belly and other small cuts into pure deliciousness, or making the finishing touches on several large sides. There was a large pot filled with a baked bean chili, several loaves of bread that looked like they had come out of the oven that morning, large amounts of freshly sautéed stir fried vegetables, and several deep iron pans that were filled with sweet smelling cornbread. It all looked piping hot and smelled divine, and my stomach rumbled again, even louder than before. From Louis's satisfied smile, I knew the meat was going well, and would be ready for when the party started. I smiled. I can't wait!

While I was sitting around, hoping 30 minutes would pass faster, I found my mind wandering back to my experience earlier. I had been actively using observation haki, and I had no idea that all these people had shown up, or even how much time had passed. My best guess was that I had discovered some form of meditation. I tried it again, and my sensing radius for observation came inward until I wasn't sensing anything around me. I quickly rose out of the trance, and I could sense everyone again! By directing my observation haki inward, I had lost sight of the people around me!

This wasn't something I had specifically heard of before in the manga, but I think I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

I had discovered Seimei Kikan, and I had used observation as a shortcut to do it. Seimei Kikan (AKA Life Return) was a technique that was used by CP9, and was the basic building block behind all the Rokushiki techniques. Normally you had to meditate and train for years to unlock it naturally. Focusing for a second, I briefly tried to activate my earlier technique while still sensing my surroundings, and I couldn't do it. Yeah, I was definitely cheating with observation. But there was an upside to all this!

Back when I was fighting the boar, when I tried to make my body stronger, my body started stiffening. That was probably the start of tekkai. However, I was also able to get my cells to 'slide' past each other to make my body more flexible, which sounded like Kami-e. Because I was using observation to enhance the connection between my conscious mind and unconscious parts, I was able to use Tekkai and Kami-e at the same time to create a technique that was far greater than the sum of its parts! All of the durability, none of the brittleness, stiffness or slowness. Observation haki for the win!

Honestly, now that I think about it, this is probably part of the reason Big Mom and Kaido are so fucking durable. And it makes even more sense, considering that whitebeard had two fucking holes blasted through him, obliterating his organs and most likely damaging his spine, and he still was able to stand up and control his body. If that isn't Seimei Kikan then I don't know what is. Maybe it's something all the Rocks Pirates learned, and they applied it in different ways! Kaido probably trained until his became permanent, Big Mom hardly ever lets her guard down, and Whitebeard had supernatural control of his body to the point that he was still standing after death!

I grinned like a loon. It knew it would take a while to be able to use the technique without using haki as a crutch, but it would be worth it to have a Yonko approved durability technique on my hands! CP9, CP0, and the rest of the Marines' rokushiki users can kiss my ass!

What should I name it? All good techniques need a name after all. Tekkai kenpo is lame and uncreative, and from what I remember the wolf guy was still pretty slow and stiff, so that's a no go. Plus, I want to rename any Rokushiki based techniques I reverse engineer, so I could maintain a low profile. I thought about it for a bit, watching the food get prepared.

I've got it! When hearing about Seimei Kikan, Chopper says he knows it as "Bio Feedback" which is how he controls his transformations! Instead of naming it like a Cipher Poll technique, I'll take a leaf out of Chopper's book, and call it Bio Armor! Like making your own body into an iron man suit! I experienced it myself against the boar, increased durability plus full freedom of movement equals increased strength as well! Like a living iron exoskeleton, except it's made of meat like the aliens in Independence Day!

Ok, the metaphor breaks down a bit at the end there, but the point is, I think Bio Armor is a kick ass name with no government strings attached.


Pretty much all the guests had shown up at his point, the food was ready, and we were about ready to begin. Lia came over, and made like she was going to pick me up out of the chair, and I quickly stood up with a wince. She put her hands an her hips and gave me a disapproving look. "Jasper…"

"No way" I responded, "just tell me where to sit, an' I'll sit." She shook her head but smiled.

"Right over here, be careful"

"Yes Mom" I snarked. She gasped, and I frose. I had meant it like a joke, but she looked so overjoyed I couldn't bring myself to take it back. Damn. Nothing for it then, there goes my last bit of hope. I smiled as I realized something. That's ok. Yeah. She was a good mom. I'll never forget my mom in my previous life, but there's no rule that says you have to have only one. And Lia was amazing.

I sat where she had a spot for me next to Cinna, who I hadn't talked to for some time. As I listened to her talk about how boring school was but how amazing her friends were and what she was learning and how cool her new parents were and…ect., Lia rang a bell to get everyone's attention.

"Alright everybody! I'd like to welcome you all to the very first community cookout of Road Hill Orphanage!" There were cheers from the crowd, and she continued gesturing to the 3 tables set up end to end in a buffet line, "every bit of the delicious food you see before you, was provided by the various guests that have arrived, let's give all of them a round of applause!" The cheering and clapping rose to deafening intensity, and I joined in happily, eyeing up the cornbread in particular.

Lia waved her hands in a 'settle down' motion, and the crowd quieted. "A special thank you for Chef Louis Beaumont and his crew for preparing the main dish, and for providing the spices, utensils, tables, and almost everything else that made this event possible!" Another round of cheering rose up, and Louis and the other chefs looked proud and rosy cheeked, "And let's not forget the provider of the main course, the Rhinoboar hunter himself," she paused again, building suspense. I got anxious, preparing myself for an awkward silence, maybe even a few people leaving in fear of poisoned food, "Moooorgan Jasper!" If I thought the cheers from before were deafening, these ones took the cake. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and to my utter shock, as I looked around, all I could see were genuinely happy faces, many of them looking right at me!

Lia let the cheers go on a few more seconds, a smug yet loving smile on her face as she stared me down as if to say, 'See? I told you so!'

"Now!" She continued, "I've talked for long enough, and we are all very hungry," a few cheers and whistles at that, "so come on up and serve yourself a heaping pile of deliciousness!"

Cheering rang out once more as about half the guests got up and went to the food, while the remaining folks were content to wait and talk, wanting the line to die down a bit.

I made to get up out of my seat as well, but Lia stopped me once again, saying I need to stay off my feet. We argued back and forth a bit, because I felt hungry enough to eat a horse and I knew she would probably go light on the portions, not intentionally of course, but because what she considered alot of food, and what I considered alot, was way different.

As we were going back and forth, Louis got back with an entire serving platter piled nearly a foot high with meat, veggies, a large wedge of cornbread and a big bowl of chili, and plopped it down in front of me. Lia and I both gawked for a few seconds, and Louis, that absolute angel of a man, merely responded with, "Bon Apétit" and winked, sitting down with his own plate next to his wife and Cinna. All three of them began to eat, they let out various joyful sounds of appreciation, and with a quick 'thank you' to both Louis and Lia, I tucked in.

It was fucking divine. I started with one of the thick slabs of pork belly, which while wile well marbled, didn't have quite as much fat as bacon from a regular pig did. The baconey flavor was intense, the texture was crispy and meaty, and the fat had been rendered completely to the point it wasn't rubbery at all. It was by far the best bacon/pork belly I had eaten in either life, and I moaned in ecstasy. I didn't realize just how fucking hungry I was until right now, and after chewing well and savoring the flavor, I took another massive bite, followed by more heavy breaths and sounds of enjoyment. After the bacon, I scooped up a massive bite out of the mound of pulled pork, and ate it without even putting it on a sandwich.

May I just say.

Holy fucking shit.

While the pork belly had been crispy and chewy and was almost overwhelmingly greasy, the pulled pork was so fucking tender it almost melted in my mouth. Every meaty chew exploded with juice, the perfect seasoning punching my brain with a piping hot riptide of flavor. It strode that perfect balance, where the flavors were intense, but it still hadn't quite crossed over into being over-seasoned. Smiling at the intense flavor, I knew exactly why it was so strong. I cut off about a third of the slab of cornbread, and cut it once more into two bun shaped slices. Tasting a bit of the cornbread by itself, it was warm, sweet, moist and crumbly, and I was overcome with a strange image of loving nostalgia for a country farm life I never actually lived.

Taking a heaping amount of pulled pork, I used the two slices of cornbread I had made as the buns for a pulled pork sandwich.

Let me be clear; both the pulled pork, and the cornbread on their own were some of the best food I had ever eaten. But together? They just… ascended. Like my tongue was having a religious experience. It was so fucking fantastic, so beyond anything I had ever put in my mouth till that point, that I actually got a little misty eyed. Yeah that's right. I actually almost fucking cried over a motherfucking sandwich. Put that one down for the books, I may never recover. After I finished that first heavenly creation, I still had roughly two thirds of my cornbread left and plenty of meat. The second sandwich I didn't just add meat, but also a large helping of fajita style peppers and onions, and spooned on a heavy amount of chili. The sandwich was so moist it practically fell apart, and I had to resort to my fork and knife. The veggies stood out but didn't overpower, the chili was meaty and spicy and filled with tender chunks of pozole style pork, the pulled pork was divine, and the cornbread pulled it all together. After that, I got into a rhythm, and fucking consumed more food than should have been humanly possible. I just, kept fucking eating, until I finally felt that near uncomfortable tightness that comes with being stuffed.

I had a good bit of chili left, and some vegetables, but for the most part I had cleaned my comically oversized plate. Only then, did I realize just how much I had put away. I had probably just eaten like 25-30 lbs of food, and while some people were looking impressed, they weren't staring at me like I was a freak show the way the people of my world would have if they saw such a sight.

Listening to the surrounding chatter, a voice of a man from the next table stood out to me. "You see that boy eat? What an appetite! He's got some strong blood in him that one. He'll grow into a strong man one day, you mark my words!" The man across from him responded, "One day?! He's strong now! That's Morgan Jasper, the one who took down the boar! Weren't you listening?" The first man looked shocked, "Well I'll be! Ain't that something! The boys practically a monster! If he keeps bringing in meat like this, he could make a fortune! Hope I'm invited to the next one of these…"

I smiled as their words trailed off into the chatter. They may have technically labeled me a monster, but I could sense they meant no ill will. I guess it's true what they say. Good food brings people together like nothing else. As I leaned back in my chair, I closed my eyes and let my senses unfold, basking in the warm cheerful atmosphere of the multitude of happy 'voices'.

Suddenly, one 'voice' stood out as a icy point of danger! My eyes flew open and I searched the direction I felt the danger from, and made eye contact with the woman whose pot I stole. She was looking right at me! She definitely knew!

Fuck!

Her boyfriend sat next to her, but he seemed oblivious, happily talking to a friend across from him. Did she not clue him in? The feeling of her 'voice' sent chills down my spine. It was just like the mega leopard when it was hunting me! Was she planning to kill me?! She didn't even seem that mad back then when I got away! I gave her the coats back, why is she so angry?!

I broke eye contact with her, and suddenly my state of injury came back to the forefront of my mind. I could barely walk, and from the handshake earlier, it was safe to assume she had trained her ass off and gotten stronger than me somehow! She didn't seem like she would physically outclass me, but my haki was practically screaming how much of a threat she was.

While I'm sure she intended me harm, it seemed like she wasn't willing to attack me in front of all these people. I had time to prepare!

Concentrating deeply, I turned my senses inward. I could feel the food I ate being slowly digested, the bio energy created steadily flowing to the rest of my body. With a good deal of mental effort, I was able to speed up the process, sending the energy rapidly flowing through my cells to boost the speed of my body's natural healing. I could feel my body heating up like a sauna as all my soreness and fatigue eased and disappeared, and my feet felt prickly and itchy. Once the sensation stopped, I ended Seimei Kikan and opened my eyes. I was filled with energy and my body was warmed up like I had just finished preparing for a workout. I tore the bandages off my feet to find them good as new, without even a scar.

Lia leaned over to scold me, but paused in shock as she saw my perfectly healed feet. "What?… how on earth?" She sputtered.

Trying to hide my nervousness, I decided to take a page out of Luffy's book and answered with a cheerful grin, "What do you mean? Meat is my favorite and I ate a lot, so I'm better now!" She blinked owlishly, and I could practically hear the dial up internet processing sounds her brain was making as she tried and failed to make sense of what I said. Before she could say anything, my stomach rumbled, and I realized I was hungry again. Tipping my chili bowl, I drank/ate the rest and then polished off the rest of the veggies, and got up to try some of the other cuts of pork. There was a large amount of rough ground sausage I was excited about, and the pulled pork was too good to deny a second time.

While I was hungry again, there was another reason why I was eating more food. With the icy hostility I could feel rolling off of Brandy, there was probably going to be some type of confrontation later, and as I just discovered, if I wanted to use Seimei Kikan to speed up my healing, I had to have a full stomach.

I risked a glance over at her table. She was talking with her boyfriend Jack, who was heartily enjoying himself, his 'voice' shining with nothing but celebration and contentment. That confirms it. Whatever she's planning, the boyfriend doesn't know. For now, it was a waiting game.


For the rest of the night, I did my best to ignore the sensation of Brandy's hostility, as for the most part I was successful. The food was great, and so was the company. Due to my age I wasn't allowed to drink any alcohol, but most of the adults did. They didn't have any super hard stuff like whiskey, but there was a definite buzz going around. After we were done eating Lia took me around and introduced me to a bunch of the guests, who were all quite pleasant. Lia seemed pleased with herself and I could appreciate how meticulous she was with the guest list. The one guest that hated me was because of something I actually did, rather than superstition.

As the night grew darker and people started trickling away back towards town, I mulled over my options. If I stayed at the orphanage, I would probably be safe for the night. While I could sense Brandy's hostility, it wasn't fully blown killing intent you would feel from a predatory beast. It felt muted, which I was guessing equated to either patience or reluctance. Either way, I was pretty certain she wouldn't try anything on orphanage grounds.

The only question is, do I hide? Or fight?

If I holed up at the orphanage for the night I would avoid her in the short term. But after that, I would have no way to predict when exactly she would ambush me. If I left right now and returned to my shelter, there was a very good chance she would attack me as soon as we were out of sight and sound range of the orphanage. She probably expected me to stay, so leaving would cause her to rush whatever plan she was making. Leaving now, while maybe not the smartest thing to do, would at least allow me to mentally prepare myself for the attack, so I wouldn't get caught with my pants down.

Making my mind up, I walked over to Lia and told her I was leaving.

"What?! Why? You have a bed here! Why would you want to go back to your shelter in the woods?!"

At this, I could feel the dangerkilldeath sensation from Brandy pulse, becoming sharper and more prominent. I swallowed in nervousness, but steeled my heart. No turning back now! I smiled at my adopted mother, "Lia, I like living at my shelter. It's gives me a freedom I enjoy! I promise I'm taking care of myself, it's honestly what I prefer. Can I swing by tomorrow morning?"

She looked quite reluctant, and she hemmed and hawed, but eventually relented. Thanking her sincerely, I set off toward my shelter and felt Brandy slip away outside of my range. Did she stash something she needed to retrieve? Keeping my guard up and my mind calm and focused, I set off through the woods toward my shelter.


I walked slowly and casually, conserving strength and keeping a laser focus on my senses and my surroundings. To try and add to my show of nonchalance, I whistled a merry tune, which would also help Brandy find me if she lost track of me. Maybe I was laying it on a little thick, but I wanted to get this confrontation over with.

I was about two thirds of the way toward my shelter when she entered my range again, and I took a deep breath to prepare myself. I stopped walking and began to roll my shoulders to get ready. Turning towards her, I made to speak but was interrupted, "So you could sense me. Jesus kid you are a monster. I never woulda known if you didn't have such a shit poker face."

Her easy tone threw me off. She seemed… casual about this. I responded, "Your speaking awfully kind for the amount of killing intent coming off you. I could feel your intentions the whole night. How would Lia react to this? I don't know if you're aware, but she'd be pretty sad if I disappeared."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Oh please, you're so sensitive. Killing intent? That's a pretty narrow description of sensing a combative Haki. Lot of assumptions there. I'm not some serial killer." Despite her words, she didn't relax her ready posture, and continued to circle me predatorily, her hand on the hilt of a sword at her hip. Looking closer, I realized it was the same cutlass I'd seen in her attic dresser.

She continued speaking, "You stole something of mine. My Machete. My treasure. I'm not the kind of person that lets that shit go unanswered." she drew her cutlass out of its scabbard, the blade shining in the moonlight. She settled into a flexible stance, her sword at the ready, and stepped forward with catlike grace.

My jaw dropped as her haki grew even more intense, and smoothly flowed up the blade of her sword, surrounding her and it in an aura of pure will. While it was invisible to my eyes, my observation haki picked up the image as clear as day. It she surrounding her entire body and her weapon in armament?! I thought only like two people in the world could do that?! Haki was usually portrayed as black in the manga and anime, but there was a debate among fans about whether it was visible or not. Did I accidentally steal from a world class expert?! As shitty as my luck is, I doubt I just happened to steal from what would probably be the only full body armament expert in the entire North Blue. I needed more information!

Seeing my fear and shock, Brandy smirked, "you just going to stand there with your jaw on the floor, or will you defend yourself?" She took another step forward.

"Wait!" I pleaded, my voice cracking embarrassingly. Steeling myself, I decided to take a chance, "your blade has haki on it… why hasn't it turned black?" Depending on her answer, I might be able to gage just how fucked I was…

Her eyes widened, "You really are from the grand line." She said, surprised, but didn't elaborate any more than that.

If the black effect had only been an artist's tool, she wouldn't have any idea what the hell I was talking about! But she did! Which means her haki skill was probably more along the lines of the ladies at Amazon Lilly, or Alabasta Zoro. Still scary as fuck, but at least I had a chance!

"I'll make you a deal!" I practically squeaked out, and cursed my childish voice. She quirked an eyebrow, "oh yeah?" She lowered her blade to a more relaxed stance, but I could tell from her haki she could still strike at a moments notice. "Why should I negotiate with a thief?"

I nervously responded, "I'll make it worth your while! At least hear me out! You're friends with Lia right? She would be super sad if I died! Doesn't that mean something?"

She practically growled in response, "Fine! But make it quick!"

"Let me start with saying that your machete is still in perfect condition! I took care of it extremely well, it isn't rusty or dull at all! And the sheath is in just as good condition!" She seemed to relax at this, her face brightening significantly.

I continued, "The deal is, we fight. Whoever surrenders or gets knocked out first is the loser. If you win, not only will I lead you to where I have your machete stored and give it back, I will also give you 50% of the profit I make on the next five Rhinoboar I take down" her eyes widened briefly at that, but narrowed just as quick. I could tell she wasn't sold. "And if I win, two things happen. First, I still return your machete to you,"

As I said this, her haki near instantly lost a significant amount of hostility, and was replaced by genuine intrigue. "Is that so? I'll admit, I didn't expect that! But I'm curious… what do you get out of all this?"

Emboldened by her response, I continued, "If I win, I'll return your machete as a symbol of good faith, but... you have to teach me haki! My observation is pretty rough, and I don't have armament at all! If I win, you have to teach me what you know!"

At this, I could feel genuine surprise from her. She was quiet for a few seconds, and I resisted the urge to break the silence, simply letting her think. Finally, she spoke up again.

"I'm not necessarily agreeing to anything, but when would this fight take place? Would we use practice swords?"

"No," I responded, "we would fight right now with the weapons we have on us." I bent down and picked up a pebble. I wanted to rush this encounter to keep her off balance. "I'll toss this rock in the air, and we go when it hits the ground." I made to toss it, but was interrupted.

"Hold on!" She shouted, "I said I haven't decided yet!"

I stayed silent for a few seconds, and then responded with a smug grin I hoped was annoying, "what's the hold up? Preparing your first lesson plan?"

At this she scowled, "Wipe that look off your face you brat! While your deal is… intriguing, I can't teach you my sword techniques. They were developed by my father when he went to the new world, and I'm the only one he ever thought them to. I swore to him that I would teach them only to my own child someday. You don't qualify."

"What, afraid you'll loose?" I replied smugly.

She scoffed imperiously, "Hell no. You basically have no chance barehanded against live steel. But that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I always cover my ass. I won't make a promise I can't keep. And I won't teach you my sword style."

I responded, "That's perfectly fine. I don't want your sword techniques. Just training in the basics of haki to the point that I can start developing my own fighting style."

Yet again, we had a silent stare down while she thought.

"75% for 6 catches, and it's a deal." she haggled.

I snorted at the ridiculousness of her 'offer'. "Hell no. 50% for 5 is already a shit ton. You get your Machete back either way, this deal is already a win win for you. 50% for 5. Take it or leave it."

She huffed. "You're no fun. Don't you know how to haggle?"

"If I was going to haggle on this, I would have started waaaaaayy lower. But that doesn't matter. Do we have a deal?"

"Hhhmmmm… 50% for 5... plus money for the damages you caused to our house when you broke out! It's only fair."

I pinched my nose and sighed. I just said I wouldn't haggle on this, but what she asked for was reasonable.

"Haaahh… Fine. Deal."

She nodded. "Deal!"

I backed a few steps away and balanced the pebble on my thumbnail as if it was a coin I was about to flip. "Get set." I warned, and she settled back into her sword stance. I flipped the pebble high, and immediately got into a basic mma stance I had learned in my previous life, balanced on the balls of my feet, left side forward, arms in guard, and hands clawed halfway between a fist for striking and an open palm for grabbing.

The pebble seemed to drop in slow motion, and I had a brief flash of fear. Was I outmatched? Not only was Brandy way taller and had longer reach than 10 year old me, she also had a sword and haki. As quickly as I felt the fear, I crushed it down again, for two reasons. A: if I pictured myself losing, it guaranteed that I would. B: I took down a fucking Rhinoboar with my bare hands. Compared to that monster, the height/weight difference here was practically nothing.

As I finished preparing my mind and body, the pebble hit the dirt.

I dashed forward.


A/N aaaaaannnd that's a wrap. This chapter fought me so FUCKING hard y'all don't even know. I know I wanted this fight to happen, but I couldn't figure out how to do it without Jasper looking like a jackass/dumbass for no reason, or making Brandy a fucking revenge obsessed psycho who would slit the throat of her good friend's kid with no remorse. I had a version where they play the pronoun game and Jasper thinks she's talking about the pot but she's talking about the machete and they play the pronoun game for the sake of a funny misunderstanding, but I HATE the pronoun game being the primary cause of conflict. Plus, there is no reason Jasper wouldn't give up the pot as well, so it wouldn't even be a conflict starter anyway. I FINALLY figured out the deal/haggle thing, and it was way better than anything else I came up with, so I stuck with it. I'm still not sure about it Tbh. What do y'all think?

I planned on including the Jasper vs Brandy fight here, but this chapter is long enough. Sorry!

Good fight next time! I'm exited!