N/A: Hi guys, it's been a long time. I really feel like I'm repeating myself every time a new chapter starts, but sorry for the wait.
I owe you a few explanations regarding my productivity. It is with an immense feeling of pride that I was able to get my job, after days and days of learning, I am finally freed and I should be able to have free time again!
Little novelty that I will put in place now. At the end of this chapter, you will find the comments that I will have received after the publication of the last chapter. I will try to answer them as much as possible, so do not hesitate to leave a little message :).
In the meantime, I wish you all happy reading.
POV : Visha?
Location: Saboardy Archipelago Auction House.
Dazed, the young girl watched the spectacle unfolding before her eyes. In front of her was a huge semicircle in which several people stood, all of them looking at her with an unsettling gaze, similar to that of a large carnivore eyeing a bleeding piece of meat.
Some time before, a strange man in pink shirts had forcibly taken her out of the dark room where the girl had regained consciousness. Without saying a word, one of the men grabbed the chain around her neck and led her through a maze of dark corridors and hallways.
Only after several minutes of forced walking did light appear before her eyes. The screams she had heard from her cell became louder and clearer.
Feeling stress, the young girl couldn't help but clutch the locket she had been wearing around her neck since she woke up. Though she knew it wasn't essential, but, she found its presence comforting.
She still didn't understand what was going on or where she even was, but one thing was certain: staying here meant danger. The more she resisted, the more the jailer pulled on the chain with all his might until he brought her to the center of the stage.
The person with the strange sunglasses, standing to her right, took the floor. "As for this one," he said, "she's a foreign beauty in her twenties." He took a deep breath before continuing, "We don't know anything about her—where she's from, or even her name—but I'm sure you know what to do with her..."
This man with the strange sunglasses, standing to her right, made the young girl shudder with his explanations, and a strong urge to vomit spread through her guts. "How can these people just objectify me?"
As if in answer to her question, an alarm sounded throughout the room. Instantly, dozens of voices rose in front of her, but she couldn't clearly distinguish the faces of the people before her. They all offered bids that seemed to waver as they raised small signs.
"I have to get out of here," the young girl thought, trying to get up and run away. But to no avail. The hand of a huge man had a firm grip on her left shoulder, forcing her to kneel on the stage floor.
Several proposals flew back and forth, mainly from old men with lustful eyes, devouring the young woman with their gazes.
Deep inside, the young girl knew that if any of these men bought her, she'd end up as a sex slave. This simple assumption caused her so much heartache that she began to vomit what little food her stomach contained onto the floor and near the presenter's shoes.
"May I know what you're up to, you piece of filth?" The presenter hurled it in her direction and hit her brutally on the liver. He was careful not to damage her face, lest she lose value.
The reaction of the audience was totally unexpected. Seeing the young girl vomit next to the master of ceremonies had visibly amused the audience, so much so that the proposals increased even more, reaching astronomical sums: one hundred million berries, one hundred and twenty million...
Some guests even began to insult each other, accusing the other of doing everything to prevent them from acquiring such a rare piece. Seeing the master of ceremonies not reacting but drawing a wide smile, she understood that he was satisfied with what was happening in front of his eyes. "If he sees people fighting over me, he'll make a fortune," the brown-haired girl understood desperately."
The proposals continued to rain down until a small childish voice rose above the commotion. "I offer three hundred million berries."
The crowd turned to the originator of the offer, a small girl who appeared to be quite young. From her position, one could see her gorgeous blonde hair tied into a ponytail, with a small strand hanging over her head. Her piercing blue eyes of infinite coldness stared at the young girl without looking away for even a moment.
The master of ceremonies, as surprised as his audience, took some time to comprehend the astronomical sum proposed. However, it took only a moment for him to regain his composure and continue with the bidding.
"I heard three hundred million berries,can anyone top this offer?" Faced with the silence of the crowd, the man resumed his encouragement. "Come on, ladies and gentlemen, this is a very rare commodity; you will not see it again anytime soon, believe me."
The crowd said no more, the proposed sum even having the effect of interrupting the start of a brewing fight. "I have no more suggestions, so will this young girl go for 203? Going once, going twice..."
"Seven hundred million berries!" shouted a voice near the girl. It was a rather old man in a white robe and some kind of bubble on his head. He was accompanied by a woman much younger than him and wearing the same outfit.
At the announcement of such an amount, no one spoke, not even the little blonde, who stared at her opponent so much that one could believe she was capable of jumping at his throat and disemboweling him on the spot. Her opponent, on the other hand, maintained a dignified posture and did not even bother to look at her.
The moderator's intervention broke the silence that had suddenly fallen in the hall. "At first glance, no one wants to top this offer..." Observing the reactions of the customers, the young girl realized that only fear prevented them from outbidding the offer. She even caught one woman trying to keep her husband from participating further at all costs, giving the impression that he could be executed at any moment if he did.
"Going Once,going twice, sold to Saint Roswald for seven hundred million berries, congratulations." After this announcement, everyone present applauded the man dressed in white. The latter, meanwhile, still seemed to show no reaction. However, a slight smile appeared on his face, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the young girl doubting if she had seen it at all.
"We are nearing the end, I invite our lucky buyers to go to the delivery room, and I invite the rest of you to follow the staff. For those who want, we will now present the second and unsold lots of the last sale."
Immediately, the young girl saw to her right a rather old person who had been forcibly brought onto the stage in the same manner as she, and the man holding her necklace pulled on it again to forcibly pull her towards him and bring her backstage.
Her eyes, used to the strong light of the stage, had difficulty seeing her own feet. "What are they going to do to me? How will I be able to escape? I do not want to end my life as a slave..."
Instead of turning left and returning to the large cell where she had regained consciousness, the guard forced her to continue on her way, climbing a huge golden staircase. In its center ran a huge red carpet, which seemed to have a certain price, from the bottom of the staircase to its top. The walls that lined the staircase were covered with various paintings of great value, depicting several men and women wearing a similar outfit to their buyer.
Once at the top, the young girl and her jailer entered a small room adjacent to the large stage from which they had come. In the back of this room were two large wooden tables that partially hid two men in pink shirts who seemed to be waiting for something.
Behind them, to their right, was a cage where several people were already sitting. All of them wore the same collar that could be used to decapitate a human being at any time. This explained the absence of protests from the inmates, who all seemed to have given up. To their left was a long table on which various items were spread out: small chests secured with large padlocks, swords, firearms, etc.
"This must be the room for handing over the prizes and payment" the young girl concluded as she moved towards the cage. As she passed by the offices, she noticed that some people were already in line to collect their lot while she stared at them.
Once inside the cage, the young girl spotted a free spot on an old wooden bench in the back of the cell and took the opportunity to settle there, resigned to the thought of ending up as a slave for the rest of her life…
POV: Tanya Von Degurechaff
Location: Sabaody Archipelago Auction House
Still stunned by the surreal scene that had just happened before her eyes, Tanya was still trying to figure out how her right arm could have ended up in this new world. Tanya had no doubts about the identity of the young girl. Her smug air and her big blue eyes made the young girl easily recognizable.
Tanya was pulled from her thoughts when she saw her classmate being taken away by one of the guards. "He definitely has to take her to the prize collection room. I absolutely have to get to her before the nobles." She looked out of the corner of her eye at the man who had just bought her comrade. The latter did not seem worried about the recovery of his lot; he even began to yawn before focusing again on the scene and the last articles presented. It was as if the amount he had just spent was insignificant to him.
The little blonde shrugged and walked over to one of the guards standing at the top of the chamber near the exit. "Excuse me, where can I find the sales pick-up room?" Tanya asked while staring him straight in the eye.
At first taken aback, the man in the pink shirt approached Tanya and replied in an amused tone, "You are still too young for that, my little one. Where are your parents? Do you want me to help you find them?"
Upon hearing the guard's response, Tanya frowned and grabbed the collar of his shirt, bringing the man's face closer to hers. "Listen to me," Tanya replied icily as she continued to stare him in the eye. "I don't have time to waste with you. Hurry and show me the direction, or I'll put you under arrest for obstruction of justice," Tanya growled while revealing the inscription "JUSTICE" written on her coat.
Realizing the mistake he had just made, the man pointed with his index finger to a small corridor located on the right wing of the hemicycle before running away towards the exit.
Quickening her pace, Tanya took the hallway that seemed to lead behind the stage.
After a few minutes of walking, the girl arrived in front of a huge golden staircase, but did not dwell on the details or even on the paintings arranged along the walls.
Upon reaching the top of the staircase, Tanya entered the sales withdrawal room without even being out of breath from her ascent. She immediately scanned the entire room, hoping to find the brown-haired girl, but to no avail.
At the end of this room was an office where security cordons separated two queues. Several people present during the auction were already waiting in front of the office on the right, which was not the case for the office on the left.
Not wanting to waste any more time, the girl headed for the left desk. The receptionist in charge of reception seemed, meanwhile, lost in thought. With a clearing of her throat, Tanya caught the attention of the man who had to get up to see the girl behind the desk.
"What can I do for you, dear customer?" he asked, almost annoyed.
"I would like to have information about the items purchased, and at the same time, recover my property." Having seen the small sign in the hands of the young girl, the man got up slowly and walked towards the lots stored behind. He grabbed a small securely locked chest and then handed it to the young girl.
"Thank you for your visit, see you soon," he said mechanically without even giving Tanya time to reply. "Wait, I still had a few…" The man immediately interrupted her. "Listen, dear customer, I'm a busy person," he said, nodding towards the queue that was forming behind the little blonde. "I gave you your lot, and if I can believe the record, you didn't buy anything else. For any information, I invite you to return to see my colleagues at the reception of the auction room."
He had barely finished speaking when he addressed the next customer who had taken the liberty of giving him a slight shoulder bump in order to take his place. Annoyed, Tanya clicked her tongue and walked away from the counter to head back to reception.
As she was about to take the stairs, Tanya felt a sensation she hadn't felt since her arrival: a magical disturbance.
Tanya exclaimed "A magical disturbance here?" as she closed her eyes to focus on the source of the emission. Without her gem of calculation, it was very complicated to follow a magical trail as she could do before. "I know of only one person in this world capable of giving off such a magical disturbance."
Focusing her full attention, Tanya walked up the trail to the cell at the back of the room. She hadn't paid much attention to it until now as she had only been able to make out men until now, but on closer inspection, she noticed that the women had all huddled together in one corner of the cell, and among these women in the corner was her former comrade, Visha…
POV: Visha?
Location: Withdrawal room
The girl was not even paying attention to her surroundings anymore; it was as if she had given up all hope of being able to escape. Scanning her gaze around the small cell, she noticed that all the other inmates had also given up. Everyone had a blank stare filled with despair.
At times, some of the inmates were led away by the men in the pink shirts, and they encountered no resistance from the inmates. "I don't know what I can do to escape."she thought. "VISHA!" "I don't know anyone around who could help me." "VISHA!" "So I shouldn't expect any outside help." "VISHA!"
Having lost her train of thought, the young brunette observed everything around her to find the cause of the noise. Scanning her gaze from left to right, a little blonde stood in front of the cage and seemed to be watching her with her piercing blue gaze. At first glance, she must have been about ten years old. Her outfit was also curious for a little girl of her age, but the most surprising was the presence of pistols as well as a rapier in her belt.
"I wonder what she wants?" the brunette wondered while bringing her knees closer to her head in order to bury her head into them and try to forget the terrible situation in which she found herself.
"Visha!" insisted the little blonde while pointing her finger. With a questioning look, she looked from side to side to be sure that she was the person she was calling. "That little girl must know me!" thought the captive while getting up hopefully and walking towards the little girl.
Looking at her more carefully, a hint of unexplained nostalgia invaded her heart. It was as if she had just reunited with a friend who had been gone for a very long time. "Visha, what are you doing here?" the little blonde asked with an authoritative voice while staring at the locket that had remained hanging around her neck with a look of great surprise. "And how did you manage to keep your gem of calculation?" "So I am Visha? Obviously, this little girl knows me, I wonder what relationship we had before…"
Suddenly, the little blonde reached out her hand and tried to grab her pendant. Instinctively, Visha took a few steps back. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, little one, but it seems I have amnesia; I have no memory of anything or anyone… May I know whose honor I have?" asked the young brunette on the defensive.
There was a long moment of silence before her interlocutor spoke. She seemed at first very surprised by Visha's answer. However, her surprise was only short-lived as a bulging vein seemed to form on the little blonde girl's forehead. Her face went through all sorts of expressions before an unhealthy, disturbing smile appeared on it as her gaze swept around the room.
Suddenly, without even announcing her intentions, the young girl threw a huge punch on the bars of the cell which twisted under the pressure without yielding, causing Visha to retreat more and more to the bottom of the cell, far away.
She didn't recognize this terrifying little girl, but her behavior and reactions made her appear very dangerous in her eyes. She was reassured to see the guards posted around the cage throw themselves on her to prevent her from continuing her actions. "She made sure that there were no customers left in the room," understood the young girl, replaying the scene in her head.
"Drop me, you bunch of underlings, or I assure you I'll slice you in half. What right do you have to imprison my subordinate like this?!" Three men had thrown themselves on the little girl with the puny body in order to immobilize her. It was only after a few seconds when the girl stopped struggling that a shot rang out. Immediately the guards moved a few steps back, except for one who remained lying on the ground, inert.
"Attacking a Marine officer is punishable by death..." grumbled the little girl as she stood up. Faced with the threat, the two men looked at each other terrified, not knowing what they should do in this situation.
"Paty, Dany, can we know what you are doing? We can hear you from the stage, the boss is going to be really angry if you keep making all this noise." Looking in the direction of the stairs, Visha saw three men in pink shirts who almost immediately drew their weapons when they saw their colleague on the ground and the other two cornered. They came to surround the little girl, who was immediately surrounded.
"Be careful, this crazy girl claims to be from the Navy. Grab her; she will be on sale next session!" As one, once the instruction was given, the five men threw themselves on the little girl, who remained impassive in the middle of the room.
Seeing this scene unfold before her eyes, Visha had a very bad feeling. It was like she knew what was going to happen… "They are going to get slaughtered," Visha understood in horror as she backed away even further until her back touched the back wall of the cell.
Her intuition was right; even having gained maximum momentum, the guards' saber attacks did not even reach the little girl. A kind of green bubble had formed all around her, preventing the blades from reaching her. It was as if they had hit a solid rock.
Visha saw the little girl sigh before rushing with dizzying towards one of her attackers. She had just enough time to see the little girl right arm light up green before it plunged into the poor man's abdomen in front of her. "I absolutely have to get out of here before that crazy bitch can get her hands on me." However, with no option open to her, a quick glance at the prisoners told her not to expect anything from them, most of whom hadn't even looked up despite the battlefield next to them… She understood that she could only bet on the guards' victory…
The battle raged in the center of the room. Finally, to call this a battle would be an understatement. It was, in fact, more of a massacre. The guards just couldn't fight back against this monster. "But what are their reinforcements doing? Why don't they call for help?" the young woman wondered before being interrupted by a hoarse voice that seemed to come from outside the building.
"Get away from the wall, quick!"
POV: Tanya Von Degurechaff
Location: Withdrawal room
The smell of blood was something Tanya hated above all else. Despite all the battles she had been through before, she still couldn't stand the metallic smell of blood. With deep disgust, the young girl placed her foot on the chest of the man who was still hanging on her arm and threw him with all her might towards the wall of the room.
He was thrown so hard that his body became dislocated on impact. It was as if he had just been run over by a train. Looking at her shirt, Tanya could see that blood was dripping from it. "Once rid of those underlings, I'll cut open the cage and take Visha on board before the buyers arrive to collect their purchases."
"Stop! You have no right to do that. Call Marine HQ on the island," yelled the guards in turn.
Seeing that the guards no longer dared to approach, Tanya began to walk towards the cell while activating her mage blade so that she could create an opening. As the little girl was about to slice the cage, a bright light blinded Tanya, followed by a deafening din, and she was thrown backward almost instantly.
Looking up, Tanya saw a huge breach in the wall of the cell leading outside. The prisoners, meanwhile, seemed to have miraculously survived. There were a few injuries here and there, but nothing significant, unlike her assailants, who squirmed on the ground like vulgar shrimps.. "They must have used some kind of thermite explosive, or equivalent charge, to just break the wall and create a straight line blast," Tanya remarked as she saw the damage created by the explosion.
"Hurry up before the Navy catches you!" shouted a man with an imposing build who burst into the cell. This man was dressed in a kind of leather jacket and black pants. Most intriguing was the iron helmet he wore on his head that concealed his face. In his right hand, he held a sort of harpoon spear.
The prisoners did not need to be asked to evacuate; in a few seconds, all had escaped through the breach dug in the wall. Only the mysterious masked individual and Visha remained in the cell, with Visha obviously not knowing what to do. Tanya could see some of the prisoners being evacuated on the backs of flying fish, the same fish she had seen the day she arrived in this world..
"Come on, young lady, follow me, enjoy the freedom that we offer you, and leave this damn place," the masked man shouted in the direction of the brown-haired young girl. Seeing her subordinate nod, Tanya walked in their direction. "Under Lieutenant Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov, should I conclude that this is an act of desertion?" Tanya asked in an authoritative tone that made Visha stop in her tracks.
While continuing to move towards the breach, the little blonde continued, "Today, more than ever, I need an effective officer by my side. Your previous results have greatly contributed to the evolution of the 203ᵉ company, and I would like us to be able to start again today."
"Pampering the ego of your subordinates remains one of the most important bases when managing human resources. I will not make the same mistake as in my first life. You may have lost your memories, Visha, but you will see that my training will bring them back to you."
Seeing that these last words had sown doubts in her mind, Tanya continued to advance until something held her ankle down. Looking closer, it was one of the guards she had faced previously; he seemed to be in agony just like the other two of his colleagues who were lying on the ground. "I should get rid of the troublesome witnesses; the world must not know that a Marine lost his cool in front of slaves."
Matching her actions to her thoughts, Tanya grabbed a gun lying on the ground next to the guard and coldly shot the last survivors in the head. Seeing the guards being shot like this made her subordinate scream in horror.
"Never! It is impossible that I could ever have been associated with a monster like you. I could never have tolerated such actions without intervening." And it is with a face marked by resolution that the young brunette jumped through the breach. She was followed by the mysterious masked individual, and in an instant, the duo took off in turn aboard a flying fish that curiously resembled a kind of bull.
Wanting to pursue them, Tanya rushed towards the breach while angrily shouting the name of her former subordinate when suddenly, she felt a powerful breath coming in front of her. It was a second explosion, much more powerful than the first, and which sent the young girl waltzing up the stairs. Not having had time to activate her reinforced shield in time, and her back having violently slammed into the wall, the little blonde gasped from the shock, so much so that she had the impression of suffocating during the few minutes that followed, making her vision darker and darker.
...
"Captain? Captain?" A man's voice echoed in her ears. Tanya had no difficulty recognizing the voice of Admiral Kizaru, who had just joined her. Gradually regaining consciousness of the situation, Tanya shook her head to put her thoughts back in place, and without even paying attention to him, the young girl suddenly got up and headed at full speed towards the breach through which her former comrade had fled.
She was no longer there... The mysterious group of individuals had managed to recover the hostages and escape, her former comrade at their side. "Seeing Visha in this world made me confirm that I am no longer alone in this world… However, there's no guarantee that she might be the only person I can find…" Mary Sue's face crossed her mind at that moment. "That damn entity may not be interfering with me directly, but if she begins to bring back into this world all the people who have a grudge against me… It could get seriously complicated."
In a gesture filled with anger and hatred, Tanya kicked the first pebble that happened to cross her path and pulled with all her might..
She followed the pebble with her gaze and saw that it hit the small chest containing the devil fruit she had just bought. She opened it to make sure that the fruit had remained unscathed. She gently grabbed the fruit and examined it from every angle before breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm going to have to find a solution quickly regarding this power…" Tanya thought while staring intently at the fruit.
"Captain, it's not nice of you to ignore calls from your superior, you know..." Jumping at the Admiral's call, Tanya put the fruit back in its box and stood at attention.
"Please excuse my rudeness, sir," the man raised an eyebrow and looked around the room. "You're going to have to explain yourself, Captain..." And before she could answer anything, he turned his back on her and took the stairs.
"Not now, Captain. I will be looking forward to your report at Sabaody HQ. If we stay here, our chances of having to deal with the Tenryubitos increase..."
POV: Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov
Location: Sabaody Archipelago
Visha still couldn't believe the situation she found herself in.A few hours ago, she could never have imagined finding herself on the back of some kind of flying fish, resembling a bison, flying through a forest of enormous trees. She took advantage of being up high to observe her surroundings. The trees were massive, and there were numbers written on their trunks. In the distance, the sounds of the city drew her gaze towards a small town nestled at the foot of one of the giant trees. However, what intrigued Visha the most were the large bubbles rising from the ground into the sky.
As if sensing her curiosity, the mysterious individual lightly patted her knee and spoke for the first time since they were in the air. "Welcome to the Sabaody Archipelago," he announced with an almost ceremonial tone. Clearing his throat, he continued in a more serious tone, "I imagine you must have many questions about your situation. But first, you need to meet the old man who can remove the necklace you have around your neck."Instinctively, she brought her hands to the collar that was still around her neck. "I hadn't thought of that when I escaped, but what will I do if this necklace activates?"
Immediately, the images of the necklace exploding around the neck of the young man's corpse in the dark room came back to her mind, causing a panic attack to rise. "Don't worry about that necklace," the man reassured her in a soothing voice. "If it were going to explode, it would have done so long before. We can thank this child of the Navy for killing all the guards nearby; otherwise, the escape would have been much more complex." The mention of the "child" triggered memories of the horrible scene that had unfolded before her eyes a few minutes earlier..
Once again, the masked man patted her knee, signaling for her to relax. "Prepare to hold your breath; we're going to dive," he said before the flying fish started its descent into the river they were flying over.
The feeling of water against her skin made Visha shiver, but it was not an unpleasant experience. Having been confined for days in a dark room, she hadn't had the opportunity to wash her face until now, so this contact with water was welcome.
After gaining speed underwater, the fish propelled itself back into the air with its powerful fins. "It's quite fun as a means of transport if you forget the fact that you need a change of clothes," Visha remarked.
"Do you see that bar over there?" the man asked, pointing to a strange building with a spherical shape on its roof. "That's where we're going, and where you can start anew," he announced proudly. As they approached the building, the sound from her necklace increased, and Visha's anxiety grew. "Old man!" the masked man suddenly yelled to a man who seemed to be the owner of the bar. "We're going to need your help; this young girl's collar has been triggered!" Without seeing whom he was talking to, Visha glanced at the object in his hand. "A snail? This snail is supposed to save me?" she thought skeptically as she observed the small creature in the man's palm.To her surprise, the snail started to speak in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Duval, I'm here."
The cadence of the sound emitted by the necklace increased as they got closer to their destination. Visha felt the pressure in her mind intensify, and she started to panic. "I can't remove this monstrosity no matter how hard I try... The only way is to have the key to open it, which I don't have," she thought desperately.
As they reached their destination, Visha fell to the side and desperately tried to remove the necklace, which only seemed to tighten further.
In a reflex, Visha closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable. Her life flashed before her eyes, from waking up in the dark room to her escape. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she let out a miserable scream.
Suddenly, there was an explosion.
BAAAANNNNG
She sat there for a while without moving. She didn't dare to move, fearing the pain that might come. Gradually, she opened her eyes to find an old man smiling kindly at her. Without knowing why, Visha felt safe in his presence, as if she had known him for a long time.
He reached out his hand to help her up, still smiling. Without hesitation, Visha took his hand and stood up, looking into his eyes without saying a word. "I present to you Rayleigh," the masked man said. "He is the best roofer this archipelago has ever known."
Visha only half-listened to the introductions; her mind was still reeling from the recent events. "How did this man manage to remove the necklace? I tried with all my strength, but it wouldn't budge," she wondered, glancing at the small, still smoking crater nearby. "This must be where the necklace exploded..."
The old man followed her gaze and chuckled before turning to the building. "Everything in its own time. How about you go inside so we can talk more calmly, away from prying eyes?" he suggested, not waiting for a response as he started walking without checking if they followed.
Visha decided to follow them; after all, these people had been the friendliest since she woke up in this world. "Maybe I should stick with them for now, at least until I figure out other options," she thought.
Inside the building, Visha realized it was a bar. The room was spacious and able to accommodate a large number of people. The counter at the back formed a large arc, and dozens of stools were neatly lined up. Tables were placed on one side of the room, while a large burgundy-colored arc sofa surrounded a small coffee table on the other side. Visha recognized some faces on the sofa - some of the prisoners who had managed to reach this building were sleeping soundly.
Rayleigh pulled out a chair and invited them to sit, which they did without hesitation. The atmosphere in the bar was calming, and a faint smell of rum filled the air. A few drafts from the windows made the temperature pleasant.
A door opened, and a middle-aged woman stepped out from behind the counter. She was relatively tall and thin, with black bob-cut hair. She wore a pink t-shirt covered by a black jacket with a black spider on it..Her collar and cuffs were designed to resemble wings of a crow.. She also wore giraffe-patterned pants with a yellow beaded necklace and a belt with a white cardigan tied around it.
Without any expression on her face, the woman, named Shakky, joined them without saying a word, placing a bottle of rum in front of Rayleigh. "This is Shakky," Rayleigh introduced her. "Don't be fooled by her magnificent appearance; she knows how to handle herself." He took a sip from the bottle before continuing.
"The man on your right is Duval," Rayleigh said, Duval took the opportunity to remove his iron mask, revealing his face. Much to Visha's surprise, the man looked more or less how she had imagined - a square face with slicked-back blonde hair. His large eyes and spiral-shaped eyebrows were unusual.
Visha still felt uneasy, not knowing what to make of her situation or the people she was with. However, Rayleigh seemed trustworthy, and she decided to listen to what he had to say. As they engaged in conversation, Visha learned about the significance of Whitebeard, a Pirate Emperor, and the recent war between the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates. The news of Portgas D. Ace's execution by the Navy Demon shook her, and she couldn't help but wonder about her own connection to this mysterious soldier.
"Do you know who this person is?" Visha asked with a horrified tone.
"Unfortunately not," Shakky replied. "Normally, I can obtain information on almost anyone in this world through my network, but this person seems to have appeared just a few weeks ago."
Shakky took a puff of her cigarette before continuing. "The only information I managed to get about her is her few testimonies from Marines and surviving pirates of her cruelty and coldness."
These few words threw a chill in the room, leaving a heavy silence
"Mr. Rayleigh?"Hearing Duval's voice, Visha then turned to him and listened. "From what I could observe, this soldier seemed to know Visha personally and kept asking to follow her..."
"But I don't know her! And I would never have agreed to follow such a monster" answered Visha indignantly at the innuendoes of her savior.
"We know that," Rayleigh reassured her, "But you obviously seem to be important to this soldier and maybe even to the Navy…"
"And what should I do? To hide myself? And for how long? I have nowhere to go, and I don't know anyone. How do you expect her not to find me?"
After a long moment of reflection, Rayleigh replied with a warm smile. "I know a place out of sight where no one can find you. My disciple is already there and I think you will get on very well with him…"
Responses to comments
maskedkeeper: Ohh so her cover story will now be more realistic, if people with the same outfit as Tanya appear without memories. also time to buy a Visha,
Answer: I think so too. Her amnesia will also help me to be able to build the story in another way and to have a much more interesting story.
whitertin: Quick question: are you using auto translate? There's a lot of inconsistency with the pronouns. Also is there gonna be romance in this story?
Answer: I try to do without it as much as possible, but sometimes, for lack of time, it is true that I use one. But the goal is that I can improve in English. That's why I asked at the beginning if some people with a charitable soul could help me point out my faults, it would allow everyone to come out a winner. I am improving and your reading experience would be better.
convergencia: and... Visha appeared:/ I still hope this doesn't end in a Tanya/Visha ship, especially since romance and friendship don't really fit Tanya's character, but even then that's unlikely given the precedents. Let's see how her appearance is justified.
Answer: I'm not particularly fond of relationships of this kind. When I read fanfiction based on this principle, it bothers me a little. I see their relationship much more like a boss and an effective employee. But Visha will come in handy in the future. In particular, as I wrote earlier as a screenplay tool, and in a way, as a means to "nerf '' Tanya.