"Alright… that should about cover breakfast," Izuku said, finishing eating his biscuit and sipping his water.
He got up, and walked back to the pond to refill his waterskin. Nearby, Yamato was checking and loading her backpack. With his waterskin full and stoppered, he glanced down at his wrist; his Log Pose and watch glinting in the sun..
Just a little after half past eight in the morning; and the sun was bright in the east.
"Almost ready?" he asked, as Yamato finished zipping up her backpack.
"Yep!" Yamato shouldered her backpack. "And you?"
"Just about."
Izuku checked his backpack straps, and the goggles on his forehead. Satisfied, he looked down at his Log Pose again. Two needles were pointing back the way they came, the other at north-by-northeast; just as before. With their destination set, he levitated and felt Yamato wrap her arms around his waist. He brought forth his Black Whip, strapping her in as he had done the day before.
"Alright. Let's go."
He pulled down his goggles and flew, rising away from the Sky Island and accelerating into the sky. The wind buffeted him, but he pressed on, picking up speed as they soared through the clouds.
"How's your Log Pose doing?" he asked, glancing back at Yamato and almost giggled at what he saw.
She had a hand out, her fingers running through a nearby cloud as they passed. She let out a chuckle, and Izuku could see the pattern her fingers were forming. It was an honestly adorable sight to behold.
"It's fine!" she replied. "Still pointing north by northeast!"
Izuku grinned.
"Perfect! I'm gonna speed up! Bring your arms in and hold on! If you need anything, just tap the back of my head!"
Yamato nodded, and tightened her grip around his chest. Izuku lengthened his Black Whip, drawing her in tighter, until he was sure she was secure, feeling her bosom against his upper back.
He accelerated, cautiously at first, then piling on the speed. He had not flown so fast in some time, not since he had left Okoto Island and raced back to Japan, during the final battle against the League of Villains. He had been right to warn Yamato. There was no way he could have heard her voice and vice versa.
But the sky was bright and blue before him, and clear but for the soft white clouds.
And on they went.
(X)
"There!"
Yamato's heart leapt as she saw it. There, right ahead of them, just emerging from the horizon.
"There! Down there! An island!"
Izuku didn't respond. Then Yamato remembered where they were, and tapped him on the head. On cue, he slowed down, and the roar of the wind receded to a whistle.
"Can you see it!?" she asked, pointing ahead at the island.
"Yes, I can!" Izuku called back. "An island! Right where it's supposed to be!"
Yamato glanced at her Log Pose. It was aimed right at the island.
The island was drawing closer. Yamato could make out hills and forest…and a bay with a port town. Perfect!
"I'll set us down in the forest!" called Izuku. "We don't want people seeing us while we're still in the air!"
"Right!"
Izuku slowed, and began to descend. Yamato hung on, hardly able to contain herself, as the island drew closer and closer. Finally they reached the forest, and Izuku set them carefully down.
"Ahh!" Izuku breathed, releasing his Black Whip and stepping forward, stretching his arms. "Another happy landing."
Yamato glanced around, taking in everything she could see. A forest full of trees…real trees, with real bark and real branches, and real leaves. And there was soft, healthy earth under her feet, bursting with undergrowth, bushes and plants she didn't know the names of. Even the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, rustling the branches, was a sound she had never heard.
Most of all, the air was clean and crisp. No hint nor scent of smog, ash nor the stench of alcohol or gunpowder.
"My first island…my first adventure…" she breathed. She couldn't remember ever being so excited. "Let's go exploring!"
"Let's take it slowly," Izuku insisted, smiling warmly at her jubilation. "I want to explore too, but we need to be careful. We need to find out what kind of place this is before we announce ourselves."
Yamato faltered. He was right, of course, but she felt crestfallen all the same.
He chuckled, and Yamato realized that she was pouting.
"Okay," she agreed, mastering herself. "Oh, but it's just so exciting! I've never been anywhere except Wano and Onigashima! I…I want to see it all!"
"I know! I want to see it all too," Izuku chuckled again. "We just have to be careful."
"Yes, I know." Yamato sighed. "If it wasn't for you, I'd probably have gone charging in there, like Oden did. Not exactly the best way to make a first impression."
She bonked herself on the head, making Izuku laugh.
"Anyway, let's focus on what's right in front of us," he said, pulling off his goggles and stowing them in his backpack. "We should check out the town, and see what's there. We might have to stay here a few days, or however long it might take. The Log Pose's have different times per island right?"
"That's right, Oden mentioned that it takes three days before a Log Pose needs to be reset… something about magnetic fields and acclimation to them." Yamato mused as she looked down at her own compass. "Log Poses work in weird ways, don't they?"
"Maybe, but It's our only guide for now."
They walked together through the forest. Izuku glanced about, taking note of the trees; their size, the layout of the branches, even the shape of the leaves. Yamato was content just to see them all, to wonder at them, and a world full of such things.
"I've never seen so many trees… oh! And those big rats with big bushy tails!"
"Oh, yeah," Izuku's eyes brightened as he saw the little creatures, hopping gracefully along the branches of the trees. "They're squirrels."
"Oh! Do squirrels exist in your world too?"
"Yep. Squirrels, rats, seagulls. Our worlds have a lot of animals in common," babbled Izuku excitedly, pausing to put a hand to his chin. "Come to think of it, the only unique animal I've seen so far is the Transponder Snail."
"Oh, you don't have them?" Yamato was surprised. And then it hit her. "Oh right! You have those 'smartphones' you use to communicate face to was it called… Facetime?"
"More or less." Izuku chuckled as they continued on their way. Yamato kept on looking around, taking it all in. She found herself wishing she knew the names of the trees, and the squirrels, and the island, come to think of it. But even if she did…
"Something on your mind?" asked Izuku. "You were muttering to yourself."
"Oh, well… just thinking aloud to myself a little…" admitted Yamato awkwardly. "You see…I wanna try and write down everything we see, everything that happens." She blushed. "Like Oden did."
Izuku blinked, and then he smiled.
"I can relate. I did the same with Quirks and Heroes. It even came in handy once or twice. When we get some money, we should get you a journal to write it all down."
Yamato beamed, and they strolled on through the forest.
(X)
It was not all that long before they reached the outskirts of town.
The first thing that struck Izuku was the architecture. The buildings weren't in the same sort-of Japanese style as Onigashima; but more convention, somewhat European. Perhaps the culture was different around there.
They left the forest, and entered a grassy field on the edge of the town. Izuku could see children running around, a ball bouncing between them. They were smiling, and laughing as they played.
To think that only forty-eight hours ago, he had seen children just like them, dressed in rags and cleaning up after pirates…
He gulped, forcing away the image, as they strolled on through the grass. Yamato was watching the children with some interest.
"What are they playing?" she asked.
"Looks like soccer, or football, or something like it," mused Izuku.
Passing through the field, they reached a road that ran down through the forest and into the town. Izuku could see some of the locals, either socializing or going about their own business. Their clothes were rather normal, at least by his standards; basically European or American, vaguely modern. The people themselves appeared human.
No, not human as he would understand it. These were all baseline, generic humans, with no unusual features that he could make out. No claws or wings, no horns or fangs, no scales or tentacles or weird hair. And no one seemed to be flying, hovering, slithering, phasing through walls, or anything remotely like it hit him. This was a town full of humans, of a sort he had only ever seen in pictures…or when looking in the mirror. They were all quirkless, just as everyone in his world had been just a couple of centuries ago.
This revelation was certainly surprising, though his attention quickly shifted back to his still mumbling traveling companion.
"Football…I see, kicking it with their feet…" Yamato mused, strolling along with her hands behind her back. She was still looking around, eyes bright, as if every little thing was a joy to behold.
Izuku wasn't surprised. After a childhood spent stuck on Onigashima, with only pirates for company, this was a brave new world indeed. It was quite charming, now that he thought about it.
Except the people were looking too. Looking at them.
He sighed. He really shouldn't have been surprised by that either. Yamato was, on the face of it, someone that stood out. She had horns, and was twice the height of a normal man. In his world this would barely have attracted a comment…again save maybe for her outfit. But in this place, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
Fortunately, for all the looks they were attracting, no one was saying or doing anything. Maybe they were just curious…maybe.
"Oh! What's that smell!?" asked Yamato, sniffing the air. Izuku paused, and then he could smell it too; something freshly baked, and very tasty. Yamato was trotting across the street, and Izuku saw a pie sitting on a window sill.
"Whoa whoa whoa easy there." He ran up to her, catching her before she could reach the pie. "That's a pie, and someone's letting it cool off. We can't just take it and eat it, that'd be stealing."
"Oh, right." She rubbed her arm. "Sorry… it just smelled so good so I wanted to…"
"It's alright. No harm, no foul. Let's just see if there's any info on being a Bounty Hunter or, on you know who."
Izuku led Yamato away down the street. There were more looks coming this way, more intense this time, but that was all.
He felt a pang of embarrassment. When was the last time he had seen a pie cooling on a windowsill? And on a street-facing window where anyone could waltz up and steal it? Maybe in like some really old cartoons or movies from ages ago perhaps.
A classic small town, the kind of place he had thought didn't exist anymore. The kind of place where everyone knew everyone else, and a fair bit about what everyone else was doing. The presence of two strangers, two unusual strangers at that, would be all over the town within hours if not a single hour.
Hopefully they were all friendly towards strangers.
A familiar growl drew him from his thoughts.. He glanced at Yamato, who was blushing bashfully.
"You ate breakfast before we left, right?"
"I did yes but… I usually eat more, but I'm trying to ration..."
She rubbed the back of her head, and Izuku looked her up and down. Of course she was going to need more food, at her size. Heck Shoji and Sato had been the same and Yamato towered over both of them.
"Okay, just hang in there." Izuku looked about. There were a few people around, tending to their front lawns. He settled on an old man, sweeping his cobblestone path.
"Um, excuse me!" he said,as politely as he could manage. "Do you know where the town hall could be? Or perhaps a tavern?"
The man stopped his sweeping and immediately found himself almost bending backwards when he saw Yamato.
"Uh, sutr. Head down the road, you'll find the downtown district. There you'll find the local inn. Can't miss it. Same with the town hall." The man gave them an odd look. "Must be new here I reckon." He said rhetorically.
"Yes we are!" Yamato spoke up, before Izuku could stop her.
"Then, why're you all the way out here?" You must have passed it when you docked right?"
"Y-Yeah, we got in this morning and have been exploring since!" Izuku cut in. "Thank you for your help sir! Let's go!"
He strode off, face hot with embarrassment. Yamato walked alongside him, happily humming to herself, innocently oblivious as when they started.
The stares were getting worse. He could feel them now. Just like back at Alderna Junior High School, when he was that Quirkless kid with the stupid hair.
They kept on walking, Yamato taking it all in. There were children playing with dogs, sheep and cattle roaming about the fields, horse-drawn wagons clattering by. It truly was what she'd always hoped Wano would look like, free of her father's influence.
Before long, they reached the center of town.
It consisted of a circular plaza, with buildings arranged around its outer edge. Just beyond it, connected by a short boulevard, were the docks; a handful of masts reaching up over the rooftops. Izuku looked around the timber buildings, wondering which one could be the town hall.
His eyes settled on one of the larger buildings. It was better put-together than the others, and the people going in and out were better-dressed. And on the opposite side, there was no doubt as to the tavern. There were tables outside, full of people drinking and socializing.
He turned to Yamato, only to find that she wasn't there. He glanced about, and then found her squatting down nearby, holding out her hand to a scruffy-looking dog. He found himself smiling as she reached out to pet the dog, only for it to quickly scamper away, causing the Oni woman to sulk.
"Uh, it's alright," he said, seeing her frown. "I saw a collar on him, he may just be a bit shy is all."
Yamato sighed, and her frown turned to a look of sadness.
"I guess so… he was cute."
"Don't worry, I found a tavern anyway. Let's scope it out and see what we can learn. There's even a bulletin board there, and over at the town hall too."
Izuku was about to start towards the tavern, when Yamato grabbed his arm.
"Hey, Izuku, look at that! A Jolly Roger!"
She pointed towards the center of the plaza. There was a flagpole there, which Izuku hadn't noticed before. Fluttering from its top was a black flag, with a singular skull superimposed upon what looked like a snowflake.
Izuku's heart stopped. A Jolly Roger. Yamato had told him about those flags, and what they meant. A pirate ruled this place.
Might they have ties to Kaido? The emblem didn't look much like Kaido's Jolly Roger, but he couldn't be quite sure.
"Learn what you need to learn, and make camp in the woods," whispered the Second User in his ear. "The less time we spend out here in the open, the better."
"So much for finding a Marine garrison," added Daigoro. "At least they wouldn't know who we were."
"I doubt Kaido controls this town," mused the Third User. "The townsfolk seem too carefree for that. Maybe whoever it is doesn't show up much?"
"Still, we'd better not take our chances. Just don't draw attention,"
Nana stated. Izuku nodded.
"Okay Yamato, here's the…"
He turned, and saw she was gone, again. He looked around, and there she was in front of the tavern, looking at the bulletin board.
"What's up?" he asked, joining her.
"Nothing much, just some stuff like newspaper clippings…" Yamato said, looking over the contents before she perked up. "Oh! Look at this! Wanted Posters!"
Izuku looked over the board. There was a food menu, various announcements, and some advertisements and job offers. There was little to see, except that the island's name was Ludeterin.
And then he saw the Wanted Posters. Each had the words WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE emblazoned over the top, and below a photograph - or what looked like a photograph - of the individual in question.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
"BLACK-TRAIN" DIESEL
120,000,000 BERRIES.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
DECALVAN BROTHERS 'PLUNK' AND 'DERANO'
320,000,000 BERRIES EACH.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
"FIRE FIST" PORTGAS D. ACE
225,000,000 BERRIES.
"So these are wanted pirates huh…" Izuku mused, crossing his arms. To turn in a bounty, they would have to capture a pirate, and bring them to a Marine base. That might be the best way to bring in the money they needed.
Though it would help if he knew what a Berry was worth. A couple of hundred million of them could be quite a taking.
"See anyone you want to take down?" Yamato asked aloud.
"Well, there's…"
Izuku stopped, his Danger Sense flaring.
And then he heard it. A rumble like thunder, and a terrible crash. His head snapped round, and he gaped as saw one of the nearby buildings. It had been blasted open, and what remained was on fire.
"What was that!?" someone yelled. Townsfolk were running out of the other buildings, staring at the burning wreckage.
"Pirates! They're fighting on the docks!" yelled a man, pointing in that direction.
Izuku glanced at Yamato. She had Takeru at the ready, and a grim look on her face. Their eyes met, they nodded, and ran towards the docks.
"It's gonna be alright, she will pro-hey you two!" shouted a man. "Where are you going?!"
"To stop this!" Izuku shouted back. His body glowed as he broke into a sprint, Yamato easily keeping pace alongside him.
If those pirates were going to harm this town, they would have to go through him first!
(X)
Whitey Bay let out a snarl.
She had been jumped! In her own territory! Caught in port like some half-witted amateur!
The enemy ship was coming about hard, its gun ports dropping shut. From its mainmast fluttered a Jolly Roger she had not seen before; its skull decorated with a brown beard.
She gritted her teeth. Some good-for-nothing rookie from Paradise had gotten it into his head to raid her territory, and fire on her Yukimaru! The damned nerve!
And to make it worse, he had all but nailed her. She was in port, anchor down, taking on supplies. Yet he'd come waltzing in, pretending to be harmless, then run up his flag and fired off a volley. The oldest trick in the book!
She forced herself to focus, reading the ship's turn as it came about. It was quite a long turn, longer than she would have expected.
"Beat to quarters! Stand by to repel boarders!:"
The decks thundered as her crew obeyed. Whitey stood where she was, legs astride, hands behind her back, eyes fixed on the enemy as it drew closer. She could hear the shouts of the enemy crew, the clatter and clang as they readied themselves.
And the near-side gun ports were closed. She had called it right. He meant to board her.
And he would regret it.
The enemy was all but upon them. She could see them now; grungy-looking barbarians, so unlike her well-dressed crew. She would enjoy putting them in their place, and her rookies needed blooding.
She stood in her place on the quarterdeck, gazing at her enemy with icy cold eyes, as the enemy ship drew alongside. The grapnels flew, biting into the gunwhales and drawing the enemy ship to a stop.
"Uohohohoho!" bellowed a voice from the enemy deck. "Go wild men! Don't hold anything back! Slay them all, and this island will be ours!"
The enemy pirates surged, racing across the deck and leaping over the gap; eyes bright, weapons raised, murder in mind.
And then the muskets roared; filling the deck with smoke. They had not seen her crewmen hiding behind the boats and the supply barrels; or the sharpshooters up in the fighting tops. Some of the attackers fell, screaming as they plunged down between the hulls. A few reached the deck, only to fall as more of her crew emerged, firing pistols and leaping on them with drawn cutlasses.
The hatches crashed open, and with a roar the rest of her crew emerged, piling onto the decks to join the melee. Whitey's lip curled as she watched. Rank amateurs indeed.
And then it appeared.
Bay stared, as an enormous shape erupted from the enemy deck and landed on hers in one single leap; landing so hard the deck cracked. It was approximately a man, but three times the normal height and four times the girth; clad in baggy white pants, a garish yellow jacket, and a billowing white cape. His mouth was split in a wide grin, and below it hung a long brown beard in three braids.
She knew who it was.
"Clear the deck!" roared Chadros Higelyges. "Brownbeard is here!"
He swung his cleaver-like cutlass, downing a half-dozen of her pirates. His followers redoubled their efforts, hurling themselves at her crew with renewed savagery.
Bay let out a snarl, and strode down the steps, drawing her sword. A bestial-looking pirate turned on her, raising his cutlass. She downed him with a swift slash. Another raised a pistol and fired; but a quick flick sent the bullet flying. Another went down, and another, and another.
"Captain!"
She stepped aside, the great cutlass slashing down and cracking the deck where she had stood an instant earlier.
"I'm going to enjoy making you my woman, Ice Witch! Uohohoho!"
Brownbeard, if that was really his epithet, loomed over her; his grin still firmly in place.
"Sorry, I'm single and not interested!"
Brownbeard snarled, and swung his sword again. Bay parried, the impact making her arm ache. He swung again, and again, forcing her back towards the steps. He might have been hideous, and smelt like Impel Down on mucking-out day, but he was strong and not without skill.
"Grrr how can a woman like you be this strong!" the pirate barked, barring his ugly teeth behind his full lips.
"You'd be surprised, Rookie." She smirked, and pirouetted, slice the tip of her sword across his fleshy chest. The braggart staggered back, a crimson slash marking where her blade had passed. His face reddened with anger.
"Shell'em!" he barked. And his ship's gun ports clunked open, the cannons sliding out.
Bay's heart clenched. This lunatic was going to blast her ship at point-blank range, and shell the town while he was at it!
She glared, and readied her sword. She could only catch as many cannonballs as possible, and maybe save the town. But the repairs were going to cost a bomb!
"Fi…!"
Brownbeard's breath caught in his throat, his eyes bulging as they fixed on something high above. Bay followed his line of sight, and saw a green blur come plummeting down from the sky, right onto the deck of Brownbeard's ship, smashing right through. The ship lurched to port, and then starboard, rolling against Yukimaru with a crash. She could hear yells of surprise, the crash of wood splintering, the groan of steel bending. The nearside hull erupted in a shower of splinters, a cannon flying out and hitting her deck with a crash. One of Brownbeard's crew followed, flying out of the hole as if he'd been shot out of a cannon himself.
"Huh?" gawked Brownbeard, staring at the carnage in utter disbelief. More and more of his crew followed, landing in a heap on Yukimaru's deck, groaning in pain.
"Captain! He's… so fast!" gasped one pirate, then fell unconscious. Bay gripped her weapon, wondering what the hell could be doing this.
"Gnnngh damn you! That's my ship!" Brownbeard yelled. "Are you doing this, Whitey Bay?"
"No, I'm not!" retorted Bay. She could see the green blur though the hole, zipping back and forth across the gun deck. A man screamed as he flew up out of the first hole, landing in the bay with a splash. Another one followed, and then another. What could it…?
Then she heard another cry. She turned, and saw something descending from the sky, framed in the morning sun. It came down hard, cracking her already much-abused deck.
"Narikabura!" The figure swung something… and a blue wind bolt flashed out, striking the melee and sending all within it flying; her men and Brownbeard's.
Only then did Bay see it clearly. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight.
It was a woman, though twice the height of a man. She wore a white hakama and red kosode, tied with an intricately woven rope belt; of a kind she had seen somewhere before. In her hand was a long, spiked mace.
She straightened up, and Bay saw the red horns reaching up from her long white hair.
"You will harm this town no longer, pirates!" she bellowed, eyes flashing. The pirates stared at her, some bewildered, others very, very afraid.
"W-Who the hell is she?!"
"Where did she come from?!"
"Captain!" Bay turned, seeing a familiar face in Erebus; a youth with a bald head and brown eyes, clutching his musket. "Who is she?"
"I don't know," Bay replied. "Let me ask her." She brandished her sword, readying to charge.
"You little potato punk!" roared Brownbeard. "You dare get between me and Ice Witch! I'll gut you like a-Uohoooooooghn~!"
Brownbeard hit the deck, bounced like a stone on water, and flew over the far gunwhale, smashing into the harbor's water tower. He hung there for a few moments, then flopped backwards, falling down to the ground with a crash. The water tower broke open, its contents gushing down upon him.
"Captaaain!" roared his crew, and then, as one, hurled themselves at the horned woman. Bay watched, amazed, as the woman swung her mace, sending one pirate screaming over the gunwhale after his captain. She swung again, and again, sending pirate after pirate flying. Bullets whipped at her hair and clothes, but not could seem to hit.
"You've got a lot of nerve!" Bay cried. "How dare you hurt my crew!"
The woman turned, and Bay saw the black light around her mace; the black light of Armament. Bay did likewise, and charged at the woman, thrusting for her throat. But the woman stepped lightly, and caught the blade with a clang; then spun on one foot to bring the mace around. Bay dropped back and caught it; the blow making her arms shake. This one was strong indeed.
"You're the ones…attacking the town, aren't you!?" demanded the woman, eyes glowering. Bay blinked, taken aback.
"Fool!" she snapped. "Ludeterin is my territory! I'm protecting it!"
She tried to force the mace back. But the woman was too strong. She jumped back, and swung again, her blade singing as it clashed with the mace. The woman knocked her sword away and swung, forcing her to leap back again.
Strong, and skilled.
"You are?" she asked. She stopped mid-swing, tilting her head. "Who are you then?"
Bay blinked. She didn't know? Had she been living under a rock?
"I am Whitey Bay, the Ice Witch! And you're getting in my way!"
The white-haired woman stared at her, eyes widening, mouth ajar.
"Yamato!" The green blur leapt out of Brownbeard's ship and landed on the deck. As it landed, it resolved into a human shape, and then into a young man in green.
Bay gritted her teeth and gripped her sword. Now she had two to contend with.
"Wait, stop!" Yamato ran to the youth's side, waving her arms. "Don't attack her!"
The youth blinked in surprise. He looked to be in his mid to late teens, with a freckled face and a mop of green hair. He wore a green suit of a sort Bay had never seen before; with a yellow scarf, white gloves, and heavy black boots.
Around them, the battle had fizzled out. Brownbeard's crew were in retreat, some lugging their comrades back into what remained of their ship, others jumping down onto the docks to help their fallen captain. Bay's own crew were doing likewise, forming up around her and reloading their guns, as the wounded were taken below.
"You're Whitey Bay!? THE Whitey Bay!?" Yamato was beaming at her, her eyes wide with admiration. A group of Brownbeard pirates scurried behind them, lugging an unconscious Brownbeard onto their ship, getting out paddles and rowing to retreat as best they could.
"Captain, your orders," Erebus asked, glaring hard at the pair. Yamato was still staring at her with wide, bright eyes; but the youth was glaring back at them, fists raised.
He looked young. But Bay could tell he was no stranger to battle.
"What of it? You attacked my crew," she retorted bitterly.
"I know of you! Or rather, Oden knew of you!"
Bay's eyes went wide, her heart skipping a beat. Oden? But how?
"You hurt my boyfriend, you cow!" snapped Europa, one of her snipers.
"Yeah! I'm going make ya into swiss cheese!" shouted Katrina, another of her marksmen.
"Stop! You will do no such thing!" Bay barked. "You there. Yamato, was it? How do you know of Oden?"
"I know of all of Kozuki Oden's adventures! Izuku, fortune is smiling upon us today!" Yamato exclaimed. The boy Izuku faltered, and looked up at her in surprise.
"How so?" he asked.
"Don't you remember? Whitey Bay sailed alongside Kozuki Oden when she was with the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Yamato reached into her backpack. Bay's crew tensed, raising their weapons as she…pulled out a battered-looking book.
"You remember him, don't you?" asked Yamato, holding up the book.
Bay's heart skipped a beat. Yes, it was Oden's logbook, the one he was always writing in. That was his handwriting on the cover.
Yes, she had seen it before. Yamato's attire looked like it came from Wano, and her rope belt was just like Oden's own.
Kozuki Oden. The wild horse, the former Second Division Commander under Pops. Kozuki Oden, the man she was happy to call brother in all but blood. Him, and another back home too.
How could they know him? Just…who were they?"
"Yes, I do." She sheathed her sword. "And I have many questions for you, Yamato…and Izuku."
Well there you have it. Beginning the Hunt for Whitebeard Saga! I could have had Yamato and Izuku chill, but they'll have moments like that in the future. Got to keep the story rolling and showcase how Pirates in the New World clash often. Where will we go? Only me and the team know ;)
Hope you all enjoyed too! Big thanks to IKN, WildJo for their edits and Juubi-for combing over on this.