"Casair is going to become a what?"

"A Marine, Jeffords. Yer ears full o' wax or somethin'?"

"But the enlistment age is sixteen, isn't it? Didn't Casair say he was only fifteen? There's no way the Captain would let someone that young enlist," Jeffords drew a card from the stacked deck to his side. The two Marines were, once again, playing a game of cards alone in a room with a small table between them and sitting on two barrels. Next to them, the boarded up window had small beams of sunlight peering through the cracks.

"Yer right, o'course, but it ain't like we got a way to know how old the lad be," Pete huffed angrily, absent-mindedly taking a card, "And the Captain didn't say outright deny the lad. Just to give 'im some time."

"Well… Is he going to stay here until then? I heard Marcus discharged him, so he needs a place. Maybe I should talk with Raku to see if we could get him a room at the tavern?"

"Ye know, that be what I told the little blighter when the Cap'n let 'im go. Guess."

"... No?"

"Yep," Pete popped the p with a thin-lipped glare, "And now he's out there, doin' whatever."

"Wait, out there? In the jungle?" A note of fear crept in Jeffords' tone, his hand hovering over the card deck. Pete gave a distracted nod, his eyes looking beyond the boarded up window.

"Why didn't you stop him?! He'll be-! "

"Fine, Jeffords," Pete grunted as he took another card from the pile. He clicked his tongue, and laid down his cards, "Bust. Yer win."

"First one for a while," Jeffords said slowly, showing his own cards to add up to eighteen, "Pete, is everything okay?"

"Wot ya mean?"

"You just seem out of sorts, really. Is Casair joining the Marines that big of a deal? I mean, yeah, he's young, but you told me yourself you enlisted when you were sixteen, right? You seem more worried about that than the fact he's alone in the jungle right now."

"Ain't nothin' in the jungle is gonna hurt him," Was all Pete said on the matter before sighing. Jeffords frown tightened, as if he expected Pete to speak more, but his fellow Marine was silent.

"Look, Pete. At the end of the day, it is his choice to make. And it's sure as hell of a lot better than you suggesting piracy or terrorism to him. And if he signs up here, well… Not like he'll see a lot of action, right?"

"... True enough," Pete said slowly, but the uncertainty in his tone and the strangely blank expression made Jeffords shake his head.

"Come on, let's get back to it. Ensign Mara will crush our skulls if she finds us slacking off again. And come on, keep your chins up. Or at least one of them."

"Pfft, shut yer trap, ye lanky bastard."

I didn't really remember the storm that brought me here, but I kept hearing about it. About how bad it was, how it made the jungle dangerous, and how it caused damages. I couldn't really help with the repairs because I didn't know how to.

I didn't really know a lot in the first place. But I knew how to fight and kill, if that strange moment with the tigers meant anything. One moment, I was going to handle it with my blade, but the next, my fist was already in the tiger's skull.

I still remembered the moment, but it didn't feel as if I was in control. Something else took over me, and killed them in my place.

I didn't want that. If my past life was going to cause me issues, it was better to deal with them now than later.

So, two birds with one stone: Go and find the predators of the island, drive them away from Rockshi Village and see what happened to me.

It was a good, simple plan. The best kind.

"Hey! Come back here!"

So why was every remotely interesting animal I found running away from me? I ducked under a wayward branch and leapt over a log. I charged through a spiny bush and vines snapped as they tried to restrain me. All the while, I listened to the simple, terrified voice among a scattering of others.

It was good training, in a way. Sometimes, so many voices would merge together that it was like being in the middle of a storm. I couldn't differentiate them, and that made it difficult for me to concentrate.

But I had noticed a difference with voices at some point. In general, there was a weight to each voice, making them heavier and louder. I didn't know why exactly that was the case at first, but after some time in the jungle, I noticed that the larger and stronger animals had louder voices, though no animal had more than one emotion at any given time.

So, as I ran through the jungle after my prey, the fear and shock of the smaller, weaker animals washed over me like rain. But I ignored them as best as I could, and focused on the single, growling voice in front of me. It ran, and ran on its four powerful legs, but I kept with it. In its fearful voice, exhaustion and hunger crept in.

I managed to corner my prey when a towering cliff face blocked its path. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face, which I wiped off with the back of my hand. It was more tiring than I was expecting, but I had managed to do it.

My prey turned around with a slow, but tired growl. It was a massive brown bear with bristly fur, blood caked jaws and claws that carved apart other animals like wolves, badgers and boars into pieces. I saw its beady eyes peering at me with an almost maddening anger, growing with every passing moment.

"Finally," I huffed as I placed my hand on my blade's handle and a tingle went up my spine, "Sorry, but you shouldn't have stayed so close to Rockshi. Come on."

My prey's response was a threatening growl as it stood on its hind legs, making itself even bigger. Compared to the tigers, this thing was a walking slab of rippling muscle and thick bones. The roar it let loose was a deep and thunderous bellow, and it went back on all fours before charging at me.

And then, before it reached me, it turned around and circled back. Its beady, sharp eyes on me. A few more growls, before it tried another fake charge at me. Being this close, its voice gave away every intention it held. I wasn't fooled.

It was only when its ears flattened, its growls were replaced by the clashing of its teeth and it pawed at the ground, tearing up grass and dirt. Anger, simple and hot, washed over me in a wave as it charged at me once more.

I closed my eyes and waited. I waited as the massive bear charged at me, until I smelled the rankness of its breath and the dried blood on its claws.

Nothing. My eyes snapped open to see the bear's maw about to snap around my face. I saw its rows of teeth, the bits of flesh and fur still stuck between them, and its heavy, huffing breath on my skin.

My legs pushed me off the ground as I jumped over the charging bear, the sky and the ground switching places in my view. My eyes trailed the back of the bear's neck and my blade was a white blur as it left the scabbard.

Wait. That didn't-

I didn't have time to complete that thought as my face suddenly met the grass and earth. The fresh smell of cut grass became overwhelming as my back impacted the ground and my lips tasted dirt and mud.

My gaze was directed to the sky as I laid on my back. I didn't hurt, but there was a part of me that was really thankful that no one just saw what happened to me. I sat back up, scratching my head, and I looked at my treasure. The sight of the white blade always gave me this warm fuzzy feeling, but this time, that same feeling mingled with a certain uncomfortableness.

It was the blood, I noticed. There was blood on the blade, tarnishing the marble white. Back when I sliced the tiger in half, I did it with a single slash, just like I did now.

But back then, there wasn't any blood on the blade. I did the same thing now, so why was there blood on my treasure?

The sight of blood didn't matter to me. My treasure was a sword, so obviously it was going to get bloody. But as I looked at my sword, I realised something.

"How do I use a sword?" I asked aloud, but even that question felt wrong.

"How do I wield you?" There, that was better. Obviously, my sword didn't speak back, but I didn't care. The questions were something I didn't realise until now, but I had no idea how to wield a sword.

"It's not as simple as just slashing and stabbing, right?" I muttered to myself as I looked at the cliff face of jagged rock before me. I stood up and with a quick swipe of my blade, the blood slid off and splattered to the grass. Walking over to the cliff face, I looked it over before placing both of my hands on my sword's handle. I lifted it up, my knuckles turning white, and slashed downward.

The sound of rock cracking apart was new to me. It reminded me of thunder, but not as fierce. Dust rose up, pebbles and shards fell to the ground, and I saw what I had made with that single strike.

It wasn't a cut. It was a long, jagged and finger deep crack that webbed out from where I struck, but it wasn't what I wanted. A clean, perfect cut. That was what I wanted.

So why didn't I get that? What did I do wrong? I looked down the spine of my blade and its edge. It was still as sharp and as straight as the day I first drew it, so it wasn't the blade's fault.

"I'll learn," I huffed, and the sunlight made my blade's white sheen shine even brighter, "One day, there won't be anything you won't be able to cut with me."

I sheathed my blade, and I-

"Oh. Right. The bear," The headless corpse of the bear was still here, which I had completely forgotten about. What could I do with it? I didn't want to just leave it here and rot. It would attract more predators, wouldn't it?

And then a thought struck me.

Why let it go to waste at all?

"What do you think, Mara?"

"Sir, with all due respect, you can't be serious."

"Where else does he have to go? Rockshi doesn't even have an orphanage, and I don't believe adoption is an option either," The Marine Captain swirled a half-filled brandy glass in his hand, a wry smirk on his leathered, ageing face. In his office, he sat at his desk with Ensign Mara just opposite him.

"Sir," Ensign Mara sighed deeply, lowering her white cap to cover her eyes, "We're not a daycare. We can't babysit while trying to do our jobs."

"Bold of you to say we would babysit young Casair, considering what he did for Rika," Captain Lorick chuckled as he sipped his brandy. Ensign Mara didn't say anything, but there was a tightness to her thin-lipped expression.

"And besides, he would not be stationed here. I believe HQ would be a more fitting place for him."

"Sir, you make it sound like you're already going to accept his enlistment," Mara said slowly, crossing her arms, "But he isn't in a uniform yet. So what gives?"

"I'm waiting for him to make a choice," Was all the Marine Captain said, and Mara frowned slightly, "When he does, I will contact HQ and see that he gets proper training. But before that happens, I have a task for you, Ensign."

"Sir?"

"I would like for you to select some Marines and get ready to patrol around Cheese and Knock villages in a few days," The Ensign's back straightened at the sudden turn in the conversation, "I've received reports that a few pirates have been sighted coming to our little corner, so I'll leave them in your hands."

"Of course, sir. Anything else?"

"One last thing. Could you-?"

A knock on the door interrupted the Marine Captain's words "Captain? Ensign? Sorry to interrupt, but there's, uhhh… Something that requires your attention."

"Come in," Captain Lorick spoke up, placing down his glass. A Marine opened the door, giving a slow, but respectful salute, "Mark, is something the matter?"

"Well, sir. You know that kid that washed up? Wolf, or something?"

"Young Casair, yes. What about him?"

"He's, uhh, causing a bit of a disturbance in the town, sir."

"Really?" Lorick's thin brow rose, "What kind of disturbance?"

The bear was a bit of a pain to drag, so I had to carry it on my shoulders. It was a bit heavy, but I dealt with it easily enough. The main problem is that it was so big, that carrying on my back meant that I couldn't really see where I was going.

So I picked a direction of where a lot of voices concentrated and walked. It wasn't a great trip, considering I couldn't hear the voices of stuff like plants and trees, so I still tripped a lot, but I finally managed it.

I had never been to Rockshi before. I didn't expect my first visit to be with a bear's corpse, but it might make for a good present. There's a lot of meat on this animal, after all.

Lifting the bear a bit, I saw that I was past the Marine base and entering Rockshi from the side. There were already a few people looking at me, and their voices of shock and fear washed over me before their actual, real voices reached me.

Pete told me that Rockshi was founded on a hill, with the Marine base at the very top. Jeffords told me it was so that the Marine's presence would be seen for miles around.

Pete called him an idiot and said it was because the top of the hill was the only place where the base could be built.

Whatever the case was, I made my way to Rockshi and scanned the buildings. There were a lot of buildings that I didn't recognize, but looking around, I did see one that caught my eye.

Brandy's Butchery.

That seemed promising. Inside, I heard two voices and it had a wide, open front, big enough for me to drag the bear in. So, I did just that.

"Still nothing, Brad?" I heard a woman's voice, soft and light, as I approached the butchery. The other people making their way stumbled back, or stared in shock with their voices annoying me to no end.

"Afraid so, Raku. With the Marines still not letting anyone in or out of the woods, no one is bringing in any game. Dad's out fishing though, and I've still got some dried meats, if you're interested?" A man's voice this time, sounding a bit younger than Jeffords. I walked through the open front, lifting the bear to see a woman leaning on the counter while the man was working on something with his back turned to me.

"I suppose I don't have a choice," The woman sighed, dropping her head into her arms, "But I hope this quarantine ends soon. Can't exactly feed people on preservatives."

"I mean, you can. It's just not nice."

"Shut up, Brad," The woman grumbled. I stood behind her with the bear, waiting for my turn, but there was something gnawing at me. Something she said.

"Are people not eating?" I spoke up, and the woman groaned aloud.

"It's not like we're starving, but it's all been fish, veg and fruits these past couple of days. I can only make so many dishes with that," The woman didn't lift her head to look at me, still speaking into her arms.

"That's bad. Tasting different foods is important, otherwise it'll just get boring."

"I know, right?!" The woman shouted, lifting her head from her arms, "Finally, someone gets iiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAH!"

"Raku?! What's the ma- The hell?!"

I lifted the bear to see what they were screaming about, but it was just us three in the store. Though, a lot of people were outside, looking in. Did an animal make it into the town after all? What was going on?

"Is something the matter?" I asked, and the woman was now on the floor, staring at me in shock. With the better view, I saw that she had short, fluffy brown hair and almond eyes. She had a bag filled with a bunch of vegetables and fruits, that were now spilled out onto the floor. Her round face was pale with shock and fear.

"T-T-Talking bear! T-Talking headless bear!" She uttered in a hitched tone, and pointed a shaky at me. I blinked at her, and I realised she probably couldn't see me. With a huff, I dropped the bear to the side, and-

Crack!

I blinked as something impacted the top of my head. I reached up to find some splinters of wood in my hair, and a broken stick. Turning my head to the counter, I saw the man holding a big wooden pole with a broken, staring at me with wide eyes.

"Why did you hit me?" I asked with a frown.

"O-Oh, I'm so sorry! I-I thought you were a bear, and-"

"But the bear is dead. See? It doesn't have a head," I nodded at my prey, and the man with the broken stick followed my gaze. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he eventually sighed and placed down his broken weapon.

"Right. Yeah, obviously it's dead," He muttered and scratched the back of his head, and I saw that the man looked younger than I was expecting, with shoulder-length ginger hair and freckles on his cheeks.

"Uhhh, sorry? I hope I didn't hurt you or anything."

"It's okay. You're too weak to hurt me," For some reason, the fear in the man's eyes fell completely flat, but I turned my attention back to the lady on the floor. She had stopped trembling now, but her voice was still shaky with fear. Though, even that was quickly draining away as she looked past me and towards the headless bear.

"Are you okay, miss?" I asked her, and she nodded shakily, pulling herself up to her feet.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry, but just where did you find this?" With her eyes, she motioned to the bear.

"In the jungle. I hunted and killed it," I told her, and the man behind the counter choked, "I thought about leaving it, but I figured it would just be a waste, so I brought it to the town. You can do something with it, can't you?"

"Wait, but Captain Lorick is forbidding anyone from entering the jungle," The man spoke up, his gaze torn between the bear and me, "Are you saying he let you go out there alone?"

"Yeah. He said it was fine."

"I have so many questions right now," The man sighed and rested his elbows on the counter, looking over the bear, "But basically, you're saying that you hunted this bear, and you came here to get paid for it?"

I didn't really care about being paid, but maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast, and the Marines aren't going to feed me any more. And I need to keep my strength up if I want to be a Marine.

"Sure. How much do I get?"

"Well, hunters do come by and drop off their game sometimes. We usually do it by the pound, but uhhh… I don't think I'll be able to do this quickly by myself," The man made his way around, and had a closer look at the bear. Even laying down dead, it was just about taller than he was.

"God, this thing must weigh a ton. And you were just carrying it? By yourself?"

"Yeah. Is that weird?"

"I'm not going to even dignify that with a real answer," The man responded with a flat voice and a flat look, "Look, could you-?"

"Give it to me!" The woman suddenly said, and the man jumped. I didn't, because her voice was quickly building up in a whirlwind of boiling greed and tingly hope. It was bound to come up at some point.

"Why should I?" I turned around to find the woman staring at the bear with a wide-eyed stare. The same sort of stare I had when I was given that jambalaya and chocolate milk.

"Because if you do, I-I'll offer you free lunch and dinner for a week!"

"Deal."

"Oh my god, are you serious?" The man's voice rose to a strange, high pitch, and I turned my head to see him holding his head in his hands before he rubbed down his face.

A flash of intent from behind me told me that the woman was about to lunge at me, and she proceeds to do exactly that as I found her arms wrapped around my head and pulled me into her chest.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is exactly what I needed! Oh, you are my saviour, kid!"

"Mmmmgh," What did this woman have under her shirt? Pillows? Melons? I couldn't get a word out as she smothered me. Eventually I was let go, and allowed to breathe once more, though I swayed on my feet for a bit.

"Wait, so who am I paying if you're just giving the bear to Raku?" The man frowned at me, and I shrugged at him.

"Oh, pay him. He's the one that carried it. I'll reserve the parts I want," The woman, Raku, waved off the man who simply sighed. Her smile and her voice were radiant with happiness and good-will, to the point that it gave me a strange feeling. Just like when Glasses called me a hero.

"Right then," The man huffed and rubbed the back of his head, "So, who are you? I haven't seen your face around before."

"I'm-" I stopped when a wave of pinprick annoyance crashed at me from behind. I turned my head to see a familiar uniform and a familiar face turning the corner and entering the butchery's front.

"Miss Mara? Is something wrong?" I asked her, and the Marine gave me a flat look. What was with people today? I asked a question and they just get all weird.

"E-Ensign Mara! What a p-pleasant surprise!" The man spluttered out, and his voice was filled, not with fear, but a nervousness that tittered on the edge.

"I'm sure it is," Mara's voice was low and uncaring, "I'm sorry on Casair's behalf, Brad. He's-"

She stopped to look at the headless bear corpse, and rubbed her eyes, "Harmless, I assure you. I'll take him off your hands now."

I didn't need to hear the man's voice to notice how relieved miss Mara's words made him.

"Wait. You're Casair?" Raku's eyes blinked down at me, her surprise wiping away her smile before it came back in full force, "Oh, Jeffords told me all about you! I didn't recognize you at first, but he did mention you had a giant sword and you were… Unique!"

"You know Jeffords?"

"Mhm, he's my lovely! You know, we first met when-"

"Ahem," Miss Mara coughed, and Raku stopped with her cheeks flushing red, "I am sorry to cut this short, but Captain Lorick has asked for Casair's presence."

"O-Oh, well then, don't let me keep you!" Raku laughed forcefully, her smile dipping a little bit before looking down at me, "Just remember our deal, okay? I'll see you later!"

"Okay. Bye bye," I said my farewells to both of them as I left with miss Mara, and their voices breathed a sigh of relief as miss Mara left. I spared one last glance seeing Brad trying to push the bear by himself, with no luck.

I walked with miss Mara up the winding hill to the Marine base. From this far, the Marine base towered over every other building; a massive tower of dark blue stone and white stripes. Above it flew the Marine flag of what Pete told me was a seagull.

Miss Mara didn't say anything, and her voice was a calm, tepid drip. Which made it all the easier to hear the anticipation and apprehensiveness of every one we passed by. They were more afraid of miss Mara, a Marine, than they were of me with the bear.

I looked up at the woman Marine who caught my eye, "Why is every one scared of you?"

"Blunt, aren't you?" She huffed, dipping her cap to cover her eyes from view, "It isn't me they're scared of, brat. It's the uniform."

"Why? You protect them."

"It isn't as simple as that," She sighed, "Do you know why Captain Lorick sent me to fetch you instead of someone like Pete? Or Jeffords? Or literally any other Marine under his command?"

"Because he only has one leg, and you were the closest?"

"It's impressive how cheeky the words that come out of your mouth are, but you're being entirely serious when you say them," She shook her head, and I saw her dark eyes scan over the people avoiding us.

"When you live on an island with a Marine base, the rank and file are usually filled with people you know. People you share a meal or a drink with, hell, maybe they're your lover like with Jeffords and Raku. But above them are the officers, and very few civilians are comfortable with a Marine officer near them."

"But why?" Annoyance rose up in me, and miss Mara probably picked up on it, "I thought Marines protected and helped people. Why would they be nervous?"

"A lot of reasons, brat. It's just how things are," Frustration bled through her words, the lines on her face becoming deeper.

"It's a thankless state of affairs, you know? We'll put our lives on the line if pirates or worse come about, and shed blood, sweat and tears to protect the common folk. But when it comes down to it, Marines like me are a reminder of how powerless they really are. Who on earth would be happy to be reminded of that?"

Despite how harsh her words were, there was no anger in either of her voices. If anything else, she simply sounded tired. Maybe that was why people were uncomfortable around her. Miss Mara didn't really smile a lot, or at all, come to think of it.

"But is that why you do it?"

The older woman shot me a cocked brow, so I decided to carry on, "Are you a Marine to be thanked?"

"Brat," She sighed, but there was a flicker of something in her voice, "And what of you? I heard from the Captain that you wanted to enlist. Mind walking through the thought process that for me?"

"I liked it," I told miss Mara bluntly, and we were coming close to the base now. I heard mister Lorick's voice, humming and peaceful, among many others.

"Going into the jungle. Using my sword for a good reason, knowing I saved someone else, like how Pete and Jeffords saved me. It was…" I scrambled to find any other words to explain myself, but words were hard. Talking was hard.

Mister Lorick said that seeing a sword as a tool for just killing was 'pessimistic', whatever that meant. It didn't sound good. But he didn't say I was wrong about that, and I didn't feel wrong about that either.

My sword was special, but it was only when I wielded it to defend Riku that made me felt like my treasure truly belonged to me. That it was being used for what it was supposed to be used for.

I didn't really know why my sword was so special to me. That note that came out of my sword could mean anything, or maybe I wasn't even the original owner. I didn't know. But I couldn't let those things like that bog me down or drag me away from what I wanted to do.

One day, people will recognize my sword. It'll be talked about in the same way Yoru, Enma, or any other famous Metio was talked about, and they'll know it was wielded to do good.

In my hand, my treasure grew warmer to the touch.

"It was good. And I can do more good if I'm a Marine, right?" I eventually said to miss Mara, who snorted slightly.

"Who knows? That's up to you," Was all she said, and that was that. We made our way to mister Lorick who smiled at our approach.

"Here he is, Captain. I found him in Brad's, with a decapitated bear."

Mister Lorick chuckled for some reason, giving me a smile, "Well, I'm sure that'll cause a stir in our peaceful town. Thank you, Ensign, that'll be all."

"Sir," Miss Mara snapped a salute, and glanced at me. Her voice churned and writhed, but she turned on her heel and walked further into the base.

"Do forgive Mara. She is a good Marine, but peace doesn't suit her," Mister Lorick said to me, though he didn't have to. Miss Mara was nice, even if she pointed a pistol at my head.

"It's fine, mister Lorick. But why am I here? Is this about the Dev-?"

"No, no, not at all, Casair," Mister Lorick moved more quickly than I expected someone with a peg-leg and patted me on my shoulder, "I was hoping you would accompany me for a walk. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Alright. Where are we going?"

"I see. So this is where you found it?"

"Mhm, just on that tree over there."

I'd thought that mister Lorick would have a tough time walking through the jungle with his peg-leg, but he managed to keep up with me pretty easily. He wanted to see where the Devil Fruit had grown, so I led him to the strange and scorched clearing. The tigers I had killed were still here, but some of the wildlife had torn chunks out of them.

"And you felled this tree and beast with a single strike?" The Marine Captain asked me in a weird, intense tone. He wasn't even looking at me as he spoke, instead taking close inspection of where I had cut.

"Yeah, I did."

"May I ask for a demonstration?" That was a bit weird, but it wasn't any trouble for me. I went to the fallen tree, and took up my stance; feet spread wide, my hand on my blade and my body bent forward.

And then I struck. Just like before, my blade left its sheath in a blur and it sliced through the fallen, burnt tree and into the grass and mud beneath. I lifted my blade to find bits of ashy mud and caked grey dirt clinging to it.

"Like that, but," I slashed sideways to show him, and to also throw off the muck which stubbornly clung to my blade.

"Yes, horizontal instead of vertical. I gathered that," Mister Lorick walked over to me and his easy smile was nowhere to be seen. His eyes were sharp as he looked between the cut, my blade and myself.

"Do you feel satisfied with this?" He eventually asked me, and I shook my head.

"I didn't mean to cut the ground. And when I took the bear's head, I wasn't happy with that either," I swung my blade again to clean off the dirt, but mister Lorick's hand stopped me. I looked up at him to find his old smile back.

"That's no way to treat your sword, Casair. Here, sit down and let me show you," Captain Lorick gestured at the stump of the tree, and I did as he asked. He sat down with me, and reached into his coat to pull out a bottle and a clean, white cloth.

"The proper way to care for a blade is nothing more than a regular wipe down with a cloth and some oil. Give it a try," I watched as mister Lorick doused the rag and handed it to me. Propping up my blade on my shoulder, I got started at the base and wiped away the dirt. I looked to mister Lorick, and he watched with a comforting smile, nodding at me.

"Thank you. I realised this only a little bit later after killing the bear, but… I don't actually know a whole lot about swords."

"I thought that might be the case," The Marine chuckled, "You know, Casair, you don't have to become a Marine now. There's no great rush. I know of an amazing teacher that could help you in swordsmanship."

"You do? Who?"

"Shimotsuki Village, just shy of a day's travel from here, is home to a close friend of mine who tutors those who are interested in the blade. Legally, I can not accept you into the Marines until you turn sixteen, so you can study for a year and enlist then."

"I'm sixteen now."

Mister Lorick cocked a brow at me, "You told me you were fifteen."

"Yeah, but you can't prove that. And I'll just lie at some other Marine base."

Mister Lorick sighed heavily, but his smile widened, "Casair, that's illegal."

"So?"

"So, if you get caught, you can't become a Marine."

"Forever?"

"Yes, young Casair. Forever."

"Ooooooh…" I nodded in understanding and looked mister Lorick in the eye.

"... I'm fifteen and a half."

"Shehehehehehehe!" Mister Lorick threw his head back as he erupted with laughter, and I went back to wiping down my blade. The white sword glistened from the oil, completely clean of any smudged dirt. But a part of me found it hard to look at mister Lorick, so I went back to cleaning.

"Shehehe, oh, my boy. You have a certain way with words," Mister Lorick's laughter slowly petered out and he exhaled softly once more, "Do you know why I won't enlist you until your decision with the Devil Fruit is made?"

"... Because it means I'll do different things if I eat it or not?" I wasn't sure of my answer, but the Marine Captain nodded at me.

"Every Marine that has eaten a Devil Fruit, before or after, has to go under two types of training: One where you train your new powers, and training to be an officer."

"An officer? Like you?"

"Somewhat, but perhaps lower ranked due to your age and inexperience," Mister Lorick nodded slowly, "You would either go to Headquarters, or train under a more experienced Marine with Devil Fruit powers. Both have their ups and downs, but you see the point I'm making, don't you?"

"That being a Marine will be… Harder, if I don't have powers?"

"More like you should take into consideration what kind of Marine you wish to be, and think long and hard about the future, Casair," Mister Lorick said to me softly, and he pinned me under his heavy, though gentle, stare.

"Being a Marine is not something you'll be able to take back easily, and that goes double for the gifts and burdens with a Devil Fruit. If you decide to not eat it and give it away, then it is likely you will start at the very bottom as a Chore Boy. Is that something you want?"

"I… No? I don't mind, but I don't want to do chores. I want to use my sword. But I don't even know what kind of powers the Devil Fruit will give me. Maybe they won't be helpful at all, and I'll never be able to have baths again."

"I must admit that I have very little experience with Devil Fruit users, but I have heard stories that even the most innocuous can be very useful. It just requires your own hard work and imagination in doing so. I have no doubt in my mind that, whatever they are, you'll put them to amazing use, my boy."

"Thank you," I mumbled out, my cheeks warming up slightly at mister Lorick's deep chuckle, "But I already know what kind of Marine I want to be."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"Like you, mister Lorick," I told him, and his voice was suddenly aglow with warmth and shaking with shock, "Like you and Pete."

Mister Lorick's eyes widened behind his glasses before his smile widened across his face. His hand was on my head, and I found my hair being ruffled. I blew a strand of hair in front of my eyes when he stopped.

"You are very kind to say that, my boy. But perhaps you shouldn't emulate me too closely," He gestured at his peg-leg with a wave of his hand. I frowned at it before looking back to mister Lorick.

"How did you lose it?"

"Remind me to teach you subtly at some point, my boy," Mister Lorick shook his head, but there was no annoyance or anger in his voice. He directed his eyes along the jungle's trees, but he wasn't staring at anything.

"To make a long story short, I was a stepping stone to a much better swordsman. We fought, and I lost," I expected anger, resentment or even frustration, but there was none to be found in his voice. Mister Lorick held a serene expression on his face, closing his eyes as if to savour the memory.

"Was he a pirate?" I didn't know what it was about my question that made mister Lorick chuckle, but he shook his head.

"I honestly don't quite remember," He admitted with a shrug, "Pirate. Marine. Those who take up the blade for reasons beyond themselves are closer than you might realise, my boy."

"But I thought pirates were bad?"

"They are criminals, true," Lorick nodded, "But that is a discussion for another time. How would you like to take a walk with me, and we make the jungle safe again?"

"Okay. You can just stand behind me if anything dangerous happens. I don't think you'll run very far with only one leg."

"Shehehe, how very kind of you."

It was approaching night when I made it back to Rockshi. Mister Lorick and I had scared away the dangerous animals that lurked around the edges, but there wasn't really a lot of them left, and I couldn't chase after any of them because mister Lorick wouldn't let me. Something about an ecosystem? It was a shame, because I wanted to see mister Lorick use his sword, but it never ended up happening.

Instead, we just mostly talked about swords and how to look after them. He let me keep the bottle of oil and cloth, so I could clean my sword when I wanted to. Eventually, we decided the jungle was safe, and he told me that he would lift the quarantine tomorrow.

I didn't know what else to do, and it was getting dark, so I made my way back to Rockshi. Feelings of curiosity and apprehension still came when I passed by some people, but they were droplets compared to before.

I followed the greatest concentration of voices and mister Lorick's direction to Rockshi's one and only restaurant. The voices were abuzz with laughter, contentment, hunger, warmth and excitement, as if they were all brightly burning flames. People kept coming into the building, and I saw that they were smiling and laughing. Families with little kids, couples holding hands, or even just groups of friends talking about how they finally have a new dish to look forward to.

Raku's Meet And Greet Eatery!

Well, it had the name that mister Lorick told me to look for. Even standing outside, the smells of meat, herbs and drinks wafted by me. I rubbed the corner of my mouth as some drool came out, and with a deep breath, I walked in.

Compared to the cold crisp night air, the Eatery was warm and inviting. Inside, the voices were a warm blanket that wrapped around me, along with the lights and bubbly atmosphere. The Eatery had a packed bar at the back, and round tables dotted the floor, filled to the brim with people who shone bright with smiles.

I… What was supposed to happen now? I walked in, but all the tables were full, and I didn't know anyone here. Was I supposed to just stand here until someone said something? Was I-?

"Oy, laddie! Over here!" A familiar, real voice called out to me, and my eyes followed it to find Pete's grinning fat face, though he wasn't wearing his Marine uniform. Jeffords was next to him, though he wore his uniform. He smiled at me, but among the loud and vibrant voices, his was mellow and hollow.

Despite that, I walked over to them. The two of them were sitting by a wall, drinking from wooden tankards, and were one of the few that didn't have food on the table.

"We thought ye might drop by, lad, so we saved ya a seat. Come on, get ya ass planted already! Gegegege!" Pete pulled out a third chair for me, and I took it.

"Thank you," I bowed my head to Pete and placed my sword to lean up against the wall, "I didn't know what I was supposed to do when I got here. Do we just wait now, or…?"

Jeffords looked me oddly before he made a small hum, "Oh right. This would be your first time ever coming to a restaurant before. Well, the way it works is that someone comes and takes your order, you eat and you pay. But Pete here is picking up the bill, so go wild."

"Stuff it, Jeffords," Pete rolled his eyes, but kept his smile as he lifted his drink to his lips, "Anyhow, ye doin' alright, laddie? Heard through the ol' grapevine, ye gave Raku and Brad a right ol' fright!"

"Oh, the bear? They thought it was alive, for some reason, so they got scared," I shrugged. I didn't really know what the big deal was, but I explained to Pete and Jeffords what I had done, and what happened afterwards.

"Gegegegegege, yer a bloody riot, lad! No wonder the Ensign came back like someone smacked her arse!" Pete's chair creaked under his weight with a noise not unlike that of something fighting for its life. Luckily, the chair withstood Pete for another day.

"Did I do something wrong? I just thought it would be a nice thing to do. I didn't realise it would make people scared or upset."

"Of all things, why a bear though? And if what Raku told me was right-"

Underneath all the warmth of everyone else, their laughter and smiles, I almost missed the flash of red-hot anger coming from Jeffords. If I wasn't sitting so close, I would've.

And I'm sure I would've missed it, even if it was aimed at me. I was so taken aback, I only blinked at Jeffords, and I realised that the anger was replaced by… Shame?

"-It was enormous! A deer, or even a boar, sure. But a bear?"

"It had a lot of meat on it," Which was true. The more meat, the better.

"Aye, the 'hole town's been buzzin' about it," Pete's laughter simmered down, his eyes glinting with humour, "What a way to introduce yerself, lad. How much berri did ya get for it?"

"Berri? What do you-?"

"Excuse me? Would you happen to be Casair?" I turned my head to see a woman looking at me, her eyes darting between my sword and I with a small smile. She was wearing an apron over her clothes and held a notepad in one hand and a pencil in the other.

"Ah, that he be, Cat! The man o' the hour!" Pete chuckled heartily, and warmth flowed up to my face again. But it was stopped cold by Jefford's voice frosting over with a chilly air.

"Oh, perfect! Miss Raku has been waiting for you. She has something amazing planned for you! And as for you two, would you also like tonight's special?"

"'Course! And I'll take a refill while ya at it, if ye don't mind!"

"Actually," Jeffords coughed lightly, "I'm not feeling all that hungry, so I'll just have my usual, thanks."

"Are you sure, Jeff? Miss Raku was really excited for you to try her new dish."

"R-Right, but-"

"Wot's the matter, Jeffords? Yer always chompin' at the bit to try Raku's food, and the lad here went to the trouble of gettin' new meat fer her to play with."

"Yeah… You're right. Sorry, just been feeling a bit off lately," Jeffords smiled, but his voice was turbulent with emotion. A whirlpool of thick, swampy water, and some of it directed against me.

What did I do? Did I say something to him? Did I hurt Raku somehow? She was the one that touched me though, so that can't be it.

Why was Jeffords lying?

"Alright, then I'll be right back with your orders!" The young woman smiled brightly, and quickly walked towards the back, where the smells of cooking came from. I didn't miss how Pete gave Jeffords a side-eye, but as always, his voice was hidden from me.

"Why aren't you in uniform?" I eventually asked after a moment of silence that didn't sit well with me.

"'Cause I'm on leave, lad! At least fer a little while," Pete chuckled heartily, "And 'sides, we got the right to wear wot we want, considerin' our rank and all."

"Really?"

"As long as it's clear that we're both Marines, Petty Officers and above can wear whatever they want. But it's just simpler to wear the uniform," Jeffords explained to me, and his disquieting voice simmered beneath the surface, "If you're hoping to join the Marines, we really should get you up to speed sooner rather than later."

"Bah, plenty o' time before all that," Pete waved off Jeffords' words with a snort, and brought his tankard to his lips, "Let the lad enjoy his free time, will ya?"

"It's fine. I still haven't decided on what to do with the Devil Fruit yet, so-"

"The what?"

Pete's tankard spluttered and erupted, drenching his face with frothy foam. He quickly wiped himself down with his shirt, but I felt some curious stares direct themselves towards us.

"Laddie, fer fuck sake, keep ya voice down!" Pete hissed out in a low whisper while Jeffords stared at me with wide, open eyes. A lump formed in my stomach, heavy and cold.

"Was I supposed to keep it a secret? You didn't tell me to," I asked Pete, his head resting in his hands. Jeffords, on the other hand, was giving me a wide-eyed stare.

"Just keep yer voice down, okay?" Pete sighed heavily, glancing around, "The less people know, the better. That ain't exactly the sort o' thing ya want to scream about."

"But mister Lorick is keeping it safe, isn't he? It's not like someone's going to steal it from him."

"Loose lips sink ships, Casair. Just keep that in yer little noggin', get me?"

"That thing you had when you brought Casair," Jeffords suddenly spoke up, his eyes shooting between us rapidly, "That was it, wasn't it? That's why you brought it to the Captain. God! They exist? Are you kidd-!?"

Pete's meaty hand flashed out to cover Jeffords' mouth, faster than I'd ever seen the fat man move, "Jeffords. Quiet down. And yeah, ain't no point denyin' it now. It was one o' them fruits, and it's the laddie's."

We managed to explain to Jeffords, who quickly shoved off Pete's hand, how I found the fruit with Rika and how she gave it to me. I didn't get why Jefford's voice was tossing and turning, switching between red-hot to frosty cold without rhyme or reason.

I couldn't do anything. The weight in my stomach grew heavier and heavier, and every word I spoke just inflamed it even more.

"So why haven't you sold it?" Jeffords asked me and his widened eyes pinned me to the spot, "You're sitting on literal treasure, but you don't know what you want to do with it? That's insane!"

"It's not like I expected to be given a magic fruit out of nowhere," I shifted in my seat. My sword was by me, but it wasn't in my hands and I found that feeling uncomfortable, "And I'm not interested in money, so-"

"Casair, you don't have a single berri to your name! This is your chance to make it big! Do you know how many people would kill to have a chance like this?!" Jeffords' outer voice was quiet, but harsh. It hardly matched the tempest around him, which almost drowned out everyone else. How could they not hear this? How could they not feel this?

"I can get eating it. I can get selling it. But doing nothing with it? That's lunacy!"

"I didn't know what to do," The words spilled out from me weakly, "It's just a lot to think about, and-"

"What is there to think about?!"

"Jeffords!" Pete hissed, and his friend went dead silent, though he didn't tear his eyes away from me. The warmth in the Eatery washed in a tidal wave of hazy grey, vivid green and cold blue. Smothered to death by Jefford's turbulent voice, which fell upon me.

I didn't know what to do with the Devil Fruit. Not being able to swim doesn't matter all that much to me, nor does not being able to take baths. The real reason was that, if I had powers, that was what people would take notice. My treasure wouldn't get the recognition I wanted it to have.

"I'm sorry, I gotta go," He blurted out, and stood up hard enough that his chair screeched against the wooden floor. People watched him leave, and it was as if I could almost see the darkness hanging over him. The warmth of the Eatery became subdued, replaced by murmuring and whispers.

"Did I say something wrong?" I looked at Pete who shook his head at me, his jovial expression darkened into a long look that trailed where Jeffords walked out.

"It ain't ye fault, lad. Jeffords, he's a good man, but he ain't… Satisfied," Pete waved his hand and used the other to pour Jeffords' drink into his own, "Grew up here, and joined the Marines to impress his sweetheart. Ye will understand one day, if ya ever find a woman o' yer own."

"Oh," I looked down at my hands, and I found them balled up into fists, "Should I go and apologize?"

"If anythin', that'll make it worse. Just… Give 'im some time, lad. He'll calm down by the mornin'," Pete's words lightened the weight in my stomach, but it was still there. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. What if I made Pete upset as well? What if I said something wrong, and I'll be left alone?

"Anywho, let's ignore ol' grumpy guts fer now," And Pete waved off these heavy thoughts of mine with a laugh and a smile, "Lad, how would ye feel about sailin' out with me tomorrow?"

"Sailing? Why?"

"Because fer one reason, ye need to learn the basics of sailing. It don't matter wot ye are on the Blues, ya need to learn. I'll teach ye just how my own pa taught little ol' me."

"Secondly, ye remember way back when ye told me that ya would like to try a bunch of different food?"

"Yeah, I did," And I found myself leaning into Pete's words. The Marine smiled wildly and he leaned to me, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"Now, keep this a secret between yerself and me, but the Baratie's owner owes me a wee favour. And I believe it be about time to cash it in."

"... What's the Baratie?" I asked him, and Pete blinked at me before his hand slapped his forehead in a meaty thawck!

"Right, yer memories. I plum well forgot," He groaned before smiling yet again, "Well ye know what? I'll keep it a surprise for ya. But trust me, ye will love it. Jewel of the East Blue, it is."

I wanted to ask more, but something caught my eye. By the bar, the doors leading into the back swung wide open, and it was Raku wearing a dirty apron and a wide smile. She was making her way towards us, deftly avoiding the tables and chairs in her way. In her hands was a large, steel dome. Pete followed my gaze and his eyes lit up at the sight of our meal.

"Good evening you two! And just let me thank you again, Casair! This was exactly what I needed for tonight!" Miss Raku greeted me and Pete with a smile as she placed the dome down on the table between us.

"If you want to thank me, give me food."

"Gegegege, what'd ya think this is, lad?"

"Suspenseful," I eyed the dome as hungrily as Pete did. I wiped at the corner of my mouth, which made miss Raku giggle. Her eyes darted to where Jeff was, and her smile dimmed a bit.

"Hey, where's Jeff? I thought I saw him coming in earlier."

"Ah, he's just in a mood, Raku. Ye know how he gets sometimes," Pete shrugged, but his voice was comforting. She huffed and shook her head, before beaming with a smile once more.

"Well, I'll talk to him later then, so don't let him ruin your evening. I've been working on this all day, so dig in!" And with a flourish, she took off the dome. Immediately, I was hit by the full force of smells and heat. It was a heavy, meaty scent, but tinged with herbs and spices that were new to me. When the steam cleared, I saw a roasted piece of meat, as big as my head, still on the bone. It sweated with juices and swelled with a robust presence. Leaf-like herbs dotted its brown, cooked flesh with slices of sweet smelling carrots and glistening potato surrounding it.

"Oh, lass, you have outdone yerself," Pete took up his knife and fork, same as me. Two plates were set down before us by someone else, but I wasn't paying attention. Why would I when I have this in front of me? But there was something else as well. It wasn't just the delectable meat resting before me. Something that made me want to tear it apart and devour it all.

"I always do, Petey! Just say if you'd like seconds, because there's a lot more where that came from!"

Her presence faded, and Pete gave me a knowing smile, "It feels good, don't it? To be rewarded?"

A reward? All of a sudden, the Devil Fruit flashes through my mind and that tingly feeling comes back, coming up to my cheeks in a flood of warmth. Pete chuckles softly, and he pushes the meat towards me a tiny bit.

"Yeah. It does," I admitted finally, and I cut into the meat.

It was amazing. It was delicious in a totally different way compared to every other meal I had before. And I really, really wished Jeffords was here to eat it with us.

Hello, hello, a new day and a new chapter. Not a very active or action packed chapter, more set up and expanding the world just beyond the Marine base and Marines, showing off a little bit of Rockshi and other characters, while delving deeper into the reasoning of Casair wanting to become a Marine and why he hasn't yet made a decision on the Devil Fruit.

Casair's reasoning for not chomping down can be summed up, two fold, as "It's a big choice that came out of nowhere" and "I don't want the powers to overshadow this thing I care about,". Obviously, most people in the East Blue would probably eat it as soon as possible if they knew what it was, but Casair is an amnesiac teen that has a skewed and tilted view of the world. He needs time to sort things through out if they're odd to him.

Despite that, there's not a whole lot to talk about. Next chapter will be mostly between Pete and Casair as they go out to sea on a restaurant crawl essentially. I've been pretty vague on where exactly the timeline we're on, but that will be revealed next chapter along with some interactions that I've been quite looking forward to.

Beyond that, I don't know whether it'll be wrapped in 1 chapter or go on for a couple, but after the Baratie, the question of the Devil Fruit will eventually answered, along with moving from Rockshi and out to the bigger world. The end of the arc, you could say.

But I've yapped long enough, and I need to get started on the next chapter. Thanks for reading and see you next time.