Disclaimer : I own nothing.
Chapter 40 : Rising Waves.
- Shin –
The two monsters sat across each other while the rest of the plebs sat at the corner of the room gawking.
Luffy had already cleaned the trash(Don Kreig) outside whom I had captured and taken for exchanging for a bounty while paying Luffy half the price and was now gulping the food from Rindo and Sanji's last Shokugeki completely unbothered by the presence of the others in the room.
"Oye brat, bring out the best wine you have. Don't be stingy. It has been a long time since I was this excited." Shouted the mecha-Roger and for a moment, I was slightly regretful at creating tastebuds for the glutton.
But then again I have to play a good host here so I brought out a bottle from the collection of Ignotus Peverell.
"A bottle of twelve hundred year old 'Dragon's Blood' Wine from Scotland."
My thousand year old wine.
That did raise many eyes. Even Hawkeye had his mouth slightly open at the mention of the wine's age.
It was understandable. I don't think any normal wine can last this long without magic. The sheer amount of charms used to keep this wine drinkable is more than one uses to guard a normal house in wizarding Britain nowadays.
"TWELVE HUNDRED YEARS OLD?" Rindo was probably the one who was the most affected. Her eyes were shining. While Sanji was looking at the bottle as if it was the One Piece itself.
"Can we even drink that thing?" Nami asked incredulously.
"It was preserved with very special means." I merely left the answer at that because my crew would understand what I mean. "Safe to say that the cost to keep it drinkable was more than enough to buy a whole Winery in today's time."
"YOU BRAT, you have been hiding all the good stuff from me?" my teacher shouted.
"I only have one of these on hand. Also, I don't carry any bottle less than twenty years old with me so you have been having good stuff all this time. Don't complain."
"Still twelve hundred years old? That is older than the freaking World Government. Where did you even find such things?"
"I had many in my family's vaults. My ancestor was kind of a….adventurer. Yeah….let's go with that. Ignotus Peveral was an adventurer who went around….collecting stuff from all over the world. He had a way to enter any place undetected and thus was….hmm….gifted….yeah gifted many things by other Noble and Royal Families."
"How much would such a thing even cost?" Nami asked, staring at the bottle in awe.
"It could be anything from 1 billion Beri and above." The old ones from the Underworld that I remember went for that kind of price.
"O-o-one B-billion Beriiiiii." Shrieked the now possessed girl and completely disregarded the presence of Mihawk and Roger in the room.
"So where are the rest of the bottles? Your house? A vault? Let's go and rob the place." The now intrigued Mecha-Pirate King joined as well.
Rob my house….yeah….with Jibril and Shion there….Good Luck. Moreover my scary bishop Merlin is extremely particular about the wine cellar.
I shook my head at the mere thought. "You would have a better chance sneaking inside Marie Geois and dressing the Gorosei in Bikini than trying to rob my house." I smirked and Hawkeye almost spat the drink in surprise while Roger only laughed. "Help me meet back with my family and I will give you another bottle of the wine along with a dozen two hundred year old ones."
"Deal. I will teach you swordsmanship too, provided you can learn Armament Haki to the next level." Roger laughed as he drowned another glass.
"So how is someone like you not known in the world?" Hawkeye asked as he finally took a sip of his drink and then slightly relaxed. His message was clear. Someone with the strength of Roger and Conqueror's Haki that strong was impossible to remain unknown.
"Me? Oh, I am just an old man who was resting peacefully until I was swindled to take up an idiot apprentice who gave me a reason to travel. I am merely watching over his journey. I am too old to fight nowadays." Roger smiled as he took a gulp of his wine.
The Swordsmaster looked at the Metal-Pirate for a few moments and then concentrated back on the drink at hand.
There were no more words spoken about the identity of Roger as the message was clear.
"By the way," I called Roger's attention and my hand gained a slight blackish tint. The Upgrade quest had been a success because this was the starting level of Armament Haki. "I completed the next stage of Armament Haki. Teach me." I smirked.
Skill Gained
[Armament Haki(Apprentice)] (Active)
Enhances damage with Armament Haki by 40%.
Costs : 200 SP/sec.
I saw his eyes widening for a second before he scoffed. "Ehh, as if that's enough. Learn to channel it into a weapon and cover your whole body with it. Until you can do at least that much, you will still be an amateur."
Now was the time for my eyes to twitch.
This was novice level Armament Haki and it cannot be channeled into any other objects. Also it can barely cover one limb.
"I will get it done in a week or two at most."
"Yeah yeah….we will talk then. I don't like wasting my time on weak kids."
"What is your name?" Hawkeye looked towards me and asked.
"I am Shin Kageyami. Nice to meet you."
"Is that a name from the Wano Country?"
"I haven't visited Wano Country but yes, my home is in a similar place. The cultures are quite similar."
"It is a beautiful place Wano. Great scenery and amazing sake. You should visit it sometimes." Roger chimed in from the side attracting the attention of the people. "It is also an amazing place for swordmasters. Most of the Named Blades in the World have been made there. It is like a holy ground for Swordsmen and Blacksmiths." Roger spoke as if reminiscing about the past.
It did attract the attention of many people in the room. Luffy was paying close attention to the story while Zoro was definitely intrigued.
Hawkeye stared at the man for a moment before turning his attention back to me.
"Tell me, what is your goal in life?"
"Hmm goal….I just want to reunite with my family right now. After that….I will think about it when I get there."
"Your family….where are they?" he asked, a little intrigued now.
"Very far." It has just been a week or so and I am already missing everyone back at home. "I need to find a way to get back."
Seeing that I didn't give any direct answer, he left the topic for now.
The talks went on for a while and by the end of it all Hawkeye decided to hang around us till Loguetown.
I think he is still trying to figure out who Roger is. Or maybe wants to have another fight with him maybe.
It is quite fine.
Luffy and his crew however decided to part ways since it was time for us to leave.
Sanji again shook hands with me and asked me to take care of his sister while I was doing my best not to laugh at his face.
Nami and Rindo had already left the room to laugh in peace.
And thus our ship sailed towards our next destination – Honami Islands.
- Scene Change –
"Get your back straight. Relax your grip. You are holding your sword to fight, not trying to strangle it to death. Swing."
Learning swordsmanship is tedious.
*Smack* Roger hit my shoulder with his sword's blunt end and I think I felt a bone break and then repair back soon too.
Correction. Learning swordsmanship is extremely tedious.
"Yes. This Stance. Now maintain it for the next hour, after that give me ten thousand swings."
This would have been easier, if I didn't have a blindfold on my eyes, weights on my body and earmuffs on my ears.
An all-around training for all of my skills.
The most annoying part was that sometimes in between the swings Roger would throw peanuts at me….imbued with Armament Haki.
I had to move my body to dodge them all the while maintaining the stance.
This got increasingly difficult with the random bursts of the Conqueror's Haki.
I have been waiting to learn Conqueror's Haki for a while now. Too bad it can't be taught. I did get a quest for it though.
Quest Added
[Will of the King]
The Kings are the ones who are born with the ability to stand above the common masses. Gain the right to stand among those chosen ones.
Unlock the Skill – [Conqueror's Haki]
Rewards : Skill Rank Up Token.
Failure : Always be regarded as a commoner bound to be cannon fodder.
I have no idea how to get it except from Gacha or maybe a Reputation Reward for someone like Roger's or Shanks but that wouldn't be easy though.
At least I got the skill for Swordsmanship now.
Skill Gained
[Swordsmanship(Novice)]
(Passive)
Enhances damage with swords by 10%.
(Active)
Enhances damage with swords by 20%.
Costs : 1000 SP/min.
"Boss, we are near Honami Island. I can see the outline of the Island. No sights of any navy ships anywhere." I heard Rindo's voice and Roger's voice stopped me from breaking my stance.
"Keep up the exercise. I will inform you when the Navy arrives. I want those ten thousand swings first." said Roger as he continued to sip the wine in a shade while watching the Rurouni Kenshin anime.
Hawkeye was beside him and was in the same state.
I am the captain of the ship and I am being ordered around like a chore boy. *Sigh*.
At least I am getting the training boosts.
The heat of the sun is annoying but the most annoying part is the other 'heat'. The Sin of Lust Trait was not removed with the Devil Race because it had evolved from my Lustful Trait and was considered a part of me rather than a simple product of a mere change in race.
I wanted to call foul and ask for the trait to be reverted to Lustful but The Game was having too much fun having suddenly caught me by the balls, especially after the last time I had escaped.
People who dream of reincarnating in the One Piece world need to know that this place is FUCKING BOORING.
Like sailing and watching the seas is a novelty that gets old in a few days.
After that all one can do is Train, read books(If you have some) or fuck(which I currently don't have any access to).
I did make it much more bearable with the TVs and Anime Dvds but I dread to imagine what would happen to normal crews.
Although the power levels in Rurouni Kenshin are not at the level of One Piece, the story and the moral of the whole plot was still interesting for both Mihawk and Roger.
The two are on a marathon of Rurouni Kenshin and Bleach.
These were the only two things the two liked, what with Hawkeye being a sword nerd.
- Scene Change –
We stood together on the coast watching the incoming Navy Vessel.
Honami Island has pleasant weather but then again most of the East Blue has the same condition. It is mainly the Grand Line that has the laws of nature all over the place.
I mean how does that even work?
I guess there has to be some kind of magic involved right.
Hawkeye and Roger are still on the ship enjoying the time while I am waiting for Smoker.
Nezumi would have been easy to evade but that wouldn't fulfill my plans for the future so this meeting was quite necessary.
The ship anchored while dozens of Navy Soldiers got down making two rows while Smoker slowly strolled down the ship followed by a cute glasses wearing girl with blue hair and flowery pattern shirt of pink colour.
I wonder if Smoker's parents knew that he was going to find the Smoke Smoke Fruit and thus named the person as such or if they knew he was going to be a hardcore….ughh smoker.
I wonder if smoking causes cancer in this world too?
Then again it might be the reason why Smoker has lost almost every possible major fight till date.
Yup children….smoking is a bad habit.
"So you are the one who called me, Shin Kageyami?" The man was tall. Quite a bit taller than me and had a strong build. White hair and a rough look but….ughh….the smell of smoke is extremely annoying.
I have never been a smoker and while I don't have a problem with smokers in general. This person just takes the theme too far.
"I am. Thanks for coming here. I didn't want any unnecessary trouble with the Marines if possible because of a rotten apple. I hope you understand that."
He nodded with a slight grimace.
Reputation gain is reduced in half due to the Diminished Presence Trait.
+10 Reputation with Smoker(10/100) for cooperating with the navy.
"I need to see if Nezumi is really involved in this. Do you have a solid proof of it?" He asked while looking around towards my ship.
Probably searching for Roger whose information must have gone all over the world by now seeing how public the last fight was.
I had already sent Nami back with a Shadow Clone of mine to lure in the Marines of Nezumi.
The show will start as soon as I give the signal.
"Sure. I have already verified that Nezumi will soon be contracted by Arlong. Their goal is to seize the money of my Navigator who has been hiding all her earnings in her property to buy back her village from the ones ruling it….Arlong and his lackeys. Arlong will be using Nezumi to confiscate the money and take it for himself. Tell me something….can the Marines charge someone for stealing from Pirates?" I asked a question of my own. The reason why Nezumi took all the money was because it was stolen.
Nami didn't have a Pirate Hunter background and could have easily been called out for being a crew member of the Along Pirates if she had resisted giving up the money.
His expression was serious from the start and suddenly became weird at the end of it. "No. Pirates are scum. If a Pirate Hunter does take down the crew, they are entitled to all the loot unless they are Government's Belongings in which case, they will be provided with a 10% Finder's fee for returning it and confiscating any such things will be considered a criminal offence."
A situation I had already predicted and by now my clone and Nami must have already taken out all the stuff belonging to the Marines out.
I clapped both of my hands and smiled, "Well in that case shall we see the show. I can take any two people with me to see everything. It would be better if you could pass me a Den Den Mushi so that we can hear what they are saying."
He looked at me quietly for a few moments and then let out a puff. "That won't be necessary. As long as I see Nezumi communicating directly with Arlong, I can bring him in."
I nodded in agreement. It is better that way for me too.
"I-Is that a Named Blade on your waist?" Tashigi asked, fixing her glasses on the sword on my waist.
"This….no. Not really. I am still new at Swordsmanship. This is merely something a loved one made for me. It is still to early for me to use Named Blades." This is true too.
This sword was made by Sakuya to increase my speed by 4% each time I hit someone. The effect can reach a maximum of 400% so a hundred strikes with a 2 seconds cooldown between each strike.
While not a Named Blade, it is much better than the 50 Skillful Grade Ones or even the 21 Ō Wazamono although the resilience of this blade is lower than the Ō Wazamono swords.
"R-really. It looks so well made. I could have sworn it was a named Blade with its quality though. Can I see it please?" Ah the puppy dog eyes.
She is a sword nerd.
It is the same look Rias has with Animes and Seekvaira has with Mecha or Hermione with new books.
"Sure." I handed the sword over to her while we snuck onto the island.
+20 Affection with Tashigi(20/100) for agreeing to her request.
Smoker looked a little resigned at his subordinate's behavior and gave me a slightly apologetic look while I smiled back.
"So why did you become a Pirate Hunter?" Smoker asked me trying to pass off the time and fish for some information too.
"I needed money to travel the world. Becoming a Pirate was not something I was keen on. Becoming a Marine was too restrictive. This was the only thing I could think of. I mean there is no rule that we need a flag with crossbones to go on an adventure right?"
Smoker nodded back at this, "Too bad many people seem to have forgotten it nowadays. Some idiots think that becoming a pirate is the same as being free." He then looked at me. "How would you like to work for the Marines?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Me working for the Marines? I am afraid that I prefer to work at my own pace and don't think I could run around on orders. Not saying it is a bad thing or anything….just that it is just not my personality. Pirate Hunting gives me this opportunity. Actually if there was a Shichibukai system for Pirate Hunters, I would have tried for it."
"Heh….yeah. That would have been better. I would have liked it better to work with Pirate Hunters than with Pirates if possible as well but….we can't have it all can we." He snorted at my reply.
"You think you are at the level of a Shichibukai?" Tashigi asked while returning my sword back to me, albeit reluctantly.
"The Shichibukai level is very broad and depends on many things. Personal Strength is definitely a factor but the strength of the crew also factors in. I think I can make the cut even if barely." I said taking the sword back.
"This sword is extremely well made. Do you know its name? It is hard to believe that there are still blacksmiths who can make such wonderful swords. He must be very famous as well. Can you tell me who made it?" She said looking longingly at the sword. If I remember correctly then her dream was to collect every Meito from the hands of pirates.
She loves the swords genuinely.
"I am sorry but this sword is made by a loved one of mine. 'She' is not very famous as she made it only for me and prefers to stay in peace so I hope you understand if I don't disclose her name. This sword hasn't been named yet. Maybe I will name it something when a feat worthy of being named is done by it."
Yeah….I didn't have the heart to tell her that the sword she was drooling over was called Test Sample Number 202. I will name it something later on.
Apparently according to Roger, a Master Swordsman can make a sword Black. It is called….well Blackening. A Black sword is much stronger than its normal counterparts and much more durable. Yoru is an example of this.
Even Shisui is similar.
If I can 'Blacken' this sword, maybe I will name it something. I think something like Azazel's Aura Darkness Shining Blazer Sword or something.
Her mouth hung open slightly at the information.
"She? Oh….Then please take care of this sword. I hope you catch as many pirates as you can with this and name it something worthy of its wonderful strength and beauty." She said, staring closely in my eyes.
The intensity of the gaze was truly blinding.
"Tashigi….you are making the poor man uncomfortable." Smoker dawdled from behind her causing her to yelp and spring back.
Silence drifted on the boat. I had casted a Notice-me-not charm on the boat so it wouldn't be detected by any scrub fishmen in the area. I did find out that the Notice-me-not Charms don't work against Observation Haki.
Maybe because both of these two things work on Mana.
Smoker tried to fish for some information but I didn't say anything concrete.
I suddenly sensed my Shadow and found out that Nami was to enter Arlong Park in about ten minutes maybe.
"We have ten minutes to reach the place. Follow me." I said and then looked at Tashigi. She was lower leveled than Luffy or even Sanji. "I don't mean to insult Miss Tashigi but it would be better if we carried you. We need to reach Arlong Park soon."
"How did you know? Was there a message?" Smoker asked suddenly.
I merely smiled, "Trade Secret Captain Smoker."
He frowned a little but didn't question anything.
"C-c-carry me?"
"Don't worry, we will be there in a minute." I looked at Smoker who had already started heading forward so I picked up the now flustered girl and then kicked the ground dashing forward. I normally Shadow Walk in these situations but I need to keep these things a secret for now.
If it is revealed, I can always adjust but if it is not, I would rather keep them a secret for as long as possible. The World Government would sooner try to catch and experiment on me as soon as my abilities are found out.
I need to learn a movement technique soon. Soru will cause trouble in my future goals as it will have the World Government sniffing me.
There is a reason why the Superhuman Martial Arts is not spread out in the Pirates despite the majority of the navy being so corrupt.
The Navy is EXTREMELY strict about these crimes and the Pirates are hunted with an extra zeal.
My movement speed is very fast with my raw stats alone. My Dexterity has increased by a bit due to the Haki and Swordsmanship Training this week.
We reached the border of Arlong Park and hid there while I ordered my Shadow to start the play.
Nami entered the building soon and I used Observe on Arlong to get an idea about the strength of the fishmen.
Arlong
Race : Fishman(Swordfish)
Level : 30
Rank : Veteran
Reputation : 0
Obedience : 0
Thoughts about you : Has no idea who you are.
His racial bonus did give him more speed and better Health and Stamina regen in water.
This could have been a massive advantage along with the water controlling abilities of the Fishman Karate but….apart from Jimbei, almost no fishman ever made a name as a fighter though.
They have never pushed themselves to break their limits.
Another fact might have been that they never ate Devil Fruits. Imagine a Fishman who couldn't swim.
I mean even fucking Magikarp can swim.
Oh….that reminded me. I still had the Pokemon Egg with me.
Something to keep in mind. I think with the number of steps I have walked by now, the egg must have been ready to hatch.
The drama by Nami went quite well. Nami is a born actress. I mean she did rely mainly on this to become a thief of her caliber.
Arlong simply told her that he needed cash and as she left to get the cash, Arlong brought out the Den Den Mushi.
Jackpot.
The next conversation with Captain Nezumi was something that made Smoker gnash teeth in frustration.
Tashigi was barely in control while I was having the most fun of all.
"Let's go. It will take some time for them to arrive." I said while I picked Tashigi up without any question this time and went behind Nami.
"Umm….you can put me down now. We are at a safe distance." Tashigi said quite softly and I gave her my Gentleman smile(the one which Meredith had called creepy.) causing her blush a deed red.
"Ah….it seemed to have skipped my mind. I guess the saying that time flies by when you are having fun is quite true."
"Would you two stop flirting already?" Smoker dawdled from the side causing the poor girl to squeak and jump down from my arms.
"You don't have a girlfriend or a lover, do you, Captain Smoker?" I joked from the side causing the man to pause for a moment and then grunt in dissatisfaction not taking the bait.
"You are not denying the flirting part."
"Ara….I was merely acting like a proper Gentleman. Miss Tashigi is an incredible young woman who deserves such attention after all. It would be a sin to leave her unattended." I smiled, making the girl even more flustered.
Spending time with Rias, Akeno and Kuroka has increased my tolerance to such things by a large margin and Serafall's influence has increased my teasing. It is always fun to see everyone's reaction simply.
Tashigi reminds me of the straight-laced Sona and my inner prankster couldn't help teasing her.
The conversation stopped when I saw Nami waiting for us near a large tree.
"Did he really call the Marines to take my treasure?" she asked, a little hesitant watching the two beside me.
"Yes. Captain Nezumi was called. These two are Captain Smoker and Miss Tashigi. They witnessed the conversation and are waiting for the Marines to make an illegal charge. Your treasure is quite safe by the way as long as there is no Marine stuff in it. If that is the case then you can exchange them for 10% of the cost."
"I only steal from Pirates. I have nothing from the Marines because I was afraid to get into trouble." She replied quickly as we had already planned before. "Anyways, come on. We can wait at my house till it is time." She again looked at the two and asked, "Are you sure that they are trustworthy, Shin?"
"You don't trust us?" Smoker asked with a slight frown.
"I have no reason to. I and my entire village have been harassed by pirates for years now. I have been forced to work as a slave for those monsters and the Marines openly supported them. Even my mother who was a Marine herself was killed by Arlong, in front of my eyes, in front of my whole village and yet no one came to our aid. So please excuse me if I can't find it in myself to trust Marines anymore." She replied bitingly, shutting any scope of rebuttal off.
Even Tashigi was shocked and kept quiet.
I saw Smoker's fists clenching but he relaxed a bit and let out a large puff of smoke and kept walking forward.
The atmosphere got quiet till we reached Nami's home.
"NAMI! Is that you?" Where a light blue haired girl with tanned skin waved from the distance as she shouted.
"Nojiko. These are my friends. They will be staying for a few hours." Nami said in an even tone pointing back towards us.
She was really in a bad mood from all this.
I didn't know she had an aversion to Marines as well.
- Scene Change –
Nojiko was a brilliant host and had very friendly behavior. She easily got along with people and was very sharp as well….emotionally speaking.
She already noticed Nami tone and deduced a few things from the looks she gave us. The look she gave me was complicated. There was hope as well as a bit of suspicion. Trust but also a caution towards showing it.
Yeah….too complicated.
I had taken the opportunity to call Rindo back as Roger sailed our ship. Hawkeye and Roger stayed on the ship though.
Well good food always makes people happy and Rindo's cooking was much greater than just good.
Tangerine Sea King meat was just a delight.
I took the rest of the food for Roger and Hawkeye and left to give the two their meal while the others rested at Nami's home. Rindo decided to have some girl time together with her while Smoker was invited to the house of Genzo, the town Sheriff for the night.
After giving the two their share of the food, I took advantage of the time we were not sailing and entered the IDs. I have Armament Haki on Upgrade right now.
Between all the other skills, this is the one that helps me increase my Stats while fighting and with my low stats right now.
There are still around thirty five levels left for the Blank Class and the last ones are the most time consuming.
- Scene Change –
A full eight hours later, I exited the ID. The fights are much more difficult as I cannot just carpet bomb entire areas. I cannot afford to fight any Champion Rank Boss let alone someone at Ultimate Champion or above with my current stats.
I did manage to get twenty five levels anyways.
This leaves the last ten levels for this Blank Class left.
As soon as I left the ID, I was hit by a load of memories. My Shadow Clone was dispelled.
It seems as if the Marines arrived an hour ago and tried to rummage through the entire orchard to find the treasure.
Smoker watched hidden from the view if Nezumi would really take all the treasure to Arlong so did not interfere.
Genzo however did interfere and was shot when he tried to protest. Nojiko went to assist the man and was about to be shot as well but my Shadow Clone stopped it and was dispelled.
Crap.
Can't a man even grind simple IDs in peace nowadays? What in the fuck is wrong with this world?
I shadow walked to the place at my full speed.
The house had many people gathered around it to find out what exactly was going on.
I pushed my way inside past the crowd and reached the house just as Nojiko came out. "Genzo is safe now. He needs some rest and quiet. Please leave us alone for now."
She saw me in the crowd and nodded and I went inside.
Observation Haki has already sensed Rindo, Nami, Tashigi and Smoker inside a house with another person who I assume was Genzo perhaps.
Inside the situation was quiet.
"Shin."
"Boss."
I was greeted by the two crew members as the marines turned towards me.
"Where did you go? We really needed you here? Was that one of your magic tricks?" Nami shot out bullets of questions towards me.
"I was looking around the island and fell asleep. How is Mr. Genzo?"
"He….he is alright now. The bullet hit the heart but Rindo was able to save the day in time." Nojiko said from behind me.
I looked towards Rindo while my head ran through the possible consequences of Rindo's action. In this particular situation, I had a fair enough idea about what happened. I would have done the same thing but….the problem was who they did it in front of.
Smoker and Tashigi.
I would have immediately wiped out their memories but….there is a chance that he already reported it to others, probably to the ones at Marineford. In that case erasing his memory would bring me nothing but problems.
"It was nothing. I just used the medicine Boss made." Rindo smiled while scratching her head.
Health Potions.
I always kept a hundred of each type of potion on my Peerage members. Rindo had fifty.
"What exactly was that medicine? I have never seen anything like that." Tashigi asked curiously.
I could feel Smoker staring holes into me.
"It was a medicine I had for a while. Nothing special."
"She said you made the medicine though." Smoker pointed it out to me.
Fuck.
"I did. It is not for sale right now."
"Why? You can save so many lives with it." she countered quite aggressively.
"Perhaps because I cannot make more just wily-nily, perhaps because there is a price to pay to make things like those or perhaps I have my own reasons. I prefer to keep my secrets to myself. By the way, what exactly happened to Nezumi?"
"He was arrested because some fishmen from the Arlong Pirates came to assist him thus verifying the claims that the two sides were colluding. We will handle this matter." Smoker spoke in a neutral tone.
"Thank you. In that case we will take care of the Arlong Pirates." I replied back too.
"That won't be necessary. The Marines are preparing to surround the place and we will take care of this matter as well. This is the job of Marines." Smoker spoke in a gruff manner.
Sure. Why hand over 20 million Beri when there is a Logia user to take care of some pleb level mobs.
"In that case, we will part ways here. Thank you for your assistance. Rindo pack up. Nami, will you be leaving?" I asked the two people in front of me as I turned towards the door.
"We need you to stop for some questioning regarding this matter." Smoker stepped in front of me.
"What questions?"
"Where did you get the information about Nezumi?"
"I spied on Arlong and found out."
"You were near Baratie when you informed me. You couldn't possibly spy on Arlong then."
"I never said I did it 'then'. I merely informed you at short notice so that your Marine doesn't leak this news to cover up for this matter. It wouldn't be the first time such a thing was done after all."
Yup….Rindo shouldn't have revealed the Health Potion in front of everyone.
His eyes narrowed but I didn't give him any chance to say anything more. "Now, if you are done with the interrogation, without any proof and against the man who revealed the corruption of your side, please step aside. I have a busy schedule. There are many pirates to hunt after all."
"Mr. Shin, you are being rude." Tashigi said a bit offended.
"I might sound like it but please do tell me Miss, was any of what I said wrong?"
"The Marines never cover up such incidents?" she answered fiercely.
"And yet no such incident has ever been reported. Do you want me to believe that this was the first incident of corruption among the Marines? If so then why isn't your senior speaking? I remember a recent incident of Axe-Hand Morgan who forced a Pirate Hunter to become a pirate. Was my information on that matter wrong Captain Smoker?" I replied a little sarcastically.
Before he could speak anything, a Den Den Mushi rang breaking the tense silence of the room.
*Pero Pero Pero Pero Pero* *Pero Pero Pero Pero Pero*
Smoker picked up the call and I heard a voice from the other end.
"Is he back yet?" the voice said from the other end.
"Yes."
"Let me talk to him."
He threw the snail in my direction and I picked up the call.
"Shin Kageyami?"
"Yes."
"I am Fleet Admiral Sengoku from the Marine Headquarters."
I saw the dropped jaws of almost everyone in the room. This was after all a natural reaction. In terms of prestige, the Fleet Admiral didn't have a position inferior to the Four Emperors or even the Pirate King. So hearing the voice of such a person is bound to be a surprise for most of the people.
Smoker acted too fast.
"Sup."
I sensed the twitching eyebrows of many people in the room.
"I want to thank you for revealing the corruption among the Marines. It has helped us to solve a major black mark on our image."
As if something small like this would matter compared to the Marines whole dark history.
"No problem. I am glad to help."
"We would like to invite you to the Marines. Someone of your caliber will be a great asset in the fight against the pirates of the new world. You and your crew will be treated well."
Yeah. Nope.
I could already smell the bullshit in this sentence from a mile away. "I thank you for the invite but as I have already stated to Captain Smoke, the Marines are too restrictive for me. I prefer my freedom and thus the job of a Pirate Hunter is perfect for me. Don't worry though, I will still cooperate with the Marines."
"Hahahaha good man. We certainly appreciate men like you. I would again offer you a post in the Marines. We also have some people who are given a certain amount of autonomy regarding their work schedule. If you want, we can discuss it further."
"In that case, I will have to talk to the rest of my crew."
"Sure, I look forward to our cooperation. Captain Smoker see that this matter is taken care of properly."
"Yes Sir." The man in question replied in a stoic tone.
The call ended and the Den Den Mushi hung up and was shoved into Smoker's pocket.
As if already decided, the soldier from outside calls for Smoker and he makes an excuse to leave. Tashigi follows him as well.
A period of silence settles over the place.
"Boss, what exactly just happened here?" Rindo broke the said silence.
"Things might have gotten a bit out of hand." I said with a sigh.
"Will these Marines try to arrest us to cover it up?" Nami asked, slightly terrified.
"Normally that might have been the case but now….they saw the potion. This kind of medicine is very rare, so much so that it might probably be only of its kind normally available." I think there were the tears of Manshery maybe. "The World Government is a bunch of greedy fucks and will try everything they can to get the method for this. I am absolutely not going to let that happen. Did you give anyone the potions apart from Genzo?" I asked, turning towards Rindo.
She shook her head.
"Where is the vial of the potion that was used?"
"I….I think we threw it outside. The situation was very tense and we didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. All the guns were keeping most of our attention."
Hmm….Rindo might have gotten all the Stat boost but has no combat experience. That would make her extremely weak. I need to solve it soon.
"Will they come for us?" Nami asked again.
"The last time someone had invented something like this, the Government and Pirates had hunted them till the point that they had to keep hiding for the rest of their lives….which is till today. That was over two hundred years ago. You want to know what they would do for medicines that can bring a dying man back to full health and battle ready in moments? They would threaten anyone associated with me to threaten me. If pirates catch a hint of it, they will do worse. It was the reason I had instructed you not to use the potions in front of anyone and only in emergencies."
Will they reverse-engineer the potions? Impossible.
Ajuka couldn't do it. Merlin couldn't do it. If this so-called Marine Genius, Dr. Vegapunk can actually do something like this, I would recruit him myself.
"W-what should we do?" Nami was now frantic.
I smiled at the fact that she was not blaming Rindo or me.
"It is my fault." Rindo seems down.
She is not showing it but even with the slight personality transformation of the Modified Super Soldier Serum, she was still new to these types of things.
This was probably the first time she must have seen someone being shot in front of her.
A person dying and she is still keeping up this brave front. The normal person inside her must be under a lot of stress.
"It is not your fault, Rindo-chan." Surprisingly it was Nojiko who spoke up this time. "You had no responsibilities for our village and yet you two came here and helped Nami. Even at the cost of such precious medicines saved Genzo's life. Without you people, Genzo probably would have been dead along with me and Nami would have been drawing charts for that Bastard Arlong all her life. You people saved our lives and the lives of our whole village. Please don't blame yourself for this. What do you want us to do?" She finally turned towards me and addressed the last part.
"I would advise that both of you pack up and we leave the village. Nami is currently known as my Navigator so people will try to search for her. I will keep the Marines busy for a while until I am strong enough to keep them away. A few months at best." I need to get the Poneglyphs quick and remove a limiter on myself.
Even if the quest to remove the limiter takes longer, as long as I can gain the five poneglyphs, it's my win.
"I-I can't leave the village. Everyone here….is." Nami was getting even more frantic.
"We will leave. Do you know anywhere we can go?" Nojiko asked resolutely, putting a hand on Nami's shoulder.
I couldn't understand why she was so agreeable to my suggestions. I checked her Status again and soon saw the reason.
Affection : 40.
Obedience : 60.
Notifications were hidden when I was inside the ID to stop it from interfering in the fight.
The reasons according to the Game were her finding about what I did for Nami and then the potions made by me.
"If you want, you can come aboard with us. Genzo, do you have a problem with this?" I asked, looking at the man who was simply pretending to be asleep for a while.
He slowly opened the eyes and saw both the girls with a complicated gaze and shook his head. "I would like them to be safe. If you can promise me this much, I am fine with it. No one in the village will sell you out."
The people in the village had already known that Nami was actually working for their freedom and loved her and Nojiko with all their hearts.
"In that case, prepare as soon as you can. We will leave by afternoon." I spoke and took Rindo with me, giving the girls some time to say their goodbyes with the old man.
We got slightly away from the village and near the road towards the place where our ship was anchored.
"Don't worry about it. It was not your fault. You did the best thing you could. Sometimes things just don't go as planned. That's life."
She looked towards me and didn't speak much but I did get a notification.
+20 Affection with Rindo Kobayashi(55/100) for supporting her.
Perk Gained – [Rindo Kobayashi – 50]
[Chef's Kiss]
Increased Affection, Obedience and Reputation gains with Cooks and Chefs.
- Scene Change –
"And that is what happened." I completed telling the events to Roger.
Hawkeye gave us some privacy.
"So what are you going to do?" the man asked me in a completely normal tone but I could feel the seriousness in it.
"I was thinking of taking Nami and Nojiko with us and stay away from this place to not implicate them any further. Nami has made a reputation as a petty thief in this place and I plan to use that to make sure these people don't get involved. We will be travelling to a different place. I need a Knight for my peerage and a Doctor for our ship and I have just the person in mind for the job. It will be a good change of pace."
"What do you plan to do with the World Government and the Marines?"
"They will surely be sending someone strong to meet me. If I refuse to cooperate with them, they will try to force me or take me down. I intend to vanish from their view for a while maybe."
"Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It will endanger the girls. None of the three know how to fight and I don't think I can take an Admiral or some of the Vice Admirals. It will be dangerous to take such a risk."
*Sigh* The Mecha-Pirate King sighed.
"Think of it from a different angle. The Marines are trying to take advantage of you. As you have already told me, no one except you could make the potions, so why do you fear them reproducing them. If they are trying to take advantage of you, make sure they bleed. People can bleed in more than one way. Seesh….What would I say to Rayleigh that my student ran away from some Marine threat that wasn't even trying to kill him? On the other hand, you said you needed devil fruits. Well Marineford has at least a dozen of them at any time. Are you getting what I mean? Imagine….my student, robbing the entire Marineford Treasury Wahahahaha, now that would be something I would stick to Sengoku and Garp even in the afterlife."
By the second part of the rant, even I had my jaws slightly open. The audacity of this man. Then again he was called he was the craziest of them all.
I just couldn't resist and laughed.
I laughed without any restraint till my stomach hurt.
Rindo and Nami could be trained.
IDs are a bunch of cheats.
If I do get a good enough summon, it could even get me an awesome crew member.
"As for the girls, they can train too. I will put them through the ringer. If they don't want to fight, I am sure we could find a place for them to hide for a while." Roger continued with the rant.
Quest Added
[Catch Me If You Can]
The plebeians of this world have the audacity to try to take advantage of a Gamer. Show them their place.
Objective : Rob Marineford Treasury.
Bonus Objective : Rob Marie Geois
Reward : Main Objective :?, ?, ?.
Bonus Objective : ?, ?, ?, ?, ?.
Failure : Become a goffer for the World Government.
Accept : Y/N.
I laughed yet again as I clicked the Y option in my mind.
Even the Game is on with this plan so who was I to say anything.
"Then so be it. If they want to use me, they better be prepared to pay for it as well."
"Wahahahaha….that's my student. Well said."
And thus the student and the teacher both laughed like madmen in the middle of the ship.
- Sengoku –
Sengoku hung up the Den Den Mushi and took a serious look on his face. He was surrounded by The Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Vice Admiral Momousagi, Admiral Aokiji and Akainu.
"Is the information about this true? Did we get anything about the boy's background or his past?" Tsuru asked, looking at the now pensive Sengoku.
"No. It is like the boy appeared out of thin air. His first appearance was on the island where Buggy, The Clown was making his base. He attacked and took it down effortlessly with Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro. We still don't know the relationship between them but the two are very close."
"If he is close to Pirates then he must be brought to justice. We should capture him as soon as possible." The other people in the room scowled at the voice.
"This crew has someone at Hawkeye's level and we still don't know the power of this Shin but from his claims alone we can guess that he is at the very least at the level of a Shichibukai."
"That is just his claim? Is there even any evidence about it? For all we know the man who fought Hawkeye is the captain and this boy is a mere puppet." Aokiji interrupted this time.
"That might be the case but….the man who fought Mihawk had….the Haki of Kings." The atmosphere stilled for a moment as the people's eyes widened at the new reveal of information. "People like those don't follow commoners. If anything we should be more wary of Shin than the mysterious Swordsman."
"Arara….Haoshoku….another troublesome one appeared on the seas and in the East Blue of all places. The Kings from that place are the worst."
Roger, Garp, Dragon and now this.
None of the Haoshoku users from East Blue were people who didn't get their names at the top.
"What else do we know about this boy?" Tsuru continued progressing the conversation once more.
"He took Buggy to a Marine Base in East Blue to exchange for the Bounty. Around one and a half hour after this, he brought in Alvida, another Pirate with a 5 million Beri bounty and exchanged. According to him she was wandering around in the woods and he found her by chance. The next we know was the clash at floating Restaurant Baratie where he was seen together with Monkey D. Luffy again. This time with a Cook and a Navigator as well as the Mysterious Swordsman. He didn't participate in any fights in front of anyone and the ones he did didn't have any witnesses. From what we have obtained from the Pirates that he had brought in for the bounty, they all fainted and the next thing they knew was that they were in prison."
"Fainted? The entire crew? Haoshoku again maybe?" Aokiji inquired.
"Maybe….or perhaps a Devil Fruit. We don't know for sure. What is his attitude towards the Marines and what was his reaction to your invitation?"
"From what Captain Smoker has told me, he called Smoker when he was spying on Arlong to capture him. He found out his relations with the Traitor Nezumi and called Smoker at the Loguetown Base as it was the highest ranked base in the East Blue. This was to avoid any clashes with the Marines. He didn't try to spread the information and forwarded it to Smoker to avoid conflict…."
"I sense a but here." Momousagi concluded.
"Yes….but he did say that if the Marines won't help him, he would head there with Mihawk and use his Shichibukai privilege."
"Hmm….it could be a protective measure if Smoker was also involved with Nezumi. I could see it happening." Tsuru pondered and voiced out her thoughts.
"Could be….considering what Morgan did and drove Roronoa Zoro to piracy from a Pirate Hunter profession, it is a viable caution too. He was a bit reluctant to join the Marines as he prefers to act on his own time, as one would expect from a Haoshoku user but didn't have any ill intentions towards the Marines."
"What about the main topic here? What of this medicine that was reported by Smoker?" Tsuru questioned again.
"That is also the case. He seemed oddly defensive about it. From what was gathered from his words, it is either not easy to produce or has a secret that he doesn't want to share. Anyways, he was quite protective of this secret. The medicine itself was reported to heal a bullet wound near the heart of the victim in….mere seconds. I have also asked Dr. Vegapunk if he had any idea about this medicine but he couldn't point out anything and has displayed an interest in talking to Shin or acquiring a sample of this medicine."
"In mere seconds? Did the victim have a history of training prior to the injury or maybe a Devil Fruit user?" Aokiji asked.
"The victim was a sheriff but was merely at the level of a Navy Cadet at best and he was retired due to injuries. He had no history of Devil Fruits and is a normal man."
"What has he said?"
"He said that he would talk to his crew and reply. If anything then he had talked to Smoker about joining the Shichibukai rather than the Marines. He said if a Pirate can become a Shichibukai, then why not a Pirate Hunter? I honestly agree with it as well."
"Arara….Shichibukai you say. Quite high aspirations he has. Then again I would feel more comfortable working with a Pirate Hunter than a Pirate as well. What do you plan to do with this?"
"I say we capture him before he becomes any stronger. If someone is not with the Marines, then they are against us. Any opposition to Absolute Justice must be removed without mercy. A crew with two Haoshoku users should be finished off in the starting phase to avoid troubles in the future. We can always acquire the medicine from his dead body and Vegapunk can make it from there."
"No….if such a medicine is indeed real, then there is a possibility that a devil fruit was used in its production. This boy has done nothing yet to harm the Marines and has only tried to cooperate with us. I too agree with this thinking that a Pirate Hunter should be qualified as a Shichibukai if a Pirate can do it too. I would also like to have the support of such a person rather than a looting and murdering criminal." Momousagi said passionately.
Tsuru and Aokiji quietly stared at Sengoku.
Tsuru finally broke the tense atmosphere, "What are you planning to do with them Sengoku?"
Sengoku clasped his hands together on the table. "Garp had asked for a holiday to visit his home. I have instructed him to bring in Axe-Hand Morgan and meet Shin. If possible glean any information about him and his crew if possible. I would have offered the Shichibukai invitation if he rejected Marine invite but….there are currently no slots empty."
"Then so be it. We will talk about this matter after Garp reports."
"Till then I don't want any aggressive action against Shin or his crew." Sengoku said the last part looking at a certain person in the room in particular.
The said person let out a huff, got up and left the room.
The others in the room sighed in unison.
_x_x_
Beta Reader: LuluViBritania(FF.N, SB and QQ)/-LuluViB|99th BritannianEmperor(Discord)
Author's Note :
This one took a long time.
The workload has been a little heavy for the past few days and I haven't been able to give much time into my writing.
I am waiting for the schedule to go down to normal.
Anyways, things have started to pick up the pace.
A meal with the Greatest Swordsman in the world and the Mecha-Pirate King.
Then Smoker and Tashigi make an appearance and some flirting with the bespectacled swordswoman.
Is she in the Harem or not?
Don't know….we will see.
I do plan to associate a few girls from the Marine side with Shin as well but they all might not be in the Harem. We will see as the plot goes on.
As for the Shadow Clone getting caught up in a surprise hit. Well the nerfed stats played a part along with the surprise hit. Shadow Clones are not perfect as the user. They have their flaws. Such a thing is a strong enough possibility.
Anyways, the Marines have a lock on Shin and for a good enough reason as well and Roger being the Madlad that he is, is planning for Shin to screw them over their backs.
The plot is going to be interesting in the future to say the least.
We got Nojiko in the crew and on the side note, Shin still has the [Sin of Lust] but with no outlet this time around.
Hahahaha….wonder what will happen next.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.