"Fuaaaah." I let out a low breath as I look over a cracked knife. It looks like lightning has bloomed down its side, I turn, offering it to my teacher who is reading a newspaper.
He takes it in one hand and looks over it briefly. "Not quite. A little more heat. colder water. You are looking for a perfect balance. Just slightly out of the bounds of a 'perfect' heat and temper... but not enough to ruin the blade. It's a balancing act. Perfection in imperfection."
The old man has been teaching me how to basically torture swords for the past three weeks.
It's... kind of weird...
But he knows better than I do about making swords, I guess.
"Hey master, if we're doing this... won't the sword hate us? This is akin to... torturing a baby as it's being born in order to toughen it up as an adult? It feels... wrong..."
"I... can see the point to that. However. Swords are meant to kill. They are tools. A means to end life as quickly and efficiently as you possibly can. The cursed ones are the best at this as they even bite back at their wielders at times."
"Isn't there like... a method to create a sword using other emotions? Can you get a sword to love you? Is there an inverse to a cursed sword? Like... a blessed sword?"
"That... I do not know, kid." He seems ponderous at my question. "It sounds possible... but I wouldn't know where to begin."
I go to collect more metal for my next attempt, but something catches my eye.
Is that-
I turn, gazing at the picture on the cover of the newspaper.
A man that I know well sits there, bandages... around a stump that was once an arm as he drinks what appears to be alcohol from a wooden mug.
My eyes stray upwards as I read the headline.
"Mermaid Queen's Assassination Thwarted by Bumbling Pirates."
"What the fuck-"
[Split]
"S-Shanks! Your- YOUR ARM!" A girl with white and red hair gasps.
"It's just an Arm, Uta." He smiles.
"IT'S NOT JUST 'AN ARM'! IT'S YOUR ARM!!!" She screams, fists clenching, teeth grinding, tears stream down her cheeks.
This trip was going so well... Shanks was showing her all around fishman island... it was hard to believe that they're miles under the ocean. It's so bright.
But...
But then they got to a Plaza... a sudden fire burst from a box... some blonde mermaid lady showed up... and then shanks blurred forwards, slicing a bullet out of the air before it could hit her...
There was a fight. Then some random shark guy put a blade on his fin and dove right at her... and Shanks blocked with his body... as a result losing his arm up at the shoulder.
"We never should have come here..." She whispers. "A-ALL I DO IS JUST BRING DEATH AND DESTRUCTION! First Tot Musica... then THIS?!"
"Uta. Don't you dare say that." Shanks frowns face becoming serious. "You are the light of everyone's life, my little Diva."
He reaches out with his remaining hand and brushes her hair out of her eyes as it had begun to cling to her face due to her tears. She can barely see straight. The world is blurry as she buries her face into his chest and continues to sob.
The man just quietly brushes the back of her head with his hand.
Suddenly an idea comes to the girl.
"Wait... WAIT! Shanks! We need to go back to Dawn Island! If- If we get your arm to Shota- you're in two pieces! He could totally- he could fix it!" She gasps, trying to wipe away her tears as her eyes light up.
"Hn..." The man looks to his stump, the corners of his mouth turning downwards briefly. "It's... kind of out of the way."
"It's an ARM, Shanks! It's YOUR arm!" The girl shouts.
"Uta... you might not understand this right now... but maybe one day you will... it's better this way. For all of us."
"B-Better?! You're going to live your entire life without an arm and you say it's BETTER?!"
"There's something you don't know, Uta." Shanks tries
"THEN TELL ME!" The girl with white and red hair screams
"It'll put you in danger. A lot of danger. People will be sent to kill you if you knew... which is why I won't because I love and care for you Uta. Just know... that it's better if that old arm rots."
The girl's eyes narrow as she hops off the bed- supplied by the royal family of fishman island for Shanks to recover in- and stomps to the door.
She throws it open, glaring back. "You stubborn IDIOT!"
She slams the door behind her.
She... wishes Shota and Luffy were here... Shota'd know what to do... and by that she means he'd stick Shank's arm back on him no questions asked.
[Split]
"Hey..."
I glance back, seeing the black haired girl quietly scratching her arm beside me as she looks... not quite ashamed but a little... guilty?
"Hey Kuina." I nod as I turn back to the forge. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm fine." The girl whispers. "Better... I'm... better."
"Are you sure?" I drag the knife in my hand down the large leather strip in front of me.
"I don't know..." The girl sighs. "I... it feels nice to know everyone loves me so much I guess."
I nod slowly.
"Please." She whispers suddenly.
"Hm?"
"Teach me this... 'Haki' stuff." She continues.
"Alright." I shrug. "I'll warn you. I can't offer that much help. But I can give you direction, I guess."
"Firstly. There are three kinds of Haki. The first, and the kind I know, is called Observation. It, when mastered, allows both locate enemies by their intent to harm you and to predict an opponent's next move before they do it... but be aware, it's only their intent. An attack without intent will strike you all the same. There are advanced forms to it, the first allowing you to read someone's emotions, the next? Actual future sight."
"is that what you have?"
"No. I can't even willingly activate regular Observation Haki, let alone advanced... though I believe I actually have a variant of the future sight. More 'Fortune Teller's sight'. From what I can tell, even less controllable, but inversely can peer much further into the future."
"Regardless, Observation Haki is probably the only one I can even mildly coach you on despite the fact that I'm still an utter novice. It'll take a lot of time to even get to my level, of course, I have been training since I was four... which was three- almost four years ago, by the way."
"How do I learn it? And what are the other types of Haki?"
"The other types of Haki are Armament, in which you reinforce your body or items with spiritual strength. This one is far more relevant to you as you can make swords 'black blades' which make them a lot stronger. It has advanced forms as well, but I'm unfamiliar with them. The final form of Haki... you either have it or you don't. Some people are born with it and that's it. It's basically just... a spiritual pulse which knocks out people who are weak around you."
"Hn." The girl hums. "So not something I'd be interested in."
I refrain from mentioning Advanced Conqueror's Haki... or mentioning that she's probably too weak-willed for it to manifest. I'll be keeping those thoughts to myself.
"As for learning observation?" I turn giving her a deadpan stare. "Put on a blindfold and have someone repeatedly hit you with a Bokken until you start to be able to dodge. No. I'm not joking."
I turn back to my knife. "It has been said that animals are easier to learn the intent of because they inherently lack deception... but I'd trust a human to hold back more than I would a wolf."
[Split]
"BWAHAHAH!" The door to the forge swings open. "It's time, Brat! You're gonna meet your new brother and see if I'll let you continue to make swords! Better not lose!"
"You know, it's kind of cruel to make me beat up my brothers to continue my passion. Also. Luffy. How do I hurt him when he's made of rubber? Can I bring a knife?"
"No! No weapons! Only fists! Like true men!" The man booms.
"Then... how do I beat Luffy?" I ponder aloud as I tilt my head slightly. "I... guess I could stretch his body out and tie him up... but that'll require me to be far stronger than he is. Not just enough to beat him up."
"Bwahaha that's just something YOU have to figure out!" With that, seeing as how I'm not in the middle of doing anything, he picks me up by the scruff and begins running away from the village.
[Split]
My hair ruffles as we abruptly jolt to a halt. I'm not really sure how long he was running, maybe five or ten minutes?
Regardless, he drops me onto the forest floor and I shakily get my legs under me like a newly born horse.
"SHOTA!" A high pitched and familiar voice shouts
I sidestep the dive-tackle of a straw-hat wearing boy who crumples to the ground just behind where I was standing.
Huh...
Shanks did give him that hat.
I find my eyes straying to a new boy, black hair, calculating gaze, he seems to be sizing me up.
"Who're you?" He grumbles.
I point to Garp with my thumb. "His other grandson."
"..."
"Actual or kidnapped?" The boy asks.
"Wait... what?" I blink.
"Shota's my big bro!" Luffy cheers.
"The old man has a habit of stealing children." The black haired boy deadpans.
THUD
He crumples to the floor, clutching his head as Gramps appears behind him. "OI OI What are you doing making me sound like some crook child kidnapper?!"
"Shitty old man! You always do this!" The boy shouts up at him.
"YEAH!" Luffy shouts. "STOP HITTIN US!"
"Why can't you two brats be more like Shota here?!" The man growls.
"So. What's your name?" I ask as the black haired boy picks himself up.
"Ace." He simply states. "The old man says your strong."
"For a kid, maybe." I agree. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do to you, but Gramps literally said that I can't follow my hobby anymore if I lose to you so I won't be pulling my punches."
His eyebrow twitches slightly. "Hah?! You're pretty damn arrogant for just a little kid!"
"Bwahahah!" The man with greying hair laughs. "There's only one way to find out if he can back it up! Come on! Fight! I bet we've all got things to do today! The sooner we beat out the pecking order the earlier I can go back to teaching you brats how to fight better!"
My eyes briefly stray to the side. "Is that an official 'start' or a 'I'll say go' sort of start-"
I duck to the side, narrowly avoiding a fist from the brat who had cleared the distance between us. "Alright, damn. We're starting, then."
There's a small twinge of danger as I avoid a kick by crouching, then I slam a punch into the boy's gut that folds him over.
My other hand slams into his chin hard enough to lift him from the ground.
He falls backwards.
"..."
"..."
"..."
He doesn't get back up.
"Huh?" I blink down at my fist.
Maybe... doing all that smithing with weights on my body... wasn't a waste...
"Hah?" My grandfather blinks. "You knocked him out in two punches? Bwaahahah! I'm never letting the brat live that down! You've gotten pretty damn strong, Shota! How'd you do it?"
"Training weights?" I weakly grin
"Hah?" He blinks.
"I kind of... fused the weight of big rocks into some arm-bands... then started wearing them as often as I could when I was blacksmithing?"
He blinks twice, then grins slightly, eyes practically glowing. "Ooooh? Is that so? Don't you care about stunting your growth?"
"..."
"Gramps, you've over nine feet tall. That's got to be hell around doors, right? I'm not looking to be an absolute giant. I'll be satisfied being merely six feet tall at most." I huff, crossing my arms. "So... can I go back to making swords now? He's stronger than Luffy, right? So that means I'm also stronger than Luffy?"
"You take that back!" The boy shouts.
"Do you also want to get punched?" I raise my fist threateningly.
His lips thin as he looks away, sweat forming on his brow.
The old man yawns, sticking in finger in his ear. "Yeah yeah. You're definitely above where I expected you."
He shoos me with a hand. "You can find your own way back, right? I need to intensify Ace's training if you could beat him in just two punches. I was expecting you to need ten or twenty."
"Thanks gramps!" I cheer as I turn and begin to rush away.
It would take me another ten hours before I manage to find my way back to Shimotsuki Village.
[Split]
A muscular man with greying hair sits in a bar, silently nursing a glass of whisky.
Thunder booms overhead as the bar doors swing open. A cloaked figure dripping with water steps inside, walking to the bar with heavy thudding steps. "Garp."
"Haaaah." The drinking man sighs. "You shouldn't be here, brat."
"Yes." The cloaked man replies. "But. Someone I know gave me some information. Something that I can't act on."
"Hah? Something that you can't act on?" The old man huffs.
"It would be a waste of resources with little gain... and would draw far too much attention. But. I can see the target of this information being a future pain in the ass. So I am taking the one path in which it gets dealt with... without me even lifting a finger."
A piece of paper is slapped on the bar. "This is a final favor to Sengoku. I owed him one."
With that, the cloaked figure turns and walks away.
Garp glances down at the paper, seeing a drawing of some sort followed by a portrait of some man with sunglasses and a bowl cut.
"Marine Code... Zero. One. Seven. Four. Six. Rosinante. Commander from Hq..."
"MARINE TRAITOR."
The glass shatters in his hand, waves of crackling intent explodes outwards.
He remembers this well...
His friend crying his heart out as he got a report of a 'criminal', his adoptive son's body.
Every time he sees him... he can see the mark that left on him. He's not sure if such a wound will ever heal.
"So... a little pirate thinks he can play spy in the marines?" The old man's teeth grit.
He rises from the stool. Conqueror's haki seeping from his body.
[Split]
There is a knock at the door of the training field.
A man with a seagull hat stands in the center, hands folded behind his back, his head turns as he calls out over his shoulder. "Enter!"
A man enters, thin, marine captain coat draped around his shoulders. "You wished to speak with me, Fleet Admiral?"
He has a rice ball stuck to his cheek... an entire rice ball... with only a single bite taken it out of.
"I apologize for dragging you out here." The man with a seagull hat begins, eyes closing as he takes a deep breath. "My office was painted recently and the fumes were giving me quite the headache."
"It is no issue, Fleet Admiral." The sunglasses wearing man with a bowl cut bows his head slightly.
There's a brief silence between the two before the fleet admiral breaks it.
"You know, I do have a question about one of your reports... you were one of the first marines on the scene for that incident on Minion Island in the north blue, correct?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral." A look of sorrow briefly crosses his face. "An estimated two hundred civilians were killed that day."
"Hm, it was a tragedy indeed." The man with a seagull hat nods twice. "so many lives were lost that day... an avoidable tragedy... though there are some slight inconsistencies in your report. I could have sworn the first time I read that report... it said that you were a part of the marine contingent that was stationed on the island, yet... when I checked later it appeared that you arrived later with Tsuru's armada."
"Over the past two months I have been carefully watching you... I keep noticing all of these... inconsistencies." He continues. "And that makes me wonder... if you never existed would my son have returned to me?"
"Well, Vergo? Officer of the Doflamingo Pirates?" The fleet admiral turns, clouds overhead darken as he glares down at the marine officer, he stiffens, legs tensing, armament haki briefly sparking around his hand-
Sengoku clears the distance between them in an instant; his skin glows gold as a bright aura surrounds his palm.
Spittle leaves Vergo's mouth as his ribs crunch, the training field's dirt craters and splits into numerous crevasses as the marine traitor is buried deeper and deeper into the earth.
Sengoku's hands shake briefly before he reins in his emotions. "Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
A third man hops from a nearby rooftop where he was watching, he wears a red suit with a white coat around his shoulders. "Yes, Fleet Admiral?"
"Do you think less of me for losing my temper?" Sengoku ponders.
The vice admiral shakes his head. "No, Fleet Admiral. I personally believe that you didn't go far enough. You should have slain him where he stands for daring to taint what it means to be a marine. For daring to sell out our own. But... I can still feel that he's alive?"
"At times... death is a mercy." The fleet admiral simply states as he turns and walks away. "I am giving you this task. Toss this filth into the deepest pits of Impel Down. Inform Magellan that I expect this prisoner to receive... preferential... treatment."
"Yes, Fleet admiral." The magma logia nods, accepting his answer and his wisdom for what it is. Perhaps at times... death is a mercy that pirates are undeserving of.
[Split]
Even breaths leave my lips as I march forwards, a massive sack of firewood on my back.
It's experiment day.
Today's the day I'm going to just try a bunch of random bullshit with my devil fruit and see what works!
Step one?
I chopped down a tree, cut it up, and fused some firewood together.
It's getting easier to do that, at least.
I thought the old man was fucking crazy, telling me to chop down a tree with a fucking katana... but... it actually seems to be working somewhat. Huh...
Sure, it takes a few swings to split a log, but... firewood without an axe.
I've got an entire list of things I want to try out with my fruit.
First?
Fuse the firewood before I make it into charcoal and compare it with normal charcoal.
That's kind of just covering my bases here. I know I can already fuse two pieces of charcoal into something that burns twice as hot twice as long- but it is exhausting, about as exhausting as that whole 'fuse bananas and apples into an entirely new fruit tree' kind of exhaustion.
But. Super-charcoal has its uses. Mainly melting shit to make ingots.
Have to be a bit careful, though, as it'll ruin a forge if you don't do something to enhance its durability.
Though...
I wonder...
Charcoal, Sulfur, Saltpeter.
That's the recipe for black powder... I wonder what would happen if I made some gunpowder with my fused coal.
Would it be better?
Would it be weaker until I add some fused sulfur and saltpeter?
Am I overcomplicating it when I could reasonably just fuse two canisters of black powder together to get the same result?
No clue.
Anyways, after testing the wood-wood charcoal in comparison to wood charcoal that has been fused into charcoal-charcoal, I plan to do the same to ore. Then ingots. Then I might as well finally fuse two swords together and see what happens.
*CLACK*
As I walk through the forest, my head turns as I hear a sound, I can see two boys fighting, the first with some very memorable green hair, the next? Some boy with tanned skin and silver hair.
The most noticeable thing about the fight would be the green haired boy is holding six bokkens, three in each hand.
I let out a low huff. "Oi. Green Bean. You got enough swords? Or are you going to start holding one in your mouth, too?"
The two boys freeze as my sudden interjection.
"Wh-" the silver haired one whispers. "Who are you?!"
"I'm old man Shimotsuki's apprentice. He's teaching me to blacksmith." I respond. "But you. Green haired kid. You should really only be using two swords. Holding three handles in each hand is probably a pain, right?"
"It's the weight." The boy frowns. "It's heavier like this."
"Pfft- by what? A pound? Two? You know what? If you're so intent on weight training, I'll help you. Can I see one of those bokken for a second?"
His gaze becomes mildly cautious, but his curiosity seems to get the best of him. He shuffles his grip until he's holding five swords and tosses one to me.
I snag it out of the air. "Alright. Let's see..."
I look around eventually spying what I was after. A large rock the size of a treasure chest. "Ah! That'll do!"
I walk over and press the handle to the rock. "Fuse."
There's a brief flash as the sword is shoved into the rock... then only the sword remains.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" The green haired kid gasps, even the white haired boy looks shocked.
I look over it, give it a single swing and let out a low hum, then lazily toss it underhanded towards the two boys, its tip spears into the earth slightly from the way I tossed it.
"There. Give it a try."
"Wh- no! What did you just do! Where did the rock go?!"
"I ate a devil fruit. They exist." I hum as I turn and continue walking. "Got special powers... but I can't swim anymore."
He slowly approaches the wooden sword and reaches out to it, then with a small grunt he lifts it, being forced to do so with both hands.
"W-What?"
"Zoro! Zoro let me try!" The other boy exclaims.
[Split]
"Alright, let's see the wood-wood charcoal." I whisper under my breath.
I crack open the mound, reaching in and pulling out a fistful of charcoal as it turns my hands black.
Instantly upon mere touch I can tell something is... off...
'huh?'
Normally when I touch something, I sort of get a feeling on if I could fuse it or not. Merely yes or no.
But this?
I can... fuse it?
I compare two pieces of charcoal, a frown on my lips. One from the pile of fused wood turned into charcoal, and the other two pieces of normal charcoal that I had fused.
The fused wood charcoal is... worse than the fused charcoal.
But better than normal charcoal by about thirty percent.
And... and I can fuse it...
But... that doesn't really make sense.
Unless, of course...
This doesn't count as the same 'item' anymore after being turned into charcoal...
In that case... could I fuse two hunks of ore, melt those into bars, then fuse the bars, make it into a sword... then fuse the swords?
It would drain resources like crazy... but that... might make a sword roughly sixteen times more durable than a normal sword?
Wait...
Even better idea...
What happens when I fuse a devil fruit... with a seed?
A grin slowly crosses my lips.
Well now~ I've got to get my hands on a devil fruit, then, now don't I?