image [https://i.imgur.com/sWdMFX3.png]
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It is said that God is a being with the power to establish peace, create order and even unite people with a single breath. If you ask some, they’d say he’s an infinite being with the power to anything, if you asked others, they’d probably tell you his existence is just an expensive sham, merely a concept created by man.
With that being said, I have a question for those who believe him to be nonexistent.
How many people do you think have fought the urge to commit sin, simply because they believed they’d go to hell for doing so? To be more specific, and a bit extreme, how many murders do you think were prevented merely because of words from a man they’ve never met? I’m no gambling man, but even I’d wager quite the hefty number.
I say that to say, if someone can establish that kind of order with a mere mention of his name, then… he’s real enough, isn’t he?
At least, that’s what I think.
***
Akuma had gathered everyone with urgency, signaling that it was time to address the elephant in the room. The others gulped in anticipation, unsure what the hell he was talking about but at the same time worried by how serious he sounded.
While Kyoko was still in a death-like state in the sleeping quarters of the ship, the remaining members of the crew assembled into the ship's deck, their expressions that of curiosity as well as concern for what Akuma was about to reveal.
“We need to assign roles…”
“W-What do you mean?” they chorused, their confusion visible.
Akuma explained, his voice steady but urgent.
“There are seven of us, six if we exclude Finral, and we will exclude Finral. If we’re going to find the treasure at the end of this world, we need to discuss our respective roles.” He scanned the faces of his crew, searching for understanding amidst the bewilderment.
Arthur, puzzled, interjected, “Trea…sure?” His brow furrowed, and he crossed his arms, clearly struggling to connect the dots. “I thought we were trying to find a dragon…”
Meanwhile, Shibo nodded along, attempting to hide the fact that he was completely lost, unable to understand the conversation as he spoke only the language of “Enochish”, the official tongue of Sparta. His eyes darted between the others, hoping to catch a hint of what was being discussed.
“Don’t overthink it.” Tenshi reassured the confused Arthur, convinced that his brother had long since lost his grip on reality.
“Let’s get the obvious roles out the way… I’ll be the captain, Rin will be the doctor, and I guess Arthur can be our swordsman.”
“What do you mean ‘I guess’…?”
Arthur held out his Arondight, the blade he kept on him at all times.
“…I am a swordsman!”
Tenshi chuckled, leaning forward with a playful glint in his eye.
“Look at the bright side Arthur, at least you made the list.”
He then shot Arthur a playful wink, trying to diffuse the tension, but it only seemed to deepen the furrows on Arthur’s brow.
“Right, because being chose to help find this treasure is suuuch an honor.” Arthur retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “What’s next? A treasure map drawn by a panda? …I’m going back to bed.”
The momentary gathering of the group, which felt like a council meeting, quickly fell apart. Akuma called out, but his words went unheard as the others dismissed him, convinced he had lost his mind. He felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, his dreams of discovering the One Piece seemingly dashed.
Just then, Alice began to gently pat his head, offering comfort.
“There, there.” she cooed, prompting Akuma to feign sobs, hoping to prolong her kindness.
“By the way, Alice…” he paused his act of sorrow to address her. “…Do you happen to have a device from Victor? Something that could help Shibo understand us?”
In truth, Akuma had the ability to comprehend Shibo and could even respond if he tapped into the Akashic Records, the first divine item created by God. However, he decided to limit its use, as it forced him to relive the horrific torture the librarian had him go through. Not to mention he hated looking at it. It had been about three days since his return to this world, meaning by now his soul was inside his mortal body for too long, significantly reducing his tolerance to trauma.
“Um…” Alice pondered, her tone surprisingly calm compared to her interactions with the rest of the group. It seemed she felt more at ease with the self-proclaimed god. “…Oh right! I almost forgot.”
She cupped her hand, looking up at the small creature perched on her head as if she were about to retrieve something important. In an unexpected turn, the tiny panda’s belly began to swell, and it promptly released what looked like a collar.
He gazed at Alice in a moment of awkward silence, uncertain if he was expected to wear it. It wasn’t the collar itself or the concept that troubled him, but the drool and slime that came with it that made him feel uneasy.
“I’m flattered Alice, but I uh… think I’ll pass…”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Flustered by the thought of giving Akuma a collar, she stammered, “N-No. It’s for Shibo. If he wears this, he’ll be able to understand any language, and anything he says will automatically be translated to the language of the gods. Victor asked me to give it to him, but… I completely forgot.” As she spoke the last part, she turned away, likely feeling embarrassed.
Meanwhile, the sight of her brought tears to Akuma’s eyes, her adorableness almost glowing.
“Hey, jellybean!” Akuma called out.
Although Shibo couldn’t comprehend his words, like anyone would when their name is shouted, he instinctively looked for the source. Though “jellybean” wasn’t actually his name.
“You’ll need to put that on.” Akuma clarified, gesturing toward the saliva-covered collar.
Naturally, Shibo was not keen on the idea of wearing something slimy. He wrinkled his nose in distaste, his head leaned back as if trying to push it away with his mind. The thought of having something so unappealing around his neck was enough to make him squirm.
Fortunately, Rin, who was close by, stepped in to help. With a look that was both resolute and kind, she approached them. “Let me try something.” she offered, her voice calm and reassuring. With a graceful flick of her wrist, she called upon her powers, and a gentle blue glow surrounded the collar. The trio watched in astonishment as the saliva seemed to evaporate into thin air.
Rin explained that she had created a field of vitality around the collar, enhancing the wind in the area. Essentially, she had conjured a miniature tornado from a simple breeze. Initially, her abilities were limited to healing, but she had recently been honing her skills to amplify the strength of things. This, however, was the extent of her current capabilities.
With the collar now looking much cleaner -at least on the surface- the two struggled to fasten it around Shibo’s meaty neck, while the others waited in anticipation for him to speak.
By the way, the ones who forced the collar around his neck were Akuma and Rin.
“Wh-Wh…” Shibo went, the others watching with bated breath, eager for him to finally speak. The scene was reminiscent of parents anxiously observing their child’s first attempts at speech, each one silently wishing for a “dada” or “mama” to break the silence.
The three most eager ones -Akuma, Tenshi and Arthur- felt prompted to lean in closer, their ears straining to catch every word, their heads almost touching as they listened intently.
“…WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING!!!”
The sudden outburst sent shockwaves through the trio, causing them to wince in pain as they clutched their ears, trying to soothe their throbbing eardrums.
“Oh my!” Rin exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight. “It actually worked.” Alice’s expression mirrored her surprise, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“MY EARS, YOU FATTY!!” the three shouted in unison, their irritation palpable after the loud roar.
“S-Sorry about that, guys.” Shibo said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. “It’s just that since we boarded this ship, no one has filled me in on what’s going on. Actually, you guys have been treating me like the plague, so I was beginning to think you didn’t like me… Well, captain? Where are we going?”
Akuma turned his gaze away, his cheeks a hint of red having actually been referred to s “Captain”.
“I-I didn’t actually expect you to call me captain. I must admit, it has a rather nice ring to it… But we’re heading to the island west of here, the one closest to Troy. Apparently, there’s a dragon there that will take us to the spirit realm.”
“I see… But if that’s the case, it’ll take at least a month, maybe even two. Did anyone stock up on supplies? …For two months? …And seven people?”
“……….”
It was at that moment they realized just how incompetent they were as a crew. Akuma in particular realized he wouldn’t survive a week as a pirate and was a failure to his hero, Luffy. They had boarded Victor’s ship without a second thought, and now they faced the grim prospect of starvation at sea. Starvation at sea dammit! But then, a glimmer of hope sparked in Akuma’s mind. Victor was a Royal Deck, and one of the sharpest ones at that. Surely, she had made provisions for this journey.
“Everything will be fine, Team Akuma!” he declared, standing tall to project the image of a true captain.
His crew looked to him, their expressions filled with anticipation for a miracle.
“We will make it through this!”
He led them to the ship's kitchen, where instead of a conventional fridge, they discovered a remarkable device designed to convert oxygen into food, mimicking both its flavor and nutritional value -an ingenious invention by Victor, as indicated by the small instruction card hanging to the side.
“Oh, so that’s what it was…” Tenshi remarked, finally grasping its function as Akuma read the instructions aloud. “I thought it was just a soda machine and didn’t pay it any mind.”
Arthur, puzzled by this comment, asked, “Soda machine?” to which Tenshi responded with another playful wink, leaving Arthur even more confused.
After finishing the instructions, Akuma eagerly pressed the large red button at the center of the device before shouting “Nerd Burger!”, only for it to explode, sending a blast that primarily engulfed him. After an awkward silence, he checked the back of the instructions card to be met with a message that said “Just a prototype. Has a 1/715 chance of exploding. Or something like that.”
“1/715! The hell kinda odds are that!?” Akuma exclaimed.
“S-Sorry… That might’ve been my fault.” Came Shibo, hoping to alleviate the sudden anger that befell the group at the absurd probability. “…M-My luck’s always been pretty garbage.”
“Your garbage luck seems to be singling me out!”
Akuma, desperate, decided to use his empower to fix the machine. No matter how certain its destruction, he could restore it. But just as he began, a massive fish suddenly phased through the right wall, effortlessly gliding through the air as it devoured the machine whole and vanished through the opposite wall.
“What the hell was that?!” Akuma shouted, ready to leap into the water and retrieve the machine from that blasted fish himself.
“A machicarp…” Alice replied calmly, as if his attendant. “…They primarily feed on metal and can phase through most materials. That’s why Victor had this ship made from wood. However, it’s quite rare to see one so far from Troy.”
The others turned their disdainful gazes toward Shibo, their expressions a mix of disbelief and annoyance.
“S-Sorry about that.” he muttered, feeling the weight of their frustration.
They returned to the ship's main deck, where the open air welcomed them with a refreshing breeze as they began to formulate their plans.
“So, we set sail from here.” Arthur explained, gesturing towards the harbor of Bushin. “I doubt we’ve traveled too far, since this vessel isn’t exactly designed for speed.” He traced a circle around the large island to the south-west, known as Amazonia. “We’ll need to make a stop there to gather some supplies.”
“I suppose that means Shibo will be our negotiator, right? He’s the only one fluent in the local language.” Akuma thought aloud.
Shibo felt a wave of reluctance wash over him, his face turning dark and lifeless at the thought of having to engage with others. Social interactions were never his strong suit, as he had grown up without any friends. His communication skills were largely drawn from past lives but even then, we’re talking breadcrumbs worth of social skills.
“Actually, I can handle it.” Arthur interjected, allowing Shibo to breathe a sigh of relief. “Though I hail from Chamelot, I’ve picked up quite a few languages. As the eldest son of the Pendragon family, it’s my duty to set a good example.”
“You’re really proud of that family, huh…” Came Rin, slightly annoyed that he kept referring to it.
By the way, it’s probably important to note that Victor had advised Arthur to gather supplies before their journey, but Arthur had other motives. He was eager for an opportunity to encounter the Amazons, the legendary tribe of stunning women. It was said that a man stepping foot on their land would be seen as declaring war, and yet this was a risk Arthur was willing to take. Naturally, he kept this intention to himself, and with most of the crew having been from another world, they were none the wiser.
“By the way Akuma, how did you know that Victor left a device for Shibo?” Alice, intrigued, turned to Akuma. Her question piqued the interest of the others, who also looked at him expectantly. “Well…?” they urged, eager for an explanation.
Akuma regarded them with an expression that suggested he was both wise and dignified, or maybe the correct term was just pompous. After a moment of silence, he finally replied,
“Well… That’s just normally how it goes in anime.”
“……………………….”