"I'm just getting started, old man," I reply with an eager grin as I activate my Berserker cyber ware, causing my skin to turn red as small clouds of steam begin pouring out of my pores.

That wasn't the extent of the changes occurring because of the berserker, as I felt my blood rushing through my veins with unprecedented speed, and I also felt my organs etch as they began to heal from the damage they suffered at incredible speed.

'I feel faster, stronger, and tougher, but it's still isn't enough to beat this old geezer,' I think to myself as I disappear from where I'm standing, appearing in front of the old pirate without even having to use Soru.

My fist moves incredibly fast even as Chinjao crosses his hand in front of his chest to block my attack, the force of my punch sending him sliding backward, but he did not seem to have suffered any damage.

I disappeared and appeared behind him this time, slashing at his back with my sword, but he managed to coat his back in Haki and turned around for a quick counter-attack.

I saw his attack coming and managed to dodge it this time. Thanks to the boast from activating berserk.

I dodged again and delivered another hit to his abdomen, which was protected by Haki once again, causing me to sigh in annoyance as I disappeared, avoiding another counter-attack.

I make some distance between us as I retrieve my gun, firing three bullets, and rush towards the old pirate again, appearing behind him before the bullets reached him as Chinjao coated his hands in Haki, preparing to deflect the projectiles.

"Zekku (Absolute Void)," I shouted at the top of my lungs, swinging the blade of my sword at the old pirate's open back as he was busy deflecting the bullets, causing him to cover his back with Haki.

The old pirate's Haki that was covering his back wasn't as strong as it should have been because his old age didn't allow him to use so much Haki simultaneously as his fists were covered in Haki as well.

This situation allowed my sword to overcome his Armament Haki and leave a long, red gash on his back. That said, however, the wound was barely deep enough to cause some pain and bleeding and wasn't anything serious.

And if that wasn't enough, then the fact that I couldn't dodge his counterattack because of how much force I've put into the swing should be a good enough testament to how overpowered Haki was.

Chinjao's fist hit me square in the head, pushing me to the ground and creating a crater beneath me, but the old geezer didn't want to give any room to breathe, kicking me on my sides while channeling both Haki and shock wave through his foot, and sending me flying into a pillar.

'I don't know how much more of this beating I can take,' I think to myself as I get up from the rubble. 'But I definitely feel like I'm about to grasp something soon, as long as I grit my teeth and endure for a while longer,' I concluded in my head as I grabbed my dislocated shoulder and returned it to its socket with a sickening pop.

"You should stop before you get yourself killed, brat," Chinjao said with a frown while watching me fix my dislocated shoulder.

"Rehahaha, the hell are you talking about, old man? I only need to endure for a little while longer until you die of old age," I replied with a loud laugh as I threw myself at him again.

-0-

"I can't take this anymore! Kozue and I will take care of Chinjao's grandsons while you help the Captain, Wilson," Laffite said with a frown as he raised his red cane, pointing it towards Sai, preparing to launch an attack.

Wilson reacted quickly, one of his hands holding Laffite's arms while the other grabbed his head from behind as he tripped Laffite and buried the navigator's head into the ground.

"I already told you to shut your mouth and keep watching, Laffite," Wilson said with a grin. "I guess you can keep watching from down here, so do that and stop trying to get in the way of other people's fun," The four-armed Gorilla added, causing Laffite to grit his teeth as he raised his head to watch the fight again, without saying anything else.

"I don't care what you have to say, Wilson. If it looks like the captain is in danger, then I will help him even if I have to get through you first," Kozue said from the side in a warning tone, her expression one of concern.

"There won't be a need for that," Wilson replied with a snort of disdain, his expression one of dismissiveness.

-0-

The stalemate of attacking, dodging, and counterattacking has been going on for what felt like fifteen minutes now.

I've lost count of how many times the old pirates, Haki-infused shock waves, have hit me, causing me to come closer to both grasping armament Haki and the limit of my endurance.

All of this has led me to this very moment as I lay in yet another rubble. 'Just how many damn pillars are in this room,' I think to myself with an internal sigh as I try to get up, my right arm hanging loosely on my side as blood continuously leak from all of my orifices.

I get up and stand on my feet after some struggle, but my berserk mod chooses this very moment to go on cooldown, deactivating and causing me to stagger as I leaned my good hand on my knee, panting as I did.

'Fucking anime protagonists, they make this shit look so easy,' I think to myself with a smile as I force myself to stand upright, looking at Chinjao, who was covered in bruises cuts all over his body, but he was still standing strong, not even nearly as injured as I am.

'Well, this is it. I'm already at my limit. I can only take one more shock wave before I pass out,' I think to myself, but my smile never leaves my face.

'There is only one thing left to try at this point,' I concluded as I began charging towards the old pirate again while chanting in my head.

'Sudden enlightenment is the rooting and flowering of all heavenly wisdom,' I chanted inside my head, feeling the pain from my tattered body disappear from my mind instantly.

'with the root of wisdom as my hilt and its flower as my blade,' I continued charging while chanting in my head, feeling as if Satori's hilt had fused into my hand, becoming one with it as my eyes closed involuntarily.

'There is nothing I can not cut!' My eyes open again as I become close enough to slash the old pirate with my sword, my body moving on its own and dodging his fists.

"Satori no Kakyoko (song of sudden enlightenment)," I shouted at the top of my lungs, suddenly feeling enlightened as a force from within me came gushing out, manifesting as a black layer, coating my arm and sword's blade as I slashed at the Chinjao's chest.

Although the old pirate reacted quickly, covering his chest with Haki as well, it did not do him any good as I felt my blade overcome the protective Haku layering, cutting into Don Chinjao's flesh and causing him to collapse on the floor as I moved passed him, almost falling from exhaustion myself.

I planted my sword into the ground and reached into my belt, retrieving a small, cylindrical container filled with concentrated poison, gulping it down as I turned around to look at the collapsed and bleeding form of Don Chinjao.

"Are you okay, captain?" said Laffite as he appeared in front of me with a quick application of the Soru technique, watching with a raised eyebrow as my wounds healed at a visible rate.

"Oh? It looks look I made you guys worry about me. Sorry about that," I remarked with a smile while looking at Kozue as she too made her way towards me after making sure that Sai and Boo wouldn't try something funny.

"Just a little bit," Kozue said with a smile, watching me take out two more Poison vials adown them in one gulp, throwing the containers to the ground after I do so.

"Well, as you can see. I'm perfectly fine," I stated while rotating my right arm that was hanging loosely on my side just a minute earlier.

"If you had that vial, then why didn't you use it from the beginning instead of acting recklessly like that," Kozue asked scoldingly, causing Wilson, who was keeping an eye on Chinjao's two grandsons, to snort in disdain while Laffite merely smiled.

"Rehahaha, now where would be the fun in that?" I replied with a loud laugh. "Besides, it wasn't for nothing, look," I added as I raised my fist in front of my face while coating it with Hardening Haki, causing it to turn black while making the sound of metallic clang as it did.

"It looks like our business here is done. Let's get out of here," I said while watching Sai and Boo kneel in front of their grandfather, checking on his wounds.

-0-

"Are you sure it's okay to leave like this?" Kozue asked, her hands on the hilt of her sword as she kept her eyes on the collapsed Don Chinjao.

"The old coot wasn't fighting with the intent to kill, and it's not like we're leaving empty-handed," I replied with a shrug. "So there's no point in staying here any longer," I added with a smile, turning around and walking towards the exit.

"Wait, brat," I had to halt my steps and turn around as I heard the old pirate's voice.

"What do you want, old man? You're already half-dead, so come look for me later if you still wish to fight," I remarked as I turned around, watching Chinjao push away his two grandsons and stand up with a grunt.

"That deal of yours, I'll accept it. What do you want in return?" The old pirate said with a grave expression as Boo went to call a doctor.

"Someone's quick to change their minds, eh? But, unfortunately, I already have what I wanted from you," I said, raising my fist and coating it in Haki.

"You've still yet to learn the Observation, and you Haven't mastered Conquerors Haki yet either, brat," Chinjao said, trying to bargain.

"I know somewhere where I can learn Observation without having to deal with a stubborn, old coot like you," I said with a smirk while waving my hand dismissively. "And I'm sure I can master Conquerors on my own sooner or later," I added while shrugging my shoulders.

"The only one being stubborn here is you, punk," Don Chinjao replied with a scowl. "So be it, you brat. I'll give you something to sweeten the deal. Sai, go and get the thing I brought back with me," He ordered calmly, causing Sai to look hesitant, but a firm glare from his grandfather was all it took for him to move with haste.

"It can't hurt to take a look at you have, at least," I said with a smile, watching as two doctors burst into the room with Boo, promptly rushing towards the old pirate.

It didn't take Sai long to return, a small wooden chest in his hands, which he handed to me after his grandfather gestured him to do so.

I took the box with a frown, opening it promptly and causing my frown to become more pronounced at the sight of a devil fruit. It looked like a pineapple, except it was black with a red stem on top of it, and it had red swirls intertwining its pumps.

"This is?" I asked as I raised my head, looking at Don Chinjao, who was being tended to by the doctors Boo had brought.

"This a devil fruit that wasn't registered in the devil fruit encyclopedia. I've found it during my expedition," the old pirate explained, unflinching as the doctors began sewing the gash on his torso.

"Unregistered, you say?" I asked in confusion, as I'm sure I've seen a devil fruit that looked identical to this one in my devil fruit encyclopedia.

"That is correct. I've checked the encyclopedia myself and found nothing like it," Don Chinjao replied in a clear tone, making it clear that there is no mistake about the devil fruit registration status.

"I had intended to auction it off along with several other items I've procured during my expedition at first," the old pirate explained. "But then a greedy brat like you had to come and make me an offer I couldn't pass on," he concluded while glaring at me.

"Well, I'll take the fruit and swing by tomorrow to iron out the details, since you look like you're about to die at any second. You should really take better care of your body, old man," I replied with a shameless smile as if it wasn't me who just slashed his chest.

"It's too one hundred years early for you to worry about my health, brat," the old pirate said with a scowl, snorting in disdain as he did. "Now, hurry up and get out of here. You're an eyesore," he added while waving his hands dismissively, turning around and walking away, causing the doctors to run after him in a panic.

I just shook my head with a smile without saying anything as I closed the lid of the devil fruit's box, turning around and leaving as well, with my companions following behind me.

-0-

"So, captain, what type of devil fruit is it?" Elly asked with an eager tone while standing beside me as I was leaning on the black pearl's railing, browsing through the pages of the devil fruit encyclopedia.

"Here it is," I said as I stopped flipping the pages, having found a devil fruit that looked identical to the one sitting in a box on a barrel near me, causing everyone to stop whatever they were doing and make their way towards me.

'It looks like this devil fruit encyclopedia of mine is a little special. That old coot said that it's an unregistered fruit, but I'm looking at it, and I don't think he would have given it away if he knew what it was,' I think to myself while reading the page about this devil fruit.

"Eh? It looks like that old coot suffered quite the loss when he gave this thing to me," I remarked with a grin while watching my crewmate's expressions that were urging me to elaborate.

"This is a Zoan devil fruit, but it's not an ordinary one!" I stated, deliberately dragging my words, enjoying my companions' eager expressions.

"The Tori-Tori (Bird-Bird) fruit, model: Yata-Garasu (Eight-Span-crow)," I stated, causing my crewmates to grow even more curious. "It's different from the average Zoan fruits in that it grants the eater the ability to turn into a mythical creature, the Eigh-Span-Crow, in this case," I explained with a clear tone.

"Mythical Zoan devil fruits also come with additional powers. This one, for example, grants the ability to control flames along with other abilities that whoever wrote this encyclopedia didn't bother to explain," I concluded with a shrug while pointing at the box containing the fruit.

"What are you going to do with it, captain?" Laffite asked from the side with a curious tone, seemingly interested in the fruit.

"I'm not really interested in eating it, if that's what you're asking," I replied with a careless smile. "It would also be a waste to sell it off as it's quite powerful, so you guys can have it," I added as I walked towards the devil fruit's box, taking the fruit out and holding it in my hand.

"You guys can decide who can eat the fruit yourselves," I concluded with a smile as I threw the fruit to Laffite, who caught it with a smile.

"As you wish, captain," Laffite said with a smile as he caught the devil fruit. "Who is interested in eating this devil fruit? I'm also interested in it, by the way," he remarked while looking at the rest of the crew.

"I already ate one, and I'm not interested in exploding," Wilson said with a shrug while taking a sip from a bottle of alcohol.

"I prefer to rely on my rife, and I don't think this devil fruit is suitable to my fighting style," Elly stated with a shrug, showing no interest in the fruit.

"I'll pass," Bob said while twirling his mustache, not even bothering to elaborate on his words.

"I'm interested in it," Byron said in a sheepish tone of voice while rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm not interested in eating any devil fruits," Kozue while shaking her head as she sat on a barrel, taking out a book and reading it, seemingly uninterested.

"It looks like it's just you and me, Byron," Laffite remarked with a smile as he turned to look at the blonde musician. "We can't determine who gets the fruit by fighting, as that would be unfair to you," he added jokingly with a smile, causing Byron to become even more sheepish as he chuckled.

"How about we rely on luck then?" Laffite asked after a second's thought, causing Byron to nod firmly. "A coin toss it is then!" Laffite exclaimed, taking out a coin from his pocket, throwing it into the air, catching it as it began falling with one hand and covering it with the other.

"Heads or tails?" Laffite asked in his usual Jovial tone.

-0-

Third person's point of view:

Inside the pagoda where Johnny fought against Don Chinjao, the old pirate sat cross-legged on a cushion, drinking alcohol for a large red plate while looking at his two grandsons, who sat in front of him, inside a room decorated with all manner of Chinese-themed furniture.

"Why did you have to give them the devil fruit, grandfather?" Sai asked with a frown. "We could have sold it for at least one hundred million Berries, even if it wasn't registered in the devil fruit encyclopedia," he added, his tone filled with bitterness at the loss of money.

"How large do you think the fortune I've hidden inside the Crystal Ice Sheet?" The old pirate asked with a sigh. "A mere one hundred million berry is nothing in comparison!" he stated while shaking his head.

"But we don't know if he's lying or telling the truth about being able to fix your head, grandfather!" Boo protested, seemingly unable to accept this situation.

"If he was telling the truth, then we have everything to gain. If he was lying, then we only lose a mere hundred million," Don Chinjao said with a smile. "Besides, I don't think the brat was lying," he concluded, causing his two grandsons to sigh, obviously still unconvinced, but they decided to trust in the old pirate's judgment nonetheless.

-0-

It took us almost half an hour of consecutive Geppo steps to reach the small island. Elly grew tired half the way through, so I had to carry her on my back after she insisted that I do it myself while Kozue had Bryon take her with him by gripping her hands with one of his talons as he flew.

"You keep telling me not to treat you like a child, but you keep acting like one," I said with an amused smile as Elly let go of my neck and got off my back.

Elly merely snorted with a pout without replying as the rest of my companions began landing on the island's shores.

"Alright, this island is deserted and far away from prying eyes," I remarked with a smile. "You can go wild here, so go ahead and show us what you can do," I added while looking at Byron, who nodded and launched himself into the air.

"This feels like it's the easiest ability I can perform," Byron said with a frown, seemingly concentrating. "Here goes nothing," he remarked as he floated in the air without moving, flapping his wings once and sending a rain of black feathers towards the ground.

The black feathers ignited mid-flight with red flames, but they didn't lose their black color, creating a fascinating scene of black and red feathers raining down on the ground.

"These things are really sharp," I said as I kneeled in front of a hole in the ground, taking out a black feather that promptly turned into ash and dissipated as soon as I took it out.

"What more can you do, Byron?" After taking the time to inspect several more feathers, I asked as the others did the same while murmuring and whistling in appreciation.

"I can do this," Bryon said as he frowned again in concentration. After several seconds of concentration, he opened his mouth, revealing a ball of flame that moved forward and began expanding until it was the size of a large boulder.

Byron then released the fireball into the water, creating a massive splash seven or eight meters tall. "That looks like it's powerful enough to sink a ship," I remarked with a smirk, causing the others to nod.

"Anything else you can do in this form, Byron? I asked the still flying Byron with a smile.

"There are other abilities, but I can't perform them yet, not unless I improve my control," Byron said while shaking his head. "This is the last ability I can perform in this form," he added as he began flying towards the water again, opening his mouth and unleashing a red fiery beam that split the water in half as he passed above it while releasing the beam.

"That's fine. You can take your time in mastering your new abilities," I remarked with a consoling smile. "Why don't you revert to your human form and see if you can do something with it too," I added, causing Byron to nod as he came back and landed in front of me.

"There are two things I can do in human form," Byron explained as he opened raised his hand and opened it wide. "I can create and control fire," he added as a baseball-sized fireball formed inside his hand.

"I can also imbue my fire into weapons and exert more control over them," Byron concluded as he held his axe, causing its blade to light up in flame.

"And you can't use these two abilities in your hybrid form?" I asked in confusion while watching the flaming axe in Byron's hands.

"It's possible, but the flames would be too powerful for me to control in that form," he explained while shaking his head.

"That's fine. You can take your time in mastering those new abilities of yours," I remarked with a smile. "There's no rush, after all," I added as I patted him on the shoulder.

"Now, how about you turn into your crow form?" I asked with an expectant smirk.

"Will do, captain," Byron replied as he handed his axes to Wilson, transformed into his hybrid form, and flew high into the air.

"This should be far enough," Byron murmured to himself as he came to a stop mid-air, closing his eyes in concentration.

Flame came gushing out of Byron's body, covering him in a black and red feather-like fiery hue that began expanding rapidly until it was the same size as the black pearl.

The fiery hue then slowly began gaining solidity, morphing into the form of a giant crow that was as big as our ship, with red glowing lines intertwining all over his body and red eyes that looked like they were made of fire.

"This from has the same abilities my Hybrid form has in addition to several more," Byron spoke in a deep rumbling voice, spewing fire from his mouth as he did.

"The only one I can use in this form is this," Byron said as he turned around to face the water, flapping his wings twice and creating a massive wave with the air pressure alone, followed by four fiery tornados produced from his wings.

"Rehahahahaha, that old coot, Chinjao, would definitely get a heart attack when I tell him about the abilities of the fruit he gave away," I exclaimed, cackling like a maniac as I did.

"Anyway, I'm going to head back to the ship," I said after several seconds of laughing. "I'm going to stay in the ship for the rest of the day, so you guys can do whatever you want for the rest of the day," I added with a smile, launching myself into the air to leave.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

-0-

It's already nighttime, and I'm currently alone on the ship, doing practice swings with my sword.

Everyone else had taken the chance to go out into the city; taking advantage of that; I decided to stay on the ship for the rest of the day.

Even Bob, who usually stayed on the ship, lazing around doing nothing productive or fun other than cooking, had gone out, saying he wanted to meet an old friend. I did not know who that old friend of his was, and I didn't bother asking since he didn't elaborate further himself.

Elly and Byron decided to stay on the little island, with Byron saying that he'd stay there to practice his new abilities, and Elly stayed there to explore as it was her first time there.

Wilson followed me back to the ship when I left the island and then went into the city, saying that he wanted to try all types of alcohol Kano country had to offer.

Being his dependable self, Laffite also returned to the ship with Wilson and me and made his way to the city, saying that he wanted to come in contact with the underworld here to see if he could dig up any helpful information.

Kozue, of course, was no exception, as she left into the city as well, saying that she needed to do some shopping for both equipment and some new clothes.

After another hour of swinging my sword, I stopped, putting Satori back into its sheath to greet Bob, the first to come back.

"I'm back, captain," Bob said as he made his way into the ship's deck, twirling his mustache as he did.

"Oh, welcome back! How did that meeting of yours go?" I greeted him with a smile while nodding my head at him.

"It went well," Bob replied with a sigh while shaking his head. "Is something wrong?" I asked after hearing his hesitant tone and noticing his hesitant body language.

"We need to talk, but not right now," Bob replied with a blank expression. "I need some time to think about something first," he added, heaving another sigh as he turned around and went to the kitchen.

The rest then came back, one after another. The second to come back was Kozue, carrying several bags as she made her way into the ship, simply greeting me and going to her room.

Elly and Byron came back next as they landed on the ship, looking very exhausted, with several scratches on their faces and bodies.

Wilson also came back soon after with a bottle of rice sake in one hand and a bag filled with other types of alcohol in the other as he made his into the ship's deck while sipping from the bottle in his hand in a leisurely manner.

Laffite was the last to come back, bringing news of a marine battleship that will cross into west blue with Hina's replacement, along with the marine's salaries, other assorted necessities and supplies, and a marine vice admiral guarding it to boot.

-0-

It's now the morning time of the day after Byron ate the mythical Zoan devil fruit. Last night was a pretty busy, eventful day, what with all the shenanigans at Don Chinjao's place and Watching Byron try out his new abilities.

However, the day ended very peacefully after Laffite returned and reported about the incoming marine ship, with all of us gathered on the deck drinking and eating to celebrate Bryon's new power-up.

We kept celebrating until most of us were too drunk or tired to continue, so we called it a day with those who were sober enough to take the first lookout shifts watching over the ship first.

Now, I am standing in my room, in front of a serious-looking Bob, saying that we need to talk.

"Talk away," I said with a shrug as I turned around to find a seat, promptly taking a seat and lighting a cigarette.

"It's about the old friend I met yesterday," Bob said with a sigh. "Before I get to that, you need to know some things about my past," he added with a blank expression.

"Let's hear it then," I remarked while gesturing for him to continue with my hand.

"I used to work for the world government, cp9 to be more precise," Bob said, dropping a bomb at me with his expression still blank as if what he said was completely normal.

"I figured you had something to do with the government," I replied while shrugging my shoulder. "So, how did you end up with Elly's dad?" I asked in a curious tone of voice.

"I..., I left cp9 after my superiors ordered me to do something I did not want to do," Bob said, heaving another sigh as he found a seat and slumped into it.

"Leaving the government's service like that was not easy. I was on the run for five years, constantly wondering where the next assassin would come from and where," Bob added while rubbing his forehead.

"I didn't know who to trust, and those I trusted ended up killed or had their lives ruined by my pursuers," the butler explained, his tone bitter with a tinge of melancholy.

"That all ended when I met the old friend I went to meet yesterday," Bob concluded while twirling his mustache, pausing his speech for a few seconds.

"He helped me fake my death and change my appearance with the power of a devil fruit one of his colleagues ate," Bob explained after taking several seconds to choose his words.

"He asked me to join them, but I refused because I've had of living in the shadows and fighting for people I've never seen or knew," the cook added while shaking his head.

"So I began exploring the world by acting as an escort to merchant ships from one island to another for several years," Bob remarked with a smile on his face, seemingly remembering better days.

"However, that also ended when one of the ships I was escorting ended up sinking because of an unexpected storm that destroyed the ship and left me lost in the sea," the cook added, heaving the third or possibly the fourth sigh since he began talking.

"That led to me being found by Elly's dad, and you know the rest," Bob concluded, his expression turning blank again.

"You had quite the hard life, eh? But you're with me now, so those days are over," I remarked in a joking manner with an assuring smile. "So what does this old friend of yours want?" I asked after a second of silence.

"He wants to meet you," Bob said with a sigh. "I owe him a favor, so telling you about this is the least I can do, but that's all. You don't have to meet him if you don't wish to," he added, shaking his head as he did.

"I don't mind meeting with him, but it can't be today," I replied with a smile. "I'm going to meet with that old coot Chinjao today, and dealing with him will be a headache on its own," I added while shrugging shoulders.

"I will inform my friend of your decision," Bob said with a nod as he got up and made his way to the exit. "One more thing, captain," he added as he opened the door, halting his steps.

"Thank you for listening," the cook concluded, leaving and closing the door behind him as he did, not waiting for me to reply.

-0-

Later:

I am now making my way to meet with Don Chinjao to iron out the details of our deal, accompanied by a smiling Laffite and unwilling Byron.

"Is it really a good idea to tell Chinjao about the devil fruit, captain?" Byron asked sheepishly.

"No, it's not, but the look on his face when he finds out what a loss he suffered will be worth it," I replied carelessly in a leisurely tone.

"It looks like you're still holding a grudge over the beating Chinjao gave you, captain," Laffite remarked from the side, twirling his red cane as he did.

"I swear to god, Laffite, you're spending too much time with Wilson," I replied while shaking my head as I heaved a sigh. "But yeah, I'm still holding a grudge, and I intend to rub this in the old coot's face to even things out, Rehahaha," I added with a beaming smile, laughing loudly at the end by just imagining the situation.

We kept chatting like that until we reached the Pagoda, the old pirate had taken as a residence, and one of the guards approached us as soon as we arrived there, promptly greeting us and taking us to meet his boss, Don Chinjao.

"Hey, old coot," I greeted casually as soon as I entered the room, prepared for the meeting, and saw the old pirate.

"It's you, brat. Are you here to finalize the details of our deal?" Chinjao asked with a blank expression, seemingly uninterested in bantering with me.

"That's right, but first," I replied while gesturing for Bryon, who morphed into his hybrid form with an exasperated sigh after I did. "Let me show what the devil fruit you gave us can do," I added with a shit-eating grin.

"It turned out to be a mythical Zaon devil fruit," I explained, a smirk still painted on my face. "The tori-tori fruit, model: Yata-Garasu," I concluded, my smirk widening at the old pirate's twitching eyes.

"Show him that thing with the flames, Byron," I ordered Byron, who turned back into his human form while rolling his eyes and conjured a small fireball in his hand.

"Not only does it allow the eater to turn into a giant crow that can sink ships by merely flapping its wings, it even gives the ability to control flames," I explained with a smile while smacking Byron's back, causing him to wince in pain.

"You've received a very powerful devil fruit, young man," the old pirate while sending Byron a dirty look, causing him to gulp. "You should be thankful to your captain for giving it to you," he added, his eyes twitching in irritation as a bulging vein appeared on his forehead.

"Oh, believe me, he is very thankful. Aren't you thankful, Byron? " I stated as I resumed smacking the blonde musician's back, causing him to nod with a wince.

"Anyway, with that out of the way," I remarked, after enjoying the old pirate's irritated expression for several more seconds. "Let's talk business, shall we?" I asked with a composed smile.

"Very well, brat. You can start by telling me how you intend to heal my head," the old pirate said after heaving a sigh to compose himself.

"Like I said. I know of several doctors who can fix your head. I also know where they are and how to get them to fix you up," I explained, still smiling.

"And who are those so-called skilled doctors? Chinjao asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't really expect me to tell you that, do you?" I asked while shaking my head. "Fair enough," The old pirate replied while shrugging his shoulders.

"You only need to show up at drum kingdom in the grand line when I contact you, and the doctors will do the rest," I concluded with a smile.

"And what do you want in exchange?" Chinjao asked after several seconds of silent thinking.

"I first wanted you to help me learn Hardening Haki," I replied with a shrug. "But as you can see," I added while raising my fist and coating it in Haki.

"I can give you a manual that explains how to develop your Haki by meditating without having to fight other Haki users," the old pirate stated while nodding. "And I'll owe you a favor," he added with a serious expression.

"The Haki manual alone will do, old man," I said with a smile. "You've already unwittingly done me two favors," I added while pointing a Haki-coated finger at Byron as my smile turned into a shit-eating grin.

"You brat are insufferable," Chinjao while heaving a defeated sigh, rubbing his forehead as he did.

"Why thank you," I replied with a beaming smile, causing everyone in the room to roll their eyes at my shamelessness. "I still have some things to do in Kano country, so I'll leave and make my way towards the reverse mountain in a week or so," I concluded as I turned around to leave.

"Wait, brat," Chinjao said, causing me to stop walking as I turned around to look at him. "If you're going to stay here for another week, then I have an offer that could make both of us some money," he added with a smile.

-0-

Another day had passed, a day that I spent sparring with Wilson and Laffite, trying to hammer them with Haki until they hopefully awaken it.

At first, it was just one-on-one spars, but they would always quickly end when I used Haki, so we began sparring two against one, with Wilson and Laffite teaming up to fight me.

To say that fighting both of them was difficult would be an understatement. In the first place, Wilson was always as strong as I am before I awakened Haki, and Laffite wasn't that far off himself.

To add to the difficulty of the spars, my two friends even tried their new techniques on me, and let me tell you, being on the receiving end of Laffite's technique was not pleasant, Haki or not.

Being hammered by Wilson's gorilla form after all the secretive training he had been doing was not pleasant, either. Still, Haki gave me an enormous advantage, and even though I struggled quite a bit while fighting them, I still ended up winning.

Unfortunately, that small amount of training wasn't enough to awaken their hardening Haki as it was not a real fight, regardless of the fact that we didn't hold back, but that was fine on its own. Wilson and Laffite were nothing if not resilient and determined, after all.

Byron and Elly, on the other hand, went back to the deserted island after we came back from our meeting with Chinjao to do more training.

They returned at night time looking even more exhausted and injured than they were yesterday. Their wounds, however, were still nothing serious, so I welcomed them back without saying anything.

Kozue left for the city, saying that she heard some information about an item that could have originated from Wano country and she needed to investigate it. Kozue returned by nighttime as well, and when I asked her about her investigation, the greenhead told me that she found nothing for now, so she would resume gathering info tomorrow.

Bob quickly returned to his usual fun-hating, unproductive self, hanging around on the deck and doing nothing until it was time to cook. But I digress.

It was finally time to meet with Bob's old friend, and I was making my way there along with Bob himself. The meeting place was the same place I fought Kozue in, and we're supposed to be there at midnight.

"Is all of this really necessary? Meeting so secretively in the middle of the night, I mean," I asked with a sigh while walking beside Bob. "Your friend even went out of his way to meet us in the place I fought with Kozue," I added with a bemused expression.

"Morley seems to think so," Bob replied while shrugging his shoulders. "They probably chose this place, trying to impress you or something by showing you what they can do," he explained in a leisurely tone.

"Is that so? Well, I'm not impressed," I remarked sardonically with a scowl. "We're here, so where is your friend?" I asked, shaking my head to shake off my annoyance.

Suddenly, my senses flared, causing me to hastily turn around, unseating Satori as I do and using its blade to stop a claw-like, Haki-coated hand, merely five inches away from my face.

"Your old friend doesn't look that old, and he doesn't look particularly friendly either, Bob," I say with a smirk, holding my ground and taking a second to take in my attacker's appearance.

He wore a long black jacket with a buckle on the left sleeve, a blue shirt and vest, a frilled cravat, and a simple belt holding a pair of loose light-blue pants with black boots.

His face can be called good looking with pronounced facial symmetry and a scar over his left eye, with blonde hair that was covered by a large black top hat with a pair of blue goggles wrapped around it.

"This isn't the person we're supposed to meet," Bob replied with a frown as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You don't say," I remarked, putting strength into my arm and pushing my blade forward, sending my attacker sliding backward.

"Morley is a little shy around new people, so I'm here to meet you in his place," the blonde-haired attacker said in a cheerful tone. "My name is Sabo. It's very nice to meet you," he introduced himself with a smile, bowing his politely as he did.

"Sorry about attacking you so suddenly, I've been training for a long time, so I couldn't help myself since I heard Morley say that you're strong," Sabo added with a smile as he raised his head, looking at me in the eye.

"Well, Sabo, you have my attention, so tell me why you've brought me here in the middle of the night," I replied with a scowl, clearly not in the mood for pleasantries.

"I'm here to inform you that you are in danger and help you escape that danger if necessary," Sabo stated, still smiling politely.

"And what am I in danger of exactly?" I asked with an amused smile as I lit a cigarette.

"Some people in the world government are interested in the technology used to make that left arm of yours," the blonde replied while pointing at my left prosthetic arm. "There have been sightings of cp9 agents in Kano country, and we have reasons to believe that they are after you," he added, his smile disappearing, replaced by a grave expression.

"I already know about the SSG and some celestial dragon's interest in me," I replied with a shrug. "And I've already dealt with the cp9 agents in Kano country, so I do not want or need any help," I added with a bored expression.

"Now, I'm sure that's not the reason you've brought me here because Morley or whatever his name is could have said this to Bob without dragging me here," I remarked as I crossed my arms in front of my chest, causing Sabo to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "So why don't you get to the point?" I added with a frown.

"So be it. You've probably realized it by now, but you're already a wanted man in all but name," the blonde explained with a grave tone of voice. "So I'm here to offer you a spot in the revolutionary army," he added.

"We can hide and protect you from the world government, and all we ask is that you lend us a hand in helping those in the same situation you're in," Sabo concluded, his grave expression disappearing, replaced by an honest smile.

"I don't need to be protected or hidden, so I'll pass," I replied while shrugging my shoulders, causing the blonde to frown.

"Even if you can protect yourself, there are people out there who can't do the same. Don't you wish to help them?" Sabo asked, his brows scrunched together in a frown.

"I know nothing of such people, so why would I go out of my way to help them?" I replied while shrugging my shoulders.

"As a victim of world nobles' oppression, then you should understand their struggle. Isn't that enough reason to help them?" the blonde asked, genuinely confused by my indifferent attitude.

"I don't understand at all," I replied in an indifferent tone, spitting my cigarette on the ground and stomping it. "Wha-" Sabo tried to say something, but I promptly cut him off before he could finish the first word.

"The struggles of weaklings who only know how to get fucked without fighting back. I don't understand such things at all," I replied, my tone still indifferent and bored.

"I'm a victim, you say?" I remarked with an amused chuckle, raising an eyebrow. "Does this look like the face of a victim?" I asked with an amused smirk on my face.

"If there is to be a victim in this situation, then it will be whoever dared to think he can put a collar on my neck," I stated, my smirk becoming more pronounced and maniacal as I spoke. "Because I'll find them someday and make them wish they weren't born," I added, my smirk fading, replaced by an icy expression.

"We're done, here. Let's go, Bob," I stated, promptly turning around and leaving.

-0-

Two days have passed since my meeting with Sabo, and no one else from the revolutionary army has tried to contact us again, which isn't surprising considering the way I refused them.

Now that I think about it, I might have been a little too tough on Sabo, considering the speechless state he was in when I left with his head lowered, and his hat covering his face, leaving me unable to see his expression.

In truth, I didn't mean for things to end the way they did, and I went there with the intent of refusing whatever offer the RA had for me more gently. Still, their pathetic attempt to show off their capabilities to impress me had an opposite effect, as I did not find the idea of someone spying on me pleasant.

That, and the word victim, which honestly scathed my nerves, caused me to snap on poor Sabo, who probably had nothing to do with any of this.

I have always hated that word even in my past life because I've seen many of my friends use it as an excuse to throw away their lives and futures.

We're victims of fate for being born here and now. We're victims of a corrupt system. They said while they threw their lives into gambling, drinking, crime, or worse, most of them ending up dead or in a jail cell.

It has never been easy living in my country. Still, I hated the way they victimized themselves and gave up like that because "There was nothing they could do about it," so hearing Sabo calling me the word I hated the most understandably caused me to snap. But I digress.

"So it had to be an auction, after all?" I ask with an annoyed expression, heaving a deep in exasperation at this seemingly cliche situation as I light a cigarette.

"This is the place, captain," Kozue said from the side with a raised eyebrow. "But what is the problem with this place being an auction?" she asked while leaning her head to the side in genuine confusion.

"You wouldn't get it," I replied, as I inhaled a big mouthful of smoke from my cigarette, my expression becoming profound with all the Chinese novels I've read in my past life flashing in my head.

"Let's go inside and retrieve that sword. I don't want to stay inside this place a second more than I need," I added with a sigh as I shook my head to clear it of all those Chinese novels' auctions arcs and made my way to the entrance.

Kozue didn't reply, merely rolling her eyes at my antics as she quickly followed me into the auction building.

The inside of the building was the usual stereotype one would expect to find in an auction with an elevated stage for the auctioneer to do his work, faced by many comfortable-looking chairs arranged in rows with a dozen or so VIP boxes overlooking the auction hall.

"You there, the guy with the long nose, take my companion and me to one of those booths up there," I called out to one of the auction employees as soon as I came inside the auction hall, ordering him with a blank expression.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. We reserve those booths for our most distinguished guests, and none of them is available at this time," the auction employee said in a snobbish tone, his expression the most arrogant I've seen since coming to this world.

"I said, take my companion and me to one of those booths up there," I repeated as I vanished from my where I was standing, appearing in front of the snobbish auction employee.

"Did you not hear me?" I asked with a beaming smile as I gripped his shoulder with my left arm, applying some strength, causing the auction employee to gulp as he winced in pain.

"But there are no free booths right now, sir," the long-nosed man explained with sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Don't mind such unimportant details, just take us there," I remarked, still smiling as I applied more strength to my grip.

"Of course, sir, but can you first let go of my shoulder? I can't move," the auction employee asked in an almost begging tone.

"Of course. I was only helping you remove some dust," I replied as I let go of the long-nosed man's shoulder and began dusting his shoulder.

"This way, please," the auction employee said. His expression was a mixture of a wince and a polite smile as he turned around and began walking.

It didn't take long for us to be standing in a hallway with several doors that led to the VIP booths.

"This one," I said in a leisurely tone as I kicked the closest door to me. "Everybody out!" I exclaimed as soon as I set foot inside the booth.

"Who the hell do you think I am?" one of the finely dressed youths asked with an outraged voice after hearing my words as the rest of them began spouting nonsense about their families and how important they were.

I merely ignored their nonsense as I walked into the booth with a smirk, then proceeded to beat the crap out of self-proclaimed important youths, tossing them outside after I did.

"Is this really okay, captain?" Kozue asked as she watched me take a seat after tossing out the snobbish youths while doing the same. "Causing a scene like this, I mean," she added, after noticing the curious look I gave her.

"It's fine. I already told you and the rest of the crew about my situation," I replied with a shrug. "I'm a wanted man in all but name, so I might as well do as I like," I added as I slumped into my seat, making myself comfortable.

"Indeed, now all we need is a bounty and Jolly roger to make it official," Kozue said with a smile. "But I suppose I'm not used to acting in the open like this," she explained with a sigh.

"Oh, do you find it troublesome?" I asked as I took out my whisky bottle, sipping from it in a leisurely manner.

"On the contrary, I find it quite refreshing, captain," Kozue replied with a soft smile. "I only need to get used to it, that's all," she concluded, her smile becoming more pronounced.

"You've got all the time in the world. You don't need to hide from anything or anyone as long as you're on my ship!" I stated with a smirk while spreading my arms dramatically, causing the green head to chuckle while rolling her eyes.

"Oh, it's already beginning," I said as I watched the auctioneer, a refined-looking middle-aged man wearing traditional Chinese clothes, make his way onto the stage.

"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our monthly auction," the auctioneer said with a deep, loud voice, causing everyone to go quiet as they listened to him speak.

"The first item for today's auction...," and that's all I could force myself to listen to before his words turned into gibberish.

"Tell me when they bring out that sword you want to take, Kozue," I said in a bored tone as I ignored the rest of the auction, preferring the company of my infinite whisky bottle.

After what felt like thirty minutes later, I heard the sound of rushed footsteps coming from outside, and it seems Kozue heard it too as she narrowed her eyes while unsheathing her sword.

"Let's see where this goes, for now," I remarked with a smirk as I put my hands on her shoulder, causing her to sheath her sword return her focus on the auction.

'This should prove to be a little fun distraction from this boring auction," I thought to myself with an eager smile as I turned to look at the booth's door expectantly.

The footsteps stopped outside of the booth's door, and suddenly there was yelling as someone else approached the crowd gathered outside.

The yelling quickly developed to whoever it was that approached the crowd, beating the shit of them for a couple of minutes, causing them to flee the scene and me to frown as my fun distraction disappeared.

"Sabo of the revolutionary army," I remarked as the door opened, revealing Sabo, who shamelessly invited himself inside with a smile on his face.

"I thought I made myself very clear about joining the revolutionary army the last time we met," I said with a scowling expression while looking the blonde in the eye.

"I'm only here to look around the auction since I haven't been into one before," Sabo said with his usual honest smile. "I thought I'd help with your little problem and maybe stay here for the rest of the auction," he added as he took a seat, still smiling shamelessly.

"Suit yourself, just don't bother me," I replied with a shrug as I picked up my whisky bottle, intending to indulge in it until this farce ends.

-0-

Another boring hour passed since Sabo shamelessly invited himself inside the booth. To his credit, Sabo, at least, didn't bother during this time, as he seemed content to chat with Kozue while the auctioneer continuously showcased and sold different items at the stage.

There were antiques, paintings, and art pieces, but that's not all. There were deeds to buildings and even ships. Still, none of that piqued my interest, so I kept my focus on the whisky bottle in my hand.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for," the auctioneer exclaimed while gesturing grandly after selling some ancient painting.

"Our next item is one of the twenty-one great grade swords," the auctioneer stated grandly, yet again, pausing and waiting for the tension to build up the suspense in the atmosphere.

Suddenly, an auction employee appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, making his way towards the stage while carrying an ornamental rectangular container as soon as the auctioneer finished his sentence.

"Sokushi," the auctioneer declared, waving his dramatically above the sword after the previously mentioned employee placed the container he was carrying on a wooden pedestal and opened it.

Inside the container lay the unsheathed form of Sokushi next to its sheath. Sokushi was a katana with a white handle wrapped in a brown leather braid. Sokushi's sheath was a simple wooden scabbard wrapped in purple cloth in the middle.

Its pummel, covered with a golden ornamental cap, and its guard shaped like a white flower. Its blade was made of steel that glinted coldly under the light, with a purple hue to its glow.

"It is said to originate from a country in the new world..." The auctioneer then began exaggeratedly explaining the sword's origins, attempting to raise its value as much as possible by mystifying its origins.

"Is this it?" I turned around and asked Kozue in the middle of the auctioneer's explanation, as I didn't care enough to listen.

"This is definitely one of the swords that went missing after Kaido came to Wano country," she replied, her words coming out from between gritted teeth.

"Good, now we can finally leave this god-forsaken place," I remarked with a smile as I got up. "Hold my drink," I added in a leisurely tone as I handed my whisky bottle to Kozue, who took it with a confused expression.

"What do you intend to do, captain?" Kozue asked in a confused tone, leaning her head to the side with Sabo, mirroring her expression.

"I'm going to get you the sword, of course, silly," I replied with a beaming smile as I channeled my impact fist through my hand, punching the booth's wall and smashing it to smithereens as I jumped down into the auction hall.

"Everybody freeze, this is a robbery," I exclaimed with a smirk as soon as I landed on the ground.

Suddenly, there was silence as my words resounded through the auction hall, but that only lasted for several seconds as armed guards burst into the hall, rushing towards me.

'I've always wanted to say that,' I smirk internally while watching the armed guards charge towards me. 'Might as well make this as fun as possible after all that boring waiting time,' I concluded with a nod, having just the thing in mind to make this a little more fun.

"That's life, that's what all the people say," I hummed with a smirk as I began walking towards the stage, uncaring about the people rushing me. (I couldn't resist after making that Jared Leto's joker reference last chapter XD)

"You're riding high in April, shot down in May," I hummed as the first five of the guards to enter the room finally reached me, causing me to release my conquerors, Haki, knocking them out along with everyone else near me.

"But I know I'm gonna change that tune when I'm back on top, back on top in June," I sang a little more loudly as I began dodging bullets shot at me from a distance by guards who were holding guns.

"I said that's life, and as funny as it may seem," I sang, my hand moving at incredible speed, catching the tip of a spear aimed at my face and yanking it towards me.

"Some people get their kicks, stomping on a dream," I hummed with a smile while looking at the spear-wielding guard that I pulled towards before kicking him in the stomach, sending him flying.

I kept singing as I continuously dodged bullets, sent people flying left and right until I reached the stage. "I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn, and a king," I sang in a loud tone as I picked up the sword, unleashing my conquerors Haki, again, but on a larger scale knocking everyone unconscious.

"I've been up and down and over and out, and I know one thing," I returned to softly humming as I inspected the sword appreciatively.

"Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race," I concluded my song, putting the sword into its sheath and making my way back to the VIP booth.

"Did you enjoy the show, Kozue?" I ask with an unabashed smile at my cringe-worthy performance.

"It was something else," Kozue replied with twitching eyes as I handed the sword to her.

"Thanks, captain," she said as she unsheathed the sword, inspecting it with a smile. "But it looks like your friend here was a little too shocked by what you just did," she added as she sheathed the sword back in its sheath and tucked it into her kimono belt while looking at Sabo, who was staring speechlessly at the auction hall.

"Leave him be. I'm sure he'll come back to his senses, eventually," I remarked in a careless tone while shrugging my shoulders. "We have what we came here for, so let's go," I added as I began making my way towards the exit.

"Please wait a minute," Sabo, who had just gathered his wits, hurriedly exclaimed. "There is something I need to talk to you about!" he added as he rushed behind Kozue and me.

"I figured as much," I replied with a scowl. "Come to my ship if you have something to say. I'm sure that finding its location won't be too hard for the revolutionary army," I added sardonically with an unimpressed expression.

"Or follow me there. I don't care," I concluded with a shrug of my shoulders, causing the blonde to sigh in exasperation as he began following us.

-0-

"Alright, blondie, tell me what you want," I remarked while leaning on the black pearl's railing as I looked at Sabo, who was standing in front of me along with the rest of the crew, listening curiously.

"Well, you said you had no reason to help people you know nothing about," Sabo said with a smile, causing me to nod. "Then I just need to give you a reason to fight them, right?" he asked with an honest smile.

"That's not how things work," I replied with an amused smile at his naive way of thinking, causing his hopeful expression to falter. "But you're already here, so let me hear what you have to say, anyway," I added with a sigh.

"I'm willing to pay in Berry in exchange for temporarily hiring you and your crew," Sabo explained with a smile.

"Now you're talking my language," I replied with a smirk. "But let me hear what you want me to do and how much you're willing to offer first,"