– Bellamy –
Being a reincarnator came with a lot of perks, such as literally otherworldly knowledge. Admittedly, not all of that knowledge was useful and most of it wasn't applicable. But having once had access to the combined reservoir of human creativity that was the Internet, that certainly had its upsides.
"Well, this is certainly something I haven't seen before." Robin told me. "It sounds dangerous."
"Relax, Robin. Everything is going to be fine." I assured her, perhaps somewhat cockily. "What's the worst that could happen?"
For one, there were tens of thousands of stories, manga and anime with a myriad of different abilities, some obscure and many which were more common, but all of them more than capable of being a source of inspiration. Millions of fans had analyzed, discussed, and re-imagined these abilities, trying to push them to their very limits. As a consequence, I was able to take the fruits of their labors and use them for my own benefit or that of those individuals I chose to share my knowledge with.
One such case was Gecko Moria, whom I had regaled with tales of historic shadow users, focusing primarily on how they had applied the concept of shadows in new and interesting ways. Examples included but were not limited to the Nara clan techniques from Naruto, which I knew would be possible for the former Warlord to recreate, as he already had similar moves involving corporeal shadows in his repertoire. Moria had been very interested in my ideas. So much so, that he hadn't questioned why he hadn't ever heard of any of the shadow users I was talking about before.
"You could fry your entire nervous system and end up as a vegetable." Robin offered, leaning her head lightly against one open palm.
"...and, thank you for putting that picture in my head." I muttered.
"You're welcome."
"I was being sarcastic, you know." I told Robin, but she didn't even bat an eye.
"I know." she smiled before smiling even wider when I chose to turn away with a cough.
However, as was only to be expected, the greatest beneficiary of my own knowledge and my unique heritage had to be myself. I simply thought differently from your average local, which often made for different and unusual results.
"Aisa! Are you ready!" I called out to my crew mascot, who gave me a thumbs up.
"Ready!"
Though, this didn't mean that local residents who weren't average couldn't have ideas which were similar to mine. I just had the potential to pull them off better…many brains working together and all that.
"Fusion!" Aisa and I called out together, ignoring Robin's disturbed look at our word choice.
As proof of the aforementioned concept, one only had to look at mine and Aisa's newest collaboration move. In the original show, the concept of fusion between two individuals had either been a joke – see Pirate Docking Six from the Thriller Bark Arc for reference – or resulted in the creation of a chimera. There had been a reason why Nico Robin had refused her comrade's calls to fuse together into the Giant Robot Big Emperor form, citing that it would hurt her human pride.
Our version was a whole different beast. And as Aisa transformed into pure electric current to flow into my Coil Chassis, I looked Robin in the eyes, daring her to say otherwise. Soon after, I lit up like a Christmas tree, the electric discharge crackling and flashing blue all around as Aisa's dispersed body melded into mine. And unlike our humble beginnings, it no longer burned even when Aisa was at full power, the lightning flowing through my coils and down my chassis feeling rather refreshing instead.
The inspiration for this had been the third Raikage's lightning armor, a move designed to stimulate my nervous system and greatly enhance my physical parameters such as reaction time, speed, and strength by pulling out every last drop of potential my body possessed. Now, admittedly, I didn't have nerves or muscles in the traditional sense anymore while my Coil Chassis was active, but they were conceptually still there, if transformed into metal coils. Hence, they remained capable of being boosted, with their new metal state only increasing their conductivity and thus the speed at which Aisa's lightning could flow through my body.
That all the excess energy which couldn't fit into me was used to form a crackling layer above my skin was a nice bonus, the streams of electric current serving as a first layer of defense while simultaneously adding an elemental quality to my attacks. I'd wager that my fight with Moria would have been much more one-sided had I been able to pull this ace out of my sleeve. Sadly, I hadn't taken Aisa along and as a result, Muret had gotten some practice in reattaching my arm.
Anyway, the resulting rush of power was almost enough to make someone feel like they could take on the world and win. Intellectually, I knew I couldn't, not yet at least, but damn if my new Lightning Mode (better name pending) didn't feel amazing.
"Let's go wild!" I cheered, pumping my fist in the air. Then I moved. The combination of soru and my coil chassis had already turned me into a top tier speedster, capable of reaching ridiculous velocities in an instant. With Aisa on board, that had just been…multiplied.
I ripped across Baltigo Base, through the gates and past the crowds, my burgeoning observation haki more than capable of guiding me through this impromptu obstacle course. Admittedly, the winds left in my wake knocked a fair few guards to the ground and sent papers fluttering everywhere when I broke the sound barrier, but nobody got hurt which was the main thing. I didn't stop running until the base was but a speck on the horizon and I was surrounded by nothing but empty wasteland. And rocks. Lots and lots of rocks.
Aisa's laughter rang out nice and clear, getting louder the faster I flitted from boulder to boulder, my electrified fists going through solid rock as if it were paper mache. I wasn't immune from the euphoria either, there being something cathartic about reducing giant stone monoliths to dust. Simply put, it was an intoxicating feeling and both of us indulged in it without want.
It was only after running out of targets that we returned back to base to find Robin where we had left her, seated underneath a parasol and casually leafing through one of her books. I was also unsure how she had gotten her hands on the same outfit she'd been wearing on Thriller Bark, but damn did she look fabulous in purple.
"Welcome back." She said, putting her book down when Aisa and I came to a halt in the middle of the training area. "How was it?"
"Amazing." I beamed at her, the adrenalin not having left my system yet. "Absolutely amazing! I barely noticed the time flying by."
"Well, I'm glad you did notice. It's almost dinner time."
That being the case, I would insist until my dying day, that said hormone running rampant through my brain was wholly responsible for what tumbled out of my mouth next.
"About that, do you want to grab dinner with me?"
And for the first time since we had met, I was able to detect the slightest hint of red on Robin's face.
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– Mani –
Mani covered her mouth with her hands to stop the squeal from escaping her lips.
Oh dear heavens, what had she just witnessed?
She hadn't meant to overhear any of this. Originally, she'd only wanted to pick up Aisa for her regular medical after-training checkup, but as she was approaching the training yard her haki had started tingling like crazy. Having rapidly learned that ignoring it tended to be a bad idea, Mani had immediately reacted in the most appropriate manner she knew how. Namely, by engaging her mental stealth mode.
Just to be clear, Mani lived for attention. She loved it, she thrived in it and one could even say that she needed it. Once upon a time, the attention she received from others had been her sole source of validation, be it lust or jealousy. And just because she'd changed somewhat – in that unlike before she valued the attention she got from Rivers more than anybody else's – didn't mean she put in any less effort into grooming her outward appearance. Everything she did from her makeup to the way she walked was specifically designed to draw in the gazes of everyone around her.
Conversely, this also meant that Mani knew precisely which levers she had to flip in order to reverse this effect. Unlocking her haki had only enhanced this ability, as her horizons had been broadened and with it, her awareness of all the little giveaways she'd used to have. Or to put it a bit more simply, having become an expert in standing out after a decade of careful study, Mani had mastered the art of blending in.
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As a result, Mani's stealth had been honed to a point where even individuals with pretty impressive observation abilities remained unaware of her presence unless she wished it otherwise…with the notable exception of Aisa whose head snapped in her direction almost immediately. Thankfully, the girl chose not to reveal Mani's hiding spot, more preoccupied with gaping at the blushing pair.
Mani wasn't doing much better than Aisa either, though her initial shock had given way to barely suppressed excitement.
This was big. This was really big. She had to tell someone…no, better yet. She had to tell everyone!
It was finally HAPPENING!!!
After silently, but rapidly making her way back to the ship where the entire crew was assembled for regular maintenance duty, Mani wasted no time in spreading the news at the top of her lungs.
"The captain did it! The captain did it! The pot is mine, because the captain just bloody did it!"
That certainly got everyone's attention with her friends poking their heads out the doors, popping out of hatches, and dropping down from the riggings. And all of them wore the same astounded expression on their faces.
"Now way!" Ross gasped. "Wasn't he off training with Aisa?"
"He confessed? Like confessed, confessed?" Hewitt asked. "When did that happen?"
"How did he do it?" Eddy wanted to know. "Swagger over to her and do a theatrical bow? It sounds like something he'd do."
"I bet he was a stuttering wreck!" Sarquiss sniggered, before getting slapped over the head by his girlfriend.
"You think the captain is like you, shithead?"
"Oh, I remember that." Rivers giggled, "Sarquiss sure panicked a lot when he thought he'd misplaced his flowers."
"I remember that too." Muret reminisced, uncaring that the first mate was turning into a dangerous shade of red. "He rushed over to my clinic twenty minutes before his first date to borrow a bunch of flowers from my garden without as much as a by-your-leave."
"Do please correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't your entire garden composed of poisonous plants?" Eddy asked Muret, who nodded.
"Oh, so that's why he was shaking that badly. I thought he looked somewhat unhinged rushing through town. " Ross realized, slamming a fist into his palm. "Well, more unhinged than usual."
"You Blue Sea dwellers give your intended poisonous flowers?" Laki asked, tilting her head in confusion. "That's certainly an odd custom."
"No, we do not give our loved ones poisonous plants on our first dates either." Hewitt grinned, trying to clear up Laki's misunderstanding. "That's just Sarquiss."
"Remind me, why did you agree to go out with this guy again?" Mani asked Lily in a stage whisper, who gave her sulking boyfriend a fond look.
"I suppose it was his willingness to risk his life for me that won me over." Lily joked. "Though, at the time I did wonder why a purple grape was asking me out while shoving a toxic bouquet in my face."
This of course, prompted another round of laughter from the crew, a couple of them collapsing to the ground while clutching their stomachs at the memory. Most prominently, Rivers, who had begun rolling about the deck uncontrollably.
"Oh, that hurts. My stomach hurts so bad!" he chortled. "It's too much!"
"Shut up! It's not that funny!" Sarquiss grumbled from where he'd sought refuge on an empty barrel. "I swear, you try and confess while intoxicated one time, and they never let you live it down."
"This is probably the least original thing to say at this point, but you're right. It isn't funny." Ross told Sarquiss, placing one hand supportively on the first mate's shoulder, the very image of commiserating camaraderie. Sarquiss wasn't fooled.
"Don't you dare say it…" Sarquiss tried to warn Ross, but it proved to be for nought because it wasn't the sailmaker who finished that joke.
"It's fucking hilarious!" Hewitt howled, doubling over from laughter together with Ross. Nobody else laughed. Eventually, the idiot pair too came down from their high, unable to ignore the accusing stares of their friends any longer.
"Guys…you should be ashamed of yourselves." Eddy told them, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That was just…bad."
The pair had the good conscience to blush in embarrassment when the entire crew echoed the sentiment. It was then that Mani remembered why she had sought out her crew in the first place.
"Guys, wait! Why are we teasing Sarquiss anyway? We've got far more important things we should be doing right now."
"Yeah!" Sarquis vocally agreed. "Not sure what but yeah, we do."
"Like what?" Nero asked, to which Mani puffed out her chest with her hands on her hips.
"What do you think?" Mani replied, as if it were obvious. "We need to spy on the captain, of course."
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– Bellamy –
I was going to hurt them.
I hadn't quite decided yet on the how, but I was going to hurt them. Badly.
Had they really thought I wasn't going to notice their heads peeking around the corner like a totem pole? Furthermore, if they must follow Robin and I around, they could at least have had the decency of being stealthy about it. The fact that most of them had worn disguises consisting of long winter coats and scarves wrapped around their faces…that just made them stand out even more like a sore thumb. Especially as we were in the middle of summer. And hiding behind a newspaper with giant cutouts for eyes didn't make Nero invisible either.
Eddy and Muret had been more brazen about it, having coincidentally decided to go on a date at the same establishment where I had reserved a table for tonight. They didn't even try to hide, my doctor even cheekily waving in our direction.
Robin waved back before covering her smile with a hand.
"Fufufufu, your crew seems like a very curious bunch, Bellamy." she chuckled. "And isn't that Hewitt in the kitchen?"
"...I hadn't expected them to go this far…" I murmured. "I really am sorry about all this."
"Fufufufu, it's fine. In fact, this is a rather amusing experience." Robin reassured me, accepting my proffered arm. "Shall we?"
"I believe we shall." I replied, before allowing our waitress to lead us to our table. A waitress who bore an uncanny resemblance to Mani.
I had never been on a date before, having been too busy with my studies before the transition, but I had at least some idea as to how one should act. Things like: pull out the lady's chair, mind your basic table manners, don't talk about politics…Granted, that knowledge came from my mother's upbringing and a couple of old movies, but it was better than nothing.
I had also run through three thousand five hundred and sixty two simulations for potential conversations in my head while waiting for Robin to get ready. However, that turned out to have been an utter waste of time, because I forgot everything the moment we sat down. Thankfully, Robin took pity on me and drew me into a lively discussion about Kafka. True, it wasn't the most romantic of conversational topics, but I latched onto it in my desperation and we somehow made it work.
Before I knew it, the nervousness which had gripped my heart had dissipated until I was enjoying myself, and if I wasn't completely misinterpreting her cues, Robin was having a good time as well. I did briefly wonder if Robin had so easily accepted my offer for a date because I was the only (male) friend she had who shared her love of literature. The Straw Hats were obviously not up to the task and while I would never claim that Nami was not intelligent, she was a rural girl who'd grown up without access to the vast library of literary masterworks that I'd had back in my first life. I could very well imagine that Robin had been starved for someone with whom she could share her hobby with.
Helped along by Robin's skill as a conversationalist, dinner went well. There were hardly any awkward pauses and the few which did sneak their way in were quickly resolved. By the time we'd finished our food, I had even forgotten about my crew watching us from the sidelines, though I noticed when they left to grant us a little privacy as we took a little walk along the coast. From there, I carefully ventured into other territory, subtly trying to get her to talk about her adventures, both those I knew and the ones hidden in the twenty missing years prior to canon. Robin regaled me readily enough with stories of the former, and I didn't push on the latter. This wasn't an interrogation and that sort of thing could come later…or so I thought.
"Bellamy, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course not. Shoot."
Turned out, I wasn't the only one trying to understand my date a bit better, though unlike how I'd gone about it, Robin's approach had about as much subtlety as a brick.
"In that case," she began, turning to look me in the eyes, "when did you read Kafka?"