《My Own One Piece World》


 Chapter 1: I’m Dead I Think

    It''s just my luck that my opportunities would come after death. I had always been the fickle sort. The world is just too interesting to be tied down by the anchors life would attach to you if you weren''t careful. It started in school, then through the military. Eventually I moved from job to job, and house to house. It wasn''t like I hated the places I found myself in. I just couldn''t help but want a little bit more spice in my life. New things were meant to be explored, not through books but with my hands and eyes and feet.


    It''s this spectacularly unfortunate disposition that has placed me beyond the grave. You see, my coworker James and I had a rivalry that he wasn''t completely aware of. James had always been an upright guy according to those at the office but I knew something sinister lurked beyond that facade he put up in the office. And when something or someone is able to draw my wavering attention I am forced to see it through. This past week I had fancied myself a detective. A lone gunslinger chasing my man in black.


    My case to see the dark side of my coworker James turned out to be more than I actually thought. I had planned on catching him taking paper and staples from the office, but weirdly enough after following him after work one day I witnessed a murder. He stopped by a parking garage to meet with a woman but after arguing with her he took out a gun and shot her. My heart twisted into a knot and I tried to rush back to my car to inform the police of what I had witnessed. However, James had other plans. He shot out the tires before I could get away. I didn''t have my gun on me so I rushed him as he reloaded after shooting my tires. We grappled for the gun, our arms over our heads and I kneed him in the ribs. He hunched over and I took the gun out of his hand. Before I could react he had taken out a knife and stabbed me in the chest. I fell to my knees which was enough for him to take me down. Now I am dead, I think.


    Seconds after looking up at the fading image of James I was sitting in this chair in the middle of an endless white void. So if i''m not dead this is a very vivid dream. The chair is uncomfortable, just the worse. It was a straight backed wooden chair with thin wooden poles to connect the bottom and top. The wooden bottom left a gnawing pain in my lower back. I hope I''m in hell because if God is real, he would never approve of such uncomfortable chairs for heaven.


    A small ball light popped up in front of me and floated around excitedly before falling to the floor. The little ball of light, is as small as fairy wings, the clearest eyes would have trouble picking it out. But the feeling of warmth it emitted couldn''t be missed. It wasn''t quite like a campfire or even the warmth of the sun on your skin during a warm day. I felt the warmth down to my core. It feels blissful, happy even. The ball spread and grew bigger and bigger till it began to take a shape. The light became distinct colors and shapes till an older woman, hair long turned grey, sat behind a desk with pencil and notebook in hand. She reminded me of a librarian or some old shopkeeper. Her glasses hung onto the top of her nose with beads connected on the end to keep them falling to the desk. She dressed in a warm cardigan and a simple button up with her hair tied in a bun.


    "You are 37 Year Old Elijah Lupin I assume?"


    I tried not to be startled but her voice was just as warm as the light she had emitted earlier.


    "Y-Yeah. You are God I presume?"


    "In some ways and in others no", she responded while flipping through her notepad.


    "If your God wouldn''t you already know who I am?"


    "I do but it never hurts to check."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "So this is heaven? I really thought there''d be more people here, but I guess not everyone can be as righteous as me."


    "Based on your file you aren''t very righteous but you''ve had your moments."


    She didn''t look up. She was fully engrossed in the page, licking her finger to flip to the next one when necessary.


    "Does it really say that there?"


    "Yes, right here it tells me how in the third grade you put gum in your classmates'' hair or when you grew an unhealthy obsession with eating hotdogs for dinner. Every little detail is jotted down right here."


    "I wanted to see if the rumors were true about gum getting stuck in hair", I replied with a fiendish grin. I couldn''t help but smile, nobody was good all the time. I''m just lucky she didn''t see my teenage years.


    "If you''re wondering, yes I did see your teenage years."


    I jumped up out of the chair, pointing my finger at her, after the realization struck.


    "Some things are meant for private, okay", I replied trying to hold back my embarrassment. She finally looked up from her note taking to give me a smile, and the warmth filled me again. I sat back down and put on a straight face. I''m too old to be getting embarrassed.


    "So if I''m dead, why am I here? Is this some sort of judgement?"


    "Finally you are asking the right questions." She put the notepad and pen down and pushed her glasses back up. She leaned in with her chin on her folded hands, her full attention now on me.


    "As you are aware you were just killed by a murderer. Your coworker James. But because you took upon yourself to fight him, even if it was by accident, it stalled the time long enough for the police to arrive at the scene. The woman''s life was saved because of what you did."


    If I was alive right now I bet my heart would feel 10 times lighter. I wasn''t always consistent but knowing something good came out of this makes me feel a little bit better.


    "We have a rule that heroes will be rewarded after death so that''s why your here in front of me instead of being immediately reincarnated."


    My ears perked up at the thought of a reward from God.


    "What will I get?"


    "You will be reincarnated into the world of your choice and you will retain your current memories. The caveat is this world will exist in a completely different dimension then your own. Your own individual timeline will diverge."


    "So the world will be controlled by me? Will I have special abilities?"


    "The world will not be directly controlled by you; it will have whatever rules are usually set in the world in which you describe. Do you have any idea on what type of world you want to go to?"


    "Any set of rules¡­" I sat back thinking about trying to decide where I should go. Obviously not anything like the regular world that would be boring and I have already lived like that.


    "Just let me know when you decide." She went back to her notepad busy doing whatever Gods have to do. I stood up in the chair and began to walk around in the void pondering my options. The void in its emptiness gave no inspiration but a clear mind is all I need. I ran and walked back to the desk and chair my mind made up.


    "I''ve made up my mind", I said sitting back down in the chair.


    "I know", she said knowingly, "it''s one piece isn''t it. There was a surprisingly long chapter dedicated to your love of one piece on the notes."


    "If I''m not going to be able to see what the one piece is then i''ll go to the world of one piece and discover it for myself."


    "Just so you know none of the characters will be the same. We will make a world like one piece with all the same structures, abilities, cultural, and social elements. The islands will be different because there was not much Information on most of them to begin with."


    "I''m fine with all that, I just want to see what the one piece is."


    "If you say so then I''ll be happy to oblige." She took out a stamp and stamped the paper on the notes.


    "You can bring an item with you on the transfer, is there anything I can get you?"


    Without faltering I responded, "Can I get a devil fruit?"


    She pressed another stamp in the paper and looked up to smile once more.


    "With that everything is completed I wish you the best of luck on your journey Elijah Lupin."


    The old lady began to turn back into the light she was when she first came. The little floated back up and beelined straight for my head, hitting me directly in the forehead. The warmth spread throughout my body and the void began to fade from my view. I guess I''m passing out again.

 Chapter 2: A Little Kid Again

    I''m getting tired of passing out. How come when you go to another world you have to be unconscious and suddenly waking up in a dangerous situation. My eyes creaked open and a painful groan escaped my mouth. A headache formed with my temples as the launch point. I''m in a small room years past its prime. The walls were cracked, resulting in jagged edges. There was even a slight hole in the corner of the ceiling that the moonlight squeezed through, illuminating the dark room. Years of grime and muck had built up over the years to allow bulging brown pieces of mold to be scattered across the face of the wall.


    The decrepit room''s blemishes could be overlooked if it weren''t for the scattered bodies of little kids sound asleep on the floor around me. Having to share this tiny room with so many little kids must mean I wasn''t lucky enough to be reborn as a noble. At the very least I wasn''t in danger. I shut my mouth quickly, ignoring the pain of the headache, so my groans wouldn''t be heard. There were about 8 kids in the room huddled together sharing the few blankets this room had.


    I rolled away from the kid closest to me and stood up silently. I looked down at the now small hands which were now rough with callouses and I couldn''t help but be shocked at the change. I tiptoed out of the small room into a stairwell, searching for a mirror to see the new me. We were at the bottom floor with the staircase leading to the top floor. The staircase looked as decrepit as the room, with steps missing and the handrail shattered. I crept to the other rooms but the floorboards would creak with each step. If I were back home I could avoid these creaky floors with ease. I have always been light on my feet, but in this unfamiliar place the creaks were unavoidable. There were 4 rooms in total on the bottom floor counting the room I woke up in. I checked the rooms but they were all as beat down as the one I woke in. There were no mirrors, just mold and whatever scurried across the corner of the rooms. I''m going to pretend that they aren''t rats for my sanity.


    I went back around and opened the front door, which barely held on to its hinges, and took in my first whiff of One Piece air. It smelled quite rotten but I''m not going to hold it against Oda. Nobody entered my view outside on the street, except for a lone cat strolling in the moonlight. I looked to be on the poor end of some small city or town. The houses and apartments on this street in various stages poor. Some of the buildings were as poorly kept as mine but some weren''t too bad.


    Down the street at the end there were lantern lights flashing and sounds of music. I crossed the street and jogged over toward the sounds. If it''s a tavern they must have some type of mirror. There were drunkards singing jovially outside of the building while falling over their own feet. I snuck past them and entered the tavern. Inside tables and chairs were filled with patrons drinking and laughing. At one table a man danced on the table singing along with the band who played in the corner.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Hey boy, I need another round of drinks at this table", the table dancer yelled out. I ignored him and moved closer to the bar. The bartender was an older tanned skin man whose lamb chops didn''t quite match his balding head. He dressed simply, like all the patrons I''d seen, but had a towel he used as he wiped the counter.


    "What are you doing here boy? I don''t sell alcohol to youngins."


    "I''m looking for a mirror, I think I might have cut myself."


    "Huh, what the hell do you need a mirror for? Just go see that quack doctor on dill street. He''s an idiot but he can patch you up."


    "Please sir, I just need a mirror to check."


    "You''re out of your mind. I ain''t gon'' hand over a mirror to a little pocket thief. You best be on your way"


    "But I only need it for one minute", I pleaded to him.


    "I give you a mirror and next thing I know my pockets are picked clean."


    He grabbed a broom from behind the counter and came around to shoo me out of the tavern. The tavern owner was a lot more muscular than I thought. I dodged his broom swipes as the patrons in the tavern cheered me on. I rushed out the tavern door leaving the sounds of erupting laughter behind me. I''ll just figure everything out in the morning. I walked back to the worn down building I came from, but now a boy about my new height was standing outside looking toward me. He looked familiar but unfortunately I wasn''t given the memories of whoever''s body this was in the past.


    "James, you''re too sick to be strolling around! Where did you go?"


    I guess my name is James now. The young boy in front of me dressed in similar rags to me, with scruffy brown hair. He was fairer skinned then me but the dirt rubbed onto his skin showed otherwise.


    "I feel a lot better now but my memories are all fuzzy."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I can''t remember anything for some reason but I don''t feel sick anymore." There''s no way I could explain that I''m from another world. He would think I was crazy.


    "Do you remember me", he asked in shock.


    "Sorry I don''t remember anything. I can''t remember who anyone is or even where we are right now."


    "That can''t be, we need to take you to the doctor right away! How many fingers am I holding up", he asked while putting up two fingers in my face.


    "Two I''m not blind, I can still see. My memory is just a little hazy. I''m going to need your help to remember everything"


    "Well, I''m Pedro. Inside Herman, Kira, Oji, Lance, Lily, Norman, and Sigmond are sleeping. Do you remember now?"


    "A little bit." He smiled at that.


    "You''ve been sick for a long time, you probably just need some sleep."


    "Alright, we can go to sleep, but I have some questions I''m going to need answered tomorrow."


    "No problem", he replied with a smile. I followed him back into the room and laid down on the cleanest spot I could find. I looked around the room as I faded to sleep. Tomorrow is an important day. My first day in the one piece world. It''ll be a little dangerous for sure, but one day I will find out what the one piece is.

 Chapter 3: A Man in Black

    In the morning, Pedro woke me up to take me around the town of Brookhaven, located in the kingdom of Velnovo.  The kingdom of Velnovo is an archipelago of six islands in the west blue. The biggest island Laimi is where the capital of Velnovo city is located. Brookhaven stood off the coast of the smallest island Jessup, and is a port town inhabited by merchants and pirates alike. I don''t remember Velnovo in the one piece manga or hearing people speak about it in forums. God told me this world would be completely different than the original one piece, but now I can barely contain my excitement. The world is so similar but there''s so many new things to explore. The devil fruit I asked God for didn''t show up when I woke up either. But after thinking about it for a moment, a voice whispered in my head that I can summon it whenever I''m ready.


    "Pedro where are we headed to now?"


    "Earlier you asked for a hand mirror so you could see your face. Now it''s time to go get one and maybe some breakfast for everyone while we''re at it."


    He gave an impish grin and quickened his pace down the alley. I followed close behind his heels, my feet expertly navigating the weathered stone. He stopped and hid behind a barrel before turning around to give me a thumbs up.


    "It looks like you still remember the important things James. I''m going to be the distraction you grab cheese and bread while the baker is not looking."


    "I can''t'''', I hissed.


    "Don''t worry you''ve got the quickest hands in the group, just let your hands do the thinking."


    "Why can''t I be a distraction instead?"


    "That won''t work. I''m better looking than you so I''ll have an easier time distracting him."


    "I don''t even know what I look like. We haven''t got the mirror yet."


    "Just know, you''re not as good looking as me." He walked out of the alley toward the baker while he dealt with some customers at the morning market. He took out a couple belli and began haggling with the baker, so I stepped out the alley. I tried to look inconspicuous but with the rags I wore it was not too effective.


    "Be on your way boy", a random shopkeeper yelled toward me. I picked up the pace moving toward Pedro and the baker. With a quick snatch two loaves of bread slid down my pant leg. I had tied the bottom of my pant leg with a drawstring so the loaves wouldn''t fall out. The cheese wedge didn''t look like it would fit so I left it be.


    "Come on Pedro let''s go", I said meekly. Worried about drawing suspicion, I put forth my best acting skills to keep the baker from noticing.


    "You''re lucky my friend is here", Pedro said. We jogged off to the end of the street before hearing "Hey, stop those kids." We took off running and I could hear the sounds of pursuit hot on our tails. I turned around and saw two navy members in their white vests chasing us down an alleyway.


    "James, let''s split up! I''ll meet you back at base and I''ll grab a mirror on the way." Me and James broke off into two separate alley ways.


    "Stop running!" One navy officer broke off to follow me, hot on my tail. I jumped over a stack of barrels and turned around in time to throw them down in his path. I heard him tumbling over the barrels and I hid in an abandoned cart with a cloth over it. The officer caught up and I heard his footsteps run past me. I waited a few minutes before hopping out the cart and running back the other way. I walked down the alley I just came from and peered out into the streets looking for any landmarks we had passed. I have no idea how to get back to base, I''m horribly lost. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The alley diverged into a bigger road and now I''m back in the street, but I kept a watchful eye out for any lurking navy soldiers. The street is right near the port. Sailors and seagulls alike littered the area, the former making the most noise. Merchants were undocking and boxes were carted around carrying merchandise that would be sold all through the archipelago. Sitting on a barrel crisscross near one of the ships, an older man with long white hair and dressed in a simple black gi, remained perfectly still. He ignored the ship''s unloading, perfectly focused. I couldn''t help but be drawn to him. I approached him and stopped a distance away in caution.


    "Excuse me sir. Who are you?"


    "I have held many names and titles in my life, none of which are quite applicable to my current self. For now you can call me Sifu."


    "Nice to meet you Sifu. Do you mind me asking why you are sitting on the barrel like that?"


    "I''m waiting for an old friend to pick me up. Do you mind me asking why you approached me?"


    "Does a man need a reason to give in to his curiosity?'''' , I replied quickly. His eyes opened at that and his lips contorted into a smile.


    "You are a boy on the surface but you seem like an old soul."


    "Sorry I can''t help it. It''s just who I am."


    "We are who we are, I suppose. My friend is here, so I must go friend, but if you ever desire balance through strength visit the dojo in the woods near Kobayashi village. When your mind is truly decided on your path, you can come visit me. But until then walk your own path."


    His body flickered for a moment and he disappeared quickly as if he was never sitting there. Wait a second was that shave? Is he one of the CP agents of this world? He can''t be a part of the world government because he wouldn''t have shown me that ability if he was. Left where he was just sitting was 100 belli. I picked it up and stuffed it in my pocket for later.


    I calmed my heartbeat before walking farther down the dock. I went up to talk to another sailor and he gave me directions to Flea Water, which apparently is the name of the poor area I live in. I kept getting lost and by time I got back Pedro and a kid named Norman stood outside the building waiting for me.


    "What took you so long, we''re all hungry", Norman yelled out angrily.


    "My bad I got lost, my memory is still hazy." I pulled out the two loaves and broke off a piece of myself before handing it over. Norman snatched them in a hurry and ran back inside.


    "Norman''s not usually that rude, he''s just a little nervous about the collectors coming through."


    "The collectors?" Pedro''s face contorted into a frown at the question.


    "That damn Captain Crow! Everyone in flea water has to pay a tax to him for protection or he''ll send his crew after you. He runs everything from here to the docks."


    "A pirate? Why don''t the navy get rid of him?"


    "He probably pays them off or something they don''t care about anything but their greed", he exclaimed. He slammed his fist in the wall and all thirds on the roof flew away.


    "By the way James here''s the hand mirror. I swiped it off some merchant near town hall." I claimed the mirror and took a look at my new face clearly for the first time. My skin is a deep brown with thick curly hair like usopp. My eyes are light brown to match my skin. Not too bad. I look about the same age as Pedro at 8 or 9.


    "See I told you I was better looking."


    "You wish."


    We walk inside and see the rest of the group scarfing down the bread, leaving no room for enjoyment.


    "James, do we have enough for the collection", Kira asked. Kira, the youngest of the group, was the tiniest 5 year old I have ever seen. The combination of lack of food has made her look sickly and frail. The rest of the kids were all in a similar state of malnutrition. I looked to Pedro for the answer on the collectors and he just shook his head slightly enough for me to see.


    "Yeah everything should be fine Kira, don''t worry about it."


    Pedro grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.


    "We need to go get something of value. The collectors will be here soon and I spent everything we had to get the medicine for you."


    I thought for a moment before a smile came to my face. I pulled the 100 belli I found out of my pocket.


    "Do think any of the gambling dens are open right now"


    "Since when do you know how to gamble?"


    "I know a few things. Come on, show me the way."

 Chapter 4: The Art of Gambling

    I slid my money over to the player bet side while the others at the table debated their choices. The dealer passed out the cards to the four other men sitting at the table with me, chuckling as he passed two cards to me. I checked them with a smile.


    "You sure you want to bet on yourself this round little man you''re almost out. I almost feel bad taking your money, little one."


    "I think I''ll be lucky this round,"I replied with a smile.


    Pedro had led me to a 24 hour gambling den called The Grove near the docks. The grove is a two story building painted a light green and outlined in white. The inside is built like a tavern except the tables were holding different gambling games. Notorious for cutthroats, thieves, and those seeking fortune, honest folk stayed away. I don''t have the same hesitation that they have. I need money and this is the fastest way to do it beside stealing like Pedro suggested. Pedro gave me about 3000 belli that he managed to snatch on the way, which I''m currently losing at the baccarat table.


    "Oh a nine, looks like you win this time," the banker said. The banker was a greasy man with a mischievous smile that made me certain he was cheating. The other men at the table were either in on it or being scammed like me. Luckily with that last win I''m back even at 3000 belli. The dealer discarded the cards and pulled out a new deck that he began to shuffle.


    Baccarat is an easy game to learn, all you need to do is get as close to nine as possible. Number cards are worth their value, while the ten, jack, queen, and king are worth zero. The Joker is discarded. If the sum of your numbers goes over nine then you have to remove the one or two in front of it. For example a six and seven equals thirteen, so your hand is only worth three. Before each round you can either bet on yourself to double the money, the banker to double the money minus five percent, or a tie which pays out the best odds due to it being unlikely. If you guess wrong on the three choices then you lose your money.


    Pedro leaned over my shoulder to whisper, "We''re back even. We should just quit while we''re ahead and try to turn this into the collectors."


    "Trust me, losing is part of the game. Plus I think I''m feeling luckier." I gave him a wink and he settled down at that.


    I bet on myself once more before the dealer dealt. The dealer dealt the cards once more and I was lucky enough to have a total of eight.


    "I''ll stand."


    The other four men chose to stand after two of them hit once. Three of them had bet on the banker this time.


    "Are you sure about that?"


    He flipped his card over and it was a tie. The banker slid all the money toward himself and I grabbed my remaining 2,000 dollars and slid it to tie for my next bet. I have to risk everything here, or I''ll be stuck playing the bankers game till I''ve lost everything.


    "Mr. Banker, what''s the payout for a tie here at The Grove?"


    "It''s eight to one odds but your chances of hitting are slim to none, little man. Ties only happen every dozen rounds, but if you''re confident who am I to stop you."


    He dealt the cards once more and stood once more.


    "Time for the big reveal," the banker said smiling. We all flipped our cards and both of our hands added up to seven. The banker''s smile vanished as he realized what had happened. My 2,000 belli had just turned into 18,000 with the eight to one odds. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "That''s Impossible you must have cheated. There''s no way there would be ties on two turns in a row."


    "How could I have cheated you dealt the cards and there''s guards who patted us down before we came in."


    The banker was shocked and so were the other people at the table. Their eyes started to glimmer with hope after seeing the big win for me.


    "The collectors will definitely be fine with this much," Pedro whispers.


    "I think I''ll stay on one more bet since I''m hot right now."


    The banker looked relieved at another chance. I slid all 18,000 belli to the player''s side this time.


    "James, are you sure," Pedro asked?


    "Just trust me."


    The dealer dealt the cards out to the five of us at the table. My hand adds up to four.


    "I''ll hit."


    He flipped the cards over and I had a nine while the dealer had an eight. He stared at me angrily, knowing he would be in trouble for letting me win so much at his table. My belli rose to 36,000 after the win which I was all too happy to grab off the table.


    "Let''s go Pedro. You said the collectors would be at our base soon right?"


    "Yeah! Come on, I''ll lead the way."


    Pedro rushed out of The Grove and I followed close behind him. I kept turning around to make sure no one was following us, but after a couple minutes I relaxed.


    "How''d you manage to win so much? The Dealer said it was basically impossible to win the tie round."


    Here''s my first lesson on gambling to you Pedro. When you know the dealer is cheating then you have to make your own luck." I pulled a couple cards out my sleeve to show him.


    "How''d you get those, they checked us before we got in."


    "Like you said, I have the fastest hands in the crew," I replied. He gave a shocked look before a smile came over him. We made it back to the base, but the door was already thrown wide open. We heard a small voice shriek in fear and we rushed inside to see three pirates from Crow''s crew inside beating up the rest of the kids.


    "Get off of them," I yelled. Pedro and I rushed the two closest pirates and caught them off guard. My punch connected right with the guard''s ribs and he jumped back. I pressed him but he dodged my punch before kicking me right over into the cots. I jumped up quickly to dodge his kick but he was still able to grab ahold of my shirt.


    "What do you think you''re doing you little bugger." He punched me in the stomach and dropped me in a heap. I glanced over at Pedro and it looked like his fate was even worse than mine, after taking a punch to the face.


    "Where''s the money? You little thieves know that collection is today. Captain Crow doesn''t mind killing little kids who don''t know their place." The man who spoke up was the third man who didn''t fight. He held his hand on the pommel of his sword ready for us to put up another resistance.


    "We just went and got it. If you check my right pocket there''s 20,000 belli that we earned for collection," I cried out. The man with the sword nodded to the man I tried to fight, and he walked over and grabbed two 10,000 belli bills.


    "It''s right here like he said it would be Wabul." The man named wabul grabbed the bills and stuffed them in a pouch.


    "See kids if you just hand over the money there''s no need to get hurt. Let''s go, we still have a couple places to stop," Wabul said. The three men walked out leaving us on the ground nursing our wounds. I stood up and limped to the little girl Kira who was the voice we heard earlier.


    "Are you hurt?"


    "My arm hurts really bad," she whimpered. I take a look at it and her right arm looks swollen. It could be broken but I can''t be sure, but a doctor should be able to help.


    "Ok, don''t worry we''re going to get everyone to the doctor okay. Do you think you can get on my back? I''m going to carry you."


    "Yes." She climbed on my back and I stood up.


    "Is anyone else hurt really bad?"


    Most of the kids just shook their heads, but the two named Lily and Sigmond raised their hands.


    "I can''t carry everyone, do you think you can follow on foot?"


    "Yes," they replied in unison.


    "Pedro, is your eye ok?"


    "Yeah I''ll just have a black eye for a bit. I''ll watch over everyone else till you get back." He pulled out the 16,000 belli I gave for him to carry and handed it to me.


    "This should be enough for that quack doctor up the street."


    "Thanks. And Pedro, I promise Captain Crow will pay for this," I said, trying my best to mask my anger. I turned and walked out with Kira on my back, and Sigmond and Lily right behind me.

 Chapter 5: Devil Fruit Power

    I banged on the door as loud as I could but no one came out to answer. I had checked with someone on the street and they said the doctor should be in right now. I banged one more time and the door was flung open to reveal an old man with white spiky hair that stood up as if he had been electrocuted. His face shined a bright red color of sunburn and he wore a white lab coat that hung open to reveal his underwear.


    "What the hell do you kids want from me. Can''t see I''m drunk drowning in my sorrows. I''ve lost my future wife, but here you are banging on my door."


    "O-Oh I''m sorry for your loss, but my friends are hurt and need your help."


    "Don''t worry about it, that witch divorced me 20 years ago but it''s on days like this that I miss her warm embrace."


    He closed his eyes and started to ball dance with the giant bottle of wine he held in his hand. I motioned the kids into his apartment behind and stepped in to close the door behind me. The room wasn''t much of a doctor''s office as miscellaneous items were cast all over the room. Even the ceilings were stained a weird brown color. I set Kira down on the couch in the middle.


    "Wait a minute who said you all can come in. I''m tired, I don''t have time to treat patients." I pulled a 10,000 belli out my pocket and wagged it in the air and his eyes were drawn to the bill.


    "We''ll I guess as a doctor it''s my job to help those in need. It''s just the right thing to do." He nodded his head at his selfless choice while snatching the bill right out of my hand.


    "Let me just grab my tools, young ones." He disappeared into the back room where I could hear the sounds of items being thrown around. I turned to Sigmond and Lily to see what their injuries look like and to actually get a good look at them. This is still only my second day here so Pedro is the only one I really know that well. Sigmond and Lily were both about seven years old but with all of us being orphans it''s hard to know for sure. Sigmond and Lily both had black hair with dark brown eyes that would likely be mistaken for black.


    "Where are the two of you hurt?"


    "I got kicked in the ribs and the pain stings real bad. Lily cut herself on the leg. That''s why she''s been limping," Sigmond said.


    "I''m sorry Lily, I didn''t even notice. I wouldn''t have made you walk all the way over here if I knew."


    "It''s ok," she replied. She was really timid and if Sigmond didn''t speak up for her I doubt she would speak up about it. The doctor rushed back in with his doctor bag and a stethoscope wrapped around his neck.


    "So who''s my first patient?"


    "Help out Kira first. I think hers looks the most serious," I replied. The doctor walked over and began to check the wound and talk to Kira. If it weren''t for that display early I might believe he''s a respected doctor in this town.


    "Uhm James, Pedro told us you lost your memory. So does that mean you don''t remember us," Sigmond asked?


    "Sorry but it''s true. But don''t worry, we can just make new memories and you can tell me about the past memories. Right Lily?" I put my hand on Lily''s head and she blushed lightly at that.


    While the doctor continued to treat Kira, Sigmond and Lily told me the story of how we had all met. We have all been together almost a year except for Norman and Kira who joined a group a couple months ago. Me and Pedro''s parents died 2 years ago due to a plague that had swept through town for a couple weeks. Apparently I found Pedro walking the streets one day when he was hungry and I gave him a piece of bread. We have been friends ever since and gathered up the rest of the kids on the way. There used to be an orphanage in town but it closed down cause nobody wanted to donate to the education of who they considered future criminals. Now we just run the street doing our best to make it day to day.


    "Alright young miss, your arm does not look to be broken. Just keep a hot rag on it every once in a while and the swelling should go down." The doctor finished up with Kira and went to check on Sigmond and Lily. After wrapping up Lily and getting some ice for Sigmond the doctor tossed his bag to the room where sounds of object breaking.


    "Alright I have done the best that I can. Make sure the three of you get some rest these next couple days so you can heal."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "Thank you for the help doc. We''ll be on our way."


    "You know, the big bottle of wine is only another 1000 belli. It''s a delicacy but if you chip in I might be willing to share some with you."


    "Sorry doc but you''ll have to get the money for that wine another way." I turned my back to Lily this time and picked her up so she would have to limp.


    "Sigmond, can you carry Kira if she needs it? She''s a bit easier to carry."


    "No problem," Sigmond replied earnestly. I shut the door to the apartment and began the walk back to our home. The sun would be setting soon so some stalls had begun to close up shop. On one street there was a vendor selling skewers of meat.


    "Are you guys hungry?"


    Sigmond and Kira both gave me a nod and he heard Lily whisper yes into his ear. I walked over and bought some meat skewers for everyone, and after some thinking decided to grab some apples from the stall next over. By time we got back the four of us had already scarfed down our meat skewers and apples, but made sure to save the portions for everyone else.


    "Everyone, we''re back and we''ve brought food." All the kids rushed over and grabbed at the skewers and apples we brought. I sat Lily down so she could sit down. I turned and pointed at three I had taken to the hospital.


    "All three of you make sure to get rest like the doctor said."


    "Ok big bro," Sigmond responded. The other two nodded, and crossed their fingers and said, "It''s a promise."


    "Pedro come on, let''s go for a walk real fast." Pedro was busy stuffing face and turned to follow me.


    "Once we were out the door he turned to ask, "Is this about what you said earlier?"


    "Yeah. I want to take Captain Crow down. I don''t know him but what I do know is that he has no right to treat us like this. Not only that, but he has enough money so that we can take care of everyone else."


    "I''m with you James but you just got better. We should be taking it easy, not going up against a bunch of pirates. I mean you and I can fight but everyone else won''t even be able to get a punch off."


    "I have a secret that can help me get a lot stronger and we can wait a little bit for a plan to attack. Even if it''s just the two of us, if we use my secret I''ll be able to defeat a bunch of regular pirates."


    "What''s the secret power up?"


    "I placed my hand behind my back so Pedro couldn''t see. I whisper to my subconscious for the devil fruit that was waiting to be called and it just appeared in my hand." I brought the fruit out and it was a black apple with white swirls covering it.


    "What the hell is that?"


    "It''s called a devil fruit and it gives the person who eats it special powers. The only problem is I don''t know what the ability is, so we''re going to need some time to plan and get stronger."


    "James you''ve acted really weird ever since you healed from your sickness, but no matter what I trust you. If you think this can work you know I''m all for robbing some pirates."


    "Alright let''s go find some place where I can eat the devil fruit to find out its ability. We should probably wait till night time just in case someone is watching." I slid the devil fruit in a pocket just in case someone recognizes it.


    Pedro put his hand to his chin pondering for a moment before his eyebrows raised at an idea. "We can go to the abandoned church near the edge of town; nobody ever goes there."


    "Ok let''s tell everyone we will be back later and that we''ll go over there and try it out."


    We decided to hang out with the group and stayed until it was time to go to bed. We snuck off after some had fallen asleep to go to the abandoned church. The church had burned down in a fire a few years back and the scorch marks could be seen all over the outside. It was even worse inside with ashes still scattered all around. The roof had holes like our home that allowed the moon light to get right through to us. We searched around to make sure nobody was hiding in the church before I decided to pull out the devil fruit.


    "Are you sure you want to eat that. I have never seen black fruit like that. It might be poisonous," Pedro said.


    "It''s ok, trust me." I put the devil fruit up to the light to take it all in before putting it up to my mouth and taking a big chunk out of the apple. I immediately dropped the apple and gagged at the vile taste."


    "See I told you not to eat black fruits."


    I didn''t feel any different but I tried to force myself to change, and my body began to expand. My face and hands were covered in fur and kept growing taller till I was looking down on Pedro. I''m still pretty thin but my hairy body makes me feel much bigger. I look over to Pedro and he''s petrified in fright. I look at my claws and feel a long snout with sharp canines. My sense of smell is heightened as the smell of ash fills my nostrils and my ears twitch the sounds of movement streets down from the church.


    "Pedro, it''s still me. I just changed from the power of the fruit. toss me the mirror so I can see myself."


    He tossed the mirror over still in shock and I peered into to see myself. I have turned into the hybrid form of a wolf, but I look nothing like Jabra from one piece. My version has silver fur all around and my thin frame doesn''t look nearly as imposing. I walk around on all fours and on two legs to try out my movement. I''m not disappointed, I''ll still be stronger than most but I was just hoping for something more overpowered. I stepped into the moonlight and my fur started to sparkle. I suddenly felt way stronger than when I first transformed. My fur started to extend out to become thicker and my muscles started to bulge. I looked at my hand as the moonlight danced on my fur and began to focus on my hand. My hand was coated in the sparkles and emitted its own moonlight.


    "Pedro, we got even luckier than I thought I would. I thought I was just a regular zoan fruit but it''s a mythical zoan! I''m a werewolf. With this we''ll take Captain Crow down."

 Chapter 6: Out to Sea

    The past month of training for the fight against Captain Crow, has my body burnt out. Every night I would sneak off to the church to train in my werewolf state all night. My body recovers fast because of the nature of Zoan fruits, but the mind needs breaks. I still don''t know what the rest of my abilities as a werewolf are, but I''m getting stronger and my senses are top notch. The moonlight definitely means something but I haven''t been able to understand it yet. The ability to control moonlight sounds like a great ability on the surface but not being able to use it during the day has me worried. During the day Pedro and I would either spend the day training or gambling at gamblings dens all across town. The lucky bastard''s moniker the owner''s gave us happened to stick, building us quite the reputation at the gambling table. Unfortunately, now we have been barred from most places because nobody can be that lucky. We still made over 200,000 belli that we''ve been using to feed the kids and fund our operation.


    "Pedro, what time will they be here," I asked.


    "I saw the collectors going to the tavern down the street so they''ll be here in about 10 minutes."


    "Alright, do you have everything we might need? We can''t let them notice we''re following them."


    "Yeah I''ve got everything and I even managed to grab a bag of gunpowder like you asked for, in case we need a distraction."


    We waited patiently for the knock on the door from the collectors coming to get this month''s payment. We dressed ourselves up in our simple rags and hid the cloaks we had bought off a merchant in another room. The loud bang on the door came as we expected and I moved quickly toward the door. Getting a carpenter to fix the door has been expensive and I''ll be damned if I let them break it down again.


    "Looks like you brats learned your lesson from last month''s beating." The Pirate Wabul spoke up and behind him stood the same two henchmen from last time. He pushed me aside into the wall and stepped inside.


    "It''s just you two? Where are the rest of the kids?"


    "We sent them out so they wouldn''t get beat up again," Pedro replied. His voice contained a hint of venom which Wabul responded to with a kick to the chest that sent Pedro flying.


    "Pedro!" I rushed over to his side to help him get back up. He didn''t look to be hurt, so I guess the last month of training wasn''t completely useless.


    Wabul called out to his companions, "Search the place and make sure they''re not hiding valuables." The two pirates walked past us and started to search the rooms.


    "We have about 18,000 belli right here," I said, pulling it out of my pocket.


    "Huh, but it was 20,000 last time. That''s not what I like to hear. Maybe I should take one of your arms since they''re so useless." Wabul slid the sword out of its sheath and pointed it toward us. I tensed up and got ready to turn into a werewolf but he just started laughing.


    "I''m just kidding. If I cut your arms off, how would you steal for us? Keep up the good work and maybe Captain Crow might give you kids a chance. Eckbert! Boyle! Let''s go. I''m trying to get back to base before it''s too late. Shiela is waiting on me."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Eckbert and Boyle stopped sifting through out belongings and left with Wabul.


    Once they were out of earshot I helped Pedro to his feet. "Alright time to go. Put the cloak on and make sure to stay out of their line of sight," I said.


    We crept out the door, immediately spotting the three. We followed not far behind using the carts and alleyways of busy streets to stay out of sight. My senses since eating the Ino Ino no mi werewolf model have been heightened. Pedro and I split up to not draw attention to ourselves and continued to follow them at a safe distance behind. The three pirates stopped from house to house and with reluctance the townspeople contributed. Wabul apparently had an eye for wealth, a true glutton for anything of value. He knew just where to check and who to push further to get more money. Pedro and I stood silently in the shadows, while the Fleawater residents watched in anguish with their neighbors, through the curtains. Living on basic sustenance and nothing more does something to a person. In the residents'' eyes I couldn''t see hope and that scares me. I''m no Luffy and I''m not doing this completely out of the goodness of my heart. Still Captain Crow deserves what''s coming to him.


    "Pedro come on, the sun''s almost all down. They should be returning back to base soon."


    We hurried to keep up with them as they headed to their boat. Pedro told me their ship and base was on a tiny island near here, which we would have to sail to. The problem was that neither of us knew how to handle a boat. We were stuck on what to do till I had an ingenious idea. Pedro unfortunately didn''t understand the idea of a Trojan horse but he laughed at the boldness of my plans. The pirate collectors approached a caravel with three large men moving barrels and boxes on board.


    "How are we going to sneak on board," Pedro asked.


    "Don''t worry I bought us a distraction," I said with a smile. Pedro looked at me confused till he heard the sounds of drunken yells.


    His eyes opened wide, "Is that the doctor from down the street?"


    "Yeah. It took a little convincing but Doc has a thing for expensive wines. Plus he hates paying Crow as much as everyone else. Let''s hurry up before we miss our chance."


    Sailors broke out into laughter as the sun burnt doctor rushed around causing a disruption. We passed through the alleyways, coming to stop close to the back end of the boat. Pedro pulled out a rope with a grappling hook on the end and waited to make sure the coast was clear. The doctor ran up and pulled Wabul''s pants down and exposed his underwear for all the port to see. Wabul''s face turned red and sailors all around broke out into laughter. The doctor scampered off back where he came from.


    Wabul yelled out, "Don''t let that idiot get away." Eckbert and Boyle immediately gave chase, while Wabul glared at the sailors around which brought an end to the laughter. Pedro had used distraction to catch a hold of the back of the ship and we began climbing. I tied the rope to a sturdy post so that we wouldn''t fall into the water, but I couldn''t help but be nervous near water with my devil fruit weakness.


    "Pedro, hurry up, you''re moving too slow," I whispered urgently. We''re currently upside down, using our hands and feet to slowly get to the top. The other three men had gone off the boat with Wabul to force some extra belli from the sailors who dared to mock Captain Crow''s crew.


    "I''m trying but the rope keeps swaying. I''ll help you up when I get to the deck."


    I stopped climbing and just hung on so Pedro could get to the top. After a minute he whispered," Alright come on we need to get down below before they get back on board."


    He helped me up the rope before reeling it in and stuffing it in his pouch. We crept down the stairs and headed for the hatch to the cargo room. I could hear steps rapidly approaching from the gangplank and pushed Pedro in and jumped below deck. We moved to a room filled with barrels of beer and boxes of food that nearly filled the room.


    "Let''s lay down under the tarps there," I whispered.


    Above deck I could hear footsteps and voices through the cracks in the floorboard. I can only pray Doc got away safely as I settled behind the barrels. A pair of boots rushed down the steps dropping another crate right next to us hiding.


    "Boss, we got everything. We are ready to push off!"


    I felt as the boat slowly dislodged itself from port and the rhythmic bounce of the sea played a new tune. Pedro tapped on my shoulder with his face spread in the grin he was so fond of and whispered, "Step one complete."

 Chapter 7: My First Fight

    ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re about to come ashore,¡± I said. We had been waiting and listening intently for the past couple hours for shouts of land. Finally they had come. We couldn¡¯t tell the time in the cargo hold, but the sun had almost edged below the horizon before we left. We must be well into the night by now. The dark sky would play a pivotal role in our daring mission.


    ¡°Let¡¯s switch rooms. There should be a sleeping quarters with some hammocks or beds if we go up to the lower deck,¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we just hide there in the first place?¡± Pedro stared confused while checking his bag to make sure everything was still there. The caravel we are currently catching a ride on separated itself into three floors. The cargo hold with goods where we currently hid at the bottom, the lower deck with rooms that I didn¡¯t get a chance to peek in at, and the main deck with the sails, kitchen, and captains quarters. The ship was bigger than the one the straw hats used in the anime, but I think it¡¯s still classified as a caravel. I can¡¯t be sure.


    ¡°The lower deck probably doesn¡¯t have as many places to hide, but everyone should be on the upper deck, to dock the ship by now. They¡¯ll have to come into the cargo room to unload the ship, and we can¡¯t let them know we are here yet. We need to sneak on to the island to find the money and destroy the base with gunpowder if we can.¡±


    ¡°We only have a little gunpowder, we would need way more right?  And how are we going to get off the island without getting caught,¡± Pedro questioned.


    ¡°Crow will have gunpowder for his fleet, so if we need more we can steal it. As far as getting off the island I don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    We walked out from our cover behind the barrels and moved toward the center of the cargo hold. A hatch with a set of stairs attached to go to the floor above rested right above our head. Pedro moved to jump up and pull the hatch down but I placed my hand on his shoulder to stop him.


    ¡°Let me check first.¡± My body started to grow bigger and hairier until my head nearly touched the ceiling. I let my senses take over, using them all at once to pinpoint the locations of the pirates above. None of them were on the lower deck so I motioned for Pedro to go ahead before reverting back to a human. He poked his above, checking out the floor before pulling himself up. I walked up the steps quietly and motioned for Pedro to follow me down the tight hall where 6 rooms were lined up.


    Above he could hear Wabul screaming commands out to his crew. We slipped into the middle room on the right and shut the door. The room was tight and the ceiling low, but still big enough to fit a twin sized bed and drawer. A loud splash rang out and then another followed soon after.


    ¡°What the hell is going on up there?¡± I couldn¡¯t quite distinguish their words from here, so I transformed again to hear better.


    ¡°You 5 unload the ship and make sure to place everything in the storage hut immediately. I¡¯ll be coming by later to make sure everything is where it needs to be after my meeting with Captain Crow,¡± Wabul said.


    Not too long after Pedro and I heard grunts and feet scraping across the floor.


    ¡°Grab as much as you can at once. I don¡¯t want to take too many trips back and forth.¡± The sounds of cargo being moved broke the silence of the lower deck.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they docking the boat,¡± Pedro whispered.


    ¡°They probably never built a port. They probably set an anchor near the island and will row the goods there in multiple trips.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°How are we going to get off without them noticing? Are we just going to wait till they¡¯re done?¡±


    I knew this question would come up eventually but I had been hesitant to address it with Pedro. We won¡¯t be able to always hide. We are going to be up against thieves and murders, we won¡¯t have a chance to think about morals in the moment. If I have to, I¡¯ll kill them but I¡¯ll avoid it if possible. I used to be an air traffic controller in the military before I retired, so I was never forced to kill anyone. But in all likelihood the innocence I¡¯ve carried with me till my death, probably won''t be with me after today.


    ¡°Luffy is lucky he never has to kill anyone,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s that mean?¡±


    ¡°It means we have to be ready to protect ourselves. We¡¯re going to wait till they finish unloading the ship and attack whoever is leftover watching the ship at night. If we can capture them we will but if not we will kill them.¡±


    I made sure to say the words with conviction so Pedro would understand. This will be dangerous and there is no going back. It¡¯s time to push all my chips to the middle, no holding back, if I want to win big. Pedro¡¯s face looked worried as he thought it over.


    ¡°I guess I knew it would be like this. Captain Crow is ruthless and we can¡¯t hold back. James, you know I¡¯m with you.¡± He put out fist bump and we bumped fist before going back to listening to the pirates. I stayed in my werewolf state just in case one of the pirates came in. We waited what seemed like hours till the sounds of cargo being dragged away died down.


    I tuned into my senses and could hear two men above deck arguing over something. They must be in charge of guarding the ship at night from deserters and thieves.


    ¡°There¡¯s only two pirates left on board. Are you ready,¡± I whispered. Pedro gave me a thumbs up and we stepped out of the room and crept toward the hatch to go to the main deck. I turned back into human form so I wouldn¡¯t scare them immediately and cause a scene. I breathed in and out while pulling the stairs to the main deck down. I walked up and put my hand up to motion for Pedro to stay down there. I immediately saw both of them near the head of the ship looking out while sitting on some crates. Their heads turned around and we made eye contact as their eyes flew open in surprise.


    ¡°Who the hell are you? How¡¯d you get on this ship,¡± the man on the right demanded. Both stood up and drew their swords.


    I put my hands up quickly and prepared to pull out the best acting I could manage.


    ¡°My name is James. I didn¡¯t mean to sneak on the ship, I was just hungry and scared.¡±


    ¡°Where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°I got on the ship back at Brookhaven. Please don¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Ryun, what should we do?¡± The man on the right scratched his head with his free hand conflicted on what to do.


    ¡°Just take him captive, we can let the captain decide,¡± the man on the right responded.


    The man on the right approached slowly with his sword out and reached out to grab me. I jumped forward, cutting the distance while activating my devil fruit. I grew rapidly into full hybrid form and slashed at the sword the man put up to protect himself. I knocked it out of his hand with the slash and brought my leg up, kicking him in the chest. He was sent skidding back toward his partner, and left sprawled out on the deck. I immediately rushed the other pirate who trembled in fear. He ran toward the edge to jump off but I grabbed his foot just in time. I swung him around in a circle overhead and tossed him at the mast, which he hit with a thump. I walked up to check and they were both knocked out cold. Unfortunately we won¡¯t be able to get any info out of them with them knocked out.


    ¡°Pedro, the coast is clear.¡±


    Pedro walked up glancing at the men sprawled out.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to tie them up and put them in the cargo hold. I¡¯ll move some boxes on top, so they aren¡¯t able to get out.¡±


    Pedro nodded and went to work not even needing my help. I looked around quickly and noticed about two bigger ships a distance away lit up by similar torches to the ones these pirates held. Hopefully they don¡¯t notice us.


    ¡°James, they are ready to go. I just need you to carry them down.¡±


    I picked them and made my way to the cargo hold, dropping them off in a corner. I covered them in the sheet we had used early just in case. I went back up and dragged a couple of beds out of the rooms, and placed them on top. They shouldn¡¯t be able to get out tonight. I went back up to deck and saw Pedro staring out at the island.


    ¡°Are you ready to go? we¡¯re going to take their boat to the island. We only have a couple hours till the sun comes up. I want to be out of here by sunrise.¡±


    ¡°No problem, I am ready to go.¡±


    I looked up at the crescent moon to prepare myself for what¡¯s to come.

 Chapter 8: Chaotic Allies

    ¡°Row faster! We are done for if we get caught out in the water,¡± I whispered.


    We exited the boat and started the journey toward the island, under the unwatchful eyes of the other ships patrol. Before we got off, I decided to just round up some gunpowder barrels from near the cannons. They probably have gunpowder on the island but with their ships so close they might have left it. It can¡¯t hurt to have a little precaution. We are making good progress and we¡¯re almost to the island, but I can¡¯t help but be wary of the possible unknowns. Of course this devil fruit will help me, but I still don¡¯t know for sure the full extent of the Crow pirates power. What if they catch us before we can escape? What if they have a devil fruit user too? What if they can use haki? I¡¯m calm in most situations, I can¡¯t help it, I''m a laid back guy, but that doesn¡¯t mean I should go in blind. That mistake is the reason I¡¯m here in the first place. I need to play it a little smarter in this life.


    ¡°James, how far do you think we are from the island?¡±


    ¡°If I had to guess I would say if we row faster we will be there in no time¡±


    ¡°Not all of us ate super fruits,¡± he grumbled.


    We picked up speed and soon we were a dozen or so meters away from the island.


    ¡°It¡¯s shallow, we can jump out now.¡± Pedro jumped out with a splash and started pulling the boat.


    ¡°I can¡¯t get in the water because of my fruit. You¡¯re going to need to pull us to shore. I¡¯ll help out with the paddle though.¡±


    We got close enough to the shore that the boat started to graze up against the ground floor. I jumped out and I felt cold all over. My body shivered with each step and I walked like a drunk man before collapsing to my knees and kissing the sand.


    ¡°Ptooey!¡± I spit the sand out my mouth and ignored Pedro¡¯s snickers in the background. We had rowed to a piece of beach quite a distance away from the lights of campfires and torches we had seen up the beach. The island was tiny compared to what I¡¯ve seen in my past life. The island was not a circle but instead a long strip of sand that slightly curved inward toward the ships at one end. The strip of land had large palm trees and wild foliage growing in the center of it. It sounded quiet except the distant shouts we heard from the pirate base. I doubted anything ever lived on an island of this size, and if they did, the pirates must have sprouted up in their place.


    ¡°It sounds like they¡¯re celebrating,¡± Pedro said.


    ¡°They might be. They just brought all those goods from Brookhaven.¡±


    ¡°I bet they¡¯re happy about all the money they¡¯ve been stealing from us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we¡¯ll be getting it back. Come on, let''s drag the boat and barrels through the woods to hide it.¡±


    We struggled a bit pulling the boat till I just turned into a werewolf, and pulled it out of the water to carry it into the woods. I placed the barrels behind it, and grabbed some foliage to cover it all up.


    ¡°Alright come on we don¡¯t have all night. Let¡¯s be quick.¡±


    I stared up at the moonlight and focused on my hand till we had our own flashlight to guide us. We made our way down the narrow strip of land in the woods so they wouldn¡¯t see the light. We navigated the tiny woods as silent as possible, narrowly dodging branches and thorns. The pirates'' merry singing and drunk shouts grew louder until we started to make out the beginnings of a raging bonfire. I turned back into a human, extinguishing my light, while I scooted forward to the edge of the clearing. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The camp was set up in a circle with the bonfire in the middle surrounded by stacked up logs. Trees were cleared around the camp, and a random assortment of huts and tents made up the camp. Around 3 huts sat on the left side away from the beach, with tents pegged down wherever they could fit. One hut larger than the other two, sat at the back of them. The pirates are singing and dancing around the bonfire, unaware of us slinking in the shadows.


    ¡°How many do you think there are?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many are in their tents. If I had to guess it¡¯s maybe 100 or so altogether based on the ship sizes,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sneak in the tents or the huts while most of them are distracted around the bonfire.¡± Pedro¡¯s eyes flashed for a moment and he pulled out the dagger he bought, raring to go.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know who Captain Crow is or where the money is. If we just bust in, it¡¯s a chance someone hears and then we have to fight them all off at once. I think I know how we can solve both problems.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°We need to find someone weak and lure them over here so we can interrogate them. If they walk over to us, then we can handle them over here in the shadows, without drawing attention to ourselves.¡±


    ¡°How can we do that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve thrown rocks before right,¡± I said with a smile.


    We gathered up a bunch of small rocks into a pile and searched for our targets. Most of the pirates were too focused on the bonfire in the center but some stragglers still stood apart.


    ¡°How about those guys over there?¡± Pedro pointed to two young kids who looked a couple years older than us. They acted as servants carrying trays to and from all the pirates, which earned them nothing but jeers and insults from the older pirates.


    ¡°Perfect when they come back over with drinks I¡¯m going to need you to act as a distraction. Don¡¯t go out too far into the light, just toss some rocks and run into the forest, and hopefully they¡¯ll chase you.¡±


    ¡°What if they don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then we move to plan B.¡±


    We waited for the perfect moment as the two older kids traversed the camp, bringing whatever the pirates asked for. After a couple minutes they finally walked toward our end and Pedro stealthily crept out, rocks in hand. He kept low to the ground hiding behind whatever bushes and discarded logs were around. The pair drew closer to the tents near us at the edge of the forest, and Pedro stood up and started to hurl rocks in their direction.


    ¡°What the hell, what''s a kid doing here!¡± The two covered their faces from the rock barrage, but once Pedro had their attention he darted back in my direction. They looked up at him running away and started chasing him. I activated my devil fruit as Pedro made it into the forest. He rushed past the tree line and the older kids followed right after him. I jumped out and grabbed them, covering their mouths with my hands, I picked them up and fled deeper in the forest where Pedro ran to.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to uncover your mouths but if you scream, I¡¯ll kill you on the spot.¡±


    I uncovered their mouths and they both gasped for air, their coughing and sputtering anything but quiet. I made sure to listen in to make sure nobody noticed their disappearance.


    ¡°W-who are you,¡± the teen on the right managed to get out.


    ¡°The two of us are here to do a job, and both of you will be helping us.¡±


    ¡°What can we do?¡±


    ¡°We need you to tell us where the money is and where captain crow is and in exchange we let you guys go free.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never give up Captain Crow, pirates have a code. If you must kill someone it should be me. I don¡¯t want to see my little brother get hurt,¡± the one on the right responded.


    ¡°Huh, little brother. You are the little brother. I was clearly born five minutes before you,¡± the one on the left said.


    ¡°Jiro, don''t you remember you were too weak in mom¡¯s belly, so I came first to loosen it up for you.¡±


    ¡°No you must have lost your mind when this giant talking dog picked us up. I¡¯m not Jiro, you are Jiro and I¡¯m Ichiro.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ichiro you idiot.¡±


    The two teens started arguing, so I clamped my hands back down on their mouths. I made my hands glow with the moonlight, and looked at their faces clearly to see a set of identical twins. They both had curly black hair with brown eyes, and white skin that was well tanned due to the tropical weather. The same nose and ears, everything painted them as perfect copies of one another. They looked to be about thirteen but from a distance their height made them seem older.


    ¡°Ichiro or Jiro, I don¡¯t care who you are, I just need you to do what I ask and do it quietly. Do you guys understand?¡± They nodded their heads and I uncovered their mouths once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. Jiro just gets scared easily. We will help out with Crow, but only if we get part of whatever you guys are taking. We have been wanting to leave this crew for a while. They treat us like chore boys when I¡¯m clearly a top pirate in the west blue.¡±


    The other twin, like clockwork, couldn¡¯t stop himself and an argument over who was the best pirate in west blue broke out between them. I just sighed and clamped their mouths shut once more. Tonight is going to be a long night.

 Chapter 9: Plan of Action

    It took 5 minutes of arguing before we were able to get the twins to cooperate. They loved to bicker among each other at the slightest provocation. Apparently they joined Captain Crow¡¯s crew after their mother died of a disease. The village of Slyke on the island of Blund, where they are from, is near the same village that Crow grew up in. He accepted them into the crew when they were our age because the twins reminded him of home.


    ¡°Now that everything is settled, describe to me what Captain Crow looks like.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s tall with dark black hair, and he only wears black clothes, even though it¡¯s hot out. That¡¯s why they call him Crow. Rumor is that he never sweats and he has eyes in the back of his head. Ever since we¡¯ve come to the island he hasn¡¯t come out of the hut even once, so now Wabul runs the crew.¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t forget to tell them he¡¯s really strong,¡± Jiro added.


    ¡°Yep, as strong as 10 men. One punch from his brass knuckles knocked out the famous bounty hunter, Raymond the beast. I¡¯m not sure if you could beat him Mr. Talking dog.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a werewolf not a dog. Why hasn¡¯t he come out of the room?¡±


    ¡°Nobody knows. We think he¡¯s dead, and now Wabul is just using him to prop himself up as the new captain. Wabul is the one who made the deal with a Navy captain to split the belli from the towns paying for protection.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean Wabul has the belli,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Wabul usually takes the belli back to the big shack where the captain stays.¡±


    Wabul doesn¡¯t look that strong, so if Captain Crow really is dead, I just need to get in there and take the money. I can just take the belli after defeating Wabul or Captain Crow, while I have Pedro set the gunpowder. Now I just need to figure out what to do with the twins.


    ¡°I have a job I need you two to do while me and Pedro carry out our own plan. First we are going to grab some barrels from the forest and put them at the edge of camp. After that¡¯s done, I want you two to walk around the camp and tell them that Wabul killed Captain Crow, and is plotting to run off with all the belli.¡±


    ¡°What should we do after we tell them,¡± Jiro asked.


    ¡°Once they are angry, and start to fight among each other, you can escape down to the other end of the beach. we will pick you up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky with Jiro and I on your team, this plan is guaranteed success with us,¡± Ichiro said.


    We walked back to the hidden barrels and boat that hid in the foliage at the other end of the island. We moved at a faster pace, ready to get this plan in motion. By time we carried the three barrels of gunpowder back to the edge of the clearing less pirates were out celebrating. Around 70 still stood around the bonfire, but many looked to have retired to their tents.


    ¡°Ichiro. Jiro. Go ahead and follow the plan. If everything goes right we will be meeting up with you later,¡± I said.


    The twins walked back toward the bonfire and I turned to Pedro.


    ¡°Pedro, your part of this plan will be just as hard as mine. I need you to burn their boats so they can¡¯t get back to their ships and use the gunpowder to set distractions. Once you burn their ships and blow up the gunpowder, wait for me at the boat so we can sail back to the caravel with the twins.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m ready. I have been waiting for this moment. How will I know when to start the fires,¡± Pedro said.


    ¡°Watch the big building and wait till I get in, to start the fires.¡±


    ¡°What should we do if the twins tell them about us?¡±


    ¡°I doubt they will, but if they do, nobody will believe them. Imagine telling someone a little kid and a giant wolf man are in the forest plotting on stealing everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Pedro said laughing at the prospect of it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you back at the boat.¡± I gave Pedro a fist bump and made my way around the tree line, so I could be closer to the hut. I turned back into a human so I would be harder to spot in the tree line. There weren¡¯t any guards just roaming around, but there were a lot of pirates still awake that might see me. I peered toward the bonfire from my new angle. From my spot in the forest I could make out the slightly shorter shapes of the twins talking to other pirates. I need to hurry up.


    I analyzed the set of three shacks that were separated from the tents. Two guards protected the door to the bigger one, and one guard at each of the smaller shacks. The bigger building where the twins told me Captain Crow had been staying, didn¡¯t look well made. The logs were haphazardly stacked together in a square and the building tilted to the side.


    I checked my surroundings and moved out of the tree line toward the back of the shack. My steps, silent and measured. The pirates guarding the door looked disengaged as they yawned and rubbed their eyes. My steps led me right to the back of the building where no one could spot me. I pulled a rock out of my pocket and rolled it down the right side of the shack. It passed one of the guards as it went into the torch light. I hid myself back behind the building and a gruff voice called out to me.


    ¡°Hey who''s out there. Stop playing games or I¡¯ll drop you in the middle of the ocean on the next raid.¡±


    I kept silent and listened for his footsteps.


    ¡°Just go check it out, it''s probably some drunk bastard from the cannon crew. You know those guys can¡¯t handle their liquor. Remember that time one of them almost blew up a ship.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know. I got it.¡±


    I heard the footsteps approaching and I snuck around the other side to the one still remaining in the front. I turned quickly into a werewolf and knocked him over the head from behind. I covered his mouth just in case it wasn¡¯t enough force to knock him out, but he was clearly out cold.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one back here, they must¡¯ve run into the forest. Should I try to go get them,¡± a voice asked from the back of the building.


    I dragged the body toward the back when I heard the guard who went to check walking back to the front.


    ¡°Makil, where''d you go?¡±


    I dropped the guard off at the back of the building and rushed around and dispatched the other one in similar fashion. I dropped the second body off at the back and moved toward the unguarded door.


    I twisted the handle and peeked in. Shadows of a flame flickered on the wall, but I could not see anyone through the crack. I opened the door enough for me to step in and shut the door right behind me. The shack wasn¡¯t wide but it was tall enough for me to stand straight up in this werewolf form. The room, bare of decorations, had only wooden furniture. A wall and curtain divided a portion of the room on the right hand side. On the left sat a couch, and a fireplace that led to the chimney outside.


    In front of that fireplace, a man with short black hair and streaks of grey stared into its depths. I tensed up and prepared myself in case the man I presume to be Crow decides to attack, but he just sits there. He turns, looks me up and down, and smiles.


    ¡°I figured someone would come for me eventually, I just always thought it would be Wabul. If you don¡¯t mind, can you grab the kettle over there and pour me another glass of tea?¡±


    Taken aback by his attitude my anger began to bubble up.


    ¡°Are you really so strong that you smile in the face of death? I came here knowing I might have to kill you. My mind and senses are urging me to do so, yet you¡¯re just sitting here smiling.¡±


    ¡°Tea first please. Talking comes after.¡±


    ¡°Or I could just kill you now and take the money that is probably hidden away behind that curtain over there,¡± I said.


    He just smiled and remained silent. He looked at me with no contempt, a man who came to kill him. In his eyes I saw a good man, not a murder and a thief. In my heart I knew I came seeking revenge, but something about him doesn¡¯t feel right. I walked over to the kettle in the kitchen and brought it over to him. I watched out for a possible attack, but he just grabbed the kettle and poured two glasses.


    ¡°Please, have a drink with me. It¡¯s not everyday a devil fruit user comes to kill me. I mean you no harm. I was just wondering if you would be interested in listening to my story.¡±

 Chapter 10: The Ash Pirates

    I sat across from Crow, still in my werewolf state. The cup of green tea he passed to me, spun itself around the edges of the cup. I gripped it while watching his movements. Crow would blow on the cup, mechanical in his movement, before taking a slight sip from his cup.


    "I''m not sure if you''re a pirate yourself, but have you ever thought about why one becomes a pirate? It''s a high risk profession, something a rational man should avoid," Crow said. He placed his cup down, and grabbed a scoop of sugar from a holder in the middle of the table. He dumped it in, and stuck a tiny spoon inside to stir it around, before continuing to speak.


    "Most do it for money I would assume, but me personally, the freedom of the sea called to me. I chose my own path, one that nobody can take from me. My path is no longer as clear now, but once it was clear. The older I get, the more this freedom feels akin to slavery. I''m shackled to the mast in a growing storm, when all I want is to come ashore."


    His face grew into a frown as he spoke, but I continued to remain silent. I''m worried about the plan, but I can''t just leave. I prayed for Pedro, while listening and watching attentively to Crow.


    "When I was just a young man with nothing to my name, I left my village and joined up with a pirate crew. The Ash Pirates, we called ourselves. We sailed the west blue and into the grand line making a name for ourselves. We took what we wanted, went wherever we wanted, and didn''t let anyone stand in our way. It was fun for a time, sailing the unknown. One day Captain told us that we would need to stay on Grecko island for 6 months while the log pose adjusted. Grecko is an island on the grand line where it''s always springtime and the inhabitants are friendly. After years of being chased by the navy, we were all fine with resting up. I got badly injured the last fight we had, so I needed time to recuperate. On the island, a doctor named Chisa took care of me. She was a little older than me and quite easily the kindest person I had ever met. She helped me with everything while I was there. She would even cook for some of us on the crew while we stayed on the island. Time passed and I fell in love with her. I asked her to marry me but she said she would never marry a pirate. I yearned for her and promised I would come back, and marry her when I had made enough belly. The truth was that I loved the freedom the sea brought more."


    He picked the kettle and poured another glass of green tea.


    "Those months were blissful, but before long we were back out on the sea, doing what pirates do. I had never thought about retirement, but after spending time on Grecko, I thought about it deeply. I wanted nothing more but to get back to her. Pirate life has grown dull. A year later the opportunity came after Captain Cano ended up getting killed by an admiral. We disbanded and I bought a logpose to sail back to Grecko island. By the time I got there the village had been burned down and Chisa was missing. I talked to some locals and apparently some new pirate crew raided the coast of the island. I searched for her and the crew looking for revenge, but no one knew of them."


    His voice cracked as he spoke, and he gripped his cup tighter. His eyes welled up and droplets rolled down his cheek.


    "Freedom wears thin and if you never give it up you''ll miss out on things like love. I''m old now, all I can do is be a pirate. No matter how much I desire to give it up, I have realized once I do I''ll be nothing," he finished.


    I finished the cup of tea I had been drinking and placed it down on the table in front of us. I pondered his story and thought of the previous life I lived. I knew what he meant about missing out on everything and feeling stuck in place. I didn''t get married or have kids like everyone else, and in a lot of ways I felt like I missed out. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "I think you have the same problem I used to have. You think freedom means doing whatever you want without responsibility. What freedom actually allows us to do is to choose our responsibilities. In the past I was very fickle and hated being in one place, so I shoved responsibility to the side. I don''t want to keep making that mistake in this life. I''m here because your crew is tormenting townspeople and kids, that over this past month I''ve grown fond of. I know I could just move on, and go achieve my dream of seeing what this world has to offer, but I refuse to keep leaving people behind. I know you might regret running away. I have the same regrets, but you still have the freedom to choose your path," I replied.


    I stood up and he looked up at me shocked at my words. His eyebrows twitched and he put the cup to his lips, gulping it all down in one go. He slammed the cup on the table and stood up causing me to flinch. I created some distance, waiting for his reaction.


    He burst out laughing and in between laughs said, "I''ve met some talking animals out on the grand line but none as insightful as you."


    "Thanks, I''m still learning as I go."


    "I appreciate your words, but I fear that you speak a young man''s game. I''ve been feeling down these past couple months, but your words reminded me of why I''m here in the first place. The freedom of the sea is fraught with challenges for me to overcome. I''m too old to change my path. I missed my opportunity. Pirating is all I know. There''s nothing for an old man like me except the sea."


    "Does that mean you''re going to keep robbing Flea water and have your crew keep beating up its residents?"


    "Why would I stop? Stealing is a part of what pirates do. Im going to take control of the crew again and get rid of Wabul. I can set up my own deal with the Navy. I appreciate your words, so I hope there''s no hard feelings," Crow said.


    The table flipped toward me in the air, and I dived to the right as the table crashed against the door behind me. Captain Crow smiled at me while sliding on his brass knuckles. I rushed at him and took a swipe with my claws, but he leaned to the left like an experienced boxer. He immediately punched me hard in the ribs, which sent me flying at the wall. Ignoring the pain, I picked up pieces of broken furniture and tossed it toward him. He dodged them effortlessly.


    As I oriented myself, two quick explosions rang out and the building shook. Screams and sounds of yelling could be heard from right outside the door. Pedro must have blown the gunpowder, I need to hurry. I grabbed a chair leg and rushed back at him. He closed the distance and jabbed forward with his fist, but I dodged it. I swung the chair leg as hard as I could and hit him on the side of the head. He jumped back and I tried to get in close with my claws, but he gave me two quick jabs to the face.


    He bled from the side of his head which slightly obscured his view in his left eye. I gripped the chair leg, and rushed in swinging wildly. He yanked the chair leg out of my hand, but I was able to cut his arm. I balled my fist and exchanged blows with him in the middle of the room. I hooked his arm, swinging him toward a wall, he crashed into the kitchen. The building started to creak and I heard the splintering of wood. I swiped ash out of the fireplace, while he stood up wobbling. I got on all fours and jumped toward him, while throwing the ash at his face. He still hit me in the ribs and I felt my ribs cracking, but the ash blinded him enough for me to drive my claws into his shoulder.


    He grabbed my arm with all his strength and refused to let go when I tried to pull back. The building gave out. The roof caved in on top of him, which allowed me to break free from his grasp. I climbed out of the wreckage and saw the camp on fire, with pirates running around and some fighting amongst each other. I staggered back from the wreckage of the shack, and looked toward where the money should be.


    "I hope you don''t think that was enough to kill me."


    I looked over to the other side of the collapsed building and Captain Crow had finished crawling out the wreckage. He bled profusely, but acted as if he had taken no damage at all.


    "I haven''t fought in months, but it feels good to be back. If you want to escape with your life, you''ll have to go through me first," Crow said with a smile.