I catch Nami watching us, her brows furrowed, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. To her, pirates are the enemy, thieves, bullies, destroyers of lives. She has seen too much to believe otherwise. But then there is Luffy, risking everything for Chouchou, and me, kneeling in the ashes to comfort a grieving dog. For a moment, her mask slips; confusion and frustration war with a reluctant curiosity. I notice her fingers clenching tightly around the edges of her map, as if it's the only solid ground in a world suddenly shifting beneath her feet. Her breath hitches, a crack in the armor of doubt she wears so firmly. Maybe she is starting to question if all pirates are the same, or if we might be something different.
I rise slowly, gently settling Chouchou beside me. My hand lingers a beat longer on his head, offering silent reassurance before I straighten and turn to face the mayor. "I know you want to defend your home," I say, my voice low but resolute, "but please, let us handle this. This isn't just about pirates fighting over turf anymore. This is personal now, for all of us." My jaw tightens, and I can feel the anger burning in my veins, a rare heat, sharper than any wound. I'm not Luffy, not a whirlwind of impossible strength, and Zoro's the sort who can shrug off anything but death itself. Still, I have my own role, my own reasons to fight, and I won't stand aside while innocent people suffer.
I take a steadying breath, the sharp tang of smoke tickling my throat as I feel the weight of the moment settle on my shoulders. Responsibility, fear, and resolve are all tangled together, but the gritty texture of the earth beneath my boots anchors me, reminding me to let it fuel me. Now isn't the time to waver. As I rise, my fingers brush against a half-charred shop sign lying on the ground, its edges still warm and ashen in my grasp. I grip it tightly, an unexpected flare of emotion propelling me, and I vow silently, 'No more burned dreams.' The mayor meets my gaze, something steely passing between us. He sees the same look in my eyes that stares back at him in the mirror, determination mixed with desperation. He nods, lips pressed thin, recognizing that this fight belongs to us now. Whether out of trust or exhaustion, he steps aside, leaving the battle in our hands.
I call over my shoulder, "Zoro, rest if you need, but I'm going." My tone is firm, offering him autonomy with the unspoken hope that I won't be going alone.
The faintest smile tugs at my lips as I check my weapons pouch, making sure everything's in place. The uncertainty of what's ahead tightens my gut, but I mask it with determination. Zoro lets out a long, dramatic groan as he pushes himself upright. He gives me a firm shoulder bump, a silent affirmation that echoes louder than any words could. Underneath his actions, there's an unspoken bond, a sense of fear masked by bravado, as if the gesture is not just a jab at my recklessness, but a shield for his own concerns. It's the closest thing to camaraderie he'll ever admit.
As I step forward, I sense Zoro falling in behind me, silent but present, a steady shadow at my back. Luffy dashes up, brimming with his usual reckless confidence, while Nami lingers just behind Zoro, arms crossed, half-exasperated and half-unwilling to miss what comes next. The four of us march together, an unlikely unit, toward the chaos waiting at the heart of town.
He flashes me a thumbs-up. "I've never seen you so serious, Daichi!" he exclaims, a spark of excitement in his eyes. I keep my gaze fixed, voice steady and low. "How can I not be? After everything they've done, the way they tormented the villagers, destroyed their homes, and crushed Chouchou's spirit. I can't just stand by and watch. Not anymore." As I speak, a memory surges to the forefront—a charred orphanage from my past life, the acrid smoke and scattered rubble marking the loss of everything I held dear. The same helplessness grips me now, and I swore never to feel it again. This time, I have the power to stop it.
Luffy's expression softens, and he nods. He's never claimed to be a hero, but injustice still gets under his skin. What they did to Chouchou clearly struck a nerve; even he can't shrug that off.
"Yeah, those jerks really ticked me off. I'll take on the red-nose guy, Buggy's mine! You guys can handle his goons."
A shrill voice pierces the air. "WHAT did you just call me!?"
A sudden clash of cymbals echoes through the air, jarring the senses and halting conversations mid-sentence. The acrid scent of gunpowder lingers, curling around us like an unwelcome fog. I glance up to see Buggy himself, perched atop a pile of rubble in his garish clown getup, red nose gleaming even in the chaos. He's practically vibrating with outrage, arms flailing as he bellows.
"You damn flashy idiots! I won't stand for this! Take aim and fire the Buggy Ball!" he screeches, voice cracking with fury. Luffy steps forward, utterly unfazed, hands on his hips as if daring the world to try him.
Pirates scramble to ready the cannon, yelling over each other. "Move! Hurry!" a commanding voice cuts through the chaos. "Oh, why'd you have to say that!?" Nami yells in exasperation as she runs to the side.
Zoro glances around, hand on his sword. "Time to move, idiots, unless you want to get blown sky-high!"
Luffy grins, unwavering. "You guys go ahead. I got this."
I plant my feet beside Luffy, my stance as solid as if rooted in the earth. "He's right. I'm not going anywhere. Trust me, Luffy can handle this." For a brief moment, our eyes meet, and a shared, knowing grin passes between us, a wordless pact forged in the face of danger. We don't need to speak; the bond we've crafted is stronger than words, a silent vow that we've got each other's backs no matter what comes our way.
Buggy howls, "Time to die!" as the cannon roars to life. My heart stutters, but I force myself to stand firm, trusting Luffy's wild talent.
Luffy inhales with gusto, puffing up like a parade float. "Gum-gum balloon!" he shouts. The Buggy Ball slams into his rubber chest, but instead of carnage, Luffy simply rebounds, launching the explosive cannonball right back at Buggy's crew.
Buggy's jaw drops. "What the, did he just catch it?!" He waves his hands as though he could will the ball to stop, but it's already sailing back toward him.
There's a stunned silence as everyone gawks, except for me. I can't help but exhale in relief. Luffy never disappoints, even when logic says he should.
Zoro grumbles, "A little warning would've been nice," as he watches the chaos unfold.
The Buggy Ball detonates in a spectacular burst, smoke and debris engulfing Buggy and his bewildered pirates. The air crackles with the shock of it. For a moment, there's nothing but a deafening ring in my ears, drowning out all other sounds. The smell of sulfur and burnt gunpowder fills the air, mingling with the acrid taste of smoke that clings to the back of my throat. I blink against the haze, vision swimming as the world slowly comes back into focus.
Luffy throws his fists in the air, beaming. "Alright! I got 'em!" Nami, meanwhile, throws her hands up in disbelief, her patience fraying by the second.
"What kind of monster are you?!" Nami shouts, still reeling. Zoro steps behind Luffy, smirking. "Congrats, you scared her more than Buggy ever could."
As the smoke clears, Nami storms over, jabbing a finger at Luffy. "I knew something was weird after that fight with that lion! No human being can do what you do! Now explain yourself! What the hell was the balloon-inflating thing you did just now?" Her voice was sharp, but beneath it lingered a tremor of uncertainty. Luffy's abilities challenged her very understanding of the world. As much as curiosity drove her words, deeper fears also swirled, unspoken questions about the boundaries of power and safety pushing to the surface.
Luffy grins, utterly unbothered. "That was the Gum-gum Balloon," he says, as if it explains everything.
Nami's eyes narrow, shark-teeth bared. "I don't care what you call it, how did you do that?!"
Suddenly, Buggy staggers from the rubble, dragging two battered crewmates, both unconscious, their uniforms scorched and smoking. One of them has a burned tattoo of Buggy's emblem on his forearm, the edges raw and blistering, a brutal reminder of Buggy's disregard for their loyalty. My gut twists at the sight; he used his own men as shields. The anger I'd tamped down flares hot again.
Buggy sneers, dropping their limp bodies to the ground with a theatrical flourish. "How dare you try to flashily take me out?" he crows, as if he's the real victim here.
Nami shakes her head, disgusted. "Unbelievable. Using your own crew as shields…"
I step forward, voice trembling with barely restrained fury. "They're your nakama, your family. How can you throw them away to save yourself? What kind of captain are you, Buggy?" My words echo the fears I keep buried, the silent vow I've made to protect my own crew, no matter the cost. A crew protects its own, even when it hurts. This truth stings sharper than the blade of any sword, an oath that binds me tighter than any chain could.
Luffy's hand comes down gently on my shoulder, grounding me. I draw a steadying breath, letting his calm seep into my bones as I force my anger to cool. The ash that had once choked the air now drifts down softly, settling on the ground as if to promise peace after chaos. It mirrors the way my turbulent emotions settle, leaving clarity in their wake. This shared moment with Luffy, under a sky that no longer blazes with battle but whispers of the quiet after, assures me that, together, we'll stand firm, no matter who or what tries to tear us down.
Suddenly, a man with wild white hair bursts out from beneath the rubble, dust and dirt streaking his face. He looks battered but not severely hurt. Blinking in confusion, he looks around at the chaos, then his eyes land on Luffy. His jaw drops. "No way... It's you!" he shouts, pointing an accusing finger at Luffy.
Luffy grins and gives a friendly little wave, as if greeting an old friend. "Hiya!" he calls out, utterly unfazed by the accusation.
"Ahh! It's that damn Straw Hat! Captain Buggy, watch out, he's got Devil Fruit powers too! He's a rubber man, I saw it with my own eyes!" the white-haired man yells, panic rising in his voice.
Buggy turns sharply, glaring at him with wide eyes. His voice drops to a harsh growl. "What did you just say?" He sounds angry, clearly not expecting another Devil Fruit user.
Nami turns to Luffy, her brow furrowing in disbelief. "Rubber person?"
Without missing a beat, Luffy grabs both sides of his face and stretches his cheeks out comically far, almost to his shoulders. "Yup. I'm a rubber person!" he says, as if it's the most normal thing in the world.
Nami staggers back a step, eyes widening in shock. "That's... not possible," she mutters, clearly unnerved by the sight.
"A rubber person... That explains how he bounced the Buggy Ball right back at us," Buggy states.
Before anyone can respond, the rubble behind them shifts violently. Richie the Lion, battered and dazed, is pushed up through the debris. Behind him stands a tall, thin man with long dark hair and a blue-and-white checkered scarf draped over his shoulders. His eyes glint dangerously as he addresses Buggy, his voice a low, raspy drawl. "Captain, how do you plan to answer this insult?"
Buggy glances over his shoulder at the newcomer. "Oh, Cabaji... I'm so angry right now I can barely think straight," he grumbles, his fists shaking with frustration.
"Put him down, Cabaji!" snaps Mohji, the white-haired man, rushing forward to check on Richie. "What did you do to my Richie?!" His voice cracks with genuine concern and anger.
Cabaji shrugs, utterly indifferent. "This big cat? I just used him as a shield so my clothes wouldn't get dirty." With that, he lets Richie fall to the ground with a heavy thud, not even glancing down.
Mohji scrambles over to Richie's side, frantically checking on the lion and murmuring reassurances. There's a strange satisfaction in watching this; after all, these two had no sympathy for Chouchou earlier.
"You bastard!" Mohji shouts, swinging a wild punch at Cabaji. Cabaji barely flinches; instead, he kicks Mohji hard, sending him flying across the plaza toward us. "Get out of my way!" Mohji yells as he rockets towards us.
Luffy jumps in with a grin, "How about you get out of my way!" he says, launching a swift kick that sends Mohji flying into a nearby wall. Mohji slumps down, unconscious.
Cabaji straightens up and cracks his knuckles, eyes locking on our group. "Captain Buggy, let me handle this. I'll make them pay for disrespecting you," he says, his voice calm and cold.
Buggy sighs, "Fine, but make it a good show for everyone."
As Cabaji rolls toward us on his unicycle, I quietly slip away from the main fray. Zoro's already squaring off with him, while Luffy faces down Buggy, and Nami, ever the opportunist, prepares to make her move in the chaos. That leaves me with the rest of Buggy's crew. Although many are still sprawled out, groaning and stunned, roughly thirty pirates are beginning to recover, pushing themselves up and rallying together. I perch atop a nearby lamppost, surveying the scene below. My heart pounds with a mix of nerves and anticipation. If I want to become stronger, I can't just sit back or rely on others. This is my chance to test myself in the thick of absolute chaos, to earn my place among them. I steel myself, ready to dive in.
As the clang of swords and Luffy's wild punches echo below, I toss a rock into the center of the regrouping pirates, forcing all eyes on me. Dropping from my vantage point, I draw my kunai and stride forward, determination hardening my steps. This is it, the moment I throw myself headlong into the fight, no more doubts holding me back.
"You're with that Straw Hat bastard! Get him!" one of the pirates shouts, charging toward me. I focus, using my still-rough shunpo technique to blink to his side. The world blurs for a split second, leaving me a little dizzy, but his shock buys me enough time to strike. I crack him across the head with the hilt of my kunai, dropping him instantly.
I remind myself to keep using this jutsu until I get used to its breakneck speed and disorienting aftereffects. More pirates yell from my left, surging toward me. I shunpo behind them, slashing one across the back, then flick to the side and clothesline another, dropping him before he can react.
I pause for a moment, letting my burning legs recover and catching my breath. Already, I can sense my movements growing more precise and my balance improving. Still, it's not enough; I need to push further. I draw in a deep breath, feeling chakra rush to my legs, blending with the ache of exertion and stoking my determination.
I launch into another shunpo, this time overshooting and slamming hard into a pirate, sending him flying and leaving me wincing from the collision. My lungs burn with the sudden effort, the impact reverberating down my limbs as if my bones themselves tremble. "Damn, too far," I mutter, shaking off the impact.
Ten pirates quickly encircle me. Using shunpo now would leave me open if I get disoriented, so I tighten my grip on my kunai and brace for close combat, reading their movements.
I parry a sword strike with my kunai, then drive a chakra-charged punch into the attacker's face, hurling him into another crewmate and knocking both out. I sidestep a swipe at my back, adrenaline spiking as sweat beads on my forehead. Despite the danger, a grin tugs at my lips; I never expected actually to enjoy the thrill of battle like this.
I weave through their attacks, sidestepping a punch, sweeping one pirate's legs, and stomping him out cold. I spin away from another strike and find myself behind a wounded enemy, a gash already marking his back. "So you came back, huh?" I taunt, driving my fist into the wound, drawing a cry of pain, then finishing him with a gut punch that sends him crumpling to the ground.
I hurl his limp form at another pirate, who dodges just in time. The rest of the crew backs away, regrouping and calling for reinforcements. Before they can box me in, I shunpo backward, putting distance between us to reassess the field.
These pirates are relentless, like piranhas. Every time I take out a few, more surge forward to fill the gap. But I find myself grinning through the chaos. For the first time, I feel truly at home in this wild new world. I'm fighting, adapting, and proving to myself that I can keep up. There's a thrill in the air, the kind that gets your blood pumping. Yet, amidst the adrenaline, a fleeting doubt surfaces: What if I lose myself to this violence? I brush it off, yet the question lingers in the back of my mind, a reminder of the person I once was. There's still so much to learn, but I know now that hesitation is behind me. I belong here, and I'm not backing down.
"Seven down, twenty-three to go," I mutter, eyeing the group as they size me up. For a brief instant, a charged silence crackles between us, then they roar and rush me as one.
I launch myself into the fray, shunpo carrying me in and out of their ranks with increasing control. Each time, I recover a bit quicker, my attacks coming from unexpected angles, keeping them off-balance. But their wild swings and desperate guesses start to connect, I feel fresh bruises and shallow cuts stinging along my arms and chest. When I finally pause, landing back where I started, I take a second to catch my breath and reassess.
Shunpo's helping, but they're starting to anticipate my rhythm, landing glancing blows as I dart in and out. I realise I can't rely on speed alone; this technique is a supplement, not my entire arsenal.
With that realisation, I use Shunpo to appear behind them, but I fight in close quarters and only use it when I have to. I launch a kick at one of their knees and hear a crack as he falls and clutches it. I wince at the sound before muttering out "sorry," as I kick him in the chin, knocking him out and sending him flying into another crewmate, who pushes him off with a grunt and stands back up. I launch a shuriken at him, hitting him in the shoulder, and rush towards him while he staggers. I push my kunai against the shuriken, making it cut deeper and him scream in pain.
Sensing movement behind me, I spin and slash deep into the attacker's chest. Hot blood spatters my face, jolting me. Instinct takes over, I grab his arm and hurl him at another pirate, striking the embedded shuriken and forcing it deeper. Their screams cut through my focus for a moment, the raw violence of it catching up with me. I did this. I made that happen.
My senses flare after a moment as I turn my head and see a large axe coming at me. I try to spin to the side, but it catches me in the arm, skinning from my shoulder to my elbow. I grit my teeth in pain and notice the figure behind the axe as I collect myself. It's a large man who towers over the rest. The man from the treasure room, I realise.
I check my arm quickly, noticing that it's bleeding from the wound. I move it a tiny bit and wince as the movement sends a sharp pain through my body. I grit my teeth and grasp a kunai in my other hand now as well.
He sneers at me, his voice low and gravelly. "You took down my crewmates, and your crew stole all our treasure. You think I'll just let you get away with that!?" I wince as I dodge to the side, slashing his arm slightly, but he doesn't so much as wince. He launches another strong axe attack at me, and I slide between his legs, slashing both of his ankles. He staggers slightly and can't move fast enough as I shove a kunai into his back before I Shunpo backwards a little to regroup myself.
I take a breath as he staggers to his feet. I get ready once more, my face completely serious and pain-free. Right now, all I can think about is my crew, my friends. I see Chouchou's crying face, Nami's conflicted smile, Zoro's carefree drunken laugh, and Luffy's large, infectious grin. "I can't lose here. I have friends I have to get back to. And you're not gonna stand in my way!"
I Shunpo at him and appear behind him, kicking the kunai I stuck in his back, embedding it deeper. He yells out before swiping my way with his arm. I roll around him before slashing at the back of his right knee, making him kneel. Then I launch a chakra-enhanced kick which hits him in the chin. He goes flying into a wall across the plaza, unconscious.
For a moment, I stare as if expecting him to get up again. Then, when I realize he's not going to, I clench my fists and scream to the heavens. The roar echoes through the clearing skies above, mingling with the faint clash of cymbals that once heralded the chaos, as if the very clouds themselves part to acknowledge my triumph. The acrid scent of smoke lingers in the air, reminding me of the destruction it left behind. The sun begins to break through, casting warm rays upon my face, creating an image of rebirth and new beginnings. Nature itself seems to respond to my victory, amplifying the moment, turning my inner release into a cinematic climax. I've proven to myself that I can fight. Now the real journey starts here.