Chapter 11: C11: Years Of Time Skip |Part 6|
• (In New World) {Year: 15.4} •
The 15-years-old boy, Ryu, is seen resting on a bronze dinghy in middle of the ocean. Once again, he let the ocean lead the dinghy aimlessly. He looked like he was contemplating about something.
'Hey system, I've been feeling like I'm on verge of breaking through with my Sword Intent,' he started. 'But I still can't manage to pinpoint on how to exactly advance on it.'
[Well, breakthoughs of your skills, intents, etc. can only be done by you. Any exterior help would only weaken the benefits gained. Your Sword Intent's next level would be very powerful, so it's recommended that you breakthrough it by yourself.]
'*Sigh*, I guess I'll have to let it be for now.' Ryu groaned. He had finally left Zou alone, leaving Carrot there, she was probably already mad when she found out about it...
• <Flashback to Ryu's Magnificent Plan> •
"Fine!" Being childish, Ryu told the little rabbit mink, "if you can take my Conqueror's Haki, I'll let you come with me!"
Being fearful suddenly, Inu and Neko quickly stopped him in vain. "W-wait!"
"Okay!" Carrot excitedly accepted the challenge, as long she would stay conscious, she could go with him! "Do it!"
There was only Duke Inuarashi, Master Nekomamushi, Carrot, and Ryu in the area, so it was fine to use the pressure a bit. But Inu and Neko was worried about Carrot, it was still too excessive even if it was a bit.
"Ryu! You can't do it! She'll be hurt!" Duke Inuarashi tried to convince him. Master Nekomamushi stood at his side, nodding.
"So?! That's how it is in New World!" Ryu retorted. "If she can't take it, she'll have to suck it up."
"Grrr~," Carrot gritted her teeth. "Let's do it now!"
"Alright." He said. Appearing to be preparing the pressure, he moved slightly. "Here it comes!"
Suddenly, all Carrot could see was black. She swiftly went unconscious, not by pressure... but through foul play. Ryu had knocked her unconscious with a strike to her neck...
Inu and Neko were agape. Both of them were shocked and pointed their trembling finger towards Ryu. 'He- he just did a foul play!'
Though they would never say it out loud, otherwise he'll beat them up before leaving. Both of them silently pitied Carrot. However...
"Well, I'll hand the placating job to you, Inu and Neko." Ryu suddenly reminded them. Both of them quickly changed their faces from pitying to horror, Carrot would beat them up after getting mad!
They could fight back, but they couldn't do that to a little kid, right? So all they could do was either run away and let her destroy trees/buildings or let her beat them up. Carrot had gotten stronger due to Ryu's harsh training, where she was now at least below both of them in power and ability. Inu and Neko silently teared up, 'Just what have we done?!'
Both of them were about to ask Ryu for a better solution, but when they turned to look at him, he was no longer there. He left. Their human best friend ditched them. Turning to look at each others, a silent mental message was made through twinkling eyes. 'Who's going to take the beatings? You?'
• <Back to Present> •
[That was a rude thing to do to Carrot, Ryu.]
'I know, but she's too young for New World, and she's not me.' Ryu told his system. 'Besides, she'll eventually leave in the future anyways.'
[So far, you have attracted four females: Empress Boa Hancock, Young Tomboy Koala, Young Princess Shirahoshi, and the little cute Carrot. Are you trying to make a collective?]
'...' Ryu didn't know how to answer to that. A part of him wanted a collective of beauties, but a other part of him wanted only one or two wives. He didn't feel like handling a lot of women at same time. He decided to ignore the question and went back to sleeping on the dinghy.
Besides, he was focused on traveling, not the potential wives for the duration of before storyline starts.
(AN: Only 5-6 years left till the storyline starts!)
...
Meanwhile on the Kuja Pirate's ship in South Blue...
"It's been 6 years and 4 months ever since we met him..." A feminine voice sounded out. The voice belonged to 'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock, the captain of the Kuja Pirates and the only female Shichibukai.
She had grown to become more beautiful than before. She was now 21 years old. She has a well proportioned figure compared to her abnormal and huge sisters. She is very tall and slender with long black hair that extends past her waist with locks of hair that frame her face down to her chin and shows off her high forehead, dark brown emotionless eyes with long, voluminous eyelashes and pale skin.
She wore a revealing red blouse that showed much of her large breasts and a loose sarong that exposed her long, slender legs with the green symbol of the Kuja adorned on it, along with a white cape sporting epaulettes more commonly found on the jackets of high-ranking Marines, and red high heel pumps.
Currently, she is on her Kuja Pirate's ship, looking for a certain someone. She had traveled around the Paradise in the Grand Line, the East Blue and South Blue in hopes of finding him. She started a year and 8 months ago, searching for him. The only clue she had was that he had been at Sabaody Archipelago before escaping in a sword-like beam.
The Kuja Pirates around her also knew she was searching for someone, a man, Ryu, but they didn't know why. They were curious about who this man was to her ever since then. But whenever they tried asking her or her sisters, they'd reply that it was none of their business. They accepted that and respected it, why? Because she was the most beautiful woman!
"It seems he's not in the South Blue, as well..." Sighing, she told the Kuja Pirates to return to Amazon Lily. "He's probably in New World then. Kujas! Set sail for home!"
Her two huge sisters were behind her, trying to ease her sadness, "Sis, Ryu will be back! He hasn't forgotten you, after all didn't Shaku say that he had come to her for information on our wellbeing?"
When Hancock came to Shaku in her bar at Sabaody Archipelago, Shaku did tell them that, but it was just a fib. She had joked that Ryu came to her and Ray back then, and asked for their wellbeing.
"You're right," Hancock looked determined. 'He's bound to leave a clue on his whereabouts eventually!'
...
In Baltigo...
An 14-years-old young girl walked inside a hall with a soldierfish Fish-Man. They were Koala and Hack. Koala grew up looking better than before, she no longer looked malnourished and had joined the Revolutionary Army.
Hack, a soldierfish Fish-Man, has yellow skin that has brown spots on the upper part of his head, along with scales under his eyelids, sharp teeth, and gills on the sides of his neck. The Fish-Man has a muscular stature, with long light blue flowing hair and a thick blue mustache. He wore a white open gi with a black belt.
"Hey, say, do you know someone with bright green eyes and looks handsome?" Koala prompted.
Hack quickly knew who it was, after all, there was about one person with bright green eyes and looked handsome at same time. Curious, he asked her. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because I wanted to thank him!" She happily told him. "He helped me when I was feeling down."
"He helped you? How and where?" He asked again.
"That's a secret," Koala said quietly. "Hey, why are you asking me those questions? Do you know him? Tell me!"
"Y-yes, he's Ryu." Suffering her quick questions, he stuttered. Taking out a bounty paper of Ryu, he showed her. "Is this the guy you were looking for?"
"Yeah!" She excitedly confirmed as she took the bounty paper. Looking at the picture, she found that he became even more handsomer. Suddenly she blushed, and mentally shouted, 'What am I thinking about?!'
After that little antic, she saw that the paper she was holding was a bounty paper. She saw that Ryu had 500M bounty, she was surprised! "Wait! How did he get 500M bounty?"
Hack had suffered her quick questions, watched her get red suddenly, and then she asked him a question finally acknowledging him. "Oh, he had 100M at the beginning for helping three escapees of the Celestial Dragons and beating a Vice Admiral. Then he got another 400M increase because he cut off a Celestial Dragon's legs, embarrassing both Marines and the Celestial Dragon. There is also a possibility that it may increase again due to Germa Kingdom..."
"Wow! So strong!" She yelled. "What happened to him afterward?"
"He managed to escape nearly a thousand Marines, several Vice Admirals leading them, and a Admiral by unleashing some unknown power," Hack thoughtfully replied. Rubbing his chin with his right hand, he told her, "But after that, no one knows where he is now..."
Worried, Koala asked him, "do you think he's still alive?"
"He's definitely alive." Hack quickly rejected the idea that Ryu might be dead. "Though I said no one knows where he is now, we, the Revolutionaries, have found several clues on where he has been after the Celestial Dragon incident. After all, we had been trying to confront him about joining us, but he always managed to leave before we could talk to him."
"Really? Then where has he been after?"
"He went to Fishman Island, under the Red Line." He started. "There he..."
...
In Shaku's Bar at Sabaody Archipelago...
"Haha! Seems he got a 'Ryu-Dome'!" A healthy old man laughed sitting on a stool. He had received news on Ryu from a secret source. "I'll have to use this when Ryu comes!"
"I wouldn't recommend that, Ray," Shaku told him. "You would only be incurring his wrath, like usual."
"A-ah..." Ray became depressed. But suddenly, he gained courage from nowhere, "No! I can dodge him with Observation Haki!"
'Then why didn't you dodge him the past times he hit you...?' Sighing, Shaku retorted silently.
• (Hot-Hot Sea) {Year: 15.6} •
As Ryu went into the Hot-Hot Sea area, he felt a bit hot, but nothing intolerable. So he just simply opened one eye to watch out for Big Mom Pirates, just in case they come by and attack him. "Ugh, what should I do when I arrive at one of the islands in Totto Land..."
The native animals in Hot-Hot Sea, Armored Stonefish, had tried to attack the bronze dinghy, but they were repelled by a sword-like aura on it. The sword-like aura felt like it was would burst out if they had gotten any closer, so from their instincts, they ran away and didn't disturb it. There were also several Pawn Soldiers in the sea, but they didn't come close like the Armored Stonefishes.
That's precisely why Ryu was worried, he couldn't control the sword-like aura for some reason. His system wasn't even trying to help him with it either, it had instead only replied the same thing.
[I refuse to help you with your Sword Intent. It is simply on verge of breakthrough, which is why a sword-like aura appeared from your body suddenly.]
He was worried that those of Big Mom Pirates would consider his aura as a 'Prepare for a war!' aura instead. Sure, he could easily kill them all, but with the sword-like aura being uncontrollable, he could even accidentally cut the whole Totto Land into halves, even the Whole Cake Island in the center, causing innocents to die.
Sighing, he decided to move his dinghy with a thought for the first time after awakening in the Fishman Island. 'Oh, right. System, how long will the sword-like aura stays like this?'
[I've had estimated it ever since it started. The length of that state is at least 2.5 years, the minimum being a whole year.]
"F*ck! I have to be extra careful in battling for at least 1-2.5 years?!" He yelled out loud in shock. In daze, Ryu said nothing for awhile. "Actually, this could be considered as a training I guess. Learning how to accurately control the sword intent would also help increase my control over other skills."
...
In Whole Cake Island...
"Hmm, it seems he's not coming in the Totto Land after all." A tall man said, as he received reports from Pawn Soldiers. He had sensed a powerful being in Hot-Hot Sea, so he told the Pawn Soldiers to discreetly investigate.
It turned out to be the Solitary Pirate, Ryu. They also reported that his aura was very fearful, as if a sword would burst out if they had gotten any closer, like the Armored Stonefishes in the sea.
He thought Ryu would come into Totto Land, so he told his brothers and sisters to be ready in case of a attack. But it was for naught as Ryu in his bronze dinghy turned and went away from them.
In amidst his thoughts, he heard a voice calling him out, "Katakuri! Big Mom wants to see you!"
Katakuri stood up and nodded in acknowledgement. 'Probably related to Ryu approaching.'
-
Katakuri approached where Big Mom was. She was covered in a huge shadow, not showing anything but her eyes and the outline of her figure. "You called for me, Mama?"
"Dogtooth!" The huge shadow voiced out. "Did you sense the powerful being in the Hot-Hot Sea too?"
"Yes, Mama. It was Ryu, the bright green eyes Solitary Pirate." He reported to his biological mother. "However it seems he turned around and left, not coming into Totto Land."
"I see, so it was Ryu," she said as silence came after. The silence continue for awhile, however Katakuri didn't move either, he knew that she was thinking. Big Mom was thinking about what to do with Ryu. She wanted to take him for her collection as she also felt his unknown power from the other side of world. If she couldn't have him...
Finally the silence ended as Big Mom ordered Katakuri, "Dogtooth, recruit him, in any way possible. If he doesn't accept, then bring him here by force! I'll deal with the rest."
"...Yes, Mama." Katakuri hesitated for a slight second. It didn't take a genius to know it would be hard to take him to her by force... He already knew that the Solitary Pirate would reject outrightly for the recruitment. He stood up and left while thinking of plans to take him to Big Mom.
"Hey, Big Brother Katakuri! What did Mama want with you?" A child voice came to him.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone