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28.33% One Piece: Path to Power / Chapter 47: [47] A Situation

Chapter 47: [47] A Situation

[2930 words]

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"The Logia-Type: Ice-Ice Fruit."

Kuzan froze at the sight of the blue fruit. 

He raised both hands and smudged at his eyes as if trying to wake himself up. He even slapped himself. 

Ever so slowly, he opened his eyes once more. The fruit was still resting in Damien's hands!

"Well, if you don't want it, I can give it to someone else."

The words woke the boy up from his reverie: "I'll take it!"

He swiped at the fruit so incredibly fast that it set off a blast of wind. Kazan glared at the fruit and then locked onto Damien, narrowing his eyes.

"You're sure?" he slowly asked with a hint of maturity. 

Damien returned a nod. 

"Logia are a priceless treasure; y-you have five seconds to ask for it back before I keep it for good!"

The pirate remained unresponsive, leaving a silence to build up.

"…"

Kuzan glanced back at the treasured fruit. 

He admired the light blue-coloured flakes protruding out from it. A purple stem with the appearance of a handle. 

[Image of the Fruit (in Discord)]

He eyed Damien once more, and then back to the fruit. 

Kuzan slowly but surely took a mouthful. 

*Munch*

"…"

A second passed. 

"Disgusting!" The boy gagged, as if ready to barf it all up. His face scrunched up in disgust as the nausea hit his very mind. 

Damien stifled a laugh from the side and instead offered some advice of his own, "Kuzan, to ensure you get the ability, eat the entire fruit and leave not even a crumb behind!"

The innocent boy looked at the Sin Incarnate and slowly nodded, placing his trust in the older youth. With great pain, he swallowed the remaining pieces, much to his chagrin. 

It took a few moments but he finally finished it. 

*Huuu* Kuzan then took a deep breath. 

The influx of the basic properties of his newfound power flooded his mind, distracting him from the bitter aftertaste.

.

Damien watched from the side, examining the boy's movements.

Like a child given a new toy, Kuzan wanted to try it out. Such emotion was easily picked up by the sole spectator.

*Vvoo!*

At the corner of his vision, he saw Damien chuck a pebble at his forehead. It was going fast enough to break the sound barrier!

Kuzan habitually raised his hands to protect his head, but then, it happened…

*Shatter*

His arms exploded into countless pieces of ice, his forehead following suit.

Bits of crystals and ice shards rained onto the grassy floor, reflecting the sunlight with an array of colours.

The pebble continued its advent and slamming onto a century-old tree.

Boom!

The thick bark imploded, felling the tree with little effort.

Kuzan ignored the blatant deforestation, opting to study the oddness of his body. 

Though from afar, he seemed like a living corpse! His entire right arm had been removed and his head had a gaping hole through it.

"My body feels light up top, but it doesn't hurt at all… is this a Logia fruit?"

At the same time, the broken shards moved about.

*Krrrr*

The ice shards creaked back into shape, slowly reforming the missing arms and forehead. "This power is really amazing…"

Such was the passive invincibility of the Logia Fruit types.

.

Damien nodded in satisfaction, and directed the boy, "Go play around the island; get used to the power."

Kuzan nodded and ran to the most dangerous part of the island with an excited grin.

However, before he could disappear into the sea of trees, Kuzan turned around and locked eyes with his pirate friend.

Even with such a priceless treasure, a power with the ability to essentially void away the one weakness of Devil Fruits, Damien did not seem to waver before giving it away. 

Kuzan balled his fists in conviction, his breath was uncontrollably cold, freezing the air into a white cloud. 

"I won't let you down…" he firmly said before going off to do his testing. 

.

Damien naturally heard Kuzan's words and could not help but give a dry laugh. 

Unlike Garp, the Sin Incarnate had little inclination toward training enemies.

"An investment is a rather blunt way of saying it," he muttered. 

Kuzan was a future Admiral of the Navy Headquarters. Damien had freed him from Sabaody, the same day Garp was meant to arrive and save the day.

"Fiery Justice was his first motto when he joined the Marines," the pirate muttered, recalling some information from his past life. "It even converted a lazy boy who liked laying around into a man with great zeal and energy."

"But the Ohara Incident left his heart torn and fate shattered; adopting Lazy Justice, returning to his previous, sloth-like self until canon times."

In Damien's mind, Kuzan had a strong inclination towards good and peace but the light he saw the Navy in turned dark and decrepit, eventually leading to his resignation.

.

In theory, Damien could easily deprive the young Kuzan of any budding thoughts of disloyalty but such an option was quickly dissolved away. Forcing loyalty was akin to admitting that he lacked the charisma and strength to earn it from his companions. "My Conqueror's Haki is a little picky, Rahahaha!" he laughed. 

The pirate then shook his head, clearing his mind as he muttered to himself, "Well, there's no point in thinking too much, let's see how the future proceeds."

*Tweet* Tweet*

The deep thoughts were quickly waved aside as Damien heard the sharp chirp from the side.

*Swish* 

A bird shot down from the sky and landed on his shoulder.

Damien gave a smile at the sight of the feathered creature, raising both hands, one to pet the bird and the other to accept the "offering" graciously.

It was another Devil Fruit!

"Looks like I was right, Mortem Island had been effectively untouched for centuries now, it's only natural a Devil Fruit has spawned here."

He glanced at the fruit and examined its appearance. His memory and past studies granted the name immediately.

"Paramecia-Type: Narco-Narco Fruit," Damien concluded. "Allows the user to imbue narcotic elements onto anything, making them a Narcotic Human."

He pocketed the fruit into his Inventory and went to see what the little rug-rat was up to.

"Ice Time!"

The chilling words came with a shuddering wind that was cold enough to freeze a person alive!

A giant gorilla roared out in great pain as his equally large arm was turned into thick ice, freezing it to the very bone!

"A ra ra~ You've been trying to kill me for a year now, what's the matter, afraid of a little chill?" 

Kuzan grinned like a mischievous brat as he stood in the jungle region of the Island. The two were surrounded by trees that seemed to scrape the skies!

The gorilla crying out in pain was nearly forty feet tall yet he was dwarfed by the colossal trees that littered the region.

Thick dark-green vines ran down the hundreds of meters of trees, creating homes for a multitude of animals. The grass was wild, filled with many poisonous shrubs and prickly bushes.

"Raawr!"

The gorilla bellowed out, slamming his other arm onto the tiny figure of the child.

Upon impact was not the expected sound of broken bones, but rather, the shattering of ice!

Countless shards of ice floated in the air as the gorilla removed his arm from the crater. 

The beast watched in fear as the tiny light-blue crystals slowly reformed the chilly figure of Kuzan. His body was partially frozen and emitted a strong frost, the white vapour exhaled at a periodic state.

*Woosh!*

Kuzan jumped into the sky, his figure flickering above, leaving a trailing of frozen air.

He landed at the top of the beast, both his hands placed on its dome.

Before the gorilla could roar out in fear, his mind was already frozen.

.

"Ice Time!"

.

A coat of bright blue ice had spread across the head of the beast, freezing it solid. Every second it would travel further down its body, digging deeper into the very skeletal system of the gorilla.

*Vvoo!*

Kuzan jumped off the freezing animal and threw a fist.

*Shatter*

Like glass, the entire skull shattered into innumerable shards of ice, clattering the ground! 

The gorilla's body went limp as the now-headless state sent a geyser of blood shooting into the sky, raining onto the tall trees.

The corpse fell with a loud thud, sending volumes of dust through the jungle.

Kuzan also landed on the ground, grinning a satisfied smile, and then came the pain…

*Bonk!*

Like a gong, his mind rang loudly as his eyes threatened to pop out of his sockets.

He fell to the ground, rolling in pain, almost as if he was set on fire.

Damien ignored the pained child and glanced at the broken gorilla; blood still dribbled out from the headless beast, spreading through the soil.

"The vegetation nearby is crying out for you to stop pummeling it with this overgrown monkey," Damien scolded the boy

Kuzan was still on the ground, gathering his breath, unable to respond.

"..."

"I-I'm made of ice… why can you hit me?" he slowly asked with an indignant expression.

The attacker just shrugged, raising a single fist.

*Fwwm!*

"Listen clearly, kid. No matter the Devil Fruit, Haki is always supreme!"

Kuzan seemed to have forgotten his pain, now staring at the jet-black coating of metal on Damien's arm. 

He gulped, his previous confidence in the invincible body was gone, rather replaced with yearning! 

"That's cool! Teach it to me too!"

Damien scoffed at the boy's words. "You're not even eight years old and want to learn Haki? Who do you think you are, me?" 

"…"

Kuzan was speechless and could not help but cross his arms in annoyance. 

However, his head was soon assaulted with a strong grasp as Damien once again ruffled Kuzan's hair to oblivion.

"Stop doing that!"

Damien hummed and responded with a smile. It was fun to mess with kids, especially when they could not do anything about it.

Alas, returning a grin to the young lad.

"Well, either way. One thing you should know is that your training will now have to double."

Kuzan almost fell on the floor.

"W-What… why!?" he roared out.

Damien shrugged, "What, you think this power excuses you from your physical training? If anything, I will need to bring in more training to match the fruit advancement too," Damien casually said. 

"Come now, let's go eat."

He grabbed Kuzan by the back of his neck and held him up like a suitcase.

The boy was too broken to respond, plagued with the thought of losing sleep to train! Almost as bad as sacrificing sleep to study!

[A While Later]

*Munch*

*Chomp*

*Gurr*

Two young men sat across one another, a simple fire in between.

The sun had set and the day was coming to an end with night slowly taking its place.

Damien inhaled a few tons of meat within minutes. Kuzan was trying to catch up; after eating a devil fruit, he felt hungrier than ever!

Quiet minutes passed as they two ate through an entire giant Sea King!

*Munch* *Munch*

The grilled meat seasoned with exotic peppers and herbs found on the island was surely a delicacy!

"Big Bro, *Munch*, you know, the newspaper that came a month ago, *Munch*, showed you using that super-cool form where you were covered black and red, *Munch*, what the heck was that?"

The pirate in question devoured a full leg of meat before answering.

"Oh, that. Enigma kinda pissed me off and things got out of hand," he answered.

Kuzan was not satisfied with that answer.

"All the cool people have different forms of fighting. Every time the enemy is strong enough, they switch to a stronger form and do the impossible; this could be yours!" he exclaimed, pumping his fists.

Damien glanced at the boy with a weird look.

He saw Kuzan's eyes sparkling, almost as if he were his number one fan.

"Did you get all that from those Germa comics I sent you," Damien said as he took another huge bite, "Well, I do need to work on that form so I guess you're not wrong."

Kuzan gave a child-like smile, "I really wanna see it!"

Damien smirked at the child's innocence. 

"Alright, alright, now finish your food. You want to get tall and strong like me? Eat, eat, and eat some more!"

[The Following Morning]

Damien had woken up at five in the morning. 

With his current vitality, he only needed four hours of sleep. Plus, going without sleep for some days was not a problem. 

He let Kuzan snore away, instead, using the peaceful time to think things through. 

"Different forms, eh? Sounds like an anime thing. It's only right for me to conform to it," he joked to himself.

Damien had naturally thought about it before. 

At first, it was an uncontrolled release of his power. Though it left him with only so much time to use it. 

"Perhaps if I can use my Haki to fully mould it into a more efficient shape then it could be useful!" 

The pirate cupped his chin, thinking of the things he needed to train in the next little bit.

1. The fruit released form. 

2. Black Bones. 

3. Overall Haki. 

Then his mind went to something else. 

*Fwiip*

A sharp Shing went off as a sword appeared in Damien's hand. It was a Famed Blade of the 50 Skillful Grade.

The Sin Incarnate cared little for the blade, nor its name. 

The arriving dawn shone by the sharp edge of the sword, slicing through the morning breeze.

*Fwwm!*

He wrapped the blade with his Haki and channeled a stream of pulverizing Haki.

*Purrup*

The pulverizing energy bubbled like magma, slowly covering the entire blade with its ominous light.

Damien slashed the weapon in the direction of a grove as a bright, black slash of energy shot out in its wake. 

*Swish!* The slash cleaved through tens of trees, leaving a finely sliced valley that sent dozens of trees to the sky.

However, the impressive sight did not satisfy Damien. 

"Swords this, swords that… I don't see why everyone wants a sword," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the blade.

*Crack*

The residual Pulverizing Haki had worn out the durability of the Skillful Grade Sword, leaving it effectively useless. 

.

Damien shook his head and came to a new thought. "Well, swords aren't my thing anyways. I need something more unique to work well with my powers."

He threw the sword away into the sky, uncaring of its destination. 

*Squack!* Unfortunately, it hit a seagull that fell into the deep blue sea. 

"…"

"Anyways," Damien offhandedly said. "Great Grade Blades are the minimum quality to hold up my power but a Supreme Grade would be ideal…"

He balled his fists in a deep desire to grow. The feeling of weight born by the inevitable God Valley Incident truly sent him into overdrive. 

.

"Where's the intruder? Let me fight him!"

The notorious pirate looked to the side and saw a sleepy Kuzan frantically walk out. He had one eye covered with his eye mask, his nightsuit still on. He waddled around, looking for a fight. 

Damien sighed, "Kuzan, there's no enemy."

The boy looking to fight froze. He glanced at Damien, then looked at the cleaved-up section of the forest. 

"Huh? Why'd you cut apart half of a forest then?" he crossed his hands with some irritation. "Yesterday you said the vegetation was screaming in my heroic battle with the mountain gorilla, and yet you cut apart so much of it like this."

Damien shrugged, "This is different. They didn't scream when I cut them. If anything, they were happy to be cut apart by me."

"That's ridiculous!" Kuzan exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger.

[A Little While Later]

The two eventually made it to the breakfast table, aka a stump of a giant Sea King that was recently cut after offering itself as a meal.

"Now, let's eat some more."

Kuzan nodded as he saw the delicious meat barbecued to perfection. 

"Looks delici-"

*Fwooo!* *Rumble*

Yet at that moment came an island-shaking boom. 

Powerful winds blew about as the trees cried out. The birds and animals were thrown into a loop, panicking at the sudden spectacle.

Damien's eyes sharpened at the sky as he saw a giant stream of green energy forming, much like a river.

*Purrup*

*Creak*

Red mist gathered at the palm of the pirate's hand while Kuzan's body turned strikingly cold, releasing chilling winds.

.

The two went to the spot near the heart of the anomaly, an open patch of grass surrounded by trees covered in snow.

Damien stood in front of Kuzan, simply watching to see what happened. 

Under their examining eyes was a beacon of green light that befell the island. The blinding light caused Kuzan, alongside the other animals present, to flinch. 

[Spectacle Image (in Discord)]

A burst of air went off as the green light fell onto the clearing in front of Damien, spreading out in all directions. Everything fell under Damien's sharp Observation; a silhouette of a person standing at the core of the blast. 

Damien squinted his eyes, zooming into the mysterious figure. 

"A woman?"

The sight became clearer and clearer as the appearance was fully visible. 

"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you," a soft voice resounded in the eerily silent woods.

"My name is Amatsuki Toki," she said, locking her green eyes with Damien. "Can you tell me what year it is?"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner. 

Mainly a chapter for Damien and Kuzan, focussing on their dynamic, amongst other things. 

Someone mentioned Kuzan wasn't lazy at this age… There's no evidence for that. All we know is that he had Fiery Justice in his years as a marine but he wasn't in the Navy till 19. The direction I went is where he was lazy from a young age and rather it was joining the Navy which lit the fire in him. Then came Ohara which returned him to a state which was most comfortable after losing hope in the Navy: Lazy Justice.

When his backstory is explored by Oda, I'm sure it will drastically vary, hence AU.

Anyways, it seems that breakfast time has been ruined by an unpredictable situation.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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Make those powerstones rain as this will be the only week with daily uploads.

Chapter 48: [48] The Anomaly

[2420 words]

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"Can you tell me what year it is?"

The woman, or more accurately, girl, who had introduced herself as Amatsuki Toki was exceptionally calm for her unusual entry.

She saw Damien and Kuzan's battle stances and did not seem to feel anything afoot, choosing to greet the two warmly.

With long light green hair and a young beautiful face. The girl wore a pink kimono with crescent moons imprinted, leaving her thighs open. A blue cloth wrapped over her abdomen and a flower ornament with a chain of pearls on the right side of her hair.

She even had a sword tied on her left waist, covered with a red scabbard.

[Amatsuki Toki Image (in Discord)]

.

Damien squinted his eyes, unsure what to comment; such a situation was unprecedented.

Unfortunately, Kuzan was not as critical as he pointed at Toki, "Look, Big Bro Damien, a nee-chan with big bazongas fell from the sky!"

*Bonk!*

Damien no longer paid any mind to the boy rolling on the ground.

He turned his gaze back to the curious "guest" and could not help but think, 'Is this a coincidence or something more?'

*Grumble* Toki lightly coughed in embarrassment and asked, "Um, can I trouble you for some food?"

[A While Later]

The company of three sat around the giant stump in the peaceful part of Mortem Island once more, feasting on a plethora of food. 

Kuzan looked gallant as he chewed his high-protein breakfast down. 

Perhaps the appearance of a stranger after a year of lonesomeness had left him a little insecure, especially with an older girl present.

Meanwhile, Damien ate his fill, enough for fifty people and Toki maintained a seemingly traditional and elegant eating style, probably taught from a young age.

.

"So, Toki," Damien said. "It seems the both of us weren't expecting this meeting."

The girl looked up after finishing a bite. "Yes," she nodded.

"I chose to go many more years ahead, but for some reason, I was pulled here… I don't know why…"

Damien hummed.

He knew of her fruit: The Time-Time Fruit. It supposedly allowed its user or anyone they choose to jump into the future at a predetermined amount of time.

'Any thoughts, Sibyl?'

The reply came quickly: [Time is one of those abstract things that is hard to work with, let alone interfere with.]

Damien turned to the girl and questioned, "This time jump, was it different from the ones you've done before?"

Toki tapped her cheek with her finger while looking up. Her eyes shined as she answered, "Well, I did feel something odd from a treasure I received over 750 years ago."

*Pwooo* Kuzan spat out his mouthful of food and gawked at Toki. 'S-Seven hundred and fifty years!? S-She's a living fossil!!!'

Damien raised an eyebrow at the information and gestured to her to elaborate.

Toki nodded and placed her spoon down. She wiped her hands and reached into her kimono to take something out.

Upon first glance, it was a small white cube. About five cubic centimeters in size. 

*Fuuuu*

Yet for whatever reason, the dull cube became mobile as it pulsated with energy, releasing light. Toki became alarmed: "That's weird, it never glowed like this before…"

Unlike her, Damien felt something awfully familiar.

*Woosh!* A quick blast of wind went off as the tesseract shot toward Damien's body. 

As it travelled, its body shattered apart to reveal a tiny glowing orb within.

It all happened within a fraction of a second: the cube shed its shell into an energy ball that dissolved into Damien's chest and a notification opened in his eyes.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Memory Shard (2 of 3)]

[Collect all three shards to unlock the message left behind by the original System User.]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

"D-Damien-san, I don't know why it did that!" Toki scrambled with some fright. 

The pirate shook his head, "Don't worry. That thing was probably what pulled you off your time jump to me."

"Tell me the history behind it."

Toki calmed down as her mind began running with thoughts of the distant past.

"It happened over 700 years ago today when I stumbled on an injured man during an escape from my pursuers."

Her mood suddenly grew somber at the thought of her escape.

"I was very young then, but I still remember what he said: 'If you do me a favour, I will save you from your fate'."

Toki returned a thin smile, "I agreed right away."

"The man then gave a green fruit alongside that cube and a note. He said that all I need to do is survive, and when the time comes everything will work out…"

Damien cupped his chin, thinking over the newfound information.

"Show me the note."

Toki nodded and brought out a folded piece of paper.

Surprisingly enough, it was in pristine condition, as if untouched.

Upon first glance, it was blank, lacking any ink. However, to Damien, it was not what he saw that was important, rather it was what he heard.

{I no longer have enough time...}

{If you hear these words, all hope is not lost. Collect the remaining shards; I await you then, my Champion!}

Damien calmed his Voice of All Things, the words leaving a frown on his face.

'This sounds a lot like some Chosen One plot,' Damien thought to himself.

He had no intention of being some kind of saviour determined by some ancient figure, but he was also curious about the Original System User, the same man whose System Damien supposedly inherited.

It left him ambivalent.

Toki saw the displeasure and could not help but ask, "Is something wrong?"

"Well, this was meant for me," he responded. "Thanks for delivering it."

She shook her head, "I just repaid the favour from centuries back."

.

At that point, another, less mature, voice interrupted the two: "Ahem, can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Kuzan popped out from the side and waved his hands to direct their attention to them.

Damien side-eyed the ice boy and casually responded "Kuzan, why don't you begin your training for the day."

However, the words were tossed aside by the boy: "And leave you here to chat with this beautiful nee-chan, no way!" 

Toki could not help but giggle at his words and remarked, "Oh, what a sweet child."

Kuzan's smile became smugger as if showing off to Damien. Though the latter had already gotten to the next subject, "Toki, have you decided where you will go now?"

The girl hesitated and slowly shook her head.

"I, I have always dreamed of returning to my home island! I was born into a respected family but my parents had to flee there for whatever reason," her voice once again grew sad. "I've always wanted to see where my parents and family were from."

"Considering your clothing, it must be Wano!" Kuzan exclaimed, flexing his knowledge skills.

Toki's eyes brightened as she smiled and nodded, "Yes! I have always wanted to see my home! I hope it's as magical as my mother told me it was!"

"Big Bro, aren't you going to Wano to train, why don't you take her with you," Kuzan whispered from the side.

Naturally, it didn't escape the girl's hearing: "Really!?"

However, she realized her actions were a little abrupt and coughed lightly. "Well, if it wouldn't be too much of a drag, I hope you can let me come along…"

Damien eyed the girl who was barely eighteen years old. 

Her requesting tone was entirely offset by the glowing green eyes that were staring at him with great anticipation.

The pirate ran through a few thoughts; Wano was a closed-off country that did not do well with outsiders. Damien weighed the pros and cons and gave an answer, "Alright, you can tag along. But we don't leave till at least another few months."

She bowed her head in gratitude, "Thank you! I promise not to be a burden."

[Sometime Later]

Kuzan had gone to train and Toki decided to rest after her journey, supposedly she had fled from some perilous situation twelve years to fall here and was dead-tired.

'The Time-Time Fruit,' Damien thought, narrowing his eyes. 'I wonder just to what level this fruit can reach.' He knew just how broken time powers could be from his previous life.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Time-Time Fruit (Toki Toki no Mi)]

[Paramecia Fruit]

[Fruit Rating: 7 Stars (Ultimate-Class Fruit)]

[Allows the user to manipulate time in the positive direction, granting the ability to transport themselves or others into the future; making them a Fast-Forwarding Human.]

[Expanded: Considered an Ultimate-Class Devil Fruit that gives domain over time.]

(A/N: This is not entirely canon and has some original additions.)

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

"It really is an Ultimate-Class Fruit," he muttered.

"Manipulating time in the positive direction makes it sound almost like hitting the skip-ahead button," Damien hummed in thought. "Doesn't that mean she can also age things rather than just toss them into the future?"

He could not use his tokens for 7 Star fruits but running into such a treasured ability was beyond rare.

The pirate shook his head with a sigh, "I sound like some villain scheming up a plan, let's just see where things go from here."

The rest of the day was spent with Damien drafting up ways to train.

Beyond that, he would occasionally go and check up on Kuzan and his new training schedule. Suffice to say, it catered to his strength quite well. Unfortunately, he reduced his sleep time to seven hours to accommodate the training, a fact that nearly sent the boy crying.

Soon enough, it was time for dinner.

Damien made his way to the island's edge and gazed at the calm seas.

{Come.}

And so it did.

*Splash!* The water exploded as a giant shadow appeared—a Sea King! Though smaller than the true monsters that plagued the Calm Belt, it still dwarfed the Sin Incarnate.

{Offer yourself as my meal.}

The beast's eyes became watery as if he were hesitant, but Damien had already euthanized it.

*Thud!* Its giant body fell onto the shore, lifeless.

"Such is the cycle of life," Damien muttered, dragging the gigantic beast stretching for dozens of meters with a casual grip of his right hand.

"Damien-san!"

He saw an energetic Toki run toward him as he moved the fresh meat.

"What's up?"

She huffed a little from the run and answered, "I wanted to cook tonight to thank you for your hospitality."

[A While Later]

Toki had prepared some Wano cuisine, essentially a Japanese style that came with its own beauty and taste. The juicy meat and rich sauce brought about its flavour.

The three enjoyed the meal with delight. 

"I'm glad you like it, Kuzan-kun."

The boy smiled at her and rubbed the back of his head. "Then, Toki-nee, can you tell me another story from your years of jumping around?" 

She smiled but some memories brought a frown up instead.

The girl sighed, "I've seen so many civilizations rise. Every time I jump ahead, all that remains is dust and debris; history can be stubborn in repeating itself."

Kuzan felt the atmosphere change with Toki getting lost in her past so he picked the path of least resistance: "That was so delicious, I think I'll go take a ten-hour nap now…"

He snuck a glance at the quiet Damien and saw no reply.

His eyes widened, 'No way, is it a blue moon?' Kuzan didn't turn back and tip-toed away, his trusty eye mask in hand.

.

Damien, on the other hand, let the boy get away with one day of missing the nightly training. 

He instead focussed his attention on the girl.

"Toki, sit across from me."

She was a little surprised but agreed and sat down.

Their figures cast a large shadow from the nearby fire. It was a clear night with the crescent moon visible.

Damien reached into his coat and unhooked the pendant around his neck.

He brought it toward Toki's hands and tapped her wrist.

"Ugh," the cold touch of the metal came with a feeling of unprecedented fatigue and weakness, forcing a groan from the girl; it was as if her body had been hollowed out of life.

"D-Damien-san, this is?"

Her voice was fearful at the loss of her powers.

"Toki, you've been using your powers to escape every peril you face. Tell me, have you ever seen this metal?"

The girl stared at the pendant that looked exceptionally simple and mundane and shook her head, her long green hair following the motion.

Damien was not surprised. "This is Seastone or Sea Prism Stone. It can emit the same wavelength as the sea, in other words, it can easily rob you of your powers," he explained.

Toki's face darkened at every detail.

Damien then removed the damning stone and equipped it back on, unphased by the accessory's effects.

"I'm telling you this because this type of ore, though rare, can be found in the hands of the Marines and some very powerful pirates. If you end up in their hands then you will be locked up and unable to escape the way you've been doing for centuries," he said.

Damien's crimson eyes locked onto the shaken girl as he continued in a solemn tone, lacking his usually lax nature.

"Let me ask you this, Toki. What's to say the next time you jump, you won't be hit with this little piece of metal; do you still think your powers are almighty?"

Toki gulped at the thought and became lost in thought.

"..."

The only sound that remained was the crackling flame that seemed to have grown colder, sending a chill down the young woman's back.

Alas, Damien did not let the negative news sink in for too long.

"Your powers are far beyond what you've ever used. So far you've used them only when necessary," Damien read her like a book. "You have barely scraped the surface of your ability."

The tense mood had come out of nowhere, leaving Toki frozen.

Damien's face remained expressionless as he struck the iron while it was still hot. "Do you intend to run till the end of time? Let's say you reach Wano, then what?"

"Time trickles on while you relent to it, isn't it tiring after all these centuries' worth of travel?"

The Sin Incarnate's tone got sharper and sharper as if drilling into her very core. "From what I can see, your powers haven't freed you of tragedy, they have become your chains!"

To Be Continued…

----------------------------------------------

Author's Corner. 

Toki's anomalous arrival is directly linked with the previous user's actions, granting her the Time-Time Fruit alongside the Memory Shard. It was the shard which pulled her to Damien during her time jump.

As for the barrage of questions near the end, well, Damien is a pirate with his own motivations, especially considering a Devil Fruit that can mess with time.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q


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