Chapitre 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…

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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

L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
Paradox_

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

commentaire Commentaire 30

Voter

Chapitre 49: [49] Chains

[2400 words]

My classes resume tomorrow so time to return to the tentative upload schedule.

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The barrage of questions caught the girl off-guard. Her eyes quivered at the drop of every question. She unconsciously stood up and took some steps back to protect her naive mind.

"I, I don't know…" she managed to whisper out while staring at the ground.

Damien picked up a leftover piece of meat and gobbled it up, letting the girl think.

The buzzing of insects and flickering fire created a nightly ambience. Fireflies were parading around, lighting up the forestry surroundings with a mystical veil.

Alas, Damien finished, all the while Toki remained silent.

"Well, think it over; it's a waste for you to remain chained by your powers."

He then left to catch some sleep, leaving the green-haired girl behind. Damien's words echoed in Toki's mind, leaving a troubled expression to stretch across her face. "My chains…"

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[Twelve Days Later]

[New World Sea]

Currently, in the New World Sea, a battle was ongoing.

BOOOM!

Bang!

"Wewu-Wewu-Wewu! Kill them all!" a condemned soldier yelled.

"FOR THE GOLD!"

"FOR THE WOMEN!"

"FOR THE BOOZE!"

…

"Ah!"

"AUGH!"

"Puah!"

Thousands upon thousands of cannons firing at each other and half as many cries as bodies lay floating all over the reddened sea.

It was the Valkyrie Pirates' home turf!

Sixteen thousand pirates were scattered over the huge mass of sea yet someone had the balls to launch an attack.

"Jihahahaha!" A boisterous laugh bellowed throughout the battlefield. "Kill them all! Show them what a true pirate is!"

"Ma-Ma-Mam-Ma! Perespero, Katakuri, Oven, Daifuku, go! I want you to get used to the wars soon," Linlin ordered.

"Yes, Mama!" the four of them yelled out.

Daifuku was the first one to attack.

He rubbed his belly like a vigorous teenager does in private, and poof came a giant genie.

"What can I do for you, master!?" the genie thundered out.

Daifuku pointed his finger at an enemy ship, earning a nod from the mystical apparition.

"Genie-uine Rage Split!"

Boom!

The ship was cleaved in half by the Genie's weapon, sending its sails flying up and beyond where they should be.

Peresepero chuckled at the sight, his long tongue licking his cane-staff. Oven too joined in to take down the ship, leaving Katakuri behind.

The towering young boy's childish face was solemn as usual.

A pirate rushed in from the side, having boarded the ship. "Pelican Eel-faced brat, die!"

Katakuri did not even look in the enemy's direction, rather, he replied with the slash of his trident.

*Splatter* The blood rained down as the man's body became lifeless.

The bold young pirate then changed his aim toward a ship.

*Gurrup*

Katakuri's hands, oddly enough, became fluid, taking on the appearance of a white, sticky substance. It then churned and spun into a minigun!

"Unstoppable Mochi Blade Bullets!"

The barrage of white bullets soon overtook the seas. Bodies fell one by one under the incessant rain of the mochi attack.

...

There were currently two armies engaged in a naval war.

Two Divisions of the Rocks Pirates against the entire Valkyrie Pirates Fleet.

Shiki and Big Mom led their respective Divisions against the last large remaining force that was not an Overlord or a marine unit.

The Valkyrie Pirates had 16 divisions with 1,000 men in each. The 16 Division Commanders were known as the Angelic 16.

The battle between the two sides has been raging on for a few days now!

The total casualty count has been over 4000 pirates thus far. The attacker's original 10,000 had dropped to 7,900 whereas the Valkyrie Pirates were down from 16,000 to 14,000.

The problem was that the Rocks Pirates were rather odd: nearly a third of their casualty count for them was self-inflicted! The lack of camaraderie was obvious, and it had its negatives.

And yet the lessening numbers did not make them fear, rather, it boiled their blood and riled up their spirits!

…

Six of the Angelic 16 stood on their ships as they commanded over the constant fire.

BOOM!

Bang!

The Rocks Pirates only had less than 8,000 men left and around 40 ships. And yet each passing day, their display of strength would go up!

"Angelic Fury!"

"Wisdom of the Bright!"

"Ascending Shallows!"

The defending side tried to respond as they continued their battle.

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[In A Different Area of the New World]

"THIS IS THE FINAL WARNING! SURRENDER NOW, WE HAVE THE ENTIRE ISLAND SURROUNDED!"

The booming voice fell onto the small, barren island, originating from a Marine warship!

The warning echoed through the land. The inhabitants had already hidden away, hoping the monster invading their home would be deterred by the Navy.

Yet that did not happen. Instead, an even louder voice thundered, "WORORORO! I've been looking for a nice meal. Come and get me, damn Marines!"

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[An Inconspicuous Seaway in the Grand Line]

"Damn Rocks Pirates!" a muffled voice roared out.

The man stood tall at the bow of an exquisite ship.

Not only did the vessel seem inconspicuous, it also seemed worn down. And yet if one looked closely, one would see thick wood and powerful yet thin steel outline the ship. Obviously, it was made to only appear broken down!

The man who had roared out in indignation was special. He wore a white-fitted suit with quite remarkable stitching.

His face was covered with a mask, his body essentially covered up; Cipher Pol 'Aigis' Zero; the loyal shield of the Celestial Dragons. If they were present then it meant the business they attended to was that concerning the Gods themselves!

"Johohoho, Dogs of the Dragons, give us the treasure!"

The masked man glared at the figure of the man who spoke at the enemy ship and spat back in indignation, "This ship is transporting Heavenly Tribute; it's not for your commoners' hands!"

The pirate who waved the Rocks Pirates banner was naturally not a nobody. Long pink hair, a pirate's coat, holding a bottle of booze.

Not just him, but another man stood by his side. His body was covered in silver armour with a sharp axe in hand.

"Two of the Four Tragedies of the Rocks Pirates—Captain John and Silver Axe!" the CP Agent exclaimed.

Even knowing his little chance of victory, the man jumped head-on, a sight earned a cackle from Captain John.

"I can't help but admire the brainwashing of CP-0, they really are the Shields of the Celestial Dragons!"

Silver Axe did not speak, rather he let his weapon do the talking.

*Swish!* A sharp and equally deadly slash broke out from the simple motion of the axe.

It flew across the sea and onto the agent.

"Tempest Kick!" The agent twirled out an equally large slash as the two attacks clashed.

Boom!

A grand explosion went off, sending out a powerful tide in response.

Captain John smiled evilly, licking his lips.

"Lights out, little Agent."

*Bang!* The gunshot went off as a black bullet hit the agent in the chest.

*Vvooo!* A violent gust of wind howled as Silver Axe sent another attack, ripping apart the immobilized enemy.

"Why? Why don't they fear the gods? Why…?" the agent muttered as his life came to an end. The body sank, leaving the booty ripe for the taking.

"Board their ship!"

The remaining marine on board could only gulp in fear, knowing their death was all but inevitable.

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[Hachinosu, New World]

"Unsurprisingly enough, there aren't many like-minded pirates to recruit," a calm voice broke out.

The tall shadow cast from the man and spanned far enough to cover a field of corpses: dark skin, tribal marks, tall frame.

"Even after two months, I've only met a single person who met the bill," Indra muttered to himself.

He was given a task by Damien, to bring in a few decent pirates to the Division. They didn't need to stay forever, just enough to do the dirty work. In return, Damien would allow them to attain fame and fortune.

Naturally, the requirements were strict.

Many wanted to join, but in the atmosphere of the Rocks Pirates, it simply was not rational to allow a bunch of back-stabbing rats onboard.

*Shing* The sharp blade hummed lightly as the excess blood dyed the floor. Indra clicked his weapon into its sheath, not paying the dead a second glance.

"Do we need to clean up, Boss Indra?"

The voice came from a massive man who easily stood eighteen feet tall (~5.5 m). He had short hair, a bulky frame and rough muscles with faded scars. He was shirtless, showcasing his rather odd skin colour: a rusty red.

The colossal pirate wore gray trousers and thick metal shackles over each wrist. To top off the weirdness, he also donned a red mask that showcased large white teeth and eye holes.

Indra glanced at the man and shook his head. "No need, Majin. The wildlife of Hachinosu has long been used to scavenging the streets for such free food."

The giant man could only nod, scratching his head.

"I really do want to meet that man you talked about," Majin could not help but say. "I hope I can keep up!"

Indra had already begun to walk away, leaving a few words to echo out, "As long as the Rocks Pirates remain strong, the Commander will always need someone to do the heavy lifting."

"Just don't die too soon."

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[Mortem Island]

"Hmm, Toki-nee hasn't been talking much for the past two weeks, Damien-san, you didn't do anything to her, right?" Kuzan questioned his pirate friend.

Damien lightly scoffed.

"I told you, she just has some stuff on her mind," he answered. "Plus, don't you have a lot of today's training left?"

Kuzan clicked his tongue and pointed at the pirate in front of him. "One day, when the Child Protection Services comes to your door, just know that I will be there when they lock you up!"

Damien chuckled at the boy's words and gave him a healthy bonk at his nogging.

*Thud!* His body fell to the floor, his eyes spinning in circles.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, but I've made some alterations to your training routine."

Kuzan remained on the ground, though his eyes darted up to meet Damien's gaze.

"I realized that you've got your discipline in order, so now we'll also add in your academic route."

Kuzan's eyes turned grim as his breathing spiked.

"A-Academics!? That sounds like a made-up word!"

"All words are made up," Damien casually said.

*Fwoo!* He then waved his hands as a stack of thick books appeared, slamming onto the ground with a resounding bang.

Kuzan saw the horrifying stack and almost had a heart attack.

"From now on, you will spend three hours a day soaking in some necessary knowledge," Damien explained. "Geography, history, literacy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology."

Kuzan, who had gotten up, felt arrows pierce his heart at the drop of each cursed word. He backed up in horror; his world falling apart.

"I-I rather train twice as much, heck, I'll even cut you a deal, remove that stuff and I'll sacrifice half an hour of sleep… okay fine, a full hour!"

The boy's voice was broken to the point of begging as he squeaked out, "Deal?"

Damien smirked at the rattled boy, not feeling an ounce of mercy.

"No chance."

*Thud* Kuzan fell to the ground, his mind overloaded with stress.

"Honestly kid, you can barely even read and write."

"Heck, you have barely any knowledge of how the world works and it comes from the books I sent to this island before."

Damien had sent the ice boy books in the past but they were more to pass the time while slowly building simple literacy skills. The ones he had just unveiled were a little more advanced and intellectually demanding.

"These textbooks will help you see the world in a different light, it can be damning, but trust me, it'll help you in the long run."

Damien could not help but pat the kid on the shoulder, even though he was laid out on the ground like a corpse.

…

On another part of the chaotic island was a young girl.

She had been walking through the snowy, rainy, haily, boiling, freezing and pleasant parts of Mortem Island.

Such varying surroundings helped gather her thoughts and calm her down.

Unbeknownst to even Damien, Toki would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night.

Damien's words not only woke her up from her naive outlook on life but also managed to awaken some deeply haunting memories she tried to forget; A wake-up call.

…

It seemed as the days went on by, Toki had begun to accept the existence of her 'chains'.

After the usual hearty dinner, she found the Sin Incarnate, courageously meeting his eyes.

She began speaking, "You're right, Damien-san. I've made it my mission to reach Wano since I was a child. I'm just an ordinary girl who got lucky and got these powers."

Her tone grew firmer, "This power has saved me from every tragedy that almost befell upon me, but as you said, it also caged me."

Toki's eyes teared up, "I've left an island for a ten-year jump and come back to see it plagued by fire, or lost to pirates. Good people I met and was excited to reunite with, all dead under the passage of time."

"Flourishing islands and peaceful villages… all left in ruins!"

She then gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Isn't it funny, the user of the Time-Time Fruit has been caged by the very thing that she should have control over—time."

Damien lightly nodded. "So what did you decide?"

Toki exhaled heavily, clearing the stormy thoughts and simply said what was on her mind.

"I have long forgotten all my wishes over the centuries, holding on to Wano for so long…"

The girl balled her fists in determination, matching eyes with the pirate.

Her green eyes shone brightly as the genuine words came out, "I don't want to run away anymore… I don't want to return decades later to see my friends dead… I want to see the beauty of the world and not live every day running from its horrors!"

The Sin Incarnate smirked at the determined voice, somewhat intrigued to see how far Toki's resolve would take her.

"Alright, then," Damien nodded. "I'll help you break your chains."

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

In essence, I interpreted Toki to always choose to simply run from any horror; having such an invincible escape button left her to never even scrape the surface of her fruit.

I know Oda nerfed the hell out of a fruit that is literally called the "Time-Time Fruit" so it wouldn't be too op. Let's just say that both Damien and I see greater potential in the ability as a whole.

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