บท 61: [61] The Land of Samurai
[2940 words]
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[The Edge of the Island]
"Ehh? Is it already time?" Kuzan's childish voice grumbled.
They were at the South End of Mortem Island, the sole location with decent and pleasant weather at most times.
Kuzan watched as the Sea Skimmer was placed and the Sea Kings came and grabbed the long ropes at the boat's head. He also saw some baboons running around, transporting supplies and food to the boat, preparing to depart any second.
"Don't worry, Kuzan. I'll come by every here and there to keep you company," Aurora comforted the boy.
He looked up and narrowed his eyes, "Something's off with you Aurora-nee, you seem more… lively."
The purple-haired girl paused for a second to think over his words, "You think so?" she asked him and herself.
"Maybe I am," she said with a smile, glancing again at the soon-to-depart boat.
.
At that moment, a giant hand fell upon the ice boy's head, turning to both sides and messing up his hair.
"Don't make trouble while I'm gone," Damien's voice echoed in his ears.
The boy jumped back, a scowl on his face: "Just watch, one day I'll freeze you before you can even think to mess up my hair!"
Damien chuckled at the bold words and left a few words to cheer Kuzan up: "If you impress me enough when I'm back, maybe I'll let you in on some new techniques you can do with your Devil Fruit."
The words were enough to bring him some spirit as he pumped his fists.
.
"He's a bright and innocent child," Toki, who had arrived, commented.
Damien hummed, though his face was not all that approving. "Bright and innocent suffer the most; he still sees the world through a peak hole."
Toki was not as pessimistic, rather she softly said, "I'm sure it'll all work out well."
The pirate chose against replying and left for the boat, giving a single wave backwards, "I'll see you later, Aurora."
Toki walked beside him, "Aurora-san, stay safe."
.
The purple-haired girl gave a lively smile, treasuring the newfound bonds. She watched their boat skim away, off to the turbulent sea. Their destination: The Land of Wano!
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[Few Days Later]
The duo had crossed into the New World via Fishman Island.
Damien went in quickly and without alerting even the people of the island. He knew Cipher Pol were even more present at the entrances and exits of the main areas of the world. As of now, he preferred a quieter trip.
.
"Here I thought you would be excited to get closer to Wano, yet you seem so on edge," Damien commented at Toki's ambivalent expression as they drifted through the Calm Belt.
The green-haired girl looked up and gave her usual smile.
"It's just that I never thought my life-long wish could be fulfilled one day," she slowly answered. "It's a little surreal."
Damien hummed at her thoughts.
"Last I recall, you wanted to cast away your chains, well it's time to take the first step. Don't worry, I'll help you."
Toki felt relieved by the words, feeling more comfortable with what was to come.
She even leaked a small laugh, "Damien-san, you have a kind heart," she said with a bright smile.
The pirate hailed as the Sin Incarnate returned a wry smile. "'Kind'? There are a few billion people out there who would disagree with that."
However, the words didn't affect Toki: "Well, they don't know you like I do."
"Is that how it is?"
"Yes!" the girl exclaimed, feeling excited to finally go to her home.
…
In a matter of a few days of straight travel through the Calm Belt and with the help of some rather fast Sea Kings, the Sea Skimmer reached its target.
The gigantic Wano Waterfalls dwarfed the vessel in their magnificence. The sheer pressure created by the huge amount of water was enough to crush an ordinary ship into pieces all while drowning the area with its mind-rattling noise.
Not only that, but the nearby weather was just as chaotic. Stormy skies and heavy rain made it their sole duty to remain perpetually here, marking a significant obstacle to all invaders.
.
Damien, who stood at the hull of the boat, was not threatened by the display but couldn't help but mutter under his breath: "This thing better not fall apart from the water pressure."
The ship he had forever borrowed was from a super rookie who had stolen it from some rather wealthy individuals and could be considered a reinforced vessel.
{Bring us up.}
The words seemed like any other utterances, and yet they carried a degree of authority that echoed through the turbulent sea.
It took but a moment before the water exploded into a chain of splashes and five giant koi fish jumped up from below.
Damien was pleased with their appearance, and how they then grabbed the three ropes that were bound to the boat.
*Creak* The Sea Skimmer remained solid, though the point where the ropes were attached let out some dull sounds, other than that, it was alright.
The koi soon jumped into the water and began climbing it! They zoomed through the fall and rushed on without any difficulty.
…
"Wow, this is the soil of my home island!?" Toki said with starry eyes, grabbing a fistful of the mineral.
"It's just dirt," Damien deadpanned from the sides.
Though the pirate's appearance caused the vegetation to spark in life, however, there was not much there to begin with; a wasteland.
"Such a barren place, it must be Kuri," Damien commented.
It was South of the Flower Capital of Wano, a lawless land of corpses and criminals.
[Wano Map Image (in Discord)]
.
The two made their way through the wasteland, eventually reaching a forested area.
Damien leaked a smile as he felt the embrace of foreign nature around him.
He felt the breath of so many unknown and exotic species of nature never seen before; a truly special feeling.
Toki was also fascinated with the trees, though to any normal person, it was like a mermaid seeing a forest for the first time in their life.
{Show me the way to the Capital,} Damien ordered them.
Immediately, a path was cleared by the recession of grass and shrubs to the North.
…
[Twenty Minutes Later]
The smell of unpolluted air was quite refreshing, leaving Toki enraptured.
"You seem quite impressed by a few trees."
The girl was a little embarrassed and gave a small pout, "I'm just a little excited!"
Though at that moment a roar went off.
*Rumble*
A giant crocodile rushed out from the cover of a mangrove, its giant maw the size of a ship. It charged on toward the two people who he thought were a free meal.
"Oh look, Toki. Even the wildlife of this country is so welcoming that they offered us a ride."
Damien's words came in unison with a deafening boom as his palm dug into the beast's head. "Raawr!" it cried out in pain, forced onto its belly as its limbs waved around frantically, losing the previous flair.
"You did come here to offer us a ride, isn't that so?"
The alligator was leaking tears from its eyes, naturally, it could not help but incessantly nod, turning around in difficulty while offering its back.
…
[An Hour Later]
The party of two zoomed through the wasteland, nearing the border.
"!!!" However, it was not going to continue as smoothly once Damien received a warning from the forest.
*Fwooo* The air whistled as an arrow skimmed over and neared the pirate's chest.
*Ting* Unlike expected, the bladed edge simply exploded while the wooden body crumbled into bits upon contact with its victim.
Meanwhile, Damien's eyes flashed red in Observation, studying the next volley of attacks.
Dozens aimed at the alligator, an equal amount at Toki, and a few hundred at Damien. Naturally, the girl had also perceived the threat, her body jumping into action.
*Vooosh* *Vooosh* *Vooosh*
A volley of hundred or so arrows soon hurled their way over to the party of three, mercilessly aimed at their hearts and heads.
"Toki, it seems your fellow islanders have an interesting way to greet their guests," Damien casually commented.
.
"Obliteration Pulse."
.
A spherical burst of crimson energy soon rushed out from the pirate's body, shredding and annihilating the coming projectiles without issue.
The pulverizing energy was so masterfully used that it seemed to stop before hurting the alligator, the girl, or even the land beneath.
.
"Omega Beams."
.
*Szzzz* Two beams of destruction blasted out from the eyes of the man they deemed a sorcerer and began to dance around him.
They whizzed through the air, leaving a trail of demolition at every bounce and ricochet they performed.
The attackers could not even react before the two beams began to cut down their numbers by the dozens per second.
"Augh!"
"Ughh!"
"Aoowww!"
The beams went on mercilessly, leaving a trail of bodies and bits of flesh. Just like that, 70 or so men died before Damien purposefully reined back his attack.
*Rumble*
A loud and ground-shaking sound resounded in the now-quiet area as a giant shadow emerged from the trees.
The figure was that of a man who wore an open kimono with flowers that left his chest exposed. The face belonged to a young teenager with long, pink hair, standing over fifteen feet tall (4.57 m)!
His face brimmed with anger as he glared at Damien. "You! You slaughtered my men, I'm gonna kill you!"
Damien eyed the brazen lad and questioned, "You're the boss of these low-level thugs?"
"I'm Ashura Doji, the Ruler of Kuri!" he proclaimed with great zeal and anger.
[Image (in Discord)]
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Damien did not respond to the boy's obvious look of wanting to fight.
*Shing*
The noise originated from the girl at his side. One who was once quite indecisive, now looking at the threat with calm eyes.
Her body was a little north of eight feet tall (2.44 m), yet Ashura was nearly twice her height!
"You think some weak woman can take me down, don't mess with me!" the samurai roared out, his blade drawn.
"I didn't expect my first interaction with a fellow Wano person to be like this," Toki said with a sigh, jumping down from the alligator.
Yet her words drew even more anger from the towering enemy: "You look like one of those pampered trash from the capital, you have no right to judge us who live in hell!"
The giant swordsman shot from his position, slashing at the girl without mercy with a blade that sliced through the air.
Clang!
The sound of metal hitting metal broke out as the two swords of vastly unequal sizes forced themselves onto each other.
Toki narrowed her eyes as she felt the weight pressing through her blade and onto her.
Boom!
The two continued a brief exchange of powerful slashes, though it was obvious Ashura Doji's wild attacks were superior. The blade began to press the girl down to the point where she had to rely on something else.
Bang!
Bam!
Boom!
Instead of blocking, Toki focused on parrying the attacks, using the giant samurai's weight against him which proved to be effective to hold off the first assault.
*Fwwm*
Eventually, Ashura grew impatient and imbued his weapon with pristine Haki.
*Clang!* The parry worked though it came at the cost of Toki's body being shoved back dozens of meters.
Her shoes dug into the soil below and her face was clouded with some difficulty. At this point, her katana glowed a vibrant green with the movement of her Devil Fruit.
.
"Time Enchantment."
.
Unlike before, Toki took offense. She used her lithe and slender figure to depart quick and carefully aimed attacks. Burst of green flashes glistened across the ruined grounds, filling the area with an ominous air.
Ashura Doji blocked the attack with ease, yet his eyes could not help but widen in shock. His Haki had thrown aside the bright green energy which had dissolved into the earth below.
*Hiss*
The soil immediately corroded and dried up, going from its earthy brown colour to sizzling into a burst of particles and drying up into nothingness; aged to the point of nonexistence.
"Sorcery!" Ashura exclaimed.
He jumped back subconsciously as if his body told him to retreat momentarily.
Toki took the chance and raised her sword vertically.
"Time Bow."
The sword was soon flooded with familiar energy as it formed the shape of a bow.
The girl pulled back on the string as tens of equally-green arrows materialized.
.
"Nullity Rain."
.
The air howled under the unleashing of the volley of arrows. They swished through the air at great speeds, all aimed at the samurai.
"!!!"
Ashura's instincts flared once more as he began to whizz through the air.
"Dammit!" he groaned at the loss of control from the duel, being forced to retreat.
He glanced back and saw tiny craters that continued to expand under the aging enchants from the girl's powers.
The fear he felt fuelled his anger and he channeled it all into his weapon. The young samurai's eyes grew sharp as his sword began to tremble from the excess Haki.
*Fwwm!*
It flowed in and turned its colour into a raven-black gleam. It was enough to make even Damien impressed who watched from afar.
"Take this!" Ashura swung his blade in a diagonal cut, unleashing a slash of red sword energy. It sliced its way through the air and onto the swordswoman.
.
Toki put her bow aside and instead raised her thin right palm.
The familiar green energy appeared once more, swarming out to the very soil nearby.
It was barely a second before the minerals began to vibrate and burst into a cacophony of sand-like particles. The grains of sand came together behind Toki and formed an ancient clock with Roman numerals!
At the center of the clock was an astrological spectacle, a bright sun at the core with stars surrounding it.
[Image (in Discord)]
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"Clockworks: Aegis!"
.
The ancient clock responded to the words of its master as the two hands set to noon began to tick.
At the same time, a stream of energy burst out from the clock's center and collided with the coming slash.
Boom!
A shockwave burst out, sending tremors through the forested area.
*Tick* *Tock*
As the long hand of the clock spun around, the slash began to dry up and lose its power. The clock ticked on as the outcome became more and more obvious.
The small hand barely passed "II" before the attack was rendered obsolete.
The result left Ashura shocked once more; seeing his attack slowly corrode away brought a fix of anger and fright to his eyes, leaving him in a frozen state.
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Toki felt proud at the display, looking at Damien with a smile.
"Well, the defense is quite impressive, but you still lack in offense," Damien commented, staring at the giant clock. "That's enough, let's get going."
He then glanced at the headstrong young samurai and thought to himself, 'As expected of Oden's Nine Scabbards, their talent for Armament Haki is very high.'
.
Toki jumped next to the pirate, meanwhile, Damien's amusement was quickly lost as he gestured to his alligator carriage to resume the journey toward the Flower Capital.
"You! How dare you ignore me!" Ashura roared out as he saw the enemies planning to leave, breaking out from his earlier shock.
*Woosh!*
The larger-than-life samurai slightly bent down, gathering momentum before hopping into the sky with his giant body.
The blade was once again pulled, brimming with Haki and brought onto the departing pirate.
Clang!
Sounds of metal grazing one another resounded once more, though this time in a different fashion.
"H-How...!" Ashura's expression turned upside down as he saw Damien block his attack with his finger! Not only was the attack easily destroyed but the gargantuan samarui's weight was held up in the sky with next to no effort.
Even after channelling his all, Ashura Doji could not move an inch.
The young samurai subconsciously took a deep breath as he felt the two crimson pupils lock onto himself, sending an instinctive chill down his back.
"It seems you spent so much time sharpening your blade that it left your brain dull."
A flash of black and red shone through the dreaded forests, followed by a sharp hiss of wind.
*Thud* Ashura's humongous body collapsed onto the ground covered in small craters and his eyes whitened out.
Damien did not even glance at the brazen samurai as the two tourists continued their journey.
.
"Damien-san, shouldn't you kill him?" came the bright girl's words.
The pirate glanced at Toki and asked with a hint of curiosity, "When did you turn so bloodthirsty?"
She tapped her chin, seemingly confused, "My parents taught me that once a samurai draws their sword, they put their life on the line, so it's only natural to give them a quick and painless death."
The answer came alongside a radiant smile, displaying Toki's pride in her knowledge of Wano's traditions.
Damien looked back at the disappearing figure of the knocked-out and self-proclaimed ruler of Kuri and shrugged.
"Well, I suppose you're right, but he isn't worth killing."
…
[A While Later]
The two eventually made it to a cliff that overlooked a fantastic view of the Flower Capital. Vibrant colours; blossoming trees; mesmerizing scenery and an exuberant atmosphere.
Toki's eyes shined brighter than the sun, lost in the Capital's grandeur.
[Image of the Capital (in Discord)]
"It's beautiful," she murmured, "this is Wano, my home!"
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Officially in Wano. Toki debuted some moves after the 5-plus months of training. The Land of Samurai offers brilliant sights but houses many who take outsiders as enemies... let's see how things turn out for the two humble tourists who have come.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q
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