Monkey D. Luffy faced off against Axe-Hand Morgan while Allen watched with his arms crossed and an approving look, as if the bastard truly considered him his subordinate, subject, or even his minion.
"That's mine!"
"You talking to me?" Allen raised an eyebrow as he turned around.
The guy had short green hair and looked older, but Allen's intuition told him he couldn't be more than twenty. He wore a dirty, sweaty sleeveless white shirt and black pants.
"Yeah, those are my katanas. Give them back," he said with a serious look.
"..." Allen evaluated the young man.
[This must be the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro.]
"You know him?"
[Yeah, I heard Alvida's pirates talking about him. He's a tough guy who made a name for himself in the East Blue by hunting pirates everywhere.]
"I see..."
Allen was slightly surprised. A normal person would have died long ago under the scorching sun tied up like that, but this guy still looked full of energy. He might have endured all of Helmeppo's punishment.
Zoro, meanwhile, had a bead of sweat on his cheek. Allen was talking to himself, which made him think he was either crazy or stupid.
Allen shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about. These katanas are mine. My good friend Helmeppo gave them to me."
[The good friend you stabbed in the chest and burned.]
"You! You're friends with that scum?!" Zoro tried to break free and attack Allen, but Allen didn't even flinch.
"That's right. We're such good friends that the guy gave me all his stuff before going to hell," Allen smiled.
Zoro had good instincts, and although he wasn't the smartest guy around, he could read between the lines.
"Damn it... what am I even doing here?"
If Helmeppo was dead, there was no reason for him to stay tied up.
Allen narrowed his eyes with interest. "Can I ask why you didn't kill him yourself? You don't seem like someone who'd hesitate to kill a guy like that."
"Cutting him in half would've been easy, but the Marines would've taken it out on the town..."
Allen smiled and tossed the katanas into Zoro's lap.
"It's not free. After all, it's my loot, but I'll sell them to you for the modest price of three million berries."
Zoro blinked in disbelief before laughing.
"You're a weird guy. Fine."
Koby, who had been watching from behind a wall, was left speechless. When he first met Allen, he had acted like a good guy to trick him into believing they'd escape together, only to use him as a distraction at the last second.
"You can't trust him!" Koby said as he emerged from hiding.
"..." Zoro looked at the pink-haired boy with round glasses, whom he had only just met. He didn't seem to be lying, but neither did Allen, which only confused him more.
"Koby, I'm glad you're safe," Allen said with a friendly and "sincere" smile, which only confused Koby further.
Allen walked over and gave him a pat on the back that knocked him to the ground.
"Sorry, it's just that I thought I'd never see you again. I still owe you after your great sacrifice in your lord's name."
"Huh?!"
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Allen said with a nostalgic look.
[That happened today.]
"You bravely stepped in front of the pirates and said, 'Lord Walker, escape! I'll deal with Alvida! Your magnificence cannot end here! You are destined to bathe the world in your glory and rule for a thousand years of peace! Do not worry, this humble and insignificant subject, Koby, shall give his life for you!'"
By the time Allen finished, he even let out a fake tear while wearing a deeply moved expression.
"I see... you're a good guy," Zoro said, smiling slightly.
"That's right, just as expected of Koby!" Luffy shouted while dodging Morgan's axe.
Even Nami, who was on the building's second floor dressed as a Marine, nearly tripped. She didn't know Allen very well, but she had already realized he loved acting shamelessly.
'That idiot only knows how to get himself into trouble,' Nami thought while grabbing a sack of gold and a map. This map was of the Grand Line and her original reason for coming here.
'You better not die.'
Nami would never admit it, but despite everything, she really didn't want to see Allen die here.
....
Koby was in complete shock. It was all a series of shameless lies, and the worst part was that Zoro believed him. Even Luffy, who had been fighting, bought it too.
"That never happened!" Koby shouted, his face turning red with anger. Even someone as timid and cowardly as he was was being pushed to his limit by Allen.
"Really? Because that's how I remember it," Allen said confidently.
Koby opened his mouth. Had this son of a bitch actually altered his own memories for convenience?! Or was he just such a god-tier shameless bastard that he could fool even the devil?
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
Luffy punched Morgan, forcing him back. As expected, he was stronger than Alvida, so his fight with Luffy was fairly even.
Luffy's body had elastic properties, which made his attacks look a bit comical.
At that moment, the Marines began to arrive, but when they saw that it was a battle between superhumans, they did not intervene.
"This is taking longer than expected", Allen grew impatient, so he decided to intervene and stepped forward with a serious expression.
"Koby, free the pirate hunter," he said, tossing him a knife, which Koby awkwardly caught.
"This guy... is strong," Zoro said. He didn't know why, but he felt a strange invisible pressure seeing Allen act seriously.
Meanwhile, Luffy attacked with multiple punches.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
Morgan blocked with both arms. It was obvious he was being overwhelmed by Luffy, which Allen found strange because although Morgan was stronger than Alvida, he didn't seem on the level of a pirate worth sixteen million.
'Doesn't matter.'
"Straw Hat, use that move... what was it called... Bazooka."
"Huh? Don't order me around! And no, I already tried, but this guy won't let me!"
"I see..." Allen nodded and looked at Morgan. "Axe-Hand Morgan, I have something to ask you."
Morgan hadn't expected Allen to interrupt the fight. For a moment, he should have attacked, but instead turned to look at him. He remembered Allen's words—this young man had killed his son. However, Morgan wasn't exactly father of the year. On the contrary, he despised Helmeppo.
"Did you really capture Kuro?"
Morgan's eyes widened, and for a brief second, he looked nervous before quickly replacing it with anger.
"Of course! The great Captain Morgan is the arm of justice against all pirates!"
[And civilians...]
Allen didn't look impressed. "I see. I was just wondering why you were so weak."
A vein bulged on Morgan's forehead, and he lunged at Allen, preparing to split him in half with his axe.
Allen smiled and raised his hand. "Noro Beam."
Midair, Morgan suddenly began to slow down until he practically floated. The Marines, Zoro, Koby, and even Luffy—whose eyes sparkled like stars—were left stunned.
"What are you waiting for?! Attack him!" Allen growled at Luffy.
Luffy reacted but didn't attack. "Hey! That'd be unfair! Besides, he's my opponent!"
"You idiot! What kind of pirate tries to fight fair?!" Allen shouted back. He had practically handed Morgan to him on a silver platter. "Fine, I'll do it myself!"
'Hey, Chest, use the copper coins right now! Do it without summoning the scroll!'
He would've preferred to save those coins, but he had no other choice.
[Understood!]
Inside his mind, he heard the sound of three coins hitting the ground and rolling. Soon, unfamiliar knowledge flooded his head.
"Watch out!" Nami shouted from the second floor as the Noro Noro effect ended and Morgan returned to normal speed.
Morgan didn't understand what had happened, but he felt chills. If Allen turned out to be a Devil Fruit user like Luffy, there was no way he could defeat both of them, so he didn't hesitate and resumed his attack.
His axe gleamed in the sunlight as he struck with superhuman force.
At that moment, Allen opened his eyes. His gray eyes seemed different—calmer, steadier, filled with confidence.
"Die!"
The axe struck the ground, shattering it into pieces, but everyone was left stunned because Allen had vanished.
"Soru..."
Allen appeared above Morgan, his shadow covering him for a moment.
Morgan's eyes shrank because he recognized that technique. It was part of Rokushiki, a secret martial art trained by the Marine elite in the Grand Line.
But it didn't stop there. Allen flashed a you're screwed smile and clenched his fist.
"I'll cut off that hand!" Morgan roared as he swung his axe.
Allen didn't stop his attack. His fist collided with the axe, and everyone thought he was insane, but unexpectedly, the axe shattered into pieces, and Allen's fist didn't stop.
"Taste my fist of love!"
Allen smashed Morgan's metal jaw to pieces, and not only that, the punch was so powerful it buried him in the ground.
The Marines who had arrived were left in shock seeing their captain defeated.
Allen landed and smiled—not arrogantly, not mockingly, not with jokes or sarcasm. He smiled genuinely, because not even in his wildest dreams had he imagined the day would come when he would defeat a Marine captain with his own hands. However, that satisfaction didn't last long, as he dropped to one knee in exhaustion.
'Damn it,' he thought, sweating and panting heavily.
[Idiot, we need to go.]
The chest, still tied to Allen's side, watched as the Marines who had hesitated at first began to gather courage when they saw how exhausted he was.
Soru, a movement technique that allowed incredible speed, was extremely demanding on the human body. Only those who had trained to superhuman levels should have been able to use it. Thanks to the Chest, Allen could do it, but the physical toll was terrifying. On the other hand, Allen's fist of love used Haki, a power that allowed someone's will and vitality to manifest as invisible armor.
Needless to say, Haki was incredibly draining on both spirit and vitality, which was why Allen could only use both techniques once before reaching his limit.
"Use the last coin on Strength!"
[Understood!]
Allen felt a surge of energy coursing through his body as he reached level three. He managed to stand up and looked at the soldiers approaching him with a calm gaze, as if everything were in the palm of his hand. He raised that hand as it became covered in flames.
"Don't even try it. You are no match for my magnificence."
The Marines were frightened and stepped back.
"I, who shall become the future King of the World, am on a level none of you could ever hope to reach. Just stand there and bask in my glory!"
[Stop saying nonsense and run already!]
Allen had stolen the spotlight for a moment and left everyone speechless, which satisfied his ego, so he listened to the Magic Chest and ran.
"Underlings, I leave the rest to you! Do not disappoint your king!"
Everyone's jaws dropped. This guy acted all cool, farmed aura for a moment, and then immediately ran away while dumping his problems on others.
Zoro and Luffy looked at each other before turning toward the twenty or so Marines.
"That bastard," Zoro growled, now free as he tied a green bandana around his head and drew his katanas, one in each hand and one in his mouth.
"Fire!" a Marine shouted, and they all did. Luffy jumped in front, and the bullets hit him, but instead of turning into a bloody mess, they bounced off his rubber body and flew back.
As for Zoro, he cut every bullet without issue, and then the two of them charged the Marines.
....
Ten minutes later, Allen arrived at the port. He would have gotten there faster, but he had to hide from the Marines returning from town.
It would certainly be amusing to see how they explained to their superiors why Captain Morgan had fallen while most of them had been in town. Of course, this had absolutely nothing to do with Allen.
[Are you taking the rowboat again?]
The small boat he had arrived in with Nami was just a two-person fishing vessel. Not only was it stupid and dangerous to sail in that thing, but it was also embarrassing for the future King of the World to travel in it.
"No, we're taking a ship."
Looking around the port, there were several boats. Most were fishing boats, but there were also a couple of three-sail ships and a standard Marine vessel.
"That one," Allen said with complete confidence.
[Idiot, how are you supposed to sail a thirty-man ship all by yourself?!]
"I'll figure something out..." Allen muttered.
[Just be honest and go back to the rowboat.]
Allen gritted his teeth and flatly refused. "Come on, I just left Base 153 after making such a powerful impression. How am I supposed to travel in a rowboat after that?! What kind of joke would that be?!"
[It's impossible for you to sail a proper ship alone. Stop being stubborn.]
While Allen and the Chest argued, a girl dressed as a Marine approached with a tired look.
"As always, you're such a weird guy," she said, dropping a sack full of gold and jewels.
Allen turned and recognized her.
"Nami?"
"The one and only!" Nami smirked as she tossed the Marine cap into the sea. "What are you doing? The Marines are after you right now. You should get out of here."
"That's exactly what I want, but I need a proper ship."
"And you were planning to steal one?" Nami smiled. "I thought after what you said to Helmeppo and Morgan, you were some kind of lone hero of justice."
"Nonsense, if they were just bad guys, I wouldn't care" Allen snorted. "But those two weren't bad men—they were trash. One abused his people, and the other despised his subordinates. That's not how someone standing above others should be."
"Mmm..." Nami silently observed Allen before sighing and tossing him the sack of gold. "Hurry up before I change my mind."
Allen caught the treasure Nami had stolen from the Marines in disbelief.
"There must be several million here. Are you sure?" Allen frowned. "You need this too, don't you?"
Nami usually had rules and rarely targeted dangerous pirates or Marine bases. Of course, the loot in those places was greater, but so was the danger.
"It's not free. You owe me a favor," she said, lowering her head so her hair covered her face.
"I suppose you're not going to tell me what kind of favor."
"No, not until I know whether I can trust you."
Allen's eyes lit up. Did this mean Nami had accepted his offer and decided to travel with him?!
Luffy was stupid and stubborn, making it unlikely he'd ever agree to be his subordinate. Koby, while useful as a meat shield, was unreliable and hated him. As for Zoro, Allen didn't know him well enough. So despite calling them "subjects," Allen hadn't actually planned on taking them with him. Though if they ever swore absolute loyalty, he might reconsider.
Nami heard footsteps in the distance—it was the Marines.
"Hurry up!" she said, pushing Allen.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist my charm. Congratulations, Nami. In the future, I'll gift you a country or two for choosing to follow me on my path to glory."
"Idiot, this is only temporary... whatever, just hurry up, King of the World!"
Allen approached a fishing boat and placed the Chest on its surface.
"Install."
[You need to spill a drop of blood.]
Allen bit his finger and let blood fall onto the fishing boat. A scroll appeared. Nami, who had been watching all this, was stunned. However, after seeing Allen do even crazier things earlier, she simply continued observing.
– Fishing Boat Level 1: Property of Allen Walker.
– Upgrade
– Edit
– Available slots
– Shop
"It looks like a video game," Allen muttered.
Though he immediately became confused, having no idea what a video game actually was.
'Whatever.'
Allen didn't have time to figure out how everything worked, so he directly selected the fishing boat's upgrade option.
– One Copper Coin.
With visible pain, he grabbed the sack of gold and jewels and dumped it into the Chest. Nami also looked away while hugging herself. Both Allen and Nami looked like they had just lost a child, which left the Chest speechless.
It amounted to four million berries, which translated into four copper coins. One was used on the fishing boat.
The vessel began to glow and slowly started to grow.
"What's happening?!" Nami panicked and grabbed Allen's arm.
The process was quick. In moments, the fishing boat transformed:
– Small Skiff: Property of Allen Walker.
Size: 8 meters.
Capacity: 5 people.
Features: 1 Small storage room.
Allen gasped in disbelief. It was a small vessel, but it was his—something truly his, the first ship of his journey.
"Come on, Nami, it's time to set sail!" Allen said, laughing. "Adventures unlike any other await us... or certain death. Both are possible."
Nami nearly stumbled. She honestly couldn't tell whether Allen was optimistic or insane. But she got to work, unfurled the small sail, and grabbed the helm to begin navigating.
The Marine soldiers stopped at the shore, watching as Allen sailed away.
"How are we supposed to report this to Vice Admiral Garp?" one Marine asked fearfully.
"We'll just tell the truth. The corrupt Captain Morgan was defeated by a young albino who calls himself 'The King of the World.' Let headquarters figure out how to deal with this guy."
....
Half a day later, Allen spotted an island in the distance. A smile spread across his face.
"Alright, let's see if we can obtain something valuable from this place."
Nami raised an eyebrow and snorted. "Are you planning to loot the place?"
"Hey, how rude," Allen said indignantly. "I don't loot. As the future King of the World, I simply seek kind sponsors willing to aid me on my journey. Think of it as collecting taxes in advance."
Nami stared at him in disbelief. This bastard was actually justifying robbery as early tax collection?! Although Nami couldn't really judge him, since she was a thief with many years of experience in the trade.
He was a wanted man—who knows if they'd send someone after him? He had to get strong fast, and for that, he needed massive amounts of money. With no other choice, Allen would have to become a pirate—a real one!
"As Captain Jack Sparrow said, 'Take, take, take—you wanted it, and don't give anything back!'" Allen grinned cheekily.
[...]
The chest wondered if Allen was really forcing himself to do this or if, deep down, he was actually enjoying the experience.
Outside the world, the Chat was once again mocking him nonstop; Allen had gone from being the Emperor of Humanity, a Hero, and an absolute being to a mere thief, a pirate.
It was ridiculous!
...
The island Allen was approaching was part of the Gecko Islands, home to a lovely place known as Syrup Village.
In this peaceful place stood a mansion atop a hill. Inside one of its rooms was a beautiful blonde girl who appeared frail. She read medical books while gazing out at the sea through her window, enjoying the ocean breeze.
*Toc toc*
The door opened, and a butler entered. He wore a black suit, white gloves, round glasses, and had slicked-back hair.
"Miss Kaya, it's time for your medicine."
The girl smiled.
"Thank you, Klahadore-san."
The middle-aged man sighed as he saw Kaya studying.
"I understand you wish to learn medicine, but you won't become a doctor if you destroy your body in the process, Kaya-sama."
"I know," Kaya pouted briefly before looking out the window. "It's just that I woke up in a good mood today. Something tells me it's going to be a wonderful day~"
Klahadore adjusted his glasses with the palm of his hand. Unfortunately, the sweet Kaya couldn't see the cold glint hidden in his eyes.
"I see. That is good news," Klahadore said.
====
A/N: Lately, all my chapters have been over 3,000 words. Maybe it's because the current arc is from *One Piece*—it's really easy for me to write since I know it so well, haha
If you want to read more, there are up to ten chapters ahead on Patreon.
Patreon.com/_Aizen