Chapter 45 - Drawing His Blade

Both Jin and Smoker returned back to the real world at the same time. They briefly exchanged a tense few seconds of eye contact. Then, Smoker sighed and turned his arms back to normal, releasing both Luffy and Zoro from the grasp of his smoke.

"What's this about?" Zoro asked in a suspicious tone.

Descending on his barrier board, Jin answered, "It's a temporary truce so that we can focus on closing that rift over there."

"Hm… Did you use that eye ability you mentioned before?"

Jin gave an affirmative nod, but then looked at Luffy and asked, "Ready to go beat up some nasty monsters?"

"Yeah!"

Lips lifting slightly, Jin clapped his hands. His barrier board widened into a saucer-like platform. Some extra seating appeared as well.

'Looks a bit tacky, but it's functional.'

"We may as well fly over. It's faster," Jin said, looking at Luffy and Zoro.

"Ohoh~! I wanna fly!" Luffy said, hopping onto the barrier craft. Instead of sitting, he stood next to one of the chair-like portions of the barrier and rested one foot on it. Holding a hand over his eyes as though peering out from a crow's nest, he exclaimed, "So cool! We're floating!"

In contrast, Zoro quietly boarded with simple movements and calmly sat in one of the seats with crossed arms.

Suddenly, Smoker jumped onto the barrier as well, saying, "I refuse to let pirates out of my sight. I'm riding with you."

"T- then I am, too," Tashigi stammered, hopping on after her captain.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the two Marines. Neither Jin nor Luffy cared, though, albeit for different reasons.

"Fine with me. Just don't fall off," Jin casually warned before using magic to propel the barrier craft forward.

'Hmm… a bit more magic usage, but still almost negligible aside from the initial cast. Good,' Jin mused, judging his handiwork.

Wind whipping at everyone's hair, most of them closed their eyes into slits because of the rain. Because of the weather, Jin added an additional barrier roof, essentially turning what was originally a surfboard into a flying speedboat.

Along the way, Tashigi looked between Jin and Zoro with a hesitant gaze, most of it focusing on Zoro's swords.

"What?" Zoro asked. "Are you going to take Wadou Ichimonji this time?"

Tashigi frowned. Rather than answer immediately, she looked at Jin. After pondering for a few moments, she said, "I don't know, but those swords can't be used for evil."

"...Do you know them?" Smoker asked, raising a brow. Smoke wafted from the multiple cigars hanging from his mouth that he lit right after the roof blocked out the rain, obstructing a clear view of his mildly inquisitive expression.

"I met them when I picked up Shigure."

Noticing a slight change in his subordinate's normal attitude regarding special swords and criminals, he narrowed his eyes. Then, after thinking for a few moments, he focused on Jin and asked, "Did you say something to my subordinate?"

"Yeah," Jin replied with a small nod. "If you're curious, ask her yourself."

When Smoker turned his gaze to Tashigi, she fidgeted uncomfortably and adjusted her glasses. In a nervous tone, she explained, "H- he s- somewhat challenged my resolve… as a swordsman, sir."

"That certainly makes it sound suspicious," Jin grumbled. "I just didn't like your shortsightedness. Whether you heed my words at all or not, I don't care either way."

"...Will you accept a spar with me, Jin-san?" Tashigi asked.

Sighing due to the girl's determined gaze, Jin said, "In the upcoming battle, I will wield my sword. If you still want to spar afterward, I'll humor you."

Smoker quietly listened to their exchange. He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. As though ignoring it for now, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"You use a sword, too, Jin? Shishishi. No wonder you're friends with Zoro," Luffy said.

"Friend, eh? Well, it might've started as a coincidence, but it's always nice to have a friend with similar interests," Jin quietly commented. Briefly, he glanced at Zoro. The man didn't say anything and avoided his gaze. The corners of Zoro's lips twitched as though restraining a grin.

Without anything else to discuss, they fell silent… aside from Luffy's occasional exclamations about how cool it was to fly. Amidst the silence, a sudden notification from the Chat Group indicated a change in the mission details. Checking it made Jin and Zoro grimace, and they completely ignored Smoker's investigating eyes resting on their handheld devices. Of course, he couldn't see anything aside from a black screen, which confused the grizzled Marine Captain.

{Mission Rewards: 99 RP, Bronze Lottery Ticket}

'So there are victims. Hopefully Sanji, Nami, and Usopp are still okay. If it's on the level of the previous tutorials, I think Sanji should be able to keep them safe until we get there.'

Hoping that to be the case, he channeled a bit more magic into his barrier. Velocity increasing, they whizzed through the air toward the massive rift. As they drew closer, an ominous and chilly atmosphere prickled their skin. They all grimaced, except Luffy. Somehow, the boy's infectious smile was still as wide as ever. Even when they saw several massive red eyes glaring at Loguetown from beyond the spatial tear, his smile did not fade. In a way, it lifted Jin and Zoro's morale, but at the same time, it caused Smoker to glare at Luffy with a pondering gaze.

By the time they reached the Western Gate of Loguetown, they saw multiple horrendous beasts charging through a broken portion of the town's defensive wall. Marine's held off the beasts as best they could with firearms and cold weapons, yet numerous bodies lay cold or injured among the fallen abominations.

Further in the distance, Jin, Luffy, and Zoro saw dots of creatures charging toward the Going Merry. Three distant figures desperately fended off the onslaught. One figure used powerful kicks to fight the beasts. Sludge-like body parts flung outward with every kick. Another figure used a slingshot to fend off more beasts further away to give the blondie some leeway. Despite trembling with fear, he fired shot after shot with impeccable aim. In the back next to the sharpshooter, the final figure held daggers in preparation just in case the beasts overran Sanji.

"Ah, my Nakama!" Luffy exclaimed. Then, he shot his hands forward to the front of the barrier. He backed up, causing his arms to stretch across the entire barrier craft. Then, he yelled, "Gomu Gomu no Slingshot!"

Luffy barreled through the air like a bullet. Jin and Zoro raised their brows, but then looked at each other and nodded. Jin then glanced at Smoker and said, "I'll drop you off here."

Smoker nodded, his face stoic. At this point, he stopped caring about the Straw Hats. He hadn't expected such a situation to occur, and he refused to let any more of his men die here. Before Jin could descend, Smoker jumped off the edge and shot fists of smoke at the countless beasts. His men rejoiced at his arrival.

"I'll be going as well, then," Tashigi commented in a serious tone. After Jin descended a little, she hopped onto a nearby roof and joined her captain in the defense.

Leaving her there, Jin controlled his barrier and headed toward the other Straw Hats. Zoro stood up, tied his bandana onto his head, and drew his swords. Without needing to say anything, Jin dismissed the barrier near the rest of the crew. He and Zoro dropped and rolled onto the muddy ground. Ignoring the dirt, Zoro charged forward to help his friends, cutting down several beasts in the process. Several sharp tendrils shot at him from every direction, cutting his body multiple times and slowing him down.

Right behind Zoro, Jin channeled his energy and thought, 'This will be your debut at my side, so let's make it count, yeah?'

'Of course,' His Zanpakuto spirit immediately replied.

A moment later, a white aura surrounded Jin, forming the outline of a hazy haori. A long katana with a purple and black sheath and handle manifested at his hip. Reiatsu emanated from his body and pressed on his surroundings. He did his best to prevent it from hindering his allies since he was still learning how to control it.

Finally, Jin drew his Zanpakuto for the first time. He held it in both hands. For the first time since he obtained soul abilities, he felt somewhat complete. Blade forward, he darted into the fray.

~~~~~~~~~~

(A/N: You guys feel like things are moving too slow, or is it a good pace? I'm trying to give my favorite characters decent screen time, so it ended up like this so far, but I'm just curious how it feels from a reading perspective. Reading something and writing something are two very different ball games, after all.)