Gossip and Getting Ready

( 3rd POV )

At a certain island, snow slowly melted in the surrounding area as the season passed, and after that, the weather became warmer. In the rejuvenating environment, leaves and plants flourished, especially within the forest.

By the island's shore, two figures engaged in a fierce battle. One, a woman adorned with white hair and red horns, clashed with a man boasting massive black wings and flames engulfing his back. Their conflict wreaked havoc on the surroundings, creating pits and unleashing strong winds with each clash.

"Haha, take this, Azel. Mahoroba!" The girl attacked the winged guy while imbuing her kanabo with frost energy from her devil fruit before swinging it horizontally.

The winged guy named Azel also didn't want to be outdone by the girl. He pulled out his giant nodachi and prepared for his counterattack "Be careful, Yamato. Enbū!" He imbued the fire energy he possessed into the sword and performed a singular downward vertical slash in an arcing motion with his nodachi.

The collision of their intense attacks sent sparks of fire and ice energy in every direction, altering the landscape. The winds, generated by their powerful clashes, swept away the surrounding sands.

Boom!

They got separated not long after that. Just before the two started to go at it again, a certain figure not far away from their location watched the fight and suddenly called both of them to stop. "Azel, Yamato, enough. Did you guys forget that we need to pack up already? Vanze said we will sail after he is done with his things, and Yamato, I know you dragged Azel just so you could have a fight. So, let's go back."

The woman who just called them was very tall and slender with long black hair, exuding a regal presence. She was such a beauty and wore a V-neck black dress with one sleeve and a half chest area in white, in addition to a purple sash at the waist and a black cape with a pink interior and golden shoulder pads, along with black heels.

[Pic]

"I told you we shouldn't spar at this time, Yamato," Azel said while sheathing back his nodachi into the scabbards. He was the tallest person in the group right now. Dressed in a brown coat over his suit giving him a gentleman appearance, especially with his shoulder-length white hair.

[Pic]

"Eh... But we are just getting started. Well, let's go then. I need to pack up my own things before Robin scolds me later, hahaha." Yamato also put the kanabo on her back.

Yamato was a tall girl for her age and wore a sleeveless white garment with a diamond-shaped design on both sides and indigo, wisp-patterned bottom half. She wore a pair of red hakama pants and sandals, while there was also a large purple and white nio-dasuki behind her back. She wore that purple thing because she thought it looked cool, just like Oden used to wear.

[Pic]

"Sigh... You never change, Yamato. But, that personality of yours makes us could never get upset with you." Hancock said while shaking her head, watching at Yamato's antics. The three of them walked toward the houses not far from the shore.

"I'll go back first to check if everything is already packed up in our house." Azel walked ahead toward one of the houses.

The two girls also entered the houses that belonged to them, and there was another woman reading a book in the living room, waiting for them.

"How did the sparring go for you, Yamato?" The woman asked while still reading a book. She was a beautiful woman with cerulean blue eyes. She wore a blue tank top covered with a black jacket on her upper body. She wore tight jeans on her legs that showcased her beautiful figure more, and she was also putting orange sunglasses on top of her head.

[Pic]

"Un! It's a nice exercise, but Hancock stopped me. She said I need to pack up my things, and I will be doing it right away, Robin," Yamato said. She headed toward her room now to immediately pack up and avoiding a potential scolding from Robin.

"You and Azel almost destroyed the shore again, you know. If both of you didn't hold back your power and instead continued using your devil fruit powers before I asked you to stop, the whole area might as well be gone because of the fight." Hancock sat across from Robin while complaining about Yamato and Azel's antics, but Yamato had already entered her room before she could finish her words.

"Fufufu, didn't you also do it yesterday, Hancock? It's already become our habit after all the training we've been through. And it's always Vanze who restores the area that you guys always end up destroying with his new power." Robin closed her book and started the conversation with her friend who was leaning on the sofa.

"Robin, you also caused it with your gigantic attack. But I didn't do it today; we need to get ready to leave this island after all." Hancock just rolled her eyes at Robin's statement. She wondered why her friend always enjoys teasing others. After spending a lot of time together, the two of them, including Yamato, could be considered sisters with their understanding of each other.

"Where is he anyway? Shouldn't we set sail already? What an unreliable guy, hmph...!" She flicked her hair to the sides, showing off her charms as a beautiful woman. If it were another person, especially another guy, they would not be able to escape from her charms. They would either become her licking dog or get petrified directly by her powers.

Robin saw her friend's attitude and couldn't help but giggle; she was aware of her real feelings towards Vanze after all. "Ara~ why are you sulking about Vanze, Hancock? Aren't you always acting coy and lovey-dovey towards him when you guys are together, fufufu."

"Hmph...! What are you talking about? Aren't you also the same? As time goes on, your real attitude toward him is also becoming much bolder, and that idiot always has an enchanted look on his face when you are spoiling him with your big sister persona." Hancock's cheeks turned reddish when Robin blatantly mentioned her actions toward Vanze. She also tried to expose her back, but Robin appeared calm after hearing her words.

"I'm not gonna deny my action toward him. Vanze is such an excellent man after all. He helped us from our tragic fate, he helped us lift the devil fruit curse, always teaching us a better way of getting stronger, and most importantly, he always so caring to us. After living together for so long, of course, I will also eventually fall for him, and I can feel he has the same feeling towards us." Robin's answer made Hancock's cheeks even redder, and she held her cheek while daydreaming about something involving Vanze.

But she suddenly snapped out of her fantasy and looked at Robin with a wry smile. "But he never confirmed that with his own. Why has he never answered to our feelings until now, I wonder?" Hancock could also feel that Vanze liked them, but they had never done anything to confirm their relationships.

"It's not that he doesn't want to, but he is afraid. You must know that he likes all of us, including Yamato, so he can't bear to confess to only one of us and hurt the others. It's impossible to let him choose, so he didn't continue to pursue any of us. But what he didn't know is that we, the girls, have already talked with each other about the solution for it, right Hancock? Fufufu." Robin explained her guess about Vanze and why he still had not taken action with any of them.

For your information, Vanze is not a herbivore guy, even though he is a virgin in his past life. He vowed to never live a life full of regret, but he can't really choose one of them. Just like Robin has guessed, he likes all of them. As a self-proclaimed 'a man of cultured,' he even has some kind of a Pokedex filled with his waifus' information, and all three women in his group are included in it. So, rather than face the hard rejection or their heartbroken faces, he chooses to bide more time for him.

"Hmph! You must thank me for agreeing to the so-called solution of yours. If I'm not convinced by you back then, I would rather keep fighting to have him all for myself. But I also realize how unrealistic it is, especially if you think about his dream journeying to the other different world. He will surely be able to take down a lot of maiden hearts." Hancock said while feeling irritated when remembering their talk in the past about the so-called solution. Thankfully, she already accepted it and thought it was not so bad of a plan. The solution Robin proposed to her is the typical HAREM route. How original.

A year ago, Robin approached Hancock to talk about the issue with Vanze. At first, Hancock was angry with jealousy, even though she knew Robin also liked him; her pride combined with Haoshoku haki she possessed didn't allow the idea of sharing. So, they always bickered and tried to get Vanze's attention. But as time goes on and thinking about the advantages of the plan Robin is telling her, she gradually accepted it but with a condition that every woman who wanted to join needed to be tested by her first.

Heck, they even dragged the clueless Yamato with them. Yamato just being Yamato thought that the harem part was amazing. The part where she would always be together with her sisters and the man she likes almost made her directly confess to Vanze at that time. Thankfully, the other two girls managed to stop her and educated her more about adult relationships.

"So let's just give him some time; if he still doesn't do anything by the next year, we will directly confront him. But, I think he won't leave us hanging for that long, fufufu." Robin told her idea to Hancock, but suddenly Yamato came out from the room and joined their conversation.

"Yes! Let's talk to confess to him directly later." Apparently, she always eavesdrops on their conversation from her room with her Kenbunshoku Haki. Robin just smiled at her blunt way of saying things, while Hancock just rolled her eyes as a response.

"Sometimes, I wonder where you get your innocence and confidence to confess to Vanze directly, Yamato." Hancock stared at Yamato weirdly.

"Hmm? I just think that if I like someone, I should tell them honestly about it. Never beat around the bush, just go for it. Also, I think someone as good and powerful like Vanze is normal to have more women." Yamato shared her opinion about the topic regarding their harem plan.

"As expected from you, Yamato. Maybe that's also the reason Vanze always likes taking care of you so much, fufufu." Robin giggled after listening to Yamato's honest reply.

While the women kept gossiping with each other in their living room, outside the house, Azel had already packed up his things and even returned the house back to capsule form. He wondered if he needed to tell the girls first or call his leader deep in the forest.

.....

( Vanze POV )

Sigh...

I open my eyes, breaking free from my zen meditation. The shore near the lake deep in the forest is my haven, where I sit in a pose reminiscent of a Buddhist monk, cradling my black sword in my lap.

Living and training on this island for five years now, it feels like an eternity. Three years ago, I had the urge to leave, but fate had other plans. Suddenly my KG and black sword underwent unexpected improvements. Now, my KG can finally see the origin of the devil fruit, so I scan all of my devil fruit in my possession to determine if it's good or not and voila, I even found an unexpected fruit especially from Kaido lair.

It's a Paramecia devil fruit, and it is just casually discarded into the crates by Kaido. If I think about how obsessed he is by zoan devil fruit, I think it make sense if he ignores this paramecia. But I even doubt there is an illustration of it in the devil fruit encyclopedia book, maybe only the Gorosei know about this fruit.

Paramecia, Toki Toki no Mi.

Damn, if not for KG to identify this fruit I myself wouldn't know about it. Because back in my old world there is no official illustration of this fruit from Goda himself if I remember. It looks like a green apple with a bunch of swirl pattern — simple yet mysterious.

Next, I finally pull out the devil fruit that Grandma always saved for me. I scan it and find another thing that puzzles me. It is a Zoan called Akuma Akuma no Mi model: Diablo. I guess from the vitality radiating from it; it's also a Mythical Zoan type. But Diablo? The OG OP never showed this kind of thing.

Oh, and I also find another Mythical Zoan fruit from Kaido's loot. It is Hito Hito no Mi model: Fallen Angel, and I give it to Azel. It is a perfect match. He can even control black flame now. There are also other fruits, but let's leave them for now.

But it's not the end of it. Now let's talk about the black sword. It's a very sharp katana, and after trying every method to identify this thing, I only succeed after meditating, trying to contact the sword like those from cultivation novels or like a Zanpakuto from Bleach.

I keep trying to make contact with it while also mastering the sword skills I acquired long ago, and finally, I catch a glimpse of what it can do. It has a separation and devouring attribute. I test the separation part, and it can even remove the curse from a devil fruit. If I'm not wrong, the katana should be able to cut through anything, even the very fabric of space itself, like Yamato from DMC. But this thing can even devour a lot of energy from me and from the surrounding area if I allow it. I feel this sword is just being unlocked for me, and I still can't fully use its power yet.

Because all of that shit happened, and I even ate two devil fruits, so I extend my stay here just to train my new abilities. But now I'm stuck as fuck.

'Seele, can you show your brother his status? Thank you.' Let's check my overall stats.

[ Wait a sec, brother. ]

[ Status

Name: Ryujin D. Vanze

Age: 16

Race: High Human

Title: 'Freak'

Condition: Healthy

Tier: 6 - Continental Warriors

Stats:

Strength: B

Agility: A -

Endurance: B

Intelligence: B +

Vitality: B +

Luck: ???

Skill:

1. Kamigami no Gigan or All Seeing Eyes of God (Active)

2. Adaptability (Passive)

3. Haki:

- Haoshoku Haki or Conqueror's Haki (Advanced)

- Kenbunshoku Haki or Observation Haki (Advanced)

- Busoshoku Haki or Armament Haki (Advanced)

4. Rokushiki (Master)

5. Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū or Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style (Master)

6. Toki Toki no Mi (Intermediate)

7. Akuma Akuma no Mi model: Diablo (Intermediate)

Equipment:

- a black katana ]

'Hmm... For my tri-haki, I've already used emission, future sight, and lastly, my Haoshoku Haki is capable of damaging inanimate objects and structures around me. I feel so close to attaining Ryuo and Haoshoku infusion, but it always fails, damn it.' Maybe I really need to see or feel those attacks on my own if I want to master it.

My two devil fruits are also stuck in their development, and yes, I can eat two because I already separated the curse with my sword, and thanks to my adaptability. I can partially change parts of my body to Akuma form, but it is so hard to fully change like Yamato did. I suspect my Zoan is even harder to control compared to hers because it contains some kind of energy attribute which I can't fully use yet.

My other fruit is thankfully more versatile, and I can create my own moves, such as using it to make my whole being much faster or imbuing time energy to my enemy after each hit, making them slower. My ultimate technique is to create an area of thirty meters where I can stop time and control it for three seconds at max, but if the enemy is at Garp level, it will be much weaker or even useless. Yeah, it's just like domain expansion with a discount Za Warudo power.

'Overall it's not too shabby, right, Seele?'

[ Well, you can definitely survive from an admiral for now. But you can't survive from the girls if you keep avoiding them. ]

'... Damn... I'm too focused on reviewing my status just now.' In this life, because of my might and handsomeness, I can finally have a romantic life, but I can't choose any one of them just because I want them all. I am aware they have feelings for me, especially after being baptized by their affection for years, but I'm really afraid to mess things up.

'I can't just say that I like all of you, so please be my girlfriends. They will definitely slap me or just outright murder me after I say that.' Imagining Robin slapping me with her giant palm, Hancock kicking me in the balls, and Yamato smashing her kanabo to my head is just giving me a chill.

[ Urgh... You started to overthink all of this again. For girls, as long as you honestly tell your genuine feelings for them, you still have a chance. ]

'And where did you learn all of that, little miss?'

[ Because I'm smarter than you, and I'm also a woman, you idiot brother. ]

'Ouch... My kokoro... Well, I think you are not wrong. But I doubt the statement of you saying that you are smarter than me.' Sigh... Let's not think about that issue for now. I need to go back because today we will finally set sail in this world.

I pulled out an mp3 with a Bluetooth speaker and played a legendary opening song for this occasion at max volume so the others can hear it too, hehe.

'Wealth. Fame. Power. The man who had everything in this world... The Pirate King, Gold Roger.'

A familiar narration started playing from the mp3 accompanied by a nostalgic rhythm in the background. I'm already heading back toward the others at my fastest speed while letting the music play.

.....