15 Chapter 14

Blood gushed from the long sword slash across Zoro's chest. He lost control of his body and fell backward, crashing into the sea. Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs and threw his hand out. His arm stretched across the water and grabbed onto a piece of the broken ship not far from Mihawk, "DAMN IT! DAMN YOU!"

Luffy screamed again and flew across the water toward Mihawk. Seeing Luffy coming, Mihawk simply sidestepped and dodged the attack easily. Luffy flew past him and slammed into a section of the decking, getting comically stuck. Markus just chuckled to himself which caught the attention of Mihawk. Markus shuddered feeling Mihawk looking his way while Luffy was busy pulling his head out of the wood. Mihawk addressed Luffy as he pulled his head free, "Fear not. That man is still alive." Mihawk's eyes narrowed on Markus, "As your friend over there full well knows."

Right after he said that, Johnny and Yasaku surfaced from the ocean with Zoro in their arms. Seeing them, Luffy called out, "Zoro!"

Markus helped the two drag Zoro onto the boat and tend to his wounds. Mihawk spoke out for Zoro to hear, "I am Dracule Mihawk! Know thy self! Know thy world! And become strong Roronoa! No matter how many months or years pass by, I shall be here at the top of the world waiting for you! So forge on ahead with that fierce conviction and try to surpass my sword! Surpass me Roronoa!"

Mihawk looked at Luffy from over his shoulder, "Boy, what do you aim for?"

Luffy just grinned, "Pirate King!"

Mihawk smiled, "A tough path. Even tougher than surpassing myself." His gaze turned to Markus, "And you, boy?"

Markus grinned, "Strongest man in the world, stronger than even Kaido."

Mihawk's eyes widened ever so slightly at the mention of one of the Yonko. For someone in the East Blue to know of a Yonko and their strength was highly unusual. Add to that, Mihawk was pretty sure the young man was using Observation Haki from the way he looked at things. Truly an unexpected sight. Mihawk crossed his arms over his chest, "A dream as hard as becoming the Pirate King."

Luffy looked over to the boat and called out, "Is Zoro alright?!"

Before anyone could answer him, Zoro lifted his remaining sword in the air and spoke, "L... Luffy, can you hear me? Sorry for worrying you. I know... that if I don't become the world's greatest swordsman... It will only embarrass you." He coughed out some blood causing Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku to become concerned for him. He continued with tears in his eyes, "I SWEAR THAT I'M NEVER GOING TO LOSE AGAIN! UNTIL THE DAY I FIGHT HIM AGAIN AND WIN. I SWEAR TO NEVER LOSE AGAIN!" His sword wavered in the air a bit, "Any problems, pirate king?"

Luffy just smiled, "Nope!"

Mihawk watched with a smile and spoke, "I'd like to meet the three of you again, sometime in the future."

As Mihawk turned to leave, the moron Don Krieg got full of himself and called out, "Hawk-Eyes, didn't you come all the way here for my head?"

Mihawk looked at him with a bland expression, "Yes. But I've had my fun. I'm going back to enjoy a nap now."

Krieg had a cocky grin as he addressed Mihawk, "No need to rush off. You may have had your fun but, I HAVEN'T!"

Sections of his armor snapped open and multiple gun barrels were revealed, all pointed at Mihawk. Krieg fired them all but Mihawk just gave a simple wave of his sword. The swing destroyed another section of what was left of the ship and sent a large portion of Krieg's crew into the ocean. Bored, Mihawk took his leave. During the commotion, Luffy called out, "Markus! Usopp! Go on ahead!"

Usopp held up Luffy's hat as he yelled back, "Alright! Markus and I will definitely bring Nami back!" He threw Luffy's hat to him, "So you make sure to get us a cook! Once we have six of us we'll head to the Grand Line!"

Luffy caught his hat with a big grin, "Yeah, let's!"

They sailed away and left Luffy behind. Markus knew Luffy would be fine and would catch up later with Sanji in tow. With just himself, Usopp, and an injured Zoro, he would have the chance to fight some of the fishmen terrorizing Nami's village. If he got lucky, he might even be able to fight and defeat Arlong before Luffy arrived! All that sweet sweet experience would be his, not to mention stealing a bit more of the limelight.

He didn't mind Luffy being the Captain and main protagonist but he didn't want to just sit around and watch while waiting for them to arrive at Skypiea. He'd grown to enjoy fighting and the feelings it gave him. The rush of excitement, the thrill of combat. It was addicting. He didn't understand why Luffy and Zoro were such combat junkies before, but now he knew. There was nothing that came even remotely close to putting your life on the line! Besides, he looked at his quest log and grinned broadly, there were other rewards to consider as well!

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New Quest!

Free Cocoyashi Village!

Arlong and his men have terrorized Cocoyashi village for years and made the residents suffer harshly. It's time for them to get what's coming to them. Kick their asses and show them they can't just do whatever they want. Arlong couldn't get away with his actions for so long without the complicit help of the local Marines, punish them as well. While you're at it, show Nami a new path and bring her out of the darkness and into the light.

Requirements:

Objective 1: Defeat members of Arlong's crew.

Objective 2: Defeat any Lieutenant of Arlong's crew.

Objective 3: Defeat Arlong in a one-on-one fight.

Objective 4: Find a way to punish the marines aiding Arlong.

Objective 5: Bring hope into Nami's world and rescue her from despair.

Failure Conditions: Death, The death of any Strawhat crew member, Nami deciding not to join the crew

Rewards:

Objective 1: +20% Experience per member of Arlong's crew defeated

Objective 2: 1x Skill Book, 1x Rare Weapon Token

Objective 3: TBD

Objective 4: TBD

Objective 5: Improved relationship with Nami, 1x Immortal Tangerine Seed

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Markus read over the quest and nodded to himself. He could probably pull most of that off. But first... He went into the cabin of the small boat and got a mug, he opened two bottles of health potion and poured them inside, then filled the rest with water. He stepped out and walked over to where Zoro was resting against one of the boat's walls, "Here, drink this. I put some medicine in it that should help your wounds heal faster."

Over the last few days, he'd experimented with the potions he got during his image training. The health potion had a cherry flavor and healed hit points over time. Mixing it with water slowed the healing effect but didn't diminish the health gained. With two potions, Zoro would recover one hundred hit points. It wouldn't fully heal him, which would be super suspicious, instead, it would simply help him recover a bit. Even in his current condition he would win his fights against Arlong's men, this would just make certain nothing unexpected happened. Markus knew he was about to make a major change and he couldn't risk something unexpected happening.

Zoro drank the cherry-flavored water and started to feel a little better soon after. He wasn't fully healed but the bleeding had completely stopped and he felt more energetic. He looked at Markus in surprise, "Since when are you a doctor?"

Markus laughed, "Since never, just a little something my old man taught me."

Zoro looked impressed, "Your old man seemed to know a lot about a lot of things."

Markus laughed, "That he does! Once we get to the Grand Line I'll show you a few things that will blow your mind."

Since all the main members of the crew would be on board by the time they entered the Grand Line it would be a good time to teach them Observation Haki. He knew for sure that they could learn it, eventually. He was just giving them a head start. Once he was finished talking to Zoro, he sat off to the side and opened up his system shop. Every night at midnight the shop would reset and new items would appear. They still weren't great and some of the miscellaneous items seemed downright useless. However, he'd spotted an item earlier in the day that could come in handy later. He moved to the miscellaneous items page and bought the item for five thousand Belly. It seemed overpriced, but if he could use it the way he was planning, it would be worth it.

After that, he switched to the weapons tab. He bought some ammo and browsed the selection of swords available. At the moment he only had the choice of two kinds of swords, the most popular ones in the show, katanas, and sabers. He thought of buying Zoro two replacement swords, but he had no idea how to explain where he got them right now. That would change when they arrived at Cocoyashi village though. He thought about buying himself a sword but decided not to. He wasn't very good with swords, even with the skill, and preferred using his pistol and his fists. Besides, when he flipped a pistol around to use it as a club, it counted as an improvised weapon. That basically made it two weapons in one!

While he was browsing the weapons in his shop he looked for any sign of their rarity, but he couldn't find anything. Aside from the obvious, he didn't know what the difference between a regular weapon and a rare weapon was. For example, what rarity was a sword such as Zoro's Wado Ichimonji, one of the 21 O Wazamono grade swords? He was certain it was higher than rare. So did that mean he could get one of the lower grades like a Ryo Wazamono or Wazamono? Not that he wanted a sword, it would be nice if he could get a flintlock with a grade similar to a Wazamono or Ryo Wazamono sword though.

Well, he would find out later once he got the token. Until then, speculation was useless. The only other thing he was really interested in was the 'Immortal Tangerine Seed'. Specifically, what about it was 'immortal'? He was pretty certain that eating the tangerines it produced wouldn't make someone immortal. So... a tree that simply couldn't die? Nami would definitely like that. Other than that, there was no point in speculating about the unknown rewards or the skill book. He wouldn't know anything about those until he got them.

Johnny controlled the ship and followed behind Nami. At some point, Yosaku had vanished without anyone noticing, not even Markus. They'd gotten pretty far behind but it wasn't more than a few hours before Johnny called out, "W... we're here..."

In front of their small boat was an island with a giant palace-like building with the name 'Arlong Park' plastered across it. Johnny continued, "We've finally arrived... but the real problem starts here. Let's just find where Nami docked the ship."

Zoro held up his only remaining sword with a grin, "Then we slice our way in!"

Usopp and Johnny yelled at him but Markus just grinned and agreed with Zoro. He wanted to kick the shit out of Arlong and his minions before Luffy could catch up. The fight with Krieg and his crew would take some time, then more time for them to catch up. He only had until then to defeat Arlong. He had a plan though. From what he could remember, at some point, Usopp ran into Nami with some fishmen. She pretended to kill him to save him. If he could replace Usopp in that incident, not only could he defeat some of the fishmen, he could also prove to Nami what he, and the others, could do. He just couldn't remember the details at all. As they were sailing, Johnny found the Going Merry, so they sailed toward it. As they sailed past Arlong Park, Usopp and Johnny decided to tie up Zoro to keep him from doing something stupid. They glanced at Markus with the same idea in mind but decided against it when he glared at them. It didn't earn him any favors from Zoro, but he didn't disagree with them tying him up.

When they got closer to the Going Merry they spotted a dock and began to pull up to it. However, there was a group of fishmen standing on the dock so Usopp and Johnny decided to sail on by. The fishmen weren't going to let them go that easily. When Usopp spotted the fishmen coming in the water, the three people not tied up jumped into the ocean and abandoned Zoro. Markus did so because he needed to stick by Usopp. It was important.

After they got to shore, one of the fishmen followed them. Markus used his footwork to vanish from sight and hide nearby to watch what happened. When he did he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. He watched as Usopp ran and got tripped by a little kid. At the same time, he finally got his first look at Nojiko. She was a beautiful woman with short cut blue hair, tanned skin, and a winding tattoo on her right arm and chest. He felt a bit jealous of the tattoo artist that got to work on her. It must have been a wonderful sight.

The incident that forced him to keep his laughter in, came when Usopp ran into them. He decided he needed to fight. Nojiko did not agree. She knocked him over the head with a hammer then dragged his unconscious body out of sight to save him from the fishman chasing him. Markus followed from a distance as Nojiko dragged Usopp's body to her place, a small house surrounded by orange and tangerine trees. He found a comfortable spot out of sight but close enough for the interior of the house to be in range of his passive Observation Haki.

Nojiko made some tea for the kid that tripped Usopp and a short time after she set it out, Usopp woke up. Usopp panicked for a moment, "Where is this?!"

Nojiko looked up from where she was sitting, "Oh, you're awake."

"You're that woman from before! Where is this!? What about that fishman?!"

Nojiko looked unconcerned, "Don't worry, we lost him. This is my place, I grow oranges here."

Markus just relaxed in the shade and looked out over the beautiful orange grove with a smile while the two inside had a conversation. The fun part for Markus was Usopp's reaction to finding out that Nojiko was Nami's sister. He couldn't help chuckling a little as he listened to their talk about Nojiko's 'witch' sister. He knew the truth so he could see through everything being said. Though, he would need to smack Usopp for taking so long to realize that Zoro was already a prisoner and needed to be rescued.

Eventually, Usopp and Nojiko left her place and headed into the village. Markus used his speed to keep out of sight while following them. It was nice that the footwork he got from Kuro was silent, even if it had a horrendous name. When they got to the village, Usopp and Nojiko hung out behind buildings while Markus lay down on top of one. From there Markus finally got his first look at Arlong in person. He really was a huge monster with his tall frame and large muscles. He was basically a shark on legs that screamed 'predator' to anyone looking at him. Hell, even his pointy saw-toothed nose looked like a dangerous weapon. Markus decided to break it as Luffy had.

Nojiko explained the situation to Usopp. How Arlong forced the villagers to pay for their very lives. How if even one person in a village couldn't pay up the whole village would be destroyed. How their doctrine placed them as superior so they didn't even think twice about killing humans. If Markus was only aware of what was happening here he would be angrier at Arlong and place a label on all fishmen. He knew the truth though. While Arlong was definitely a bad guy, it wasn't entirely his fault. Fishmen everywhere were captured and forced into slavery for the amusement of humans. Mermaids were the ones to suffer the most under the greed of humans. Prized for their beauty they are kidnapped and treated like pet fish, maybe even worse. He felt empathy for them, but it wouldn't stop him from beating the hell out of Arlong.

As Markus watched, Arlong grabbed one of the villagers, a middle-aged man covered in scars and wearing a distinctive hat with a pinwheel in it. Markus had to admit, as weird as the hat was, it was pretty nifty and matched the man's mustache well. Truly, a man of class and taste! Arlong started beating the man, Gen, as a warning to the rest of the villagers. It wasn't long before Usopp couldn't take it anymore. He got on a roof before he pulled out his slingshot and fired one of his gunpowder stars at Arlong and nailed him right in the face. Everyone looked up and saw Usopp standing there with his legs visibly shaking, "I am the brave and heroic warrior of the seas! Captain Usopp! I have eight thousand men under my command! Leave now and I will consider sparing your lives!"

One of the fishmen in the crowd pointed at Usopp, "That's him! He's the guy that escaped from me!"

Still smoking, Arlong grit his teeth in rage. His voice dropped into a menacing growl as he said, "I don't care if you have tens of thousands of men! Just try me! I'll crush every last one of them! Even though you're just a puny human, YOU DARE ATTACK ME?!"

With a roar, Arlong grabbed a corner of the house Usopp was standing on and ripped it off of the ground, "WE ARE SUPREME BEINGS!!!"

Usopp was in a panic as he made his escape. Several of Arlong's men held him back so he wouldn't destroy the whole village. Arlong kept screaming in his rage, "CATCH HIM AND KILL HIM!"

Three of the minions from Arlongs crew chased after Usopp as he ran at his fastest speed. The others dragged Arlong back toward Arlong Park. Markus swiftly followed Usopp and his pursuers from behind, his footwork making it easy for him to follow silently and unseen. At the moment he could keep using the skill for eight and a half minutes straight, without taking into account his Willpower regeneration rate. With that added on, he could probably keep it up for about fifteen minutes. As he ran along, he took the time to buy two new katanas for Zoro to use, it cost him 150,000 Belly but it would be worth it later. He stuck them through his belt after buying them.

As the chase continued, Markus began to get concerned. They were catching up to Usopp but there was no sign of Nami so far. Where the hell was she? He wasn't remembering wrong, was he? Shouldn't Nami meet him as he's running away and pretend to kill him? He continued to grow concerned as time passed. Then his worst fear came true. One of the fishmen caught Usopp, one with a weird elongated face and huge lips. What the hell was going on?! It wasn't supposed to be like this!

The long-faced fishman caught Usopp and held him by the neck. Not knowing what to do anymore, Markus got fed up, "Screw it!"

Markus pulled his flintlock out of his inventory and flipped it around in his hand. It was perfect for bashing skulls in thanks to the metal plate screwed onto the bottom of the grip. As the fishman cocked his arm back to punch Usopp, Markus appeared out of nowhere with his arm already cocked back. Before anyone could react he slammed the butt of his pistol into the fishman's face and sent him flying. Usopp was released and fell to the ground. The two fishmen that were still standing were shocked while the one Markus knocked over struggled to his feet.

Markus didn't give them any more time to act. The two fishmen barely managed to say, 'Chew' before Markus disappeared again. He could use the footwork for fifteen seconds each time he activated it, it was more than enough to deal with this trash. He kept appearing and disappearing as he battered the three fishmen with his pistol. Within the fifteen-second time limit, he bashed each fishman's skull several times and knocked them all out.

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You have defeated an Arlong Pirate cadre. Experience deferred.

You have defeated an Arlong Pirate cadre. Experience deferred.

You have defeated an Arlong Pirate Lieutenant. You have gained 2,300 experience.

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Usopp climbed to his feet and looked at Markus in shock. He recovered quickly and put on a brave front, "Excellent job! I would expect no less from a member of my crew! Though... your timing could be a bit better. Don't worry! We'll work on it together!"

Markus decided to let it pass and grinned at Usopp while giving him a thumbs up, "Good job saving that man."

Usopp stuck his nose up in the air and laughed, "Of course! I'm the brave warrior of the sea, Captain Usopp!"

Markus smirked, "Well then captain, let's get going."

"Going? Going where?"

Markus rolled his eyes, "To rescue Zoro of course!"

Markus didn't show it, but inside he was seething. Either he changed things too much somehow or he was remembering things wrong. Either way, it completely messed up his brilliant plan! Dammit! He turned his back on Usopp and made his way toward Arlong park, "Follow me Usopp. It's time to go fishing."