21 Chapter 2
The trip to Whiskey Peak took several grueling days. As it was everyone's first time in the Grand Line the erratic weather and the crazy fast changes between weather fronts threw even an expert like Nami off. Markus helped deal with the issues every now and then but spent the majority of his time inside of his Image Training. Even with a few new opponents like Smoker added to the mix, he didn't gain very many levels. On the other hand, his skill experience exploded.
All of his primarily used skills grew significantly stronger. The biggest issue he had was his Willpower limit. His Armament Haki ate through it rapidly. Even with his Willpower Regeneration, he could only keep it going for about two minutes. On the bright side, its level was now high enough that it not only turned black when he used it, but he could apply it to his weapons. Unfortunately, he could only apply it to melee weapons at the moment. It had zero effect on his bullets.
He practiced every skill he could within his Image Training. When he got tired of wailing on the same people over and over again, he changed it up. He would put on his weight changing sweatsuit and workout until he collapsed from exhaustion. His strength grew a little but it was his vitality that grew the most due to pushing his body to its limit. His other attributes showed no growth. He hadn't found a way to increase his spirit or wisdom easily. There was also zero space to run around on the Going Merry so his agility didn't change.
He gained a total of five levels and thirty attribute points, all of which he put into his spirit to make his Armament Haki last at least a little longer. Along with the levels he'd gained, his balance of Belly's had broken through one million. He'd also gained some new potions, Greater Health and Willpower Potions that recovered 100 points for their respective resources. All-in-all he felt like he had gained quite a lot from his somewhat boring and repetitive work.
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Name: Silvers D. Markus
Age: 16
Class: Noob Pirate
Level: 33
Exp: 1,352,500/1,361,250
Hit Points: 1,020/1,020 (+57.1/minute)
Willpower: 1,350/1,350 (+71.5/minute)
Strength (STR): 120
Vitality (VIT): 102
Agility (AGI): 110
Spirit (SPT): 135
Wisdom (WIS): 65
Charisma (CHA): 45
Luck (LCK): 44
Attribute Points: 0
Belly: 1,135,500
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He was still a little annoyed with his class but there was nothing he could do about it. He briefly glanced over his important skills while he had his status window open.
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Observation Haki
[Active/Passive, Level 52, 79.2% Experience]
Observation Haki grants the user a sixth sense to observe the world around them. Depending on the level of the skill the user can potentially feel the presence, strength, emotions, and intentions of people around them. Extremely high-level users of the skill can even gain precognitive abilities and glimpse the future for a few seconds. As this skill increases in level, more features will be unlocked.
[Passive]
Sense people and incoming threats within a distance of one foot. Distance increases by one foot per level of the skill.
Current Range: 52 Feet
[Active]
Increases the sensing range of the passive effect by a factor of ten.
Current Range: 520 Feet
Cost: 1 Willpower/second
Armament Haki
[Active, Level 34, 7.9% Experience]
Armament Haki allows the user to physically harden their will to increase their defensive and offensive capabilities. The greatest benefit of Armament Haki is the ability to harm Devil Fruit users, even Logia users. Armament Haki can be applied to parts of or even the entire body of the user. It can even be applied to weapons when it reaches a certain level. Advanced users can even project Armament Haki a short distance from their bodies while extremely advanced users can project it into an opponent's body to deal internal damage.
+170% Damage Dealt, can harm Devil Fruit users
-34% Damage Received
Cost: 9 Willpower/Second
Brawling
[Passive, Level 72, 36.7% Experience]
Brawlers are not martial artists but they are fighters in their own right. Rough and undisciplined, brawlers trade blow for blow and aren't afraid to fight dirty! As a brawler, you gain a bonus to damage dealt while unarmed or when using improvised weapons.
+72% Unarmed Damage
+72% Improvised Weapon Damage
Pussyfoot Maneuver
[Active, Level 43, 89.4% Experience]
Using unique footwork you are able to vastly increase your speed while reducing the sound you make, temporarily. The higher the level of the skill, the faster you move and the less visible you become.
+430% Movement Speed for 43 seconds
Cost: 25 Willpower
Tekkai
[Active, Level 29, 89.7% Experience]
The Tekkai technique is one of the six techniques of the Rokushiki, the six marine skills. When used, the Tekkai skill hardens the user's muscles to the level of iron. This vastly increases the user's defense to reduce the damage taken from attacks up to a certain strength. At low levels the user is unable to move while using the skill, only at higher levels can Tekkai be used offensively.
-75% Damage Taken from enemies level 29 and below.
Cost: 5 Willpower/Second
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Thanks to this progress, he shouldn't have any issues dealing with anything for a long time. Just his speed alone could make him nearly unbeatable. If he didn't use other skills that required Willpower, he could permanently boost his speed by 430%! That was huge! Tekkai had also become pretty useful as well. He felt ready to take on Baroque Works and Crocodile now. As he was thinking that, Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday hopped up onto the railing of the ship. they said some weird goodbye before leaping off of the ship and swimming to shore.
The crew just looked at where the two left and collectively gave a shrug. None of them cared about those two. When they spotted a river leading deeper into the island, they decided to sail down it. Usopp was being a coward, which everyone ignored. As they got further down the river they could hear people and see vague shadows of them through the fog. When they finally got out of the fog what they saw surprised the majority of the crew. There were a bunch of people standing near the shore cheering and welcoming the pirates to Whiskey Peak.
Luffy looked excited while everyone else looked confused by what they were seeing. A town welcoming pirates was an extremely odd thing. In fact, it was something most people would think was impossible. The confusion didn't last long for Sanji when he spotted a few cute girls on the shore and was immediately smitten. Usopp was the next to get over it and started blowing kisses at the crowd while they stroked his tiny ego. Only Nami, Zoro, and Markus kept clear heads.
As they pulled up to the shore and disembarked from the ship, they were greeted by a tall man with long blond hair rolled into big curls. The man introduced himself, "Welg... Ma-ma-maaaa~ Welcome to Whiskey Peak! I am the mayor of this town Igarappoi. You may be a little confused by our welcome but this is Whiskey Peak, a town of liquor and music! Hospitality is our middle name. So please, I cordially invite you to a banquet!"
Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji immediately agreed while Markus, Nami, and Zoro watched them. The sober three just shook their heads at the idiot trio as they marched off to have fun. Nami moved over to Igarappoi and lifted up her wrist to show the Log Pose, "How long does it for this island's log to be recorded?"
Igarappoi looked down at Nami and immediately dodged the question by grabbing her shoulder and pulling her a little closer. He gestured to the buildings of Whiskey Peak, "Log? Please forget such troubles and enjoy yourself tonight!" He turned to face the crowd, "Everyone! Prepare the banquet! And let us sing to our heart's content!"
Everyone was taken to a large building packed with people and the party got started right away. With the moon high in the sky, everyone seemed to be having a great time. Usopp was telling lies to an excited crowd while he got drunk. Markus, Zoro, and Nami had gotten dragged into a drinking competition. Markus tried to get out of it by claiming to be weak to alcohol but they were extremely insistent. Markus finally 'gave in' and joined the drinking. After his first mug, he used Seimei Kikan to pump more blood to his cheeks and give himself a bright red face. After his second mug, he wobbled a little before he faceplanted on the table and began to snore.
Zoro and Nami continued to drink people under the table. Meanwhile, Luffy was eating enough food for over a dozen people, he personally put a cook down for the count. Sitting on a couch off to the side was Sanji in his version of heaven. He was surrounded by twenty pretty women and drinking merrily with them. He could probably die happy at that moment. Igarappoi and the townspeople were hamming it up and making the party seem like a great feast for the pirate's enjoyment.
As the night wore on, Zorro was the next to collapse. He faceplanted on the table right next to Markus and began to snore alongside him. Luffy was the next to collapse. He fell out of his chair with his entire body swollen up like a balloon stuffed to the brim with food. On the ground next to her were three cooks that he'd knocked out from overworking them. Nami collapsed next, her face completely red from the alcohol. Sanji fell asleep on the best pillow he could possibly imagine, a woman's thighs. Usopp was still mumbling lies in his sleep. The entire crew had collapsed and fallen asleep or passed out.
As the night wore on and drew closer to midnight, the people of Whiskey Peak all slowly withdrew from the building they'd been partying inside of and left the Strawhat crew where they passed out. Once the very last person left, a woman in a nuns outfit, Zoro was the first to lift his head and look around at the rest of the crew. He clicked his tongue as he rhetorically asked, "Am I the only one who was suspicious?"
Markus popped his head up with a grin, "Nope."
Zoro jumped and then glared at Markus. Markus glanced between Zoro and Nami, giving Zoro a hint about who else didn't get tricked so easily. Zoro took a moment to get the hint but when he did he looked at Nami with a small smirk. He had just a little more respect for her now. Together Markus and Zoro left the building and found a nice roof to sit on and relax under the moonlight. Of course, they didn't pick just any random roof, but one where they could hear the voices of Igarappoi and the others speaking. The others included the large nun, who turned out to be named Ms. Monday, along with Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday.
As they listened in on the conversation below, it became clear to Zoro that the whole town was nothing but bounty hunters. Markus was already aware of that. He was just out here to give his new strength a try. As Igarappoi was ordering the others to tie up the Strawhat crew, Zoro drew one of his swords and spoke up, "Sorry, but would you mind letting them rest a bit longer? It was a long journey to get here after all."
Just after he spoke a minor bounty hunter came running out of the building containing the rest of the crew, "Two of the pirates have escaped!"
Igarappoi glared up at Markus and Zoro, "Weren't you two passed out?!"
Zoro just held his sword up as if examining it under the moonlight, "A true swordsman never allows alcohol to control himself."
Markus chimed in with a cheeky grin, "Your acting is good, mine is better."
As Markus and Zoro were talking, the square quickly filled with around one hundred bounty hunters all wielding melee weapons or guns. Zoro and Markus climbed to their feet and looked down at the mass of people below them. Markus spoke up, "It looks like there's about a hundred of them. We'll split them fifty-fifty."
Zoro looked a little disappointed, "I was hoping to test myself and my new swords against them." He looked over the crowd, "It's not often we get to fight a group like Baroque Works."
The people below were shocked, Mr. 9 called out, "How do you know the name of our organization?!"
Zoro looked over the crowd as he spoke of how he used to be a bounty hunter. At one point he was approached to join Baroque Works. A criminal group where no one knew each other's real names nor the bosses real name or even face. Everyone just had code names. Igarappoi looked up at Zoro and Markus with a serious face, "If you know about us then we have no choice but to kill both of you. It looks like two more tombstones will be added to the cactus rocks tonight."
While Igarappoi was talking, Markus spoked to Zoro, "Tell you what. You can fight them all, but you owe me one. Deal?"
Markus held his hand out toward Zoro. Zoro grabbed it and grinned, "Deal."
Igarappoi pointed at the Markus and Zoro, "KILL THEM!"
By the time he finished speaking, Markus and Zoro had vanished from sight. The rooftop was empty. The bounty hunters looked around completely confused. Markus found a nice out of the way spot he could watch events unfold from while Zoro brazenly appeared right in the middle of the crowd of bounty hunters.
When the bounty hunters noticed him standing in the middle of the crowd, the ones with guns all spun around and aimed at him. He vanished just as they pulled their triggers. Dozens of gunshots went off and dozens of bounty hunters fell to the ground with gunshot wounds. Markus had to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh. How stupid could you be?
Markus watched as the fight between Zoro and Baroque works progressed. He felt the urge to walk over and slap Zoro upside his head. The idiot was playing around and kept putting himself in awkward positions while giving the enemy a chance to shoot at him. He might be getting lucky or using his skill to keep himself alive. Either way, Markus clearly felt the need to remind Zoro to not mess around. If people clearly wanted to kill him, no matter how weak he felt they were, he needed to go all out. At least until he perfected Observation Haki and could truly know his opponent's strength!
As Markus watched the wacky fight progress, he started to smile. In the anime, Zoro had been surprised by the constant ambushes from everywhere he went. He still was, but his reactions to them were a lot less frantic and a lot more calculated. It was subtle, but Markus could see Zoro reacting just a fraction of a second before the danger actually came. It was a clear sign that Zoro was getting closer to Observation Haki!
As Markus watched the battle unfold, he used his footwork to move around undetected anytime he needed to get a better vantage point to watch Zoro or anytime a Baroque Works bounty hunter got to close to where he was. He was like a ghost, one they seemed to have forgotten about thanks to Zoro's escapades. Zoro took down everyone that came at him, even the muscle woman Ms. Monday. It was so shocking to the others that they assumed Zoro was the captain while Luffy was a patsy.
Igarappoi, also known as Mr. 8, Mr. 9, and Ms. Wednesday, decided it was time for them to join in the fight. Mr. 8 fired his shotgun saxophone at Zoro while Mr. 9 climbed up high and started using acrobatics. Mr. 9 was tricked into jumping off the roof by Zoro. Ms. Wednesday called for Carue, a large duck known as a Super-Sonic duck, if Markus remembered correctly. The duck was large enough to be ridden like a horse. Ms. Wednesday used it to get close to Zoro.
As Mr. 9 slammed into the ground from his fall, Zoro looked away and sighed, "Isn't there anyone more competent?"
Ms. Wednesday stood up on Carue's back and called out, "If you're looking for someone competent then look no further Mr. Bushido! Now, gaze deeply at my body!"
Zoro looked at her blankly as she started to swing her hips from side to side while releasing a perfume scent from her hand. Zoro collapsed to one knee as the effects of the perfume messed with him. Markus felt the urge to run over and smack Zoro upside the head again. Zoro was going to get a serious lecture later. With Zoro somewhat disabled, Ms. Wednesday pulled out a weird ring that had a string leading to a teardrop-shaped blade at the end. It was a godawful weapon and Markus seriously doubted the sanity of its creator. She spun it rapidly in circles around her pinky finger as she had Carue charge at Zoro.
Zoro braced himself, but the silly duck just ran past him on the wrong side. This earned him a punch to the back of the head from Ms. Wednesday. Zoro turned to watch the woman and duck as they kept running away from him. He at least had the decency to look embarrassed while saying, "I feel embarrassed having to fight these people."
His embarrassment only grew as Markus passed by him while whispering in his ear, "I saw everything."
Zoro shuddered. Markus was generally a quiet guy who spent most of his time doing image training or working out. But during their sessions to train Observation Haki, he became a strict teacher that didn't let mistakes go lightly. Zoro still had a bruise or two left from their last session. Sanji might beat him with the stick during practice, but Markus liked to poke his weak spots repeatedly.
He didn't have much time to contemplate what Markus might do to his as Mr. 8 appeared nearby and held up his shotgun saxophone to fire off a barrage at Zoro. Zoro quickly made his escape by cutting a hole in the roof and dropping down inside of the building. He ran outside and ducked into a valley. Mr. 9 popped out of a bunch of broken boxes and shouted at Zoro, "How dare you harm me to this extent! I won't forgive you!"
Zoro just deadpanned at him, "You did it to yourself."
Mr. 9 didn't take to kindly to that, he swung one of his metal bats at Zoro. The top of the bat came off and flew through the air with a thick wire attached to it. Zoro lifted his arm to block it and ended up with the wire wrapping around his arm and restraining it. Mr. 9 laughed, "Hahahaha! I've sealed up one of your arms!"
Zoro looked nonplussed, "Iron wire?"
Mr. 9 shouted, "Now Mr. 8! Finish him off!"
Ms. Wednesday appeared behind Mr. 9 with Luffy next to her, dragged be Carue, and a long-bladed dagger in her hand, "Move even a single muscle and consider your friend's like forfeit!"
Zoro frowned at first but his face eventually went neutral. Markus had to give Zoro credit for not giving the game away. Markus had silently appeared behind Ms. Wednesday with his flintlock pointed at the back of her head. She might be the princess but he couldn't risk anything bad happening to Luffy, just in case.
Igarappoi tugged on two of the strings for his tie causing gun barrels to appear from within his curls, "Prepare for fire!"
Zoro looked up at Igarappoi and his eyes widened at the six barrels pointed in his direction, "What?!"
Igarappoi stuck his thumbs through the loops of his tie and tugged on them. He said some nonsense words as his guns fired. Zoro wasn't about to let himself be shot, especially when he knew Luffy would be perfectly safe thanks to Markus. He powerfully pulled on the iron wire wrapped around his arm and launched Mr. 9 into the air. Mr. 9 screamed as he was forced to intercept the shots fired. Zoro kept control of the wire and used it to launch a now heavily hurt Mr. 9 directly at Ms. Wednesday and Carue. Markus vanished as he got out of the line of fire.
Mr. 9 slammed into Ms. Wednesday and Carue sending all three people crashing into the ground in a tangled mess. Zoro charged forward and used Luffy as a trampoline. He launched himself into the air so that he could cut down Igarappoi. As Zoro landed on the ground he let out a sigh, "Whew, finished."
Markus appeared next to Zoro with his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised, "That was... something..."
Zoro flinched and took a step back from Markus while sweat formed on his brow. He looked more scared now than he did fighting the entire Baroque Works group.
