- A Dream!

The crowd gasped in shock as the big man in front of me unsheathed his saber, swinging it out of rage. In this situation, any normal person would be too frightened to even think. Hell, I doubt they'd even be able to keep their eyes from tearing up.

However, me?

Side stepping with ease, the man's eyes widened, his anger lowering as surprise took over. But it wasn't long before his anger and pride got the best of him.

"Sir, please calm down." I say through the dodge. The man's teeth grinded so hard you could hear it.

"You brat…!" His sword lifted from the ground, racing for my hip looking to cut me clean in half. The man's intention was made clear, he wasn't going for a 'lesson' anymore.

He was after my life.

My face stayed stoic as I sighed. A blast of air shot from my feet, launching me two meters in the sky. Having missed his second attempt at killing me, the man started to lose his shit even more.

But I was done with this.

"What?!"

"The power of a devil's fruit…"

"T-this kid!"

The murmurs from the crowd felt as if they whispered it directly into my ears. Having a devil fruit power shouldn't be a crime, right?

Coming down with the speed of a bullet, I flung my body forward, sending my legs straight behind me, propelling me upside down and rolling me like a tire.

My heel connected with the big man's head, eliciting a loud crack to reverberate through his skull to my foot.

'Shit.'

The crowd quieted as my feet landed on the ground with ease, making barely any noise. The man's eyes had rolled backwards, foam kept pouring out of his mouth at an unnatural pace. Damn me and my temper!

Despite my inner conflict, my face stayed stoic, looking at the potentially dead man with the same indifference I walked through my other lives with. It's better not to care about something you've already experienced.

The more you've done it, the easier it is to handle.

"Ehem. Now then. I'm sorry for the commotion, I'll make sure he gets seen by a doctor right away. Please enjoy your meals and I apologize if this affected you emotionally and what not." I say to the crowd with an apologetic smile.

"Ryu! Ryu!" As the dazed crowd muttered amongst each other about the event that took place, a familiar voice called out to me.

Turning, I see Maya, Kendrel and a new old woman. She's dressed up in a red cloak with an insignia embroidered onto it. Golden in color.

It looked to be a moose, which struck me as weird.

Kendrel looked around with confusion and fear. I'm sure he's mentally despairing about the potential loss in business.

'He'll probably fire me after this… On my first day too…' This bummed me out quite a bit… I still needed a lot more money than I currently have, and today's pay will only decrease that goal by a small bit.

Glancing over to Maya who looked at me with eyes full of worry and anxiousness, I began to think.

'Maya… She cares enough to share… Right?' I mused, calculating out the days and hours she'd need to work in case I get fired, to help me start this business plan.

"Hey! Just the man I was looking for. This guy started overreacting about some spilt-"

"Are you crazy!? What the hell were you thinking!?" My explanation was abruptly cut off, Kendrel lost it. Looking at me with a red face flushed with an unimaginable anger, he didn't even care to hear the story of what happened.

My eyebrows raised.

"What do you mean? Surely Maya told you about the situation-"

"That doesn't matter you dumbass! When is it okay to put your hands on a fucking customer!?" Stomping up to my face, the grown man towered above me, his eyes seething with rage looking down on me as he attempted to lecture me.

Are you serious?

Out of my peripheral vision I see that the strange old woman broke away from Maya's side and came into contact with the man's unconscious, possibly dead body. She sighed as her hands began to emit a green hue and she hovered them a few inches away from the body. She moved them back and forth, as if she was scanning it.

Her eyes squinted and she rested her right hand on the man's head, more specifically, the top. Where I hit him.

The green hue began to brighten to an almost blinding degree as the green enveloped the man's noggin.

At this point, I completely forgot about Kendrel and his lecturing state of mind. My attention was fully focused on the act of the old woman, and I'm sure everyone else was too.

She stayed like that for what felt like a few seconds before she removed her hands and stood up, the green light fading as she did so.

And not a second later, the man stopped foaming at the mouth, and his eyes opened with a wide, terrified look within them.

He shot to his feet as he looked at me, completely in fear.

My eyebrow cocked as I stood there, confused.

"-re you even listening to me?!"

"Ah." I responded, suddenly having my attention dragged, a random noise came out of my mouth. Maya giggled with slight tears in her eyes but Kendrel only seemed to fume more…

"So… Am I fired?"

…

Turns out.

I am.

Fuck.

'Well that was just wonderful…' I think with a sigh, leaning back on the pile of pillows laying in the corner of my shack. Maya was here too, sitting right next to me.

We sat in silence as we listened to the shack groan and creak. The wind blowing in the star filled night was great ambience too.

"...You know, you don't have to stay here. I'm fine, I really am…" I state, glancing over to the girl sitting not even a few inches away from me. She's basically sitting RIGHT next to me. Like, no breathing room.

"How'd you do it?" She asked.

"Do what?"

"Don't play dumb! You know what I mean… How'd you defeat that big man! I'm pretty sure he's a bounty hunter! And a fairly well known one too! And what's up with this change!? It's like you're a whole new person! Not the same timid, kind and respectful little pushover you were before! You didn't even know how to throw a punch no less than a week ago!" She shouted, her head turning in my direction in a flash. I didn't react to her words.

I left her sitting there in silence for a few seconds before answering.

"Maya… What is it that you want to do in the future?" My question seemed to stun her, confuse her even.

I sigh.

"Do you really want to stay living like this for the rest of our lives? Poor, weak, hated… Does that sound like a life worth living?" I questioned. My original plan of starting a clothing business went up in flames… Maya wouldn't be able to save up enough money for the business to even get traction, let alone survive the inventory cost…

Really, the only option left is to travel the world as pirates… Maybe a bounty hunter.

They make good money.

Never a marine… We don't like coppers around here.

"Um… I guess not. A poor life doesn't sound like a thing I'd want to live… A life I want is one full of luxury! Adventure! Fun! Sex! All the stuff the free people get to do!" She huffed and puffed as she fully turned around, her body facing me.

My eyes widened hearing her proud proclamation, but it's good to know that she has dreams.

The backlash of her words hit her as her once proud stance crumbled like a sand castle in water, her cheeks turning a bright reddish pink as she looked at me shyly from embarrassment. I only chuckled.

"Then why don't we become free?"

"What do you mean?" Her head tilted, the blush a slight hue.

I sat up.

Looking her in her eyes, taking her hands in mine, startling her and bringing the blush back. Her eyes widened as she stared back, completely still.

"Let's become pirates."