C10: Years Of Time Skip |Part 5|

• (New World) {Year: 14.6} •

"That was fun," a young boy said as he appeared above the ocean and summoned his speedy dinghy. Jumping onto it, he cut his hair to shoulder-length once again and washed it. He started to rest on the dinghy as he sat back. "Right then, let's just let the ocean lead the way."

• (Unknown Area in New World) {Year: 14.7} •

Ryu stood in his dinghy in front of a huge island. To be more accurate, it was an extremely huge animal, Zunisha. He had chanced upon it while letting the ocean lead him aimlessly.

"Seeing it in person makes it look even more huger," he said as he approached one of its leg. "Time to visit Zou!"

Jumping onto the front-left leg of Zunisha's, he put away his dinghy into his storage and started to run upward like a ninja.

...

In Zou...

"Hmm?!" A huge grizzled canine mink and a huge yellow feline mink suddenly stood up at the same time in different spots, they both sensed someone powerful rapidly approaching Mokomo Dukedom.

The huge grizzled canine mink quickly shouted at the citizens to hide, "Citizens! Quickly hide in the shelter, we have a powerful visitor coming!"

While the citizens ran to the shelter, the Inuarashi Musketeers Squad assembled with their leader, Duke Inuarashi, the huge canine mink. Duke Inuarashi, an huge grizzled canine mink, had a small pair of blue sunglasses and shoulder-length black ears, a beard showing hints of white, and a large bushy tail. He wore a dark-colored striped suit with a frilled collar, a belt, a light-colored cape, and a helmet, prepared to fight the powerful visitor.

While they assembled, the huge yellow feline mink, Nekomamushi, told his Guardians to prepare for a battle should the Inuarashi Musketeers Squad need assist or if the newcomer approaches the Whale Forest. Nekomamushi was a large, yellow feline mink with sharp teeth, claws, and a very thick striped tail. He has wild, bushy blonde hair resembling a lion's mane running around his neck and down his back, and there is a scar running from the left side of his forehead down to his cheek. His outfit consists of a large robe decorated with circles, a haramaki around his waist, sandals, a light-colored shirt, and pants.

"Hmm, I hope that dog bastard won't be able to handle him..." Nekomamushi muttered out loud. Those around near him sweatdropped, their leader was still thinking about their feud even now.

...

Back to Ryu...

"Alright!" He shouted as he finally got on top of Zunisha. As he walked towards entrance of the forest leading to Mokomo Dukedom, he sensed several minks prepared to battle, there were also few spies in the forest to check on who he was. He whispered to himself, "Heh, should I pretend to be a villain?"

...

The spies...

"Alright!" They heard the newcomer shout as he appeared in front of the forest.

He looked 14, had shoulder-length black ruffled hair, chiseled handsome face, with bright green eyes that seemed to glitter. He wore a hood-cape without his hood up, hiding his body up to neck. He was the Solitary Pirate, Ryu, they confirmed.

When they heard him ask himself if he should pretend to be a villain with their hearing, they automatically also confirmed he didn't come with ill intent. So leaving two spies to watch him, the others went back separately to Inuarashi and Nekomamushi to report.

...

Taking a casual stroll in the forest, Ryu looked around while still on guard against the spies should they attempt to fight. He felt like fighting, but only against Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, as they would give him a good fight. "Maybe I should make both of them make up..."

"No matter, let's see how it goes," he said as he finally saw Mokomo Dukedom, and the Inuarashi Musketeers Squad with Duke Inuarashi in front, prepared for anything. Waving his right hand casually, he greeted him. "Yo!"

"How did you find Zou, Solitary Pirate, Ryu?" Duke Inuarashi disregarded his casual greeting.

Seeing that he looked like he was prepared to fight to the death, Ryu chuckled. "Don't worry, I didn't come here with purpose of destruction. I only happened upon Zunisha as I rode my dinghy."

Seeing that he was saying the truth, Inuarashi relaxed his stance. "So you only came up here to visit?"

"Yes...", he replied. "And to have a fight with you, Inuarashi and your night counterpart, Nekomamushi."

The Inuarashi Musketeers Squad quickly took out their weapon and was about to yell how he knew their names, but Inuarashi stopped them with a wave of his hand. "Oh? Why's that?"

"I just felt like it," Ryu nonchalantly replied, then he taunted him. "Oh, don't worry, I'll hold back."

Inuarashi wasn't fazed by his taunt, but he still wanted to see how strong Ryu was. "Musketeers! Stand back and allow us space to a duel!"

Surprised mutterings were heard from Musketeers and the few Guardians hiding from their sights. They still obeyed and moved back enough for a battle.

Smirking, Ryu took out his durable sword, it looked like a normal sword to others but it had a strong durability. Inuarashi also took out his rapier, he knew that Ryu was stronger than him, so he decided to go all out. Both of them stared at each other for awhile.

Suddenly, Ryu looked cold in his eyes from his casualness, making him look like a murderer. He disappeared from his spot and quickly moved in front of Inuarashi. Then he swung his sword lightly but swiftly.

*Swoosh*

*CHHH*

Inuarashi, seeing him disappear, quickly put up his rapier in front and took his sword attack with it. Though it looked light, it was like a heavy force went on him, as cracks appeared on the ground below him. Ryu then twirled around and swung his sword at his rapier again and again, pushing Inuarashi back. "U-ugh!"

Being pushed back, he used Electro and channeled it through his rapier in attempt to shock his sword. Ryu, seeing the Electro, didn't look surprised but stopped his twirls as he jumped back. He then encased his left leg with Armament Haki, covering it with pitch black color with green glow, and kicked it towards Inuarashi's right shoulder, as he dodged the rapier with his Observation Haki.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

The huge grizzled canine mink felt like a huge boulder struck his left side and he flew toward the trees, hitting them down with his body. Spurting blood, he tried to stand back up to continue, but in the end he could only stay like the way he is. Panting, the bloodied canine mink started to look fearfully at Ryu, he knew that he held back and yet he was still too strong!

"That was short..." Ryu begrudgingly stated.

The Musketeers, seeing their leader, quickly got angry and tried to move in and attack Ryu, but as they moved, Ryu coldly looked back as if they were insignificant people. "Oh? Going to interrupt your leader's duel?"

"Bastard! You overdid it!", "It was just a duel!", "Why?!" They yelled at him, though still scared of his cold look as they encircled him.

"Hmph, exactly, it's just a duel." Ryu removed his cold look and went back to his casualness as he put away his sword and walked towards Inuarashi, disregarding their angry glare. They couldn't stop him from going to Inuarashi, but it seemed like he was about to do something.

Pointing at him with his index finger, he sent a drop of 'Blessing of Phoenix's Tear' towards him. Inuarash started to feel relief from pain, and then his injuries healed visibly. As he healed, Ryu stated, "I don't kill people in a duel, only when they have the intent to kill me."

Seeing Duke Inuarashi being healed at rapid rate, they were agape. They thought he was going to die and decided to move in, but Ryu didn't kill him and instead he healed their leader.

Finished healing, Duke Inuarashi felt better, he even felt like he was stronger than before... "Hey?! What was that liquid, it not only healed me, it also made me stronger!"

"Oh? It had such benefit?" Ryu honestly didn't know. "Well, it's just a special liquid I found. Looks like you benefitted, huh."

"Isn't it a rare commodity?! Why did you use it on me?!" He yelled at him.

"...So you'd rather suffer than be healed?" Ryu weirdly looked at him. "Are you..."

"Huh?" Inuarashi got confused at his look, waiting for him to finish.

"A masochist?" He finished.

Inuarashi, "..."

Everyone else, *Suspicious too, turns to look at their Duke weirdly too.*

...

"Hoh, I thought so, Inuarashi couldn't defeat him." A certain huge yellow feline mink muttered after a spy reported to him the results of the duel. "Wait, he's coming here to duel me as well?"

"Yes." The spy mink dressed in all black said. "Ryu is coming. A-also..."

"Hmm?" The cat looked at the spy mink, it looked like there was more. "What is it?"

"R-Ryu is dragging Duke Inuarashi along with him by force..." The spy mink stuttered. The spy silently added mentally, 'And by his ear too!'

"What?! That damned dog is coming here too?!" Standing up quickly, he yelled, "Guardians assemble to the front of our base!"

'Why is the damn dog coming too?!'

...

"Y-young Master Ryu, p-please let go of my ear. I-I'll walk with you to the f*cking cat!" Duke Inuarashi cried as his ear started to throb painfully. His Musketeers also saw this sight, but unfortunately he ordered them to stay back and tell the citizens that everything was okay before they could get worried.

"You won't run away on sight of the cat?" Ryu stopped and turned to look at him. His head was about at his height now that he was pulling his ear, and he was crying due to embarrassment. "Fine, as long as you don't run away or be annoying."

Finally being let go of the ear, he softly rubbed his ear while crying, 'it hurts! Only Oden and Ryu can do this to me! Luckily the damn cat didn't se-'

"Pfft! Hahahaha~!" A certain huge yellow feline laughed. He had been around, watching the dog being pulled by his ear. "Damn dog, how does it feel, to be pulled like a pet dog!"

Swiftly turning to angrily look at the damn cat, he brought out his rapier. "F*cking cat! I'll beat you right here and now since I got stronger!"

"Dog bastard! I'll kill you this time for sure!" Nekomamushi yelled back as he brought out his staff resembling a jumonji yari with a fire-shaped blade on each end.

As both of them moved to approach face-to-face, they stared each others down. The Guardians behind Nekomamushi was sweatdropping, 'Master! That isn't Ryu! He's behind Duke Inuarashi! Please forget your feud for once!'

Nekomamushi started to trash-talk his day counterpart, but he got interrupted literally. "Damned dog, you lost to a mere hu-"

*PUUU*

He suddenly got smacked on face, knocking out his sharp teeth. His eyes bulged out seeing his precious teeth falling out of his mouth. Kneeling down to his teeth, he cried, "Mai prekous teth~!"

Duke Inuarashi was surprised, he had forgotten that Ryu was with him. But he quickly forgot him again as he laughed at the damn cat losing his precious teeth. Crouching while holding his stomach with one hand and pointing at Nekomamushi with the other. "Bawahaha~! Y-you look ridiculous!"

The Guardians was shocked at first but now they had to stifle their laugher inside. Nekomamushi quickly glared at the forgotten human, Ryu. "Yu bestard!"

"Huh?" Ryu innocently looked back. "What?"

"Yuu knuked mai prekous teth!" Pointing his trembling finger towards him, he incoherently yelled at him. But suddenly he realized something, he healed Inuarashi, wouldn't that mean he could heal him too?

Swiftly changing 180 degree from his past attitude, he kindly requested him, "Yaung Mai-ser Ryu, culd yu heal me pwease?"

"Sure, but after we have a fight." Ryu casually put out a condition easily.

"Yesh! Sur nu prubem!" Nekomamushi quickly brought his staff and impatiently said, "Les star nao!"

*Swoosh*

Swiftly, the huge yellow feline mink jumped towards Ryu as he slammed his staff on him. Ryu didn't move and instead stopped him with his hand, grabbing it. "Now now, don't be impatient to be beaten up."

Twitching their mouths, the minks around the duel started to worriedly think that their master and the duke was masochist...

"Ai wan be healed quikly!" Neko yelled as he channeled his Electro through the staff, he turned around to force the staff out of the hand and slammed it towards Ryu's right side.

Ryu quickly encased his right arm with Armament Haki and swiftly moved it to block the staff causing sparks to appear. Cracks appeared below him as the force behind the staff wasn't soft. Then he jumped up to punch the teeth-ridded yellow cat in face once again.

*BAM*

"Naiioooo~! Nawt mai faic agai!" Neko yelled as he flew backwards, slamming down the Guardians onto the floor. He went unconscious right there as he became bloodied. Duke Inuarashi watching this took a cold breath, even if he teamed up with Nekomamushi, they still wouldn't beat him.

Ryu just casually walked to the yellow feline mink and pointed towards him, sending a drop of the 'Blessing of Phoenix's Tear'. Like Inuarashi, he was also quickly healed and strengthened. His precious sharp teeth were also restored, Inuarashi noted.

"Well..." he prompted, "anyone going to move him?"

The Guardians quickly snapped out of their daze and started to move their heavy master to his bed.

• (Mokomo Dukedom in Zou on Zunisha) {Year: 15.3} •

*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*

*CHHHH*

*BOOM* *BOOM*

Battle sounds were heard every afternoon ever since Ryu came visiting Zou. When Nekomamushi discovered that his sharp teeth were restored, he thanked Ryu even though he was at fault.

But instead of taking the thank, he punched the newly-added sharp teeth out of the huge yellow feline mink once again. After that, Neko got angered and yelled at him while fighting at the same time. Ryu only simply taunted him, "if you were stronger, you wouldn't have lost them again."

Since then, Nekomamushi had lost his sharp teeth over a hundred times now. Inuarashi had even started to think it was not even funny anymore and instead only looked at his night counterpart pityingly. His teeth were restored only to be destroyed over a hundred times.

But Nekomamushi wasn't the only victim of Ryu's mischievous abuse, Inuarashi was also involved. Whenever Inuarashi went out in city with people around, he would get embarrassed in front of them by Ryu. Out of fear, he had stopped going outside at some point, but he couldn't just stay inside forever, could he? So he decided to confront him about it. The response? The same as Nekomamushi, "if you were stronger, you wouldn't have been embarrassed easily."

And so, he began fighting Ryu after Neko got tired for the day. The routine continued since then. At some point, Ryu had somehow managed to taunt both of them into working together, forgetting their feud, to fight against Ryu.

Finally, they both had started being best friends again, along with Ryu too. Both of the grizzled canine mink and yellow feline mink had already knew that Ryu purposely taunted them into fighting him, eventually leading to both them reluctantly forgetting their feud and strengthening both of them for the better future of their mink tribes.

The routine finally finalized as: wake up, breakfast, fight against Ryu individually, lunch, fight against Ryu together, dinner, bath, drink together, and sleep. Their day-offs were weekends, on Saturday and Sunday, where they would hang out, drink, and tell stories together.

Ryu was satisfied with that, he gained more experience in using the skills he hadn't often used in the past. Also, he got to hear stories in their point of view and new informations he didn't know of. He also hinted several things that would happen in future to them, if they were smart, they would take it serious.

The mink tribes were happy that Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi finally returned to being best friends, forgetting their feud. They also started to like Ryu, even calling him a savior because he resolved the feud, and he made their life easier and better. He helped heal Zunisha and reinforced Zou better.

Zunisha no longer looked like a dead elephant walking, though it always closed its eyelid, his eyes and skin were restored, and most of his injuries were healed. The forests were now more easier to walk through since the skins has become flatter, so the Musketeers and Guardians requested for help on reinforcing Zou.

Ryu accepted helping them, because he also gained benefits while being in Zou. Zou's defense were now stronger than ever, Jack in the future wouldn't be able to break in unless a insider helped out. He also asked his system if there was a better filtering for air and water/food, and there was. He set that up, and now there's a strong bubble-like dome covering the Zou. It could filter out any dirty air and gas into a clearer air, the water still could go into the dome, but it would be more cleaner as it went through. Fishes would be cleaned automatically going through the bubble-like dome.

Ryu decided to call it 'Filtering Dome' for easier name. The others living in Zou, though, called it 'Ryu-Dome' much to Ryu's dismay. He had even threatened to take it down if they didn't stop it, but they knew he wouldn't do it. Sighing, he decided to leave it be. If they were going to embarrass themselves, they could just say, "Hey look up! That's called Ryu-Dome!", he thought.

Ryu had been staying in Zou for 8 months now. It was time for him to leave.

...

"No!" A crisp voice yelled out as Ryu was held back. The voice belonged to a short rabbit mink, she looked around 6-8 years old girl. Carrot was a white-furred, blonde-haired, and at least 3-feet tall rabbit mink with brown eyes, rabbit ears, a rabbit-like nose, and a large round fluffy tail. "I don't want you to leave! If you're leaving let me go with you!"

Smiling wryly, Ryu looked at Inuarashi for help, and help Inuarashi tried. "You can't go with him. You're not strong enough."

"Then Ryu has to stay until I'm strong enough!" Carrot ordered Ryu cutely as she hugged his head while on his back.

Carrot had been following Ryu ever since she found him in a forest with Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. He normally looked cold to everyone at start, but he would be nice to those who were nice to him as well. Carrot, being a a bold mink, followed him everywhere and she started to rub off him. One day, Ryu started to train her at some point, which she happily accepted, even though it was tough.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had often joked her that she fell in love with Ryu at such young age whenever Ryu was somewhere else as to avoid his wrath. Carrot, being a child, was embarrassed and told on them to Ryu, which caused them to be more beaten up and scared of him more. Carrot looked satisfied at that, making Neko and Inu a bit afraid of joking with her, they didn't know whether she would take it seriously or not.

Sighing, Ryu decided to try a different plan. He adopted a cold demeanor, "Carrot."

His voice sent chills to anyone who heard it.

"Stay here. You'll only be a burden for me, if I didn't know any better, I would've assumed you were trying to get me killed." He stiffly scolded her.

But unfortunately for him, Carrot was used to his cold attitude as she had been together with him for a while. "No! I don't care! I want to go with you, no matter what!"

Twitching his mouth, Ryu looked like he couldn't believe that his cold demeanor didn't work on a child. That caused Inu and Neko nearby to laugh at him. Normally they wouldn't have and held it back, but they had gotten used to him and became comfortable as a best friend would.

"Fine!" Ryu suddenly became childish. "If you can take my Conqueror's Haki, I'll let you come with me!"

Suddenly, both Inu and Neko went fearful, "W-wait!"

(AN: Will he really, tho? Find out next time after guessing the Pokémon!)