Wear and Tear

After collecting my new Meito blade, I flew around the area a few times, looking for any signs of the Admiral. Even using my Observation Hake, I couldn't find any trace of him. I didn't believe he was dead; however, a troublesome person like that didn't just die.

Starting the trip back to Akuma, I wondered if Aokiji had connected the dots after he saw my move. 'I might have revealed my hand a bit too early.' Not fretting over my decision too much, I caught an updraft pushing me higher and farther.

A few minutes later, I landed on the deck of Akuma, where everyone was waiting with looks of concern turning into one's of relief. "I told you everything would be fine."Ace said confidently, "So how was it to face off against the Blue Pheasant? You don't seem to be missing any limbs."

"I think we ended in a draw," I answered with a smile, putting up a brave front. "You mean tied, like neither one of you won?" Evos didn't believe me, which was a habit I wasn't growing too fond of.

"Well, I don't think we were fighting in the first place. Aokiji was testing me, trying to see if I really was a threat to the World Government." I explained, picking at my torn shirt.

Cal smirked. "So you ran away? Call me a fool, but for some reason, I don't believe that." Pausing, I relived the fight, "No more like a threw my most powerful move at him, and when the dust settled, I couldn't find him."

Holding up my hand to stall the rest of the questions, I felt a headache coming on."That's enough for now. That fight drained me. I need to rest. Ace from the sky, I saw an island to the west. It's not on any maps I know of, so it should be a good place to rest."

Not waiting for a response, I quickly ran down below deck. My vision was swimming, and my head was throbbing. Reaching into my pocket, I shoved a handful of pills into my mouth and sighed as everything cleared up.

"I need to be careful about how I use that attack. It seems I'm only resistant to extreme gravitational pull and radiation.' Opening my bedroom door, I stumbled onto the bed and promptly passed out.

Waking up, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. My muscles were sore, which I thought was impossible due to my unnatural healing factor. Suddenly I was a little afraid of using my new attack. If I was still healing from the hidden injury, that meant it would probably kill someone else.

Groaning as I got up, I tried to stimulate my body by speeding up my heartbeat. It helped a little, but I still felt like an old man. 'I don't miss this feeling at all!' Hobbling into the kitchen, I sighed when I saw someone had already made breakfast.

"Whoa, you look a lot worse for wear. Did you not sleep?" Ace asked as he pushed a cup of tea. Not responding, I held the cup up to my nose and inhaled. It was the strongest tea money could buy and the closest thing to coffee I could find.

Drinking the contents in one sip, I felt the warm caffeine course through my body. "That move I used yesterday really messed me up. I won't be using it again until I can control my new powers. Though the gain outweighed the loss."

My fingers drifted across the pommel of my sword. After finishing my breakfast, I skipped out on daily training. I fear that if I pushed myself too much, I could somehow injure myself. Instead, I practiced my new set of abilities.

In the span of a few minutes, I was able to juggle several items between portals. There was also an exciting benefit that everything about them stayed the same when items entered my void. So food would retain its warmth and freshness, and when someone something into my portal, the thing exited with the same amount of force.

Pushing this effect to the extreme, I soon had an apple reach terminal velocity as it fell through two portals. Unable to withstand the force, the apple exploded though it did create a few new ideas for a type of cannon.

I started to sketch designs when a shadow was cast over me, looking to see who blocked my sun. "Well, hello there, is there a reason why you're dressed like that?" Both Leana and Cal were wearing two pieces that showed lots of skin.

"Well, we're almost at the island, so we were thinking of having a beach day. Thinking about it, I saw no reason why not, "Okay, I'm in. I'll get to break out the grill at least."

I felt the ship rock as we landed on the beach. Evos was the first one on the beach and spiked an umbrella into the sand. "Finally, a break. It's about time." I jumped down after him and sighed as the sand worked its way in between my toes.

"It's crazy that in a world with only islands, that I haven't done this before." Picking a spot on the beach clear of any shells or seaweed, I started to set up a campfire and spit. In a few seconds, I had a raging fire but no actual meat to cook.

"Are you up for a little bet Soren?" Ace asked me, and I saw he was holding two fishing rods in his hands. "I bet it has something to do with those fishing poles in your hands."

"Your power of observation is impressive, but yes. You need something to cook, and I want to eat, but that's too simple. Let's see who catches the biggest fish. The person who wins gets that expensive barrel of whiskey in the pantry." I had to think about it. The whiskey was a rare brew that we stole from a marine ship. But between Ace and me, we could only have two drinks each.

"Okay then, you're on."