Chapter 4: The Golden Fist Company

Despite me being more than ten times his size, Kuma was still able to avoid my hand, before he gathered air in the palms of his right hands saying. "You are stronger than I thought brother... As can be expected of father's faith creation."

Somehow angered by his casually made comment, I try to hit the cyborg, only to get my fist send back to me by his left hand. Having only my fist present in the third dimension*, my own fist simply passed through me.

While recovering from his counter, I used my other hand to finally grab the guy. Him finally at long last in the palm of my hand, me making contact with his skin, I used 'Rewind' on Kuma. Initially showing no changes what so ever, but soon metal started to fall of the cyborg, as flesh replaced metal. Visibly de-ageing and shrunk, soon a strange looking Fruit the shape of a palm appeared besides the young, pretty dumb looking giant.

-Are those his implants and Devil Fruit?- I asked myself, as I placed amazed Kuma on the pier, returned to my regular size and moved my body back into the third dimension.

"What did you do to me?" Young Kuma eventually asked me, still double my size.

"I turned back time on your body..." I replied, before commenting. "... I guess my powers only affect the body, but not the brain. Now, tell me. How do you feel?"

Looking at his hands, the ex-cyborg replied. "Good, I guess..."

"Good, good..." I said, collecting his Devil Fruit from the ground, before asking him. "... Do you need that back?"

"Ahm... I don't know..." Kuma said, his hands still glued to his almost human sized hands. "... I had nearly forgotten this feeling..."

"Wanna take a swim? I could use some help to find the rivers fresh water. Preferably from somebody who can swim." I told the still dazed giant.

[...]

Training Area; Marineford; Paradise Region

Overlooking new recruits running an obstacle course, Monkey D. Garp was handed a top secret report by his secretary concerning Vegapunk's latest creation and the dispatching of a Pacifista to Alabasta.

Initially only skimming through the reports, the aged vice-admiral couldn't prevent himself from loudly cursing. "God, dammed. What were these idiots thinking when they authorised this project. We finally have Whitebeard pacified after the Fish-Man Island disaster and now this!"

Angry threw the report back to his secretary before storming off to Fleet-Admiral Sengoku's office. Arriving there, he instantly started to question Sengoku's sanity.

"What are you guys thinking. An ancient forbidden weapon and a never before used Devil Fruit?" Garp angrily asked.

"I know what you are thinking, but orders are still orders..." Calmly replied the Fleet-Admiral, before sarcastically adding. "... no matter how insane they are."

Calmed down by Sengoku's remark, the Vice-Admiral asked. "Then tell me why? Why are we trying to created a human super weapon even more powerful than the ancient weapons?"

"Vulcan is a project of Vegapunk's SSG with the goal to replace more and more instable Seven Warlords system..." Explained Sengoku calmly. "... I guess you didn't read the last page of the report, so I am telling you now. You were only informed of Vulcan's existence because he has been seem with one of your grandsons."

-Dammed Luffy what have you done this time around!-

[...]

Sandora River shore; Alabasta Kingdom

After spending nearly the rest of the day searching the sweet spot between sea and freshwater, Kuma finally announced what I had wanted to hear the entire day.

"Got it. This is were fresh and sea water meet!" Anounced the giant, that looked more like small whale than a person, happily swimming.

"Got it. Thanks Kuma!" I replied, having gotten relatively close to the gentle giant with a temper, remembering his angry outburst upon realizing that he had lost his Devil Fruit powers.

-Now I know, why they called him Tyrant Kuma.-

That thought, I fully focused on the river and the task at hand. Using 'Rewind' on this large body of water, I soon felt a massive strain put on my body, as the slow but steadily started to rise and the border between fresh and sea water started to shift.

Drenched in sweat and nearly unconscious from the impossibly heavy burden placed on my body, River finally returned to it's former glory, as fresh water had fully replaced the Grandlines sea water.

As such exhausted beyond my own comprehension, I sat down on the sandy shores of the Sando River

[...]

Erumalu; Alabasta Kingdom

The next day, I awoke to the smell of roasted fish inside one of the many houses I had previously returned to their former glory. Getting out of bed, I found young Kuma in the kitchen, happily preparing food.

"Morning Kuma." I greeted him, fare more comfortable with this happy teddy bear of a giant than his former cold cyborg self.

"Morning, Boss. Hope you slept well. Breakfast is almost ready." He replied cheerfully flipping over some fish.

"You don't have to call me that..." I told him as I set down at the kitchen table. "... Also when did I become your Boss?"

"Since the moment I decided to join your Pirate Crew..." Replied Kuma, placing a large plate with fried fish and a bowl filled with salate on the kitchen table before he sat down opposite me. With a bride smile, he also told me"... By the way, you should  give me back my Devil Fruit since I helped you yesterday."

Shocked and surprised, I simply looked at the former Pacifista with utter disbelief, before muttering. "I am not a pirate but a mercenary."

"If you are a mercenary, when were you be registered? I don't remember you being registered as a Mercenary?..." Kuma asked excitedly. "... What the name of your Company and their slogan?"

Not wanting to admitt to not knowing anything about how mercenaries are organized in this world, I lie. "Since escaping, I didn't have the time to register my Mercenary Company..."

Remembering Game of Thrones's  'Golden Company' and Baldurs Gate's 'Flaming Fist mercenary companies, I added confidently. "... But it will be named 'Golden Fist Company' and it's slogan will be 'Fo a hndful of gold some may storm castles, but for a fist full of gold we will conquer the world."

"By that logic, you will be known as the Man-Who-Sold-The-World. I like it."

That said, we dug into the food infront of us. Only now did I realise how much I was actually starving.

Following the meal, I handed the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi back to Kuma, who instantly ate it without any hesitation before turning green and nearly puking.

"God darn it. I had already forgotten how bad these things tasted..." Started the giant to complain. "... Had I remembered I would have never eaten it again or at the very least had dinner their after!"

"Oh, stop complaining. It only lasts a minute..." I told him, not fully remembering under what circumstances I had consumed mine, before asking. "... By the way, what's the nearest place were I can register our Company?"

Able to ignore the disgusting taste left in his mouth, Kuma thought for a moment before answering honestly. "The closest place from here should be Rainbase."

-Isn't that were Crocodiles Casino is and Nico Robin should be currently?- I asked myself, vaguely remembering the events of the Alabasta Arc.

"Great, than that's our next destination after I have completely repaired this city." I confirmedly declared.

*Time not counted as a dimension.