[125] No Man's Land

[2950 words]

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[Five Days Later]

A cheery morning rose in the mellow lands of the Sabaody Archipelago.

The people were embraced in the warm rays as the birds did their usual flyover. It was peaceful. The crowd was bursting as usual. Some pirates could be seen here and there.

Perhaps it was the serene weather, or the Celestial Dragons had stopped appearing beyond the safe walls of Mariejois for a few weeks now.

And under the unsuspecting eyes of the public, two people walked through the mangroves. One seemed like a woman, her head covered with a hood while wearing a loose cloak. The other was a man who donned a simple hood and dwarfed most.

"Ara~! Even I can't sense you with my Haki," the woman whispered. "You've really grown up from that cub I found in the West Blue."

Damien gave a wry smile, taking her blunt words with grace. "Well, revealing my identity right now could bring a lot of trouble to your establishment, Shakky-nee."

They continued their march through the many zones of Sabaody.

The lush grassy roads of the Archipelago were well maintained, perhaps for the luxury of the Celestial Dragons that like to roam here. The usual design was found throughout the land, a wide street with food stalls and markets for the crowd.

…

[A While Later]

[Grove 13]

The two then made their way up the hill and onto a plateau. It was at least a hundred meters above the ground. Yet nothing was compared to the sheer massiveness of the mangrove, which stood even taller before their very eyes, seemingly scraping the skies.

"Here we are!" Shakky said with a satisfied smile, evidently excited.

Damien eyed the area. Grove 13 was near the center of the Archipelago. It was connected to the other more prominent industries: the amusement park, the hotel area, the tourist zone and even the lawless region.

The one place it was far from was the marine base at Grove 66, which was quite an excellent location for a pirate establishment to flourish. 

.

There was already a building prepped and ready. Its impressive craftsmanship spoke of the masterful workers behind it.

"I paid a large sum to the best underworld construction company in the seas… they did a decent job," the woman complimented in excitement. 

This building featured a large, dome-shaped green roof with a sign displaying "Shakky's Rip-off Bar." The structure had a rustic, cylindrical design, complete with ivy growing on the exterior and a charming blend of stone and wood materials. Multiple windows with wooden frames allowed light to flood in, and the entrance was a wooden door with an "OPENING SOON" sign.

Damien rolled his eyes at the bar's name. "Well, at least you're honest."

[Bar Image (in Discord)]

The duo entered, breathing the smell of freshly sawed wood and new furniture. 

Shakky hummed with a smile, throwing off her shroud and rushing in with her heels clicking the floorboards.

Damien also took off his cloak while surveying the establishment. The bar's layout mirrored what the younger pirate remembered from his past life—small, simple, and cozy.

A sigh of relief exited her mouth as she took her place at the center seat of the bar, turning to Damien with a smile.

She flashed a teasing look in her eyes as she commented, "I'm glad I'm not the only one trying something new."

The Sin Incarnate blinked at Shakky's gaze, appreciating his new clothes. "Oh, this," he mumbled, looking down, "well, a certain someone was pretty stubborn about me changing my wardrobe."

The older woman leaned in with interest, narrowing her eyes. "Now I know only a beautiful young lady could get someone as routine-oriented as you out of that edgy trench coat."

The corner of Damien's lips twitched from the sharp comment. "Hey, I resent that! It wasn't edgy, it was stylish," he pleaded his case.

"Stylish?" Shakky mused with an intriguing smirk. "Yes… spicy young men like you tend to mix those words up."

The newly-fashioned pirate took the words on the chin and stepped ahead, sitting on the seat next to the Black Death.

.

"..." The two remained quiet for the next few minutes, taking in the quiet of Grove 13. Life at Hachinosu had made both of them numb to death, slaughter and misery; the calm, serene and free air of Sabaody was a breath of fresh air.

"You know Damien-chan," Shakky began, staring at the empty bartender's side. "Since Captain Rocks' crew came to be, I had weeded out hundreds of Cipher Pol agents and thousands of undercover marines. The number of pirates who tried to attack at night with poison or sneak attacks wasn't low either."

She blew out a large cloud of smoke and continued, "My Ravens were almost always there to take out these threats before they swelled up too much. But with that gone, the infighting and the betrayal will balloon."

Damien narrowed his eyes in thought and couldn't help but nod. "Mhm, even with the captain's overwhelming spirit, the number of men trying to swipe the absurd bounties on our heads is only increasing."

He paused, "But Shakky-nee, you should know I care little about a bunch of living corpses."

"Ufufufufu!" The former pirate burst out into a hearty chuckle. "Of course, I know that. Some weak pirates who rely on sneak attacks can never take you down. But the one you need to be careful of is Cipher Pol."

*Poof* Another cloud of smoke came into being as the woman spat out a name: "Xerxes." 

[A/N: Xerxes is pronounced "Zerk-seez".]

"I was able to get one of the CP-3 agents to speak. Xerxes is the one who will surely have his rats sneak in. I wouldn't be surprised if they were already on board. Plus, his Deputy Chief Typhon Kade is a sharp one, too; he's zeroing in on your missing princess."

Damien naturally knew of them, too. "Well, even the Gravity Fruit as a smokescreen would eventually fail to fool some people." A solemn look passed his eyes, "But Cipher Pol will be busy with the mess from the Scorched Sea, and Kade's glaring eyes will be diverted away from Fulcrum for long enough."

Shakky felt relieved now, knowing his thoughtfulness on the topic, and moved on, "There'll also be peeping eyes from the Navy's side."

Damien's lips warped into a disdaining smile, "SWORD, yes, the Navy's super undercover force. I already found one of them, Rahaha! Though it's more fun to keep them thinking their cover is still intact."

Shakky shook her head with a defeated smile, "Well, just take care of yourself."

.

"Puru," "Puru," "Puru," the familiar tune broke their conversation. Shakky went through her pockets to pull out a transponder snail. 

"Katcha~!" "This is Shakky."

The snail took on the appearance of a gorgeous white-haired woman. "Shakky! You finally got out from that monster's flag-nyo!"

"Oh, Gloriosa, how've you been?"

The snail heaved a sigh, shaking its head. "I still can't believe you went to the monster's lair… you should have let me take your place-nyo!"

The smoking barkeep harrumphed, "You were lovestruck and zombie-like. I couldn't let you aboard Rocks' ship; you'd die!"

The snail lowered its eyes in shame. "I, I… ugh, damn lovesickness!" she roared.

Shakky sighed as well, taking another gulp of her cigar. "At least it all worked out. By flying the Abyssal Sin's flag, Amazon Lily kept its Empress and its safety."

.

Damien was naturally interested in the political scene. He knew Gloriosa was a previous Empress who fled from her home with her Kuja Pirates, leaving Shakky on the throne.

Years later, Shakky fell under Garp's radar for some mischievous behaviour at Sabaody, only to be saved by Xebec. It was then that Shakky convinced Gloriosa to return home before leaving to work under Rocks and allow Amazon Lily to fly his banner.

"I'm just glad things worked out," the ex-Empress relented, blooming a smile. "How's Toritoma?"

"Good, very good! I've trained that little girl with the throne and the Kuja Pirates. She'll take over nicely when the time is right," Gloriosa answered with evident joy. "I'll make sure she doesn't get caught up in the hurricane of love… damn that lovesickness!"

[A/N: Toritoma was revealed as the Empress after Shakky and before Hancock in SBS 109.]

"Anyway, Shakky. Aren't you coming back home-nyo?"

The black-haired woman smiled and shook her head. "No, Gloriosa. You've done great things in my absence. You deserve your post as the Empress. I'll have my Ravens help Toritoma with intel."

"Okay, Shakky. I know I can't convince you anyway."

The women laughed at one another; their friendship was evident.

Shakky then turned to the other person in the bar and slightly nodded. "I'll talk to you soon, Gloriosa."

.

Damien was glad Shakky had the chance to escape the coming hell. She had helped him a lot, whether it was guiding him through Hachinosu, training him in Observation Haki or simply being there to recruit him from the ignorant West Blue.

The newly crafted wood boards creaked as the Sin Incarnate stood up. "I should be heading out now, Shakky-nee. It will be hard to find Extinction Valley once the night hits."

The woman sighed, knowing the troubles on the horizon. "Visit from time to time; you're always welcome here," Shakky said as she hugged the far taller Damien.

"I know you have a big goal in mind, Damien-chan," she said as they separated, barely reaching his upper chest. "I've seen you grow from a young seedling to a strong and stable tree that even the World Government can't cut down. I guess I can only watch from the newspapers now," she said, chuckling at the last part. 

"I'll be rooting for you from my little bar here. Good luck, Damien."

The undying pirate nodded slightly, noticing Shakky's lack of joking demeanour. "I'll see you when all of this is over."

The woman reputed as the Black Death could only stare at the horizon as the young man disappeared, returning to the untold horrors of the New World.

"I feel like he'll make me worry even more than usual," she hummed, walking back into the bar.

…

[A Few Hours Later]

A flash of black and red pierced the sea of clouds. Damien was jetting through the skies, utilizing his Hadean Form in a more reserved version.

'Awakening is fully understanding the true capabilities of one's Devil Fruit's power,' he thought.

Awakened Paramecia gained the ability to turn the surroundings into their powers, alongside a significant boost to their overall capabilities.

A few notable Awakened that Damien had met in battle were Enigma, Basara, and Sol.

It was the next step for him now.

---

"Sibyl, tell me about Awakening?"

A voice erupted in his mind, [Every fruit's final stage is complete mastery, known as Awakening. This is part of the devil fruit's nature, and each fruit is restricted by a limit, summarized as the Fruit Rating scale.]

Damien nodded. The System Fruit Rating ranged from one to seven stars. The highest, seven-star fruits, were dubbed the Ultimate-Class, while the 6.5-star fruits were called the Exceptional-Class. Damien's Pulverize-Pulverize Fruit belonged to the latter.

"Is there more to the star system?" he asked, whizzing through the skies.

[Each fruit follows a specific path and has inferior or superior versions of itself,] Sibyl explained. [For example, the Chill-Chill Fruit is weaker than the Cold-Cold Fruit, which is weaker than the Ice-Ice Fruit. Similarly, the Ignite-Ignite Fruit leads to the Fire-Fire Fruit, then to the Magma-Magma Fruit.]

[These differences are reflected in their star ratings. If the Ice-Ice Fruit is a 6.5-star fruit, the Cold-Cold Fruit would be a 6-star, and the Chill-Chill Fruit a 5.5-star.]

Damien understood the main idea, "Does my fruit follow this pattern?"

[Yes, the Compress-Compress Fruit leads to the Divide-Divide Fruit and finally to the Pulverize-Pulverize Fruit, rated 5.5, 6, and 6.5 stars, respectively.]

"So, they can reach the 7-Star category?" he asked.

[Usually, the 7-Star category is minimal, representing fruits that embody the universe's governing qualities. There are twelve such Authorities:]

[Life, Death, Eternity, Infinity, Mind, Time, Space, Soul, Power, Reality, Creation, and Destruction.]

Damien nodded, recalling several he had already encountered. "Linlin's Soul Fruit, Toki's Time Fruit, Enigma's Mind Fruit, Whitebeard's Tremor Fruit, Xebec's Death Fruit, Sol's Sun Fruit, and the Op-Op Fruit," he listed. 

[A/N: Tremor Fruit → Destruction; Sun Fruit → Infinity; Operation Fruit → Space + Eternity.]

.

Alas, the young pirate came to a final thought. "All of this begs the question: Can you evolve a fruit into its next star level?" he mumbled. "What do you say, Sibyl?"

[It is not possible.]

Yet her pessimism didn't convince Damien, who returned a grin fit for a pirate. "Never say never, Sibyl. I'll find a way to subvert your calculations. Just wait!"

[...]

Damien chuckled at her speechless demeanour and continued his journey through the starry skies of the New World.

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[Seven Hours Later]

Damien had been continuously speeding through the clouds, leaving behind a trail of broken air. The man was on a mission, for sure.

He put aside the thought of Fruit Evolution and focussed on his Awakening. The same thought remained in his mind as he neared his destination. Rocks had gone to the Isle of Spirits—Death Valley to fully master his fruit.

Now Damien made his way to Extinction Valley, one of the other two Valleys.

Death Valley was a constantly mobile location that resided in an eternal hurricane. The howls of the fallen spirit were the legend that kept these winds ever-raging.

As for Extinction Valley? The accepted legend states that every natural disaster known to man could be found at this hellhole. And that all the terrors that have ravaged the world originated from here.

According to some conspiracy theorists, the Isle of Disasters was where quite a few destructive fruits first grew. These included the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, the Tornado-Tornado Fruit, the Hurricane-Hurricane Fruit, the Volcano-Volcano Fruit, the Havoc-Havoc Fruit and many more. 

Alas, there were no documented survivors from the valley and the only piece of intel to reach there was to simply turn left off the entrance to the New World past the Red Line.

…

After 17 hours of northward flying, Damien arrived at something unusual. Beyond him were the usual turbulent seas, except the natural wonder was what was beyond it.

He could see the giant tsunamis from far away. They weren't regular waves either. "The waves are... upside down," Damien was left stumped. "That doesn't even make sense."

The land within his vision was bathed by tides that seemed upside down!

Powerful bangs erupted as endless waves smashed down the rocky lands. It was a giant land of coastal tsunamis! Added to the constant rain, it was quite the terror of a spectacle.

Damien took out a parchment. The large brown paper seemed weathered by age, left crinkly and considerably oxidized.

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

[Map of Surroundings {Refined}]

[Shows all land and sea area within 100 kilometers in all directions.]

[Deprived of all impurities and imperfections, granting it a new quality of Past Preservation.]

[Past Preservation: By studying prior human interactions, the map can also generate specific descriptions about distinct regions found within the map.]

>=-=----[]---<>---[]---=-=<

"I haven't really used this since I got it all the way back from the items of the previous System user," Damien muttered.

The refined parchment seemed like it could be blown away any second; alas, it began to flutter. Damien felt the subtle vibrations as the map was blessed with ink!

Slowly but surely, distinct and exact imaging became apparent as a map was drawn titled Extinction Valley.

.

The undying pirate studied the map. The island was encircled by mountains, creating a valley within. Eleven major regions made up this valley.

In the south, where he stood, was the "Tempest Channel." Further east lay the "Desert of the Starved." To the west extended "The Unknown Regions," and to the northwest was a land ominously named "Hell."

At the center of the valley was a circular region called "The Ring of Untold Horrors," within which was a smaller area known as "The Haven." Moving west from the ring led to a smaller land called "Tremor District," which in turn connected to "The Savage Lands," ultimately leading to "Stormy Beach."

Two islands lay off the main one. Off the coast of Stormy Beach was the "Tundra of Fleeting Hope." Finally, to the north from the ring's edges and across a stretch of sea was the isolated and aptly named "No Man's Land."

[Extinction Valley Map Image (in Discord)]

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"Garp, Roger, Whitebeard. These guys are all Top Tier Yonko right now, yet to arrive at their peak strength. God Valley is the end of an era where everything can begin and end."

Damien clenched his fists, breathing into the chaos and disorder of the hellacious land. "Awakening is my key to survival. Either I get off this rock with newfound powers or be swept away in the storm that spelled damnation on the Rocks Pirates."

Black lightning arched around the Sin Incarnate's body, sparking the thunderous air with his ambition. 

It had been eleven years since he departed from Renaissance, where his mother still rests.

Flashes of the past decade and more went through his mind. But even under all the carnage were bright lights in the form of his Fourth Division, Shakky and Whitebeard at Hachinosu and Aurora, Toki and Kuzan at Mortem Island.

A resolute smile was worn on the young pirate's face as he welcomed the coming era, "Well, let's begin."

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

In the original series, I had the platonic bond between Shakky and Damien, and severing it to obey canon felt wrong, so I made the new lore incorporate the changes.

Otherwise, this is the catch-up point; the rewrite is complete. There will be a break until we continue to Chapter 126; I'll specify it tomorrow.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q