Chapter 023 – Splitting the Sea

[Grand Line, Calm Belt, Kaienreki Calendar 1512, October]

A month had passed since that day on Arabasta and they had decided to return to the East Blue for some time to visit Koushirou and Kuina, while waiting for the news about Jinbei accepting the position as a Shichibukai.

Looking at the Inquisitor in his lap, Lupin revealed a satisfied smile. The former silvery white blade of the weapon now had a deep black shine, signifying its advancement into a Supreme Grade Sword.

Over the last five years countless Sea Kings fell under his blade, while his Haki slowly changed the sword in a fundamental way. And even though Lupin was no battle maniac himself, he also wanted to test the might of his blade against a true opponent.

After several years of intense training, his Haki had also advanced greatly. At this point his spiritual energy was like an endless ocean itself, ready to unleash earth-shattering and sea-shaking might.

The radius of his Observation Haki could easily cover whole Islands, surpassing even Enel's that had been boosted by his Devil Fruit, while his future vision was roughly around 14 seconds.

If he wanted to, he could keep up his Hardening for days or even weeks, while his Conqueror's Haki was now under perfect control, as was his ability to infuse himself with it.

At this point in time, Lupin had been trying to stretch the limits of what he could achieve with Haki, as normal training regimes showed little to no effect anymore.

What he had done on Shimotsuki Island all this years ago by condensing his spiritual energy into a giant wolf, was now something that came to him with great ease.

In fact, they were currently sailing through the Calm Belt with their little vessel being towed by a giant eel he had created with his Haki. It was all black and its presence was similar to his Haoshoku, pressuring the nearby Sea Kings and making them too afraid to approach.

There were some other techniques he had come up with over the years, but rarely used in his battles against the Sea Kings.

Lupin planned to go to Fishman Island after their visit in the East Blue, so that he could fight some ruler-class Sea Kings, those that the Mermaid Princess could summon with her power as Poseidon.

Only by battling such powerful creatures could he go all out and truly see how effective his new techniques were.

Fishman Island was also at the bottom of the sea, which was the only place where he could train his physical body, so it was like catching two fish with one hook. Quite literally at that.

…

It was a few hours later, when they finally entered the waters of the East Blue and Lupin's Observation Haki picked up an extremely strong presence ahead, with many weaker ones surrounding it.

'A ship.'

The ship was directly approaching them seemingly on the same course as Ina and him were, though just going in the other direction.

Looking down at his chest, he saw Ina sleeping soundly on top of him, as they shared the limited space in the hammock together. Lupin decided not to wake her up for now, as it would still take some time before they would meet the other ship.

It was roughly half an hour later, when Lupin could finally see the other ship and recognized the motif on their sail.

' … It's him … ', Lupin thought to himself silently, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Using nothing but his spiritual energy, he gently lifted Ina off his form and moved out of the hammock, before placing her inside again.

Creating a barrier of spiritual energy around her, he infused it with the intent to shield and isolate her, before taking his sword and walking to the helm of the small boat. His wings started to enlarge and spread behind him, entirely displaying their dark beauty.

Lupin's gaze clashed with the red-haired man staring at him from the other ship, as black cracks formed in the sky between their vessels. The sea became turbulent and the sky darkened, as if a storm was about to erupt.

"You fancy a drink?!", Shanks called out suddenly, causing the tense atmosphere to receed abruptly.

…

[Ship of the Red Hair Pirates – A few minutes earlier]

As their ship approached the small vessel from a distance, Shanks' muscles suddenly tensed, as he felt an immense sense of danger.

His Haki had picked up two presences on the little boat, but one of them was totally overshadowed by the other.

It was as if they were nearing some slumbering ancient beast, just waiting to devour them should they dare to awaken it.

Shanks could see that all his other crewmates who had some proficiency in Observation Haki, tensed up just like he did, while their faces seemed to lose colour rapidly.

Silence spread on the deck, as a heavy atmosphere descended.

Shanks moved towards the front of their ship to get a good look at the person, who could even make him feel like this.

When they finally approached the small vessel, he saw a young man with a wild mane of black hair reaching his waist and giant black wings on his back, clear blue eyes staring back into his own.

Looking into the young man's eyes, Shanks had a feeling as if he was stared at by a giant world-devouring winged-wolf. He had never felt this way, even when confronting his own former captain.

His Conqueror's Haki reacted on instinct, as if protecting him from the beast's presence, but Shanks knew that his adversary hadn't even consciously tried to attack him. What the red-haired man felt was nothing more than the subconscious pressure that the blue-eyed young man gave off.

Shanks knew that should a fight break out, while he might not necessarily lose, winning was impossible. And protecting his crew while doing so was even more improbable.

So the red-haired man did the only thing that came to his mind to avoid a conflict from erupting, as he yelled: "You fancy a drink?!"

…

It had to be said that Shanks really knew how to party. Drinks, food, music and a great atmosphere.

Nothing was missing, as Lupin sat beside Shanks and watched the ruckus that the man's crew made.

Ina was surprisingly weak to alcohol and her introverted nature was nowhere to be seen, as she happily danced across the deck, innocent laughter giving sound to the joy she felt.

Lupin watched her with a content smile on his face, as he took a sip from his sake cup.

"So what is someone like you doing in the East Blue?", Shanks asked in mild curiosity.

"The same could be said about you … ", Lupin retorted calmly, before he continued, "Though I am just visiting some old friends and maybe go on a fishing trip."

"Fishing trip, huh...? Well, we just came here to pick up some crewmates, before sailing the Grand Line, with the goal being the New World."

"The New World, huh … Well, I guess we will eventually meet each other again there in a few years.", Lupin said lightly, "Though for now, I best get her to bed. I don't think she can take another cup, before throwing up all over the deck tomorrow."

After saying his piece, Lupin stood up and moved to bring Ina to their boat, before continuing their journey.

"Bye Shanks, thanks for the drinks."

…

[Kaienreki Calendar 1512, December]

They had arrived at Shimotsuki Island a few days ago and had built themselves a little cottage on a hidden part of the shore to stay at for some time.

Ina had directly gone to visit Kuina, while Lupin mostly spent his days in the depths of the ocean for some training or drinking the occasional cup of tea with Koushirou.

His peaceful days of training though were interrupted again soon enough, as Ina brought with her a guest another few weeks later.

Looking at the small black haired girl, Lupin asked: "What brings you here Kuina? I hope your father knows of your absence, you know he worries otherwise."

The confident girl he remembered from the show looked at him with something akin to wonder in her eyes, as she answered hesitantly: "M-my father told me that you are the best swordsman he has ever met, s-so I was wondering if you could t-teach me, Black Wolf-sama?"

Smiling lightly, Lupin responded: "I can, but only for two hours every morning. And you may call me Lupin or teacher."

"Thank you, Black Wolf-sama! Thank you!", the little girl cried out in happiness, bowing repeatedly while doing so. Her manners a clear picture of how much her father valued correct conduct.

…

"Teacher, do girls have to be weaker than boys?", Kuina asked her teacher a few months later, her eyes brimming with tears of frustration.

"Why would you ask such a thing? Tell me what happened?", her teachers calm voice sounded out, as he sat in a meditative pose, his gaze on the distant horizon.

It took a few moments for Kuina to gather her courage, before she told her teacher what had been weighing on her heart the last few months.

"A green-haired boy came to our dojo some time ago to challenge all the students of my Father. He beat them all, before he challenged me and I easily beat him. But he didn't give up … He had been training in the dojo the last few months and we fight almost everyday. I- … I don't think I will be able to beat him in a few months time. My father said that it is natural to be beat by a man, but I- … I just want to win."

At the end of her retelling Kuina couldn't hold back her tears anymore, as they silently made their way down her cheeks.

Suddenly she felt a warm palm on her head, giving her warmth and comfort.

"Kuina … do you think my sword could split the sea?", her teacher asked her suddenly.

At first she didn't understand why her teacher would ask her something like that, but trusting in him she answered nonetheless as she shook her head in denial. In her mind it was impossible for a swordsman no matter how strong to split the infinte blue sea.

Feeling his hand moving away, Kuina watched as her teacher stood up and approached the endless ocean, as he drew his black blade from his back.

"It isn't the strength of one's arm that decides the strength of your sword Kuina. It's your unshakable belief that you can do something even if the whole world tells you that you can not.", her teacher stated, a gentle smile on his face.

And then he split the ocean with a single swing of his sword.

…

[Kaienreki Calendar 1513, December]

It was roughly a year after their arrival in the East Blue, that Lupin read about Jinbei accepting a position as a Warlord of the Sea in the newspaper and decided it was time to leave Shimotsuki Island. This time though it was only Kuina that bid them goodbye, as Koushirou was busy with taking care of the dojo.

"Teacher, Onee-sama, will you come to visit me again in the future?", Kuina asked the two people that she considered her closest family, besides her father, tearfully.

"I don't know, Kuina. But when you are all grown up, why don't you come looking for us.", Ina answered equally tearful.

"Kuina. You remember what I told you about the strength of the sword? About Haki?"

"Yes, teacher. *sniff*"

"Good, then all that's left is my present for you.", Lupin said as he presented the little girl with a katana.

Its handle and sheath were completely black, while golden coloured ornaments decorated the blade in a simplistic style.

"It is called Yubashiri. It is a Meito of the Skillful Grade, one of the fifty in that category. It isn't yet a Black Blade, so you have to turn it into one yourself. I know you can do it, Kuina."

Placing the blade, he had bought in Loguetown a few days ago, in the little girls hand, Lupin patted her head softly, before turning around and stepping into the air with an arm wrapped around Ina, to reach their small boat already floating in the open sea.

"I won't disappoint you, Teacher! I will become the greatest swordsman in the world!", Kuina called out after them, tears running freely down her face, as she pressed the black blade against her small chest.

Lupin didn't know if Kuina would have the chance to grow up in this time line, but he hoped his influence and presence had changed her fate, as it was simply impossible to protect her every hour of the day from an accident.

…

[Kaienreki Calendar 1514, February]

It took them only a few weeks of leisure travel to reach the Conomi Islands, where they similarly took residence in a small hut on a quiet and uninhabited part of the beach.

Roughly a month after their arrival, just as Lupin was doing some training in the depths of the ocean, his Haki picked up great distress among a few presences he kept it focused on.

With all the merchants, villagers and aquatic life forms it was not really feasible to just pick out Arlong's crew among them, so Lupin had instead kept his focus on the Cocoyashi Village.

And as soon as he noticed the change, his Observation Haki awakened to full force and gave him a clearer picture of the happenings. He could see hostile and violent presences in the village, their strength greatly surpassing the villagers.

Without hesitation, Lupin used his newly created Shockwave Step to propel himself upwards.

Physical and spiritual shockwave ripped apart the seabed, as he executed the technique, creating a minor seaquake in the region.

…

"Somebody, help!"

"HA!"

*PENG* *PENG*

Bell-mere heard her daughter cry out, before she saw Genzo fire his pistol at the fishman pirates in a desperate attempt to save her life.

*KLANK* *KLANK*

She knew though that these weapons were of no use against the monsters they were facing and a moment later her thoughts were proven true, as one of the attackers simply blocked Genzo's shots with the fins on his arms.

*SWISH*

"Argh!"

The attacker didn't pause, as he directly delivered a slash to Genzo's torso that put him out for the count.

"Save Bell-mere-san!"

"This is war!"

"Ha! Fight!"

"Don't go too far! They're our source of money!"

Bell-mere could even hear the villagers approaching, willing to risk their lives for her, but she was too clear on the power difference between the two sides.

She knew that she would die today and in an attempt to spare her daughters the sight of her death and move them out of the fight zone, she was about to throw them into the house, as the world suddenly came to a halt.

Pressure descended on their surroundings, making it impossible for anyone to even move a muscle.

Villagers, Fishmen, herself or her daughters. No one was an exception.

It was as if the atmosphere had suddenly frozen solid.

*BOOM*

The next moment a beast descended from the sky, cracking the Earth beneath its feet. And as the dust settled a moment later, shock spread through her whole being like a wave.

Memories of a giant black wolf carrying her to safety suddenly sprang up in her mind, as she watched the winged-wolf that had suddenly appeared before her.

*FWOOSH* *BOOM*

*FWOOSH* *BOOM*

Two mighty slaps of his paw, and besides the leader, the rest of the attackers had been turned to dust under the dark blue lightning that covered his limbs.

Bell-mere watched in fearful fascination, as the hulking beast opened its maws and then simply swallowed the leader of the Fishman Pirates whole.

Years had passed since that fateful meeting on the battlefield, the boy had long since become a man and yet she still recognized him easily enough, even with the massive black wings decorating his back or the dark blue lightning crackling around his body.

Lupin D. Black had once again appeared before her and this time she could practically feel the immense strength radiating off him.

The pressure around Bell-mere and the villagers suddenly receded, as the wolf turned its gaze towards her.

*Thumb* *Thumb* *Thumb*

Dull sounds rang out, as the mighty creature neared her with slow measured steps, before raising his head and revealing his chest to her.

At first Bell-mere didn't understand this gesture, but then she saw that a light blue peach with violet swirls and a chest were revealed by the fur, both landing in front of her and her daughters a moment later.

A devil fruit.

Bell-mere immediately recognized the fruit for what it was, as she had seen them in books in her time as a Marine and knew full well about their rarity.

Suddenly a deep growling voice echoed through the tangerine farm.

"Take it. It will give you the strength to protect what you love."