[48] The Anomaly

[2420 words]

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"Can you tell me what year it is?"

The woman, or more accurately, girl, who had introduced herself as Amatsuki Toki was exceptionally calm for her unusual entry.

She saw Damien and Kuzan's battle stances and did not seem to feel anything afoot, choosing to greet the two warmly.

With long light green hair and a young beautiful face. The girl wore a pink kimono with crescent moons imprinted, leaving her thighs open. A blue cloth wrapped over her abdomen and a flower ornament with a chain of pearls on the right side of her hair.

She even had a sword tied on her left waist, covered with a red scabbard.

[Amatsuki Toki Image (in Discord)]

.

Damien squinted his eyes, unsure what to comment; such a situation was unprecedented.

Unfortunately, Kuzan was not as critical as he pointed at Toki, "Look, Big Bro Damien, a nee-chan with big bazongas fell from the sky!"

*Bonk!*

Damien no longer paid any mind to the boy rolling on the ground.

He turned his gaze back to the curious "guest" and could not help but think, 'Is this a coincidence or something more?'

*Grumble* Toki lightly coughed in embarrassment and asked, "Um, can I trouble you for some food?"

…

[A While Later]

The company of three sat around the giant stump in the peaceful part of Mortem Island once more, feasting on a plethora of food. 

Kuzan looked gallant as he chewed his high-protein breakfast down. 

Perhaps the appearance of a stranger after a year of lonesomeness had left him a little insecure, especially with an older girl present.

Meanwhile, Damien ate his fill, enough for fifty people and Toki maintained a seemingly traditional and elegant eating style, probably taught from a young age.

.

"So, Toki," Damien said. "It seems the both of us weren't expecting this meeting."

The girl looked up after finishing a bite. "Yes," she nodded.

"I chose to go many more years ahead, but for some reason, I was pulled here… I don't know why…"

Damien hummed.

He knew of her fruit: The Time-Time Fruit. It supposedly allowed its user or anyone they choose to jump into the future at a predetermined amount of time.

'Any thoughts, Sibyl?'

The reply came quickly: [Time is one of those abstract things that is hard to work with, let alone interfere with.]

Damien turned to the girl and questioned, "This time jump, was it different from the ones you've done before?"

Toki tapped her cheek with her finger while looking up. Her eyes shined as she answered, "Well, I did feel something odd from a treasure I received over 750 years ago."

*Pwooo* Kuzan spat out his mouthful of food and gawked at Toki. 'S-Seven hundred and fifty years!? S-She's a living fossil!!!'

Damien raised an eyebrow at the information and gestured to her to elaborate.

Toki nodded and placed her spoon down. She wiped her hands and reached into her kimono to take something out.

Upon first glance, it was a small white cube. About five cubic centimeters in size. 

*Fuuuu*

Yet for whatever reason, the dull cube became mobile as it pulsated with energy, releasing light. Toki became alarmed: "That's weird, it never glowed like this before…"

Unlike her, Damien felt something awfully familiar.

*Woosh!* A quick blast of wind went off as the tesseract shot toward Damien's body. 

As it travelled, its body shattered apart to reveal a tiny glowing orb within.

It all happened within a fraction of a second: the cube shed its shell into an energy ball that dissolved into Damien's chest and a notification opened in his eyes.

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

[Memory Shard (2 of 3)]

[Collect all three shards to unlock the message left behind by the original System User.]

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

"D-Damien-san, I don't know why it did that!" Toki scrambled with some fright. 

The pirate shook his head, "Don't worry. That thing was probably what pulled you off your time jump to me."

"Tell me the history behind it."

Toki calmed down as her mind began running with thoughts of the distant past.

"It happened over 700 years ago today when I stumbled on an injured man during an escape from my pursuers."

Her mood suddenly grew somber at the thought of her escape.

"I was very young then, but I still remember what he said: 'If you do me a favour, I will save you from your fate'."

Toki returned a thin smile, "I agreed right away."

"The man then gave a green fruit alongside that cube and a note. He said that all I need to do is survive, and when the time comes everything will work out…"

Damien cupped his chin, thinking over the newfound information.

"Show me the note."

Toki nodded and brought out a folded piece of paper.

Surprisingly enough, it was in pristine condition, as if untouched.

Upon first glance, it was blank, lacking any ink. However, to Damien, it was not what he saw that was important, rather it was what he heard.

{I no longer have enough time...}

{If you hear these words, all hope is not lost. Collect the remaining shards; I await you then, my Champion!}

Damien calmed his Voice of All Things, the words leaving a frown on his face.

'This sounds a lot like some Chosen One plot,' Damien thought to himself.

He had no intention of being some kind of saviour determined by some ancient figure, but he was also curious about the Original System User, the same man whose System Damien supposedly inherited.

It left him ambivalent.

Toki saw the displeasure and could not help but ask, "Is something wrong?"

"Well, this was meant for me," he responded. "Thanks for delivering it."

She shook her head, "I just repaid the favour from centuries back."

.

At that point, another, less mature, voice interrupted the two: "Ahem, can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Kuzan popped out from the side and waved his hands to direct their attention to them.

Damien side-eyed the ice boy and casually responded "Kuzan, why don't you begin your training for the day."

However, the words were tossed aside by the boy: "And leave you here to chat with this beautiful nee-chan, no way!" 

Toki could not help but giggle at his words and remarked, "Oh, what a sweet child."

Kuzan's smile became smugger as if showing off to Damien. Though the latter had already gotten to the next subject, "Toki, have you decided where you will go now?"

The girl hesitated and slowly shook her head.

"I, I have always dreamed of returning to my home island! I was born into a respected family but my parents had to flee there for whatever reason," her voice once again grew sad. "I've always wanted to see where my parents and family were from."

"Considering your clothing, it must be Wano!" Kuzan exclaimed, flexing his knowledge skills.

Toki's eyes brightened as she smiled and nodded, "Yes! I have always wanted to see my home! I hope it's as magical as my mother told me it was!"

"Big Bro, aren't you going to Wano to train, why don't you take her with you," Kuzan whispered from the side.

Naturally, it didn't escape the girl's hearing: "Really!?"

However, she realized her actions were a little abrupt and coughed lightly. "Well, if it wouldn't be too much of a drag, I hope you can let me come along…"

Damien eyed the girl who was barely eighteen years old. 

Her requesting tone was entirely offset by the glowing green eyes that were staring at him with great anticipation.

The pirate ran through a few thoughts; Wano was a closed-off country that did not do well with outsiders. Damien weighed the pros and cons and gave an answer, "Alright, you can tag along. But we don't leave till at least another few months."

She bowed her head in gratitude, "Thank you! I promise not to be a burden."

…

[Sometime Later]

Kuzan had gone to train and Toki decided to rest after her journey, supposedly she had fled from some perilous situation twelve years to fall here and was dead-tired.

'The Time-Time Fruit,' Damien thought, narrowing his eyes. 'I wonder just to what level this fruit can reach.' He knew just how broken time powers could be from his previous life.

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

[Time-Time Fruit (Toki Toki no Mi)]

[Paramecia Fruit]

[Fruit Rating: 7 Stars (Ultimate-Class Fruit)]

[Allows the user to manipulate time in the positive direction, granting the ability to transport themselves or others into the future; making them a Fast-Forwarding Human.]

[Expanded: Considered an Ultimate-Class Devil Fruit that gives domain over time.]

(A/N: This is not entirely canon and has some original additions.)

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

"It really is an Ultimate-Class Fruit," he muttered.

"Manipulating time in the positive direction makes it sound almost like hitting the skip-ahead button," Damien hummed in thought. "Doesn't that mean she can also age things rather than just toss them into the future?"

He could not use his tokens for 7 Star fruits but running into such a treasured ability was beyond rare.

The pirate shook his head with a sigh, "I sound like some villain scheming up a plan, let's just see where things go from here."

…

The rest of the day was spent with Damien drafting up ways to train.

Beyond that, he would occasionally go and check up on Kuzan and his new training schedule. Suffice to say, it catered to his strength quite well. Unfortunately, he reduced his sleep time to seven hours to accommodate the training, a fact that nearly sent the boy crying.

Soon enough, it was time for dinner.

Damien made his way to the island's edge and gazed at the calm seas.

{Come.}

And so it did.

*Splash!* The water exploded as a giant shadow appeared—a Sea King! Though smaller than the true monsters that plagued the Calm Belt, it still dwarfed the Sin Incarnate.

{Offer yourself as my meal.}

The beast's eyes became watery as if he were hesitant, but Damien had already euthanized it.

*Thud!* Its giant body fell onto the shore, lifeless.

"Such is the cycle of life," Damien muttered, dragging the gigantic beast stretching for dozens of meters with a casual grip of his right hand.

"Damien-san!"

He saw an energetic Toki run toward him as he moved the fresh meat.

"What's up?"

She huffed a little from the run and answered, "I wanted to cook tonight to thank you for your hospitality."

…

[A While Later]

Toki had prepared some Wano cuisine, essentially a Japanese style that came with its own beauty and taste. The juicy meat and rich sauce brought about its flavour.

The three enjoyed the meal with delight. 

"I'm glad you like it, Kuzan-kun."

The boy smiled at her and rubbed the back of his head. "Then, Toki-nee, can you tell me another story from your years of jumping around?" 

She smiled but some memories brought a frown up instead.

The girl sighed, "I've seen so many civilizations rise. Every time I jump ahead, all that remains is dust and debris; history can be stubborn in repeating itself."

Kuzan felt the atmosphere change with Toki getting lost in her past so he picked the path of least resistance: "That was so delicious, I think I'll go take a ten-hour nap now…"

He snuck a glance at the quiet Damien and saw no reply.

His eyes widened, 'No way, is it a blue moon?' Kuzan didn't turn back and tip-toed away, his trusty eye mask in hand.

.

Damien, on the other hand, let the boy get away with one day of missing the nightly training. 

He instead focussed his attention on the girl.

"Toki, sit across from me."

She was a little surprised but agreed and sat down.

Their figures cast a large shadow from the nearby fire. It was a clear night with the crescent moon visible.

Damien reached into his coat and unhooked the pendant around his neck.

He brought it toward Toki's hands and tapped her wrist.

"Ugh," the cold touch of the metal came with a feeling of unprecedented fatigue and weakness, forcing a groan from the girl; it was as if her body had been hollowed out of life.

"D-Damien-san, this is?"

Her voice was fearful at the loss of her powers.

"Toki, you've been using your powers to escape every peril you face. Tell me, have you ever seen this metal?"

The girl stared at the pendant that looked exceptionally simple and mundane and shook her head, her long green hair following the motion.

Damien was not surprised. "This is Seastone or Sea Prism Stone. It can emit the same wavelength as the sea, in other words, it can easily rob you of your powers," he explained.

Toki's face darkened at every detail.

Damien then removed the damning stone and equipped it back on, unphased by the accessory's effects.

"I'm telling you this because this type of ore, though rare, can be found in the hands of the Marines and some very powerful pirates. If you end up in their hands then you will be locked up and unable to escape the way you've been doing for centuries," he said.

Damien's crimson eyes locked onto the shaken girl as he continued in a solemn tone, lacking his usually lax nature.

"Let me ask you this, Toki. What's to say the next time you jump, you won't be hit with this little piece of metal; do you still think your powers are almighty?"

Toki gulped at the thought and became lost in thought.

"..."

The only sound that remained was the crackling flame that seemed to have grown colder, sending a chill down the young woman's back.

Alas, Damien did not let the negative news sink in for too long.

"Your powers are far beyond what you've ever used. So far you've used them only when necessary," Damien read her like a book. "You have barely scraped the surface of your ability."

The tense mood had come out of nowhere, leaving Toki frozen.

Damien's face remained expressionless as he struck the iron while it was still hot. "Do you intend to run till the end of time? Let's say you reach Wano, then what?"

"Time trickles on while you relent to it, isn't it tiring after all these centuries' worth of travel?"

The Sin Incarnate's tone got sharper and sharper as if drilling into her very core. "From what I can see, your powers haven't freed you of tragedy, they have become your chains!"

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner. 

Toki's anomalous arrival is directly linked with the previous user's actions, granting her the Time-Time Fruit alongside the Memory Shard. It was the shard which pulled her to Damien during her time jump.

As for the barrage of questions near the end, well, Damien is a pirate with his own motivations, especially considering a Devil Fruit that can mess with time.

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