[87] Fun
[2160 words]
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[A Week Later]
"Someone turn off the sun…"
Damien rubbed his eyes as the sunrays graced the room.
The bright light that was intensified by the white surrounding clouds made quite the spectacle.
Though the pirate did not need to sleep much, he could even go without sleep for two weeks, he preferred it anyway.
Plus, some things went well when done under the curtain of the night.
He looked to the side of the bed and saw the sleeping girl curling toward him. Her silky purple hair was scattered over the messy bed, fast asleep from certain nightly exercises.
.
'Mom told me to marry a beautiful girl, technically she never specified how many,' Damien mused to himself while freshening up.
He looked at the reflection in the mirror.
The familiar face which had matured looked back with confidence burning bright in the crimson pupils. The only flaw in his dominance was the faded scar above his eye, a reminder of his past weakness.
It was around half a year away from his 19th birthday now. Nineteen years since his arrival into this world.
'I guess I have become quite handsome, must be from my mother,' he told himself.
Entering his twenties with respectable strength to go for it.
'Though the time to return to Hachinosu is near, and God Valley will sneak up just as fast.'
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[Outside]
"You're up, Lord Damien," Shahem said with a smile.
After the retrieval of their home island, led by the ringing of their treasured bell, Shahem was quite joyful.
Even the loud Vaper had come to terms with what had happened. Under the influence of alcohol, he even proposed to his lover.
It was a celebration throughout the Sky Island.
.
"Yo, Shahem, you look ten years younger with that frown gone," Damien said.
The wolf-helmed man halted, "I'm only twenty-five… did I look that old?" he asked with some weakness.
Damien shrugged, letting the Chief wallow in his thoughts.
They were at the God's Shrine now, Gan Fall had arrived as well. "Lord Damien, it's nice to have you here," he said with a smile.
The pirate nodded and said, "We have much to discuss, let's begin."
.
The three sat down, Damien at the front with the two leaders seated across from him.
"Like I said before, I intend to leave Skypiea under both of your councils. As a pirate, I fare better on the seas than running a nation."
He continued, "I know you aren't fully content with fighting the wars at the Blue Sea, but peace comes with a price."
Gan Fall and Shahem looked at one another and nodded, "We understand, our forces will prepare for combat."
Damien, however, shook his head.
"You aren't at the level of strength to make such promises."
His blunt tone left the two ashamed, though they could only choose to listen to what the pirate had to say.
"I want every soldier training in Mantra, or as we call it, Observation Haki." He then handed the two a book, "This is a manual I borrowed from a Navy Base for both Observation and Armament Haki."
Shahem saw the information on the Colour of Arms and recalled a memory of his own.
"Armament Haki… The great warrior Kalgara used such techniques in his fighting, I didn't know it was like this!"
His eyes turned to worship of that memory as he called out, "He could even force people to fall unconscious with a burst of his spirit, I must admit, the Blue Sea is very advanced!"
Gan Fall was just as interested in the manual, losing himself to the information.
.
While the two were reading through the book, another person arrived.
It was a young woman—her outfit featured a deep blue tunic with a distinctive geometric neckline and short sleeves. It was accessorized with a brown belt at the waist and paired with fitted, panelled leggings that blended into dark, knee-high boots.
"You're awake," Damien softly called out.
Aurora hummed in the clothing she bought in Skypiea before plopping to Damien's side, her gloved hands resting on her thighs.
She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes without care of the others nearby. Ever since that night, she gave up keeping any distance from her self-proclaimed soulmate.
[Clothing Image (in Discord)]
.
The pirate smiled at the weight on his shoulder and once again turned to the two leaders, "I will send resources from the Blue Sea to aid you, in return, I will take dials."
"Dails?" Gan Fall echoed in question.
Dials were strange, mysterious devices which could store energy and matter. They were made from the remains of a particular shellfish, originating from Skypiea.
Damien nodded, "Dials have great practical uses in the Blue Sea."
"The Breath and Jet Dial for ships, the Flame, Flash, Heat, Impact, and Thunder Dials for combat. While the others for even basic communication and such uses."
Both the leaders agreed without hesitation, "We will increase production to meet any demand."
Damien smiled in satisfaction.
"Good, Aurora will be responsible for all those transactions."
The two leaders looked at the young woman opened her eyes and silently moved.
She stood up, walked out of the Shrine and placed one gloved hand on the cloudly-white floor below.
*Vrooo~*
The familiar purple energy materialized from her hand, stamping a pattern onto the ground.
"Aether Anchor."
The purple flower inscription was made as the girl felt a tug in her Night Realm, opening up a bridge.
Though restricted to five such gateways, the ability was unfairly convenient.
.
"Aurora can open up a doorway between her anchors, it'll make our exchanges occur with speed and without difficulty," Damien explained.
He now stood facing the two leaders with the purple-haired girl linking around his left arm.
Aurora was the first to finally speak, "I will call the two of you for anything through the transponder snails I left you."
The Sin Incarnate then raised a hand in goodbye, "Good luck, gentlemen."
The aetherial woman then exercised her connection to the anchor that had just been placed and another one many kilometers away.
*Kuru*
The flower glowed in purple brilliance, slowly absorbing the two into the ground. This left the two leaders alone and with a single thought in mind: "Incredible."
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[Mortem Island]
*Zzz* *Zzz* *Zzz*
Rhythmic snores went off, resounding through the safe areas of the island.
A young boy lay flat on the floor, his eyes covered with a mask, some drool escaped his mouth as he was fast asleep.
Recently, he found a rather interesting-looking flower pattern on the floor and deemed it as his sleeping spot.
Every day he would lay on top of it, feeling a comfortable warmth.
*Zzz*
His deep sleep was suddenly interrupted as he felt a heat build up on his back. "Hmm?" he grunted, half-asleep.
"..."
"Wahhhh!" A full-blown yell erupted as the boy's body was bathed in the purple light, shooting him to the sky.
Being woken up from a deep sleep, Kuzan did not even factor in the eye mask, simply thinking the world had gone dark.
He flapped his hands like a bird while being graced with the sharp, cold winds of the Grand Line.
"Woooahh!"
He went around twenty meters in the sky before falling straight down, his mind slowly waking up.
Boom!
Like glass, the boy's body shattered into innumerable shards of light-blue particles.
.
"Ugh, what the hell is wrong with this island…"
The ice shards soon came back into shape, reforming the young boy's body.
He took off the mask to see the problem, "Oh! Big Bro, you're back! Aurora-nee is here too!"
The cranky boy forgot his irritation as he gave Damien a fist bump.
"Looks like you found some things to play with," Aurora commented.
Her eyes were locked onto a bicycle that was leaning on a tree. Kuzan smirked, "Hehe, look at this," he exclaimed.
The boy ran ahead, leaving an icy trail behind. He grabbed his bicycle and pedalled hard, rushing toward the cliff.
"Be careful!" Aurora said as she saw the boy run off the edge and onto the sea.
The girl had visited the ice boy throughout Damien's vacation, forming a strong bond with Kuzan. Seeing him jump into the damning sea left her alarmed.
Damien stopped her with a tug, letting things play out.
.
The two watched as the ice boy's bike hit the sea, but it did not sink into the depths!
*Krrrr*
The creaking of ice resounded as the water under the bike was frozen into a solid trail. Kuzan laughed to himself, riding across the ocean, leaving an icy design in his wake.
"...He's practically immune to the Curse of the Sea," Aurora muttered.
Damien nodded, "The Ice-Ice Fruit may not pack the same punch as more devastative Logia like Magma or Lightning, but it is supreme over the ocean floor, one that nearly the entire world."
Aurora nodded along the information, understanding full well the extent of the powers.
.
"Damien-san!"
The pirate turned around from where he heard the exclaiming voice.
He saw a green-haired girl carrying some fruits in a basket. She hurriedly placed it on a tree stump and ran forward.
Damien felt the breeze as Toki fell into his arms, her green hair scattering about, letting him take in the fresh smell of spring.
"I was only gone for half a month," he said with a smile, running his hand through the light green hair.
Toki looked up and returned a bright smile, "Does that mean I can't embrace you?"
"I guess not."
The green-haired girl leaned into the hug, wrapping her hands around Damien. Her smaller size allowed her to melt into his chest, a feeling she had grown to adore.
However, at some moment, she peeked out to see Aurora standing a meter away.
"Aurora-san… you feel different…"
The purple-haired girl did not respond, instead, she reached out to hug Damien's open arm as if to declare her trophy.
"..."
Toki's eyes widened as she turned to the male pirate with an inquisitive glance.
"Could it be that you two…"
Damien slowly nodded.
Toki turned to Aurora once more and saw her look slightly turbulent from the speculatory eyes.
"I'm glad you found happiness, Aurora-san, you deserve it."
"Thank you, Toki," the purple-haired girl warmly smiled.
"..."
A quiet moment passed as Damien was held in the embrace of the two young ladies.
"Hey! You can't do a group hug without me!"
The booming voice came from the ice boy who had jumped out from the sea, looking hurt. He was still in the air, ready to whizz ahead.
Boom!
That was before a huge shadow exploded from beneath him with a gargantuan splash of seawater.
"Rawr!"
A colossal-sized Sea King opened its maw, eating the tiny boy whole.
"..."
Damien could not help but chuckle as Kuzan's momentum fell quiet, the girls joining in as well.
*Krrrr*
The creaking resounded once more, leaving the Sea King to waver in trepidation. Its eyes widened in fear as it felt the frost overwhelm itself.
Within ten seconds, the hundred-meter Sea King was frozen solid, a statue with ice thicker than a warship's armour!
"Damn fish, how dare you try and eat me!"
Kuzan reformed onto the cliff from a stream of icy shards, looking at the frozen beast with an annoyed glare.
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"I thought all the Sea Kings were under your umbrella!" he pointed at Damien with an accusatory tone.
The Sin Incarnate shrugged, "I can control the weaker ones, but this one is more unruly."
Kuzan gave him a look that he did not believe the words.
"There are four classes of Sea Kings out there," Damien explained. "The Monster Class that you would find in the Outer Seas and through the Grand Line. The Colossal Class which are common ones in the Calm Belts."
"Then there are the Leviathan Class and Titan Class. The one that just tried to eat you is of the former."
Kuzan slowly nodded, "So you can command up to the first two classes?"
"That's right. Of course, I can sense the bigger ones out there as well, though unable to control them."
Kuzan nodded, acting like a studious child taking in information.
"Wait, does that mean you knew that Sea King was about to eat me this whole time!?"
"..."
"Well, yeah. Technically I even saw it happen ten seconds in the future."
Damien then turned around and walked with the girls to the core of the island, acting like nothing happened.
"Why didn't you warn me!"
Kuzan raced behind the taller pirate, trying to poke at him.
"I thought it would be more fun not to." He then turned to the boy and grinned, "And I was right."
Kuzan gave out a growl, jumping onto Damien's back in an attempt to freeze him.
"..." He tried for a good five minutes before giving up and going to bed all over again.
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
More of a chapter to showcase the dynamic between the main group as we enter the final few chapters before Damien's return to Hachinosu.
The main thing here was the final establishment of goods from Skypiea to the Underworld.
Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q