《Quicksword Bob》 Prologue [You will be asked many questions, please respond with honesty as these will affect your future!] [Are you a boy or a girl?] "I''m a male obviously!" [Was your father a noble, a general, pirate or farmer?] "Picking a noble would be too easy, he was a great general!" [Was your mother a noble, a general, pirate or farmer?] "Mom? Hmm, she too was a great general!"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. [Are your parents still alive? Yes or No?] "No, both died." [Did they die in a fire, in prison, bandits, or from pirates?] "Pirates! They were killed during a pirate raid." [Now an orphan how did you survive, by stealing or using your charm?] "Me Charming? Yeah right, I stole everything I could grab." [You were always a fan of the Sword, Gun, Bow, Dagger or Fist.] "If I had to pick, i''d choose gun, but for this character he used a sword." [Who is your champion?] In front of him was a wide range of champions from different Mobas. Smite, League of Legends, DOTA, Arena of Valor, etc. "Kayle, i''ve always been a fan of her. Super late game carry, impossible to win against her." [What is your name?] "Bob¡­ Yeah, Bob!" [Syncing host with data¡­] [Creating memories¡­] The voice he heard faded and for some reason or another he felt tired. Very tired. Slowly he closed his eyes. [Welcome to the New World!] Chapter One - Enter Bob Name: Bob Level: 1/30 Character Grade: D Damage: AD: 5 AP: 5 Gear: None Champion: Kayle Passive: Sword Mastery D - Increase sword dmg by 5% Increase sword speed by 5% Ascendance D - Increase Attack speed by 1% every time you attack (Stackable 5) Active: Radiant Illusion - Summon an illusion of yourself that slays your enemy reducing their resistances. Grand Blessing (Locked)- Heal yourself or an ally while also granting a burst of movement speed. Spellblade (Locked) - Imbue your blade with holy light, increasing the damage done by 5%. Melee attacks become ranged. Judgement (Locked) - Become Immune to all damage and status effects for 3 second. Ultimate: None [Note: Upon reaching adulthood your potential will be unlocked.] Bob leaned over the deck as he sighed. It''s been close to six months since he entered the world of One Piece, but he couldn''t do anything. In his prior life he was a NEET, aiming to become a hermit or sage. As long as he stayed to himself no one bothered him. The last thing he remembers was going to sleep, then he had a strange dream. When he woke up he was here in this world. "What''s wrong with the kid now?" A rough man with a rifle hung over his back asked. "No clue, he''s been staring at the sea for a while. Maybe he misses his home. Don''t know what the cap was thinking picking him up."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Haha, his thoughts are his own, no one can tell what''s on his mind." "But gotta say, besides his blue hair don''t you think he looks like the captain?" "Shanks? No way! I know exactly what you''re thinking." Both men started laughing. This kid, Shanks child? Not in this lifetime! Bob could hear the nonsense that these two men were talking about. To him it meant nothing, he was just hoping he''d be able to survive in this world until he turned 18. Once that happened, he''d go around maybe become a pirate or pirate hunter, maybe even an admiral. There was always an adventure at sea, but he was only 10 years old right now. He couldn''t do much of anything. It''s pretty funny how he ended up on this ship with Shanks crew. As soon as he woke up in this world he was getting bullied by some children much larger than him. Therefore he started to flee for his life, and when he lost the kids he hid in a barrel. That barrel he hid in was then moved onboard a ship. When Bob realize what was going on, he was actually scared to even look. What if it was a really bad pirate? Maybe even some slave traders? The only reason he came out of the barrel was because it was opened up. The crew member was surprised and told Shanks what he found. At that time, they were already set off far from the island. Shanks was already on a journey back to his hometown, so he said they''d drop him off there. Since that happened, Bob has been obeying the crews commands and orders. They basically just had him help clean the deck when needed, or clean the plates after chow was served. No one thought much about him at first, nor was their guard up. He was a 10 year old boy, what could he possibly do? Therefore, he was able to go to most places on the ship without a problem. During the six months he''s been here, he observed the crew studying up on how things were ran. He could roughly guess the current timeline in One Piece. Going by Shanks still having both his arms and his straw hat, it was before Luffy ate the devil fruit and fell into the sea. Therefore Luffy is roughly 6 or 7 years old now. He could be 6 because it could be 1 year before both he and Shanks first met. He could also be 7 at this time and he would receive his devil fruit powers when Shanks reached the village. That means that there were currently 10 more years until Luffy began his adventure as a pirate. Bob began to think about all the adventures that Luffy would have, causing him to get excited. What if before Luffy set off he befriended him and joined his crew? Couldn''t he also become a straw-hat pirate? Luffy and Bob, the amazing duo! Thinking about it caused Bob to laugh to himself. Who was he kidding, he was not cut out for a pirate life. Getting beat up by those children scared the crap out of him. If anything, he''d rather run a bar or something. At least then he''d be able to have a peaceful life! Bob''s life upon the ship continued, he became so familiar with Shank''s crew that he almost felt as if he was one of the red-haired pirates. Time seemed to fly by as months flew past in the blink of an eye. "Finally! I see land!" "Oh! We''re finally here." "Foosha Village, we''re back home after a long time!" Chapter Two - Place to stay Everyone was excited that they were soon reaching Foosha Village after a long time. They knew they wouldn''t be in town for a long time, but it would still be nice to relax after a long time. Bob was also excited, but he was sad as well. He knew that Shanks was not going to let him continue sailing with him. Afterall, Luffy wanted to become a member of Shanks crew, but he was rejected. Shanks was a yonko, for him to recruit a kid was ridiculous. One of the members saw the mood change for Bob and patted him on the head. "Don''t be so down, there are good people here in the village. They''ll look after you!" Bob just nodded his head, he didn''t doubt the mans words. Once the ship reached the shore of Foosha Village, everyone started to come off the ship. The first place they were headed was to the bar. Some stayed on as they needed to do other work. Shanks came down from the ship, and Bob could see how much he relaxed as soon as he touched the ground. There was nothing like home for a man, it was a safe haven. Somewhere you could be around friends and family without looking over your shoulder. In his hand was a wooden box. Bob knew what that meant, Shanks already knew Luffy from a year ago. Inside that box was a devil fruit, one that would make Luffy become a rubber man. "Captain¡­" Bob looked up at Shanks with a fire in his eye. "I''ll repay you for all your kindness one day!" Shanks was shocked at first then he started laughing! "I''ll be waiting on that day then Bob! Maybe one day in the future our paths will cross again." Shanks reached into his pants and grabbed a small brown sack. He passed it to Bob and it made a small cling sound. "Being a pirate is fun, and there is no greater freedom to a man. However, there are tons of hardships that come along with it. My greatest desire is to live long enough to see the new age come up and see how they shape to world."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. [System found Belly!] [Activating store!] [Store is now opened. Here you can purchase items to equip yourself with, or an ultimate skill to enhance your power.] [Note: 10000 Belly = 1 store point.] A large display was shown in front of Bob. The screen was mostly filled with different weapons, armors and accessories that Bob could buy. On the left side, he could filter the items, and each item was expensive. The cheapest item cost 3000 store points! That means it was worth 300,000 belly! For Bob that was a large amount, one that he currently would never be able to reach. After his shock, he found out that he had 5001 store points currently available to him. The 1 point came from the 10000 belly, and the rest was given to him for free by the system. As much as he''d like to view everything in the store now was not the time. Bob closed the window. "Thank you!" Bob replied to shanks. "Don''t worry about it. I know someone here in the village. Fang! Come and take Bob to the village head, let him know about his situation" "Aye captain!" Fang was a rough looking pirate, but considering he was onboard with Shanks his strength had to be amazing. Bob quietly followed Fang around as he lead him to a large house. "Alright Bob, here is where the village head should be staying. You''re a good kid, so don''t be out here causing too much trouble." "What kind of trouble would I cause?" "Who knows, when I was younger I got into all kids of things. Old man was always on my tail, which is why I decided to become a pirate. Meet some people and have more freedom." Fang went on as he reminisced about his younger days. "Yes? Who is it?" An old man opened the door a few minutes after Fang knocked on it. He was bald and used a cane to help him get around. "Hey pops, i''m home." "Fang!? It''s been almost what¡­ 3 years since i''ve last seen you? Do you know that the marines are looking for you now?" Hearing what his father said, Fang laughed. For a pirate there was no greater joy that being proud of their own bounty. "And who is this little fellow? Don''t tell me you went up and made a kid without me knowing!" "No! I''d never do such a thing, this here is Bob. He was a stowaway on our ship, but since we already departed and were on our way here we decided to let him travel with us. Turns out both his parents are dead, and he''d almost be dead too if he didn''t hide in our barrel. We''ll be staying here for a week or so, but he needs a place to stay so I was wondering¡­" "Say no more! .Fang had tears in his eyes as his lips trembled. He wasn''t the best son, but his father supported him no matter what. "Come here Bob, from now own you''ll be staying here. You can stay where Fang used to." Fangs father looked at Fang. "Fang! Look at me." Fang looked at his father. "Three years ago when you came here, you spoke of you being a pirate. At first I thought your adventure at sea would be a short one, but now I see its not. When I received the news that you were wanted by the marines, I almost had a heart attack. Just know, that i''ll support you in whatever you want. Thats all son." "Pops¡­" Bob looked at the father and son pair. "Isn''t this the part where you hug him?" Bob asked as he stood on the sideline. Chapter Three - Ten Years After finding a place to stay, Bob started learning more about the people on it. Naturally he met Luffy. The two of them became friends. Bob did not interfree much with Luffy as he did not want to hinder the story of One Piece in anyway. Therefore he kept his interactions with Luffy to a minimum. The two of them fought many times, with Luffy always ended up as the winner. Bob had no idea how Ace won against Luffy without his devil fruit powers. It''s been 10 years since he last saw Shanks and the red haired pirates. Everything went just like the story, Luffy ate the devil fruit and Shanks jumped in to save him causing him to lose his arm. Luffy also received his straw hat. During these long 10 years, Bob met Ace a few times and Sabo as well. While the years have been long, Bob has been studying up on the store and coming up with different builds. The system he had was basically a League of Legends store. There were so many items he could create, he could buy pieces and upgrade them into something else at the end. The only difference was the Ultimate tab. Bob looked into that tab many times, but he was confused. The tab was filled with Summoner spells, such as flash, heal, ghost etc. However, there were also a couple odd spells as well, such as Bob''s favorite Frozen World. The description said it could cause anyone within range to be slowed by 100%! How overpowered was that? He had six gear slots that he could use to upgrade his power, and he could choose one ultimate skill. This got his gears turning, and he came up with all sorts of combinations. Theorycrafting was always fun as the possibilities were endless, but Bob knew he had to pick eventually. Having enough store points was going to be his biggest issue, but luckily that problem was solved sort of. With the 5001 points he had to start out with, Bob brought an [Amulet of Giving] which gave him 10-100 store points randomly once a day. He''s been making sure to use the effect of the amulet everyday, and saving up his points. Bob studied tons of items, and came up with the perfect build that fit his skills as well as his passive. He had his sword mastery passive and his ascendance passive which increased his attack speed, so he wanted to boost is a bit more by adding items that gave attack speed. As for his skills, he found that he could read a detailed explanation of each one if he asked for the details. All of them scaled with both AD and AP, but which one to go he was at a loss for. AD stood for attack damage, basically it increased the damage of his attacks with his sword skills or any weapon. AP stood of Ability Power, which increased the damage done by his skills. He wasn''t sure about AP in this world, but it had to have some affect. His ideal build would mix attack speed along with both AP and AD items. But for now, he''d rather have AD as it would be more reliable.Stolen story; please report. It took him 10 years to save up enough points to buy his first real item, as such he couldn''t waste it on testing out anything. Bob rubbed his hands together and licked his lips as he looked down at his 32,630 points. The item he was buying now cost him 30,000 points exactly. [Black Death] [+50 Attack Damage] [+30% Attack Speed] [+5% Movement Speed] [Unique Passive - Soul Taker: After killing your foe absorb their soul for increased stats.] [Souls Taken: 0] [Note: After 50 souls are taken, Attack Damage increased by 10. After 100 souls are taken Attack Speed increased by 5%. After 150 souls are taken Movement speed is increased by 5%. All souls collected vanish at midnight.] Bob saw the potential in this weapon when he first read its description. It would constantly be upgraded the more he killed. The only downside was that it would return to normal at midnight. Bob quickly brought [Black Death] and a sword in a black sheath entered his hands. It wasn''t a broadsword, but more of a katana. Bob unsheathed it and saw the black blade, it was so mesmerizing that it drew him in. "Bob! Where are you?" The old man whose been taking care of him for the past 10 years called out. Bob was very grateful to the old man. "In here!" Bob yelled out and opened his room door. The old man wobbled towards Bob and saw the sword in his hands. He didn''t ask any questions though. "You''ve been here for the last past 10 years, what do you plan on doing? I''m not getting any younger here, eventually this old body of mines will give out. You must have some sort of ambition." Honestly, Bob was stupped. When he first arrived here, he was excited, and sad at the same time. He was a NEET in his past life, but after living here for 10 years his personality started to shift. Looking at himself now, he couldn''t believe that he was that sort of person in his prior life. In this world there was many possibilities, but what did he want? Become a pirate? While it seemed thrilling starting his own crew, Bob knew he did not have what it took. As for a marine, there was no way Bob would try to become one. Eventually he''d start to make money buy items and become powerful. Naturally his rank would go up as well, he''d be transferred from post to post and have to capture all sorts of pirates. That seemed tiring, and not a life for him. As for a pirate hunter, Bob was considering it. It allowed him to be free, and work on his own time as well as relax from time to time. The other option was for him to join the revolutionary army, but there was no way for him to get in contact with them. He''d have to travel to loguetown, where Luffy would eventually encounter his father for a brief moment. Even if he did go there and meet Dragon, there was no telling if he would accept Bob into the army. Besides that, Bob could also just live a normal life here in the world. "I think, i''ll just travel around for now. See the world for what it''s worth, maybe find some place to settle down." The old man smiled, he had a feeling that Bob would not stay in this small village for much longer. "When I make some more money, i''ll be sure to repay you for your hospitality!" "No need, but if you meet that son of mines tell him to visit me soon." "OK!" "Good! I had a feeling you''d want to travel out into the world eventually, so I had the craftsman make you a small boat. Should be good enough to take you to the next village or town. In the storehouse you can take as much food and water as you want, be sure it''ll last." Bob was brought to tears. This old man was really the best. Bob gave him a big hug and said his goodbyes. Down by the shore, Bob saw Luffy staring out at the sea. "Luffy what are you doing?" "Hmm? Oh, hi Bob! Just thinking how i''m the third one to leave. First Sabo, then Ace. Now its finally my turn. Hahaha, I can''t wait!" "I can see just by that look on your face. Well, have a safe trip." "Wait!" "Hmm?" "Why don''t you join me and become a member of my crew. I''m the man thats going to be King of the Pirates!" Hearing those words Bob laughed. Luffy had a big dream, one that would carry him far. Bob could care less for gol d rogers treasure. All the members of Luffy''s crew had some sort of ambition they were carrying, if Bob joined he''d have nothing. "I don''t think i''m cut out for the pirate life Luffy. I''m just going to travel." "Aww. But your strong! Almost as strong as me, together we can meet other strong people. Also, think of all the different food out there! Just thinking about it makes my stomach growl." Bob laughed once more. "How about this Luffy. If we cross paths on the sea later on and I''m not in a crew, or decide to become a pirate i''ll join yours. What do you say?" "Promise?" "Yeah of course!" "Yoohoo!" Luffy jumped up and down. Bob spent a few more minutes with Luffy before seeing him off. Bob waited a few minutes before Luffy was out of his view before he went to his own boat. He push it in the water and put everything he needed on it. [Host has now become of age. Unlocking full potential!] [Host has initiated the storyline quest!] [Host must choose a faction!] Chapter Four - Full Potential Name: Bob Level: 30/30 Character Grade: S Damage: AD: 50 + 50 AP: 5 Gear: Black Death Champion: Kayle Passive: Sword Mastery S - Increase sword dmg by 25% Increase sword speed by 25% Ascendance S - Increase Attack speed by 5% every time you attack (Stackable 5) Active: Radiant Illusion - Summon an illusion of yourself that slays your enemy reducing their resistances. Grand Blessing - Heal yourself or an ally while also granting a burst of movement speed. Spellblade - Imbue your blade with holy light, increasing the damage done by 10%. Melee attacks become ranged. Judgement - Become Immune to all damage and status for 3 second. Ultimate: None Bob looked over his stats and grinned. When he first thought about his potential being unlocked, he assumed he gain some sort of stat points for free. Never did he imagine he''d become a maxed out character.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The only thing lacking was his damage. That could be improved overtime as long as he made money and created more items. The first thing Bob did was try out his skills. He had to know how they looked, the activation time. Reading the description and seeing the skill were two different things. First thing Bob did was say the name of the skill, and it worked. "Radiant Illusion!" A white portal appeared and from it emerged an energy clone of Bob. The clone was even wielding Black Death. However, one thing was lacking in this picture and that was an enemy. The illusion of Bob just stood there for 1 second before it vanished. Activation is instant, but there is a small delay from when the illusion jumps out of the portal. "Guess i''ll need to test thing in battle to get a gauge for how to use it well. Need to see if the Illusion does any damage as well." From what Bob read on the description this skill had a 20 second cooldown. "Grand Blessing!" A burst of white energy circled around Bob causing his adrenaline to come forth. His skin felt tingly as well. Not only that, his body felt light as a feather. The 5% movement speed he had from Black Death was barely noticeable, but if he continued to stack more movement speed damage items, he was sure the difference could be seen. With Grand Blessing Bob was able to take 3 steps in the time it took him to take 1. "Not bad! Not bad at all." As for the healing effect of this skill, Bob had to wait to find out. How much could it heal, could it also restore limbs? The cooldown on this skill was 30 seconds. Next Bob drew Black Death and used Spellblade. It was an active passive skill that lasted for 5 seconds. A white fire covered his blade. Bob wanted to touch it but then he opted against it. He swung his black downward and and a bolt of white fire shot out from his blade. It hit the ground but there was no damage. "Hmm, it''s similar to Kayle''s style. It''s like pre-rework Kayle and reworked Kayle got mashed together. Only thing is Judgement, will it be like pre-rework where she was able to attack or rework where she was not? Hopefully the former, that was the best." Spellblade had a cooldown of 20 seconds as well. Bob was at the shore of ten minutes testing out different ways to use and activate his skills. All his skills could be used while he moved, and when he was attacking. As long as he called out the skill, he''d be able to use it. "Yosh! Alright now what was this about factions?" Chapter Five - Faction [United - There is strength in unity, as long as we stand strong, we can overcome any obstacle. The Revolutionary Army can use someone of your talent.] [Faceless - Never fear going up against the normal, you create your own path. Pirate Hunter welcomes you.] [Warband - Strength is the way of life and you are one of the strong, it is time for others to witness your strength. Become a Pirate to you show off your skills.] [Council - There is no need to rush things, as long as everything is planned out it''ll go according to plan. The Marines can use someone of your caliber.] Bob looked over the four factions and continued to read what they were about. What best described him as a person. Granted he knew nothing about what choosing a faction would mean for him, but since it had Marines, Pirate, Pirate Hunter, and Revolutionary Army at the end of each, it must mean he''d be able to join one of those. Given another choice, Bob would rather not choose any. "Eh, skip it." Bob chose the Faceless Faction. Why? He gets to create his own path and be unlike any other. Also, no one ever dived deep into Pirate Hunting in the world of One Piece. Everyone was also one of the Big three, a Marine, a Pirate, or a Revolutionary. Bob felt a burning sensation on his right shoulder. He almost screamed out in pain but held it in. His fortitude has grown over the years, mostly from getting beat up by Luffy.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. When the sensation ended Bob looked at his shoulder and saw a tattoo was now there. It looked like a swirl with 3 circles and a question mark in the middle. Bob shrugged. [Gained special skill Faceless.] [Faceless - Able to alter your appearance.] Bob began to blink while he read the description. He rubbed his eyes just to make sure he wasn''t dreaming. This was a cheat skill. Like a Super cheat. If he wanted, he could walk around as anyone, but for now he put the skill to the side. [Dare to do the unexpected, be one or many. The possibilities are endless. As a member of the Faceless faction your ultimate goal is to prove to the world you can be the most famous person without going by the current Meta. For now, you shall bide your time and strike when the moment is hot. You''re right where you want to be.] "Hmm¡­ is this secretly telling me to stay in the village? I''m right where I want to be could mean many things." Bob was confused, he wanted to get an answer but it never came to him. He stopped thinking about it for a moment and switched his attention to his main storyline quest. [Quest - Glorious Return] [Return back to Dressrosa and find the reason for the your parents death. Who was the one that killed them?] Bob shook his head as he closed the window. Dressrosa? That was so far from where he was currently! How the heck would he go there? He''d need to enter the New World, and to do that he needed a crew to man the ship. At least the quest did not give him a timelimit. He could finish it whenever he wanted. Bob turned around and looked back at the village once more. He did not know when he would return, but when he did he hoped he''d found what he was looking for on his travels. What was that? Even he did not know. Everyone seemed to have something but Bob had nothing. He wanted to find that something, that spark that everyone else had. Bob fixed his clothing, it was a weird habit he obtained. As he got in his boat, he started to row. Where would he go? Who would he meet? What awaited him in the world of One Piece? Chapter 6 - Blacktown "Ahhhhh!" Bob screamed out as he just came to the biggest realization. In the world of One Piece events happen fast, some takes days others happen within a week. But the thing is this year is the year Ace and Whitebeard both die. Two major figures in the world. While Bob can''t be considered one of the 3 brothers, he did befriend them. Seeing Ace die would shock the world and Luffy would be sad. Sure it would help his growth as a character, but did Ace really need to die? Bob started rubbing his blue hair causing it to get all messy. He did not intend to mess with Luffy so he wouldn''t conflict with the story. He really wanted to see how things turned out. There was not anything he could do right now. Time wasn''t on his side and he did not know how strong he could become to change anything. "If I can, i''d rather save them both. But, we''ll see how things turn out." Bob set his first goal in the world. He''d let things progress normally until the Marineford arc starts. Maybe he could become like Shanks and stop the war. How cool would he be if that happened! Bob took a deep breath to calm himself down. One thing at a time, slow and steady wins the race. For now, he continued to row his little boat. He didn''t have a sense of direction here out on the sea, but he had faith that he would make land eventually. Low and behold, after being at sea for four days Bob found an island come into view. It had a large pirate ship docked. The ship was smaller than the one Shanks had, but still it was bigger than Luffy''s first ship. As Bob approached the island he could feel the depressing air, he almost wanted to turn around and find another island to go to. "What island is this? I know that Luffy didn''t travel to them all, but still how could he miss this place?" Bob''s small boat came to shore, but a fisherman spotted him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "A visitor? Leave and never look back. Trust me, this place is not where you want to be." "Why?" Bob asked a simple question. "This is Blacktown, things used to be good a few years ago before bandits came. They said we had to give them fees if we wanted to keep our businesses open. Some refused, and the same night we never saw those people again. Two years ago a pirate ship landed here to resupply, they fought with the bandits. We thought we had hope, but who knew they''d be worse than the bandits! They demanded we pay them for protection against the bandits, if not they''d beat us senseless. Now this island is divided into two factions. One half is ruled by pirates, the other is ruled by the bandits. It''s the worst place to be." Bob listened to the man closely. This place sounded like it was in chaos, and Bob was relatively peaceful. He''s never killed a man before. He even had a small doubt about his own fighting skill. However, he knew if he turned away right now he''d never amount to anything in the future. If Luffy was here, he''d save this town and gain a crew member. Shanks? Probably just save the town. Both of them were pirates, but if he was going to choose the way of a Pirate Hunter he needed to have more resolve and become ruthless. "What about the Marines? Shouldn''t the have a base nearby or something?" The man laughed as he listened to Bob. The Marines? Yeah, right. "What about them? The base commander here gets 20% of whatever fee the bandits or pirates take from us. They don''t really care too much, they are corrupt! Trust me pal, you need to leave and never return before you''re stuck here just like the rest of us." Bob shook his head. "Sorry, I need to resupply. Once I have everything I need, i''ll leave." "I would ask for you to take me with you, but I have a wife and kid. I can''t leave them behind and that boat of yours seems to hold only two." Bob felt bad for the man. Some of the pirates in the One Piece world were given a bad name because of the pirates that had no ambition. They just bullied the weak and dodged the stronger. Bob got out of his boat and pushed it onshore. "Ah, what''s your name man?" "Dave. You?" "Bob." "That''s¡­ very plain. Why''d your parents name you that?" Bob laughed inwardly, he actually named himself if he was being honest. However, how could he explain that to this guy? "No clue, but its my name. How about you show me around town, i''ll need to go to places quickly if I want to leave just as quick." "Sure that''s no problem." Bob had other plans besides just coming up to resupply, he wanted to learn more about these two factions. Who the leaders were and maybe get in contact with a real Marine. Dave talked about how it would be nice to leave this island or at least live in peace. He also talked a lot about his family. Bob listened to the man talk. He also asked a few questions here and there, but he mostly listened. Bob felt his stomach growl and stopped walking. "Anyways like I was saying¡­" Dave stopped talking when he noticed Bob wasn''t by his side. He turned around and saw Bob standing still. "Dave, you hungry?" "A bit, why?" "How about we get something to eat first before we get those supplies. I can''t carry everything I need on an empty stomach." "Alright, I know just the spot." Dave took Bob to a place called ''MarryGold''. It was basically a tavern that''s been around since Gol D Roger first became a pirate. It''s a family owned business. Chapter 7 - Im no ordinary traveler The tavern was filled with men drinking different kinds of alcohol, each one cheery and talking about their day. The atmosphere in here was very different than it was outside, one would feel like they were in a totally different place. "Hey Dave!" One man held his cup up high as he called out to Dave. He waved for Dave to come over and greet him. "Give me a moment will you?" "Sure, go ahead." Bob did not mind Dave leaving him, he didn''t need anyone to help him get food. He went up to the counter where a pretty waiter was. She had short golden colored hair and a bandana wrapped around her arm. "Get me a plate of your finest steak. Also some beer if you would." "Coming right up." Bob ordered his foot right away as he sat down on the stool. The first thing she did was pour him some beer, after which she started cooking his steak right in front of him. He had to say, it was much larger than the steaks in his world. "Haven''t seen you around before, a traveler?" The woman asked him. "Yeah, just stopping here to resupply then i''ll be on my way." Bob replied to her swiftly, he didn''t mind small talk. "Good, best to be on your way out of her as quickly as possible." "Hmm, you too? Dave told me the same thing, surely things can''t be that bad here can they?" "Oh they are trust me, this here is the only place people come to relax. As long as we pay on time they don''t bother us much." "I see, speaking of that¡­ Dave said this island was split into two factions. Which side is this tavern part of?" The woman looked up at Bob before she spoke. "It''s on the pirate''s side. Granted we have to pay more than we did before, but they are the ones who constantly come here. It doesn''t really matter which side I go to, both parties would bring in profit. All the money they collect, i''d say twenty percent of it comes right through here." "That much aye? Guess being the owner of a tavern comes with its perks. You pay them, they give you more back in return. Ha, or something like that." "Yeah, what about you. Are you just a traveler or a pirate? But if you were a pirate, you''d have a crew." Bob fanned his hand. "Nah, not a pirate. Do I really look like the pirate type? Also, don''t even dare to bring up being a marine. That''s not something I want to do." "Then what are you? Surely not a lonely traveler." Bob laughed a little. "Alright, you got me. I''m no ordinary traveler, i''m actually aiming to become a bounty hunter." "Is that why you''re carrying that sword of yours? Honestly, just front the way you carried yourself I was sure you were a pirate." "No ma''am. I enjoy my freedom and being chased by marines isn''t a good way to keep it." "That''s true. Here, your steaks done." "Many thanks!" Bob started to dig into his steak.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He couldn''t remember the last time he had a steak. It was big, thick and juicy. Truly mouth watering. As soon as Bob took the first bite, he felt as if he ascended to heaven thats how good it was. Bang! The taverns door burst open and the lively atmosphere was cut in half. People stopped talking and all their actions seemed to cease. The only one still moving was Bob, who seemed to not hear or understand what was going on. You could hear the sound of his fork and knife clanging against each other as he cut his steak. At the tavern door was a dark skinned man with a goatee, he was wearing a thin vest and at his side was a blade. There were six other men with him as well, each one looking tougher than the last. The spotlight was shined on them and no one dared to take it away. Except Bob, who continued to make noise causing everyone to look in his direction. "Whose this guy? He dares to continue eating?" One of the men uttered in disgust. "Hey you. Don''t you know how to show any respect?" Bob either did not hear them or ignored them completely as he continued to eat. The woman in front of him tapped the counter, and Bob looked up. "Yes?" He asked. "Those fellows are talking to you." "Kk, hold on almost done." Bob replied as he was just about finished with his steak. This was the fastest he ever ate, it was almost gone and he just started. Right as Bob was about to stab his fork into the steak, someone swiped his plate from him causing it to hit the floor. Bob looked disappointed and stared at the steak on the ground. "My steak¡­" "It''ll be more than just your steak if you don''t listen to Jimmy here. When he calls you, you answer! Ya here me?" Bob looked at the man next to him then he looked over his shoulder and saw this so called ''Jimmy''. He figured it was the guy standing in the middle of the group. Bob grabbed his cup of beer and turned around in his stool. After taking a sip of his beer, he asked them what they wanted. "So, what can I do for you fellows?" "Y-you!" The pirate next to Bob was about to speak up but the man named Jimmy raised his hand to stop him. "You need to put some respect on my name. I''m a pirate worth 10 million beli." The man started to brag about how great his was, normal villain type of stuff. Bob pretended to listen as he continued to drink his beer. "Are you even listening to me?" "No¡­ not really." That was the last draw, the man drew his blade and pointed it at Bob. "That''s it, we''re making an example of you today! Get''em boys!" With one command the people who followed him started to move. "This is good! I need to test my skills, you''ll be the first." Bob said as he drew his sword. His movements were much more elegant than his foe. It had a certain grace behind it. Bob swung his sword. Before the pirate next to him could react his left arm was cut off. "Oops, too much strength. I''ll be more careful with the others." Bob was honestly surprised by his own strength, he only had 100 AD. He did not know how that converted to strength in the One Piece world, but it shouldn''t be that high. However, he was proved wrong as he just cut off a persons arm with ease. This guy could be considered cannon fodder, but still this was a bit too easy. Guess it was the perk of being a maxed out character. "Wha!" The man started to scream as blood gushed out. "What happened! What did you do to him?" Bob pointed to the man who all but fainted on the ground. "I cut him, used a bit too much strength than needed but like I said i''ll be more careful from now on." The man looked at his crewmate. "Did you see what happened?" "No¡­ I just saw him draw his sword. But cutting¡­ thats a bit fast isn''t it?" "Don''t just stand there, get him!" Jimmy roared out in rage. The two men looked at each other and shook their head. "You just saw what happened, and your telling us to jump in head first? Hell no, you go first!" "Skip this! Let''s just go tell the captain, Jimmy you can handle this right?" Bob was surprised, he imagined that Jimmy was the captain of these guys. Turns out, he wasn''t. "Wait¡­ if he''s not the captain then who is?" Bob asked. "You don''t know?" "No." "Then you better run before we return or else Greybeards going to turn you to toast." "Greybread? Never heard of him." "He has a bounty of 50 million beli, and a devil fruit. You best run, this is your last chance." The two men left, leaving just 4 left. "We can take him. Do you guys really want to captain to come here personally? You know his temper, if he comes here to deal with this none of us are leaving alive." Jimmy urged the rest of them to move. His words seemed to work as the other 3 guys drew their weapons. ''If a normal cut is too strong for these guys, then guess my skills would turn them into ash. Better save it for someone stronger.'' Bob thought to himself. He didn''t give them much time to move as he used Grand Blessing on himself for that burst of movement speed. He appeared in front of them in an instant and slashed out with his sword. The fight was pretty anticlimactic. These guys were too weak for Bob. He used the backside of his blade so their limbs were still in tatc. The only thing they felt was immense pain. Dave came over to Bob slowly and his mouth kept opening and closing. "Y-you¡­ you said you were just a traveler! No normal traveler is able to do what you''ve done!" "Oh shucks, please continue to praise me!" "No no no! You should run, those guys were just the runt of Greybeards crew. He has over a hundred men under his command. I don''t doubt your skill, but no one can take on a hundred people by themselves! You should leave before they come back!" Bob patted Dave on the shoulder. "Dave, you''re a good man." Chapter 8 - Payday Dave was not sure what Bob meant by that but it felt sincere. "Thanks!" Bob looked down at the four men passed out on the floor. Jimmy bragged about being a wanted man for 10 million beli, Bob could use that. Any sort of money would help him out towards his goal of finishing his ultimate build. However, he heard that the base commander on this island was corrupt. Meaning he''d need to replace the base commander here, or go somewhere else to turn Jimmy in. Bob put that to the side for now, he wasn''t sure of his own strength but there was only one way to see what his limit was. He needed to fight strong people or large groups of people. With Greybread coming to find him eventually, Bob could see if he can handle a man worth 50 million beli. Granted, it wasn''t much if you compared him to Luffy considering Luffy had 30 million for him first. His first year his bounty just continued to shoot up constantly, going as far as 300 million within his first year at sea. If Bob had any sort of thoughts about saving Ace in the future, he''d need to be able to handle pirates with higher bounties than Luffy as well as strength. Greybread was just a stepping stone to a much higher realm. That''s only if he would survive. "No need for thanks. I imagined my first time out at sea I would meet someone cool, maybe learn something or bide my time wisely. Seems fate has something else in store for me though." "While fate may have something in store for you, are you sure you do not want to run away?" Bob smiled but said no words. Instead he turned around and went back to his stool. "Sorry about the commotion, everything should be settled here shortly. I''ll pay you for any damages once I turn in their bounties." The woman sucked in the air, she was beyond shocked. Going by his words, wouldn''t that mean he was planning on taking care of Greybread? Greybread was notorious, she never imagined that someone one could for his head. Even the marines here did nothing to him. "Don''t worry about it. If you do happen to get their bounties, and save us from their control you can eat here free for as long as you like." Bob''s eyes grew wide. Free food? Who''d turn that down? No one! "Alright you said it not me. You can''t take your words back now." Bob sat there and waited patiently for Greybread to come. Twenty minutes later he could hear many footsteps approaching. Clearly it was more than one or two people, more like an army.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. A few seconds later, a lean man entered the tavern. His upper body was bare showcasing his muscles. "Whose the one that disrespected the Greybeard Pirates?" Bob raised his hand. "That''d be me." The man was startled, he figured everyone would keep their mouths shut. That''s what he''d do in this situation. "We don''t want to do anymore damage to the tavern, we''ll be coming here again later for drinks. Wouldn''t be good if we felt the cold wind over our shoulders. How about you come out here and face our boss." Bob hopped down from his stool. "I have no problems with that, but first let me ask you. How much is your entire crew worth?" "Ah! It''s too late to be getting scared now, you should have run away before we arrived. If you must know, our crews total bounty is 100 million beli!" "It won''t be a bad payday today then." Bob said as he walked towards the entrance of the tavern. He could see Dave sweating, but he did not have any idea as to why. Dave did nothing wrong so he shouldn''t worry about any retaliation. Maybe he still assumed Bob would lose. If he was in any real danger, he''d just activate Judgement and become immune to all damage while he ran for his life. That was also a real why Bob wasn''t afraid to face this many enemies. Being immune to all sorts of damage was a godlike skill. As soon as Bob stepped outside he saw the looks of a hundred men. All looking down on him. He could feel the bloodlust they were emitting. In the center was a man who looked elderly, he had a long grey beard. It reached his chest and was tied into a braid. Just from this feature alone Bob knew this man had to be grey beard. "So you''re the one who caused my men trouble huh? I''m not going to have you beg and ask for forgiveness, instead i''ll just kill you." Bob laughed. "Good, good." Greybeard raised his arm and it turned into a ravens claw. He then pushed off the ground and darted straight for Bob. As soon as he moved, all his crew members moved as well. This was not going to be a 1 vs 1 fight. Instead, it was Bob against their entire crew. Bob drew Black Death and grinned. He activated Spellblade causing a white flame to cover the blade, then he used Grand Blessing for a temporary speed boost. His figured almost seemed to disappear causing the pirates to be confused. "Where is he?" "He was just here!" "Over here fools!" Bob yelled out from a distance of 20 feet. He started swinging Black Death left and right, in a fluid motion. White crescent arcs of fire flew out from his blade, each one aimed at the group of pirates. With each of his swings, Bob felt his movements become faster and faster. The crescent arcs landed and caused a small explosion each time they touched one of the pirates. For Bob it was five seconds of pure enjoyment as he tormented these pirates. For them, it was hell on earth. The hundred pirates quickly turned into thirty something. Scorch marks were on the bodies of the pirates on the ground. Bob couldn''t see their chest moving so he assumed they were dead. ''This¡­ is a bit more powerful than I first imagined.'' Greybeard was furious, seventy percent of his crew was taken out in a matter of seconds. This was a serious matter! This man in front of him was a big shot, so why was he here on this small island? Before he finished his thoughts, a white portal emerged from his left side and an energy clone appeared from it. The clone did a quick slash with its sword as it cut through Greybeards body. Greybeard thought he would die right there, but he was wrong. Nothing happened to him, the blade just passed right through his body. Just when he thought he was safe, Bob was in front of him. He was already in the motion of slashing at Greybeard. Greybeard turned his hand into a Ravenclaw to try and stop it, but the blade went through his hand like butter. Bob did not just stop at his hand, the blade sliced through his upper body with ease as well. Even Bob was shocked. There was no feeling of bones being cut through, it just felt like one smooth motion. ''Is this the effect of having their resistances reduced? Sucks it doesn''t do damage, but this isn''t bad. Too bad I can''t find out the amount reduced." The rest of the pirates saw their captain be cut in half. They dropped their weapons turned tail and ran away as fast as they could. None of them were stupid to continue to fight against Bob. Just call me Bob The people inside the tavern were stunned, something amazing just happened right in front of their eyes. They didn''t want to believe it, but the proof was right there! One man took on over a hundred people by himself. This was something they''d be able to tell for generations to come. Dave walked out from the tavern slowly, his eyes were wide open. "Bob¡­ what are you?" He asked with utmost interest. Bob looked at him and smiled. "Just a pirate hunter." Dave shook his head. "I''ve seen many pirate hunters before in my youth but none of them could hold a candle to you." Bob rubbed his head. "Really? Thanks, man! You''re praises make me feel so powerful, please continue!" "But what are you going to do now? I don''t think the base commander here will allow you to collect their bounties. You''ve basically ruined part of his income. Not only that, once the bandits hear that Greybeard is no more they''ll be looking to take over this side of the island again." Bob could understand what Dave was saying. He couldn''t turn in the bounties here unless the base commander turned over a new leaf or was replaced. Although he didn''t come straight out and ask for help dealing with the bandits, Bob knew thats something Dave also wanted. Bob didn''t mind, he was just traveling the world. Seeing the way these two groups bullied these helpless people it angered Bob in the inside. Reminded him of the time when he first came to this world. He was getting beat up by those kids. Bob clenched his fist just thinking about it. Revenge would be nice, but he doubted he''d ever see those kids again. Heck, its been 10 years since then he wouldn''t even recognize them. "I have a few ideas in my head. I might take a stroll over to the other side of the island, or pay the base commander a visit first. See what his part is in all of this. At the end of the day, i''ll need to contact some real marines so they''ll know what''s going on."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Bob looked at Black Death, he wondered how many souls he collected. [Black Death] [+50 Attack Damage] [+30% Attack Speed] [+5% Movement Speed] [Unique Passive - Soul Taker: After killing your foe absorb their soul for increased stats.] [Souls Taken: 0] Bob was confused, he didn''t know how many people died by his blade but he was sure they were dead. So why weren''t their souls taken? Bob tapped on the sword. He pointed it at their corpses. Still, nothing happened. "Absorb?" Bob sounded like he was asking if that was the right answer when he said it, and his voice was low. That seemed to be the right answer as small blue specks of light emerged from the corpses and flew into the sword. When Bob looked at the stats again, he could see the extra stats and souls absorbed. [Black Death] [+60 Attack Damage] [+30% Attack Speed] [+5% Movement Speed] [Unique Passive - Soul Taker: After killing your foe absorb their soul for increased stats.] [Souls Taken: 76] Bob just thought about an amazing build, what if he brought all items in the store that revolved around death and corpses? He''d be like a necromancer or grim reaper. That''d be cool. He made a self note to himself to try it out later on if he ever had time or enough points. "Bob¡­ what were those lights that flew into your sword?" Dave asked Bob cautiously. He was a little scared that Bob''s sword ate those dead men''s souls, he prayed that he was wrong. "Souls of the fallen." Bob replied nonchalantly. Dave started sweating, he hoped he was wrong but turns out he was right. "I see¡­ I see¡­" Dave said but his words sounded as if he was nervous. He didn''t want to think about what happened to those souls once they were absorbed. All must know that you either go to heaven or hell when you die, but if you have no soul¡­. Where do you go? Bob recalled something. "Oh right. That ship that was docked, was that the pirates ship?" Dave nodded his head. "Yeah, I believe so. It''s been there for so long, that I no longer pay attention to it. If you didn''t mention it I wouldn''t have even remembered that ship." "Anything wrong with it?" Dave shrugged his shoulders. "You''re asking the wrong person. It hasn''t moved in like 2 years, so it might still sail. Why are you asking anyways? Don''t you have a boat?" Bob nodded. "I do, but that can only get me so far. It''d be crushed in a storm, i''ll need something much larger if I ever want to travel to places further away." "That and you''d need some men to operate it." Bob agreed. Even if he did take over that ship, he''d still need to hire men to man it. Maybe it was better for him to keep his own little boat for now. "But if you''re looking for men to operate it for you, I know some! They used to have a large ship a long time ago, but it was destroyed by the bandits one day. That was back when they did not want any of us to leave the island." "Sounds terrible, where are these men now?" Dave pointed behind him. "Those guys?" "No, no. On the other side of the island. Thats where they live." "Guess that gives me another reason to go to that side then. I''ll need your help to find them though, so come with me." "Sure, sure. You''re giving me quite a show, and making this place better already. I don''t mind following you around." Bob laughed a little. "Just don''t go around calling me boss." Dave looked shocked. "People do that?" "Some, it''s pretty¡­. Idk I just found it lame or stupid. Just call me Bob." Chapter 10 - Liberation Bob, Dave and some other man walked over to the other side of the island. Bob learned the other man''s name, it was John. John had a scar under his left eye. He had other battle scars on his body. As the three of them walked over to the other side of the island, he started telling stories of his past glory days. Although he was not a pirate he used to be a marine. Just a lowly cadet, but due to his temper and recklessness he was kicked out of the marines. He said he would have helped Bob fight against the Greybeard pirates, but he didn''t have his weapon with him. To repay Bob for freeing them, he decided to travel along with him to defeat the bandits. Bob just listened to him talk. It wasn''t until John showed off his arm that Bob drifted off into wonderland. Tattoos and piercings looked cool in the One Piece world. Take Trafalgar D. Water Law for instance, he had a lot of tattoos and they looked amazing. Bob just had that tattoo on his shoulder, but he could use more. As John kept talking about different things, Bob kept imagining himself with different tattoos all over his body. If Bob ever became a pirate, one person he''d try to recruit was Law. He''s such an amazing character, and his devil fruit was powerful. After walking for who knew how long, the three of them finally arrived to the other side of the island. Bob took in the view and he had to saw things were much different here. They seemed to be a bit more advanced. No one seemed exactly depressed from what Bob could tell. He started to wonder if these so called bandits were even bandits. "I thought you said this side is ruled by the bandits. Why is everyone so cheerful?" Bob asked as he looked at Dave. Dave could not answer Bob, he didn''t have an answer. The last time he was over on this side it really was ruled by Bandits, and the people who lived here wasn''t much better off than the pirate side. He really started wondering what was going on. "I honestly have no clue. Let me ask."A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Dave said as he walked up to on of the townsfolk. "Hey, what happened to the Bandit lord Olf?" The townsman looked at Dave. "You didn''t hear? He''s been slain. Where have you been living, under a rock? He''s been dead for a year now." "What!? Who killed him?" "Not sure if you know, but Jessi had a kid, he was born a mute. Who knew after the bandits killed his mother, he''d go and get revenge. That kid shot Olf dead." "Shot em dead you say? Hows that even possible, Olf has bandits guarding him day and night." The townsman grinned as he looked at Dave. "Let me tell you something cool. The kid ate a devil fruit, lets him blend in with his surroundings. He''s like a total ghost, if he doesn''t want to be found, you won''t find him. He used his powers to sneak up on Olf and shot him right in the head. Since then, he''s been taking down the other bandits one by one. Eventually causing them to flee into the mountains." "Dang! Why didn''t the kid go to the other side and take out Greybeard?" The townsman shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows why. Maybe because Greybeard didn''t kill his mother. Can''t really ask him due to him being a mute." "Well there''s no need for that anymore. Greybeard''s dead now." This time it was the townsman turn to be shocked. He knew how strong Greybeard was, and he had devil fruit powers. "Who the hell killed him?" Dave pointed to Bob. "He did. With ease too! Never seen someone as strong as him before." The townsman looked Bob up and down. Bob didn''t seem too special, just looked like a lowly pirate. "I see, he has a devil fruit too?" Dave looked at Bob. "You have devil fruit powers?" "No¡­" Dave looked back at the townsman. "There''s your answer then." "Seems that the island is liberated from their torment then. You have your Bob and we have our mute. Don''t think anyone will be trying to take over now." Dave laughed. "Yeah, that''s for sure." As the townsman and Dave talked to each other, Bob looked at John. "You know who this Jessi and mute are?" John nodded. "Jessi was a farmer, she was very beautiful though. Her husband died ten years ago and she''s been living alone with her son. I can''t remember his name, but all I do remember is he''s a mute. He never spoke no matter what, he couldn''t. But given his nature I assumed the kid would never harm a fly." "Having someone close to you die changes a person. How old is he?" John tapped his finger on his chin as he thought about it. "I''d say around 16 or 17 now." "Not bad. I''d like to meet this kid." "What for?" "No specific reason. I just want to see something." Bob couldn''t say he wanted to see if he was one of the pirates that would appear in the future. But then again, a person like that never appeared in the world of One Piece. "Hey, do you mind me asking if I can meet the kid?" Bob asked the townsman. "I don''t really care, but just be careful what you say. We''re thankful to him, but its hard to communicate with him. We fear if we say something wrong, he''ll kill us in our sleep." "I think i''ll be fine. Where is he?" "He should be at home. He barely leaves his house." "Thanks!" Bob said as he started walking away. It wasn''t until he took five steps that he realizes a fatal error in his plan. He turned back around and asked another question. "Where does he stay exactly?" "Brown house on top of the hill. You can''t miss it, there are beautiful flowers planted in front of the house." "Alright!" "Wait for me Bob." Dave said as he excused himself from conversing with the townsman. Chapter 11 - Something Different The brown house on the hill wasn''t hard to find at all. Mostly due to the fact that the flowers in front of it were really beautiful. Bob only knew one of the flowers planted, and that was the rose. Except this rose was different, each one of its petals was a different color. "So pretty." "Yes, truly a work of art." Both John and Dave praised the flowers. Bob took in the view for a moment, it deserved some apricatation. He wondered if the kid planted these. If so, he had to give the kid credit. After a few seconds, Bob walked up to the front door. The house itself was plain, larger than most others but still nothing too special. He knocked on the door a few times and waited for the kid to answer. He wasn''t expecting him to say hello, who''s there? But instead, opening the door to see who it was. The kid must have been asleep because when he opened the door his black hair was messy. He was yawning as he scratched his stomach. Bob looked the kid over, there was nothing about this guy that shouted devil fruit user or killer. "Hey there. You understand me right?" The kid looked at Bob then glanced at Dave and John before nodding his head. "Good good. You have a pen and paper?" The kid shook his head. To which Bob nodded. "Alright that''s fine." Bob looked around the yard and found a stick. It was short and thin but it would do the trick. Bob passed it to the young man and pointed at the dirt. "We can communicate if you write in the dirt, I can read what you say." Dave and John nodded their head. That was indeed a way he could talk to the kid. They started thinking if the other people on this side of the island did the same thing. The kid took the stick from Bob and wrote on the ground, ''What do you want?''. "I''m just curious as a cat is all. I''m Bob, what''s your name?" ''Ron.'' "Lucky, wish I was named Ron. All the guys I know named Ron always get the woman of their dreams. Anyways, what happened here on this side of the island? Heard you killed the bandits, that''s true?" ''Yes. They are all gone.'' "How''d you do it? And with what?" Ron didn''t reply this time, but his body seemed to vanish. Bob stuck out his hand and touched where Ron was standing, he was still there. Just that no one could see him due to his ability. ''This could actually come in handy. Sneaking up behind people, killing them. This kid would make the perfect assassin. Only thing is it probably won''t work on people with observation haki.'' Just thinking about that caused Bob to set aside some time in the coming months to train his own haki. He had to see if he was capable of it. He can care less for observation haki of conquerors haki, he just wanted armament haki. At least then he''d be able to cover his sword in it and have no trouble against logia devil fruit users.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "You ability isn''t bad, you ever think about putting it to use?" Ron turned off his ability and shook his head. "Pity, I thought you wanted to get justice for those who can''t get it for themselves." "What are you talking about Bob?" Dave asked curiously. "I''m talking about how he killed the bandits for his mother. She couldn''t get revenge herself, so he did it for her. It eased his pain but also all those on this side of the village. I have faith he''d be able to make great use of it." "Yeah he could if he became a marine. However, I don''t think he''d want to do that." John added in. "Actually, since i''ve been listening to you guys and the inhabitants of this island i''ve come to a realization. There are many mistreated people and others who think they can do whatever they want. I think I found my own spark, a reason to journey and travel besides just being a pirate hunter. I want to help those who can''t help themselves!" Bob said with resolution in his eyes. "You''d just get in all types of trouble. I''d be never ending, that''s a bit hard to pull off. Also, you''re by yourself, how would you even manage that?" Dave asked. Bob laughed. "Yeah I know, that''s why I plan on creating an organization. It''ll start out small, but i''m hoping it will grow over time. If I wanted to just help people and overthrow the world government i''d go join the revolutionary army. But, I want to try things my way, kill off those hardened criminals that torment and kill others for fun or no reason at all. I have a few ideas in my head, but I didn''t think I would find someone like Ron. His ability to blend in with the surroundings, he''d make a perfect assassin or spy. He''d get to pick which one he''d want to do, and i''d pay him for his services." Bob looked at Ron. "What do you say, want to cleanse the world with me?" Ron looked at the dirt for a moment before he started writing. "How much?" Bob scratched his cheek. "We''ll come back to that. Thing is, starting out small pay wouldn''t be a lot, but once things ramp up and we have branches all across the world we''ll be bringing in the big bucks." "Excuse me, but how exactly are you planning on getting paid?" John asked the question this time. If Bob was setting up an organization to help people, wouldn''t it be free of charge? "What i''m aiming for is to help those in need, as long as the situation is dire enough like it was here on this island. However, someone might ask us to travel a far distance to save a relative from being a slave or find a son at sea. That takes time, and time is money. I plan to charge for those type of services, but that won''t be all we''d be doing. We''d have an intelligence network that spans from island to island, and we can sell the information to people looking for something. Other than that, we''d also have a section that are like pirate hunters. You want a person dead, ask no questions, just give us the money and they''ll be dead. Naturally those type of orders would go through the superiors, can''t be killing off everyone now. But that''s the general idea." "Bob¡­ what you''re saying would take years to build up. You''d need to find a location to have as your main base of operations, hire employees, start connections with people in the underground, you''d also need to have a chain of command not to mention rules etc. There is a lot you''d have to understand to even build something like that!" Dave shouted out. He didn''t want to get Bob''s hopes up, but Bob was aiming high. Bob nodded his head. "Yes, I know that. There is actually an organization similar to what I described but they don''t do as much. I know a thing or two, and I have faith I can operate this organization with some reliable comrades." "Geez, and their is a competitor¡­ man they''d be aiming for our heads." "Our?" Bob was confused. "Your plan may or may not work, but sounds fun. I want in!" Dave said. "Don''t you have a family to take care of?" "I do, but if you''re paying well I can take care of them from far away. Just send them money, visit every once and awhile. I had plans of starting my own fishing company, but I can just become one of your employees¡­ maybe even a manager of one of the branches, my skills might not be the best, but finances are my thing!" Dave said proudly. "Hey, hey, hey now. You can''t think about leaving me behind. I might not have good management skills, but when it comes to hunting people down and killing them, I can easily do that." John started to voice what he was good at. Bob laughed. He never imagined that they''d want to join him in this endeavor. Ron tapped Bob with the stick and pointed at the ground. ''I''ll join you for a year to see how things are, if I don''t like it i''m leaving.'' That''s what Ron wrote on the ground. "Alright that''s a deal." At first before Bob came to this island, he thought he''d make his own little pirate hunting crew. At least get two others to join him and they''d chat, drink and hunt down pirates together. But seeing the state Dave and the others were in as well as hearing their stories he changed his mind. Maybe it was because he read what his faction was about. Going up against the norm, creating your own path. What he was trying to make now, was something new, something different. He''d become his own king. Bob wanted to see the One Piece story progress, but he didn''t care for the treasure Roger had. If he had any at all. Nor did he care too much for what the world government was hiding. Chapter 12 - Be Ruthless "Bob, I don''t mean to keep asking questions, but I have two left." Dave quickly said something before they went any further. "Shoot." "Huh?" Dave was confused, what was he supposed to shoot? He didn''t even have a gun. "Um.. it basically means go ahead." "Ah ok. So, first off where do you plan on having your main base?" "Right here. We''ll have two main bases, one here and another one in the New world." Dave and John were both confused. Ron didn''t show any reaction. "It''s the second half of the grand line. A place we''ll eventually have to go." "Oh, ok. But why here?" Dave paused for a second as he realized he just asked another question. It wasn''t even the question he wanted to ask. "I mean¡­ not that." "I don''t mind the questions. Reason being is this place is far from the grand line and their is only a minor marine base here. If it was anything major, they''d have some sort of admiral stationed here. We can stay here build our strength and expand outward." "That''s not a bad idea. I''m more worried about how we''d build an intelligence network." John was the one who spoke up this time. Bob thought about that, it would be difficult but he believed he''d be able to make one. "I''m working on that, but this is what I have so far. We''d recruit different people, regardless of gender or age, as long as they are able to pass a certain test. After they pass, i''ll train them how to follow their targets without being spotted, extract information they need, as well as learning of new information without working as hard. They''ll then be deployed to different islands or stay on the same one, and just blend into society. They''ll listen to people talk and gossip, while they follow anything that might be important. They''ll be paid on the type of information they submit." "Speaking of pay, that was my next question. How exactly is everyone going to be paid? Where would you even get the money? You have around 100 million beli waiting for you on the other side of the island, but those guys still need to be turned in for you to get paid. Money is the biggest problem right now, without it you can''t create a base or do any of your other plans."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Dave brought up the biggest issue of Bob''s idea. He lacked the funds to even get started. "I was going to lead into that point but at a later date. I plan on starting a pirate hunting group, temporarily. We''d just go hunt pirates. We can either travel to different islands, hold there and capture whatever pirate dares step foot on the land or we can roam the seas searching for them. If we had an intelligence agency set up, we could hunt them down quickly, but we don''t. For now, we''ll use the bounty from the Greybeard pirates to build our base here. I believe a 100 million is more than enough for what we need." As Bob was walking he suddenly stopped. "Ron, did the bandits have some sort of lair or hangout? I know they were extorting money from the citizens, they probably had it stashed somewhere. I''m sure the Greybeard pirates have their stash on their ship. The tavern owner on the other side said they spent most of it at the tavern, so i''m going to assume its not much left. However, there is also the base commander, I need to pay him a visit. He''s been taking a portion of whatever they collect, so he should be loaded as well." Ron nodded his head. Before he killed Olf the bandits always hung out at the same spot in the mountains. They let down their guard which is why he was able to kill them off easily. "Wait, Bob. About that bounty hunting crew you were speaking of, how about you let me join it as well. I might be older than most, but I can hold my own with a blade." John spoke up before everything got settled. "Sure, later on we''ll test out your skills. It''s a bit early, but i''ll teach you and Ron about haki. It''ll come in handy later on." "Haki?" "Yeah.. i''ll explain later. Now isn''t the time. Besides, i''m not expecting you to master it in a day. It takes time, years even." Bob himself didn''t really know too much about haki, but he was sure if he put in enough work he''d be able to activate it. He didn''t believe he himself had conquerors haki and didn''t really care. As long as he had armament he''d be fine¡­ probably. "Alright so we''ll split up here. Ron you take John to the bandit lair, see if you can find any treasure. If so just leave it there or guard it until later tonight. There are too many eyes watching in broad daylight, you never know if someone might stab you in the back. Me and Dave will go visit the base commander. Maybe even pick out a spot of land to build our base." "Alright, I have no problem with that plan. Let''s go Ron." John said as he started walking to town with Ron. As Dave and Bob were walking back to the other side of town, Dave brought up a question. "Bob, why didn''t you include me when you said you''d teach them about haki?" "Oh that? It''s because you''re not much of a fighter, or at least you don''t seem like the type. If you felt left out, i''m sorry." "Me and fighting? Yeah, no thanks. But I think if your plan succeeds i''ll need to learn how to protect myself. Got any tips or tricks? Maybe some words of advice?" Dave asked. Bob nodded. "A man once had a son, his son was born a cripple. His legs didn''t have bones in them, but he was intelligent. He kept his opponents on their toes with his ideas. Be like him, use whats in your head to your advantage, don''t let others tell you, you can''t do something. Be ruthless, show no mercy." Bob remembered a character in an age where vikings tormented England. Ivar The Boneless, he was an amazing character. Dave scratched his head. "Be ruthless¡­ I don''t know if I can." "If it ends up being you or your enemy. Always chose yourself no matter the cost. Anyone that stands in your path kill them. You don''t need to be physically strong, outwit them. If you can''t win, run away and plot for next time." Bob couldn''t even believe what he was saying. Be ruthless? He was just trying to copy Ragnar. Dave was no Ivar, but he did seem to possess some intelligence. That would carry him far. "Be ruthless¡­ be ruthless.." Dave kept on repeating those words as if he was in a trance. Chapter 13 - Do you have no shame? As Dave and Bob both arrived on the other side of the island, Bob finally asked a question. "I never asked this, but who is the base commander anyways?" "Oh, he''s Vanthof. A little bit older than me, but he''s corrupt. I doubt anyone in the base even likes him." Dave answered Bob. "We''ll let''s see what his personality is like." "Oh i''m sure he''s shaking in his boots right now. He''s more than likely heard the news of you defeating Greybeard. Probably closed off the base just in case you came to pay him a visit." "He can do that?" "He''s the base commander, he can close it off if he wants." "I see. Let''s let him wait a bit, for now we get the bodies of Greybeard and the others taken care of. Put them on the ship, the others¡­ toss them in the sea. We only need the ones who are worth some money." "AHHHHHHHH!" "What? What?" Bob was confused why Dave screamed out while grabbing his hair. "I totally forgot! I was supposed to introduce you to some people, the ones you wanted to hire to man the ship!" "Oh that, to be honest I forgot myself. But i''ll be here for a while, so there''s going to be plenty of time to meet them." "I guess that''s true." Bob and Dave arrived back in front of the tavern, except all the bodies were gone. The Blood was also cleaned up. "What happened here?" "Only one way to find out." Bob opened the tavern door and walked inside. As soon as he stepped in everyone inside hushed their mouths. Bob wasn''t sure if it was fear or admiration for him, but he didn''t mind. He walked up to the counter where the blond tavern owner was. "Here for something to eat?" She asked him. "No, but I could use a drink. One for Dave as well." "Sure no problem. You got back here pretty fast, only been gone for a little over three hours, but for a man of your strength then taking care of some bandits could be too hard." Bob smiled. "Thanks, people praising me always makes me feel rejuvenated, so please continue!" She laughed. "You''re an odd one." "I''m not sure if you mean that in a good way or a bad one." "Does it matter?" "No not really. Do you know what happened to all those bodies out in front? I was going to collect their bounties."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The woman nodded her head as she sat two cups down on the counter. One for Bob the other for Dave. "Yeah, they were scaring away my customers, so I had them removed. Don''t worry about the ones worth something, i''m no thief. Their corpses are in my basement, please make sure you collect them before you leave. Can''t have them stinking up the place." Dave looked around the tavern. "There''s a basement to this place?" The woman nodded. "Sure is, was built a long time ago. Only use it as a cellar for all the liquor though." Dave looked surprised as he raised both his eyebrows. "Mind if I take a look?" "I do actually!" The woman sounded upset causing Dave to look down. Everyone had their own personal belongings they did not want anyone else to touch. Seems like hers was her basement. "Geez, don''t look so down Dave I was only kidding. Haha, i''m not that heartless. Just be careful, the stairs are old so they might break. Be sure to watch out for the third step on your way down." "Alright, thanks Ash!" Dave said as he drowned his drink and left the counter. "Oh, you have to go to the third table by the window. You''ll see a latch on the ground, unlock it and the floor will open up." Ash said to Dave who nodded his head. "So your names Ash huh." "Yeah, there a problem with that name?" "Nope. It''s a cool name, reminds me of this kid who wanted to be the best like no one ever was." Hearing the name Ash instantly caused Bob to remember Ash Ketchum. Not everyday you meet someone named that. Ash leaned in closer to Bob her eyes were filled with curiosity. "And.. did he succeed?" "Um¡­ no. He failed, but he never gave up. There''s always someone better out there, if you forget that then you''ll become stuck in your progress." Ash frowned. "Pity, I was hoping he''d achieve his goal. Maybe I''d end up achieving my own." Bob stopped drinking his beer and looked at her. "What kind of ambition do you have?" "That''s simple, I just want to have the most popular tavern on the sea. See this tavern here has been in my family for generations, even before Gold Roger was around. You''d think something like that would make people flock here, but nope. Seems no one is interested." "Well, what do you have to offer that makes you different from the others?" Bob knew that if you wanted to win over the competition you needed to have something that would set yourself apart. "A beautiful woman running it for one. Good food, and cheap drinks." Bob laughed. "I think you''d need more than that. How about hiring a chief to cook the food, maybe invest in some better quality alcohol as well. Also get some more beautiful women in revealing clothing. I''m sure men would flock here." Ash seemed to take his words to heart as she nodded her head. "I''d need to get some more money to do all that, so far I only have around 20 million beli saved up. Geez, if I would have thought of that i''d be turning in Greybeard and his crew myself. I''m sure a 100 million beli would be more than enough." "Well you had your shot, too late now." "Seems that way." Bob sat around waiting, his cup was almost empty and he felt he waited long enough to go visit the base commander. Soon Dave came back up from the basement with a large grin on his face. He came over to Bob in a hurry. "Bob, I think we wouldn''t need to build a base anymore. Instead, Ash might be willing to let us rent out her basement to use. It''s more than large enough. We''d just need to do a little bit of renovating is all." Bob looked at Ash. "How large is this basement of yours?" Ash looked up at the ceiling as she thought. "I''d say from here until you reach the port." Bob''s mouth almost dropped, that was far! If he had to estimate, i''d be around 200 or 300 meters. Why was a basement that large? "What was it used for before?" Ash shrugged her shoulders. "You''re asking the wrong woman. I inherited from my parents, they passed away before I was 17. I was just in the process of learning everything when the bandits murdered them. Never got around to asking that question, so I never learned the answer." Ash answered. "You willing to let me use your basement as my base of operations? I''m more than willing to pay you." Ash grinned. "Oh yeah? How about a 100 million beli?" Bob paused¡­ that was not something he could just agree to easily. He needed to pretend like it was hard for him to part with a 100 million. If he agreed too fast, Ash would raise the price on him. "Idk.. a 100 million is a bit too much." "Oh really¡­?" "Yeah, but¡­ I can make this exception for a beautiful lady such as yourself." Ash looked surprised for a moment and fanned her hand. "Oh please don''t stop, continue your praise." "Do you have no shame woman!?" "Only learning from you." Bob looked at Ash with a face full of seriousness. Ash looked at him back in the same way. Five seconds later both of them started laughing. "Good, good. There might be potential in you!" Bob said to Ash as he got off of the stool. "Let''s go Dave, time to meet that base commander." Chapter 14 - Im not asking you Vanthof was seated in his leather chair with his legs kicked up on the table. He was enjoying his life on this island. His pay as a marine was enough to let him live day to day, but it wasn''t enough to live a luxurious life. However, when he was offered a certain percent of what the bandits took he started to feel hope in life. Once he got his first share of what they made, he knew he landed on a gold mine. All he needed to do was ignore what was happening on the island and kept all the other marines in check. That''s it! Who wouldn''t love a job like this, where you sit on your butt all day and money just comes flowing towards you. Vanthof was already reaching his mid forties soon, but he still felt young at heart. Everything he saw a strand of grey hair, he plucked it. He had a round belly, due to buying everything he wanted as well as not working out anymore. His stature was pretty short, he was around five feet tall. Everything was going good for him these past few years, except now there was a big problem. Both his sources of income got cut off. A year ago the bandits stopped sending him his percentage. He thought they reneged on their deal, so he was planning on reminding them he was a marine and he could throw them in jail. Except when he sent someone out to deal with them, he found out they''d fled and that their leader Olf died. He was shocked to learn about Olf''s death and that it was a mute who killed him. But how could he arrest the kid for killing a bandit? That''s smear his reputation. Even without the income from the bandits, Vanthof was still living pretty good due to this deal with the pirates. Except, he just learned that they had been destroyed. So his mood was pretty bad right now. Vanthof removed his legs from the desk and took a deep breath as he grabbed hold of the fork on the desk. It was from the food he had earlier. "Wait until I get my hands on you Bob! You ruined my income!" Vanthof stabbed the fork into the table. His office door opened up as a soldier came in with sweat dripping down his face. "Commander, this is bad!" The soldier couldn''t have been more than 20 years old. He was a new recruit that got assigned to this base. "What is it?" "It''s! It''s ..." "Spit it out already!" "It''s me!" Bob said as he walked in. Behind him Dave followed closely. Bob looked at Vanthof and then looked at Dave. "This is the base commander? I was expecting¡­ something else." Dave looked at Vanthof. "You''ve really let yourself go man. When you first came here you were strong as an ox, now you look jiggly like jell-o." Dave said as he let out a sign. "Who the hell are you? And I''ll let you know i''m still strong as an ox!" Bob took a few steps forward until he was in front of Vanthof''s desk. He sat on the edge of the desk and grabbed some papers on it. He then started to read them over. "Hey, you can''t touch those!" "Shut it. I''m trying to see what would make a base commander such as yourself become corrupt. But from what i''m seeing, you''re not much of a commander. This paper work is over a year old! How are you still in your position?"A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Bob asked as he tossed the papers back on the desk. Those were reports that still weren''t turned in. From the first page he read, it talked about how Vanthof was whipping the marines into shape and how good the island was. A bunch of lies! "I''ll let you know i''m well known, I do my job and I do it well! That''s why i''m still in this position." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is what''s going to happen, all the money you got from the bandits and pirates i''m confiscating it. After I collect all the money, and I do mean all of it, I want to collect the bounties for the Greybeard pirates. I doubt you''d have any money left to give me, so write me a note or something so I can claim the reward at another base. I am not going to carry corpses with me on the sea. After that, then we''ll begin to discuss whether I should turn you in or not." Vanthof crossed his arms. "What makes you think i''m going to listen to you? I''m a marine you know, you can''t touch me. If you do, i''ll make sure your wanted by the government. You''ll be hunted down like a dog and when you finally get arrested i''ll make sure to make your life miserable." Bob snatched Vanthof up by his collar. "I wasn''t asking, i''m telling you whats going to happen. Think about what''s going to happen once the marines learn of what you''ve been up to here. And don''t say they won''t, the whole island will be more than willing to give you up. You think they''ll honestly believe the words of a mere base commander over an entire town?" Bob tossed Vanthof back into his seat. Vanthof started to sweat as he looked at the solider. His eyes were asking for help, but his mouth was sealed shut. "What are you waiting for, get moving!" It wasn''t Bob who shouted that, it was Dave. Vanthof was frozen in his seat as his brain was processing everything. He clearly wasn''t moving fast enough for Dave, as Dave walked up to the desk grabbed the fork and stabbed it into Vanthof''s hand. Vanthof started screaming as he held his hand. Bob looked at Dave, he was speechless. "Dave¡­ I said be ruthless but this¡­" "Too much?" "No, no. There might be hope for you yet!" Dave grinned. That was the first time he ever stabbed someone, but he felt a rush. His heart was beating fast, he felt alive! How long has it been since he felt this feeling? Was it 5 years or 6 years ago? He couldn''t even remember, but it felt good! "You''re both animals!" Vanthof whelped in pain as he took the fork out of his hand and covered his hand with a white cloth. His body still moved as he got up from his seat and began walking towards the entrance. "You want the money, you can have it!" Vanthof wanted to get rid of these two as fast as possible. Bob wasn''t intimidated by his words, and Dave put action before words. Vanthof had no real way to deal with them. The fact that they were even in the building caused his spine to shiver. There was no way the soldiers let them in freely, that could only mean Bob and Dave beat them all up. That or someone was plotting against him. Vanthof led them to the warehouse where he kept all the treasure. There were bags of coins in the room. "How much do you think is here?" Bob asked Dave. "Idk, about 50 or 60 million?" "I guess that will work, grab it and take it to our base. We''ll start working on plans about how we should use it later." Bob said. Dave nodded his head. "What about him?" "Vanty here? He has some uses. He''s corrupt for one, and he''ll be easily to manipulate. We should keep him as base commander, that way the government won''t learn anything about us too soon. Also even if they do, they''ll be searching in the wrong places." "You do know i''m right here right¡­" Vanthof said as he was listening to Bob and Dave talk. "Yeah and? Don''t forget, your corrupt we can easily replace you when we want. If you try anything then you best sleep with one eye open every night. Just listen to our commands and your life here will continue. Alright?" Bob squeezed Vanthof''s shoulder causing Vanthof to wince in pain. Vanthof didn''t reply to Bob, but Bob took his silence as an agreement. "Good! Now follow me, I still need you to fill in that document or whatever so I can collect Greybeard''s and the rest bounty." Bob led the way and Vanthof followed him in silence. Whether he was planning something or not, was up in the air. But even if he was Bob would deal with it. As they arrived back in Vanthof''s office Bob recalled something. "Oh yeah, you have any extra den-den mushi''s? I''ll need 3 of them." "You think we have those things laying around? This is a small base, what would we need 3 of them for? We''re lucky just to have 1!" Bob rolled his eyes. "So, do you have them or not?" "Yeah, we have some." "Great! I''ll be taking those too!" "What? That''s linked to a secure channel, I can''t just give them to you! What if an admiral calls?" "Then i''ll answer? I was hoping to get some that weren''t already connected to each other." "There are only 2 of those here, but thats in case of an emergency¡­" Vanthof said. Bob didn''t know if this guy was scared of him or just cooperating, but he liked Vanthof''s new attitude. "Just give me those 2 for now, how do I go about getting new ones?" "You can buy them from different towns, but they are expensive and don''t function as well as the ones the marines have. If you want high quality ones, only place to get them would be from the supply base on Vile Island." Bob listened and nodded his head. "Guess i''ll need to pay this Island a visit then." "You''re crazy, you can''t just go there and waltz in like you did here. They''ll have your head on a stick! You''ll need to be a marine to even get access to the supply station, thats the only way you''re getting in." Bob laughed. "What''s so funny?" Bob''s bones started cracking, and his face got distorted. Vanthof didn''t know what he was watching but it was creepy. Twenty seconds later, Vanthof started at himself. Well he was looking at Bob who looked like him. "What in the world¡­" "I know right. I thought the same thing." Even Bob''s voice sounded like Vanthof''s. Now all he needed was the clothes to match. "You really need to lose weight man, look at this my shorts they shouldn''t be this tight!" As soon as Bob went to make a movement, his shorts started to rip. "Oh no! Change back, change back!" Chapter 15 - Speakeasy Bob started putting his plans to motion after he got the rest of the money from the bandits and what was left from the pirates. The total amount along with what he confiscated from Vanthof was close to 200 million berries. Seeing the amount in front of him, Bob really wanted to use it to upgrade his gear. But he resisted the urge, right now there were more important matters that needed to be tended to. Bob hired some men from the town that worked on construction to build the interior of his base. He also asked Ash if he could renovate the tavern a little so he could move the location of the entrance to the basement. She more than happily agreed to his request. Bob worked with the construction workers on the design, and after that he left it up to them to get everything done. The construction wasn''t that expensive, only costing around 10 million beli for everything to be built. What was expensive was the materials Bob needed. He had Dave get in contact with some men on the island in search of wood, bricks or metal. While the island wasn''t large, they did have a good supply of wood. Except the person that owned it wasn''t willing to let it go cheaply. Bob told Dave he could find some other wood then, but Dave assured Bob this was the best wood there was on the island. As long as he got this, he wouldn''t need to buy some other material. When Bob asked about the cost, he was shocked to learn it cost 30 million beli for it! Bob was trying to conserve money, but it seems that would not be likely. Unwilling as he was, he still let Dave get the wood needed for the construction. During that same day Dave also met with Jacob and his family. Jacob was the person Dave wanted to introduce him to, he and his family used to have their own ship but it was destroyed by the bandits. When Bob said he wanted to hire Jacob and his family to man his ship, they readily agreed. Bob just needed to cover their food and shelter, as for pay they didn''t want that much just a yearly salary of 5 million beli. When Bob heard the cost he sighed. He wasn''t sure how much others cost, but 5 million a year, wasn''t that expensive? Jacob assured Bob that he was more than just a helmsman, he was also a shipwright. The 5 million included Jacob and his family taking care of the ship if it incurred any damages. Hearing that, Bob instantly agreed. Jacob was close to 30 years of age, and he had 4 brothers. Each of them had wives and kids that needed to be cared for as well. Bob knew it wouldn''t be a good idea to bring their family onboard the ship, so he started to discuss with Jacob about a family care system. In case anything happened to Jacob or his family while they were on a trip with Bob, his family would be taken care of. The only thing was that Jacob and his brothers had to pay Bob monthly for this assurance. Bob even composed different life insurance plans for them. All of which were basic, but to Jacob and his family it seemed like a wonderful idea. When Dave learned of this, he told Bob he should initiate this all over his organization. More people would be willing to join up that way. Bob agreed to that, but told Dave to make his insurance plan better. Dave was a huge help to Bob he always asked questions to make sure the ideas Bob were coming up with would be able to be implemented. He even did a few adjustments to them, which surprised Bob greatly. Bob also brought in Ron and John to discuss the roles of the organization. This discussion took over six hours as each of them had their own ideas. John was pushing for a more militarized type of structure while Dave wanted it to be more business oriented. Ron was in between them and they tried to force him to pick a side. Bob said that there would be one figure who would be the master of the organization, which was him. Under him would be the vice leaders, there would be four of them. Each one in charge of their own department. John would be in charge of the bounty hunting and assassinations, Ron would be in charge of intelligence, while Dave would be in charge of peoples request/finances. They asked what the last leader was in charge of, Bob said Human resources such as all their employees. They''d be the ones who work on hiring and firing employees as well as dealing with any complaints people had.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Dave asked who would be in charge of that, and Bob said he''d find someone. He thought of Nico Robin but sadly he couldn''t have her. She was going to join Luffy''s crew, he didn''t want to mess with that. Bob continued to explain the chain of command to them, showing them the titles and what the responsibility of each one would be. The list basically went as such, Master > Vice Leader > Administrators > General Manager > Employee. Employee''s had a wide range of different ranks, thus Bob said they should implement a merit system. The better they do, the higher up they go on the list and are eligible for promotion and such. The pay would be better as well. All three of them agreed to Bob''s idea and Dave started coming up with slight adjustments on the spot. Once that was settled, Bob started to relax more. Everything was beginning to bear fruit, and all he had to do was recruit the first few batches of people. After that, the more experienced ones would begin to recruit and train more people, and the process would just repeat itself after a while. The pay was good, they had an insurance plan, and for some people they got to travel the sea. Who wouldn''t want to join? The tavern was under renovation for a week before everything was finished. They still had the basement to work on, but the tavern looked much more smooth than before. It wasn''t really a dump before, but compared to the way it was looking now, it could be considered one. Bob had them add a bathroom to the place, as well as a kitchen. There were all sorts of small changes, but the biggest one would be the small booth. It was located in the hallway towards the bathroom, you just open the door and step into the booth. It was just a wooden wall without anything in it but a dial. Bob opened up the booth and stepped foot inside. Once in he rubbed his hands together as he looked at the dial. "I can''t believe we can have one of these here. Haha, this is truly the best creation." Bob started talking to himself as he moved the dial. The dial was a small circle and it looked like an old school payphone. You basically just moved to dial certain numbers and you''d hear a click sound. Once that happened the wooden wall would open up and reveal a flight of stairs. Yes, Bob was happy he created a speakeasy in this world. Once Bob made sure everything worked, he was pleased with the construction workers. He didn''t go down the stairs he just closed the wall and walked out of the booth. When he came to the main hall, he was surprised to see Ash. She was wearing a white shirt and a blue skirt. "Wow, you really changed the place up. I''m not sure what to say." Ash said as she looked over the place again. "You can just praise me, you know how much I love that." "Pft. What are your plans now?" Bob was slightly disappointed he didn''t get any praise but he couldn''t have it all. "Well, there is still the construction on the base below so the workers will still be coming and going. However, all the materials are already down there, everything just needs to be built and put in order. You can run the tavern as before. Jacob and his brothers already finished repairing the ship. It had some holes in it, and they also added a room to house various weapons. Jacob was talking about adding a room to work out in, in the future, but I told him he should hold off on that. John finished recruiting some young men who were aspiring to become bounty hunters. After the thing with Greybeard a lot of men had ambitions to hunt down pirates. They didn''t want anyone else to go through what they did. So he''s been training them for this past week. Ron¡­ is being Ron. He''s been mostly to himself this past week. I brought him a small booklet and a pen to keep on him at all times so he could communicate with others. I have no clue how the intelligence depart is coming along, but I have faith it''ll go well. As for Dave, he''s been busy running around here and there. He''s a talker so he''s been doing just that, talking to the townsfolk learning information. He said its good to have a good connection with your own people so they won''t betray you later. As for me, i''ve been relaxing. However, I think another week here is good enough for everything to settle. Doubt the construction would be finished, but most of the newly recruited should have learned the basics. So after the week is up I plan on going to Vile Island, got to go make some more money." Bob explained. Ash listened and nodded her head. "Seems you''ll be busy in the future, won''t be coming here much then?" "Idk, I might come back every now and again. But once things are up and running here there is no real need for me to return. I might come back to relax at the end of the year though, after some events are over with." Ash seemed interested. "What events?" "Um, just a little bit of this and a bit of that. Ya know, those type of events." "Right¡­" Bob quickly changed the subject. "So how goes the recruitment of that cook and girls?" "Eh, not so good. The girls here aren''t the best looking but the standards here are also not that high. So I was going to find some on another island to bring back here. As for a cook, I have no clue where to begin." Ash said as she sighed and crossed her arms. She was having a hard time and not making much progress in her quest to have the best tavern. Bob knew of a great cook, Sanji. But once again, he was with Luffy so he couldn''t hire him. However, there was still Zeff but Bob highly doubted he would leave Baratie to come here. As for females, Bob thought of Amazon Lily, there were tons of cute ladies there. "How about you come with me to Vile Island? I''m sure you might be able to find some people that''ll catch your eye." "How can I do that? I have a tavern to run, I can''t just close it to go on some road trip." "Why not? We''ll be back before you know it, a week minimum three weeks max." "Thats a long time. I''ll be losing money." "Girl, you have a 100 million beli waiting for you on Vile Island! You''re rich!" Chapter 16 - Interruptions A week went by in a flash, during this week Bob learned that Vile Island was a three day''s journey by ship. So he made sure to stock up on a ton of food for at least a month. The Greybeards pirate ship was fixed and a room was added to it. The sails were changed out, if Bob kept them people would assume he was a pirate. Instead of white or black sails, Bob decided to use a different color. He had his sails custom made into blue. Bob was standing at the bow as he looked out at the sea. "Bob, everything is all set. We can sail whenever you''re ready." Jacob said to Bob. "Then set sail! Destination Vile Island!" "Alright captain." Jacob rushed back and started yelling at his brothers to set sail. On the ship was Bob, Jacob, Jacob''s 4 brothers, Ash, Ron, John and the five newly made bounty hunters. Dave stayed behind as he had to watch over the construction of the base to make sure everything was going smoothly. Bob handed him a den-den mushi and told him if anything happened to contact him. Bob also left 30 million with Dave, to use to hire more people as well as put the rest in the vault when the base was done. Bob was thinking about creating a bank in the near future, to loan out some cash to those who qualified. Then he''d be able to collect interest. However, he couldn''t do that yet, he needed to finish his organization. Bob currently had around 125 million beli''s to his name. He was tempted to just use it all for another piece of equipment, but held back. He told himself if there were pirates on Vile island he could turn in for money, then he''d use this money for himself. Afterall, his goal was to save Ace and he doubted he''d be able to do that if he didn''t have high stats. The first day out on sea was easy sailing. Ash cooked the food and no one had any complaints. Bob also started practicing his haki, or at least trying to. He told Ron, Dave and John what it was, as well as how there were different types. He wasn''t sure what type they could activate, but he said if they managed to acquire one they''d be fine in the future as long as they kept up their skills. Bob told them about conqueror''s haki and said that only a few people in the world was capable of such a thing. When they learned of such a thing all three of them were eager to learn haki. Dave wanted to focus on observation haki, while Ron said he''d rather have armament haki. As for John, he wanted to learn conqueror''s haki so he was going to focus on both observation and armament haki. John sparred with Bob a few times a day, once in the morning and once at night. He''s been doing this everyday since they first sparred. John lost every time, but Bob could see that he was making some small improvements in his sword style. Bob started to wonder how far those three progressed in their haki. He himself had no clue how to even get started! He just told them they could try to gain observation haki if they closed their eyes and were able to sense their surroundings. The best way to train that would be to have someone throw something at you and you try to dodge it with your eyes closed. Or hang up sandbags, push it and let it swing back and forth. You just close your eyes and try to dodge it.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. As for armament haki, Bob said it was like an invisible armor that was created by a person will. He also stated that as long as they learned this there would be no reason to fear logia type devil fruit users. Bob didn''t really have a way to help them train this, as he said he himself did not have a real method. The best way to do it is to meditate and try to use the energy inside your body to create an armor around your hand. Naturally Bob wasn''t even sure if that was the correct method, but it was the only thing he had. It''s been two weeks since he told them that, and he never really asked about their progress. Bob did have time to practice his haki before, but he did not want to do it at Blacktown. He figured once he started someone was bound to come and interrupt him. Therefore now that he was at sea he figured this would be a good time to start On the second day while Bob was training trying to activate his haki, someone came into his room. "Hey captain, we have a problem." Bob opened his eyes, he was pretty annoyed. Just when he thought he wouldn''t be interrupted out at sea because there was less people. It happened to him! "What''s the problem?" "There''s a giant sea monster ahead of us, it''s blocking our path. If we go around it, it might take us some extra time to reach the island. However, if we go straight we''ll need to kill it or move it out the way." Bob sighed. "Keep straight, i''ll take care of it." "Alright then." After the man left Bob sighed once more. He started mumbling some words under his breath as he got up from his seated position. When Bob appeared on the deck he saw the sea monster. It was indeed a problem, it was a large serpent. Bob walked to the bow of the ship and held on to the rail. He started yelling at the giant beast. "Move it! You''re in my way!" The monster seemed to ignore him as it did not move at all. "I''m telling you, if you do not move i''m going to cut you up into chopped liver!" A minute passed by and the beast still did not move. "Alright, I warned you." Bob said angrily. He looked at Jacob and told him to continue on. Once they were in range, Bob would take care of it. A few minutes later Bob felt they were in range, he drew Black Death and first he activated Radiant Illusion. A white portal opened up and out came a clone of Bob, it quickly slashed the serpent. With its resistances weakened, Bob activated Spellblade. A white fire covered his sword and he started swinging his blade. Each swing faster than the last. Crescent arcs flew from the blade and laded on the serpent. The damage might have been small at first, but the damage just continue to stack. Eventually the beast wailed out in pain and went under the water. Bob was surprised, he only caused a wound to appear on the serpent, he couldn''t even kill it! How thick was that things skin? Bob was actually excited, he wanted to duel with the beast but it ran away. Because of the thick skin of that beast Bob thought about his build. It was centered around attack speed and damage, but if his opponent had more defense then it''d be pointless. Granted his attacks would build up damage overtime, but Bob didn''t want that. He might not be able to one shot people, but he wanted to be close to being that powerful. He thought about changing out one of his items for one that weakened his opponents defense. Except the cost of one of those items would mean he''d need to have 300 million beli. That''s how expensive one item that ignored the defense or caused his opponents defense to weak was. Right now he only had a little under 3000 points to his name, the next item on his list cost him 45,000 points. That meant Bob would need 420 million beli if he wanted to buy it. He sighed, he was so poor right now. He really hoped there were more pirates on Vile Island he could turn in. ********************************************** Hello, author here! I''m giving you a chance to come up with Bob''s next weapon. It can''t be anything too powerful, it can be armor, a weapon, boots, earrings etc. [Item Name] [Item Stats] [Unique Passive] If the item has attack stats it can''t pass 80 points. If the item has attack speed, it can''t pass 50%. The item cannot have both 80 damage and 50% attack speed. If the item has stats such as HP, it can''t go past 500. If the item has stats such as Armor or Magic Resistance, it can''t go past 40. Health regen is also possible, maximum is 100% regen. The item cannot have all of those, unless the stats of each are low. Ex. 30 AD, 10% attack speed, 100 Hp, 25% HP regen. Unique Passive is something you decide, it can be anything really. Such as every 100 hits you''re guaranteed a critical strike etc. Chapter 17 - No way man Contrary to what Bob thought Vile Island actually looked like a normal island. He could see marine ships docked at the port and other types of ships. The island looked much more prospering than Blacktown. "So this is how other islands are." Ash said as she stood next to Bob and gazed at the island. "The world is large, not every island is the same. Not every place is prosperous." Bob said. Bob looked at John. "What do you think, any pirate ships?" Bob asked John because John used to be a marine so he could probably tell if a pirate ship was docked or not. "No clue to be honest, not all ships look like pirate ships. Usually you''d tell by the sail, they''d have a jolly roger on them." "That''s true I guess. If they were wanted they wouldn''t just dock in front of town, i''d be screaming ''capture me''." "Yup. What do you plan on doing with the rest of the money you brought?" John asked. "Expand. Our main base is already being built, but we''d need branch area''s as well. I think this island will do well as a branch area." "I like the whole mysterious vibe we have with the tavern. You can''t really tell it''s our base of operations, you plan on doing the same thing here as well?" "I''d like to, but I doubt we''d find another spot like that. If anything i''ll open up a shop here or something and attached to it would be another speakeasy. That would lead to another room which is where business would be handled. We''d be putting up a front as a shop while hiding our real business." "Sounds good. But, how would people give us request if they can''t enter?" Bob looked at John. "You''re starting to become like Dave." John laughed. "Anyways, I was thinking we''d open up a bounty house. People would come in and post request or retrieve request. That way no one would suspect anything, we''d have the bounties up of pirates that are wanted as well as bounties people put on people. We tell the people that come put in request that there is a fee, 40% of whatever the bounty is for putting it up in public. However, there won''t be a fee if the bounty is given to the house instead. That way they''d be more inclined to give us their request than just posting them up." "I see, we''d bring in more money that way. If they give it to us they won''t be charged extra, but if they don''t we''ll charge them a certain percentage for hosting the bounty. The marines might not be too happy about it, but they''ll be too busy dealing with pirates disrupting the town. Even if they were to enter, they''d just think all the wanted posters were that of pirates! Dang man, not a bad idea."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Bob grinned as he nodded his head. Soon the ship reached the port of Vile Island. Bob left handling docking the ship to Jacob and his brothers as he got off the ship. "I''m going to head into town and see if I can buy these guys some gear. They''d need weapons and such if they want to hunt down pirates. After that I plan to look for some, probably will find me in the tavern causing a little chaos." John said as he took his five recruits with him. "Alright, just be sure not to get arrested." Bob said. John laughed. "I used to be a marine, I know how they think. They''ll never catch me." Bob looked at Ash. "What about you?" "It''s my first time on another island, I think i''ll do me a little shopping. If I find anyone that catches my eye i''ll try to tell them about my tavern." Bob nodded. "Take Ron with you, he''s silent but he can protect you in case anything happens." "I don''t think i''ll need protecting¡­" "You can''t be too sure. Your a young woman walking the streets by herself, naturally people will be eyeing you. If they see you on a spending spree as well, you''ll be a huge target." "I guess you''re right. I''ll have to trouble you then Ron." With everyone going their own way, Bob threw his backpack over his shoulders. He brought one from Blacktown before he left and just kept it inside his room. In it was the clothes he''d need to look like a marine. The clothes were fitted for Vanthof so once Bob changed into that guy, these clothes would play a vital role. However, before he went to visit the marine base Bob thought about looking around town first. He''d hate to build a new building from scratch so maybe he could buy one. He''d also need to find someone to operate things here. Now was a time when he wished he had Dave here. Too bad he couldn''t have it all. Bob strolled through town and looked at the different shopping districts. There were people who had stalls open on the street selling random items, some were even running a scam. This caused Bob to remember a scene from One Piece where an older man was trying to scam others with his golden apple. Saying they could live for 500 years. Just remembering that caused Bob to laugh. Bob ended up at a blacksmith. He could hear the pounding of metal on metal. He got curious and entered the shop. Inside he saw a burly man with a long beard holding a large forging hammer. He kept striking the metal in a rhythm. Bob became mesmerized at the sight. He started looking around the shop, there were all sorts of weapons here. Swords, axes, spears, bows. The only thing missing was armor. The pounding stopped and the man started to cool the weapon he was forging. He took off his gloves after putting the hot metal in some coolant and arrived at the front desk. "What can I do for you today?" "Just browsing is all. You create all these weapons but I don''t see many people coming to buy. Busy not booming?" Bob asked him. "Wouldn''t say that, today''s just a slow day is all." Bob pointed at a random sword on the wall and pretended he was interested. "How much for this?" "That? A million berry, that''s my finest work of art. The others, range from 20 thousand to 600 thousand." "Expensive!" The burly man nodded his head. "How much do you think this is worth?" Bob asked as he pulled out Black Death. Seeing the black blade, the burly man''s eyes started to shine. "Such craftsmanship, i''ve never seen anything like it! May I hold it?" Bob nodded as he walked up to the counter and passed his sword to the man. "I can''t even tell what material is used in this, but the quality surpases all the weapons i''ve ever created. Is this one of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono?" The man asked Bob as he started looking over the sword even more thoroughly. "No, its something given to me from someone else. It''s not one of the 12 supreme grade swords though." Naturally it wasn''t one of them, this was an item given to him by the system! "I''d love to study this blade, I might be able to have a breakthrough in forging. What do you say? Let me study this blade for a few days?" "No way man!" Chapter 18 - Designing a weapon The burly man was slightly upset and passed the sword back to Bob. "You didn''t have to say it like that. Anyways if you''re not going to buy anything then i''ll get back to work." Bob pushed the sword back to the burly man. "How about we do each other a favor. I''ll let you study the sword, but only while i''m here. Can''t have you running off with it. In return you craft me something for free." The burly man looked at Bob. What kind of weapon did he want, he saw all his work. Did he not want anything here? "What kind of weapon are you trying to get me to make?" "That''s a secret, you''ll need to agree to some terms first. If you make this deal with me, it''ll benefit us both." When Bob saw the man crafting he felt englitened. He used to be a NEET so he never went to school and always stayed couped up in his room. Besides anime, manga, porn and such he was also interested in a little bit of everything. He did not know everything, but he did become fascinated with some stuff. One thing he enjoyed looking up was different type of guns. Bob enjoyed looking at them, he himself never held one but he always wanted one. He remembered the build for a rifle he wanted. He did not have any inkling to get a gun in this world, but Ron and his devil fruit power lit a spark in Bob. If Ron was capable of having a good gun, then he''d become a high end assassin. Bob wasn''t too sure if that''s what Ron wanted, but Bob could guide him in that direction. The burly man thought it over and nodded his head. "Good. Give me a piece of paper and a pen, so I can write the terms of our contract." "What for? I just agreed didn''t I?'' "What''s good a person''s word? I need your signature! Signature!" "Whatever!" The man reached under his counter and pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. He handed it to Bob. Bob started writing on the paper, and came up with some terms. It took him roughly ten minutes to come up with everything. It was very basic, just saying that the burly man couldn''t disclose anything he learned, he couldn''t make another one of these guns for anyone else, and that if he broke the agreement Bob was allowed to come after him.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Bob passed the paper to the man. "Read those terms then sign." The man didn''t even read it, he just signed the paper. Seemed he really wanted to study Bob''s sword. "Are you sure you don''t want to read the terms?" "I can care less. I''m just interested in this blade not any other weapon." "Ok you said it!" The burly man started examining Black Death again, he even swung it a few times. Bob looked at the contract and read the mans name. ''Tim?'' "You''re names Tim?" Bob asked him. "Hmm¡­ yeah. Why? This blade, whoever gave it to you must have found it in some ancient ruin or something. I can''t tell without looking at it closer, but if I had to guess the material used probably came from a meteorite or something. Truly exquisite." Tim was so absorbed in studying the sword Bob doubted he was even paying attention to him. He could probably rob this store of everything and Tim still wouldn''t be paying attention. Bob grabbed another piece of paper and began to design the gun he wanted Tim to craft him. It was the Dragunov sniper rifle. Bob did not believe the rifle would be that advanced to craft. It was developed a long time ago, so he figured everything would be fine here in the One Piece world. The only downside to creating this type of rifle was that Bob would need to have custom mae ammo. That would be the hardest task if the rifle was complete. The bullets used in his past world and this world were different. Bob had a rough design done of the rifle in two hours, he had to make sure he didn''t forget any of the parts so he made sure to look it over three times. Once he was done he sat the paper down on the counter and looked at Tim. "Alright Tim, I need to head out. Two hours is more than enough time to study the blade, I''ll come back here tomorrow so you can study it again." "Ah! Alright¡­ oh what is this?" Tim seemed reluctant to part with Black Death but still gave it back. It wasn''t until the blade was out of his hand did he see what Bob drew. "It''s what I want you to craft. You don''t need to assemble it, just make the parts and i''ll take care of the rest. You can do one part a day if you like, and i''ll come here everyday for a couple hours so you can study the sword." "This is pretty advanced, I might not be able to make this exactly how you want it. Also what type of ammo is this?" Bob took the time to explain the gun to Tim. That took him twenty minutes of explanation. In the 10 years he''s been here, he has not forgotten about this sniper rifle! "If you were to sell this at the auction, you''d make a killing!" "No thanks, I''d rather this not be in the hands of fut¡­ wait auction?" Bob stopped mid-sentence as he just realized Tim said there would be an auction. "Yup, the type where a little bit of everything is sold. Famous weapons, devil fruits, armor and if you''re one of those types then you might be able to have a slave." Tim explained. "And the marines allow this? I thought by there being a supply station here that no one would have slaves here." "You''d be surprised man. Slavery is still a thing and the world government ignores it as they believe the revolutionary army and pirates are more dangerous. The people on this island hate the auction house, but the rich ones still attend." Bob started rubbing his hairless chin as he started thinking. "Don''t be getting any funny ideas." "I''m not." Bob said. "I''ll be back tomorrow. When''s the auction by the way?" "It''ll be held in two days time." "Alright, thats more than enough time." Bob was about to leave but then he stopped. "Oh right, do you know of any properties for sale? Doesn''t need to be in a key location with a lot of traffic, the cheaper the better." "I know of a few places, I can show you around if you want." Tim suggested. "That''d be great man!" "Just let me close up here." Chapter 19 - Its a legit business Tim closed up his shop and came out to find Bob waiting for him. "I never caught your name." Tim said. "Oh, i''m Bob." "Bob? Well i''m Tim, so we both have plain names." Bob laughed. Tim was a plain name just like his, however he didn''t really pay it much attention. "So where are we going first Tim?" "I was thinking about going to the east side. It''s close to the dock and I know someone selling their property. I know you said you didn''t want a key location, but if you''re planning on opening up a shop this is the perfect place for you." Bob nodded his head. He didn''t really mind where he was going to set up. If he was closer to the dock then gathering information would be easier. "If the location is so good, why are they selling it?" Bob asked. "Well the property used to be home to a jewelry store but since it kept getting robbed by pirates the owner had enough. She''s an old friend of mines and can''t stand it anymore so she''s putting the property up for sale." "Oh a girl huh. Is she cute?" Bob asked. "Very much so. If you are going to pursue her, you better get in line. There are tons of men lined up to court her." "Seems like a lot of work, I think i''ll pass." Tim laughed. "Does she plan on moving locations after she sells?" Tim shrugged his large shoulders. "I have no idea. She likes her job, but the pirates really bother her. She doesn''t feel safe." "I see. I assumed there wouldn''t be pirates here on this island, seems I was wrong." "Actually a few big names come here. Like One-eyed Fred, or Stonehand Brian. Both of them are worth a 100 million belli, they usually come here a few times a year. However for some strange reason the two of them haven''t left the island in over four months. Last I heard they were working on some sort of pirate alliance." Hearing Tim talk about pirates worth a hundred million got Bob excited. The more money they were worth, the more money Bob could make. "Gossip must spread around here fast huh?" Bob asked since Tim seemed to know a few things. "I wouldn''t say fast, but things such as that can''t escape my ear. I have friends all over the island, and each one of them has a big mouth. Makes things easier when you''re like me and you''re a big drinker! Just stay in the bar for a few hours a day, you can''t help but learn a thing or two." "A bar? How good is the drinks there?" Tim grinned. "Let me tell you, i''ve been to six different islands in my lifetime but nothing beats the beer here!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Bob listened to Tim praise the beer on the island. Tim sort of reminded him of Dave, as he just couldn''t stop talking once he got started. Only thing was he didn''t ask that many questions. Guess talking about alcohol was his favorite subject. It did not take Bob and Tim long to make it to an area close by the dock. Bob passed by this area earlier, but he didn''t look around. He mostly saw raw food for sale, as well as small shops. He never imagined that there would be a jewelry shop in this area. Tim led Bob to a medium sized building, it had a closed sign on the door. Tim knocked on the door. "We''re closed!" A woman''s voice yelled out from inside. "It''s me Tim!" "Come in!" Tim opened the door and stepped inside followed by Bob. Bob scanned the building, it wasn''t bad. Lots of floor space, too much for someone who ran a jewelry store. A petite woman was in the middle of the floor with a broom in her hand. She was around the height of a middle schooler, but her looks were something else. Bob could see why so many people were interested in her. She had long blue hair and blue eyes, her chest couldn''t be considered big but Bob thought they looked perky. She had an innocent look about her that Bob found very attractive. Too bad she was so small, Bob did not do loli type of characters. "Hey Bella, how are things?" Bella looked at Tim and pouted. "What do you mean how are things? Look around, you see i''m cleaning house. It''s impossible to stay open any longer, those damn pirates keep harassing me and my shop! I can''t even get a supplier anymore due to them." "So you''re still selling the place then?" Tim was very direct and got straight to the point. "You heartless bastard. You can''t even give me words of comfort? But yes, i''m still selling the place. You know someone who''d want to buy it?" Tim nodded his head. "Yeah, this guy right here. This is Bob, he''s looking to buy some property so I thought of you first." Tim pointed at Bob. "Nice to meet you." Bob said. "Nice to meet you too, if you''re looking to buy i''m selling it. I''m not asking for much, just 500 thousand beli for it." "If you don''t mind me asking, why do pirates keep bothering you?" Bella seemed surprised by his question. "Well thats simple, its because their captain wants me to be his woman. He said he won''t force me to be his, but his crew keeps bothering me. I''ve held them off, but I fear if I keep declining him he''ll come after me and force himself on me. I''d rather die than let that happen, thus I plan on selling this place and moving far away." Bella didn''t seem to mind telling Bob the reason as to why she was selling her shop. Bob could also understand how Bella felt. He felt that there could be a deal made here. "Are you only interested in jewelry? Ever thought about doing something else with your life?" Bob asked her. Bella thought it over for a second and shook her head. "No not really, i''ve always been intrigued by jewelry. It''s a shame i''ll have to close up shop, but what can I do?" "Well¡­ there are options. Ever thought about hiring a bounty hunter to take care of those pirates for you?" Bella nodded her head. "Of course, that''s the first thing I did. Except, they were too weak to go after One-eyed Fred. After I hired three people and each of them came back beat up or dead, I gave up." "I feel your pain. I heard One-eyed Fred has a bounty of 100 million, guess he has some skill to his name." "Some skill? He''s been to the grand line, he brags about it all the time. He said that''s where he lost his eye. Under him he has his two deputy''s one''s worth 30 million the other is worth 40 million! Not to mention he has around 500 hundred men under his command, no one dares to mess with him." "That''s true Bob, it''s not a good idea to get any ideas to go after him. He''s ruthless, I heard someone spilled some beer on his leg once and that person left the bar with no leg!" Tim added in. "He''s also talking to Stonehand Brian about an alliance, I think they are finalizing the deal. Been seeing their men buy supplies lately." "What''s this stonehand like?" Bob asked. "He''s not as ruthless as Fred, but he has devil fruit powers. He''s able to turn his hands to stone, one hit from him and you''re dead. His bounty is the same as One-eyed Fred''s, except he has one deputy. Owlface Lea, that woman''s crazy and she also had devil fruit powers. She''s worth 60 million beli." Bella said. Bob listened closely. In his head he was calculating how big of a pay he was going to get once he turned all these guys in. He couldn''t wait! "I''ll do you a favor Bella, but in return you have to work for me." Bob said. "I''ll get rid of all the pirates bothering you as well as One-eyed Fred''s crew and Stonehand Brian''s crew. In return you come work for me, and you don''t even need to leave the island if you don''t want to. How does that sound?" Bella looked at Tim. Tim did not say anything, leaving the decision up to Bella. "If you really can get rid of them, I don''t mind working for you. But i''m not doing any shady or perverted business." "No, its a legit business." Bob thought about something else for a moment. "Oh yeah, also help me find some cute ladies that want to work." Bella squinted her eyes. "Are you sure this isn''t¡­" Bob interrupted her. "No! I swear, it''s a legit business." Chapter 20 - Big fish Bob had to assure Bella that he wasn''t going to open up some kind of brothel. He wanted to get to know some cute women for Ash''s sake. He was not too sure how she was doing on finding people, but if he could ease her burden he''d be more than happy to. Once Bella found out it was to work at a tavern she agreed to help Bob find some workers. Bob told her that had to look good, naturally without too much makeup. Pay could be discussed. Bob didn''t want to tell Bella the girls pay because he himself did not know how much money Ash would fork out. When that was settled Bob brought Bella''s place and received the deed to it. Now he just needed to change a few things around and this place could be up and running. He''d still need to hire some people, but that shouldn''t take long. As for getting Bella onboard, Bob needed to deal with the two pirate groups. He was thinking about finding John to come with him. Reason being is that in most manga or anime the main character fights, pushed to his or her limit and eventually overcomes it. This increases their power level over and over, and by the end of the show/manga they are insanely powerful. Bob felt that if he was the main character here, then everyone else who joined up with him were side characters or sub main characters. They wouldn''t get as many power-ups as he would. The best way to power them up was for them to get into as many fights as possible, see and witness their own weaknesses and overcome them. Eventually they''ll grow by learning new techniques and skills. Bob doubted John could handle someone with a 100 million bounty, but he may be able to hold off the some of the other ones. As for the 5 people he recruited, this would be a good experience for them. They''d gain battle experience and see that being a bounty hunter wasn''t just all fun and games. People could actually get injured and die. Bob wanted to see if they had what it took. As for Ron, while Bob was thinking about letting him get some fighting experience in as well. Bob figured if he were to develop Ron into an assassin type, then fighting wasn''t going to be his strong point. An assassin excels in taking out their targets quickly. Bob felt that as long as Ron was able to kill someone within seconds, he''d be fine. Therefore there was no real reason for him to gain combat experience. It was best for him to gain more experience in killing people. Probably learn how to shoot various guns and maybe learn different type of assassination techqinues. He''d need to learn some human anatomy as well. Eventually Bob hoped Ron would be able to incorporate armament haki with his bullets that way he could take care of some devil fruit users. "Where do you think these guys would be?" Bob asked Tim. "Tavern or the west side of the island. They have a hut there that they hide out at. Be careful, if you die I can''t study that sword anymore." "I don''t plan on dying anytime soon." Bob said to him as he left the building. To his surprise as soon as he left the building he spotted Ash and Ron.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Ron had bags in his hand and Ash was walking in front of him eyeing different types of food. Bob caught up to them. "I thought you''d be out looking for people to hire. What have you been doing this entire time." Bob asked as he appeared next to Ash. Ash was startled at first but when she saw it was Bob she was relieved. "I''ve been shopping mostly. As for finding people to join me, it''s not as easy as you think, I need to check their quality. Besides, you said we''ll be here for a week or close to a month thats plenty of time to find people." Ash said. "That''s also plenty of time to go broke. Don''t be wasting your money on things you don''t need, some people sell items for sky high prices. Also, i''ve done you a favor and I have help securing you some female workers. You just need to look at them and talk to them about pay and such." "Oh? Thanks, but you really didn''t need to do that. I''ve fine with taking my time on this matter." Bob squinted his eyes. "Really?" Ash nodded. "Yes. Shopping has it''s perks, I get to learn all about the market here as well as check the quality of different items. I haven''t just been shopping for fun you know, i''ve been gathering my own sort of data." "And what did you find?" "Well so far I heard about a chef here in town. Heard he traveled here from the South Blue, so I was thinking about talking to him. He''s famous for getting scammed out of his money here on this island. He came here to open up a restaurant but it never happened, heard now he has his own food stall." Bob listened to Ash talk. He assumed she wasn''t spending her money wisely, but it seems that her going around town spending had its own perks. He never thought such a thing would be possible. "Enough about that, I thought you were going into town looking for a place to buy and going to visit the supply post here. What happened to that?" Ash asked him. "Well.. I did get the property I was looking for, but going to visit the supply post has to wait for a bit. There are a few other matters I have to deal with first. Speaking of which, I was wondering if you could come with me later to check out this person." "Who?" "Her name is Bella, she was a jewelry store owner." "What do you need me to check her out for? I''m not getting involved in your love life." Ash stated. "I''m not interested in her for that reason! I just want to see what you mean about quality. You know, see how good your eye is for people." "I guess I can help you for that then¡­" "Good! Also, I need Ron right now if you don''t mind." "You''re the one that said he should come with me in the first place. Now you''re taking him? Geez, make up your mind man." Bob laughed. He did say that. "Don''t worry, i''ll get Jacob or one of the other boys to protect you. Dear Bob has everything worked out¡­ for the most part." "Whatever, I was getting a bit tired of walking around in the first place. I''ll just head back to the ship and rest up for now, you can take Ron with you." Ron passed Ash the bags he was carrying and Ash walked away. Bob looked at Ron and smiled. "Alright Ron, let''s go find John. Then we''ll test both your skills in combat." Ron took out his small booklet and pen. He quickly wrote some words down and showed Bob. ''What are you talking about?'' "I found us two juicy targets, I might need help taking them both down. Also, it''ll be good combat experience for you and John." ''I left my gun on the ship.'' "Forget about that for now, we''ll pick up a dagger or something on the way. Think about it, what if you get spotted in the future and your opponent comes in fighting distance. You can''t use a gun then, best to learn how to wield a melee weapon of some sorts." Ron quickly came around once he heard Bob''s thought process. His ability to conceal himself was strong but if he was ever spotted he''d need to be able to deal with that situation. Therefore, learning how to wield another type of weapon would come in handy. Bob didn''t tell Ron about the sniper rifle he was having made for him. He figured he''d leave it as a surprise for now. Bob walked around town with Ron as they headed towards the bar. It wasn''t hard to find, just look for the drunk people walking the streets and find out where they were coming from. As soon as Bob and Ron arrived at the bar, a body flew out. John walked out of the tavern with a grin on his face as he looked back at his 5 recruits. "And that is how you throw a knockout blow. Now, go tie him up, we''ll turn him in after we round up two more pirates!" John ordered the 5 bounty hunters in training. He saw Bob and gave him a thumbs up. "Look Bob, already made up a quick 5 million beli!" Bob laughed as he shook his head. "Leave him be, I found some even better fish. Real good catch, you can even test your skills. See how far you''ve come." John''s eyes widened. "How big?" "A 100 million beli! However, there are two pirate crews, total comes to 330 million beli!" "That''s a huge catch for sure!" John looked at the 5 recruits who were about to tie up the man he knocked out. "Hey leave him be, we''re going after some real prey!" Chapter 21 - Dick and Larry With John and Ron by his side, Bob felt like a big shot. Ron''s presence couldn''t really be felt, but just the air he was giving off caused the people on the streets to move to the side. John''s aura could also be felt, his was more bloodthirsty. With the 5 newly recruited bounty hunters behind them, Bob looked like a big shot pirate. People must have assumed so as they quickly scattered when he walked. "Who''s he?" "I have no idea, must be another pirate." "That one on his side with the sword, why does he look so scary?" Bob could hear the murmurs of the citizens. He wasn''t sure how he felt. Bob couldn''t ignore what he was hearing, but he couldn''t do anything about it for now. "So where is this place exactly located?" John asked Bob. "We''ll you just came from the tavern, and you said you did not see a one-eyed person in there. So i''m assuming they''ll be on the west side of the island then." "The west side could mean a lot of things, we could be searching all day." "We''ll be fine John!" As their small group continued to walk towards the west side of the island, things became much more different. Bob could see more rough looking men dressed in shabby clothing with piercings and tattoos all over their body. By their side were pistols or sabres. Bob didn''t want to be one to judge, but these guys all looked like trouble making pirates to him.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "See John, we already found some. Just get one or two, beat them up and have them lead us to their captain." Bob said. John looked behind him and pointed to two of the 5 aspiring bounty hunters. "Alright, Larry and Dick you two are up. Go snatch up one or two pirates and bring them over here." "Yes sir!" Larry and Dick said in unison as the walked forward towards a small group of pirates. Larry was tall, Bob assumed he was 6 feet tall. He didn''t have much muscle on his body, but he had a long pole. With his long arms and the pole, he could keep his opponents at bay. As for Dick, Dick was the opposite of Larry he was short but had muscle. His weapon was the brass wrapped around his knucles. "Hey you two, yeah i''m talking to you where''s your boss?" Larry asked two pirates that were seated on crates playing cards. The two pirates looked at Larry and fanned their hand. "Go away kid, we don''t have time for you." "You caught us on our good day, if it was any other time we''d beat you up and take your money." The two pirates quickly dismissed Larry. He did not look like much and by the tone of his voice, he did not sound like much of a threat. So why should they be afraid of the twig? "See Larry, I told you, you need to be more direct in your actions." Dick said as he walked up to the two pirates. "What? Here to stand up for your buddy?" One of the pirates asked Dick. Dick threw a punch at him. It was heavy too, had all his strength behind it. The pirate fell straight out and so did his tooth. Dick kicked him but he didn''t move one bit. Dick looked at the other pirate. "So, you ready to talk or you want to end up like him." The pirate was stunned seeing his partner knocked out cold, but hearing Dick he reacted. He tossed the crate they were using for their cards up at Dick. Dick blocked it with his hand. In that moment the pirate reached for his pistol, but Larry put the end of the pole to his neck. "You move, you die." Larry said. Dick looked at Larry and nodded. "That''s more like it Larry. And you, who told you to play dirty, I outta¡­" Dick was about to let his emotions get to him, but calmed himself down. The pirate spit on the ground and raised his chin. "You don''t know who you''re messing with. If you''re so eager to die, then i''ll lead you to your death!" "We got him to lead us to his captain!" Dick yelled out towards Bob and John. Bob looked at John. "They could still use a bit of work, but so far so good." "I''ll remember that and train them harder." John replied to Bob. "Alright, lead the way we''ll follow behind you." The pirate who was captured looked at Ron, Bob and John. Out of the three, John looked the most dangerous but he felt that his captain could still take him. Chapter 22 - Shots fired! The pirate Bob''s small gang captured led them into a more deserted part of town, there were less civilians walking the street. There was only one road, and at the end of the road was a large building. The pirate called it ''The Center'' which was where both of the pirate crews gathered to discuss business. It was a neutral area where no fighting was allowed. At first the two crews were going at each other''s throats, but due to an alliance being discussed both groups were less hostile to each other. That was all the pirate said as he took Bob straight to ''The Center''. On the road to the building Bob could see other pirates watching them silently. He had to give the pirate leading them credit, he could have yelled out for help but didn''t. Maybe he assumed Bob and his gang would die by his captain and have a worse death awaiting them. Bob stopped at the front door and looked at his gang. "If you feel you can''t handle anything run, no one will laugh at you." "Who do you think is going to run? If I run here, I can''t call myself an ex-marine!" John said. The others agreed with him. "That''s what I like to hear. Remember to watch each other back, the pirates in here are worth more than Greybeard and his crew. I''m not bringing you to your deaths, rather to gain something else." Once Bob said that he pushed the pirate in front of him forward. "Go head, open it up." The pirate wasted no time and opened up the door revealing a large group of people. There were two groups inside, Bob could make that out by the way they were seated. On the couch to the left was a man with black hair and he had a patch over his eye. He was smoking a cigare. By his side were two men, one was fairly large and he was swirling a pistol around. The other one had his legs propped up on the table in front of him. Behind the couch was a group of pirates, each one of them standing. Bob could tell that was One-eyed Fred and his two deputies. The other couch looked the same, except there was a huge man seated on it. He had a large scar going across his nose. He wasn''t wearing a shirt so one could see his muscles, Bob thought this guy looked like a bodybuilder. That''s how huge he was. A woman with white hair was sitting on the arm of the couch, she had two daggers in her hand. Didn''t take a genius to figure out which crew was which. The man in front of Bob walked in with a grin over his face, he went straight over the Stonehand Brian. "Captain! This guy here and his gang showed no respect for you or our crew. You have to show him who''s boss!" The pirate said. Stonehand Brian grabbed the pirate by his hair and lifted him up. "I have to? You giving me orders now?"This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "No! I was just saying!" Stonehand Brian tossed the pirate to the side. After Which he looked at Bob and the others. "What do you want? Trying to join my crew or something?" "Not even close, i''m here to turn you in." Stonehand started laughing. "Do you even know who I am?" "A lowly pirate. You should have stayed on the grandline, instead of coming back here. Maybe then, you''d get to live to see another day." Stonehand clenched his fist tightly. "You''ve got balls mate, i''ll give you that. But honestly, do you see a way out of this? There are all of us in here, and what eight of you? Not to mention, once we start fighting all the pirates out there will be rushing in here." Bob looked at John. "Of these five, who do you think you should handle?" "Hmm, maybe that fatty with the gun. He doesn''t seem like a bad opponent." "Alright, what about you Ron?" Ron pointed to the girl with the dagger. "Her? I think she''s worth a lot, but alright if you say so." Bob agreed to their opponents. As for the other 5 aspiring bounty hunters, Bob didn''t even ask them. "The rest of you, deal with the other pirates. Just hold them off as long as you can, and try not to die." Bob drew his sword and took a stance. It''s a bit strange, he only practiced with a sword once before but ever since his potential was fully unlocked the sword felt like an extension of his arm. Techniques and movements just came naturally to him. Stonehand Brian cracked his neck as he got up from his seat. He looked over at One-eyed Fred. "I''ll handle this, my fist haven''t broken any bones in a while. Will be nice to warm up before heading out to the grandline again." One-eyed Fred took a puff of his cigar and nodded. "Go ahead, just don''t kill him too fast." One-eyed Fred slapped the back of the larger man next to him. "Well you get up too! You heard him, he doesn''t think your shit! Let him know who you are." The larger man stopped swirling his pistol around and got up slowly. "You should all come, or this won''t be as fun." Bob said. "Same could be said to you." Stonehand Brian said as he pounded his two fist together three times. On the third time both his fist turned to stone. Bob didn''t use Grand Blessing to catch up to him, he wanted to save it in case one of his members got hurt. He still was not too sure how much damage it would heal, but healing some is better than none at all. Once Bob moved, everyone else started to move as well. Stonehand Brian grinned as he did a downward punch towards Bob. Stonehand Brian much larger than Bob, not only in his build but also his size. Bob quickly reacted as he used Black Death to block to blow. There was a reason he blocked instead of dodging like he could have. He wanted to see the weight behind Stonehand Brian''s punch. However, that was the wrong choice for Bob as he slid backwards. Although his sword blocked the damage, his hand holding it felt numb. Bob shook his hand trying to get of that numbness feeling. Blocking against this guy was a bad choice, he needed to use his speed and dodge. Now that Bob had a good understanding of the weight behind Stonehand Brian''s punches he could go on the offensive. Bob darted right at Stonehand Brian, when he was about to punch Bob again. Bob dodged to the left, only his hand was turned to stone. The rest of his body was vulnerable. Bob swung his Black Death, he was hoping to slice off Stonehand Brian''s arm. Except when his blade reached Stonehand Brian''s armpit, it stopped. Stonehand Brian grinned as he locked his arm to his body, causing Bob''s blade to be stuck as well. "Think I can only turn my hands to stone!? Think again!" Stonehand Brian yelled out as he smashed his fist down at Bob. Bob let go of Black Death for a moment and used Grand Blessing to get away. Due to Stonehand Brian''s swing Black Death started to fall. Bob used his burst of movement speed to come back and catch it. As soon as Black Death was in his hand, Bob used Radiant Illusion. A portal opened up and a clone of Bob appeared. It slashed towards Stonehand Brian who tried to block it. The slash went straight through his body and he incurred no damage. "Some trick you have there, too bad it didn''t do any damage." "That''s not the purpose of it!" Bob said as he activated Spellblade, he was already in close range to Stonehand Brian so his attacks weren''t ranged. Bob swung Black Death at Stonehand Brian''s left leg, he aimed right below his knee. Black Death sliced straight through his leg. Stonehead Brian started to lose his balance, he tilted to the left. Bob did not stop there, once Stonehand Brian''s left leg was gone Bob then cut his right arm off. He did not kill him, but if he did not receive treatment soon he''d die of blood loss. Bob pointed Black Death and One-eyed Fred. "You''re next!" The other pirates in the room who were watching all took their guns and pointed it at Bob. One-eyed Fred nodded his head. "Shoot em!" Bang! Shots were fired. Chapter 23 - Judgement John who was busy fighting the large man with the pistol heard numerous gunshots. His heart dropped "Bob!" John yelled out. With that many shots fired, there was no way for Bob to escape unharmed. "Calm down. I''m not dead." Bob replied back to John nonchalantly. When the bullets were fired, he quickly activated Judgement. While Judgement was activated he was immune to all damage and status effects for 3 seconds. Those bullets, Bob didn''t feel a thing. Seeing how Bob was unharmed, One-eyed Fred had his mouth wide open. It was impossible for Bob to survive. Did he have some devil fruit that made him immune to damage? If that was the case, Bob was basically immortal. Bob took a quick look around the room, Ron was fighting the girl and it seemed like he was barely holding on. As for John, he seemed to be doing alright facing the large man with the pistol. The 5 aspiring bounty hunters were holding their own against the no named pirates. The only thing was they were being bruised. Bob had to give it to them, with just two weeks of training they were already able to take out 10 lowly pirates by themselves. Was it talent or was it do to John''s teachings? Bob quickly used Grand Blessing on Dick who had cuts all over his body. Because he was a bruiser-tank type he was absorbing a lot of damage. Dick who was fighting seemed to regain all his energy under the effects of Grand Blessing. His speed even went up, causing him to dodge attacks easier. Bob refocused his attention on One-eyed Fred and his deputy who was by his side. There was still all the other pirates with guns pointed at him. The effect of Judgement would end in one second and he wouldn''t be immune anymore. All his skills were on a cooldown as well, Spellblade had 10 seconds left and Radiant Illusion had 7 seconds left. Bob thought about Yasuo from League of Legends, if he had his infinite dash skill it''d make things a lot easier. Bob made a quick note to himself that he should quickly pick up that item from the store next. Before he leaves Vile Island, he''ll buy it!This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He wasn''t having a hard time dealing with these pirates, but that was only because they underestimated him. Stonehand Brian thought he could overpower Bob with his devil fruit and pure strength. He did not take the time to analyze Bob nor Bob''s skills. If he did he might have gotten an advantage of Bob. Stonehand Brian didn''t have a bad devil fruit, it was just the way he used it. Bob assumed if his damage wasn''t high enough then he couldn''t break through his opponents defense. He wondered if there would ever be a way to see his opponents stats like in other games. Bob stopped his thought and darted at One-eyed Fred who was still seated for some reason. He had the tip of Black Death pointed straight at One-eyed Fred. Bob''s speed without the use of Grand Blessing wasn''t extraordinary, but it was still faster than an average persons. "You think i''m weak just because I haven''t moved yet!? Think again!" One-eyed Fred reached by his waist and quickly drew his pistol. As long as he pulled the trigger before Bob reached him, he''d be the winner. Bob saw One-eyed Fred reaching for his pistol and put more power in his legs. His speed increased slightly, but that was more than enough. Bob did a swift movement with his sword disarming One-eyed Fred. After which, Bob swung his blade across the chest of the deputy next to One-eyed Fred. Bob had no clue why this guy never moved, but it was his own fault. He either was slow, or had too much faith in his captain. Bob stood in front of One-eyed Fred and had the tip of his sword to One-eyed Fred''s throat. The pirates already reloaded their guns and had it aimed at Bob. "Who do you think will be faster. Me with my blade, or them with their guns?" One-eyed Fred stared at Bob, his heart started to beat. He was not going down without a fight, he just needed something. Bob watched One-eyed Fred complipate something. It didn''t matter to Bob, in a few seconds he''d be able to use two of his skills again. One-eyed Fred started to laugh. "Fire! Fire!" He commanded the pirates in there to start shooting. Even if he died, he was going to take Bob down with him. "Fool!" Bob said as he slashed One-eyed Fred''s throat. His sword was quick, One-eyed Fred had no time to react at all. Bob quickly moved away, and bullets started flying. He managed to dodge by rolling on the ground, as he got up he activated Spellblade and started swinging his blade. The pirates with guns started dropping like flies. Once they were taken care of, Bob overlooked the others fights. John was sweating hard as he dealt the finishing blow to his opponent, causing the large man to fall to the ground. The 5 aspiring bounty hunters were all huffing and puffing after their fight. They stood strong and fought together. It was 5 against many, but they overcame it. Each one of them had cuts and bruises all over their body, which Bob would take care of once his skill was off cooldown. As for Ron he was still clashing with the woman. She was a devil fruit user just like Ron, but she was able to turn her body into parts of an owl. Bob figured from how owls worked, she''d rather fight at night time when she''d have superior vision against her prey. Yet she was still pushing Ron back. Bob looked over and John. "Who do you think will win this?" "Hard to say. Kid''s not using his gun, using those daggers instead. He''s not used to them, but for his first time i''m impressed that he''s held on this far." Bob nodded his head as he threw a Grand Blessing on to Ron, rejuvenating him and healing his wounds. Grand Blessing seemed to work well on minor damage, but it still needed to be tested on other type. Bob looked at Stonehead Brian who was still bleeding out. ''Perfect!'' Bob found himself a person to experiment on, as for the 5 aspiring bounty hunters and John, they could wait. Chapter 24 - Captain Oswol
Bob nodded his head in satisfaction as he looked at the five pirates before him. Today he was going to get a huge paycheck, he couldn''t wait. Combing the money he has left over from Vanthof and after he turned in these pirates, Bob would be able to purchase a new piece of equipment. However, there was still the cost of renovating the building he brought from Bella. So Bob was thinking of waiting until the auction happened, then he''d get more funds. He did not know if he wanted to wait or purchase his gear right away. He''d talk to Tim or Bella to see how much it would cost to renovate the building. Not much was needed, Bob just wanted to add a speakeasy to that place as well, but to do that he needed to build an extra room. Business would happen in front and the organization activities would happen in the back. The one thing Bob did like about his skill was that Grand Blessing would instantly heal any wound. Sadly it couldn''t regrow limbs, which he tested on Stonehead Brian. The results were that Stonehead Brian stopped bleeding and skin grew over the open wound. Bob patted Ron on the shoulder as he seemed kind of down. "Cheer up man, you were using a weapon you weren''t familiar with. At least you got some experience, that''s all that matters." Bob wasn''t upset that Ron lost against the pirate lady, he felt it would happen when she was pushing him back. Bob had to step in. He was honestly thinking about making a deal with her. If she could beat both John and Ron he''d let her go free. That way the two of them could fight a devil fruit user and gain more experience. But that was in the past, he couldn''t change it now. "Alright, you all did good today. Let''s just round up these bodies and take them to the supply base to turn them in." Bob said to his gang. He also had the certificate that Vanthof gave him for Greybeards crew. Once that was turned in, he''d get the bounty for them as well. Except that money went to Ash. "You heard the man, get the bodies." John said to the 5 aspiring bounty hunters. Bob didn''t know if they were aspiring anymore, since they completed their first hunt. They just needed to go out by themselves and started hunting down other pirates. Bob was thinking about having John find a one million beli pirate for them to go after. Then they''d work their way up. As they left ''The Center'' Bob saw the crowd of pirates holding their weapons ready for a fight. "You should all find a new occupation, we have your leaders. There is no where for you to go anymore!" Bob moved to the side and let the pirates see the 5 bounty hunters carrying or dragging the pirates bodies. As the low end pirates saw their leaders in the hands of Bob''s group they dropped their weapons and left. Bob was not going to chase after them, they weren''t worth anything. "John, now that we captured these two pirate crews, how many are left? I know you went to the tavern earlier, you were bound to see some right?" John thought about it for a moment. "I saw two others, but there might be more around. None are worth more than 10 million though, so they are all small fish." Bob nodded his head. "Not bad, we''ll be here for a while so let them take care of those pirates. It''ll be good experience, you can go observe them. Eventually they''ll need to go out into the world without you looking over their shoulders." "I was thinking the same thing." John agreed with Bob. Bob looked over at Ron. "As for you, start by recruiting 5 people in this town. I''ll show you guys how to tail and observe others from afar. We need to get our intelligence section up and running on this island before we leave. We just need them to collect information and store it, like which pirate crew comes to this island, how much they are worth, where they are going. Also, if there are any auctions being hosted here and what items are for sale. Have them keep tabs on the marines here as well. I want to know it all."This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Ron nodded his head. Bob figured it would be hard for him to do it alone, so he was thinking of asking Jacob or one of his brothers to help Ron out. Maybe even ask Ash or Tim. Tim would be his most likely pick as he already had connections in town. If Bob could hire them, then his intelligence operations here would run smoothly. Bob and his gang arrived before the marine base here on the island. There were more marines stationed here than at Blacktown, probably due to this place being a supply base. They needed more hands on deck to inventory the items. Bob whistled to one of the marines guarding the gate. "I''m here to turn in some pirates. One-eyed Fred and his gang as well as Stonehand Brian''s crew." The marine looked at the bodies the 5 bounty hunters were carrying. He got up close to make sure they were the wanted pirates before he nodded his head and raised his hand. The gate to the base opened up. "Go in, i''ll get the Captain." Bob and his gang stepped foot into the marine base. He could see some fresh recruits doing drills as well as practicing marching. "Is this how it normally is?" Bob asked John. The base at Blacktown was nothing like this. The marines there weren''t really training, they were just standing guard when Bob went to see Vanthof. "Usually. See those young boys over there, the ones cleaning. Those are the lowest ranking, they aren''t even considered marines yet. They have to attend class in the morning and after they just listen to everyone''s orders. It''s pretty tiring and boring, but its to weed out those who aren''t fit to be a marine. After a few months of doing that they become a recruit and slowly work their way up the ladder. The ones standing guard are usually the pety officers, while the warrant officers and above oversea the base and files. Commanders are usually the ones who run the base, but they can easily be replaced by any sort of admiral. However, most admirals are stationed at sea in key locations, they are always moving." John explained how the marines generally worked. He had the knowledge since he used to be one. Bob listened and nodded his head. He and John continued to converse for a few minutes before the guard came back with the captain. The captain here was middle aged, but he was much more fit than Vanthof. He had a black beard and his black hair was pushed back. He wore black rimmed glasses. "I heard you captured One-eyed Fred and Stonehand Brian, good job. I''m Captain Oswol, who are you?" Captain Oswol had a deep voice. "I''m Bob, and this is my group. We''re all bounty hunters." Captain Oswol looked over Bob''s group. None of them seemed to really stand out. When he spotted John he squinted his eyes. That one seemed to have some potential. "I understand, i''ll need to look them over to make sure they are who you say they are." Bob nodded and moved to the side letting Captain Oswol examine the bodies. "I also have a certificate for the bounty of Greybeard and his crew. It''s signed by base commander Vanthof." Captain Oswol froze for a moment before he grabbed the certificate from Bob. "Vanthof? Hmm, he''s still a base commander? I thought he''d have moved up by now. Did they not have enough beli over there?" Bob shook his head. Bob did not want to say too much, as he''d have to impersonate Vanthof later. Now that he found out captain Oswol knew Vanthof Bob felt sweat flow down his back. He had to rethink things, he could not just leave here turn into Vanthof and be like hey I need some den-den mushi. Bob needed to wait a few more days, come up with a reason why Vanthof would visit. Guess he''ll have to give Dave a ring and have him visit Vanthof. "Alright. You''ve done a good job. Haven''t you guys ever thought about joining the marines?" Captain Oswol asked. "Nah, if we join the marines we''d be tied down to rules and regulations. Easier to go after pirates wanted by the government turn them in for some cash then live easy for a few years." Bob replied. "Well nothing I can say about that." Captain Oswol turned around and told the guard the fetch Bob 430 million beli from the vault. The guard started sweating hard when he heard that amount. That was a lot of cash. Enough that a person wouldn''t have to work for the rest of their life. "Captain¡­. Wouldn''t we need to contact an admiral first? That''s a huge sum of money." "There''s no need, a supply ship will be coming here in a few days time. We''ll get all of it back. If we don''t hold our end of the deal with these pirate hunters, how will we be able to work with them again in the future?" The guard nodded his head. He did a salute and ran off. Captain Oswol didn''t say anything else as he went back inside the base. Bob and his gang waited for twenty minutes before that guard from before came back with a small group of recruits. He handed the large sacks of beli over to Bob. "You want to count it to make sure its all there?" "No need. If i''m missing any, i''ll be sure to return." "Before that, I need to collect the bodies. How many are still alive?" Bob pointed to the female pirate and Stonehand Brian. "Just those two, the others put up more resistance." The guard had the recruits collect the bodies. Bob had the 5 bounty hunters collect the cash. He told them to put it on the ship, but he kept a bag for himself. Ron and John were released for the day while Bob went to visit Bella and Tim. It was still pretty early, but Bob knew that in a few hours the sun would be setting. So he quickly made his way back to the jewelry shop. When he opened it he found Bella inside laying down on the counter. Tim was nowhere to be seen. "Where''d Tim go?" Bob asked. Bella turned over and looked at Bob. "Said he was hungry so he went to get us food. He should be back shortly. So, since you''re back that means you realized going up against them wasn''t worth it?" Bella asked. Bob grinned and sat the sack of money on the ground. "Nope! I told you i''ll handle it, and I meant it! Now, time for you to hold up your end of the deal." "Fine! What do I have to do?" "That''s easy. First I need to get in contact with some construction workers, I need to do a little renovating here. After that, i''ll need all the wanted posters that are posted on this island brought over here. Once that''s done, we need to recruit some people to work here. When that''s all finished, i''ll explain the rest to you." "Seems like you''re putting me to work." Bob nodded. "Oh, and don''t forget about those pretty ladies." "You''re the boss." "Don''t call me that, just call me Bob."

FishThatsBlue

Chapter 25 - Greybeard lives! Bob enjoyed his time on Vile Island, he was mostly relaxing now that he captured the two pirate crews. All the other small fry were being dealt with by John and the 5 bounty hunters. Two days went by before anyone knew it. During these two days Bob was continuing to train with John. The two of them were sword users, but considering that Bob''s mastery over his sword was maxed out he always had something to say to John. John paid attention and adjusted his stance when Bob pointed out a mistake. John was slowly improving his sword skills. As for Ron, Bob started training with him as well. Ron seemed to really like wielding daggers so Bob started to spar with him. During their matches Bob told Ron how he should try to use him devil fruit ability on his weapon. If he could make his daggers seem like that vanished, he''d be able to catch his opponent off guard. Bob wasn''t sure if it was possible, but it was just a suggestion. As for his main goal of getting more den-den mushi Bob put that on hold for now. He still needed to come up with a decent reason as to why Vanthof would visit this place. Granted he could say he was here for some supplies, but seeing as how captain Oswol knew Vanthof, Bob wanted to learn some more background information. The renovation of the jewelry store was coming along, Bob figured it''d be done in another day or two. They were only adding a new room so not much work was being done. Bella asked Bob if they could add tables, chairs and maybe even get some barrels of beer. She told him that they''d be able to bring in and keep more customers that way. Bob told her about his plan to open a bounty shop, he also told her that he was making an organization. It was in the infant stages for now, but it wouldn''t be long before they''d be up and running. Bella wanted to know more details about it, and Bob told her. She was a little skeptical at first, but once Bob mentioned the pay and insurance they had, she jumped on board. She even said she''d get Tim to join in. Bob was more than happy to have Tim be apart of his group. Tim could continue to be a blacksmith, but he just needed to share any information he learned with the organization. On the second day on Vile Island, Bob had Ash meet Bella. The two girls hit it off, and Ash said that Bella was a good pick for Bob. Bella ended up showing Ash some of her female associates that were willing to work at her tavern back in Blacktown. Out of the six, Ash picked three of them.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Her luck with the cook she heard about wasn''t making too much progress, but she said that she wanted to handle it by herself. Bob let her be. When Bob wasn''t busy in town talking to Bella or Tim, he was on the ship training. His progress into obtaining haki was very slow, so slow that he was rethinking his training methods. It''d probably be easier for him to obtain observation haki, since Bob already knew a way to train that. However, armament haki was different. Out of the two, Bob considered armament to be harder to train. He kept telling himself slow and steady wins the race. He still had plenty of time before Ace was captured and the war started. On the second day, Tim agreed to join Bob''s organization as long as he could conitnue to study Black Death. It was a small price to pay for Bob, but he didn''t have a problem with it. Bob already made a promise to Tim about Black Death, he could study it until he crafted the dragunov sniper rifle. Tim also told Bob that the auction would start later in the afternoon. He said this auction was a bit special as they were auctioning off a devil fruit along with some strange lion like beast. It had the body of a lion but stood up like a human, it could also talk. Bob understood what the creature was right away, it was a lion mink. Except he didn''t think one would appear here. Bob''s interest in the auction house wasn''t exactly towards the slaves or the items. While he would free the slaves, he was more interested in taking all the money the auction house made. That was his plan all along. Why waste time fighting more pirates when he could just let the rich waste their money at the auction house, then Bob comes in and takes it all for himself. As for the devil fruit, Bob was on the fence about it. Did he want one? Kind of, but it would be a gamble. No one knows what kind of power you get when you eat a devil fruit, its random. You only know after you obtain the powers what you have. He could get something cool, or something lame. Not only that, i''d cost him his ability to swim. If Bob had to pick a devil fruit, he''d rather take Enel''s. Bob got dressed for the auction, he put on some stylish clothes that he brought here on the island. He also changed his appearance into that of Greybeard. Bob put a scarf around his neck and hoped no one would recognize him in this form. Funny thing is, he''s able to change into anyone he wants. Only, he has to come in contact with them at least once before. He found that out when he tried to change into Whitebeard, his ability didn''t let him. He did happen to turn into Shanks, but Bob felt if he walked around as Shanks he''d be the center of attention. That was something he did not want to happen. Bob came out of his room and went to the deck of the ship. No one was here right now, everyone was busy. Jacob and his brothers were doing something. They told Bob, but he forgot what they said. Bob walked the streets until he arrived in front of a large building. People were lining up to enter. He made sure to get here early, or at least he assumed he was early. But now looking at the line of people, it seems he wasn''t. Bob''s plan was simple, go in and watch how the auction plays out. Before everything was given out, he''d set the slaves free, take any items that interested him and get all the money. Bob was no thief, but he wasn''t Bob today. Today he was Greybeard! What were the marines going to do? Put a bounty out on him? Greybeard was already dead! Chapter 26 - Rise up Bob was pretty upset, he had to pay a fee to enter the auction. He assumed it would be free, but that wasn''t the case. It cost 10,000 beli per person. Bob reluctantly gave it up, at the end of the day it was going right back into his pockets. The auction house had two levels to it, the main floor and an upper level where the vips were situated. Bob was only given access to the main floor, but that did not stop him from glancing up at the upper floor. As people were still coming in through the main door to fill in the main floor, the upper floor already had people seated. They were the rich and noble. As for any celestial dragon, Bob saw none. He highly doubted they be here on this island. Bob took a seat in the back, he wanted to be far away from everyone. Mostly to keep his presence hidden but also he wanted to leave early. It took a while before everyone got seated and the auction started, but Bob waited patiently. It was the only thing he could do. "Hello ladies and gentlemen, this months auction is a tad bit special as we have two rare items being sold off today. One being a devil fruit the other being a lion mink!" A man took the stage and started the auctions introduction. Behind him was a large cage covered with a black cloth, and on the other side was a stand covered with a cloth. The man walked to the stand and removed the cloth revealing the devil fruit. It looked like a bunch of blackberries, except it was pink in color. Bob saw the weird looking marks on the fruit and he knew that it was indeed a devil fruit. As for what it was, no one knew until you ate it. After revealing the devil fruit, the man walked over to the cage and removed the black cloth. Inside the cage was a female lion mink. She had long golden hair but a curvy body. She was not wearing the best clothes, just a simple white shirt that stuck to her body. The shirt was long enough that it went to her upper thigh. Bob''s eye grew large, this was his first time seeing a mink. He could hear all the oo''s and ah''s. The man on stage started to laugh a little. "However, before we get to the main course and the desert, we have to have a taste of the appetizers." Two men walked on stage, one grabbed the devil fruit and the other pushed the cage with the lion mink inside away. When they were out of sight, a woman came out carrying a long sword. "First off on the list is for all you sword collectors out there. I''m sure there''s no need for you all to understand the quality of this sword. It''s a supreme grade sword, called Amane. As you can see it''s an Odachi so the length is greater than a normal sword." The man started talking about the blade in detail, while the woman took it out of its sheath and showed it off. He talked about the swords history as well as where it got its famous name. Bob was confused, this guy was talking about starting things out slow with items that wouldn''t be as expensive as a devil fruit or a lion mink. However, he just brought out a famous sword. Did he consider this thing to be worthless? Granted, everyone here except for Bob were rich citizens, so the probability of them getting into fights was slim. But still! This sword was up there with Mihawks, yet it wasn''t a main item of the auction? It hit a nerve in Bob. The big started at 500 thousand beli, but the fire was ignited in the hearts of the people. The bidding wars were fierce, and the item was eventually sold for 30 million beli.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Other items were brought out either one by one or in small groups. Most items went for around 200 thousand or 10 million beli. When the slaves were brought out, Bob could only keep calm. He just let them bid, surprising none of the slaves were sold for over 700 thousand beli. Bob counted 24 of them, and if he were to count the lion mink then that was a total of 25 here. All of them were human, but they were broken down into different tribes. There were two from the longleg tribe that were being sold, which were a pair of brother and sister. Bob was shocked by their height. There was also a dwarf being sold. Everyone else was just normal humans, besides the lion mink. All the items were sold off and some people started to run out of money, it gave an advantage to the nobles and rich people. The ones who were conserving their money for the last two items. The devil fruit was up first, the starting bid was 10 million beli. Although no one knew what ability they''d gain from it, that did not stop people from bidding. They knew that once they ate it, they''d gain tremendous power. Bob even got in on the bidding, except his own purpose was to keep the price going higher and higher. The more they spend, the more he gets at the end. The final price for the devil fruit was 200 million beli. Bob was almost forced to buy it when he raised the bid to 180 million beli, but luckily some nouveau riche was here and went up 20 million more than Bob. Last to be sold off was the lion mink. Although in One Piece members of the mink tribe were sold for around 700 thousand, because of it being a lion mink and a female the rarity was much more higher. Therefore causing the price to go up. The starting bid on the lion mink was 50 million beli. Bob thought the price was actually too high, but he said nothing. There were only three people that bid on the lion mink, and the final price ended up coming to 90 million. The man who was hosting the auction started giving his final words as well as where the people who won the items could drop off their money. Bob paid close attention to that as he got up from his seat. Now that the auction was coming to a close, it was about time for him to start his plan. He had two options, go free the slaves and take the items he wanted, or go get all the money that would be dropped off. He was going to do both of them, it was just a matter of which first. Bob decided to get the money first. He could have the system change the money into points, so he wouldn''t need to carry any coins on him. As for the slaves and items, Bob would need to carry the items. Once one thing or another happened, there were bound to be people coming after Bob. Bob quickly made his way back stage, he made sure to avoid any personal and guards. Bob even spotted a few marines. When Bob arrived at the location where people would need to drop off their money, he started to wait. No one was here yet. Maybe he did pick the wrong option. He ended up spending twenty minutes waiting for everyone to come and drop off their cash. Majority of them already had their money waiting, so all they needed to do was turn it in. Bob licked his lips when he saw the money pile up in the vault. When the last person left, Bob dashed inside the vault. A guard saw him and pointed his gun at Bob, but Bob sped up using Grand Blessing and knocked the guard out. After he knocked out the guard, he also punched the staff members of the auction. Bob was tempted to kill them, but opted against it. When the area was clear, Bob went inside the vault and started changing all the beli into system points. He didn''t check how many points he obtained, instead he ran directly towards the back of the stage. He figured that''s where all the items and slaves were being stored. Bob hoped he wasn''t too late, and that when he arrived everything would still be there. Bob spent 5 minutes running before he arrived at the back of the stage. He arrived just in time too as people were coming to collect their goods. The staff saw Bob and realized he wasn''t someone who won an item. He was sweating for one, no noble ran. "Get this guy! Turn him into the marines!" One of the staff members yelled out. "Hey now, do you know who you''re messing with?" The staff member rolled his eyes, why should he care? Bob noticed the mans carefree attitude. "Dont care? Alright, i''ll show you why you should care!" Bob drew Black Death and activated Spellblade. He quickly swung his sword at the slaves cages. Spellblade did enough damage to cause the cages to break open. Bob looked at all the slaves. "Rise up! Now''s your time to get revenge on those who put you here!" The slaves being freed hesitated for a moment, but then they thought of something. Bob just swung his sword at their cage and opened it up. If he were to do that to a person just think of the damage. It only took them a few seconds before they realize that they had a chance to be free. Each of them roared and lashed out against the staff as well as the people who bid on them. While chaos was breaking out, Bob went over to the items. "I''ll take this, that, oh and this too!" Bob started to collect all sorts of items. He made sure not to forget the devil fruit. Both his hands were full, Bob could barely see over the stack of items he had. "Crap¡­ how am I going to get all of this to the ship? I still need to fight my way out of here." Bob couldn''t reach Black Death so he couldn''t really fight with his sword. Bob ran over to the lion mink who was ripping apart one of the nobles. "Aye, come here for a second." The lion mink looked at Bob and came over to him. Bob threw the items over to her. "Hold those, gather everyone up and let''s get out of here!" Chapter 27 - Recruitment Bob charged forward knocking out anyone who stood in his path. He held back his power so he wouldn''t kill them. "He''s so strong!" "Indeed!" The slaves were chatting behind Bob''s back while trying to keep up with him. Bob wanted them to be free, but if they were to stay on this island he was sure they''d be captured once more. Maybe even beaten half to death. It wasn''t until Bob was close to the exit that he recalled Jacob''s words. When Jacob found out that the pirates Bob turned in were either dead or in the custody of the Marines he asked about their ship. Bob said it should still be there, and Jacob said he was going to get it. Bob knew what his next plan was. He just hoped that Jacob was at the dock with those ships. When Bob reached the exit, there were marines pointing guns in his direction. "Stop!" They yelled at Bob. Bob didn''t listen, he continued to dash forward and activated Grand Blessing. He arrived in front of the marines before they knew it, and knocked them out. Gun fire rang but Bob activated Judgement causing him to take no damage. He was disappointed about this skill, the cooldown was once every three hours. Still, it was pretty much overpowered. During Judgement, Bob quickly took care of the other marines. "Hurry up, follow me!" Bob yelled out. As he was about to run again, he recalled something. He started carving something on the ground with Black Death. ''Faceless was here.''Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He did not want to leave without leaving a mark. People needed to know who did this. Although Bob looked like Greybeard at the moment, he was wearing a scarf so no one could truly make out all of his face. In the future when he committed any crime he''d become Faceless, and slowly build up his bounty. Then when Faceless was worth a lot, he''d have John turn himself in. Ron would follow him in his stealth form, take the key from the guard and him and Bob would escape. It was the perfect plan. Bob and all the slaves made it to the dock, due to Bob knocking out anyone who followed them they were relatively safe for now. Bob saw Jacob on another ship walking around on the deck. "Hey Jacob!" Bob yelled out. Jacob looked around and saw Bob waving at him. Jacob waved for Bob to come up on the ship. The ex-slaves all followed Bob. "What do you think? Nice huh?" Jacob asked Bob as he came onboard. "It''s alright. What''s this for again?" Jacob sighed and shook his head. "Its for you! Your organization would need more than one ship. You''d need one or two for every island you have a base on. It''ll work as a supply ship and when its time to head out to hunt down people, the others can use it." Bob nodded his head. "Did you find anything on board?" Bob asked. Just thinking about the money on this ship caused him to smile. "There wasn''t much, just a bunch of supplies. Seems that whoever this ship belonged to was stocking up for a long journey. I''d say its enough supplies for a year, give or take. My brothers just left to bring the other ship over here. We had to buy some new sails though, can''t use those pirate ones. Marines would come after us." Bob was disappointed, he was hoping there would be money. "Who are they?" Jacob asked. "Oh, they are some slaves I rescued. I was going to let them go their own way, but I don''t think they can stay here on Vile Island. Marines and the nobles would be coming after them." "So what are you going to do with them?" Bob turned to the ex-slaves. "Well what do you guys want to do? I can take you to the next island over, or you can come work for me. I''ll provide you with pay and give you jobs to do. The better you do, the more you''ll be paid." Bob started explaining to the ex-slaves about the benefits for working for him. "We''ll follow you, just tell us what to do and we''ll do it!" One man spoke up for all the ex-slaves and the others nodded their heads. "Alright, for now make yourself at home on the ship. I''ll come find you later and introduce you all to the others." Bob easily gained 25 new recruits for his organization. It was a large recruitment, now all he had to do was separate them by their future jobs. Have them trained and send out into the world. Bob realized he was still looking like Greybeard so he changed back into his normal appearance. Everyone was shocked. Bob went over to the female lion mink who was carrying all the items. Bob grabbed the sword Amane. He was planning on gifting this to John, as for the other goods he told the lion mink to put them in a room on the ship. Bob didn''t feel he needed to watch over them, as Jacob was there. Granted they could overpower Jacob take the ship and leave but Bob had a feeling they wouldn''t do that. He started to wonder if he was too trustful. Bob did not think on it for too long, instead when he made it back to his main ship he set Amane down. John was nowhere to be seen. "Hmm, how many points did I collect?" Bob asked himself. Chapter 28 - Not too much longer Bob opened up the store, and when he saw the number of points his eyes grew wide. "So many!" The total amount of points Bob obtained from the auction house and the points he already had was 59,860. It was the first time Bob had so many points, he felt like a kid in a candy store. "Let''s see, what to buy." Bob''s original plan was to buy an item for 45,000 points but maybe he could get something else instead. Bob quickly scanned through the list of items. "What to get? My damage seems to be fine right now, but higher damage means i''ll beat my opponent easier. Yet, I wonder what that defensive item does?" Bob felt tingly all over. "No Bob. No! Stick to the plan." Bob shook his head. He had a solid game plan, as long as he stuck to it he''d be fine. Bob used the search function of the shop and typed in Earring of Mortal Reminder. This item was an accessory type, but it had a little bit of everything. The stats on it weren''t the greatest, however the unique is what made is so good. Even if he did not train his armament haki, he''d still be able to deal with some logia devil fruit users. Granted, he wasn''t 100% sure about that, but from what the passive said it sounded like it. Yet Bob wanted to be sure, so he still planned on obtaining his haki. Bob brought the earring and read over its description once more. [Earring of Mortal Reminder] [Attack Damage + 20] [Attack Speed + 20%] [HP +100] [Magic Resistance +10] [Health Regeneration + 10%] [Unique Passive - Mortal Reminder: Charge energy while fighting an enemy up to 3 stacks. Upon consuming the energy your next attack will always deal damage to your opponent.] [1st charge - 30% chance of ignoring enemy defense] [2nd charge - 60% chance of ignoring enemy defense]Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. [3rd charge - Ignores all of your opponents defense] [0 of 3 charges available.] [Note: Unleashing the 3rd charge of Mortal Reminder will deal true damage to the opponent, meaning they will take the full force of your attack no matter what.] [Note 2: To activate this your opponent must be in your attack range.] With this item Bob would give those with high defense something to watch out for. Earring of Mortal Reminder basically cause whoever was on the other end of this skill to become mortal. Meaning no special skills, no haki, no anything. They''d be reminded that they were no one special. This is why Bob loved this earring. The reason he did not pick it up first was due to high cost, and he needed a weapon. As for the health it gave, Bob did not understand what it did. In games it was the amount of damage you can take before you died, but last time Bob checked he did not have a health bar. Health Regeneration was self explanatory, it caused Bob to regenerate his health over time. As for Magic Resistance, Bob had no clue what it did. Bob check his stats. Name: Bob Level: 30/30 Character Grade: S Health: 2000 Armor: 50 Magic Resistance: 60 Damage: AD: 50 + 70 AP: 5 Gear: Black Death | Earring of Mortal Reminder Champion: Kayle Passive: Sword Mastery S - Increase sword dmg by 25% Increase sword speed by 25% Ascendance S - Increase Attack speed by 5% every time you attack (Stackable 5) Active: Radiant Illusion - Summon an illusion of yourself that slays your enemy reducing their resistances. Grand Blessing - Heal yourself or an ally while also granting a burst of movement speed. Spellblade - Imbue your blade with holy light, increasing the damage done by 10%. Melee attacks become ranged. Judgement - Become Immune to all damage and status for 3 second. Ultimate: None [Note: Health is the condition of your body. Taking damage or falling ill will start to lower your health. Upon reaching 0 Health your body will have all its resistance reduced to 0. Getting your limbs cut off will result in a huge loss of health. Having a fatal blow dealt to you will result in your death.] [Note 2: Armor represents the amount of resistance your body has to physical attacks. Magic Resistance represents the amount of resistance your body has to magical attacks.] Bob saw the three new lines on his status page, It must have appeared when he gained those stats. Bob paid attention to the notes at the bottom. His health was like the HP bar in a video game, except if he was shot in the heart, or his head was cut off, then he''d die like a normal person. Bob understood what his armor and resistances did, the only thing he was curious about was if devil fruits counted as magical attacks. Bob really wished he could see the stats of others, that way he''d get a good understanding of how strong he was. Bob checked his leftover points which amounted to 14,860. It was not enough for a full item, but it was good enough for a part of one. Bob brought the piece for the next item on his list. [Boots] [Increase movement speed by 15%] That was all it did, but the final form of this item was something else. Once that was done, Bob closed the shop and his status page. In his hand was a pair of black boots. Bob took off his old pair of shoes and equipped those. The weird thing was for the Earrings of Mortal Reminder, those were automatically equipped to Bob''s ear. His ears weren''t even pierced before, but now he felt them. Bob wished he had a mirror right now to see how he looked. With his blue hair and stylish outfit, he had a feeling he''d have the girls falling head over heels for him. Bob started to laugh. He stopped after a moment as he stared out towards the sea. "It shouldn''t be too much longer now." Bob said to himself. He did not know the exact timeline of One Piece, but he knew that Luffy should be having his bounty announced to the world. Once that happened, Luffy should be heading towards Loguetown. Bob had to catch up to him, he did not want to be too far behind Luffy. Chapter 29 - Bounty A few more days went by while Bob was still on Vile Island. Bob introduced John, Ron, Ash, Bella and the others to the 25 ex-slaves he rescued. All of them were polite, maybe it was due to them being mistreated when they were slaves, but they spoke with caution. Bob assumed it was a habit, one that would take some time to break. Bob sat down with each one of them along with John and Ron. He asked them what they were interested in, if there were any skilled fighters among them. To his surprise the Longleg brother and sister pair were good fighters. There were two more that were skilled in fighting as well. Bob passed them to John, leaving them in his care. With four more people joining that could fight, once they started going after pirates they''d be able to split the teams up more evenly. So far there were nine bounty hunters who weren''t as skilled as John or Ron. All nine of them were new, so it''d take some time for them to gain experience. Adding in John, Ron and Bob that was a total of twelve. Except Ron would be more focused on the intelligence side of things. However, Bob was thinking of having him act as a bounty hunter as well. Anything that would help him increase his battle prowess for the future. With twelve of them, Bob could divide them into groups of three or four. If he did groups of three, John and Ron could lead their own squads. Grow their group, and break it off again. It could continue to happen until their combat force was large. Bob still did not know what he''d do once his group gained enough strength to rival that of the revolutionary army. His goal right now was just to build his organization up and save Ace. His long term goal was still in the makings. With the 21 leftovers, Bob divided them into two groups. One would be part of human resources, which would handle any complaints that might appear, and general recruitment. They''d also have a hand in organizing and documents they''d make in the future. The other group was for intelligence, basically gathering information. Bob did not worry about people to man the other two ships, because Jacob said he had some friends back in Blacktown that would be more than happy to do it. Naturally they''d need to get paid. Once the two groups was divided, Bob started holding a class about following people stealthily. He told them it was easy, they just had to follow behind their target from a distance and maintain that distance. He showed them a few ways to make it seem like you weren''t following your target in case they got suspicious. All his information came from shows and movies he saw years ago. The also told them to act like they were normal citizens, so it would be best to make it seem like you weren''t an agent. Just act naturally, spend time at stores, make some friends but just collect anything worth of value when it came around. Bob made sure they understood that they would sometimes be tasked with tailing a specific person, or even item. Bob told them they weren''t a combat group so there was no need to put their lives in danger, but if it came to it then he''d rather they be prepared. Thus Bob had them spar with each other. Before the day was over, Bob found an artist in the city and had them create a picture for him. It was of a group of people wearing different colored clothing, there were all sorts of objects around them. This picture was used to train the intelligence agents eyes and memory. They''d get ten seconds to look at the picture and they''d be asked a question about it later one. Such as what item was broke, who wore what shirt etc. Bob handed the reins to Ron. He was just helping him out, but Bob felt that Ron could handle it. Bob kind of wanted Ron to have a voice, but he couldn''t do anything for him. He wished he studied sign language, at least then he could teach that to Ron. It''d make communicating a lot easier than him having to write everything.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Bob doubted he was smart enough to come up with his own sign language, so he didn''t even think of making one. There were many items in the shop that Bob could buy, but because it conflicted with his build he did not buy it. There was an item that cost 100,000 points which could allow Bob to read the thoughts of someone. But, that was all it allowed, it gave him no stats. And it could only be used once every two hours. Granted that item would have its perks in a real battle, but Bob had other items in mind that gave better stats and different effects. Besides teaching the intelligence agents how they should work, Bob also handled the leftovers that he put in human resources. He basically made seven rules they should always follow when dealing with the person filing the complaint. He also showed them how they could contact one of their superiors if it was something they couldn''t solve. After that, Bob showed them basic filing. Putting things in order from A to Z. It was tiring, but thats what Bob did for three days. On the third day Bob received news. Faceless had a bounty of 20 million. Bob thought it took them long enough, but he was just happy Faceless actually got a bounty. The reason it wasn''t high was probably due to him just stealing everything and setting the slaves free. Bob did not kill anyone. The second piece of news he received was the wanted posted of Monkey D. Luffy. Bob sighed, things were progressing much faster than he imagined they would. He kept telling himself slow and steady wins the race, but Luffy was like a rabbit. He was going full speed without stopping. The only time he stopped was after Ace and Whitebeard died, he took a two year break. The last piece of news he received was that the base for his organization here on this island was completed. Well, the renovation. Bob went to go take a look. As he stepped inside he kept nodding his head in approval. It looked generally the same, except there was not as much empty floor space. There were two large boards on the left and right side of the building. Both of them had bounties of wanted pirates on them. In the middle of the floor were tables that people could sit down at and trade information, or team up if they needed to. When you first come in, you''d see three counters. They''d be used to receive request from citizens that wanted to put a bounty on someone or if they needed to collect some sort of information. The left counter had a small hallway with two doors. One was to the bathroom, while the other one led to the newly created room Bob asked for. "Wow, this place looks amazing." Bella said as she came in with a bandanna over her head. Bob nodded. "Wait till you see the room where our people will be." Bob waved for Bella to follow him. He opened the room and inside were three large round tables. That''s where the members would sit if they wanted to relax or just talk amongst themselves. On the right wall was a large map. It was a map of the entire east blue and under that map was another large map which showed the grandline. Bob was lucky to find this at the auction house, but it wasn''t that rare. It was just rare in these parts. His luck must have been good, because Bob obtained two pairs of these large maps. "That''s where everyone will just hang out and discuss future plans if need be. Once I obtain more den-den mushi we''ll have a small stock here. Just around three to five, i''ll create a channel which connects them all together. That way we can always stay in touch no matter where we are. As for these two maps, this is where things get interesting. I plan on having Tim create some small pins with a colored ball attached to the top. Each pin will represent where a group of us are on the map. Mostly just the key figures of the organization. It''ll have to be updated hourly. Might be hard to organize at first, but once people get the hang of it, things will be easier." Bob explained why he had these items in this space and where future items would go. Bella listened to him with a shine in her eyes. She never thought Bob would have this much planned out. It amazed her. "So, when will we be open for business?" Bella asked Bob. Bob rubbed his chin. "Roughly in a month or two. At that time, we should have at least one more base further out. Gives us plenty of time to reorganize ourselves if need be, as well as collect data. For now though we''ll run some drills with this base and the one on Blacktown. That way everyone can get a feel for how things will run in the future, as well as how to pass along information." Bella nodded her head. "But, everyone still needs a bit more training. Not to mention we can''t use the 25 new people I recruited on this island, they''ll be captured. They''ve been hiding out on the ship for now, but eventually I plan on having them stationed at Blacktown. Dave, who you haven''t met yet has already recruited some new members as well. We''ll trade our 25 for his 15. Those 15 will come here in the coming weeks and stay here until they are ordered to go somewhere else. The 25 we have here will be going to Blacktown and be stationed there until further notice. Except the ones that are going to be bounty hunters, those ones will travel with my group for now." "I understand." Bella said. Bob nodded his head. "Oh yeah, i''ll have you as the manager for this branch here. It''s an important role so i''ll need to teach you some things. Just basic documentations and how to keep logs." "Bob, how do you know so much?" Bob scratched his cheek. "Let''s just say, I had a lot of time on my hands when I was younger." Chapter 30 - I see potential in you Bob woke up early the day after he received news that him/Faceless and Luffy received their bounties. He thought he was the first to get up, but he heard clanging sounds, so he assumed someone within his group was sparring with each other. Bob changed into Vanthof''s marine uniform and then he changed into Vanthof. Enough time has went by so it was time to do what he originally came to this island for. Luckily Vanthof was willing to tell Bob that if he were to ever go to that Island it would be because he was running out of resources. Therefore Bob should say the same thing. His rank wasn''t the highest in the marines, but it was not the lowest either. No one would really question him why he was there. After changing into Vanthof Bob grabbed a large backpack. This is what would he was planning on putting the den-den mushi in. Bob left his room and headed towards the deck to see who was up. To his surprise it was the female lion mink and John. Both of them were sparring. The female lion mink was called Luna, she had her own story to tell, just like the other ex-slaves. She was someone who Bob put under Ron, he felt that she was unique in her own way. He couldn''t say exactly why, but he just felt that way. Bob noticed Ron laying down with his legs crossed, he was reading a book. This was Ron''s hobby, if he was not training or out doing things for or with Bob, he was usually reading. Bob did not interrupt John and Luna''s sparring session instead he went over to Ron. "Hey Ron." Ron put the book he was reading down and looked up at Bob. "I need you to come with me. I need to visit the supply base, its time we got the den-den mushi''s." Ron furrowed his eyebrows. Bob assumed he was asking why did he need him. "I need your ability, just follow me around in the base. It''ll be odd if I go in there take all the den-den mushi then leave the place empty, they''ll start battering me with questions. However, if you follow me things will be different. I can check out two or three den-den mushi, but you can stay in the room and collect the rest. Get as many as you can, if you can''t get them all don''t worry about it. Just make sure you get a variety of them. Once you''re done just come back here or wait for me. If you wait for me, i''ll meet you by the entrance, just make sure you tap me on the shoulder or something so I know you''re there." Bob explained to Ron. Ron nodded his head and grabbed the bag from Bob. He put his book down on the ground. "Alright, let''s go." Ron blended in with the surroundings and followed behind Bob. The two of them arrived at the marine supply base. The two guards saluted Bob who was disguised as Vanthof. "Morning Commander!" Bob nodded his head. "I sent a notification ahead of time saying I was stopping by the resupply, did you not recieve it?" Bob asked the two guards. They shook their head. "We''ve received no such report. But Captain Oswol might have." The guards opened the gate and let Bob enter. "So far so good." Bob mumbled to himself as he entered the base. This was no time for him to look around the base, he just needed to find the officer in charge of supply. Once he found them, he could start checking out den-den mushi.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Bob entered the building, he saw the youngsters doing some early cleaning of the place. They weren''t marines yet, but they could be in the future. They all stood tall when Bob entered. They recognized the rank on his uniform. "Morning sir!" They said in unison. Bob nodded his head. He looked at one of them and asked a question. "Do you know whose in charge of supply here? I''m here to pick up some supplies for my base." The youngster broke into a smile, but quickly changed it so he seemed more serious. "Yes, do you want me to lead you there sir?" Bob nodded his head. "Sure, why not." "Follow me then." Bob started following the youngster, they went straight then around a few corners until they reached a large space. Inside the space were marines with checklist in their hands checking off items to make sure they were accounted for. "What''s going on?" Bob asked. "Today''s inspection day sir. Meaning we have to make sure all our equipment is accounted for and works." "Ah, I should have figured." Bob said. The youngster pointed to one man with a square chin. He had a strong build that make him seem powerful. "That''s Warrant Officer Fuller. He''s in charge of supply, if you need something just ask him." Bob patted the youngster on the shoulder. "You''ve done good work today kid, I have a feeling you''ll make a fine marine." The youngster hearing Bob''s praise broke into a smile and nodded his head. "It''s always been my dream!" Bob nodded his head. "Alright, now off with you." Bob quickly changed his attitude and shooed the youngster away. Bob walked over to Warrant Officer Fuller. "Officer Fuller, i''ve come to pick up my supplies." Warrant Officer Fuller looked at Bob then looked at the list in his hand. "Name''s Vanthof, i''m just here to pick up a den-den mushi. The one I had died on me." "I don''t see your name on the list. Maybe your order will be in next week." Warrant Officer Fuller said. "Don''t you have some stored here already?" "We do, but those are being shipped out soon. Which is why we are having this inspection But, if it''s only one¡­ I could give you one." Warrant Officer Fuller said. "One is all I need. Where should I go to get it?" "Eh, just wait here. I''ll go grab it, but in the meantime, you can start filling out this paperwork." Warrant Officer Fuller pulled a sheet of paper from under his checklist and passed it to Bob. He also gave him a pen. Bob looked over the form. It wanted to know who he was, what his rank was, where he was stationed and more. At the end he needed to sign it and write what he was receiving. Warrant Officer Fuller started to walk off after handing Bob the form. "Follow him and get everything you can." Bob said softly, so the person next to him could hear him. Ron tapped his shoulder in response. Bob started filling in the information as best as he could. The only thing he lacked was Vanthof''s marine identification number. Bob started putting in random numbers, he just hoped they''d look legit. If anything happened after that, it was no longer his problem. Vanthof may get away with it due to his rank, but there might be some sort of action taken against him. Bob wasn''t too sure. If Vanthof got replaced Bob did not really mind, it would only bother him if someone more competent and actually did their job replaced him. Then that would pose a problem for Bob. That''s the only reason he did not report Vanthof, he needed him to hold his position for now. After waiting five minutes, Fuller came back with a den-den mushi. "This ones older, but it should hold you over for the next year or so. If you return next week, we''ll have more to give away, but our hands are tied at this moment. Send in your order again, maybe there was some sort of delay at the top of the command which caused your order to get lost or something." Warrant Officer Fuller handed Bob the den-den mushi. "I would give you a black den-den mushi, but I have to listen to the admirals orders. You know how these things go." Bob nodded his head. Ron did not tap him on the shoulder yet, so he hasn''t returned. Bob decided to stick around and wait for his return. Bob started conversing with Warrant Officer Fuller for a little bit, mostly to see if he could gain any sort of information. Bob kept his words to a minimum. He did not want to say anything a commander wouldn''t say, nor did he want to act out of character. He spent ten minutes talking to Fuller before Ron tapped him on his shoulder. "It was nice talking to you Officer Fuller, I see great potential in you." "You''re just saying that." "No I really do. But, I think its best I leave here. Can''t keep my subordinates waiting on my return." "Have a safe trip Commander." Bob nodded his head and turned to leave the base. He remembered the way the youngster from earlier showed him. As he left the marine base, he was curious where Captain Oswol was. Bob did not see him, but it was probably for the best. Seems he knew Vanthof, and Bob doubted he could fool that guy like he did the others. Ron and Bob quickly made their way to their ship. Once on board Bob changed back to his normal appearance, and Ron undid his ability. "Alright, show me the goods now!" Ron opened the backpack revealing a large amount of den-den mushis. He grabbed a lot of the black kind, the ones that go around a person''s wrist. Bob started taking them out and counting them. There were 5 normal den-den mushi, 10 baby den-den mushi, 20 black den-den mushi, 5 white den-den mushi, 2 horned den-den mushi. That was 42 in total, but then Ron pulled out 4 more. Bob recognized these, all of them were visual den-den mushi, but two were the proko type and the other two was the cameko type. "You did good Ron. You did good!" With his mission complete, Bob now leave Vile Island if he wanted to. However, he planned on staying here for a little bit longer. Chapter 31 - Drilling them hard Bob spent two weeks finalizing everything with his organization, and training. Things were coming along smoothly for him. Bob currently had over 50 people under him. It was still a small number compared to other organizations or groups, but because the number was so small Bob could get to know each of them. Before Bob left Vile Island, he gave Bella a few den-den mushi''s. One normal one to contact him or anyone else, three baby den-den mushi so she could give them out to others if need be, he also gave her two white den-den mushi so none of their conversations could be intercepted. Tim was disappointed that Bob was leaving so soon, but he said he already knew what his next weapon would be. It was all thanks to Bob giving him the chance to study Black Death. Tim was able to create the Dragunov sniper rifle that Bob wanted. The range on it was roughly 80 meters, which surpassed the rifles that the marines had. The reload time was shorter as well. The hardest part for Tim was coming up with the bullets for it. He was only able to produce two hundred of them. Bob liked talking to Tim, because his ideas could come to life. Bob asked Tim before he left if it was possible to create bullet shells out of seastone. To which Tim replied he doesn''t know because he''s never handled seastone before. Bob knew that was the fatal weakness of every devil fruit user. Bob told Tim if he ever obtained any seastone, he wanted Tim to create a few weapons for him. Bob left Vile Island and went back to Blacktown, where he was welcomed. Dave started asking him a few questions as usual to which Bob gave him answers to. Bob got to know the 15 people Dave recruited, as well as the other men Jacob introduced him to. As much as he did not like it, Bob rushed them off back to Vile Island. He gave them one den-den mushi, one white den den mushi, and one black den den mushi. Bob told them that those needed to stay on the ship at all times, as once they got on land they already had a base there that they could go to, to collect any information. Everyone was eager to go, as this would be a first for some of them to get off the island they were on. Once Bob shipped those people out, he told everyone else they needed to train hard for upcoming events. Bob spent three days working on character sheets for pirates he knew. Such as Luffy''s entire pirate crew, Dragon, Whitebeard, the seven warlords, Ace, Marco, Law, the eleven supernova, Blackbeard. The list went on and on, he did not have a picture of all of them yet, but once he obtained it he would put it in their file. He did that in the morning, and spent the rest of his time training his sword skills as well as his haki. Bob didn''t forget to spar with John and Ron as well. Once the character sheets were completed, Bob gave them to Dave and told him to make copies. After copies were made, have a group send it over to Vile Island. However, before that Bob asked Dave to go see Vanthof and take any wanted posters he had and see if he had any information on pirates. He wanted to see if the marines also kept character sheets like him. Dave was put to work, and he was working hard too. Bob noticed slight changes in Dave, as he started talking differently sometimes. He wondered if him telling Dave to be ruthless had anything to do with it. Bob shook his head, that couldn''t be the reason. The next couple of days were tough on the recruits that joined Bob. When Bella notified Bob that she received the 15 people that came from Blacktown he got excited. Bob started having them run drills with each other. First he assigned them callsigns, which was to be used over the radio only so others could identify who was talking. They only had two bases now, but once they expanded things would get crazier. If Bob did not teach them this now, it''d only mess things up later. He assigned them their callsign based on where they were located. Once that was done, Bob had them start calling each other back and forth, passing along information, seeing if the information they receive matched up and more. Bob said the key to being a successful organization was making sure information was passed along.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. If one group held onto some information and did not share it, how would the others be up to date on key events, people or treasures? It was impossible! Bob started giving them jobs, like one person was in charge of talking and replying on the radio/den-den mushi. A few others would be recording any information that they received. Someone was in charge of making sure the map of the east blue and grandline was always updated with their locations. Bob wore them out with their drills, he needed to make sure they did it enough to where it would soon become second nature. He even went out on the ship and pretended like he was updating his location, asking for information about certain people etc. Bob wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly. While Bob was busy drilling his subordinates, Dave gave him all the bounties and information that Vanthof had stored at the base. Bob was disappointed they weren''t really character sheets. He assigned a group of people to take the wanted posters and make copies, one copy needed to go into the file of each person. Then the files had to be organized in alphabetical order. Bob gave them an example character sheet, and told them to create one for every person who had a bounty on them. If they did not know any information about the person, then leave it blank until they found out. When the sheets were completed, he told them to make sure a copy go to the base on Vile Island. And if the people on Vile Island could update the sheets, then they should and send it over here via radio. Bob wished they had a fax machine, would make things a heck of a lot easier. Instead of spending three days going to one island, and three days going to another one. After his two weeks training, Bob was finally ready to set out once again. He was glad information was being passed along smoothly, and things were being updated every half hour. Bob came to a decision, they had twelve people that were interested in hunting down pirates. They would also take on some special bounty cases, such as going after rich nobles, merchants, slave traders etc. Bob started to wonder how he should split the group up. Group with all twelve people would be nice and all, but it wouldn''t be good for training purposes. If Bob wanted to strengthen his fighting force, they each needed to go their own separate ways and hunt down others in smaller groups. That way all the members would gain experience. Bob got together with John and Ron. They were in the tavern ran by Ash. Things were looking much better in this place after it was renovated. Ash had pretty ladies showing off a small part of their assets, she also managed to convince that cook she wanted to come work for her. The drinks still weren''t the greatest, but that could be improved at a later date. However, this place was already more crowded than before. Luckily, Bob had a table reserved for him and his group. "What''s going on?" John asked as he looked at Bob. "Well as you know, our organization is functioning well, but our combat personal are lacking experience." Bob said. John nodded. "Right, i''ve been showing them different moves, however, not all of them are cut out for swordplay. Some would rather wield daggers, axes, guns even staves. I only know how to use swords, and Ron just started using daggers. What they need now is real life experience, not sparring. Things that will put their life in danger." John said. "I was thinking the same thing, but I fear that if we move as twelve, not everyone will be able to fight and gain experience. Some will be lacking. So i''ve gathered you both here to give you an important mission." John and Ron were both silent. They were listening closely to Bob. Bob spread out the map of the grand line on the table. "Pay attention, i''m giving each of you control over your own group. How you build them and what you do with them is up to you. Have fun, enjoy life, but be sure not to die." Bob pointed to Water 7''s location on the map. "In 6 months, 6 months exactly from today. We will meet up again here at Water 7." John and Ron leaned in and stared at the map hard, trying to engrave it in their memory. "Got it?" Bob asked the two of them. They both nodded. "Good! You''ve seen me do it twice, so you should have a general idea of how to do it as well. When you go to a new island, be sure to set up a base there. It''ll be like a checkpoint for our future members. Once it is set up, contact the main base, Dave will be here running things. He''ll organize a group of people to be stationed there. Every hour, you''ll be requested for your location, although it''ll be annoying just make sure you keep everyone posted on your whereabouts. Ron, I know you can''t talk, so you can have someone do it for you instead. That''s the main point, is for us to expand. While expansion comes first, be sure to keep your crew updated. Meaning make sure they have good equipment, they aren''t injured, they are being fed and taken care of. I don''t care if you recruit new people onto your crew. If you feel you get too large, break your group off and have a senior member take half and you two go your separate ways. This will continue and continue down the line. However at the end, we all meet up at Water 7 in six months!" John and Ron both nodded once more. "Now, who do you want in your squads?" "You can pick first." John said. "It doesn''t really matter to me, but since you said so, i''ll pick first. I''ll take Luna, the two longleg brother and sister, and lastly i''ll take anyone you don''t want." "Alright, in that case i''ll take Dick and Larry, as for the other two i''ll have that brown haired kid and the dwarf." John looked at Ron. Ron wrote down his list of people as well. "You alright with who you have Ron? I''m willing to trade if you want." Bob said, since Ron had the leftovers. Leaving him basically no options. Ron smiled but nodded his head, saying he was ok with who he had. "Alright, tomorrow we set sail. Our destination is loguetown, we need to obtain log post for you guys as well as buy you some ships. Loguetown is where we will part ways." Chapter 32 - The Blood Moon Rises Bob spent a few days on the ship as he headed towards Loguetown. He made sure they had everything they needed to head out. The ship had some new faces onboard, they were extra bodies for the new ships that John and Ron would buy. Those two didn''t know how to steer and man a ship, but there were others that did. John was equipped with Amane and he thanked Bob for the gift. It was the best sword he ever touched, he promised he wouldn''t lose it. Once he got it, the first thing he did was challenge Bob to a duel. Bob ended up winning, but he told John he could see a huge improvement from when they first started to spar. It reminded Bob of when he was sparring with Luffy. At that time, all Bobs starts were 5, he couldn''t do much and even when he trained hard his stats never went up. Not to mention he couldn''t use any skills. Luffy had a devil fruit, Bob couldn''t help but be weak at that time. However, now things were different. His stats were higher now, and he could use skills. With John being a future swordsman to look out for, he figured he''d eventually have a match with Zoro. Zoro probably would win, but who knows, only time could tell. As for Ron, he was equipped with his Dragunov sniper rifle, a normal pistol and two daggers. The sniper was for him to kill his targets at long range, while the pistol was for close to mid range. As for the daggers, they were for him in case he was forced into melee combat. Everyone else was equipped with basic items, but things would change once they reached Loguetown. It was weird, in all the time he''s been training his armament haki, he''s only managed to cover his finger. His end goal was to be able to have Black Death covered in it, but that felt like a long time from now. His talent must not be good or something, or he wasn''t cut out for armament haki. Bob was thinking about taking a break from it to see if he could learn observation haki easier, but once he saw his small progress a new spark was ignited inside him. Ron and John had a better time than him with their haki. He didn''t even want to be compared to those two. He taught them the methods, but they already surpassed him in these last few weeks. Bob sighed. Their ship eventually reached Loguetown, it was a main point of interest for all pirates. They had to come here to resupply if they wanted to head out into the grandline. As their ship docked, Bob looked around. He could see a few pirate ships, but he didn''t see the Going Merry that Luffy had.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "If i''m going by story arcs, guess he should be in the middle of Whisky Peak arc." Bob said softly. "Whose in the middle of Whiskey Peak arc?" Luna asked Bob. "Oh, no one just a friend." "Is he part of your organization?" "No, he''s a pirate. He said his goal is to become the king of the pirates." Luna laughed. "He''s dreaming big. Do you think he''ll accomplish that goal?" Bob shook his head. "Now? No. In the future? Maybe. The world is large, and filled with strong people. If he wants to reach the top, he''ll need to get past them." Luna agreed with Bob. "What do you plan on doing, if you meet him in the future?" Bob laughed. "Oh, im going to have a rematch." Luna tilted her head in confusion. "So¡­ you''re saying you lost? But you''re so strong!" "Like I said, the world is filled with strong people. Besides, he only beat me when we were younger." "I''d like to meet this friend of yours. I''m sure he''ll have stories to tell." Bob didn''t say anything else, but looked out at the sea for a moment. "Alright, enough of that. Where''s John and Ron?" Luna pointed over to John and Ron who were both organizing their groups. Bob nodded. He went over to them. "Before you get off and go your own way, I want to give each of you 50 million beli. It''s a starting amount, so be sure to conserve it until you make some more. Also, spend some time here in the city, make sure you equip your teammates with gear. Can''t have them going to the grand line with basic equipment. Find and buy yourselves a ship first, then once you do come here and collect the money. Jacob invited a few people to help you man your ships, but you''re free to hire others here on the island. And remember, 6 months, Water 7." John and Ron both nodded their heads. Bob watched them leave the ship one by one. He already mentioned to them that they needed to buy a log pose before they set sail. If they didn''t, they''d get lost at sea. He also told them the basics on how it works. After John and Ron''s groups were gone, Bob smiled. "So, where are we headed to now?" Luna asked. "Well, first I need to get us a log pose as well. I''ll handle that, you and the others can go into town and buy whatever you need for the grandline. Weapons, armor, it doesn''t matter the cost just get what you need. "You not setting up a base here?" Bob shook his head. "No. I''m having someone else do that, they should be here within a week or two." Jacob came over to Bob. "I can put the new sails up now?" Bob nodded. Jacob turned around and yelled. "Alright boys! Time to put up the new sails!" Luna was confused. "What sails?" Bob smiled. Jacob turned to her and showed her a mask. It was scary looking, as if it was some sort of demon. It was all white, but the eyes were crimson red and the horns on the mask was red as well. "What is that?" "It''s a mask. It''ll be part of our image. We''ll be faceless, leaving others to wonder who we are. Eventually the marines will put a bounty on us, for some reason or another. Even if we do nothing wrong, our group will be considered too strong to be normal pirate hunters. Thus they''ll throw us with the other pirates. I can''t have you guys in the public eye yet, so I came up with this. Put these masks on we''ll be whoever we want and do whatever we want. Thing is, because all the mask look similar, it''ll be like we are the same but many as well. It''s something unexpected." Bob explained to Luna. He grinned. "Remember this. The possibilities are endless, so why go the straight path when you can carve a new one? Do the unexpected and keep your opponents on their toes." Bob actually stole that from the Faceless faction description. As for the mask, he stole the design from League of Legends. However, no one here knew that. Instead of Blood Moon clan, they''d be pirates, revolutionary or whatever they wanted to be. Bob gave John and Ron one too the day before. Ron''s was that of Jhin from League of Legends, while John''s was that of Yasuo. "Hey Jacob, i''m going to head out now. When the others return for the money make sure they grab some den-den mushi as well. Tell them to contact Dave before they leave this place." Bob yelled towards Jacob. Chapter 33 - Island in sight Bob looked up at the sky, it was clear blue with no clouds in sight. Today was a good day. "Hassan, where did you and your sister come from? Before, you were a slave?" Bob asked the long legged man who was in his mid twenties. Bob never asked him that question since he''s known him. Hassan was wielding a dagger and doing some image training, he stopped and looked over at Bob. "Me and Sasha are from Lulusia kingdom, but we didn''t stay for long. Ten years ago I started traveling the world in hopes of becoming the best assassin, and she followed in my footsteps. Sad to say, we took on more than we could chew and got captured. We were lucky they didn''t kill us." "What made you want to be an assassin?" Hassan hesitated for a moment. "Well, it runs in the family. Let''s just say that." Bob didn''t ask anymore questions, everyone had their own secret. Bob heard the den-den mushi start ringing and went over to answer it. "Hello?" "Location update." "Still making our way to Drum Island, I say about a day or two times left before we make it there." Bob passed for a minute as he heard the person on the other end of the den-den mushi pass along the information.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. After a second, he started to talk again. "Where are the others headed?" Bob asked. "Ron was going towards Cactus Island, and John said something about stopping at Alabasta." "Have they encountered any pirates at sea?" Bob knew that they could run into marines or pirate ships at sea. Marines they did not have to worry too much about, but the pirates were a different problem. "John ran into Black the Whisper, his gang of pirates were worth 30 million beli total. He plans on taking turning them in once they reach Alabasta. As for Ron, he hasn''t run into anyone yet." "Let John know that if he stays in Alabasta for a while, he''ll end up meeting a pirate named Roronoa Zoro. He doesn''t need to capture him, but he should have a match with him if he gets a chance. It''ll be a good test for him." "I''ll pass along the message." "Dave wants to let you know that he''s leaving for Loguetown today. He said he''s taking Ash with him because she wants to open up a tavern there as well." "Why does she want to do that?" Bob asked. "She said that if Loguetown is a place where people visit often, it''ll be good for her business." "If she''s that interested in opening up a tavern in a good location, tell her to sail the grand line and enter the new world. That''s where all the hype is at." Bob chatted a little bit longer with the person on the other end of the den-den mushi. His next destination was Drum Island, which was one of the earliest arcs in One Piece. Bob started to wonder if he would run into Luffy. Bob had two things he wanted to accomplish at Drum Island, one was setting up a base. The other was the meet Ace here. Bob knew that Ace would arrive here before Luffy and have the villagers pass along a message to Luffy. Bob also knew what he was lacking, which was a real method of obtaining haki. Who better to teach him, than the man who''s famous on the grand line. Ace has also been to the New World, and under Whitebeard. Naturally he knew some form of Haki. While Bob could have met up with him at Alabasta, he wouldn''t be there for too long. As he ends up meeting up with Luffy, fighting Smoker and leaving all within the same day. Bob felt the teamputre start to fall as the days went by. He knew then, that they were very close to Drum Island. Twenty minutes later, Bob could see the island in sight. Chapter 34 - Dress for the weather Bob ship arrived at Drum Island, where there was no end to the snow. Luna shivered as she wore a thick grey jacket covering her entire body. "I''m not used to this weather." She said to Bob. "You''ll be fine, let your body adapt." "Says the person covered from head to toe!" Luna replied back. Bob work some light clothing, but had a fur coat on that kept his body warm. On his face was the mask he created, and on his head was a black hat. His hands were covered by the cloves he wore, and he had black boots to match. It was safe to say his entire body was warm. "I prepared for the trip." Bob looked proud as he said that. "You could have said, we were going to a cold place." Bob pointed towards Hassan and Sasha, who were both dressed for the weather. "Look at them, they prepared. I said, grab everything you need because there''s no telling how the weather will turn out. It could be hot or cold. You''re the one who assumed we face the cold. Now look at you." "Bob, while I understand Luna needs to learn what it means to dress for the weather, don''t you think we have more pressing matters at hand?" Jacob said as he was rubbing his hands together. Bob looked up at the crowd of people with guns pointed at their ship. "Turn around right now!" One of the natives to Drum Island yelled. "Sorry, I can''t do that. I have business on this island!" Bang! One of the men shot at the ship, the bullet landed right next to Bob''s foot. "Shoot at my ship one more time! I dare you to!" Bob shouted angrily as he started at the man who shot at his ship. "What are you going to do?" Bob placed his hand on Black Death. "Hassan, you Sasha and Tiffany take care of those guys. Luna, you handle the rest. Try not to kill them." Bob said as he activated Grand Blessing. Grand Blessing increased Bob''s speed, but he found out the strangest thing when he brought the boots. The duration of the skill lasted a little bit longer than before, not to mention his speed was greater than before. Bob predicted that everytime he got an item with movement speed on it, Grand Blessings effect would have a greater effect on him. Not to mention, his normal speed would be greater than before.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. For Bob, these men weren''t anything much. Before they could even fire a single shot at him he already swung Black Death. His movement speed wasn''t the only improvement, his attack speed also was greatly improved. Now, his sword seemed like a blur to the average person. The rifles the men were holding were cut in half. Bob squatted down as he watched the natives jaws open wide. "You want to see more?" Bob asked. He saw that Sasha, Hassan and Tiffany already took care of the others. "No!" One man spoke up. A large man stepped forward, he was wearing a white fur-lined green tunic with armor plates covering his arms. On his head was a green hat. Bob recognized the man as Dalton, the future king of Drum Island. "Stop! What do you want with us?" Dalton asked as he noticed the natives of Drum Island were being beat up. Bob pointed at them. "Not too much, things were peaceful until we were surrounded for no reason and one of these people shot at us." Dalton looked at the natives. "Is that true, you shot at them?" The natives started mumbling amongst themselves. Dalton sighed and bowed his head. "I''m sorry if that is the case. They mean no harm, most of them are just nervous is all. We are in a rough patch here so please leave them." Dalton said. "Don''t worry about it, I wasn''t planning on killing them. I''m here looking for someone, maybe you''ve seen him?" Bob asked as he described how Ace looked. "I''m afraid no one of your description has passed through here as of late." Dalton answered. ''Am I too early?'' Bob wondered if he came to this island before Ace. If so, then Ace would pass through here soon. "That''s fine then, I also have other business here besides him." Dalton looked at the jolly roger on Bob''s ship. "Are you with them?" "With who?" "Blackbeard?" "No." Bob actually forgot about Blackbeard''s appearance on Drum Island. However, as soon as Dalton mentioned his name, Bob remembered he arrived on this Island less than a year ago. It was a small thing in One Piece at the time, and it was in an early chapter or episode, so it was hard to remember the full details of this arc. It was surprising that Bob still recalled a large majority of information about this world. Dalton was curious as to who Bob was, he couldn''t see his face due to the mask. Even the other members of his crew were wearing those demon like mask. Bob could sense Dalton''s curiosity. "Don''t worry, we won''t harm you people. I see you are looking at our mask, must make you curious. I won''t reveal my identity, but you can call me Faceless." "It''s hard to believe in your words without seeing the look on your face, Faceless. However, i''ll let you be for now." Dalton looked at the natives. "Alright, back to town. They say they mean us no harm, so we''ll have to have faith in their words." Dalton said as he turned and left. Bob looked at the others. "Let them go, get what you need and meet me in town. Just follow these people." Bob said to his crew as he followed Dalton. Dalton was confused when he saw Bob appear next to him. "What do you want now?" "Just hoping for a tour of the place. Also wondering if there are any vacant homes available." "Why would you want to live here?" Dalton asked. "Not live here, just have business to take care of is all." Dalton looked at Bob and wanted to say something, but held back his words. "We''re not really pirates if that''s what you''re wondering. Let''s just say, we are bounty hunters." "I was never a fan of hunting pirates, but to each their own." "You''re slightly mistaken. I said bounty hunters, not pirate." "What''s the difference?" "Not much difference, except we don''t only hunt pirates. As long as there is a reward involved, we''ll hunt down anyone or anything." "And, what''s a bounty hunter like you doing here? Have something to do with that person you''re looking for?" "Something like that. Tell me, you have anyone in mind you want captured?" Bob asked Dalton. Dalton thought about it for a moment, he seemed to be debating with himself. Bob assumed he wanted to say Wapol, the current king of Drum Island. Yet, those words never escaped his mouth. "No." "Pity, and here I thought you''d say the king of this island." Dalton stopped in his tracks and looked at Bob. "What do you know?" Bob stopped walking as well and looked at Dalton. "The real question is, what do you want to know and how much are you willing to offer?" Bob knew that Wapol wasn''t here on Drum Island yet, but he''d be making his return around the same time the Strawhats arrived here looking for a doctor. He could have Dalton prepare for Wapol''s return, if Dalton was willing to pay the price. Bob wasn''t too big on changing things in One Piece, but since Wapol and the Strawhats would arrive at the same time. They were bound to clash heads with each other, not to mention they already fought before. Therefore, even if Bob told Dalton some information, things wouldn''t change that much. Chapter 35 - Easy money "Do you see what''s around you? An island full of snow, we don''t have much to offer." Dalton said. "I have my eye on other things." Bob replied. "Such as?" "Your cooperation in future matters." Dalton squinted his eyes. "I''m not too sure what I can do for you. I have a duty to my people, so I can''t offer you my body." Bob laughed. "I just want your cooperation. If something important comes to you, or you hear about anything just let me know. Do so, and you''ll be rewarded." Dalton looked at Bob in a confused manner. "Don''t think about it too hard, its a win-win situation for us both. You get the information you want, I get any information you have. Not to mention you''ll be paid for your services. Think about it, I give you money, you use that money to restore the kingdom. In the long run, don''t you get the most benefits?" Dalton rubbed his chin. Bob was right, an offer like this doesn''t come around often. Dalton just did not want to be caught up in anything that could ruin his reputation. "How will I know what I get into won''t cost me my life?" "Do you want the information or not?" Bob asked. "Fine! I''ll agree to work with you." Dalton agreed. If Bob knew any information about Wapol, then Dalton needed to know. That bastard ran away when Blackbeard came, fearing his strength. It was his fault the island became the way it is now. "Good. Let''s go to town, i''ll have to write up a contract." Dalton led Bob to Bighorn town, where they entered his home. Bob was still wearing his mask and coat, even though the heater was on. Dalton gave Bob paper and pen. It didn''t take long for Bob to write up the contract for Dalton. Unlike Tim who didn''t read the terms, Dalton took a long look at it. He must have read it twice because it took him ten minutes before he passed the contract back to Bob. "You didn''t have a problem with the service length?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Bob asked. He put in the contract that Dalton had to work for him for 10 years. "No." Dalton replied. "Alright. As you''ve read in the contract, your service is for 10 years. Not bad for you considering i''m not asking you to leave the island. Just record any information that you obtain or hear about and let me know about it. I''ll be buying a building in a bit, thats where I need you to store everything. It''ll be the base of operations, as for how you''ll contact me, i''ll leave a den-den mushi here." Bob paused for a moment. "If you need help, i''m sure you can hire the citizens here to help you out. The amount doesn''t matter, just make sure things progress smoothly." Dalton nodded his head. "Now for that information you said you had." "Wapol right? After Blackbeard came here, he ran away from his duties as king leaving you to pick up his slack. However, while he was out at sea he came across a pirate named Monkey D. Luffy. The two of them fought, and Wapol was blown away. However, he''ll be returning back here so you better prepare." Dalton listened to Bob. "How do I know this information is true?" "You don''t, but do I seem like someone who''d lie?" "Honestly, I can''t tell. But what would you have to gain in lying to me?" "Nothing. You don''t have to believe in my words, but when you see a pirate ship arrive here in the coming days just remember that Wapol will also be here at the same time. He won''t land at the same spot as the pirates, he''ll land somewhere else and make his way to town." "I''ll even say this, if my information isn''t correct then you don''t have to work for me." Dalton agreed. There was not much he could say, Bob was mysterious and seemed to have information. Dalton did not know how, but his curiosity was piqued. "Would you like something to eat Faceless?" Dalton asked. "No. Speaking of names, I never caught yours." Bob knew his name, but i''d seem suspicious if he said it without Dalton ever telling him. "Dalton." "A nice name. You seem strong, how about I hire you for something." Bob suggested. "For what?" Dalton asked. "Training purposes." Bob knew that Dalton was a devil fruit user and he was strong. The 4 people Bob had with him on ship could use the combat experience. Dalton could fight each of them and maybe they''d spot their weaknesses and improve upon them. "It''s actually simple really, I''ll give you 100 thousand beli to fight with 4 people. Win or lose, you still get the money. Just fight with them daily, and everyday you''ll get 100 thousand beli." "What if they get injured? Who''s going to heal their wounds?" "Don''t worry about that, i''m the doctor. I can take care of any injuries as long as they aren''t fatal." "Do I need to hold back?" Dalton asked. "No, beat them black and blue if you want. Like I said, its for training purposes. However, you''ll need to fight them each 10 times a day. So that''s 40 duels a day, for an unknown amount of time. At most we''ll be here a week or two, so you''ll be fixing to make close to a million beli easily. If I see a huge improvement in their skills, then there will be a bonus for you." A million beli is a lot for Dalton currently, so he was more than willing to use his body to earn some quick cash. He did not know how strong those 4 people were that Bob mentioned, but he has the strength of a bison. He wouldn''t fall easy. Bob realized that while Dalton might not be the strongest person in the world, he was stronger than his current crew members. Fighting with him 10 times a day for a week or two, that would be 70 to 140 duel experiences each one of them would receive. There was bound to be an improvement in their skills, even if they wouldn''t notice it right away. As for Bob, he was hoping to do the same thing, but with Ace instead. For now, he''d buy himself a building here and create a base. Dalton would be the manager here, but since no one really came to Drum Island, Bob didn''t have to put too much effort in this base. Dalton had the makings of a king, so he was favored by the people. Nothing could escape his ears. Who better to collect information than him? Even if Dalton did end up hiring some citizens, Bob would have them run exercise over the radio. Chapter 36 - Rank Up Quest Standing behind Bob were 4 people. The female lion mink Luna who was still trying to get her body to adapt to the cold weather. She trained with John for a while, so she was adapt at using daggers and swords. Next was longleged man, Hassan. Hassan was able to use a dagger well. His sister, Sasha like to fight with her body. She wanted to strengthen her legs and her fist to become deadly weapons. Lastly, there was Tiffany. Tiffany wasn''t human, but she was a stranger creature. Bob knew that she was an elf, but here in the One Piece world they called her kind longear. They were beautiful creatures, but due to them not having any outstanding traits they weren''t sold for a high price. Tiffany was true to her elven nature and wielded a bow. In front of Bob was Dalton, who was wielding his spade, which was a large polearm with an over sized blade. They were standing outside in the middle of the town. "Dalton, this is Luna, Hassan, Sasha and Tiffany. They will be under your care for the time being, remember to work them hard." Bob quickly introduced his team to Dalton. "I am Dalton, former Royal Guard." Dalton used a powerful voice to introduce himself. Luna and the others stood tall, and while Dalton couldn''t see their faces due to the demon like mask they were wearing, he could tell they weren''t really ''human''. Dalton pointed at Luna. "We''ll go in order, you''re up first." Luna stepped forward and drew her blade. Bob was thinking about observing the match, but he changed his mind. He needed to do other things first, such as buying a building to set up his base. He also wanted to meet Kureha and Tony Tony Chopper. Meeting the two of them were minor things he wanted to accomplish and there was no real reason why he needed to meet with them. However, meeting the cute little reindeer had its perks. Bob met with a hunter in town, he heard from Dalton that this owned two buildings. One was used as a storehouse for all his tools, but since he was retiring soon he wouldn''t need it anymore. Bob knocked on the door and an older man in his mid fifties answered. He was shorter than Bob, but the air he was giving off was different. Bob could tell, something was strange about this man. "Hello, Dalton said you had two buildings, I was wondering if you were willing to sell me one."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The man looked Bob up and down. "What''s with the mask." "Just how I am." "I''m not selling the property." Bob sighed and was about to ask the man if he knew anyone else with a building they wanted to get rid of. "However, you can do me a favor." "What''s that?" "I''m getting old, but i''ve yet to complete my grand hunt. I''ve always wanted to hunt down a white stag. I''ve seen it once with my own eyes! I must kill the beast!" The man said. "And, what do you want me to do?" "Like I said, i''m getting old. Bones don''t move like they used to. You complete the hunt for me, and you can have the building free of charge." Bob was interested. "Where can I find this white stag?" The man started to rub his chin trying to remember. Bob figured the old age was getting to him, as it took him five minutes to come up with a reply. "Last I seen, it was by the polar bear den however that was two years ago." Bob sighed. Two years ago? That thing could be dead by now. Just as Bob was about to give up, the older man opened his eyes wide at the recollection of some information. "However, it usually hangs out somewhere in Drum Rockies. That place is empty now that Wapol is gone, so guess its more peaceful over there." Bob had some slight thoughts of just abandoning this man and his grand hunt, but he had nothing else to do at the moment. Besides, the building was free. Who didn''t enjoy free things? "Drum Rockies huh? I''ll check it out." The man nodded his head. He watched as Bob walked away, but it felt like he was forgetting to mention something. If he forgot it, it must not have been important. Bob started walking to the Drum Rockies, he wasn''t sure how far it was, but he wouldn''t get lost. It was impossible to get lost going there, since the drum shaped mountains were so large you could see them from miles away. Bob heard growling, lots of growling. He looked and saw polar bears coming out from the forest. Usually they would never be in a pack, but for some reason they were today. They looked at Bob as if he was some delicious snack. Bob stopped his movement. "Let''s test my strength." Bob didn''t wait for the polar bears to come to him, instead he went straight towards them. Bob limited himself to not use his skills, he couldn''t always rely on them due to their cooldown times. Once he got those two items, he wouldn''t need to worry about his cooldown on the skills. He''d be able to use them easily. It was hard for Bob to deal with the large pack of polar bears, but he succeeded. Bob clenched his fist together as he started wondering about something. [You''ve started to carve your path in the world, daring to try something new, something unheard of. You''re a proud member of the Faceless faction, and aren''t afraid to show it. However, you aren''t done yet, let the world take notice of your strength. You''re a pirate hunter, but you''ve taken up the mantle of a pirate for appearances sake. Take it one step further, and join the marines to advance your rank.] [Join Shichibukai - Upon completion your character grade will increase to SS, and your strength will grow. A new character slot will be unlocked when your rank increases.] Bob read the message and grew a bit curious. This was the first time since he left Dawn island that the system gave him a message. He had the main storyline quest, but as for his faction they never gave him anything. The faction seemed very hands off, giving Bob a lot of freedom. However, it seems that the faction was also tied to his character grade, which was currently S tier. He thought he was maxed out, but it seems that was not the case. As for a new character slot, Bob could imagine what it meant. Just like when he chose Kayle to be his champion, the system was giving him a chance to pick one more. Bob started thinking of things, if that really was the case. Wouldn''t that mean he''d obtain more skills? Bob started to rethink his build. The vast majority of ideas was causing him to lose his mind. So many builds, so many paths he could choose from. Bob couldn''t wait! Chapter 37 - Pink or Blue? Bob traveled to the Drum Rockies thinking about all the possible combinations he could come up with once he ranked up. There were so many agile swordsman he could pick that would go well with his current skills. However, Bob also thought about picking up an ability power champions, one with high burst damage. There was much thought Bob had to put into this. This was not something he could just get excited about and decide without much thought. He needed to analyze the skills of the champions and how they''d fit in this world. Like if he picked Nasus, there was only one real skill Bob would use. Which was siphon, that stacked over time to increase its damage. However, Bob didn''t know if the skill would work the same in this world. While withering could work, Bob didn''t think it was worth it considering it would only work on one person. So Bob threw a combination with Nasus out the window. "I need to think about this later. For now, focus on fighting the white stage." Bob said to himself as he shook his head trying to empty all his thoughts. The Drum Rockies was different than the other places on Drum Island, this area was a bit colder. Bob started to be affected by the temperature even with his fur coat on. "White Stag! Come out I know you''re around here!" Bob yelled out as he walked further and further. The wind blew hard causing the snow that was on top of the mountains to fall. There was so much snow that Bob could barely see in front of him. "What was that?" Bob asked himself as he saw a white blur move past. It wasn''t snow, the blur was too large to be a tiny snowflake. Bob saw it go to the right. He was curious and headed in the same direction. "Com''on Bob. There''s nothing scary in the One Piece world, this is no scary movie. In those movies, someone would have died already."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Bob started talking to himself as he continued to walk in the direction he saw the blur go in. It reminded him of all those scary movies he watched before. The main cast was always curious about a sound, or some story so they had to check it out. What happened? They always died! Bob was currently in the same situation as those main cast members from a scary movie. As Bob continued to move forward, he found himself in front of a large tree. Bob couldn''t tell what kind of tree it was, but it was so beautiful. The most beautiful thing he''s ever seen. The tree was white, even the leaves on the tree was white. Bob was drawn in closer to the tree and spotted some sort of fruit on the tree. It looked like an apple, but it was covered in snow. As Bob reached to grab it, he felt the deadliest wind chill run down his spine. Bob shivered and snactched the apple. He started to rub the snow off of it only to discover weird markings on the apple. "A devil fruit! Here?" Bob was confused as there was no mention of a devil fruit on Drum Island. Bob looked at the blue apple, he wondered what sort of powers he''d get if he ate it. "There''s already a snow like devil fruit, and ice like devil fruit out there already. So this can''t be one like that, maybe it''s something different?" Bob knew the owners of those two devil fruit, one was a marine the other was a secretary to Caesar. "This makes two. Maybe my luck is just that good." Bob said as he grinned. He heard a step from behind him and turned around, he spotted the White Stag. It''s fur was pure white without any dirt on it, and it had azure blue eyes. The White Stag looked at Bob and Bob returned the look. Bob didn''t know how long the two of them looked at each other, but he was the first to make his move. As he drew Black Death and used Grand Blessing all in the same motion. He approached the White Stag but found that it wasn''t moving. It seemed as if it wouldn''t put up a fight. Black Death reached the White Stags neck, but stopped before it touched the skin. Bob looked at the creature and withdrew his sword. "What am I doing?" Bob shook his head as he shooed the creature away. "Go away before I change my mind." The White Stag looked at Bob for a moment before he ran away. It''s speed was so fast Bob could only see its blur. "Guess i''m buying a building from someone else then." Bob sighed. He couldn''t kill the beast, if it wasn''t for that creature he would have never found this devil fruit. Devil Fruits were rare, and no one knew what you''d get if you ate one. The only way someone would know is if they read the book that contained all the information about devil fruits and their abilities. Yet that book was even rarer than devil fruits themselves! There was no way Bob would be able to look inside it. Even if he did, some of the abilities didn''t have a picture to go with them. So he might be drawn to a certain ability, but he''d never be able to know what fruit it goes to. Bob was content with the two fruits he did obtain. Pink or Blue? Which one should he consume? Bob started walking back to town as he debated over this problem. Chapter 38 - Calling my name Bob quickly made it back to town, where the man who wanted Bob to complete his Grand Hunt was waiting for him. Or so it seemed that way, by him standing outside his door. He saw Bob and walked over to him. "So? How''d it go? Did you find the creature?" The man asked. "No. Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you. Only found some polar bears." Bob replied as he lied to the man. The man looked into Bob''s eyes seeing if he was telling the truth of not. Bob seemed as if he was telling the truth, so the man was left with no choice but to believe in Bob. "I know what I saw, maybe you just went to the wrong place. I got other locations you can try." "No thanks, I don''t want to run all over this island looking for something that might not even exist." "I''m telling you it''s real!" "Whatever old man." Bob began to ignore the man and walked past him. He wanted nothing to do with the man anymore. Granted it could have went this way in the first place, but that was before he saw the White Stag. Bob walked over to Dalton, and saw his four crew members standing around panting hard catching their breath. "How''s it going?" Bob asked Dalton. Dalton looked at Bob. "They were a bit stronger than you said, but still not too much to handle. I''m letting them take a small break. How was it? Did he let you get the property?" Dalton asked Bob. "Nah, he wanted me to hunt down a White Stag. Told him I didn''t want to." "White Stag again? He''s been spinning that tale for the longest time. But you may have better luck at the next town, there''s a chance they might have a building for sale."This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Hmm, I never thought of that." "You could try Cocoa Weed, its a little ways away to the west. Further north of there is Gyasta town. Not sure if they have any available properties for sale, worst comes to worst you can just build a place." Bob shook his head. "Building takes too long. Buying is easier." "That''s true. I wish you luck then." "Oh, before I go off, what do you know about devil fruits?" Dalton looked curious, but he still answered. "Not too much, just the same like everyone else. There are three types Zoan, Logia and Paramecia. Logia being the rarest among the three." "Ever seen a devil fruit on this island before?" "Besides the one I ate, no. But I wouldn''t be surprised if one managed to appear here." "If you had the chance to go back in time, would you still eat your devil fruit?" Bob asked the main question he wanted to. Dalton thought about it for a little bit and nodded his head. "Its ability to make me stronger gave me the strength I have today. So i''d say yes, I would. Don''t you want to eat one?" Bob grinned. "Do I? I don''t know, I wouldn''t know what sort of powers i''d get if I ate one. Besides, i''d lose the ability to swim." "A small price to pay for such a big boost in strength. However, its a leap of faith. The question is are you willing to take the first step once you obtain one?" Dalton responded to Bob. Bob nodded his head and walked over to his four crew members. "Blue or Pink? If you had to pick, which would you choose?" "Pink." Tiffany said, she didn''t even need to know what it was for. Pink was her favorite color. "Blue." "Blue." "Blue." The other three responded with blue, which surprised Bob. He thought it''d be even at least. Bob reached into his coat pocket and retrieved the pink colored devil fruit. Everyone already knew what this was, they also knew where Bob obtained it from. "Since you guys said blue, i''ll leave this one to each of you. Whoever makes the most progress with Dalton will get this devil fruit. Sounds good?" The four of them nodded their heads. Bob could tell they were all pumped up. "Good! I''ll be monitoring your progress, but for now I have to leave." Bob patted Tiffany on her shoulder since she was the closest to him and walked away. He put the devil fruit back into his pocket. "The pink one I didn'' really care about, I just wanted it out the hands of others. The blue one felt like it was calling me. Guess I know what my choice is." Bob pulled out the blue devil fruit from his coat and took a bite. He kept them on him because he felt that was the safest place for them. Bob shook his head at the taste of the fruit. One only needed to gain the powers of the devil fruit with the first bite. Thus Bob did not need to consume the rest of the fruit. When he was going to put the rest of it back into his pocket, he stopped as he felt his heart skip a beat. He felt as if his body was being torn in two. "What''s going on?" Bob asked a foolish question as he already knew what was happening. His body was changing. As he dropped down to the snowy ground, he noticed his hands begin to turn white like snow. At that moment, Bob knew that he obtained a Zoan devil fruit. Chapter 39 - Everything Increased Zoan''s were a different type of devil fruit as they changed your body into that of an animal. Once you start to master the power, you''d be able to change various parts of your body into that said animal. As a Zoan devil fruit user, you''d gain the power equal to that of what animal it was. However, there was a catch, as there was multiple forms to Zoan users. They had two at the start, which was human and full on beast transformation. They could also acquire different forms as long as they continued to train their ability. While Zoan''s aren''t the rarest, there were sub categories within this type. Such as ancient and mythological. If you were able to obtain the power of one of these, then you''d be far superior to an ordinary Zoan user. At the moment, Bob wasn''t thinking about any of that. The pain going through his body was intense, he assumed it was due to his first time transforming. Bob could hear his body''s crack, his skin crawl and even his eyesight started to change. Bob released a beastly roar as his transformation finished. Bob started touching and looking over his body. His height reached 3 meters, his arms and legs were covered in white scales. They had a hint of blue shining off of them. Bob had a long scaly tail coming out from his backside. His nails were now claws, and when he touched his face he noticed he had two horns. Just from looking over his body and from the parts he could see, Bob knew what he turned into. In his past life, he read about them. They were creatures that had an almost endless lifespan, their strength was unparalleled, and they could unleash deadly attacks. Bob was a dragon! From his looks he could tell it was no normal dragon. Some sort of dragon allied with snow. The cold that he felt before vanished, instead he felt as if he was warm. While Bob was interested in his new transformation, his body quickly turned back to normal. [User has developed dragonic traits, would host like more information?] Bob heard something in his head, and knew it was the system. It was the first time that it talked to him. Bob nodded. [Kuraokami - Mythological Japanese dragon, also called the Dragon of winter. It is said to be able to control the power of snow and rain. More details will be available after system analyzes the power in detail.] Kuraokami? Bob''s never heard of such a thing, but he also wasn''t japanese.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Bob sighed as he looked at his clothes, they were torn all over! How could he go in public looking like this? Bob turned around and headed straight back to his ship. There were few pieces of clothing left on Bob, but he still didn''t feel cold. "Cold resistance, check." Bob knew that obtaining a Zoan type of devil fruit, his powers would increase even in his normal form. Bob put strength into his legs and pushed off the ground. "Increased speed, check." Bob was going to check other features, but he needed time to check it out later. Before he knew it, he was back at his ship. "What the hell happened to you?" Jacob asked Bob when he saw his torn clothes. "Transformation, decided to eat a devil fruit." Bob said as he went to his room. He quickly changed clothes and came out. In his hand was a new mask, similar to the one he wore before. "You know, you guys don''t have to stay on the ship the entire time right." "Yeah, but it''s more relaxing here on the ship. Me and the others already started designing the new ship. Once we reach Water 7, you''ll be surprised." "Oh? I''ll look forward to it then." Hearing Bob''s words, Jacob grinned. The ship he was coming up with was special, probably the first of its kind. "Contact the John and Ron, tell them if they come across any devil fruit to collect it." Jacob nodded his head. Bob left the ship and headed back to town, where he found Dalton sparring with Hassan. Hassan was being overpowered, but he was using his speed to his advantage to dodge a few blows. Dalton caught Hassan off guard and swung his spade causing it to hit Hassan''s side. Hassan was sent flying. "You dropped your guard when you thought you were safe." Dalton said. Bob looked at Hassan and noticed the wounds on his body, he threw a Grand Blessing on him to heal him. Bob was surprised, the effect of Grand Blessing seemed to increase. ''Could it be because of the devil fruit?'' Bob asked himself. Bob opened his status window to see what was different. Name: Bob Level: 30/30 Character Grade: S Health: 3000 Armor: 150 Magic Resistance: 160 Damage: AD: 150 + 70 AP: 105 Gear: Black Death | Earring of Mortal Reminder Champion: Kayle Passive: Sword Mastery S - Increase sword dmg by 25% Increase sword speed by 25% Ascendance S - Increase Attack speed by 5% every time you attack (Stackable 5) Active: Radiant Illusion - Summon an illusion of yourself that slays your enemy reducing their resistances. Grand Blessing - Heal yourself or an ally while also granting a burst of movement speed. Spellblade - Imbue your blade with holy light, increasing the damage done by 10%. Melee attacks become ranged. Judgement - Become Immune to all damage and status for 3 second. Ultimate: None [Note: Ability is still being analyzed, stats are still increasing in proportion to strength obtained] Bob sucked in a breath of cold air. All his base stats went up by hundred, and it was still increasing! Even his health increased. Bob wondered how strong he would be after everything was analyzed. And if his stats were increasing this much just due to the devil fruit, how strong were the others? Bob did not know it, but others weren''t the same as him when they ate a devil fruit. He was only obtaining so many stats because of the Kuraokami, it was superior to others in many ways. Thus all his stats increased. If a person ate a devil fruit that allowed them to turn into an ox, they''d have an increase in health, damage and a minor increase in armor. The increase in stats depended on what type was consumed. For Bob, this could be considered a blessing. Chapter 40 - Ingredient "Dalton, I have returned." Dalton already noticed Bob when he healed Hassan. However, he expected Bob to be gone for some time. "I can see that, did you find what you wanted?" Bob scratched his cheek. "No, not quite. I came to ask you a question regarding devil fruits and Zoan devil fruits." "What is it?" "First, how does one transform into their human beast form? Second, how does one turn into their full beast form?" "Those are easy to answer, you just feel the beast inside of you when you want to transform. For the second one you just have to release the beast, does that make sense?" "Nope. What do you mean release the beast?" "Exactly how it sounds. When you want to transform into said creature you have to release them from their vessel and become them. That''s how you fully transform. The first one you are just bringing forth their power." Dalton explained. "Why do you ask so much about devil fruits? Did you obtain one?" "Something like that." "I have to say, you''re an intriguing man Faceless." Bob laughed. "Is that a compliment?" Bob asked. "It is." "Oh, then please continue with more." Dalton shook his head and turned his attention to the other members of Bob''s crew. "You should heal the rest of them, i''m sure that their bodies are sore. I have to say, i''m starting to think i''m taking the short end of the stick here when I agreed to spar with them." "But you''re enjoying it, I can tell."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "That I am. I haven''t fought with others in a while, I forgot how fun it could be to test our skills against each other. A pity your friends here aren''t on my level yet." "I''m sure they''ll get there eventually. Who knows, by the end of our time here at this island, they might beat you." Dalton snorted. "We shall see." Bob continued to chat with Dalton for a bit while he healed everyone up. The healing output was much stronger than before, Bob wondered if the movement speed on the skill increased as well. He knew it increased every time he obtained any movement speed bonus'' but now that he had a devil fruit, he should test the effects on himself. "You know Faceless, that ability of yours is strange. I''ve never seen anything like it. Is it a devil fruit ability?" "No, it''s just an ability I have." "You''re becoming more and more mysterious." Bob laughed and walked away. There was nothing that could stop him from reaching his destination now. "Cocoa Weed Village, here I come!" Bob shouted. Everyone looked in his direction, but did not say a word. Bob started running towards the village and decided to use Grand Blessing on himself. Turns out, it wasn''t only the healing that increased, the bonus on his movement speed also increased. It wasn''t by a small margin either, it was by a lot. Bob felt like everytime he took a step forward, his surroundings constantly changed. Before he knew it, he was already at Cocoa Weed Village. Bob spotted an old lady with a purple and red outfit on. Her long gray hair fluttered with the wind, and by the way she was dressed Bob knew she didn''t mind the cold. Bob knew this was Kureha, a highly skilled doctor. Some people on Drum Island even call her the witch. Bob could see that she was talking with some folks from the village, but what he happened to notice was the little person next to her. Wasn''t a person, but more like a reindeer. There he was, that cute reindeer. Chopper was covering his body up so others wouldn''t see his appearance. Bob walked over to their group to see what they were discussing. "I''m telling you, it can''t be done." A man much younger than Kureha spoke up. "I''m telling you, it can! I''m just missing one key ingredient, as long as you get it I can easily cure your father and mother." Kureha responded. "What ingredient?" Bob asked as he came forward. He liked Kureha''s personality, so it wouldn''t be too much trouble to help her out. Bob would love to recruit her to teach his subordinates her medical skills. However, she was a bit hard to deal with. Kureha and the man looked at Bob. "Who are you and why are you wearing that mask?" Kureha asked. "You can call me Faceless." "That''s a du... nevermind. What do you care about the ingredient for?" Kureha asked Bob. "I don''t, but I was hoping I could get what you need and you could help me out. I''m looking to buy a propery here on this island, but I can''t find anyone to sell me one. How about get the ingredient you''re looking for, and you find me a building to buy?" Bob suggested. Kureha looked at the man in front of her. "Your call, it''s your father and mother we are talking about." The man looked at Bob and nodded his head. "If you''re willing, then i''ll take you up on your offer. I must tell you, the item she wants is surrounded by wild beast. A large pack of wolves are surrounding the cave, its impossible for a person to enter." "Just tell me where, and what am I looking for." "It''s to the east of here, there''s a cave deep in the forest. In front of the cave you''ll see bushes covered with snow, go in and you''ll see the ice mina lily flower. Bring it to me, and I can finish the cure his parents need." Chapter 41 - Im listening Bob quickly agreed to their request, if all went well and he could have a chat with Kureha then maybe, just maybe Bob could do something unheard of in the One Piece world. In this world, there are tons of doctors, but they are scattered around the world. There is no certain place a person could go to if they were injured or sick. What Bob wanted to do was make that happen. He wanted to open up a hospital. It''d start out small, with just one on a large island. Then slowly expand. People with devil fruit abilities that had healing power would be sought after, but that wouldn''t stop Bob from hiring others as well. There are those who use knowledge to heal their patients. Kureha was over a hundred years old right now, so her wisdom was large. As long as she agreed, Bob could find some people to be her students. They''d open up a hospital and patients would come rolling in. Bob was thinking if she should charge them for their services or not. He could have them come to the hospital for free, allowing for a wide selection of people to pay them attention. He could also charge them a flat fee. Bob was also debating if he should try a health insurance plan. There were many options, but now wasn''t the time to think about it. Bob traveled to the east side where the forest was. The forest itself wasn''t hard to find as there was no way anyone would miss it. Due to the amount of trees. Bob entered the forest and started searching for a cave. He wondered if he''d see some sort of snowman, like a Yeti. Would be interesting if he did. "Grrr¡­" Bob heard growling nearby and saw one snow white wolf come out. It was fairly large compared to the type in his previous world. Coming out from behind the trees were other wolves, Bob counted at least 30 of them. Bob thought of something, and growled back at the beast. The wolves came closer, seeming to be annoyed at Bob. "So that didn''t work? Then let''s try something else." Bob spotted the largest wolf and his body seemed to flicker as he appeared in front of it. He threw downward punch causing the wolf to collapse.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The other wolves looked at Bob, then at the large wolf. The large wolf wasn''t moving. Bob looked at the other wolves and stared hard at them. "Who''s next?" None of the wolves moved, instead they retreated. "Thought so." Bob started walking past the other wolves, and soon he found the cave. It was filled with a glowing blue light. Bob entered the cave and found the reason for the glow, it was a large patch of flowers. They had clear petals, but in the inside where the pollen was supposed to be was a blue gem like item. It was glowing. "Guessing this is it." Bob said as he started picking the flowers. He didn''t stop at one, instead he grabbed ten of them and left the rest alone. Bob left the cave and ran back to Cocoa Weed Village. He was gone for less than thirty minutes, so it was a surprise to the others when he returned so quickly. "Did you give up?" The man asked, but as soon as Bob showed him the flower his eyes lit up. "Oh my! How in the world did you get these?" "Those wolves were child''s play, it wasn''t much." The man looked at Bob and smiled. "Amazing! You''re cool and strong!" Bob rubbed the back of his head. "I know, I know but please continue with the praise." "Next time, can I get one of those flowers?" "Sure. Where did the doctor go?" As the man grabbed a flower from Bob he pointed at a house. "She''s looking after ma and pa. Come, i''m sure she''ll be glad to know you returned." "Alright, lead the way." The man lead Bob to his house and entered. Bob saw that Kureha was hovering over the man''s parents. The man rushed to her and passed her the flower. "This is just what I needed! Now I can make the cure." Kureha said as she went to a table with a brown bowl on it. Inside was some sort of green paste, she took the blue gem like object from the flower and put it inside the bowl. After that she started mixing it inside the green paste. The paste turned purple. After mixing it for five minutes, she put the paste on the mans father and mother. Bob could see that their pale skin started to have some color return to it. Even their breathing calmed down. "Amazing." Bob said out loud as he watched Kureha work. Kureha looked at Bob and removed her black glasses. "I almost forgot about you. A building right? I do have one you could use, as i''m thinking of moving to the Drum Rockies. So if you want it, you can have it." "Sure! I''ll take whatever you have." Bob agreed. "However, don''t you think your limiting your skills here on this small island?" Bob added. Kureha grinned. "No, this is like a vacation." "Really? The world is wide, there are doctors more skilled than you. Diseases that you''ve never seen before. Aren''t you curious to see if you have what it takes to cure them? To show the world all your knowledge?" Kureha sighed. "Once you''ve lived as long as I have, there is little that you want to see or do. I''m fine with just passing my knowledge on to my mentee here." Bob looked down at Chopper who was still covering his body. "That''s only one person. What if he leaves this island one day or dies? Your wisdom won''t be passed on then. I think you''d be better suited to teach a vast number of people, and be in a place where others can see how amazing of a doctor you are. I have this idea, if you''re willing to listen to it. I believe it''ll benefit us both." Kureha thought about it for a moment and nodded her head. "Alright, i''m listening." Chapter 42 - Updates Bob explained to Kureha about his idea of opening up a hospital in the future on an island not too far from here. He was giving control of the hospital to Kureha, she''d have tons of people under her command each working towards the same goal. Even if one of them passed away in the future, she''d still have others who obtained her wisdom. Kureha listened to Bob and understood that the man in front of her had a great ambition. She never thought of such an idea before, nor did any other doctors. A place that was full of doctors, treating patients daily and advancing their practice. Not only that, they''d get paid as well. The idea was good, she couldn''t pass up an opportunity like this. Kureha agreed, but she said she needed time to settle her business here on Drum Island. That was fine with Bob, as he knew the strawhats should be coming here soon. Once they did, Chopper would join their crew. With Chopper finding a place to belong, Kureha wouldn''t have much else to worry about. Bob and Kureha settled everything, Bob received a building from her and Kureha signed a contract with Bob. When that was done, Bob spent a few days buying items to put into the building. It was more like a home, but it would still work as a branch for his organization. "Two or three people should be fine to run this place. Not much traffic comes to Drum Island, so not too much information should pass through here." Bob said to himself. He looked around the building and was satisfied with how things turned out. Besides the map, den-den mushi, a table and a file drawer everything else basically looked the same as before. Bob picked up the den-den mushi and called the base. "Hello?" It was a new voice, Bob assumed that people were already starting to be relocated. Which was fine with him, the only thing he was worried about was the number of personal they had. "This is Bob, i''m calling to see how things are in Blacktown." "Things are progressing well, more people are becoming interested in the organization but we''ve been recruiting slowly. We haven''t let everyone join who wanted to."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. "Hmm, that''s nice. Don''t recruit too much, slow and steady wins the race. Has there been any updates?" "Let me check." Bob could hear the woman on the other end of the den-den mushi ask about any updates. "There have been multiple updates. What would you like to know? About the organization or about the leaders at sea?" "Both." "The organization has been growing steadily, recently with the opening of our bounty shops we''ve received plenty of request. It started out with a small group of people wanting to see what the shop was about, and although they were skeptical at first, they put in a request. It was to find a lost item, but our agents recovered it with ease. After that we started to see all types of requests come in. The number of people who''ve requested a bounty on people are two so far. We did not ask any information, but they were approved. Currently there is a bounty on a marine called ''Jessi'' who was stealing items from the marine base. He escaped at sea and joined a pirate crew under the leadership of Falcon. We were told that Falcon was taking his crew to Alabasta. The other bounty is for a theif, he''s been stealing the underwear of women¡­" The woman continued to explain all the different things that was taking place. Bob listened and asked various questions. He was proud that things were coming along smoothly. His plan was to have all his crew meet at Water 7 and stop expanding. After that, he''ll want them to develop themselves and the organization more. While they would be training for two years, he''ll go rescue Ace from his future death. Once he saved Ace he''d train for two years. Bob knew that if he did not save Whitebeard then the Whitebeard pirates would go after Blackbeard a few months later for revenge. Eventually they''d lose, and lose badly. Bob could stop that if he grew strong enough to save Whitebeard, but Bob had a different idea. What if he took over Whitebeard''s crew for himself? Bob shook his head. Those guys were too loyal, and he wouldn''t be able to do that even if he wanted to. It was just a pipe dream for him. "Welp, a man can dream." Bob said. Everyone was growing stronger and battling new foes on the different island. Bob wished he could say the same, there was no foe to fight here on Drum Island. Bob left the building and walked outside, there he saw a figure dressed in a black coat. The figure was talking to the citizens. Curious as Bob was, he naturally had to see who that person was. In his gut he already knew, but it was best to find out to make sure. "What''s going on?" Bob asked. The citizens turned towards Bob, they were surprised by his appearance. "Faceless, this guy here is telling us to pass along a message to his little brother." One man spoke up. Bob was still wearing his demon like mask and the citizens here on Drum Island knew who he was. The man turned to Bob. Bob could see his appearance clearly. Under that black coat Bob could make out the orange hat. "You the leader of this town?" Ace asked Bob. Bob shook his head. "No, i''m just a visitor." "Do you know who''s the leader? I''m trying to pass along a message to my little brother, he should be stopping by here in a few days." "Come with me." Bob said as he turned and headed back to his building. Ace followed. When the two of them were inside the building Ace removed his hood. "It''s been a while Ace." Ace was confused, he did not expect for anyone here to know his name. Bob removed his mask. Chapter 43 - Two Days Ace looked at Bob for a moment before a grin spread across his face. "Bob! What a surprise seeing you here." Bob laughed. "Same here. Figured you''d be a big shot pirate by now, but you''re still hanging around here." Hearing Bob''s words caused Ace to laugh. "What do you know? I''m pretty famous now and i''ve joined a good crew too. The only reason i''m back here is because i''m chasing someone." "How famous are we talking and what made you join a crew? I thought you were making your own pirate crew." "Things change Bob, I found some people I enjoy and a man thats great. I decided to help him become king of the pirates. As for how famous I am, the marines put a 550 million bounty on me." Bob made a surprised face. "That really is a lot." "So, how''s Luffy? Did you go out to sea with him?" "No, we went our separate ways not too long ago." "I see, I was hoping to meet with him. Seems like i''ll have to wait for him in Alabasta." "How about you stay here for a few days, do a little catching up. Also, I want to see how strong you''ve become." Bob said. "If I recall, weren''t you the weakest out of all of us?" "Things change, I can''t stay weak forever." Bob put his hand on Black Death. "Besides, you might not even be able to handle me now." Ace laughed. "Sure, sure. I''ll entertain you for a bit." Bob grinned as he put on his demon like ask. "Let''s go." Ace followed Bob outside. When the two of them went outside into an open field, Bob drew Black Death. He wasn''t planning on using his newly obtained devil fruit powers, as there wouldn''t be much use for it during this fight. His real goal was to test out Mortal Reminder and see if it worked on logia users.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "That sword of yours won''t be much use against me." Ace said. "Yeah, but it has its perks." Bob replied as he dashed towards Ace. Ace was agile but Bob''s sword was quick. Bob planned to use limit himself to using his skills during this fight. He shouldn''t rely on them too much, as they had a long cooldown time. Instead he should focus on his sword technique and movement. Ace was greatly surprised by Bob''s speed, it wasn''t what he remembered. Seeing Bob''s sword inches away from him Ace jumped back. "You''ve gotten good, what happened in the time I was gone?" Ace asked. "Not much, but you should focus. Hate for you to lose so soon." Ace laughed. Ace darted to Bob and aimed his fist at Bob''s gut. Bob was able to react and twist his body dodging Ace''s attack. Bob knew that Ace had insane physical strength, but that wouldn''t be enough against Bob. Bob was able to move faster than Ace, so unless Bob messed up, Ace wouldn''t be able to hit him. Not unless he used his devil fruit abilities, then things would change. Bob saw an opening and took it, he swung Black Death and it sliced through Ace''s body. "If you had devil fruit powers Ace, you should have used them from the start." Ace grinned. "Thought i''d be able to beat you without them, but your a bit slippery. However, speed isn''t everything." Bob knew this would happen so he quickly made space between him and Ace. As Bob was creating distance between them, Ace dashed forward. His body became a ball of flame and he flew behind Bob in an instant. Ace''s body quickly materialized and he kicked Bob. Bob was already in the air, he couldn''t dodge. Bob took the attack, and he felt intense pain on his back. Bob was sent flying forward and tumbled in the snow. He quickly recovered and used Grand Blessing. "Alright Ace, try to dodge this." Bob said as he appeared in front of Ace with speed quicker than before. "You just don''t learn do you?" Bob already had three charges saved up from fighting with beast here and there. He was planning on using them all on Ace. Bob stopped right in front of Ace and punched towards Ace. He activated Mortal Reminder, causing this attack to hit Ace no matter what, it would also ignore all his defense. Bob''s left fist had a glow to it, Ace tried to block the blow but nothing he tried worked. His body felt heavy, and his devil fruit ability seemed to be locked. Bob''s fist connected with Ace''s stomach and Ace was knocked back. He was only knocked back, that was all. Bob didn''t want to put too much strength into his punch, because he did not want to harm Ace. That was also why he decided not to use Mortal Reminder with Black Death. Bob looked at his hand and started to squeeze it. Ace looked at Bob. "You know how to use armament haki? I''m honestly impressed!" Bob shook his head. "That wasn''t armament haki, it was something else." Bob sheathed Black Death. "Let''s stop for now, I can''t win against you. At least not right now." Ace nodded his head. "If you''ve gotten this strong, I can only imagine how strong Luffy is." Bob laughed a little. "I have a favor to ask of you Ace." "Yeah? What is it?'' "Teach me armament haki. So far I can only cover the tip of my finger, but I must be doing something wrong." Ace rubbed his chin. "Hmm, I don''t know about that. It''d take too long to learn, and I have something to do." "You''re chasing Blackbeard right? Let''s make a deal. You teach me the basics of armament haki, and i''ll tell you where he''ll be." "How do you know about Blackbeard?" Ace asked Bob. "You and Luffy might be pirates, but i''ve joined an organization. We have various information at hand, so it''s not hard to find out something. A large figure like Blackbeard is sure to have been seen somewhere." "Two days, I''ll teach you what I know but it''s up to you if you learn it or not. After two days, I really need to go." Ace said. "Alright." Bob did not mind telling Ace about Blackbeard''s location. Reason was simple after Ace and Luffy part ways, Ace would find out where Blackbeard was anyway. Bob was simply telling Ace what he''d know later. ''Hope nothing messes up in the timeline.'' Chapter 44 - Dont forget Bob trained with Ace for two whole days, he didn''t really rest at all. Fighting with each other, talking about the past these things were fun for Bob. Ace even tried to recruit Bob to join the Whitebeard pirates, but Bob declined. It was funny, Ace tried to recruit Luffy and his crew too in the manga. When their time was up, Ace gave Bob his vivre card. He told Bob that they''d meet again someday with that card. Bob gave up Blackbeard''s location, but Ace said he wanted to meet up with Luffy first before he continued to chase Blackbeard. Bob didn''t have a problem with that. Things seemed to continue to progress in the way the story normally would. Bob did not see anything change, but he feared something might have been altered. He just did not know what yet. Bob knew that Ace was much stronger than himself and Dalton, so he asked Ace about his devil fruit. Ace did not know much about it, but he said if they met later he could introduce him to Marco. As Marco was also a Zoan devil fruit user and his control over his powers was the best he''s ever seen. However, Ace did teach Bob a few tricks. He did not know much about Zoan devil fruit users but what he did know he told Bob. Things were different being here in this world. Seeing it on screen and reading about it, it just wasn''t the same as experiencing it in real life. Bob was sad to see Ace go, but he knew he had to. Things must progress. With Ace''s departure, Bob continued to train hard, day in and day out. When Dalton had time he sparred with Bob as well. Although Dalton wasn''t much of a challenge for Bob, Bob could see that compared to before Dalton was changing.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Bob couldn''t put his finger on it, but Dalton seemed different. The days went by and everything on Drum Island was peaceful. "So, let me see how much you guys have improved." Bob said as he stood in front of his crew members. "You plan on fighting us?" Bob nodded his head. "Naturally. If you guys face Dalton you''ll use tactics you learned to try and show off. I thought i''ll change things up a bit." "I''ll go first." Luna stepped forward. Bob fought against all four of his crew members and was surprised by their growth. He watched them spar with Dalton a few times, but after a while he stopped watching. During the time he wasn''t looking these guys improved dramatically. Still, they had a long way to go. Bob dealt with them all quickly, but Tiffany the girl with blonde hair and long ears managed to have her arrow touch Bob. Out of all of them she was the only one that managed to touch Bob. "I''m a man of my word. Compared to before I see that you all have come a long way, I really can''t tell who improved the most out of all of you. However, seeing as how Tiffany was the only one to touch me during combat she''ll receive the devil fruit. Unless she doesn''t want to." Bob handed over the pink devil fruit to Tiffany. "Can I really have it?" Bob nodded his head. "Yes, but remember if you eat it there is no turning back. While you''ll be able to gain powers out of this world, you''ll suffer dearly if you end up in the water." Tiffany did not even think about it and ate the devil fruit right there. After five seconds a gust of wind surrounded her body. "How do you feel?" Bob asked her. "I don''t really feel much different. However, I feel intune with the wind." "Can you control it?" Bob asked her. "Let me try." Tiffany swirled her hand and a gust of wind emerged from it. "This is all I can do." Bob nodded his head. He didn''t expect her to be a master once she got her powers. "Wind huh? You can do a lot with that, train it well." Tiffany got excited and nodded her head. While Bob was discussing things with his crew members a man ran into the town. "Pirates! There are pirates here!" "What? Pirates?" Bob saw that the men in the town were grabbing their guns and rushing towards where the pirates were located. Bob shook his head. "They seem to have arrived a bit earlier than expected." Bob said to himself, but his crew members heard him. "Who arrived here?" Sasha asked. "A friend and his crew. Let''s wait here, we''ll see how things play out." A minute later Dalton came out from his home. "Where''d everyone go?" He asked Bob. Bob pointed in a direction. "They went off that way, you should be able to catch up to them." Dalton nodded. "Dalton. Don''t forget what I told you before." "I won''t forget!" Chapter 45 - Wait... what? While Dalton and the other townsfolk went to go see what sort of pirates appeared on the island, Bob was waiting for them here in town. Bob already knew how these events would play out. Luffy came to this island in search of a doctor for nami who was currently sick. The townsfolk assumed they were bad pirates like Blackbeard, but Dalton stopped them. After that they were welcomed. "I''m not going to give you orders concerning the pirates that are about to come here, but don''t try to start anything with them. Three of them are strong, the others not so much." Bob said to his four crew members. "Why would we start trouble?" Luna asked. "You might not, but you never know what will happen. We''ll be leaving in a few days anyways." Bob looked at Tiffany. "With your new devil fruit powers, you should learn how to control them. It seems to be a logia type, so no normal weapons can harm you. As long as you know what you are doing that is." Tiffany nodded her head. "After we leave here, we''ll be heading towards Alabasta for a bit. I need us to be know, so we''ll join the civil war that is about to happen. Once we leave Alabasta we''ll head towards Thriller Bark." Hassan started to spin his dagger around. "Why are we going there? Is there something important at that location?" Bob nodded. "Alabasta has one of the seven warlords called Crocodile, however I have a feeling he might be defeated if things go correctly. If they do, then that means a spot will open up to become one of the seven warlords. Yet, the marines would offer it to me because they don''t know me that well. So i''m thinking of taking out another one called Gecko Moria instead. That should raise our crews bounty by a lot, and at that point the World Government should take notice of us."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Didn''t John head towards Alabasta? Why don''t we ask him for help during the civil war?" "I was thinking about that as well. I also want to see how much he''s grown as well as seeing how his crew is coming along." Bob replied. "We should increase our numbers as well, it''d be a shame to see them and they have twice as many members as we do." Hassan said. Bob shook his head. "Numbers aren''t everything. Build our core up, and everything will become easier in the future." "Bob, why is becoming a warlord important?" Luna asked before the conversation steered too far. "It''s for my own personal reasons. Being a warlord has its perks as the World Government won''t bother us. However, i''ll be called upon during times or war or when they need me." "So basically we''ll be untouchable." "Something like that." As Bob continued to discuss his future plans with his crew members he could hear the others returning. Bob focused and watched the citizens come into the town. Bob saw a short blonde haired man wearing a black coat carrying a woman on his back. "Nami! We''ve reached town, soon we''ll find you a doctor." Bob knew that was Sanji carrying Nami and next to them in the white coat was Vivi. Just thinking about that blue haired princess caused Bob to shiver. She wasn''t strong, but she had a decent character. If the two of them got together Bob would have a good life. They''d have blue hair kids. Bob would become a prince, and future king. ''No Bob. Stop it!'' Bob shook his head. He needed to get those thoughts out of his mind. Dalton stood tall and was conversing with Luffy and Usopp as he was telling them about the town. Dalton finished talking to Luffy and looked at all the townsmen with their guns. "Thank you everyone, but please return home." "But Dalton, they are pirates how do you know we can trust them." Dalton looked over at Bob. "The same reason we trust Faceless. They don''t mean us any harm." Dalton said as he recalled Bob''s words. He thought Bob was spouting some nonsense before when he said pirates would come here. Yet here they were, right in front of him. If what Bob spoke was true, then that means Wapol was either on the island or he''ll be landing soon. "If you say so Dalton." The men said as they were about to scatter. "Hold on. Stay on high alert I fear that things are about to change here on the island." "How do you know?" Someone asked Dalton. "Call it old man''s intuition." Bob heard Dalton and laughed to himself. Yeah old man''s intuition, more like Bob told him what was going to happen. The townsfolk dispersed and Dalton called the Strawhat''s over. "Come, we should get her in a bed. Out here it''ll only make her fever worse." Dalton said towards Sanji. Sanji nodded his head. As Dalton passed Bob he paused. "Faceless, there''s a sick person here I was wondering if you could use that power of yours to heal her?" Dalton asked Bob. Bob nodded his head. "Sure, i''ll go get the doctor¡­" Bob suddenly realized what Dalton said. "Eh! Wait¡­. what?" Chapter 46 - Little bit of everything Bob''s brain started to process everything. Strawhats come to Drum Island, townsfolk want them to leave, Dalton invites them to town. Now this is where things begin to drift off course. Dalton is supposed to tell them about Kureha, the witch on this island who would be able to heal Nami. However, he was asking Bob to do it instead! Things were wrong! Where did things go wrong? ''Is it because I came here and introduced myself to Dalton? No, that can''t be it. Maybe it''s when I told him not to worry about injuring my crew members. He knows I can heal them no problem, he must think i''m some healing god.'' ''No, no, no, no Bob! This can''t do. Things must go back in the right direction!'' Bob shook his head and cleared his mind. "Sorry Dalton I can''t help you there, but I believe Kureha would be able to solve their problem." Bob suggested that the Strawhats pay Kureha a visit. "Come Faceless, you''re just being modest. What''s a small fever when i''ve seen you heal worse." "Dalton, I can''t do it. Just trust me on this one." Dalton sighed but left it alone. ''If I were to heal Nami here, they''d never meet Chopper and Chopper would never join their crew. Instead they''d be trying to recruit me!'' Bob was not about to let that happen. Dalton took the Strawhats into his house where they could lay Nami down. Luffy passed by Bob and looked at him for a moment. Bob turned his face and looked in the opposite direction. Luffy couldn''t see Bob''s face due to the mask, but Luffy might sense something. Afterall it hasn''t been that long since they''ve last seen each other.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Hey Luffy! There''s a bunch of snow here, let''s see who can build the best snowman!" Ussop ran forward and grabbed a bunch of snow. "Watch this!" Luffy yelled as he started to gather up snow. Bob chuckled. "These are the pirates you were talking about?" Luna asked. Bob nodded. "They don''t seem like much to me. How strong are they?" Hassan asked. "Currently, you could probably fight till a standstill against the man wearing the black coat. As for the other two, I don''t know. You may lose, you may not. If Tiffany had a bit of control over her devil fruit she''d be able to take them all down." Hassan clicked his tongue. "Next time we get a devil fruit, i''m eating it!" "You think getting a devil fruit is that easy?" Hassan shrugged his shoulders. "Two islands, two devil fruits. Your luck doesn''t seem that bad. Hurry up and go to the third island, we might be able to find a third!" Hassan started laughing but his sister, Sasha slapped him in the back of the head. "Cut it out!" "So what should we do now?" Sasha asked. "Dalton will be busy dealing with things, but we are mainly waiting on Kureha. Once she heals Nami we can leave the island. For now you guys should train your haki. Use the new methods I learned from Ace. There''s a long journey ahead of us." All four of them nodded their heads. Bob was considering sending them back to their ship, but opted against it for now. He did not want them to be cooped up all day long. They already had to journey for a few days, so why be bored on the ship. Jacob was another story, him and his brothers seemed to love being on the ship. Bob did not have the slightest clue as to why. "YOU IDIOTS!" Bob heard Sanji yell and looked back. Sanji was looking out the window at Luffy and Usopp. Bob laughed and so did the four other members. "Those guys¡­" Bob closed his eyes and thought about something for a moment. "You guys can go to Cocoa Weed village or to the ship. If anything happens in Cocoa Weed be sure to help them out, alright?" Hassan and the others nodded. Bob watched them go off into the distance. None of them were heading towards the ship. Soon Bob saw Luffy carrying Nami with Sanji by his side. Vivi bent down and tied something around him and Nami. Bob remembered this scene. Usopp and Vivi would stay back, but the others would go up the mountains. Luffy and Sanji ran off and Bob came forward. "I see they left." Bob said causing Usopp, Vivi and Dalton to look at him. "They went to get the doctor." Dalton saw the looks on Ussop and Vivi''s face. "This is Faceless, he''s a pirate hunter." Usopp and Vivi bowed. "Pirate Hunter, Pirate. I''m a little bit of everything. Nice to meet you." "Why are you wearing a mask?" Usopp asked. "Personal reasons." Bob replied as he looked at Vivi. Bob got closer to her. "Hmm, you look much better in person." Bob said. Vivi took a step back. "What do you mean by that?" Bob laughed, he almost forgot that Vivi was hiding her identity. "Nothing, forget I said anything." Vivi looked at Bob and she became curious. Did this man know who she was? Did they meet before? So many questions ran through her mind. Chapter 47 - Off Script Dalton started telling Vivi and Usopp about Blackbeard and his pirate crew. How they came to Drum Island and destroyed a large part of it, while the king Wapol fled. Bob saw Vivi''s body shaking with her fist clenched. "Is that how a country''s king should act!?" Vivi flared up. "A king who abandons his people¡­" Usopp was shocked by her sudden change. "Calm down a bit princess." Bob said in a playful manner. Vivi''s eyes grew wide when she heard Bob call her princess. "Princess¡­?" "It''s a saying that''s all." Bob said playing it off like it was nothing. Bob looked at Dalton. "Remember what I said, his return will be soon." Dalton nodded. "Should I mobilize everyone?" Bob shrugged his shoulders. "Do what you want, i''m just letting you know." Vivi and Usopp were both confused as they were out of the loop. "He''s talking about Wapol. Faceless said that his return was near, and it seems that he is here already." "Wapol! Just let Luffy blast him away again!" Usopp said. "Things aren''t going to be that easy." Dalton agreed with Bob''s words. "Who are you guys anyways? Travelling along the grandline with a crew of 6 but no doctor. Even Faceless here has a doctor amongst his crew." "We''re pirates! Although we are a small crew, as long as the brave warrior of the sea Usopp is with them, there''s nothing to fear!"Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Usopp said with his arms crossed. "Doctor? You guys have a doctor?" Vivi asked as she looked at Bob. "Something like that." Bob replied. "Why didn''t you help our friend, Nami?" "There''s a reason for everything. Let''s just say i''m doing you a favor." Bob answered Vivi. "Why don''t you join us, we are looking for a doctor. Hearing that the only doctor on this island is a witch, I fear they won''t join us." Usopp asked Bob to join them. "Not interested." "Why? There''s nothing to be afraid of. Let me tell you I have 8000 followers under my command. With me leading the way there''s nothing for you to be afraid of." Bob crossed his arms as he stared at Usopp. "I thought you were a small crew of six?" "Agh¡­ Um.." Usopp was caught in his lie. "Dalton!" A large woman appeared in front of Dalton and the others. "Weren''t you looking for the doctor?" "Yes, that''s correct. These guys here wanted her to cure their friend." "She just appeared in Cocoa Weed village." "She''s at the next town over?" Dalton asked. The large woman nodded her head. "You''re saying that Luffy and the doctor just missed each other?" Vivi asked. "Seems to be that way." Dalton said. "We should make haste before she leaves the village." Dalton suggested as he ran off. "But she¡­" Bob was about to say something but shook his head. Vivi stared at him for a moment, but she quickly followed after Dalton. Usopp was right next to her. As soon as they were out of sight, Bob sighed. "They''ll see when they get there, she''s already left." After a few minutes, Bob could hear a voice. "We''ve returned!" "Let the people know their king has returned!" Bob spotted Wapol and his gang come into town. Wapol was acting high and mighty, but Bob knew he wasn''t much. "Who are you?" Wapol was seated on a large white beast. It''s appearance was similar to that of a Hippo. "Me? I''m no one important." Bob answeed. "Bow to your king! He has returned!" Wapol started laughing madly. "No thanks. How about you head back towards your castle and we just pretend I never saw you?" "What do you think you''re going to do facing all of us?" Wapol asked Bob. Bob scratched the back of his head. "Seriously, just go to your castle, I don''t have time for this." In the manga, Wapol came here and destroyed most of the buildings. However upon seeing Bob Wapol did not do anything as of yet. Bob wanted to protect the buildings and instead wanted Wapol to head to his castle. Once he did that the story would progress. Sure, Wapol would miss his clash with Dalton. However, Bob knew Dalton would suffer due to Chess'' dirty tricks. Chess aimed his bow at Bob and pulled the bowstring. Three arrows flew towards Bob. Bob quickly drew Black Death and cut the arrows like they were nothing. "The difference in our powers is too large, just go to your castle like a good king." Wapol wasn''t having it and decided to send out the twenty doctors he had under his command. The doctors held their latex gloves up high and went towards Bob. ''Can''t harm them, they can be used.'' Bob told himself. Bob did not use Black Death to deal with them, instead he used his hands to knock all twenty of the doctors out. "WAPOL!" "Crap! He''s back already?" Bob saw Dalton speeding along as he jumped in the air and transformed back into his human form from his bison form. He took out his spade. "How dare you return to Drum Island?" He asked Wapol. "What do you mean? I am the king, naturally I can''t leave my people." Dalton gritted his teeth. "Faceless i''ll deal with Wapol I leave the others to you." Bob started blinking his eyes multiple times. "This¡­ this is not supposed to happen!" Chapter 48 - Suplex Bob thought of all the possible outcomes that could happen. Him and Dalton face off against Wapol and win. Bob would be a saviour of Drum Island, and Dalton would later be crowned king. Him and Dalton face off against Wapol, but¡­ well they''ll still win. No matter how Bob looked at it, they were bound to win. However, would that stop Luffy from obtaining a doctor? Bob sighed. "Oh well." As Bob was thinking of different outcomes Dalton charged straight at Wapol. His body transformed into that of a human bison. Bob looked at Wapol''s two lackies. Chess and Kuromarimo. "Any last words?" Bob asked them. "Aren''t you confident in yourself." Kuromarimo said. Bob didn''t say anything else but wielded Black Death. He felt that there was no need for him to use any of his skills against these guys. Yet, to end the fight quicker he might as well. Bob activated Grand Blessing giving him a boost of movement speed. It took less than a second for Bob to appear in from of Kuromarimo. When he did Kuromarimo didn''t know what to do, Bob was too fast for him to see. "Are you even human?" Kuromarimo muttered. Bob sliced him across his chest before Kuromarimo could make a move. His body fell to the floor. Kuromarimo use many dirty tricks when he fought others, but against Bob he did not have a chance to do any of them. Chess was shaken as he did not expect Bob to kill Kuromarimo. Chess started firing arrow after arrow, hoping they would land on Bob and kill him. Bob deflected the arrows with ease. To him the arrows were moving slow, it wasn''t hard to deflect them. Chess backed up when he saw that his arrows had no affect on Bob. He turned his body and was about to run away but Bob was already rushing after him. "Don''t even think of running." Bob said. Bob did a quick cut with Black Death causing Chess to fall to the ground. Chess was bleeding out as Bob only cut off his arm, but he had no plans on healing him.Stolen novel; please report. The townsfolk looked at Bob. "He''s so strong!" "He took care of them both in an instant!" Bob ignored them and watched Dalton and Wapol fight with each other. "You dare to attack the king? Don''t you know this is a capital offense?" Wapol asked Dalton. Dalton stopped attacking him for a moment as he seemed to recall that was true. He could be beheaded for his attentions. "Don''t worry about it. His actions caused this situation to occur, no one will be on his side." Bob told Dalton. "You think that''s going to help him?" Wapol asked. "I''m going to blow him away!" Wapol opened his mouth wide. "Tongue Cannon!" Wapol''s tongue turned into a cannon and it was aimed at Dalton. Dalton didn''t have time to react before the cannon was fired. A large explosion occurred. Dalton was injured and bleeding heavily. His spade was broken in half. It seemed that Dalton managed to react after all. "WAPOL! You won''t get away with this!" Dalton roared as he threw his spade down to the ground and charged right at Wapol. Wapol couldn''t get a good shot off because Dalton was moving weirdly. He closed his mouth and was about to use a different weapon but Dalton was in front of him. Dalton''s arms wrapped around Wapol''s body. "WAPOL!" Bob could see the Dalton''s arm tightened around Wapol''s body. Veins emerged on his bison like head as he roared loudly. Boom! Wapol''s body crashed into the ground hard. His eyes were rolled back and Bob had his eyes wide open. A suplex! Bob didn''t expect that, but it was amazing. Bob gave Dalton a thumbs up in approval and used Grand Blessing on him to heal his wounds. Dalton looked down at Wapol. "What are you going to do kill him?" Bob asked. Dalton shook his head. "No. He needs to be punished for his actions. I will have him judged!" "What about those two? They aren''t dead, but they''ll be dead if they aren''t healed soon." Bob said as he pointed towards Chess and Kuromarimo. "I don''t care what you do to them. They are just as bad as Wapol." "Guess we''ll leave them." The townsfolk surrounded Bob and Dalton. "Dalton! That was amazing, I thought you were a goner for a moment but then you charged him and Wapol didn''t know what was coming next!" "That''s what Wapol gets! Are we going to lock him up? But where would we do that?" The townsfolk started chatting with Dalton as they asked questions. Bob waited a little bit before he activated Grand Blessing and vanished from where he was. "Almost forgot, need to pass along the message." Bob was so caught up in different things he forgot to pass along Ace''s message to Luffy. Bob didn''t need to give the message to Luffy exactly, he could just give it to one of his crew members. He did not go far, he just removed himself from the crowd of people and was at the edge of town. "All that time, and we ended up right back here!" Bob looked and he saw Vivi. She was with Usopp and Zoro who was freezing. "What''s going on? Why is there a crowd of people?" Usopp asked. "There''s also Faceless. We could ask him." "Faceless? Who''s that?" Zoro asked. Usopp and Vivi pointed towards Bob. "Enemy? Ally? Which is he?" Zoro asked as he was staring at Bobs clothing. "He''s not an enemy." Vivi replied causing Zoro to click his tongue. Bob walked down towards them. "Yo. Didn''t expect to see you again so soon, missed me?" Bob said in a playful matter as he came in front of Vivi. "We were walking looking for Gyasta town but ended up back here. What happened here?" Vivi ignored the last part of what Bob said, but that didn''t stop her cheeks from turning red slightly. "Wapol came back, but he''s been dealt with." Bob replied. Usopp was shocked. "Wapols been dealt with? Who did that?" Bob pointed behind him. "Dalton." Vivi and Usopp looked surprised. Zoro was still freezing and he never got to know Dalton so he didn''t really care. "Before I forget, I need you to pass a message along to your captain Strawhat. Tell him his brother Ace is waiting for him in Alabasta." "Brother!?" All three of them were equally shocked by this news. Bob nodded his head. "Can''t a boy have a brother? Geez, it''s not that shocking is it? Anyways, i''ll be going now." Bob looked at Vivi. "Catch you later princess." Chapter 49 - Designated Healer Bob did not like having unexpected things happening, because he could no longer take advantage of his knowledge to its full potential. Although Wapol and his lackeys were defeated, they weren''t worth anything. Bob couldn''t remember if they had a bounty on them or not, but he assumed they did not. Besides, there wasn''t even a marine base on Drum Island so he''d have to take them with him to Alabasta if he wanted to turn him in. That was too much work for Bob, it was better to leave him in Daltons hands. Bob left Bighorn town and decided that he would be leaving Drum Island tomorrow. There were only a few arcs in One Piece that Bob actually remembered well, and one of them was the Alabasta arc. Bob spent the rest of the day on Drum Island watching over the story progresses. Things were different as Luffy and his crew never fought Wapol again. Instead they met the doctor and Chopper, while Nami was saved. After that was done Luffy tried to recruit Dalton to join his crew. Telling Dalton how strong he was and that he could use him. Dalton ended up declining saying that he already had something else to do. Chopper ended up joining up with Luffy''s crew as their doctor. Kureha gave him some encouraging words letting him know she would be fine on her own as she had plans. With the Drum Island arc coming to an end, Bob was glad things were on track. There were some slight changes here and there, but everything ended up working out. The Strawhats left Drum Island the same day they arrived. "Glad to see everything worked out for you." Bob said as he appeared next to Dalton. "It''s all thanks to you Faceless! What you said happened and thanks to that we were able to handle it." Bob chuckled. "It was bound to happen anyways." "Guess that means I work for you now, seeing as we still have a contract." Dalton said. Bob nodded. "Yeah, just stay here and collect information. It''s easy."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Actually Faceless, I was curious if I could go with you. Staying here on Drum Island is nice, but I find things more interesting by your side." Bob was silent. ''Another change¡­ good or bad? That''s the question.'' Bob thought about it for a minute or two. "What about rebuilding the kingdom? Don''t you want to be apart of that? Also, if you leave who''ll operate the base here I made?" Bob asked questions. "That''s easy. While i''m the most likely person to be next in line for the throne, I don''t have to accept it. There are other more noble people here than me that will be nominated. I''m already apart of rebuilding the kingdom. Our people''s worst fear came but we conquered it. Wapol is in custody so there is nothing to worry about. All the money I earn from working with you I can still put into this Island. In a few years when I return I hope to see a better place." Dalton said in a happy tone. "What about the last part?" Dalton patted Bob on the shoulder. "That doesn''t even need to be asked. Everyone''s seen what you did here, they are more than willing to help you out. You asked me to operate it, but now you have the entire''s town respect. They will all help you out in collecting and gathering information. Just ask them!" Turns out even thought things were changed slightly, things still worked out in the end for Bob. "Fine. You can join us, but you''ll need a new weapon. Also, you may become wanted by the World Government." Dalton laughed. "Sounds fun." "Then pack up, we are leaving tomorrow moring. I have big plans Dalton. BIG PLANS." Bob made the word big be drawn out. "No problem, i''ll be ready." Bob never figured something like Dalton joining him would happen, but he did not mind. With Dalton onboard, things would be easier. Not to mention he''d have three devil fruit users on his ship now. The next day soon came and Bob was standing on the deck of his ship. Hassan, Luna, Sasha, Tiffany and now Dalton. If this was a game from Bob''s past, then they''d have a tank, a mage, an assassin, an archer, and two melee damage dealers. If Bob counted Kureha in, then they had a designated healer. It was a perfect setup, but Bob knew that Kureha wouldn''t stay with them. Thinking of this setup like a game, Bob thought he should get in touch with Tim. Have Tim craft him some armor for Dalton. Something that can protect his body while he absorbs all the damage. ''This is life Bob! Not a video game. Stop it.'' Bob told himself as he shook his head. "Do you guys have everything?" Bob asked them. They all nodded their head. "Once we leave, i''m not having us turn back. So i''ll ask again, is anyone forgetting anything?" All of them thought about it for a moment but once again, they said they have everything. "Alright Jacob, set sail for Alabasta!" Jacob started giving orders and the ship set sail. Five minutes out, and Dalton made a shocked face. "Faceless stop! I forgot my helmet!" "What? We aren''t going back, you want your helmet then go get it!" Bob wasn''t being fooled. Since when does Dalton wear a helmet. "Tsk. Didn''t fall for it huh?" "No. And, you can call me Bob." Bob said as he removed his mask. "I like Faceless better, sounds more mysterious. Bob''s a plain name." Bob shrugged. "Do what you want." Bob turned to Kureha. "So, those twenty doctors, you decided to accept them all?" Bob asked her. He was talking about the twenty doctors that Wapol took for himself. Bob knocked them all out as he wanted to ask Kureha about them. They already had general knowledge about healing, so it wouldn''t be too hard to teach them anything new. "No. I decided to take ten of them." "Then why are all twenty on the ship?" Bob asked her. "The others have another purpose." "Well, i''m not one to ask questions. I''ll leave you in charge of everything." Kureha nodded her head. She liked it that way. Chapter 50 - Unexpected Bob''s crew spent their time training their haki and listening to Bob talk about what the current situation was on Alabasta. Bob''s current progress with his haki was that he could cover his fist in it. Just one hand, not both. It was a huge leap compared to before, but once again he found himself struggling. There seemed to be more to this haki than others led on. It was difficult to master it. "Maybe I should pay him a visit." Bob said to himself as he thought of someone who could help him out. Someone that he could learn from. "Nah, now''s not the time. Soon though, soon." Bob told himself as he got rid of the figure in his head. His crew was already a day behind Luffy''s crew, so there were roughly 9 or 10 days left until the war breaks out. Bob was planning on showing off, and during this war. He got excited just thinking about it. "Bob! We''ve reached Alabasta!" Jacob shouted causing Bob to look out. There it was, that island that barely rained. Bob knew that Crocodile had setup his main base of operations at Rainbase City. Bob had a few goals he wanted to accomplish here, one of which was taking over all of Crocodiles operations. If Bob managed to do that he could get a steady income just from all the different businesses Crocodile owned. Bob would love that. ''Maybe I should steal it all first¡­'' Bob thought to himself as he thought of all the money the casino made. Bob felt his hand inch just thinking about money. ''Boots. I can see them already.'' Bob could see his next item already in his hands. Soon he''ll be wearing the boots he wanted and no one could touch him. Well, that wasn''t exactly correct. They still would be able to, it''d just be much harder to do so. Bob''s ship soon docked in the port. Bob took a look around there was tons of sand everywhere and people were wearing thin clothing to keep themselves warm.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Bob could see all the stalls on the streets and the large crowd of people. "Jacob, this is Nanohana town?" Bob asked. "Yeah, is there something wrong with this spot?" Bob shook his head. "No." This was the same place the Strawhats landed when they came to Alabasta, here it was where Luffy met Ace. That already happened though so Bob didn''t need to worry about anything. "Let''s see where John is." Bob said as he went to grab the den-den mushi. It started ringing. "Hello?" "John! It''s Bob, where are you?" "Bob Buddy! I''m here in Alabasta, a city called Rainbase. I figured it was a good place to open up a base since there is so much traffic. Property and things have already been brought, just putting up the finishing touches now." John sounded excited. "Good. I''m in Alabasta as well, but there are some things going on right now. I was wondering if you wanted to get involved?" "If its a good fight, you can count me in!" "I''ll meet you in the city. Just stand outside, i''ll find you." "Alright, see you soon." Bob was glad that John setup base at Rainbase city. Made things a lot easier for him. He actually had a reason to go to that city now. Might as well pay the casino a visit too while he was there. Bob didn''t forget that he still needed to make contact with Koza the leader of the rebel army. There was no telling what sort of things Bob would have to do to join the rebel army. He figured it wouldn''t be easy, as Koza might suspect him to be on Crocodiles goons. Therefore, Bob would need to gain his trust. ''Maybe I can shut down the casino. That might help gain his trust.'' Bob thought to himself. "Alright, we are going to Rainbase city, that''s where John is. A good time to see some new faces." Bob said as he started to get off the ship. "I''d love to meet the others." Dalton said as he jumped off the ship. The others followed behind Bob. "Kureha, if you see a place that you believe will be good to open a hospital let me know. We''ll just have to buy it and start remodeling." "If I see anything I''ll let you know." Kureha said. She was looking at the various shops they passed by. Bob thought she might be curious about something but he didn''t ask. It took them a while to get from Nanohana to Rainbase City. By the time they arrived Bob was sweating as the intense heat was getting to him. "How much longer?" Sasha asked as she was also sweating hard. "Not much further." "You guys make it seem like this weather is bad. You ask me, this is perfect!" Luna commented. She was a lion mink, being in hot weather didn''t bother her much. If anything this was like a natural environment for her. Minus all the sand. After entering the city and walking around for a while, Bob spotted John. "John!" John was wearing black shorts and had a black turban on his head. Amane was a large sword so it was in his hand. Bob also noticed that John had a tattoo on his chest. It was new, because Bob never saw it before. "When did you get that?" Bob pointed towards John''s tattoo and asked when he appeared in front of him. John pointed to the demon like tattoo on his chest. "About a week ago. That mask you gave me, I decided to get it drawn on my chest! Cool isn''t it." Bob laughed. "If you saw so." Besides the tattoo, John didn''t look much different. Still had that scar under his left eye and all over his body. "Boss, the Barbar Pirates have made their move." A relatively thin man with short scruffy hair and a scruffy beard appeared. There seemed to be dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a gray headband with blue stripes, and gray jacket. Bob knew this man. "Bob, let me introduce you. This is Gin the "Man-Demon". He was a pirate under Krieg but after they were destroyed I found him and we had a duel. Naturally yours truly won and he decided to follow me." "This, is unexpected, but, welcome Gin!" Chapter 51 - Killer grip Gin shook Bob''s hand. "John has told me about you. I''ve love to challenge you to a duel." Gin grinned as he said that. Bob squeezed Gin''s hand hard causing him to wince in pain. "Still want that duel?" Gin started rubbing his hand and shook his head. "That''s one killer grip you have there." "You''re the first to say that. What happened to the last pirate crew you were with?" "Krieg was beaten black and blue, after he ran into this pirate called Luffy. He was injured but no one was willing to help him out due to his personality thus he quit being a pirate. I was sailing my own boat looking for an island to stay on when I ran into John here. Thought I could rob him and his ship, but he was stronger than I thought. Anyways, I ended up joining him." Gin explained. Bob looked at John and grinned a little. "What? There a problem or something?" "No, you''ve done great work. I heard about Gin when I was making my way to Drum Island. He''s a nice addition to your crew. Anyone else joined you?" John shook his head. "Not yet, he''s the only one so far. I see you have two new people with you, who are they?" John already knew the four original crew members that joined Bob, but now he saw two more. Dalton and Kureha. "This large man here is Dalton, he''s a devil fruit user. He''ll give you a run for your money. As for this lady, she''s a doctor named Kureha. She''s working with me on a project, i''ll tell you about it later." Dalton introduced himself to Gin and John. Kureha just did a quick wave of the hand. "Come, let me see what you''ve done with the base here." Bob said. The building that John was standing in front of was fairly large, much larger than the buildings they obtained before. Bob entered the building and was surprised by what he saw. It looked like what they had on Vile Island, where it was basically like a bar with bounties on the walls, but there was a pool table here as well. Bob could see some stairs that lead up to the upper floor. "I took the idea you used in Vile Island and did the same here. The entire first floor is used to entertain people and get them to talk, while also being about business. The second floor is where our operations take place. There are a few rooms up there where our members can sleep and eat, while we also have a room to plan our future out."Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. John explained. "Not bad." Bob started looking at the wall filled with bounty posters. "I see you''ve been busy. These are all the pirates?" "Yeah, the only ones with bounties. I heard about a few upcoming ones but they don''t have a bounty on them yet." Bob looked over at Gin. "He was talking about a pirate group earlier, are they on this list?" "The Barbar Pirates. They''ve been causing a little trouble here, but they are a bit hard to catch due to the fact they have a ship that can sail the sand." "I see, how much are they worth?" Bob asked. "Not much, just ten million beli and thats only for their leader Barbarossa. The other members aren''t worth much." Bob knew about that pirate group, but he didn''t expect them to exist here. Afterall they were an anime only pirate group that appeared in One Piece. "If you find anyone capable amongst their crew you can recruit them." "Was already planning on it. Much easier to recruit people who already have experience at the sea. Beat them, and absorb some of their numbers. It''s not a bad strategy." "Not bad, but you can''t get them all. If you do some will band together and try to overthrow you." "Don''t worry, i''ve knock some sense into them until they realize its all futile." Bob laughed and John laughed. "So, what was it you were talking about over the den-den mushi?" John asked Bob. "Oh that. There''s going to be a civil war here in a few days, want to know if you want to join in on it. A good way for us to make a name for ourselves, and there will be strong people to go against as well." "Sure, I don''t have much else to do. Lately I''ve been going after pirates and turning them in. Dick and Larry are turning in the ones we captured earlier this morning, just waiting on them to return." John said. "I see. After you finish your business with the Barbar pirates contact me. We''ll need to head to another city to get in contact with the rebel leader." John''s eyes grew big. "You mean we''re joining the rebel army? I thought we would side with the king here." Bob laughed a little. "Its a bit more complicated than you make it seem. Trust me, this will be good for us." "If you say so." Bob thought of something. "Remember that guy I was telling you about before? The one who I said you should duel. He''s here in Alabasta, try and find him. See if you can beat him." John squeeze Amane. "I''m up for a challenge as long as he''s strong." "He''s pretty strong. I''ll be back later, I need to collect some money." John was interested. "You captured some pirates?" "No, I plan on shutting down the casino here in this city. It''s run by a crooked man, therefore there''s no harm in taking his money. Once he''s arrested we''ll take over all his businesses." "Sounds fun, why don''t you let me join in?" "No way man! You can have all the pirates." "Fine! You said it, not me." Bob didn''t feel like he''ll regret his words. "Oh yeah, take Kureha with you. If she finds a building she likes, buy it for her." "I don''t mind doing that, but what do you need another building for?" "It''s a project we are working on. Going to open a hospital here, but like I said i''ll tell you about it later." John rolled his eyes. "Alright, whatever you say." Bob left the building with Dalton and the others. "Faceless, how do you plan on robbing the casino?" Dalton asked. "Go inside, throw everyone out beat up any who oppose. Take all their money. They are deeply embedded here in Alabasta so they might not have all their money at the casino, but whatever is there we will take." "That would draw their attention to us. They''ll want their money back." Bob shrugged. "They can come get it then, but they have other problems to worry about." Bob looked at the building off in the distance. It was a pyramid-like structure with a golden bananawani at the top. That was the casino. Rainbase city had a large population that casino was bringing in tons of money a day. Bob didn''t know how much exactly, but he hoped it would be enough for him. Bob led his crew towards the Casino where people were constantly entering. "Are we going to put on our mask?" Luna asked. Bob shook his head. "No need." Chapter 52 - Winters Chill Bob was thinking of changing his looks to be that of Luffy, then when someone asked his name he could just say Luffy. That would make Crocodile go after Luffy even more so than he did in the past. Yet, Bob opted against that plan. Instead he would use his own appearance. He wasn''t planning on joining the rebel army as Faceless, but as Bob. Bob the pirate hunter and rebel. He would turn all the pirates in that teamed up with Crocodile. However, he just thought about something. He told John he could have all the pirates here in Alabasta, and Crocodile was one of them. ''Maybe he won''t notice one missing¡­'' Bob said to himself as he hoped that was the case. Bob and his crew entered the casino. Inside there were various games being played and chips being cashed. "You guys round up everyone and throw them out. Knock them out if they resist, this place is ours now." Bob said. Everyone started to move as they started picking people up left and right telling them to get out. Bob realized they seemed like thugs doing this, but it was for the best. This casino was large and had a second floor. Bob looked up and saw a man with shaggy brown hair overlooking things. "Mr. Love." Bob said as he recognized the man. He works for Crocodile, but he was also posed as a member of the rebel army. "I should capture him." Bob said to himself. "Hassan, get that man up there on the second floor. The one with brown shaggy hair and wearing that weird looking coat!" Bob yelled causing Hassan to look at the man Bob was talking about. Hassan locked onto Mr. Love and went after him. Mr. Love saw what was happening on the floor below and was about to run away to tell Crocodile what happened here. Until he saw a long legged man rushing towards him. Bob went to the counter where the workers were hiding. "Come from behind there, let''s have a little chat." The three workers came from behind the counter shaking. "What do you want from us?" Bob rubbed his thumb and index finger together. "Money. Where do you keep all the money?" "In the vault. Its in the back." One worker was quick to give up the information. "What about money at the counter, is there any there? How do people cash out their chips?" Bob asked. "It''s all done here. We go get the money for them. I can lead you if you want."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The same worker spoke up again. "I like you. Your cooperation is appreciated. Now lead the way." Bob said. "Wait until Crocodile hears about this! He''ll have your head!" One worker shouted in anger at Bob. Bob turned and grinned. "He can try. Tell him there''s a new boss in town." The worker led Bob to the vault. Bob saw the huge vault and told the man to hurry up and put in the code. The man did and Bob saw the large stack of money. Bob pushed the man into the vault and went in as well. "Can''t have you trying to lock me in here now can I?" Bob saw that happen before. The hostage would try to pull a fast one over on the robber, locking them in the vault with all the money. Then the police would come to arrest the robber. Bob wasn''t going to fall for that. Bob looked at all the money and licked his lips. "This is all from one day?" Bob asked. "No. This is from three week, Crocodile has been busy so no one''s come to collect any money." Bob seemed to understand and nodded his head. "Set aside a 100 million for me." Bob said to the man. "There''s more than that here, you''re only taking a 100 million?" "No. I''m taking it all, the 100 million is for something else." The man seemed eager to set aside the 100 million. He assumed Bob was going to give it to him for being so cooperative. Bob figured he''d act that way, which is why he didn''t say what the 100 million was for. After the man set aside a 100 million Bob started to exchange the rest of the money into points. Bob took a quick look at the points he obtained, which amounted to 65,400. Bob put the 100 million into a large sack and walked out of the vault. The man was curious as to where the other money went. All he saw was Bob stick out his hand and the money turn into a white light. After that it vanished. When Bob came back into the main hall of the casino he saw that everyone was mostly gone except for his crew members. Bob saw Mr. Love behind held down by Hassan. Bob looked at the worker. "You can leave now." The man opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. He assumed something but he was wrong. "Mr. Love, seems your at the wrong place at the wrong time." Bob said. "You think you''re getting away with this? Crocodile will send people here, he''s bound to have heard of this by now. When he arrives, you''re all dead! Dead!" "When he returns, we won''t be here and neither will you." Bob sat the sack down on the ground and drew Black Death. He activated Spellblade causing a white flame to appear on the blade. He started to carve some words into the ground. "Lets go." Bob said as he put Black Death back into its sheath. Hassan picked up Mr. Love but he was moving around too much so Bob had him knocked out. His group went back to the base John opened up here. "Take him to a room upstairs and lock him up there. When he wakes up extract everything he knows about Crocodiles organization." Bob said to Hassan when they arrived back at their base. Hassan nodded his head. Bob took a seat and opened up the store. "Time for my boots." Bob brought the item he wanted. [Boots of the Living Shadow] [Attack Speed + 50%] [Movement Speed +50%] [Unique Active: Living Shadow - Teleport a short distance forward leaving behind a shadow of yourself. The shadow will remain in place for 5 seconds.] [Unique Active: Shadow Swap - Exchange places with the shadow you left behind.] [Note: Shadow''s cannot attack. This skill can only be used once every 10 seconds.] When Bob read these boots before he knew he had to have them. It basically gave him Zed''s skill but without the shadow being able to mimic his movements. The cooldown wasn''t that high either. Best part was the large increase in attack speed and movement speed. Bob would be able to move and attack much faster than before. With this his build was almost finished. Bob looked at the next item he would get. [Winters Chill] [Attack Damage +150] [Attack Speed +20%] [Cooldown Reduction +25%] [Unique Passive: Winters Chill - Everytime you cut your foe, their actions are slowed by 5%.] [Note: Winters Chill effect is stackable up to 90%, and last for 5 seconds. Continuing to attack the same target will increase the effect and duration.] Due to the sword having such stats, its cost was over 100 thousand points. However, it was worth it because of the effect it had. Bob knew that was far away from now, but he had a plan to have this weapon before the Marineford arc starts. Even now, with the points he had left over Bob couldn''t even buy one piece of this item. It sucked, but it happens. This item was relatively cheap compared to the other items Bob would get in the future. He was actually thinking of robbing every marine base he could find. If it came down to it, he would do just that! Bob looked down at his boots, instead of being just black Bob saw they had a purple line on them. The line seemed to be breathing as it glowed in a steady rhythm like it was breathing. "Bob, what are we going to do next?" Tiffany asked. "We''ll wait here for John to come back. You guys can do whatever you want in the meantime. We also need to have a talk with Mr. Love. I''m going to cripple Crocodile." Chapter 53 - Girls. Tons and tons of Girls! Bob started nodding his head as he kept playing a song in his head. It was a song he remembered, something that stuck in his mind. If he had a good singing voice he''d be singing it now. Too bad he didn''t. "I''ll be back." Bob said to his crew as he got up from his seat and left. "Where is he going?" "No clue." Bob couldn''t sit still, he needed to move his body. He would go hunt down a group of pirates but he decided to leave them all to John. Instead Bob started walking the streets. "Come on! Find that bastard!" Bob saw a group of five men with weapons in their hands stop and look around. Bob decided to follow them for now, it seemed that something interesting was going to go down. He wanted to see what it was about. A few minutes later the group of five men stopped at a house. They kicked in the door and rushed inside. "I knew you''d be here!" A man yelled. Bob entered the building behind the men. He saw them surrounding a man that seemed to be in his mid twenties, he had short brown hair. His looks would break the hearts of many females. "What''s so special about this guy?" Bob asked himself. "Please! Leave me alone, I refuse to work with you or you people!" The man shouted. A large man with a bald head grabbed the man by his tan shirt. "You have no choice. Come with me or i''ll break your legs and drag you." The man spotted Bob. "Help me! Please!" Bob didn''t expect the man to say anything to him. "What''s so special about you?" Bob asked him. "Nothing! Their boss heard my voice one night and fell in love with me. I told him I don''t swing that way, but he won''t accept it! Now please!" Bob rubbed his chin. "Voice? What''s so special about your voice?" "I ate a devil fruit that allows anyone to hear my voice feel emotions. It can bring out the best or worst in people." "Eh, doesn''t sound special." "Baby come back!" The man said in a voice that wasn''t his own, it sounded like a womans. Bob thought the voice was nice, but that was it. "Hmm. Say this, ''It''s a truth that in love and war World''s collide and hearts get broken.''"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Bob said as he thought of some lyrics from his past. "It''s a truth that in love and war Worlds collide and hearts get broken." "No, no, no. More manly." This process repeated itself a few times, before the five men surrounding the guy got upset. "Hey! Beat it before I beat you!" Bob glared at the man. "Shut up. Can''t you see i''m working here? Geez, some people have no patience. Now once more from the top!" The man was about to sing again, but he was tossed to the floor. "You think i''m playing with you?" The large man with the bald head charged at Bob. Bob slapped him hard causing him to fly through the wall. He ended up outside head down in the sand. His lackey''s were looking at Bob strangely but they didn''t attack Bob. Instead they ran to see if their boss was alright. "Thank you! Thank you!" The man said to Bob as he bowed his head a few times. Bob patted the man on the shoulder. "Your voice is magical. How about you come work for me kid. I''ll make you famous." "Kid? Aren''t you younger than me?" "Age is just a number. Now, what do you say?" "I don''t know man. What''s in it for me?" "Girls. Tons and tons of girls! Also, lots of money." The man''s eyes grew big. "Deal!" Bob chuckled. "Attaboy! Come, what''s your name?" "Charles." The man spoke. "Charles¡­ charles¡­ I see. I''m Bob Charles, nice to meet you. You ever think about having a singing career?" "I did, but I can never come up with any songs." "Not anymore! Leave it all to me!" Bob couldn''t believe what he found. This guys voice was golden. He could change the tone of his voice as he pleased and even bring out the inner emotions in people. This was a god given power. Bob had to put this guy to use, but for now he shall teach him about the songs he knew. "We need to find you some bandmates. People that can play different instruments, you just need to sing." Bob said. "I know a few. It''s my friends, we''ve known each other since we were kids. However none of us were talented lyricaly." "Even better! Let me show you where you''ll be living for a while. After that we''ll buy you equipment and amps. Also big speakers, can''t have a concert without those." Charles was flattered that Bob was doing all this for him, but wasn''t it a little too quick? "Bob, why are you doing this?" "Hmm? Because, my good sir music makes everything so much better. Imagine a large battle being held, all you would hear is the cries of men and the sound of swords being hit together. With music, you can create an epic battle scene. Music playing in the background while everyone fights! Battles will be so much more invigorating." "Battles?" "Ah, forget that part. I just want to see you grow into a superstar Charles. I''d hate to see you and your devil fruit ability go to waste." "Alright Bob. I''ll put my hopes in you, just don''t fall in love with me." "You''re good looking, but yours truly looks better. I wouldn''t fall for you! Besides, I like females!" Bob laughed. He spent a few hours going around with Charles buying different sorts of equipment that he would need for a concert. After they took it to the base, Bob met Charles friends three friends. He cared less for their names and more so for their talent of playing the instruments. He learned that they were actually talented, which caused him to get excited. When Bob returned to the base for the last time, John was there. "John give me a minute or two, then we can be on our way." Bob said as he gathered up the men. "Alright, i''ll compose you a song. I''ll write it down for you, but you have to play it. I need this song perfected in 8 days. So, work hard!" "Why 8 days? And only one song?" One of the men asked Bob. "Because we''ll host your debut to the world after 8 days. And yes, only one song. If I give you too many, you might not be able to memorize everything." "Who do you think we are? We can easily handle more than one song. Give us two or three! If we can''t cut it, then we''ll work for free!" One man said. Bob looked at him and grinned. "You said it, not me!" Bob was so excited that he found pen and paper and started writing away. These were songs he always listened to in his past so he would never forget them. Bob took a whole hour writing down everything, he ended up coming up with two songs for these guys. "These two are for you guys. If you can get these songs down then you guys will become famous." Bob left the lyrics to those guys and turned his attention to John. "Alright John, i''m done with that." "What is that?" Bob smirked. "Its a surprise." "Right¡­ I''m done with the Barbar pirate group. So we can go meet this Koza now." "What about their ship?" Bob asked. "That sand sailing ship? I left it there, can''t use it on sea." "Have someone retrieve it, I have plans for it." John looked at Gin. "Take Rasa and secure the ship." "Will do Boss." Bob noticed a female wearing a white blouse on top of a purple shirt. He noticed her appearance and recalled who she was. He only remembered her because John mentioned the Barbar pirates. If Bob saw her anywhere else without knowing about them he would have never recognized her. She was Rasa the navigator of that crew. Chapter 54 - Cripple Him A man with neatly slicked back black hair and pale skin sat at a large table. In his mouth was a cigar as he took a puff. "Crocodile, all of our money in the casino has been taken! We need to go after those responsible!" Crocodile was the man with the cigar in his mouth. He looked at the man talking to him. "I read the message he left. This guy, you don''t even know his name but you want me to go after him? I can care less about the money as its just a means to help get what I want. However, he knows about Utopia! This man cannot be left alone, it''ll ruin all of my plans!" Crocodile looked at a tanned man who was muscular. "Mr. 1 find who is responsible for this and bring them to me!" Mr. 1 nodded his head. As he was leaving the room a slim woman with curly dark-blue hair followed him. "Rebel army, Vivi and that pirate crew, and now this! All of them must fall!" Bob didn''t know what was going on with Crocodile, nor did he know that someone was tasked to go after him. Instead he was travelling to Katorea town to meet with Koza the rebel leader. He spent arrived in town after a few hours, but by the time he came it was already late in the day. Bob decided that everyone should rest up for now. Bob rented rooms in an inn in Katorea town for the next few nights. "John, did Kureha ever find a place?" Bob asked John as the two of them were sitting down at a table waiting for their food to arrive. "Yeah, Dick and Larry are with her. However, the building she wants cost a 150 million beli. It''s old, and needs some work put into it, but she said it''ll work wonders for what you two have planned." "Alright, we''ll buy it tomorrow then when we go back." Bob chatted with John about a few things before calling it a night. The other members that came along with the two of them were staying up late drinking and relaxing a bit. All of them except for Dalton who decided not to drink but instead take the time to rest. The next morning Bob got up and showered, before he headed out into town. On the first floor Bob saw everyone eating breakfast, he thought to join them but he wasn''t really hungry. "Once you guys are done, we''ll head into town."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Bob said. His words made everyone start eating faster than before. It wasn''t long before everyone finished their meals and were ready to go. There was one thing Bob didn''t know, which was how should he come in contact with Koza. He only knew that they had a base here, it never stated where it was exactly in the town. "Where to?" Dalton asked Bob. "No real idea, we''ll just look around. I only recall that there is a wooden gate somewhere here that leads to their camp." Bob answered. Bob took his gang and started wandering around Katorea town. After thirty minutes of walking Bob found what he was looking for. Bob walked up to the gate and some men who were standing guard pointed their weapons at him. John had his hands on Amane ready to take action, as everyone else with Bob was also ready to get into a fight. "Relax, i''m here to see Koza. We have a mutual friend, that I would like to talk about." One man looked at Bob then looked at the gang of people behind him. He didn''t know who this friend was Bob was talking about, but he was not going to let all of them enter the camp. "You can enter, but the rest of them stays out here." He told Bob. "Alright." Bob looked at the others. "I''ll be back, don''t kill anyone." Bob entered the camp where he saw a young blond man with a scar on his left eye seated on a crate. "Who are you?" The man asked Bob. "A friend of a friend. Let''s just say there''s a certain princess we both know." Koza''s eye twitched. "Vivi!? She''s here?" Bob nodded his head. "She is." Bob looked over at a man who seemed a bit nervous. "You know Koza, instead of allowing people to join the army you should check them out. There are many spies. I happened to capture one of them, Mr. Love. He was pretending to work for you but he was actually passing along information to someone else?" Koza was shocked. "I don''t believe you!" Bob shrugged. "Up to you. Just trust in my words. There seems to be a misunderstanding here with what you are doing. Have you ever heard of Pluton?" "Pluton? What is that?" "It''s an ancient weapon capable of mass destruction. Some believe that it is hidden here in Alabasta. There is a man named Crocodile that is after that weapon, he''s manipulating the people and you. He''s hoping you will go after the king and try to overthrow him. He wants to sit on the throne for himself and have all of Alabasta under his command." Koza clenched his fist. "I knew something was off with him. But¡­ why should I believe your words? You could be one of his men!" "Because, i''m the person that''s going to cripple him and his businesses. I''ve already stopped his largest source of income from operating. Trust me when I say i''m more an ally than an enemy." One man looked at Koza. "It''s true Koza, there has been word that the casino was robbed yesterday. I never figured someone would actually claim they did it though." Koza looked at his trusted friend and thought some things over in his head. "I¡­ I need time to think things through." Bob sighed. Did he not explain things thoroughly? What more was there to think about? They said Koza was a smart man and a leader, he should be able to understand what Bob was saying. "Koza, i''d just hate for a war to happen when it doesn''t need to. If you need me, i''ll be staying at an inn nearby." Bob said as he turned and left. As Bob''s figure left the base, Koza clenched his hand tighter. "Koza. What are we going to do?" Bob took his gang back to the inn. He figured Koza should contact him later today or tomorrow sometime. A few minutes after Bob left, one soldier in the rebel army camp was sweating hard. He had a baby den-den mushi on him and hoped he never had to use it. He picked it up and dialed someone. Moments later they answered. "Hello?" "There has been a problem here in the rebel army. Someone named Bob came a few minutes ago, he claimed to be the one that took all of Crocodile''s money. He said he would cripple him! He also spoke to Koza, he knows that Crocodile is manipulating the people! What should I do?" The man could hear some chatter on the other side of the den-den mushi. "Take no action for now. Mr. 2 is on his way." Chapter 55 - Doesnt want to see you Koza never came to visit Bob after he left, nor did he come the second day. Bob thought something was weird thus he decided to pay him another visit. If Koza was smart, he''d listen to Bob. ''If he doesn''t listen to me, i''ll have to do the thing I don''t want to do! I''ll dress up as Vivi and convince him!'' Bob thought to himself. "John, i''m going to pay another visit to Koza. If he doesn''t give me a reply today we can leave and go back to our base." "Little guy doesn''t know what''s good for him. I''ll tell the boys to pack up." "You have little faith, he''ll come around." Bob hoped he was right. He left the inn and went to the rebel camp army. Bob did learn something from Mr. Love about Crocodile''s plan, but it was mostly things he already knew. Mr. Love was pretty useless. Bob was still holding him hostage for now, mostly due to his ability to change into anyone he''s had contact with before. "I''m here to see Koza." Bob said to the guards at the wooden gate. "No can do, boss doesn''t want anyone to see him. Turn back around." "Since when? I was just here and he saw me." The rebel soldiers at the gate raised their weapons towards Bob. Bob saw Baroque Works tattoo on their arm. "Alright no need to start anything. He doesn''t want to see me, then i''ll just leave." Bob said calmly as he walked away.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ''I made a big mistake in coming here to talk to Koza. Seems the Baroque Works agents are guarding the gate now, that could only mean Crocodile heard about my talk with Koza. If they are guarding the gate, that means the Koza inside isn''t the real Koza. He''d never turn away people that wanted to talk. I didn''t think Crocodile would send Mr. 2 here, seems I was wrong.'' Bob shook his head. There were things that were messed up now. His own fault for thinking he could give Koza information like he did Dalton. Wapol was an idiot, Crocodile is much more smarter than him and he had capable subordinates under his command. Even if Bob went in there and told them that Koza wasn''t really Koza, no one would believe him. If anything he''d just make things worse. Stopping the war was now impossible. Bob didn''t even know if the original date was still set in stone. Bob hit himself on the head. "Stupid Bob! Stupid!" He quickly rushed back to the inn. There was no telling where Koza would be locked up or if he was dead. Bob needed to leave this town. "John, let''s go there''s been a change." "Figured as much, he turned you down didn''t he?" "No. Something worse happened. I''ll tell you about it later." "Alright. Let''s go boys!" The gang was already packed up and ready to go, so they left the inn without an issuse. However when they went out the door, a tanned muscular man was standing outside. Next to him was a slim woman with dark-blue curly hair. Bob recognized them as Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger. "Never expected to find you in an inn." Mr. 1 said. "Never expected you to come find me at all." Bob replied. "Whos this Bob?" John asked. Bob grinned. "John, you should get ready for a fight. This guy''s pretty strong, if you should stay alert." John unsheathed Amane and took a stance. It was a different stance than he used before. "How strong we talking?" John asked. "Fight him and find out." Bob replied. Mr. 1 turned his fingers into steel blades. "You aren''t planning on fighting me yourself? Doesn''t matter, you all are going to fall right here." "Then i''ll take care of that girl." Hassan said as he started spinning his dagger. "What are you talking about? She''s mines." Sasha said as she shoved her way in front of Hassan. Sasha cracked her knuckles and took a fighting stance. Miss Doublefinger whipped her hair and snorted. ''I wasn''t counting on this to happen. Seems instead of Zoro vs Mr. 1 it''ll be John vs Mr. 1. Nami won''t have to fight Miss Doublefinger¡­ Hopefully this won''t mess with their growth.'' Bob said to himself. "The rest of you, go back to the base. I''ll catch up after these two are done fighting." "But Bob! How can we leave?" "Don''t worry about it. They must not have gotten my message when I told them a new boss was in town. If they were smart, they wouldn''t have come found me." Chapter 56 - Who is Bob? "Crocodile, It''s like you said Bob came back to see Koza. Luckily Mr. 2 was already disguised as Koza and took over the rebel camp. Now things will go on schedule. Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger have made contact with Bob. Things will be taken care of shortly." Crocodile looked at his cigar. "Good, keep me updated." "About Koza, what should we do with him?" Crocodile looked at the man. "Do I have to tell you everything? Lock him up. We''ll let him witness the birth of a new king. Then we''ll kill him." While Crocodile was already envisioning himself sitting upon the throne, a fight between John and Mr. 1 was taking place. John dashed toward Mr. 1 and slashed his sword at him. Mr. 1 blocked the blow, but he slid back a little due to the power behind the blow. "You''re a bit stronger than I imagined, I should take this more seriously. Sad to say that slashing or cutting me wont'' work, my body is as hard as steel." Mr. 1 said as a blade of steel emerged on his forearm. "Then i''ll just have to cut through your body like i''m cutting through steel!" John said with a smirk on his head. Mr. 1 rushed towards John and started a flurry of attacks. John kept moving back while he blocked each attack. Mr. 1 lowered his body and kicked towards John as his leg turned into a blade of steel. John managed to dodge it as he leaned back. "Hey now, I can''t let you be the only one going on the offense." John said as quickly made an attack with Amane. Amane hit Mr. 1 in his chest but caused no damage. Instead Mr. 1 was pushed back. "Hmm, i''ll try something new." John said as he held onto Amane with both hands and took a stance with Amane pointing forward. It seemed like he would thrust Amane forward but he didn''t.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. John looked over at Bob for a second and grinned. "Bob, when I defeat him won''t that mean i''ll be a man who can even cut through steel?" Bob shook his head and laughed as he recalled something. Zoro said the same thing before when he fought against this guy. "I don''t think that''s how it works." John snorted. "Whatever." Mr. 1 ran towards John. "Sparkling Daisy!" "Tidal Wave!" John said. Bob could tell he was mocking Mr. 1 in a way, due to the tone in his voice when he said his attacks name. It was probably something John just came up with on the spot. Boom! The two of them collided causing the sand all around them to fly all over. There was so much force behind John''s attack that all the sand behind Mr. 1 actually rose like a tidal wave and crashed against the building. Bob saw it, for a split second Amane''s sharp edge was covered in haki. John grinned as he saw Amane slice through Mr. 1''s hand like it was nothing. Mr. 1 stood there with his mouth wide open. His eyes seemed to want to pop out from their sockets. "Guess making your body into steel isn''t much. Next time, try diamond you''d be much harder to cut through." John said as he began to sheath Amane. The moment he put it back in its sheath, Mr. 1''s body split in two halves. Even Bob was greatly surprised. "John what was that?" John smiled and rubbed his nose. "I got inspiration on sea when we got caught in this storm. The water was surging so heavily that a large tidal wave came towards our ship. We couldn''t dodge it, we thought we would be sunk. At that moment, I put everything I had into one attack and slice the wave in two. Thanks to that we ended up surviving." "Cutting a wave? Impressive." "Haha, thanks man. Come, continue to praise me." Bob shook his head. "First Ash, now you. You guys truly have no shame!" Bob and John both laughed. "Sasha''s doing pretty good." John said as he watched Sasha and Miss Doublefinger fight. "Yeah, she should put more power behind her attacks. She''s doing a bit of unnecessary movements, but so far things are in her favor." Miss Doublefinger made her hands large and into spikes, but Sasha didn''t care. She dodged Miss Doublefinger''s attacks and countered with her own. The moment Miss Doublefinger was shocked by Mr. 1''s death was Sasha''s moment to strike. She jumped into the air and swung her body around causing her leg to act like a whip. The impact of the blow was enough to cause Miss Doublefinger to crash into a building. Sasha didn''t stop there as she landed on the ground and jumped forward. Her knee hit Miss Doublefinger in the stomach. Miss Doublefinger coughed up blood and Sasha took her palm and hit Miss Doublefinger under her chin. "Ouch!" John said as he watched the fight end. "Guess you can turn these two in. Look at you, making money while i''m sitting here poor." "These guys are worth money? How much?" John asked. "I forgot, but you should be able to make a 100 million with both of them." "Great! I''ll meet you back at base. Imma borrow Sasha for a bit too, can''t carry both of them." John looked towards Sasha. "Sasha! Grab her, we are turning these two in!" Bob shook his head and walked away. With two agents down, Crocodile would be more cautious when he made moves against Bob. Ten minutes after the fight ended, a man walked into Crocodile''s office. "Crocodile! Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger have been defeated!" "What?" Crocodile clenched his fist. "Who is this Bob? How did he manage to take out both of them?" Chapter 57 - Movement Days went by with no trouble being coming Bob''s way. It was good for him, but he found things a bit too quiet. Bob assigned Tiffany to watch the rebel army and let him know when they were making their move. So far they were still held up at camp. ''It''s already day 9, why hasn''t there been any movement yet?'' Bob asked himself. He''s been here for 8 days already, and he expected there to be some movement. Bob felt as if he was forgetting something, but couldn''t put his finger on it. During his time here he''s been helping Kureha with the hospital, making sure everything was building built the way she wanted. The hospital plan was going fine, it was just the process of waiting for the construction to finish. Even when that was done, she still needed to have equipment. Besides helping Kureha, Bob was also seeing Charles progress with the two songs he gave him. Everything was going well, and it was turning out to be even better than he imagined. Bob allowed John to take his crew with him to hunt down other pirates that were here at Alabasta. It was good for them to move their body and experience different situations. John''s growth stunned Bob and they only parted ways for a little bit. The next time he saw Ron, he would hold his expectations high. Bob was sitting down with his legs crossed trying to remember something about the Alabasta arc. He felt like he was close to remembering, but he couldn''t bring those memories forward. His den-den mushi started to ring, Bob quickly answered it. "Hello?" "Bob, the rebel army has just made their move. They are rushing out of the gate now!" Tiffany said on the other side of the phone. "Follow them, they should be heading towards the palace. If Crocodile wants to start a war, i''ll give him a war." Bob hung up the den-den mushi and called John.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "John, how fast can you get to the palace?" "The kings palace? Eh, two hours minimum." "Go there now. Send Rasa back here, I need her to steer the sand ship." "Roger." Bob started making plans. "Charles!" Bob yelled and Charles rushed downstairs. "Yes?" "Get your stuff, your about to have your debut." Charles smiled. "Ok!" Bob already prepared for this, he put speakers all over the sand ship. All that was needed was for Rasa to steer it while Charles and his friends played. Things felt rushed and out of place, Bob was lucky he had obtained den-den mushi''s or else he''d never be able to pass along this information. "Wait. If the rebel army is rushing out right now, that means the Strawhats were captured by Crocodile. They should be locked up somewhere here." Bob started to remember something from the arc. Crocodile caught Luffy and his crew, while he tied up Vivi. He left with Robin thinking they''d drown, but it failed as Vivi managed to unlock the cage. If that was the case, then Crocodile should be somewhere here in Rainbase city. Elsewhere, Vivi was on her knees crying as she watched Crocodile leave. "Luffy¡­" Crocodile stopped and turned around. "Are you begging for your life Strawhat? I guess everyone fears death." "If we die here¡­ Who''s going to kick your ass!?" Luffy shouted. "Don''t get ahead of yourself little one." Crocodile spoke as he snapped his fingers. The floor lifted up and a giant crocodile emerged. "Vivi! Run!" A man with blond hair shouted as he clutched the bars to the cage. "Koza¡­" "Vivi! Beat it up!" Luffy shouted. "Are you crazy!?" Usopp yelled. How would Vivi beat up that thing? It was nearly impossible! Vivi got ready to attack the giant beast, but it was too fast as it opened its mouth and chomped towards her. Vivi managed to dodge, but the stairs leading up were crushed like it was nothing. Usopp was shouting and making things dramatic. The beast stopped moving when it heard the den-den mushi start to ring. "Hello?" "Hello? Is this thing working?" Vivi, Luffy and the others could hear a voice on the other end of the den-den mushi. They started whispering amongst themselves. "Sanji! It''s Sanji!" Usopp said. Sanji started talking to Crocodile on the den-den mushi. Bang! A shot was fired. "That idiot got caught!" Usopp shouted as he heard the gunshot. "Speak, where is your location?" Crocodile asked. Vivi took this chance to jump on the stairs and she started running. "Vivi! Where are you going?" "I''m going to find help outside!" Vivi shouted back. Bob was tapping his foot as he was waiting on Rasa to show up. "Ugh! I can''t sit here any longer. Charles!" Charles who was upstairs rushed down again to see what Bob wanted. "Rasa will be here soon. Tell her to sail to the palace, you guys get on the ship as well." "We are playing at the palace?" Charles asked Bob. "Of course! Only the best for you Charles!" Bob failed to tell him that spectators for his performance would be everyone participating in the war. "Alright, i''ll let her know when she arrives." Charles replied to Bob. Bob nodded his head and walked out. "Let''s see¡­ it should be around here somewhere¡­" Chapter 58 - Helping a civilian Bob saw Vivi looking around and walked up to her. "Well, if it isn''t the princess." Bob said with a slight smile across his face. "You know me?" "Com''on. You couldn''t have forgotten me already, it hasn''t been that long has it?" Bob asked her. Vivi squinted her eyes trying to remember if she''s saw Bob before. Bob sighed. "It can''t be helped. I should leave a better impression next time. What are you doing out here?" Bob asked her. He didn''t think he should reveal himself to be Faceless to Vivi considering she didn''t even connect the dots. "My friends are trapped in a cage below, I need to save them! Can you help me?" Bob grinned. "Sure. I got you. Lead the way." Bob followed behind Vivi as she lead him to where the stairs were. Bob could look at Vivi but he couldn''t touch her right now. She was underaged afterall. However, in two years she''d grow into a beautiful woman with a nice shape. "You stay here." Bob told Vivi. "No! I''m going too, I can''t abandon them." "I can hear the water, in a few minutes I fear everything will overflow. Trust me, it''s best I go alone." Bob could see the resolve in Vivi''s eyes. How could he saw no to her? "Look! You''re not fooling me with those pretty eyes of yours, stay here. That''s that!" Bob rushed down the stairs. "Kick!" Bob heard Sanji''s voice and figured he already appeared. Bob hopped down the stairs and landed into the water. It wasn''t enough to cause him to drown, it was lower than his knee. "Who are you?" Sanji asked when he saw Bob. "A friend."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Bob!?" Luffy shouted with a grin on his face. "What are you doing down here?" "Just helping a civilian in need. Heard she had some friends locked up, so I came to help." Bob replied. "Luffy, you know this guy?" Sanji asked to which Luffy nodded. "He''s a friend, i''ve known him for 10 years. He''s weaker than me, but still a good guy!" Luffy started laughing. Bob laughed. "You''re funny Luffy, things have changed." Bob walked closer to the cage where Luffy and the others were trapped. "Koza. You should have listened to me." Bob said as he saw Koza. "Sorry to break it to you, but you can''t bust us out of this cage. It''s too hard, you need the key." Smoker who was seated in the back said. "You have little faith in me." Bob said. "Stand back some." Bob put his hand on Black Death. "So fast¡­" Zoro was stunned when he saw Bob draw Black Death and cut the cage. Even Smoker was shocked. ''Seems that boost in attack speed really did help. These guys could only see a white light, they didn''t even see me draw my sword.'' Bob said to himself as he felt proud. All his stats increased dramatically since he entered this world. Cutting this cage wasn''t even hard. The bars on the cage fell to the floor as a door was made for Luffy and the others. "Luffy. You said he was weaker than you?" Nami asked as she watched the bars fall to the ground. "Yeah. I used to kick his ass all the time." "I bet you''d love to talk about that, but now isn''t the time. We need to leave before this place floods." Bob said as he turned around and went towards the stairs. Smoker was still shocked by what he saw. ''Why have I never heard of him? Bob? Who is he, a pirate? With such strength his name should be known by now.'' Smoker thought to himself. He needed to report this discovery. Luffy and his crew followed behind Bob as he went above ground. "You actually did it!" Vivi shouted when she saw Bob appear with Luffy and the others. She thought he wouldn''t be able to help, but what harm was there in trying? Bob grinned. "Of Course I did." Bob looked at Luffy. "What are you doing here in Alabasta?" "I came here to help Vivi, but now this guy named Crocodile pissed me off!" "I see." "What about you?" Luffy asked. "I came here for some business. So i''ll be here for a while." "Did you join a pirate crew?" Luffy asked Bob. Bob laughed. Smoker was curious as well. "Something like that. Pirate hunter, pirate. I do a little bit of everything." Vivi hearing his words had a sudden recollection. She remembered Faceless said the same thing before. Did this mean Bob was Faceless? "Sad, I wanted you to join my crew." "How about I introduce you to my crew later?" Luffy nodded his head. "Sure." As Bob and Luffy chatted with each other, the others were stunned. These two were different, they wondered how Bob and Luffy even met. If Luffy claimed that he always beat up Bob when he was younger, what happened to Bob that changed things? "Well if there is nothing else, then I should get back to my job of arresting you guys." Smoker said as he pointed jitte at Luffy. "How about you let them go Smoker?" Bob said as he glared at Smoker. "Trust me, it''ll be easier than way." Smoker was about to speak but decided not to. Instead he put away his weapon. "I''ll let you be for now, but this isn''t over." Smoker could feel the difference between him and Bob. With Bob protecting the Strawhats he couldn''t make a move. Smoker wasn''t one to back down from a fight, but he knew when to cut his losses. Seeing Smoker leave Bob looked at Luffy''s crew. "You all look like a nice bunch. Luffy''s a handful I bet, but take care of him." Bob said. The others bowed. "It''s no trouble at all!" Bob laughed a little. "We should get moving, the rebel army is on their way to the palace right now." Koza clenched his fist. Vivi looked at Koza. "Thats impossible! Their leader is right here, how can they move without him?" "Because someone is impersonating him and manipulating the army. Same way they pretended to be¡­ well, that''s not important. It''s best to move now." Bob said. Chapter 59 - Heart Pumping When Smoker made it back to his subordinates he started giving them orders. "Have all the warships in the vicinity of Alabasta directed here." "Sir, just for the Strawhats?" One soldier asked. "No¡­ There''s someone else with them." Smoker recalled Bob''s image and his fast sword. While Smoker was busy giving orders to the marines, Bob was riding a giant crab with Luffy and his crew. "So Bob how did you come to meet Luffy?" Bob laughed. "Well, I was eating one day and this guy here stole my food off my plate. You know how he can stretch his arms and stuff, he did just that and snatched the food off my plate. I got upset and punched him. Then he turned around and hit me back, after that we fought." "And, you won right?" Usopp asked. Bob shook his head. "No way. You try fighting a devil fruit user. Punches didn''t hurt this guy." Bob said as he shook his head. "If you couldn''t beat Luffy, how''d you become so strong?" Usopp asked. "Usopp!" Nami shouted at him. "What? I''m just trying to learn!" Bob laughed. "It''s not much. I just got trained." "I bet I can still kick your butt." Luffy said as he rubbed his nose. Bob flicked Luffy on the forehead. "Ouch!" Luffy said as he rubbed his head. "How''d you do that?" Luffy asked in pain. "Magic." Bob said as he grinned. "Still think you can beat me?" "I''m going to beat all the strong people and become king of the pirates! That just means I have to beat you to get there!" Luffy said. Bob looked at Zoro who was seated with his arms crossed.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Why are you so quiet?" "Just thinking about something. How did you move so fast when you made that cut?" "Practice. If you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best." Bob said. Zoro thought over his words and nodded his head. He recalled the swordsman he met before, the one who defeated him as if it was nothing. "Can''t this thing go any faster?" Koza asked in an irritated tone of voice. "It''s going as fast as it can!" Chopper replied. Bob could understand how Koza felt. Someone was pretending to be him and leading the army he raised against the king. He wanted to get there to stop it and tell them that he was wrong. Afterall, he found out that Crocodile was indeed the mastermind behind the drought in Alabasta. A golden hook came and grabbed Vivi from behind. "Ahhh!" Vivi yelled out as she was dragged off of the crab. "Vivi!" Everyone yelled. Luffy stretched his arms and grabbed onto the golden hook. He tossed Vivi back down to the crab and Bob caught her in his arms. Luffy was then dragged away but he was tossed to the ground. "Go on without me! I''ll catch up!" Luffy shouted. "Luffy!" "Go. He''s the captain you heard him." Zoro said. "Don''t worry about him, once he sets his sights on someone he won''t stop until he beats them." Bob said as he put Vivi on the crab. He didn''t mind that she was in his arms, but how would she feel? She''d be embarrassed. The crab continued to go towards the palace. Zoro began giving his speech to Vivi about how once the rebel army and royal army clashed then Alabasta would be done for. She was their only hope at stopping this war. Sanji also piggybacked off of Zoro''s speech talking about how Vivi challenged an organization she knew nothing about to save her country. Time passed and the sun set, Bob and the others were getting closer to the palace. However, Bob already knew that the rebel army was in sight of the palace already. "We need to split up. Crocodile still has others underneath him that could be waiting nearby." Bob suggested as he was riding on a super spot-billed duck. "What?" Usopp was confused. "He''s right, they''ll expect us to head straight to the palace. They might be waiting for us, it''s best for us to go separate ways to draw their attention." Zoro said. "I''ll go with Koza, we''ll head to meet the rebel army and try to stop them." Bob said. Koza nodded his head. "If there''s anyone that can stop the rebel''s its Koza." Vivi had faith that Koza could stop them. Bob and Koza went off in a different direction than the others. "I''m sorry, I should have taken your words more seriously." Koza said. "Don''t worry about it, now you know." "It''s just when you came and said all of that I was at a loss. If everything you said was true, then what was I fighting for? Me going against the king, dragging all those people with me. There would be so much blood on my hands if it was all for nothing. You know?" "Yeah, but as long as you get there in time everything will be fine." Bob assured him. Bob wasn''t even sure anymore, he was just passing along some encouraging words. Things were from before, Mr. 1 was dead and Miss Doublefinger was turned into the marines. Mr. 2 was leading the rebel army. There was less people for the Strawhats to deal with. Bob wondered what would they do then if they didn''t have anyone to fight? It wasn''t really his problem at this moment, as he had to get to the rebel army. John and the others should be in the middle between both armies. If anyone wanted to fight, they''d need to get past Bob''s crew. Granted, there was a lot of people but they weren''t as strong as Bob''s crew. They might not be able to hold them all off, but they''d be able to stall for a while. Bob and Koza made it to the palace without meeting anyone. Bob rushed over to John. "John!" "Bob! I see you made it." John said. Bob saw the sand ship off in the distance and grinned. "I wouldn''t miss it." Bob could hear the rumbling of the ground. "Hear that? It''s about to begin." John said with a grin on his face. Koza hopped off of the super spot-billed duck and stood in front of the rebel army. "STOP! STOP!!" Koza started to yell towards the rebel army. Bang! A cannon ball hit the ground causing the sand to cover up Koza''s image and block out his voice. "Charge!" Mr. 2 who was disguised as Koza shouted. "Yeah!" All the rebel''s charged forward full speed. Bob licked his lips, as his heart started to beat fast. "It''s good to be alive." Bob said. "Sure is." John agreed. A beat started playing loudly causing Bob to grin. As the rebel army came closer Bob noticed the royal army was rushing forward as well. "There''s a moment In your bones when When the fire takes over Blood is running Heart is pumping As the battle gets closer" Charles'' wonderful voice could be heard all across the battlefield. Chapter 60 - This is war The rebel army ran straight past Koza. There was nothing stopping them from overthrowing the king. Koza dropped down to his knees as he watched the army fly by him. He could hear a sound, a wonderful beat and a beautiful voice. "We can be heroes everywhere we go We can have all that we want" Koza steeled himself as he got up off the ground. That''s right. He could do this! He could still stop this as long as he got rid of that imposter! Bob looked over at John. "You hold them off, i''ll take care of the royal army." "Alone?" Bob grinned. "Don''t worry." Bob drew Black Death and charged straight for the royal army. He started swinging Black Death, no one could stop his sword. Bodies started to drop like flies, Bob was getting pumped up. One of his favorite songs by The Score called Unstoppable was playing. He made sure to use that Black Death didn''t cut too deeply, just enough to cause them to stop. Bob''s movements were too fast and growing faster with each swing. The white lights started to cross each other as the royal guards were knocked out. "Monster!" One guard shouted. To him Bob seemed like a demon that was incapable of dying. Nothing touched him, all that crossed his path fell. The royal army stopped charging forward when they''re members started to fall. "Who are you?" A man asked. "Bob. Stop this pointless fighting, or face my blade." "Pointless? Don''t you see they are rebelling against the king?" "They are being manipulated. Once the manipulator has been dealt with everything will calm down. Trust in my words." The man looked at Bob and was about to say something but a gun was fired. "Ugh!" He looked across the battlefield and saw a rebel soldier aiming at him. "Captain!" One man took to his side and held him up.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Charge!" A person shouted from within the royal army. Bob clicked his tongue. "You''re forfeiting your life if you come closer." Bob said. "It''s one of him, he can''t stop us all!" "Yeah!" Bob could clearly hear the troublemakers within the royal army. He knew they were actually people that worked for Baroque Works. They wanted this war to happen, and it seemed that they would get their way. The royal army dismissed Bob and charged forward as one. Bob thought he could talk some sense into them, but failed. He started attacking them for real this time and bodies started falling. If they were in his reach he killed them, it was as simple as that. However, Bob couldn''t stop all the royal army. They were too large of a wave, easily ignoring him. The royal army rushed past Bob and clashed with the rebel army. Even John''s side couldn''t hold them off for long. Two million people was too much for them to handle. Bob heard a battlecry, and noticed it was John. He didn''t have time to look back as he was dealing with his own problems, but he knew everything would be alright. Bob ran into the surge of royal guards and cut everyone down in his path. The music started to change as a new beat was heard. Bob saw a large sand storm appear in the palace. He forgot, Crocodile beat Luffy the first time they fought. It wasn''t until Luffy came back that he beat Crocodile. Bob activated Grand Blessing giving him a burst of movement speed as he darted straight for the palace. As the rebel army and royal army clashed, Charles was singing. "A warning to the people, the good and the evil This is war To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim This is war" "Charge!" "This is war!" The two sides were shouting out as they urged their comrades forward. Charles'' voice could really bring out the inner emotions in people. Even Bob felt something in his heart tell him to fight harder. While Bob was rushing towards the palace Vivi was already there. She was watching the two armies clash from the top, as she cried her heart out. "Stop! Please, just stop!" She shouted in tears. The King of Alabasta was pinned to the wall, blood dripping from his mouth. He couldn''t stop this war from happening, he couldn''t even save himself. "Run Vivi! Get away from that man!" He shouted towards his daughter. "No." "You started that blinding cloud of sand below. Yet¡­ if I can stop that explosion in fifteen minutes¡­ I can save some of them!" Crocodile looked at Vivi and started walking towards her slowly. When he reached her, he grabbed her by her neck and lifted her up hanging her body over the edge of the palace. "If I do that, I can stop the rebellion. Open your eyes, Princess! Your zealous idealism disgust me." Vivi squeezed Crocodile''s hand trying to get it off of her neck. "Ideals can only be spoken by those powerful enough to carry them out and that excludes you!" Vivi found it hard to breathe. "I don''t care if it disgust you, I won''t give up my ideals!" "I am the princess of this country! I will not YIELD!" "Then perish." Crocodile''s body slowly turned into sand. Vivi''s body started to fall to the ground as she thought about everything. "Vivi!" Bob shouted as he appeared just as Crocodile dropped Vivi. Bob rushed to the edge and activated Living Shadow. He teleported himself towards Vivi and a shadow was left in his spot. Vivi''s eyes opened wide when she saw Bob. "Why?" She asked him. Bob smiled as he grabbed her. He swiftly used Shadow Swap to exchange positions with his shadow. Him and Vivi appeared back on top of the palace unharmed. Crocodile clicked his tongue when he saw Bob appear with Vivi in his arms. Bob sat Vivi down on the ground and patted her head. "You just have to have your way don''t you Crocodile? You''re not invincible." Bob turned to look at Crocodile with anger in his eyes. "Someone needs to teach you a lesson." "You''re the one who tried to ruin my plans. I already dealt with the Strawhat, now i''ll deal with you." Bob put his hand on Black Death. "Don''t compare us." Luffy landed right in between Bob and Crocodile. "Sorry Bob. I lost to him, but it won''t happen again. Let me handle this ok?" Luffy asked as he glared at Crocodile. Bob took his hand off of Black Death. "If you say so." Crocodile snorted. "You can''t even punch me, how do you expect to defeat me?" Crocodile failed to see the barrel that Luffy had attached to his back. Bob knew that with this Luffy would be able to have his attacks connect. Crocodile would lose this fight and be stripped of his status. Chapter 61 - You can have him A tall man with a purple line under both his eyes landed on the ground as Luffy and Crocodile were fighting. "Pell!" Vivi said as she ran to the man and hugged him. "Princess." He said. "There''s still a bomb, in a few minutes it''ll explode and everyone here will die." "A bomb? Where?" Vivi pointed up towards the clock tower. Pell looked and nodded his head. "We can try to stop it." Bob shook his head. "No, it''ll be too hard and we don''t have enough time. Just get me up there, I have an idea." Vivi looked at Bob. "But, what will happen to you? If the bomb goes off while you''re up there, you won''t survive." Bob walked over to Vivi and grinned. He lifted her face up by her chin. "You''re worried about me princess? I''m touched." Vivi blushed and moved his hand. "Don''t worry about it. I''ll come back alive." Pell transformed into a falcon and Bob climbed onto his back. Bang! A shot was fired from the tower. "Careful, there are two snipers!" Pell said. "Don''t worry, they''re as good as dead." Bob said as he drew Black Death and activated Spellblade. With his black covered in white flames, his attacks were now ranged. He slashed his sword towards the two snipers and a crescent arc flew their way. The two of them died instantly.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. It was dangerous, but luckily the bomb didn''t explode. Bob actually wasn''t thinking at that moment, instead he was just trying to get rid of them as fast as he could. When him and Pell reached the top of the tower, Bob noticed the timer was at five minutes. "What are we going to do?" Pell asked. "I''ll try something, worst case scenario we get this bad boy out of here and as far away from everyone." "I''ll do it. I can carry it into the sky." Bob knew he would say something like that, afterall he did die in the show. Bob''s body transformed as he became a human-dragon hybrid. Pell was shocked by Bob''s transformation. In this form, Bob was stronger and could use some abilities of a dragon. His form being that of a dragon that controlled snow and rain, he could use those type of abilities. Bob took a deep breath. "Dragon''s Breath!" A wave of blue energy emerged from Bob''s mouth as it was concentrated on the large bomb. The Bomb started to be covered in snow, but then started to freeze. When Bob finished the timer stopped and he felt that his work was done. Bob learned he could do this when he was sailing towards Alabasta. It was one thing he was curious about. He was still figuring out his other abilities, but he was bound to find them as long as he kept testing and training. Bob changed back into his human form. "Now that that''s taken care of, we should go back down. Don''t tell anyone about my devil fruit, i''d rather they not know just yet." Bob said to Pell who nodded his head. The two of them went back down to ground level. "See princess, there wasn''t anything to worry about." Bob said as soon as he landed. Vivi had tears in her eyes. "Thank you!" A few minutes later Crocodile was set flying high into the sky. "Seems that Luffy is also finished. Thought i''d have to step in to help him, turns out it wasn''t needed." Bob said. Bob felt a rain drop on top of his head and sighed. Now that Crocodile was defeated there would no longer be a drought here in Alabasta. "STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!" Koza''s voice echoed across the battlefield. Mr. 2 who was impersonating Koza was dealt with. By who, Bob had no idea he could only make out his figure that was unconscious on the ground. Both the rebel army and royal army stopped fighting each other. "I''m so glad." Vivi cried as she witnessed the fighting stop. Bob nodded his head, and he watched as Pell took out the pins that held the king to the wall. Bob used Grand Blessing on the king to make his injures heal quickly. "So you''re the man who saved Vivi and stopped the bomb. You have my thanks!" Vivi''s father said to Bob. "It wasn''t much." Bob watched as Crocodile''s body fell to the ground. "I''ll meet up with you later, for now I need to take care of something." Bob said. He went straight for Crocodile. "Vivi, what do you think of that man?" Vivi''s father asked. Vivi started muttering words and was unable to make a complete sentence. He started to laugh as he watched his daughter. "DAD!" When Bob arrived to where Crocodile was, he saw the marines approaching. "Honestly, it''ll be better to just kill you. But since they already see you''re alive, i''ll let you live for now. If we meet again¡­ just pray that we don''t next time." Bob said coldly to Crocodile. A slim woman with short hair came forward. "You there." She said towards Bob. "Hey now. I''m here to collect this guys bounty." Bob said to Tashigi. "You didn''t even defeat him and you want to claim his bounty? How shameless can you be?" Bob was shocked, he didn''t think she''d know he didn''t defeat Crocodile. "Fine! Whatever, you can have him." Bob didn''t even try to get his bounty anymore, instead he walked away. Chapter 62 -Wishful Thinking Smoker was on one of the ships along with a woman with long pink hair. He heard that Crocodile was defeated and already reported it to the higher ups. All that was left was to capture the pirates once they left. It''s already been four hours, but there hasn''t been any movement. The den-den mushi started to ring and Smoker picked it up. "This is Marines Headquarters, is this Captain Smoker speaking?" A voice asked from the other side of the den-den mushi. "It is." "In regards to your subjugation of Crocodile, you and Sergeant Major Tashigi are to report to the World Government so that you may be presented with medals and a promotion" "Subjugation? Hey! Didn''t you read my report, it wasn''t me who brought him down. It was the pirates!" Smoker started shouting. "Calm down Smoker, can''t you see what''s going on." The woman with long pink hair spoke. "The brass is trying to cover up this incident. How would it look to the world if a bunch of pirates were the ones who saved Alabasta?" "Hina¡­" Smoker said as he realized what was going on. He didn''t like this at all, but orders were orders. "Guess Strawhat and Bob get to live peacefully for another day." Smoker said. He called forth support, but now it wasn''t needed. Back at the Palace all the people who were injured were being healed. Luffy and the others were given the highest attention. Bob was also in the palace with his crew. "This place sure is nice." John said as he sat there eating.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "I can''t believe it. Gin joined up with you." Sanji was shocked when he saw Gin again. He figured he wouldn''t cross paths with him anymore but he was wrong. Bob was glad that those guys didn''t get into a fight. "Seems you already know some of my members. I was hoping to introduce Luffy to them, but thats impossible for now." Bob said. "Can''t you just heal him?" John asked. "You can heal people?" Nami asked in confusion. She saw what Bob could do but he did not look like a healer to her. "I could, but this is good for his growth. Give him time to recuperate and think about the future." "I can''t believe it. Dalton, you joined up with him as well!" Usopp said as he saw Dalton. Dalton laughed. "It''s interesting with these guys." "I''d stick around longer but I have other things I need to do for now." Bob said as he got up from his seat. "Bob, stay a while longer. I must reward you for helping save our country!" King Cobra said as he felt he hasn''t done enough for Bob. "It wasn''t much, but if you want to reward me then i''ll be happy to receive some money." Bob laughed a little but the king nodded his head. "Pell, prepare him some gold." Pell nodded his head and went off. "That band that was playing, what''s their name? I really enjoyed listening to their music even if I was facing death." King Cobra asked Bob. Bob never thought about it much. He never did come up with official names for his organization, the pirate crew, nor Charles and his band. No one really asked him about the name before. Bob was actually speechless for a moment. "Wishful Thinking." Bob didn''t really care about the band name, so he came up with this. "Wishful Thinking! It''s a good name, how about having them perform here?" "No can do. They are getting some rest, and they need to learn some more songs. How about you come to their concert next week?" King Cobra nodded his head. "Sure, be sure to save me a seat." "Only if you tell your friends about it." Bob laughed and said. After talking with the King Bob walked around the palace for a bit and stumbled into the room Luffy was in. He was lying down on the bed with his eyes closed. "You''ve got a long way to go Luffy." "What are you talking about?" Vivi asked as she stepped into the room. "Nothing." Bob looked at Vivi and thought of something. "I''ll be in town for a few more days, if you want to meet up come find me in Rainbase." Vivi nodded her head. "You''re not staying until he wakes up?" "Nah. Our paths will cross again, i''m sure of it." Bob received his gold from the King and left the palace. Things were calmed down now that the war was over with, however Bob still had a lot left to do in Alabasta. The hospital still needed to be finished and the casino needed to be opened up again. When Bob and his gang reached the base they were all tired. "What are you going to do now?" Bob asked John. "I''m thinking of going after this marine turned pirate Gasparde. Should keep me busy for a while." Hearing John''s words Bob realized something. It wasn''t just non cannon and anime only characters that appeared in this world. Even the characters from the movies appeared as well! "I''m going to Thriller Bark next, but for now I plan on staying here for a while. Need to make sure everything goes right and that the casino can be opened again. When do you plan on leaving?'' John looked up and thought about it. "In a day or two." Chapter 63 - Not my good side Bob''s time on Alabsta after the events of the war was fruitful. He spent two whole weeks on Alabasta after John left. During this time Bob trained his haki, had his crew hunt down pirate groups that docked here and wrote a bunch of songs for Wishful Thinking. There was other things Bob did as well such as reopened the casino and hired workers, Kureha''s hospital was finished being remodeled and was now up and running. Bob didn''t realize that owning businesses could bring in so much cash, he started to rethink his original plan of robbing the marines. Maybe he should start taking over other people''s businesses and keep the cash flowing towards his pockets. Bob wrote Wishful Thinking three more songs. All of which he loved back in his past life, such as The Hunter by Adam Jensen, Legend by The Score and Fight Back by NEFFEX. When Wishful Thinking learned those songs they called Bob a legend, as he was coming up with great songs back to back. Wishful Thinking was a huge hit, as they held a concert in Rainbase City, Nanohana town and Katorea. The halls that Bob rented out for that day became fully packed within the minutes. Bob was left speechless. He even charged at the door, 250 beli per person. After the three concerts Bob obtained 500 million beli easy. He wasn''t being selfish, he gave Charles and his friends 100 million to split. How they split it, Bob didn''t care. He never knew that making money could be so easy. If he wasn''t planning on traveling to Thriller Bark to take down Gecko Moria and take his spot as a warlord, then he''d take Wishful Thinking and tour the grandline bring in the big bucks. With the casino and the hospital up, Bob was also bringing in money from there as well. However, Bob wanted to save it and let it stack up, so when he comes back here he can cash in all his money. Besides being busy with that, he was surprised that Vivi came to visit him. She was friendly, and Bob could swear she was flirting with him. However, he was lame and only held her hand. He wasn''t too sure how things worked here in the One Piece world, but she was only 16 years old right now. If this was his other world, he''d be going to jail. Bob decided to wait before he took their relationship further.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Even King Cobra was supportive of Bob and Vivi as he constantly called Bob to the palace for no reason at all. Sometimes he''d invite Vivi into the room and then he''d randomly leave. However, the biggest news that came from his visit to Alabasta was the bounties. New bounties were posted, and Bob was honestly shocked when he saw his own bounty. He didn''t even do anything wrong, in his mind. Yet, the government put a bounty on his head which was insane. He figured it was because he provoked Smoker. However, that alone wasn''t enough to have a bounty put on his head. The sad thing was, Faceless had a lower bounty than Bob did. Even John had a bounty on his head. Bob said his farwells to all his friends on Alabasta, and told them he''ll see them again when he returns. Vivi gave Bob a kiss on the cheek before he got on his ship and sailed away. "Look at this guy, he''s head over heels" Hassan was laughing as he pointed towards Bob who was waving at Vivi and the others. "You''re just jealous you didn''t get kissed." Luna replied. "Who needs a kiss? If I wanted to be kissed, I could get kissed!" "Oh yeah? Prove it!" "Later, I don''t feel like it right now." "Thought so." Bob finished waving because everyone was out of sight. He looked around on the deck and saw Hassan and Luna arguing with each other. Tiffany was meditating, and Sasha was doing some shadow boxing type of training. As for Dalton he was in the kitchen cooking food. Charles and his friends were sitting on the floor talking to each other about their next concert. They were pretty happy they were so popular. Bob was a bit jealous though, these guys had girls lined up waiting for them. Bob looked out at the sea and sighed. Jacob came up next to him and looked out where Bob was looking. "Whats wrong?" "Nothing, just thinking about things." Bob replied. Jacob took out two wanted posters and passed them to Bob. "Look at this face, you''re going to be as famous as those guys soon." Jacob said as he pointed towards Charles and his friends. Bob grabbed his wanted posted and John''s from Jacob''s hands. "Why do you even have these?" "It''s your first bounty, you should keep it for memories." Jacob said as he laughed. Bob looked at the bounties and shook his head. WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE ''Quicksword Bob'' 100,000,000 beli WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE ''John the Demon'' 70,000,000 beli He still couldn''t get over this. They didn''t even capture his cool side! Instead they got him when he was scratching his head and looking shameless. No one would take him serious with this picture! "What''s with this Quicksword huh? They couldn''t come up with something better? I swung my sword once in front of that guy! It wasn''t even that fast! Look at this, John''s image is better than mine! He''s sticking up his middle finger like Fuck you! Ugh!" Bob started ranting about his bounty and John''s. Chapter 64 - Different from original Bob''s ship sailed for what felt like ages, he even passed Water 7 the place where he was planning on meeting up with John and Ron in a few more months. He needed to pass by there to enter the Florian Triangle. Jacob didn''t want to sail there at first, but Bob encouraged him to go. Their ship was strong enough to withstand the waves caused by the water, and they ended up running into a giant ship in the Florian Triangle. The sails had the giant words Thriller Bark written on them, and Bob could make out the jolly roger. "What is this place? It''s so creepy!" Charles was shaking as their ship approached closer to the Thriller Bark. "Relax Charles, you''ve got nothing to worry about. We have some business to take care of here, then we''ll be on our way to Water 7." Charles sighed and nodded his head. "Faceless, what''s so special about this place?" Dalton asked. He was dressed differently than before as he was no longer wearing that green outfit, instead he wore a green jacket. It was sleeveless so he could show off his huge muscles. "This is where one of the seven warlords lives. He has a whole pirate crew here, we''ll capture them and turn them in. I plan to take his spot and become a warlord. However, we''ll need to stay here for a while. There is someone I want to meet." "Who?" Dalton asked in curiosity. "Bartholomew Kuma, or Kuma for short. He''s also one of the seven warlords, but he has ties to another organization. I want to get in touch with them, I feel that he is the key to doing so." Bob explained. Bob knew that Kuma was a member of the revolutionary army, so Bob should be able to get in contact with them through Kuma. Bob had his own purpose for getting into contact with them.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "I''ve heard about him, he''s a scary fellow." Hassan said. "He''s not that bad, just misunderstood." Bob said. "How do you know that?" Hassan asked. "I just do." Bob actually felt bad for Kuma, Vegapunk would turn him into a mindless servant of the world government. Currently Bob was debating on whether he should stop that from happening or not, but Bob didn''t know if he could stop it. He''s already experienced what happens when he tries to mess with things in the story, it becomes altered in an unpredictable way. The Alabasta arc was altered as the strawhats didn''t fight everyone they were supposed to. Zoro never got to fight Mr. 1 and realize that his swordsmanship was still lacking. His bounty wasn''t even as high as the original story. Instead of 60 million, it was 30 million. Luffy still managed to keep his 100 million beli bounty, but who knows how things will go in the future. Bob got off at Thriller Bark and looked around. This place was much more creepier than in the show. "Stay alert, there are strange creatures here." Bob said to his gang. They all nodded their head as the followed Bob into the Dead Forest. Inside the Dead Forest, there was a pinkish fog that could be seen. Figures were moving all throughout the forest strangely. These creatures had bandages and stitches all over their bodies, they were moving funny as if they didn''t know what was going on. Some of them even crashed into each other. "What are they?" Luna asked. "Zombies. They''ll attack you when they sense you so we''ll have to cause a little noise." Bob replied. "Who''d create these things?" "Dr. Hogback." "Dr. Hogback? What? I thought he was a surgeon or something." Tiffany was stunned. "He works for Gecko Moria, his role is to create countless zombies here on Thriller Bark. His experiments know no end, as he''s even combined beast and humans together creating all new zombies." "Disgusting." Tiffany frowned as she listened to Bob. Dr. Hogback was famous, there was very little people in the world who did not know about him. However, she never imagined that he''d be capable of doing something like this. Bob and his crew walked through the Dead Forest and fought off all the zombies they came across. After walking around for twenty minutes a little pale zombie appeared in front of Bob and his gang. He had a bat like body with a black cape, his blonde hair was spiked up and above his right eye was the number 21. "Hello." He spoke. Bob knew this was Hildon, he was a zombie that could speak. He was also loyal towards Gecko Moria and could contact him. Behind him was a large carriage with two zombie horses in front of it. "If you would please step into my carriage, i''ll guide you to the mansion." Hildon said as he opened the door to his carriage. "You could just take us to Gecko Moria instead. I''m more interested in meeting him." Hildon opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. He thought these guys randomly appeared on Thriller Bark but he was wrong. They knew exactly where they were, and knew who was in control of this place. "As you wish." Chapter 65 - Capture him Hildon had a bottle of some sort of purple liquid in his hands. He grabbed a glass and poured the liquid in the glass. Looking around at everyone in the carriage he held the bottle of liquid high. "Where are my manners, would any of you like some?" "We are fine, just keep us on track." Bob said. Hildon nodded his head and put the bottle away. Luna and Tiffany were looking out of the window of the carriage. "Why are there so many strange creatures?" "Look at the ugly lion! It''s grinning at me, ew!" "Hey, see if you can shoot it from here." "No way! What if it comes to haunt me later on, you kill it." These girls had a different reaction that Nami, Usopp and Chopper did when they saw those creatures. Bob could still remember the scene of them screaming. After travelling with Hildon for a while those three were also stuck in the middle of the graveyard. Hildon left them there, and they ended up at the mansion where Dr. Hogback was. "If you don''t mind me asking, what do you want to see Gecko Moria for?" Hildon asked Bob as he was curious. "I have my reasons." Hildon wasn''t fooling anyone, he''d find out why Bob was here and try to escape to tell Gecko Moria. Bob was already a step ahead of him. Hildon was putting up a good facade, he never dropped the act even when Bob wasn''t giving him any information. Instead Hildon turned his attention to the other members of Bob''s crew. Hassan ignored him completely, Luna and Tiffany were still discussing the strange creatures in the forest. Sasha was glaring at Hildon in an odd way. The only one who decided to talk to Hildon was Dalton. The things Dalton talked about were not even related to why they were here. Instead it was about the pink fog here on Thriller Bark.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. After a while the carriage stopped in front of a gothic-style cathedral. Hildon opened the door to the carriage and got out. "Here we are, the mansion." Bob glared at Hildon. "I told you to take me to Moria, not Hogback." Hildon was startled and jumped back. "This is where Moria is!" Hildon shouted. Bob shook his head. "Whatever, there''s something that needs to be done here anyways." Bob looked at his crew members. "You guys get off here, this is where Hogback lives as well as some other people. You guys capture Dr. Hogback for me, i''ll meet you back here later." "How does he look?" "He''s a round man with short limbs. You''ll see him." Bob recalled something. "Watch out for a woman with pink hair. She''ll drain you of morale and she''s able to conjure ghost." "You hear that Hasssan, there''s a woman here. Maybe she''ll give you a kiss." "Shut up!" Bob imagined that this would be a challenge for his crew, but he had hope they''d find a way to win. They''ve been growing stronger, but they weren''t that strong as of yet. Still needed to face more challenges. "Don''t kill her either!" Bob shouted to them before they got too far away. Perona was a weird one, but she wasn''t actually a bad person like the others here on Thriller Bark. Bob saw Hildon trying to tiptoe away but glared at him. "Come back, take me to the tower. I don''t feel like walking." Hildon turned back to Bob and smiled. "Of course." He was really spouting curses at Bob in his head. Why did Bob know so much about this place? After riding with Hildon to the tower Bob got off and walked inside. He wasn''t walking too fast, but he could tell he was being followed. Hildon wasn''t the one following him, instead it was someone else. He was trying to hide his footsteps but he wasn''t doing that great of a job, not to mention he smelled funny. As Bob stepped foot inside the tower, he stopped and looked in a direction. "Why don''t you come out from hiding?" No one replied and no one appeared. Bob put his hand on Black Death. "Suit yourself." He said as he swung Black Death. Bob felt a Black Death go through something. A figure emerged after Bob swung Black Death. The figure was split in two halves, top and bottom. It was a man wearing an ankle-length coat with a high collar. He had long blond hair but his face was a mix of human and lion. This man was Absalom, who probably assumed his devil fruit would give him an advantage. For him it was of no use as Bob had heightened senses, he didn''t need to see Absalom to know where he was. "Should have just came out man, you might have lived." Bob said as he shook his head and put Black Death away. He continued to walk until he was in the middle of a large room. There was no furniture of the sorts in this room, the only one here was an abnormally large man with devil like features. There were two horns protruding from his forehead and he had stitches running down vertically from his face to his neck. "Who are you and how did you get here?" The large man asked as he stared at Bob. Bob was almost like an ant compared to this man, he lad to look up at him. "You can call me Bob." "Quicksword Bob? I''ve heard about you, what can I do for you?" "You can give me your spot as a warlord for starters." Moria began to laugh hearing Bob''s request. Chapter 66 - One Sword Stroke Bob "You''re kidding! A newcomer like you aiming for my position? How dare you!?" Moria was clearly upset by Bob''s request. "Do I look like i''m kidding to you? I''ve also come to collect your bounty as well." "You think you can turn me in? I''m untouchable, the World Government ignores what I do. What makes you think they''ll allow you to turn me in?" Bob grinned. "Because you''ll be dead." Bob was surprised by his own words. ''Damn Bob! When did you become such a badass character? Talking big words and we don''t even know if we can kill him.'' Bob thought to himself. Moria started laughing. "You think you can defeat me?" "Look around, it''s just me and you here. There aren''t any shadows for you to absorb, so I think the real question here is can you defeat me?" Moria looked around and there were no shadows here. The only one was Bob''s. "How do you know about my powers?" Moria asked. Bob drew Black Death and dashed towards Moria. "I''d rather not talk anymore." Bob said. "Kishishishishi¡­ You think you''re so strong but the New World is a much worse place than you think! Everything you hold dearly, you''d lose it all! Do you know why?" As Moria was giving a speech black string like things were emerging from his feet. They dug into the ground disappearing out of sight. "I don''t really care." Bob said as he appeared before Moria. Even though he was in front of this large man, Bob didn''t reach his heart or his neck. Bob put power into his feet and jumped high into the air. He was thinking about fighting him without using Mortal Reminder, but that would take too long and Moria would become overly large. He''d absorb shadows to power himself up. While Bob figured it might be a good fight, he didn''t feel like wasting time on this guy.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Without absorbing shadows, Moria isn''t really strong himself. Bob assumed his bounty was only high due to his devil fruit. "Mortal Reminder!" Bob shouted as he swung Black Death in an arc. It''s blade was covered in a bright light. Moria looked at the glowing blade and all he could see was his death near. He tried to move but he couldn''t. It was like his body was being held down by some mystical force. He''s never saw such an ability before. Bob always made sure to save up energy for this unique skill. It was insanely overpowered, as long as he aimed at a person''s vital spots and activated this skill, they would die. It was a sure kill skill that was impossible to block. However, charging it up took a while. Gecko Moria''s head flew cleanly off of his body and landed on the ground. Instead of blood squirting out a dark substance shot out from his body and broke through the ceiling. Bob landed on the ground gracefully and sheathed Black Death. He looked at Moria''s corpse and shook his head. "I''ll just take your head, your body''s too large." Bob said to himself as he ignored Moria''s body. "Now. What should I do about the Strawhats?" Bob asked himself as he recalled they would arrive here in the coming months. It was where Luffy fought Moria and returned everyone''s shadows, but that was no longer needed. Bob already killed Moria and the shadows was that black substance that shot out from his body. Therefore, Luffy''s crew wouldn''t receive their powerup. Zoro wouldn''t get a chance to meet the zombie swordsman and receive his third sword. Bob hit his head and sighed. "You just had to go and do this Bob. You just had to do this." Bob started to think of some ideas. He grabbed Moria''s lifeless head and walked out of the tower. Hildon who was flying in the sky looked down at Bob. "Why are you alive?" He shouted. Hildon then noticed the head Bob was carrying and almost fainted on the spot. His captain Moria was the strongest! How was he defeated? "It shouldn''t come as a surprise." Bob said as he looked at Hildon. "Hmm, there is still plenty of time left until I need to be at Water 7. I''ll wait here to meet Kuma then leave and set out for another adventure. Except it''ll be to train everyone else, not me." Bob started talking to himself as he walked to the carriage. Once he was inside he peeked his head out of the curtain. "Well, come on. It''s not going to drive itself." Bob said as he looked at Hildon. When Hildon came back to the carriage Bob was already lost in thought. He was coming up with different islands he could visit to help his crew improve. As long as things went as he planned, they''d be able to have a large increase in power after two years. His goal was to train with the revolutionary army with two years, as Luffy would train with Rayleigh. Granted, Bob figured he could do so as well, but he wanted to try something different. It was best to train with someone who had experience and you wanted to surpass or be like. Luffy trained with the right hand of Gold D. Roger, while Zoro did so with Mihawk the greatest swordsman. If Bob wanted to become the most famous person, he needed to surpass Dragon. The only way to do so was to learn from him and his officers. Bob also started to think about his devil fruit ability. He didn''t use it much, but he would still like to master it for when he did in the future. Moria to Bob was one of the weakest warlords. He was just overly large and slow, his base power wasn''t the best. All the other warlords were agile except Blackbeard. They had fast speed, deadly attacks, overall they were just better than Moria. If Bob fought one of them, he didn''t know how things would turn out. Alright that wasn''t exactly true, Bob knew their abilities but they didn''t know his. He''d find some way to win eventually. The only warlords he was worried about was Mihawk, Kuma and Jinbe. Those three Bob didn''t know if he could currently fight them on equal footing. As for the others, Bob wasn''t worried. ''One Sword Stroke Bob! That''s much better than Quicksword Bob! Damn World Government and their naming sense!'' Bob starting to rant about his title once more as Hildon reluctantly drove Bob back to the mansion. Chapter 67 - New Villain There was a lot of things different here on Thriller Bark. For one, Moria never got Oars to wake up. Granted, Bob didn''t want to fight that thing anyways, but still he was curious about Oars. Secondly¡­ well that was it really. When Bob returned to the mansion he walked around and observed his crew mates fight Dr. Hogback and the various zombies. Bob happened to run into Ryuma, the zombie swordsman. Ryuma tried to clash swords with Bob, but Bob was thinking of something else. He ended up telling Ryuma about a green haired swordsman who was worthy enough to duel him. Bob tried to make Zoro sound like the godliest figure in the entire world. Ryuma didn''t buy it at first, but Bob told him about Zoro''s strength and abilities. Eventually Ryuma agreed to fight this swordsman named Zoro. Bob felt a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders as Ryuma would still have a match with Zoro if he came here to this island. As for all the other zombies, most of them were dead or ran away. Dalton and the others managed to beat them and Bob was happy for them all. Bob captured Hogback, he had plans for this guy as he was a world renowned doctor. His medical expertise was higher than Kureha''s. Bob figured he could have Hogback give Bob his notes and research papers. Bob would then pass those along to Kureha who may be able ot use them to increase her medical expertise. Perona was shocked to find out that Bob defeated Moria and asked to be under his protection. Bob thought about it for a moment and agreed to her request. He didn''t really think he''d obtain a crew mate here on Thriller Bark but he did. Perona was so excited she started to float around Bob. Bob looked at his crew and realized he had more female members than males. He started to think he should find some more men to join his crew. After Perona asked Bob to join Ryuma also asked. He said he wanted to challenge Zoro and go back to Wano Kingdom. Bob told him if he managed to defeat Zoro, he would take him with him. Bob knew that there were some humans here on Thriller Bark, but he''d leave them for Luffy to find later on.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Dr. Hogback begged for his life, and Bob agreed to let him live as long as he did Bob a favor. Hogback instantly agreed. Bob was planning on making Hogback the main villain of Thriller Bark for the Strawhats. Bob told him he could do anything he wanted here on Thriller Bark, to go wild with his experiments. Hogback even asked Bob about Oar to which Bob agreed. He suggested that Hogback make the ultimate zombie warrior. Bob figured that this would keep Hogback here on Thriller Bark for a while, and when Luffy arrived he''d have to fight through an army of zombie soldiers. Hogback could increase Oar''s strength, it didn''t really matter to Bob. There was no need for Bob to do all of this for Luffy, but Bob just wanted to. He was trying to keep things on track as much as possible. It would help to have an ally he could rely on in the future. If Luffy didn''t become stronger then he wouldn''t be of use. After dealing with Hogback, Bob told his crew to go train and increase their strength while they could. They were all becoming proficient in haki. Even Bob''s haki was improving as he continued to train. A week passed by after Moria''s death and Bob''s arrival on the island. Bob was sparring with Ryuma to increase his combat potential for when Zoro arrived when he felt a presence. Bob saw an enormous man almost as tall as Gecko Moria. His eyes were covered by some clear-mirrored lenses, and had a cross-hair design on his coat. This was who Bob was waiting for, Bartholomew Kuma. Kuma spotted Bob and landed right next to him. "Where is Gecko Moria?" Kuma''s first assumption was that Bob was one of Moria''s soldiers. "Dead." "How?" "I killed him." Kuma raised his paw like hand at Bob. "Relax a bit. This is a good thing, he wasn''t the best guy on earth and he was doing some disgusting things here on Thriller Bark. You didn''t like the guy either, he was full of himself." Bob saw Kuma didn''t lower his hand. "I don''t want to fight you Kuma. Instead, I need your help. You arrived here to tell Moria about the new warlord right? Well, now there is another vacancy open and i''d like to occupy that spot." "Who are you?" "Bob." "I''m not authorized to give you a position." "No you can''t, but you can suggest me. I know you''re loyal to the World Government so they''ll listen to your suggestion more than the others." Kuma looked at Bob and lowered his hand. Since Moria was dead there was nothing for him to do here on Thriller Bark. He could get revenge for Moria, but it wasn''t worth it to him. Bob saw that Kuma was about to leave. "Wait! I need to do you to do me a favor." Bob said in a hurry. Kuma looked down at Bob once more. "I have some valuable information that can be of use to you. There is a scientist that works for the marines, his name is Vegapunk. He is trying to create something similar to you called a Pacifista, if he manages to complete that his next goal will be to convert you into one. You''ll become a slave for the World Government and World nobles to use. I know you don''t want that, and I''d rather not see that happen in the future." "Why are you telling me this?" Kuma asked Bob. "For a favor. I don''t need you to say you''re working with the revolutionary army, I just need you to tell me where I can meet one of them. I want to talk to Dragon about something." Chapter 68 - Domination A tall, fair-skinned man with a long braided goatee and mustache was looking over a file. "Quicksword Bob, fought in the Alabasta civil war was seen to have immense strength. A month later he killed Gecko Moria and turned him in. Even with the bounty on his head, he cared not for the marines and dared to show up at the marine base¡­. Smoker said he was a threat that needed to be dealt with before he grew up. Bartholomew Kuma vouched for him saying he could be an ally to the Marines." The man was holding a file that had all the known information about Bob. He set the file down and sighed as he recalled two Rear Admirals. "You just couldn''t be a marine like your folks could you?" The man asked. He sighed but then he smiled. Bob left Thriller Bark soon after he met Kuma. He got the information he wanted and decided to tour the sea for a bit. Bob turned in Gecko Moria''s head to the marines. He was confronted by a Rear Admiral but the admiral couldn''t cause Bob any problems. A few days after that incident news was spread about Gecko Moria''s death and Bob''s bounty was increased once again. After Bob received his new bounty, he decided to sail around and visit different islands. Mostly to make money and increase Wishful Thinkings popularity. So far everything was going well, as he met new adversaries on every island he visited. Bob left it up to his crew to defeat them. He was more focused on his own training and items in the shop. Bob started to prepare for the war that would come, one that would begin a new era. When Bob was leaving an island that never appeared in the anime, his ship was stopped by a fleet of marines. "Quicksword Bob!" Bob heard a voice and looked over. He could make out a pink haired woman. "Jacob, sail us closer." "You sure?" "Yes." Jacob sailed their ship closer to the fleet of marines. "What do you want?" Bob asked the woman. "The World Government has decided to ignore all your actions in the future at the cost of heeding our call when we need you. Will you accept the position as one of the 7 warlords?"The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. There was more to it, as Bob could see the sheet of paper in the woman''s hands. She looked at it for a moment and shook her head. Bob guessed she decided to summarize what it said instead. "Sure, i''ll accept!" Bob agreed. It was for his quest and a chance to improve himself overall, why wouldn''t he agree. [Your name is starting to become known and people are starting to admire your strength. As a member of the Faceless faction you''ve done us proud. Congratulations, you''ve increased your rank to SS and obtained a new hero slot.] [We are one, but we are many. We are here, but we are also there. It is almost time for our faction to take charge, but for now we will bide our time waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When we strike, no one will see it coming.] [Domination - Build up your faction and show the world who we really are. Show them the true face of the World Government, destroy their system and what they stand for. Let the new age begin and with you leading the way. Upon completion you will receive ???] Bob dismissed the windows for now, but he could bring them back later to read them. After accepting his new position the woman introduced herself as Rear Admiral Hina. She gave Bob a quick overview of the other members that were apart of the 7 warlords. Bob listened to her talk, well he pretended to at least. Bob was actually looking at her cleavage. He had to admit Hina had a nice bust, and her breasts were just staring at him. "Are you even listening to me?" Hina was furious at Bob. "No, not really. You should button your outfit up more, those things are so distracting¡­" Bob said as he looked up at Hina. Hina clenched her fist. Bob could see that she was shaking in anger, but she managed to hold it in and turn around. "Bob, you''re cheating on Vivi? How could you?" Luna was shocked by Bob''s actions. "I''m not doing such a thing! I''m just looking at the goods you know. Besides, don''t kings usually have more than one wife?" Bob asked. "Actually most men only take one wife due to the trouble of having multiple." Dalton said. "Anyways, congratulations. Seems the marines will be more hands off now." Dalton added. Bob nodded his head. "You guys all received your first bounties a few days ago. In the coming years, you''ll be training hard and when the time is right we''ll emerge again." "What are you talking about?" "Nothing. I''ll tell you about it later." Bob said as he looked at Jacob. "Head towards Water 7." "Already? We still have plenty of time before the designated time." "Just drop me off, then you guys can sail wherever you want and come back two weeks before its time for us all to meet up." Bob said. "Charles, you guys come with me, we''ll have you do a few concerts at Water 7." Bob had a plan in mind, he''d hold himself up at Water 7 until it was time to meet John and Ron. He might run into Luffy''s crew, but Bob would ignore everything that happened on Water 7. His plan was to focus on collecting money with Wishful Thinking and buying items. He would go back to Alabasta to collect the money thats been piling up there, but that would take too long and he''d be late arriving back at Water 7. Bob wasn''t really weak at this point, but he needed a lot of points for everything he had planned. Not to mention he wanted to purchase an Ultimate. Besides storing up points for himself, Bob also wanted to talk with some shipwrights on the island. He wanted to know if they could create him a flying ship, he didn''t know if it was possible but it might be. There was also the idea Bob had in his head of creating a plane, but he figured that would be hard. He didn''t know how a plane worked, so it''d be hard to come up with the design for one. Lastly, there was Bob''s Faceless faction quest. There was no set time limit, but he was worried about the goal of this faction. Also, the reward wasn''t stated, Bob didn''t know if it was worth it. He still had his main quest to complete, which he would be doing soon. Chapter 69 - Status "Captain, look at this!" A man said as he passed a newspaper to a red haired man. The man grabbed the paper and laughed. "Look at this! Who would have thought Bob would become a warlord, it''s only been 10 years!" The red haired man was Shanks, he kept up with the news but this was really shocking for him. Shanks flipped the page and saw news about Luffy. "Even Luffy is becoming big, he has a bounty of 300 million!" "Who would have thought that those two kids you met back then would be causing such a stir in the world." One of Shanks mates said. All of them were shocked by both Bob and Luffy''s new statuses in the world. Both of them had bounties of 300 million, but one decided to join the World Government while the other was a pirate. Bob sneezed and rubbed his nose. "Who''s talking about me?" Bob looked around and asked. His appearance was different from before as his hair grew a bit longer he tied it into a short ponytail. Around his neck was a necklace of shark teeth, he wore black jeans and on his hand was a skull ring. Bob had a black coat draped over him like a cape as if he was a marine admiral. When the wind blew a tattoo could be made out from underneath his black coat. Bob''s hand was on top of one of his two swords. "Hey, isn''t that Quicksword Bob? What''s he doing here?" "Shh, he can hear us." Bob looked at them. ''I''m not that scary!'' Bob said to himself, but when he looked at them they jumped in fright and ran away. It''s been months since he had last been seen in public, but people still remembered his face. "Bob, are we still on for tomorrow?" Charles asked as he came up next to Bob. "Yeah. I told you i''d make you a star Charles, and look at you now. Wishful Thinking is the hottest thing on the grand line, its all people can talk about. Next time, we''ll need to have a feature with Soolking Brook." Charles looked confused. "Who''s that?" "Ah, nevermind. Just rest up for now, tomorrow is a big day." Bob was currently traveling by himself as he sent all of his gang to train with the revolutionary army. He met up with Ron and John at Water 7 and was stunned by their growth.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Ron assembled a crew of fifteen people, while John had twelve under his command. Ron grew up, he looked like an actual big shot pirate. He even had his own bounty reaching 120 million beli. John''s bounty increased to 140 million beli. Both of them had lower bounties than Bob, but still he was surprised at their growth. From when he met them in Blacktown all the way to seeing them again at Water 7. These guys grew into some big characters for new players in the One Piece world. Even the people they recruited were characters in the One Piece world. Most of them were noncanon characters, but Bob was still shocked that they joined up. Bob discussed what their next goal was, which was train and polish their organization. All the people that came with them to Water 7, Bob sent to train with the revolutionary army. He got in contact with Dragon and Sabo. Sabo remembered Bob and vouched for him to Dragon. Dragon only agreed if Bob could prove himself. He had Bob go to an island to save them from a tyrant, Bob completed the mission without an issue. After solving that problem Dragon agreed that Bob could train with him for two years, but he''d also have to owe Dragon a favor in the future. Bob didn''t mind and agreed. Bob himself did not stay with the revolutionary army, he decided to do more tours with Wishful Thinking as he kept them busy with concerts. He wrote them plenty more songs and the money just kept coming in. People were eating Wishful Thinking up. It was safe to say they were the most famous band in all of the grandline. At least the first half of it. On Water 7 Bob designed a ship together with the other shipwrights, it was a large ship but it couldn''t fly. Bob also got in contact with Dave, who was as busy as ever. He still had many questions for Bob, and Bob told him he''d see him soon. Their main base was too far, Bob was planning on moving it to Alabasta and having another main base built in Dressrosa. He also called Vivi during the time he wasn''t seen. Basically, Bob has been busy. He felt that he was close to understanding his devil fruit powers some more, and he had this idea in his head for a transformation. However, Bob wasn''t able to use that transformation yet. Bob stretched his arm thinking about all the experiences he''s had these past few months. "Guess I can explore for a bit." Bob said as he began to walk around. ------------ Bob''s current Equipment [Earring of Mortal Reminder] [Attack Damage + 20] [Attack Speed + 20%] [HP +100] [Magic Resistance +10] [Health Regeneration + 10%] [Unique Passive - Mortal Reminder: Charge energy while fighting an enemy up to 3 stacks. Upon consuming the energy your next attack will always deal damage to your opponent.] [1st charge - 30% chance of ignoring enemy defense] [2nd charge - 60% chance of ignoring enemy defense] [3rd charge - Ignores all of your opponents defense] [0 of 3 charges available.] [Note: Unleashing the 3rd charge of Mortal Reminder will deal true damage to the opponent, meaning they will take the full force of your attack no matter what.] [Note 2: To activate this your opponent must be in your attack range.] [Boots of the Living Shadow] [Attack Speed + 50%] [Movement Speed +50%] [Unique Active: Living Shadow - Teleport a short distance forward leaving behind a shadow of yourself. The shadow will remain in place for 5 seconds.] [Unique Active: Shadow Swap - Exchange places with the shadow you left behind.] [Note: Shadow''s cannot attack. This skill can only be used once every 10 seconds.] [Coat of the Dark Night] [Attack Speed +25%] [Movement Speed +10%] [Armor +50] [Magic Resistance +50] [Unique Passive: Dark Night - You are Immune to all status effects.] [Unique Passive: Mirrored Illusion - There is a 5% chance to mirror your opponent''s attack.] [Ring of the Immortal] [Health +500] [Attack Speed +5%] [Cooldown Reduction +25%] [Unique Passive: Immortal - Regenerate 5% of your health every 3 seconds.] [Winters Chill] [Attack Damage +150] [Attack Speed +20%] [Cooldown Reduction +25%] [Unique Passive: Winters Chill - Everytime you cut your foe, their actions are slowed by 5%.] [Note: Winters Chill effect is stackable up to 90%, and last for 5 seconds. Continuing to attack the same target will increase the effect and duration.] [Worlds End] [Attack Damage +150] [Attack Speed +30%] [Movement Speed +30%] [Unique Passive: Worlds End - This blade absorbs all damage and returns it back with x2 the damage for the next strike.] [Note: Need to absorb an attack worth 1000 damage to activate, and only activates once every 30 seconds.] ----------------- Total Stats added up Attack Damage +320 Attack Speed +150% Movement Speed +90% Health +600 Health Regen +10% | + 5% every 3 seconds. Magic Resistance +60 Armor +50 Cooldown Reduction +50% Chapter 70 - The Tower Bob felt he was being looked at no matter where he went on Sabaody, he first decided to stop by the restaurant here. He figured if some of the 11 supernovas were here, then one would at least be at the restaurant. "More! Bring me more!" Bob heard a woman''s voice and looked over. There he saw a curvaceous young woman with long light pink hair. Her outfit was sort of skimpy but Bob didn''t mind at all. This woman was one of the 11 supernovas named Jewelry Bonney. Bob didn''t know what happened to her after the timeskip in One Piece. She wasn''t doing what the other members of the worst generation were doing. Not only that, her bounty didn''t increase much either. If Bob could have multiple wives in this world, she''d be an option. However, he was fine with Vivi for now. Bob liked to picture himself as a man with multiple women around his arms, but he was not going to do that. ''No harem. No harem!'' Bob said to himself as he moved his eyes from Bonney. "Excuse me sir, how many are with you?" A waiter asked Bob. "Just one." "Then you won''t be needing a booth. I''ll seat you, follow me."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Bob followed the waiter and was seated not to much further from Bonney. It was still a bit early before Luffy arrived here, but Bob was just waiting for news of Ace to be published. The waiter gave Bob a menu and told him he''ll be back to take his order. Bob looked over the food and decided he''d just have a steak, salad and some water. The waiter soon came back after he gave Bonney her five plates of food. "What will you have sir?" "Steak, salad and water." Bob said. The waiter wrote everything down in his notepad and ran away. Bob could see why as Bonney was close to finishing those five plates of food he just brought out. "Captain, isn''t that guy Quicksword Bob?" One of Bonney''s crew members said softly as he pointed towards Bob. Bonney kept stuffing her face and looked towards Bob. Bob waved his hand and put on a friendly smile when he saw her look in his direction. "Seems so." She said for a brief moment then went back to putting food in her mouth. "What are we going to do? You think he''s here on orders?" The man asked Bonney. Bonney didn''t reply and continued to eat. Soon Bob''s food came out and he dug into it. ''It was a nice juicy steak. Bob cut into it easily and it smelled so good. His mouth started to water as he put the piece of steak in his mouth. ''It''s official, this place has the best steak! How do they cook it?'' Bob ate his steak peacefully and left the restaurant after paying for his meal. When he left Bonney was still eating, but he figured she''d have to stop at some point. As Bob was leaving he ran into a man with black triangle symbols on his eyebrows, and long golden hair. ''Basil Hawkins¡­ although he is one of the 11 supernovas, he ended up joining with Kaido.'' Bob remembered some things about Basil Hawkins and thought about them. As the two of them passed by each other Basil Hawkins drew a card from his deck of tarot cards. Seeing the card he drew he looked back at Bob and clicked his tongue. "What is it captain? Want me to go after that guy?" "No. I just received a bad omen, seems fate has it out for me." Basil Hawkin looked at the card again. The name of the card read ''The Tower''. In a tarot deck it was one card people did not wish to see. After leaving the restaurant, Bob explored Sabaody a little longer before he retired to a room in the inn. Chapter 71 - Quicksword Bob A few days went by and the Strawhats arrived on Sabaody. "Awesome!" Luffy shouted as he saw the large bubbles emerging from the ground. He was amazed and started jumping on them. Usopp and Chopper were both amazed as well, but it didn''t take much to excite the three of them. "By the way, Hachi what''s our goal on this island?" Nami asked. Hachi was Hatchan''s nickname, he is an octopus fishman with pink skin and grey hair. "We have to find a coating mechanic, and have them coat your ship with this resin! It''s the only way to cross over into the New World." Hachi said. "Are you serious?" Franky asked. Hachi nodded his head. "Your ship has to travel under the sea and this is the only way you''ll be able to survive." Hachi got with Brook, Nami, Robin, Chopper and Luffy. He began to lead them to the mechanic he knew that would coat their ship. "Zoro!" Usopp and Sanji both shouted. "Where are you going?" Zoro looked back at them and stopped. "For a walk!" "DON''T, YOU''LL GET LOST!" Both of them started making weird faces as they knew if Zoro went off alone he''d be lost. His sense of direction was lacking severely. While the Strawhats just arrived on the island, Bob was holding a concert for Wishful Thinking. He did not know they arrived as of yet, but he knew he''d hear about it when they did. As Luffy would cause a big commotion. "Charles! My love!"Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "AHHHHHHHH!" Countless fans were screaming their hearts out as Charles and his friends took stage. The lights dimmed down and a spotlight as shined on Charles. The music started playing and countless fans were still screaming. "First things first I''mma say all the words inside my head I''m fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh ooh The way things have been, oh ooh" Charles started singing the lyrics to Imagine Dragons - Believer. Bob was standing backstage with his eye''s closed bobbing his head. "Are you their manager?" A man with thick sunglasses asked Bob as he tapped him on the shoulder. Bob looked at the man and nodded his head. "Yes, do you need something?" "These guys have talent, like serious talent. Have you ever considered joining up with a music company?" "No, there''s no need to." Bob said. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "Check out my card. If you change your mind get ahold of me, these guys can go all the way to the top, i''d hate to see them fall short because their manager is lacking." Bob took his card and flung it back at him. The man was furious but didn''t move against Bob. Instead he picked his card up off the ground and walked away. If Bob wouldn''t listen to him, then Charles and his friends would. After holding the concert Bob let Charles and the others go enjoy themselves. They might be stars but Bob did not plan on restricting their freedom. While the concert was going on Luffy and some of his crew entered a bar. The bar was pretty empty, and there was only a few people inside. Three of them were unconscious, while the other one was surprised to see Hachi. "Hachi! Long time no see!" "Shakky!" "Come, have a seat for a moment. This won''t take long." Shakky threw the three unconscious men out and sat by Hachi. "Here, let me get you guys something to drink." She said. Shakky turned her body and noticed Luffy was raiding her fridge and Brook was eating her food. She began to laugh. Some time passed by as Shakky chatted with Hachi and Luffy. Shakky took a long drag of her cigarette as she watched Luffy cheer when he heard about the amusement park. "However, be careful where you look. According to my information network including you, there are now 12 people on the Sabaody Archipelago whose bounties exceed 100 million Beli." Brook and Chopper were both shocked. "12 People with bounties over 100 million?!" Chopper was stunned as he said that. "Yes, excluding Monkey and Roronoa that still leaves ten. When you entered the grand line, you chose one of the seven routes and followed your log all the way until you got here. So naturally there are others that took the other six routes to reach here." Chopper, Brook and Luffy took some time to process what Shakky was saying. "And if we were going by their bounties, you''d be tied for second." "There''s someone with the same bounty as Luffy and worth more than Luffy?! Here? On this Island?!" Chopper''s eyes were wide, he couldn''t believe his ears. "Capone "Gang" Bege. A 138 million beli bounty. Jewelry Bonney, the "Glutton". A 140 million beli bounty. Basil Hawkins, the "Magician". A 249 million beli bounty. "Roaring Tide" Scratchmen Apoo. A 198 million beli bounty. Eustass "Captain" Kid. A 315 million beli bounty. "Red Flag" X-Drake. A 222 million beli bounty. "Mad Monk" Urouge. A 108 million beli bounty. "The Soldier of Slaughter" Killer. A 162 million beli bounty. "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law. A 200 million beli bounty." Chopper started counting the names. "That''s only nine! What about the other one?" "The other one is a bit special as they are the only one to join the World Government and become a warlord. "Quicksword" Bob. A 300 million beli bounty." "Eh! Bob?" Luffy asked in confusion. Chapter 72 - Thunderclap "You know Bob?" Shakky asked Luffy. "Yeah, he''s a friend of mine I grew up with." Luffy replied. "He must be something special if he was given a spot as one of the 7 warlords¡­" Bob sneezed again and rubbed his nose. "Who keeps talking about me?" Bob asked himself as he exited the concert hall. Boom! Bob heard the sound of an explosion, he turned his head and looked where it was coming from. In the air he saw smoke rising and went in that direction. When he arrived at the scene he saw a muscular young man with bright red hair that resembled flames. In front of him was a longarmed man who was wearing a set of orange headphones. The two of them looked as if they were about to fight, but both were spouting a bunch of words to each other. Bob instantly recognized them as two members of the 11 supernova. Eustass Kid and Apoo. Bob rubbed his chin as he observed them. ''If these two created this scene, that could only mean that its almost time. All 11 supernova are here on this island.'' Bob figured it wouldn''t be much longer before a huge scene was caused that Admiral Kizaru to make a move. ''Should I go to the auction house? Nah, that would be too troublesome. Marines would try to have me help them capture Luffy, i''d rather not get involved yet. Speaking of Marines, Dr. Vegapunk should be trying to turn Kuma into a complete robot. I wonder if Kuma will stand for it, or maybe he''ll do something else. Afterall I did tell him about it months in advance.'' Bob thought about how things were changing in this world. So far everything was going well, but after the timeskip happened Bob had his own plans. How things turned out was up in the air after the war was over with. Bob walked away from Kid and Apoo, then he spotted Law. A slim man with black hair, but he was always wearing a fur hat which was white and has a spotted pattern on it. "You here to watch the show too?" Law asked as he saw Bob appear next to him. "They don''t interest me." "Then what does?" "A little bit of this, a little bit of that." "What? That doesn''t even make any sense." Bob laughed. "It doesn''t need to."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "I''m Bob by the way." "I''ve heard of you. One of the World Governments lap dog''s." Bob looked at Law and shook his head. "Not even close. I''ll remember those words if you ever become one of the World Governments lap dog''s." "I''d never." Bob knew he would sometime after the war was over with. "Desperate people do desperate things." Bob talked to Law for a little bit longer before he departed. He was mostly just wasting time at this point. While waiting Bob decided to look at his stats. Name: Bob Level: 60/60 Character Grade: SS Health: 5600 Armor: 200 Magic Resistance: 210 Damage: AD: 250 + 320 AP: 175 Gear: Coat of the Dark Night | Earring of Mortal Reminder | Boots of the Living Shadow | Ring of the Immortal | Winters Chill | Worlds End Champion: Kayle | Yasuo Passive: Sword Mastery SS - Increase sword dmg by 50% Increase sword speed by 50% Ascendance S - Increase Attack speed by 5% every time you attack (Stackable 5) Way of the Wind S - Doubles Attack Speed. Additionally, increase movement speed by 10%. Active: Radiant Illusion - Summon an illusion of yourself that slays your enemy reducing their resistances. Grand Blessing - Heal yourself or an ally while also granting a burst of movement speed. Spellblade - Imbue your blade with holy light, increasing the damage done by 10%. Melee attacks become ranged. Judgement - Become Immune to all damage and status for 3 second. Tempest - Thrust forward quickly. Hitting a target imbues your sword with the wind. Using this skill again shortly after will launch a whirlwind forward knocking your foes into the air. Wind Wall - Creates a wall of win that blocks all projectiles for 5 seconds. Gust - Dash through a target, dealing 10% base damage. Every dash after increases the damage by 10%. Small actions can be done while dashing through targets. Last Breath - Blink to an airborne target, dealing damage to all those caught in the attack. Ultimate: Thunderclap - Your body becomes that of lighting as you jump into the sky and crash down in a designated spot. Kill your enemy with this skill resets the cooldown of all your skills. [Note: When you activate Thunderclap time is slowed by 9000% until you land] [Note: Thunderclap''s cooldown cannot be reset by its own effect.] ''I''ll see how things play out during this war, if this build isn''t good then i''ll just change it.'' Bob thought to himself as he looked at his stats. He felt powerful, but he didn''t know how strong he currently was. Is he strong enough to save Ace? Probably, but he''ll have to see how things go. He had some amazing skills, and his ultimate ability was something else. Bob picked that skill because of its effect and time slowing ability. Having time slowed by that much basically meant people were not moving when Bob used this skill. As for his other skills, he felt they were great. In theory, he''d be moving fast with his infinite dashes, and he''d be able to throw a whirlwind into a group of enemies. They''d be dead or injured once he finished using Last Breath. He also had protection from ranged attacked. A few hours went by and Bob saw the marines rushing to catch the Strawhat pirates. When Bob saw them, he looked the other way, but eventually ran into a tan man with brown hair. He was wearing a hat that had the word ''Marine'' on it. He looked at Bob and stood tall. He reached into his coat and pulled out a letter. "Quicksword Bob! You are to heed to orders of the marines and report to Marineford at once!" "What for?" Bob asked. "You are the first one to know this as it hasn''t been put into the papers yet, but we''ve captured the second division captain of the Whitebeard pirates ''Fire Fist'' Ace! He will be executed in the coming days!" The marine soldier said proudly as if he was the one that captured Ace himself. "When do we leave?" "We will depart later today, is there a problem with that?" Bob scratched his cheek. "Well, I have this idea. Come, let me tell you all about it." Bob began to explain to the man that they should invite Wishful Thinking to Marineford as well. The band was famous and they knew various songs. If the world would see the death of a famous pirate, that pirate should be honored with a farewell song. The man listened to Bob and said he needed to ask his superiors about it. "Look! If Wishful Thinking can''t attend, i''m not going either!" Bob pretended to be upset. He honestly did not want to have this war happen without some epic songs playing in the background. Stuff to get peoples blood pumping and hearts racing. He wanted this to be something worth remembering. "Ok! Ok! They can come, just get off me!" Chapter 73 - Broadcast Bob was surprised to see Rear Admiral Hina, this must be the marine ship she was in command of. He was expecting someone else but this worked too! "If it isn''t Hina!" Bob said as he raised his arms. Hina snorted and turned her body away from Bob. "Why are you turning around?" Bob asked her but received no reply. Bob sighed. "Charles you guys can rest up. If you need anything just ask these guys. We are VVIPs!" "You don''t get special treatment and don''t go ordering my men to do things for you!" Hina said as she looked at Bob. "So she does speak. And here I was getting worried you were upset at me." "Why would I be upset at you? You''re not worth it." Bob laughed a little. "How about we make a little deal. I''ll give you some valuable information, one that could cause you to be promoted. In return, you do me a favor." Hina turned to look at Bob as she thought about it. "What information could you possibly have that I don''t already know about?" "You''d be surprised. Let''s just say this involves the warlord known as Blackbeard." Hina took a drag of her cigarette and nodded her head. "Alright. Your information proves to be true, i''ll do anything you want." "Anything?" Hina adjusted her posture a bit. "Yes. Anything." Her voice sounded a bit seductive, making Bob have all sorts of ideas. "Alright. Blackbeard plans on heading towards Impel Down." "So?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Think about it. He''s a man who betrayed his crew, he''s all alone now. However, that won''t be for long as he will try and build a crew from the criminals that are locked up in Impel Down." "That wouldn''t be good, there are some nasty people locked up there. Who knows what their mindset is like after being locked up for years. How did you come across this information?" Hina asked Bob. "I have my sources. What are you going to do about it?" "I go to Impel Down tomorrow and see. If nothing happens, then i''ll just head back to Marineford." Bob knew that Luffy would also be at Impel Down, but he would have help getting out. He should be fine to still make it to Marineford in time to try and save ace. As for Blackbeard, Bob told Hina but what happened was up to her. If she did manage to stop Blackbeard from obtaining his future crew, then everything was good. If she didn''t, then Bob still wouldn''t mind. At least the marines would get a heads up on Blackbeard''s true nature. Later that day Bob arrived at Marineford. He seemed to be the first one to arrive as well. The first thing he was given was a room to stay in while he was there. Wishful Thinking also had a room. Bob asked the marines to prepare a lot of speakers for Wishful Thinking so that when they played their sound would resonate in peoples hearts. The marines weren''t too keen on letting Wishful Thinking play, but they agreed to Bob''s request. No one knew Bob''s true strength, all they knew was that he took down Gecko Moria. The second person to arrive was Bartholomew Kuma. As soon as he arrived he was called by the higher ups. Bob figured that at this time they''d send him to Dr. Vegapunk so he could convert him into a brainless robot. When Kuma arrived he looked at Bob for a second. He didn''t say any words, but Bob felt like he understood what he wanted to say. If Kuma knew what was going to happen before he would never allow Dr. Vegapunk to work on him. Therefore, now that he knew things wouldn''t go as the marines had hoped. Bob was excited just thinking about it and wondered what would happen to Kuma once this war was over with. Would he continue to be one of the 7 warlords or would he leave? Bob''s time at Marineford went by fast as he was discussing what music Wishful Thinking should play on the day of Ace''s execution. He also introduced himself to the other warlords that came. Out of all the warlords, Boa Hancock was the last to arrive. She wanted to ignore him, but Bob told her he was Luffy''s friend. When she heard Luffy her personality did a whole 180. Bob told her that if she wanted Luffy to marry her, she had to do one thing. Just tell him marriage was the best food in the world. On the day of Ace''s execution, Bob stood in a line with all the other warlords. There was Kuma, Mihaw, Dolfamingo, Boa Hancock and Bob. Five out of the 7 warlords were here. Behind them were marines of various ranks. Soon the three marine Admirals walked out and took their seat on a platform below the execution platform. "Why¡­ why do I feel so intimidated!" One marine shouted as he felt he was being dominated by the presence of these powerful people. The vast amount of navy soldiers started to cheer loudly. The cheering continued even when Ace walked out. He overlooked the marines and their formation. All across the world this scene was shown to the citizens. If they were able to see it, they were definitely watching. "Ron, why do you think he told us to watch this?" John asked Ron as he stood tall and watched to broadcast. He was currently with the revolutionary army, but they still had a den-den mushi capable to receiving the broadcast. Therefore, John was watching. When the image showed, all the other members of the revolutionary army also came to watch. Ron looked at John and was silent. "Right, maybe something big is going to happen." Chapter 74 - Inherited Will "Look, it''s Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" Sengoku stood next to Ace on the execution platform with a den-den mushi in his hand. "I have an announcement for you all." Sengoku spoke in a powerful voice causing all the marines to become silent. "Portgas D. Ace. The death of this man today, holds great significance." Sengoku paused for a moment to let his words set into the hearts of the people. "Ace. Tell me the name of your father!" "My father is Whitebeard." "Not true!" "It is! My father is Whitebeard! I have no other father!" "Years ago, we put all our resources into searching for a man. We suspected that he might have a child on a certain island. We relied entirely on this possibility, and Cipher Pol''s vague information. Children who had just been born, and children who were going to be born soon. We thoroughly looked into all the mothers but couldn''t find him!" Bob listened to Sengoku speak, but he already knew what was going to happen. However, his words still had an effect on Bob. He couldn''t help but feel some sort of emotion being here at Marineford in person. Watching it on screen and seeing it in person were two different feelings! "Your mother''s name is Portgas D. Rouge! A year and three months after your father''s death she gave birth to you. A child carrying the blood of the most evil man in the world. Your father is the Pirate King, Gold Roger!" "GOLD ROGER?!" The marines were shocked. "The blood of a legend still lives." Bob said with a grin on his face. All of the warlords that were present looked back towards the platform. The looks on their faces were priceless. "So¡­ he isn''t Luffy''s real brother." Boa Hancock said softly. The marines were processing what they just heard. To some of them Gold Roger was a legend, but now seeing Ace on that execution stand it felt as if they were seeing the man himself.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Legends never die. Their will, their blood. All of it is inherited by someone, someone who will carry it on their backs and spark a flame." Bob said loud enough for the other warlords to hear him. "But Whitebeard, who realized it at the same time we did decided to raise you to become the next Pirate King." Sengoku said. "That''s not true! I got on that ship so I could make the old man the Pirate King!" Ace shouted. "You''re the only one who thinks that! We were careful not to act recklessly because you were under Whitebeard''s protection! But left unchecked, you''d undoubtedly inspire a new generation of pirates." Bob chuckled to himself when he heard Sengoku say those words. ''Jokes on you, Luffy caused a new era to emerge.'' It was something only Bob could laugh at, as he was the only one in this world who understood. It was his own inside joke. "That is why your execution here today carries such a great significance! Even if we have to go to war against Whitebeard himself!" The marines cheered loudly. A war against Whitebeard? Bring it own! They weren''t afraid. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." Bob said as he looked out towards the water. "What do you mean?" Boa Hancock asked. Bob didn''t reply, but just looked at the water. "It''s qiuet, deadly quiet." Doflamingo said as he looked towards the sea. The sirens went off as someone shouted. "They''re here!" "Like I said. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." Bob said with a grin across his face. "Don''t get too excited, there are 43 ships out there but none of them are Whitebeards." Mihawk said. The water started to move right in front of all the marines. "This guy sure knows how to make an entrance." A large ship appeared from underwater, the front of it looked like a whale. "It''s the Moby Dick!" The marines shouted. Three more ships emerged from the water can came to the bay. Bob heard Whitebeard coming forward. ''This guy, why is he so tall? Like really, what do you have to eat to get that big?'' Whitebeard said a few words before he stuck his polearm into the boat. Whitebeard then began to take a pose as if he was flexing his muscles to their limit. The wind blew his coat back and he punched towards the side of him making the air crack. He caused a seaquake making the water rise high. Doflamingo did a hideous laugh as he licked his lips. "I''m getting really excited here!" He looked at Mihawk. "You''re planning on staying on the sidelines again? I bet you just came to pass time, didn''t you?" Boa Hancok sighed. "Everywhere I look there are insufferable, scruffy men." "Hey, we aren''t all like that." Bob interrupted her. Marineford started to rumble causing everyone to feel uneasy. ''So this is his power! No wonder they call him the strongest man in the world!'' A tsunami came and it was huge. The waves were larger than the highest building on Marineford. The Whitebeard pirates cheered. Admiral Aokiji jumped high into the air. "Ice Age!" The huge waves of water were swiftly frozen. Bob watched, this was all exciting for him. Things were playing out just as it happened in the show! The water was frozen soon. Wishful Thinking started playing as Bob heard the instrumental. "I am the shadow, and the smoke in your eyes, I am the ghost, that hides in the night" Charles voice sounded out through the various speakers placed all around Marineford. The cannons stationed on Marineford started firing towards the Whitebeard pirates. The Whitebeard pirates started rushing towards the marines. "Wait, wait a minute take a step back You gotta think twice before you react So stay, stay a little while Because a promise not kept is the road to exile" Charles singing Diamond Eyes by Shinedown. Chapter 75 - My Turn "Is that Wishful Thinking playing? How are they there and what is this song? It gets my blood pumping!" "I know right! Makes me want to punch somebody!" "Yeah!" The people who were watching the war beginning to take place couldn''t hold back their excitement when they heard Wishful Thinking start playing. Charles'' voice brought out their inner emotions, and they couldn''t hold themselves back. Someone actually did punch somebody, causing a small brawl to break out. "I merely wish to test the distance between us and him!" Mihawk said as he swung his sword down causing a wave of energy to shoot out from his sword towards Whitebeard. Whitebeard watched the wave come to him but stood still as if he wasn''t afraid. A man ran in front of the wave and used his body to block it! He gritted his teeth and roared loudly as he pushed the energy wave up into the sky. Bob looked at Mihawk and chuckled. "You can''t cut through diamond?" Mihawk glared at Bob for a moment but put his sword away. The Whitebeard pirates started to battle against the marines. Bob felt his body itching as he watched the explosions and blood spilling. He wanted to move, but none of the other warlords made a move yet. A moment later a bright light shined in the air. It dimmed down as Admiral Kizaru appeared. "Sacred String of Jewels!" Small lights of energy shot out from his hands aiming straight at Whitebeard. A figure soared in the air and blocked the attack from reaching Whitebeard. The impact of the attack caused a huge gust of wind to emerge. "You just can''t go straight for the King ya know." Bob grinned as he looked at Marco.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. He wanted that as well, the ability to fly. However, he couldn''t get wings to emerge on his back in his human beast form. Marco changed into a full on phoenix and flew towards Kizaru. Kizaru started to attack Marco, but it did no harm to him as Maroc''s regenerating ability was far too superior. Marco kicked Kizaru sending him flying. Kizaru crashed into the wall, but came back as if nothing happened. The giants of the marines started to move next, with large weapons in their hands. Diamond Jozu told everyone to stand back as he hit the ground. He managed to create a block of ice when he hit the ground. He picked the giant block of ice up with his hands and flung it backwards towards the marines. Admiral Akainu looked at the giant block of ice falling towards him from the sky. He got up from his seat and made a fist as magma emerged from his arm. "Great Eruption!" He punched towards the giant block of ice. The ice was shattered easily and melted due to the intense heat of the magma. Volcanic rocks started to fall from the sky. "Charge straight for the plaza!" One of the Whitebeard pirates shouted. "I can''t just sit here any longer." Bob said as he put his hand on Worlds End. "I can''t let you be the first one to move." Doflamgio said as he did his hideous laugh. Bob dashed onto the battlefield. He saw a large giant with yellow-green skin and orage hair wielding a sword high above his head. He slashed down towards the warships. Bob jumped in the air and drew Worlds End as he took on the giants sword attack. Bob used armament haki to cover his sword and arms, but he still felt his body tremble from the impact. Bob roared loudly as he put more strength behind his blade swing, but the giant had overwhelming strength. Worlds End had black mist coming from the blade as it took on the full force of the giant. Bob''s body was sent towards the ground. The giant''s attack didn''t go through, but everyone figured that he took Bob out with that attack. The ground was cracked under the impact of Bob landing on the ground. As the smoke settled, they saw Bob still standing tall with black mist coming from his blade. Bob looked up at the giant. "Hey! My turn." Bob said as he used Spellblade to cover his blade in a white flame. Worlds End passive was already activated, but Bob did not know how much damage it managed to Absorb. Afterall, there wasn''t a limit to it. The white flames and black mist seemed to merge together. Bob swung Worlds End towards the giant creating a giant grey arc. The giant roared as he swung his blade to meet the arc. As his blade touched the crescent arc his hands started to tremble, he gritted his teeth and tried to push it away. However, the force was too strong, he''s never encountered anything like it. Boom! The giant''s blade was sent flying out of his hand as the Giant landed on his back. "Little Oars!" The Whitebeard pirates yelled. The marines started to cheer loudly for Bob. "So, that''s what he''s capable of¡­" Sengoku said to himself as he observed Bob''s attack. Ace''s mouth was trembling as he saw Bob. ''Even you Bob?'' With Oars down, the marines started firing at him but they weren''t doing much damage. Bob knew that his attack wasn''t enough to kill the guy, but he''d be getting up again and might be looking for revenge. Whitebeard pirates started to charge towards Bob. Bob sheathed Worlds End and drew Winters Chill. Worlds End was used for those Bob would be cautious against, if they could do massive damage to him he''d use this sword. It''d take all their damage and return it to them twice fold! Winters Chill had a blue chill coming from it. "You want me? Come get me!" Chapter 76 - When Ashes fall, Legends Rise Bob used Gust to dash through the pirates, they couldn''t catch him he was moving too fast. Bob ended up by the edge of the bay where the Whitebeard was standing on Moby Dick. "Get him!" Someone shouted, Bob thrust Winters Chill forward and pierced the heart of one of the pirates. The thurst was quick, barely letting others see what he did. When he withdrew Winters Chill it was surrounded by a gale of wind. Bob faced the crowd of pirates rushing towards him and swung Winters Chill causing a whirlwind to emerge. Tempest, a good skill for controlling the crowd and grouping them up. The whirlwind swept up anyone caught in its path and flung them in the air. Bob activated Last Breath as his body vanished from sight. He appeared in the air next to the airborne targets and he started to swing Winters Chill. "Ugh!" Bob landed on the ground and bodies fell to the floor. Seeing their comrades fall before Bob a group of pirates started firing at him. Bob whipped his head around and stepped back as he used Wind Wall. Wind Wall created a wall of wind that blocked all projectiles. The bullets fell right in front of the Wind Wall, not even getting close to Bob''s body. "Seems I can''t leave you alone!" Marco said as he flew towards Bob. Marco did a flying heel kick but Bob blocked it with Winters Chill. Marco couldn''t use his devil fruit to attack Bob, but combining his speed together with his physical strength, he could still cause some damage. The ground beneath Bob''s feet cracked. "You''re stronger than I imagined." Bob said calmly as he pushed Marco''s leg off.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Lets see if you can keep up." "Is that any way to talk to your elders?" Marco and Bob began to fight. They were dashing here, flying there and causing chaos all over. "Bobs fighting Marco to a standstill!" The marines were amazed. What they did not know was Bob wasn''t using everything he had, there was still plenty of moves he had left. However, he couldn''t kill Marco. His regeneration was too strong, Bob might be able to with Mortal Reminder but he was saving that for another occasion. As Bob and Marco''s fight was taking place Little Oars got up off the ground and grabbed his sword. "Ace! I''m coming to save you!" Little Oars shouted as he started walking towards Ace. Various Rear Admirals tried to stop Little Oars but they were knocked to the ground. Kuma raised his hand and a giant bear paw emerged, the bear paw started to shrink greatly before he shot it towards Little Oars. "Ursus Shock." Little Oars Bob trembled as he screamed in pain. The energy contained within that blast was too great as it caused the ice to shatter and gust of wind to blow. When the effect ended, Little Oars was bleeding immensely, his eyes were rolled to the back of his head as he dropped down to his knees. Little Oars managed to get back up and kept walking towards Ace, but Doflamingo was there. Little Oars body stopped moving as he looked down. "What''s the matter little beast?" Doflamingo asked. "My foot¡­" Little Oars right foot was cut off and his body fell to the ground. But even then, he continued to try and reach Ace, but just body gave wave and he collapsed due to all the damage he received. Sengoku who was overlooking the battlefield felt that if things went on any longer the Whitebeard pirates would reach Ace. He couldn''t let them do that. All three admirals were busy. "Forget about the time, execute Ace!" Sengoku shouted causing the marines to hear it. Wishful Thinking started playing another song as the drummer started banging his drums in a rhythm. "Up in the sky! What''s that?" People looked and saw something falling out of the sky. Bob noticed it too. "Sorry, can''t play around anymore. We''ll catch up next time." Bob said as he counted Marco''s blow with a kick to the stomach. Bob used armament haki to cover his foot and Marco was sent flying away. Bob already knew what was falling out of the sky, and since that was happening Ace''s death wasn''t far away. As Luffy and his temporary crew were falling out of the sky they heard music playing. "What is that sound?" Buggy asked as he heard the music. "Sounds like music! Who''s playing here?" "Look! There''s Ace!" Charles was rocking his head to the beat and tapping his foot along. He felt a fire in his stomach. "Legs are tied, these hands are broken Alone I try with words unspoken Silent cry, a breath is frozen With blinded eyes, I fear myself" Charles started rocking out with a powerful voice. He was putting a lot of energy into this song. "It''s burning down, it''s burning high When ashes fall, the legends rise" Bob grinned hard when he heard When Legends Rise by Godsmack start playing. The moment was good too, as Luffy was falling from the sky and his legend would really take shape here. Chapter 77 - Born for this As Luffy''s temporary crew fell to the ground, some people were surprised to see them. Yet, the appearance of a few more people did not stop the war from raging. Crocodile looked at Whitebeard and went straight for him. "Whitebeard!" Crocodile was flying due to his devil fruit ability, he appeared next to Whitebeard and was about to attack him but was knocked back. "Strawhat, now that we''ve had it here we no longer have an agreement." Crocodile was highly upset at Luffy for interfering in his matters. Bob kicked some small fry pirate and sent him flying as he looked at Luffy. "Ha! This guy actually made it." Bob thought he was talking inside his head, but he was actually speaking out loud. Bob could see Luffy and Whitebeard having a conversation, but due to all the music, guns being fired and roars he couldn''t make out what they were saying. He knew from the show that they were talking about Ace''s execution and how things were being sped up. Therefore, Bob didn''t need to read their lips to understand what they were saying. Luffy jumped off Moby Dick and charged at a group of marines, then he stretched his arms and punched them. "Hancock, you plan on switching sides?" Bob asked Boa Hancock who just got done kicking a bunch of men. Boa flipped her hair and scoffed at Bob. "What''s it to you?" Bob grinned. "Just curious is all." Bob saw Luffy running straight for Ace and Admiral Kizaru looked at him. "I was going to take care of you on Sabody!" He sent a line of golden light towards Luffy. Ivankov appeared next to Luffy and winked. The Wink and the golden light clashed together creating a giant explosion. Luffy recovered from the blast and quickly got back up to run towards Ace. He ran into Rear Admiral Hina who used her devil fruit powers to make a cage. Luffy activate gear second and left the cage with ease. "Bob! Are you just planning on standing there?" One of the Rear Admirals questioned Bob as he was just standing there. Bob yawned and stretched his arms. "I''m waiting to make an entrance. You know, something that''ll shock everyone." Bob replied as he fanned the marine away. "What are you doing? Get the rookie!" Sengoku shouted into the den-den mushi. "He''s a loose cannon! He grew up together with Ace as his step-brother and he''s the biological son of the revolutionary - Dragon!"If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Sengoku added. "The revolutionary - Dragon!? The worst criminal in history?" "His fathers such a big shot?" There were various reactions all across the battlefield. Bob grinned. Luffy was causing as much shock as him when he fought Little Oars and Marco. However, Bob felt he was being overshadowed due to Luffy''s father having such a huge name. Bob looked over at Kuma, there was a difference as he did not attack Ivankov as he did in the show. Instead he was mostly observing the battlefield and fighting whoever came up to him. ''Vegapunk failed?'' Bob was curious as to what happened between Kuma and Vegapunk. There was no news released, so Bob didn''t know. However, Kuma still seemed to have a mind of his own. Whitebeard seemed to be having a blast as he had a grin spread across his face as he watched Luffy. Bob couldn''t sit still and decided to help Luffy out a bit. He rushed into a crowd of pirates and dashed through them all as he used Tempest. His blade was covered by a gale of wind as he dashed back through Marines. Bob threw a whirlwind knocking up all the marines that was in Luffy''s path. "Warlord Bob! Are you attacking marines?" "I just missed." Bob replied back to the marine. They didn''t know if he was actually telling the truth or not, but after that whirlwind Bob stopped attacking. "Bob!" Luffy shouted, but had to time to talk to Bob as he had to save Ace. Smoker tried to get in Luffy''s way, but Boa Hancock made her move and stopped him. Bob saw that Mihawk started to take action against Luffy, but he knew that some swordsman from the Whitebeard pirates would hold Mihawk off. The time on the battlefield moved pretty fast as Luffy already rescuing Ace. He had the key in his hand and uncuffed Ace. All the battles made Bob become excited, but he wouldn''t move yet. He already had a good gauge of his strength but to make a memory everyone would remember he needed to move at the right moment. Wishful Thinking started playing a song Bob requested if they saw Ace get uncuffed. Charles face was full of sweat, but there was a large smile on his face. "I''m checking my vital signs Drawing my battle lines Going to war again Feeling the rhythm inside of my chest All I need is just a pen I know I was born for this I know I was born this" Charles voice echoed across the battlefield reaching the hearts of many. His words caused everyone to be invigorated! They gained strength even though they were tired. Bob wasn''t surprised, Born for This was a good song that gave people hope. It made them feel important and that their actions mattered. There was a giant flame as Ace landed on the ground with Luffy. "Flame Pillar!" Ace screamed. All the pirates shouted in joy as they witnessed Ace''s freedom. The blast of Ace''s attack spread across the battlefield. Bob grinned. "Listen close, Whitebeard Pirates!" Whitebeard spoke. "The order I am about to give, will be my final orders as captain!" Some of the pirates didn''t want to hear his final words. "What are you talking about captain? Aren''t we going to go back to the New World together?" "You and I will be parting here! All of you, make sure you survive, and reunite with each other in the New World!" Whitebeard spoke with a hole in his chest. Bob knew that he was already dying, this would be his final fight. However, he could still take a few more blows. If Whitebeard survived longer Bob would heal him. A figure like Whitebeard didn''t need to die. "I am the one at the top of this era, there is no ship to carry me in the new era!" Whitebeard said as he flexed his muscles and created a tremor. All of Marineford started to crack and break apart. "GO, MY MEN!" Whitebeard felt it, all the Admirals felt it. The old era was ending and a new one was emerging. He couldn''t continue on trying to stay at the top, it was time to pass everything on to someone else. The Whitebeard pirates started retreating in sadness as they obeyed their captains final orders. Whitebeard and Ace had some words together, but Akainu started badmouthing the Whitebeard pirates and Whitebeard himself. Bob wasn''t apart of Whitebeard''s crew, but even he felt angered by Akainu''s words. Born for This ended, and the music quickly changed. Hearing this beat, Bob knew this was the second to last song Wishful Thinking would play here. "Legends never die When the world is calling you Can you hear them screaming out Your name? Legends never die They become a part of you Everytime you bleed For reaching Greatness Relentless you survive" As the song started Akainu and Ace started fighting. Ace was blown back by Akainu''s attack. "You''re too careless thinking just because your a logia type you can''t be hurt." "Ace!" Luffy shouted as Ace''s vivi card fell. Luffy went to grab it, and Akainu looked at him. Akainu moved with his magma fist. Luffy!" Ace yelled. Bob felt his heart beat. "Pick yourself up, cause Legends never die!" Charles words echoed in Bob''s ear causing Bob to smile. Bob drew Worlds End, and the sky darkened as thunder roared in the sky. Time seemed to come to a standstill as Bob''s body was covered in static sparks. Bob jumped into the air, and it seemed that his body merged with the lightning in the sky. From high above, everything looked small. "Thunderclap!" Bob''s body shot down like a bolt of lightning causing a huge explosion. Chapter 78 - The world is watching Whitebeard covered his eyes as the wind was too strong. He saw the sky darken and a loud vicious roar of thunder, the next second later a huge bolt of lightning hit the ground. Ace who was in front of the blast was blown back. Luffy and the vivre card he was trying to grab were thrown backwards. "A bolt of lightning!?" "Where did it come from? The skies were clear!" Everyone was curious where this strange bolt of lightning came from, as there was no signs of a storm earlier. As the smoke cleared from around where the bolt of lightning struck, they saw Bob standing over Akainu''s body with a deep crater in the ground. A sword was stuck in Akainu''s back but he was still alive, however the damage he suffered was severe. Bob''s blue hair was frizzy due to Thunderclap, but he was surprised that Akainu wasn''t dead. "Seems this wasn''t enough to finish you off." Bob said. Akainu looked back at Bob and clenched his teeth as he started to get up. Bob grabbed Worlds End and withdrew it from Akainu''s back. He activated Mortal Reminder as Worlds End was covered in a light. He swung it and Akainu was completely vulnerable. Everyone on the battlefield was silent as they didn''t know how to make sense of this scene. Charles was stunned too as he and his friends stopped playing their music. "Is¡­ is this the moment Bob was talking about?" One of his friends asked. Charles gulped. "Play the song!" They didn''t even finish playing Legends Never Die, and started a brand new song. Bob was the center of attention as Akainu''s head was off his body. ''I never did like this guy.'' Bob looked up and felt like the whole world was watching him. Music started playing and Charles voice echoed onto the field. "There''s no time for redemption Those flags you wave, will they hold up? Don''t cry for your vengeance It''s right there to take if you want it The world is watching"You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. It wasn''t like the other songs Wishful Thinking sung, this was different. This song, it was saying something else. All over the world, to those who managed to watch this war they were silent. Akainu was dead, and Bob one of the 7 warlords killed him. Did he betray the World Government? He was not on the side of the Whitebeard pirates and now he wasn''t on the side of the Marines. "Here''s your judgement Here''s your reckoning Write your story down into history Pride and country You could have everything So bring home the glory alive" "H-he killed him¡­" "Admiral Akainu is down! I need to release this to the public fast!" The reporters that were still watching the war were shaken. This was big news, one that would change the world. At the revolutionary base John and Ron were both watching along with all the revolutionary soldiers. "This guy! He''s challenging the marines to a fight right in front of the entire world!" John said as he couldn''t believe his eyes. "You think the marines will accept?" Discussion broke out amongst the revolutionaries. Dragon who stood in the back away from everyone else watched this scene. The video seemed to be paused at the scene where Bob looked up at all the marines after he slayed Akainu. With Wishful Thinking playing that music in the background, it truly did seem like Bob was challenging the marines. "This kid, he''s going to be a legend." Dragon said as he laughed to himself. "BOB!" Luffy shouted as he had Ace''s vivre card in hand. "That was amazing!" "Bob. What are you going to do now?" Ace asked Bob. "Well, I can''t stay here, now can I?" Luffy''s eyes grew wide. "Does that mean you''re planning on joining my crew?" Bob shook his head. "That bastard¡­ he killed Admiral Akainu!" "Get him!" The marines charged straight for Bob. Sengoku was disappointed in Bob, he hung his head low. ''Is this the path you chose?'' Sengoku questioned if Bob really wanted to challenge the World Government. "Marco! Make sure those three escape, they are going to shape the new era." Whitebeard said. Marco flew towards Bob, Ace and Luffy. "Go! It''s time to leave!" As Marco was grabbing those three Whitebeard grabbed his polearm and swung it. The air started to crack as another huge tremor emerged. The buildings at Marineford started to breakdown. As Bob passed Whitebeard he stopped and looked up at him. He was still injured from before, but it seemed like he had no plans on leaving this place alive. His mind was set on dying here to let everyone escape. "You don''t have to die." Bob said. Whitebeard grinned. "Be careful kid, the target on your back is huge now." Whitebeard said. Bob smiled and used Grand Blessing on Whitebeard, healing most of his injures. He couldn''t do anything about the hole in his chest, but it''d help him survive for a lot longer. Bob ran past Whitebeard and after fifty steps the ground to get to Whitebeard was destroyed. There was no longer a path to get to him. As the marines were rushing towards Whitebeard, someone noticed something. "Hey! Who are those people on the execution stand?" "Huh?" "Seems they finally noticed us." Blackbeard said. "You little brat!" Whitebeard clenched his fist. Bob sighed when he saw this. ''Hina.. what did I tell you? How''d you let this happen?'' Bob asked himself as he saw Blackbeard appear with his crew from Impel Down. Ace gritted his teeth. "Blackbeard!" Bob could understand how Ace felt. He lost to the guy and because of him this situation occurred. Blackbeard started laughing. "So, you just wanted the status of a warlord to free those criminals?" Sengoku asked. "Yes! That''s all I wanted and that''s all that matters!" Whitebeard punched the air in anger. "I don''t give a damn about that!" The tremor Whitebeard caused, made the platform Blackbeard and his crew was standing on shatter. They fell to the ground and all sorts of rubble covered their body. "You have no mercy, huh? Of course you don''t!" Blackbeard said as he glared at Whitebeard. "You broke the one and only iron rule on my ship and you killed your mate! I will avenge the 4th division commander Thatch by taking this fool''s life thereby ending the matter!" Whitebeard pointed his polearm at Blackbeard. Ace clenched his fist together and was about to move. "ACE! MARCO!" Whitebeard yelled. "Pops!" "Stay out of this!" "Pops!" Bob wished he had some popcorn, this fight was about to be amazing. Whitebeard''s injury was not as severe in the show and with Bob using Grand Blessing on him, he was almost at full strength. "Let''s get this over with, Teach!" Chapter 79 - Weaknesses Blackbeard raised his hand as black smoke covered it. He then put his hand on the ground, the black smoke covered the ground around him and Whitebeard. "Black Hole!" A small tornado swirled around Blackbeard. The tornado disappeared as it was absorbed into Blackbeard''s body. "This is the power of the devil fruit that I stole from Thatch by killing him! The most dominant Dark-Dark Fruit! Enjoy it to the fullest extent." Everything seemed to be getting absorbed by the black smoke covering the ground. "Hey, Pops! Thatch died and now you will too! I looked up to you and longed to be like you but you got old." Whitebeard clenched his teeth together hearing Blackbeard''s words. He flexed his muscles getting ready to use his devil fruit power. Blackbeard laughed. "That won''t work! There''s no devil fruit power that works against me!" ''This guys'' so full of himself! He''s not even that great.'' Bob thought to himself as he shook his head. Blackbeard reminded Bob of Gecko Moria, someone who relied heavily upon their devil fruit powers. Whitebeard didn''t listen to Blackbeard and swung his fist. Blackbeard stuck out his hand and caught Whitebeard''s fist as he laughed. "Vortex!" As the two powers touched each other Whitebeard''s power was sucked into the black smoke. "How do you like my power? It drags in and nullifies even the powers of devil fruits! Which means you can''t create earthquakes anymore!" Blackbeard threw a punch towards Whitebeard. In the show, Whitebeard was injured so this punch actually did him some harm. However, now Whitebeard just glared at Blackbeard as if his punch barely tickled. "Is that all Teach?"This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Blackbeard looked at Whitebeard in confusion. He was sure this guy was injured, so why did his attack have little to no effect on him? Whitebeard swirled his polearm and slashed down at Blackbeard. Blackbeard was sent flying as he crashed down to the ground. "Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!" Blackbeard rolled around in pain. Whitebeard stepped on his palms as he held onto his polearm. "Arrogance, thoughtlessness¡­ those are your weaknesses!" Whitebeard''s eyes were cold as he stared down at Blackbeard. His polearm started to have a transparent circle around it. Blackbeard saw this and shook his head. "I''m your son, can you kill me?" Whitebeard swung his polearm at Blackbeard and a large explosion occurred causing tons of dust to come up from the ground. The Whitebeard pirates started cheering loudly. "You did it Pops!" "Yeah!" Bob nodded his head in approval. When the smoke cleared Bob saw Blackbeard''s bloody body. There was a deep gash across his chest and his organs could be seen. "So, that''s the level of the worlds strongest man¡­" Bob said to himself. ''Glad he''s leaving this era!'' Bob smiled to himself, as he was happy Whitebeard was leaving this era to the younger pirates. "Whitebeard killed Blackbeard¡­" Sengoku clenched his fist together and gritted his teeth. "This war is not yet over! Get them!" Sengoku shouted causing the marines to run towards the pirates. Cannons and shots started to be fired, but Whitebeard swung his polearm causing the cannon balls to explode in the air. In the midst of all the fighting, a red-haired man stepped More bodies started to drop, and one lone soul couldn''t handle all the pain. "We''re wasting people''s lives! Every single soldier has a family that''s waiting for him to come home! We''ve accomplished nothing during this war and he''s already escaped! Why can''t we just stop the fighting!?" Koby a pink haired marine cried his lungs out. Admiral Akainu died, Ace was freed and in the hands of the Whitebeard pirates. Why continue fighting when the goal they set out to do has failed? "Is that Koby?" Garp asked. "Good job, you young Navy soldier." A red-haired man said calmly but in a voice that spread across Marineford. "For better or worse, the future of the world is now changing because of this." He said as he looked up at all the marines and Whitebeard. "Red-Haired Shanks!" Everyone was surprised to see him here. "Why is one of the four emperors here?" "I''m here, to end this war!" Shanks presence alone caused a big stir, and with his crew here as well no one was making any rash movements. Sengoku closed his eyes and looked up to the sky. Shanks walked to Whitebeard and looked up at him. "Whitebeard! Pull your troops back and leave quietly." Whitebeard looked down at Shanks but said no words. Shanks walked past Whitebeard and looked towards all the marines. His crew was standing behind him. "If you want to continue fighting then come! We will be your opponents!" The marines and the criminals that Blackbeard released flinched at his words. Everyone looked around at the loss of their brothers and sisters. Tears streamed down their faces. "For now, please respect what I have to say." Shanks said. Sengoku opened his eyes and let out a deep breath. "THIS WAR IS OVER!" He shouted. Both sides suffered losses and Shanks was here. Fighting one emperor brought him enough losses, it wasn''t worth it to fight two of them. It was shameful to have a loss this big hanging over their shoulders, but this war must end. Chapter 80 - Legendary The war was over with, but that did not mean everything was over with. The Whitebeard pirates left the bay with Whitebeard, Ace, Luffy, Wishful Thinking and Bob. Some of them did not want Bob to come onboard the ship, but Whitebeard said since he saved Ace from death all could be forgiven. "Marco. Ace." Whitebeard said as he sat down. "Pops." The two of them said as they answered Whitebeard. "I''m passing the reins over to the two of you. My time at sea is now over, it''s time for a new era to begin." Ace and Marco started crying as they did not want Whitebeard to give up his goal of becoming Pirate King. The Whitebeard pirates landed at Sabaody. Ace, Luffy, Wishful Thinking and Bob got off here. Bob looked at Ace and Luffy. "What do you plan on doing?" Bob asked the two of them. "Going back to the New World. There are still things left that needs to be done!"Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Ace said. "I need to meet up with my crew soon! Then we''ll go challenge the New World." Luffy replied. Bob laughed. "The two of you should take a break. This war was hard on everyone, there''s no need to rush into the New World. Take time and train." Bob said. Ace nodded his head. "I''ll think about it, but Luffy you should really take this time to train. There''s a lot to learn, and the New Worlds a whole different place." Bob chatted with Luffy and Ace for a bit before he parted ways with them. "Where are we going now Bob?" Charles asked. "There''s something I want to do Charles. I need your help." "Anything you need, i''ll help you out." Bob smiled. An hour later, Bob was in the middle of the park. Reporters were rushing to take his picture and there was a large crowd all around him. Bob had Worlds End stuck into the ground while he sat on a boulder. His eyes were closed, but he looked cool. "Take pictures! This is huge news! Quicksword Bob is here on Sabaody!" The reporters said. Behind Bob was Wishful Thinking with their gear set up. Music started playing loudly in the park. "My heart bleeds adrenaline The fire I breathe is where I live Say my name, incredible Say my name, an animal One life to live I never give up, I never give in Some people wanna turn and run But the strong rise under the gun Top, to the top Ain''t never gonna stop" Legendary by Skillet started playing as Bob opened his eyes and looked at the spectators. "What does this mean?" "The top!? He''s planning on challenging the whole world?" "Is he telling the world he''s starting the new era?" Bob didn''t respond to them, instead he just let the music play. It would say everything he wanted to say. Music had that effect. "Destiny is callin'' me Go down in history Every day i''ll fight to be Legendary" The music kept playing and more pictures were taken. Quicksword Bob, the man who killed the Admiral Akainu and helped rescue Ace. He would go down in history and become legendary. Bob knew the next time anyone saw him, they wouldn''t recognize him. Afterall, Bob was going to disappear from this world and Faceless would rise.