《One Piece: Era of Kings》


 Chapter One - Krashers Chase!

    A calm afternoon breeze rustled the foliage of Shells Town, the buzzing of cicadas hiding within the forest nearby was a calming ambience that harmonised into Krasher¡¯s ears. His marine cap displaced his black hair as it came down around his head. His tan skin was a testimony to his hard work, and the enjoyment that he found himself in as he delighted the warmth of the sun¡¯s rays. He had drifted off on his break, not realizing his time off was well over spent. His ears twitched as a loud rustling sound of footsteps through the sand were audible.


    ¡°Recruit Krasher, what in the hell are you doing!?¡± A loud voice startled Krasher as he jolted up and crashed back down to the sand, trying to clasp his brain back to reality. He glanced up and saw the stoic figure before him. It was none other than Petty Officer Risaguchi, standing at eight feet with wide muscles. His black mustache greeted his rough beard, which traveled up to the hilly meadows of his sideburns and eventually to his afro. He had several arm tattoos, none of which were appealing in the slightest to Krasher.


    ¡°Uhh--Sir, I was on my break, Sir!¡± He saluted, blushing red with fear of what was to come for him. A gust of wind blew his cap off as he struggled to catch it. His eyes then traveled back to Risaguchi¡¯s with a hesitant smile.


    Risaguchi sighed, ¡°Under normal circumstances I would punish you severely about now, but I came to tell you that you¡¯ve been transferred to another squadron. Something about you needing to see some action in the East Blue after all of this time stationed here.¡± He shrugged, and then turned to walk away. ¡°Your now in Squadron Seven, room eighteen. Don¡¯t forget, because I won¡¯t be coming back to tell you again.¡± He grumbled.


    Krasher sighed, placing his hand on his katana out of sheer instinct. His eyes popped open as he realized what he was doing. He unsheathed the sword and did a few practice swings before heading off back to the main living quarters. Krasher wasn¡¯t too interested in the journey on the way, though there were many shops and assorted stands. He¡¯d heard stories about how Monkey D. Luffy met his first mate here, and how that lead to the popularity of the town growing. Since then, Shells Town has nearly doubled in size and is a major district for shopping and naval travel.


    A few merchants were trying to persuade Krasher into buying some foreign goods he didn¡¯t recognize, but all of these things were a blur to him in the grand scheme of things. ¡°I have to follow orders, the chain of command! To a perfect degree and become an Admiral of the Sea!¡± He jogged forward, taking in everything. The vivid complexion of the townspeople and the happiness that the marines granted them by protecting them from the scum of the world: pirates.


    It was then that his eyes were distracted by a gleam of white in front of him, and he slammed right into that distraction. In a bit of a knot, Krasher brought himself to a stand as he blinked his eyes. ¡°A-Are you okay?!¡± He asked, begrudgingly. Things were not going well for Krasher today. Not in the slightest.


    The man at his feet had appealing red eyes that contrasted heavily with his white hair. In what universe did someone receive genetics like that? Krasher thought to himself.


    It was then that Krasher noticed the disturbing stash of swords gathered at this man¡¯s waist side, suited alongside his stoic reaction to all of this, he could only foresee the worst scenario. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He suddenly asked, bringing himself up to stand at his height.


    Krasher was thrown off guard, ¡°Krasher, and you are?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Kuro, and remember that name well. I¡¯d rather you get moving along before I marble you into a fine steak for the butchery.¡± He said, pushing up his sword with the tip of his thumb. His glare was one of serious intent to kill, which only made Krasher more frantic to leave. His day was getting even worse! He wasn¡¯t about to challenge this unknown warrior, this was not apart of his orders. Besides, if he attacked here he could be held responsible for the injury of civilians.


    Krasher gulped, ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be on my way then.¡± He pulled his cap down and walked away with no intentions of looking back, even though he was tempted. Soon enough, he pulled into the living quarters of the Shells Town base and found his dorm room.


    He was nervous, but his new dorm mates would be better than his last surely. Anything is better than a pimple popper and a snitch. He sighed, smiling widely as he opened the door. He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a towering eight foot figure above him, with green spiky hair and an intimidating longsword to add for the cherry on top. His menacing frown glared at Krasher¡¯s scalp. ¡°Hmm?¡± He groaned.


    It was then that Krasher turned pale, shutting the door slowly and beginning to walk away. ¡°Must have been the wrong dorm. That guy was probably a vice admiral or something¡­¡± He muttered. Krasher watched as a woman was jogging down the hallway, her actions were a testament to change her chubby figure. ¡°Ahh, excuse me but I was transferred. I was wondering if you knew where I was transferred to?¡± He asked the lady.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    She stopped, catching her breathe with sweat trickling down her face and arms. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Krasher.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Krasher, you¡¯re with me and Tero. Just follow me and I¡¯ll take you to our dorm.¡± She smiled, giving him a wink. He didn¡¯t want to lie to himself, it sent chills down his spine and not in the good way. Though he bit his tongue and remained expressionless.


    ¡°Thank you! I appreciate it.¡± He said.


    She opened the door where Krasher had previously entered. His face once again going pale as the intimidating figure was now sitting in the corner on the top bunk bed. His eyes drifted over to the two, ¡°What is justice?¡± He pointed at Krasher.


    ¡°Eehhhh?¡± Krasher could only fathom.


    Krasher felt as if this man was confused, or either wrong in the head. Though he enjoyed the abnormality in this man¡¯s personality. ¡°Haha, I think there are many forms of justice. We follow the justice that protects lives.¡± Krasher explained, suddenly ushering out his charismatic charm that he so often finds in the most dire moments.


    ¡°I am Sekai Tero, and there is only one justice. We must protect that justice. You should understand this. What is your name?¡± A shadow crept over his face, while Krasher could feel his intent to kill only feet away.


    ¡°I¡¯m Krasher, it¡¯s nice to meet you two. You would be?¡± He turned to the woman who had guided him earlier. She stepped into the dorm and sat down, wiping her face with a towel while Krasher shut the door behind himself. The open window let light into the room as small increments of dust beset the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m Velvee Blackbottom, you can just call me Velvee though.¡± She smiled warmly at him. Krasher nodded and glanced back toward the justice junkie. It seemed he had gone quiet for the time being.


    ¡°Hopefully this is the start of a great day, so far I¡¯ve had it kind of rough!¡± He sighed, finally discovering rest at his bottom bunk. He opened his eyes and turned over to the pair. ¡°Wait, do we have a fourth man?¡± He asked them.


    Sekai spoke, ¡°Not yet.¡±


    Velvee nodded in agreement, picking up one of her weights to curl it in her downtime. She was really getting that afternoon workout in. She smiled as Krasher got caught watching her. ¡°Hey, Krasher I need your help. Could you come with me?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Uhhm, sure!¡± He said, cringing at the worst possibilities that this could develop into. He followed her out of the base and back into the busy streets, which was nearby the place he¡¯d met that strange intimidating white-haired man. They were practically in the middle of the shopping district.


    ¡°Get your cabbages! Sixty percent off for the person who buys more than ten!¡± A man exclaimed. Not a bad deal, Krasher thought silently to himself. He returned back to the task at hand, what had been asked of him.


    ¡°So what did you need Velvee?¡± He asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a thief that always comes around this market at the same time of the day. I need your help catching him for once and all. He happens to be a fishman as well! They call him the Fishman Shoplifter.¡± She clenched her fists. ¡°Any second now, and we should get the word of his attack!¡±


    Krasher couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. In what world was the marine branch incompetent enough to not take care of this if this was a daily occurence like she said? Perhaps the base didn¡¯t care since it was such a small illegality amongst the many crimes in the East Blue.


    As if clockwork, ¡°Help! It¡¯s him! The Fishman Shoplifter!!¡± A woman screamed as a short and stout fishman darted down the street with a box of valuables. He was grinning as he passed the two recruits that stood grid lock.


    ¡°Damn! He¡¯s fast!¡± Krasher¡¯s jaw went agape as Velvee dashed after the culprit at hand.


    ¡°Come on! No time to spare!¡± She said, as the chase ensued, turning into a real mission without any chain of command to intervene. This was volunteer work by the marines without truly being on the job. Velvee wasn¡¯t even in full uniform!


    It wasn¡¯t long before Krasher took the lead ahead of Velvee due to his healthier physique, though he still couldn¡¯t catch the fast legs of the fishman. Well--of course that was until he tripped on a rock and ate dirt. Velvee literally dived on top of the fishman, ¡°I got you! You¡¯re under arrest thief!¡±


    Everyone cheered Velvee on as the fishman struggled, ¡°I¡¯m Kamino, I¡¯ll become a greater ruler than you¡¯ll ever be! Now let me go before I sock one through your nose girl!¡± His anger rose as he threw Velvee off of her and shot his fishman strengthened fist at her nose. ¡°Take this!¡±


    Velvee flinched, closing her eyes until she realized nothing happened.Instead Krasher had taken the blow to the nose, red liquid poured from the orifices of his hands as he held his nose tightly to his face. ¡°You broke my nose bastard!¡± He said, pushing his katana up and out, slashing Kamino¡¯s shirt and giving him a paper cut as he narrowly dodged the blade.


    Kamino smacked his lips in frustration, holding his stomach. ¡°You--I¡¯ll be sure to remember you and take you down once I have my crew!¡± He jumped out of the way of the second strike and kicked Krasher in his gut, sending him flying away. Kamino was gone and out of sight as Velvee knelt at Krasher¡¯s side. ¡°Are you okay!?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yeah, take me to a nurse.¡± He said, his nose gushing blood. What a damn bad day.


    Meanwhile, Kamino wiped the blood from his small wound on his stomach. He found himself in a dark alleyway. ¡°That guy was pretty strong for a human. Too bad he was a marine.¡± He said to himself. That was when those red eyes appeared in the darkness.


    ¡°I see we have a mutual foe, I take it you¡¯d be interested in a temporary alliance against this new foe?¡± He smiled, throwing his white messy hair over the side and appearing from the darkness with an insipid smile.


    ¡°Nice to make your acquaintance.¡±

 Koburas Fishy Encounter!

    Snakes...they were sly and they were venomous. Capable of swallowing normal predators whole and sabotaging any unlucky passerby. That was an interesting thought that Kobura had. He held the snake in his hands as it slithered out and onto the ground. He smiled, holding his sword to his side. ¡°Snakes are interesting creatures¡­¡±


    He walked through the woods and emerged from the tree line into Foosha Village. There he found a strange figure fishing off the docks. His older eyes weren¡¯t waning on him yet, but the figure was someone of strong conviction. A setting sun loomed over the horizon as he gently tugged on the rod, fishing for something a bit larger.


    Who was this man? Kobura had never seen him before in actuality. Foosha Village rarely got visitors and only had caravans that passed through every now and then for supplies. Most of their naval traffic was just to dock while the main crew hiked up through Midway Passage to Goa Kingdom. A figure emerged off of a ship--one of a larger category. He held the traits of a fish, while retaining a human form. A fishman?


    The fishman gently spoke to the man fishing on the dock as if they were friends. Maybe comrades or partners in hand. Since Kobura didn¡¯t have much else to do, he decided to walk toward the setting sun and introduce himself to the two strangers. His legs felt like jelly as he presented himself awkwardly to the two. One had a rough and cutthroat look to him, his fishing squat was immediately revoked as Kobura pulled up. The fishman loomed over the figure with a closely held eye.


    ¡°You got a problem punk?¡± He spat, finding his evening to be interrupted by some strange business-esque looking fellow. The fisherman stood up and pushed the fishman aside. How ironic it was that he was fishing in front of a fishman, but Kobura was the one being yelled at. ¡°Shajun, calm down. I ain¡¯t gotta¡¯ problem with the kid. So why make a ruckus?¡± He gave Kobura a glare of neutrality.


    Kobura sighed, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to be so awkward. I¡¯ve got an eye for this kind of stuff though.¡± He said, lighting a cigarette. ¡°You two seem to know each other well, the name¡¯s Kobura and you two are?¡± He asked with a glancing smile before pocketing his cigarette pack and dismissing it into his coat.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Kazak, and this big guy here is my First Mate Shajun. He¡¯s got a wallop of a punch I tell ya¡¯.¡± Kazak said.


    A vibrant color of a rainbow appeared as rain had befallen in the distance over the ocean. Something about this moment was pristine and unprecedented to Kobura. There wasn¡¯t a way to put his finger on it, but something about these two vacated the area of all doubt. They were emitting something more grandeur and a dream that was deeply entwined with the sanctums of catastrophe.


    Kobura only smiled, ¡°Pirates ehh?¡± He had a sudden admiration for them, but he wasn¡¯t sure of his path yet. Nor was he a mind-reader, he could only feel the energy that permeated from them like a fragrance of adventure.


    Kazak frowned, ¡°How¡¯d ya¡¯ know? You been fallowin¡¯ me?!¡± He pulled his fish hook out and readied himself for combat. ¡°Shajun, ready yourself! This one¡¯s linked to that man!¡± He said, referencing someone of unknown origin.


    ¡°Woah! Wait--I¡¯m not trying to fight!¡± He took a few steps back before holding to his sword. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one, but I¡¯m not affiliated with whoever you are talking about! Now let¡¯s all be friends here before this gets messy¡­¡± Kobura squinted his eyes.


    His eyes were full of zeal and confidence, it was clear this man was no pushover when it came to his swordsmanship. Shajun charged in, not hearing a word of it as his anger boiled over into raw strength. ¡°Hyahhhh!¡± He sent a punch flying at Kobura with an intense rage that deafened the air around Kobura.


    A clang of metal and fist was met as Kobura managed to block the punch with the flat side of his sword. His feet skidded back as dust furled into the air like the mark of battle had been met. It was two on one, and Kobura wasn¡¯t sure of the abilities of these two. He knew that the fishman was physically stronger than him, but the unknown variable of the captain could prove troublesome in this encounter.


    A soft wind could be heard through the trees that swayed at the hands of mother nature, the pebbles found rest between the crevices of dirt as the two parties glared at each other with an intense focus that was unrivaled in Foosha Village.


    An intense battle was being waged here for no reason at all it seemed, and villagers all around began to recognize the ongoing conflict. A haughty man of twelve foot came out from the bar and grabbed Kazak and Kobura by the head. ¡°You two settle down before I have to put you down you hear?¡± He said with a twinge of a smile.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    The gathering crowd cheered for the twelve foot tall man, ¡°Yehaa! That¡¯s our man Bull!¡± His complexion turned sour when a fist of water enveloped his gut and sent him flying into the air, riveting like a plane without pilot until he crashed into the roof of a bar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch Captain Kazak!¡± He said, grimacing his large muscles with a furious notion. Kobura had a sudden demeanor about him that glared into the eyes of Kazak. A startling image came to mind and then it was released in a sudden instance amidst the fog that was emanated from nothing itself. From it came the one and only, Snake Eyes Kobura.


    ¡°I¡¯m Snake Eyes Kobura, and I ate the Hebi Hebi no mi, Model: King Cobra! My sszwordsmanship is unrivaled with this ssstrength, if you can defeat me in this form...I¡¯ll let you do what you want with me. Though I still have no idea what I¡¯m being accuszzed of¡­¡±


    Kobura said, slithering forward with the power of the King Cobra on his side. He held the sword with his mouth and dove forward to impale the fishman. The fishman barely had time to react, but was still able to get out of the deadly scenario with the help of his captain. A clang of metal against metal ricocheted throughout Foosha Village.


    A hook blade versus a sword, the idea was incredulous, but Kazak was holding his own against the snake with a shaky arm. ¡°What a strange but incredible power! I¡¯ll take ya¡¯ down!¡± He deflected the sword and kicked Kobura in the side where Shajun began to beat the snob out of him. He flew into a distant building. Time was of the essence, and Kobura was running out.


    Shajun jumped after the retreated Kobura, and delivered a deadly attack to his chest, ¡°Geyser uppercut!¡± He said as a large stream of water was accompanied with the fist. Kobura immediately deflated back to his original form. He kicked Shajun back and gave him a look of seriousness that caught Shajun¡¯s eye.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight you two! I am not associated with anyone and I just wanted to get to know you two, but here we are...fighting for nothing whatsoever. I can¡¯t stand men who can¡¯t reason.¡± He said, lighting a cigarette and turning his back on the two. He had no intentions of being around them if they were just going to assault him endlessly.


    Kazak raised an eyebrow and put away his hook blade, ¡°That ain¡¯t exactly quitter talk, but it sure doesn¡¯t seem like a lie. Sorry about the misunderstanding¡­¡± He said, scratching his head before telling Shajun to come back over to the dock. Kobura walked away with a fury in his eye.


    As he was walking away, Kazak said something that would change him forever. ¡°You know you¡¯re not that bad of a fighter. We could use you on the sea partner, I don¡¯t like guttin¡¯ a fellow that can be useful. Do you wanna go on an adventure?¡± He asked, as the sun had finally peaked at the horizon.


    Kobura turned around with his mouth half agape as the cigarette fell from grace. Had this man switched gears that fast? In what instance was this kind of thing logical? ¡°Are you freakin¡¯ crazy?!¡± He yelled at Kazak.


    Shajun furled a vein in his forehead with his arms crossed. Kazak smiled mischievously, ¡°We¡¯re crazy but I¡¯ve seen insane and that¡¯s what I¡¯m trying to destroy. Revenge is in the air and I need you to lend me your strength Kobura. I know it¡¯s sudden and that we were just fighting...but I have this feeling about you that is special and unique ya¡¯ know?¡± He said without a second thought.


    This proposition brought many questions to the table? What was he leaving behind and what price would he pay for turning pirate? Not many people ever escaped the grasp of the marines and that was enough to make a man tremble in fear. Another fact was that he was one of the mythical devil fruit users, which made him already a criminal in some regard.


    There was nothing here for him...except Muu. That was all that was here for him. He thought deeply about it before looking up to the two in a patient tone of voice, ¡°I¡¯ll join on one condition.¡± He held up his finger.


    ¡°And that condition might be?¡± Shajun asked.


    ¡°That you are able to convince Muu to join the crew. It won¡¯t be easy, but it will be well worth your time. If you are unable to convince her, then you were never befitting of the title of captain over me in the first place.¡± Kobura said with a firm resolution in his heart, it burned like a volcano waiting to rupture as he waited for their answer.


    They turned to one another and spoke quietly before Kazak turned to face Kobura. ¡°I guess we have a deal. Now take me to this Muu woman and we shall get¡¯n to it!¡± He said, his voice a bit raspy from his own dehydration.


    He waved for them to follow him, as they led themselves into a distant house where things were beginning to rot from old age. The wood was creaking and the stench of leftover food soiled the air. There was a smell of oysters clogging the nostrils of the men as they walloped down to the final room.


    A throne of oysters as a woman sat rigidly upon its crest as she fed herself an endless amount of the critter. ¡°What¡¯s this? Muu doesn¡¯t like visitors Kobura!¡± She yelled softly before receding into a pile of oysters to where she could not be seen.


    Kazak¡¯s face grew pale along with Shajun¡¯s. This was an unexpected outcome that they hadn¡¯t really predicted. How were they going to convince this oyster-loving girl to ever leave her heavenly palace? It was simply not feasible and not worth Kazak¡¯s time, but Kazak struggled through it as if it were not an adversity. He placed his hand on Kobura¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t find value in her, she needs to find a use in her own ways....but I¡¯ll do my best as your captain. Now let me go handle this¡­¡± He said with a grin, before removing himself from the group to consult Muu. Her black hairs stuck out under the oysters. Kazak knelt down and smiled, ¡°Muu, can you hear me?¡± He paused.


    ¡°I want you to join my crew!¡±