《One Piece's Messenger of the Sea》


 Prologue

    Adam let out another sigh as he closed the gym and got to work cleaning. He had gotten this job through a friend last year and it was sucking the life out of him. It was supposed to be a desk job for a Jake''s Boxing and Fitness Gym, but the owner seemed to think Adam doubled as a janitor or a sparring partner just fine for a pittance.


    This is not what I wanted to do with my life. I don''t even like boxing. Maybe I should just quit?


    The only saving grace was that this job put him in contact with some women who wanted to keep their figure with the fitness portion of the gym, which was the main reason he hadn''t abandoned it yet. He currently had his eye on a pair of blonde sisters by the name of Serena and Maddy that had just left. They were about as hot as rural west coast girls get, and he''d been trying to work up to asking the older one, Serena, out on a date for the last 2 weeks.


    I should just go for it. I have confidence in my looks if not my wallet, so the worst she could do is laugh. There''s other fish in the sea if she says no.


    Deciding that made good sense, he finished up his mopping and resolved to ask her out tomorrow. After getting off work he called the guys to see if they wanted to hang out and headed to the beach for some fun...


    <hr>


    Adam entered the front door of his apartment and kicked off his shoes before heading for the fridge. After quickly making up some pre-cooked chicken quesadillas, he plopped down in his comfy computer chair exhausted. While munching on those, he brought up One Piece to where he had left off and got started.


    This hobby was relatively new and had a story behind it. About a week ago one of the more nerdy regulars at the gym, a high schooler by the name of Michael, had gotten him to read manga on a lost bet. Adam was skeptical of talks of ''japanese comic books'', but he wasn''t one to break his word and he had lost the bet. After getting a recommendation, Adam browsed the internet for a site after he had gotten home and started his slog through One Piece.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Adam would never admit it to anyone, but he had enjoyed the childish humor much more than he thought he would when he started. Every time Luffy did something stupid, Adam would laugh and it would make the worries of reality a little less heavy, so he had continued even after the bet was square. He didn''t really have much time to read in a day with his 9-to-5 work hours and commitments to friends, but he should finish the next arc by tonight as long as nothing else came up.


    3 hours later...


    So now there''s a time skip. I really want to know where this goes but this is a good place to call a break for today.


    Unfortunately he was out of time. Adam knew if he continued he wouldn''t be able to stop until the arc finished, and he had to get up early the next day. He still had some housework to do tonight before sleep and he promised to help Boston with moving his stuff to his new place before work. He had bought a family home and Adam suspected this was ground-laying and that he would give up bachelorhood soon. Adam wished him all the best with that, but really didn''t want to get up at 6:30 in the fucking morning. Unfortunately friends are friends, and Boston would do the same for him if he needed it. Sigh.


    So with that thought, he went to sleep earlier than he usually did.


    <hr>


    Adam woke up to a glaring sun peering through his eyelids and the peaceful sound of the tide of the ocean. The feel of sand on his back completed the thought that he was not in the bed he remembered.


    What the hell? I don''t remember going to sleep outside, much less on the beach. Something is pressing into my back too.


    His eyes finally adjusted and he sat up to a feeling that was just wrong. Unfamiliar beaches in front, and no humans to be seen anywhere. When he looked at his hand he about fainted, as it wasn''t the hand he remembered either. It was the hand of a small child, maybe 5-7, but more important than that was the light grey skin tone that no human could possibly have, with small webs growing between the digits.


    Ok, don''t panic.


    Then the memories hit.

 Origins (1)

    Adam sat staring into the water''s reflection brooding. He couldn''t quite tell if he had possessed this body somehow or if starvation had awakened past life memories, but whichever insane plot had happened the memories did not paint a pretty picture of his situation. First of all, as absurd as it may seem he had somehow crossed into One Piece. That had taken him an hour to accept before a funky chimp with blue hair swinging around on the trees had forced him to see his new reality.


    Well Boston, it looks like moving is all on you after all. We''re not in Kansas anymore.


    This body''s original owner, a leopard shark fishman child by the name of Morrow, had been the son of an adventurous couple of fishmen. They had left Fishman Island to go out to see the human world despite the risks, taking infant Morrow with them despite friends'' attempts to dissuade them. Things had gone fine for years, but just weeks before they had met bad luck during fishing and never come back. If he was reading between the lines on the memories correctly, it was probably a rogue sea king. His parents had barely been stronger than civilians as fishman, so it was honestly surprising it had taken so long to meet the unfortunate despite how rude the thought was.


    Even more unfortunately for Morrow, he only had a fuzzy concept of navigation at sea despite his parent''s teaching. He had drifted for days in their small sailboat before finally seeing another ship, and not knowing an adult''s caution he had gone straight to it. It had turned out to be a crew of pirates, and not the adventurers-by-any-other-name kind. They had of course tried to seize him before Morrow had caught onto the fact that they weren''t friendly, which led to him making his escape over the rail and being forced to leave the sailboat behind.


    Luckily he was a fishman so he was immune to a drowning fate, but the sea was a risky place even for a fishman. He had lived in fear of running into ''big fish'' and was even more lost after leaving the boat behind. He could only keep himself fed on raw fish as he tried to swim towards warmer waters on instinct. After a week of who knows how many wrong turns he had washed up on this beach.


    It''s really lucky he didn''t run into any sea kings during that time, or even a particularly aggressive fish. That''s the only bright spot in the whole thing.


    Adam looked into his reflection, and what looked back was a mostly human face. At least he didn''t end up with one of those really ''out there'' fishman faces. He looked mostly normal except for some subtle differences in the eyes, ears, and jaw line(to cover his tiny shark teeth). His skin was entirely that light grey/silver he had seen on his hands, with the characteristic leopard shark patterns of dark grey starting from his torso splotching all the way down his legs. He had 2 fins sticking out of his back as well, one at just below the shoulderblades and one at just above the tailbone. They were still pretty tiny on account of his age.


    It could be worse. It doesn''t offend my aesthetic too much and if my parents were to be believed this is handsome for a fishman. Alright, I''m called Morrow from now on. I can''t very well go by an English name in a world that uses faux-Japanese.


    After trying to be optimistic, he got down to his immediate trouble. He needed to secure food and shelter before nightfall and he had already wasted 2 hours on his freakout.


    No problem, I did this in the boy scouts when I was a kid. Admittedly, I never thought I''d have to do this completely without tools.


    An hour later he had a crude wooden shelter kept together by vines. The reason it had taken so little time was mostly because of the amazing strength this body possessed. At 5 years old he was still as strong or stronger than his previous life''s body, which was kind of amazing. 10 times human indeed. Unfortunately, there were monsters out there that were thousands of times(if not more) stronger than a normal human so there was nothing to brag about.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Morrow was actually looking forward to this world''s lack of a physical limit once he had the free time. Who didn''t have dreams of being a superman when they were a kid? Those dreams were now possible in this world, and who knows where the limit was?


    Focus. Morrow needed to stock up on some food, and while he was a bit sick of fish that seemed the easiest to acquire for now. He found a fallen branch the forked at the end and decided it was about as good a tool as he could expect in this situation. Some quick sharpening of the prongs and he was ready.


    He took his makeshift spear into the shallows to try his luck with some of the smaller fish. An hour later and he was starting to get frustrated with his tool. It simply wasn''t sharp enough for the job and he had already missed opportunities because it had simply skipped off scales. This won''t do. He was starting to get hungry and frustrated, so he changed targets. There were some large crabs on the sea floor that looked edible. A few jabs later and he had managed to pin a claw to the ground before grabbing a crab from behind and heading back to camp.


    <hr>


    A week passed and Morrow was starting to get really frustrated. With the food problem squared away he had taken to wandering the island looking for signs of civilization, but had come up empty. Just fucking great, out of all the islands I land on an uninhabited one.


    Going out to deep sea again wasn''t an option without a direction to follow. He knew he had been very lucky the first time not to run into a sea king and he wouldn''t risk it again without something to gain. The only thing he could do was get a good vantage point and hope a ship sails close by like Robinson Crusoe. He could see about three quarters of the coast from the cliff he was currently perched on, which was about as good as he could expect.


    Today was his lucky day too, and he couldn''t believe it. He could see white sails in the distance, but it was too far to tell specifics. It didn''t look like it was coming here though, and as that thought sunk in he took off running for the beach.


    A week to adapt and he had truly come to appreciate a fishman''s speed in the water. It was hard to estimate, but Morrow figured he was doing at least 20 mph as he rushed towards the boat on the horizon. Though the comparison was unfair, he figured he could spike Michael Phelps several times over which made him grin.


    As he surfaced to check the boat''s position, he noted he was gaining on it. The flag had come into view as well, and it put a damper on his enthusiasm. Navy. The Navy had a very awkward position in One Piece, as it was an organization that was nominally supposed to represent justice but backed a very unjust government. It''s members ranged from good guys to the laughably corrupt, and he couldn''t afford to gamble as a discriminated species.


    I can''t board it with no guarantee. If they decide to turn me over to the World Nobles I''m completely screwed. I''ll have to follow their wake to the next port and decide from there. Please don''t be a Marine Base!


    10 minutes later Morrow was exhausted but clutching the keel of the boat as it carried on. For the hundredth time he thanked his ability to breathe underwater. He hadn''t carried any of his food stock or his makeshift spear with him when he left, and he worried that if he tried to hunt he''d lose sight of the boat.


    As long as it''s not longer than 2 days, I should be fine. Worst case, I''ll steal a fish off a line the sailors are casting.


    <hr>


    He needn''t have bothered. Not even a day later they layed achor off the dock of a small human town that he didn''t know the name of yet. He''d tried to limit his eavesdropping onto the sailors so as not to get caught, and underwater the sounds were too distorted to make out. This is my stop I guess.


    He exited the water a half mile away from town and watched as the navy guys were supplied. Once they left, he creeped up to the town and found a farmer managing a vegetable patch from the looks of things. He approached as casually as he could before giving a greeting.


    "Hello, can you tell me where this is? I was shipwrecked off the coast and lost my map."


    The farmer turned to look at me and his eyes went wide.


    "..."


    "Hello?"


    He fainted.

 Origins (2)

    Morrow stared annoyed at the crumpled form of the farmer. I knew he might be scared, but I''ve never seen someone actually faint before. Get a spine, would you?


    He gave the farmer a few shakes by the collar until he woke back up.


    "...wuh? Demon!"


    "Hello, I''m not a demon but a fishman. Heard of fishmen before?"


    Morrow tried to stretch it out like he was talking to a child instead of the other way around, and that seemed to focus the farmer as a note of anger could be seen in his eyes.


    "Those are fairy tales to scare children, you won''t fool me!"


    Morrow just pointed to himself. He was down to only a ragged pair of shorts, so there was no room to hide any tricks unless he was game for full body art. The answer was obvious.


    "Now can you tell me where this is? I was shipwrecked. By the way, sorry for the late introduction but my name is Morrow."


    "...This is called Orange Town, and it''s part of the Organ Islands. My name is Basil, and as you can see I''m a farmer."


    Really, Orange Town isn''t too bad. If I remember right the place was peaceful until the main storyline and Buggy.


    "Thank you Mr. Basil. This might be abrupt, but is there any temp work in this town? I''m broke and I would like to buy a ticket out of here."


    "That''s up to Mr. Boodle to decide. I''ll take you to see him, but no funny business."


    Morrow rolled his eyes but followed anyway.


    <hr>


    He was very relieved when finally they made it to the confines of mayor''s office. Everybody and their mother seemed to have come out to watch the rare animal that was himself, and while logically he could understand them that didn''t make the urge to yell at them any smaller.


    A man with a poodle haircuit came out, and while significantly younger and less comic looking Morrow recognized him from the manga.


    "Who are you supposed to be?"


    "My name is Morrow, and I''m a fishman. You should be the Mr. Boodle I was told about. I was shipwrecked here and would like to find temporary work to make my fare. Basil said it had to go through you."


    Boodle looked at him appraisingly before giving a snort.


    "What work is a kid good for? Where''s your parents?"


    "I am much stronger than I look and I can fish in ways humans can''t. I really only need a place to sell. As for my parents, they died a few weeks ago."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Boodles face softened and Morrow was a little glad that the orphan routine still worked regardless of species.


    "More fish is always welcome, and you can sell them in the market during the day. I''ll pass on word to have the pub owner let you stay in his spare room for 3 days, but you''ll have to earn your own way afterwards. Fair?"


    "Sounds good."


    15 minutes later he had satisfied Boodle''s curiosity about fishmen and they went to Drinker''s Pub. What an imaginative name. Inside Boodle talked to the owner, a man by the name of Jovis, and gotten his lodging squared away. Morrow himself asked about further stay, but had been told "that depends on you." He took that to mean Jovis was still skeptical about his race, but was willing to give him a chance.


    Could be much worse.


    <hr>


    Morrow was currently working up a sweat shadowboxing after doing his morning run. He had stayed in Orange Town for much longer than he had planned while studying to make himself literate, but a decision could not be put off any longer. He did not want to stay in this sleepy little town for the rest of his life, so despite the townspeople warming up to him over these 2 years he had decided it was time to leave. It was only a question of where to?


    He wanted to live the dream of a famous strong man of the seas, and to do that he needed strength. His current training was starting to slow down from the rocket-like growth of the past due to a lack of a teacher and real experience, so he had made plans to fix that.


    The problem was, it kept coming back to a solution Morrow really didn''t like. He was eyeing the fishman martial arts, but short of going all the way back through the Grand Line to Fishman Island, the only place he knew of to learn it was from Arlong''s crew.


    Ugh. I really sympathize with what they''ve been through, but most people in East Blue had never even heard of fishmen before they came. What exactly are they accomplishing for their cause? It''s hard not to look down on them when they flee the Grand Line to hike out in the boonies terrorizing tiny villages. It just justifies the discrimination to others. Still, Arlong''s crew did have camaraderie between fishmen...


    Morrow didn''t think they would refuse if he asked for training even if he refused to be a pirate. It''s not like he wanted to completely leech either, as he had even prepared extra money just in case it was needed. He had been lucky to find a sunken ship while fishing last year, and it had contained some 1,400,000 berry among it''s wreckage. Coupled with his savings from fishing, and he had decent lump sum altogether. Not a huge fortune he''d grant, but more than enough to pay any reasonable teaching fee they asked.


    I''m just putting off the inevitable at this point. There''s good logical reasons to go even if it''s risky.


    <hr>


    "Evening, Mr. Boodle."


    "Oh, if it isn''t Morrow. I was beginning to wonder where you''d gone. I haven''t seen you in the market for days."


    "Actually, I finally came to a decision. Thank you very much for letting me stay and covering for me, but i''ve stayed here too long already. I''ve already cleared it with Mr. Jovis and the captain of Calm Seas."


    Boodle had a look on his face like he had expected it, and his next words confirmed that impression.


    "Where will you go?"


    Morrow decided he owed some honesty at this point, so he came clean and told him about his desire to find a teacher and to become famous on the Grand Line. He fibbed a little about how he would accomplish it, but that was mostly because those plans weren''t set in stone yet. He was leaning towards getting a front row seat to the end of the story with the Straw Hats, but that would depend on them and himself. If he felt Luffy was weaker than himself there would no reason to call him captain, and by the same token being strong wouldn''t necessarily catch Luffy''s interest. He''d leave it to fate.


    "Well, if you''ve decided. When do you leave?"


    "Tomorrow."

 Origins (3)

    Boodle, Basil, Jovis, Poro, and oddly enough the town''s schoolteacher Mrs. Chika came to see him off. Morrow had been convinced by Mr. Boodle to sit in school for only a month before he had tired of the kids whispering at him and the school environment. He really didn''t have time for that crap when he could study faster by himself, and he got the distinct impression that the older lady didn''t want him there any more than he wanted to be there.


    No point in tearful goodbyes as he''d left them his number for his den den mushi [AN: hereafter called telephone snail], so after waving Morrow went below-deck to pack his belongings. A fishing trident, a compass, a map, some scattered travelogues, a telephone snail, and an extra change of jacket/shorts comprised all he owned.


    It doesn''t seem like much, but it''s mine.


    The trident was his most prized possession and it had cost him a pretty penny after he''d had to order it from another island, since Orange Town''s blacksmith had refused custom work for some ''fishy bastard''. That had pissed him off for a while, but fortunately a shop in Loguetown had been perfectly willing to discuss orders and shipping over the snail.


    Done in some kind of stainless steel and featuring a simple straight prong design, he had loved it instantly the moment he had tried it out. It was nothing like a famous weapon, but for a budget deal it was both strong and sharp which is all he''d ever asked for. It had even saved his life once already when a particularly aggressive shark monster refused to back off.


    There was not a lot to do on this trip as he and the other 2 passengers were forbidden to interfere with the small crew manning the deck, so he layed back in his hammock and opened one of the travelogues.


    <hr>


    Morrow was woken with yells of "Pirates!" He almost fell onto the floor in a rush to get out of the hammock while he was still groggy, but he managed to get it together and run out onto the deck with trident in hand. He sure as well wasn''t going to wait for a cannonball to come through the wall if they were under attack.


    He found the captain and his crew at the rail looking worried while passing around a hand-held telescope. A larger ship with a black flag was visible in the distance. Morrow knew enough to know that if he could see it with the naked eye then things weren''t good. Damn, what was the lookout doing?


    "Captain, can I help?"


    "Oh, Morrow was it? It looks like we are in for a fight. When I came on deck my lookout was gone, as well as the dinghy. Those are the Saw Pirates, and they have an especially notorious reputation for selling ships after killing their crew. This won''t end with just tribute and we are too slow to outrun them."


    It was halting and abridged, but Morrow got the meaning between the lines. The lookout was either a spy for the pirates or a coward, and we''re stuck with 5 sailors and myself to defend the ship. The other 2 passengers look useless in a fight and simply can''t be relied on. The only saving grace is that the pirates want to take the ship whole so they aren''t likely to use cannons.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He had long since made peace with the fact that this was a very bloody world despite the manga''s lightheartedness, but this would be his first fight to the death with other humans. Well, sentients same deal. The thought made him equal parts nervous and excited. Is it weird to be excited in this situation? Maybe. The best attack plan would be to swim over and try to poke a hole in the bottom of their boat, but isn''t this the kind of experience I wanted? A real fight it is.


    With that decided, he settled in to wait. The 2 women had come up on deck and the captain had explained his position. The women had showed more steel than he would have given them credit once the situation had sunk in. They were currently awkwardly swinging around a pair of spare sabers the captain had fetched for them. Still probably useless, but at least they didn''t go into hysterics.


    The pirate ship slowly pulled parallel to the Calm Seas and he got a look at the crew manning it. They sure as hell didn''t look impressive, being dirty and unkept in appearance, but they outnumbered the defenders twice over. No jeers were exchanged and no quarter was offered as ropes were tethered and the pirates leaped over the rail.


    Go time.


    Morrow took the first pirate to clear the rail and stabbed him in the chest before he could get his bearings, before yanking his trident free to make a block for another pirate''s saber with the shaft of the spear. He shoved back on the shadt with his superior strength and kicked new guy in the kneecap while he was off balance. It folded with the sickening crunch of splintered bone and harsh screams, and Morrow took the opportunity to finish him off with a thrust to the throat when nobody else moved to attack him.


    Maybe I had a bloodthirsty streak in me?


    <hr>


    The battle was a blur of action as Morrow moved to help where he could, and by the end of it he had 4 kills out of the 7 dead. The only reason he he didn''t end up with more is the pirates had cut their losses and fled when they had lost half their number. He had nearly wanted to jump the rail to go after them before rationality had finally taken back over. What the hell is wrong with me?


    The other sailors sported varying degrees of wounds and exhaustion, with one serious. He hadn''t bothered to memorize their names since he thought of himself as just a passer, but if he remembered right the guy was called Yosami. Morrow was no doctor, but the guy looked like he had a pierced lung. Not something fatal with a good doctor, but at sea with no port in sight?


    Should I be guilty for not going with the sink plan? Let''s be honest with myself, I don''t feel particularly guilty. Has something changed in me over these last 2 years or was I always this callous? This isn''t good.


    Ironically, by some miracle the 2 women had turned up completely unharmed. Morrow had been too busy to pay attention to them during the fight, so he couldn''t tell if that was a result of staying out of the thick of it or by sheer luck.


    The captain came over to say his thanks, but the other sailors were eyeing him fearfully when they didn''t think he was looking. He had a feeling he had gone possibly overboard during the attack, and he had a feeling there would be tales of a ''bloodthirsty fishman kid'' when they finally made it to port.


    He left them to say their attempts at first aid, and not wanting to be a hypocrite with false camaraderie, he had gone back below deck to bandage his own scratches and review his own behavior during the fight.

 Arlong Park (1)

    Morrow bid the crew farewell about a half mile off the coast before swimming the rest of the way to an unmanned beach with his waterproof luggage. The reason he was getting off in the middle of nowhere instead of the port had to do with what he liked to call good foresight.


    Now how to find Arlong''s crew? The manga was a little vague, but they should''ve set up shop somewhere in these islands by this point.


    He was basing this on an impromptu timeline he had created when his memories were still fresh, as he had learned that Gol D. Roger had been executed 12 years prior which gave him a reference point. He wasn''t hardcore enough to have birthdays for all the characters, but he remembered that Ace was born a little over a year after the execution and that he was 3 years older than Luffy.


    Taking into account some wiggle room on account of birthdays and I should be anywhere from a year to two years younger than Luffy. Nami should be about 10 give or take a little, which was past the apparent age of the flashback where Arlong invaded. The problem is, it''s not like I can just run up and ask someone "Hello, can you point me to Arlong Park?" If Arlong is already running his protection racket, I''d be lucky if I wasn''t attacked. It can only be the most stupid way....


    He had decided to simply circle the islands until he got lucky. That was not as daunting a prospect as it would have once been, on account of his growth and a nifty innate ability he had discovered while combing his memories. A fishman could evidently ''talk'' to fish, although it was quite primitive. The closest description he could think of was of pushing an idea telepathically at the fish you wanted to talk to, to which they could give simple replies.


    Unfortunately, most fish that would give him the time of day were quite dull and only good for simple ''yes or no'' questioning with small elaborations. This ability should have room to expand into commanding, but considering any ordered fish would be much weaker than me it''s not really useful in a fight. Still useful for recon though...


    So he circled while asking nearby fish if they had seen other fishmen nearby. A couple hours later, he had been directed to a particularly large tuna that claimed to have seen some a day ago, but getting directions to where they went was an exercise in frustration. It had no concept of human directions, but if he was interpreting it''s gestures and images right Arlong Park wasn''t that far away.


    [Thanks.]


    <hr>


    As Morrow gazed at the pagoda in the distance and decided it was best to simply be bold. There were some fishmen guarding in front of the gate, so he walked up and asked them.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Hello friends, my name is Morrow. I was stranded in East Blue and heard there was a gathering of fishmen here, is that true?"


    "...It''s true, but it''s been a while since a new recruit has come here, much less so young."


    "I think you are misunderstanding. I just heard there were other comrades here and came to see people from home."


    "At any rate, Mr. Arlong is out at the moment. They should be back soon, so you can stay here until then or come back later. By the way, my name Juchi, and this is Gad."


    Awfully polite for an extreme race-superiority group.


    "I''ll stay here if that''s fine."


    Morrow was shown to a seat in the hall of the main building, and he explained his backstory to the assembled mooks while he waited. Evidently enough stayed to man the fort while the main crew was out causing havoc. He vaguely remembered them getting one shot off screen with the cow monster in the original, but they were pleasant enough to talk to as long as you tuned out the constant jabs at humans.


    2 hours later the crew returned...


    <hr>


    Morrow was just finishing his conversation with Arlong and they were finally getting to the point.


    "...so if I''m getting this right, you don''t want a ride home and instead want to learn Fishman Karate so that you can become strong?"


    "Right."


    "I see, but you''re leaving me in an awkward position. You don''t want to join my crew, and we don''t do charity for kids. We are pirates."


    "I''ll pay for lessons, how much would that cost?"


    Arlong looked amused at the idea he would pay for himself, but still gave the go-ahead.


    "That depends entirely on Kuroobi''s mood. He''s the one who instructs new recruits, but I''d guess you could convince him."


    Kuroobi as it turns out wasn''t thrilled to be training ''some brat,'' but they eventually settled on 50,000 an hour when he was free. Morrow couldn''t tell if that was cheap or if he was getting ripped off, but that meant he only had about 48 hours with his current stash. Thankfully Kuroobi turned out to be very serious about his martial arts and gave no-nonsense explanations that didn''t waste his money.


    After his first 2 hour lecture that he took right there, he had a good idea of what to expect. Fishman Karate at it''s core focused on the control of water in the user''s vicinity through a combination of breathing and vibrating muscles, but the specific expression was highly personal and only a couple ''standard'' techniques existed. The breathing was easy, but the vibrating muscles part would evidently take at least 3 months if he was talented to achieve initial success. He was told how to train in order to achieve it and told to come back tomorrow if he wanted to learn more.


    The whole thing would''ve sounded like nonsense to Morrow before reincarnated, but frankly this was far from the strangest thing he''d had to accept since coming to this world. He hadn''t seen any devil fruit users yet, but he''d already given up on trying to find reason and just decided to treat everything as if it made sense. Talking to fish was just one example.


    My plan is working smoother than I could have hoped. I was even prepared to join Arlong as a last resort, but they were pretty friendly as long as you are a fishman. I still need to find a way to make more money though, or I''ll be broke in no time.

 Arlong Park (2)

    "Hut!"


    Morrow''s fist hit the tree he was using as a striking post and was rewarded when his fist went straight through it.


    "Finally, success!"


    He gave himself a fist pump. Despite looking like a common jab, that punch was anything but. If he had wanted to simply break a tree, his physical strength would have let him do that easy. Instead it had taken him 2 long months of breathing exercises and specialized physical training to reach this effect.


    The secret lay in the sawdust covering his fist. It meant he had finally achieved the vibration effect that Kuroobi required before he''d teach anything else.


    He was torn between wanting to experiment with the new ability or immediately running back to get the next lesson, but the cooler head prevailed.


    The possibilities for this are endless, and the basics are never wasted or go out of style. I need to at least make consistent effects from punches and kicks or I''ll just embarrass myself. Eventually you''d want to be able to release it from anywhere on the body, but who knows how many years that would take?


    At least this effort wasn''t wasted no matter what he did. The bottleneck that had been facing his strength growth due to lack of appropriate weights had seemingly evaporated in front of the new and unfamiliar demands on his muscles. It was only 2 months, but he felt he was at least 20% stronger than when he started. That should taper off as his body got used to it, but it was still crazy. There were no measuring devices, but by his best estimate he was now hovering at about 9x an average adult human, or about 90 doriki using the Navy''s system.


    Amazing, I feel like superman already and there''s still such a long way to go.


    Once when he was a kid, he had a very common dream of being a professional football player, but that dream had slowly died as he grew up when the lack of talent and simple physical build had crushed him under their weight. Now though, he was in a world where physical limits seemed to simply not exist. As long as he put in the effort he would surely be rewarded, and he''d even been blessed with a high starting point. That thought superseded any qualms he had over his nonhuman appearance and reignited his dreams.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Ok, my new dream is to be the strongest man in the world!


    <hr>


    Morrow was passing through the arches of Arlong Park on another visit to Kuroobi when he saw her, a tiny orange haired girl in a dirty dress carrying a book. Nami. She had already been given permission to go out thieving for her bet with Arlong, so this was his first time actually seeing her.


    He''d known it would happen, but he couldn''t stop a twinge of guilt. Truth be told, he had plans that could possibly help her but he had no intentions of actually implementing them. For one, he didn''t want too much of a butterfly effect that would end in unpredictable consequences. For another, even if the fishmen here were complete assholes to humans they were nice to himself. He simply couldn''t justify stabbing them in the back.


    Does that make me an asshole as well?


    Regardless of his self-deprecating thoughts, he could at least be polite.


    "Hello there, my name is Morrow. What''s your name?"


    She looked shocked for a moment, and Morrow guessed that was because she was used to being insulted or ignored by the others rather than getting politely asked.


    "...Nami. Won''t you get in trouble for talking to me?"


    "Nami, what a nice name. As for getting in trouble, if there is such a rule I haven''t heard about it. I''m only visiting and not a member of this crew. What are you doing?"


    "I make maps, and I''m in a hurry since Mr. Arlong called. Sorry."


    She still looked way uncomfortable and even if she was lying there was no reason to call her on it, so he let it be.


    "Well, nice to meet you Nami. I better get to my teacher as well."


    She practically ran to the side building in an urge to get away from him, which left him feeling kind of disgusted with himself.


    The Straw Hat Plan is looking pretty dark...


    <hr>


    "So you''ve completed what I asked?"


    "Yes sir, would you like me to show you?"


    "Do so."


    There were no tools, so Morrow started shadowboxing to demonstrate. With an additional month to practice, he could now reliably cause vibrations with any of his punches and even a low kick.


    "Hmph, at least you didn''t come here with a fluke success. Next lesson will be in the lagoon out back, follow me."


    They went out back and Morrow followed Kuroobi into the water. When they had reached the sea floor, Kuroobi began explaining.


    "Now I''ve explained it before, but the essence of Fishman Karate is control of water. You already have some prelimary control of the water in your body through the exercises I taught you, so now we will move on to moving water in the vicinity. First is..."


    A new phase of training had begun.

 Arlong Park (3)

    It had taken him a year to get to this point, but Morrow had the feeling he was finally wearing out his welcome with the Arlong Pirates. Kuroobi and others had made several pointed comments trying to get him to join lately, and he didn''t know what they would do if he kept playing the fool.


    I''ve already achieved my goals with Fishman Karate anyway. What is left is only Kuroobi''s personal moves, but he won''t teach them to any but his apprentice and I don''t need them anyway to invent my own.


    Morrow was also starting to get bored with his little hut in the woods and his self-enforced scraps with the island''s monsters for combat practice. An austere life didn''t bother him, but his only contact with people were a group of racist fishmen and human villagers who both hated and were scared of him. Not exactly good conversation partners.


    Morrow even had a good plan for after he left, which was to go around doing bounty hunting for money and combat experience. The only snag was that he didn''t know how turning bounties in would go since he couldn''t enter a navy outpost.


    Either way, next lesson will be the last one.


    <hr>


    "Thank you for your teaching Mr. Kuroobi, but it''s time I left these islands. This will be the last time."


    "You kid, are you sure? Mr. Arlong already said you are invited to join, and he doesn''t take refusal lightly. You could even be an officer in a few years."


    "I''m sure my dreams do not lie in these islands. I hope you''ll understand."


    "...alright. Let''s just pretend you said nothing, and it''s best you say nothing to anybody else. Give me a full set of tile punches!"


    The session continued much like the last one, and they both knew he had nothing here to learn anymore. His gap with Kuroobi was simply accumulation of physical strength and combat experience, which only time could fill. He had showed up only to give a goodbye since he felt he owed it.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    He opened the door to leave, only to hear one last "Good luck, kid." He turned around to look at Kuroobi and gave him a bow.


    "Thank you teacher."


    He shut the door and left. Nobody stopped him as he walked through the halls, and Morrow almost thought he''d miss the place. He had been unable to accomplish one of his other goals while he was here, which was to tell Nami goodbye. He left his number for his snail in case she needed help, but they hadn''t talked enough for her to shake off her initial wariness so he didn''t think she would call unless she wanted to pit him.


    Oh well, can''t expect everything to go to plan.


    <hr>


    Morrow''s fear of sea kings had faded over the years as his strength skyrocketed, and he was now confident that even if it was a king he couldn''t beat fleeing would be easy. So he planned a slightly ambitious swim to an island out of Arlong''s reach, and it was one that hadn''t appeared in the manga.


    Jadir Village served as one of many gathering points for bounty hunters in East Blue. It offered bars of all sorts, weapons shops, hotels, and most importantly information exchanges. Morrow was going there to get an up-to-date list on all active East Blue bounties before deciding which to start with.


    It only took him 2 days before he pulled up on the shores of the quiet town, and looking around it was much more deserted than he would have figured. What struck Morrow however, was the clean state of the buildings and streets. Much like mercenaries on Earth, bounty hunters had a seedy reputation for being little more than rowdy killers for hire. He expected more carousing in the streets and litter everywhere.


    Did I land in the wrong place? I don''t think my navigation is that bad...


    He found a random passing girl working on the docks and asked her.


    "Hello there miss, is this the town of Jadir?"


    "Eek! A monster!"


    Right, forgot. At least she didn''t faint like Basil did or that would have been awkward.


    "I am a fishman, not a monster, and my name is Morrow. Is this Jadir?"


    The girl, a nice looking redhead now that he bothered to notice, visibly calmed down under his tone before looking apologetic. Morrow was grateful she didn''t freak out more, as people were already turning to stare. He didn''t need people misunderstanding even more.


    "Sorry, that was rude of me. My name is Caterina, and this is Jadir Village. What''s a fishman doing here?"


    "I''m here for work. Could you point me to the bounty office?"


    She looked a bit skeptical, but still pointed it out.


    "You can find the office on the third street on the left. If you want to buy information, you can get it at the pub across the street from the office."


    "Thank you miss. I''d better get going then."

 Bounty Hunter (1)

    As he left the bounty office with a stack of posters, Morrow debated on which he wanted to started with. He had learned from the counter guy that only by bringing in the criminal alive would he get the full bounty. Things were evidently different if the bounty was high enough to really be a threat to the World Government, but for the common dregs they liked to keep them as a show to the people that they were really doing their jobs. A dead body would result in a 30% cut in value because the government couldn''t hold a public execution. Bloodthirsty fucks.


    He had no real sense of scale for how strong he really was, but he felt reasonably confident in beating anyone under 5 million. Actually, that might be underselling himself, but he needed to make sure to leave himself some wiggle room as well because of his disadvantages. He needed the target alive and he mightalso end up facing the whole crew together. He wanted a fight, but he wasn''t particularly suicidal. As he flipped through the posters one stuck out to him.


    Jacques Volture, Wanted Dead or Alive; 3,000,000 berry.


    The poster brought back his memory to the last newspaper he ordered. If he remembered right, this guy wasn''t a pirate but a bandit. Why hasn''t anybody cleared this guy out already? Jaques wasn''t somewhere hidden, all his known raids occured in the same general area. He was prime bounty hunter material even if the government lacked the ability to clear his band out for some reason.


    There was probably something shady going on, but this bounty still had appeal. East Blue''s strong pirate crews might hike out near a town, but the small fries within his range knew how to keep their heads down. That made buying information on their movements from the broker necessity if he didn''t want to spend weeks questioning fish to find them at sea, and right now Morrow was almost broke. Jaques on the other hand was not hard to find as long as you read the newspaper.


    Pencord Desert was it? That''s only a 5 day hike from here, and less if I rush. Ok, no point dragging, Jacques it is.


    With that decided, he purchased the necessary clothing and a barrel of water with his bottom dollars before leaving Jadir.


    <hr>


    I''m an idiot. What was I thinking about when I decided this was a good idea?


    It had been 3 days since leaving Jadir, and Morrow was currently cursing himself for forgetting one of the greatest weaknesses of his race. Fishmen were indeed born with great strength, but they were primarily aquatic. They could live on land for a fairly long time as long as it was humid, but a desert would dry them out in days without a lot of drinking water. Thanks to his foresight in buying the barrel he was far from being dried out yet, but it was even more uncomfortable than he ever expected.


    More pertinent to his current situation, Fishman Karate would face a great discount without a nearby water source. He hadn''t currently reached a level of condensating water out of the air, and even if he had there would be little water to draw here. His trident also felt like holding molten steel until he wrapped a spare shirt around it as an impromptu grip.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I need to find Jacques quickly. Maybe I should have saved some gaudy gold jewelry as bait? Oh right, no money. Sigh.


    His thoughts were interrupted as an arrow through the space he had just occupied. Archers! He followed the trajectory back to a dune on his left and could see 5 robed figures charging out of sandy hide-a-ways that had been practically invisible moments before. Oh, I''m so lucky today.


    The bandits currently charging him had scimitars, and Morrow figured they still had 1 or 2 bowmen still hidden on the dune waiting for opportunity. Best not to give them a chance. He pulled out his trident before charging himself so as to get some bodies between him and the archers. Fine technique was unnecessary, as he hit the bandits like a bull in a china shop.


    It was a long standing pet peeve of Morrow''s and even his previous life as Adam that fantasy always seemed to hold the sword up on a pedestal. The guy with the longer weapon wins 9 times out of 10 assuming equal skill, and between Morrow and the bandits they were definitely not of equal skill.


    He speared the guy in front before he could even get in range, and rather than trying to shake him off he initiated sweep with the body still dangling off it like he was going for a home run at Bandit #2. The guy literally bounced a bit before rolling to a stop about 5 meters away. He didn''t get up again, and he finally had some free space to pry Bandit #1 off the prongs of his trident.


    The other bandits had backed off a bit looking at him in fear and he grinned. Amateurs. Unfortunately, the still hidden archer/s didn''t share their trepidation as another 2 arrows fired at him. He had lost his cool and forgotten about them with the bandits in front despite specifically trying to keep them in mind. Shit. Talk about words coming back to bite you. It was another symptom of his lack of experience fighting groups, and he vaguely remembered tunnel vision as one of the lead causes of deaths for soldiers.


    He dodged one of them, but another arrow managed to take him in the raised left arm he''d been forced to use as a shield. Ok, no more messing around. Fortunately his dominant arm was still perfectly fine. He charged for the initial dune before they could put new arrows to the string, intent on getting a little even. He reached it in less than a second while Bandit #3 was still fumbling with the quiver. Alone then. The guy''s eyes went wide as his situation registered, but he barely managed to pull a dagger before being solved.


    The other bandits had tried to stop him, but they were simply too slow. He turned to look back at them and tried to give his best confident look. It was always best to pretend you had everything in hand in a fight, as any weakness or pain shown would just give the other guy confidence. He charged again..


    <hr>


    By the end of the short scrap, he''d added a few scratches to the puncture in his arm. He tied a headband he picked off one of the dead guys over his bicep in an amateur bandage before surveying his 2 prisoners. He''d actually only wanted the last guy to interrogate, but evidently Bandit #2 had survived his career as a home run even if he was knocked unconscious. Seriously, people in this world are always surprisingly sturdy. He kept him as backup instead of finishing him off in case the first prisoner refused to talk.


    He hoped to get the location of Jacques out of them, but he frankly didn''t have any experience with interrogation or torture. He could only use some crude means, which meant ''I''ll let you go if you tell, or you can join your buddies in death'' or some variation thereof.


    "So Mr. Bandit, let''s have a nice talk...."

 Bounty Hunter (2)

    Morrow figured he''d watched a little too much television growing up because torture was hardly necessary. Bandits were not a loyal bunch, and it hardly took any prodding beyond vague threats to get the two to spill all they knew. They almost seemed in a race to spill more than the other guy, which might have been a bit funny if they weren''t murdering thieves.


    Ok, now what to do with them?


    He still couldn''t take their information at face value in case they were good actors. Logically, he should just finish them off so that they couldn''t inform the other bandits he was coming or form a further threat to any peddlers that came through here. On the other hand, he valued his own word a lot more than people he didn''t know and he had promised. He still needed a way to let them go in such a way as to not interfere with the next action though.


    Oh, what the hell. It''s worth a shot.


    "Hey Bandit A, I''ll keep my word but it will have to be after I''ve dealt with your boss."


    "I said my name is Gin you monster! ....and that''s not what you promised!"


    "Sure Bandit A, and I already said I don''t care what your name is. I''ll still fulfill my end of the bargain, just after I get back. I''ll leave you enough water not to die of thirst for 3 days, but if your information is bad you know what will happen right?"


    There were a lot of protests to their supposed honesty, but frankly Morrow didn''t care and wasn''t listening. He''d already made his decision and they weren''t in a position to be picky about the terms. He stashed them in their hideaway still tied up with a portion of the water left over after he had topped off his own from their supplies. He also made a point to toss out anything sharp so they couldn''t cut their binds while he was gone.


    With that settled, he set out for where Jacques and his band of 2 dozen were supposed to be. He still needed a plan for that amount, but the only thing that ran through his mind were complaints.


    I''m never going to the desert again if I can help it. This warm water tastes like shit and the sand irritates my skin. Who would honestly want to live here?Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    <hr>


    Over the day it had taken him to hike to their camp, the puncture in Morrow''s arm had already crusted over and ceased to pain him too much. This body''s sturdiness never ceases to amaze. That kind of wound would have bothered me for weeks in my previous life, though I''m not sure how much of that is from being a fishman or just this world. Luffy and Zoro always healed quickly in the manga, but time was vague it took was vague for the most part.


    Shaking off the random thought, Morrow surveyed the small array of tents between the dunes and tried to come up with a viable plan. While his screwup with the previous group had been mostly because of blood rushing to his head, just charging at 20+ people seemed like a bad idea.


    Poisoning the small crude well in the camp to weaken them might work, but he didn''t think they were stupid enough to leave no one awake at night to let him sneak in. Wait, night! Why go about this the hard way? Although his lack of training in sneaking was a bit of a flaw, a subtle strategy might be what he needed here. He just needed to kill one of the pairs on sentry duty before they could call the alarm, but he could go straight to the leader''s tent without fighting the mob if he played his cards right.


    Thankfully he wasn''t too much of an idiot and had stripped one of the bandit''s desert clothing to bring with him. It wouldn''t stand up to close scrutiny, but even at 8 years old he was tall enough he could pass as one of their crew with the coverage the outfit offered. He threw on the clothes and settled in to wait for nightfall.


    <hr>


    After all the bandits had settled in for sleep, his plan began. His clothing was still ragged from where he had speared it''s original wearer, and he used it to his advantage. He limped up to the motionless pair of sentries while appearing to be an injured comrade.


    "What happened to you, where''s the rest of your group? Wait, you''re not-"


    He was close enough already, so with a quick dash he managed to get the first guy in the throat with a punch. He had left his trident behind to complete his disguise, so this had to be quick. The other guy was already starting to yell as the first guy went down.


    "INT-ruder"


    He had prepared by wetting his hand before he walked up, and he employed a technique from Fishman Karate that he had learned for just this kind of situation. He flicked his hand out like he was drying his hands and drops of water sped out like bullets. It took the guy mid yell in the chest, turning the rest of his shout into a wheeze. Damn, my aim still isn''t that great but it will do. It wouldn''t kill with his current skill level, at least without hitting the throat, but it was roughly equivalent to taking rapid fire paintballs at a few feet with no protective gear. In other words, it hurt like a bitch and knocked the wind out of him.


    Before he could get his breath back, he had finished that guy off too. He turned to carefully look at the camp, but nobody seemed to be responding to the sentry''s half-shout which relieved him. Plan''s still a-go then.

 Bounty Hunter (3)

    Morrow had identified the tent he thought Jacques would be in by his spying during the day. It was the largest of the tents set aside for sleeping, and closest to the center of the group. Let''s just hope Jacques isn''t trying to be clever. Otherwise I probably wouldn''t have time to search them one by one.


    He did his best impression of looking like he belonged there as he strolled to the tent in question. There was no active patrol, but if someone went out for a piss looking like just another bandit might save him more than tip-toeing like an obvious assassin. He pulled back the white tent flap and was rewarded with the fact it''s occupant was still sleeping. Unfortunately it seemed Jacques, if that was indeed who it was, had company.


    A naked woman covered in welts was bound in the corner of the room for obvious purposes, and more importantly to Morrow she wasn''t quite asleep yet. She turned to groggily stare at him and Morrow could only think ''Oh shit''. His body responded before he could really think the implications through, and he dashed across the tent floor and covered her mouth before she could yell.


    "Be very quiet. If I uncover your mouth you can''t scream or we are both in deep shit, hear?"


    Thankfully she seemed a little clever as she started nodding, and since he didn''t have the heart to silence what was obviously a captive he let her go. She whispered back.


    "Who are you and what are you doing here?"


    He ignored her as he moved to the still sleeping form on the bed roll. It was Jacques all right, looking very similar to his wanted poster except for his similar nakedness. Morrow wasn''t one to care for that though, so once he was in position he clamped down on the guy''s mouth with his hand.


    Morrow had to give it to him, being woken from sleep like this must be disorienting, but Jacques responded with admirable aplomb. Rather than trying to force away the hand now gripping his face, he went for a knife he kept under the roll of cloth he was using as a pillow.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    What followed was a silent grappling contest as Jacques tried to stab him from a poor position. With one arm occupied, he had to do a little Twister before he managed to pin down his knife arm with his leg and club Jacques into unconsciousness with his other arm. Rendering someone unconscious is not the easy business of movies, but after 4 solid hits to the head he went silent. Morrow had acquired a few more shallow gashes to his arms from the experience, but they were nothing to his current body. I better not have killed him after all the trouble I went to...


    Thankfully he was still breathing, so he tied him up and put a rag in mouth. Now for the exit plan. He stared at the girl who had watched hopefully in the corner as they struggled, and figured he probably had to do something about her as well. She looked too injured to do more than limp though, which meant he''d have to carry her as well as his prize.


    "Alright, we don''t really have time to get you dressed here, so bear with me."


    He grabbed Jacques'' knife and cut the leather cuffs holding her in place before putting her over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. It was probably uncomfortable and embarrassing since she was naked, but he was no blushing virgin and they couldn''t afford to be picky. Managing a princess carry or carrying her on his back was simply impossible in these circumstances.


    He looked around the tent for any obvious loot he could bring with him, but Jacques turned out to be dirt poor. He didn''t count them, but jiggling the purse gave an unsatisfying jingle, so Morrow figured most of the band''s loot went towards keeping them supplied out here. Makes sense I guess. A small band like this one simply doesn''t have the manpower to hit caravans and the like, which is where the real money is at.


    He grabbed his prize and hoisted it over his other shoulder before leaving the tent. Pretending to be just another bandit wouldn''t fly again, but nobody bothered noticed as Morrow weaved along the same route through the tents that he''d come in on. After making his way back up the dunes to where he left his gear, he couldn''t believe how relatively smooth it had went. Well, except for the snag with the woman. Speaking of which...


    "You can talk now. What''s your name miss?"


    "Thank you for your help, my name is Riera. I was part of a caravan taken two days ago, and well...you saw what happened."


    "I see, do you have somewhere to go or would you like to go back to Jadir with me?"


    She blushed a little before looking down.


    "Thank you benefactor, but can I get some clothes first?"


    Oops, forgot about that.

 Bounty Hunter (4)

    After Riera had gotten dressed with some of the spare clothing, they got back to the introductions.


    "I have no family to go back to now, so Jadir is fine with me. It won''t trouble you, will it?"


    She looked a bit ready to cry at that, and Morrow figured she must have been traveling with her family when the bandits hit. If they weren''t killed outright, then they had no value as slaves.


    "Sure, I''ve got enough supplies that it''s no burden. I''m just going to drop this guy off."


    He indicated the still unconscious Jacques, to which she glared at angrily. Morrow was sure if he gave her a knife she''d stab him a few dozen times, but while he could sympathize he really needed the piece of shit alive.


    "Sorry, I know you hate this guy, but if it''s any comfort I promise he''ll get what''s coming to him when we get back to town."


    "I know benefactor, but I can hardly be happy seeing him."


    "Call me Morrow, but let''s get going shall we? I don''t know how long it will be until the dead sentries are found."


    He moved to pick up the trussed up body of Jacques after re-equipping himself with his original outfit, but Riera informed him she felt well enough to walk on her own. Suit yourself.


    "We need to hurry, so if it hurts too much let me know and we can work something out for me to carry you."


    Riera seemed to have a nice streak of toughness, so he doubted she would take that option unless there was really no other choice, which he secretly appreciated. He didn''t really like those who only complain, even if he meant his offer.


    He had to leave the small cask of water behind in order to make room to carry Jacques, but he topped off as many water skins with it as he could before they left.


    <hr>


    Jacques woke up about an hour after they left and started trying to make an unholy racket through his gag before jerking around. Morrow set him down for a moment before laying out the law.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Let''s be straightforward here, you''re my captive and there''s no bargaining. Shut up or you go back to counting sheep, clear?"


    "MMH-!"


    Simple and concise.


    They took a break so that Riera could get a quick breather and he could satisfy his now complaining stomach. She hadn''t said anything, but Morrow had at least a little consideration for others in him. This was bound to be tough on her even if she wasn''t injured, and the flash of gratefulness that went across her face confirmed his suspicion.


    His food was running low and a couple pounds of jerky was only a minimum to keep himself going until they reached the edge of the desert, so it was with some embarassment he gave Riera a couple sticks of jerky and a water skin before helping himself to the rest.


    "Miss Riera, do you have any idea if they can track us or if they would even bother trying to rescue their leader?"


    "I can''t say for sure, but I''d guess no. Tracks are covered quickly here in the desert, and they may not even notice until dawn if we are lucky. Even then they may not chase since the others would relish the opportunity to become leader themselves."


    "About what I expected then. Well, let''s get going but don''t feel afraid to speak up if you need a rest."


    Was getting this bounty even meaningful for curbing crime? I''m not much of a justice warrior, but it rankles me that someone else will just be leader and they will continue on robbing peddlers until their new leader gets a bounty. I wouldn''t have to do things this way if I was stronger.


    <hr>


    "Hello Bandit A and B, miss me?"


    What came back was curses and widened eyes as they recognized their formerly illustrious leader bound to his back.


    "Aww, don''t be like that. I came to fulfill my end of the bargain, and you don''t want to piss me off when you''re almost free, do you?"


    ""Please just cut us free!""


    He did so, and thankfully they weren''t stupid enough to attack as they went outside.


    "Well, I recommend giving up the life of crime while you are still unknowns, unless you want to meet a fate like this guy?"


    ""We''ll be going.""


    Rude. They ran off like they were fleeing the devil. I didn''t even do that much to them.


    Riera said nothing throughout the exchange, but Morrow got the distinct impression she disapproved of letting them go like that. Oh well, he wasn''t about to change his mind over every little thing.


    "Okay, there''s a cave about 2 hours from here if I remember right. We can sleep there during the day if that''s okay with you?"


    "That''s fine benefactor, though I hope you checked to make sure it had no resident."


    "It hadn''t when I left. I used it as a stop on the way here."


    Riera was even tougher than he had given her credit for, as she marched on gamely without a word of complaint.

 Bounty Hunter (5)

    Finally.


    Jadir was visible in the distance, and they had made good time on the way back. Unfortunately Jacques was starting to look somewhat the worse for wear and Morrow was starting to worry the guy would bite his tongue just to spite him. His attempts to remove his bonds had ended in nothing but inflamed joints around his wrists and ankles, and Morrow had only removed the gag once in an attempt to give him some water. The stream of threats and filth that spilled forth convinced Morrow that he really didn''t need any humane prisoner treatment.


    Whatever, as long as he doesn''t die before I turn him over.


    "Riera, do you want to follow me to the bounty office? I''ll invite you to a meal afterwards."


    "I''d like that, but I''ve got a lot of work to do myself now. Instead I''ll call you for a meal as a reward some other time."


    "Ok, that sounds interesting. Here''s Jacque''s purse. Don''t say anything. It''s not a lot but it will help you get back on your feet. If it really bothers you consider it a loan, I don''t care."


    She looked ready to refuse, but whatever she wanted to say simple need kept her mouth shut. She said a simple "Thank you." before wandering off down the street. She had been interesting company through the trip through the desert, and he didn''t know if he would ever see her again.


    "Now let''s take care of you, shall we?"


    He drew stares as he wandered through the streets with an obvious captive, but this was a town for bounty hunters after all. No one came to ask stupid questions.


    <hr>


    Damn bureaucracy, it''s everywhere.


    Turning over a prisoner wasn''t the simple ''turn over prisoner, get paid'' that Morrow had envisioned when he set out for this job. They''d kept him there for hours while they had him sign papers and confirm it was indeed Jacques that he had brought in. He was feeling more than a little pissed off and hungry for some food when they finally came out with his money and let him go, and he decided to find a restaurant for some real food.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Morrow was actually not a big fan of alcohol, but he would drink fruit wines and hard cider when the occassion demanded it on Earth. Since coming here though, it was either alcohol, water, or whatever unholy local beverage the natives had, so he had discovered new appreciation for the wonders of alcohol. He ordered the relatively safe choice of a full slab of barbecue ribs and a bottle of apple mead.


    A job well done deserves a good splurge.


    <hr>


    He walked out of the restaurant satisfied an hour later and reserved a room at a hotel. It was time for some serious planning. He intended to go after a few bounties in order to build up some savings, but he also couldn''t afford to put down his training. His latest escapade had definitely proved he wasn''t very far up the One Piece power ladder. Forget the strongest, even some cannon fodder could pose a threat to him if there were enough of them, which was just intolerable.


    He needed to order a new trident. He loved the current one when he bought it, but it was starting to feel short and too light. He was already 5''5, and if his memories were accurate his father had been well over 8'' despite leopard sharks not being known for their size. It didn''t hurt to prepare early.


    He also wanted to visit dojos across East Blue and see if he could absorb any useful techniques. Fishman Karate had been a bit sparse with it''s moveset, especially when it comes to weapons.


    Let''s do this step by step. Little improvements first.


    <hr>


    "9997!"


    "9998!"


    "9999!"


    "10000!"


    Morrow finished his pushups before moving on to his scheduled practice of Fishman Karate. The problem was beginning to show itself in his physical training, as he simply didn''t feel tired. It''s not that he was being lazy, but time was starting to be the limiting factor with his current free methods. It took hours to work up light sweat, much less reach his limits, which had in turn slowed the growth of his strength.


    He''d already placed an order for a full set of training weights from a shop in Jadir, but they would still take a week to be finished. It would cost him almost half of his reward money as well.


    After the order came in, he was planning to pick a new bounty. This one would definitely be a pirate though, as he was thoroughly sick of the desert.

 Change of Plans (1)

    6 years of a successful bounty hunting career ended one day like a bolt from the blue, and Morrow wondered what he was supposed to do now. The cause lay rolled out in front of him in the form of a bounty poster with his face on it, and Morrow still had no idea what he did to earn it. Morrow "The Fisherman", Wanted Dead or Alive, 20,000,000 berry.


    Seriously, "The Fisherman," that''s the best you''ve got? It sounds like a pun.


    Morrow could only guess that one of his bounties must''ve had friends in high places, or maybe one of the crooked marines had tired of him embarrassing them for some reason. It could be any number of things really, but in the end the cause didn''t really matter.


    There was no choice now but to go full pirate, but he hadn''t met anyone that stuck out to him as an appropriate crew. It was either strike out solo or wait 1-2 years for the Straw Hats. That''s an awful waste of time though.


    He''d like to think he had patience, but in truth he''d turned into a battle maniac over the years. He''d been bored out of his mind before getting the bounty, but this might be the impetus he needed....


    Fuck it. I''ll just go to the Grand Line, and if the Straw Hats are meant to be I can catch up with them later. If not, it''s not an irreversible loss.


    Morrow was not an indecisive person, so with that settled he got his gear together and steered the boat towards Loguetown. He needed a Log Pose.


    <hr>


    Loguetown was still just as lively as the last time he had come here, and Morrow quickly went to a ship supply shop he had been to before.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Hey Boss, where''s your Log Poses? I probably need as good a map of the Grand Line you''ve got as well."


    "They are in the back, but it will be expensive. You really serious about going?"


    "Yes, but I don''t have a long time to chat this time. How much will it be?"


    "100,000 for the Pose, and another 300,000 for the map. I probably shouldn''t tell you this, but the map isn''t very good. You''ll have to buy a better one if you make it there."


    "Ok, that''s better than nothing boss. Thanks for your honesty. Here."


    He payed up and left the store with his prizes. He needed to hurry or the marine base would likely come down on him.


    Speak of the devil and it appears.


    No sooner had he left than a squad of marines appeared at the end of the street. Morrow didn''t fear them at all, but if Smoker came down then things could get complicated.


    "Stop, you''re under arrest!"


    The civilians on the street cleared out like it was a drill they had done many times before, but Morrow ignored them as he moved towards the pier where his sailboat was anchored. The marines, obviously not happy with the lack of response, pulled out their blades and charged.


    He didn''t bother to pull his trident out for them. If common soldiers could cause him problems then his 9 years of training was clearly worthless.


    10 seconds later they were all down on the ground groaning. He didn''t kill them since it would be troublesome and he could afford to give mercy, but some broken bones were inevitable.


    "Really, why didn''t you call your boss? Did you really think you could catch me?"


    "Who says they didn''t?"


    The heavy smoker''s voice had come from a rooftop to the left, and as expected it was Smoker. He stood there and they just kind of stared at each other. Why did he not just attack without saying anything?


    "The Fisherman huh? You don''t look like much."


    "Funny, I was thinking you didn''t look like much either."


    Fuck, I hate dramatic entrances. I hate the silly ass epithet as well. Fine then, I''ll show you logias aren''t so invincible after all.

 Change of Plans (2)

    Logia devil fruit''s ability to turn into an element was one of the most overpowered abilities in One Piece, but it was not without weaknesses. There were 2 major countermeasures applicable to all fruits, and 2 more that were situational. The major ones were Haki and the power of the sea, and the situational ones were specific to the devil fruit. A ''natural enemy'' as it were, like rubber to lightning or overruling control with a fruit power of higher priority.


    He had considered his options for a fight with Smoker before he had even come here as a backup plan, and while it shouldn''t be easy he wasn''t without options if he wanted to escape. While he still couldn''t use Haki, the power of the sea on the other hand...


    "Surrender and I''ll be lenient."


    That reminds me, Smoker was way too confident in the beginning. That might be usable.


    "Let''s skip the nonsense and get to the fun part, all right?"


    He assumed a ready stance with the trident. It''s current iteration was a truly domineering sight at 9ft in length, and while he had been unable to buy seastone tips for it, it could do what he wanted just fine. The trident quivered with vibrations invisible to the naked eye and the water in the air coalesced around the prongs. Then he let loose with the mother of all super soakers.


    "[Water Jet Cutter]!"


    Water jetted out and Smoker barely managed to dodge by turning into smoke, leaving the torrent to cleave through the roof he had been standing on.


    He actually hadn''t completely mastered this technique on land, but conditions couldn''t be better outside of actually being in the water. The port air was full of the sense of sea spray, giving him some room to play hardball.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    This won''t do. I''m not likely to hit him now that he''s seen it, but at least he shouldn''t abuse his flight now when a dunk of water could send him tumbling. I need to move this into close quarters in order to hit him.


    Smoker didn''t seem ready to play along just yet though. As he jumped off the building, he fired off bursts of smoke at Morrow that attempted to bind him.


    "[White Imprisonment]!"


    Morrow fended it off with the water trailing the head of the trident before charging with another neat move he had learned over the years.


    Among the Rokushiki used by the higher levels of the Navy and CP units, there was only one technique who''s principles were clearly defined in the manga. Soru/Shave. Knowing the trick, it was not a difficult thing to replicate it when he''d spent all these years focusing on control of the muscles.


    He gathered a bit of water around his free fist and took a cheap shot in the gut before Smoker could react, sending crashing through a building.


    "[1000 Tile True Punch]!"


    Ok, that look on his face was satisfying, but it''s time to leave.


    Morrow didn''t really want to kill him since he was one of the few decent marines. He had no hatred and there was also nothing to gain for him, so before he could get back up Morrow grabbed his shopping bag and ran away with his win.


    <hr>


    Morrow was unmolested all the way to the docks, and as he boarded his personal little sailboat, he really wished he had bought something bigger.


    I must be the only idiot to ever consider riding up Reverse Mountain in a personal sailboat. Though maybe not now that I think about it. Didn''t Mihawk cross the calm belt in nothing but a floating coffin? That''s much more insane.


    Shaking off the stupid thoughts, he figured he had less than 5 minutes for the marines to close the harbor and chase in a bigger boat armed with cannons, so he had to haul ass. He pulled up the anchor, set the sail, and then got out and physically pushed the boat for every little bit of speed it could get. Good thing too, as he could already see them in the distance.


    Thankfully Morrow already had a half mile lead, so barring no accidents he should reach the mountain before the Navy could get in range. He got back in the boat in order to keep it straight as the current sped up, since as they neared the mountain it started reaching some serious speed.


    This is awesome.

 Whiskey Peak (1)

    Morrow laid exhausted on the deck, feeling like he had when he finished his SAT in what seemed like so long ago. Riding a a current up a mountain had seemed like an interesting experience when he planned this, but while that had been true it had mentally tiring as well. His boat was small so there was more room for clearance, but he had still cut it close even holding the rudder at maximum while making the turn at the top.


    He was finally clear though, and there had been no whale or old man to greet him. Now it was just a matter of picking a route and starting his journey. Barring a permanent log pose there was only one chance to choose the route on the Grand Line, and Morrow had already decided on the nostalgic choice. He set course for Whiskey Peak.


    Was it a boring choice? Maybe, but Morrow admitted to himself that he still hadn''t given up on seeing the Straw Hats later even if their paths never went parallel. He also wanted to see the sights of the manga in person, especially the giants of Little Garden. Although it was never shown in the manga, being from the New World they should have access to Haki training methods.


    Morrow of course knew the importance of Haki, but his attempts to figure it out on his own had been little more than fumbling in the dark. He knew it was an ''innate power that everyone has,'' but how to bring it out? The only version of haki that he had some idea on was observation haki, but he had either not satisfied the strength requirement for learning it yet or he was doing it wrong.


    While he was musing, it had started to rain and the waves were starting to climb. He got back up from his rest, and after confirming he was still on course he settled in for a battle against nature.


    <hr>


    I knew all that reading was good for something.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    While Morrow may not have the innate talent that Nami did for navigation, he hadn''t come to the Grand Line as a total white. Knowing that he would come here someday, he had done his homework his free time on it''s weather patterns and geography. He also had another advantage that couldn''t be found no matter how genius Nami was. Fish were very sensitive to the weather, and he could simply ask them for any dangers in the way.


    ["Boss, get up!"]


    zzz....


    ["Boss, you told me to wake you when the island was in sight!"]


    "...kay. I heard you."


    Jerry, a fairly smart juvenile giant shark he had conscripted to watch the boat while he slept, sat in the sea off the bow as he came out of the cabin. Why he called himself Jerry, Morrow had no idea, but who was he to say?


    "Here''s your payment. Thanks for the help Jerry."


    He tossed him a tuna and turned to look at the giant mountains of cacti in the distance. While he wanted to avoid changing the subsequent story too much, if the bounty hunters of Whiskey Peak thought they could pull the whole welcoming routine on him then he didn''t mind showing them some ''hospitality'' of his own.


    <hr>


    Forgot I wasn''t flying the pirate flag...


    No one met his poor little boat as he pulled into port, and after some thinking he finally thought of the reason. While the government seemed to have labeled him wanted he hadn''t actually flown the pirate flag yet, which left the bounty hunters with no reason to implement their charade. They didn''t even know a bounty existed here yet.


    While he was happy to not be pointlessly harassed, he really did need to get a flag made up. He was wanted anyway, and pretending to lay low would only make him seem cowardly. Pirate crew of 1, coming right up.


    He anchored down before jumping onto the docks to go into town. Whiskey Peak was a fully functional town, however small, and it had the stores he wanted. He had intended to get some more food and alcohol one way or another since he had been rushed in Loguetown, but he now also planned to get supplies to make the flag he wanted.


    How long til they catch on and try something?

 Whiskey Peak (2)

    As Morrow walked out from the general store, he was greeted by a crowd.


    ""Welcome to Whiskey Peak, traveler!""


    "I run a hotel down the street, would you like to book a room?"


    Ah, the welcoming committee. How to do this? Pretending to play along for a free feast might be fun, but I''ve got other things to do before nightfall. Ah, let''s go with the unexpected then.


    "Spare me the charade. I used to be a bounty hunter and I''ve heard of Whiskey Peak."


    They looked taken aback at their effort going down the tube like that, but after a bit of shock they all pulled blades out of nowhere.


    "Damn, it''s been a long time since a worthwhile bounty came here. We''d have liked to do this the easy way, but you asked for it!"


    "I can assure you, you wouldn''t profit from a fight. Put the weapons away and I''ll let you go."


    "You''re the one who''s cornered here!"


    Morrow sighed and pulled out the trident as more bounty hunters swarmed from the alleyways, joining the growing mob.


    I''ve never been good at convincing others to stand down, especially small thugs like these. They always dig in their heels and bark like they have a death wish. Do I look weak or something? No way, objectively speaking I should be pretty intimidating....Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Charge! Don''t worry about taking him alive!"


    ".....idiots."


    <hr>


    Morrow''s first fight in the Grand Line turned into a disappointing affair. After hearing their erstwhile leader''s order to kill him, Morrow had lost all pretense of mercy himself and massacred anyone who got within reach before they lost the stomach for it. He had long since learned through experience that the best way to deal with mobs like these is a display of brutality. Once they learned they had no safety in numbers, they would second-guess whether it was really a good idea to rush the giant fishman rather than think about revenge.


    Good, at least they have some self-preservation instinct.


    He''d only had to kill a dozen for the rest to decide that he was a bad deal before running away. Morrow couldn''t tell if they were going for reinforcements or not, but he damn well wasn''t leaving just yet. He had seen a ramen stall with a good smell on his way to the shop, and it demanded being checked out....


    He left the crumpled bodies where they lay.


    <hr>


    Ah, that hits the spot...


    Morrow had to admit he hadn''t been a big fan of ramen before reincarnation, preferring spaghetti and chicken alfredo for most of his pasta needs, but it had grown on him over the years. The stall owner either wasn''t in with the bounty hunters or he hadn''t heard yet, because he served up an extra large helping in a container he could take with him with no fuss. Morrow slowly walked while carrying the thick paper tub filled with still-steaming ramen in the crook of his arm. He''d enjoy it back on the ship.


    When he made it back to the docks, there was yet another crowd there, all up in arms.


    ""Revenge for Haj!""


    Don''t you guys ever learn? My poor hot food.....

 Life on Little Garden (1)

    There was no point in dealing with this mob since Morrow was leaving anyway, but if he didn''t give them a more firm punishment they wouldn''t appreciate how merciful he had been before. He set the paper bucket down on his boat before jumping back on the shore. He didn''t bother to pull the trident as he scooped down and pushed on the tide with a yell.


    "[Breaking Waves]!"


    Like a scaled up version of shoving water against someone in the pool, water exploded onto the beach where the bounty hunters were gathered in a 5 meter tall wave. There were shouts and curses as it picked them up and continued it''s unabated march before slamming into the line of stone buildings.


    Ouch, that must have hurt.


    Ignoring the subtle crunching sound that could still be heard over the waves, he hopped back on the boat to pull up the anchor before getting back to his meal.


    Ah, my delicious ramen.


    <hr>


    Little Garden was not a common choice for a destination along the Grand Line, so Morrow had been unable to obtain a permanent pointer for it. If one existed, they were few and not for sale in the common channels. That made the next leg of his journey quite tricky, and he''d had to constantly consult his maps to make sure he was going in the right direction.


    Still, if he was reading things right his Log Pose had finally settled on the line for Little Garden. That left him some room to finally relax, or at least relax as much as you can in a crazy sea like this one. While he could leave fish to watch for storms for him, the random snow left him constantly shoveling the deck and trying to keep the sails dry so they don''t freeze and rip. He only had so much extra canvas...


    Morrow tried to view it as an interesting training experience rather than just tedious, and it was indeed a workout. Morrow wasn''t sure what the logic of it all was, but his strength that had almost stalled before had increased a small trace in the 2 weeks since entering the Grand Line.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    No wonder there are so many strong here when just living at sea is such a workout. I''d always wondered how Luffy could possibly get stronger when he never trained at all, so I guess that answers the question.


    "It''s about time to go fishing again as well. What do you think Yoshi?"


    He had unintentionally laughed at his current companion''s name when they met, but the large green sea serpent didn''t get the joke. He had obviously never heard of Nintendo and it''s characters.


    ["Ok boss. I passed a school of yummy tuna on the way here. Can you cook them for me if I catch some?"]


    "Sure, though I don''t know why you like cooked fish so much. Shouldn''t that taste kind of bad for you?"


    ["It''s a matter of repetiveness boss. I still have taste, so eating the same things for years was boring. Shall we get going?"]


    "Ok."


    Most marine creatures had very short attention spans and were not very good long-term company, but Yoshi seemed awfully smarter than he should have been. He seemed content follow and watch for him in exchange for cooking, and Morrow had to admit it made the trip much less boring.


    Regardless, Little Garden was now in sight and he felt it was time to say something.


    "Ok Yoshi, I''m going up on land and I might be there for a while. Do you want to follow or go back to doing your thing?"


    ["Land doesn''t agree with me too much, boss. If you don''t mind I''d prefer to wait and do my own hunting. I''ll find you when you''re done."]


    "Ok, that sounds nice. I might be a while so I''ll come to visit if you''re still around."


    Now to find me some giants.


    <hr>


    He was wading through the jungle looking for Dorry or Brogy when a thought struck him.


    I forgot, but should I be worried about disease?


    Morrow had never been sick in his life since being a fishman, but it was a very real worry. He did use some bug repellant, but it might not work on something like ancient mosquitos. It would be unlikely he could get help if he ended up with something like 5-day-disease, and his immune system worked significantly different enough that human medicines probably wouldn''t work on him anyway...


    Screw it. I just have to trust in my body and One Piece logic. Most insects wouldn''t even get through my skin anyway.

 Life on Little Garden (2)

    It took half an hour of hacking through the jungle to find a giant, and as he sat there staring at the one he found he was a bit shocked. It''s one thing to know logically what to expect and quite another to come face to face with it. Morrow had started growing used to towering over others, but now he was only came up to another humanoid''s knee.


    Seriously, if they are so big then how tall is Oars?


    Shaking off his shock he gave a hail to the giant, Dorry if he remembered right, who still hadn''t noticed him and was currently cooking a dinosaur.


    "Hello there!"


    "Oh? A guest?"


    "Be it, I''m Morrow. Nice to meet you."


    "A funny guest.....do you have any rum?"


    "...."


    <hr>


    In the end Morrow went back to the boat and fetched the only barrel of rum he had as well as a smaller wine cask for himself. The rum probably wouldn''t even count as a mug to Dorry, but as far as he was concerned the giant could have it. He''d only bought it because it was cheap and guests might like it, but personally he wasn''t fond of it.


    They were in the middle of discussing what Elbaf''s customs were like when the volcano went off which was the signal for the duel.


    "Sorry guest....I have to leave for a while. We can continue the story later."


    "Okay. I''ve got some things to do as well. I''ll come back later."


    Of course, those ''things to do'' was watching the duel. There''s no way he''d miss it since he was curious. The manga had been wildly inconsistent on how strong the giants actually were. On one hand they one-shot a goldfish that supposedly ate islands, and on the other Brogy got beaten by Mr. 3 of all things.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    As he sat on his perch in a tree as the giants clashed, he could honestly say Oda must have been drunk when he wrote that section. Dorry and Brogy were both strong enough to be worthy of being captains of giants hailing from the strongest nation in the New World, which meant they were at least Shichibukai-level. Although Morrow wouldn''t praise their technical skill, the shockwaves bowling over trees next to where they clashed told the story.


    How the hell did Mr. 3 ever manage to bind Brogy with wax? Even if it was stronger than steel, with his strength it should have easy to break out. The only reason I can think of for their inconsistent showing is that they were already exhausted from their fight.


    Another thing he noticed is that neither of them seemed to be using haki, which was not a good sign for Morrow if he wanted to learn from them. He''d thought they would surely know since they had made names for themselves in the New World, but was it possibly just because of their race''s innate strength?


    The clang*clang*clang continued for over an hour without either so much as injuring the other, and after the initial appreciation of thei strength had worn off Morrow had lost interest. While they were certainly strong, there was nothing to gain by watching.


    He returned to the boat for his own training for the day.


    <hr>


    I am such an idiot!


    The reason for Morrow''s current bad mood lay in front of him, his log pose. It wasn''t broken fortunately, but he had completely forgotten a critical part of the manga and had been reminded during a talk with Dorry that it takes a year for the pointer to re-orient from Little Garden to the next stop.


    There were probably even permanent pointers in Whiskey Peak too if I had simply bought one too. Fuck!


    Morrow had of course written down every little detail he could recall about One Piece in a journal he''d made all the way back in Orange Town, but there was no way he could recall every single minor detail. Now he was stuck here for a year or until someone else stops here with a permanent pointer shows up that he could steal or trade for.


    After drowning himself in a cask of ale he started calming down and tried to go for an optimistic outlook. It was only a year after all, and training himself some more wouldn''t hurt. He still needed to confirm what both the giants knew about haki, as even if they knew little like he feared it still might put him one step closer to figuring things out himself.


    Back on center, he got down to planning for himself...

 Life on Little Garden (3)

    As it turned out the giants did know something about haki, though they saw no reason to use such "tricks" themselves. Morrow felt that was more than a bit shortsighted, but he kept that to himself and listened to Dorry explain.


    "I haven''t practiced myself, but some giants passed down armament haki like this.....and for observation haki there are very few users among giants, but I''ve heard it''s hard to obtain a non-natural awakening. You can practice meditation like this to improve chances, but it''s not really sophisticated. Awakening may take as little as a few months to as long as a decade depending on foundation. Well, that''s all I know."


    "Thank you for your wisdom Mr. Dorry. If that brewing I told you about works out I''ll bring you a barrel."


    "Heh, it''s nothing guest. Come back anytime."


    "I''ll be going then."


    <hr>


    Morrow stood looking at the crude containers he had made and wondered for the tenth time if this was a really good idea. He had run out of whatever alcohol he had within the first week on the island, and so rather than drinking nothing but water for the year he was stuck here he had hit on brewing his own. Morrow had hit a snag on the first step though, as he was definitely no qualified cooper and he only had 5 free barrels.


    I just have to give up and use the old barrels for my experiment.


    There was a great deal of adventure in this process, which is why he had wanted more containers for fermentation. He had been unable to find wild wheat, so he was left with some wild fruit and yeast he had found. Almost no part of the process was controlled, unlike the times he had made hard cider on Earth.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    This could taste like absolute shit or be awesome. Who knows.


    Feeling like a mad scientist rather than a homebrewer, he tried a different combination in each barrel and set them aside to ferment after writing down what each barrel had in it. He would come back in a week to check each''s progress.


    <hr>


    On which haki to start training first, Morrow had some ideas. Although Armament Haki was very powerful, he had other ways to hit devil fruit users. Comparatively Observation Haki was less directly powerful, but had much more utility for his current situation. Conqueror Haki doesn''t need to be said, as Dorry obviously didn''t know anything about it. Morrow didn''t know if he had it either, so any training would be useless there unless he awakened it later at some later date.


    To tell the truth, Morrow didn''t really care about Conqueror Haki anyway. It was treated like a big deal in One Piece, but other than knocking out those much weaker than the user to prevent a siege situation it didn''t seem to have any big use. It was just a sign of force of personality.


    Observation haki it is then. If I reach some success in that I can move onto armament haki.


    Unfortunately Dorry also knew less about that breed of haki, but combining Dorry''s hearsay with what he had seen in One Piece gave Morrow some confidence in recreating it.


    He popped on a blindfold and got started. He tried empty his mind and stretch his awareness like he thought it should work, but after 2 hours with nothing to show for it he finally gave up for the day.


    This is clearly going to be a long haul. No need to get anxious if I''m not a genius. Slow and steady wins the race.


    <hr>


    So that''s how it works....


    It had taken Morrow 3 months of daily meditation and acting like a monk to finally stumble into the doorway, but he finally managed to figure out a trace of observation haki. Good thing too, as he was past sick of it. He was not one for sitting like a buddha seeking for enlightenment or whatever. Morrow liked more immediate gratification for his efforts even if he could be patient when he had to.


    His current range for this additional sense was pathetic however. The "lights" in his mind only extended about 300 ft, which compared to the miles-long range used by some characters was simply terrible.


    Don''t get greedy. I should just be happy I got a start rather than complaining.

 Life on Little Garden (4)

    Life on Little Garden wasn''t bad, but Morrow was starting to get bored with the whole affair. He had left East Blue early in hopes of finding excitement, but barely 2 weeks in he was stuck on an island for a year. It reminded him of getting hyped up for a movie release back on Earth only for the producer go "My bad" and push it back until next year.


    The only consolation was that it wasn''t a useless trip. Morrow had learned some common knowledge about the Grand Line as well as an introduction to both observation and armament haki during his time stuck. His sense could extend up to a mile, and while the beasts here were somewhat lacking they fully confirmed the precog functions of observation. Armament came somewhat less naturally, but he could still harden a limb or his weapon no problem. Whether his current proficiecy would work against a logia he had no idea though.


    Morrow looked out at his boat, which he had pushed up on to the beach for a last minute inspection and maintenance. The caulking was still holding watertight, but he renewed it just in case. He also had the accumulated salt thoroughly scrubbed off until the boat''s hull looked practically new. His simple Jolly Roger flew high on the mast, a silver skull and tridents for crossbones on a black canvas. It was something he had promised to create, but he had kept putting it off for some reason or another until now.


    Job well done.


    He pushed the boat back into the cove and re-anchored it, before heading off to check his homebrew. This would be the last batch since he figured he had about a week before the log pose finally settled. All that was left were some goodbyes and a last party.


    <hr>


    Huh? Someone is near my wine stash?


    As Morrow walked through the jungle he picked up a special aura during a habitual sweep that was part of his training. It was close to his temporary camp where he left the wine to ferment, but normally he would have ignored it since the dinosaurs went by there all the time. What brought his attention was when he focused on it the contour seemed almost human in his mind.


    Baroque Works? or someone else? It seems a bit too early for the Straw Hats.


    Regardless of who it was, if they dared to move his stuff then they should be ready for a beating. The current batch was his magnum opus in amateur moonshining, and it had taken most of the year to get the proportions for the recipe right. Once Morrow realized his precious brew was at stake, he threw off his good mood and rushed in the direction of his camp.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    I better get a good explanation or someone is getting fed to the fish.


    <hr>


    Morrow wasn''t someone generally used to getting angry, but when he made it to camp and saw some asshole sitting on a log helping himself to a barrel of his stuff, he immediately dropped any pretense of being a gentleman. He didn''t need or want an explanation when everything seemed so self-evident.


    His thief was a flamboyant bastard with a ridiculous hairdo that he idly recognized as the so-called "Mr. 3", but by that point his fist was already well on it''s way to impacting his face. The now-identified Mr. 3 did a few cartwheels in the air before rolling to a stop by impacting a tree. He started foaming at the mouth, but Morrow payed him no mind as his head was full of thoughts of his poor wine.


    He picked up the barrel Mr.3 had been drawing from and swished it around a little.


    Phew, there''s still more than half. The other barrels look unopened as well. At least the bastard had the decency to not put it to his mouth and use a glass.


    He put down the barrel before turning his attention to the now-unconscious Mr. 3. Morrow could figure out a good half of why he was here, but he was still pissed.


    I should just toss him into the sea. That would save Dorry and Brogy some trouble while I''m at it.


    Deciding that sounded like a good idea, he first dragged his prisoner to the beach for some interrogation first. It could be troublesome if he woke up and used his devil fruit, so Morrow planned on some old-fashioned waterboarding style using the sea.


    <hr>


    "If you try to use your powers, you get dunked in the sea. If I think you are lying, you get dunked in the sea. If you take too long to answer, you get dunked in the sea. Comprehend?"


    "You lunatic! I am a Baroque Works'' officer. Do you---"


    *Some dunking later*


    "Comprehend?"


    "....yes"


    "What are you doing here? and what made you think it was a good idea to mess with my stash?"


    "This is my hideout! Like I knew anybody owned that wine, it wasn''t even high quality!"


    Did you think it came out of thin air? You are awfully rude for a thief.


    "Well it should be obvious now, but that''s my stuff. You ruined a chunk of my weeks of effort, so I''m a little angry."


    *Dunks some more*


    "What? I didn''t even do anything!"


    "That one was just venting, don''t mind it"


    "I mind!"


    5 minutes later he had the whole affair. It wasn''t significantly different than expected. Mr. 3 claimed to be here chasing a traitor to his organization (Vivi) and some pirates that were expected to arrive in a week, but didn''t mention his partner or other agents though Morrow knew about them already and could fill in the story. Now he was left with a once-again unconscious Mr. 3 and a lot of thoughts.


    Now what?

 Life on Little Garden (5)

    Morrow stood looking down at his prisoner, and cursed chance that kept ruining his plans. He originally didn''t want to interfere with the Straw Hats outside some small butterfly effects, but this could totally have unintended consequences. What if Nami didn''t stay long enough to catch sick? What if no eternal log pose was sent because Mr. 3 was gone? It might ruin the show he was looking forward to.


    Sigh, too late to consider ''What if" scenarios. I did owe Dorry and Brogy anyway, even if they will never know about it.


    Not wanting to be a target for Crocodile and with no way to cash a bounty, he broke Mr. 3''s neck and tossed him overboard after searching him. No point taking chances.


    Now if I remember right, Mr. 3 had a woman partner who should be on the island as well.....Miss Goldenweek I think she was called? Wasn''t she the little girl painter?


    While Morrow would readily admit he was more on the ruthless end, killing a kid was more than a bit too much even if she really wasn''t a good crop herself. He''d just tell Dorry and Brogy to be wary of her just in case and avoid her himself. He knew that was kind of half-ass, but it was either that or kill her too. He loaded up the remaining wine below deck before taking a full barrel to go visit Dorry.


    <hr>


    "...so be careful. I don''t think she has the courage to attack either of you, but she might try to pull something shady when you fight Brogy. Their goal is just you guys'' bounty by any means possible, so don''t expect anything honorable."


    "Ok guest, I''ll keep it in mind. Will you be leaving soon then?"


    "Yup, my pointer should be set in a week or so, so this might be the last time. I brought a barrel of my latest attempt to celebrate. I''m pretty confident in it..."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "That''s more like it! I was just fixing to get some barbecue as well."


    <hr>


    After leaving Dorry, Morrow went back to his ship in order to move it somewhere more hidden. There was a cove about a mile up the coast, and while it wasn''t perfect it would hide it from any casual inspection when the search for Mr. 3 comes through. He called Yoshi up from the sea to keep an eye on it for an added protection.


    Yoshi had grown over his year of eating dinosaurs as well. The glutton was now nearing 30 meters and was much larger than his poor boat. It was still just as agreeable as it was before though, provided that you had food he hadn''t tried.


    Somehow it''s turned into ''Alcoholic Fishman and his Gourmet Side Kick'' rather than a journey to become the strongest.


    Shaking off that sarcastic thought, Morrow swam out to sea for his next round of training. Lacking appropriate weights, he had to borrow nature to give himself a workout. Which meant depths for beyond any diver could endure, and some not-so-friendly sparring partners.


    <hr>


    A week passed as he waited for his log to settle, and during that time he visited Brogy to give the same warning and pass a barrel of wine over in much the same way as he had with Dorry. Even if he seemed kind of skeptical, with that Morrow''s conscience could be considered clear.


    Huh, humans again?


    He was hunting for some last-minute meat reserves to complement his seafood when he sensed a considerably strong aura running through the jungle. By feel it was actually significantly stronger than Mr. 3 had been.


    Not Baroque Works then probably. They shouldn''t have the kind of manpower to send someone over at this critical point. Straw Hats then?


    Morrow uncosciously modified his route a bit to cross paths, wanting to confirm his guess. That was complicated by the fact his target kept randomly changing directions.


    This has got to be Zoro. No one else is so retarded....


    Morrow was proven right a few seconds later, as he finally caught up and the moss-green hair came into view. He gave the idiot a hail so that he wouldn''t be misunderstood as an enemy.


    "Hello there traveler! You lost?"


    "I''m not lost, everyone else is! Who are you anyway?"


    Ah, this is going to take a while, I can just tell.