The Mad Doctor of One Piece - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Peter let out a long drawn out whistle as he tilted his head back to look up and up and up toward the top of the red line and the top of reverse mountain. It was one thing to see it on a screen but a whole other thing to see it in person. It really was truly massive! No wonder people rarely crossed the Red Line from above and stuck to going under it from Fishman Island.

The rest of the crew was equally impressed by the magnificent sight, especially Momo. As the newest member of the crew she hadn't seen much of the world yet. Not that they'd seen anything near as impressive as the Red Line without her. His version of Momo was a bright and curious woman with a figure that demanded attention. Even as a teen she'd looked mature in all the right places, but as a full grown woman in her twenties? She was a bombshell that just oozed 'ara ara' energy, especially when she let her hair down and looked like a curvy Yamato Nadeshiko, the ideal Japanese beauty.

She was still learning how to properly utilize her Quirk, but already she was good friends with the production girls and Valaria's self-proclaimed best friend. Not that is seemed like Momo minded it. With Valeria's help, he expected it would be a week at most before Momo was producing microprocessors and circuitry. He had no idea how they would program any of it, but that was their field, not his own. He would just wait until they had their tech up to the point that he could get some high end equipment made for himself.

As they got closer to the mountain, Mera began shouting out orders that everyone rushed to follow. She had already scouted the area ahead of their arrival so knew what to expect as they approached. Soon they were caught in the current, but thanks to Mera's excellent guidance they entered the rapid stream with ease. The ship shuddered under their feet while the powerful current literally pushed them up the mountain. As they neared the top, Mera called out, “Remember what the Captain said! At the first sight or sound of Laboon we slow this thing down as fast as possible!”

He'd had fun telling them all about the Island whale, as in a whale so big it could pass for an island by itself, and it's penchant for blocking the entrance to the Grand Line. It was pretty nice to have at least some foreknowledge of what to expect!

The problem was, once they entered the Grand Line, he had no idea what to expect. It's not like he would be tracing the exact same path that Luffy had. That wasn't how a Log Pose worked at all. From what he recalled there were three or four starter islands, of which Cactus Island was but one. So he only had a twenty-five to thirty-three percent chance to head in that direction.

He also didn't remember much about how the poses picked which island was next. So, he'd bought a half dozen Log Poses back on Hana Island. He wanted to see if all six would point in the same direction or if he would get multiple choices. He honestly had no preference where they went, but he did want to get them to Arabasta. There had still been no sign of Luffy getting a bounty so he was still in the lead for arriving at the island. This was good because he wanted to hunt down Ace first and make him an offer he couldn't refuse.

As the ship reached the peak of Reverse Mountain, Peter looked at the oceanic world spread out before him and felt himself smiling so hard it hurt. Ahead of him was a huge world filled with adventure and excitement! For just a brief moment it was as if he could see the entire world. Then the moment passed and the ship was plunging down toward the Grand Line. Peter threw his hands up and in the air and cheered. He didn't care how childish it was, he was excited as hell while they plunged down at an insane speed.

It was a little funny to him that he, the Captain, was physically the youngest member of the crew at only seventeen while everyone else looked to be in their mid-twenties. That might change when he recruited local denizens, but until then it was something that just entertained him.

About halfway down the mountain they all heard a loud keening sound with a deep bass tone to it.

“Laboon!” Mera called out.

Everyone got to work. The sails that had been pulled up were dropped to act as wind breaks. Mera ran to the bow of the ship and leaped off into the water to push against the hull to try and slow the ship. Peter, simultaneously, took over control of the wheel and kept them on course. Between the sails and Mera's strength, the ship began to rapidly slow. By the time they were three quarters of the way down the mountain they were going slow enough to maneuver the ship some. Once they actually reached the ocean, Peter turned the wheel hard to port to sail around the massive form of Laboon sticking out of the water.

While they sailed around the giant whale sticking straight up out of the ocean, the majority of the crew looked on in awe. Laboon was the biggest living thing any of them had ever seen. Peter had gone to Sea World as a kid in his last life but the Orca's they had nothing on Laboon. It was like comparing an iguana to Godzilla, just incomparable.

Laboon's mournful cry lasted for another minute, then he seemed to give up and sink back into the ocean. They could see the shadow of his massive form below them, but weren't about to try and annoy the big ass whale that could swallow them whole and not even notice. With the whale submerged, they spotted the tiny peninsula that old man Crocus lived on. It was hard to miss with the lighthouse on it.

As they sailed closer to it, they spotted the old man getting off of the raft he used inside of Laboon. He glanced at them, but said nothing. Instead he stared intensely at them as he walked over to a alwn chair under a parasol near the lighthouse. It was only after Crocus sat and looked comfortable that he spoke, “HM! It's unusual to see a ship not waving a pirate flag come this way.”

Peter looked up at the top of their main mast where they were still sailing with a white flag. Honestly... he had NO idea what to do as a pirate flag or what to call themselves. He wanted to do something with Alchemy, but felt that would be a terrible idea and bring way too much heat from the Marines. They might be fairly strong, but they weren't 'defeat all comers' strong, yet.

After looking at the blank flag he turned back to Crocus, “That's because we're not pirates. Well, not yet!”

“Not yet?”

Peter nodded, “We ran into a corrupt Marine that wanted to kill me an my first mate then sell the rest of my crew as slaves. Naturally, we objected. Violently. I expect there will be bounties issued before much longer. Then we'll become pirates. Until then, we're just a group of explorers looking to tackle the greatest ocean in the world!”

Crocus gave a hard grunt, “I guess even after all these years the Marines haven't changed.” He studied Peter over the rims of his glasses, “You're the captain? A bit young compared to the others, ain't ya?”

Peter laughed, “I might not be the oldest or the strongest, but I'm the captain regardless!”

Crocus actually looked curious, “Not the strongest?” His gaze moved to Alex which was fair enough, Alex did look the part a bit better than Peter, “Him then?”

Both Peter and Alex shook their heads in reply. Peter then looked directly at Mera standing by the wheel, “Her.”

Crocus turned to look at the beautiful red head and hummed, “I see. Why aren't you the captain then lass?”

Rather than look offended like some ardent supporters might, Mera grinned, “Because the captain is the captain. I'm just the navigator.”

Crocus let out an amused snort at that, “Whatever, none of my business anyway. But, just to be sure, you youngin's did bring a Log Pose, right?”

Peter nodded, “Six, in fact.”

“Oh? Smart. Be careful though. Having multiple log poses could get you lost just as easily as having only one.” He shruged and lifted up his newspaper to read it, “You poses should set in a couple hours. Good luck.”

Peter waved as their ship got underway, “See ya, old man!”

They sailed a short distance from Crocus and watched the Log Poses. As Crocus said, just a few hours of waiting and the poses were set. Four of them pointed in the same direction while two pointed in other directions. Peter looked at Mera and smirked, “Pick a course and let's go!”

Mera looked at the Log Poses and picked on of the contrary ones. When she saw Peter looking at her questioningly she explained, “If four are pointing to the same island then it's probably the most common one that people go to. I want to take the road less traveled!”

Peter grinned widely and gave her a thumbs up, “I approve!”

The only island that Peter honestly cared about reaching was Arabasta, what route they took to get there didn't matter at all to him!

-----Line Break-----

Peter, Momo, Vivienne, Valeria, Ai, and Erina all lay on the deck of the ship groaning. Peter had underestimated the Grand Line, severely. He knew to expect random crazy weather, but seeing it played for laughs in an anime and experiencing it in person were vastly different. No one had gotten any sleep for the last three days!

He couldn't even remember how many times they'd had to lift and lower the sails over that time. Mera, still standing by the wheel, looked haggard and ready to drop as well. She had comported herself well and guided them through the insane weather with precise instructions. She'd been amazing.

Now though, the weather was calming down and seemed to be stabilizing, which meant they were closing in on an island. Given the temperature, he figured they were approaching either a fall or spring island. It didn't seem hot enough to be a summer island. He could be wrong, of course, but he didn't think he was.

“Land ho!” Alex shouted from the crows nest.

Unfairly, he was the only one who didn't look like hell. Unlike Zoro, he didn't sleep through everything and had been working beside them the whole time. It was completely unfair. Peter could only put it down to the version of the super soldier formula that had bonded to Alex's genetic code. There were so many versions of Erskine's formula it wasn't even funny. Hell, in some continuities even Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk was because of the formula.

As they neared the island, Peter called out, “Drop anchor!” Seeing some curious looks, he explained, “I'm too tired to deal with whatever island we're at. I want some rest. On top of that, we need to make some decisions such as, what should our pirate name be? What should our pirate flag look like? I know we don't plan to act much like pirates, but it's only a matter of time until we're declared as such so we might as well embrace it!”

Everyone agreed and the anchor was dropped bringing the ship to a halt a few leagues from the island. Someone there could probably see us if they looked with a spyglass. With the ship stopped and the weather stable, everyone went to take a nap except Alex. Since he looked so put together still, Peter left him as the lookout, just in case.

After a few hours of sleep, the whole crew met in the now open galley slash mess hall where they could all meet and talk while Erina was nearby cooking, so she wouldn't be left out of the conversation. Erina's cooking was improving by leaps and bounds thanks to her enhanced taste, the so-called 'god tongue'. Peter had given her a cooking skill potion he made, but he had never been a professional chef or even a very good home cook. Still, it had provided her with a base to grow from. Add in his ability to provide any ingredients, including spices, and she probably had the most well stocked kitchen in the world.

The scent and sound of sizzling meat filled the area as everyone relaxed. Peter couldn't wait for the food since it all tasted so much better than anything he'd had in either life, up to that point. Erina's cooking was good, but the ingredients were important to. After all, why have basic chicken when you could have Cockatrice? Why settle for beef when you could have Dragon? About the only local ingredient they used was fish since the local fish were so damned good tasting. It made Peter want to try Sea King meat.

Ignoring the rumbling in his stomach, Peter addressed the crew, “So, any thoughts on what our name should be?”

Ai instantly chimed in by throwing her hand up in the air and bouncing enthusiastically in her seat, “Oh oh oh! We should totally be Peter's Rockin' Pirates!”

That got a few chuckles but Peter shook his head, “I don't want it to contain my name. Besides, that sounds more like a name a musically themed pirate group would have.”

Ai immediately puffed out her cheeks, crossed her arms, and turned away with a pout. As her personality grew she was becoming more of a 'brat' but not in a truly annoying manner. Merlin spoke up while tapping her chin, “The Magical Pirates?”

Peter considered that before shaking his head, “Maybe if you and Vivienne were far enough along in your self study to teach the rest of us. But since you two are the only magic users, for now, that doesn't make much sense.”

Valeria chimed in, “What about something related to potions, alchemy, or transmutation?”

Peter rocked his hand side to side in a 'so so' manner, “That could work. Though we should stay away from Alchemy. We don't want the world government thinking we have anything to do with the island of Alchemi or the Pure Gold. Regardless of the fact that I can make people immortal. They'd hunt us down and never stop. Still, potions or transmutation aren't bad options, I suppose.”

“You said that Luffy's crew were known over his hat, an object. What about an object related to potions and transmutation?” came from Momo.

Erina chimed in from the kitchen, “Like a cauldron! Those are pretty iconic.”

Peter hummed, “So, the Cauldron pirates? Feels like it's missing something to give it more gravitas.”

Domino hummed and added, “Pirates in your original world were often associated with colors, Red Beard, Blue Beard, Black Beard, and so on. What about the Black Cauldron Pirates?”

Peter nodded, “I kind of like it, but Black has so many negative connotations. What about the Gilded Cauldron Pirates? Oh! The flag could be a standard skull and crossbones with with a golden cauldron emitting some fumes behind it!”

The others hummed as they thought over the name then agreed. The only one of them that actually had any care for their name was Ai and she, like the others, wasn't willing to really go against their Captain. Their creator.

From there designing the flag and having the, surprisingly artistic, Sakuya paint the skull and crossbones didn't take too long. Peter even provided gold dust to mix into the yellow paint so it would glitter in the sun to appear like real gold. They would paint the sail later since the sun was beginning to set by the time they got done.

-----Line Break-----

The next day, as they sailed closer to the island, Merlin joined Peter at the bow of the ship. They stood in silence for a minute or so before Merlin spoke, “Do you think we'll come across a Devil Fruit or someone whose eaten one on this island?”

Peter thought for a bit before he answered, “The odds of finding one in the wild, uneaten, are miniscule so I'd go with a big fat no on that. Running into someone that has one? Slightly more possible. Luffy seemed to run into at least one on every single island he visited, sometimes many more than that, so I think the odds are fair. As for it being a useful or interesting Devil Fruit? I'd put that at unlikely.”

Merlin shrugged her shoulders, doing interesting things to her bikini clad chest, “I don't care what it does or which kind it is. I just want to examine someone who has one. It sounds and awful lot like magic to me and I'd like to confirm whether it is or not.”

Peter smirked, “You don't believe it's a devil or some kind?”

She scoffed, “Not even remotely. I could see it being a spirit of some sort, perhaps. But an actual devil? No. Even if it were a devil, how does that translate to their weakness to the sea or seastone? All of us have looked over the seastone you provided and there's some magic inherent to it. Mera says she finds it as comforting as swimming in the depths. I just can't find a connection.”

He nodded in understanding, “You're hoping to figure it out once and for all. I'm all for that. Once we meet someone we can study, we'll figure it out and I can see about making us artificial Devil Fruits without the weakness or the inherent flaws in the ones Doflomingo makes.”

He really wanted to do it too. He'd searched his mind and he could find recipes, but something was missing. Oh, they would work exactly like a normal Devil Fruit, weakness to water and all. But there was something... wrong with them that he couldn't understand. He, much like Merlin, wanted one to study in person to see what it was missing. It was like... whatever it was missing wasn't covered by the limitations of his Essense. Just like how he figured out how to enchant items in a round about way, he would have to look for a round about way to finish the Devil Fruits properly.

Merlin hummed at his answer and studied the island as they got closer. There was a decent sized village with a pier within sight. Behind the village was jungle that led to a large mountain range. Then, just passed the mountain range, the sky changed. I twas filled with black clouds and lightning, a storm that hadn't moved an inch since they first spotted it on the horizon.

Once they were close enough, those interested in going ashore hopped into a long boat. Peter was joined by Merlin, Domino, Artoria, Alex, and Mera. Without being asked, Mera dropped into the ocean and got behind the wooden boat to push it. Peter let out a laugh and whooped as she pushed the boat faster than any Cigarette boat could hope to match. They had to be going at least a hundred miles and hour. At that speed, it took them no time at all to arrive at the dock where they were met by shocked looks from the few people there.

There was a moment of silence before an old woman at the end of the dock yelled loudly, “PIRATES!”

While Peter and his crew got out of the long boat, or jumped from the ocean to the dock in Mera's case, the locals ran screaming. Doors slammed closed, window shades were drawn, and soon the place looked abandoned.

Peter looked around with a small frown and sighed, “You know, I get the reaction, I do. Still, it irks me.” He looks at the bevy of beauties he arrived with, minus himself and Alex, and sighs, “You would think pretty women would help them not panic so completely.” His eyes roam over the area until he spots what he's looking for, “Come on, there's a bar over there. Hopefully we can find how long the pose will take to set there, maybe pick up some of whatever the local specialty is.”

That was one of the few things he couldn't conjure up, good booze. Oh, he could make alcohol that would make gods weep. The problem is, good alcohol takes TIME. Until he could figure out a way to accelerate time in a small area, he'd be looking at a decade, minimum, just to make a good whiskey. Other things could be made quicker, but the good stuff always took time. He didn't want hash moonshine, he wanted smooth, smokey, and earthy flavors with a rich aftertaste! Even magical liquors took time to age properly! He very much wanted to drink Firewhiskey, even just once, but it took fifty years to age properly! FIFTY!

Time shenanigans were a go.

Until then, he planned to make due with the local beverages he could get his hands on. He was still looking for something that reminded him of a good Scotch. No luck thus far, but he had hope!

Peter pushed the door to the pub open and looked inside the drearily lit interior. There were a surprising number of people within the pub for the time of day, four and the bartender. A man sat at the far end of the bar, head down and snoring. He might've been there all night... or he really got started early.

The last three were all sitting at a table together in the back. Just a single glance at them had Peter thinking 'pirates'. It wasn't any one thing but a bunch of small things such as the one man's golden hoop earring or the other mans missing teeth. He could be wrong, but he honestly doubted it. Either way, it was none of his business so he ignored them and led his group to the bar.

As they approached, the bartender reached down to grab something. He set it down with a solid thunk revealing a short club with the head of it wrapped in bands of iron, “Don't want no trouble.”

Peter stopped at the bar and stared into the eyes of the bartender while the bartender stared back. The tension within the room grew as they stared at each other. Slowly, Peter reached into an interior pocket of his jacket, his movement ratcheting the tension up. With a sudden jerk he whips his hand out of his coat and slams it down onto the counter with a muffled 'whump!' sound. Everyone not on his crew jerks in surprise at the sudden action, the bartender even has the club in his hand and hefted for a fight.

Until he see's what's on the counter.

The club vanished as if by magic and the man's attitude took a complete one eighty, “Welcome, good sir. What can I get you?”

It would have been nice, if the bartenders eyes hadn't been laser locked onto the fat stack of Belly Peter had just slammed onto the counter. The man even went so far as to rub his hands together in that sleazy manner. Peter cringed a little but moved past it, “I want one of every bottle.”

The man nodded agreeably and ran into the back only to return with an armful of bottles a few moments later. After a couple of trips there was a collection of fifteen different bottles of alcohol sitting on the bar. Most of it was various versions of rice wine, or Sake, which he did enjoy every now and then in his last life. But, like the majority of wine, it's alcohol content was pretty low.

What really caught his eye was the single bottle of rum. Given this was a pirate world you would think rum would be more ubiquitous, yet this was the first bottle he'd seen! The group quickly collected all of the bottles of alcohol while Peter claimed the bottle of rum for himself. None of them planned on drinking yet, it was too early in the day, but tonight they'd pass the bottles around and see who liked what.

While they packed the bottles away, one of the three pirate looking fellows at the back table got to his feet and made his way out of the pub. No one missed his departure but they also didn't care. It wasn't really any of their business what people on the island got up to.

Once the booze was safely stored away, Peter spoke to the bartender, “How long will it take for the Log Pose to set here?”

The bartender went back to what stereotypical bartenders do when not serving, wiping a glass with a cloth, “Three days.”

That was not bad at all, not when you've got islands like Little Garden that take one hundred years to set. Peter nodded his thanks then asked, “What's with the storm on the other side of the mountains?”

“Ahhh, that's how our island got it's name, Tempest Crown.” The bartender seemed to really be getting into it as his voice took on a deeper tone, “Legend says that deep within that swirling storm lies the Stormheart Obelisk, and ancient relic that can control the weather. They say that in the very center of the Obelisk is the heart of a Sea Devil. Any who attempt to gain the power of the Stormheart are destroyed when the storm becomes more vicious, more bloodthirsty. None who have attempted to claim it have returned.”

There was a tense silence for a moment before the bartender cracked. He threw his head back and laughed, “Of course, that's just the legend. Fact is, no one really knows why half this half of the island is a spring island while the other half is a storm island. What we do know is that in the time this towns been here the storm has never passed the mountains. That's just the Grand Line for ya, doesn't make any sense at all! You'll get used to it rookie.”

Most people might've been annoyed or disappointed by the bartender dismissing the story as 'just a legend' but not Peter. Oh no. Peter knew the truth of the world and if there was a legend of ANY sort, it was worth hunting down to learn the truth! Even treasure maps were worth pursuing, even if it ended up that the treasure was already claimed. There would always be an adventure of some kind related to it!

They had three days before the Log Pose reset, that meant three days they could spend adventuring on the island. Why not spend that time seeing if the Stormheart Obelisk existed or not?! Best case scenario, they find some sort of lost ancient technology or maybe a Devil Fruit related to storms. Worst case scenario, they have some fun exploring a cool legend while getting wet in the rain.

-----Line Break-----

Peter once more stood at the bow of his ship watching the island go by as they sailed closer to the split between the spring side and the storm side. He wanted to explore the more interesting sounding storm side and walking there would take too long. Why cross a mountain when you can sail around it in just a few hours?

It was strange though. Right now they could see a delineated section where the storm abruptly began. What was freaky was that the moment a rough wave left the storm zone, it instantly smoothed out to a normal swell. It was as if there were an invisible line the storm simply could not cross. They decided that anchoring the ship on the calm ocean was the much wiser choice. They came to a stop after the anchor dropped leaving them a few hundred yards from the storm.

This time when he left the ship he went with Artoria, Domino, Merlin, and Valeria. Everyone else was staying on the ship to guard it slash train. Thanks to Captain Morgan, Alex had learned Geppo from witnessing it and the training method for Rankyaku. Captain Morgan had been focusing heavily on the leg based skills since they all required a similar level of strength. It made sense to train the legs and gain three useful skills at once than to train the whole body all together and slowly gain all the Rokushiki at the same time. Sadly, the good captain hadn't learned the training methods of the other skills yet. The Marines were only willing to give him on at a time and only after he demonstrated proficiency in the previously given one. He'd only just gotten the method for Rankyaku.

Peter considered Soru and Geppo to be the two most useful skills in the Rokushiki but felt the others had their place. Kami-e seemed like a good way to practice for and then utilize Observation Haki while it's opposite, Tekkai, seemed good for Armament Haki. Shigan... well that move was probably the dumbest of the lot but it at least meant you were always armed... No it was still stupid. Regardless, Alex was giving everyone else lessons in Soru and Geppo to make sure they could use it. Peter planned to learn it later.

Soon he was forced to focus and work with the others as they entered the stormy water. Rain instantly soaked them all to the bone. It was so dense and non stop that Merlin and Valeria stopped rowing to bail water out of the boat. Between the waves and rain they actually could sink within minutes if not careful. None of them would drown, they were too strong for that, but it would be annoying to have to swim.

It took nearly half an hour of sailing through the storm to reach the shore. They pulled the boat ashore and looked at the jungle before them. Palm trees swayed in the wind, rain fell in sheets, and thunder constantly rumbled through the air. Thankfully, it looked like the lightning was mostly contained within the clouds and rarely struck the ground.

Peter shifted his gaze to Domino and grinned, “Lead the way!”

Domino playfully rolled her eyes at him. He'd blatantly told her he'd brought her along for her luck. Not that she minded, of course. Her luck was one of her greatest assets and she was more than happy to use it. She took the lead and just walked it whatever direction she felt like. There was no plan, she didn't even pull out a compass... not that one would work, she realized.

They only walked for about an hour before they came across a clearing. It was hard to see too far between the dusky darkness from the clouds blocking the sun and the vision obscuring rain, but they recognized an old village when they saw one. All that was left were the stones the building had been built out of and even those were heavily corroded by the nonstop rainfall.

The group did some minor exploring of the first few buildings, but there was nothing in any of them. No signs or a roof or a floor, just mud and eroded stone walls. It was as Peter was looking into his fourth building that his senses blared a warning. Without even thinking about it he bent over backwards pulling a 'Neo'. He briefly saw something ripple through the air as the danger passed. He quickly straightened while the wall of the building he'd been examining fell to the ground. The stone had been cut clean through. Peter instantly assumed it was an air slash from a sword or something similar.

“Not good.”

His senses blared again causing him to jump to the side while shouting, “We're under attack!”

The others immediately took cover while Peter rolled on the ground having dodged the second attack. The near invisible attack that left a deep gash in the mud that soon filled with water. He scrambled to his feet and took cover quickly. Hoping he was out of sight, and feeling no danger warnings, he moved from building to building, hoping his attacker lost sight of himself.

He quickly managed to join up with his four companions in their hiding spot. He looked around while asking, “Anyone see anything?”

Artoria looked disgruntled, “They are using the buildings and the rain to hide before they attack. They sneak in the shadows like cowards.”

Meanwhile the other three just shook their heads negatively.

Domino suddenly spins around and fires her revolver with full confidence. The retort of the weapon is loud as it fires off a regular copper jacketed round. A moment later there's a scream from the darkness followed by shouting everyone can clearly hear, “She shot me! The bitch shot me! How the hell did she shoot me?!”

He could understand the man's confusion. A normal flintlock would be completely useless in this kind of weather. Not only would it not produce sparks from the flint hitting the striker, but the power was more likely than not to be soaking wet and useless. The completely sealed shelled rounds Domino was using were fairly new and not widespread at all. The guns were so rare that only a single one had been depicted in canon, then was never mentioned again.

Domino fired again eliciting yet another scream of pain.

“She shot me too! How is she shooting?!”

“How should I know?! Just run!”

Domino smirked while she reloaded the two spent round in the revolver, “Serves them right.”

Just as she clicked the cylinder closed, all of them dropped to the ground moment before another invisible blade sliced through the wall they were hiding behind. As the wall crumbled to the ground, Peter called out, “Split up! Artoria, you're with me. Domino, Merlin, protect Valeria. Find these idiots and end them.”

The phrase 'never split the party' went through Peter's mind, but he ignored it. That was for Dungeons and Dragons. The party almost always split in One Piece for the individual duels. The truth was though, sticking close together just made them a bigger target and could lead to them having a harder time dodging the incoming wind blades.

Artoria quietly followed Peter as they moved deeper into what was turning out to be a small city. In the darkness it had looked like a small village, but at they moved deeper they found taller buildings, still crumbling, but at least a few stories high.

Peter had chosen Artoria to follow him as their fighting styles complimented each other. They were both melee fighters, though Peter preferred his fists to the sword at his waist, for now. He was training in its use, but he was still better at fighting with his fists. After all, he hadn't had a sword to fight for his life with back in West Blue when he lived on the streets. Fists and rocks, maybe the occasional dull knife, that was what he knew intimately for combat.

His combat had evolved some with the inclusion of potions and poisons. Though his best poisons were useless in the downpour as they needed to be inhaled. That just left him with enhancement potions. Things that would temporarily boost his strength, speed, and so on, along with healing potions in case things got really bad.

Working together he and Artoria should be able to handle anything.

Meanwhile, running in a different direction, Merlin and Valeria followed a confident Domino as she led the way through the darkness. None of them were truly happy to explore the storm wracked half of the island, to begin with. Yet they happily followed Peter into their current mess. All any of them wanted was for Peter to be safe, so they would destroy the people attacking them, not for themselves but for Peter.

Domino brought the trio to a halt. Right around the corner of the building they could see three men armed with swords and wearing clothing that the rainfall just slipped off of keeping them rather dry in the downpour. Merlin mutters something about forcing Peter to calm down and take the time to properly prepare in the future. Domino silently agreed with her but didn't say anything aloud.

As Domino lifted her revolver to pick off one of the men and Merlin prepares a spell to pick off another, the man in the middle of the group speaks, shouting to be heard over the rain and allowing the trio of women to overheard easily, “I can't believe that old bastard is making us hunt down these rookie pirates! They don't even have bounties!”

The man on the left slaped him upside the back of his head, “That's 'Admiral', not old man! What if he heard you!? He'd kill us all!”

The last one chimed in, “I'm not dying because you're pissy about being in the rain! If you call him anything but Admiral, Admiral Cain, or Admiral Zehperos again, I will kill you myself!”

The man in the middle nodded in acceptance, looking a bit fearful over the threat. Clearly the Admiral didn't like disrespect. It made the girls wonder who he was. Peter had given them every important name he could remember, including current and future admirals, and an Admiral Cain was not one of them. Then again, these were pirates, it was more likely the man just fancied himself an Admiral and forced his crew to agree.

“Still, I know Renny said the girls were babes, but ain't the Admiral a bit... old for that?” came from the man in the middle who might be suicidal.

His comment earned him another, far harder, slap to the back of his head, “Just shut up and keep an eye out for them! I don't care what he wants them for and neither do you! Just do as you're told and guard this spot for when the others herd them here!”

Domino smirked a little. She, and the others, were all very aware that at least part of the reason Peter chose to make them was their looks. They were all beautiful and came in all flavors making them a tempting target for slavers and perverts. Not that this upset any of them. They were more than happy to be eye candy, and more, for their creator. He gave them life and strength to protect themselves without forcing them to do anything they didn't wish to. He also gave them a purpose in life, how many people could say they knew why they were born and what their purpose in life was?

So, naturally, they would protect Peter and themselves with extreme prejudice. Domino locked eyes with Merlin to make sure she was ready. At Merlin's nod, the pair attacked. Domino leaned around the corner of their hiding spot and fired off her first shot nailing the man in the middle right in the forehead.

At the same time, Merlin stepped around Domino and leveled her hand and pointed her index finger at the man on the right. A blinding white beam of pure fire shot from the tip of the finger and pierced clean through his heart. The heat so intense that it seared the wounds closed not spilling a single drop of blood.

While the first two fell, Domino's aim shifted to the last man standing. A single trigger pull and he too sported a new hole in his head. With all three men down, they examined their surroundings and listened for any signs they were heard. After a few long moments of waiting, they relaxed slightly. Thanks to the storm, sound did not travel very far so someone would have had to be fairly close to hear the loud gunshots.

Domino and Merlin quickly rolled the three dead bodies for anything useful, making sure to steal their waterproof jackets. They didn't find much more than the jackets and weapons the three men had, plain unadorned average swords, not even worth taking. They quickly left the rapidly cooling bodies and made their way even further into the city. Domino had no idea where they were going but she was pretty sure she'd found it when they came across the tallest building yet.

The building they stopped in front of had to be at least a dozen stories tall and relatively intact compared to the other crumbling edifices around them. Quickly walking toward the building showed no one nearby to guard the entrance and the interior looked temptingly dry. They quickly made their way inside to get out of the rain for at least a little while. The moment they walked out of the ran, Merlin cast a simple spell that had them all dry.

The interior was dry, but empty of anything. Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallways and all the rooms they passed lacked doors, allowing them to see the empty interiors. The place had clearly been completely cleaned out. There wasn't even a scrap of broken furniture or ripped cloth anywhere. It didn't take them long to find stairs and make their way to the second flood. Once thing all of them agreed on was that whoever made the place, made it to last. Even after being abandoned for who knew how long, the stairs were still sturdy and easy to climb.

Once on the second floor they made their way to the room that rested over the entrance to the building. It would let them keep an eye out for anyone else coming inside as well as Peter and Artoria. Merlin, the godsend that she was, cast a quick spell to set up an alarm in case anyone tried to come at them from behind. None of them were in a hurry to go back out into the pouring rain.

-----Line Break-----

Peter grumbled to himself as he once again was forced to wipe his wet hair out of his face. He'd never really thought about it before, but his hair was an unruly mess. Now that it was soaking wet it loved to just hang in front of his eyes. It had been years since he's had a hair cut and even then it was just him taking a knife to his hair and slicing it up. Perhaps one of the girls would be willing to help him with that.

Aside from that, he was cursing himself even more for not taking the time to get protection from the rain. He'd been so blinded by the idea of an adventure that he hadn't considered what walking into a storm actually meant. He would have to encourage his companions to speak up even more so they could stop him from doing stupid shit in the future. Hell, even though he was essentially a god in the future, Nami was still willing to punch the hell out of Luffy for being stupid, surely his homunculi could do the same!

He glanced to Artoria at his side. She looked as miserable as he did, though she had the advantage of her long blonde hair being pulled back into a nice braid and kept out of her eyes. Then again, she was wearing a dress with strategically placed armor plates, much like Artoria from TYPE-MOON had. He could only assume she got the idea from his memories. She, unlike most of the others, seemed to take a lot of inspiration from the source of her genetics.

Artoria turned to look at him and gave him a small nod. Together they moved quickly and as quietly as possible. Just a moment ago they'd come across two armed men walking through the streets, clearly searching for them. They'd moved up behind them using the sound of the rain as cover. With Artoria's signal, they both lunged forward, their blades slicing through the air. Then, it was over. Two headless bodies fell to the muddy ground.

Artoria looked a little disgruntled at the sneak attack, but was practical enough to know that she couldn't always have a duel with her enemy. With the current problem taken care of, they moved deeper into the city. Soon they found the tallest building around and made their way toward it. As they got close, Artoria tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. When she had it, she point up to the second floor window. Looking, Peter grinned at the sight of Valaria waving happily at them.

Soon they were all reunited and dry thanks to Merlin. After explaining what they'd overheard, Peter gave Domino a bland stare, “Maybe I should just always stick with you since you seem to find all the useful information.”

He ignored her smirk and thought aloud, “I definitely don't remember anyone named Admiral Cain. I know all the current marine admirals and even the future ones, but I can't recall hearing the name Cain at all. My best guess is the same as yours, Domino, just a pirate with delusions of grandeur. Though, he or one of his men is at least a decent swordsman given the way the buildings got sliced apart.”

They all agreed with that. They knew slicing through steel and causing wind blades that could slice through mountains some something that was legitimately possible. The fact that whoever attacked them could do such a thing put them fairly high up in swordsmanship. Peter was really regretting not bringing Alex along. If Alex could witness the pirate using such a skill it would vastly improve his ability to teach swordsmanship.

Peter thought for a bit before letting out a sigh, “We should head back to the ship and make better preparations for a return. I want to learn about this Stormheart Obelisk, but I should have had us prepare more first.”

The girls all gave him knowing smiles but didn't argue. A minute later and they were stepping outside. Domino, Merlin, and Valaria were doing much better than Peter and Artoria thanks to their stolen jackets. They started making their way back to the longboat.

Suddenly the wind and rain stopped.

They all froze and looked around. The area around them was encapsulated by a large dome that prevented the rain and wind from affecting them. They all took defensive stances when they heard dark chuckles coming from a multitude of men. As they watched, over a dozen men walked out from behind various buildings to stand across from them.

Two of the men stood out above the others not just for their looks, but for their ages as they were ancient looking. Despite their age, they still put out a fearsome aura that wouldn't let anyone underestimate them.

One was thin and tall, at least seven feet, wearing a sword on his hip along with bladed fins on his forearms and calves giving him an almost fishman like look while still clearly being human. He wore his white hair short and stared with sharp black eyes. He sported a sick smile and licked his lips while eyeing the women up and down.

The second man stood out the most because he wore what could only be a Marine Admiral's jacket, only the back sported a massive X through all of the writing. He looked even older than the man at his side, his hair thin and white, liver spots covering his visible skin, and a slight shake to his legs as he stood there slightly hunched over. Even so, his eyes were sharp and there was no doubting the strength he had.

Just laying eyes on them gave Peter a significant amount of information. For starters, both men were ancient by normal standards. The fishman wannabe was one hundred and seventeen years old, suffered badly from arthritis, and malnourished from not being able to properly digest food anymore. He had one or two years of life left at most before the undernourishment would cause organ failure.

The man in the marine admiral coat, on the other hand, only had days left to live. He was a shocking one hundred and thirty two years old. Wounds for long past battles had taken their toll on his body and years of abusing it would now lead to heart failure in a short time. Even so, the man was strong and dangerous, an actual threat to them.

Then there was the dome around them which could have only been caused by a Devil Fruit. He couldn't tell who had it with just a look, but it was definitely either the Admiral or the swordsman.

The two groups stared at each other, the henchman still chuckling and clearly believing they were about to have quite a bit of fun. They were at least somewhat disciplined though and made no move to attack without orders.

The admiral was the first to speak, his voice was deep and steady, “I am Admiral Zeharos “Vortex” Cain. You have trespassed on my island and have clearly come for the Stormheart Obelisk. It. is. MINE!” He slammed his cane into the ground with enough force that everyone could feel it, “Surrender now and the boy will die quickly. Fight, and he will die slowly while your suffering will be made significantly worse than it need be.”

Clearly he did not think Peter was in charge as he was definitely addressing the women of the group. The only effect his words had was riling the women up. The reply was given swiftly, and accurately, by Domino whipping out her revolver and firing a shot directly at the Admiral.

To his credit, the admiral reacted instantly. A powerful wall of wind condensed between himself and the bullet. The wind did not stop the over powered munition, but did slow it down long enough for the admiral to dodge it when the bullet pierced the wall of wind.

If the admiral was surprised by the power of the bullet, he didn't show it. Instead, he merely nodded as if accepting their response, “So be it.” His voice raised involume, “Kill the boy, capture the women, then attack their ship and do the same!”

The men let out a cheer that sounded more like a roar, and charged with their weapons held high. Swords, clubs, axes, they had a nice variety but it did them little good. Everyone on Peter's side tore them apart with relative ease.

Domino fire her revolver until it was empty and reloaded it in seconds to fire more. Each shot took down a man, permanently. Artoria charged into their midst, Korikiru sliced through weapons and flesh alike as she carved a bloody path. Merlin stuck to simple fire magic though she did vary its form for different people. Valeria even got in on the fighting, using a pair of Adamantium knuckle dusters to crush bones with every blow she landed. She may not want to fight, but she damn well knew how to.

Meanwhile, Peter focused on using Inazuma to do his fighting. His lack of skill with the blade shone but it was still good enough for him to take down quite a few of the rabble. In just a few brief minutes, every man that came at them had fallen and only a lucky few still breathed.

Admiral Cain looked on dispassionately while his first mate stood at his side. As his last man fell the Admiral studied them, “I see. You are significantly stronger and more well trained than the average nameless rookies. I wonder how you've managed to remain anonymous until now?”

His eyes moved to Artoria, “A skilled swordsman.” they moved to Domino, “Marksman.” they moved to Valeria, “Fighter.” then lastly to Merlin, “Even a Devil Fruit I'm not certain of. If not for that brat under Whitebeard I would assume you had the Mera Mera no Mi. Regardless, your power will be of no use against my Kaze Kaze no Mi.”

Peter blinked, Kaze Kaze no Mi? He'd never heard of it but it was easy enough to tell what it was. The question became, Paramecia or Logia? A Logia would explain why the old man believe himself untouchable by Merlin's magic. Frankly, Peter didn't know if that was true or not. There was a chance that magic had something about it that could hurt a Logia user but odds were equally good that it wouldn't. Still, the Kaze Kaze no Mi explained the dome around them.

“Well, it matters not. You will all die here for your insolence. Be grateful that your deaths will be swift.” the Admiral continued.

Peter struggled to decide what to do. Part of him wanted to run the hell away. Ancient fossil or not, the man across from them claimed to be a legitimate marine admiral. Admirals were not the kind of men you fucked with. All of them had powerful Devil Fruits and a comprehensive understanding of Haki. Even with only days left to live, the admiral was still powerful and would remain so until his heart stopped.

On the other hand, he had an answer to the mans Devil Fruit. It would take some luck and skill, but it would work if he could get it around the man's wind power. On top of that, they had a numerical advantage. Even if he removed Valeria as a fighter it was four on two. Though, given the look Artoria was giving him, she wanted to fight the first mate alone. He was willing to let her as long as Valeria was on standby if things got bad. A quick look showed him what the opinion of the women was.

Too bad. The part of him that said run also said he could get Alex and have him observe an admiral in person. Such a missed opportunity!

Peter straightened up and locked eyes with the Admiral who had seen fit to ignore him, “I believe we'll take an alternative option by beating you.”

The admiral gave him a bland look, “Ah, the follies of youth, thinking themselves invincible. Probably made worse by sailing with such beauties. Hoping to show off to them and earn some time beneath their skirts, boy?” the admiral smirked and rolled his shoulders, “I suppose I can entertain you for the last few moments you have to live.”

Peter paused for a moment until a plan formed in his mind. He grinned like an idiot and shouted out, “You're on!”

With an almost childish shout he cocked his right arm back and ran at the Admiral in a straight line while screaming a 'battle cry' at the top of his lungs. Needless to say, everyone looked embarrassed at his actions. If anything, the Admiral almost had a look of pity on his face, as if he was about to put down a mentally deficient little animal.

Just after passing the halfway mark between where he'd been and the admiral, Peter suddenly vanished from sight using Soru. The Admiral's eyes only had time to widen before Peter was right in his face, his right hand fist coming toward the admirals face. The Admiral moved with shocking speed lifting both of his hands to block the powerful blow. As fist met hands, there was a small shock wave from the impact.

The Admiral smirked at he looked at Peter, “hoh? Not bad... kid...”

The old man collapsed to the ground as if all of his muscles had failed at once, “Wha... what did... you do?” he managed to mumbled as rain once more began to pour from the sky.

Before Peter could answer, the first mate, whose name still hadn't been said, charged directly at him while unsheathing his sword. Artoria appeared between them catching his blade on her own. The two clashed nearby while Peter addressed the Admiral by lifting his left hand. From the palm of his hand small dark sand-like particles trickled to the ground. Sand made from pure seastone.

Peter had fully committed to hitting as hard as he could with his right hand, fully intending to cause grievous harm or even death with his punch. Meanwhile, he considered the seastone sand he was summoning in his left hand to be little more than a prank. No matter how good the man's Observation Haki might be, as long as it wasn't future sight, it should focus on the immediate danger of being hit in the face and ignore the much lower danger presented by a prank.

Peter dribbled more seastone sand on the Admiral to make sure he wouldn't be rising up anytime soon. Meanwhile everyone but Valeria was paying attention to Artoria and the first mate's battle, ready to jump in if Artoria needed some help.

The admiral looked at the sand and groaned, “Seastone, it has to be.”

Peter noticed that with the seastone weakening him, the admiral did not have very long left to live. The drain on his strength was quickly weakening his heart further. Oh well, Peter hadn't planned to let the man live anyway. He pulled a specific syringe filled with a pink cocktail and quickly jammed it into the Admiral's heart before pushing down the plunger.

The sound of battle to the side instantly became more intense, but Peter sensed no danger so he continued his work. A short time after the injection, the admiral's chest began to swell in one specific spot, taking a sort of round shape. Peter smirked and jammed the recently emptied needle into the swell and began drawing back on the plunger. Viscous black goo began to fill the glass container.

As he extracted the very last drop, the admiral fell back to the ground dead. Peter stood while storing away the syringe full of black goo so he could turn and watch Artoria finish her battle. It was clear she was going to win. The old man was flagging, his arthritis riddled body was clearly in agony as he fought until the very end.

After he fell with a mortal wound, Artoria gave him a polite bow as the light faded from his eyes. Peter let out a sigh and addressed his crew, “We're returning to the ship. We'll come explore more tomorrow.”

Together they turned and made their way through the storm back to the ship.

-----Line Break-----

AN

9.8k words, not too shabby.

Yeah, so that happened. Just keep in mind that Admiral Cain was ancient, retired, lacked any information, and completely and utterly underestimated Peter. Who could ever predict a man that can produce Seastone with a thought?

The mystery of the Stormheart Obelisk will be answered in the next chapter.

Let me know what you guys think!