Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides

The battlefield was eerily silent. Everyone stood tense, eyes locked on Kuro, bracing for whatever might come. The cold wind swept across the field as the former butler prepared his next move. Before anything could happen, Kaya emerged from the forest, already knowing the truth about her trusted butler from Merry.

"Klahadore…stop this!" Kaya's voice trembled with a mixture of shock and sadness. "If it's my family's fortune that you want, I'll give it to you, but please just leave!"

Kuro's eyes, once full of feigned loyalty, now glinted with malice. "You're a fool if you think that's enough. If I want to live a peaceful life, I'll need to kill you."

Kaya's plea was cut short when Usopp charged toward Kuro in a fit of rage. "You bastard!" he yelled, launching an attack that missed. Kuro, moving with lightning speed, prepared to strike him down.

But before the blow could land, Luffy's fist connected with Kuro's side, sending him skidding across the ground. "Back off!" Luffy growled, his eyes burning with anger.

Just as they regrouped, Usopp quickly instructed the kids, "Take Kaya and run! Get her out of here!"

Kuro slowly rose to his feet, brushing off the dirt from his coat, his eyes now gleaming with pure hatred. "So, I have to do everything myself, huh?" His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the bubbling fury behind it.

"For a plan that's been in the making for three years, it sure fell apart quickly." Ryomen taunted, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You won't be so cocky for long." Kuro's words barely hung in the air before he vanished, reappearing right in front of Ryomen, moving faster than the eye could follow.

"Dismantle!" Ryomen's counter was instantaneous, and slashes appeared across Kuro's arm, forcing him back.

Kuro's eyes widened in disbelief. "Two Devil Fruit users?"

Before Kuro could regain his composure, Usopp acted, "Lead Star!" he shouted, firing a shot with his slingshot. Kuro evaded it effortlessly, moving in for a strike. But Zoro was ready, blocking Kuro's attack with his swords.

In a flash, Nami scattered spikes around the group, trapping them in a small area. "This should keep him in check for a while."

Luffy, always quick on his feet, extended his arms to Usopp and Zoro. "Grab on!"

Both men grabbed Luffy's hands as they were pulled out of the danger zone, leaving Kuro momentarily trapped with the spikes.

"Do you really think this would stop me!?" Kuro sneered, glaring at them with disdain.

"No!" Nami shot back, "But this will!"

Kuro turned his head to see what they were planning, and his eyes widened in shock. Ryomen and Nami had pulled Luffy back, using Zoro and Usopp as makeshift poles, creating a human slingshot.

"I-I don't like this!! Don't crash into me, Luffy!" Usopp shouted, his voice filled with fear.

"Shut up. We're in this together." Zoro grumbled, sweat forming on his brow as he held his ground.

"Hahaha!!" Luffy's joyous laughter echoed through the air as they released him, launching him high into the sky.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Kuro shouted, his eyes darting between Luffy and the rest of the crew.

Luffy flew overhead, coming down fast, and with a wide grin, he pulled his fist back, preparing for a massive blow. "Gomu-Gomu no…Rocket!"

Kuro tried to dodge, but the sheer speed of Luffy's descent was too much. Luffy crashed down into him with a devastating punch, driving Kuro into the ground with a thunderous impact.

The shockwave from the punch rattled the battlefield. Dust and debris kicked up as the ground cracked under Kuro's body. The crew watched in awe as Luffy stood tall, his fist still buried in Kuro's chest.

Kuro coughed, blood splattering on the ground. He attempted to get up, but his body was shaking from the force of the blow. "Impossible…" he muttered, eyes barely focusing.

Luffy stood up straight, his shadow casting over Kuro. "That's what you get for hurting my friends." he said coldly.

Ryomen walked up beside Luffy, looking down at Kuro with an amused grin. "Seems your plan didn't go quite as expected, huh?"

Kuro's eyes flickered with hatred, but his body gave out, collapsing completely under his own weight.

"Finally over." Nami said, wiping her brow.

Usopp sighed in relief, still trembling a little from the tension. "We did it…"

Zoro sheathed his swords, turning to the group. "Let's wrap this up. I'm starving."

Luffy grinned, raising his hand in victory. "Alright! Let's go celebrate!" 

"Hey! We need to find Kaya and my crew first!" Usopp shouted in annoyance.

"Uh, right…"

…

The group, minus Usopp, sat in the restaurant, plates of fish laid out in front of them.

"What do you think Usopp's doing?" Ryomen asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Don't know, but he looked pretty determined when he left." Zoro replied, his tone neutral as he chewed on a piece of fish.

"I wonder what he's up to…" Nami added, her eyes shifting towards the door as if half-expecting him to walk in.

The three of them then shared amused smiles.

"What about you, Luffy? Any thoughts?" Ryomen turned to the captain.

Luffy looked up with his mouth full of fish, bones poking out of his cheeks. "Hm?"

Ryomen stared at him blankly. "I don't know what I expected."

Before anyone could respond, the restaurant door swung open, and Kaya entered. She motioned for them to follow if they were still in need of a ship.

…

A while later, they stood by the shore, gazing at the Going Merry, its sails billowing in the breeze.

"I've stocked it with everything you might need at sea." Kaya said, her tone soft but filled with sincerity.

"Thank you! You're sure adding insult to injury, Miss Kaya!" Luffy said enthusiastically.

"Try 'adding icing to the cake,' idiot." Zoro muttered, shaking his head.

Suddenly, a loud scream broke the peaceful scene. Usopp came tumbling down the hill, a backpack twice his size strapped to him.

"I'm leaving!" he shouted breathlessly, telling Kaya he was heading out to sea before his resolve could weaken.

"See you around." he said, turning to the group.

"Why?" Luffy asked, genuinely confused.

"Huh? Because we're pirates! We'll meet at sea someday…" Usopp replied, slightly thrown off.

Ryomen smirked. "Didn't expect you to have such a cute side, Usopp."

Zoro added nonchalantly, "Stop babbling and get on board."

"W-what?" Usopp blinked in disbelief.

"We're a team, aren't we?" Luffy said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Usopp stood frozen for a few seconds before grinning widely. "Yeah! Can I be captain?"

"No way! I'm the captain!" Luffy yelled back.

…

Some time later, after sailing for a while, the crew began to grow bored. Everyone was off doing their own thing—training, goofing off, or keeping an eye on the weather.

Ryomen stood at the edge of the ship, gazing out at the horizon when something caught his eye. Hidden among the trees of a nearby island was something unusual.

"Hey! Dock the ship over there for a minute!" Ryomen called out to Nami.

"Huh? Why?" she asked, confused.

"Do you need to piss? Just do it in the sea!" Luffy shouted with a grin, earning strange looks from everyone.

Ryomen rolled his eyes. "No. I think I saw a Devil Fruit."

Everyone froze.

"You sure?" Zoro asked, his interest piqued.

"Hmhm. Looked like one to me."

…

After docking, Ryomen returned with a strange, peach-colored fruit in his hand, its surface covered in swirling patterns.

"Should one of us eat it?" Ryomen asked, holding it up for the others to see.

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"You know if you eat a second Devil Fruit, you'll die, right?"

"Huh!? Really!?" Luffy deflated in disappointment.

Ryomen turned to Zoro, Usopp, and Nami. "What about you guys?"

Zoro shook his head. "I'm a swordsman. Eating it will only mess me up."

"I have a severe case of 'allergic-to-weird-fruits' disease." Usopp said, backing away dramatically.

"Nami?" Ryomen extended the fruit toward her. "You've been in some dangerous situations. This could help you stand up for yourself more easily." he added, his tone unusually soft.

"And having powers is super cool!" Luffy chimed in with a grin.

Nami remained quiet for a few moments, her face shadowed with a mix of emotions. Then, with a sigh, she reached out and took the fruit. "...Alright."

The moment she bit into it, her face twisted in disgust. "Ugh! It's horrible!"

"Hahaha!" Luffy burst out laughing while Ryomen smiled slightly.

"I'm surprised you actually ate it." Ryomen remarked.

"Why?" she asked, wiping her mouth.

"Well, you could've sold it for a lot of berries. Plus, you'll never be able to swim again…" Ryomen trailed off as Nami's expression turned murderous.

"How much was it worth?" she asked darkly, her grip tightening on Ryomen's shoulders.

"Uh... at least a hundred million berries, give or take."

"A hundred million!? How do I give the powers back!?"

"You… uh, can't." Luffy replied.

"That was enough to buy back the village!" Nami screamed in fury.

Ryomen winced as her fists crashed down on both him and Luffy's heads. "You both owe me a hundred million berries!"

"I thought you already knew…" Ryomen muttered, rubbing the growing lump on his head.

"Why do I have to pay!?" Luffy groaned, sprawled out beside him.

"So… what's your power?" Zoro asked, curious.

"I ate the Sube-Sube no Mi." Nami replied, sighing. "It makes my body smooth and slippery. Attacks and objects just slide off me."

"That's a pretty good defense." Zoro said with a nod of approval.

"And scarily fitting," Usopp added, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I know…" Nami said, her voice laced with a mix of resignation and frustration as she looked at her now empty shoulder.