One Piece:The Fourth Brother

After taking care of Nojiko and making sure she was okay, the trio once again set off on their journey. Aden, after leaving Luffy's crew, decided to sail in a different direction, but still heading for Grand Line.

Right now Aden was sitting cross-legged near the front of their small ship, floating a meter off the deck, deep in concentration. Buggy and Nojiko had no clue what he was doing, but felt an occasional shift in the air around them. Ultimately though, they decided to leave him to his meditation.

Nojiko was at the wheel, keeping to their course, and Buggy was experimenting with a new face makeup ideas, occasionally asking Nojiko for her thoughts.

"Okay how about this?" Buggy asked as he turned to Nojiko. His face was painted ashen grey, with dark green eyeshadow ending in a lightning bolt shape, a big blue smile painted over his mouth, and a single red teardrop under his right eye.

"The best one so far, honestly." Nojiko said with a smile as it was something she enjoyed, surprisingly.

"Alright! Imma keep that for a while." Buggy decided enthusiastically.

After some finishing touches, he got into a conversation with Nojiko.

Aden hasn't moved for hours. Only once the sun began it's descent, did he open his eyes.

However, there was a difference to him. Not a physical change, no. It was more that his presence has changed, feeling stronger and wilder yet completely under control.

Aden himself noticed the change, but he had no idea what it truly meant. In the end, he just chalked it up to the meditation focusing his mind, and left it at that.

After eating some dried meat for dinner, he went to sleep, with Buggy taking the first watch.

.

After a calm night, Buggy and Nojiko were awakened by Aden's voice.

"Island ahead! All hands on deck ye scurvy ridden dogs!" Aden shouted with a joking tone.

"What did you call me, you airheaded bastard!?" Buggy shouted as he barges onto the deck.

"Alright alright. Jeez..no need to shout, the ship is small, we can hear you just fine." Nojiko said, coming out from below deck, fixing her hair.

"Yeah but i just really wanted to say that." Aden responded with an amused grin "Besides it got you here faster."

"*sigh* Whatever you say, captain." Nojiko shrugged.

"Whatever.." Buggy humphed as he turned his head away...by one-eighty degrees.

"Okay that is seriously freaky. Could try to scare someone with that. Might make for a good distraction." Aden said in thought.

"I swear, only you can think positively about something straight out of a horror story. You're soo weird." Nojiko shook her head hopelessly.

"Get used to it." Buggy and Aden said at the same time as Buggy turned his head back...in the same direction he turned away, effectively doing a three-sixty with his head.

.

Arriving to the island, the trio went to explore.

Buggy put on a heavy cloak to hide his easily recognizable face, Nojiko didn't need a disguise as she had no bounty...yet. And Aden simply followed in the form of a breeze above the streets.

Nojiko said she needed some supplies to draw maps, some clothes, because of course, and maybe a better weapon than just a stick.

However these ideas left her mind after Aden reminded her, they had no money.

"Wait...We're pirates, aren't we? Why not just steal some?" Buggy suggested.

~"Obviously we will have to. Question is, from who?"~ Aden whispered in their ears.

"Nobody innocent! I may have no qualms about targeting marines, but i will not harass regular people!" Nojiko said in a final tone.

~"I agree."~ replied Aden.

"Same here, surprisingly." added Buggy in a slightly confused tone.

~"Alright. You two go ahead and look around for someone to steal from. Corrupt bosses, scum of the town, other pirates...you know the type. And i'll go check out the marine outpost near the town square. I heard someone mention something about bribes. I'll meet you in three hours. Stay out of trouble if at all possible!"~ Aden spoke in their ears.

"Sure. Meet us where though?" Nojiko asked with a nod.

~"I'll find you."~ Aden said as they felt him leave.

"Wait get back here...!...Does he do that often?" Nojiko asked Buggy, frustrated.

"A bit, yeah. You'll...." Buggy said and got interrupted.

"Let me guess. I'll 'get used to it.' " Nojiko said using air quotes.

"Hehehe. Now you're getting it. Let's go!"

.

A single marine was walking through a hallway in the marine base, when suddenly a shiver ran up his spine as a chilly breeze blew past him.

"Blasted draft." he grumbled annoyed, closed a nearby open window, and he kept walking.

"So how much did he pay again?" came a voice from the captain's office.

"Five hundred thousand Belli, captain." another voice responded.

"That is good. But it is getting increasingly difficult to keep his 'legitimate bussiness' under wraps. Inform mister Del, that the ... Tax... will increase by ten percent." the captain commanded.

"Yes, sir." the other voice said.

The marine left the captain's office, rushing to fullfill his command.

Neither he or the captain noticed the rush of air enter the room.

Suddenly, the captain clutched his throat in a vain effort to breathe. He began to panic and tried to reach for the transponder snail, only to be interrupted by a voice behind him.

"Tell me, mister Marine Captain... We already established your price for your silence. So i wonder, how much is the air you breathe worth to you? Seeing as you so severely lack it right now." Aden said in a cold, level voice, walking around the table to stand in front of the captain.

"F-four....Winds....!?" the captain managed to choke out, only to make his lack of air even more severe.

"Nice. I only had a bounty for a few days, but i'm already famous." Aden said with a jovial tone "You still didn't answer me... How much...for your ability to breathe?" he repeated coldly "Make me an offer! If i like it, i'll let you live. If not...well i think you can figure that out, even with your oxygen deprived brain." he added mockingly.

"A mil-..a million.." the captain offered.

"Hmmm....Try again. That is only two bribes from this Del guy, afterall. You can do better."

"T--t-three...?" captain tried again, turning a dangerous shade of purple.

"Five."

"Wh-why y-you..."

"I wouldn't argue. You are dangerously close to passing out. And at that point i can not insure your safety."

"...o-okay"

"Lovely" Aden said with a vicious grin as he released the captain.

The captain, after taking a couple lungfulls of air, gaining back a healthier color, fell to his knees. He considered attacking Aden directly, but quickly changed his mind, based on what he was apparently capable of. Cutting off someone's breathing ability was terrifying.

"So...The money?" Aden demanded after a short pause.

"Of..of course. Let me just open the safe." the captain said, terrified.

Scrambling to a wall, he swung a painting of a sea shore during sunset away, revealing a wallsafe. Putting the combination in, he twisted the wheel and swung it open, revealing stacks of Belli.

Aden was about to say something, when all of a sudden a dagger sliced through his throat.

"Hahaha. You mongrel fool! Did you really think i would ever pay scum like you?! This is a sea stone dagger. You let your ego get the...." the captain began to gloat,only for the sensation of not being able to take a breath to return.

"See...that would have worked on pretty much anyone else, but you miscalculated." Aden spoke calmly as the line in his neck closed up without issue "No matter the blade, how could you ever hope to cut wind itself?" he finished mockingly.

"Im-impos-....." the marine captain tried to say, however he was unable to finish what he was saying. Falling to the ground, he lost conciousness...and his life.

Aden lifted the captain up and sat him in his chair, leaning his head back, making it look like he just fell asleep.. Then he emptied the safe into a briefcase he found in the office, closed it and put the painting back. With some luck it would be a while before the corpse was found Opening the window, Aden flew out and using his power closed the window from inside. With a case of about ten million Belli, he set to find his allies.

.

Meanwhile with Buggy and Nojiko, Nojiko used her illusions to distract a couple of pirates, while Buggy sent his hands to pilfer their pockets. They did this a couple times making away with nearly fifty thousand.

"I think that's enough. Better not push our luck." decided Nojiko as she put the money into her backpack.

"Aww alright. Just when i was starting to have fun." answered Buggy with a moan as he reattached his hands "Now what? Do we just wait for Aden, or do we go explore a bit?" he asked, looking around.

"I say we go get some food. And if he doesn't show up by then, we could go get some more supplies for the ship." Nojiko suggested, holding her chin in thought.

"Let's go then."

.

Aden was searching for a weapon store, as he wanted to buy Nojiko a better weapon. Maybe something for Buggy as well.

After a short while, he found a store that looked rather high-end. Landing in an alleyway beside the store, Aden went inside. The door swung open with a chime, and he was slightly taken back at the quality of the weapons on display.

"Welcome, welcome. How may i be of..." the voice of the store owner started, only to stop at seeing Aden "...I will have to ask you to leave. We do not serve your...sort here." he said curling his lip.

"My sort?" Aden asked confused.

"*sigh* Another one. I mean poor people, dregs of society, and beggars among others." the owner said with disgust.

"Right...Well i guess i'll take my money elsewhere." Aden said with a false tone of disappointment as he gestured to the briefcase in his left hand.

Upon seeing the case, the owner switched his attitude right quick.

"That will not be necessary. I am sure we can do some business." he said with clear greed in his eyes.

"Okay then. What can we do with ten million Belli?" Aden asked nonchalantly.

"Ten million?" owner repeated in mild shock "Why i am certain we can find something for you. What exactly are you looking for?"

"A staff, or perhaps a glaive? Also a set of, at least, six throwing knives." Aden said what he was looking for.

"Hmm... I do have a staff in the back, but nobody wants to buy that one. So perhaps a glaive would be better. The knives are easy enough. I have a set of ten knives. Quite good quality." the owner listed some options after that, and Aden decided on the set of ten knives, that were apparently of a very high quality as they set him back nearly a million Belli.

"These are incredible." Aden appraised the knives " But why did nobody buy the staff?" he asked.

"Well you see...Apparently the staff is cursed.

I didn't believe it at first, but strange things happened to anyone who ever used it. They always returned it within a week, didn't even want their money back."

"Why? What caused them to do it?" Aden asked intrigued.

"They always said the said the same thing. The kept hearing voices, different sounds and noises right from their nightmares." the owner said.

"But not you? Curious, wouldn't you say?" Aden said, suspicious.

"Ahh...Well you see... I keep it contained. I found that keeping it submerged under water, blocks the curse." the owner said, suddenly really scared of the man in his shop.

"Hang on...is...Is that staff a Devil Fruit holder. Sounds most likely. That would be a great fit for Nojiko's illusion ability. ... If she can control it, anyway. Though i have a feeling the staff will obey. She is a fierce lady, that Nojiko. Heheh." Aden thought with a serious expression on the outside yet rather excited in his mind.

"How much did the others buy it for anyway?" Aden asked "And did they know they were buying a cursed object?"

"You...*sigh* no they did not know. They didn't want their money back, so i thought i could use it, you know." the owner explained.

"How much would you charge me for the staff?" Aden asked.

"Truth be told i just want it gone at this point. Three million and it is yours."

"Deal." Aden said, counting out the money already.

"Very well. Let me go grab it."

The owner came out a minute later, holding a cylinder of water with a staff inside it. The staff was made of red painted wood, with silver inlays forming a twisting chain from end to end. Each of the ends was tipped by a depiction of different faces. Each end had three sides with a face on each of those sides. One end had faces of laughter, serenity and happiness. The other end had depictions of terror, sadness and anguish. The negative side was made of a dark grey, nealry black metal, and the positive side was made of silvery white material. Upon closer inspection all faces had dark green stones as eyes. Sea stone. (A/N: Just roll with it)

Upon taking out the staff, Aden knew right away what the shop owner was talking about. The voices began instantly, accompanied by sounds of chains, roars of beasts and such. It was muffled, yet audible. He could see how it would drive people mad.

"I see what you meant by the curse. This is annoying." Aden said slighty peeved.

"Ah.. yes. Anything else i can help you with?" the owner decided to simply continue as if all was okay.

"Yes. Some blade maintenance kits. Also a high quality pistol and bullets." Aden listed more items he wanted, trying to ignore the staff.

"Yes yes. Of course."

In the end, Aden left the store with a staff and a high quality pistol for Nojiko, knives for Buggy, and a box of supplies containing the maintenance kits and bullets. In total it cost him five million Belli, give or take.

The staff ln his back kept whispering in his ears, sometimes creating loud noises which really annoyed Aden. As he walked towards their ship he got rather angry at the staff.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted, ignoring the people around him that got scared by his outburst.

Surprisingly, the staff immidiately shut up and Aden somehow got a sense it shivered.

"You are a new weapon for my friend and you better behave, or i will turn you into firewood and use you to make porridge." Aden threatened the staff.

Walking away, he did not notice some of the passerbys drop to the ground.

( To be completely honest i did not enjoy writing this one. Somehow i struggled with putting my idea into words, so hopefully it is not just a jumble of nonsense. But i still hope you enjoyed.

Btw. If you like the way i make these now, or if you think they are a bit slowburn, please do let me know. I will really appreciate any kind of feedback. Thank you. Omega out.)