A destined meeting

Entering the forest, Arata was pleasantly surprised at the nice change of scenery though it was also weird that there was such a big difference between places that neighboured each other. He walked further in and then headed a bit west to find a more open space which took him another five minutes. There was a more open circular space which satisfied his purposes so he stopped to enjoy the forest air and to calm his mind. When he was ready he unsheathed his sword and starting doing a practice similar to the one back at his village. After two hours or so he laid down on the ground and began to think,’Maybe I should change things up a bit a little. I won’t make progress if I always practice the same thing over and over again. Let’s see… as a swordsman my range is limited to how far my sword can reach. To give myself a better chance I should make some kind of long ranged technique.’

Arata got to his feet and looked at the sword to think about the possibilities. One way would be to propel his slashes into a long-distance energy wave. However, at this stage that may not be fully possible since when he swung there wasn’t even a wave of air. Maybe he wasn’t putting his whole strength behind it. Arata faced the tree and swung his sword as hard as he could only to scratch it with a small air wave. If he tried he could do it then but he still didn’t know how to propel his ‘energy’ as he has never used it before. He did this again and again until he got the hang of it but it was still not what he wanted and could not be called a technique. As the next stage, he then did the same but this time he raised his sword above his shoulder every time. He could see a considerable difference in the strength of the attacks but still not enough.

The pirate then tried to take a different approach and went close to the tree and started slashing at it. By trying to cut a tree with a sword rather than axe he should get stronger by training his muscles. It definitely wasn’t an easy task and he didn’t want to blunt his sword so quickly after he got it but it was something he had to do,’Hopefully I won’t get in trouble for cutting down a tree or two.’ He continued until his arms hurt from the effort before taking a short break. Resting was also an important part of battle and exhausting himself wouldn’t get him anywhere.

After the break, he continued to do the same until noticed it was now getting quite dark. The bartender offered him a room so that would be a good way to spend the night. He wanted to go but felt like he was being watched and then heard some growling. He braced himself and waited until the enemy showed itself. Arata was in a forest after all so if there were some monsters here it shouldn’t be too surprising. Very quickly, what came at him were four wolves which he tried to dodge as best as he could. One of them tried to bite him in the stomach but he side stepped and stabbed it in the torso leaving it with a fatal wound as it fell to the ground. This agitated the other three even more but he couldn’t afford to drag out this battle. On the other hand, he didn’t want to be careless. The three wolves then grouped up and started walking slowly towards him in preparation of attack. In response, the pirate raised his sword and flexed his muscle before swinging it in a circular motion. To his surprise a spiralling wave of energy released from his sword and went towards the wolves and killing them. It looked like his swing was strong enough to condense the wind and send it as an energy wave. This was more satisfactory as a technique and he tried it again and again making sure it wasn’t a one off.

It was now dark and his training was surprisingly very tiring this time around so he wanted to head back but it seemed he had lost his way. Some people say that in the dark places look differently which may have been the case. After several minutes of being lost, Arata noticed some kind of light in the distance and decided to head towards it. What he found was a bigger clearing than the one he was training at but the exception being this one was much rockier. In the middle of it was a fire burning with food around it. Watching over the fire was a man sat on a rock. His hair was grayish but if he was an old man he was incredibly well built. Around his neck was a necklace with the head of a wolf but what disturbed him more is that the man was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. The man then noticed him and grinned,’Hello there.’

WC: 859

Sanjuroku Pound Ho: 250/250

Even though he was greeted, Arata didn’t answer the man. He didn’t know what to expect from him but it would be quite rude to not say anything,’It’s you.’ The man tilted his head at the statement,’Hmm? I don’t believe we’ve met before.’ The pirate nodded to this answer,’That is true. However, I have heard about you in town. More precisely how you scared off some lumberjacks.’ This answer seemingly caused a chuckle from the gray haired man,’Ah, I see. What will you do then? Are you here in defence of the lumberjacks and other people?’ The voice wasn’t hostile at all but rather showed curiosity about what will happen next. Arata shook his head to the question,’No. I was just here training in the forest and got a bit lost after dark. You haven’t lunged at me the first chance you got so it means you aren’t completely aggressive and bent on violence. I wouldn’t mind a talk though.’ The man in a Hawaiian shirt then got off the rock,’If it’s a talk you want you will have to prove your worth. I will give you two minutes. If you can last that long without passing out we can talk all you want. I’ll even give you a bit of the food if you want.’ After saying so he motioned with his hand to come at him.

Seemingly left without a choice, Arata unsheathed his sword and got in a Kendo stance. Even though his opponent seemed to be quite old he looked exceptionally stronger. It was like he was on a whole different level than anyone he has seen so far. Furthermore, he didn’t know what his fate would be if he lost this. The pirate ran at the man and swung aiming at his torso but his opponent effortlessly side stepped and punched him in the stomach which sent him back a few metres. That one punch had enough force to make his vision blur and almost make him vomit while this was just the beginning. If he was to take a few more of those punches he would definitely pass out and especially if he got hit in the head.

Arata then ran at him and kept swinging at his opponent to try to not give him time to respond but every attack was dodged with ease. Before he could continue the man kicked him in the right side sending him flying into a tree. The impact was as intense as the punch or maybe even more since now even more places hurt,’Is that all?’ The pirate got up from the ground and changed to his one-handed stance before trying for another assault. No strategy would help him in this fight so his only hope was to attack as much as possible to prevent the other from attacking. This would drag out the time but not even a minute has passed. He attacked once again but this time he mixed hand to hand combat with his sword to give him more chances to hit his appoint. This was also a futile attempt and ultimately ended with getting elbowed in the stomach and slammed down into the ground.

He thought that would be the end but the man did not stopp as he raised his foot above his head and brought it down. With all his remaining strength, he rolled away to the left and quickly got up to make some distance. At this distance, there was only one move available to him so he raised his sword above his shoulder and swung in a circular motion releasing a spiralling wave of energy,’Sanjuroku Pound Ho!’ Arata decided that would be the name of this attack which his opponent stopped with just his bare hand. Not even a single scratch… The man grinned at him and the pirate’s legs gave out making him land on his butt,’Are you done? That was only a bit over a minute. Though I suppose you are stronger than an average person, I’ll give you that. However, that is not enough. You are still weak. Who are you and what is your goal?’

The pirate had no choice but to respond but maybe that would end the fight,’My name is Arata and I’m a pirate. My goal is to use my freedom to explore the whole world.’ The man listened to him and looked at him for a moment before speaking,’A pirate without a crew? Or did you just come here alone?’ Arata shook his head and responded,’My journey is only beginning and this is my first island. I don’t have a ship or crew but I would be happy getting either.’ He didn’t exactly like the idea of telling this stranger everything but lying wouldn’t get him anywhere either. The man chuckled and turned around,’Come.’ Caught by surprise he didn’t know what to do but the man simply returned to his rock and waited for him. Arata got up and sheathed his blade to sit by the fire. The gray haired man reached out to one of the sticks with meat on it and handed it to him,’Here.’ He thanked him and both started eating in silence.

Once they were done the man spoke up,’Why did you set sail?’ The pirate paused for a moment and gave the answer,’Although I was satisfied with living in my village I didn’t want to be bound to it for my whole life. I wanted to be free and explore the world to learn more about it and its wonders.’ He was then passed another stick and they continued eating until there was nothing left but the fire gave the surrounding a nice warm feeling,’What about you? You’ve asked me all this but I know nothing about you.’ The man let out a sigh before answering,’I’m a mage. Me and my guild came from the Grand Line to do some stuff here in East Blue so we split up to cover more ground. We all went to different islands. The reason I’m here in this forest is that I don’t want to be bothered by other people and attract unnecessary attention.’

Arata listened curiously as this was his first time seeing a mage,’I see. What is your name? What guild do you belong to? What kind of magic do you use?’ He was excited but felt that bombarding him with questions was a bit rude. The man simply answered,’My last name is Fujimoto. You can call me that. As for my guild and magic, I’ll be keeping that a secret. It’s better if you find it out for yourself. You did want to learn more about the world after all.’ The pirate understood what he was trying to say and respected the answer as he also felt the same way,’Is it normal for guilds to travel?’ Fujimito chuckled at this,’No, actually it isn’t. Guilds take on missions and stuff so they individual members might travel but the guild headquarters are usually situated in one place. Our guild is a bit different and just like you we don’t like to be holed up in one place. Though we do have some sort of ‘headquarters’.’ The pirate listened and added this information to his knowledge for future reference,’You have a cool necklace, does it mean anything?’ Fujimito looked at it and shook his head,’This? Not really. Each of our guild members has one but with a different animal. You could say that this is one of our trademarks.’ Thus, a strange relationship began. Fujimoto was clearly on a whole different level and the rest of the guild were probably the same. Yet, he was talking like this with him, an unknown, weak and crewless pirate. How would their destinies intertwine?

WC:1,293

As they sat around the fire, the two of them didn’t show any signs of being sleepy. It was night time but it was still reasonably early. It was then that a question came into his mind,’Will you teach me magic?’ Fujimoto just shook his head,’I don’t think you have the potential for magic and the magic I wield isn’t really suitable to pass on to others. You are better sticking off with your sword. Master that before you try anything else. Though if you want me to teach you something then I could teach you a sword style. How about it?’ Even though he wouldn’t learn magic it was still a great opportunity as he wanted to improve his swordsmanship so he answered with excitement,’Yes!’ The man chuckled,’Alright, listen up. There is fighting style that some swordsman use and probably samurais too. It’s called Iaido. Basically, it is the art of unsheathing your sword, making a single attack and then sheathing it again. It may not be practical to use all the time but if you were going to use it to deliver a fatal finishing attack it would be quite a useful trick.’

Arata listened carefully and got up to try it. He took hold of the sheath with his left hand and unsheathed his sword with his right and swung before sheathing again,’Like this?’ Fujimoto nodded,’Yes, but faster. Your movement isn’t exactly correct either. Give me your sword I’ll show you.’ He did as he was told and got hit in the head with his own sword,’Idiot. Don’t hand over your sword to someone you just met. This world isn’t that forgiving.’ The pirate rubbed the spot on his head that not hurt,’I get it.’ The mage then showed him the correct way to do it and gave back his sword. He could see the clear difference. So he practiced more but it still felt really awkward. Why would someone sheathe their sword like this in the middle of the battle? That’s why he was told to use this as a finishing move. It wasn’t a bad idea but he also needed some other moves to be able to use during the fight. He cleared his mind and then did the move again, this time targeting a tree, putting all his strength behind the attack. The tree was cut in half and fell to the ground,’Shishi Sonson.’

Arata then heard clapping which came from the mage,’Impressive. The lion, huh? Well, anyway it’s getting late so you must be getting tired. Want me to take you back to the city?’ The pirate shook his head,’Nah, I’ll sleep here. If you don’t mind.’ Fujimoto was a bit surprised at this but accepted it,’Sure. I don’t have much to offer though. Best I can give you is a log and some breakfast.’ The pirate chuckled,’That’s enough. Besides the starry sky is too good to miss today.’ The mage smiled and answered,’Well said.’ He got given a log to put on his side and rested against it while Fujimoto got down from his rock and instead was now resting against it with his arms folded.

They both went quiet as they tried to sleep but it wasn’t working very well for him. It was a bit uncomfortable but being a pirate wasn’t a life of luxury. He could have gone back to the inn but he wanted to stay and find out more,’What is the Grand Line like?’ Fujimoto opened his eyes and looked at the fire,’It’s where all the strong people gather. It’s even rougher now. Before it was just you and your pirates. A lot of them were to some degree famous. There was a lot of devil fruit users and some Haki users. Now the world got kinda mixed up and you have everything. Pirates, mages, spiritual beings, warriors, ninjas. You really need to be strong to survive in that place. A ship and a crew would be a good starting point. The Grand Line is only the beginning though. The second half of the Grand Line is called the New World. It’s a whole new level out there. That’s where the real strong people gather. You know the big shots.’

He listened carefully but did not say anything. There was nothing he could say in the first place. That was a whole different world that he was not yet ready for. He could only hope that his adventures in East Blue will prepare him for the Grand Line. Arata wanted to feel like he had a lot of time but at the same time this world was far from peaceful. There will come a time where he would have to act. Whether he was ready or not. With those thoughts in his mind he fell asleep and concluded the first day on this island.

WC:807

Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson: 807/250

When they woke up the first thing they had to do was hunt for some food. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant thing to do but living in the forest meant that was the only way to get food. Eating it all the time would get boring and damage the population of the animals in the forest but to humans killing animals for food was something natural. Fujimoto taught him some hunting skills and in no time, they had plenty for breakfast. Once they returned to the fire the meat was put on sticks and left to fry just like yesterday. While they waited the mage asked,’You got any plans for today?’ Arata thought about it before answering,’Actually, no. The plan was to explore the city but I’ve seen everything yesterday. So now I’m kind of lost as what to do.’ The man nodded,’I see,’ and then there was silence between them.

Both of them watched as the meat slowly changed colour from pink to brownish and then they started eating. It tasted the same as yesterday though it was a bit less burnt which give it a better taste. This was just fried meat with no spices or anything but it still tasted rather good. However, he wasn’t used to having such a heavy breakfast so he struggled to eat all that was given to him. With time this may pass because when things would get rough he might not know when his next meal would be but for now he still wasn’t used to it. Once they were both full Fujimoto spoke up once more,’I’ve got a mission for you.’ Arata was surprised to hear this’A mission? Like a guild mission?’ The mage nodded,’Something like that. Your mission is to go back to town and look for a white-haired girl. Bring her to me. To this place.’ He was also surprised by these words. Why would Fujimoto want the girl? First, the marines were looking for her and now him. Something had to be up for her to get this attention,’Why do you want her? Is she important? Why is everyone looking for her?’ The mage didn’t look eager to answer,’She’s not important, no. As for the rest, why don’t you ask her yourself?' He said the last part while grinning. Arata let out a sigh,’Do you have any leads?’ Fujimoto shrugged,’Try asking at the tavern. There is lot of information there You are bound to find something useful.’

The pirate got to his feet and smiled,’Since this is a mission I’m assuming there is some kind of reward for succeeding?’ This time it was the mage that sighed,’I’ll think of something.’ It didn’t look like Arata would get a lot of information out of him so there was only one thing left to ask,’Is there a time limit?’ The man grinned,’Depends how long it takes you to convince her.’ He accepted the mission and was shown the way back to the edge of the forest though Fujimoto headed back. Arata wondered about this search. Was she even in this town? The marines were searching for her longer than he was on this island and they still haven’t found her. Either she was really good at hiding or she really wasn’t here. If that was the case, how could he succeed? The mage wouldn’t be here waiting forever. Unless that was his ‘business’ here. He would just have to find out for himself.

WC:574

When they reached the forest Arata lead the way to where he met Fujimoto. Although it was dark and a bit hard to see he more or less remembered the path. It didn’t take them long to see the glimpse of a fire where a certain mage was now residing. When they walked in to the open space the man noticed them and smiled,’You look lively. Did something good happen?’ The pirate wasn’t exactly making any special facial expressions or anything but decided to go along with it,’I found and brought Rina to you.’ He said so as the girl in question pulled down her hood revealing her white hair and face. The mage chuckled,’Ooh, you were faster than I expected. Good job. Come, sit by the fire.’

Since it was dinner time there was some meat frying by the fire although it seemed like a bit much for one person to eat all that. It would also be unreasonable for him to also expect them so soon so maybe it was safe to say that he always made this amount,’So will you tell us what this is about?’ Arata nodded to this as he also wanted to know. Fujimoto hunched over a bit and entwined his hands,’I suppose I do owe you both an explanation. Let’s start from the beginning then. Arata, you see all of this was just a test. From the beginning I made a deal with the bartender to look after Rina while I am here. I paid for her meals and everything so that he wouldn’t lose out on anything. I also told him to spread rumours about me. Naturally, people would be curious and come to take a look. A few came from time to time but they were nothing special. You were also one of those people that failed but well you passed with your personality to say the least. I wanted to find someone worthy so now it comes down to this: Rina will you go with Arata?’

Both of them listened carefully and tried to put the pieces together but the question surprised them both. Fujimoto chuckled at their reactions,’I can’t look after you forever, Rina. The things I do are dangerous and if someone inexperienced like you keeps tagging along then you are bound to lose your life. Don’t get me wrong I like you and all but me and you live in different world. I don’t want you to die because you are with me. Arata is also inexperienced and has just began his journey. If you want to explore the world he would be the perfect person to go with. The choice is up to you though.’

He didn’t have anything against this suggestion as he did say he could use some crew members. Furthermore, he didn’t like the idea of Rina being holed up forever so taking her places would be perfect for her. There was one problem though. He was a pirate. How could she go with someone who belonged to the kind who was partially responsible for ruining her life? If she joined him then she would also become a pirate herself. That is not an easy decision to make. Arata looked at her to hear her answer,’I’ll think about it.’ Fujimoto smiled,’Alright. Anyway you must be hungry so eat up.’ Saying so everyone started to eat but there was an awkward silence as they did. Obviously, this situation wasn’t easy for any of them but it would probably be for the best. He did wonder what Rina’s decision would be.

After they finished eating it was still quiet so he used the opportunity to train a bit. He had to make progress because there were so many stronger people than him he couldn’t stop. So far Arata had two techniques that he could confidently use so now it was time for a third. He made a few practice swings as a warmup. He was pretty confident when it came to fighting with his sword so he was focusing more on long ranged techniques but there was also a limit to what he could do. He had something on his mind so he swung his blade horizontally trying to compress the air just like with the Sanjuroku Pound Ho. Although the techniques were very similar, Sanjuroku Pound Ho was much bigger so may be harder to use in smaller spaces or it might even hit an ally which he didn’t want. This technique would be a single wave of compressed air fired off as a projectile. However, at this point the techniques would be similar in strength but in the future this one could become the more powerful one as the air was being compressed more.

He swung until he was successful and eventually it worked as he released a blue wave of compressed air from his sword that cut a few trees down. Unfortunately, those trees began falling in his direction so he had to cut the celebrations short and dodged away to safety. Fujimoto then came over and smiled,'Oh, you’re making progress. How about another spar?’ He agreed and they began just like last time. The mage was unarmed while he was using his sword. Similarly to last time he was getting beaten pretty badly but this time he felt was a bit different. He could follow his moves a bit better and the attacks hurt a bit less but he still couldn’t land a single hit. Even if he was slightly stronger it didn’t make a single difference in the face of the master,’You’re a bit better than last time. It seems your training is paying off. Maybe someday we will be able to have a serious fight.’

The mage made it sound like it was the end but Arata wasn’t going to give up just yet. First, he fired a Yakkodori at him which was blocked with the man’s hand. However, that was meant as a distraction so while he did that Arata jumped in the air and fired off a Sanjuroku Pound Ho at the ground in front of Fujimoto to blow up some dust and once he did that he sheathed his sword and landed only to run at him. When he was in range unsheathed his sword for a Shishi Sonson. He now found himself behind Fujimoto but the attack was unsuccessful as it was blocked. He turned around to see the mage holding something in his right hand. It looked like a cross but it was no ordinary cross as it was the length of a forearm and the edges were made out of some kind of metal. The bottom edge was extended as if it was a stake meant for killing vampires,’Not bad.’

The stake was retracted to return it to normal and then Fujimoto swung it horizontally. Much to Arata’s surprise the top edge of the cross extended and was sent out like a whip at him. The edge was connected with a chain that had spikes on it so it was a lethal weapon either way. The pirate tried to block it but the force of the swing made his arms numb and disarmed him in one hit. This was only the beginning of seeing the mages true abilities while he used everything he could. Once he was done getting beaten around in every way possible the two returned to the fire only to find Rina being already asleep. Some time did pass while they trained but it was still a bit too early for him.

They sat down and stared at the fire,’The marines are gathering on the island. They searched every other island but apparently someone told them that she’s here. Tomorrow they will probably do another search leaving no stone unturned.’ Arata listened and responded,’A lot of effort for someone who knows nothing. While there are many criminals out there in the world going about their evil deeds here the marines are using so many units to find one innocent girl. Ridiculous.’ Fujimoto chuckled,’It truly is. The marines must always be seen as righteous so if word gets out about what they did their reputation will be severely damaged here in East Blue. Those places that are not affected won’t care but the marines want and the government want to be in control of everything. Anyway, there is nothing that we can do about it. It’s just the way this world is.’ Those spoken words hit him hard. Pirates and marines. Who was the truly evil one? Obviously both sides have their extremes but still you can’t clearly say this side is more evil than this.

As he continued to think about it Fujimoto continued,’I did say this was a mission so I got you your reward…’ Before he could continue Arata interrupted him,’I didn’t do this for a reward. I did this for myself.’ The mage smiled,’So you don’t want it?’ Arata let out a sigh,’You probably put effort into it so I guess not accepting would be a bit rude to you.’ The man chuckled,’Well then think of it as me rewarding you for a job well done. Nothing to do with the mission.’ He was handed over a folded paper and when he opened it Arata saw that it was a map. On it was an island marked with an X,’A treasure map! What kind of treasure does it lead to?’ Fujimoto smiled,’Let’s just say it will be worth your toil. However, you might not be ready for it right now. A fierce guardian protects the treasure. If you are not strong enough to beat it then you will die. Keep that in mind.’

He nodded and thanked him but it seemed like that was not the end of it as he reached out behind the rock and gave him a pouch and a sword with a white sheath though it seemed to be sealed and couldn’t be opened,’What’s this?’ The mage answered,’Since you two will be travelling together you could use some extra funds so spend it wisely.’ He was confused by this,’How are you certain that she will accept?’ Fujimoto smiled,’I know she will. My proof is that she came here with you today and she even talked to you. That means she trusts you enough. Although it won’t be easy show her the good in the world. She has seen enough evil and needs to see some good now to balance it all out. Just like you she is curious about the world.’

The mage knew her better than he did so it was probably true but he still wanted to hear her answer. To confirm this. However, there was still one thing unexplained,’And the sword?’ The man let out a sigh,’That’s actually not for you but for Rina. It’s not an ordinary sword either. That sword has the powers of a demon sealed in it. If she unseals it and stabs herself with it the powers will be transferred to her. The wound will heal instantly so there is nothing to worry about and the sword will become an ordinary sword after that. The problem is if she is ready. If she uses it when she is not strong enough then the powers will take over her body and mind and you will need to kill her. If that does happen there is no returning. On the other hand, if she is strong enough then she will be able to use the power whenever she pleases. You may never want to use that sword which is fine but as long as it is safely kept then I am happy.’

That was a lot of shocking news for Arata to take in at once. Obviously, he didn’t want Rina to lose her humanity and wished that they would never have to use this sword. It did create a question though,’Why not destroy it then if it is so dangerous? And how did you even get this sword?’ Fujimoto looked at him seriously,’If the sword was to be destroyed then there is a risk of the powers escaping and possessing the closest living being in order to revive itself. However, being separated from its body they might simply disperse into the air and that would be the end of that. Who knows. As to how I got it… well it’s my specialty to slay demons. There are more ways than one to kill a demon and this was one particularly nasty so I had to seal his power away to kill him.’ This didn’t sound like any good news but it was interesting information,’What are you?’ Fujimoto chuckled,’A Devil Slayer. That’s my magic.’ Arata didn’t even know such a type of magic even existed but it did sound pretty cool. Being done with the gifts they decided to go to sleep as they would need to be in their best form for the next day.

WC: 2,159

Yakkodori: 2,159/250

The next morning Arata was the first one to wake up it seems but that was actually quite beneficial to him. Using this opportunity and took the money Fujimoto gave him yesterday and quickly went back to town. If Rina was to be going with him then he really would need more supplies. It was better to be safe than sorry and either way food would never go to waste. Luckily a lot of stores were open this early so he could do the shopping without worry. He went to the stores with the food and once he was done he popped in to the clothing store to see if there was anything good. He wasn’t exactly a fashion expert but he got what he needed and then returned to his boat to pack it all up and be ready to set sail. Arata was only on this island for a couple of days but overall it was a good experience. He got to see the sights and met some interesting people and in terms of training he also made a lot of progress. The pirate was satisfied with his journey so far but it could use a bit more adventures. However, beginnings always tend to be slow so maybe he should enjoy the peace while he can?

With everything ready he headed back into the forest. Once he was there he saw that both of them were already awake with breakfast on the way so he sat down with them,’Where did you go?’ Rina asked him first,’I just went back to town to do some final shopping. Why ask? Are you worried that I might have ditched you?’ Arata said so with a teasing smile but it seems she was indifferent to it,’Not really.’ With that the conversation ended and silence came upon them. It seemed like it was still a bit awkward from yesterday but soon all that will be resolved. The marines surely monitored the port so they knew that Rina hasn’t left but at the same time she was no longer in her room. That would send them into a panic as they would have lost their only lead. This was the perfect time to move.

They went about breakfast uneventfully like before and now the time came for the answer. Arata looked at the girl in question and asked,’So, Rina what is your decision?’ Silence. She did not answer his gaze. She must still have doubts about it. Finally, she looked at him and nodded,’I will go with you. Show me the world and its wonders. I leave my fate in your hands.’ He smiled at this,’Welcome aboard then! However, your fate is your own. I can’t decide your life for you. If you decide you don’t want to travel with me anymore then I won’t force you to stay. Nothing will change. Rina will be Rina. Just that we will be travelling together and discovering the world.’ She listened to his answer and smiled,’I suppose that sounds better.’ It was the first time he saw her smile. It was a beautiful smile. One that was worth protecting.

The mage then clapped his hands and smiled too,’Well then, it’s decided!’ They both nodded,’You got anything you want to take?’ Rina shook her head,’All I have is what I have on me. I’m ready when you are.’ Arata nodded and put the demon sword on his belt below his normal one. He took everything that was given to him and the rest was already on the boat waiting for them. They got up and looked at Fujimoto,’It’s time for us to part ways. One day we will meet again. I’m sure of it. Thank you for everything.’ Rina then nodded,’Yes, thank you for everything. One day I might be able to repay the debt. Until then we will get stronger and we will surpass you.’ The mage laughed,’It was good to meet the both of you. May our paths cross again. When you will be going to the Grand Line, you could see one of my members in Loguetown. You may want to consult her about stuff before your journey really begins. She is the phoenix. Take care young ones!’ They shook hands and Arata and Rina turned around and headed to the town to go to the port. They didn’t look back. Now it was all up to them to take everything upon themselves. A new stage in their lives was beginning.

WC: 747

Leaving thread