Chapter 2: The Island's name is what?
My breath came in ragged gasps as my sneakers pounded against wet pavement, the damp alley narrowing with every step. Neon light from the street flickered off the puddles, and my shadow danced on graffiti-stained walls until—
A Dead End.
"C'mon, Sammy…"
I froze at the familiar drawl.
"Why'd you have to make this hard? Could've gone easier if you didn't run."
I turned, and there they were. Twiddle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Tommy's goons. Not much going on upstairs, but they had enough muscle to make up for it.
Unfortunately, that meant me in their line of work tonight.
"Dee! Dum!" I forced a nervous grin. "Can't we talk about this? Y'know… for old time's sake? I'm Tommy's favorite customer, remember?"
"You are," Dum agreed, his bald head gleaming under the flickering light.
"Look, Sammy," Dee started, cracking his knuckles, "you aim big, you earn big too. But Tommy's getting tired of your rolls—the slots, the dice, the cards. Says you're giving him gray hairs every time you lose."
"But I win it back," I shot back, snark edging into my voice despite the sweat dripping down my temple. "Besides, I paid it all back, with interest. How much was it? Oh yeah—five hundred grand!"
"Oh, we heard," Dum said, flicking open a butterfly knife. Its edge caught the neon glow, glinting like ice. "Who hasn't? The Great Gatsby, beating the House!"
"Tommy wants the rest, you see," Dee added, flexing brass-knuckled fists. "We know it's electronic."
"Where's the chip, Sammy?"
I swallowed hard, muscles tensing. My mind spun through half-baked escape plans, none good. I was ready to try and fight my way out…
…when a deep, guttural growl rumbled behind me.
I turned slowly.
Staring back was a nightmare made manifest. A dog with a skull for a face, hollow eyes glowing like embers.
Then it lunged.
The jaws clamped down. Pain, blinding and absolute, swallowed me.
"Graaaaaaaaaahhh!"
I awoke to a wood-planked ceiling, salt in the air, and the rhythmic crash of waves. My lungs hitched, pulling in air like I'd just surfaced from drowning.
Feat Achieved!
Survived and Won Against a Beowulf Pack +1 Platinum Trait Gacha Ticket
"W–Wha—? Where… where am I?"
"To answer your question. You're in Kuo Kuana. Now can you answer mine?" A voice asked to my right.
"Kuo—Wha—WOAH!" I jerked upright, only for pain to lance across my back. I hissed through my teeth, collapsing back onto the bed.
And then my brain caught up to what I was looking at.
Because—holy hell.
Catgirls were real.
Sitting on a chair beside my bed, arms crossed and expression unimpressed, was none other than Blake Belladonna. Except… instead of her usual bow, two furred cat ears twitched lazily atop her head, probably flicking at sounds only she could hear.
A design change, probably? It didn't matter. It was a very good design change.
"…are you done staring?" she asked, her piercing golden eyes narrowing at me.
"Y-yeah. I—uh, sorry, it's just that—"
"What? First time seeing a Faunus?"
Faunus. So it's like a species like dwarves or elves. Ok, we can work with that. Play it cool, Sam. Put that silver tongue of yours to good use.
"Yes… actually. I mean, one moment I woke up in the middle of a forest, and that's it. I don't remember much else."
"Amnesia?" she murmured, her gaze sharp, like she was trying to catch any flicker of a lie.
I gave a helpless shrug. It wasn't even a lie; I really didn't know anything about this world and that's why the best lies always have a kernel of truth, after all.
"Anyways, thanks for saving me." I continued, managing a crooked smile, "Name's Samuel Gatsby. You can call me Sam. Oh—" I lifted an arm in greeting…
…and immediately froze.
My right arm was wrapped tight in stiff white bandages from fingertips to elbow, the bracing locking it in place.
I awkwardly raised my other arm instead, offering a weak handshake.
Blake tilted her head, staring for a moment before finally reaching out. "Blake—"
"WHERE IS HE!?"
The shout hit like a gunshot, gravelly and furious. Blake's golden eyes went wide, her ears snapping upright as her hair bristled, tail flicking in agitation.
Before I could even admire how cute that was, heavy footfalls thundered against the floorboards. A man stormed in, a walking red flag from scowl to the crimson hair—and the horns jutting from his head sealed the image.
I barely had time to process a bull metaphor before he crossed the room and had his hand fisted in my hair, yanking me up with a jolt of pain.
"Adam! Don't!" Blake's voice wavered between alarm and command.
"Why?!" Adam barked, eyes burning. "He could be a spy for the humans!"
"No! It's—"
"BKAAAAAAK!" A piercing squawk cut through the room and a white blur streaked into Adam's face, claws and beak going to town on his mask.
"GAAH! Get it off me!" he roared, flailing wildly.
"That," Blake said flatly, wincing at the chaos. "That's… his." I had no doubt that Bok raised his own type of hell while I was fast asleep.
Adam fought a losing battle, swiping at Bok as my chicken of mass destruction shredded his dignity feather by feather before dropping me to use both his arms and I hit the floor hard, thankfully on my good side, wheezing through the jolt of pain.
"Bok. Heel." I rasped, painstakingly sitting up while tentatively using the bedside to lean my back on.
"Bok."
Instantly obedient, Bok abandoned his victim, fluttering up to roost atop my head but not before dropping a fresh egg squarely onto Adam's head—timed perfectly mid-flight. It was impressive, not gonna lie.
Adam didn't seem to think so. Now with his mask gone,he turned on me again with raw fury. The left side of his face was a ruin: a scarred, branded mess that kept one eye sealed shut. The other, a piercing blue, burned with unfiltered rage.
I noticed that the brand, S.D.C., was something you'd see on livestock. I didn't need to add two and two together. It seemed Faunus and Humans had issues here, really bad ones. Still, when did we never?
"Look," I said carefully, raising my good hand in surrender, "he's just confused. Like me. We don't know where we are. I'm sorry—and I'll take responsibility."
Adam's lip curled as he drew his blade with a steely whisper. "Oh, you'll take responsibility, all right—"
"ADAM, STOP!" Blake snapped, planting herself between us. "He's injured for Oum's sake. He doesn't even have Aura!"
"Yet our scouts found him near the Beowolf horde that's been harassing our borders!" Adam shot back, his voice like a whip. "That horde is gone. And you're telling me some random human without a Semblance took them all out? Alone?"
His gaze cut through Blake, fixing on me like a predator eyeing prey. "He's scouting our defenses. With no backup he could easily slip in and out."
Aura? Semblance? Great. More terminology for things that just fly over my head…
Blake looked unsure of herself at the assumption. To be fair, it sounded solid. She joined Adam and looked at me with suspicion before shaking her head.
"It doesn't matter," she said firmly. "We're taking him to Sienna. She decides what we do with him."
"Tch!"
I raised my good hand. "Uh… still here, you know."
"Unfortunately," Adam spat, stalking out of the room in a storm of angry footfalls with egg still on his head. With how angry he is I wouldn't be surprised if he already cooked it there.
Blake exhaled slowly, the tension leaving her shoulders as Adam's footsteps receded. "He's… a piece of work," I muttered, rubbing my sore scalp before I noticed I was actually scratching the chicken. "Not that I blame him."
"He's just… I don't know." She shook her head, ears flicking with frustration before her gaze fixed on me. "Can you walk?"
"With some help. I think."
It took effort on both our parts, but I managed to get upright, each movement pulling at half-healed wounds. Everything felt tender, like my body was one big bruise.
"Was it you, though?" Blake asked, crossing her arms after making sure I won't fall over from a gust of wind.
"Me… what?"
"That Beowolf pack. Was it you who took care of them?" Her golden eyes sharpened, curiosity cutting through her guarded expression.
"Yeah, that was me. I mean, how else do you think I ended up like this?"
"How did you do it?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Disbelief colored her tone.
"Nope." I shrugged, wincing at the pull on my bandaged arm. "Who knows? Maybe I'm some super-talented warrior who got dropped from another world or something~?" I teased, hoping to ease the lingering tension Adam had left behind.
Blake scoffed, rolling her eyes. "As if. Come on—we have to take you to Sienna." She paused at the doorway. "She's the High Leader, by the way."
Then she was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts… and Bok, who tilted his cubic head down at me from my head.
He clucked, a simple "Bok," but I sighed. "Sorry, buddy. You kind of stand out. Don't want everyone knowing about you yet—Red Bull and Blake excluded. Can you… go away or something?"
To my surprise, Bok vanished with little fanfare. My eyes went wide. "Oh crap! Bok!" I blurted, looking around frantically.
"Bok."
I looked down to find him back again, clucking like nothing happened.
Experimenting, I willed him away—and once more, he vanished. Willing him back made him reappear just as easily.
"Alright… so you can be called back and forth. Handy," I muttered under my breath.
"Is something wrong in there?" Blake's voice called from outside.
"Peachy. Just peachy," I called back, hobbling out of the room, each step biting with faint pain until I eventually got used to it.
What greeted me when I stepped outside… was not what I expected.
I'd heard the crash of waves earlier and, in my head, pictured something like the Bahamas. White sands, crystal water, maybe a few sun-bleached huts.
Instead, Kuo Kuana looked like it was holding itself together by sheer stubbornness.
A salty breeze carried the smell of fish, rust, and smoke through narrow dirt streets lined with crooked wooden houses. Most were patched with scavenged metal or tarps that fluttered like tired flags. Nets hung from poles like cobwebs, more holes than rope, and drying fish twisted on makeshift racks. Children with hollow eyes darted between doorways, their clothes threadbare, while older Faunus patched boats that looked one wave away from sinking.
In the distance, the ocean pounded endlessly against a rickety dock on the shallows—its planks splintered, some missing entirely.
The whole place felt… tired. Like every gust of wind threatened to blow it all away.
Blake walked ahead with practiced ease, her ears twitching as she glanced back at me.
I adjusted my pace, trying to ignore the stares boring into me—narrowed colored eyes and flattened ears of differing species. If the bruises and bandages didn't make me stand out, the fact that I was human certainly did.
Blake must've noticed the way my eyes lingered on the stares we were drawing. Conversations halted as we passed, and more than a few pairs of golden eyes narrowed in my direction. I shifted uncomfortably under the weight of their gazes.
"They're staring because it's been a long time since a human set foot in Menagerie," Blake said quietly. "And the last ones… were supremacists."
I winced, understanding dawning like a gut punch. If Adam had been that furious just seeing me breathing, I didn't want to imagine what the others, people with every reason to hate humans, might do.
"I'm guessing you dealt with them accordingly," I muttered. Then something clicked. "Wait—Menagerie? That's where we are? You can't be serious."
Blake stopped mid-step, turning to give me a searching look. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
I shook my head. "Not a clue."
She sighed—again, and I was starting to think it was her default reaction to me. "Long story short, we were different. Humans didn't like that. After decades of fighting, protesting, and bleeding, they finally gave us our own land." She swept her arms in a half-hearted gesture that took in the struggling village, the patched boats, the weary people. "This is it—a Grimm-infested dirtball in the middle of the ocean. And to add insult to injury, they called it Menagerie. It means 'zoo,' in case you didn't know."
Her voice had taken on a bitter edge, and I had no idea what to say to that. "…Sorry. I didn't realize it was that bad. Any reason why you kept the name?" I asked, awkwardness seeping into my tone.
"So we could prove that even after everything, we're still here. We survived, and we're not going anywhere…no matter how many times they try to cage us." Her golden eyes hardened, a flash of pride behind the bitterness. "Every brick, every plank of this place says, 'we endured.'"
I nodded slowly. "Not a bad notion… but given the chance, what name would you give it? I mean, this place is your homeland. Would it be even better to have it symbolise something that could come from it rather than where it came from?"
"Ah. Sorry. Didn't mean to impose on that."
Blake blinked, as if the thought had never occurred to her, and opened her mouth to respond—
"Cream! Don't—"
The sharp call from a nearby doorway made us both turn. A little girl trotted up to me with wide, curious green eyes. Floppy rabbit ears ran across her back, easily hinting at her rabbit Faunus heritage. Like most of the kids I'd seen here, her clothes were hand-me-downs several sizes too big, stained with the grime of the streets.
I'll be honest—I'm no saint. I lied, cheated, and stole to keep myself alive. But something about the kid tugged at me. Maybe because I saw a piece of myself in her—small, hungry, and wide-eyed at a world that just didn't seem to care.
I patted down my ruined suit, looking for anything to give her. No coins, no trinkets… but my fingers brushed against something smooth in my pocket.
Bok must've laid an egg while I'd been out cold…directly down my pocket somehow.
Carefully kneeling with a groan, I performed the oldest trick in the book, making a show of my empty hand before pulling the egg from behind her ear. Quite different with a coin but I managed. Especially, when it was a Minecraft egg imposed on a 3D space.
"How about an egg in this trying time?" I said with my best corny smile.
Her eyes sparkled as she accepted the egg with both hands, staring at it like I'd just given her a priceless treasure. She glanced back up at me, silently asking permission.
"Go right ahead," I said softly.
"Thank you mister!"
Her face split into a delighted grin as she clutched the egg to her chest and bolted back toward the woman who'd called after her, excitedly showing off her prize as other kids gathered to her like moths to a lamp.
Her face lit up as she hugged the egg like it was the most precious thing in the world and bolted back to the woman who'd called after her. In seconds, other children flocked around her, eager to see the strange gift.
The mother looked at me, unsure. I offered a small nod and an easy smile.
She hesitated… then smiled back.
When I turned, Blake was watching me with an unreadable expression.
"…What?"
"…Nothing." She pivoted on her heel, resuming her brisk pace toward a sturdier-looking building ahead. Compared to the patchwork homes around it, the structure actually looked… maintained. Reinforced walls, an actual roof—something that didn't feel one stiff breeze away from collapse.
I hurried to catch up. "That… friend of yours. Where'd you find them?" she asked without turning, her voice casual in a way that told me she'd been holding the question back.
She probably meant Bok. Fair enough—square-bodied chickens didn't seem to be standard fare, even in this world.
"Honestly? No clue," I said with a shrug. "Might've come with me from that other world I mentioned~" I added with a teasing lilt.
I expected the usual scoff or eye roll, but Blake just looked thoughtful, her brows furrowed as if turning the idea over.
"Hold on," I continued with a grin, "you don't seriously think I'm—"
"Enough." Her voice cut through mine, firm and flat. I jolted despite myself. "They're waiting for us."
And just like that, she was all business again, long hair swaying behind her as we approached the building that loomed ahead—my audience with whoever was in charge was about to begin.
"Blake? BLAKE! There you are!"
Another cat Faunus came rushing out from the entrance, worry in her voice.
"Oh. I didn't know you had a sister," I said.
"Sister!?" Blake whirled on me, her cheeks tinged pink.
"…Cousin?"
The newcomer chuckled softly after she reached us. "Relax, Blake. It's a compliment." Her amber eyes turned to me, warm and kind. "I'm her mother, Kali Belladonna," she said with a graceful bow.
"Samuel Gatsby but call me Sam. Pleased to meet you, ma'am." I dipped my head in return.
"Ugh. Anyways, why were you looking for me?" Blake asked, still flustered.
Kali's gaze flicked briefly to me before returning to her daughter. "…Let's go inside." And just like that all the warmth and cheer was sucked out.
I gulped down a lump in my throat.
The building's interior was starkly different from the weary village outside. The walls were supported by thick, carved logs, their surfaces etched with swirling tribal motifs. Heavy rugs and woven cloths hung to insulate the space, each bearing the sigils of what must be different Faunus clans. Lanterns and torches burned low, their flames dancing over a curious embedded red crystal that pulsed faintly, filling the room with a steady warmth.
At the far end sat a raised platform, and on it a chair that was more a throne than a seat. Reclining in it with the easy confidence of someone used to command was a tall, striking Faunus woman with sleek tiger-striped markings across her arms and face—Sienna, the High Leader. Her sharp amber eyes took in everything with the cold precision of a predator at rest.
To her right stood Adam, his mask once again fixed firmly over his scarred face, arms crossed and posture radiating tightly coiled hostility with no egged head in sight.
In front of Sienna, a massive figure of a man, all muscle and authority, stood in the midst of conversation. If I had to guess, the Patriarch of the Belladonnas, given his resemblance to Blake. His deep voice carried weight even as it softened when addressing Sienna.
Surrounding them were other Faunus—some in fur-lined cloaks, others in the crisp white-and-black uniforms.
In front of Sienna, a massive figure of a man, all muscle and quiet authority, stood mid-discussion. Judging by the resemblance, he had to be Blake's father—the patriarch of the Belladonna family. His deep, gravelly voice carried the kind of weight that demanded the room's attention, even as frustration edged his tone.
"…and if we don't act soon, the next shipment won't even make it to Vale," Ghira was saying. "We can't keep rationing at this rate. The eastern fields are overrun—"
"The White Fang's strength is already stretched thin," Sienna interjected coolly, her amber gaze unwavering. "And every squad we send to clear Grimm is one less guarding our shores and one less supporting the cause. You know this."
Ghira's jaw tightened. "Then tell me, Sienna, what do you propose we do when people start starving? This isn't the first time we've had to scrape the bottom of our stores."
The tension was palpable, a friction that felt all too familiar—an argument that had played out many times before, neither side yielding. Around the room, other Faunus in fur-lined cloaks or the crisp black-and-white uniforms shifted uncomfortably, their expressions tight, betraying their own hunger and frustration.
The conversation halted as the heavy wooden doors creaked shut behind us. A dozen pairs of eyes swung in our direction, and the air thickened with scrutiny.
"Enough, Ghira. We'll continue this later."
Sienna's tone was final, her raised hand halting Ghira mid-sentence. He bit the inside of his cheek, visibly irritated, but said nothing. If Sienna noticed, she gave no sign.
She snapped her fingers. Two uniformed Faunus flanking the room moved with practiced precision, their presence a silent reminder of authority. They fell in on either side of me, nudging me forward toward the center of the chamber. Ghira stepped aside reluctantly with Kali and Blake taking her place on Sienna's right.
"What have you found out?" Sienna asked, her eyes sliding to Blake.
Blake hesitated, her gaze flickering toward me before leaning in to whisper. Her words were soft enough that even straining, I couldn't catch them. Sienna's expression remained impassive, her sharp amber eyes occasionally darting back to me, weighing, measuring.
When Blake finished, the High Leader sat back, her fingers steepled.
"I see," Sienna said at last, her voice unreadable.
"Mr. Samuel Gatsby," Sienna began, her voice level but carrying the weight of authority.
"Please, just Sam," I offered automatically—
—and immediately wished I hadn't.
Adam's teeth audibly ground together, a low, animal sound of barely checked fury. Even Sienna's amber eyes narrowed, her expression tightening in disapproval, as if the mere familiarity of my tone was an insult.
"...Sorry," I muttered, my voice shrinking in the silence that followed.
"I hope you understand," Sienna continued, her gaze piercing, "that you are being held here for the safety of Menagerie and its people. A human—unknown, unannounced—appears on our shores, massacres a Beowolf pack that has harried our borders for weeks, and collapses within sight of our settlement. Such an event demands scrutiny. We have survived as long as we have because we remain vigilant, and because we do not leave mysteries unattended."
"I completely understand," I said quickly, nodding along. It wasn't hard to look cooperative when I meant it; they weren't wrong to be wary.
"Then I do hope," she said, her voice dropping into something cold and final, "you also understand why we must dispose of you."
The words hit like a hammer, and the room rippled with reactions as Blake inhaled sharply, eyes widening. Kali's hand flew to her mouth. Ghira's jaw clenched, a storm of protest brewing.
And Adam—Adam smiled behind that damned mask, a cruel, satisfied twist of lips that needed no face to complete.
"...I completely don't understand," I said flatly, my brain stuttering over itself as the reality sank in.
"Sienna! That man is innocent!" Ghira barked, stepping forward. "You would condemn the very person who rid our borders of the Grimm horde that's been harassing our tribe?"
"And he is a trespasser," Sienna shot back, unflinching. "A trespasser who brings chaos in his wake. Our laws are clear, Ghira."
Shit.
My eyes darted around the room, searching for an opening—a door, a window, anything that wasn't blocked by armed, pissed-off Faunus. I even tried to will myself away, the same way I'd sent Bok back into whatever pocket-space he came from. Nothing happened.
I briefly entertained the thought of fighting my way out before remembering one crucial detail: we were on a goddamned island. No matter how strong [Desperation] made me, there was nowhere to run.
Then I remembered. The flash of text under my eyelids when I'd first woken up from that nightmare.
+1 Platinum Trait Gacha Ticket
I lowered my gaze and made a subtle grabbing motion at my side. There it was—the familiar, perfectly smooth handle of the Gacha lever materializing in my grip, unseen by anyone else.
Alright, Sammy, I thought, fingers curling around it, time for one another bet. Give me something—anything—that'll get me out of this mess. A charisma boost. A silver tongue. Hell, I'd even take mind control right now.
I pulled the lever down.
The air filled with the familiar chime of cascading coins, the sound roaring inside my skull like a casino jackpot.
Congratulations!
[Platinum Trait Gacha Ticket Used.]
[Fishman]
|Elite Trait|
Race(One Piece) - You are a fishman of a random hybrid, as a Fishman you are naturally stronger than humans with your enhanced physical stats. You can also breathe underwater and possess great water affinity. In addition, you can communicate with seabound creatures and learn Fishman Karate.
Eh?
The words burned themselves into my brain, neon-bright, before a searing warmth flared through my chest—growing, boiling, spreading through every vein like liquid fire.
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" I screamed, collapsing to the floor as agony wracked my body.
"What did you do!?" Kali's voice cut through the panic.
"I have done nothing!" Sienna barked back, bristling with offense.
Their words blurred into meaningless noise, drowned out by the ringing in my ears and the white-hot pain tearing through me. Something pushed at the base of my spine, pressure mounting until I felt my back arch involuntarily.
Heat stifled me. Desperate, I clawed at my own bandages, ripping away the cast and peeling off the wrappings around my chest. Scars and bruises faded before my eyes, swelling subsiding as though they'd never been.
Then the pain vanished, leaving me trembling, my cheek pressed against the rug.
A chorus of gasps rippled through the chamber.
"Look!" someone shouted.
I blinked and turned my head.
A solid thump sounded near my face, and I froze.
A tail—jet-black, sleek, and unmistakably mine—rested on the floor.
I followed its curve back to its source: sprouting from my lower back, flexing in little involuntary twitches.
From my prone position, all eyes were fixed on me, shock stalling the hostility that had filled the room only seconds ago.
Heh… seems I just can't stop winning.
Pushing myself up, I tried to move the new appendage, only for it to flop uselessly behind me. My mouth felt strange, my tongue brushing over teeth now uniformly sharp—shark-like.
At least my skin hadn't turned blue or something. No offense to Jinbei, but I knew I wouldn't pull off the look like he did.
Facing Sienna and the others, I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead and forced a shaky grin.
"Hah… hah… would you look at that? Guess I'm just a late bloomer…" I flicked the tail once—awkward, but enough to make my point.
"So… what do your laws say about lost Faunus?"
The entire room jolted at my words, the air thick with murmurs and hushed whispers.
I caught fragments—rumors about old stories, mentions of some "animal".
Even Sienna, poised and unshakable, looked… thoughtful.
"It's a trick!" Adam's snarl cut through the noise, spittle flying as he pointed an accusing finger at me. "He's probably some S.D.C. experiment—sent here to sow distrust among our kind! Can't you see it?"
"Enough of this! I'm finishing it!" He tore his sword halfway from its sheath, bloodlust flaring in his single visible eye.
"TAURUS! STAY YOUR BLADE!" Sienna's voice cracked like a whip, freezing him mid-motion.
"High Leader Sienna, he could be—!"
"SILENCE!" Sienna's command cracked like a whip, slamming the room into tense quiet.
"…I'm assuming that's not normal here?" I ventured, scratching the back of my neck.
Her amber gaze locked onto me, unblinking. "No. It is not."
After a heartbeat of heavy scrutiny, she spoke again. "Samuel Gatsby, approach."
I glanced at the guards flanking me. They gave curt nods, and I stepped forward, the weight of every eye in the hall burning into my back.
Sienna rose from her throne, descending the platform with measured steps until she stood close enough that I could feel the authority radiating off her.
"They say you have no Aura. Is this true?"
"I… don't even know what that is. Some kind of power?" I admitted honestly.
Sienna's eyes narrowed to slits. "Aura is the manifestation of one's soul—the life force that runs through every living being on Remnant, whether a humble fisherman or a renowned hunter. It is our shield, our weapon, our very essence."
Her hand rose and settled firmly against my chest, the weight of her touch grounding me.
"As for you… I will confirm it myself."
"By the blood of beasts and the soul of kin… awaken, and reveal the spark within."
Sienna's palm glowed a deep, warm orange that seeped into my chest. For a heartbeat it felt like sitting near a campfire—comforting, almost nostalgic—before the warmth erupted, coursing through me in a brilliant gold. It shimmered like coins spilling from a slot machine, bright and vivid, until both auras faded.
Feat Achieved!
Have your Aura Awakened +1 Silver Trait Gacha Ticket
"It's true," Sienna said evenly. "You had no Aura before. Now you do."
I opened my mouth to thank her, but she was already turning back to her throne, leaving me standing awkwardly in the center of the hall, every Faunus eye in the room boring into me.
"This complicates matters," she continued, settling onto her seat. "But it is clear that execution would be premature."
I caught Blake's shoulders relaxing in my peripheral vision.
"Tch." Adam's frustration hissed through his teeth, his grip tightening on his blade.
"Therefore, the decision must be postponed. For now, your fate will be decided later—either execution or exile."
"Sienna, you can't be serious," Ghira said sharply.
"Samuel remains an unknown factor," Sienna replied, her gaze unwavering. "Faunus or not."
Oh, fantastic. After all that, my choices were being thrown into the wilds to fend for myself or a one-way trip to the chopping block.
Well… I mused, I do know how to swim.
Yet at the thought of diving into the deep, dark waters surrounding Menagerie, an instinctive dread clawed at my spine. Some primal part of me whispered, Don't.
Fine. If playing it straight won't work, time to lean into what I'm best at.
"High Leader, if I may," I said, bowing low, breaking into the brewing argument between Sienna and Ghira.
A beat of silence stretched, threatening to turn awkward.
"You may," she said at last.
I straightened, meeting her piercing gaze. "How about a bet?"
"Excuse me?"
"I heard the council discussing a food shortage. What if I told you I could resolve that—at least temporarily?"
A wave of murmurs swept through the chamber, hushed voices trading speculation until Sienna raised a hand, silencing them.
"How?"
"You don't need to know the how," I said, keeping my tone even. "Only that your people will be fed within the week. All I ask is a spare storehouse to work with… and permission to remain here."
Sienna studied me, her head tilting slightly. "If you could do such a thing, why not request safe passage to the nearest kingdom as a reward? You do not know us, and we do not know you."
"I don't remember much," I admitted, "but I do know the kind of man I am—one who never leaves a debt unpaid."
I glanced toward Blake. "And I figure I owe your village one… maybe two favors."
Blake's amber eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across her face.
Sienna hummed thoughtfully, her expression inscrutable. "…Very well, Samuel Gatsby. I will humor your wager."
"In seven days, you will procure enough food to temporarily ease our shortage. You will be given a spare storehouse to use within a few hours. If you succeed, you will be permitted to remain in Menagerie… under supervision."
A grin tugged at my lips. "Sounds fair to me."
Her gaze sharpened, voice dropping into a tone like cold steel. "And if you fail… the Grimm will feast on what remains of you."
I couldn't help it—my grin widened.
Why not? Everyone loves a sucker's bet.
So here's the cheese. Apparently, I had a whole plot about the MC waking up in Emerald Forest and having them meet with Ozpin instead when they woke up…
…That was before someone posted an Omake.
…So I had to scrap the original because it was more interesting to write about.
Now the MC is in Managerie with a shark tail. I hope you're happy.
(Fr though, thanks for the reception of the story guys!)
Question: Do you like time skips or would you rather read the MC training their new powers?
Also, I have a nasty ass cold at the moment. Post me your cute or lewd pictures of your favourite RWBY girl so I can regain my strength post haste!