**Chapter 10: Eight Months of Peace, Chaos, and a Smile That Could Scare the Sea (With Extra Comedy and Citrus Shenanigans)**
**MC POV (Sunny)**
The first night at Belle-mère's house on Cocoyasi Island was like stepping into a warm hug—cozy, safe, and almost too comfortable for someone used to dodging explosive bananas and sleeping on sand. The smell of tangerine stew lingered in the air, and the creaky wooden floorboards felt like home in a way I hadn't expected. But the real shock came at sunrise, when the peaceful bubble popped like a soap balloon in a hurricane.
I woke groggily to a scream that could've shattered glass. Nami's voice, high-pitched and horrified, yanked me out of a dream about fighting a giant crab. I blinked, sat up, and immediately realized why she was freaking out.
Aqua was sprawled across my chest, her arms wrapped around me like a clingy octopus, her cheek smushed into my collarbone like she'd claimed me as her personal pillow. One leg was draped over my waist, her foot dangerously close to kicking me somewhere I'd rather not think about. She wasn't even pretending to be embarrassed—just murmuring contentedly in her sleep, "Mmm… my Sunny pillow… so warm…"
Nami stood in the doorway, her face redder than a ripe tomato, her orange ponytail practically bristling with indignation. Nojiko, behind her, looked like she'd just stumbled across a scandalous romance novel in her mom's closet. Belle-mère leaned against the doorframe, a cigarette dangling from her lips, one eyebrow arched so high it was practically in orbit.
"Hooo?" Belle-mère drawled, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Kids these days… Are you bold, or am I just old? I didn't think I'd be dealing with *this* kind of drama before breakfast."
My face burned hotter than the Hellboar Titan's breath. "Th-this isn't what it looks like!" I stammered, trying to pry Aqua off without waking her. Spoiler: It didn't work. Her grip tightened, and she nuzzled closer, muttering something about "divine cuddles."
{Ego}: "Correction: Goddess = parasitic lifeform. Host's dignity = critically endangered. Probability of social recovery: 7%."
[System]: "Master Sunny, this is unacceptable! That goddess is leeching your divine warmth! Permission to administer an electric shock to detach her? Or perhaps a localized gravity pulse to fling her into the sea?"
I buried my face in my hands, muffling a groan. "No shocks, no pulses, just… help me get her off without making this worse!"
Aqua's eyes fluttered open at that moment, and she grinned like a cat who'd just caught a canary. "Oh, Sunny~ Trying to escape your goddess's embrace? Too late—you're mine!" She hugged me tighter, her leg sliding higher, and I swear I heard Nami choke on her own outrage.
Belle-mère snorted, flicking her cigarette. "Alright, lovebirds, keep it PG. You're all underage, and I'm not running a romance novel here."
This was how my new life in Cocoyasi began: with a goddess koala, a mortified future navigator, and my dignity in tatters.
---
**Day 3 — Training, Interrupted**
By day three, I'd settled into a routine, training by the shore where the waves provided a rhythmic backdrop. My fists were wrapped in invisible threads of Armament Haki, each punch cracking the air like a whip, sending shockwaves that made the sand dance. I was practicing my Flowing Seal Fist, blending Bang's fluid movements with Jiro's precise strikes, aiming to make every hit a masterpiece. Nami and Nojiko sat on a nearby rock, munching tangerines and watching like I was some kind of street performer.
"Wow," Nojiko whispered, peeling another fruit. "He's like a superhero!"
Nami nodded, her eyes wide. "Yeah, but a sweaty one. How does he not pass out?"
Aqua, naturally, was not impressed. She lounged on a different rock, sipping tangerine juice she'd *definitely* stolen from Nami's stash, her makeshift staff propped beside her like a divine scepter. "Pfft," she scoffed, waving a hand. "Unlike you, Orange-chan, Sunny can go all night. Stamina for days!"
I froze mid-punch, my Haki faltering as my brain processed that. Nami choked so hard she sprayed juice everywhere, staining her shirt. Nojiko dropped her bucket of tangerines, the fruits rolling across the sand like runaway marbles. From the nearby field, Belle-mère's voice boomed, "HEY! Keep it PG-13, you little gremlins! You're all underage, damn it!"
My face was on fire. "Aqua, what is *wrong* with you?!" I shouted, turning to glare at her.
She smirked, sipping her juice like she hadn't just set off a verbal landmine. "What? It's true! You're out here punching air like a maniac for hours. Stamina, baby!"
{Ego}: "Observation: Goddess's innuendos = catastrophic. User's social standing in village = plummeting. Recommendation: Flee to sea."
[System]: "Master, her words are a travesty! Your stamina is for heroic feats, not her crude jests! I propose a duel to silence her!"
I ignored them, focusing on not dying of embarrassment. Nami wiped juice off her face, glaring daggers at Aqua. "You're the worst!" she snapped, then muttered, "And stop stealing my juice!"
Aqua stuck out her tongue. "Divine tax, Orange-chan. Deal with it."
I decided death by training was preferable to living with Aqua's mouth. I threw myself back into my punches, hoping the sound of cracking air would drown out the chaos.
---
**Day 10 — The Great Money Fight**
Money was still a problem, but I was getting good at solving it the One Piece way: punching giant sea monsters. On day ten, I hauled a freshly caught Sea King into the port—a beast so massive it made the dock creak like it was begging for mercy. Its scales gleamed like polished armor, and its dead eyes glared like it was cursing me from the afterlife. The merchant from last time nearly had a heart attack, offering 7.5 million Berries on the spot.
Nami's jaw hit the ground, her pupils morphing into literal Berry signs. She didn't even try to hide it—she leaned forward, practically drooling on my arm as she stared at the stack of cash in my hands. "You… you're my hero!" she squeaked, her voice trembling with awe.
I sighed, trying to shake her off. "Nami, get off me. It's just money."
Aqua's eyes narrowed to slits, her divine aura flaring like a warning flare. She stepped between us, hands on hips, glaring at Nami like she was a pirate raiding her temple. "Back away, orange goblin! That's *my* Sunny and *my* money!"
Nami bristled, stomping her foot. "Pfft! I'm just appreciating his wallet! Unlike you, who hugs him in her sleep like a creepy koala!"
Aqua gasped, clutching her chest. "Liar! That's divine affection, you tangerine thief! You're lusting after his cash—or worse, him!"
Belle-mère, who'd been watching from the sidelines, marched over and grabbed both girls by their ears, dragging them away. "Enough, you two! You're giving me a headache, and I haven't even had my second cigarette yet!"
I rubbed my temples, muttering, "I should've let the Sea King eat me."
{Ego}: "Correction: User's decision to engage with females = primary source of stress. Recommendation: Solitary training in mountains."
[System]: "Master, their bickering is beneath you! Focus on your destiny. I will calculate the optimal way to invest those Berries for maximum glory."
---
**Day 26 — A Smile Too Sharp**
That night, I meditated by the sea, the waves whispering secrets as the moon cast silver light across the water. My Observation Haki expanded, brushing against the island's edges—trees, villagers, the faint hum of life. Then, for a fleeting instant, I felt something else. Massive. Cruel. Reptilian. A ripple of danger, like a shark circling just out of sight.
Then it was gone.
And I smiled.
Not my usual goofy grin, the one Aqua mocked or Nami rolled her eyes at. This was different—darker, sharper, a grin that felt like it belonged to someone else. My lips curled, my eyes glinted, and a thrill ran through me, cold and electric. It wasn't just confidence. It was hunger.
{Ego}: "Host… that was unsettling. Emotional output: Anomalous. Probability of psychological instability: 15%."
[System]: "Warning: Master Sunny's aura trending unstable. Probability of corruption: 12%. This smile… it's terrifying. Yet… captivating."
I whispered into the waves, my voice low, "Don't worry. I'll keep it under control." But the smile didn't fade, hidden in the darkness where only my skills could see it. No one else needed to know—not Aqua, not Nami, not Belle-mère. This was mine.
---
**Day 50 — Aqua vs. the Kitchen**
Aqua, in a rare moment of ambition, announced she'd "bless" the household with her divine cooking. Belle-mère, desperate for a break, handed her the kitchen keys. Big mistake.
What followed was an abomination Belle-mère later dubbed "culinary terrorism." Aqua's stew hissed like an angry snake, bubbled like a witch's cauldron, then *exploded* in a geyser of green sludge that smelled like regret and burnt dreams. The pot was ruined, the ceiling was stained, and a stray glob landed in Nojiko's hair, making her scream like she'd been cursed.
Belle-mère banned Aqua from the kitchen for life. "You're a hazard!" she shouted, waving her spatula like a sword.
Nami, still wiping sludge off her face, added, "Forever banned! You're worse than a storm at sea!"
Nojiko, tearfully combing her hair, whimpered, "I don't wanna die at nine years old!"
I was forced to taste the "stew" as a test of courage. One spoonful, and I fainted instantly, waking up to Aqua's pouty face looming over me. "Hmph! Mortals just can't handle goddess flavoring!" she huffed, crossing her arms.
{Ego}: "Correction: Goddess's cooking = biohazard. User's survival = miraculous."
[System]: "Master, her incompetence is a threat to your health! I recommend a strict diet of Sea King meat under my supervision."
I groaned, clutching my stomach. "Never again, Aqua. Never."
---
**Day 100 — Future Thief, Foiled**
By day 100, my Observation Haki was scary sharp. I could sense Nami's pranks before she even thought them up. One afternoon, she tried to sneak my wallet—her left eyebrow twitched, her fingers flexed, and I caught her wrist mid-reach.
"How do you *know*?!" she yelped, flailing like a caught fish.
I smirked. "Your left eyebrow twitches when you're scheming. Amateur."
Aqua cackled, pointing at Nami. "See? Even your future belongs to Sunny's eyes! Bow to his greatness, Orange Menace!"
Nami hurled a tangerine at Aqua's face, which Aqua dodged—only to trip over a bucket and face-plant in the sand. She sprang up, retaliating by chucking my sandal at Nami, who ducked, letting it sail into the sea.
I sighed. "Can my Haki block stupidity?"
{Ego}: "Correction: No known Haki can counter goddess-level idiocy. Recommendation: Invest in earplugs."
---
**Day 150 — A Found Family**
Life settled into a strange, chaotic harmony. I treated Nami and Nojiko like sisters, teaching them basic self-defense (mostly to stop Nami from pickpocketing me). Aqua grumbled but allowed it, clinging to my arm at every opportunity like a divine barnacle. Belle-mère watched us from the tangerine groves, her cigarette glowing faintly in the dusk as she smiled softly.
"They're good kids," she said one evening, her voice warm but tinged with something heavy. "Maybe fate finally gave my girls some real friends."
But sometimes, she'd catch me staring at the horizon, my eyes lingering on the sea where I knew danger was brewing. My smile—sharp, cold, hidden from everyone but my skills—left a strange weight in her chest. She didn't know why, but it made her grip her cigarette a little tighter.
---
**Day 200 — Rumors of Teeth**
Whispers swept the village like wildfire. Pirates near the Conomi Islands. Fishermen vanishing at sea. Strange shapes in the water—jagged fins, glinting scales. The villagers spoke in hushed tones, fear creeping into their eyes.
Aqua laughed it off in daylight, tossing her hair. "Pfft, pirates? I'm a goddess! They're no match for my holy barriers!" But at night, she crept closer to my side, clutching my sleeve like a scared kid, her bravado crumbling under the moon's eerie glow.
I said nothing, but my Observation Haki was on high alert, scanning the horizon for threats. Each rumor made my blood hum, and that dark smile—the one only {Ego} and [System] knew about—twitched at the corners of my lips.
---
**Day 240 — The Smile of a Hunter**
One midnight, my Observation Haki screamed awake, sharper than ever. I bolted upright, heart pounding. I felt them—presences, heavy and cruel, reeking of blood and salt. Arlong's crew, lurking just beyond the island's edge, their intent like a storm cloud on the horizon.
Something inside me shifted. My grin curled, wide and sharp, unhinged—a smile with no warmth, no comedy, no sunshine. My eyes gleamed in the moonlight, not with resolve but with something darker, hungrier. The air around me thickened, the ocean seeming to recoil from the shore.
{Ego}: "Correction: Host's smile exceeds acceptable human thresholds. Emotional output: Predatory. Probability of mercy = 0%."
[System]: "Master Sunny… this aura is terrifying. Yet… mesmerizing. Your will is a blade, cutting through fate itself. Proceed, and I will follow."
I whispered to the waves, my voice low and chilling, "Finally… something worth breaking."
In that moment, I wasn't the kid who'd laughed with Nami, teased Aqua, or eaten Belle-mère's stew. I was something else—something that scared even my skills. The boy who'd lived like family in Cocoyasi for eight months now smiled like a monster, ready to shatter the canon and anyone who stood in his way.
But no one else would know. Not Aqua, not Nami, not Belle-mère. This darkness was mine alone—mine, {Ego}, and [System]. And I'd keep it that way until Arlong's blood stained the sand.