Pirate World.
East Blue.
Cocoyasi Village.
The sun hung high over the quiet village, but not a single person looked relaxed.
At the center of the street, the villagers had gathered in a long, uneasy line. No one spoke loudly. No one dared to complain. The only sounds were the rustling of clothes, the clink of coins, and the heavy footsteps of the fish-men standing over them.
"This month's protection money! Line up and put it in the bag!" Hachi shouted, his voice carrying through the crowd with a tense, oppressive weight.
A few fish-men stood behind him with smug expressions. One of them held a notebook, carefully recording each villager's name and the amount they paid.
Paying meant living.
Failing to pay meant death.
That was the rule Arlong had forced onto this village.
"Damn it…"
Nami stood among the crowd, her fists clenched so tightly her nails nearly dug into her palms.
Cocoyasi Village had never been wealthy to begin with. It was just a small, ordinary village in East Blue, a place where people worked hard, laughed together, and somehow managed to live through each day.
But ever since Arlong came, even that simple life had been crushed beneath his rule.
Every month, the villagers were forced to hand over protection money. Every month, they had to smile through gritted teeth and pray they could gather enough.
Because if Cocoyasi Village failed to pay one day...
Arlong would destroy it and after that, he would simply move on to the next village.
Then the next and the next.
As if people's lives were nothing more than coins waiting to be collected.
Nami lowered her head, biting back the anger burning in her chest.
She hated it.
She hated Arlong.
She hated this village's helplessness and more than anything… she hated that she still couldn't do anything about it.
Just then, a wavering holographic ripple spread across the open square. With a crackling glitch-glitch, the air itself split and a lone figure stepped out of the distortion.
Long blond hair flowed over the stranger's shoulders, catching the sun like molten gold. He wore a midnight-black kimono emblazoned with a golden-lion crest across the back, and twin katana hung at his hip, their lacquered scabbards clicking softly as he came to a halt.
The moment he appeared, everyone's eyes instinctively turned toward him.
Part of it was because of the bizarre way he arrived.
The other reason was much simpler.
The man carried a presence that naturally drew attention the second he stepped into the area.
Shiki glanced around the square with quiet interest.
"…So the transfer really worked."
His voice was calm, almost casual, yet in the dead-silent plaza, it sounded unusually clear.
The salty sea breeze.
The strange atmosphere in the air.
Even the energy of the people around him felt fundamentally different from the world he had left behind.
There was no doubt about it.
He had truly arrived in another world.
The only thing he did not know yet… was when exactly he had landed.
East Blue? Grand Line? Before Roger? After Roger?
Shiki lightly rested a hand against the hilt of one of his swords while observing the villagers, the fish-men, and the terrified expressions spread across the square.
"Though judging from the atmosphere…" he muttered thoughtfully. "Doesn't seem like a very peaceful timeline."
Before he could think further...
"Oi!!"
A loud, arrogant voice interrupted him.
Hachi stepped forward from the crowd of fish-men, glaring suspiciously at the stranger who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
The other fish-men behind him immediately moved as well, cracking their knuckles and spreading out instinctively.
Meanwhile, the villagers hurriedly backed away in fear, clearing an empty path between both sides almost immediately.
Nobody wanted to get caught in the middle once the fish-men got violent.
Hachi narrowed his eyes at Shiki.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" he demanded. "And what was that weird trick just now?"
One of the fish-men beside him sneered.
"Probably some idiot."
Another rolled his shoulders arrogantly.
"Doesn't matter. Nobody acts suspicious in Arlong-san's territory without permission."
Shiki looked at the fish-men surrounding him, then suddenly paused after his gaze landed on the guy beside Hachi.
"…Hm?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Hey," he said casually. "Kisame, is that you?"
The entire square went silent for a second.
"Huh?" The unknown fish-man blinked in confusion.
Of course, Shiki knew that wasn't Kisame.
But after seeing the fish-men, the village, and the atmosphere here, he finally pieced things together properly.
Arlong Park.
East Blue.
And judging from Nami still being here… this was before Straw Hat Luffy arrived.
"Interesting…" Shiki muttered softly.
So Luffy should still be in East Blue around now. Probably not long before he set sail toward this place.
His gaze shifted toward Nami.
The orange-haired girl was staring at him cautiously now, her expression tense and complicated.
The kind of look people gave someone they already considered dead.
After all, nobody stood against Arlong and survived.
Meanwhile, Hachi's face gradually darkened.
"Oi…" he growled. "Who the hell are you calling weird names?"
One of the fish-men beside him suddenly lost patience.
"Bastard! You've been ignoring us this whole time!"
With an angry roar, the fish-man charged forward while swinging a massive serrated blade straight toward Shiki's neck.
The villagers instantly panicked and some shut their eyes.
Others turned away completely, unwilling to watch another bloody scene unfold in front of them.
Nami clenched her fists hard until her knuckles turned white.
Everything had happened too fast.
She did not know who this strange man was or why he suddenly appeared here.
However the charging fish-man suddenly froze mid-step.
A thin red line slowly appeared across his neck.
Then...
Plop.
His head slid cleanly from his body and hit the ground first.
A violent spray of blood burst into the air.
"GYAAAH!!"
The headless corpse staggered once before collapsing heavily onto the street.
Blood spread across the stone road.
Seeing the terrifying scene, Hachi's eyes widened so much they nearly popped out of his head.
He had not seen what had happened.
It was as if the fish-man had simply died on his own.
"YOU BASTARD!!"
With a furious roar, Hachi snapped back to his senses and instantly drew all six swords strapped to his waist.
Steel flashed under the sunlight as he spun them skillfully between his arms.
The surrounding villagers gasped and hurriedly retreated even farther away.
"H-Hachi's using all six swords…"
"That guy's dead…"
"He actually made the fish-men angry…"
Nami's eyes widened slightly as she finally snapped out of her daze as well.
The unbelievable scene from earlier still replayed inside her mind.
Meanwhile, the remaining fish-men gathered behind Hachi nervously, though their earlier arrogance had already disappeared.
"You…" Hachi growled while tightening his grip on the hilts. "Are you some kind of weird Devil Fruit user?!"
Shiki did not answer immediately.
He merely glanced sideways at Hachi for a moment before calmly looking ahead once more.
"…Noisy."
His tone remained completely indifferent.
Then, without another word, he turned around and began walking away from the square.
His wooden sandals tapped softly against the stone street.
Step. Step. Step.
To him, the situation was already over.
He had confirmed the era he had been thrown into.
Now, the only thing left was to decide what to do next.
Of course, he could feel the killing intent rising behind him.
It seemed they had no intention of letting this matter end quietly.
Even so, Shiki still gave them a few last words of advice.
"Get lost."
His tone was calm.
"If you walk away now, you might still keep your lives."
The villagers and Nami stared blankly at his back.
This man… was actually turning his back on them? On Arlong's crew?
Pure rage exploded across Hachi's face.
"DON'T LOOK DOWN ON US!!"
The octopus fish-man roared violently.
At the same time, the other fish-men exchanged glances filled with killing intent before immediately rushing forward together.
"You shouldn't have turned your back on us!"
"Now die!!"
Hachi's six swords slashed downward simultaneously from behind while the other fish-men lunged forward with serrated blades and spears.
Shiki continued walking forward calmly, as if he had not noticed the sneak attack behind him at all, showing no intention of dodging, drawing his swords, or even defending himself.
Gushhhhh!!
But just like before, no one even saw what had happened. In the next instant, the attacking fish-men burst apart, before even touching him.
Their bodies fragmented into countless tiny cubes of flesh, blood, and bone, scattering across the street like red particles thrown into the wind.
It was as if they had been cut apart thousands upon thousands of times in an instant.
Hachi's six swords shattered into metallic dust before the rest of his body followed.
The fish-men did not even understand how they died.
Their eyes still carried rage and confusion as their bodies collapsed into pieces.
The entire square became deathly silent.
Meanwhile, Shiki lightly frowned.
"…Hm."
He rested a hand against his chin thoughtfully.
"Even if I stay out of this now…" he muttered to himself. "With Arlong's personality, that idiot probably won't let this go."
From what he remembered about the fish-men in this era, arrogance practically radiated from their bones.
Especially someone like Arlong.
If his subordinates were wiped out like this, there was almost zero chance the matter would simply end quietly.
And honestly… Shiki did not particularly care about avoiding trouble either.
His gaze drifted toward the distant sea beyond the village.
"There's also the issue of location…"
The Pirate World was absurdly massive.
Far larger than the ninja world he came from from by atleast four times.
Islands scattered endlessly across the ocean.
Strange magnetic routes.
Sea Kings.
The Calm Belt.
Even moving between islands required specific methods.
Honestly, if he started wandering blindly now, there was a real possibility he would end up completely lost somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
"…What an annoyance ."
Shiki sighed softly before his golden eyes slowly shifted sideways and landed directly on Nami.
The orange-haired girl stiffened immediately.
Ever since the fish-men were turned into cubes of flesh moments ago, she had been staring at him as though looking at something completely unbelievable.
Fear was there, of course.
Shock and disbelief as well but beneath all of that, another emotion had begun to burn inside them like wildfire.
Hope.
Shiki narrowed his eyes, a playful glint appeared within them.
"…Oh?"
A plan formed in his head.
Slowly, the corner of his mouth lifted.
This could actually work…
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