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[Departure]
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...
Dan walked home with a slight hurry, his new sword clattering slightly against its unfitting scabbard.
As he walked, he lifted his head to stare at the moon, now at its peak, visible through the many leaves of the trees around.
"I'm still quite weak, aren't I?" he suddenly muttered, smiling wryly.
Despite all his training—almost a year of it—Koushirou still ended up being stronger. Which led him to resort to playing dirty to win.
He didn't mind it that much. He was, after all, a literal cheater. Playing dirty should be his second nature.
But the fact that he'd had to play dirty to beat someone like Koushirou still bothered him somewhat.
Not to say the man wasn't strong—he actually wasn't sure where Koushirou stood in the grand hierarchy, but Dan was sure of one thing.
He couldn't be above Arlong.
And yet, he still hadn't been able to beat him with raw skill.
'It's kinda assholy I'm comparing probably years of his life spent in training to less than a year for me.'
Dan's smile twitched wryly as he gave himself a second look.
But as bad as he looked, the fact that he'd been given an otherworldly power and was still struggling against someone like Koushirou bothered him.
Even more so because his clash with Arlong was coming soon.
Thanks to all the time he'd had to plan this out, he'd already laid out a plan on how to deal with the fish-man when the time came—but it all remained theoretical in the end.
Considering the gap in strength there was, anything could go wrong.
And it wasn't just Arlong that was the problem.
He was still pitifully weak compared to the rest of the world, and his growth speed, while considered good by the people here, was nothing special on a wider scale.
He wanted to become a criminal great enough to shake this world to its core—and, of course, break reality apart with his hacks. But so far, he hadn't even left the starting line.
He needed to grow stronger.
He needed to do so faster.
His own system was still ripe with power waiting to be taken.
And the opportunities lay bare for the taking.
—just, outside of this island.
Which was why it was time to leave, now that his business here was over.
Steeling his gaze, he sped up his pace.
After walking through the forest for a while, he reached the coast, where he found the cave he used to hide his sword and pistol.
He had stored his supplies there as well—a pair of barrels, not too big, filled with food and water to last him a few days.
If they ran out for some unforeseen reason—like an unplanned extension of his time at sea—he'd have to dip into his small NP reserve to buy supplies once he reached land again.
Hopefully not, because he was short on that shit. There was a reason he hadn't gotten a new hack in a while.
Grumbling in annoyance, he walked up to the barrels and hefted them onto his shoulders.
He was already carrying his sword and gun, so with the barrels added, he was fully ready to leave.
After a brief inspection to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he made his way out, heading toward the docks where his ship would be waiting.
A few minutes later, he was nearing it.
On the way, he passed by his home, set up on a hill right next to the docks. He set the barrels down and went inside.
There wasn't much to collect. His life hadn't been really luxurious as the original Dan since he never had money for anything as an orphan, nor as the new one with otherworldly memories since most of what he earned went toward food to pull himself out of his malnourished state, and toward newspapers to learn whatever the series hadn't filled him in on about the world.
So overall, he hadn't truly owned much.
Except for one thing.
Dan walked to his bed and pulled out a notebook hidden beneath the straw that made up his mattress.
An expensive purchase, bought back when his memories of the series had started to fade. In it, he'd recorded enough to make sure the important parts wouldn't slip away entirely.
As for the risk of someone finding it—he'd written everything in barely legible scribbles and half-recognizable sketches.
Anyone who looked inside would just be confused by it, and probably question his sanity, either for the contents or for wasting good paper on something so senseless.
Dan tucked it under his shirt—no pockets, so that was the only option—and walked out of the house, ready to grab his rations and head to the boat for good.
But as he closed the door behind him, a figure was waiting outside.
"Didn't have much in there, huh?"
Dan stopped, staring at the person sitting on the log by the fireplace.
Old Shun.
'Did he see me sneak up here?' Dan wondered, staring at him oddly.
He was still wearing his sunglasses, so there was no way old Shun knew who he was.
Dan looked around, squinting for any sign of an ambush, thinking that maybe Koushirou might have alerted the villagers after their fight.
But weirdly, there was no one.
So Dan looked back at Shun, a bit thrown by the fact that the old man had apparently just been sitting there, waiting to talk.
"It was a bit empty," He answered, playing the part of a thief disappointed by the haul.
Shun let out a scoff. "A kid lives there. Lost his parents in the pirate raid we had years ago. Whatever you took from him, do you really need it?"
Dan gave the shed one last look. "... Yeah. What I took, I'm sure he won't be needing it."
"Really shameless. No wonder the entire island wants to hang you." Shun said before turning slowly toward the barrels with Dan's supplies. "Though, I suppose they won't get the chance anymore. You're leaving, aren't you?"
Dan didn't nod, didn't say anything. But his silence seemed to be answer enough for the old man.
"If you're leaving, what could the kid possibly have that you need more than him? I'll give you some fish from our last haul. Should keep you fed for however long you've got planned."
"..." Dan tilted his head, looking at him oddly. "Why are you so worried about what I took from him?"
"That kid's been through enough. He's a good kid. Even after losing his parents, he kept trying his best to survive. Tenacious to the bone, even when he was completely alone. He's doing better for himself nowadays, but I wouldn't want to see something else happen to him. So please, whatever you took..."
"I took something of no importance. He won't care." Dan said, cutting him off.
And it really was nothing important. To the kid old Shun was talking about, the notes would have meant nothing.
And even if they had, that kid had been gone a long while.
Even the older Dan from his other memories was gone too—eroded away by the new memories he'd made as someone new, the inevitable result of two people becoming one.
Both people might have lingered for a while after the fusion. But by now, neither of them was here.
Only he was.
Ignoring the old man's worried face, Dan walked past him, hefted the barrels back onto his shoulders, and started toward the port.
But just as he was about to disappear for good, he stopped.
Right ahead, leaning against a wooden fence, was his fishing rod. He'd left it there to dry after a stormy outing the other day and hadn't picked it up since.
His mouth twisted in displeasure. But despite that—
"Hngh."
He set down one barrel, slung the fishing rod over his shoulder instead, then picked the barrel back up.
Old Shun's eyes widened. "W-wait, that's the kid's—"
"He won't need it anymore." Dan cut him off, turning forward again. "He won't be coming back after today."
"W-what did you do to him?!"
Dan gave him a wry look. "I didn't do anything to him. He's just left this place. Same as I plan to."
The old man went still for a second.
"W-where could he have possibly gone?"
Dan paused for a moment, unpleasant silence stretching.
Until he smiled slightly.
"Who knows?"
And with that, he walked away for good, ignoring the old man's shouts behind him.
Eventually, he reached the docks. A few villagers standing guard rushed at him the moment he came into view.
But after setting down one of the barrels, it took him all of five seconds to deal with them—knocking them out before picking the barrel back up and carrying everything toward the ship he'd chosen. A small vessel, built for one or two people, tied to the dock by a single rope.
A few minutes later, he had fully boarded it.
The moment he set foot on it, unloading his stuff onto it, Dan took a long breath and gazed at the night horizon, letting the cold sea breeze hit his face.
Finally, here he was.
The start of his journey.
As he let that fact sink in, a small smile crept up his face.
Then, without hesitation, he brought his new sword down on the rope tying his ship to the island.
-Swhack!-
It snapped instantly.
Almost immediately, the ship began drifting away from the dock.
Quickly, Dan hoisted the sail and adjusted the rudder, catching the night wind. Soon after, the ship picked up speed, sailing off in the opposite direction of the island.
As he glanced back, he saw several lights rush into the docks at a frantic pace. Several villagers had made their entrance, holding torches and swords—a good old angry mob.
A tad too late, sadly. With how far he was already into the sea, they could only watch as his ship drifted away.
'I suppose I'll have to get used to that kind of sight. There will be plenty of angry mobs in my future.'
Dan snorted at the thought.
Before long, he stood amid the endless ocean, dark under the night sky, lit only by the full moon above, watching the island and the lights of the angry villagers shrink behind him.
The place he had lived most of his life. Where he had grown up and learned. Where his parents had been, and where they died. Where he had become stronger.
Also, strangely, an unfamiliar place these days. After the memories of his older self had settled in, the familiarity he'd always felt toward it had twisted into something he couldn't quite name.
He felt at home, but not completely. He knew the place better than anyone, yet it felt like unfamiliar ground. He knew the people, yet felt like a stranger among them.
Maybe the fusion of both perspectives had come with side effects like that.
But it didn't erase the fondness he held for it—his birthplace, after all.
'And these days, I suppose it was becoming a more enjoyable place too.'
He thought, smiling faintly, as the faces of Old Shun, the fishing crew, Kuina, Koushirou, Zoro, and the rest of the students surfaced in his mind.
His eyes opened again, drifting to the fishing rod now leaning against the mast.
Fondness or not, it was time to leave.
Huffing, he turned and walked to the front of the ship, staring out at what lay ahead as the wind ruffled his hair.
Now, to embark on a new adventure.
...
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: And so, the somewhat training arc is over. Why somewhat? Because the next arc should also be somewhat of training and becoming stronger, though this time with certainly more stakes than before. Also, from now on Dan will truly begin fiddling with his system functions so he can overcome the unjustly high wall that Arlong is right now. So look forward to that.)