[A-Rank] [Draconic Sea King] caught!
+750 EXP!
"250 more? That's all I get for this big-ass fucker?" I sighed as I finally reached the shore of the small island, stepping onto the dry sand as I was soaked head-to-toe.
I didn't know how the system determined when something was caught or not, but I had only just gotten this notification after pushing the massive Sea King for miles. Which, at the moment, was sprawled out in front of me. I had to push the massive thing so that its head was resting on the shore of the beach, while its long, eel-like body wrapped around a good portion of the island, and its tail curled a bit on the opposite side of the island from my usual fishing spot, which was also where my shelter was. The creature was ridiculously large, and it was wild to see how it dwarfed the island I'd called home for the past month. I mean, I knew this island wasn't massive as far as land masses go, but this fucker could damn-near wrap all the way around it!
I turned away from the huge, lifeless-eyed head that was lying on the shore in front of me, as it seemed that my singular punch had indeed killed the huge monster of a fish, and then glanced over in the direction of my shelter. I started striding forward, as now it was time to get to actually cook this thing. I'd need to pry apart the scales to get to its flesh, and then rip out a chunk to-
I paused, blinking rapidly as I stared at my shelter - or, what had once been my shelter. The sturdy log cabin, which had taken me weeks of painstaking work to create and make livable, was… a complete wreck. There was no other way to describe what it looked like except 'a mess.'
The wall facing the ocean was completely shattered, as the logs I had hammered together were scattered across the beach and the surrounding forest area. The roof was caved in on one side, and splinters of wood were everywhere, as even the leaves lying on top of the roof to block any rain - which I had yet to see - were nowhere to be seen. The beach itself was a mess, with debris and seaweed strewn about, and even some of the palm tree-esque trees on the edge of the forest were bent at unnatural angles.
"Fuck…" I muttered, a bit dumbfounded as I looked at the chaos.
Right now, I was really wishing I had waited a bit longer before venturing out into the deeper ocean around the island. The massive waves the Sea King had caused to go flying in every direction when it surfaced had probably done this. Or, maybe it was when I knocked it out, and it slammed back into the ocean, which had sent tsunamis flinging in various directions? Either way, my home was destroyed, and I was left looking blankly at the remains.
"At least it won't be as hard this time," I sighed, pushing away my dejected thoughts.
My [Proficiency] had increased over the many, many attempts at building the shelter, so it wouldn't require as much trial and error this time. I'd still need to go gather up all the materials again, but that shouldn't take as long either, since I was a lot faster and stronger than before. And, since the log cabin wasn't fully destroyed, maybe I could just repair it?
That thought was pushed aside as I made my way to the center of my ruined home. Right now, I needed to eat.
The hard work of building my home again could wait until after that, as while I was excited to get a bite of the Sea King, I was also recovering from the fight with the creature - as even if I had only jumped and thrown one punch, that was more fighting than I had done in pretty much my entire life - so I felt pretty hungry regardless of my excitement. My eyes scanned the debris around me, searching for the stone pit I had used to hold my campfire. I had spent a lot of time building it, as I had carefully carved out a small indent in the center of the cabin to house the fire. I couldn't see any smoke, nor was the entire cabin in flames from logs falling into the pit, so I knew that the fire was out.
Luckily, while the flames that I had painstakingly maintained for nearly a month had gone out, it seemed the rocks around it had just been knocked around but were still mostly intact. I walked over, grabbed a few of the rocks that were tossed around by the wave, and carefully placed them back around the indent to form a new fire pit. Then, I went back to the shore, grabbed a handful of driftwood and some other dry branches that were scattered around - which weren't hard to find, as with my partially collapsed shelter, I was likely using part of the roof and walls as fuel right now - and tossed them into the pit.
I took a step back, then took a deep breath. I focused on my [Fire Breath] modification, and a warm, burning sensation took place in my gut. I released the breath as I leaned forward and let out a small puff of fire. A small stream of fire shot out of my mouth, hitting the wood in the pit and instantly setting it ablaze. I had experimented with this skill a bunch of times over my time on this island, and while I could easily make flames that stretched hundreds of feet into the sky, I had also become pretty adept at controlling the output power of my flames. As a result, instead of lighting the entire house on fire, only the wood in the pit was hit by the flames. Now, a small fire crackled in front of me.
"Alright, now it's time to eat," I hummed, stepping out of the collapsed cabin and glancing over at the massive Sea King. I had been so caught up in the moment and the aftermath that I hadn't really thought about eating it on the trip home, but right now, I was more than a bit excited.
It was an [A-Rank] catch, so it should give me more stats than any of the [B-Rank] fish I had caught so far, right? I'd gained +250 more EXP from just the catch, so I assumed I would get more gains at least.
Though I was a bit put off by how it was only [A-Rank], as I had assumed the massive, deadly Sea King would've been [S-Rank] at least. If this monstrosity wasn't, then I didn't think I ever wanted to run into an [S-Rank] sea creature - much less any that were above that tier, as I hadn't forgotten about the ?'s that had been above [S-Rank].
I strode over to the massive head of the Sea King, my feet sinking into the dry sand under me as water dripped down from my soaked body. I had long since discarded my shirt, as it was pretty torn up anyway, but my swim trunks were still filled with water from swimming for so long. I stopped a few feet away from the giant head, looking up at the sheer size of it, which towered over me. It was seriously huge, as I could easily walk around on top of the scaly skull with plenty of room to spare.
I reached up, placing my hand on the hard, gray scales of the creature. They felt tough, a lot tougher than any of the other fish I had caught before, but I had expected as much. I narrowed my eyes, as while I had managed to shatter these scales with my punch, that didn't mean tearing them off would be easy. I took a step back, my rather large arm muscles tensing as I prepared myself. Then, I stepped forward, putting my entire body into a quick punch. My arm shot forward, and my fist slammed into the side of the Sea King's head with a loud cracking sound. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, which burst out behind the creature, and another loud cracking sound rang out as a small chunk of scales shattered.
I reached down, grabbing the edges of the shattered scales, and with a grunt, I pulled my arms apart and tore off a large chunk of them. Underneath the scales was a thick layer of dark red flesh, which made me wrinkle my nose. I wasn't squimish or anything, but even after living on a tropical island for nearly a month - which entailed having to rip apart a lot of fish - I still didn't enjoy the act of tearing apart flesh.
But, I pushed those thoughts aside as I reached down, my fingers sinking into the flesh as I grabbed onto it. With another grunt, I tore a large chunk of the Sea King's flesh out, with the meat easily ripping away from the bone as blood flowed out onto my hands, and started to drip down onto the sand below me. I held the large chunk of meat in my hands, a grin on my face as I looked at it.
This was a lot more meat than I usually got from one of the fish - hell, this one chunk of Sea King flesh was easily two Rainbow Piranha's put together, which was definitely saying something considering how big those bastards were!
I turned away from the huge creature and walked back over to the collapsed shelter, the large chunk of meat in my hands dripping blood across the beach as I did. I grabbed another small branch on the way, angling it over the firepit as I entered the house. I laid the chunk of meat on the branch, the meat landing with a sizzle as the flames licked at it from below. Then, another, very familiar, screen popped up in front of me.
[Cooking] Skill activated!
Time your actions properly to increase the quality of the fish!
"Time to see what this big guy tastes like," I muttered, rolling my shoulders as I got to work. I followed the instructions quickly, flipping, pressing, and cooking the fight with an expertise that 5-star Chefs would be jealous of.
[Cooking] complete!
Tallying results…
[B-Rank]!
Buffs added:
+10% AGI for one hour!
+10% STR for one hour!
+10% END for one hour!
Consume your meal to attain the buffs!
For completing a [Cooking] activity, your [Proficiency] has increased by 1%!
Ok, maybe a 4-star chef... or a 3-star one, but I did the best I could! This cooking shit is harder than it looks!
I pushed those thoughts aside as I reached down, tearing off a piece of the meat, and then raised it to my mouth as I took a bite. Then, as I chewed, my eyes went wide, and I damn-near dropped the rest of the chunk of meat onto the floor. This meat was fuckin' amazing! It was better than any other fish I had eaten, as I had thought the Rainbow Piranha was good, but this Sea King was on a completely different level. It was tender, juicy, and melted in my mouth as an explosion of flavors washed over my taste buds, making me feel like a Food Wars character as I resisted moaning from the taste.
I had no idea what to compare it to, as it wasn't similar to anything I had ever eaten before - and calling it a juicy steak was giving far too much credit to steaks - but it was damn delicious! Why the hell did the Strawhat's need a chef when these things were swimming around?! Sanji didn't need to do shit! All I did was cook the meat, and I felt like I was about to explode from how damn good it tasted! Of course, delicious meat aisde, I also got some more benefits from eating the chunk of fish.
[A-Rank] [Draconic Sea King] consumed!
+30 STR!
+20 AGI!
+30 END!
+30 HREG!
+10 INT!
+15 CHA!
+[Sharp Eyes] modification!
For consuming a [A-Rank] [Draconic Sea King] cooked with a [B-Rank] rating, you have gained buffs!
+10% AGI for one hour!
+10% STR for one hour!
+10% END for one hour!
I stared at the screen, a bit conflicted. On one hand, the stat gains were a lot bigger than any of the [B-Rank] fish I had eaten, which was a definite plus. But, overall, they weren't that much better. The [Rainbow Piranha], which was the very first fish I had caught and didn't give me nearly as much trouble, gave me +5 to four stats. The [Draconic Sea King], a creature so massive it wrapped around the entire island I was on, and which I had to risk my life to defeat - well, maybe not risk my life, as I had one-shot it, but it felt like I was risking my life in the moment! - gave me +30 to three stats and +20 to one. While the gains were six times as high for the Sea King, the effort and danger involved in catching the Sea King were also a lot larger.
And the extra INT and CHA, while a nice surprise - a very nice one, as I finally had a way to increase my INT! - wasn't enough to make up for it. The effort involved was just too high, and in an efficiency sense, it was probably slower for gaining stats overall. I could reel in Rainbow Piranha all day long without any effort, while I would have to rebuild my boat, paddle out to deeper water, and then defeat the Sea King to catch another one. For that reason, aside from trying to catch one of every type of creature in the deeper waters for modifications, I was likely just better off fishing from the shore here.
I glanced back at the [Sharp Eyes] modification, as the name didn't really reveal to me what it did, and I had kind of expected something more dramatic from the towering Sea King. I focused on it for a second, narrowing my eyes, and then my vision sharpened. I blinked, a bit surprised as the world around me became clearer than ever before, as I could see details I hadn't noticed before. It was as if I was looking through a magnifying glass, sd I could see the individual grains of sand on the floor of my collapsed shelter, the veins on the leaves of the trees in the distance - which I could see through the hole in my shelter's wall - and even the small insects crawling on the side of the Sea King's head from all the way over here, which sat on the edge of the beach and facing the wall-less side of my shelter.
It was definitely a neat and helpful modification, but for catching a whole-ass Sea King?
Still, I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. I had gained a lot of stats, a new modification, and a whole lot of delicious meat. I'd just have to be more careful in the future and prepare a bit better to ensure something like this didn't happen again. I'd probably stick to the shallower waters for a while, at least until I had a boat and shelter that could somewhat withstand the tsunami-like waves that came from fighting a Sea King.
I sat down, leaning back against the wall behind me, as my usual makeshift chair and bed had been swept away by the wave. I felt more than a bit tired after pushing the Sea King all the way here, and for a moment, it would be nice to rest. I let my head lull back, just staring at the large Sea King head as the partially-shaded roof over my head blocked out the sun. But my very brief rest was cut short as I felt a sudden bone-deep chill.
It was an abrupt, unnatural cold that felt like it was seeping into my very bones. The air, which had been warm and humid a second ago, now felt like the coldest winter's day I had ever experienced. I shivered, not from the cold of being soaked - though that might've been part of it, because my swim trunks still weren't fully dry, and someone had apparently cranked down the thermostat a shit-ton - but from the sudden, unnatural cold. I glanced around in confusion, and then my eyes widened in shock as I saw a thin layer of frost start to form on the sand far in front of me.
"What the hell...?" I muttered, my breath fogging in front of me as I spoke.
I pushed myself up, looking around confusedly. Ice? Was this something to do with the island? Was it just the New World/Grandline weather finally kicking in, and I'd been lucky so far to avoid it? Or, was it not a coincidence that this happened right as I brought back the Sea King?
I looked over at the massive corpse, which was still lying on the shore, and my eyes went wide. A thin, white frost was creeping across the massive creature's gray scales, starting from its snout and spreading rapidly. The frost grew thicker, forming into solid ice, and the Sea King's head was completely covered - now being frozen solid. The ice crackled as it expanded, covering the creature's eyes and snout, and I could hear the low groaning of the ice as it solidified.
This wasn't right. The weather on this island had been nothing but pleasant since I'd arrived - no rain, no storms, and certainly no blizzards. The Grandline's unpredictable weather was a very deadly aspect of this world, so while it was possible that I was getting lucky up until now, I doubted it. This felt different, as while I wasn't an expert on weather or anything, I didn't think it was normal for ice to manifest this quickly. Granted, nothing in the Grandline or New World was normal, but this just didn't feel like a natural phenomenon. I had a bad feeling in my gut, and I forced my legs to move as I stepped out onto the cold sand in front of my shelter.
My mind raced, trying to figure out what was going on, and a name popped into my head. Aokiji.
One of the three Admirals of the Navy, and the man who had eaten the Ice-Ice Fruit. If it really wasn't the weather, then it had to be a devil fruit at work, right? But what were the odds that Aokiji was randomly here, and freezing over the Sea King I had caught?
But, as I walked through the cold sand, I had to stay cautious and assume the worst. It was one thing to know I was in the world of One Piece, but it was another to run into one of its most powerful figures, as Aokiji was a top-tier fighter and one of the three admirals. I also didn't know where I was in the timeline, so if this was post-timeskip Aokiji? The one who was a part of Blackbeard's crew? Then the situation was even worse. If it was him, then what was he doing here? Had he been drawn by the commotion I caused when I fought the Sea King? Had he been investigating the island for some other reason?
There was no way to know for sure, but I had to find out. I couldn't just hide in my ruined shelter and hope he would leave, or hope that it really was just the weather. I had to go check, and then I could decide what to do next. I took a deep breath, the cold air stinging my lungs, and then my legs tensed. With one fluid motion, I launched forward, and the sand under my feet was sent splattering around me wildly. I launched through the air, casually landing on the Sea King's snout, which caused the ice under my feet to crack from the force. I reached upward, grabbing the top of the Sea King's head, and then pulled myself up as I peered over the edge. As I did, my heart dropped.
The ocean in front of me was frozen. Completely, utterly frozen. The vast expanse of white ice didn't stretch out completely to the horizon, but the rough sea for a good mile around my island now looked like an ice skating rink. The waves were frozen in mid-crest, being frozen in time as they partially blocked my view of the horizon. The water that had been a deep, dark blue was now a pale, icy white, and the sun glinted off its surface, which then reflected into my eyes and made me have to squint.
Well, this certainly wasn't fuckin' normal, was it? Even if I was in the New World, there was no way the weather was strong enough to completely freeze over the entire ocean! If it was, then how would anyone sail around anywhere? My thoughts were confirmed as, in the distance, I saw him.
A lone figure, sitting on a bicycle, pedaling leisurely across the frozen ocean. He was tall and lanky, with a messy afro that bounced with each pedal stroke, and he wore a simple white suit, with a yellow undershirt, and a green tie. Finally, he had on a pair of sandals that were strapped to his feet, and he was heading directly towards my island with a lazy, almost bored expression on his face.
"That's fuckin' Aokiji," I grunted, my eyes wide as I stared at the figure.
For a moment, I froze, as I was unsure what to do. And, hey, can you blame me? Here I am, minding my own business on a tropical island just fishing, and then suddenly Admiral-fucking-Aokiji is just pedaling across the ice at me. A man who could probably turn me into an ice cube with the flick of his wrist, and he was just casually coming towards me! As he did, a notification appeared, and I felt even worse about what was going on.
[Quest Alert!]
Survive the encounter with [Admiral] [Aokiji]!!
Rewards:
+100 to all stats!
+10% in a proficiency of your choice!
Time Limit:
However long [Admiral] [Aokiji] chooses to stay!
Failure:
Death
My mind raced, thoughts flying through my head a mile a minute as the quest didn't help. Yup, that was definitely Aokiji, and now, the quest was telling me that I had to 'survive' the encounter with him? Was this bastard about to try and kill me?!
My mind raced faster, going through the options. Should I fight? Run? Hide? Maybe if I just quickly destroyed the rest of the ruins of my shelter, he'd assume it was just a pile of branches and that no one was here? I quickly discarded that idea. This was one of the Marine's top dogs. The guy had haki - including Observation Haki - and I doubted I could just crouch in a bush to avoid him. Hiding was a no-go.
Run away? To do that, I'd need a way off this island. A boat? No, I couldn't make one in time, as my boat was in splinters at the bottom of the ocean right now, and even if it wasn't, I had a frozen ocean surrounding the island right now. Even if I felt like I'd been living a survival simulator for the past month, this wasn't Minecraft, and I couldn't just ice-boat away into the sunset.
That left the fighting option, which was possibly the worst of the three. While I had just one-shot a Sea King, there was a pretty damn big difference between a Sea King and an Admiral. Even if I was either in the New World or the latter half of the Grandline, which meant that the Sea King was probably pretty tough, it still wasn't some crazy feat. Luffy had done the same right as he set out from Dawn Island, but then, even after unlocking Gear 2 and becoming a lot stronger throughout his pre-timeskip journey, he had been pretty much helpless in the face of an Admiral. Add in the fact that I don't actually know how to fight? Trying to take on Aokiji wouldn't be much different from suicide.
"Then... I have to actually talk to him," I finally decided, staring out as Aokiji continued to lazily ride his bike forward, not really moving all that fast in the process.
I'd just be honest with the man - I washed up ashore and was stranded on this random island. He wouldn't kill me for that, right? I hadn't done anything wrong! I wasn't a pirate, I was just a survivor! I'd make sure not to mention the weird system in my head that let me one-punch Sea Kings, as that probably wouldn't go over well.
I took a deep breath, the cold air burning my lungs as I felt a bit nervous. I couldn't stay on top of this frozen Sea King's head, as that would look way too suspicious. So, I hopped down, my feet making a loud thud on the sand as I landed from the high height, and then I stood there, waiting. I tried to look as non-threatening as possible, which was a bit hard to do when you were built like a professional bodybuilder - something that had happened from my constant stat-gains, as at this point, I had bulging muscles, a six pack, and was overall jacked as hell. I made sure not to have my fists clenched and to have a friendly-ish look on my face. Well, I tried to at least, because I felt like my 'friendly grin' probably looked more strained and nervous, but, as long as I didn't look like I was about to punch him, then maybe everything would be fine, right?
Finally, Aokiji reached the shore of the island as he came to a stop a good twenty feet away from me. He dismounted from the bike, and as he did, he just left it behind him as it sat on the ice-ocean - how the hell was it balancing like that? What kind of no-balanced-need bike was that-
Strange bike aside, he took a step forward, the sandals on his feet making a soft crunching sound in the frosty sand, and then he stopped. My body tensed, trying to maintain my cool while also being ready to move at a moment's notice. I didn't think I had any chance of escaping if this man really wanted to kill me, but I would at least try. He looked at me, his half-lidded eyes taking in my form, and then he glanced over at the massive, frozen Sea King behind me.
"...Big, huh?"
I blinked, taken aback as he just looked up at the massive fish, not even bothering to introduce himself to me.
"Uh... yeah?" What else was I supposed to say?! Fuck yes, the giant Sea King lying on the shore was big!
"Hmph," Aokiji grunted, taking another step forward as he looked me up and down again.
His lazy eyes lingered on my muscular build for a second, then he looked at my hands, then back to the dead Sea King.
"You do this?" He asked simply, and I responded the best I could.
"Um... no?" I tried, as I felt like appearing non-threatening would give me a better chance to survive, "It... just washed up?"
Well, that might've been the worst lie I ever told, and Aokiji clearly wasn't buying it.
"That thing just washed up?" He raised an eyebrow at me lazily, gesturing to the massive, dead Sea King, "You're telling me that it just died, and washed up here?"
"Yup," I nodded, a bit too eagerly, and the man just stared at me.
For a long moment, I felt like my very blood was freezing over as he just stared, not moving, not speaking, just looking. Was he about to kill me? He could probably freeze me solid from the inside pretty quickly, and I didn't feel like becoming a human popsicle. I was about to try to make up another lie when he sighed, a cloud of white mist coming from his lips.
"You know, lying's a crime," He said, but his tone didn't have any real anger in it, "A very minor crime, but a crime... I think? Maybe it's not?"
He thinks?! What kind of Admiral doesn't even know the laws he's enforcing!
"I'm not lying, it did wash ashore, and I just found it," I shrugged, being partially honest. I mean, I did find it out in the ocean, and it did wash ashore... even if that was because I pushed it here.
"Mhm," He hummed again, then he finally turned to look me in the eye, "I'm Aokiji. Marine Admiral."
Well, I already knew that, but at least he was polite enough to introduce himself instead of turning me into an ice block. Nice guy.
"Arvel," I nodded back, pausing for a second as I felt like I should give a title, but only one came to mind, "Fisherman."
"You're... a fisherman?" Aokiji looked at me blandly again, glancing from me to the massive Sea King, "A fisherman?"
"Yup," I said simply, not elaborating more, "What can I do for ya?"
Aokiji stared at me blankly for a moment, and then, after thinking about who-knows-what, he gave a small shrug.
"You can tell me how you got here," He said bluntly, but I answered quickly.
"Ah, I was just on a swim, and then got pulled away by the tides, and ended up here," I answered smoothly.
That was believable, right? And I wasn't even lying! I really had been washed ashore here!
"Swimming?" Aokiji raised a lazy eyebrow at me, "In this part of the sea? In the New World? With no land anywhere for hundreds of miles?"
Well, I kind of didn't think about the whole 'I'm in the New World' part, but hey, at least I knew I was actually in the New World now! I also didn't have much of a way to rebut him, as he had a point.
"...I'm a very good swimmer," I offered weakly. Aokiji's stare became even more deadpan.
"You're either a really good swimmer, or a very bad liar," He sighed, but then pushed forward "Anyway, that's not the point. This island, you can't be here."
"Why not?" I asked, a bit confused.
I'd been here for a month, and no one had cared yet. Now this guy just shows up and says I can't be here? Was this island even on a map?!
"Because of that," He said, gesturing lazily out to the frozen ocean, "If you're here, I'd bet you already know this, but this area is known as 'Sea King Hell.' The biggest nest of Sea Kings in the world is in the surrounding area. The Sea King you... 'found', is just a small one. There are much bigger ones out there. And, they've been known to attack any ships that come within a hundred miles of this place."
Sea King Hell? I didn't remember hearing about that in the show, but if an Admiral was telling me about it, then it must be true, right? And that thing was a small one? That big-ass eel-like thing that wraps around the whole island is a 'small one?' What the hell do they consider a big one?! That also explained why, instead of using a simple ice path, Aokiji had decided to aura-farm on me by freezing over the entire ocean around my island. Instead of trying to intimidate whoever was on the island, he was actually ensuring no Sea Kings would block his path.
"Right," I said, a bit dumbfounded, as I stared out at the frozen waves, "Sea King Hell. Got it."
"So, you're not a normal fisherman," Aokiji stated, not asked, "No sane person would be here - actually, they couldn't be here. Even members of Yonko crews wouldn't be caught anywhere near here. It'd take a crew with at least a Commander to even get here. The World Government decreed that anyone non-permitted being within a one-hundred-mile radius of this area can be punished with death. For you to be here alone, you're clearly someone dangerous."
Punished with death? Someone dangerous? Well, I probably was a bit dangerous considering I one-punched a Sea King, but I didn't want Aokiji thinking that, and I certainly didn't want to be executed.
"What? No, I'm just-"
"A fisherman, I know," Aokiji cut me off, giving me an intense look that was a bit strange for the lazy man, "But, you can see how this looks suspicious, right? I show up here, after the Sea Kings in this area get stirred up, and there's a random strong-looking guy, who says he's a 'fisherman,' standing next to a dead Sea King that could only be defeated by a New World pirate. And, he says he got here by 'swimming.'"
Well, when he put it like that, it definitely didn't look good. I couldn't exactly say, 'Oh, I have a weird gamer system in my head that gives me quests to level up, and I ate the Sea King to get stronger, and I really got here because I was pulled from another universe!' So, I just shrugged, giving one last attempt as I hoped he would just drop it and leave.
"I really washed up here, and I really am just fishing," I shrugged unhelpfully, gesturing at my fishing rod, which was leaning against the shelter behind me.
"You could at least make a better excuse. Something that flimsy wouldn't even be able to catch the seaweed around here," Aokiji wrinkled his nose at me, and I just stared at him blankly.
What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Admittedly, my fishing rod was pretty damn flimsy, but it really was what I was using to catch fish here! I couldn't blame him for not believing me either, as I wouldn't believe that a shoddy rod like that could catch a big-ass Rainbow Prianha, much less a whole Sea King!
"I really should take you in," He finally said with a sigh, and my stomach dropped, but then his next words contradicted his first, "But... I don't care."
I blinked, staring blankly as Aokiji just abruptly turned around and started to walk back across the ice. What the hell?! He was just leaving?!
"Wait!" I called out, as while I probably should've just let him go, this also might've been my only chance to get off this island. If what he said was true, and there really was a massive nest of Sea Kings around here that dissuaded even New World pirate crews from visiting, then I didn't want to think about how high my boat-building proficiency would have to be to get out of here.
"Hmm?" Aokiji paused, just glancing over his shoulder at me lazily.
"You're just leaving? Just like that?" I called out to him dryly, "I'm stranded on this abandoned island, y'know? With no way off? Since you're a marine, shouldn't you at least offer me a ride off of it?"
"...Don't be mistaken," I tensed as the air around me seemed to get colder, and Aokiji's eyes narrowed at me slightly, "I don't think you're a simple fisherman. I should take you to Impel Down just for being here, much less offer you a 'ride' off of this island."
Well, that wasn't a very appealing thing to tell someone, y'know? This tropical island might not have been the best place to live, but it was definitely a shit-ton better than Impel Down! But, as he spoke, I didn't back down. I don't know if the confidence came from his turning his back to me or from the way I one-shot the Sea King, but I called out to him again.
"Then, why aren't you?" I asked him bluntly, challenging his words, and Aokiji just stared at me strangely for a second. Then, he turned away as he spoke.
"You'll die," He said casually, which caused me to stiffen at the words, "You won't get off of this island. You can't."
With that said, he took a few more steps forward, grabbed his bike as he sat back on it, and then gave me some parting words.
"I'll come back to make sure you're dead... some other time," He shrugged, sounding bored at the idea of being here any longer, and then just started to pedal away.
As he did, the ice on the island didn't fade, but the coldness in the air started to drop a bit. As I stared at the retreating form of Aokiji, while it might've looked like that he did a lot of nothing with his visit, his final words told me that the truth was anything but that. And, it wasn't just his words, but also the notifications that flooded my vision.
[Quest Complete!]
Survive the encounter with [Admiral] [Aokiji]!!
Rewards:
+100 to all stats!
+10% in a proficiency of your choice!
[Quest Alert!]
Leave [Arvel's Island] before [Admiral] [Aokiji] returns!
Must include:
Stepping onto an island not designated as [Arvel's Island]
Rewards:
+500 to all stats!
Time Limit:
?
Failure:
Death
He was leaving not because he had no intentions of ever punishing me for being here, or because he truly didn't care what I did, but instead because he was lazy. That was how Aokiji acted - this was his 'Lazy Justice.' He had stated as much without really saying it.
Of the three current admirals, this one was definitely the best one to run into because of that. Compared to him, Akainu would've been a nightmare, because he believed in 'Absolute Justice' - that all criminals, pirates, and those who oppose the World Government needed to be brought to justice without exception. There's no room for negotiation, and no grey areas. In Akainu's world, I'd be a corpse on the beach right now - or, at the very least, trying to fight for my life, or on the way to Impel Down. My very existence on this forbidden island would have been a crime worth a magma fist to the face.
The other option was Kizaru, who believed in 'Unclear Justice' - which essentially meant that he'd just do whatever he wanted to. With him, I wouldn't know where I stood, as he might help me off this island, or he might try to kill me on the spot, or he could just try to capture me, or he could even just do nothing. If he had been the one to find me, then I would've been rolling a dice, as what happened would largely rely on how he was feeling at the moment.
But Aokiji, with 'Lazy Justice' was the best admiral I could've met. In reality, despite his attitude and the 'lazy' part of 'Lazy Justice,' Aokiji wasn't actually all that lazy. Instead, after witnessing what happened on Ohara, he had adapted this attitude - that, in reality, he thought there was rarely a 'justice' that someone could be brought to. Of course, an admiral who didn't like the idea of bringing people to justice wouldn't be able to keep their job, so 'Lazy Justice' had formed instead.
I turned my gaze from the retreating figure of Aokiji to the frozen sea around me. The ice wouldn't last forever, as the blazing sun of the New World was already starting to melt the edges of the frozen waves. Soon, the ocean would be back to its usual turbulent, dangerous self, and any traces of Aokiji being here would vanish. But his words remained.
His 'Lazy Justice' was exactly that - Lazy, but not a lack of justice. While I was technically committing a crime by being here, he didn't really want to do anything to me. However, since he was still an admiral, he would eventually. I didn't know how long it would take, but eventually, Aokiji would be back. It could be a week, a month, a year, or even a decade, but eventually, he would be back. With that risk looming overhead, I glanced around at the tropical island around me and made my decision.
I had to leave.
I hadn't planned on staying on this island for the rest of my life anyway, but it would've been nice to spam gain stats from eating fish until I was confident that I could survive in this world. Instead, I would need to accelerate that plan a bit. I didn't need to rush or anything, as I doubted that Aokiji would be back in anything less than a couple of months, so I could take my time improving my boat-building proficiency.
I would need to, as well, because if what Aokiji said about this area was true - that this was 'Sea King Hell,' and that a pirate crew would need a Yonko-Commander level member to even fend off the Sea Kings, which I tended to believe because of the Sea King lying to my side - then I didn't think getting out of here would be easy. I'd need a boat, and the shoddy, barely canoe one I had made before wouldn't cut it.
I'd need a genuine, fast-as-fuck, boat that could survive Sea King attacks and get the hell away from this island. Then, it would also have to be able to survive the harsh weather of the New World as I tried to get to a populated island.
I glanced back at my small shelter and sighed. I wanted to get some rest after dealing with that massive Sea King, but now wasn't the time to rest. If I wanted to make a genuinely impressive boat before Aokiji returned, then I needed to get to work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Fuck…" I grunted, my back aching as I sat hunched over the small boat in front of me.
It had been a week since Aokiji's visit, and every waking moment of it had been spent on one thing: boat building. Well, maybe not every moment, as I'd spent a lot of time eating fish as well, but at least most of my time had been spent on building boats. The once-clear area around my shelter was now a chaotic mess of wood shavings, partially carved logs, and various failed attempts at boat parts scattered about. The once clean beach was now more like a workshop, and I was, unfortunately, the exhausted craftsman who worked here.
I leaned back, wiping a bead of sweat from my brow as I stared at the small boat in front of me. It was better, by a good bit, but not a ton, than my first 'successful' attempt. While I was now much stronger than I was before, that strength didn't help me become a master shipwright overnight. Even with my increased stats, the act of shaping wood and fitting it together was a delicate process, and even with the increased proficiency with each attempt - as well as the 10% boost I chose to use on this skill - I still had a lot to learn before I could consider myself a shipwright.
The vessel in front of me was more like an evolution than a revolution, as the old canoe-like shape had been stretched and widened, with the base now being flatter and more stable. The walls, which had once been just planks of wood loosely connected to each other - and which didn't do much but keep out some water from the waves - were now interlocking, as each piece was carefully carved to fit snugly against the next. I'd even managed to fashion a small, shoddy - and frankly shitty - mast, though I had no sail for it yet. I'd need to figure out how to make one, likely from the leaves of the palm trees, as having to paddle all around the world didn't really sound all that fun.
I was really hoping that, at some point - probably far down the line - from gaining enough proficiency, I'd suddenly become a genius in creating machinery, and would be able to create an engine. That would definitely make getting off this island, and around in the New World in general, a lot easier.
"I need a break," I finally sighed to myself, as the aching in my back and the tiredness in my mind - which was even more intense than I was used to, as I hadn't really thought about anything this hard back in my old world - was getting to be too much. Building a boat was seriously a pain in the ass.
I stood up from the sandy ground, my joints cracking as I stretched my arms over my head. The sun beat down on my muscular frame, which was now even more defined and bulky than it had been before. The constant intake of fish had done its job, and I now had the build of a professional bodybuilder, with biceps that were bigger than my head and a strong chest that could probably stop a cannonball - not that I wanted to test that theory anytime soon. Unfortunately, if that theory turned out to be false, then I wouldn't be getting a second try.
With a sigh, I turned away from the workshop area and started walking towards the shore, where I had a large pile of fish stockpiled. 'Large' was putting it lightly, as there were nearly a hundred fish lying in a pile, which definitely didn't smell great, but luckily, the constant cool breeze that came through the island dispelled the smell for the most part. I had been spending my mornings and evenings fishing, catching the same five B-Rank fish over and over again, and then piling them up on the beach in one spot. That way, I could cook them all at once - as I just hauled a huge armful over to my shelter - without having to waste time going back and forth between the ocean and my camp.
It was a small optimization, but it was an effective one, as it allowed me to spend more time on boat building, which was my primary objective. Though eating more fish wasn't that far behind it in the pecking order, as I'd also need a lot of strength to get through the Sea Kings, and having more in case Aokiji came back sooner than I expected would be nice as well. As a result, whenever I wasn't working on the boat - which wasn't often, as I wasn't even sleeping much at the moment - I was shoving fish down my throat.
I glanced over at my shelter as I walked past it, which I had fixed up a lot, but it still wasn't perfect. It had taken a bit of a backseat, as the knowledge that I'd have to leave this island soon killed the motivation I had to create any grand house for myself. Now, the log cabin had been repaired, as it looked almost like it had prior to the wave arriving, with the exception of some of the leaf coverings still being missing.
As I walked, I couldn't help but glance at the massive, slightly frozen Sea King that was still lying on the shore and half-buried in the sand. The ice that Aokiji had created had long since melted under the hot sun, but the corpse of the creature remained, and despite being frozen more than a week ago and constantly under the burning sun, the Sea King was still icy-cold whenever I touched it. It was a constant reminder of the encounter I had and the ticking clock that was now hanging over my head.
I reached the stockpile of fish and leaned down, shoving an armful of the fish into my grasp. I had already eaten so many of these that the act of preparing and cooking one was almost second nature to me now, and even the delicious taste was starting to get boring. I headed back to the makeshift fire pit, which I had rebuilt in the center of my log cabin. I set down the pile of fish, and then tossed a Rainbow Piranha onto a makeshift grill, which now had a large, flat rock that I had positioned over the fire. The familiar screen popped up in front of me, and I went through the motions of cooking, my hands moving with a practiced ease that came from weeks of repetition.
[Cooking] Skill activated!
Time your actions properly to increase the quality of the fish!
I flipped, pressed, and seasoned the fish, my actions a blur of motion. At this point, my proficiency had increased so much that I could easily cook the fish to a [B-Rank] standard, and had even gotten a few [A-Rank] completions. And, as a result of eating so many fish over the past week, my stat sheet now looked a lot different.
[Fisherman] Arvel:
Level: 20 (2500/20000)
HP: 1990/2000
STR: 1200
AGI: 1175
END: 980
INT: 130
CHA: 527
HREG: 450
Skills: [Cooking], [Shelter Building], [Boat Building]
Modifications: [Sharpened Teeth], [Scaley Skin], [Fanged Tooth], [Slick Swim], [Fire Breath], [Sharp Eyes]
My overall strength had increased a ton, as had every stat except INT, which had only increased from the two quests and eating the Sea King. I still doubted it was enough to take on Aokiji if he really did come back soon, but I at least felt more comfortable in my ability to defend myself. I glanced down at the Rainbow Piranha as it finished cooking, pulling it off the fireplace before ripping out a small chunk of flesh, tossing it into my mouth, and then turning back to the next fish. For now, the grind would continue.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Finally. That took way too fuckin' long!" I grunted, looking down at my creation.
Three weeks. Three long, back-breaking, monotonous weeks had passed since Aokiji's visit. I had lost track of the exact days, but I knew it had been at least that long, as the sun had risen and set over the island countless times, with each one marking another day spent in the endless cycle of fishing, eating, and boat building. The pile of discarded fish bones near my shelter had grown into a small mountain, and the workshop area was a testament to my obsessive dedication to building a damn good boat!
I had lost count of how many boats I had started, as well as how many I had scrapped, with their splintered remains being scattered around the beach. But now, after a total combination of two months of work, I was confident. I was done. I had built a boat that would get me off this island!
At the moment, I stood a bit away from the shore, in waist-deep water as my hands gripped the sides of my latest creation. The waves, which had been large enough to shake the entirety of my first canoe-like boat, now just lapped against the hull. As I looked down at the boat, my lips curving into a small, proud grin.
It was much more impressive than before, and a far cry from the flimsy canoe I had started with. The hull was long and sleek, carved from the combination of not just large branches, but even a couple of trees I had cut down - or, more specifically, ripped from the ground entirely with my bare hands. It was about twenty feet long and had a wide, flat bottom that provided stability in the choppy waters. The sides were high and were reinforced with extra layers of wood so that they could withstand the impact of rougher waves, and, hopefully, any attacks from Sea Kings.
The bow was sharp and pointed, making it much more efficient at cutting through the water, and the stern was squared off, providing a stable platform for me to stand on. In the center, there was a small, raised deck with a mast that rose up from it, which was a rather simple but sturdy pole that I had spent days carving and smoothing. From the mast, a sail, which I made entirely from molding together the leaves of the large palm trees, hung loosely. Finally, for the finishing touch, nearly the entirety of the boat was coated in a layer of a sticky, sap-like substance that I had harvested from the trees on the island, and which I hoped would make it more waterproof and durable.
I took a deep breath, the salty air filling my lungs, as I looked out into the rough ocean ahead of me. This was it. The moment of truth. I had spent so much time working towards this day, of finally being able to leave this island, and now that it was here, a mixture of excitement and anxiety washed over me. I was stronger now, both physically and mentally, than when I had first arrived. The constant grind of fishing and boat building had forged me from a normal, scuba diving man into a hardened survivor who was capable of facing the dangers of this world.
But I was still just one man, in a small boat, about to venture out into the most dangerous sea in the world. I felt no small amount of anxiety, as I was about to leave the island that I had become accustomed to for the past two months. When I had first arrived here, this island had seemed, bluntly, like a shitty place to live. There was no air conditioning, I had to sleep on the hard sand, and even getting food and water was a hassle. I had lost all the luxuries that I had taken for granted, and for a while, I felt like living here was hell.
But, now that I was leaving? Honestly, I would miss this place. It wasn't much, but the simple log cabin, the shore that I spent hours fishing from every day, and the sight of the sun setting over the rough waves had all grown on me. Genuinely, I would miss this island. Hell, I would even kind of miss the shadow that came with the big-ass Sea King corpse!
But right now wasn't the time to get emotional about a damn island!
I gave the boat one final push, sending it gliding out into the deeper water. Then, with a single, powerful leap, I vaulted over the side and landed softly on the deck. The boat rocked slightly under my weight, but it held steady, which was a testament to the quality of my work. I had already loaded up a fair bit of cooked fish onto the boat, as well as the materials to make a campfire, and an amount of drinkable water that would last me for a couple of weeks at least.
And, of course, my fishing rod, which I stepped over as I made my way to the stern, where I had carved a small slot for the rudder, which was a long, flat piece of wood that I could use to steer the small-sized boat. I grabbed the tiller, which was a simple wooden handle that was connected to the rudder, and looked out at the ocean ahead of me.
Now, it was time to finally leave the island. Today, my journey in the larger world of One Piece began for real.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Thanks for reading! I will be continuing this story!
This chapter was later than they will usually be because I took a break, but I will be updating this story every 10ish days on my Patreon, and every 20ish here. The next chapter is already there, along with future chapters for all my other stories (Patreon.com/Koyon)