Chapter 11

The next morning, Markus proceeded with his morning routine of buying out every scrap of food for sale inside of his system shop. After that, he checked the other tabs to see if there was anything interesting that might be worth picking up. He hadn't found anything worthwhile in quite a while and had long since become unimpressed with the selection of items for sale. Most of the things for sale were worthless while the rest just had no use to him or anyone he was hanging out with.

He'd been so excited about having access to rare and unknown Dials after leaving Skypiea, yet he'd only come across a couple of new ones in the last few months! There was rare and then there was impossible. As for the skills tab, he didn't want to keep learning new skills so he only kept an eye out for something truly impressive, he had yet to see anything. The only other tabs he liked to splurge on were the Blueprint and Materials tabs for his crafting. Though the last few days, and many more, of his crafting time, were currently dedicated to disassembling the Pacifista's.

After making his purchases, he joined Bonney for breakfast. The mood was light and happy as they ate in companionable silence. Neither of them really had anything to talk about. Though he was still confused by Rei's actions yesterday, he'd decided not to think about it anymore. There was no telling what that woman was thinking, it's not like he was a mind reader. He did, briefly, contemplate trying to make an electro-telepathy skill using one of his free slots but decided against it. He already had enough trouble with hearing things he didn't need to hear, hearing peoples thoughts would just drive him insane. Especially if the skill ended up working within the range of his Observation Haki. Imagine hearing the thoughts of everyone on a heavily populated island like Water 7!

Though his control over his Observation Haki allowed him to ignore the majority of useless information, it was still a bit much, and just adding more onto it didn't seem like a good idea. It especially didn't seem wise since he was so close to using the Legendary skill book to upgrade it and who knew what it would become then! What if he unlocked future prediction and it combined with telepathy to let him read future thoughts? That sounded awesome, in theory, but in a heavily populated island, it would probably drive him insane. No, it was best to stay out of people's heads until he was certain it wouldn't have a detrimental effect on himself.

Once they finished breakfast there really wasn't anything to do. They were just waiting on Madam Pomfee to finish their clothing. Once they had their new outfits they would leave the island and head for Water 7. Markus was determined to find someone to help him design at least a rough draft of his Destroyer style ship. Then the old man could be hired once again to build it. If necessary, Markus would be more than happy to put his powers to use in its construction.

With his electricity, he could easily melt and reshape metal. With his Gyro-Telekinesis he could easily lift several tons. Iron plates could be lifted into position by his G-TK and then welded together with his electricity. Thinking along those lines, his two abilities seemed perfect for construction work. He smiled at the thought. Maybe if being a pirate on his own didn't work out, he could go into that field? ... Okay, maybe not.

Markus and Bonney wasted a few hours chatting and playing some card games with small bets. It was all his money anyway so it didn't matter who won or lost. Though the faces of excitement Bonney would make when she won a hand were pretty adorable. Almost as adorable as the ones she would make when she lost! Bonney's pouting face was damn near deadly!

It wasn't until an hour or two after lunch that Jacob arrived at the inn with a bright smile on his face, "My friends! Madam Pomfee has sent me to let you know that your clothing is done."

Markus arched an eyebrow, "Are you sure you're the Mayor of this town?"

Jacob laughed, "Yes, I'm sure. You just don't want to go against Madam Pomfee when she tells you to do something. Speaking of, she wants all of us there as soon as possible."

Markus laughed as he climbed to his feet along with Bonney. He quickly cleaned up their table to join Jacob. He wasn't going to waste any more time and if it happened to make Madam Pomfee happier then all the better. The party of three made their way through the snow-covered town to arrive at the familiar store. As they walked in they were greeted by a happily smiling Madam Pomfee, "Welcome! Welcome! It's about time. Jacob, you should move faster next time!"

Markus smirked as Jacob stiffened and began to sweat. It really seemed like Madam Pomfee was the town's mother with the way he acted. After 'scolding' Jacob, she turned to face Markus and Bonney, "Donney, dear, come with me. We'll check the fit of your outfit first. I made it as close as I could to your description. If anything it wrong, be sure to let me know."

Madam Pomfee led Bonney into the fitting room at the back of the shop. Markus turned to look at Jacob and spoke in a teasing tone, "Are you REALLY sure you're the Mayor?"

Jacob hung his head while letting out a deep sigh, "Trying to talk back to Madam Pomfee is like trying to talk back to your own mother. It's just something you don't do! It doesn't matter how old you get or what position of power your hold, your mother will always be the scariest existence!"

Markus listened to Jacob with his head tilted back to look at the ceiling, "Can't say I understand that feeling. Never had a mother."

Jacob gave Markus a complicated look, "I don't know whether I should pity you or consider you lucky. A mother is a wonderful and terrifying being to have in your life."

Markus shrugged his shoulders, "It's alright. You can't miss what you've never had. I'm pretty content with my life and the people in it."

Jacob nodded and they resumed their silence. It was only a few minutes late that Madam Pomfee and Bonney left the back room. Bonney had her thick coat draped over her arm letting the two men in the room see what she had on. She was wearing her usual style of outfit just with different coloring and patterns. The biggest difference was the skintight layer of black beneath her clothing. Seeing how she was dressed, Markus grinned, "It looks like we had the same idea. Skintight to wear it under our usual clothing."

Bonney smirked but didn't say anything. Judging from the look she was giving him, Markus assumed there was something more to her outfit than what he could see. Madam Pomfee just looked proud and he doubted she would tell him if he asked. As if sensing him looking at her, Madam Pomfee turned to Markus, "Come, young man, yours is done as well. Let's give it a try, shall we?"

Markus nodded and followed her into the back of the shop. Once they were closed in, he started taking off his top layers of clothing until he was just down to his underwear. The outfit he ordered was supposed to be skintight so any layers of clothing in between would be pretty uncomfortable. Madam Pomfee was a consummate professional and didn't pay any attention to his lack of clothing. Instead, she focused on handing him the first piece of his outfit, the pants.

Putting on the pair of pants was probably the closest he would ever come to putting on spandex. The material stretched a little and wrapped tightly against his body. Moments after he put them on, he felt his legs were nice and warm. He was actually rather surprised at how comfortable the warmth was. It seemed like any excess body heat was being expelled while keeping in just the right amount. Thinking about it, he hadn't actually seen anyone wearing this stuff sweating, even when moving vigorously.

With the pants on, he was given his top. It was a simple long-sleeved pullover shirt, nothing exceptional. After pulling it over his head and slipping his arms into the sleeves, he adjusted it until it felt comfortable. The bottom of the shirt was slightly long and overlapped the top edge of his pants creating a seal of sorts. Now the only parts of his body that were exposed were his hands, feet, and head. Everything else was covered in a layer of Wallumpus skin dyed black.

With the full outfit on, he turned to face the full body mirror off to the side and examined himself. He'd asked for the suit to be tight, and it was. Even though the Wallumpus skin was significantly thicker than a material like spandex, it still clung to his body tightly and showed every line of his pronounced muscles. He could clearly see his abs, pecs, thighs, and calves in fine detail. It left very little to the imagination.

Yet, despite being tight enough to outline individual muscles clearly, it was very comfortable to wear. The material had a bit of stretch to it so when he moved the clothing would flex which prevented binding in tight places. Then there was the overall comfort of the outfit. He felt like he was wrapped up in a nice, warm, and comfortable blanket.

Once he finished examining himself, he turned to face Madam Pomfee and smiled, "It's perfect. Comfortable, warm, and will fit beneath my other clothing easily. You gave me exactly what I wanted."

Madam Pomfee smiled gently, "I'm glad you like it. Come, put the rest of your clothing on. You can't be walking around in just that, it's indecent!"

If Markus had looked a little closer at Madam Pomfee, he would have noticed a subtle blush on her wrinkled cheeks. She might be an old lady but she was still a lady! Meanwhile, Markus was standing in front of her and despite wearing the Wallumpus-skin clothing, he still looked practically naked! As a woman, how could she not appreciate a rather handsome and nearly naked young man?

Markus quickly pulled on his clothing and boots, though he left his thick jacket off. He wouldn't be needing it anymore. With all of his clothing on, the Wallumpus skin suit wasn't visible anymore. He looked as if he were wearing nothing but regular clothing. Once he was done, the two of them left the fitting room to rejoin Bonney and Jacob in the main area. As they all joined up, Markus turned to Madam Pomfee, "How much do I owe you for the wonderful clothing?"

Madam Pomfee waved her hand dismissively, "It's on the house. You've done plenty around here to earn it. What with defeating those pirates and helping with the hunt."

"I just did those things for my own selfish reasons. The pirates were talking about selling some of you as slaves and I can't abide by that. As for the hunt, I was just plain curious."

Madam Pomfee just smiled, "All the more reason to not charge you."

Markus sighed and gave up immediately. He could tell from the way Jacob spoke and Madam Pomfee's current attitude, that she wasn't going to budge on the issue. So, he did the only thing he could do, he politely bowed his head a little, "Thank you, Madam Pomfee."

The three of them left Madam Pomfee at her shop and went back toward the inn. As they walked Markus spoke up, "Well, that about covers everything I wanted to do here. Bonney, you should get your stuff from the inn, we'll be leaving shortly."

Jacob looked devastated when Markus said they were leaving. He logically knew it was impossible yet a small part of him still hoped that Markus would stick around and protect the island. As if reading his thoughts, Markus turned to face him, "I'll give you something so you can contact me if anything happens and you need my help. I need a stack of paper."

Jacob brightened up and nodded enthusiastically, "Sure! Follow me to my place."

The two of them made their way to Jacob's small, but comfortable, house. Once inside, Jacob pulled open a drawer in his desk and fished out a stack of blank paper, "Will this do?"

Markus nodded and started placing his Electro-Magnetic Tag on each piece of paper. Jacob watched him with a questioning look until Markus explained, "In the future, if there's ever a problem on this island, just tear one of these pieces of paper up and I'll come as quickly as I can. Which should be pretty fast as long as I am not too busy with something. You should put something on the papers to make sure you don't lose them."

Jacob looked at the still blank pieces of paper before asking an obvious question, "Why not just use a Den Den Mushi?"

"Simple. People can eavesdrop on Den Den Mushi calls. It's also possible to lose the little thing somewhere. It could even be killed. This way I can tell when you're in trouble no matter where I am in the world, instantly. So be sure not to lose them or get them confused with regular pieces of paper. Got it?"

Jacob accepted the stack of papers like they were precious items. He wasn't entirely wrong. Each sheet could save a life rather easily by summoning Markus to the island from anywhere in the world. After taking the papers from Markus, he carefully set them in a specific area and weighed them down so none would move randomly, "I'll mark them later." He turned and bowed to Markus as a sign of respect, "Thank you!"

--------------------------------------------------

You have gained a new territory. Please look at the Territory Control section for further information.

--------------------------------------------------

Markus ignored the notice. Since he wasn't going to be getting any tributes from the people here the only other useful information it would give him was the population of the island. Which was information he could get himself with his Observation Haki. Still, this meant he now had two territories. Maybe he really would become the next Yonko.

There was only one issue about becoming a Yonko though, he needed a solid reputation. His bounty was sufficient but the fact that people in the Grand Line had no idea who he was just showed how unknown he really was. There was no shortcut to becoming well known. It would take time and effort for him to become as well known as someone like Whitebeard. He doubted there was anyone in either half of the Grand Line that didn't know who he was. But, ask a random civilian if they knew Silvers D. Markus? Well... Maybe they would have seen his bounty but that's about all they would know.

The last aspect that he would need to become a full-fledged Yonko was a powerful crew. Before his death, Whitebeard and two of the other Yonko, Big Mom and Kaido, practically had armies under their command. The only Yonko with just a regular-sized crew was Shanks, but he was special. Even Blackbeard had a lot of people under him when he became a Yonko in the canon story. Markus had some plans to recruit a few people but he would need a lot more if he wanted to be a real Yonko.

Markus left Jacob's house and made his way down to the docks on the island. He had to wait a few minutes for Bonney to finish packing her stuff at the inn and arrive. While waiting, he pulled his speed boat out of his inventory and gently set it in the water. The best part about storing it away? It didn't have to sit in the saltwater and be bounced around or rub up against the dock. It also perfectly preserved the boat.

After tying up the boat so that it wouldn't drift away, he climbed on board and relaxed in the captain's chair. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before he spotted Bonney walking toward him. He frowned, however, as he spotted something unexpected. Rei was walking next to Bonney while carrying a large bag and a new spear. When they arrived at the boat, Bonney casually hopped on board and went into the cabin to stow her clothing.

Rei stayed on the dock and stared intently at Markus. As they looked at each other, Jacob and a few of the other townsfolk came to the dock to see them off. When Jacob spotted Rei with the bag he looked surprised, "Rei? Are you going somewhere?"

Rei nodded her head vigorously and gestured toward Markus's boat. As if translating her gesture, he turned to look at Markus, "Are you taking her with you?"

Markus had a moment of realization. He quickly looked away from Rei and toward the direction of the inn. He easily understood that when he thought she was pointing at the stairs, she was actually pointing toward the ocean. Without realizing it, he had agreed to take her with him. Obviously, he'd thought she was asking something else but that was his own misunderstanding. Still, he couldn't have her come with him without knowing the full truth of the matter.

He turned back to Rei and Jacob, "I think I did, though I didn't know it at the time." He focused on Rei, "If you want to come with us there's something you should really know."

Rei had a look of interest as Markus opened his hand and released a bunch of sparks to manifest his most recent bounty poster, compliments of Vivi. He held it up so that everyone could see his image and the massive bounty placed on his head. There were gasps of shock and surprise from the people who could see it. Markus let it sink in that he was a pirate with a massive bounty on his head for a bit before speaking again, "It's not like I was trying to hide it or anything. Frankly, I'm shocked you all didn't know about me. The fact is, I am a pirate and plan to continue to be a pirate. So, Rei, if you come with me you will become a pirate. So, are you sure you want to join me on the sea?"

Rei had a complicated look on her face. Why wouldn't she? Markus didn't know her full history but he knew a small bit about her history with pirates. Whatever happened was traumatizing enough to stop her from speaking for the majority of her life. Deciding to not only sail with a pirate but become one couldn't be an easy decision. Everyone remained quiet as they waited patiently for Rei to come to her decision.