Koala

(4 months later - 1st person pov)

"So, you like her right?" I asked Sabo, who was currently dazed looking at the retreating form of Koala.

"W-what N-no! I was just impressed with her, being able to show that level of skill at fishmen karate at our age is impressive." Sabo weakly explained, sneaking a couple of glances at Koala.

"Mhm, but that wasn't the only reason you were staring at her, right?" I teased. It was so obvious that it was hilarious.

"J-Just Shut up, get back to work" He refuted.

"It's fun seeing the all mighty Sabo all flustered, and I've already managed to perform Geppo, It's you who is behind mister head over heels for the co fishmen instructor"

"Shut up!" Sabo said, his face slowly turning red.

"Haha! Maybe if you learned Geppo you could take her to the moon for your first date"

"That's it!" He shouted, and immediately used Soru to try and catch me, but I was more proficient than him, so he failed quite spectacularly.

"If you chased Koala as much as me, maybe you'd have a shot" I said as he sat on the ground, rubbing his legs.

Ticks immediately formed on his forehead, but all he could do was flip me off as he couldn't catch me.

"On a serious note, you're close to mastering Geppo, just a few more days, I can tell." I pointed out. I had to admit I only mastered some of the Rokushiki before him due to my prior knowledge, if not for that I would be at the same pace as Sabo.

"You think so? I've eaten the dirt so many times i'm starting to trick myself into enjoying it"

"Yeah, I can tell. Everytime you kick the air I see it shift a little, your close" I said.

Sabo merely sighed as he began massaging his muscles, "How are you so skilled at them? Every technique you learn your increasing the distance between us"

"Mhm...I'm not sure, you may have an easier time if there is a hand based technique, your dragon claw will help you with that" I stated, "Come to think of it, how is your dragon claw coming along? You usually switched back and forth between that and your pipe, but I haven't saw it recently"

"It's at a halt, but I'm training to be able to notice weaknesses in structures, that way when I attack it, I can cause massive damage. Most structures have weaknesses and hollow points, even weapons have them due to overextended use or the way it was crafted. Once I develop the skill enough, I'll even be able to notice weaknesses in actual humans, so it's a useful skill that's worth investing in"

I listened to him intently, never in the anime did it mention anything about human weaknesses, is Sabo really improving that much with my presence here? I knew fighting him was much better than his normal training routine and we both pushed ourselves because of our little rivalry, but to this extent...

"That's useful, really useful" I said truthfully, "but one day you may find an opponent with no weaknesses, what will you do then?"

"Then I'll just create one" He grinned. "What about you, do you have anything you are working on? I'll catch up to you once I develop my Ryouken, unless you do something that is."

I sighed, "You're probably right, but I have a few ideas. A devil fruit for example, a good devil fruit is where my creativity and mind can shine."

"You know you lose the ability to swim, you sure you wanna eat a devil fruit?" Sabo asked.

"Yeah, It's a small price to pay if I can develop it enough. Plus I have Geppo to stop me from falling in the ocean." I said, making a show by kicking off the ground and into the air.

"Show off" Sabo pouted.

"Your free to do it too once you perfect your Ryosken, it's certainly something worth bragging about." I said it like it was obvious.

"I'll keep that in mind, carry me back to my room? We could play some Uno" He suggested.

"Yeah, sure. I could also give you some advice on girls, you look like you need it"

"Damn you!"

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(6 months later)

[Updated picture of August]

I was finally here.

It was a long and tiring journey that lasted half a month, but it was worth it, I was finally here.

Old memories not originally mine came back up to the surface, making my body twist and turn in anxiety. I noticed my hand was shaking due to the stress and anxiety, so I placed my other hand on it with a tight grip to stop its movement.

I looked up, finding myself staring at the view of a house I was so familiar with due to the memories I had obtained. It was the house where his mother died, where his father beat him, and the last home he ever had before he died.

I remembered why I was here, I was here to kill his father and put my mind at some form of ease, then go back to Baltigo to my friends where I belonged. Speaking of my friends, I momentarily recalled back to half a month ago, when I told them I was leaving.

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15 days ago

""So you're going?"" Sabo and Koala asked together like a perfect couple. They were cute together, really, I ship it.

"Yeah, there is something from my past that I must confront before I go on my first mission and publicly become a revolutionary army member, it's something I must do alone."

Koala and Sabo looked sad but they both looked like they understood and accepted my explanation. Before I left I gave them both a wide hug, slightly easing their worries.

"I'll be back in a month" I promised.

"You better not slack off, I still need a sparring partner" Sabo said with a laugh, spinning his pipe.

"Be safe..." Koala said, short but sweet.

"Ok, I best be going, I'll be back soon, and then we can go on our first mission"

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I promised them I would return, and I intended to keep that promise, but first I had to do something. I felt like the kid would never be put to rest if I didn't do this, and he would torment me in my nightmares forever if I didn't avenge his pain and suffering. Even without the nightmares, I would still 100 times over be in the same spot I am in right now, I wanted to kill this monster.

This monster was an awful man, even worse than some celestial dragons. At Least they would put an injured horse out of its misery, whereas my father instead sent it someplace worse to prolong its suffering. Add to the fact I was his own flesh and blood, I could only thank what entity was out there for making this body look like its mother, I shared no features aside from the name and hair colour.

It was time for revenge.

Taking a deep breath, I controlled the bundle of emotions I felt and tucked it deep under my skin. I took another breath, and after a second I opened the door.

…

The house was different from what it was previously. Desks and shelves were free from the stacks of drunken bottles on them, Alcohol stained carpets were replaced with new, clean ones. The house looked nice, a far cry from what it previously was and what I had seen in the memories.

The further I made my way into the house the more confused I got. Did someone else move in here? I started doubting his father was here, and worry was added to the massive ball of emotions I had.

I was beginning to lose hope, but that's when I made my way into the back room and saw him. It was his father, clear as day. He looked much better than before, actually managing to look like a normal human and not an abusive drunk. My eyes narrowed at him, barely able to contain my rage, but I tucked it deep inside and walked silently into the room.

His eyes didn't notice me yet, they were...entranced with something else. He stared at a small tiny box right in front of him, completely oblivious to the world around him.

'What was in that box?' I thought, but quickly discarded it as I was focused on other things. I moved closer into view, all the way until I was directly across from him and my shadow towered over his distracted form.

He seemed to have noticed my shadow, and was snapped out of his trance as he looked up at me.

I looked straight into his eyes, and took pleasure as it morphed from confusion to panic in a split second.

"Hello...Thayne"