My Response and a Future Sword Goddess

We all stare shocked at Uta for what she just said. Shanks tries to calm her by saying "Now now Uta. We need to get his opinion on this. Don't you think so?" Uta snaps her head towards me so hard I think I heard a snap. She pouts and says as cutely as she could muster "Come on, Hunter. Join us. We can go on a bunch of adventures with Shanks and the gang. It'll be fun and exciting."

Not wanting to join what is going to one of the most dangerous crews just a year before they are viewed as a massive threat to the World Government but also not wanting to break the girl's heart, I place her hands in mine and say "Can I think about it?" Uta just nods dumbly while fighting back a massive blush.

I turn back to everyone and yell out "Let's get this party back into motion." The crew yell back in agreement and thus the party continues. The party goes on into the late night and soon people start to fall asleep. Uta tugs on my shirt and says while yawning "Kitty bed please."

Knowing exactly what she meant, I shift to my full Tiger form and curl around her, ready to fall asleep myself. Just before I fall asleep, I hear the faint click of a camera shutter going off.

{2 Months later}

It turns out Lucky Roux was having a harder time getting that ingredient than Shanks thought but the occasional update from his Den Den Mushi kept the crew stationed on the island. These last two months were actually quite nice.

Shanks kept to his word that he would train me in swordsmanship and that he did. Unfortunately, it turns out that he had no set form to his style. He simply uses his blade as an extension of his body like he would his legs. He is a near pure instinct based genius swordsman. His style kinda reminds me of how Mugen from Samurai Champloo fights, minus most of the breakdancing moves.

I am really glad Bonk Punch turned out to also be a swordsman, even though he uses a greatsword. He was still able to teach the basics of a variety of styles he has come across on the crew's travels. He told me to mainly focus on the basics of swordsmanship for now and the advanced techniques will come to me later. Shanks even agreed to be the practice dummy, even though Uta made him do it thinking it would make it more likely for me to join the crew.

I wasn't just being trained physically by the Redhair Pirates. Ben Beckman and Yassop worked on teaching me the intellectual side of being a pirate. Whether it was how to properly read the room before a fight or the wind before a storm, between the two of them and Bonk Punch I was getting a well rounded education on Pirating 101.

By the end of the first month, almost all the crew figured out I don't plan on joining. Only Uta and possibly Monster still hope I join them. She even made it a habit to only fall asleep against my tiger belly. I honestly think she is trying to guilt me into joining since she noticed I could never say no to her pouting face just like her father.

On the final day of their two month stay, they received word from Lucky Roux that he got the ingredient but he ran hot with some marines so the crew was needed to help bail him out of trouble. Their plan was to meet up with him and hide out for a while on a random island still in the East Blue. They wouldn't bring Roux here so that no heat would come down on us for 'harboring criminals'.

Gaban and I watch as they load up their ship with all the stuff they took off during their stay here. Shanks and Uta come up to us and Uta says "So what's your answer?" Before I could respond, Shanks says "Before you answer Uta, tell us what your dream as a pirate even is."

Thinking about why I even want to be a pirate, I lower my head. After a minute or so, I raise my head and with resolution I say "I don't want to rule the seas or any kingdom. I want to be as free as the wind around us. I don't want to be bound by any rules while still abiding by my own sense of morals."

Shanks smiles slightly and says "So you aren't coming with us?" Uta frowns and I respond with "That would make the journey too easy. I would like to start from the beginning like everyone else. The point of an adventure is the journey, not the destination. As much as I would like to know what made Roger name the island, where the One Piece is, Laugh Tale right now, I would be disappointed in the long run."

Shanks's smile grows even wider and he says "You know what? Since my gift to you was more from BP than me, here." He picks up his straw hat and places it on my head. He continues "When you reach Laugh Tale, you can return it to me." Shocked that he gave me THE straw hat, I am stunned for a moment.

Uta and Shanks begin to walk back to the ship. I get my bearings again and shout "Wait!" Uta smirks and says "What? Change your mind about joining us." I shake my head to say no and say "I think there is someone out there that better embodies Roger's philosophy than me. So, I can't take this." I hand the hat back out to them.

Shanks, surprised that I gave the hat back knowing full well what it means, says "Well alright then. I guess we will see each other on the high seas in the future. See ya." The two board the ship and it sets sail. I call out "Hey Uta, maybe when I'm the captain of my own crew, you can be the musician."

Uta waves goodbye and says "Don't bet your life on it. You would be the first mate while I'm the captain." I wave goodbye in return knowing I wouldn't see them again until 12 or so years have passed, if my existence doesn't cause too much of a butterfly effect in the world.

Year 1511 Mid April

11 years before canon starts

Small Island in East Blue

A year has passed since the Redhair Pirates left the island. It's been too quiet without them around. I miss them. They should be at Fuusha Village by now. Even though it was the smarter decision, I kinda regret not joining them.

My training speed seems to have plateaued again in the last few weeks. I still don't get what helped me get over it last time and Gaban refuses to tell me. Over the last year, I made the swordsmanship basics that Bonk Punch taught me second nature to me. Ikusei made sure I had no mistakes in my form.

I was also able to perfect my 'Air Walk' and 'Jet Step' techniques, along with a more offensive supplementary technique known as 'Gale Palm'. I had to master the basics of Observation Haki to 'fly' properly using those techniques due to the high speed movements I could do. The first time I 'flew' perfectly I realized my style of flight is kinda like Ironman. I still have to stabilize my flight path with 'Gale Palm' at times.

As I am going through my katas while thinking of new ways to supplement my nascent fighting style with wind, Gaban interrupts my training to say "Alright, I was expecting you to figure out your problem last time since you are a smart kid, Hunter, but it's happening again. You are the type who needs outside stimulation to grow. You benefit the most when there is competition."

I say back, somewhat sarcastically, "And how would I be able to have competition here when the only creature that evens spars with me is you? I have already acclimated myself to your style but I can't compete with you due to the vast difference in our overall strengths." Gaban smirks and says "You're going to school."

Gaban continues "Before you get in a huff, a former associate of mine lives on an island about two days sailing from here. His son runs a kendo dojo. I signed you up for classes there where you can be an actual kid. Watching you train day in day out makes me feel like a failure of a parent. The only time time I've seen you act like a kid was when Shanks and his crew were here."

Thinking back, he's right. My childhood may not be filled with tragedy like Sanji's was but it's also not a good childhood in the sense that if I never got my memories back, I wouldn't have grown up to be a well-rounded individual. I'd be a bloody psychopath. All work and no play makes for a dull boy.

I say to Gaban "So which direction do I fly? Am I staying on that island? If not, how often are the classes?" Gaban, expecting the series of questions, says "You would need to fly south by southwest. You can stay there if you want but you must visit here every 3 months at the latest so I can get an update on your life. Also if you stay there, you would be staying with said associate and assist him with his forge in exchange for room and board."

After digesting the information given to me and trying to figure out who he meant for a minute or so, I say "Alright, so when do I leave for my first class?". Gaban responds "So I take it you will stay there." I nod my head in agreement. "We will head over there together in a couple days. Better get packed." Gaban ends the conversation with that.

{4 Days Later}

Out on the water for real the first time in this life, I am glad my seasickness didn't get carried over. I am also glad Gaban is taking me to this island for the first time since the distance is longer than I thought. Gaban also managed to convince me to not fly the distance until I got older. To make sure of that, we are dragging along another boat alongside us.

After what ended up being three days of sailing and rowing, we made it to the island. "We're going to dock on the north side of the island. That's where my associate lives." Gaban said. After we docked, I nearly fall out of the boat. "Some pirate you'll be. Imagine the great pirate Ronze D Hunter failing to beat sea legs. Ha."

Annoyed at him for that comment, I full power 'Gale Palm'ed him which sent him a few feet through the air but he didn't fall into the ocean. He is standing on the ocean. I notice a faint sheen of black on the water under his feet. I look at him shocked that Armament Haki could do that.

Seeing my face, he says "I had to keep up with my captain and vice captain somehow without a Devil Fruit or Conqueror Haki. So I took Armament Haki to the highest extent I could. Perhaps in a decade or two, you could do the same." He walks to the shore and we head towards the closest house we came across.

Gaban slams on the door and yells out "Come out you old codger. Your newest apprentice has arrived." The person who opened the door was an old man with a large, thick unibrow that juts to the sides of his face, a ponytail over a tuft of light hair and a beard framing his jawline. He also has a scar on his left temple.

A monkey? The old man bonks me on the head and yells "I ain't a monkey you damn brat." The old man looks over to Gaban and says "Are you sure the kid is as smart as you say?" Gaban sighs and says "You can't fault the kid, old friend. Roger and the boy's father both said the same thing when they first met you. At least the boy didn't verbalize it, unlike most."

The old man narrows his eyes and says "So, he is the son of that Lazy Genius. I am surprised that he and Wild Flower had another so far apart from their first. How far along is the kid in his training anyway?" Gaban replies "He should be able to take on most marine fodder with ease. In all honesty, he is a monster for his age just like his father but unlike his father, he needs the threat of competition to grow. It's the reason I contacted you after all these years."

I shake my head to shake off the pain with my ears still ringing slightly, not hearing what was just between the two of them. I turn to the old man, bow to him, and say "Sorry Sensei. This student apologizes for his rude behavior." I look up, while still bowing, and seeing Gaban looking confused and the old man smirking.

Gaban asks me "What's with the whole 'Sensei' crap now? You never did anything like that with me or the Redheads. What gives?" I look at Gaban confused and say "Why did I call him Sensei, Grandpa G? It's because it's his culture since he is from Wano, duh." Both men are shocked at what I just said.

The old man stutters out "How?" I look at him confused and say "I thought it was obvious. Gaban told me you were a master swordsmith. That narrows down the list since not many true master swordsmiths exist anymore. It's a shame that many fell to their own creations. I also saw that crest you had in your home. You know the one of the crossed cutlasses. I recognized it from one of the books I read. It belongs to a clan from Wano that bred both skilled swordsmen and swordsmiths. So I put two and two together. Simple, right?"

The old man hands Gaban some money and whispers "You're right. The kid is smart." He turns back to me and holds out his hand and I shake it. My 'Akashic Record' reads out:

[Shimotsuki Kozaburo]

['Founder' of Shimotsuki Village]

[Direct Descendant of the Sword God Ryuma]

[Master Swordsmith and Swordsman]

Kozaburo says to me "If Gaban has told you, my name is Shimotsuki Kozaburo and you can call me Sensei if you want. I honestly don't care. Just don't call me a monkey. Got that Hunter?" I nod to him to show my understanding of his rule.

"Grandpa, it's time for our weekly lesson." a young girl's voice rings out from the dirt path that I assume leads to the village. The girl has short, dark blue hair and large, dark eyes. The girl looks shocked that somebody else is visiting her grandfather. She says to the three of us while bowing slightly "Oh sorry Grandpa, I didn't realize today was the day you were going to have guests."

Kozaburo says to his granddaughter "Kuina come here and greet my friend and his nephew. His nephew is actually going to stay with me for a bit and he's also joining your father's dojo as a student. As we are about to shake each other's hand, I say "Hi. I am Ronze D Hunter." She responds with "As you probably figured out, I'm Kuina." Her record shows me what Byakko probably meant as the other part of the 'Akashic Record':

[Shimotsuki Kuina]

[Student of the Issho Dojo]

[Direct Descendant of the Sword God Ryuma]

[Potential: Sword Goddess]