Conquerors Haki
I held the Flame-Flame Fruit gently in my hands. Its warmth sent a pleasant heat through my palms.
A voice in my head asked: What do you gain from this risk? Going to Sky Island to search for the Rumble-Rumble Fruit whose location you don't know - you might die at the hands of pirates or be killed by a storm.
Why not just eat this fruit and spend my life in the East Blue? No one could threaten my safety here. I could do as I please - become a pirate, a marine, or form a gang... There were several options. Even if my power wouldn't be great, why would I need immense strength? I have no one to protect, no dream to pursue.
Why not eat the Flame-Flame Fruit and live at ease? I never had this luxury in my previous life. I had to wake up every morning, go to the factory, endure the supervisor's scolding and exhausting work. Why should I exert effort here too when I've been given this opportunity? What's stopping me from living comfortably?
"Will I surrender again?" I thought, recalling old memories. "In my past life, I had a goal to start my own business. I went to work at a company to save money, but once I started working there, I saw life without pressure. All I had to do was go in at 8 AM and leave at 4 PM. So I abandoned my goal, and after some time, I deeply regretted it. I became trapped in that routine, feeling lethargic as my life grew dull and monotonous."
"Will I really make the same mistake again? Damn it! To hell with the Flame-Flame Fruit! I'll go to Sky Island, get the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and I won't stop there. I'll continue pursuing power until I become the strongest person in the world!" Determination flashed in my eyes as I placed the fruit inside my coat.
What Luka didn't notice was the aura that emanated from him, causing nearby animals to flee. Had he seen this sight, he would have realized he'd unleashed Conqueror's Haki.
---
After storing the fruit in my coat, I searched the ship hoping to find some treasure to ease my financial troubles. Although I had a fruit worth over a billion berries in my pocket, I had no plans to sell it.
Despite my appreciation and love for money, I knew obtaining such a fruit was nearly impossible, even if you had twice that amount.
Another reason was that I lacked the strength to protect this fruit if anyone learned about it, so I'd keep it hidden for now.
After searching the ship, I found no treasure - just some paper money that mice had mostly eaten, rendering it useless. So I took only some fancy-looking tableware and flew toward my ship. I boarded it and flew away from the island.
---
I hadn't planned to return to the archipelago, as that would draw unwanted attention. After checking the map, I set my destination. The Kingdom of Cascara.
After confirming I had a fixed compass for the journey, I headed straight there. The trip would take about a month - I'd resupply there before heading to Yarita Island.
It was an island like Loguetown, located near the Red Line, where I could enter the Grand Line.
---
*One month later:*
As I approached Cascara's territorial waters, I noticed a medium-sized patrol ship heading toward me rapidly, flying the kingdom's blue and gold flag. "Stop your ship for inspection!"
shouted a young officer through a rusty loudspeaker. I stopped my ship and waited as they approached. Their ship docked beside mine, and three guards boarded. "Good evening. I'm just passing through, looking to resupply before leaving."
The youngest guard replied skeptically, "If you need supplies, there are several islands. Why come to Cascara?"
Unbothered by his interrogative tone, I answered honestly, "I'm heading for the Red Line, so I don't want to make the journey longer."
This time, the only female guard - a short woman with black hair - responded, "Going alone in this ship? You'll die without even knowing why."
"Thanks for the warning, but personal circumstances require me to go." I smiled calmly.
"Personal reasons I can't disclose, but I appreciate your concern." The short guard exchanged a glance with the officer. "Everyone has their secrets," the officer said, concluding the inspection.
"Just 48 hours, and no trouble."
"Thank you for your understanding," I replied, watching them return to their ship.
---
I didn't spend much time in the kingdom. Immediately after arriving, I went to get supplies.
"Five bags of rice, two cans of powdered milk, and cooking oil." I gestured to the spice rack. "And these amounts of turmeric and cumin too." The elderly merchant began roughly packaging the goods with his usual sailor's roughness. "Need any cleaning supplies?" "Yes, laundry soap and dish detergent," I added while examining the displayed fabric quality.
At the neighboring store, I chose herbal shampoo with a pungent aroma and two pine-scented bath soaps. The young salesgirl carefully wrapped them in oiled paper. "We also have new boar-bristle toothbrushes." "Fine, I'll take one," I nodded while counting my remaining money.
I also bought small nails to practice and improve my control over my abilities during the journey, as I'd run out of the previous ones.
After a brief rest from traveling, I returned to the ship and set course for Yarita Island. "I'd like to rest more, but the faster I go, the better my chances of getting the Rumble-Rumble Fruit," I thought as I unfurled the sail and departed from this kingdom.
---
*Three weeks later:*
"I ran out of money at the last stop, so I'll need to sell that tableware I found on that ship," I thought as I stopped the ship, dropped anchor, and headed for the island.
I entered "Ocean Treasures," a large shop displaying artifacts from around the world.
The merchant - a fat man with sharp eyes - examined the tableware, then looked at me. "These are rare pieces of amber-treated wood, crafted in Westeland a hundred years ago," he said, turning them in his hands.
"I'll give you 2.2 million berries for the whole set."
"Deal," I said quickly, pleased with the good price.
I took the money, put it in my bag, and left the shop without any issues. Now I had enough funds for my journey to the Red Line without worry.