Chapter 68: World Of Pirates: Part 06
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This story has no interest in offending any party. Having the sole objective of only entertaining the readers. Enjoy~
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"Whatever you do, enjoy it to the fullest. That is the secret of life."
-Rider
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Recap: In the last chapter, Hector defended the Whitebeard pirates from Big Mom, defeating the Yonko and claiming many Devil Fruits powers, genes of many races and the Road Poneglyph. His relationship with Saeko also gave the next step.
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Little Note.: Hello there
Sorry for the delay. Time is tight.
I could've published the chapter yesterday but... I will need to cut 4k words.
And I want to finish this arc soon.
Better to wait a day than two weeks, right?
Anyway, enjoy~
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Hector P.O.V.
I wave my hand, calling out my mana... Manifestating it ahead of me and controlling the elements...
*Fwooush*
A ball of fire is created on my palm and flies away fast, in the direction of the sea.
I'm on the beach of a desert island in the New World. The environment with ridiculously strong animals makes it hard for to people create a base here, but apparently, some pirates come occasionally to hunt.
*Boom*
The fireball hit the waves, the shock was big enough to spill water all the way here.
Even with all this, the only thing I can think is...
"Too weak..." I comment and move my hand again.
Reaching my hand to the sea, I can barely see the magic circle shining under the water for a second before another explosion occurs. A huge pillar of water gushes out of the sea, reaching the 50-meter mark in the air.
"And slow..." I comment with a sigh.
Magic is... underwhelming...
Sad as it appears. This type of magic has no appeal to me.
It's not that I'm shitting on magic, but I have better options.
To continue my tests, I take off the famous Elder Wand from my pocket. The Death Stick, The Wand of Destiny, The WAND of the Wands, and the most(arguably) powerful magical object of the Harry Potter world and all that jazz... Let's see if you can live for all this hype.
My eyes change to the All Seeing Eyes of God to inspect it.
Hmm... Yep, there's a soul on it. Or the better term would be a spirit? It's like the swords of the One Piece world that has personality.
Magic comes from the Soul after all.
The Soul of the Wizard connects with the soul of the wand to materialize magic. It reminds me of Soul Eater, where the weapons help the user amplify their soul powers, like a guitar amplifier.
I point the wand in front of me and repeat the fireball spell. It's a spell from Rudeus's world, it's out-of-context magic to the Harry Potter world.
But it works just fine.
The fireball forms itself easily, almost by itself after I just do some input.
"I see... It's like those tools to help with programming." I comment.
With the same speed that I produced that fireball earlier, I made another two appear. They're stronger and faster.
After shooting it I inspect myself and the wand.
The use of mana was lower too.
"In game terms, the Elder Wand would give me: Speed in Casting, Increase in Power, Lower the amount of Mana spent, and much more." I say "Not bad, not bad at all..."
It's not for nothing that this thing can tilt the tide of a battle between Wizards.
And it comes from a Low Tier world... I ask myself how OP those magic scepters made of Yggdrasil roots with dragon cores or whatever should be...
It's not game-breaking, and that wand from Kurt's mom appears to be better but is not bad.
"But can I use Harry Potter-like magic with it?" I point the wand forward. "I think it needs a circular movement of the wrist too, right? Wingardium Leviosa!" I chant and point to a crab nearby.
"..." Nothing happens.
Okay, that's a little embarrassing.
I look at the crab, the witness of my chuuni moment... "Avadakedrava!"
"..." Tch!
Anyway... Apparently, I will need a Harry Potter character. Anyone will do.
Now that I know that my soul is overpowered, there's no need to be eager to gain a Dumbledore card. Even if gaining Voldemort and other people with unique skills like Parseltongue should be the ideal.
But even a random side character is good.
"Wait, aren't the house elves the most Op characters? If I gain Dobby I will have a hard time on deciding if I should summon or assimilate..." I cross my arms to think.
Whatever, I can't decide now. A problem for the future, I guess.
I can also cheat... I just need to use a Travel Ticket together with a background card to give me a "Character from Harry Potter" background instead of a "Drop-In", as I am right now in One Piece.
Should allow me to use magic from there.
These tactics should work in worlds where powers are somewhat common, like on Naruto, or Bleach... But I will need to rely on my own potential.
I could give myself the background of a no-name shinigami and gain Reiatsu. Then I can learn Kidou and have my own Zanpakutou like I gained my own Stand. Maybe even become Vizard, steal the Hougyoku... Usurp the Soul King...
Wait, who I am? Aizen? Only our hair is similar... Tone down your hunger for power, Hector.
Anyway, Bleach is a little problematic to go for now. Many ridiculous bullshit powers after all.
Back to the Harry Potter world...
It shouldn't be a problem to go there using a One-day Travel Ticket... I can raid Hogwarts and learn all the magic and be done with it.
The danger is low, I'm faster than magic after all. There, they need to hit you.
And we're back to square one.
I'm faster than magic... That's one of the reasons magic is not that appealing to me.
To compare with the fireball early, I raise my fist. Using my fire powers, my fist glows in a blue flame... Already hotter than that magic and using the same "casting" speed...
*Boom*
I punch forward using a sloppy Fire Fist.
"Yep, no comparison..." I say looking at the devastation ahead.
It was much easier to use, it's stronger, it's faster.
Meta-powers>Magic. At least for me...
But magic has its own advantages...
I concentrate again on using a Fire Ball.
But instead of extending my hand forward, I take an extra step. My mana coalesces above my shoulder, the Fire Ball is formed there and I shoot it without a problem.
"Look, mom! Without the hands!" I joke.
But the applications and uses are big. I can be a really menacing flying artillery of magic. Keeping my hands free to throw it at my opponents...
If I can use magic and meta powers together... It would be scarier than a simple increase of power or in the range of abilities I can use.
Would be like fighting two people!
Imagine fighting at close range, and your enemy casts magic from impossible angles and places to corner you!
But I sigh... The amount of mental capacity to that would be ridiculous. Years of practice will be needed to perfect this ridiculous fight style.
It's more than simply using a sword in one hand and magic in another. I miss Skyrim...
Hm... This reminds me of the possible combinations.
I extend my arm again.
It's normal for to people exclude Magic from Science and vice-versa.
In many instances, the two can't mix. Meta-powers is a Branch of Science and can do the same as magic. But they go in the opposite direction.
Or maybe not.
My talk with the Ancient One revealed that there are metas that the metagenes are tied with their magic potential. Kurt, Wanda, Ororo...
"Advanced enough technology is no different from magic..." I say to myself
Even if in many universes people who work with Science despise magic and its mysteries. Reed is a great example, by the way...
In many others, the two can mix pretty well. Those animes where they use magic to power mechas, aircrafts, etc.
One can support another.
I look at my extended arm, a gross sight happens and mouths start appearing all over it. One on my palm, another on the back of my hand, three on my forearm, and another on my bceps.
""""" !#%*$&%&""""""
Each mouth speaks at the same, each one conjuring a different magic, an amalgamation of magic circles appear around my arm...
*BOOOM*
The place where my arm is explodes and I'm pushed back two Steps.
"Okay... If I'm gonna do multi-casting like that I need to use spells that work well together. Noted." I comment while swiping my hand to clear the air.
My meta-powers can help me be an anomaly in casting magic.
I can have another set of arms doing the hand signs, mouths all over my body casting while I fight... Heck, I can multi-task well and do parallel thoughts like no one, going even further... if I want I can make another brain to continuously spam magic.
The possibilities and combinations are almost infinite.
Do magic users need to stay on the back casting magic? Pfft. I'm not bound to these rules.
I'm not bound to common sense.
"It's the basic of being a main character, right?" I laugh to myself.
I look at my arm again, this small show of eldritch monstrosity.
"Haah~ What paradox... Trying to keep in touch with my humanity and at the same time become more and more inhumane to protect this lifestyle..." I sigh
Whatever, let's continue practicing magic.
I extend my hands again, this time trying to cast multiple and more complex magic.
I'm not interested in elemental magic, even though will be useful in the case of finding myself unable of using my meta-powers, so I will practice the more esoteric things.
Like sealing, divination, contracts, and even the "elemental plus something" magic. Like, fire with another attribute... Like Hellfire for example.
The many mouths chants and glyphs appear on the air. Different colors and different attributes.
A prison of crimson traps a rock. A circular area on the ground shines for an instant before going normal(A magic trap was put there). A seagull has its soul being projected out of its body by another spell. Another seagull was hit by a tracking spell.
Confusion, sleep, and all sorts of other effects hit diverse other small animals around.
I observe all this with scrutiny.
The most important thing about learning magic, it's about defending myself from it.
"..." Yep, I'm faster than most of them... And that book that the Ancient One gave coupled with my strong soul will make me capable of resisting a good part of these spells.
But magic is about preparation, so I will need to construct my defenses later. And the people that will attack are not bots, they will prepare themselves too.
In a battle of magic, gains the most prepared.
Now I will use another example of magic working together with meta-powers, in this case, Psionics. I will combine the two to create a very sturdy Soul-Mind Defense.
Let's practice it...
"Master..." Cortana drawls on my mind, her tone admonishing me.
Oh yeah... I promised.
........
I promised to take a day off.
*Sluurp* "Somewhere over the Rainbow~" I sing while playing my ukulele.
"So there's a Solomon in Marvel... I don't remember it appearing on any Media." I comment while flipping through one of the many books I copied from the Kamar-Taj library. The book is floating in front of my face.
I made physical copies of them because I like to feel the book on my hands. But I'm not using my hands either... Maybe I'm an idiot.
*Slurp* I sip again at my coconut drink that is floating at my side. I'm lying lazily in a Hammock, I'm from Bahia after all, between the shades of some trees.
I also made THE perfect sandwich that is floating at my side too.
The breeze of the beach hits me... "Yeah, relaxing like this it's not that bad." I comment flipping through my book again
"Was Solomon a woman in Marvel? Strange..." I read the new information
"You said that you would do nothing, Master." A Chibi Cortana hologram appears from my wrist device, pouting at me.
Cute~
"I'm relaxing..."
"You're studying. The deal is for you to do nothing." She says standing on my chest and pointing her accusatory little finger at me.
"Ah C'mon, this is more of recreational reading~" I point at the book "I even fused again, even though I could send myself to do some work..."
"Then you wouldn't be resting." She crosses her arms at me
"Wrong, it's like dolphins that have special brains. One side sleep while the other is active." I argue
"You're a workaholic, Master." She accuses. How dare she? "One of your objectives coming here is a vacation, remember? You're burning yourself out slowly."
I could argue, but it's not worth it.
"Okay, Okay. I got it." She only wants what is the best for me and a day without doing anything will not hurt "But I'm serious, I'm just reading Magic History. It's like reading the lore of a fictional word. It's fun and doesn't tire me at all."
She narrows her big eyes at me cutely "You read about some demon and then all of sudden you start thinking about counter-measures. Then you want to start them already and all of sudden you're working."
"..." Damn... That's the problem of having those people in your body/mind. They know you too well.
Poor Naruto, Ichigo, and many Wuxia MCs... Can't have privacy. At least my body freeloader is cute.
"Relax, I promise that I will not use more than 0.1% of my power today, okay?" I negotiate
"...fine." She accepts it with reluctance
"Now, I'm reading about demonology because is important and fun. This will be a huge problem in the future." I say looking back at the book
"Do you plan to actively get involved with the Magic Side, Master?" She asks
"Only if Earth or the Universe is in danger..." I answer. There are people more prepared to take care of small things "Or if they call for help. In truth, I was thinking of keeping my magic abilities a secret. People like heroes with upfront powersets..."
"So you're gonna make it look like Eidolon doesn't know magic to catch people off guard." She guesses
"Exactly. And people know of the Sword of Actuation... So let them think that 'Eidolon can go against magic but can't use it'." In truth, I was thinking of creating an Occult Hero Persona... Something like Jonh Constantine.
" 'Assumptions are dangerous', huh?" She quotes my own words
"You remember..."
A normal mind would think 'Eidolon has so many powers, it's not possible that he also knows magic. It would be unfair blah, blah...'
People still think that I'm not that smart. I saw that SuperHero Wiki that they made and the people said that Stark was much smarter than me.
They put me on the same level of Black Widow and Captain America!
I need to say it... My power armors are years ahead of Stark's ones... I just don't use it. I made it just for fun. And if Shego and Helena want to use it. They just need to call for it and the satellites will deliver to their location.
Even the mechas... Unfortunately, they would only limit me. Tch, so sad... The romance! Being too strong is not fun sometimes.
"So do you think that you will have to deal with the... Keys of Solomon?" Cortana cuts my thoughts by asking a question about the book that I'm reading.
"I don't know..." I never saw shit about this, but I can't exclude the possibility. It only makes it more dangerous, really. "Look at this..."
I start reading an excerpt from the book " 'There are many precursors of magic. The origin of the magic in humanity can be traced especially from Agamotto, Merlin, and Solomon.'
'Obviously, there a great number of older sorcerers, but the teachings of these three are the ones that propagated themselves in our world.'
'Humans normally don't have the ability to open the door to Mysticism. We acquired it through our relations with other races that possessed such talent. Agamotto and his connection with the Elder Gods but especially Merlin and Solomon and their relationships with demons...'
After this, it's a bunch of propaganda talking about how Demonic Magic is the best magic for humanity to use.
Yada, yada, yada... yeah, Merlin is Half Demon, and Morgan Le Fay also consorted with them.
It's not for nothing that a great majority practice or study Demon Magic. Even with the risks.
Anyway... The focus is Solomon. 'Solomon is special though. Different from the others, he has no special ability in her blood. But even so, she caught the interest of one of the most dangerous and powerful demon beings... The Nameless One.'
"Okay, this is where things deviate from what I know..." I interrupt my Reading to say "To me, Solomon was an Old Wise King who tricked 72 demons using only his cunning and wits. Here, is saying that there is only one demon though... And Solomon is a woman here."
"Is that a problem?" Cortana asks
"Well, It's problematic when things are different from my meta-knowledge... But Gender Bender is normal, Half of the universes in the Multiverse are opposite to the 'normal'. The important thing is the demon being only one." I say
"The 72 Keys of Solomon, The Lemegeton, from the Ars Goetia... They are used a lot in fiction... High School Dxd, Magi, and many others. They have a huge influence on everything magic of nature. Many magic circles are drawn using their glyphs and symbols, even in Marvel." I shake my head
"And this book is saying that there are not 72 entities but only one. They call him/her the The Nameless One, or the Faceless One..." I go to read the part that talks about the demon in question
'The Nameless One was given this title because no one really knows his origin. The real truth is that he didn't come from anywhere of importance. No special bloodline between the demons or connection with a Higher Being. He, or she, was a normal demon...'
'...that stole the powers and authorities of 72 strong demons from hell. From Andromelius to Baal. He doesn't have a fixed form or name, sometimes he looks like an old decrepit man, a handsome young man, a small girl, a nine-headed monster and the list goes on.'
So the ones that tricked/defeated the 72 demons here is this Nameless One, not Solomon.
'The fact he doesn't have a name makes it impossible to contact him. You can only reach for the authorities on his body that carries the name of his defeated foes, like Amon, Sitri and Stolas.'
'So if you call from the Fire of Phenex, you are not really connecting with the Demon Phenex, this one lost his power, you are connecting with a fraction of the Nameless One power'
"Well, he didn't look scary at all..." I joke.
Some demon carries all this power and is still this mysterious?
"Will he be a problem?" Cortana asks
"That's the million-worth question... Luckily he rarely appears... Like, he almost NEVER appeared in the history of magic. He is not like Mephisto, who is always involving himself with our business to make things worse and profit."
"So he is not power hungry?"
"How can he be not power hungry? He defeated and stole 72 demon powers for a reason." I argue
"Maybe he is dead..."
"..." I wish is that simple "No, apparently to this day the power and authority of the 72 demons didn't return... So he is still there, keeping it to himself."
"Then... What means when someone works hard for power and suddenly stops?" Cortana asks me, she knows the answer too.
"He accomplished his objective." I say heavily.
All that power was the means to an end.
Ugh, the worst-case scenario he is finishing whatever devious project he is concocting right now, like conquering the mortal plane. Then would be a problem for me. So cliche.
The best-case scenario is if he wants to dethrone Mephisto. The two can kill themselves for all I care.
"I don't think is healthy to worry about him if you have no clue, Master..." Cortana comments
True "The only clue would be Solomon Herself... " I read the part that talks about the relationship between the two.
'The only person in all history that even made a pact, or contract, with The Nameless One himself is Solomon. Many theorize the reason and the nature of their relationship.'
'Some affirm that Solomon tricked the Nameless One, making him traumatized and distrustful of any human, hence never appearing again. Some say that there's a master/servant relationship between the two... Unknown who is the master and who is the servant.'
'The more romantic ones ever affirm that they are in a more deep relationship. Needed to remember that The Nameless One embodies all sins and desires, Lust being one of them... Would not be a surprise that Solomon bedded him and offspring to be born from such union, giving a fraction of humanity the potential to magic...'
'...I believe that the two are similar in their own way. They courageously rose from nothing and reached such heights. It's almost prepotent to believe that a demon like the Nameless One would even have a shred of humanity, but their compatibility and consequently relationship, could be a result of the similarities that the Nameless One saw on Solomon.'
I continue to read... There are a lot of theories about them. Solomon never founded or jumpstarted a school of magic, but many studied through her ancient texts. She simply one day disappeared seemingly in thin air...
I sigh "She is fucking alive..." I say with certain
'Hell is not that unknown to us, that delve in the Mystic Arts. But even after thousands of years we never found the territory where the Nameless One inhabits. This leaves only one option...' I read
'He must be on The Abyss. The void and darkness that separates Hell from THAT other dimension, where people theorize that creatures more vile than demons inhabit. Or maybe he went even further? Did his hunger for power made him crosse the Abyss to reach Bellow??? Did he succeed? Did he fail? It's probable that we never know...'
I can only sigh again.
This story is interesting, I can't help but be interested in it.
But how fucking deep goes the Iceberg of Magic in the Marvel Multiverse?
"And this is one of many dangers of the Magic Side, right?" Cortana asks from my chest.
She saw the many books describing demons, monsters, entities, gods, Spirits, and other dimensions. So she knows the reason I'm paranoid.
"Yeah... But enough of lore, the crux is this." I show her some magic circles and symbols of the Keys of Solomon "Thanks to Omnilinguism I can read all of them. Magic, Cortana... It's very similar to Computer Programming. If I understand..."
"You can disrupt." She concludes "You're fast enough to destroy whatever magic anyone can conjure halfway."
"Yeah, but these guys have years and years of experience. Will not be easy to interfere with someone's life's work, especially in battle."
"But is a start."
"Exactly. That's why I'm studying this, find the common ground, the linchpin, so that I can deal with any bullshit these demon guys throw at me."
"Don't overdo it."
*Haah* I can only sigh at her.
It's really hard to argue with the people who only want what is the best for you
"I had this talk with Isabella once... It feels wrong to me to slack off." I say "All this power, if I lose to someone just because I was lazy, I could very well kill myself."
.......
"I looked her up and down And said girl you look fine~
Then she pulls out a penis that is twice the size of mine~ IHA~"
Cortana: "..."
"What?"
"...Nothing."
"Women... Now that I stopped studying and I'm simply relaxing, you still find something to complain about." I click my tongue playfully and continue to play sus songs
She rolls her eyes at me and decides to start small talk, probably to stop me from playing and consequently destroying my dignity "How is Cassandra going?" She asks
"Oh yeah, this world makes it hard for you to be omniscient... It's because of this that you're cranky?" I tease. Seeing her annoyed face I laugh "She is in one of the islands on Paradise, the first part of the Grandline, just saved a village and is being rewarded with some food and candy by some old ladies." I laugh while using my powers to peek at her
I finally let her out to stretch her wings. She can go anywhere except certain islands like Alabasta and Fishman Island, because I want to visit them together.
.......
*Flashback*
Earlier
I interrupted her training and ordered her to go around and have fun.
"The Journey ahead can be dangerous to go alone, take this!" I said while presenting Rover to her, I was holding him by his armpits
"*Woof*"
"..."
Then after I give her some money and log poses she sets off.
Even my mantle followed her.
........
"I'm surprised that you're letting her on her own..." Cortana comments
"C'mon, I'm not that much controller." I say
"No, more like... Overprotective."
"Well, she and Rover are strong enough to escape even if she is jumped by the Admirals." I shrug "And I will be warned if something bad happens. And I'm enjoying seeing her growth."
"Very mature of you, Master." She says "But you're acting like an old man already." She jokes
I laugh "Well, my soul is ancient. So maybe is simply right that I act like that." And maybe the assimilations destroyed any chance of me having immature/normal teenage years.
It's sad when I think about it. That's one of the things that I lost because of my power. Meh, every power has a price... It's still cheap.
"But seriously, I recently discovered that I pretty much enjoy seeing my people grow strong. Like with Saeko... Seeing her reaching and pursuing her full potential. Helping her do that. It's as much as enjoyable as getting stronger myself." I say
Strange, huh?
I continue "In the past, I was a little more... Greedy and individualist? Like... I want Every power, power system, magic, item, all to me and only to me. Sharing is losing! Blah, blah, blah!" I make an act of frantically grabbing things close to me.
"Heh" After a laugh, I recline myself again on my hammock and finger some notes "In the future, I will probably have to do nothing while I leave my people to do all the work. What a lazy future I see ahead... Hm, maybe I should appreciate it now." I say to myself, with a pensive expression.
"..." Cortana eyes me "No practicing with your powers." She declares
"But... But is fun..." I argue weakly
"..." She raises one eyebrow
Would be more intimidating if she was not in her cute chibi form.
"Whatever..." I shrug again before turning to receive a drink from Right "Thanks, my lovely robot." I say to her accepting the drink.
Right and Left are those twin ballerina Russian robots that I gained through the Gacha.
They are hybrids Character/Item like Cortana so I could bring them into my inventory without using a card.
"..." Cortana narrows her eyes catching me staring at the jiggling metal of Right retreating backside.
I mean... You can't blame me... Eh, it's metal and it's jiggling.
Thank you brothers of the Dystopian Future Russia. You are comrades. I salute them on my mind.
"Are you jelly?" I poke her chubby face with a finger using a teasing smile.
She harrumphs while turning her face away, crossing her small arms too.
Tch, she is too cute~! Ma kokoro~
"I can have a body like that too..." She says in a whisper
But obviously I heard it "And the fact you didn't have it is your own choice, right?" I smile at her
"..." Against this, she can't argue.
We already had the technology and materials to make all types of bodies for Cortana but she is delaying it.
And she is doing it on her own too.
Something about being a surprise to me.
I sneaked a peek at the early drafts, she was creating multiple bodies. A very humanoid one, one that is battle-oriented and looks like a mecha, and a multitude of others.
"We even have a good example with the Twins body. You could've made it already." I tease her
"..." She doesn't answer.
Maybe is some sort of technological pride or whatever.
"I just want the best body for you, Master..." She whispers again weakly. I think she is blushing too.
"..." I pause. That's the thing... Cortana way of thinking is very similar to humanity but is not the same.
She is too foreign, and doesn't have the same concepts.
She is an A.I..
She is too passive for my own good. Okay then...
"I see..." I say to her and put everything else aside and look her deep into her eyes. "You like me, right? I mean... Forget it. Would be a little coward to ask first."
After a sigh, I start again "Be my woman." I decided to be direct
"...What?"
"At least you didn't laugh..." I chuckle "Sorry if came off too strongly, but I think that are the best words to say. I like you, Cortana. Yes, you're a totally different existence and yes it's complicated... And because of that I simplified and asked you to be my 'woman'." I say seriously
The more in-depth reason is that he wants to deal with Vander Decker, Shirahoshi's stalker.
He has an interesting Devil Fruit, that when he touches someone, he "registers" the person with that hand. And if he throws something with that same hand, the thing will always go to the registered person.
Like a super homing skill.
Hector walking around with Shirahoshi is to make him jealous, so that he can locate the guy easily. He can't be bothered searching for such a small fry when he knows the guy will reveal himself.
And because he wants to kidnap a princess who is locked in her room too.
"It's a man romance..." he mutters to himself.
As expected, it was easy to trick... Convince the naive and young princess.
"Listen here, Shirahoshi... I'm the strongest. Don't worry." He says pointing to himself
"Wuuuuh~ It's not only that!" Se mutters sobbing "People are looking at us, strangely" She says
Hector looks around to notice some residents of Fishman Island looking at them in suspiciously and whispering to each other.
"Heh~" He laughs "Just act confident. You can enter any place with a ladder, after all." He says and starts pulling her by the giant bubble that makes her and her pet Shark float.
She is still young and can't separate her tail in feet yet.
"To where you want to go?" Hector asks suddenly.
"Eh? Hmmm~" She looks all indecisive, looking around and blushing. Not sure at what to say, maybe searching for an answer
Hector decides to help her out "There isn't any place that you SHOULD go?" He asks slowly.
Her short-cuited brain clicks and she nods in sudden realization.
"My mother..." She mutters softly
The poor girl couldn't ever visit her mother's tomb because of the threat of her stalker.
.......
Hector's group respectfully pays their respects to Otohime's grave together with Shirahoshi.
At some point, Hector needed to stop Rover from eating Shirahoshi's pet shark, but all went well.
"So let's go." Hector point forward
"To where?" Shirahoshi asks, she looks calmer now
"Whatever... To whenever the currents take us..." Hector shrugs and walks ahead. Letting the girls talk among themselves to socialize
.......
"Is this the princess?" Shyarly, a big shark mermaid, asks raising her eyebrow while Looking at Hector's group that barged into her shop.
"No..." Hector answers with a deadpan face
"..."
Shyarly is a fortune Teller and Hector is here to test her abilities.
'No explanation to this ability of hers... By the way...' He thinks 'But more importantly...'
"Why is she a tall-big-tiddy-goth-shark-mermaid-mommy-with-short-hair????" He punches the ground in frustration "Are you testing me Odaaa??" He shouts to the sky
It's like a lot of his fetishes are coalesced in her.
"..." People look at him weirdly but he doesn't care.
He is entitled to eccentricities in this world.
The girls go first, receiving their fortune-telling after Hector convinces Shyarly.
Cassandra received one that she would be happy by following the wind and staying under a tree or something, but would be truly happy after confronting her past.
Saeko received an ominous one saying that she will not be capable of supporting a mountain on her shoulders and will be crushed if she try. She should climb it or something.
Shirahoshi's one is special... Shyarly expression changes and talks about the sea rising up to touch the sun or something, destroying Fishman Island in the process.
The sun, the moon, whales, trees, the sea... All of this has great significance. It's all connected with the Ancient Kingdom.
Shirahoshi is one of the Ancient Weapons... Poseidon.
'Will she play a part in the final war? Almost obviously.' Hector thinks
Then it's Hector's turn...
He moves to Shyarly and smiles roguishly at her.
"So... What are the laws about mermaids and humans having relationships around here?" He asks
"..." She takes a drag on her long pipe while eyeing him. She looks like the serious and unflippable type, ignoring his flirting.
"I met your brother in Impel Down... How the two of you are related is beyond comprehension." Hector looks afflicted "But I can bear having him as my brother-in-law. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." He puts his hand over his chest righteously
She raises an eyebrow at him, trying to look unimpressed, but Hector can notice the micro-expressions and sees that she is holding off a smile just to not give him the satisfaction.
"Let's get over it already." She blows some smoke at him.
Surprise to her, he has the Smoke Fruit powers and sucked it before blowing it again at her, in a heart shape.
Thanks to his perk to customize powers, he can make it smell really good.
"..." Now she can't say if she is annoyed at this brat or impressed.
Hector just kept smiling infuriatingly at her.
Saeko simply shakes her head in amusement, she doesn't mind Hector flirting with other women. They talked about this. She knows that he is not serious and if he was, he would talk to her first. In truth, strangely she feels a certain sense of pride seeing the effect he has on other women. Maybe she is really weird.
Deciding to not say anything more she goes to her Crystal ball.
And this is where things can get interesting.
At this moment Hector decides to employ a certain tactic he studied by the orientation of the Ancient One.
How does Fortune Telling work? A certain person will read your fortune/destiny and predict your future, more or less... The keyword here is "read".
The fortune Teller "reads" the person's aura, mind, lifelines, past, personality, and all sorts of things to narrow down in a possible and very probable future.
The fortune teller "reads" the person...
Bringing to the scientific side would be the same as running simulations based on the person's personality and past actions to predict how he will act.
Hector in the past was surprised when certain powers worked on him even after all the defenses that he raised on his mind. Those two X-men kids could copy his skillset(a little) and manifest his fears!
Rogue's power could read the surface of his mind and Guess his personality.
Something that shouldn't be possible after he shuts down his mind to the world.
But as the Ancient One explained to Hector, if you live you're always leaking somethin... Thoughts, life force, karma...
The mere act of walking will displace the air around you, even if you don't notice. You look behind you, you make no sound, leave no footprints... But you left some heat, breathed some oxygen, and other very small things.
It's the same thing, but more... mystic.
Unless you go completely still, and cease all of your body functions, you always leave traces.
When someone seeks a real fortune-teller, he always receives a prediction of the thing the person wants, more or less. The reason because the person has that topic in mind.
The person is unintentionally broadcasting his thoughts and intentions, and these are reflected in the prediction.
Saeko and Cassandra's predictions could be an example of that.
It's not hard to guess that Cassandra has unfinished business with her traumatic past, so Shyarly sees related things in the future.
And Saeko has some sort of inferiority complex and doesn't want to burden Hector and be worthy of him, a worry on the back of her mind that is always constant.
Then Shyarly probably saw some event where this worry will cause trouble.
Shirahoshi's case should be a little more special... A person with great destiny... This destiny should take precedence in whatever is on the mind of the 13-year-old girl. Hence, it appeared on the prediction.
Now, what Hector will do?
With his defenses... Mind Palace... Willpower and many other resources.
He will try to manipulate the fortune-telling.
Instead of trying to erase his presence completely, something that even the Ancient One said took years for him to do, he will try to confuse Shyarly's power.
Sitting in front of Shyarly, Hector smiles while he controls his mind space and brings only what he wants to the front of his mind. His aura moves in accordance with these thoughts, and his emotions too... Even some related powers started acting up.
His gaze is fixed on Shyarly while he broadcasts his thoughts to the ones who can perceive them.
Manipulating Shyarly fortune telling to her to see a future related to what he is thinking...
"...!" Shyarly frozes in shock.
Her smoking pipe falls from her mouth.
"You... you..." A rare blush colors her pale cheeks "Your filth animal! No! Never! Doing... Those things... Shameful... Uncouth!"
Her gaze shifts from her crystal ball to his face, heating emanating from her features.
"All human males are beasts!! Your pervert!!"
And she swims away in her bubble, practically running from him.
"..." Everyone stares at Hector in disbelief.
Hector on his part... laughs.
"What did you do?" Saeko asks slowly
"Haha. Well... I was curious about my love life... Only that..." he smiles lightly while rising to his feet "But seeing her flustered is worth it."
.......
"Hector-sama..." Shirahoshi calls him while they walk around a path filled with colorful corals "The palace must be worried..." She says weakly, but worried on her own.
"..." Hector pauses "Don't worry. Don't you think that they would be following us already? They probably know that I took you and let that happen." Hector says without Looking at her
"Oh! I see~ That's makes sense." She smiles and stops worrying about it.
"..." Hector continues to keep a straight face
.......
On the palace
*Clank*
"This detestable barrier!!"
"Let's us go!!'
"We need to find Shirahoshi!!!"
The people of the palace attack with all their might the barrier caging them inside the palace.
......
'I will apologize later...' Hector thinks before he suddenly looks at the distance
"Finally... I was almost actively searching for you." He says with a roll of his eyes before disappearing from his spot and appearing above Shirahoshi
*Boom*
With a punch, he destroys the mast of a ship that was flying in Shirahoshi's Direction.
Shirahoshi screams in surprise while splinters of wood explode in all directions.
"Relax..." Hector pats the giant mermaid's head "I'm going destroy your stalker now." He says to reassure her.
In the next instant, like going back in time, the mast reforms itself and starts going back from where it came from.
Hector hops on it and flies away "I will meet you guys later!" He waves at them
.........
After dealing with Vander Decken and copying another interesting Devil Fruit Hector is slowly coming back to where his group is staying.
Apparently, they are resting on a Clearing, but Hector notices another presence together with them. A familiar presence.
Hector appears already greeting the newcomer "Long time no see, Jimbe."
"Did you kidnap the princess?" Jimbe turns to him fast and in exasperation
"Yes." Hector doesn't deny it this time "But I dealt with her stalker, now she can live properly."
"...serious?" Jimber asks curiously
"I can't take his head out with a little girl watching..." Hector deadpans in a whisper and signals with his eyes to Shirahoshi.
With her personality, the girl would probably feel guilty about the death of the man.
"Well, we're going now... Bye." Hector acts dismissively towards the First Son of the Sea. He really doesn't care much about Jimbe.
"Wait a little, Hector-san!" Jimbe calls him, making him stop.
Hector slowly turns around, looks Jimbe in the eye and says "No, can't do. Sorry." And takes everyone away and disappears faster than Jimbe can react. "By the way. Hody Jones... Capture him." Hector instructs, but gives no further explanation
Hector can guess what Jimber is trying to ask.
It's probably about the protection of Fishman Island.
In Canon, Jimbe accepted the invitation to the Big Mom pirates after the dissolution of the Whitebeard pirates.
It's common for people to kidnap fishman and mermaids, so a layer of protection of one of the Yonkos is essential. Especially because they can't deal with the World Government while the Tenryuubito slave their people.
And after Jimbe went against the Marines in the Marineford War.
But Hector's time in this world is limited. Luckily without Blackbeard and with Ace alive, the Whitebeard pirates can rise again to the level of Yonko's crew.
........
A day later
"Oh, you're Lucky Shirahoshi. Just the time to see the Sunset." Hector says while he groups emerge from the sea.
Hector makes a cloud for them to float and to slowly enjoy the scenery.
"So that is the sun?" Shirahoshi asked amazed "So it's orange."
"It's more shiny during noon. It's almost night... At least you will see the stars and moon." Hector explains "That's Sabaody, by the way. But sorry I can't take you there today." Hector points to the Archipelago in the distance while they float away
"Oh..." She looks a little disappointed in not going there but she cheers herself up almost immediately" It looks lively" She notices the lights of the amusement park, her eyes sparkling.
"Yeah... But not everything that shines is gold..." Hector says solemnly before he decides to not explain further the ugliness of humanity. She feels a little bad about the fact she can't enjoy something so simple.
But in the end, he lets things to be solved by the residents of this world and Luffy, probably.
"Let's enjoy the moment" He lies down on the fluffy cloud, his arm behind his head "You Father and brothers will chew me up later, but that's a problem to Hector from the Future. I envy and pity that guy..." He jokes with a smile before relaxing.
"hm?" Shirahoshi looks at him confused by his words.
"Just lie down and enjoy~," Hector says lazily and taps his side.
Shirahoshi also lies down beside him, but she is so big that casts a shadow over him.
Hector sideglances her...
'Should I lie down on her stomach?' He thinks, not having lewd thoughts at all. He is simply curious 'Nah, the Omnidimensional FBI will not listen to my excuses...' He jokes on his mind before closing his eyes again.
"Hector-sama?" Shirahoshi calls him "Are you sleeping?"
"Yes..." He answers
"Oh..." And she doesn't speak further
"..."
"..."
"What is it, Shirahoshi?"
"Thank you for bringing me here." She says gratefully "And for allowing me to visit my mother... And for dealing with the bad guy..." She continues, she loses her battle against her tears and ends up crying
"Shh, shh, shh~ There, there~ Stop it." Hector pats her giant arm with his hand "I didn't do much. Everyone deserves a childhood..." He says slowly
His thoughts, complicated.
......
Saeko walks through the streets of the city of Zou.
She always marvels at the different types of people that she can encounter when she follows Hector. The Mink tribe, the race of anthropomorphic animals is just another nice surprise.
Hector told them that they were cool, loyal, and friendly.
And it's true.
"Garchu, Saeko-san." Carrot, Saeko almost laughs at the obvious name, is a bunny mink and she greets Saeko while rubbing her cheek on hers
"Garchu, Carrot..." Saeko greets with a warm smile
"Garchu!" Wanda, a canine warrior mink also greets Saeko
"Garchu... Where is Hector?" Saeko asks after the greetings
"He is with Inuarashi-sama. Let me accompany you to them." Wanda offers.
They walk through the friendly city while talking about their life.
Saeko greets other Mink, but respectfully denies some others
"Sorry, but is not right to get too close to another man." Saeko raises her hand to stop a male mink from greeting her.
She knows that he doesn't have any second intentions, but even so, she can't.
"Is this a human thing?" Carrot asks curiously. The minks accept the difference in customs easily enough.
"Yes, our... males can be very territorial." Saeko says with a laugh "And it's a sign of respect from the female to abstain as much as contact with other males as she can while with her partner. Especially, when her partner is not close..." She can't help but find funny how she is explaining it
"Ohh" Wanda and Carrot nod seriously
"So you and Hector-dono are really partners. I knew it! By the smell, I mean..." Carrots pump her first in certain.
"Yes..." Saeko debates herself if she should explain more, but their relationship is so complicated that it can't be a rule.
At this moment some children come at them running
"Wuuuah! Wanda!!" They run and hug Wanda's legs with scared faces
"What is this? Future Beast Warriors can't cry that easily." She smiles softly at them, trying to make them must some courage
"*Sniff* It's... it's the furries, Wanda!!!" One kid cries her eyes out
Saeko's eye twitches hearing the word, she can guess what happened already... And the culprit.
"The furries?" Wanda asks confused
"Yes, yes! Hector-oniisan said that the furries are the enemies of the Mink Tribe!!"
"And that their favorite meals are children!!!"
Saeko facepalms. "Let's go pull Hector's ear." She says with a shake of her head
.......
"Ouch~ Inuarashi-san, protect me." Hector cries out while Saeko pulls him from above Inuarashi's neck.
Hector was cuddling with the giant dog mink. Again, it was nothing anything weird... He is just a dog person.
He falls to the ground after Saeko unceremoniously pulls him by the ear. Inuarashi laughed at their interaction.
"Okay, let me explain." He starts
But Saeko cuts him off "Why scare the children?" She crosses her arms and eyes the little children behind Wanda's legs.
"I didn't... I was just trying to make them behave by saying that the furries would come to eat them." He defends himself "But don't worry, kids. I swear that I will protect you from the furries." Hector gives them a thumbs-up with a big grin
"..."
"What are the furries?" Carrot asks innocently
"Bad people that shouldn't exist... They disguise themselves like you guys... They are fatherless because they get rid of him by sheer disappointment. They spent important things like money, time, and their dignity in a quest to embarrass themselves by becoming what they were not. They justify their desire to abuse the ones that can't consent using victimism and-" Hector says without missing a beat, making claws with his hand and a scary face to the kids. His eyes glowing red, his teeth pointy and his long tongue wriggling out of his mind like the devil...
*Pah* Saeko slaps his head, making him stop
.......
Saeko P.O.V
Wano, Another Day
"This is really refreshing..." I breathe out the atmosphere of this country.
Like Japan in the past. A very nice place and I would love to live here... Or it should be like that.
I can only enjoy the atmosphere because the air and the land are... poisoned is the best word for it.
Hector allowed me to walk around like a ronin, to fulfill my fantasies while he went somewhere. I think he is storing all the genetic material that he collected in the last few days.
So here I am, in samurai garbs, sword on the hip, and walking around feudal Japan. Edo period maybe...
"You all really don't need to thank me." I say to the old people in this small village, Ebisu.
I just happened to defeat some people who were harassing some children who were collecting herbs or plants nearby.
The kids insisted to me to follow them here.
The small town/village is incredibly poor. There's really a Tyrant here, I will try to convince Hector to help all of them.
But Hector said that he doesn't want to interfere too much, if he defeats the Tyrant, doesn't mean that things will change. He will not stay to manage this country after all...
I will try at least... The final say will be his, but he is not as bad as he thinks he is.
I mean, look at these people... They are very optimistic even if they live in horrible conditions. They are laughing all the time.
"So you here, Saeko." I turn around after hearing Hector's voice
To fit the atmosphere, he is also using samurai clothes. He told me that it was from a Yone guy.
It's a setting of white and black samurai clothes, with Half-length sleeves, his chest is exposed and he is wearing a belt of huge beads draped on his waist, and a waist cape covering his pants.
To my surprise, he is carrying a small girl on her shoulders. She is cute, even if she is wearing a patched kimono.
Following them, there's a lion-like creature... Wait, it's a Komainu! So here there are even these beasts of myths?
"This is Tama, Saeko. And the one behind us is her pet, Komachiyo." Hector introduced us.
The girl waves her hand at me "You're so pretty, Onee-san."
"Fufu. Tama-chan is more cute." I smile at her.
For some reason, Hector pauses seeing the city, his face strange...
"Oh~ Hehe, so you're this little missus boyfriend? Haha, You're a lucky man, I will tell you." A friendly old lady approaches Hector and pulls him by his sleeve and makes him sit at my side on this bench. He puts Tama on his side.
"..." Hector is strangely silent
"Haha! Here, kozou. I just finished boiling this water. It's safe to drink!" Another old lady delivers him a broken cup while laughing.
"..." Hector absentmindedly takes the cup and stares at it without drinking
I'm almost asking what is wrong when I hear him talking to himself
"Isn't it too early? They already made the Smiles..." Hector says slowly, still staring at the water
"...!" Then I notice...
...He is angry.
My eyes widen seeing that. It's a rare scene after all.
Shego-san and the others commented that it happened before, but that was the first time that I'd seen him getting angry. Not annoyed, but angry.
He is completely and absolutely still. His eyes are fixed staring ahead, his jaw is clenched. The main signal is the veins popping off under his skin. Going from his neck till his jaw, on his temple, on his forearms holding the cup...
This reminds me of a talk we had in the past.
......
"I always thought that that anime thing with the eyes glowing, the teeth becoming pointy and the nails growing in claws when a character gets angry was bullshit. An easy-to-understand representation to the readers..." Hector comments looking down on me that just was thrown on the ground after a spar.
He is making small talk, waiting for me to catch my breath.
"But is not... It's happened to me and I didn't even notice. The girls that alerted me later." He says "It's like... Your body is responding to your mood and getting ready for violence." He tries to explain while he puts his fingers on his chin
"Powers have a certain level of will... Especially animal-based powers. So it's not weird that my body changes to accommodate what my body is expecting that I will do, or I want to do."
"My nails growing in claws, heat vision activated, muscle mass increased..." He says "It happens with normal people too. The adrenaline pumps your muscles. It's more obvious with someone with powers... But is a more normal response than some would think."
"I have so many powers, it's hard to keep them in check. I really need a pat on my back for my self-control." He laughs "One time, I was with my guard down because I was in the solitude of my lab. Thinking about the problematic people to kill... And my control slipped for a second. The lab became freezing cold in response to my killing intent. Mostly attributed to my ghost nature and my own personality... My element is water, by the way."
"So the great signal of me getting pissed is the veins popping off... They are the step bellow my body change in some other form, ready to some slaughter."
He looks ahead to the empty space "The fact it's only the veins and some changes on my eyes..." He nods to himself "I really deserve some praise. I'm almost a Buddha." He jokes
.......
And now it's happening.
Even I am tense. It's a natural response, but mainly because I don't know what made him so angry.
Thankfully, Hector is Hector. The calmest person I ever met. In the next instant, he is normal. His eyes are not threatening to change colors and the veins disappear.
But he is still completely unmove- Suddenly he downs the entire cup and drinks all of the content.
"Thanks for the water, Oba-chan." He smiles warmly at the Old Lady.
He turns to Tama "Tama, can I have one of your hats?" he asks out of the blue.
The question confuses even me.
I turn to see that in the back of the Komainu, a bunch of Kasa, hats made of straw are there. Does she sell it?
"Of course, Aniki! You helped me early!" Tama smiles at him brightly.
Hector gives her a smile on his own "Thanks." He extends his hand and a hat flies to him "But I don't have money right now. Can I pay you later?" He says while holding the hat
"?" What is he saying?
"You don't need to pay anything, Aniki!" Tama shakes her hand and head in denial
"I insist..." Hector says slowly while standing up "Oba-chan..." He waves his hand and in a flash of green light a bunch of food appears on the street "This is for the water."
Everyone's eyes and mouth go agape seeing the amount of food that can only be carried by a truck.
The people start going for the food and celebrating. Some ask Hector if is okay. Some say that is too much.
Everyone is laughing though, some crying amidst their laughs.
"The fees increase the value of the water a million percent for a second Oba-chan. I will give you the rest later." Hector smiles at her
He turns to me, and his smile slowly disappears "Saeko... Let's go."
I obey and rise to my feet "To where?"
"We still need to pay for the hat..." He says slowly "Let's liberate the country of Wano." He says with his voice tight, looking at the horizon.
Without a doubt, he is glaring at the perpetrators from here.
I can feel a big smile blooming on my face, I'm sure that these people just felt a chill on their spine.
"I was waiting for you to say this." I answer
Hector's control must have slipped again because his eyes are glowing red and his pupils become slits. I breathed out and saw mist forming from it... It's cold.
"Fuck the plot. Let's kill Kaido and Orochi."
..........
A.N.: Ahoy
We are approaching the end of this arc.
Kaido and a last surprise and we can end. That's the main things.
I'm really delaying the meeting with Vegapunk because I want to know more of the actual arc. Damn, that Devil Fruit from the Gorosei. And the past of Kuma.
Fun Fact: In this topic, Bonney would be one of the girls that Hector would have "involved" himself more deeply. But my senses are tingling and I'm thinking that she is a child that uses her Devil Fruit to appear adult...
Omnidimensional FBI is no joke.
We get a little naughty with Cortana and before you guys say that I'm playing favorites. Saeko's time was very generic, not worth writing. Cortana's A.I sex looks more interesting and new...
As a side note, I was reading Record of Ragnarok and Apollo is a cool guy.
It's fun that his whome gimmick is self-improvement and "Know thyself"when this arc that I'm writing is about it too.
Apollo cclimbed to the top of the list of cards to be gained from the Record of Ragnarok world after that. Surpassing Buddha, Adam and Beelzebub.
Bye, bye... Till next time.
i will try program my time better and be preared to inconveniences.
Stay good.