One Piece: Lost in the Tutorial #74

Double Six, Shachi, and Bepo sprinted through the deserted streets of Flevence, their hearts pounding in unison with the urgency of their mission.

The once-prosperous island, now a crumbling relic of its former glory, loomed around them. Ruined stalls and stands dotted what used to be the bustling market square, now reduced to haunting echoes of the past.

As they rounded the corner, the trio skidded to a halt. In the center of the square stood Kiera, her cowboy hat casting a shadow over her cold, determined eyes. Beside her, Penguin knelt on the ground, a gun pressed against his head. The sight made their blood run cold.

"Welcome," Kiera greeted them with a chilling smile, her voice dripping with malevolence. She tossed a small box towards them. "Seastone cuffs. Shachi, put them on, or I'll put a bullet in his head."

Penguin's eyes widened in desperation. "Don't do it!"

Shachi clenched his fists, his gaze shifting to the sky as he considered their options. He then exchanged a meaningful look with Bepo, a silent understanding passing between them.

With a heavy sigh, Shachi stepped forward, bending down to pick up the box.

"I'll comply," Shachi said, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside. "Just keep your word."

Kiera's smile widened, a glint of triumph in her eyes. "Hurry up."

Shachi opened the box, revealing the seastone cuffs inside. As he reached for them, he felt the debilitating effects of the seastone immediately. His strength began to ebb away, making it difficult to even hold the cuffs.

With trembling hands, he struggled to lock them around his wrists. The moment they clicked into place, he collapsed to his knees, barely able to stay upright.

"Good," Kiera said, satisfaction evident in her tone. "Now we can get this--"

She paused mid-sentence, her attention drawn to Double Six, who was standing with a perplexed look on his face.

"Where are my handcuffs?" Double Six asked, his voice carrying an almost innocent curiosity.

Kiera's brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"You didn't bring seastone cuffs for me?" Double Six repeated, his tone genuine. "How are you going to capture me then?"

Kiera's grip on the gun tightened, a flicker of confusion crossing her face. "I don't need cuffs for you... your devil fruit power is annoying, but that's all."

Double Six tilted his head. "But that’s not fair. How do you know I won't be a problem?"

Kiera's eyes narrowed, her patience wearing thin. "Are you an idiot?" she questioned her tone a mix of exasperation and bewilderment. "You do realize seastone cuffs would make you very weak and unable to use your devil fruit powers don't you?"

She lowered her gun and rubbed her forehead, clearly bemused, and in that brief moment of distraction, Bepo sprang into action.

Raising his head to look at the full moon in the sky, his body began to transform as he charged at Kiera. By the time he closed the distance, he was already in his Sulong form, his eyes shrunk and blood red in color.

His body inflated, and his fur overflowing with Electro sparks, Bepo swiped at Kiera's arm, and although she reacted quickly and jumped back, he still managed to scratch her wrist, forcing her to let go of her gun.

Kiera scrambled to regain her footing, but Bepo was relentless and surprisingly quick. He swung a powerful paw, sending her sprawling backwards.

As Kiera struggled to regain her balance, Bepo quickly grabbed Shachi and leaped back to join the others. Penguin smiled bitterly, turning to Double Six. "Your act was pretty good."

Double Six gave him a strange look. "What act? I was just feeling left out because Kiera didn't get me anything."

Everyone face-planted. Even Bepo looked at Double Six like he was an idiot. Penguin was the first to gather his bearings. "What should we do now? We managed to land a hit thanks to surprising her, but she won't fall for the same trick again."

Shachi nodded, wincing as he struggled against the effects of the seastone cuffs. "We won't be able to land another hit on her with her speed. I might be able to keep her in check if I could use my powers, but I can't with these cuffs."

Double Six scratched his head, looking genuinely confused. "I don't really understand what's going on, but if the problem is with the handcuffs, I can lockpick them easily."

Penguin and Shachi exchanged glances, a spark of hope igniting in their eyes. Bepo nodded, understanding their silent agreement. "Do it quickly, Double Six."

Double Six moved with surprising deftness, producing a set of lockpicks from his pocket. He crouched beside Shachi and began working on the cuffs. "Just hold still for a moment."

Meanwhile, Kiera was regaining her footing, her eyes blazing with fury. "You think you can beat me with cheap tricks? I'll show you what real power is."

Penguin stepped forward, trying to buy Double Six some time. "We don't need tricks to beat you. We're stronger than you think."

Kiera smirked, her eyes narrowing. "Let's see about that."

Double Six's fingers worked quickly, the lockpicks dancing in his hands. "Almost got it..."

Suddenly, Double Six's palm brushed against the seastone cuffs, and his body went limp, collapsing onto Shachi's legs. "Oops, hold on... I'll get it this time."

Shachi groaned. "Double Six, hurry up!"

Bepo and Penguin sprang into action, charging at Kiera to keep her occupied. Kiera moved with incredible speed, but Bepo's powerful paws and Penguin's precise strikes kept her at bay.

Double Six, meanwhile, struggled to focus. He picked up the lockpicks again, only for his hand to slip and touch the cuffs once more, causing him to go limp again. "Damn it, these things are tricky!"

"Double Six, we're running out of time!" Penguin shouted, narrowly dodging a swift kick from Kiera.

Double Six gritted his teeth, determined. "Third time's the charm..."

Kiera lunged at Bepo, who blocked her with a powerful swipe. Penguin managed to strike back quickly, but Kiera was far too quick and careful this time, dodging the attack with a hair's breadth.

Double Six finally managed to avoid the seastone cuffs, the lockpicks clicking in the mechanism. "Got it!"

The cuffs fell from Shachi's wrists, and he took a deep breath, feeling his strength returning. "Thanks...."

Double Six grinned, panting slightly. "No problem. Now, let's get this over with."

Shachi stood up, his eyes locked on Kiera. "You won't get away this time."

Kiera laughed, her voice cold and mocking. "We'll see about that."

...

Back in Lvneel, Blake had made good on his promise and taken Sif out to hunt in the forest. Sif lay over the body of a deer she'd just caught, munching on it contentedly while Blake sat on the grass, leaning against a tree and playing his guitar. The melody filled the air, blending with the natural sounds of the forest.

Suddenly, Sif's ears perked up, and she turned her head to the sky. Blake noticed her reaction and stopped playing, his fingers stilling on the strings. He watched in puzzlement as Sif leapt into the air, her jaws snapping shut around a cubical object. She landed gracefully, presenting her catch to Blake.

"What you got there, girl?" Blake asked, his curiosity piqued as he approached her.

Sif opened her jaws, revealing a beating heart encased in a cube of gelatinous, transparent substance that seemed to preserve it perfectly. Blake took the cube from her and examined it closely. His eyes widened slightly when he saw his name written on the heart. He let out a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement.

"Well, look at that. Using Double Six's power to send the hearts extracted by Law to me... that's pretty smart..." Blake said, more to himself than to Sif. "I pity whichever pirate this heart belonged to though. They probably felt your teeth sinking into it."

Sif gave him a low growl, clearly losing interest in the heart as she returned to munching on her prey. Blake chuckled again and patted her on the head, his mind already racing with the implications of what he'd just received.

"In any case... I now have something to make those leeches back in town sweat. I just need to show them my progress, and they'll be forced to make a move..." Blake muttered, pausing as he turned to the sky and noticed several more hearts flying toward him.

"Hey, Sif. Wanna play fetch?"