One Piece: Lost in the Tutorial #65

Kiera's expression turned to shock. "What the hell do you mean?" she demanded.

Blake shrugged his shoulders and sat down, leaning back casually. "I was the son of a noble from Lvneel. When my parents died in a house fire some years ago, I was sold into slavery. I was passed around, bought and sold multiple times, until I ended up on the Cutthroat Pirates' ship. That's where I met Barnabas."

Kiera frowned, her eyes narrowing. "How did you kill my father?"

Blake looked at her steadily. "I wanted to be free of the Cutthroat Pirates. So, I waited and endured until I had a chance to report their presence to the Marines. When the opportunity came, I took it. The Marines ambushed us with three battleships, and in the ensuing battle, everyone died. My own survival was nothing but a stroke of luck."

Kiera gritted her teeth, her hands trembling with rage. Suddenly, she lunged at Blake, stabbing at his chest with her knife. But instead of piercing his flesh, the blade shattered upon impact, as if striking stone.

Blake sighed, scratching his head. "You just wasted a perfectly good knife...."

Kiera glared at him hatefully, her eyes burning with fury. She stabbed him again and again, each time with increasing desperation, but the blade continued to break apart until nothing was left but the grip.

Breathing heavily, she finally dropped the handle and sank to her knees, her expression twisting into anger and frustration. "Why won't you die?!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the small room.

Blake knelt down beside her, his expression softening. "I get it. You're angry, and you have every right to be. But we've already established you can't kill me... might as well find a way to move on."

Kiera looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mix of rage and despair. "How the hell am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to live with my mother's death unavenged?"

Blake sighed. "I've no idea... I'm not hypocritical enough to preach to you about revenge when I'm here to avenge the death of my own parents..." he trailed at the end of his sentence. "And thanks to you, I know exactly who I need to kill..."

Kiera's eyes widened in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Blake shrugged his shoulders. "The death of my parents happened around the time when Lvneel's royals started gathering money to pay off the Marines and have them hunt down the Cutthroat pirates...." he stated calmly as he stood up. "And it just so happens that my family's wealth went straight into their pockets..."

Kiera stared at him, a mix of emotions crossing her face. "So, what now? We both want revenge, but only you get to have yours?"

Blake stood up, extending a hand to her. "Well, I did call the Marines, but they wouldn't have come after the Cutthroat Pirates in such force if it weren't for the Lvneel's royal family breathing down their necks..." he declared with a grin. "The way I see it, we both have a bone to pick with the damned royals..."

"Do I look twelve years old to you?" Kiera hesitated, her pride and anger warring with the practicality of his words. Finally, she took his hand and stood up. "But you are right.... make no mistake, though, I'm only doing this to get my revenge. Once it's done, I will have your head someday..."

Blake nodded. "Fair enough. Let's take the royals down, then we'll settle our score."

Gritting her teeth and took a deep breath. "Deal."

...

The morning sun cast a warm glow over the ship as Law made his way to the upper deck. As he ascended, he immediately sensed a charged tension in the air. Blake was casually leaning on the railing, eating breakfast with a relaxed demeanor, while Kiera sat nearby, glaring daggers at him as she meticulously cleaned her guns.

The rest of the crew was giving them a wide berth, clearly wary of the palpable hostility between the two.

Law raised an eyebrow and approached Blake, who looked up and gave him a nonchalant smile. "Good morning, Law," he said, taking a bite of his bread.

"Morning," Law replied, his tone cautious. "What's going on here?"

Blake chuckled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oh, nothing much. Just a friendly breakfast with our new guest."

Kiera's glare intensified, and she muttered something under her breath as she continued to polish her guns.

Law glanced between the two, clearly unconvinced by Blake's explanation. "A 'friendly breakfast,' huh? And why does our guest look like she'd rather shoot you than sit here? In the first place, what is a bounty hunter doing on our ship?"

Blake shrugged, a mischievous grin forming on his face. "Well, you know how it is. She snuck into my room at night to take my head to the Marines and claim the bounty, she failed, we had a little chat, and as it turned out I had a hand in killing her father, and then she tried to kill me and failed again..."

Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Blake's grin lingered as he continued. "We talked a bit more, and as it turns out we both have a bone to pick with Lvneel's royal family so we're teaming up temporarily, nothing too crazy..."

Law sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is ridiculous, even for you, Blake-ya."

Blake grinned, leaning back against the railing. "Hey, you asked. Anyway, Kiera and I had a little chat last night. I figured the whos and whys about my parent's murder, and it all traces back to the royal family... it's a long and complicated story..."

He gave Kiera an amused look and continued. "The gist of it is Miss Bucket of Rainbows and Sunshine over there decided to team up, seeing as we both had a bone to pick with the royals..."

Kiera huffed, finally looking up from her guns. "I'm only doing this to get my revenge. Once it's done, I'll find a way to take your head."

Law gave her a measured look before turning back to Blake. "And you're okay with this?"

Blake nodded. "Yep. Her old man was a scumbag, but he did teach me a lot... I owe him this much, at least..."

Law sighed again in resignation, knowing better than to argue with Blake. He shook his head. "Alright, fine. Just try not to get yourself killed."

...

In front of the grand royal castle of Lvneel, a commotion was unfolding. An enraged noble, dressed in a pristine blue suit, was being held back by a group of royal soldiers.

The man, his face flushed with anger, waved his fist wildly in the air as he shouted, "You royals are nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothing bastards!"

The soldiers, struggling to restrain him, tried to silence him and drive him away, but the noble was surprisingly strong.

"Sir, the king has ordered us to remove you from the premises..." one soldier said, trying to push him away, yet Despite his best efforts, the stubborn noble remained rooted to the spot.

"You tricked us!" the stubborn bellowed, his voice echoing off the castle walls as he ignored the soldiers. "You said the entire Thorne family perished in that house fire when you ceased their properties, but if that were true, why is their son still alive and wanted as a pirate?"

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, their attempts to quiet the noble becoming more forceful. "The royal family must have banished the Thorne heir to seize their property and use it to pay off the Marines!" he accused, his voice growing louder with each word.

Fed up with his tirade, the soldiers drew their weapons, hoping to intimidate him into submission. "Sir... leave it at this and go home... it's the smart thing to do," one soldier said, pointing his rifle at him.

The noble refused to back down. "You soldiers are nothing but worthless mutts, blindly following the royal family's orders!" he spat, his eyes blazing with fury. "

One soldier, his patience finally snapping, his finger reaching for the trigger. But before he could fire, a shadow fell over him. The next moment, he was knocked off his feet, landing on his rear with a thud as a figure descended from the sky, landing right in front of him.