One Piece: Lost in the Tutorial #60

"That's the good stuff," I muttered, letting out a contented sigh after taking a big gulp from the rum bottle in my hand. The bottle was part of our loot from the latest misadventure, swiped straight from Onigumo's captain's quarters right before we sank the ship. Naturally, alcohol wasn't the only thing we took; we plundered everything we needed from the cargo hold and the storehouse of the marine branch.

We scored detailed maps of many islands within the Grand Line, copies of logbooks from ships that had sailed all routes of the Grand Line, detailing what one should expect, and, most importantly, dozens and dozens of Eternal Poses, which were our primary objective.

It had been two weeks and several days since that raid, and while we should have been at our next destination by now, we encountered a slight problem due to turbulent weather, leading to a delay in our journey. 

Normally, a submarine wouldn't be affected by such weather, but that only seemed to apply to the real world, not this crazy, crazy one. 

This particular storm extended deep below the surface, creating raging underwater currents that threatened to pull the ship apart, forcing us to take cover on a small islet near the abandoned Flevence Island.

The storm delayed us for over a week, and it took a toll on some of our supplies, especially the alcohol, since we didn't have much else to entertain ourselves with during the downtime other than my guitar. 

But eventually, the tempest passed, leaving us to continue our journey. Currently, we were en route to Lvneel Island to restock on supplies before venturing into the Grand Line. Bepo, our ship's navigator, estimated that we would arrive in the next couple of days.

Speaking of Bepo, despite his seemingly timid demeanor and the chaotic state of his workspace, he was surprisingly adept at navigation. While he may not have been on Nami's level, he possessed a talent for charting courses that had proven invaluable to us. 

He did take the Heart Pirates all the way to the New World in the anime, and that was more than enough for me.

Moreover, he showed remarkable resilience, readily embracing my martial arts training with more enthusiasm than Law. But then again, that was to be expected from a Mink; their tribe boasted higher physical talent than humans, after all.

As I leaned on the railing, lost in thought, the sound of splashing water drew me out of my trance. Looking towards the horizon, I raised an eyebrow at the sight of a gigantic fish. Its scales, black as coal and gleaming with a metallic sheen, caught the sunlight as it jumped in and out of the water with incredible speed.

The sight caught Law's attention as well, and he walked up to me, fixing his gaze on the strange creature. "What a bizarre fish... I've never seen anything like it," he muttered to himself.

Watching his reaction, I couldn't help but grin. "It's called a reaper fish... a very rare creature. Though many have seen one or two swimming together," I said, my tone taking on a hint of seriousness. "Some say they herald the end of the world... a great rising of the tides that would sink all islands."

My grin widened as I noticed Law was giving me his full attention. "It's said you'd witness an unimaginable sight when six of them come together and swim in a line."

Law seemed skeptical but curious nonetheless. "Oh? And what kind of unimaginable sight would that be?" he asked, frowning.

I gave Law a wide, toothy grin and raised six fingers. "Six reaper fishes swimming together!" I declared, causing Law to stagger forward and eliciting several loud thuds behind us as others face-planted into the deck.

Law gave me a bemused look and shook his head. "You're an idiot..." he said, his tone matter-of-fact.

I laughed even harder at his words. "You should have seen your face! I was talking straight out of my ass, and you totally bought it! Bwahahaha!" I exclaimed, clutching my sides at the sight before me. Double Six, Bepo, Penguin Shachi, and even a tan-skinned woman I didn't recognize, all of them had their faces planted into the deck.

"That makes you the idiot if you ask me! Bwahahahaha...hahaha...ha..." I continued, my laughter gradually dying down as I scanned the faces of my crew. It took me a moment to realize there was one extra person on the ship.

Slowly blinking, I wondered if they were playing a trick on me, but the figure of the tan-skinned woman remained.

 She adjusted her black cowboy hat and stood up, her movements smooth and confident. Her black leather pants, adorned with silver studs, caught the sunlight, and the two guns strapped to her brown leather belt gleamed ominously. The rifle slung on her back looked well-worn, yet meticulously cared for.

With a practiced motion, she retrieved a stack of yellow papers from her satchel, glancing over them before scanning our faces with piercing, ice-blue eyes. Her expression was calm, almost amused, as she took in the sight of us, a ragtag group of pirates now frozen in curiosity and surprise.

I scratched my head, momentarily baffled, before addressing the woman. "Excuse me, lady... but who the hell are you?" I asked, my tone edged with curiosity and caution.

The woman looked at me with a wide grin. "The name's Kiera Flint. I'm a bounty hunter," she said, raising her cowboy hat in a casual greeting. "There's no need to be--" Her sentence was abruptly cut off as Penguin lunged at her from behind. 

With lightning reflexes, she leaped high into the air, legs spread wide, effortlessly evading Penguin's grasp and causing him to stumble and fall face-first with a slight push to the back of his head as she landed gracefully.

"As I was trying to say, I don't wa--" Kiera started again, only to be interrupted once more as Shachi charged at her, his hand turned into acid and swinging at her. Letting out a sigh of exasperation, she spun around him, deftly tripping him with a swift motion of her leg. 

Double Six attacked next, sending out two pebbles he retrieved from his pocket flying at the woman from a blind angle, and yet she still managed to avoid the attack, moving at an incredible speed. 

"If you just let me get--" she attempted to continue, yet Law interrupted this time, extending his hand. 

"Room!" he declared, forming a transparent dome that enveloped the deck. But before the Room could fully materialize, Kiera vanished from sight with astonishing speed. 

Everyone else missed it, but I caught a fleeting glimpse just before the Room formed—she moved like a blur, her form barely registered by my eyes as she scaled the mast to its very top to avoid being trapped by Law's technique.

As everyone frantically searched for her, I kept quiet about her whereabouts. Our eyes met, and she grinned mischievously before speaking up.

"That move looks dangerous, so you'll excuse me for talking down to you all from up here," she remarked, her voice ringing out to everyone on deck. 

"Like I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm not trying to pick a fight with ya'll," she declared, pausing to scratch the back of her head. "Well, it was my intention when I came here, but seeing as none of you have bounties, there's really no need," she added with a chuckle.

Law gripped his katana tightly, visibly tense and ready to escalate the situation. Sif echoed his readiness, growling low at the intruder. Bepo, however, seemed less eager for conflict, hiding behind me and watching the woman cautiously. 

I raised my hands calmly and addressed Law and Sif. "Relax, no harm was done," I said soothingly, sensing their tension ease reluctantly. Then, I turned back to the woman, curiosity evident in my voice.

"You seem pretty strong for a bounty hunter. Most are... well, let's say less impressive, from what I've seen and heard," I remarked with a grin, gesturing casually.

As the woman chuckled at my observation, she leaned casually against the mast. "Well, then let's just say I'm one of the exceptions. The cream of the crop, if you will," she quipped with a nonchalant shrug, her gaze sweeping over everyone present. 

"Ya'll ain't half bad either. You managed to follow my movements... and then there are three devil fruit users with troublesome powers, a mink, and a giant wolf..." Her voice trailed off as she focused on Penguin, unsure what to say about him. "And this guy..." she added, her tone hesitant.