A Deal with the Devil Fruit User #39
Sitting in the corner of the room with his limbs bound and mouth gagged, Roshio drew a blank as he watched the two terrifying monsters happily counting their money as if they'd never tried to kill each other.
He didn't know whether to be more scared of the super freak capable of creating explosions from thin air or the handsome young man who seemed to be in charge somehow, evidenced by his significantly larger cut of the profits.
"Well, Gem... you are a disgusting human being, but it's been a pleasure doing business with you..." Cedric said, beaming as he finished counting the last stack of cash and put it into a briefcase.
"It's a devil fruit ability!" Gem exclaimed, clearly affronted by Cedric's words as he scowled with a vein bulging on his forehead. "Stop calling me disgusting!" He added.
"Will you stop throwing boogers at other people?" Cedric asked, leisurely picking his ear as he looked at Gem, causing the latter to blank. "Then you're a disgusting human being..." He added with a shrug, causing the bounty hunter to sigh.
"Whatever..." Gem said, shaking his head. "What will you do with this guy now...?" He asked as he gestured toward Roshio, prompting the pirate to gulp nervously.
"Ah... well, I haven't decided yet..." Cedric replied, and it was now his turn to sigh. "But I'll either turn him into the Marines myself or have someone take his head to them and claim his bounty..." He added, scratching his head.
"How are you going to hand him over yourself?" Gem asked with a frown, sounding genuinely confused. "Aren't you a wanted man? Even though the Marines here are incompetent, I don't imagine they'd welcome you into the branch with open arms..." He added as he lowered his shades and gave Cedric a skeptical look.
"I didn't say anything about handing him over here..." Cedric replied with a grin. "You see... I got screwed over by a bunch of corrupt marine officers, but I managed to cut a deal with someone..." He added, suddenly pausing as he turned to Roshio.
"Excuse me for a moment..." Cedric said, smiling as he stood up, walked to the pirate, and promptly knocked him out. "Anyway... supposedly, the Marines will clear me of the false charges if I bring this guy in and join their club," He added, gesturing toward the unconscious Roshio.
"Sounds like a pain in the ass... that's the Marines for you..." Gem said with a scoff, shaking his head. "Still... what do you intend to do...?" He asked, causing Cedric to raise an eyebrow.
"Why?" Cedric asked, giving the bounty hunter a once-over as he spoke. "Are you interested in following me or something?" He jokingly asked, chuckling as he shook his head.
"Well... I have considered crossing the Reverse mountain..." Gem replied after a bit of hesitation. "And I'd rather have reliable company... I heard the Grand Line is quite the outrageous place..." He calmly explained, much to Cedric's amusement.
"Would you happen to know how to navigate and steer a ship?" Cedric asked, and Gem merely shook his head. "Then there's no use talking about this now..." He added with a sigh.
"I came here hoping I'd find a competent navigator and gather enough money to buy a decent ship..." Cedric calmly explained. "But it looks like there's only one way for me to move forward..." He dismissively added as he got up and headed toward the unconscious Roshio.
"But I'll tell you what," Cedric said as he put a big hemp bag over the pirate's body. "I don't plan to to be a marine soldier for the rest of my life.. only a couple of years..." He added as he picked up Roshio as one would a bag of potatoes and put him on his shoulder.
"Once I get what I need out of the Marines..." Cedric said, smiling as he reached into his inner pocket and retrieved a sheet of paper. "You're more than welcome to tag along..." He added as he put the small note on a table and picked up the two briefcases with his money.
"Granted, you could achieve everything on this list..." Cedric said as he gestured at the paper with his chin. "Until then, try to stop throwing boogers at people..." He added as he headed for the exit.
"It's seriously disgusting..."
...
One day later
The Happy Squid
I couldn't help but sigh, holding a transponder snail in my hand as I looked at Roshio, who was locked up in the ship's brig. 'There's no use dragging my feet... might as well go through with it...' I mused, shaking my head as I dialed Rear Admiral Sicily's number.
I wasn't idle for the past day as I visited several information brokers and asked for any available navigator right after taking Roshio to the Happy Squid and giving Wayland his share of the profits.
I had already considered recruiting Gem once we finished the deal. He might be a disgusting bounty hunter who likes to flick boogers at people, but his devil fruit is decently powerful.
With enough training and creativity, I imagine Gem would become a force of nature, hence the paper with a list of objectives I had prepared beforehand and left for him when I departed.
To make a long story short, it was a list of ways he could use his devil's fruit and a bunch of objectives, such as joining the Baroque Works and climbing their ranks all the way up to Mr. One.
I didn't know whether he'd go for it, but I suppose only time would tell. If he did, then I'll have a reliable crew member. If not, then who cares?
In any case, Dalin (the tight-lipped bartender) suggested a couple of names, but none matched my preferences.
Those with any real navigation experience were too weak, and those with strength lacked the necessary experience and knowledge to navigate a ship through the Grand Line.
Ultimately, temporarily joining the Marines to gain the knowledge and experience I needed was the most optimal course of action, though I hated to admit it.
Plus, it would allow me to experience leadership as I climbed the ranks. I might be decently powerful, but there's more to being a pirate captain than brute strength. It required knowledge of the seas and leadership skills, which the current me sorely lacked.
I was a fast learner, and I probably won't need more than a year or two to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to start gathering a decent crew. Hopefully, I'll also be somewhere where I can better capitalize on my future knowledge by then.
"Hello, this is Rear Admiral Sicily speaking..." Suddenly, the rear admiral's voice came from the transponder snail, cutting my line of thought.
"Hello, sir. It's Cedric Strode..." I replied as I cleared my throat. "I have captured Roshio as you asked... I'm ready to hand him over and join the Marines..." I added, pausing as I waited for a reply.
"Hmm? You got him already, and he's alive?" The rear admiral remarked, seemingly surprised by my words.
"Yes, sir. I faced some unexpected trouble, but I managed to catch him..." I calmly replied. "How should I turn him in? I don't think the Marine soldiers would be happy to see me..." I added, scratching my head as I spoke.
"No, I imagine they wouldn't..." The rear admiral said with a light chuckle, trailing off at the end of his sentence. "There's a small marine branch on an islet south of Centaurea... take him there..." He added shortly after.
"I'll call to let them know you're coming and explain the situation..." The rear admiral said. "But don't expect a warm welcome either..." He added with a sigh, causing me to frown.
"They won't lock you up or anything of that nature, but they won't let you leave either..." The rear admiral explained without waiting for me to ask what he meant. "Not until I get official permission from Admiral Sakazuki..." He added.
"Not to worry though... I already spoke to the admiral..." The rear admiral said in a bitter tone. "He didn't agree, but the fleet admiral got wind of the situation and forced him to agree..." He added with a sigh.
"However, he wasn't happy about it, and that's why you shouldn't expect a warm welcome..." The rear admiral continued, and his tone was genuinely apologetic as he spoke. "But I'm sure he'll come around once you show him some results... " He added with a chuckle.
"Be on your way now... I have a few calls to make," Sicily concluded, promptly ending the call, much to my chagrin.
"Oh boy... I haven't joined the Marines yet, and I'm already on an admiral's bad side..." I muttered, palming my face in exasperation. "And of all the people... it had to be Akainu," I said, barely resisting the urge to punch a hole in the ship's hull and jump into the sea.
"This is going to suck... hard..."
...
Want more chapters? Then consider subscribing to my pat rēon. You can read ahead for as little as $1 and it helps me a lot!
-> (pat rēon..com / wicked132)
You can also always come and say hi on my discord server
-> (disc ord..gg / sEtqmRs5y7)- or hit me up at - Wicked132#5511 - and I'll add you myself)