One Piece: I have Hacks

[Plaguedromance]

Were finally off this rock!

 

[The Synonym]

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[Departure]
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...

Dan walked home with a slight hurry, his new sword clattering slightly against its unfitting scabbard.

As he walked, he lifted his head to stare at the moon, now at its peak, visible through the many leaves of the trees around.

"I'm still quite weak, aren't I?" he suddenly muttered, smiling wryly.

Despite all his training—almost a year of it—Koushirou still ended up being stronger. Which led him to resort to playing dirty to win.

He didn't mind it that much. He was, after all, a literal cheater. Playing dirty should be his second nature.

But the fact that he'd had to play dirty to beat someone like Koushirou still bothered him somewhat.

Not to say the man wasn't strong—he actually wasn't sure where Koushirou stood in the grand hierarchy, but Dan was sure of one thing.

He couldn't be above Arlong.

And yet, he still hadn't been able to beat him with raw skill.

'It's kinda assholy I'm comparing probably years of his life spent in training to less than a year for me.'

Dan's smile twitched wryly as he gave himself a second look.

But as bad as he looked, the fact that he'd been given an otherworldly power and was still struggling against someone like Koushirou bothered him.

Even more so because his clash with Arlong was coming soon.

Thanks to all the time he'd had to plan this out, he'd already laid out a plan on how to deal with the fish-man when the time came—but it all remained theoretical in the end.

Considering the gap in strength there was, anything could go wrong.

And it wasn't just Arlong that was the problem.

He was still pitifully weak compared to the rest of the world, and his growth speed, while considered good by the people here, was nothing special on a wider scale.

He wanted to become a criminal great enough to shake this world to its core—and, of course, break reality apart with his hacks. But so far, he hadn't even left the starting line.

He needed to grow stronger.

He needed to do so faster.

His own system was still ripe with power waiting to be taken.

And the opportunities lay bare for the taking.

—just, outside of this island.

Which was why it was time to leave, now that his business here was over.

Steeling his gaze, he sped up his pace.

After walking through the forest for a while, he reached the coast, where he found the cave he used to hide his sword and pistol.

He had stored his supplies there as well—a pair of barrels, not too big, filled with food and water to last him a few days.

If they ran out for some unforeseen reason—like an unplanned extension of his time at sea—he'd have to dip into his small NP reserve to buy supplies once he reached land again.

Hopefully not, because he was short on that shit. There was a reason he hadn't gotten a new hack in a while.

Grumbling in annoyance, he walked up to the barrels and hefted them onto his shoulders.

He was already carrying his sword and gun, so with the barrels added, he was fully ready to leave.

After a brief inspection to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he made his way out, heading toward the docks where his ship would be waiting.

A few minutes later, he was nearing it.

On the way, he passed by his home, set up on a hill right next to the docks. He set the barrels down and went inside.

There wasn't much to collect. His life hadn't been really luxurious as the original Dan since he never had money for anything as an orphan, nor as the new one with otherworldly memories since most of what he earned went toward food to pull himself out of his malnourished state, and toward newspapers to learn whatever the series hadn't filled him in on about the world.

So overall, he hadn't truly owned much.

Except for one thing.

Dan walked to his bed and pulled out a notebook hidden beneath the straw that made up his mattress.

An expensive purchase, bought back when his memories of the series had started to fade. In it, he'd recorded enough to make sure the important parts wouldn't slip away entirely.

As for the risk of someone finding it—he'd written everything in barely legible scribbles and half-recognizable sketches.

Anyone who looked inside would just be confused by it, and probably question his sanity, either for the contents or for wasting good paper on something so senseless.

Dan tucked it under his shirt—no pockets, so that was the only option—and walked out of the house, ready to grab his rations and head to the boat for good.

But as he closed the door behind him, a figure was waiting outside.

"Didn't have much in there, huh?"

Dan stopped, staring at the person sitting on the log by the fireplace.

Old Shun.

'Did he see me sneak up here?' Dan wondered, staring at him oddly.

He was still wearing his sunglasses, so there was no way old Shun knew who he was.

Dan looked around, squinting for any sign of an ambush, thinking that maybe Koushirou might have alerted the villagers after their fight.

But weirdly, there was no one.

So Dan looked back at Shun, a bit thrown by the fact that the old man had apparently just been sitting there, waiting to talk.

"It was a bit empty," He answered, playing the part of a thief disappointed by the haul.

Shun let out a scoff. "A kid lives there. Lost his parents in the pirate raid we had years ago. Whatever you took from him, do you really need it?"

Dan gave the shed one last look. "... Yeah. What I took, I'm sure he won't be needing it."

"Really shameless. No wonder the entire island wants to hang you." Shun said before turning slowly toward the barrels with Dan's supplies. "Though, I suppose they won't get the chance anymore. You're leaving, aren't you?"

Dan didn't nod, didn't say anything. But his silence seemed to be answer enough for the old man.

"If you're leaving, what could the kid possibly have that you need more than him? I'll give you some fish from our last haul. Should keep you fed for however long you've got planned."

"..." Dan tilted his head, looking at him oddly. "Why are you so worried about what I took from him?"

"That kid's been through enough. He's a good kid. Even after losing his parents, he kept trying his best to survive. Tenacious to the bone, even when he was completely alone. He's doing better for himself nowadays, but I wouldn't want to see something else happen to him. So please, whatever you took..."

"I took something of no importance. He won't care." Dan said, cutting him off.

And it really was nothing important. To the kid old Shun was talking about, the notes would have meant nothing.

And even if they had, that kid had been gone a long while.

Even the older Dan from his other memories was gone too—eroded away by the new memories he'd made as someone new, the inevitable result of two people becoming one.

Both people might have lingered for a while after the fusion. But by now, neither of them was here.

Only he was.

Ignoring the old man's worried face, Dan walked past him, hefted the barrels back onto his shoulders, and started toward the port.

But just as he was about to disappear for good, he stopped.

Right ahead, leaning against a wooden fence, was his fishing rod. He'd left it there to dry after a stormy outing the other day and hadn't picked it up since.

His mouth twisted in displeasure. But despite that—

"Hngh."

He set down one barrel, slung the fishing rod over his shoulder instead, then picked the barrel back up.

Old Shun's eyes widened. "W-wait, that's the kid's—"

"He won't need it anymore." Dan cut him off, turning forward again. "He won't be coming back after today."

"W-what did you do to him?!"

Dan gave him a wry look. "I didn't do anything to him. He's just left this place. Same as I plan to."

The old man went still for a second.

"W-where could he have possibly gone?"

Dan paused for a moment, unpleasant silence stretching.

Until he smiled slightly.

"Who knows?"

And with that, he walked away for good, ignoring the old man's shouts behind him.

Eventually, he reached the docks. A few villagers standing guard rushed at him the moment he came into view.

But after setting down one of the barrels, it took him all of five seconds to deal with them—knocking them out before picking the barrel back up and carrying everything toward the ship he'd chosen. A small vessel, built for one or two people, tied to the dock by a single rope.

A few minutes later, he had fully boarded it.

The moment he set foot on it, unloading his stuff onto it, Dan took a long breath and gazed at the night horizon, letting the cold sea breeze hit his face.

Finally, here he was.

The start of his journey.

As he let that fact sink in, a small smile crept up his face.

Then, without hesitation, he brought his new sword down on the rope tying his ship to the island.

-Swhack!-

It snapped instantly.

Almost immediately, the ship began drifting away from the dock.

Quickly, Dan hoisted the sail and adjusted the rudder, catching the night wind. Soon after, the ship picked up speed, sailing off in the opposite direction of the island.

As he glanced back, he saw several lights rush into the docks at a frantic pace. Several villagers had made their entrance, holding torches and swords—a good old angry mob.

A tad too late, sadly. With how far he was already into the sea, they could only watch as his ship drifted away.

'I suppose I'll have to get used to that kind of sight. There will be plenty of angry mobs in my future.'

Dan snorted at the thought.

Before long, he stood amid the endless ocean, dark under the night sky, lit only by the full moon above, watching the island and the lights of the angry villagers shrink behind him.

The place he had lived most of his life. Where he had grown up and learned. Where his parents had been, and where they died. Where he had become stronger.

Also, strangely, an unfamiliar place these days. After the memories of his older self had settled in, the familiarity he'd always felt toward it had twisted into something he couldn't quite name.

He felt at home, but not completely. He knew the place better than anyone, yet it felt like unfamiliar ground. He knew the people, yet felt like a stranger among them.

Maybe the fusion of both perspectives had come with side effects like that.

But it didn't erase the fondness he held for it—his birthplace, after all.

'And these days, I suppose it was becoming a more enjoyable place too.'

He thought, smiling faintly, as the faces of Old Shun, the fishing crew, Kuina, Koushirou, Zoro, and the rest of the students surfaced in his mind.

His eyes opened again, drifting to the fishing rod now leaning against the mast.

Fondness or not, it was time to leave.

Huffing, he turned and walked to the front of the ship, staring out at what lay ahead as the wind ruffled his hair.

Now, to embark on a new adventure.

...

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: And so, the somewhat training arc is over. Why somewhat? Because the next arc should also be somewhat of training and becoming stronger, though this time with certainly more stakes than before, and thus greater growth. Also, from now on Dan will truly begin fiddling with his system functions so he can overcome the unjustly high wall that Arlong is right now. So look forward to that.)

 

[TheDanny]

(A/N: And so, the somewhat training arc is over. Why somewhat? Because the next arc should also be somewhat of training and becoming stronger, though this time with certainly more stakes than before, and thus greater growth. Also, from now on Dan will truly begin fiddling with his system functions so he can overcome the unjustly high wall that Arlong is right now. So look forward to that.)

Click to shrink...

I hope he eventually transitions into using a different kind of sword than the katana. Branch out a bit now that he's hitting the vast seas. The dojo's teachings were good, but moreso as a foundation to using swords rather than just the one they focused on.

Maybe go all into the pirate theme with a cool cutlass? Rodger had one, and it was pretty cool.

 

[Plaguedromance]

Dan needs a flag!

 

[Despacitoleo]

Maybe go all into the pirate theme with a cool cutlass? Rodger had one, and it was pretty cool

Click to shrink...

we never see a cool straight sword its always katanas and shit

what about the DUES VAULT longsword : [

 

[The Synonym]

I hope he eventually transitions into using a different kind of sword than the katana. Branch out a bit now that he's hitting the vast seas. The dojo's teachings were good, but moreso as a foundation to using swords rather than just the one they focused on.

Maybe go all into the pirate theme with a cool cutlass? Rodger had one, and it was pretty cool.

Click to shrink...

I'm a bit bored myself of katanas too, so it's not impossible.

 

[The Synonym]

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[Arrival]
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...

The sun was unusually hot that day.

"I'm going crazy."

Dan lay on his back, shirtless, staring at the blue sky above with a dead look.

Two entire days had passed. Two entire days alone, sunbathing, and surrounded by kilometers and kilometers of water with only a few meters of wood to walk on.

From time to time, he had seen ships sailing in the distance. Sadly, not near enough to go and terrorize them to farm some NP and have some fun while at it.

All he had been able to do was stare at the endless expanse of the ocean, adjust the sails, check the compass, and eat something whenever his stomach demanded fuel.

And that occupied two hours out of twenty-four at most.

They really didn't address this in almost any media.

"It's no wonder crews are made. Besides the bigger manpower required for larger ships, having company would make the monotony of this a lot smoother..."

Sadly, he didn't have any—save for some seagulls who flew overhead from time to time, or fish that'd swim near the boat.

Luckily, it wasn't all bad. Surprisingly, the utterly useless AutoExist script he was given when his system arrived had actually been worth something this time, letting him skip over portions of the endless days by doing quite literally what its name said, auto existing.

Unfortunately, someone had to keep an eye on the ship's direction constantly, so the skips could never be too long.

But it was something at least, and without AutoExist, he'd have skipped a lot less of the boring time.

"I'm never calling it fucking utterly useless—just a bit useless."

Smirking at that, he let out a sigh and slowly pushed himself up.

Time to check the compass and the wind direction again.

But as he was making his way to the front of the ship, he blinked in surprise. In the distance—very far in the distance—he spotted a dot.

"Another ship?" he muttered, squinting and raising a hand against the sun.

At that distance, it was hard to tell. The sea fog also didn't make it any easier.

Huffing, he shrugged and went back to his business.

Minutes later, he was done with the check. Seeing his only entertainment for the day over, he let out a yawn and wondered whether to run the script again and jump one hour into the future.

Only to snap his head toward the front of the ship as he caught sight of the dot—now noticeably bigger.

It wasn't a dot anymore.

It was an island.

His dead expression lifted in an instant, face breaking into a beam.

"Ahoooy, land ahea—alright, that's too much."

Despite shutting down his own lame attempt at sounding like a sailor, he was still smiling.

At last, his journey was over—or at least, he'd be getting a break from it in case this wasn't the island and he had to go back to the ocean eventually.

Which one it was? He'd find out in a few hours, when the ship finally hit land.

...

°

°

°

| Three hours later... |

...

"Sweet earth."

Dan dropped to his knees and hugged the ground as his ship docked on the sand at the coast of the island—or rather, islands. Turns out, the closer he got, the more islands became visible.

Regardless, that wasn't in Dan's mind at all at the moment.

"At last, the floor doesn't move…"

Solid, firm, unmoving ground had never felt so good.

He didn't even care that his shirt was getting dirty.

—Or maybe he did care.

"Alright, enough." He stood back up quickly and patted the sand off his shirt.

As his appreciation for land quieted down, he gave his surroundings a curious look.

He was at a beach, so there wasn't much to see—other than a coconut tree he might try his hand at climbing and eating from.

The jerky he'd been eating for the past few days had gotten old a while ago.

"Now then, the real question is... am I at the right place, or not?"

Since this was an Archipelago, as seen from the considerable number of islands on his way to this one, there was a chance he was in the correct place.

Cocoyashi Village was supposed to be at an Archipelago called the Conami Islands.

And given he hadn't had major detours during his way here, or that there weren't supposed to be other Archipelagos on the direct route from Shimotsuki Village to the Conami Islands, it was safe to say he had actually arrived at his destination.

Unless he actually sucked as a navigator, and somehow got himself to somewhere completely random that coincidentally had an archipelago.

There was no shortage of archipelagos in this sea, after all. If he truly had been incompetent at using the compass and adjusting the sail, there was a chance that happened.

'My weeks of learning weren't for nothing, were they?'

Hopefully he was in the right place. He didn't want to go back to sea that quickly—not before getting a proper break from the monotony, and finding for himself something that might alleviate the long hours of travel with nothing to do.

Fishing helped a little, but not enough.

Having nothing to occupy his mind for hours at a stretch was the real killer.

Something he planned to fix before the next trip.

Maybe he could buy an instrument, or anything else that might keep his mind busy long enough.

'That or I can just practice with my sword—the swaying from the sea might make for a nice challenge… or a good way to expel my lunches.'

While he smirked at his own thoughts, he pushed his vessel into the sand, grabbed a rope, tied it to a nearby tree, and without further ado, dove into the forest that covered the beach and hid whatever lay behind it.

Two minutes into the foliage, cutting his way through leaves and bushes, Dan grumbled in annoyance as he slapped the fifth mosquito to try its luck in that short stretch.

"Ugh, will I ever get a mosquito-repellent hack?"

It'd be funny if he did.

Also pretty useful.

"Ugh, finally." He exhaled as the light increased and the foliage thinned out.

He reached a clearing, and a bit further ahead, several buildings sat surrounded by a fence—not too big, but numerous enough to call itself a village.

With a satisfied look, he made his way toward it, already planning to find somewhere to eat and rest the moment he was inside.

Minutes later, he entered the village. There were a few villagers at the entrance who called out to him when they saw him coming. But given that he was a kid—even if one carrying a sword—they let him through after a brief round of questions.

It wasn't exactly common for a child to appear out of nowhere, but it wasn't extremely outrageous either. Orphans weren't rare in this world, and kids who wandered and found work where they could were a familiar enough sight. So, after getting a brief backstory out of him, they let him go without any fuss.

At most, they assumed he was part of some passing merchant crew—learning the sword to serve as protection, however flimsy.

With free passage, Dan made straight for the nearest inn.

The moment he was inside, he asked the clerk for a bowl of soup with extra meat, paid, then went to sit down.

The chairs were good. As soon as he settled into one, he let his entire body relax, finally letting the fact that he was on steady land sink in properly into his body.

At last, he wouldn't have to sleep in short stretches just to stay on top of the ship's direction and the wind.

At last, he wouldn't have to lie on cold wooden planks for hours.

At last, he'd see something other than water.

'Phew, I hated it more than I expected., didn't I?... well, now I know what to account for the next time I set off.' He mused, planning not to make the same mistake twice.

'Maybe instead of an instrument, books might do the job. They can deepen my base knowledge, and will be pretty much the closest thing to the internet in this world… Although the constant swaying will be a pain in the ass when trying to read.'

While Dan sat with those thoughts, footsteps approached.

He turned to find a granny making her way over with a large bowl of the soup he'd ordered, a small loaf of bread tucked under her arm.

"Here you go, kiddo." She set both down in front of him, smirking at his barely-contained expression.

"Ahem, yes, thank you."

And without waiting for anything else she might have to say, Dan started eating. He broke off a piece of the fresh bread, dunked it into the soup, and after devouring it in one swoop, took a long sip of the steamy liquid.

It was a pleasure he hadn't known he could get from something as simple as soup.

As he ate, the granny still hadn't left—and spoke up.

"By the way, what's a kid as young as you doing out alone? What are you, twelve?"

"Ten," Dan answered between bites.

"Pretty young, then. So how come you're out here on your own, carrying a sword at that?" she asked, eyes drifting to the sword resting across his lap.

Dan stopped for a second, giving her a mildly annoyed look for the prying. "I'm an orphan. I travel alone and find whatever work I can. I know a bit of swordsmanship, so it helps."

"Swordsmanship?" She gave him a look. "Kid, just swinging a sword around ain't swordsmanship. You gotta know how to swing it, and actually have the muscles for it."

"So?"

"So? Your arms look like noodles."

Dan paused and lifted one arm, flexing slightly.

—They did look a bit like noodles.

But thick noodles now, compared to back when he was malnourished and they'd been more like spaghetti.

Huffing, he turned back to her. "My muscles are just compact. I have more than enough strength to swing this sword."

She looked at him through narrowed, wrinkled eyes. Awkward silence settling in.

In the end, though, she waved him off. "Sure, sure, whatever you say. Anyway, what brings such a busy little man to this Archipelago? I'm pretty sure we don't have much to offer other than fruit and rice."

"I'm looking for Cocoyashi Village."

"Cocoyashi Village?" Her face shifted into a briefly puzzled look before her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, that little village. It's to the south-west of the Archipelago. Pretty plain place, though—I don't know what kind of business you'd find there, kiddo."

"Lots," Dan declared, and went back to his food.

The woman looked at him strangely, then shrugged. "Well, enjoy your food, kiddo. And good luck."

Dan lifted his face just long enough to mutter a "Thanks" before diving back in.

'This soup is amazing. When I become a major criminal, I'm making this inn my territory.'

...

°

°

°

| An hour later... |

...

Dan walked calmly through the rice fields, looking around with a bored expression.

"...Well, given that no one looks like they're going through hell or that tragedy has struck, I think it's safe to say Arlong hasn't gotten here yet."

Otherwise, the air in that village—and the few others he'd passed through on the way here—would have felt a lot more miserable.

There was such air around a few guys who'd been slumped against the walls of what looked like a bar with a casino front, but judging by the state they were in, those were exceptional cases.

Regardless, despite Arlong's non-arrival being good news, that information didn't bring him comfort.

If Arlong had already been here when he arrived, he could have felt a lot less guilty about the consequences—he wouldn't have been able to do anything to stop it, so he couldn't really be blamed.

But now that he was here before him, if he failed to stop anything, or ended up having to let the ugly part play out first due to a lack of resources and strength... he'd feel very bad.

Which he wasn't supposed to care about, given his plans to become a criminal and yada yada, you already know it.

Sadly, he still hadn't mastered the art of not giving a damn—so for now, he could only hope a storm caught the fish and delayed him by a few months.

Or years, if the world was feeling generous.

Otherwise, this was going to be quite the character-developing arc for the ROB's little story.

'I refuse to have character development,' Dan cursed inwardly, frowning.

—At least, the tragedy kind.

He had come here to make the world his and cheat his way shamelessly through it. He wasn't about to get tragedy in the middle of his chaotic power fantasy.

-Sigh-

At least, that's what he hoped.

Minutes later, he stood before the entrance to the village—an opening in the fence with a sign hung above it bearing the name.

"Welcome to Cocoyashi Village... well, couldn't have been more specific."

He was finally here.

Now came the rough part.

But of course, it was also time for powering up.

And farming NP.

So, with those plans settled in his head, he stepped forward, crossing the entrance.

…

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: And so it begins.)

 

[Hilight]

MC: I won't let Arlong victimize this village, that's my job!

 

[Despacitoleo]

MC: I won't let Arlong victimize this village, that's my job!

Click to shrink...

THEYLL BE SLAVES TO A BETTER SLAVE OWNER ME!