You were horrible at making decisions.
That's why you had Tashigi with you!
Until it turned out that she was also horrible at making decisions.
In hindsight, yes, it was a good idea to bring Tashigi so she could help you pick out your swords. The only downsides were that she was a nerd for swords and also didn't know how you fought. You were just standing off to the side as Tashigi rapidly looked from sword to sword, referring back to her small handbook which had some of the sword's information.
She might've wanted you to have some of the more 'famous' swords or something. Even the most famous things here only had a small section dedicated to them in her booklet. You were completely unbothered by how long she was taking. It gave you more time to look around. You'd probably be bothered later by how long she took, though.
I wonder when I'm going to start training... You thought, taking a seat on one of the barrels that was in the shop. Maybe tomorrow. I hope I don't have to fight Smoker.
Even though Kosai feared that man, he would also like to see you try to beat Smoker in a fight. "You would get pasted against the ground by him. I hope you do end up fighting him."
You're so mean to me. You glanced at the shop keeper. He was the one who had tried to buy Kuina's sword off of Zoro.
" 'Scuse me."
He did not look pleased that Tashigi was here. "Yes? Anything I can help you with?"
"I know you're..." Probably going to scam me. "Uh, the owner of this shop, right? Do you have any recommendations? It could help both of us out."
He leaned forward and set his arms on the counter. "Depends on what you're looking for."
"I'm a complete novice when it comes to sword fighting," you admitted. "--but I'll take anything that's got a good reputation. Or holds up well. Also, what's the limit of swords that I can buy?"
"What's your budget?" Oh, so it depended on money. That made more sense. You could probably buy the entire store if you wanted.
You couldn't just go around telling people that you were a princess, so you'd just keep it vague. "Well... I can afford to buy four swords. Maybe five if I need a backup."
You watched as his eyes almost turned into Beri. That looked a little off putting now that you were seeing it in real life.
"Girl calm down."
He did not
Next thing you knew, he was probably showing you some of the most expensive swords in the shop. You were just listening to what he said with a blank look on your face. You literally couldn't care less about what swords you ended up buying. Instead, you were just checking which ones had the coolest colors. Did they look badass? Were they cool? These things mattered.
Hm. None of them are my favorite color. That blows.
"Why is that the criteria?"
I mean I have to learn the same sword style as a stupid giraffe, so I might as well look hotter than him while doing it.
"Really. I'd say you should go for that one right there."
You head, following Kosai's command, moved slightly to the side. Dead center in your view was a sword. Your brows raised in confusion. It was behind a glass case next to many others.
The sword looked a bit worn, but not in the way that weapons usually look when they eventually age. The scabbard was lacquered wood, mainly black and maroon. Like an old cabinet you'd see at an antique store. This one must've been well loved.
Ah, what the hell?
Aged weapons looked cool
You pointed right at it. "That one."
Upon looking at it, he turned back to you. "That one's worth at least the same price as four swords all together. But... I'll let you look at it if you want." After you told him that you'd like to see it, he walked over to the glass case with you.
The shopkeeper (whose name you couldn't remember) took out the sword and held it in front of you, holding it with both hands. Tashigi was busy analyzing the other weapons and had disappeared into a few other shelves.
You looked at the sword but didn't touch it. "How much?"
"Two million beri. I won't bargain for anything less!"
He really is a swindler.
Your soul almost escaped your body at the price. You could feel Kosai's interest only increase from the mention at how expensive it was. And for some ungodly reason, he let you hold the sword. It was in your hands before you could even protest.
"I like this one. Keep it."
You tested the weight. It was... weighted? How much was a sword supposed to weigh?? You pursed your lips in thought. I don't know how much I'm allowed to spend. I brought around 500,000 beri that dad gave me. But I'd feel bad if I gave him more than that.
"(Name), tell him to put a hold on it while you look." Kosai persisted. "Trust me on this."
Fine
"Could you put this on hold for me? And do you have a den-den mushi that I can use?" You asked, handing the sword back without even looking at the blade. The shopkeeper might've been insulted by this, but he kept his mouth shut because you were probably going to buy it.
You already knew that you were going home with it. Kosai was the one who gave you that feeling that you were 100% going to use it. While you mourned the eventual loss of two million beri, he pulled out a den-den mushi from under the shop counter.
"Hey, Tashigi, I found a sword!" You called out loudly. "--Just look for three!" Too late. She was lost in the void of swords.
Dialing (which you didn't think was possible on this fucking snail) you waited for the other end to connect. Which was weird, because you were now staring awkwardly at a living creature. Why were they used for contact in the first place?
Did they have to be fed? You knew that they could be freed... but like... did they eat after that? Or were they just things that didn't need food or water to survive? Could you butt dial someone if you sat on it? Or would that kill it?
"Hello? This is--"
"Hey, dad..." You cut him off, wanting to just get it over with. "How much am I allowed to spend?"
Sai seemed to be relieved for some reason that it was you who called. If you had your actual phone with you, you would have just texted. He was silent for a moment, but finally answered as you were drumming your fingers on the table.
"Please refrain from spending over a hundred million beri. I'll give you access to more beri and I'll contact the bank on Loguetown right away."
"O-Oh. Okay." A HUNDRED MILLION?? WHAT ARE WE, ROYALTY?!!
Oh wait, you were
But you were wearing the same expression as the shopkeeper. Who had been not-so-secretly listening in. You said your goodbyes to the King and returned the den-den mushi. You were still recovering and had to sit down for a minute. That was too much money. How did Sai have that much money? Was Crooner paying child support in treasure or something?
A hundred million beri. Dude I'm rich as fuck, what do we do with this information. I don't even want to buy anything else.
You didn't even look up from your hands as you spoke again. "Uh, you're going to get a call from the bank soon. I'm going to stay seated for a while now..."
. . .
You were roused from your deep sleep from Tashigi. Weird. You didn't remember falling asleep on the floor. You must have fallen off the barrel at some point during your coma. Why did the shopkeeper just let you sleep there? Wouldn't it just look bad to customers or anyone else who walked into the shop?
...Whatever, it looked like Tashigi had picked a sword.
It was colorful. The handle had woven rope and ribbon that was bright red. You stopped her before she could show you the blade of it, as you preferred to just get things done with, so you go back to base and fall asleep. For a few million years. You had gone through too many emotions in the past few days. Aokiji. Smoker. Too much.
"Put it next to that one," you said, gesturing to the sword with the black and red scabbard. Why did it take her so long to choose one? Tashigi was amazing, but god, did she take forever. Maybe she tried to take your preferences into account.
Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, you stood up and walked back over to the glass case. You'd pick out the last two yourself. You'd be there until midnight if you let Tashigi pick out the last two.
Mister money eyes was by your side in seconds. "Would you like to look at more? The one you picked is an especially strong sword, and these were all forged by the same swordsmith."
"Hm..." Your eyes trailed over each sword. You weren't about to just start grabbing everything willy nilly and hope to god that something happened-- like light would fill the room when you picked "the one". Instead, you just looked for matching ones. Which conveniently, there were none.
Ever hear about aesthetic, swordsmiths??
You reached forward and grabbed two that looked similar enough. One with a red scabbard and gold accents, and the other having a gold scabbard with red accents. The handles were covered with red and gold ribbon respectively.
You turned to the shopkeeper, who was a few seconds away from frothing at the mouth and passing out from what you chose.
"I'd like these ones, please."
"Are you sure?!!" He felt like his swindling was working a little too well. Maybe that bank call he received while you passed out was a fluke. "Those are three and four million beri respectively!!"
It was almost funny the way he reacted. You gave him another nod, reaffirming your choice. "I want these ones. Can I get something that will let me strap them at my waist?"
"Y-Y-Yeah, s-s-sure."
You left the shop, a changed person. You wondered if you'd ever spend that much money in your life again. Maybe not- but if you were going to meet Nami later?? You should just tell her that you're poor. That was the easy way out.
Tashigi seemed guilty. You couldn't pinpoint the reason for her slightly downcast expression.
"Perhaps it's because she knocked over half the shelves while you were sleeping."
Oh my god, that happened when I was out? You covered a snort and made it look like you coughed. That's rich. I hope she's okay.
"Uh, Tashigi, want to look at the swords with me when we get back? I didn't really look at them when we were in the store earlier. I just wanted to save time." Which ended up with her taking the longest. I should've told here to pick a random lot from those barrels of swords that we saw earlier.
Her shoulders lightened. "Sure, I'd love to! But I won't keep you up any longer than I need to. Smoker wants you to start early tomorrow."
"Oh... fun..." She only laughed at that.
Kosai was half resting in the side of your body and on one of the handles of the swords. "You picked out some nice ones. If my hunch is correct-- these are from Wano."
The hell is that?
"...You don't even know what Wano is? You're uncultured, aren't you?"
UH. SORRY I DIED BEFORE BEING ABLE TO READ PAST MARINEFORD.
That was your fault. Your mistake. You should've died after you finished the series and asked Oda to tell you how One Piece ended so you knew everything that was going to happen.
He slid back up your sleeve. "Want me to tell you? It's base level, so I'm allowed to tell you."
Nah. Keep that shit to yourself you rude bastard. I'll find out on my own.
Little did you know, it would be a long while before you even heard of Wano again.
You both returned to the Marine base and looked at the swords in Tashigi's office. Smoker wasn't around to jump scare you, so you had a nice time with the lieutenant.
She unexpectedly didn't know about the three swords that you picked out, but she said that they were remarkably made and well crafted. Huh. Maybe you had an eye for this kind of thing. You hung out with her for about another hour before she wanted you to turn in for the night.
"Growing teens need lots of rest", was what she said. You completely forgot that she was older than you by like two years. So, it was unfair. But you weren't one to turn down sleep- you just didn't really like it when people told you to do something.
You tugged on your sleepwear and pulled your curtains shut before climbing into bed. Kosai was resting on your chest- providing a warm spot for you as you prepared to doze off.
"We might as well enjoy this. Your body is going to be battered and bruised by the end of the day tomorrow."
What, are you not going to heal me? Your hand rested on top of Kosai's form. The demon melted against your hand. Aren't you supposed to be my protector?
"Against real threats."
Marines weren't a threat to Kosai? That's rich. You thought he was trembling in the presence of Smoker just a few hours ago.
"I'm growing stronger just like you, (Name)! I'll become more intimidating than him one day."
You were snickering. You're already frightening. People just can't see you, so you should figure that out first. I think it'd be cool if you had your own wanted poster. For that, you envisioned was a poster of Kosai, just a mass of eyes, streaking towards the poor camera man. His bounty would be high.
What about your own bounty? You wanted one that was high as well. Before you knew it, you were drifting off slowly. Calmed by Kosai's presence, and by the thought that you would be a wanted criminal in two year's time. Tomorrow would be a good day. You just knew it.
~ . . . ~
Tashigi did not expect to hear screams when she walked through the hallway that led to (Name)'s room. She was taken off guard, and felt panic flood into her system, wondering about what could've happened to make the girl scream like that.
(Name) was a princess-- her arrival had been kept a secret. Did someone find out? Was she being kidnapped? Hurt?? Was she okay?!
Tashigi ran down the halls towards the princesses' room, her hand on her sword as she neared the door. When she flung it open, she did not expect anything that she witnessed next.
You were gripping to the corner walls, not even touching the floor as you gaped in fear at something that was on the floor. When you saw Tashigi, you didn't look comforted in the slightest. Today was not the day. You had been fooled. Played for a sucker.
"Tashigi! My sword's possessed!"
"What?!" Her hand gripped around the handle of her own sword. You gestured with your hand-- but how did you do that? You only had two arms and both of your hands were on the wall above you-- UH
WHAT THE FUCK
WHY DID YOU HAVE FOUR ARMS
Though that was strange-- that was very strange-- Worrying about your extra set of arms were now the least of that woman's concerns. She stared at the ground, equally as horrified as her gaze was locked onto the sword. It was the first one that the two of you had looked at the night before. The oldest sword in the bunch, of which you had picked out first.
Last time she checked, swords weren't supposed to have eyes. That were blinking. And now also making eye contact with her. Red irises greeted her, and they blinked.
"(NAME) WHAT IS THAT"
"YOU THINK I KNOW?!"
The blade twitched
"TASHIGI IT MOVED"
"IT DID W H A T"
KOSAI YOU DUMBFUCK THIS WAS A HORRIBLE IDEA WHY DID YOU MAKE ME BUY THAT THING?? You crawled further up the wall as your lower hand's nails dug into the drywall. Tashigi was freaking out even more because you were freaking out even more. MY SWORD IS HAUNTED. I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THAT.
"I THOUGHT IT WAS A SWORD FROM WANO BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S A SWORD ANYMORE" He was freaking the fuck out too. "THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT YESTERDAY"
WHAT IS THIS DEMON SLAYER BULLSHIT?! YOU MADE ME PICK OUT KOKUSHIBOU'S KNOCK-OFF KATANA
The sword rocked from side to side, and you shrieked even louder. Tashigi was just watching, not knowing what she should do either. What could she do in the first place? Some supernatural shit was going down and that blade had a mind of its own.
The blade abruptly swung around, the handle now facing you. And above that handle, four eyes were set in a line at the base of the sword. On both sides, as you had first seen when you opened the sword to check the blade in the morning light. It bore holes right through your body. Why was it eyeing you like that?? You only let Kosai do that.
"Hello."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"IT SPEAKS?!!!"
"I do."
"H O W"
It inched closer to the wall that you were using as a ladder. Was it going to kill you?? Kosai decided to actually do his job and protect you for once. He separated from your body and oozed down the wall the same way a smashed egg would. Either he was trying to protect you or he was just chickening out and this was his way of running away.
If he was running away? Fuck him. You were genuinely scared
"WHAT THE FUCK WHY CAN IT SPEAK?? YOU HAVE E Y E S NOT A M O U T H--"
It suddenly leaned upright by sheer willpower. That bitch rose like Michael Myers.
"TASHIGI DO SOMETHING IT'S GONNA EAT ME"
"IT DOESN'T HAVE A MOUTH THOUGH"
"IT MIGHT-- JUST DO SOMETHING P L E A S E"
"WHAT DO I DO"
"I DON'T KNOW, GRAB IT?!"
"WHY WOULD I DO THAT-- (NAME) I CAN'T IGNORE THIS ANYMORE WHY DO YOU HAVE FOUR ARMS--"
You hit them behind yourself. "THAT'S THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD BE ASKING ABOUT JUST GET THE SWORD TASHIGI I'M SCARED--"
From the other side of the base, Smoker looked around from his seat. His hand, with a rock in its clutches, hovered above the many rocks that he had stacked. He must be hearing things. It couldn't be the new kid- what reason would she have to be screaming in the morning?
He doubted that she did that every day. If she did, then that would be annoying. If she was screaming? Causing a commotion?
...Tashigi could handle it
It was too damn early for this anyways
Smoker went back to stacking rocks in peace- smoke drifting from the cigars between his lips. (Name), that kid... He had a feeling that she'd be a headache and a half to deal with.
He'd have to keep an eye on her