"What are you doing here, Kuma?" you whispered, but not too loud for the others to hear.
"Do you know this guy, (y/n)?" asked Usopp, but you didn't answer.
"Guys....Calm down...and listen to me..." trembled Nami. "During the fight with Moria and the others...I forgot to tell you, but...! On this island...There's another one! A Shichibukai!"
"What did you say?! That's...." stammered Usopp.
"A Shichibukai?!" repeated everyone in unison.
"There's no way....!!!"
"Why are there two Shichibukai on the same island?!" asked Chopper.
"Just when we finally choose a successor for Crocodile...It's not good to have lost another Shichibukai. Is he still breathing, even in the faintest?" asked the voice in the Den-Den Mushi.
"Who knows..." answered Kuma.
"As long as he is still alive, we will wait for his recovery and hope for him to remain in his position as Shichibukai. We'll follow up after such time. The dignity of the Shichibukai would be lost if we were to lose them this easily. This news must not reach anyone else. Man, these guys are a problem..."
"Right...That gigantic body, not even inferior to Moria's..." trailed Lola. "The pirate called 'The Tyrant', Bartholomew Kuma!"
"HIM?! THAT GUY?!"
"THE GUY WHO HAS NO LIMITS TO HIS BRUTALITY?!"
"Do you comprehend what I'm saying? We cannot afford to let anyone else know of Moria's defeat. This is a direct order from the World Government...Including the Straw Hat crew, obliterate...Everyone on that island!" ordered the man.
"Too easy" replied Kuma, sighing.
"And more importantly.... Capture Silvers (y/n), The Immortal!"
You let out a gasp at this part, the others having the same reaction.
"C-Capture (y/n)?!" stammered Chopper. "Why?!"
"Those bastards...." growled in unison Zoro and Sanji.
"What do they want from Silvers?!" scowled Franky.
"The World Government demands her head, as quick as possible before it's too late"
"Understood. I will have my hands on the girl"
Kuma closed the Den-Den Mushi, and slowly stood up, his huge steps resonating around the island. The other crew behind you started to panic at the realization that the Shichibukai will kill them, including your crew.
Except for you, but that didn't mean you won't meet the same fate at their hands. Your death will simply...be lengthen.
"A never ending battle with the Shichibukai is just...!" panicked Usopp.
"This is terrible, considering we just barely beat Moria...!" said Chopper.
"You guys stand back...I'll do this!" told Zoro, taking his words out.
"Be careful! He has some kind of ability!" warned Nami. "I saw him make a person disappear with just the touch of his hand!"
"HE CAN MAKE PEOPLE DISAPPEAR?!" cried out Usopp.
"S-Scary!!" shivered Chopper.
"And he can change locations in an instant..."
"Looks like yet another terrible bastard appeared..." muttered Franky.
Kuma lifted the glove of his left hand, and you mentally cringed. This hand was beyond dangerous. Then, he lifted the other glove from his other hand. He eyed your crew for a long moment, silence reigning in the air.
Then, like the blink of an eye, he teleported himself at the center of the other crew, who let out cries by how startled they were.
"HE'S HERE!"
"HE'S HUGE....!"
"I see now...! He really did change locations in an instant!..." sweated the cyborg.
"Just when we finally gained freedom! Shit!" cursed squirrel teeth. "Like I'm gonna freaking die now!"
"That's right! We ain't gonna let no one screw with us anymore!"
"Get him, guys!"
"Stop it, you all!" ordered their captain, Lola. "The opponent is too strong!!"
Though, they didn't listen to her and charged at the Shichibukai. If only they knew how big they made of a mistake. With his right palm, Kuma slammed his hand against one of the men, a bright, white paw of a bear appearing on his stomach and the same for the others who were behind him.
They were all pushed back with great force, creating a long trail of a crater behind them. They were all knocked out in one hit, and the others gulped in uneasiness. Kuma then teleported behind Zoro, who slowly turned with sweat running down his temples.
"Pirate Hunter Zoro..." stated Kuma. "Shall I start with you?"
"Damn, that's cheap! Don't you know what battle the Straw Hats just went through?!" shouted angrily curly hair.
"Screw the odds! We're the ones left with no injuries, so we're gonna deal with you!" added squirrel teeth.
"Shichibukai or whatever! Compared to Oz and Moria earlier, you're not that big!"
"Don't ever take a step forward!" you ordered firmly, and the other crew as well as your comrades stared at you silently. "Whatever you do, it's useless to engage him in your fighting condition..."
"Whatever, just get the hell back. I'm the one he wants. Didn't you hear?" retorted Zoro. "If it's a fight he wants, then I won't back down. That would be without honor!"
"You lot are pretty famous..." told Kuma. "It would seem that on Straw Hat Luffy's ship, there are quite a few skilled subordinates...and also an old acquaintance of mine.."
"No, no, no....You idiot!" blushed in embarrassment your crew members, flattered by the Shichibukai's comment.
"HE DIDN'T MEAN ALL OF YOU!" barked Lola.
"You all have caused quite a bit of trouble...It appears the captain is not the only one responsible for your renown" continued Kuma.
Zoro shifted his swords, taking an attacking stance while he faced Kuma. Usopp behind him started to panic, yelling at him to not be reckless.
"When the world shoves you around, you've just gotta stand up and shove back" replied Zoro with a smirk. "It isn't like you can do anything just by giving excuses. If I die, then I am just a man who can only make it this far"
The swordsman used one of his techniques to slash across the Shichibukai. However, Kuma disappeared the moment he did his attack and sliced instead a rock in half. Zoro looked over his shoulder with gritted teeth, and his eyes widened when Kuma hovered him, his palm lifted.
He slammed his palm down and Zoro got out of the way at the last second, rolling a few times backward. A bear paw stood imprinted in the ground, Kuma turning his head in the swordman's direction. He swung his right hand forward, a white-transparent paw crossed the battlefield and pierced through the debris and barely missed Zoro by an inch.
The man cried out in pain, clutching his right side while panting.
"Look! He hasn't done a thing but he's already out of breath!" said Usopp.
"What's with that guy's ability?! What are those marks he left on the rubble?!" demanded Nami.
Zoro let out a groan and sent a slash toward Kuma, who deflected the hit with his palm, directing the hit toward the other crew.
"Zoro's attack was deflected by his hand! Is that even possible?!" screeched Chopper.
"So that's your ability..." muttered Zoro.
"The power to deflect everything...I ate the Nikyu-Nikyu no mi...I am a Paw-man" responded Kuma, showing his paw pads on his palms.
"WHAT'S WITH THAT GENTLENESS?! Is there such thing as a 'soothing' Devil Fruit?!" said in disbelief the sniper.
"I don't know if you're Shichibukai or a Weeniebukai...Maybe he's not that tough after all..." said Franky, rubbing his chin.
To answer him, Kuma used his ability on the cyborg, sending one of his transparent paw and blasted his chest. A paw mark appeared on his torso, and Franky fell backward, holding it in pain. Chopper ran to his aid, the cyborg's body twitching.
"Cyborg Franky...Is that all there is to your strength?" taunted the Shichibukai.
"F-Franky got blown away from a frontal attack?!" said Usopp at the sight of Franky breathing heavily.
"What kind of power is that?!" enriched the navigator.
"Perhaps it is possible of deflecting even the air itself..." suggested Robin. "A normal cannon wouldn't affect Franky at all..."
"I call it the Pad Cannon...By repelling air at the speed of light, I make a shock wave that can pierce through anything" explained Kuman, before bending his knees and taking a sumo pose. "Now, it's over...."
Zoro dashed forward and avoided the multiple paw projectiles in his way to get to Kuma, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid the last attack and was blown away. Before he could even stand up fully, the Shichibukai has reappeared behind him, in the hovering posture earlier. Chopper and Usopp hugged each other, yelling for the swordsman's name in fear.
Fortunately, the attack was stopped by Sanji kicking Kuma directly in the face. The duo cheered for the chef, but it didn't last long that the blond male howled as agony coursed through his leg, grabbing his limb and falling next to Zoro.
"Black Leg Sanji...you have to be him" merely said Kuma, scratching his chin.
"Sanji's kick didn't even make him blink..." blanched the sniper. "What in the hell is this?!"
"Why the hell is he so hard?!" grunted Sanji. "Is his face made from steel?!"
Usopp shot with his slingshot a flying firebird, and Kuma scoffed under his breath:
"The King of Snipers? What a ridiculous name..." he said while deflecting the firebird who went straight for Usopp, inflaming him.
You watched the fight with a stoic expression, your eyes wide and mouth straightened in a line. Sweat ran down your temples when you sensed the Shichibukai behind you, and you didn't need to turn around to confirm he was:
"Silvers (y/n)...The Immortal....We meet again..."
"...."
Your head did a slow turn, gazing at Kuma with dark eyes. You could remember the moment you first met him like it was yesterday, before he became a Shichibukai. It was a long time ago.
*FLASHBACK*
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Your scream resonated inside the forest as your 7 years old body passed through the trees of the thick forest. You ended up falling from a cliff, your body sliding on the wet grass from the rain still going on. Your jumpsuit clung to you, the same for the long socks who were beyond soaked.
( A/N: Right one)
You scowled at the throbbing pain in your back and shoulders, trying to lift yourself with the help of your gloved arms. Your (long/short) ponytail came undone a little, your hair and face wet as the rain poured on you.
"S-Shit....Fuck that old man for leaving me here for the day..." you cursed, grabbing your bleeding elbow.
Something heavy landed a few feet away from you, and you froze on the spot. Staring over your shoulder, you saw the large man from before advancing toward you. Your face paled drastically and you crawled your way toward some boulders to find a hiding spot. You tried to stand up on your two legs, but you faceplanted by the pain racking them.
A whine escaped your lips, and you screeched as a shadow fell on you. The man with his bible was hovering you, opening one palm covered with a paw pad. You lifted your arms and protected your head, waiting for the coming blow.
"What are you doing here?" demanded the man, placing a hand over the crown of your hair. His hand was so large that he could practically crush your head by simply closing it.
You blinked and deadpanned at the tall male. First, he attacked you and sent you flying across the whole forest, and now he was asking that?
"What the Realm of Hell is wrong with you, fuckass?!" you snarled, slapping his hand away and glaring angrily at him. "You tried to kill me!!"
"....I'm sorry, I thought you were with the World Government...." responded the man.
"HOW THE HECK A YOUNG GIRL LIKE ME WOULD BE WITH THEM?!!"
You didn't hesitate to kick his head and the man's jaw barely moved an inch. You kept staring at the strange man for a long time, before scowling and limped by trying to get as far as possible from him. You released a scream when he suddenly lifted you over his shoulder and walked in the other direction.
"RELEASE ME! STUPID JERK FACE, DAMN FAT BITCH ASS!" you continued on with the insults while the man ignored you. "ARE YOU HEARING ME?!
After a while, the man that introduced himself as Bartholomew Kuma stopped inside a cave and made a camp there. He made a quick fire and treated your wounds right away, to your disbelief. You watched as he patched your injuries with bandages and alcohol, to which you hissed at the stinging sensation. When he was done, Kuma sat at the entrance of the cave, reading his bible.
Hugging your knees to your chest, you stared at the colors of the fire, before deciding to stand up. You didn't want to stay here any longer. However, fate had other plans for you. You didn't make one step forward that your right eye burned you. Squeaking, you fell on your ass and started to sob uncontrollably. Kuma looked over his shoulder inquisitively, and his mouth parted slightly at your bleeding purple eye.
"It hurts...It hurts...IT HURTS!" you screamed loudly.
An invisible power and aura pulsed from your body, and Kuma would have lost consciousness if he wasn't on his guard. He grew deeply dizzy at the sudden wave, and staggered back clumsily. You continued to cry, clutching the right side of your face. Small voices speaking another language reached your ears, entering your mind and teasing all your senses.
"I...I...I...LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE!" you repeated, shaking your head wildly. "I DON'T WANT IT!"
You stopped sobbing when hands grabbed your shoulders tightly. His showed his palm and put it on your chest. A red paw bubble appeared from inside your body, pulling on it. At the same time, your pain was completely gone. Your tears stopped and your lips parted in shock.
"You....What did you do...?" you murmured as the paw bubble disappeared with a pop sound.
"I took your pain away" responded simply Kuma. "I see you have the power of Samsara..."
"You know about it?"
"...I heard the legend, yes"
Kuma looked over his shoulder and let out a hum. The rain has finally stopped, and night was about to fall. The tall man stood up and exited the cave, but not before giving a glance at you:
"....You should be careful from now on. And never turn your back....I could have killed you if I wanted, and luck was on your side to only give you a few wounds"
"......."
Kuma disappeared, leaving you all by yourself. Once again. At this point, the bandages were unnecessary since he somewhat managed to rid of your pain.
"How...?" you murmured, looking at your chest.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"I thought I told you to never turn your back, Silvers (y/n)" spoke the Shichibukai, breaking your train of thoughts.
"Kuma-" you commenced but was cut when something pierced through your stomach.
"OH MY GOD, (Y/N)!!!" screamed Nami, putting a hand over her mouth.
Blood escaped your mouth and leaked down your chin, your eyes widening at the pain exploding in your lower-half. Sanji yelled your name, his face turning into an expression of pure rage, directed at the Shichibukai. You fell on your side, clutching your stomach as you tried to breath in and out. Your body convulsed a few times, Kuma hovering your form.
"Don't touch her!" barked Zoro as the Shichibukai lifted you under his arm.
Your arms were limp, hanging on their own while blood was still falling down from your mouth. Your sight darkened, and the next thing you knew, you lost consciousness.
"Bryce...What are you doing here?" a female voice echoed.
"Oh, Mother! I'm simply trying to catch those fireflies" answered a young boy's voice.
"I see. Did you catch any already?" giggled the woman.
"Unfortunately, no...But I'm not giving up!"
"Bryce. No matter what you do, do not leave this room. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mother. However...What's going on...?"
"Nothing. I simply must deal with those people you saw a few days ago....Mommy loves you a lot! You're the light of her world! So please, stay here and do not make a sound"
"Yes, Mother"
"W-What are you d-d-doing?! Let him go....LET HIM GO!"
"M-Mommy...Why a-a-are you covered in blood?! And what are they doing...?!"
"BRYCE"
"MOTHER"
"Bryce. No matter what happen...Do. Not. Open. Your. Eyes"
"..........Mother...you...sound....different...."
"Bryce. You know that mommy...loves you, right? So be a good boy, and stay put"
"Mother, your eyes aren't the same anymore"
"I will kill you.....I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU"
Your eyes shot open, you breath ragged. You were back in the room you shared with Nami and Robin. You touched your stomach and noticed that you had no wound. In fact, your injuries from before completely disappeared. You lifted yourself in a sitting position, looking around the room in wonder. From the corner of your eyes, you saw your clothes laying on a chair.
Standing up, you changed the pajamas you had on with them, breathing a sigh of relief to have them back. You pushed the door, putting a hand over your eyes to avoid the hurting light blinding you completely. There was no one on board, and you let an inquisitive noise.
"Ah, (y/n)-swan!" came the voice of Sanji, coming out from the kitchen. "You're finally up"
"Yeah..." you trailed. "What...happened?"
"You were out for one day. That bastard of Shichibukai made us a deal: our lives would be safe if we gave Luffy's head to the World Government....I think you can guess our answer" smiled the chef. "In the end, Moss Head sacrificed himself to save him and you"
"Sacrificed himself?" you repeated, raising a brow.
"Ah, he isn't dead unfortunately..." continued Sanji. "Though, Marimo is completely out cold and Chopper is tending to him at this right moment"
"He...saved my life...again?" you spoke, disbelief showing on your face.
"Who wouldn't? (y/n)-swan is our precious Nakama after all" beamed the blonde male. "Now, we should get going. The others are waiting for you at the island's mansion. We are throwing a party to celebrate our victory"
"Wait, what about Kuma?!"
"He is gone, without leaving a trace. But that's not our concern anymore. Now, let's go, shall we?"
The chef led you back in the mansion where the party was taking off. You weren't that close right now that you were already hearing the cheers and laughs inside. Sanji was the first one to enter, followed by you. The moment you arrived inside the hall, Luffy appeared in front of you and hugged you to death:
"(Y/N)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled loudly in your ear. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!!"
"Release me, you damn idiot! You're squeezing me!" you gasped, face turning red.
"NOPE"
"WHY DO YOU MEAN 'Nope' ?!!!!!!!!!! DO IT OR I KICK YOU SO HARD YOU WILL END UP IN A COMA!!"
You struggled and wrestled with your captain to get out of his rubber arms. But the little rascal was enrolling his limbs like a snake. You eventually gave up after a few minutes, and left him cling to you like a koala. You sauntered toward the table were Zoro was sleeping, covered in bandages around his torso and arms. Chopper was eating a sweet cake, and beamed at the sight of you:
"(y/n)!! You came back!" the reindeer said happily, jumping down from the table and throwing himself in your stomach.
"Glad you could join us on this day" smiled Nami and Robin.
"Where are the other idiots? Did they die?" you asked, frowning as Luffy snuggled his face in the crook of your neck.
"Nah, Usopp and Franky are dancing on the tables over there" pointed Nami. "And Brook is playing at the piano"
She didn't finish her sentence that the skeleton began to sing Bink's sake. Everyone was having fun, while you stayed in a seat next to Zoro. You stared at his form a few times through the party, trying to wrap your head around the fact he saved your life. Everyone eventually joined Brook in his singing, even though a little before he was a crying mess for an unknown reason.
And suddenly, you heard:
"I am so glad to be alive!!!" shouted Brook, everyone stopping what they were doing to stare at him. "I truly am glad to be alive!"
"Well, sure!" chuckled Luffy, standing on top of the piano.
"Finally, this day has come!...Oh. May I join your crew?" asked finally the skeleton and your captain nodded.
"Yeah, go ahead"
"WHAT?! JUST LIKE THAT?!!" shouted in unison Usopp and Sanji.
"HE JOINED?!!!" added Franky and Chopper, and Nami screamed while Robin laughed.
"But, whatever! We've got our musician! Hooray!"
All the guys except for Zoro were throwing Brook in the air, showing their excitement for their new Nakama. On your side, you didn't really care about it. Skeleton or not, it made no difference. You will still kick him he acts like an idiot. Though, you were pretty interested in how things will turn out from now on. You stared outside by a window, and blinked in confusion when you thought you saw a dark figure on top of the destroyed tower.
You blinked, and the mirage has disappeared. You shrugged it off, thinking it was probably your mind playing tricks on you.
The dark silhouette turned away from the cheering crowd at the bottom. It came for only one reason, and it saw what it needed to see. The person walked away, but stopped on track. Its head did a slow turn, eyeing a wooden doll, standing a few feet away.
"......Interesting....." said the figure. "I wonder how it is possible....That you would still be alive"
The doll didn't say anything, cocking his head to the side. The figure shook its head, facing away from the wooden doll.
"If the balance of the Universe isn't risked, then I couldn't care less about your actions.....But this is curious indeed...You aren't supposed to be here, in this life after all"
The person finally walked away, leaving the doll.
"....How long before it began?"