Chapter 8

POV – Piercy D. Tessa

After lamenting her secrets exposal she decided that it didn’t matter as he had no way of training in her ninja ways without a proper teacher.

”Well, I better leave before some stray becomes attracted to me. As of now my plan of action will be a shower and then I’ll try to contact these people and see If we can’t work out something.” After deciding on her future actions she started to clean the trash from her hair and clothes. Unluckily she had appeared at the ” Endless dunes of garbage”.

”What the hell. Why is there something like this in this city? Just garbage all around me, why? Why did I appear here, ARGGHH! Why can’t I choose where I appear with the emergency escape?”

”SHUT UP! WE ARE TRYING TO WORK HERE! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO THEN YOU CAN HELP US, BUT FOR THE LOVE OF MOTHER NATURE DON’T MAKE SO MUCH NOICE!”

”Ninjutsu technique: Emergency escape!”

…

”Hey, Jackie! … JACKIE!” ”WHAT!” ”I found a girl lying in your closet. You know anything about her?” Heavy footsteps come closer to Tessa and an unknown black haired woman. Her black eyes looking curiously at Tessa. ”No. You sure that you don’t confuse it with Jo’s? Who knows what he has in his closet. An army of skeletons or a girl, all are possible in my opinion.” ”* sigh * I am sure it’s yours, it has your name on doesn’t it?”

What is happening? Where am I? Jackie? Didn’t that blonde guy mention Jackie? Maybe he’s the same that he mentioned…

”Who are you? And how did you get in my closet?” While she was absorbed in her thoughts Jackie, presumably, had come to the room and was close by looking at Tessa curiously.

”Huge!” The man was huge. And Tessa made sure to vocalize her surprise. Almost four meters tall with a lean but muscular body.

He’s strong! I could beat him but I’d need some time and tricks. And the lady next to me is also strong. And she looks good, that’s always a plus.

”That’s strange, you feel the same as Jo, yet different. More … powerful.” As he talked he began to get a better feeling and started going on guard the more he spoke.

Good, at least he didn’t do anything stupid like run away when he knows someone is stronger than him and whoever this ”Jo” person is. It seems that lady was always aware that I am stronger than her but she never showed it, she must have seen many people much stronger than her so she had learned to hide her surprise and other emotions that might be a hindrance in battle. Didn’t that guy also mention Jo, Jo with a staff and didn’t want to leave before finding a doctor. Probably the same guy. Doctors… I am sure that there was a skilled doctor around West-Blue. While his money making methods were … questionable, his skills were definitely top notch. It seems I need to use my life as an incentive for him to come with us.

While Tessa was absorbed in her own thoughts, the weary Jackie and Nina had called Jo and Sky. They would have called Noah as well but he called them first and told that he had interesting news and that he was coming back as soon as possible. Jo and Sky told that they will come as soon as possible but they might take some time.

”Do not attack her or do anything that might make her attack you. You got something troublesome in your closet you know that. Don’t worry nothing will happen, we’ll be there soon. We are already close” Said Jo to Jackie as he called him a second time in distress as the girl had now started to mutter in her own thoughts and occasionally drooled on herself. She wasn’t listening to them and they were scared to do anything rash to get her to listen.

So they waited.

”’Sup. I am back. You know what super cool I saw today? When that bastard rick thought he’d had enough fun and left I found a Ninja. A real Ninja! Do you know how surprised I was when I found a girl in the corner absorbed in her own thoughts and when I surprised her she used her ninja powers to escape? ”Ninjutsu Technique: Emergency escape!” Imagine my surprised face when this beautiful girl just disappeared after shouting her technique. Then it hit me. … She was a NINJA. A REAL LIFE NINJA. FOR REAL. So cool! And she was very beautiful. With her red hair to her back and sky blue eyes. And those swords, she had...” ”Two katanas at her side. One long and one very short.” ”Yes. One long as her hair and.. one… short… How do you know that.” ”You better come and see what we have up here,” Said Jackie from upstairs and Noah, while excited, started treading the steps to the second floor of the house. Will she take me as an apprentice? How should I ask? Maybe I should dogeza all the way to the floor while shouting ”take me as your disciple!”. Yeah, that sounds good.

As Noah was making such plans Jackie and Nina were talking about her swords. More specifically the katana (long).

”I am telling you that is a famous sword. One of the 21 great blades: Fuyu no kaze. Meaning Winter Wind. That grade of a sword is not going to be with a random anybody. She’s important, or she will lose the sword if she’s not good with it but you said she’s stronger than Jo? We indeed have a problem then.” Said Nina and glanced to the now drooling girl. Actually, she wasn’t drooling anymore but was keeping her attention focused to their conversation. Inwardly Tessa was almost panicking but knowing that she was stronger helped to keep her cool.

So they know about Fuyu no kaze. That marine girl sure knows much and she is way too cunning for my taste. Well, when my plan succeeds then I’ll have a good asset on my side. Plus she’s pleasant to look at. I hope this Jo person comes fast, then we can start talking and accepting my plan.

Without considering the other side at all Tessa was already envisioning the bright future she would have. Her on the fly thought up plan was becoming solidified to her future.

POV: Josef and Sky

”What do you think about her? Sound familiar?” I asked sky as we were flying toward our new home on the merchant side of the city of Valkk. Three years ago when I and Sky sold the swamp swamp fruit we got enough money to live in luxury for years. We bought a suitable home with a sea view, at least two floors and a suitable garden for training. I taught them enough self-defense for them to survive in the world. I started teaching Jackie Myai Thai two years ago. Before that I had him strengthen every part of his body as that would play a vital part in increasing his strength. Myai Thai uses both hands and feet, elbows and shins and trains them all to become weapons capable of killing people.

Sky Started training with daggers in both hands at the same time. I showed her a couple of stances and also had different daggers made for her to test and decide on her favorite. She settled on two karambit style knives and wielded them dextrously even in the shop and surprised the smith when she asked to make one for her other hand as well. She also had discovered that her two massive fangs, while they were hard and sharp, were also very brittle if hit in the right spot and would break off and she could wield them as knives. Though they would take a long time to grow back, about a month.

Though Noah hasn’t specialized in anything yet he learns anything he tries to learn super fast. Prodigious learning speed. It should be put to use.

”Isn’t she the woman you said was watching us while we fought yesterday. The description is similar, though you only said redhead, woman, same as us in age. With those exact words.”

Answered Sky while, ironically, she was flying in the sky with my cloud under her.

As for me, I was riding a thundercloud with a wooden staff in my hand. We had gotten lucky and sold the devil fruit and bought some Adam wood. Though only a little as it is very hard to transport it to the four seas from the Grand-Line making it so much more expensive. With the relatively small amount of Adam wood, the others agreed to let me take it and make it into a staff. A staff that can take cannonballs multiple times, a dream come true. I mean Zoro could cut the building in half but cannonballs can decimate multiple buildings. And supposedly this staff can take multiple of those. And then imagine coating it with armament haki I almost started jumping from excitement.

”We are nearly there. The house still stands so they should be okay.” Said Sky and a second later a screaming woman came from the house running and a man equally loud begging something.

”What is he doing? Care to tell, elder sister?” I asked while smirking at Sky as she looked with frost in her eyes toward Noah chasing behind the woman. ”Let’s leave our clouds here before she notices, I don’t want my powers being exposed yet,” I said and jumped from my cloud, She jumped from hers as well. We landed on our respective roofs and had a good view of the happening.

”What in good god’s name are you doing Noah? Care to tell me as well?” Said Sky with some frost in her tone. She jumped down from the roof she was standing on. She landed on her feet with agile movements. She looked very cool from my perspective even as I was focusing most of my attention on the woman Noah was chasing.

”I was going to ask her to be my master! She’s a Ninja! I went up to ask her and when she saw me I was on the ground doing dogeza and shouted: ”Let me be your disciple!” And she just freaked out. I don’t know whats wrong with her.” Noah started pouring out his story while the woman, sounding upset, responded to him.

”What do you think I should do when you escape my detection and appear before me and start shouting. Be glad that I didn’t cut you in half!” She said and glared at Noah for a while before sifting her vision to me.

”Okay, okay. Let’s cut it out and we’ll discuss things inside. You okay with that?” I descended between the two from my roof and looked at both of them. But my attention was focused on the woman the entire time. Both nodded and I let out the breath I was holding.