Chapter 63 — "The Hunter and the Goddess"
Sunny's POV
Sunny inhaled deeply, the salty wind brushing his face. "Smells like adventure and bankruptcy."
{ego}: You mean because Aqua and Lucy raided every souvenir stall?
[system]: UmU~ Correction: 'invested' in shiny trinkets that bring happiness. Totally different, darling.
"Yeah, sure…" Sunny muttered. "Remind me to ban you both from online shopping."
Lucy skipped ahead, beaming. "Today's the day we see the execution platform! I wanna stand right where the Pirate King stood!"
Aqua crossed her arms, eyes glittering. "And I want to see if the people here still tell stories about me. You know — divine beauty, miraculous rain goddess, the usual."
Sunny smirked. "Pretty sure the only stories people tell about you involve flooding entire taverns."
"Hey! That was one time!"
"Three."
"Fine. Three! But I regret nothing." Aqua huffed.
{ego}: The chaos trio returns: one dreamer, one disaster goddess, and one poor fool in between.
[system]: UmU~ I call dibs on recording their eventual arrest.
Sunny's eyebrow twitched. "You're not helping."
---
🏛️ The Execution Platform — Town Square
The towering platform loomed ahead — wooden, ancient, steeped in history. The place where Gol D. Roger smiled at death itself. The crowd murmured around it, tourists and locals whispering the same question: "What did he see before he died?"
Lucy gazed up, her expression strangely calm. "So this is where it started…"
Sunny could feel something radiating from her — a quiet determination mixed with awe. She wasn't just looking at a relic; she was looking at a promise.
Aqua folded her arms beside her. "Creepy place for tourists to take selfies."
Lucy giggled. "You're not wrong."
Before Sunny could speak, a voice like smoke rolled behind them.
"Enjoying the nostalgia, pirates?"
The air tightened. Sunny turned slowly — facing a tall man in a white Marine coat, his face partially hidden behind a cigar's haze. His weapon was massive — a jitte tipped with sea-prism stone.
Smoker.
{ego}: Oh great. Big bad Marine boss time.
[system]: UmU~ Cigar man detected. Threat level: moderate. Ego's jokes: high.
Sunny grinned faintly, meeting Smoker's eyes. "You must be Captain Smoker. Heard you don't let pirates leave this town."
Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke, glaring at him. "That's right. And today won't be an exception."
Lucy stepped beside Sunny, fists clenched, a grin spreading across her face. "Perfect! A warm-up before lunch!"
Aqua cracked her knuckles, smirking. "Finally, some action. Let's see if smoke can handle water."
Smoker's brow furrowed. "Water?"
Before he could process it, Aqua flicked her fingers. The air shimmered, droplets forming from nothing, condensing into a spiraling wave that struck toward Smoker's lower half — harmless but swift.
The Marine captain turned to mist on instinct — but when Aqua's water hit him, it didn't pass through. It hissed. The moisture clung to the smoke, dragging it back into shape.
"What—!?" Smoker growled.
Sunny smirked. "You're up against a literal goddess of water. Sorry, but your logia advantage? Evaporated."
{ego}: Nice one. Pun intended.
Aqua winked. "I control every drop in the air, big guy. Your little smoke tricks don't work on me~"
Smoker glared. "Then I'll just hit the one who doesn't have godhood."
He lunged— faster than Sunny expected — sea-stone jitte flashing.
Lucy intercepted with a CRASH! Her fist collided with the jitte's shaft, sending shockwaves through the ground.
Sunny grinned. "That's my captain."
Lucy smiled back. "Hehe! You're not touching my crew!"
The plaza erupted — civilians scattering as the Marine forces moved to surround them. Aqua summoned a ring of pressurized water around the trio, deflecting bullets and blades alike.
Smoker's smoke twisted again, forming a massive hand, but Aqua's palm glowed blue — she snapped, and the mist shattered into harmless vapor.
{ego}: I can't believe it… Aqua's actually being useful.
Aqua looked up, glaring. "I HEARD THAT!"
[system]: UmU~ Ego roasted, humidity 200%, pirates stylish.
[A/n: Sunnyn somehow convinced Aqua hold back on devil fruit user for now ]
---
⚔️ Meanwhile — Zoro and Nami
In a quieter alleyway, Zoro and Nami were in their own kind of chaos.
"Are you sure this is the right shop?" Nami asked, raising an eyebrow.
Zoro nodded toward the entrance of Ipponmatsu's Sword Store. "If I'm gonna find new blades, this is the place."
Inside, the air smelled of old wood and steel. Rows of swords lined the walls, each humming faintly with pride and history.
Nami trailed behind, inspecting price tags. "These are expensive. Try not to destroy anything, okay?"
"Relax."
Seconds later — CRASH!
"Ipponmatsu!" the shopkeeper screamed. "Don't swing the cursed one!"
Too late. Zoro had already tossed the sword, testing fate. It spiraled down — and stopped — just above his arm, not a single scratch.
He grinned. "Guess it likes me."
Nami groaned. "You're insane."
The old man sighed, handing him another blade. "You've got guts, boy. Take the Yubashiri too. Consider it a gift."
Zoro bowed slightly. "Thanks, old man."
Nami shook her head. "If you die from cursed swords, don't haunt me."
"I'll try."
---
🌧️ Back to the Plaza
Lucy and Aqua stood back to back, defending against Marine waves. Sunny ducked under Smoker's strike and countered with a low kick, sending sparks across the cobblestone.
Smoker blocked with his jitte, grunting. "You're fast."
Sunny grinned. "You haven't seen fast yet."
He vanished for a split second — Bang-style movement — reappearing at Smoker's flank, palm already glowing with a faint knocking pulse. He hit a nerve point in Smoker's arm, temporarily paralyzing it.
"Wha—!? My hand—!"
Sunny smirked. "Jirō says hi."
{ego}: He's been waiting months to use that line.
Lucy leaped forward with a wild laugh, fist covered in air pressure — BOOM! — she struck Smoker's chest, launching him through two market stalls.
Aqua cheered. "Nice hit, Cloud Queen!"
Lucy grinned. "Thanks, Aqua-senpai!"
Aqua blinked, flustered. "Wait— did you just call me senpai!?"
Sunny chuckled, wiping sweat from his forehead. "That's my crew."
[system]: UmU~ Adorable destruction. 10/10 chaos coordination.
---
As the Marines regrouped, thunder echoed across the plaza — but it wasn't from Aqua's power. A new figure stepped onto a nearby rooftop, cape fluttering in the breeze.
Tashigi.