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[Resolution]
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...
Arlong stared at the stack of bills in Dan's hand with a surprised expression.
He had been sure the woman was about to throw her life away for the kids—clearly not having enough to pay, and not expecting anyone else to.
He had been ready to make this the first monkey he'd get to kill now that he was here.
Yet, suddenly, one of the kids she'd been trying to cover for had stepped in and pulled out enough for all of them like it was nothing.
Squinting, his eyes moved over the other humans, gauging their reactions.
The woman, the old man, the two girls—all of them staring at the money with their mouths open.
"B-brat, where did you get so much money?!" Genzo asked, somewhere between outraged, baffled, and just a tiny bit relieved.
"I saved it up. Now shut up and take my money." Dan waved the stack at Arlong, who took it and began counting slowly.
Though his interest wasn't really in the count.
'There's more to this.'
He'd seen her willingness to sacrifice herself a moment ago—which meant she hadn't expected either the villagers or anyone else to have what was needed, nor for there to be even the smallest chance of a miracle to happen.
He eyed the farm and the house. These humans weren't swimming in money, that much was obvious.
So where had the kid come from with all this?
'I smell more money,'
A grin began pulling at Arlong's face.
A hidden stash, maybe? Something they hadn't wanted him to find?
No, the woman clearly didn't know, and from the old man's question, neither had he.
Whatever the origin of this money was… the answer lay in the kid.
-Wack-
He slapped the stack into his palm with a smirk that wore a thin coat of warmth over something considerably less friendly.
"You got up to the last bill. Lucky you." He tilted his head. "Though now you've got me curious, boy. How does a brat like you have all this?"
Dan gave him a flat look. "I already said. I saved it up."
The smirk thinned. "A brat like you? Don't make me laugh. Your mother here couldn't cover it, and you want me to believe you could because you 'saved up'?"
"In the first place, I'm not from this island. I travel around doing jobs to sustain myself as I go around. I just had the bad luck to be here when you showed up—and I suppose I won't be leaving any time soon."
"..."
Arlong paused, glaring at Bell-mère.
So that woman wasn't his mother?
"Arlong-san!"
Arlong lifted an eyebrow as he saw Hachi approaching with a bunch of papers in his hands. Ones that he showed to him as soon as he arrived.
"He's right, Arlong-san—he's not in the island's registry. Though those two kids aren't either." He pointed at Nami and Nojiko.
Arlong turned back to Dan, gesturing toward Nami and Nojiko with his head. "Then what about those two? They your sisters?"
Bell-mère answered for him. "I took them under my care a long time ago. I just haven't gotten around to registering them. Dan only arrived here a few weeks ago."
Arlong caressed his chin, weighing it.
But seeing Dan's unwavering look—something a kid his age would rarely show unless he had actually some of the roughness that came with traveling around alone—a dissapointed huff escaped his noise and he clicked his tongue, his interest deflating.
"That checks out then."
He snapped his fingers without looking at his crew.
"We're leaving."
The fishmen began walking away at once—a few shouldering past Genzo on the way out, but moving along without further incident.
However, Arlong stayed behind a moment longer.
He reached down and patted Dan on the shoulder.
"You used your savings this time—but I wonder if you'll be as lucky next month, little monkey. Make sure you have enough. You know what happens if you don't."
And with a mocking pat and a low snicker, the fishman turned and walked away, under everyone's terrified gaze.
—Save for Dan's.
'Next month? Let's first see if you can live to see that day.'
He watched Arlong's departing back with narrowed eyes.
"Kid, have you lost your mind?!" Genzo's hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him out of it.
Dan turned and gave him a flat look. "What? I just saved all of your asses. A little thank you wouldn't hurt."
"Thank you?! Do you have any idea how dangerous—"
"Thank you, Dan."
Bell-mère's voice cut through Genzo's scolding.
Both of them turned to see her smiling with genuine warmth, despite clutching her very clearly broken arm against her side.
"Without you here... I think this would have gone really badly."
Nami and Nojiko stepped closer, something hesitant in both their expressions. They glanced at Bell-mère once, as if deciding something, then looked back at him.
""Thank you, Dan.""
Genzo glanced at the family, then tipped his hat as he let out an exhausted sigh.
"I guess stress got the worst out of me. Thank you kid. You saved the situation right there."
Seeing the multiple waves of gratitude now coming in his direction, Dan exhaled through his nose.
"Don't mention it. Now—" He turned to Bell-mère. "Go get that arm looked at. It'll swell if you leave it."
Bell-mère nodded, the wince she was suppressing making it through anyway.
The two girls moved to her side. Genzo was already there, easing her uninjured arm over his shoulder and taking her weight.
"I'll get you to the village. Don't worry about the treatment—I'll cover it." He muttered.
"Haha... thanks." She laughed weakly.
And so, they began walking in the village's direction.
But as Bell-mère noticed Dan wasn't following, she glanced back with a questioning look. "You're not coming, kid?"
"I've got something to take care of."
Genzo's eyes narrowed. "Why do I get the feeling it's nothing good..."
Dan didn't answer.
Genzo sighed and pointed at him. "Don't go looking for trouble with that fishman, kid. Those are pirates, and strong ones."
Dan nodded. He wasn't going to.
Not today.
"Alright." Genzo exhaled and gave a resigned nod.
But before they went, Bell-mère looked back at him one last time.
"Thank you, Dan. Truly."
And with that, they walked away—all of them—back toward the village.
Dan watched until they were gone. Then he turned around, a scowl settling on his face.
'In the end, I'm still too weak.'
Before stepping out to pay, he'd taken a careful look at the group of fishmen—gauging whether his current level would be enough to fight them off.
It wasn't.
He had no precise way of measuring their strength against his own at the moment, but the way Arlong had moved—even in something as casual as stepping through a doorway and taking a rifle to the mouth without flinching—had told him enough.
Even if Bell-mère hadn't been surrounded. Even if the rifle hadn't been bitten off and had shot. He had a feeling that still wouldn't have been enough to stop him.
"..." Dan looked down at his fist.
He was strong now. Absurdly strong by the standards of his old world, and more so for a kid his age in this one.
But how did he really fare against those guys?
Superhumans. Fishmen, technically.
He was only just entering that realm—maybe.
Which meant, theoretically, he sat somewhere around the level of their weakest crew members. And the moment he understood that, he gave up the idea of fighting today entirely.
Not only was Arlong almost certainly far above his average crew member—he had also been surrounded by all of them. Even if he could handle one or two, he didn't need to be a genius to work out how a fight against all of them at once would end.
With his hacks, maybe he could find a way around the numbers somehow. But not like this. Not yet.
He needed time.
He needed strength.
And he needed to find a way to thin the numbers before it came to the main event.
"A month," Dan muttered.
The same window Arlong had generously given them—he'd use every day of it.
A month the fishman had sentenced onto his own life without knowing.
With that settled in his chest, Dan turned—
His figure blurred and shot forward.
For the first step of the month…
He needed his sword.
...
°
°
°
| Minutes later... |
...
Dan arrived at the other village relatively quickly—with only normal gravity holding him down, moving through the forest had been a breeze.
Once there, he found his way to the smithy after a few minutes. The familiar ring of hammer on iron filled the air from inside as he approached.
He stepped in. The old man was at the forge hammering down on what looked like a semi-formed kitchen knife, and only noticed him after a minute or so of more hammering once he noticed the shadow of the kid watching him work.
"You're here, kid."
"You have my sword? I'm in a bit of a hurry." Dan didn't beat around the bush.
Not that the smith seemed to care.
The smith set down his tools, wiped his hands on a rag, and walked to a small case by the counter.
"Right here."
-Thud-
He placed it on the counter and opened the case, revealing the sword in its scabbard, resting inside the beautifully decorated case.
Dan took the sword and drew it quickly.
Sssssshin—
The edge caught the light from the forge. It had the same elegance as before, and was just as dangerous looking... But something about it—
"It seems a bit different," Dan said.
He didn't know enough about blades to place exactly what. Luckily, the smith got there before he had to.
"I upgraded it. I won't pretend I improved on the work of a master—but alongside the repair, I did what I could to smooth out the imperfections the man couldn't help but leave. His eye was sharper than his hands at that point. They may not be perfect changes, but the blade should hold up a bit better than before." He gave Dan a measured look. "That said—try to take care of it. I don't know how you chipped a sword of this quality, but it shouldn't be easy. Whatever you were doing, ease up a little."
Dan gave a few test swings, turning the blade in the light, and then smiled faintly.
He sheathed it and hung it at his waist.
Then he took out his money and placed it in the smith's already extended hand.
"...?"
The smith's hand dipped slightly at the unexpected weight of it. He looked down—and found a stack that went well beyond what any repair job should cost. At least 100,000 beli.
Sweatdropping, his gaze lifted to meet Dan's. "Kid, ain't this too much above the price we set? The extra work on the blade was free of charge—and even if it wasn't, it wouldn't be this much."
"Call it thanks for the sword. And besides—" Dan glanced out toward the village briefly. "You'll probably need the money soon. If someone else needs help and you've got it to spare, use it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
And with that, Dan walked out of the smithy, leaving a confused but not-interested-enough-to-dig-more blacksmith behind.
Minutes later, Dan made his way back into the forest, stopping at a spot that felt open enough, and held the sword up to let the sunlight catch its gleam.
"Sword training, NP farming, and getting stronger—that's the plan for the rest of the month."
He felt a pang of guilt about Bell-mère—he'd have to stop showing up for the farm shifts. He'd thought he could keep growing while working for her, but today had made it clear that had been wishful thinking.
It was time to stop splitting his attention.
-Click, click, click-
He turned the cuffs' knob back to the familiar weight of ×3.
Getting Arlong's head before the month was out, that was the sole objective that would lead his life for the following month.
Sleeping, waking, training, scaring villagers, and going back to sleep.
The fishman had decided to let him off.
Sadly for him, he wouldn't do the same.
"Let's do this."
...
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: The month will be time-skipped, don't worry. This has gone for long enough.)