(Note: I'm going to be honest and say I'm a little lost with the progression in time, so I'll just say that Dante is 17 years old, regardless of what happened before. This happened to me because I created the important events throughout the years of the story, and after all that, I gave Dante a birthday, which was a bit out of date with what it should be. So, most likely, in the next chapter I'll say the ages of the protagonists, just to remember them and the current date.)
On an island in the East Blue, a couple is seen walking hand in hand to a specific place. One was a beautiful woman with orange hair and brown eyes; she was holding a picnic bag. The other was a blond man with his hair tied up so that some strands were sticking out of his hairstyle; in addition to having red eyes, he was holding an umbrella.
These two were Dante and Nix, who were going to the beach for a picnic. They also went to play and swim in the sea.
People who saw them gossiped about the couple, who spent almost all day in the cabin where they were both staying, where neighbors said strange noises could be heard inside at all times of the day.
But this didn't bother them much; after all, that person had saved the island from the thugs who tormented them. They only wondered if they ever slept.
In the distance, a crow could be seen watching them from afar. It had been watching the two of them do their activities all this time. Hun didn't know about reproductive acts, so she didn't understand what Dante and that woman were doing. She only knew that they did it almost all the time and in places where there were no other people. She only recorded what they did, in silence and darkness.
Dante had noticed Hun but ignored her since she is a bird; she didn't understand, and that was it. The problem was Trini's assignment, which I didn't know about.
Dante's POV
One of the best vacations I've ever had. Right now I'm in bed in Nix's cabin; she's naked, cuddled up to me with her head on my chest, sleeping.
It's been almost two weeks; right now I should be on the third island investigating Shiki's whereabouts, but here I am, and I don't regret a thing.
I should go to the other islands, mostly to see what problems they might have. But to be honest, I don't want to leave Nix's side, and I don't think she does either.
But there's a problem: if she does become Nami's mother, and I'm holding her here against her will, she might never be born.
And if Nami isn't born, the Mugiwara won't have a navigator, and that would drastically change the story—I don't know how much, but it would be quite a lot.
Now the question is, where is Nami's father? Neither of them appears in the series. And I find it a little awkward that Nix will go by another name after I'm gone; I think there's a word for that, but I can't remember.
The point is that soon I'll have to leave and separate from her, even though I don't like it. It's just like the situation would be if she had Nami; then I'd have to wrest Nami's father from her clutches and run away with her. It's not a bad idea; unlike some people, I don't mind being a stepfather too much. As long as the next ones are mine, it's all good.
I snuggled up next to Nix and went to sleep, putting all those thoughts out of my head.
*The next day*
We were having breakfast, and it was my turn to do it. Nix was sitting on my lap while we were feeding each other until I heard something.
purururu purururu pururur*
When I looked, I saw it was my den den mushi. No specific shape was shown, so it must be one of my classmates. I wonder who it is and what they want.
Nix stood up so I could answer the call.
gacha*
Dante: "Aloo?"
???: "Dante, it's me, Isis. Guess what? I have good news." I thought for a bit.
Dante: "Did you discover a way to achieve world peace?"
Isis: "Not so good either."
Dante: "So, what happened?"
Isis: "Well, I was on a boat heading to my next island, using my Observation Haki to look for something, when suddenly I felt something in the air, so I went to look, and it was a floating island, so you could say I found Shiki."
Dante: "What?!" I said, almost screaming in surprise.
Isis: "What happened? It's not a good thing that I found him, so why are you screaming?"
I thought about the situation for a bit and improvised.
Dante: "Oh, the thing is, I didn't think we'd find them so soon. I thought it would take months before we found a trace of him, but good job, you've earned a prize."
Isis: "Don't treat me like a child. I'm a grown and independent woman. I hope the prize is worth it, or else I'll tell Trini that you were the one who filled the AT with flour and eggs."
I paled when I heard that. That was a challenge I made when I was playing with her and Arthur. I think I'll have to put some effort into the surprise I'm going to throw at her.
Dante: "Don't worry, just don't reveal that; send me the coordinates of where you found Shiki so I can give them to the Marines."
After she gave me the x, y, and z coordinates of the place, I prepared to say goodbye to her.
Dante: "That'll be all. Go back to Loguetown and wait for the others. I'll call the Marines to give them the coordinates and let the others know to come back too."
Isis: "Okay, see you."
gacha*
I looked at Nix, where she was listening and drinking coffee with her eyes closed.
Nix: "So you're leaving." She opened her eyes and looked at me with sadness and regret.
Dante: "It seems so. My companions have already found the person we're looking for, so we'll have to return to the New World to continue what we were doing."
Nix: "Tell me," she looked into my eyes, leaving a small silence after saying that, "can I come with you and accompany you on your journey with your companions?"
My mind went blank; I was about to say yes, until I remembered two details. The assassins from the Underworld and Ares.
What we're doing is already dangerous enough, and for that reason, I decided it would just be the six of us and not add anyone else so as not to weigh down our burden. Besides, we were already quite complete; we don't need to add another person.
Nix wasn't a fighter, so it will be very dangerous to be with us, and I'm afraid something might happen to her if she comes with us.
I bit my lip and told her.
Dante: "No, I don't think you can." My voice sounded sad and regretful.
Nix: "I see." She stood up and walked into the room, leaving me alone.
I sighed; I think this is over.
I'll call the marines to tell them Shiki's location and warn the others to return to Loguetown.
After a few calls, I got ready to leave without disturbing Nix. Before leaving the house with my things, I heard someone talking behind my back.
Nix: "Where do you think you're going?"
I turned around to look at her, and I was stunned.
Nix was wearing a lace dress, her hair was loose, and she was wearing lipstick.
She approached me, swaying her hips sensually, grabbed my shirt, and whispered in my ear.
Nix: "You're not running away from me, you hear me?"
With that, she grabbed my sleeve, made me put my things aside, and led me to the bedroom. I threw myself onto the bed, and she got on top of me.
Nix: "I'm going to make you remember me for the rest of your life and beyond." She then started kissing me, which I immediately reciprocated.
Well, you should have guessed what happened after that. But the two-person exercises lasted all day; they fucked nonstop and without considering the consequences, until they both fainted.
Once they were calm and awake, they hugged each other to generate more warmth in the middle of the night.
Nix: "Hey, will I ever see you again?"
That question broke me; it felt like my soul was being split in two. I sat up, grabbed her shoulders, looked her in the eyes, and said, "As much as I'd like you to come with me, it's very dangerous. I have some enemies who might turn on you if they see me with you, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you. If something like that were to happen, I wouldn't forgive myself in my life, so I'll make you a promise. When I'm done with all this, I promise I'll come back for you, no matter what. It's a promise for life."
Nix: "Okay, I believe in your promise, so I'll wait for you to come back to me."
Dante: "I don't want you to hold up your visa just because of me; if you don't want to leave with me when I get back, there won't be a problem."
Nix: "Why do you say that?" she said, a little annoyed.
Dante: "Just in case."
After saying that, we snuggled closer together before going to sleep.
*The next day*
I'm currently on a boat on my way to Loguetown, with Hun on my shoulder.
I still can't believe they managed to find Shiki. Because of that, I had to separate from Nix; I didn't want to, but I still had to at some point, and the sooner the better.
Before leaving, I made a vivre card for her so that later, regardless of where she is, I can go after her.
I just have to sort out the situation with my father and the boss of the underworld. Once all that's out, I can return to her.
I sat in a corner of the boat to rest; I fed Hun some fruit while looking out at the sea. I could have been writing the book, but I didn't feel like it.
This is the path I chose, a path of solitude.
Maybe I'm exaggerating, but this is how I feel right now.
*Transition Moment*
As I approached Loguetown, I saw several caravans of naval ships arriving. I decided to head to the barracks as quickly as possible.
Once there, I saw three familiar faces and one not-so-familiar one.
Arthur, Garp, Sakasuki, and Sengoku were in the barracks. Arthur was there because he was one of the first to arrive.
Garp: "Brat, did you really find Shiki's whereabouts?"
Dante: "Isis was the one who found him, but I trust my comrades, so if she says she found him, then I'll definitely believe her."
Sengoku: "I hope you know the consequences of lying to the Navy." I didn't say it in a threatening way, but I still felt the danger.
Dante: "I recommend you go to the coordinates instead of wasting time here; knowing Shiki's nostril, I wouldn't be surprised if he moved from where he is."
Sakazuki: "I agree with that. You should go catch him as soon as possible."
Garp: "Aren't you and your team coming with us?"
Dante: "I'm not in the best shape yet"—a lie, but they don't need to know that. "Besides, I don't want to do the Navy's work without a favor in return, or for the Marines to get even angrier at us for stealing their spotlight and achievements, or not."
None of them responded; they just went to the ships parked in the harbor. The last to leave was Garp, who stopped at the door.
Garp: "If we manage to find Shiki, our deal is fulfilled; then you'll know if we managed to catch him or not. See you."
Arthur, Hun, and I were left alone.
Arthur: "Well, it was pretty intense. I thought if I spoke, they'd kill me."
Dante: "How long have you been here?"
Arthur: "About two hours."
Dante: "You weren't that far from here then."
Arthur: "The others should arrive between these two days, so we'll have to wait for them."
Dante: "Let's find a place to rest while the others arrive."
We left the barracks to look for an inn or something similar. Isis would arrive that day at dusk.
The next day Sulli would arrive, and after five hours Trini would arrive at Loguetown.
Dante: "Well, we're all here." We were in a room gathered to talk about what we were going to do next. The four of us were gathered in circles, the only one excluded being Trini, who was with Hun in a corner. I didn't force her in here, since I know she'll be listening to our conversation.
Sulli: "So, what do we do now?"
Arthur: "Easy, we'll go to—" He couldn't finish because someone interrupted him.
Isis: "On vacation." The three of us remained silent, not waiting for that answer. "I think with everything we've done and the work we're doing right now, we deserve a little break, right?"
Arthur: "That's not a bad idea, is it, Dante?"
Dante: "Yes, I think it could be a very viable option," I said a little nervously, following the flow of the conversation.
Trini: "I don't think it's possible," we heard him say as he walked toward us with Hun on his forearm, "at least for one of us."
I felt my blood run cold as I realized what was happening. Hun just sold me out.
Isis: "What do you mean?"
Trini: "Well, a little bird just told me about the great journey our leader took while searching for Shiki by land, sky, and sea."
There's no way to see it. I'm already dead.
*Transition moment*
Isis: "I still can't believe it. I didn't expect Dante to do that."
Sulli: "It doesn't surprise me much."
Arthur: "As time goes by, you kind of expect this kind of thing."
Dante: "Guys, I know I did wrong, and I've been reflecting on my mistakes. I'm a changed man now, and I won't do it again, so please, UNTIE ME AND LET ME OUT OF HERE!!"
Trini: "No, you need to reflect on your actions so you won't even think about doing something like that again in your life."
Right now, I'm tied up in a Christ-style cross. The six of us are on a boat on our way to Sabaody, all thanks to the marines who were also headed there.
The recruits and some corporals looked at me with indescribable emotions; they have no idea how embarrassed I was. They had me tied up with sea stones—arms, legs, and torso—so I couldn't escape.
Dante: "If I want to go to the bathroom, what will happen?"
Trini: "That hadn't occurred to me. Well, someone will clean you up later; let's go eat."
The five of them went to the cabin; the other marines also left, leaving me alone on the deck. Only for it to start raining.
Dante: "GET ME OUT OF HERE! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT; WIPE ME OUT LIKE A GRANDPA WITH ALZHEIMER'S. DO YOU HEAR ME, TRINI, ARTHUR, SULLI, ISIS? YOU'RE THERE, SORRY." I screamed, but my efforts were useless, and that's how I spent most of the trip to the Sabaody.
Third-person POV
*Somewhere on the ship*
Random Marine: "Yes, here are the five of them; the leader is tied up on the deck, so you should see him immediately. "Now free my wife and daughter."
???: "I always keep my end of the deal, but I can't do it until they're dead, understood?"
Random Marine: "Yes, understood."
gacha*
*Somewhere in Paradise*
???: "You heard me; go and don't fail me again."
Artic: "Yes, boss."
Marie: "Aye, boss."
The two departed.
???: "Are you sure you want to send them both?" A female voice was heard.
It was a woman wearing ceremonial priestess clothing; she had a blanket covering most of her face, leaving only her nose and lips exposed.
???: "At this point, I don't care; if they fail, it only gives me the excuse to go after them myself, and that's why I brought you with me."
After that, the man left, followed by the woman, disappearing into the darkness.
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If you find this chapter short, it's for two reasons.
First, I got sick. I have a massive cold and can't stop sneezing.
Second, I want to have the whole day tomorrow to study, since I have exams, tests, quizzes, or whatever you call them where you live next week, and I need to study.
Well, that's all; see you.