Chapter 48: The crew

-Kuina POV:

...

"Hya!"

*Clang!*

*Crack!*

As I swung a small branch coated in Haki, the giant boulder in front of me was split in half and crumbled apart as soon as the branch entered in contact with it.

With this I was assured to have enough control on armament Haki in order to fight properly an Admiral, or so did Sid said...

*Grip...*

As I looked at my palm before closing it into a fist, I looked far into the past when I used to practice at the dojo with my father in order to succeed him as the dojo owner. 

The inferiority complex that I used to have as a woman, as someone who couldn't surpass men in swordsmanship just because of my gender, was something that had now disappeared almost completely. The strength that I had right now was something beyond of what I thought I could one day reach...

And it was all thanks to that guy...

He certainly took me away from my family and friends, but he promised that I could go back one day when the future couldn't be altered anymore

Then I remembered the reason of why he accepted me inside his crew...

Until now I have been training in order to fight against that dangerous being that Sid mentioned once in the past, and so had been all the members of his crew been doing. Be it gathering new methods to become stronger, or simply training in order to become strong enough, we were all getting ready to fight against that being. 

However, there was one thing that we were all wary about. Sid, who was the only one who knew about this, had very vague and uncertain information about this guy we had to defeat, he didn't know where he was, neither how he looked like. So it was no wonder that some of our crew didn't believe completely about it.

After all, the only proof about that this being existed... was Sid himself and his apparent knowledge from the future and our supposed destiny in dying.

He seemed to know about us and our circumstances even before even meeting us before. It was so strange that no one of us had the courage to deny completely the existence of this dangerous being that Sid called "Anomaly". After all, it was already strange that Sid knew about us being only a 10 years old kid, so the possibility of that monster existing wasn't non-existent.

Unfortunately, during these 9 years that I have been accompanying Sid on occasional missions across the sea, we have been unable to find anything like that being.

Later when Sid saved a famous Carpenter known to be part of the Pirate King's crew from being executed, and started mass-producing crow-shaped robots, he sent thousands of them through the world in order to find that strange monster. Yet, even though we visited every island known until now, and even some that had yet to be discovered, we didn't manage to find that being...

The same has been happening with all our agents infiltrated within many kingdoms, there was no trace of any strange and powerful being that could erase an island within just one minute. 

So, even though we were all very grateful to Sid, this incredibly impossible to find being was starting to diminish our spirit in continuing  with all this. However, that didn't mean I was gonna stop training, I had yet to surpass Sid in swordsmanship.

Even though he dared to call what he did as Knivesmanship... I made me angry whenever I heard it!

He even dared to call his katanas as "Slightly long knifes"

It was obvious that he was stepping out voluntarily of the spot of the strongest swordsman in order for me to attain it without comparing myself to him. However, if he thought that I was just gonna be satisfied with this, then he is wrong... I was gonna kick his ass properly and then attain the spot by myself!

And of course, the first step towards that was by defeating the current "Strongest" Swordsman in the world, Dracule Mihawk.

Just you wait, Sid... I will defeat you and then...

*Cough*

"Hey Kuina, Food is ready~ Hmm? You're looking kinda red... You must be training really hard, come on, you need to eat in order to be strong and healthy..." Bell-mere suddenly came from within the house and called out to me.

"Ah... yes"

Suddenly, Bell-mere started looking at me intensely while I tried to avoid her eyes as much as possible... She was really sharp sometimes...

"Oh, I understand now... *Sigh* It's good to be young..."

"Hngh... you...!"

*Beep Beep*

Hmm? Someone is calling...

*Click*

"Ah, hello? Is everyone reunited already? I have never used this watch to make a group call after all..."

Dr Hiriluk?

"Who is Calling Kuina?" Bell-mere looked at me with curiosity as she saw me looking at the watch in my wrist.

"It's Dr Hiriluk, though I still don't know why"

"Hellooo? Is everyone there? I have news from "Thanatos" that I need to tell you guys" The voice of Dr Hiriluk came once again from the watch, this time his tone was a bit more impatient than before.

News from Sid? Did something happen to him? 

"Ah, Kuina and Bell-mere here! What happened?" I reported our presence, before waiting for Hiriluk's response.

Suddenly, many other voices came from within the watch.

"Tom here... What happened?"

"Kuent here! What happened to Thanatos-Sama?!"

"Yazu Here~ Did something happen with Thanatos-Sama?"

"Kayn here... What is it...?"

Many people started reporting themselves while asking about Sid's circumstances. The ones that knew about his real identity as Sid, like me or Bell-mere, had to call him by the name of Thanatos as there were members that didn't know his real identity. And since that guy really liked being mysterious and all, it became a norm to not call him by his first name unless we were alone with him.

But it is quite surprising to hear news about Sid, usually he could just contact us by using the watch, so there shouldn't be reason for Hiriluk to contact us in his stead.

Something must have happened...

"Well, since everyone is already here then I will go straight to the point as you guys must be quite busy. Thanatos is dealing with some business at Arabasta, and he told me that we will start our first mission in a week from now on. So, as everyone is imagining, we finally will reveal our crew to the world, so during this week you need to prepare everything before the departure. We will go to pick you up when the moment arrives... Also, prepare a good alias while you're at it, or else you will have to get one made by Thanatos himself, and let me warn you that they are not good..."

Heeeh~ So we will finally start our first mission as a crew? And here I was worrying about nothing.

Though, what could be Sid doing at Arabasta? Knowing him, he is probably playing to be mysterious again...

"Ehhh? An alias made by Thanatos-sama himself?! Such an honor!!"

"I don't particularly mind having an Alias made by him... well, I don't even care about my alias either..."

As I heard the response of Kuen and Kayn I sighed in pity, after all, none of them knew the horrible names that Sid could come up with sometimes.

There was a time when I accompanied him for a mission, and he gave me the alias of "Thunderous swordsman of moonlight". There was to say that I immediately tried to kick him when he called me like that.

Not like he was gonna get hurt anyways.

"Then that's all, be sure to prepare properly because I have a hunch that this trip will be quite troublesome. Until then, take care"

*Beep*

The call ended and I looked back at Bell-mere, who had an amused look on her face while looking at the watch.

"Well, it was to be expected that one day you could leave. Be sure to become an extremely famous pirate when you depart with him"

...

As I looked back at Bell-mere, who was making a gentle smile on her face while looking at me, tears started coming out from my eyes.

"Yes... Thank you... for all this time..."

As I started remembering all these years when we lived together, a lump started forming on my throat as I started trying to suppress my tears from going out.

"You were... like the mother I never had... during all this time..."

Tears started coming out uncontrollably, I didn't want to show her this face, but I just couldn't stop furrowing my brows while thinking about us being separated for too long...

"Heh"

Bell-mere suddenly pulled me into an embrace, and started caressing my head while she spoke in a gentle tone.

"Don't be stupid, I have always considered you my daughter... Now stop crying and go prepare yourself for the trip"

"You're... really not coming?"

"I can't, I'm already too old to go on adventures. So be sure to enjoy your trip with your new companions, and make a lot of memories so that you can always smile when you remember them"

"Yes..."

And like that, I continued crying for some minutes more in the embrace of Bell-mere... In the embrace of my mother.

...

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