One Piece: Starting by Refusing Shanks

Smoker kept his eyes fixed on Takumi and explained, "This kid isn't ordinary. Earlier today at the execution platform, he used Armament Haki to catch a special bullet fired by a pirate."

"Oh? Armament Haki, huh?" Aokiji glanced at Takumi, noticing the wooden sword hanging by his side. "Kid, are you a swordsman?"

Takumi replied calmly, "You could say that."

Aokiji turned back to Smoker, who still looked tense. Waving his hand dismissively, Aokiji said, "He's just a wandering swordsman. He hasn't done anything wrong. Come on, stop looking so serious and let him go."

Smoker frowned, clearly annoyed, but before he could argue, Aokiji pointed towards the port. "On my way here, I ran into some pirates who were blowing up the harbor. I told them I wasn't there to arrest them, but they insisted on fighting, so I froze them. Your men were heading to the port, but they might not realize that the people I froze are fragile. They could easily shatter and die if they aren't careful. But, hey, if you don't mind a few dead pirates, then don't worry about it."

Aokiji had the powers of the Ice-Ice Fruit. He could freeze anything he touched, turning parts of his body into ice. The pale blue ice he created could take any form, making weapons to attack his targets.

Aokiji was so strong that he didn't even need to touch something to freeze it—he could freeze entire areas, even parts of the ocean. He often used this power to cycle across the sea by freezing the water beneath his bike.

Those he froze didn't die immediately; they entered a state of suspended animation. But their bodies became brittle, easily shattered by even minor impacts. If thawed quickly, they could survive.

Smoker's brow furrowed further. With clear frustration, he growled, "Damn it. Fine. You keep an eye on the kid while I go handle this. And don't let him escape—I still have questions for him."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Go on," Aokiji said lazily.

Smoker shot Takumi a final glance before revving his bike and speeding off toward the harbor.

Once Smoker was gone, Aokiji yawned loudly. "Man, I'm beat. Time for a nap."

Looking at Takumi, he added, "Hey, kid. Smoker wants to talk to you. Think you could head to the Marine base and wait for him?"

Takumi raised an eyebrow, confused.

Aokiji didn't wait for a reply. "Not answering? I'll take that as a yes. Ah, so tired... See ya!" With that, he hopped back on his bike and rode off.

Takumi watched Aokiji's retreating figure, amused.

So this is what it means to follow Lazy Justice as an Admiral, huh?

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Takumi didn't linger. He needed to get back to catching bounty targets.

Even though a few minutes had been wasted here, it wasn't enough to slow him down.

As the deadline for his contest with Rayleigh approached, Takumi dragged ten unconscious bounty targets to their meeting point—right as Rayleigh arrived with his own batch.

"Not bad," Rayleigh said with a smile, glancing at the ten men Takumi had brought in. "You caught more than I expected."

Takumi glanced at Rayleigh's haul.

He had eleven men—including one Takumi had originally targeted but Rayleigh had intercepted.

"Looks like you're one short. Guess that means I win," Rayleigh grinned. "A bet's a bet, kid. No backing out now."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Takumi muttered. "I lost, fair and square."

"Hahaha! I like your attitude," Rayleigh said, tossing one end of the rope binding his captives to Takumi.

Takumi caught it effortlessly.

Rayleigh continued, "Even though I'm retired, the Marines still have a bounty on my head. Technically, I'm still considered a pirate to them, so it wouldn't be wise for me to claim these bounties. You go ahead—whatever you get, we'll split it fifty-fifty."

Takumi couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He didn't really want to go either. But if he wanted the bounty money, Smoker's signature was required.

If he didn't go to the Marine base, he wouldn't get paid.

No money meant no alcohol.

And no alcohol would give him a headache...

So, in the end, he had no choice but to head to the Marine base.

"Fine," Takumi sighed.

Rayleigh laughed heartily. "I'll be waiting at the tavern. Don't take too long!"

With that, Rayleigh turned and walked off, leaving Takumi to drag all twenty-one captives to the Marine base.

As he passed through the town square, people began to notice him.

"Hey, look at that kid! How is he so strong, dragging all those people by himself? Who are they?"

"Wait a minute... isn't that guy from West Street? The one with a 30,000 Belly bounty?"

"And those other guys, they're from East Street! Oh my gosh, are all those people he's dragging bounty targets?"

"Looks like it. Hold on... why does that kid seem so familiar?"

"Ah! I remember now! He's the one from this morning who caught that bullet with his bare hands!"

"That's right! I remember too! Wow, who is this kid? He caught a bullet, jumped from such a height without a scratch, and now he's caught all these bounty targets? That's insane!"

Ignoring the murmurs around him, Takumi kept walking.

When he finally reached the Marine base, the soldiers there were stunned to see a child dragging twenty-one unconscious bodies.

"Hey, kid, who are these people?" one of the Marines asked, bewildered.

"Bounty targets," Takumi answered, his face expressionless.

"What? Are you saying all these guys are bounty targets?" The Marine was shocked.

Takumi nodded. "Yep."

"Unbelievable! Did you catch them all by yourself?"

"No," Takumi replied.

"Right... Let's get these guys into Smoker's office," the Marine said, motioning to his comrades.

Several Marines rushed forward, helping Takumi carry the captives into Smoker's office.

The office wasn't large to begin with, and now it was nearly filled with the bodies of the unconscious bounty targets.

Takumi didn't have to wait long.

Soon, Smoker's voice echoed down the hallway.

"Did anyone come looking for me while I was out?" Smoker asked.

"No, sir!" a Marine replied.

"That Aokiji... Never mind. Go thaw out those frozen pirates," Smoker ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the Marine responded.

A moment later, Smoker opened the door to his office.

When he saw the mountain of bodies piled up inside, he froze in the doorway, his eye twitching. "Would someone like to explain what the hell is going on here?!"

********

Support me on Ko-fi at ko-fi.com/gered to read up to chapter 80!