OP: Turtle Hermit

~Forest Clearing~

Kazuki groaned softly as he rolled his shoulders, each joint popping with the memory of his morning workout. Sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling his sweat-soaked back as he stared down his opponent from across the clearing.

Nehishi stood relaxed, arms crossed, leaning lazily on his naginata like it was a walking stick. He scoffed, returning the glare.

They were deep in the forest—far from town, far from distractions. The perfect place for a proper spar.

"Alright, brat," Nehishi grinned, jabbing his naginata into the earth and rolling up his sleeves. "Go all out. Otherwise, you're gonna regret waking up today."

Kazuki cracked his neck, smirking. "Old bastard… Hope you remembered the way to the hospital, 'cause I'm sending you there in pieces."

The two stared each other down—playful insults masking mutual excitement.

Kazuki placed his power pole gently on the ground beside him. He wouldn't need it. Not for this, he wanted a full on hand to hand fight with the marine.

After a week of being trained under this gruff old Marine. His stances were sharper, weight more evenly distributed. His feet moved like flowing water. For the first time, his kata felt alive—fierce, powerful, disciplined.

Excited he clenched his fists—and vanished.

With a crack underfoot, Kazuki launched forward like a bullet, the ground beneath his step fracturing from the force. A blur of motion and he was already in front of Nehishi, fist barreling towards the old man's gut.

Thud!

Nehishi blocked with a forearm, sliding back slightly. He smirked and responded with a thunderous straight punch.

Kazuki ducked under it and sprang upward, twisting in midair to send a heel aimed at the side of Nehishi's head.

The old Marine leaned back just enough—the kick slicing through the air, barely grazing his hair. In one seamless motion, Nehishi grabbed Kazuki's extended leg, twisted, and slammed him downward like a hammer.

Kazuki's hands hit the ground first, absorbing the impact. The earth cracking beneath him.

He didn't hesitate. Stomp—stomp—stomp. In a blur of motion, he viciously battered Nehishi's wrist with a flurry of downward kicks. The old man winced, his grip faltering loose.

Kazuki twisted free, flipped up onto his feet, and immediately spun, launching rapid kicks at Nehishi's knees.

Whap—whap—whap!

Nehishi danced back, weaving between strikes like a heavyweight ballet dancer, eyes gleaming. Their bodies moved in a blur now—fists flying, legs slicing through the air like blades, each strike deflected or narrowly avoided.

Kazuki flipped backward to gain distance, landing low in a crouch, chest heaving with focused breath.

They stared.

Then—he vanished again.

A high-speed blur. Leaves exploded upward. Nehishi's eyes narrowed.

Kazuki appeared right beneath him, twisting low with a lightning-fast uppercut aimed at his chest.

Whoosh!

Nehishi sidestepped, moving like mist, and brought his knee up to intercept Kazuki's follow-through.

But Kazuki was ready—he planted his palms on the rising knee, used the momentum to vault skyward in a twisting spin.

As he rose, wind coiled around him. His body rotated faster and faster, the spiral forming a violent air vortex around his leg. A visible tornado whipped around him as he turned midair.

Nehishi grinned wide, lowering into a springing crouch.

The second Kazuki came down with his axe kick, wrapped in compressed wind, Nehishi exploded upward to meet him.

The forest floor cracking beneath his launch.

BOOM!

Fist met heel midair—wind erupted in a shockwave that blew the trees around several meters around them. Leaves spiraled into the air. Branches whipped and cracked.

Both were blasted backward from their collision.

Kazuki twisted in the air, landing on one knee, skidding across the dirt. Nehishi landed lighter on his feet, bouncing in place like a boxer.

"Not bad. Not bad at all, brat," the old man said, flexing his knuckles with a chuckle.

Kazuki paced around him cautiously, his eyes sharp. Nehishi watched him like a hawk watches a mouse—but his respect for the boy was clear.

This kid… the force behind his strikes, the balance in his stance, the precision of his reactions… if he's not at Marine Captain level yet, he's damn close, Nehishi thought.

And yet…

He grinned again. "Let's see how fast you really are." Without warning, Nehishi vanished.

Kazuki's eyes shot wide. Not a blur. Not a flicker. He was gone.

"What the—?!" Kazuki scanned the area. "He wasn't this fast against that pirate…"

A whisper of air behind him.

"Right here."

BOOM!

Kazuki turned just in time to raise his arms—but not fast enough. A massive fist connected with his guard, the shock rattling his bones.

The force hurled him backward like a missile. He tore through one, two, three—twelve trees, wood splintering and cracking until he finally slammed into a thick trunk and crumpled to the ground.

Dust settled. Leaves floated down gently.

A moment of silence.

Then a cough.

From his resting spot against the tree, Kazuki groaned, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "I… f**king hate that old bastard…"

Across the clearing, Nehishi turned away, arms folded behind his back as he strolled off casually.

"Haha! Great spar, brat. We'll go even harder tomorrow. I'll even bring the naginata out next time."

Kazuki groaned in reluctance.

Nehishi chuckling glanced at the bruises forming on his arms and wrists.

A grin formed on his face. "Damn brat."

~Dopri Island — Tavern at the Edge of Town~

The soft flicker of lantern light filled the old wooden tavern with a golden warmth, and laughter echoed like a song across the countryside.

"We are here to celebrate my daughter's fifteenth birthday!" Sebastian Xeru stood tall in the center of the room, raising his glass, his voice strong and proud. "She is the apple of my eye, the joy of my life! Tonight, we drink, we dance, and we live!"

The tavern erupted into cheers.

"To the Moriyate family!"

"Moriyate! Moriyate!"

Men and women cheered with flushed faces and full hearts, drinks clinking, music playing from a trio in the corner. At Sebastian's side stood Maria—her black hair curled, her cheeks blushing like rose petals. Her eyes sparkled as she looked around at the people who had helped raise her—cousins, uncles, friends of the family.

This was her world, her family.

Sebastian rubbed her head with a chuckle. "Maria, go in the back and get the blue box. It's your real present, the one I wrapped myself."

"Okay, okay!" she beamed and hugged him tight before slipping into the back room, her footsteps light with joy.

Sebastian watched her go with a smile, one hand still holding his glass, the other resting on his heart. His chest swelled with pride. He was a hard man—advisor to the Moriyate mafia, feared across West Blue—but for Maria, he was just a father.

~A Mile Out — In the Forest~

Tension hung like mist between the trees.

A group of nearly twenty young men crouched in the shadows, guns in their hands, faces pale and hardened. Some were barely more than boys. Their expressions flickered between fear and fury.

"This is wrong, Malcolm," a jittery voice whispered. Jason, the youngest of the group, kept shifting his grip on the musket in his trembling hands. "We weren't ordered to do this. No word came down from the top…"

A boy in a black coat and bandanna stepped forward, his eyes burning with hatred. Malcolm.

"They took my brother," Malcolm growled. "My baby sister died in one of their raids. My cousin disappeared and was never found. The Moriyate family, butchers to the innocents, and everyone just lets them keep their grip on this island."

He looked each of them in the eye, his hatred very clear too them.

"So if the bosses won't act yet, we will. If they take something from us—we take everything from them."

Nobody spoke. But no one stopped him, either.

The sound of loading rifles cracked through the silence.

Then they began to march.

~Tavern — Moments Later~

The party was at its height. The music was fast, laughter loud, and the room pulsed with joy.

Then the first shot ripped through the wooden walls.

BANG.

Then another, then ten.

Then all hell broke loose.

Bullets tore through the tavern in a storm of metal and fire. Windows shattered. Bottles exploded. Men and women screamed as blood sprayed across tables. Some never even got the chance to stand—slumped over mid-laugh, wine still in hand.

"Down! GET DOWN!" someone shouted—but there was nowhere to go.

Bang—bang—bang!

The attackers didn't enter the tavern. They never saw the faces of those they killed. They just stood outside and fired blindly, executing their vengeance like ghosts in the trees.

"For the Yoroki!"

"The Yoroki always remember!"

Their voices carried through the smoke and screams like twisted hymns.

And then—silence.

Gun barrels smoked as the young men stood in the aftermath. Some looked satisfied. Others, like Jason, looked sick.

He peered through a broken window, and his soul crumbled.

Bodies—so many bodies. Slumped over chairs, under tables, sprawled across the floor. Blood pooled like dark paint, and among them was the unmistakable white-silver hair of Sebastian Xeru.

Jason clutched the cross around his neck, his hands shaking violently. "What… what have we done…?"

The others didn't hear him. Or pretended not to.

Then they turned and slipped back into the forest like shadows.

~Inside the Tavern — Aftermath~

Footsteps.

Quiet. Delicate. Afraid.

Maria opened the back door slowly. Her fingers trembled as she touched the blood-slicked wood, the handle warm from the explosion of violence just moments before.

"Papa?" she whispered.

Then she saw them.

Dozens of bodies—slumped, mangled, frozen mid-scream. Some she recognized. Others were unrecognizable due to missing limbs and blood.

And then she saw him.

Sebastian Xeru lay on his side, eyes wide open, his body riddled with bullets. His white shirt stained red. His outstretched hand, as if reaching for her even in death.

Her voice cracked.

"…Papa?"

She fell to her knees beside him, shaking him, tears spilling freely. "No… no, please wake up. Please… you can't… today was supposed to be happy…"

She buried her face in his chest as her small hands pressed desperately on his wounds. Her sobs became howls, then silence, shook with breaths of disbelief.

With trembling fingers, she reached into his suit pocket. A small Den Den Mushi, dressed in a miniature black suit, trembled in her palm.

"It's alright," she whispered, rubbing its back gently. "It's alright, little guy…"

She dialed.

Ring… Ring… Click.

"Sebastian? What's up? Why are you—?"

"B-Boss… their… dead…" Maria's voice cracked like glass. "Everyone… everyone's dead… blood… it's everywhere."

The man on the other end went silent. Then sharp.

"Maria. Calm down. Tell me what happened. Where are you?"

"I-I don't know—I can't—breathe—" Her voice warped into gasps, words breaking apart. "So much blood…"

She collapsed, the Den Den Mushi still clutched in her hand, its eyes wide with fear as she went through a panic attack.

On the other end, the voice roared worry.

"I'm coming. Hold on. Hold on!"

~Unknown Location – Uzuhana Mafia Family Headquarters~

An old man sat in a leather chair, gazing down at the glowing city from a high-rise tower, a cigar resting between his fingers.

Knock—knock.

"Enter."

A suited man stepped in, his expression grim.

"Boss. We just received word from Dopri Island."

The old man turned, eyes narrowing as smoke drifted from his cigar.

"Go on."

"The Moriyate family's Subordinates… they were ambushed. Sebastian Xeru and dozens of family members dead. The attackers were young—likely rogue Yoroki associates, possibly connected to the White Fang branch."

The old man exhaled slowly. "So… they acted without anyone's command."

The room went quiet. The wind howled outside.

He stood, walked slowly to his desk, and placed the cigar down gently on a crystal tray.

"Then they've declared all out war in my name. Without my voice."

His tone darkened. Cold. Heavy.

"They've stolen that girl's family. Her future. On a whim. And for that… they will answer to me."

He turned to his advisor clenching his fist as he looked at it in rage and pity

"Send word to the other families. The balance has been broken."

~Marine Base- 80th Branch~

"Lieutenant, we received urgent call from the ships sent to Amber cone island." A marine saluted.

Lieutenant Emmie sighed, her captain has been going out for long hours the last couple of weeks and she's been having to deal with a lot.

She nodded at the officer and picked up the denden mushi snail as she leaned back in her cheer. "What is urgent? Have the maf—"

"Help! Please send immediate help!"

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To be continued…

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