The next morning, as always, Shun woke up at 5 a.m. sharp.
Can't seem to shake this habit…
I guess I'll check in on my Admiral duties and drop by Hilda's place. After all, I only stayed there one day before vanishing for two. Shun thought, turning his head to the side, only to meet a pair of bright green eyes staring straight at him.
"You really think the same trick is gonna work on me twice?" he said dryly to Mavis, who had recently made a habit of sleeping in his bed.
But instead of answering, Mavis suddenly dissolved into glittering golden dust and vanished.
"…"
"BOO!"
A mischievous little scare attempt exploded from behind him.
"Illusion magic, huh?" Shun had almost forgotten that the tiny magician living under his roof specialized in illusions.
"Well… nice try," he said with a small grin.
Mavis popped back into view, cheeks puffed out in a playful pout.
From all these repeated scare attempts of hers, one thing finally clicked. My Haki doesn't pick up anything unless I'm actively using it. That means if someone has zero killing intent, even if they're about to stab me, I won't sense it passively. So if I ever end up with some yandere type who genuinely believes she isn't harming me… I could actually die.
Well, whatever. With my regeneration, that's not really something worth worrying about. Time to get up.
Shun hopped out of bed in one smooth motion and quickly got dressed.
"Go wake up everyone in the house," he told Mavis. "I'll make breakfast." Then he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
"!"
"W-what's with the kisses today… and yesterday too?" Mavis finally asked, realizing she'd been too caught up in heavy conversations the day before to bring it up.
"Hm?" Shun tilted his head, face perfectly innocent. "Isn't that just normal between family?"
Looking at that guileless expression, Mavis felt her face heat up. She didn't press the issue any further, just nodded shyly, cheeks still burning.
In the kitchen, Shun extended his Observation Haki outward.
Huh. There's actually a lot of people here today. Did most of them stop staying in the dorms?
Aside from Erza, almost everyone who'd been at the movie night was present.
——
"Thanks for the breakfast!!" ×10
After everyone finished eating, Shun returned to his room. Mavis trailed quietly after him.
"You're leaving already?" she asked.
"Yeah. I'll be back tonight… or tomorrow morning at the latest." He leaned in and kissed her cheek again, quick and casual, before she could even react. With a small smile, he gave a light POP! and vanished.
"…"
Mavis stood alone in the quiet room, fingertips absently brushing the spot he'd kissed, expression caught somewhere between flustered and complicated.
——
Shun reappeared high in the sky above Navy Headquarters, then slowly drifted downward.
"!"
"Greetings, Honorary Admiral Shun!!"
The lookouts snapped crisp salutes the moment they recognized the infamous figure.
"Mm." He gave a small nod and walked straight toward the Fleet Admiral's office.
Creaaak~
Sengoku, still stubbornly dyeing his hair jet black, and Garp, who was happily crunching on rice crackers, both looked up as the door opened.
"Hm. You still haven't retired yet?" Shun asked, eyeing Sengoku.
"I wanted to…" Sengoku answered in an exhausted tone. "But my request was denied."
"Why though?"
You, you little—! What else could it possibly be?! Sengoku mentally screamed while staring at the brat who was pretending to be clueless.
Still… compared to the unreasonable bastards in Mariejois, this kid is nothing. Sengoku hardened his resolve and kept his expression neutral.
"Long time no see, brat!" Garp said around a mouthful of crackers.
"Yeah. Been out training my new powers," Shun replied casually.
"Training? You don't really seem like the training type…" Garp started to say, then remembered exactly what kind of fruit Shun had eaten. "…Ah."
"What did you come here for today?" Sengoku asked, voice calm again. After all, he'd been Fleet Admiral for decades.
"Mm. I figured I should actually do my Admiral job once in a while. Is there any trouble I can handle?"
Hearing those unexpectedly dutiful words, Sengoku felt a tiny pang of guilt for always assuming the worst of his righteous grandson.
"Actually… there is," he admitted.
"Tell me."
"Blackbeard's crew and the remnants of Whitebeard's pirates are clashing again."
"Again? They're still at it? I thought Blackbeard would've crushed them by now."
"According to our latest intel, Blackbeard was winning at first, but then Fire Fist Ace showed up to back the Whitebeard remnants. Both sides pulled back afterward. Now they're about to clash again."
"That tracks," Shun said. "Ace looked pretty pathetic losing to Blackbeard the first time, then immediately losing to Akainu right after. But in the end, he is still a strong pirate."
"Yeah. They fought at sea this time, Ace targeted their ships directly."
Nerfed Blackbeard without Whitebeard's fruit… the same one who couldn't even take Hachinosu… going up against an even more weakened Whitebeard crew… Shun thought, quietly amused. Out loud he said:
"So it's a clash between an stoppable force and a movable object…"
"Pfft—BWAHAHAHA!!" Garp nearly choked on his cracker, bursting into loud laughter.
"…"
Sengoku stared speechlessly at the two of them casually joking about pirate crews that were still just below Yonko level.
The three of them ended up chatting about various small things happening across the seas.
Knock knock.
Without waiting for an answer, a tall figure stepped inside, the very picture of lazy justice.
"Oh? If it isn't the infamous Honorary Admiral," Aokiji drawled.
"Hey," Shun greeted back.
"I was planning to send Aokiji," Sengoku said. "But since you actually want to work today, you take it. And don't forget to bring your team."
"I have a team?" Shun blinked.
"Yes. I put one together for you. Take them along."
"Fine. But if they're useless, I'm dropping them on a deserted island."
Sengoku didn't bother responding, just picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"Prepare Hina's team for immediate emergency deployment!"
"Yes sir!"
Hina's team, huh… Shun immediately understood what the old man was scheming, but he didn't comment.
Instead he studied the man who'd just entered.
Aokiji… I would've preferred if he left the Navy like in the original story so I could take his fruit. Well, it can wait. Seems like I'm the reason Sengoku hasn't retired yet anyway…
——
After half an hour of casual chatter with Garp and Aokiji, it was finally time to go.
Bere bere bere bere—
"Fleet Admiral, Hina's ship is ready to depart," came a calm, cool voice from the receiver.
"Alright."
The call ended with a click.
"Alright, Imma head out." Shun stood up from his chair.
When he reached the dock, a beautiful woman with pink hair stood waiting, cigarette between her lips, glasses resting on her forehead.
I'm honestly touched that the old man remembered my casual comment from years ago and actually put her on my team. But… I'm a different person now. Shun sighed inwardly.
"Everyone, board the ship within three minutes. Anyone who isn't on by then gets left behind."
"!"
"Y-Yes sir!!"
"Move it! Hurry up!!" A chorus of confused, nervous voices rang out.
This… is different from what I heard, Hina thought, quietly observing him. The Fleet Admiral told me his grandson was really into me and made a huge fuss about me seducing him to keep the unpredictable Honorary Admiral under control… At least, that's what both he and Vice Admiral Tsuru told me.
While Hina was lost in those thoughts, Shun issued another order.
"Time's up. Who's the navigator?"
"Sir! That's me!"
"Set an eternal pose for Beehive Island."
"Beehive?! You mean that Beehive?!"
"Yes." Shun just nodded.
While he waited, Sengoku, Garp, and two nervous-looking young Marines appeared.
"Beehive Island? How did your destination suddenly turn into that place after our conversation?!" Sengoku asked, completely baffled.
"Whitebeard remnants and Blackbeard might clash, they might not. We don't even know where they'll clash. I don't like wasting time. Better to go after a pirate whose location we actually know."
"…"
I thought this brat was just being unpredictable again… but he's actually thinking rationally for once.
"Besides," Shun added with a shrug, "I never said I'd go chasing after those weaklings."
Sengoku's eyebrow twitched, but he said nothing. At the moment, Beehive Island was a bigger problem than two battered pirate crews.
Soon the navigator hurried back.
"Sir! Eternal pose is ready!"
As expected of a famous pirate island, they actually have one. Shun thought before saying, "Alright. Let's go."
He started to board, but—
"Wait. Take us with you," Garp called out.
"Huh? Thanks, but I don't need help," Shun replied politely.
"I know. I just want these two to get some real experience. Oi, you two, ask him yourselves!"
"Y-Yes sir! Honorary Admiral Shun, I'm Koby. Please allow us to join you on this mission!"
"I'm Helmeppo!"
Both boys bowed deeply, faces serious.
"Fine. Get on board."
"Yes sir!!" ×2
Just as Shun was finally about to step onto the ship, Sengoku spoke again.
"There are plenty of pirates in the New World. Why Ochoku specifically?"
Shun's entire demeanor shifted in an instant. The casual air around him disappeared.
"I heard one of my new friends was sold as a slave by him in the past."
The noisy dock instantly fell silent. Everyone suddenly felt nervous.
"That's why I'm going to kill him."
"…"
"I see…" Sengoku couldn't find anything else to say.
Once everyone, including Garp and his two students, was aboard, Shun pulled off his gloves, revealing the cute pink paw pads on his hands.
"!"
"Those paws… so it really is Kuma's ability," Sengoku muttered. "But Kuma should still have his power…"
POP!
With that familiar sound, Shun touched the medium-sized warship. A paw-shaped bubble instantly enveloped the entire vessel.
To everyone's shock, the ship slowly began to rise into the air.
"W-What's happening?!"
"Earthquake?!"
"Idiot! We're floating!!"
Panicked chatter erupted among the Marines.
"Since we have the eternal pose, we'll just fly there," Shun said calmly before leaping aboard the hovering ship.
All three worlds I've been to have terrible transportation systems… he thought with a quiet sigh.
"Bye, old man." He gave Sengoku a lazy wave as the floating vessel began to move.
"…"
——
On board, everyone was still stunned by the sight of a flying ship.
A flying ship had always been the dream of anyone who lived on the sea, one of the main reasons Shiki's fleet had once been so feared. Even if the rest of his crew had been trash, the ability to fly gave an overwhelming strategic advantage.
While the Marines stared in awe at the bubble-coated vessel, Shun lounged on the deck and created a beach chair out of thin air.
Another fruit ability… one that lets him materialize things, Garp noted silently.
"Someone bring me the latest newspaper," Shun called out, completely relaxed.
"Yes sir!" A nearby Marine hurried off and returned with one.
"Thanks." Shun lay back in the chair and started flipping through the pages.
"Hm. Don Krieg's pirates entered the Grand Line again?" he suddenly said out loud.
"Huh? You know them?" Garp asked curiously.
"Not really."
Shun kept reading in silence.
Aside from that, there's Big Mom putting Fish-Man Island under her protection, the Revolutionary Army taking over some random countries… but Don Krieg entering the Grand Line again is honestly the bigger headline right now, he thought, quietly amused.
"By the way, I met your grandson."
"Huh? Where is he?" Garp asked without much worry.
"Training on some beast-filled island. I don't remember the name," Shun shrugged.
The two chatted idly for a while longer before both eventually dozed off.
——
Six hours of flight later, they arrived in the sky above Rocky Port.
"We're here." Shun gently lowered the ship and docked it at the port.
"Take care of the small fry," he told the others, already walking off alone. He had no intention of babysitting anyone.
"…"
Hachinosu, Beehive Island.
A rocky paradise crawling with criminals and pirates who swarmed like angry bees at the slightest provocation. Hence the name.
A massive, eerie skull-shaped rock formation dominated the center, yellowish stone with huge blasted-out eye holes and a bandana-like knot of rock at the top, making it look like a giant pirate emblem towering over everything. Clusters of crude, square stone buildings stood around it, mixed with enormous palm trees. The dark-gray rocky foundation gave the whole island a harsh, unforgiving atmosphere.
That giant skull is basically a fortress inside. As far as I remember, Teach and his crew lived there later. So Ochoku and his people should be in there now.
After locating his target, Shun began walking through the air using his old magic.
When he was close enough, he sucked in a deep breath and unleashed the spell from his mouth.
"Poison Dragon's Roar, times one hundred!"
The sheer size of the poisonous roar was monstrous. In an instant, the gigantic skull fortress was swallowed in dark red poison.
"!!"
Whooosh—!
"Aaahhh! What the hell is this?!"
"Enemy attack! Inform the boss!!"
"Idiot he's inside that dark red thing! Must be a Devil Fruit!"
The cloud finally cleared.
Where a mighty skull-shaped fortress had once stood… now only a smoking garden of rubble remained.
"…"
"Did he just wipe out the entire Ochoku Pirates?!" Back on the ship, Helmeppo and Koby stared in disbelief.
"Idiots! There's no way it's that easy!" Garp barked, already knowing Ochoku's tricky nature.
Right on cue, a man who perfectly fit the genre of "ugly bastard" appeared directly behind Shun.
In their eyes, Shun seemed completely unaware of the assassin.
In a flash, the man drove a poison-smeared arrow into Shun's back and sliced off his right arm!
"Shun!!" The Marines were so shocked they forgot his title.
One second their Admiral had obliterated the enemy. The next, he was ambushed and maimed?!
"What the hell is going on, go help the Honorary Admiral!!" A wave of Marines rushed off the ship.
Even Garp tensed, ready to move. After all, he owed the kid.
"Hmm. As expected of a veteran. Ruthless moves, no hesitation, no pointless announcing of the attack."
Shun calmly pulled the arrow out of his back.
"Poison, huh? First time tasting this kind."
He muttered something incomprehensible, then, to everyone's horror, sucked all the poison from his wound and the leftover venom on the arrow straight into his mouth.
"Tastes foul… almost like fish intestines just starting to spoil."
"Poison immunity…?" the ugly bastard muttered, quickly putting distance between them, not by walking, but by warping.
Ochoku, the veteran Rocks pirate, was a Warp-Warp Fruit user.
What stunned both him and the onlookers wasn't just Shun's complete immunity to poison… but the fact that the bloody severed arm was already floating back toward Shun's body and seamlessly reattaching itself.
"You're… Sengoku's grandson. What do you want from me?" Ochoku asked warily. After witnessing that regeneration, he no longer believed he could win in a straight fight.
"I had nothing better to do, so I came to kill you."
"…"
"You brat—!" Ochoku's ugly face twisted with rage, veins bulging. Deciding against fleeing, he lost himself to anger and warped behind Shun again.
"Let's see if you can regenerate your brain!"
He slashed toward Shun's head.
Shun sidestepped effortlessly.
He countered with a poisonous fang strike, but Ochoku vanished in a flash.
Blackbeard got both the Warp and Strength fruits during the timeskip in the original. I was hoping this guy had the Strength fruit… but Warp instead. It's useful, just not for me. Guess I'll give it to someone later.
Shun made the decision in half a second and got serious.
It'll be annoying if this guy starts running with his warp.
The next moment, Shun turned completely invisible.
Once again, the audience was stunned.
"Just how many abilities has this brat stolen…?" Even Garp was starting to look concerned.
Seeing Shun disappear, Ochoku didn't hesitate, he immediately began warping away in a desperate escape.
With both leaders gone, Hina quickly took command.
"Arrest every pirate on the island!"
"Yes ma'am!!"
——
"Aghhh! Let me go! Just tell me what you want, I'll give you money! Anything!!"
A hundred kilometers away from the earlier clash, Ochoku was on his knees, face caught in the grip of Shun's invisible arm, desperately begging.
Shun didn't answer.
He simply burned the man alive with purplish flames, stopping just short of death.
Then he pulled a banana from his storage ring, swiftly extracted Ochoku's Devil Fruit power, and transferred it into the fruit.
The banana instantly took on strange spiral patterns.
Shun stored the newly reborn fruit safely in his ring.
Looking down at the man slowly burning to death, Shun felt nothing.
"I don't like traitors," he said quietly.
Ochoku, whose vocal cords had long since been destroyed, couldn't even scream anymore.
When Shun returned to Beehive Island, the pirates' morale had completely collapsed after seeing their captain flee and abandon them. They were subdued by the Marines after only a brief struggle.
Don't really need it myself… but I'll save it and give it to Nami later, Shun thought as he began searching for Ochoku's hidden treasure.