The sea was calm after Orange Town.
Too calm, Osamu thought, leaning against the railing with his elbows hooked over the edge. The town was already shrinking behind them—rooftops fading, smoke thinning, fear left behind with the clown.
Buggy was defeated.Canon held.
That mattered more than people thought.
Luffy lay flat on the deck, arms spread like he owned the sky. "Man, that was fun!"
Zoro sat near the mast, cleaning his swords with slow, practiced movements. Nami crouched beside a small sack, counting coins with sharp focus.
Osamu watched her for a moment, then nudged the sack forward with his foot.
"Ninety thousand," he said. "That's all we're taking."
Nami blinked. "…That's it?"
"Ship needs food, repairs, and a little luck," Osamu replied. "Town needs the rest more."
She studied his face, clearly expecting a joke.
Finding none, she clicked her tongue. "You're terrible at being a pirate."
Osamu smirked. "I'm great at not getting hunted."
Zoro glanced up briefly. "You moved Buggy around like he was furniture."
Osamu shrugged. "Clown was all flash. No footing."
"Hm," Zoro said. He didn't push.
Luffy rolled onto his stomach. "Hey, can your fruit make meat?"
"No," Osamu said instantly.
"Aww."
That was the extent of it.
When the ship settled into its steady rhythm, Osamu sat cross-legged near the mast with paper and charcoal balanced on his knee. He waited until everyone was occupied—Nami steering, Zoro dozing, Luffy arguing with a seagull.
Then he worked.
Quietly.
No announcements.No explanations.
His hand moved with practiced confidence.
Naruto — Volumes 6, 7, and 8
The Chūnin Exams took shape on the page.
Crowds pressing inward.Expectation heavy enough to choke.Children pushed into conflict by adults who called it growth.
Osamu lingered on the Forest of Death—teams splintering, fear stripping away bravado. Survival replacing dreams.
"…This is where it stops being inspirational," he muttered. "And starts being honest."
Naruto failed. Again. And again.And still refused to stay down.
Osamu finished the last page and flexed his fingers.
Then he turned the page and started something else.
Attack on Titan — Volumes 1 and 2
The tone shifted like a snapped bone.
Walls rose.Sirens screamed.A Titan's face filled the horizon—too big, too close.
Osamu slowed, charcoal dragging heavier across the page.
The breach.The panic.The realization that courage meant nothing without preparation.
"…This one's going to mess people up," he said quietly.
When he finished, dusk had already painted the sea orange.
Osamu leaned back, exhausted.
"That's enough," he muttered. "Any more and I start feeling responsible."
He packed the manuscripts away without ceremony.
Above the ship, birds cried.
And far away—
The world received stories with no name attached.
THE WORLD REACTS (NO SOURCE, NO CULPRIT)Marineford
Sengoku flipped through Attack on Titan in silence, jaw tight.
"This isn't entertainment," he said finally. "It's a pressure test."
Garp skimmed the pages, frowning. "Why's everyone dying?"
"Because," Sengoku replied, "the story says walls are lies."
Garp didn't laugh.
Pangaea Castle — The Five Elders
"This Naruto series," one Elder said, "teaches loyalty outside authority."
"And this Titan one," another added, "portrays secrecy as catastrophic."
The eldest closed the book.
"These stories are destabilizing."
"…Can we trace them?"
"No."
That silence lasted too long.
Whole Cake Island
Big Mom laughed thunderously, pointing at a Titan devouring a soldier.
"MAMAMAMA! SCARY STORY!"
Katakuri read without expression.
"…Fear as structure," he said quietly. "That always collapses."
Pirates and Civilians
Taverns argued.
Parents confiscated books—then read them later.Marines questioned orders they'd never questioned before.Children stopped playing pirates.
They played survivors.
BACK ON THE SHIP
Osamu finished packing his things and leaned against the railing, watching the sea darken.
Nami glanced over. "You really don't know how your fruit works, do you?"
Osamu smiled faintly. "It gives me slime. Sometimes… other junk."
Luffy perked up. "Can it give snacks?"
"Sometimes," Osamu said dryly.
Zoro opened one eye. "Convenient."
"Dangerous," Osamu corrected.
He didn't say anything else.
The ship sailed onward, cutting through calm water toward whatever waited next.
Osamu rested his chin on his hand, sarcasm settling back into place like armor.
"…Man," he muttered, "I really hope nobody's stupid enough to connect dots that don't exist."
The sea said nothing.
It never did.