One Piece: I Can Repel Anything

"One last sea to go! Once we're done here, it's off to the Grand Line! Wehahahaha..."

Burgess threw his arms up and burst into excited laughter.

Doc Q gave a strange smile. "I've waited a long time for this day. It's finally here. Hehehe..."

Luo held the cursed sword Kikoku as he gazed out over the blue sea, as aloof as ever.

"So this is the East Blue, the weakest of the four seas."

Hawkins spoke in a low voice. "You won't find a strong pirate here. It's impossible."

Lafitte stopped training and said politely, "Hopefully, we can recruit one more person here. Then we can settle the order of the division captains."

"To be honest, I'm rather curious about that contest."

Inside the Training Room.

Hearing the shouting outside, Honey Queen shook her head and sighed. "Everyone's excited. They really want to reach the Grand Line soon."

Belo Betty took a drag on her cigarette, calm as ever. "The four seas are too weak. There's not enough excitement here. Of course everyone wants to adventure on the Grand Line."

"I'm excited too!"

Carina's beautiful eyes sparkled as she grinned. "The New World is on the Grand Line. Once we get there, we can find the treasure."

"Every time I think about the great pirate Rocks's treasure, I can barely contain myself."

Perona nodded repeatedly, her little face full of interest.

"I can't wait either. I want to see what treasures are in there. This princess loves adventure more than anything. Horohorohoro~~"

Reiju gently set the newspaper on the table. She looked at Baccarat and smiled. "Boa Hancock really is impressive. She's famous throughout the world now."

Baccarat brushed back her dark red hair and nodded with a smile.

"She killed a pirate with a bounty of over eighty million before, and now she's taken down several whose bounties exceeded a hundred million."

"Her fame must be soaring. More and more powerful people will take notice of her."

Baccarat shook her head, her tone certain. "If she were plain-looking, that would be one thing. But she's so beautiful. That puts her in danger."

"Chris said she ranks among the weakest of the Shichibukai. She isn't all that strong."

"So her voyage from here on won't go smoothly."

Honey Queen looked at Baccarat, blinked, and smiled.

"Your words carry the most weight. In other words, Boa Hancock is bound to run into trouble soon."

Carina looked at the others, confusion on her pretty face. "Then why isn't Chris doing anything? He doesn't seem to care."

Belo Betty exhaled smoke and said casually, "If she gets killed that easily, it only proves she wasn't up to it."

"Chris already said as much, so why would he worry? Of course, if Boa Hancock calls for help, that's another matter."

Reiju touched her delicate chin and smiled.

"She is a Shichibukai, after all. She can't be that helpless. At worst, she'll hit a few bumps along the way."

Suddenly, Baccarat's lovely brows drew together, puzzlement appearing on her beautiful face.

"What's wrong?"

The others noticed and hurried to ask.

Baccarat shook her head slightly, still frowning. "I don't know why, but I feel as though good luck is coming."

"But when I try to pin it down, there's nothing. How strange."

The women exchanged glances, even more baffled than before.

Carina shrugged and smiled. "Well, Baccarat's instincts are never wrong."

"Let's tell Chris and see what he thinks."

Honey Queen nodded in agreement. "Baccarat's intuition is incredibly accurate. She can't be mistaken."

Belo Betty took a drag on her cigarette and looked toward the figure ahead. "Chris, stop for a moment. Baccarat's sensed something unusual."

Chris didn't stop swinging his sword. He didn't even turn his head before asking, "What did she find?"

The women were helpless. With such a training fanatic, there wasn't much they could say.

Baccarat smoothed her dark red hair and gave the figure ahead a faint smile. "Chris, I feel as though good luck has come our way."

"But I'm not entirely sure about this feeling. That's never happened before."

This time, Chris stopped training. He stood still and slowly closed his eyes.

Seeing him act so strangely, Carina lowered her voice for fear of disturbing him. "What's Chris doing? Thinking?"

"No. He's extending his Observation Haki."

Honey Queen explained just as quietly. "Chris is exceptionally good at it. He can sense things from a great distance."

"I'm not sure exactly how far, but it's very, very far."

Perona floated in the air, her eyes full of envy as she watched Chris. "That ability is so useful. Too bad this princess still can't learn it."

Chris slowly opened his eyes and looked at Baccarat. "There's nothing but open sea around us. No islands, no ships."

Hearing that only deepened the women's confusion.

Belo Betty furrowed her brows. "Could Baccarat's intuition have been wrong? That shouldn't be possible."

Honey Queen shook her head, equally unconvinced. "Given everything we've been through, Baccarat's intuition couldn't be wrong."

"Then what's going on?"

Carina looked out at the sea, eager to find an answer.

Reiju and Baccarat both shook their heads. Neither could make sense of it.

Chris raised his head toward the sky beyond the window. "Then there's only one possibility. It's up there."

(Can you guess what this good luck is? Leave a comment in the reviews and see who gets it. I'm looking forward to your answers ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Up there??

At Chris's words, all the women looked out the window.

The sky was blue, dotted with white clouds. The sun shone brightly, and the weather was perfectly clear.

Was that supposed to be their good luck?

"Do you see anything? No matter how I look, all I can see is blue sky and white clouds."

Carina stood by the window, straining her beautiful eyes toward the sky, but saw nothing else.

Honey Queen shook her head with a wry smile. "What could there be? I just see clouds drifting by."

Belo Betty frowned and took a drag on her cigarette. "What kind of good luck could be up in the sky? I really can't figure it out."

"Chris, have you noticed something?"

Reiju rested her chin on one hand and looked at Chris, a faint smile on her elegant face.

Chris turned his gaze away and resumed swinging Blood Red. "Have you heard of Golden Lion Shiki?"

"Him? Of course. He's a major figure."

Carina caught on at once, her eyes lighting up. "Chris, do you mean Golden Lion is up there?"

Belo Betty leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "He was a great pirate from the same era as Pirate King Roger. Of course we've all heard of him."

"I've heard of him, yes, but how could he be in the sky?"

Honey Queen knitted her brows, her pretty face full of confusion.

Chris explained patiently and in detail.

"Golden Lion Shiki ate the Paramecia-type Float-Float Fruit. It lets him and objects fly through the air."

"More than twenty years ago, he fought Pirate King Roger in the waters of Edd War. The Roger Pirates were nearly wiped out."

"Later, when he heard that Pirate King Roger had been captured, he stormed Marine Headquarters alone. In the end, he was imprisoned in Impel Down."

"But he was ruthless enough to cut off his own feet and escape from Impel Down. He's been out of sight ever since."

Chris went on swinging his sword. "The Marines have been hunting him all this time. I never expected him to be hiding above the East Blue. No wonder they never found him."

Silence.

The women fell quiet after hearing Chris's account.

They had all heard of Golden Lion Shiki to some extent, but they knew little about him.

Only now did they realize he was far more formidable than they had imagined.

"That's incredible!"

Carina looked out at the sky, admiration in her eyes. "He nearly wiped out Pirate King Roger and his crew. Just how strong must he have been?"

Honey Queen shook her head in disbelief. "More importantly, he escaped from Impel Down. That's terrifying."

"He must have been the first person to escape from there. No one had ever managed it."

Perona flew about in the air, her pretty face alight with interest. "That's wonderful! Really wonderful!"

"He can fly, and he can make things float too. That's so much fun! Horohorohoro..."

Belo Betty folded her arms and exhaled a stream of smoke before asking, "Chris, now that we've found a trace of someone so important, aren't we going to do anything?"

Reiju blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled. "Chris usually loves making deals. Why isn't he making a move this time?"

Chris answered at once. "He's finished."

"After cutting off his feet, he used the famed swords Oto and Kogarashi as prosthetics."

"His strength has declined drastically. He no longer has the Haki or ferocity to make the four seas tremble or conquer the world."

"It's time to bring down the curtain on this remnant of a bygone era."

Chris put Blood Red away. "Once Lafitte and the others have grown stronger, Shiki will be perfect for them to test themselves against."

"He used to be a great pirate. He's bound to have Devil Fruits in his possession. He may even have a Mythical Zoan."

Chris's tone was calm, but his words still stunned the women.

He intended to hunt the great pirate Golden Lion!!

He was going to challenge a former ruler of the seas!

"I've realized Chris really does think big."

Carina shrugged and sighed. "That man once dominated the seas. Even without his feet, he must still be incredibly strong."

"And Chris wants to challenge him. It's honestly shocking."

Perona flew through the air, grinning. "If Chris says so, it'll be fine."

"I want to fight him right now! I'd love to see what Golden Lion looks like. Does he really look like a lion? Horohorohoro~~"

Honey Queen brushed back her pale blond hair. "Chris may be young, part of the next generation."

"But he must be stronger than Golden Lion. There's no doubt about how that fight would end."

Belo Betty took a drag on her cigarette, still unruffled. "I'm more curious how many Devil Fruits Golden Lion has. His collection must be extensive."

Reiju looked at Baccarat, her eyes curving with a gentle smile. "Your intuition really is remarkable."

"You sensed him even though he was so high up. That's impressive!"

Baccarat picked up the newspaper and smiled. "We were just lucky."

"If we hadn't passed directly beneath him, I never would have sensed him."