Today was the day. After all the years of training, he was finally ready. There were still a few things missing, but it was time to finally set things into motion. He woke up at a later time than he usually did, in the later hours of the morning. On any other day, he'd have woken up in the first hours of the morning just to begin his training. He decided to take it back easy today. He got up out of bed at around ten, just when the sun was beginning to fully shine. He got up from bed, and after getting ready and dressed, he left out the front door of his guardian Ushio's home. She wasn't present at the time, probably out in the clothing shop that she owned. If she wasn't home, or taking care of or scolding Naroshi, that's where she was. She'd cared for him for the better end of a decade. He owed her more than he'd ever be able to repay her. He definitely had to say goodbye to her before he left for good. She knew that the day was coming as well, and while she wasn't a fan of it at first, she admired his desire to follow in his father's footsteps.

He left out of the home, and out onto the vast streets of Orange Town. The streets were filled with all different kinds of people. Mothers with their children, people at their shops, workers, and the marines patrolling the streets. The two in particular he'd seen were a few feet in front of him, and he didn't seem to recognize their faces, which was strange. Most of the marines within Orange Town knew who Naroshi was due to his actions as a child. There couldn't have been less than a hundred times where they'd chased him down or caught him being a nuisance to other townsfolk. He kept his eyes forward as he walked in their direction, trying to keep his focus on his current destination, but simultaneously listening to the conversation that they seemed to be having.

"Did you hear? They're bringing in a new group of marines today. I heard it's because of what happened in Enies Lobby. They're sending out more marine support across the four blues to try and prevent the pirates from spreading."

"Yea, they didn't give much details on who the marines are though."

While Naroshi wasn't eavesdropping intentionally, he was intrigued by what he'd heard the marines speaking of. More Marines? He knew not of what Enies lobby was, nor what had occurred there, but he knew that the presence of more marines could prove to be bad for what it was that he was planning. He couldn't slack anymore. If he wanted to get out of Orange Town without any trouble, he'd need to speed up his process. First, he'd have to find his brother, and then he'd have to find something they could set sail on. A rowboat maybe. He figured that the rowboat would be easier to get. He could make one on his own, or he could ask a local townsmen to allow him to borrow one. That was where he'd set his attentions to. He figured he didn't have all day, not if there were marines on their way. They'd be asking around for people who were traveling, probably monitoring who came in and left the town. There was no time to waste. He looked forward, towards the end of the street he was currently on. A few more down from that would be the docks. He'd get there, find a rowboat to travel in, and then he'd be on his way to break the news to his brother, Arata.

It only took a dozen minutes for him to clear the distance between him and the docks. He didn't see much else worth pointing out on his way there. Even if he had, he was still entirely set and focused on what he'd heard from the conversation with the two marines. If they were telling the truth, that would mean that the marines were going to make it even more difficult for him to set sails that day, especially if their intent was to stop the spread of new pirates from reaching the blues. He couldn't let that happen. This day was too long in the making, too many components had been contributed to this. The marines couldn't ruin this for him. He wouldn't let them.

He moved closer and closer to the streets just by the docks. Upon the entrance, just a few feet away from the ships and the vast, seemingly endless water of the sea. He looked around, there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. There weren't even any marines around, besides a few of the smaller ships they'd had docked. He sighed in relief. That was good. That gave him a tad bit more time to find his brother and a boat first. He sped up his pace, moving at a slightly faster walking speed than before. He had to find someone who could help him. There was only one person that he knew of. An old man who owned a shop just down the street from the docks. He'd lived in Orange Town for the majority of his life, and took to selling smaller rowboats for common travelers who were looking to get around between different islands. Nothing too serious. Naroshi had known him ever since he was a young child. Naroshi took to calling him gramps. They'd met when Naroshi was around seven years old, when Naroshi had been pestering him alongside his brother. The two had developed a more positive relationship with one another as time went by, and in return Naroshi stopped in from time to time to keep the man company. He'd hate to only show up due to being in need, but his options at the moment were extremely limited. After a few moments, he found himself directly outside the shop's entrance, with a wide opening in the front wall that lead to it's center. There was Roku, standing up behind a large counter. Behind him, at his sides and behind him were several rowboats of all different sizes. A large smile appeared on Naroshi's face, and he spoke loudly as he entered through the front of the store.

"Heya there Gramps, how are you doing today?"

Roku looked up, somewhat stunned at first, but then smiled as he realized who it was who'd entered. He sighed in relief, and then spoke.

"Oh, it's just you. You startled me. It's been a little while Naroshi, what can i do for you?"

"well, there is one.... little thing that you can do for me. I need a rowboat."

Ruko chuckled slightly, and then took a few moments to catch his breath before speaking again.

"Ha ha. A rowboat? I see. You and Arata going fishing?"

Naroshi took a few moments to pause, filling in the silence between them with his laughter. Roku had heard Naroshi as a child, going on about how he would become a pirate one day. He wasn't sure if he'd taken him seriously though. Now was the time to come clean about it. If he was going to help him, he'd need to at least know why he was doing so.

"Um... No. It's that time. I need a rowboat because i'm setting sail out of Orange Town. I probably won't be back for a long while either."

After speaking, Roku stared off towards Naro for a few moments, as though he was analyzing what he'd just been told. After a few moments of staring off towards him, he closed his eyes and a smile formed on his face.

"I see. So it's that time, hm? You know kid, i always heard you talk about becoming a pirate, but i never thought you were serious. You sure that's what you want to do?"

He was hesitant with his answer. Was he sure? Of course he was. This had been his goal for the majority of his life. Nothing was going to change that, but was this the right time? He wasn't entirely sure. With the news of the increased sum of marines heading out towards the four blues, and the news of other things happening on the Sea. That didn't matter. He couldn't allow any of that to get in his way. This was the day he'd been waiting for for ten years. He had to go through with it, and by the end of the day he'd officially be a pirate upon the seas. He looked directly towards Roku, a stern, serious look upon his face, and then answered.

"Yes, i am. I wouldn't back out from this, even if i was given the chance to do so. This is happening Gramps, and i need your help."

Roku smiled, seemingly proud of Naroshi for the answer he provided.

"From you, that's what i'd expect to hear. Good on your part, I've got a rowboat big enough for two, it's all yours. Free of charge."

Naroshi couldn't allow this act of kindness to go unpaid, He smiled, and nodded.

"Really? That's amazing Gramps, thank you. I can't express how appreciated that is."

The old man turned around, grabbing one of the rowboats down off of it's mantle. He showcased an admirable amount of strength for possessing such an elderly body. He brought the rowboat down, and hoisted it on top of the counter in front of him. Naroshi came forward, grabbing up the rowboat, and holding it up above his head with both hands. There were two oars upon the inside of the boat.

"This should do you fine on your travels, but you're gonna need a ship sometime soon if you're gonna lead a pirate crew!"

The old man laughed to himself, and Naro slowly turned around, walking back out towards the entrance of the store with the rowboat above his head.

"Naro-boy?"

Naro turned around upon hearing the old man call for him once again.

"Yea gramps?"

"It's been nice. Being able to watch you grow up. Being able to send you away on your travels. Good luck out there. I know you'll become the great pirate you aspire to be."

"Thanks Gramps. I won't forget you, or the kindness that you've showed me. I'll be back home one day, and i'll come back and thank you formally. That's a promise."

With that, he left the store, and made his way out towards the docks, looking to set his rowboat out on the water so it'd be ready for him when he got back. He had his transportation. Now all that was left was for him to find Arata.

He made his way out towards the docks, the rowboat still held high above his head. he was only a few dozen meters away from the other ships at the docks, and he planned to tie the rowboat down, and leave it there so he could find his brother. As he got closer to the water and the open sea, the hair upon the back of his neck stood up higher and higher. His heart beat got slightly faster, and he felt a deep pit in his stomach. His fear of the sea was almost crippling. Debilitating. He himself wasn't entirely sure of why he'd developed the fear, but he knew it was something that he'd have to overcome, or at the very least tolerate. What kind of pirate could he ever be if he had a fear of the sea? If he was serious about becoming a respected pirate, and he was, he would have to get over his fear. There was no better time for him to do so than right then and there.

He got closer to the water upon the docks, smelling the ocean as he felt the breeze reach his face. He looked down towards the side of the docks, and saw an opening within a few of the boats who were docked. He looked down towards it, and threw the rowboat down into the water below. It made a loud splash, sending water flying upward, but not far enough to reach Naroshi. He looked down at it, startled as the water had come so close to touching him. He had to stop being afraid. There was no way he was going to be able to make the trip if he hadn't found a way to tolerate his fear, even if he did find his brother. He'd been waiting his entire life to the chance to set out to become a pirate, and he couldn't let his fear get in his way.

He sighed, closed his eyes, and then slowly let himself down from the side of the dock, directly into the rowboat. He was a heavy boy, and his weight caused the rowboat to sway back and forth, frightening him. He stumbled, instantly attempting to balance himself within the shaking rowboat. The shaking subsided, going back to a simple sway within the water's current. It slightly began moving forward, closer out towards the sea. Naroshi reached his long arm out towards a rope that was tied to a peg, and then tied the other end around a seat on the rowboat. Once it was tight around the seat and stationary. He'd smile and then look up back towards the side of the docks. His boat was stationary, and their transportation was ready for them. Now, it was time to start looking for Arata. He grabbed onto the side of the docks, hoisting himself up with his upper body strength, and then standing up straight upon the platform.

"Going Somewhere, hm??"

Naroshi tried to the best of his ability to identify the voice. His head was still down, and his body was still kneeling down towards the ground. He couldn't identify it strictly from memory. He'd never heard this person before, and that probably meant he'd never seen them before either. Why were they asking him about what he was doing? Who were they? Slowly, he got up off of the ground and up onto his two feet, and held his head up, staring in the direction of the voice.

What he saw slightly surprised him. There were four men in front of him. They were standing directly next to one another, aligned in a linear formation with about 2 feet between each other. There were three, similar in appearance as far as their clothing went. A two piece button down shirt and pants, both a bright and vibrant white color, and a single blue ascot tied around their necks. Their shirts were sleeveless, and they wore hats that read: MARINE. Marines. That's what was going on. Were these the marines that were apparently on their way to Orange Town? He didn't know for sure but he didn't see anything to disprove it. That wasn't good. He was officially out of time.

The one that stood out appearance wise was in the center of the other three. He was the tallest, around the same height as Naro, 6"2. He wore a blue jacket with padding at the shoulders, unbuttoned and wide open to show his white shirt. He wore long boots, embedded with steel at the heels. He wore no hat, simply allowing his grey hair to reside freely atop his head. There was a smirk upon his face, cut short by a lit cigar that was sticking from his mouth. He clearly was young, older than Naroshi, but not as old as most of the marines that Naro would see around Orange Town. Examining them, he could tell that they would be a problem if he were to get into a fight with them. He'd never fought an actual marine before, and he knew what would happen to him if he did. Then and only then would he become a true outlaw. Criminal. A pirate. The thought of doing so sort of frightened him. It wasn't like he wasn't used to being treated like a criminal. Marines had always thought of him as one, even when he was a kid. Due to his father being a pirate, and him not being afraid to express his dream of following in his footsteps. However, him laying his hands on a marine would make it official. He'd be wanted, and if caught he'd either be thrown in jail or executed. He wouldn't able to stay at home, he couldn't put ushio in that kind of danger. That would be it. He'd no longer be safe.

"I believe i asked you something, boy. Are you going somewhere?"
 
He'd become more abrasive, as though he was irritated with the fact that Naroshi had left him unanswered. Naroshi glared at him, not even allowing himself to show a facade of contempt. He wanted this marine to know that he wasn't going to allow himself to be viewed as weak and compliant. After glaring at him silently for several more seconds, he decided to speak.

"No. I'm not going anywhere, not yet at least. Why does it concern you?"

After answering, the marines surrounding the man grimaced, as if they were taken aback by Naro's lack of respect for him. The man himself opened his eyes wider, and then closed them, chuckling slightly to himself. He took the cigar out of his mouth with his right hand, blowing the smoke from it directly out into the air between him and Naroshi. He then let go of it, causing it to drop onto the ground, and then stomped on it with the metal heel of his boot. He then smiled directly at Naroshi, making eye contact with him as he moved his the left side of his unbuttoned jacket, revealing a cutlass like blade within a sheathe attached to his side.

"Look, you probably don't know who i am. Maybe because you don't get out much, or maybe you're just an idiot. Either way, there's no way you'd talk to me like that if you knew who i was. So. Let me fill you in."

He removed the blade from it's sheathe in one, instant swipe, bringing it out, and holding it in Naroshi's direction in an intimidating manner. There was two meters between the two, giving Naro the distance that he needed to keep himself safe from the blade, but despite that he still kept himself on the alert.

"The name's Kinto. Captain of a branch of marines. We're pretty small. This isn't all of us of course, more are still on the way. Anyways, that's irrelevant. Now you know who i am. What position i hold. Would you like to rephrase what you just said to me?"

Naro eyed him momentarily, and as the glances of the two met each other, they could feel one another's tension. He knew that it was risky, dangerous even. But he couldn't allow himself to show any signs of weakness to a marine. It was out of character for him. He was usually peaceful. This marine obviously wasn't looking to abide by his duty to the law, but simply to abuse his title for power over civilians. Naroshi could see that in him, and because of it, he refused to allow him the pleasure.

"You're right. I apologize, but i wasn't entirely honest with you. I was planning to leave. I got this rowboat with the intentions of setting sail on it alongside my brother."

Kinto smiled, and then slowly brought his blade down, placing it back within his sheathe.

"That's more like it. Glad that we're being honest. Now, where exactly were you planning to go?"

He wasn't hesitant about what he'd say next. It would determine his fate. If he was dishonest, there was a chance that he'd be able to get out of the situation without a fight. However, if he answered honestly, there would inevitably be a fight between him and the men that would lead to him being outlawed and wanted in Orange Town. Did his pride mean that much to him. The pride in himself, in his father? It may have been clouding his judgement, but it sure was.

"Him and i are going out to the sea to become pirates!"

There was a silence between them, the marines behind Kinto looking shocked with Naroshi's answer. After a few more moments, they all simultaneously broke out into laughter, which was silenced by Kinto. Kinto then smiled, and stared directly and Naro once more.

"you're a brave boy, i'll give you that. Brave child with foolish dreams and impulsive stupidity. A good combination for a pirate. However..... I cannot allow you to do that."

Naroshi knew the repercussions of his actions. He knew what this would mean for him in the future. He took a moment to collect himself, and then took his fighting stance.

"You can try to stop me, but i promise that you won't succeed."

After he spoke the words, the marines around Kinto prepared themselves to fight. Naroshi should have figured that they would take initiative for their higher up. He wished that it didn't have to come to that, but he knew what he had to do.

"Take care of this brat for me."

Naroshi refused to give the marines the chance to make the first move. He wasn't going to give them the kindness of him doing so. Using Soru, he moved freely at a great speed, clearing the two meter distance between him and the marines in less than a second. As he moved, he cocked his fist back, and then connected it abruptly with the right cheek of one of the marines, cracking him, stunning him and sending him back a few meters, causing him to fall to the ground. The lackey marines barely noticed, but one of the remaining two closest to Naroshi aimed a punch at his side. Naro attempted to change directions, barely managing to do so as he brought up his forearm to block the punch. When the punch connected, it slightly stung Naro's forearm, Naroshi responded by using his free hand to punch the man in the stomach with full force, knocking the wind out of him. He then used his other hand to punch the marine in the face from the left side, marking him. He'd finish his barrage with a single kick, Sending the marine flying backwards, crashing into wooden stand that had been set up. People from the town and shops near the docks came out, looking to see what had been going on. The final marine grimaced, and then pulled out a flintlock pistol, with a single bullet in the chamber. He pointed it towards Naroshi, his hand shaking from nervousness as he did so.

"S..S-Stay back boy!"

Naroshi ignored his warnings, moving at full speed around towards the other side of the marine, and sending a simple kick upwards towards his hand, knocking the flintlock pistol from his grip. The marine was slightly stunned, and abruptly attempted to punch Naro. Naro sent his midair foot upwards, connecting with the Marine's chin, and sending him flying into the water by the docks. Kinto responded by sending a punch towards the side of Naroshi's head. He managed to turn around and bring up both of his arms to embrace for the impact. The strike connected, and sent him flying back a few meters. His sandals skid across the stone ground he stood on, and he managed to stop himself when he was about 7 meters away from Kinto.

Kinto smiled, and began laughing as Naroshi brought both of his arms down from their X formation, taking a few breaths to ensure that he didn't lose his remaining stamina.

"Well kid. I'm impressed. You managed to take out not only one marine, but three of them. They were new to the sea of course, but they'd surely been in some physical training. Those abilities you were using. That wasn't normal Martial arts, was it?"

Naroshi ignored him for a few moments, taking his time to instead catch his breath.

"It's a superhuman Martial Art style. Rokushiki. My Father taught me."

Kinto smiled.

"I see. Was your father a pirate as well?"

"What do you think?"

"I see. What is your name?"

"Naroshi."

"Well Naroshi, while you have managed to impress me, don't take that as a sign of respect. You are the offspring of a pirate, who aspires to be a pirate himself. We are enemies. We will always be enemies. And i don't allow my enemies to live."

Kinto reached for the sheathe upon his side removing the cutlass once again. Naroshi expressed no emotion with his facial expressions, and simply kept his eye on Kinto. He knew that this was no amateur like the ones he'd just defeated. He was a skilled marine captain. Naroshi wouldn't be able to defeat him with only a few punches and kicks. He got back into his fighting stance, prepared to make a move if it was necessary. Kinto moved forward in one leap, pouncing towards Naro with his blade at his side, and then brought the blade up, swinging towards Naro's left hand side. Naroshi followed his movements, and responded accordingly by moving his body backwards, leaping back two meters to avoid the blade. Kinto responded by jumping up once more, swinging the blade now directly down towards Naro's head. Naroshi responded by side stepping, accidentally hitting his back against the wall of a shop belonging to one of the civilians. Kinto used this to his advantage, sending his blade forward, attempting to jab through Naroshi's chest with it. Naroshi ducked beneath the blade, allowing it to pierce through the wooden wall of the shop. Kinto responded by pulling the blade up, ripping through the side of the wall entirely, and causing it to lose it's stability. The wooden shack came down collapsing upon whoever had been inside.

Naroshi grimaced, as part of the lightweight wall had come down on top of him, causing him to slightly topple over. He was disoriented, but removed the wooden wall from atop him, and got back up onto his feet. He stared up to see Kinto, swinging his cutlass back and forth with a smile on his face. This guy was supposed to be a marine. He destroyed the civilian's property and put them in harms way, all to hurt Naroshi. That wasn't something that people who were enforcing the law were supposed to do. Naro knew that this guy didn't care in the slightest about the civilians or their safety. That meant it was up to Naroshi. He had to get this guy away from the people of Orange Town if he wanted to keep them safe. He looked towards the docks, that lead out towards ships docked within the water. He saw a somewhat small boat, with a small sail that read: "MARINE". He figured that had to be the ship that Kinto and his crew had traveled to Orange Town with. He had to get him there. That was his best option. He looked back at Kinto momentarily, watching as he spun his cutlass from it's grip. He had to get him to that ship. That was his plan. Without warning, He ran towards the docks at full speed, catching Kinto off guard. He didn't take long to follow, catching up to Naro by a few meters. Naroshi kept himself at full speed, and made it to the end of the docks within a few seconds. With a single leap, he jumped from the docks, onto the somewhat small ship that belonged to Kinto. Kinto smiled, and spoke as he followed Naroshi's action.

"Where ya going?"

He landed onto it, down by the side of the boat. His cutlass was out of his sheathe still, and he was looking straight towards Naro. Naro took no time further. It was then time to end the confrontation between the two. He jolted forward, and Kinto followed, moving at his full speed as well. As he moved, Naroshi jumped slightly up off the ground, and then began kicking at immense speeds. As the distance between him and Kinto closed, He flipped midair, sending his leg down towards Kinto from above.

"Rankyaku!"

A compressed blade of air came from Naroshi's leg at a great speed, and Kinto held his cutlass above his head with both hands in an attempt to block it. The strength of the ability was too much for his blade to handle, and it cracked through the blade, connecting with Kinto's upper chest and lower face, and sending him flying through the side of the boat. The force from the attack managed to put a large hole in the side of the small boat, and send Kinto flying back towards the Docks, causing him to land on the platform just before the water. He was bloodied, too wounded to continue fighting. Naroshi looked over to him as the tiny marine boat slowly began to fill with water from the hole below, causing the boat to begin to sink.

"Ahhhhhhh!!"

Panicking, Naro ran over towards the side of the boat, jumping off and landing directly back onto the platform, about 9 meters away from where Kinto had landed. Naroshi stared at him, walking over to him and then hovering over his body.

"Hey, you're still alive aren't you? well, i intend to leave you that way. You're no harm to me anymore, so why should i kill you? I'd like to ask something of you though. I want you to remember the kindness i just showed you of sparing your life when i didn't have to. Remember it the next time you run into a pirate like me."

"You....Brat."

his voice was almost in a whisper due to the deep wound that he'd received from Naro's attack. Naroshi shrugged. He figured that he probably wouldn't be able to get through to him, but at the very least he tried. He then turned around, looking back towards the town. There were a few civilians who had crowded around, looking at him and what he'd done. What did they think of him? He was only trying to protect them and himself, but did they know that? It didn't matter. He'd gotten one problem out of his way, now all that was left for him to do was finally find his brother so he could set sail. He ran away from the docks, the crowd that had formed watching him as he passed by, and then ran back towards the center of Orange Town, in search of his brother.

Stamina:

End Task

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