Chapter 3: The Voyage Begins and the Rat's Nest
"Rem is very curious... are you planning to burn yourself to death, or is this a unique celebratory ritual of this world?"
The cool, melodic voice cut through Suzaku's adrenaline-fueled haze like a bucket of ice water.
Only then did Suzaku realize the situation. The crimson flames he had unconsciously unleashed during his fusion with the Vermilion Bird bloodline had done their job too well. They had not only incinerated the thick hemp ropes binding him but had also ignited the wooden mast behind him and a significant section of the deck.
The heat was intense, distorting the air around him, yet he felt nothing. To his transformed physiology, the fire felt like a warm bath.
"Oh, crap!"
Realizing the ship—their only means of transport—was catching fire, Suzaku panicked. He quickly waved his hands, instinctively willing the flames to obey him. The fire swirled like liquid light, detaching from the wood and rushing into his palms, where it vanished into his skin without a trace.
"Phew... that was close. Good thing I can control it, or we'd be swimming to—"
He turned around with a grin, expecting praise. Instead, he heard Rem let out a soft, sharp cry.
"Kyaa!"
She quickly covered her eyes with her hands, though Suzaku noticed the gaps between her fingers were suspiciously wide. Her face was turned away, her tone dripping with a mix of shock and utter disgust.
"Pervert...!"
"Huh?" Suzaku blinked.
"Elder Sister is not here, so Rem's eyes have been defiled! To expose oneself so shamelessly in broad daylight... truly, you are the lowest form of scum."
Suzaku looked down.
His face turned the color of a ripe tomato instantly.
The Vermilion Flame was a divine fire; it burned impurities. Apparently, his tattered linen shirt and trousers counted as "impurities." He was standing in the middle of the deck, completely stark naked, with the sea breeze cooling parts of him that should not be cooled.
"Aaaah!! Don't look! I didn't know!"
Suzaku shrieked like a frightened schoolgirl and bolted toward the captain's cabin, covering his vitals with his hands.
"I-I'll be right back! Don't look at me with those eyes looking at trash!"
Ten minutes later.
Suzaku emerged from the cabin, feeling significantly more human. He had raided Captain Corliss's wardrobe. Since Corliss was a massive man, nothing fit quite right. Suzaku had settled on a pair of black trousers that he had to cinch tight with a belt and a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked less like a pirate captain and more like a castaway, but at least he was decent.
He stepped back onto the deck and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.
The scene before him was grim. The adrenaline of the fight had faded, leaving behind the stark reality of violence. The pirates from earlier had met a gruesome end. Almost none of them were intact; Rem's spiked flail was a weapon of brutal efficiency, smashing bones and rending flesh. The deck was slick with blood, and the metallic tang of iron hung heavy in the salty air.
Suzaku swallowed hard, forcing down the bile rising in his throat.
In his previous life as an office worker, the most violence he had seen was a bar fight. Now, he was standing in a slaughterhouse.
However, strangely, he didn't feel paralyzed. The memories of the original "Suzaku"—the boy who had watched his parents die and lived among these cutthroats—merged with his own, hardening his resolve.
I can't afford to be soft, he told himself, stepping over a shattered cutlass. This world eats the weak. If Rem hadn't killed them, they would have tortured me to death and thrown me to the Sea Kings. It was them or us.
He looked at Rem. She was standing by the railing, staring out at the ocean. She looked perfectly calm, as if she hadn't just massacred twenty armed men. To her, this was just another Tuesday.
"Rem," Suzaku called out gently.
The maid turned, her expression impassive. "Has the pervert finished dressing? Rem was considering whether to wash her eyes with seawater."
"I told you it was an accident!" Suzaku groaned, scratching the back of his head. He walked over to her, his expression turning serious. "Listen, I owe you an explanation. About where we are, and why you're here."
Rem tilted her head. "Rem is listening."
Suzaku raised his hand, summoning the system interface. It was invisible to Rem, but he could manipulate its functions.
"I can't explain everything in words quickly enough. But I can share the knowledge directly."
He glanced at the panels floating in his vision.
[Multiverse Summoning System]
[Status: Active]
[Host: Suzaku Yareon]
[Age: 18]
[Physique: Elite (Tier 1)]
[Note: Enhanced by the Vermilion Bird bloodline. You are stronger than a normal human, but in the New World, you are still an ant. Keep training!]
[Haki Status:]
[Armament Haki: Locked]
[Observation Haki: Beginner (Awakened during the crisis)]
[Conqueror's Haki: Locked]
[Bloodline Ability: Vermilion Bird Form (Pending Fusion)]
[Legend Points: 0]
[Summoned Subordinates (1/1): Rem]
He selected the [Memory Fusion] option for his first subordinate.
[Initiating World Knowledge Transfer to: Rem.]
[Loading One Piece Geography... Power Systems... Common Knowledge... Done.]
Suzaku reached out and gently tapped Rem's forehead with two fingers.
Rem's eyes widened slightly. She didn't flinch. Her body went rigid for a moment as a stream of information—images of the Grand Line, the concept of Devil Fruits, the Marines, the Yonko, and the geography of the Blue Sea—surged into her mind like a tide.
It wasn't painful, but it was overwhelming.
A full minute passed in silence, save for the creaking of the ship and the cry of seagulls.
Slowly, Rem blinked, the haze clearing from her eyes. She looked at her hands, then at the ocean, her gaze now holding a deeper understanding.
"I see..." she whispered softly. "Rem is no longer in the Kingdom of Lugnica. This is a world dominated by oceans... The Great Pirate Era."
She frowned slightly, a hint of disdain curling her lip. "A world ruled by strength, where the strong prey on the weak, and lawlessness is celebrated. It looks quite terrible."
"It is," Suzaku agreed solemnly. "It's a chaotic, messy, dangerous world. But it's also free."
Rem looked at Suzaku. The look of disgust from the "nudity incident" had faded, replaced by a serious, evaluating gaze.
"Since Master Suzaku brought Rem to this world, Rem has no way to return for now. Therefore, Rem will fulfill her duty." She curtsied elegantly, pinching the hem of her skirt. "Rem will serve as your maid and sword. Rem will handle the enemies, the cleaning, and the cooking."
However, her eyes narrowed sharply.
"But—" she added, her tone dropping an octave. "Please make sure to dress appropriately. If you expose yourself to Rem again without cause, Rem might 'accidentally' mistake something for a sausage and chop it off for dinner."
Suzaku instinctively clamped his legs together. "I promise! It won't happen again!"
"Good." Rem smiled, a beam of pure sunshine that terrified him to his core.
[System Notification: Rem's favorability has stabilized. Current Bond Level: Friendly.]
Suzaku let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"So, Master Suzaku, what should we do next?" Rem asked, tilting her head slightly, her light blue short hair fluttering in the wind.
Looking at her curious expression, a surge of excitement welled up in Suzaku's chest.
Since the [Multiverse Summoning System] relied on "Legend Points" to operate, he was destined not to keep a low profile. He couldn't hide in a village and farm. He needed to be loud. He needed to be dangerous.
Moreover, this was the One Piece World. The world of vast oceans, wondrous islands, and passionate legends. Everything he had read about was now real, waiting for his personal experience.
His lips curved into a smile, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Of course, we're going to embark on a grand and spectacular adventure!" Suzaku responded firmly, pointing toward the infinite horizon. "We're going to make the whole world remember our names!"
"First, however," Suzaku said, looking down at the bloody mess on the deck, "we need to clean up."
The cleaning process was efficient. Rem was terrified of dirt, and apparently, corpses counted as "large dirt." She tossed the bodies overboard with casual ease, feeding the local fish population.
Suzaku, meanwhile, had a grim task. He found Captain Corliss's body. Suppressing the urge to vomit, he used a sword to remove the pirate's head.
"Five million Berries," Suzaku muttered, wrapping the head in a thick canvas sack. "It's gross, but we have zero money. We can't buy supplies or fuel without this."
Once the ship—which they discovered was named the Mad Dog (a terrible name)—was relatively clean, they prepared to depart.
"Alright!" Suzaku stood at the helm, gripping the wheel dramatically. "Raise the anchor! Unfurl the sails! Let's go!"
"Yes, Master," Rem replied dutifully, handling the heavy ropes with her superhuman strength.
The sails caught the wind, and the ship began to move.
"Where are we going?" Rem asked, coming up to the quarterdeck.
"To the nearest Marine base," Suzaku said confidently, pointing a finger forward. "We cash in this bounty, buy a better map, get some clothes that fit, and then... the Grand Line!"
"Does Master know the way?"
"Of course! I have a sea chart right here." Suzaku slammed a crumpled piece of parchment onto the binnacle. "According to this, the 16th Branch is... uh... that way!"
He spun the wheel to the right.
Rem stared at the endless blue ocean, then at the confident back of her master. A faint hint of doubt flashed in her blue eyes.
Four Hours Later.
The sun beat down mercilessly on the vast expanse of the East Blue. The ocean was a beautiful, shimmering sapphire, calm and endless.
It was also completely devoid of land.
"We're lost, aren't we?"
Rem's voice was calm, cutting through the silence as she poured a cup of tea she had brewed using the ship's galley supplies.
Suzaku was sweating profusely, rotating the map in his hands.
"We are not lost!" he insisted, his voice cracking. "This map is just... artistic! It's abstract! Who draws an island like a triangle?!"
"Master is holding the map upside down," Rem pointed out, taking a sip of tea.
"I... I knew that! I was testing you!" Suzaku quickly flipped the map.
"Rem thinks the contrast between Master's confident demeanor and the actual result is quite cute. In a pathetic sort of way."
"Rem, your tongue is sharper than your flail," Suzaku sighed, slumping over the wheel.
They drifted for another hour. Suzaku tried to navigate by the sun, but having no navigational skills from his previous life meant he was essentially guessing.
"Master, look."
Rem pointed a slender finger toward the horizon at the ten o'clock position.
Suzaku squinted. "Is that a cloud?"
"No. It is stationary. It is land."
As the ship drew closer, a lush, green island slowly emerged from the mist. It was a welcome sight. The salty smell of the sea was replaced by the scent of damp earth and tropical vegetation.
"See?" Suzaku laughed, his confidence instantly returning. "I told you! My sense of direction is impeccable! I meant to come here!"
Rem gave him a flat look. "If you say so, Master."
They steered the Mad Dog toward the island's port. It wasn't a large island, but it had a bustling town built into the side of a hill. As they got closer, Suzaku saw the unmistakable symbol painted on a large, fortress-like building near the docks.
A blue seagull holding a wrench.
"The Marine 16th Branch," Suzaku read the text on the gate tower. "This is it. We made it."
He recalled his knowledge of the canon. "The 16th Branch... That's Captain Nezumi's territory. The Rat."
Suzaku's expression darkened. Captain Nezumi was a corrupt coward who took bribes from the Arlong Pirates to ignore their tyranny over Nami's village. He was exactly the kind of "Justice" Suzaku despised.
"Is there a problem, Master?" Rem asked, sensing his mood shift.
"Just remembering that not all Marines are good people," Suzaku replied. "The guy in charge here is scum. But it doesn't matter. We're just here for the money."
"Money isn't everything," he muttered, patting the sack containing the severed head, "but in this world, you can't take a single step without it."
They docked the pirate ship at the civilian pier. The sight of the battered ship caused a stir among the dockworkers and fishermen. They stopped their work, whispering and pointing.
"Is that... Corliss's ship?"
"The Mad Dog? Why is it here?"
"Wait, look at the people coming off. A kid... and a maid?"
Suzaku ignored the stares. He threw the heavy sack over his shoulder and adjusted his ill-fitting collar. Rem walked a step behind him, her posture perfect, her face a mask of serene indifference to the gawking crowd.
"Let's go, Rem. Keep your weapon hidden for now."
"Understood." Rem had tucked the handle of her flail into the folds of her dress, though the weight of it didn't seem to bother her at all.
They swaggered through the town, heading straight for the Marine base gates. The base was imposing, with stone walls and cannons pointing out toward the bay.
At the main gate, two Marines in white uniforms and blue caps crossed their rifles, blocking the path. They looked bored and arrogant.
"Halt!" one of them barked, looking Suzaku up and down with a sneer. "This is a restricted area of the 16th Branch. Civilians and trash aren't allowed. Get lost, kid."
Suzaku didn't flinch. He simply smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes that flashed gold for a split second.
He swung the canvas sack off his shoulder and dropped it onto the ground with a wet, heavy thud.
Blood began to seep through the bottom of the sack, staining the dust.
The guards flinched, gripping their rifles tighter. "W-what is that?"
Suzaku placed a foot on the sack.
"I'm here to make a withdrawal from the Marine budget," Suzaku said casually. "Tell Captain Nezumi that Suzaku is here to collect the 5,000,000 Berry bounty for 'Brute Strength' Corliss."
He looked at the stunned guards.
"And I'd suggest you hurry. My maid hates waiting."
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