Have you ever had that moment in your life where you thought you made a great decision and then had those moments of regret in the future?

I sure as hell had those over the last 4 years.

You see, when I accepted The Son's offer of being his Champion, a small part of me thought that it like those Gamer fanficts I knew about.

Oh, how wrong I was.

It was just another proof that this was real life. There was no level grinding, which also meant I wouldn't gain new skills each time I level up. There were also no quests from which I could gain rewards and know what my next objective was.

However, there were also positive things about it.

Unlike most Gamers who mostly followed the next quest like ... well a game, I didn't have those restrictions. I could easily start with bigger plans that would probably affect the entire plot and start a MCU level Endgame and plan later on trivial stuff that would mostly just change my daily life.

Also, I was not sure if other Gamers had those, I was pretty lucky that I got it.

You see, when The Son said that he was a combination of Crowley, Gabriel and Lucifer from Supernatural, he sure as hell wasn't kidding.

I could already see one thing all four of those had in common: all of them were in one way or another a troll. Or they just loved to annoy people for their own amusement. Well, I also loved to do that sometimes, but that was another matter.

You see, it all started a few days after I started working on my Devil Fruit. At first there was no progress as I only managed to figure out what the powers of my Devil Fruit were.

On that note, I was fairly satisfied when I found out what my powers were.

Anyway, as I was in the backyard and thinking of ways of how to use my Devil Fruits, using memories of different medias from my world as inspirations in hopes of having a starting ground, I had this feeling that someone was staring at me.

Looking around myself, I didn't find anyone. Until I heard a cheerful whistle coming from above. Looking in said direction, I was meet with none other than The Son himself. Or rather, that was just some sort of projection of his he made.

He explained to me that he would from time to time appear like this and see how I was doing. What followed next was a whole day of him acting like that little Devil on someones shoulder.

And let me tell you, it was not a good day. He would talk, comment on stuff, mess with me and just be a plain annoyance. Of course, he didn't have any ill intent behind his actions as he mostly did it for his amusement and nobody was harmed.

Well, nobody except my mental health.

But, he was still a huge pain in the ass for me.

Moving away from the small supernatural part of my life, I can say that my plans for the future were going pretty well.

After three years of working to the bone on Gotham, I was able to gain enough support for people to go along with my plans. The ones that I actually shared, that is.

I will admit that at first I didn't know what to do. But, after reading through some of grandpa's journals and remembering some things on my own, I learned how to gain the support of the people of Gotham. And not only them, but also any business partner I had.

Sure, handling weapons is a serious and though job, but when you know on what to say to people, it only made it easier. Of course, I always had a plan B up my sleeve just in case someone decided to get any ideas.

Next we have have my task in grandpa's projects.

Now, I knew I couldn't trust anyone about it. Luckily for me, I had three perfect people that were more that willing to join me in finishing his projects. And they were not only loyal but I also had enough trust in them.

Like Kaido with his All Stars, Big Mom with her Sweet Commanders, Straw Hats with their Monster Trio, I had those three with me.

And let me tell you, if it weren't for them, I would never be here and my Devil Fruit wouldn't be this broken. Thus, I owned them enough.

Sure, I was supposed to be the big villain, but each true villain had those subordinates he trusted and treated them fairly.

Speaking of the project, I was currently on the search for one of the many things I needed for said projects. Or to be precise, one of the many creatures.

I could have been done with this a long time ago, but the creature was just that nimble to catch.

What I was talking about is some snake species called the inland taipan. From the notes of grandpa, the snake was in possession of a very deadly venom which was a combination of neurotoxins, procoagulants, and myotoxins that paralyze muscles, inhibit breathing, cause hemorraging in blood vessels and tissues, and damage muscles.

That poison was one of the things I needed for the project, but the snakes only inhabited certain islands, something which grandpa didn't write. He, to my luck, at least wrote some of the characteristics the islands had where I could find them.

Now it was all to me to look over every island and cross out which don't fit the description. I was able to narrow it down to Paradise, but it was still not an easy task.

Currently, I was in the office in the ship I used to sail the seals. Since the Nemesis was still in process of being build, we had to settle for prototypes. They could still sail pretty damn good and were great for sea combat, but they were still not the full Nemesis.

The current ship was a war ship. The front is pointy and blade-looking. The entire ship is heavily armored. The sides have many holes for cannons and artillery. At the back and close to the center is three huge sails, replacing the original movement source till it was finished being made.

The funny thing is, this was my first time doing a long distance sailing with this ship and it could have done better. We had quiet some trouble with crossing the Red Line, but after some work, we were able to find an alternative solution. It could work till we are finished with the actual Nemesis.

As I was doing my job in searching for the next island where I could find the snake, I felt the ship shake slightly.

Probably nothing important if I didn't hear any kind of alarm . I didn't pay it much mind as I returned to my work.

Not even a minute later, I heard a scream coming from the huge windows behind me. But, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Turning around and opening them, I looked in all directions only to see nothing.

"Why do I have a feeling somebody is messing with me?" I muttered in annoyance as I turned back to the task at hand.

The next few minutes were rather peaceful as I would simply read about each island, write down the ones that should be inhabited by the snakes and snack on the candies I had placed on the desk.

Another good thing was that the sweets and food were relatively the same as in my world, just some names were changed.

I would have continued to work in peace if it weren't for the knocking on the doors.

"Come in." I said as I stopped with my work and turned to the person who decided to disturb me, even if I said I didn't want any interruptions unless it was really important.

And look, the person revealed to be my ever faithful butler and basically second hand on this ship, Alfred. When I wanted to just start to sail, he decided it would be the best for him to go with me since I still didn't have enough experience with my Devil Fruit and how to handle the business.

And don't let his old form fool you, Alfred was (like most old man in One Piece) a really tough and dangerous person.

While he lacked any Devil Fruit or other superhuman capability, he made it up with his incredibly strong Armament and Observation Haki. Not to mention his combat experience. Hell, I never actually saw him go all out. But, I think it is for the best, since I wasn't sure how long would his body hold it.

But, it was not something I couldn't fix with enough time.

"Master Vince, I would ask you to come with me outside. We have a situation at hand." he said with his professional tone.

"It has something to do with the ship shaking and the scream I heard a few minutes, right?" I asked, even if the answer was kind of obvious. Alfred would only interrupt my work when there was something important or serious going on.

"Yes. But I assure you, it will be worth the time you spent away from your work." he simply moved to the side, waiting for me to follow him.

I looked between the books on my desk and Alfred, thinking which one needed my attention right now.

After a second of debating, I marked the page I left on and followed Alfred outside.

"I really hope this won't take to long. That snake sure is picky about its place of living." I said as we walked through the halls of the ship, passing a few soldiers here and there.

In the time in Gotham, I have managed to gather a few military units to work with me on the seas. Each of them was trained like in they were in a army.

Walking outside on the deck, I was greeted with the sight of my people doing different jobs, raging from moving boxes or just patrolling around. What caught my attention was a small group of them standing around what I assume were the cause of the commotion. Each guard was armed with the newest rifle I had Edward make. While they weren't something my world had in my time, they were definitely better that the Marines and pirates had.

One of the plus's of having memories from your previous life.

"So, what exactly am I seeing right now?" I asked as me and Alfred stood a good distance from the prisoners.

"As you can see, that small group decided to bite more than they could chew." was Alfred's response.

"I would like more info, please." This was one of the things Alfred loved to do. Be rather indirect about stuff or just have snarky responses.

Not that I complain. They were pretty amusing to hear.

"Well, if you want the details, they are rather basic. This small group thought were were easy pray and decided to attack us. They didn't even know what hit them."

Should have guessed that something along those lines happened. Paradise was filled with pirates and bounty hunters, each one seeking a chance to move up in fame. And what better way than looting what they assume were important ships.

Not like that worried me any bit since most of them would be small times which just my soldiers could take down. And in those really rare cases there was a bigger fish, it would be either me or Alfred who would deal with them. Alfred by literally breaking them or be brutalizing them. It would depend on who had time or what we were doing. Of course, I made sure not to get over confident since I know that there were also other monsters in those seas.

I sighed in annoyance as I rubbed my eyes for a moment. "And why did I need to see this exactly? Just from how they look, I can tell that they aren't worth anything. And I have a feeling they would use the first chance to betray us if I take them under me."

Not that I was worried about that happening. In fact, I would like to see them try.

"That wasn't what I had in mind. You see, after asking them about their identities, they introduced themselves albeit reluctantly, but under code names. You get where i'm going with this?"

Lets see: code names, mercenaries, reside in the Paradise side.

It took me a good few seconds to get about which organization Alfred was talking about.

"Baroque Works." The organization that worked under Crocodile, my bad, Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords. They worked mostly in secret and have been doing it so since the formation. Usually, a normal person wouldn't know about their existence unless they had some really deep connections.

Or in my case, had future knowledge.

But, one part didn't make sense. If they were bounty hunters, why would they attack the ship?

Well, it would be possible to do it for looting, getting provision and what not. They were basically pirates in anything but a name.

"So, what should we do with them? Are we going to just let them go or give them a swift death?" asked Alfred as he signaled the soldiers who guarded the agents to get ready. Even if the answer was obvious from the start.

"Just tie them and throw them overboard. No need to waste bullets and make a mess. Even if they are from Baroque Works, there is no need for them or any info about their organization."

I know that my decision appeared kind of rushed, but there was nothing I could gain from some low level agents and I already knew enough about Crocodile and his organization. They were just useless chess pieces on a board, waiting to be sacrificed.

"I will be in my office, so don't disturb unless its really a serious matter. Not something as trivial like this." with the orders being given, I made my way back to my office.

I know Alfred meant well, but those agents were literally worthless. I couldn't gain any information from them that I already didn't know. There was no need for them to work for me as I already had enough work force and there was the chance they would try to sabotage me, which would just end up in me killing them and that was both time and resource consuming.

Entering my office, I stood there for a moment looking around it. It was nothing special. A bookcase on the side. A couch with a cabinet full of different drinks next to it. My desk on which were books scattered, a small bowl of candies along with a Den Den Mushi. And lastly, next to my desk was a long table covered with the (not 100% accurate) map of the world made by the notes of my grandpa. I had Edward make one of those for me, in the times I wanted to plan my actions on a better level.

Moving to the desk, I observed the map and all the different shaped figures scattered on the board. Each one was shaped like the a symbol that represented the group, organization or in the rare cases, the single person.

Grabbing my chair, I sat at the map and just stared at it.

I will admit that i'm not the smartest person there is and I don't have much experience as a strategist. But, that didn't stop me from making plans for future events, no matter how predictable and easy they were. I had enough time to learn from my mistakes and change my plans.

There was no doubt that with my presence was already creating changes in the world and the presence of my grandpa already made some drastic changes.

While I would liked for canon to be at least a little bit the same, just so I can be a few steps ahead, there was no denying that I would have to make the best out of this situation.

Picking up the small straw hat shaped figure, I began to think how to proceed with this character.

While it was clear from the start of the series that Luffy will be the Pirate King, I had to remind myself that that was just a shonen manga. This was real life, so the question remains: how far will he manage without his plot armor?

He was the protagonist in One Piece, but here he is just another normal person living in this world. Aiming for the title of Pirate King, just like thousand others.

While it would be easier for me to just kill him now while he still isn't a monster like after the timeskip, there were four things that stopped me from doing it.

Shanks, Garp, Dragon and Ace.

And probably Sabo, but not sure would he remember Luffy like he did when Ace turned into a doughnut.

Till I found a way to get rid of those 4 obstacles, I couldn't do anything to him without getting the wrath of the other four.

So, for the time being I would play a more passive lore. Getting better with my Devil Fruit, getting allies, making better plans for future events and finishing my projects I'm working on.

Looking back at my desk, I could only release a tired sigh. I still needed to find places where the snake could be.

This was going to be a long and boring day.

- A few hours later -

The sound of the Den Den Mushi ringing was the distraction I needed as I moved my gaze away from the map.

It took me maybe around an hour to find all islands that could be inhabited by the snakes. While most islands were the regular wacky Grand Line islands, there was one that was a clear danger for me at this time.

Amazon fucking Lily.

Sure, I could simply go to another island to try my luck there, but there was a chance they won't be there like with the previous attempts. And if we go by grandpa's journal, Amazon Lily was inhabited by any kind of snake. Even the one I was searching for.

Kind of fitting for a snake based island.

Anyway, the moment I heard about that place being my guarantee of getting the snake and continuing the project, I decided to take a risk and started to plan on how to get to the island, get the snake and probably mess with Hancock a little.

And I don't mean those good hearted way you make with friends. I mean those ways that will really make the person dislike or even hate you.

You see, I was never a huge fan of Hancock. In both this and my old world.

Sure she was "beautiful", but so were a lot of girls from this world. She had a sad past? I literally died and was sent to Purgatory, where I was "cleaned" for Heaven. She acted cute with Luffy? Annoying and pretty cringey.

But she sure as hell is a bitch, no matter how you try to see it. The only time she is in that lovey dovey mode is when she is with Luffy. The rest of the time, she is a bitch.

Actually, I think the words " I don't give a shit, I don't give a fuck." by Jan Valentine (God, I missed that show) are the best description on how I started to feel about some characters.

I went over multiple ways I could obtain the snake, but each one came with a high price. I couldn't exactly go with full force since it would paint an big target on me, be it from the Marines or the revenge seeking Kujas.

Either way, I would need to go back to Gotham and make the necessary preparations and maybe bring out a few "trump cards" of mine.

But, all that was moved to the back of my mind as I answered the Den Den Mushi. Before I could even say anything, the person on the other side was faster.

"Vince, say heureka!" the more than usual voice of my lead scientist and one of my closest friends basically shouted. I swear my ears were ringing for a moment.

"Good to hear you in high spirit, Ed. I take it you did some progress in our works?" it was almost a common thing to hear Edward on high spirit. And when he is, the lists because is rather short.

"Progress?! Progress?! No! This, my friend, is not just progress! I just came to a break through on our project!"

I would usually just let him talk and talk, but the next words caught my utmost attention.

"I managed to find a way of progress Project: Echidna!"

The moment those words left the Den Den Mushi, I was left speechless. Not without a good reason, tho.

Project Echidna was one of my own planned projects that I created as some sort of "milestone" for the Project grandpa left behind. I can't count the times me and Edward spent entire nights in brainstorming on possible ways to make it work, but each time we came to an dead end.

"Edward, I hope you aren't messing with me, because we both know what happened the last time someone had the cajones to lie about that."

To make a long story short, that day made me feel like I was in Game of Thrones and not in One Piece.

"Still can't believe you managed to do something like that with your powers that early. Anyway, do you really believe I would lie to you about something related to any of our projects?"

He has a point there.

"I take your silence as a no. You see, I could go on and on about how I came to the break through, but I think it would be far more better if I told you in person. How much time do you need to get back to Gotham?"

"Well, i'm somewhere in the middle of Paradise so ..." I did a quick math in my head. "I would say around a week. Maybe a day more or less . Depends on how much places we would have to stop."

"A week, huh?" then came a deep and slightly annoyed sigh. "Talk about blueballing me."

"If you can't hold it off till I get back, then tell it to Harley. I'm pretty sure she will listen to you."

Not a complete lie. She would listen to him, but it would leave through the other ear the same moment.

"Already told her. A lot of times. Maybe a few times to many." Figures. "Never mind that. Is there any possible way you can get here faster?"

"Even if we don't stop anywhere and just to straight to Gotham, I can't see us getting there in less than a week. How much work can you do in that time?"

Even if he wanted to tell me his discovery, it was no excuse on neglecting his job.

"I can do the standard research and observing and upgrading the process of some other projects and plans, but that would be all." He was silent for a second before the sound of something snapping was heard. "That reminds me, did you try my methods of using your Devil Fruit powers."

At the mention of his suggestions, I just released a long sigh.

"From the sound of that, I take it wasn't as good as I made it out to be in theory?"

"You could say that. While both methods are incredibly deadly and dangerous, they are pretty difficult, maybe even impractical for me to use in a straight fight."

"Can you tell me more. Maybe there is a way I can make them more practical."

"I think you can hardly make a difference. The problem with the first one is that not only is the range pretty limited and I need to hit the skin, but it also requires a ton of focus of finding all the iron in their blood and moving them to the targeted places. Also, I can't make much stuff. The limit is maybe 2 to 3 razors. I don't see myself using it in any direct confrontation."

Ed was apparently writing it down, if the sound was any indication. "And what about the second one? Better yet, how was my virus?"

"Well for one, it is pretty slow. It takes around 4 minutes to full infect a body. It needs to be faster. And for two, it is pretty much a double edged sword. Not only does it damage my targets, but also myself."

"Wait, wait, wait! It also damages yourself?! How?! That didn't happen when we put it into you!"

"I also realized that. And it only started to hurt myself once I used it for the first time, the same time I used the other method." I looked at my right hand and gave a few test movements. "Luckily, it didn't do any lasting damage on my hand but I still removed the virus and had Alfred destroy it just in case. I hope you have still the formula on how you made it?"

"Of course. I keep it all under lock. I take it you want me to make a better version of the virus?"

I rumbled about that thought for a second before answering. "Just analyze it normally and see what caused it to damage me. When I get back, then we will discuss what to do next."

"All written down and understood. Anything else?"

"Nothing. Anything else can wait till I get back. See ya till them. Greet the others."

"Same back at you, buddy."

At that, we both hung up and I relaxed into my seat.

Nothing was going through my mind as I simply relaxed and enjoyed the gentle rocking of the boat. I could have easily discussed everything with Edward right now, but decided to simply leave it till I get back to Gotham.

It is always easier to talk about that stuff face to face rather than face to snail. It also gave me more time to think over other stuff before talking about them with Edward.

- Gotham, 10 days later -

Walking into Edwards lab gave me a nice feeling of nostalgia. It was almost the same lab he had back in the day, just much more bigger.

When I took over the family business, I made a few changes in the architecture. One of them being the expansion of Edwards lab so he could work on our projects more effectively.

"I take it everything went well if you can walk into my lab like you own the place?" came Edward's voice as I saw him sitting at his desk, different papers scattered on it.

"More than well." I said as I did a light stretch. "I have to admit, Harley really is improving in doing operations. Re-opened them like a pro."

"No surprise there. She basically spends half her time with a sharp object in her hands." said Edwards as he cleaned he removed the (what I assume were) the unimportant papers. "For a brilliant mind, she sure has some screw looses."

"Like you are the one to talk." I flopped on the chair across of him. Not the most comfortable one, but still better than most others. "You also had your fair share of nutty moments."

"You do realize how much of a hypocrite you are right now?" even if his tone was that of annoyance, I knew it was all a joke. "Or do I have to remind you of some instances where you also had a few screw looses."

"What are you talking about? I was a pretty normal kid. Not the brightest, but still more normal that Harley or you ever were."

"You were a normal kid. Before you ate your Devil Fruit. From then on I was pretty sure that the Fruit didn't just change your body, but also your mind."

You call it change, I call it being myself.

"Remember the time when you told me how in rock-paper-scissor rock symbolizes brawl while paper symbolizes brain. And when I asked you what scissors symbolized, you just said lesbians."

"In my defense, lesbians can be very dangerous. You should know it from first experience."

He simply shook his head at that. "When I watched you grow up, I wasn't expecting you to grow up being this ... this ... relaxed."

"What, did you expect me to turn into some of those serious stone faced type of persons? Or some overall emotional emo? Or even a damn goody two shoes?"

"No. Its just, I didn't expect you to be this ... how to formulate it ... random, chaotic, without a clear patter in your actions."

Well, can't really blame him.

I admit that I can be pretty random, but it is one of the bigger parts that makes me me.

You see, the thing people need to know about me is that I like to be able to change. That is why I love versatile powers. They just give you so much to work with. And that is also a reason I adore my Devil Fruit powers. Even if it needs a ton of work to make them dangerous.

"What can I say, it is one of the stuff people love about me. Anyway, can be get back to business?"

"Right, so with what do you want to start: the virus or Project: Echidna?" he said while pushing up two papers.

I looked at both of them before making up my mind. "Like with good meals, lets leave the best part for last and start with the virus."

"Kind of hurt by calling my creation second best, but alright." he said with a small hurt tone as he took out a Den Den Mushi from behind his desk and placed it above on the paper on a bracket. The Den Den Mushi cast one eye at the paper and the other at the wall and, like a projector, caused the content of the paper to appear on the wall.

"As you can see, this is the formula I used to make the virus. And I looked over them a few more times." he took another paper and placed it under the Den Den Mushi, causing the content of said paper to also appear on the wall. "I did the same with the current scans from your body and came to a rather interesting discovery."

He pointed to the structure of the virus first. "When I was making the virus, I made it so it could basically infect and devour anything organic, not matter what it was. However, there is where I made a mistake."

He pointed to the scans of my body next. "You see, your body is already a puzzle as it is now, but I managed to discover a interesting piece which is the reason why the virus hurt you." He changed the paper to a different one. "As you know, one of your body abilities is to create a strange mist like poison which always has different effects. So, I decided to give it a look and see why that doesn't hurt you. And I wasn't disappointed in the slightest."

Now he changed the papers so there were two formulas. "On the left side we have my virus and on the right side we have the poison you create. I looked at both their formulas and found out the main difference between them. Your poison contains your DNA, something your body is considering as part of itself a.k.a. not harmful. While my virus doesn't have not even a slight of your DNA, your body immediately thought of it as harmful."

"So you are saying that the I can only use poison and viruses created by me? And any other will basically damage me."

"Precisely. Also, regarding why it only damaged your body after you used it, it is pretty easy. The poison you create also acts as antibody, basically destroying anything your body considers dangerous and harmful. Sadly, I made my virus to good as the moment it was used, it started to act up."

I nodded my head at the explanation and just had to be impresses. Another reason why Edward is the head of my science department. Not sure how he scales compared to someone like Vegapunk, but he was both smart and loyal to me. Enough reasons for him to be one of my most trust worthy partners.

"Well done, Ed. I would give you a cookie if I had any right now. Now, how about we move to Echidna?"

"Just a second. I have a question regarding the virus." he turned off the Den Den Mushi and stashed the papers. "What should I do with the virus? I know you destroyed the ones in your body, but should I do the rest with the others I have?"

I was about to answer that, when I caught the last part of his question. "Wait, others? You mean you made even more of that virus?"

"Well, yeah. Its always good to have some in reserve." he answered with a shrug. "Also, before you ask, I keep it all under safe lock with only me and you having access to it. That is, if you let me keep it."

"Good to know you take the necessary safety measures. You can keep them and see if we can develop some sort of bio-weapons out of the virus."

Honestly, at first I was thinking of asking Queen if he could give a advice or two, but after seeing Edwards results, I simply decided it would be for the best to keep it as a potential ace in the sleeve. You can never be to cautious in this line of business.

"Got it. Now, lets move to Echidna." he again fished out a single paper, this one containing much less stuff on it. Not to mention that Edward had a pretty serious tone, a indicator that he wouldn't goof around this. "This is still just a theory, but I have a feeling I figured out why we couldn't make any progress."

I simply nodded my head, signaling him to continue. "Our problem was that we have been trying to use natural and scientific means to create something that is, with the lack of better words, unnatural. A abomination compared to other life on this world. Simply put: we need to use unnatural means to create something unnatural."

"And what exactly are those unnatural means?" I was never a genius when it came to scientific stuff like this. I couldn't exactly follow those kind of conversations, so I asked Ed when he explained things like this to me, he would use easy phrases for me to understand.

Edward gained a strange glint in his eyes as I asked him the question. "You see, that part is where you come into play, my young friend."

I knew very well that look and tone he used.

Back to either the operation table or the examination table.

- Wano Flower Capital, A few days later, 3. P.O.V. -

"You know, even if this place is going to hell, they still surprise me with their cuisine. What even is this?"

"They are called Shingen Momo. Its a type of of Manju but instead of the traditional red bean paste, white bean paste and peach jelly are used as filling." The older man of the duo said as he and his companion sat at one of the benches near the shop where they bought the sweets.

The young man simply nodded his head as he ate another of the sweets. He looked at all the people passing by and all the places surrounding them as his eyes stopped at a particular building that can be seen in the distance.

The older man noticed the gaze of his younger companion and followed it till he saw the building he was looking at. And he had a general idea of what was going through his head.

"Something on your mind, Master Vince?" asked the old man, even if he had a feeling he knew what was going through the now revealed Vince's head.

Vince was silent for a second, before shaking his head. "Just the same thing that has been bugging me for some time about this place."

"Are you referring to that strange gut feeling you had ever since you met with the Yakuza Boss?" the question was answered with a nod. "Thought so. And I take it you still don't have any read on him?"

At the question, Vince scoffed. "No and that's what is what frustrates me to no end. I know there is something about him, but I just can't get a good enough read on him." he ate another Shingen Momo. "Damn, those are really good."

"If it comforts you a little bit, I managed to dig out some stuff about him." the old man said as he got a look of surprise from Vince.

"When and how did you manage to do that?"

"Rule number one: a butler never reveals his secrets." he answered with a chuckle before turning serious. "But serious now, I dug out some interesting stuff about Kyoshiro that might interest you."

Vince simply did the "go on" hand gesture.

"You see, after some digging around, I managed to find an something about him. If the sources are correct, then he is the person who raised the woman Komurasaki and helped her become the top oiran of this country."

"Alright, he helped a lady become the best whore in this country. What use is that to me."

"I never said I managed to dig out good stuff, but maybe that can be used in the future when we find more about him out."

Vince simply finished his sweets and thought about what Alfred said. Especially the person he mentioned.

"Do you have anything on that Komurasaki girl?"

"Actually, yes. I heard from the people of the Capital that she is know for swindling money from people."

"So, she is bitch in both job and personality? How does she get away with it?"

"Beauty and charisma can go hand in hand when it comes to manipulations. That is why she gets forgiven." Alfred also finished his meal as the two stood up and began to make they way back to their ship.

"Using her beauty to both manipulate and get off scot-free. No bad for an amateur." they walked through the Capital towards the exit. "Makes me wonder how much time it will take me to get into her head?"

"Considering that she merely uses her looks and shows beginner level of mind trickery, I would say a few well placed words would do the trick. However, like with Kyoshiro, we don't have enough information about her to use."

"For now." Vince said and gained a relaxed smile as they finally exited the Flower Capital. "You know, for all his talk, Orochi really is just a brat who let his powers get over his head."

Even Alfred has a smile on his face as he looked back at the Capital. "Accurate. Can't believe he thought that we wouldn't notice his ninja's presence. For some capable ninjas, they sure stick out like sore thumbs."

"That is just because of your Observation Haki. You could find a needle in a haystack with how good it is."

"Not inaccurate. However, I have to ask how you managed to sense them? Did you develop a new trick I'm not aware of?"

"As much as I have arachnophobia, you have to admit that those little bastards have a quiet interesting tricks." He backed his answer up by showing his hand. And if someone looked closely, they could see red threads coming from his fingers.

"To think someone with such fear can be similar to the thing he fears." Alfred muttered with a shake of his head. "Anyway, I take it our job here in Wano is done."

At that, Vince gained a serious expression. "Not exactly. We still have something to do."

"And what might that be?"

"Before we got here, I requested a four eye meeting with Kaido." The serious, yet calm tone Vince used made Alfred somewhat surprised.

"You sure it is a good idea? I mean, you have been only working for a few months with him." While Alfred trusted Vince above all, it was also his duty to make sure he made the right decisions.

"I understand your worry, Alfred. However ..." He took out something from within his kimono he wore during his stay in Wano. The object is revealed to be a journal. To be more precise, one of the many journals his grandpa wrote. "You know I never make any decision without a back up plan."

That put Alfred slightly on ease. "I see. Might I know what is the reason for your meeting with Kaido?"

At that question, Vince just showed a calm smile. Alfred, who has spent more than enough time with Vince, knew what was going on behind that smile. And it just made Vince's association with his animal motif stronger.

"In the words of a great man: "I'm gonna make him a offer he can't refuse"."

It might took some long time, but here it is. The forth chapter.

Sorry for the delay, but school got in the way and I had to take extra time for some parts of this story. Now I have at least summer holidays and more time to work on this story.

Anyway, we are currently 2 years before canon. I will spend some time in that time to "make preparations" for when canon starts. Of course, there will be some changes to it as expected.

This also marks the time where some more ... mature elements will start to appear. Just don't say I didn't warn you in the upcoming chapters.

Like always, leave your comments, follow and favor this story.

See ya all next time. Peace out