Nox stared at the ceiling.Was it spinning? Or was that him?
He sat slouched on a half-shattered auction pillar, fists scraped raw, shirt torn to threads, brain still catching up.
His entire body felt like it had been tenderized.
"Note to self," he muttered. "Never pick a fight with a pensioner in spandex."
Then came the headache.
Not from Lao G. Not even from the fight.No — this one was digital, violent, and pinging straight into his skull.
PING.
PING.
PING.
PING.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[EXP GAINED — BOSS DEFEATED]
[+112 XP!]
[+87 XP!]
[+201 XP!]
[+91 XP!]
[+159 XP!]
Nox blinked.
Then immediately clutched both sides of his skull.
"WHY IS IT SO LOUD?!"
"AAAGH!!"
Nox slammed his forehead into the rubble like he was trying to mute the entire universe.
"Is this power?! It feels like a concussion wrapped in fireworks!"
Another DING exploded in his skull like a bazooka made of system prompts.
[LEVEL UP! → LV. 6]
[LEVEL UP! → LV. 7]
[LEVEL UP! → LV. 8]
[LEVEL UP! → LV. 9]
[LEVEL UP! → LV. 10]
[+5 ABILITY POINTS EARNED]
[BRANCH UPGRADE UNLOCKED — HAKI BRANCH]
He shouted into the ceiling.
"System! Stop leveling me up like I'm some kind of… XP piñata!"
He nearly fell off the column trying to swat away the prompts.
Voran appeared through the haze, sword drawn. Blood on the blade — but not his.
"You good?" Nox asked, still clutching his head.
Voran gave a sharp nod. "Agent pulled back. CP-Five doesn't stick around when they're losing."
Nox blinked. "CP-Five?"
Voran sat nearby, expression unreadable. "Cipher Pol. Subdivision of the World Government. Officially, they're investigative agents. Unofficially… they handle problems. Prototypes. Defectors. Rogue assets."
He flexed his fingers. Still stiff from the Seastone.
"I was all three."
Nox leaned back. "You're popular."
Voran didn't respond.
Instead, he looked around at the wreckage — fallen guards, a shattered auction stage, the man sized imprint in the floor where Lao G's spine had been briefly introduced to the concept of gravity
He asked, quietly: "So. What now?"
Nox exhaled.
"Now?" He looked up, and smirked.
"We get the hell outta here."
⸻
The dock creaked under the weight of salt, splinters, and second chances.
Their little sailboat battered, ugly, loyal — bobbed just off the pier, patched together with iron nails, rope, and whatever stubbornness kept a ship alive.
Snaps sat on the deck, legs kicked up. Mara leaned against the mast, picking under her nails with a knife.
"Took you long enough," Snaps called out. "Knew you'd survive. Kinda."
Nox raised an eyebrow. "You two survived? Huh. Either the world's ending, or someone else did all the hard work.."
Mara flipped him off. Nox grinned.
He stepped aboard. Voran followed.
Snaps didn't waste time.
"You're on the radar now," he said. "Donquixote Family wants your head. Marines are sniffing. And CP-Five? They don't drop a misson and walk away."
He nodded at Voran.
"They'll be back."
Nox rolled his shoulder, and shrugged.
"Don't care."
Snaps blinked. "You should."
"Still don't."
Mara snorted. "Charming as ever."
The Oni took the helm.
No fanfare. No goodbye. The wind caught the sail, and the ship drifted into the fog.
Snaps stayed behind, arms folded. Mara stood beside him, quiet.
⸻
Elsewhere — Unknown Location
A Den Den Mushi clicked to life on a polished obsidian table. Its lips curled into a mocking grin. Eyes wide. Hungry.
"Fufufufufu…"
The voice was unmistakable. Smooth. Cruel. Amused.
On the far end of the room, a man lounged across a low throne, legs crossed, wine glass spinning loosely between two fingers.
A pink feathered coat spilled around him like a living thing. Sunglasses hid the top half of his face. The smile did not.
Joker.
But to those who mattered — to the underworld, the World Government, and the New World alike he had another name:
Donquixote Doflamingo.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A pirate turned government hound.
A kingpin draped in legitimacy.
A monster with a smile that never reached his eyes.
The Den Den Mushi began transmitting.
"…Confirmed report from Spider Miles. Vault was breached. Several high-value slaves were released. CP-Five agent engaged and forced to withdraw."
A pause.
"One of your Executives was defeated in combat. Lao G. Taken down in single combat… by Wil D. Nox."
The room was quiet.
Tension hung like wire between teeth.
Doflamingo tilted his head slowly. His fingers tapped the rim of the glass once, twice.
"Wil D. Nox…"
He repeated it like a curse he hadn't decided whether to laugh at or kill.
"That name again. First Yaba. Now Spider Miles."
He stood, motion smooth, languid.
The air thickened.
Eleven shadows stood behind him, still as statues.
One was a tank in human shape, shoulders plated like armor.
Another hunched, oversized and twitching.
One dripped with an oily gleam, something corrosive leaking from their very presence.
A child-sized figure stood perfectly still — too still.
Another wore a long scarf, coiling like it had a life of its own.
Each one different. Each one deadly.
No names spoken. Only silence and threat.
Executives.
Loyal to the Family.
Feared by the world.
But none of them moved.
Doflamingo didn't need volume to command. His voice was a blade wrapped in silk.
"One brat. Two islands. First a small-time base. Now my trade route."
He adjusted his sunglasses.
"If he's strong enough to put down Lao G…"
His hand tightened around the wine glass.
"…then I don't have anyone in the North Blue who can match him."
No one argued.
He turned his back to the snail, eyes on a wall-length map of the Grand Line. Pins marked territories. Arrows marked convoys. Colored strings drew networks like veins of influence.
"Let him sail."
The glass shattered in his grip.
"Let him enjoy the wind. Let him play pirate."
He stepped forward, coat trailing like wings.
"When he enters my sea — the Grand Line — we'll remind him what a real storm looks like."
He raised a hand — fingers sharp as wire.
"And when he does… I want to cut that smile off his face."
Behind him, the shadows stirred.
⸻
Somewhere in the North Blue — Aboard the World's Most Questionable Boat
The sea stretched forever. The sun blazed overhead. And the little patched-up sailboat… spun in a slow, perfect circle.
Voran stood at the bow, arms folded.
"We're lost."
Nox, at the helm shirt half burned, bandaged arm, still grinning — nodded.
"Yup."
Voran frowned. "That's it? Just 'yup'?"
"Would you rather I scream and jump overboard?"
Voran considered it. "…Tempting."
Nox dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled, greasy map.
It had two things on it: a poorly drawn smiley face and a big red arrow labeled "That way probably."
Voran blinked. "That's… not a map."
"It's a spiritual guide," Nox said seriously. "Trust the arrow."
"The arrow is pointing at a cartoon drawing of a sea king eating a man."
"Exactly. See? Adventure."
A long pause. Waves slapped the hull.
Voran sat down next to a barrel and rubbed his temple.
"You said we were heading to the Grand Line."
"We are."
"You said that two hours ago."
"Correct."
"We're going west."
"Heroically west."
"The Grand Line is south."
"Details."
Voran inhaled like a man trying not to commit murder. "Do you even have a plan?"
"Yup."
"…You're lying."
"I might be improvising."
They both went quiet.
A gull screamed overhead.
Finally, Voran muttered, "We're going to die on this stupid boat."
Nox grinned. "Probably."
Then added, "But hey. Better than dying in a cage, right?"
Voran gave a sideways glance.
"…Still going west, aren't we?"
"Full speed."
"You don't even know what 'full speed' is."
"It's faster than medium speed."
"…You're a menace."
"I'm the captain."
"That doesn't make it better."
"Say it."
"No."
"Say it."
Voran groaned, head in hands.
"Fine. Captain Menace. Happy?"
Nox leaned back, smug as hell.
⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻
Nox's Character Stats (End of Chapter 9)
[Name:] Wil D. Nox
[Race:] Oni
[Level:] 10
[Status:] Stable
[Memory:] Locked
[EXP:] 0 / 400 [░░░░░░░░░░]
[STATS]
STR: 28
AGI: 18
STA: 26
INT: 11
AWR: 16
WILL: 28
[ABILITY POINTS AVAILABLE:] 5
[TRAITS]
Onihada (鬼肌) – Lv.3→ Physical damage resistance: 20%→ Blunt trauma resistance: Increased→ Mild regeneration: Non-fatal wounds only
[SKILL TREE]
HAKI BRANCHKenbunshoku Haki (Observation) — Locked
Busoshoku Haki (Armament) — Unlocked ✅
→ Current Level: 1
→ Ability: Hardening
→ Duration: 10 seconds max
→ Coverage: Partial (fists only)
→ Growth: Requires training and repeated battle use
DEVIL FRUIT BRANCH
Status: InactiveAccess Denied – No Devil Fruit Acquired ???
— Connection pending…
NAVIGATION BRANCH
Basic Seamanship — Unlocked
→ Navigation EXP: 1 / ???
→ Unlock Progress: [▓░░░░░░░░░░]
[CREW]
→ Name: Not Set
→ Members: — Voran
→ Passive Effect: +1 All Stats (While Partied)