Titan of the Blue (A One Piece Fanfic)

Cara came in fast.

Her spiked brass knuckles whistled through the air, sharp and merciless, each swing aiming to take Patch's head clean off. He stepped back, tucked in behind his arms, and felt the first graze rake across his shoulder—just enough to tear skin and jolt him with pain.

Another strike nearly clipped his jaw. He ducked, pivoted sideways, raised his elbow and caught her fist on the bone.

It hurt.

But it worked.

He countered with a quick shoulder check, slamming into her with all his weight. She stumbled, just for a moment.

Focus. Don't get cocky, he told himself.

Her style was pure aggression—constant movement, overwhelming power. Every time she missed, she snarled like a wild animal. Every time Patch landed a hit, she grinned like it only excited her more.

He tried to match her tempo for a moment, circling, dodging, snapping short jabs at her ribs—but it wasn't sustainable. She took blows like a wall, shrugged them off like they were love taps.

Patch ducked a roundhouse swing and scooped a handful of grit from the ground.

The next time she lunged, he flung it.

Sand and dust exploded into her face.

Cara screamed in rage, hands flying to her eyes. Patch didn't hesitate—he slammed a fist into her stomach, then another into her temple. Her head snapped to the side. Blood sprayed from her mouth.

But she didn't fall.

Instead, she staggered back, blinking furiously, fury rolling off her in waves.

"You little piece of—!"

She charged again, blind with rage.

Patch kept moving. He wasn't stronger. But he was faster. Smarter. He let her overextend, baited her with a limp, then spun into a full-body slash with his gauntlet—raking across her right arm.

Blood splashed. She screamed. He stepped away before she could grab him.

Back and forth they went. She'd gain control, then squander it with a flourish. He'd counter, then fail to press the advantage. Sweat rolled down his spine. His arms ached. But his mind was sharp—analyzing. Measuring.

Then came the end.

She threw a haymaker—sloppy, wide, telegraphed.

Patch ducked low and came up hard.

First a brutal gut punch. Her body folded in half.

Then he jumped.

His knee cracked against her jaw. A sound like dry wood snapping echoed through the clearing.

Cara's eyes rolled back. She collapsed.

This time, she stayed down.

---

Patch didn't move at first. Just breathed.

Each inhale dragged through his throat like gravel. His shirt was soaked with sweat and blood—his and hers. His knuckles throbbed under the gloves.

He looked down at her.

And he smiled.

Not out of cruelty.

Out of clarity.

He loved it. The rhythm. The risk. The rush. The way his fists translated will into action.

Without a word, he pulled the pistol from his belt. A single round left.

He pointed it at her.

And fired.

The shot rang out like punctuation.

It would be the last time he ever used a gun.

---

Thirty minutes later, he limped into town, pushing a wooden cart with Cara's corpse flopped in the back. Her arms dangled off the side, blood dried black around her jaw.

The farmers watched him pass. Murmurs became cheers. Whispers became gratitude.

Patch didn't say a word. He stopped only once—at Joran's farm.

The old man stepped out, saw the cart, and nearly dropped his hoe.

"You… You actually—"

"She's done," Patch said.

"I—" Joran wiped his face with a sleeve. "I owe you a ride. And a drink."

"I'll take the ride."

---

Back in Lunelith, Patch delivered the body to the bounty office.

The clerk blinked.

Patch dropped her bounty slip on the desk.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Bounty Turn-In Confirmed.

Target: Cara "The Fang"

Bounty Value: 3,500 Beli

Mission Progress Updated:

▸ Initiate: Turn in a bounty worth ≥ 10,000 Beli

▸ Current Progress: 4,500 / 10,000 Beli

Patch returned to the inn. Cleaned the blood off. Collapsed into bed.

---

Morning.

His wounds were gone. No soreness. No stiffness. Just the memory.

He stared at the spiked brass knuckles on the table. They were too big for his hands. Custom. Ugly.

He sold them for 400 beli after haggling down a suspicious shopkeeper.

Then, breakfast.

He ate alone at a café, watching the street traffic through the glass. People moved differently now. More relaxed. Less afraid.

It felt good.

Then came the next bounty: Slick Vinny.

---

Vinny was hard to find, but easy to beat.

Patch tracked him down after two days of asking around portside alleys and watching for shady runners. When he caught up to him, Vinny tried to flee.

Patch broke his leg.

The fight was over before it began.

He turned him in—alive, this time.

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Bounty Turn-In Confirmed

Target: Slick Vinny

Bounty Value: 2,000 Beli

Mission Progress Updated:

▸ Initiate: Turn in a bounty worth ≥ 10,000 Beli

▸ Current Progress: 6,500 / 10,000 Beli

---

> [BOUNTY BOARD – Current Listings]

>

> - Remo "Red" Tavish – 1,000 Beli [CLAIMED]

>

> - Slick Vinny – 2,000 Beli [CLAIMED]

>

> - Cara "The Fang" – 3,500 Beli [CLAIMED]

>

> - Big Loro – 5,000 Beli

>

> - Niko Dren – 7,000 Beli

>

> - "The Weaver" – 9,000 Beli

>

> - Drix Hollow – 12,000 Beli

>

Big Loro had a gun. Not yet.

The Weaver was a mystery.

Drix? Still out of reach.

That left Niko Dren.

---

He started with whispers.

Merchants in the commercial district. Talk of a "Marine" who let things slide—for a fee.

Patch observed. Watched a uniformed man checking crates. Too perfect.

Patch rented a cart. Loaded it with bait. Sat there for hours.

Niko approached.

"Papers?" he asked.

"Don't have any."

"Well," Niko said, smiling, "Maybe I didn't see anything—for a price."

Patch locked eyes.

"Niko Dren. Marine impersonator."

Niko froze.

Then lunged.

The knife came out fast. Short, sharp. Meant for intimidation, not war.

Patch didn't back off. He guided the fight into an alley.

No crowd.

No witnesses.

Just fists and breathing.

Niko used feints and flourishes, tried to confuse. Patch fought straight lines. Efficiency. Pressure. Purpose.

He dodged a lunge, used a crate for cover, slipped behind Niko—and clocked him in the nose.

Crunch.

One and done.

He dragged the unconscious man to the marine post.

> [SYSTEM ALERT]

> Bounty Turn-In Confirmed

> Target: Niko Dren – 7,000 Beli

>

> Mission Progress Updated:

> ▸ Initiate: Turn in a bounty worth ≥ 10,000 Beli

> ▸ Current Progress: **13,500 / 10,000 Beli**

>

> Mission Complete.

> ▸ New Objective Available.

> ▸ Form Unlock [Pending Evaluation]

---

That night, Patch sat in silence.

He opened the system.

The words waited.

[SYSTEM STATUS]

Name: Patch

Health: Stable

Injuries: None

Unlocked Forms: None

Form Status:

▸ [Form Evaluation Available]

▸ Begin Evaluation? [Yes / No]

He pressed Yes.

White light swallowed his vision.

And then—darkness.

When he woke up, he wasn't in his room anymore.

He wasn't anywhere familiar at all.