(Samuel's POV)
"Yea, that name means nothing to me." I said with a shrug, "Fujitsune Ryoma? What, you are a Samurai?"
"Hmph." He said, "I am not from Wano."
"I would imagine." I said, "Why would you be all the way over here if you were?"
He lunged at me with blinding speed, I almost couldn't react to it. He swung his sword downwards at me so fast that I had no choice but to block it with my forearms, activating my Tekkai quickly.
"Hnnggh!" I grimaced
The impact of the attack was so powerful that I felt the ground beneath me crack and slightly sink down, possibly leaving a small crater.
"Ho?" He said, "Interesting....is that Tekkai? So fast, too....."
I felt as he moved his blade away for a single moment and I undid Tekkai, quickly jumping away and shaking my arm, feeling the blow of his swing.
"Damn...." I said as I looked at my forearm, seeing a bright red mark on it, "You're strong....."
"I can tell by looking at you...." He took a step forward, "You, too, are strong. A practitioner of Rokushiki? No, possibly a Master. Tekkai without Armament Haki to block my sword? That is high-level.....well, time to add a bit of power to my swings...can you keep up?"
"Tch...." I said, "First, the Marines....and now this guy? What is my luck nowadays?"
He raised his eyebrow, "The Marines?" He said, "Don't tell me....you're running from the Navy too?"
I frowned, "Too?" I said, "You're also running from them?"
He straightened up and sheathed his blade, "I escaped their ship as well during the storm." He said, "Stole a rowboat to get to this island. I have been waiting it out, the storm."
"Oh..." I said, "Well, I was captured back in the East, they've been beating me for some information the whole Calm Belt trip."
"Is that so?" He scanned my body, "You don't see that battered."
"They haven't been beating me hard enough, I suppose." I said
He placed his hand on his chin, "If you are a fellow fugitive, I do not see a reason why I should consider you an enemy." He said, "I don't think you're one to sell me out to the Navy."
"Why would I?" I asked
"Pretty much any reason." He said, "Why were you captured?"
"They say I contain the information of a Devil Fruit, it's whereabouts." I said, "But that is a lie, I do not know anything."
"Hm, yes, they can be quite pretentious and persistent...." He said, "I was captured while I fell asleep after I fought and defeated some Marine Officers. Those fools, they do not know that we dueled honorably and respectfully....that is what I get for trusting their word..."
He spat on the ground and scowled, clearly bothered by the fact.
"So....." I said, "We're not fighting?"
"No." He turned around, "Unless you wish to continue."
I sighed, "Good." I said, "I don't know if I could fight while worrying about those losers."
"You're strong, why not kill your captors?" He asked as he walked over to his spot
"You kidding me?" I asked, "And risk getting a Vice-Admiral on my ass by killing a Captain?"
"Hm, you were captured by a Captain?" He asked, "Interesting. I was captured by a Rear-Admiral. That Pink-haired buffoon...."
I nodded, "I see...." I said as I looked around, "So what now?"
"I don't know. Do as you see fit." He said as he sat back down, leaning his sword, "When the storm passes, I will leave the island on the boat I stole from them."
"Alright." I said, "I suppose you won't mind if I wait it out as well here...."
"Be my guest." He said,
"I don't care."
********************
"The storm calmed down....." I said as I stood up from my spot
It was around two hours later, I had decided to sit next to a wall, across from this Ryoma guy. The entire time, we could both hear the loud thunder from the storm, nothing but water pouring down from the hole that I caused by falling through.
He was staring at me for minutes at a time, scanning me intensely. I can understand if he was on guard, not really trusting that I won't do anything to him.
I looked up to see that the rainwater falling had dissipated slowly, it had stopped raining.
"Hm....." He said as he stood up from his spot, "It should not take long for the Marines to find this place."
"Right....." I said as I looked at him, "So you're leaving?"
"Yes." He said, "Do as you please, do not follow me."
"Suit yourself." I said as I looked around, "Where is the exit?"
"Hm.....follow me." he said
I frowned, "I thought-"
"Shut up." He cut me off as he began to walk past me
I nodded, "Alright." I said while beginning to walk, following him, "Lead the way."
As we walked, I noticed he had his hand on the handle of his sword. It should not be surprising, the fact that he does not trust me fully.
"So..." I said, "You a pirate?"
"Not really." He said as we walked, "Why do you ask?"
"I do not know, why would the Marines bother capturing you?" I asked
"Because I occasionally fight their officers and cut them down." He said, "That is all. You? Are you a pirate?"
"No." I said while shaking my head, "I am just a shopkeeper from the East."
"Sure, you are." He said, a sarcastic tone in his voice, "No ordinary shopkeeper knows Rokushiki."
I scowled, "It's not a hard martial arts to learn." I said, "I am sure anyone would be able to learn it."
"Not just anyone from the East Blue." He said, "Quit lying to yourself."
"Tch...." I said, "The Captain I escaped from says I am a former Cipher Pol agent."
"Is that so?" He said as his grip on his handle got tighter
"Yes." I said, "But that is a lie. I am a shopkeeper...."
"Hm...." he glanced at me, "If you say so."
We continued walking through a tunnel in the cavern, eventually reaching what looked like the exit, a faint light in the distance.
"This is it.." Ryoma said as we reached it, walking outside
I was hit by the strong scent of rain mixed with tree bark and leaves. I looked up, seeing that the clouds had gotten a bit lighter, but still blocked the sun out. At the very least, the storm had passed and only left the sky clouded.
"Hm...." I said, "Alright....."
Ryoma turned to the right, "We part ways now." He said, "Good fortune to you."
I nodded, "Thanks...."
The moment he took a step, I heard a gunshot fired.
We both then jumped away as a bullet hit the spot where we were, making a loud splat in the puddle.
"What?!" He exclaimed as he landed several meters away from me
I looked around, hearing the stampeding footsteps of marines as they appeared out of the trees and bushes.
"Shit...." I scowled, "They were waiting us out?"
Dozens of marines appeared, surrounding us and pointing their rifles at us.
"Do not move or we'll shoot!!" a marine exclaimed with a serious face
I readied a stance, "Oh great....."
"Tch...." I noticed that the other guy had placed his hand on his katana's handle, "You wish to die today?"
"What do we have here?" I heard Rhea's voice through the group, "You found a friend, Klaw?"
I saw as she appeared from the group, a smirk on her face as she had her hands in her pockets. I noticed that her thigh was bandaged up with a slight red stain on it. I should have known that a wound of that caliber was not enough to keep her down.
I should have gone deeper.
"Friend?" I said, "Hm, coincidence."
Rhea looked at the other guy, "You with him?"
"No idea who he is." Ryoma said, "I suggest you let me through or you and your men will suffer my blade."
"Hm...." Rhea said, "I have reinforcements on the way. It's funny, we were hiding out the storm in a cave not too far from here.....and when one of my guys saw this entrance, I had a hunch that Klaw would be here.....I was right."
"I should have known." I said with a scowl, "Guess I can't get out of this one without fighting, huh?"
"Oh no." Rhea said, "You're dead meat. I am taking you to our Outpost a bloody mess..."
"You're going to tell me where that fruit is!!"