Saved by the Devil

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I slowly sip my tea as I look out at the endless sea in front of me. I'm on my second day out at sea. All alone in an ocean that can change from calm to wild in a split second, and I actually feel a sort of peace being able to experience all that I have so far. It's clearly not nearly as fun without everyone else with me, and I will always appreciate having others on the Thousand Sunny, but I have to look at the silver linings to keep me positive with some much negativity surrounding me.

It didn't take long after setting out from Schmied for me to run into a storm, which made everything a lot more interesting for a while than I would have liked it to be. Normally I could rely on Nami to shout directions and get us out to safety, but that was not the case this time around. I had to use all the knowledge that Nami has taught me the few times she's given me navigation lessons, which was difficult when the heavens were raining down on me. Somehow I kept the panic at bay and was able to sail into the sunshine, keeping course for Rayleigh with his Vivre Card.

Other than the storm, my first day out at sea all by myself wasn't the worst thing I've gone through in the past few days. A small ship like this is a lot easier to sail with only one person than the Sunny would be, so I haven't had a lot of trouble when it comes to that. It is when I need to do something else that requires me to not be constantly look out at sea and where I'm going. I still have to eat and sleep, so when I'm doing that I do fear that something horrible will happen outside. I can handle the weather, but it is another ship coming running across me that I'm the most worried about. So far I haven't seen another soul, but I can't let my guard down.

My first meal was ready for me once I got out of the storm, so I enjoyed the sunshine and ate outside. Then for the rest of the time while the sun was still up, I did everything I could to keep my speed up. I made sure my one sail was catching as much wind as possible, and I tried to spot currents to glide through. It felt like I made a lot of progress, but when the only thing in front and behind me is the sea, I don't really know how much distance I went.

When I wasn't making sure that I was staying on course, I did whatever I could to keep active. I tested out the clips that hold three shurikens at my hip, and I tested out the daggers that I made with Lilith. I'm still not used to throwing daggers, but I'm sure with more practice I'll become an expert like I am with my shuriken. Whatever it takes to keep upgrading my fighting skills.

I've also tried to use Haki since I have a whole bunch of time on my hands. If that's really what happened back in the Sabaody auction house, then I want to figure out how I can do it like Rayleigh can. I don't want to rely on extreme emotional distress to hopefully trigger such an ability. I know that I can prove for certain if I even accomplish my goal as there's no one around, but I would know the pulse through my body. I would know the feeling because it is unlike anything I've ever felt. If I can teach myself to use Soru, then I'm confident I can get close with teaching myself Haki.

Eventually, the sun did start to drop below the horizon, signaling that darkness would soon overtake everything. There are two lamps on my ship that I did light to illuminate my vessel as I finished up some tasks to get ready for the end of my first day out at sea. I made myself dinner with various foodstuffs that were packed for me. I enjoyed a nice meal outside as the sun set. Then with the lamps and remaining sunlight, I cleaned up the kitchen before raising the sail and dropping anchor for the night. Once I was certain that I wouldn't be drifting around in the night, I headed to the living quarters.

It's strange how even out in the middle of the ocean with not a single soul around, I am still weary about going to sleep in a bed alone. The scars of the past still burn in certain situations no matter how much time passes. I still locked the door even though I knew it was pointless. When I finally laid down, I did everything that I could to imagine that I wasn't out at sea alone. That all my friends would be here when I woke up. That Luffy was going to wrap his arms around me to pull me close at any second. For a while, it worked. I'm sure that I got around five hours of uninterrupted sleep.

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