(Samuel's POV)
Thunder boomed above me as rain poured hard all around me, falling through the branches and leaves of the trees. I ran fast and hard, feeling the mud and water splash around with every step I took.
"Shit...." I said as I looked behind me, seeing nothing but rain and trees, "I wonder if I can run enough and gather my bearings..."
I had just escaped the Marines, even attacking many of them and injuring them. I am sure that I did not fatally wound them, only incapacitating them. Hopefully that attack on that Marine Captain is enough to slow her down.
Out of all of them, she's the most troublesome, I won't lie. And due to how obnoxious the Navy is, they are bound to send another Captain to help her. That or a Rear-Admiral....
I leaped over a massive fallen tree and landed on the ground, immediately lunging towards a massive tree with thick and long branches, landing atop it and immediately crouched down, trying to focus. The branches above were thick enough to block most of the rain, leaving a light pour fall on me as I looked around.
The storm was really bad but luckily the entire forest was covering the bad winds, only leaving a really bad downpour.
"Okay...." I said as I inhaled and exhaled, "What to do now...? This is bad....these assholes really think I am hiding a Devil Fruit?"
Whatever Devil Fruit that Dante guy had stolen from them, it must have been quite something for them to look for it all the way in East Blue. And they think I have something to do with it? It makes no sense to me, honestly.
That Rhea chick says I am a former Cipher Pol operative, a former spy and assassin.
How would I be that? I am just a shopkeeper.
She did mention being a Sleeper Agent....what the hell could that mean?
I mean, sure, I know how to use Rokushiki and I can fight, big fucking deal! That does not immediately make me some Cipher Pol Assassin!
"She's insane." I muttered, "But I am curious about her...."
What's the deal with that arm of hers? Is it a devil fruit ability? Her hand did not feel warm one bit, it felt cold, like it was artificial. Is it a prosthesis of some kind?
I won't lie, the moment she grabbed me, I felt an insane grip. Something was definitely up with that woman. For a Marine Captain, I think she is capable but she needs some work with combat. I do think she can handle her own against me if it comes to a brawl.
She's not a pushover, unliked that Yellow Lizard Crimeboss.
I wonder what is up with him.
I looked around, "Alright...." I said, "I ran a lot.....have they caught up?"
I looked around, everything was being covered with rain. Even the Marines would have a hard time finding anyone in this rain. But that does not mean they won't try, they are resilient fuckers.
Come to think of it.....
Why do I know so much about this? How am I aware of the Marines being pricks? About the way they operate?
If I am a shopkeeper.....
How am I supposed to gauge the strength of a Marine Captain? Is it arrogance that I commended her on her ability to fight me?
I am a Shopkeeper after all-
I heard a twig snap loudly, so loud that it could be heard through the rain.
"The fuck?" I muttered as I looked to my left
"Search the entire area!!" I heard muffled shouts, "He cannot have gone that far!!"
"Oh fuck." I said, "That's my cue!"
I then lunged away, jumping from branch to branch, trying to get distance.
"This is not good..." I said, "These guys are more persistent than I would give them credit for!!"
***********
After what felt like an hour of running, I managed to make it a far denser part of the forest, there were even some cliffs and caves all around the area that I was in.
But knowing the way they thought, a cave is the first place the Marines would look in. So going to one is not ideal, leaving me no choice but to try to find shelter somewhere safe and elusive.
I was running atop a cliff, feeling the rain hit me hard all around me, trying to slow me down. But despite that, I kept running, my legs were not tired one bit.
I do not hear the Marines anymore, so it's either the rain flushing out any other sound or I was able to get ahead of them by a lot.
"Time to find some good shelter." I said, "I have to get out of this rai-"
As my foot hit the ground, I felt my entire body sink into the ground rapidly.
"W-What?!" I said as I felt the entire ground crumble below me, "Shiiittt!!!!"
I had stepped on unstable ground and broke through with the impact of my steps, causing me to fall down through the ground. I can only assume that there is a cave system within this cliff that caused this. The rain and erosion it caused must have made this possible.
I felt my entire body fall down, hitting against rocks on the way. This happened too fast for me to react to it.
"Aghh!" i shouted as I could not control the fall, I simply rolled down, feeling some water hit my face, "What the hell!!"
I then hit the ground hard, a loud thud combined with a loud splash resounded around where I had landed.
"Ugh....." I said as I felt water hit me from above, "Dammit...."
I rolled out of the way to dry ground, no longer feeling rain hit my body. I saw as water splashed down, beginning to form a puddle on the spot I had landed hard on. A small crater caused by the crash, meaning I had fallen quite a long way.
"Shit...." I looked up to see that the hole I had opened up by accident was around forty feet in the air, rainwater pouring down from it, "That's....wow...."
"What is this?" I heard a voice say, causing me to jump up out surprise, "A stranger fell through my roof and unto my floor?"
I turned around to see a man sitting in the far side of cavern chamber I had fallen into.
He was tall, a bit taller than I was, I could tell even while he sat on the ground. He had piercing grey eyes and had long indigo hair that was draped wildly over his shoulders I noticed that he wore a black and violet kimono, which reminded me of those that the inhabitants of Shimotsuki Village wear.
I noticed a long katana was leaning against the wall next to him, which caught my attention right away. It's scabbard was black, had some violet designs on it with some strange writing on it, which was probably a different language. The handle was black with violet while the hilt was dark grey, and had the shape of a flame.
"What....?" I said with a frown, "And you are.....?"
"Hm...." He said as he had his arms crossed, "I do not think that is a question you get to ask."
He then disappeared, which I was taken aback by that action. I then noticed that his katana had disappeared along with him.
"Shit!!" I said as I jumped away, avoiding a sword slash
I landed a couple of feet away and saw that he stood on the spot where I was, holding his drawn katana outwards. He looked at me with a serious face as he slowly faced me, lowering his blade in the process.
"What reaction speed...." He said, "I am impressed, you are no ordinary man.....an ordinary man would have been cut down by my speed...."
"Yea, I would bet." I said as I assumed a stance, "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"Hmph...." He said as he pointed his blade at me, "You fool....you do not even know what you got yourself into. You are about to be cut down by me....."
"Fujitsune Ryoma."