The Conglomerate: One Piece SI

Chapter 8

BARTOLOMEO

Logue Town was a very interesting place. It was one of the key ports in the East Blue region, situated at the mouth of the Grand Line. Hence, it was nearly a given that any ship sailing through this sea would make port there, especially a pirate ship.

It was also the birthplace and the execution site for the former King of the Pirates Gol D Roger, and the reason for this choice remained shrouded in mystery to this day. East Blue was considered a relatively peaceful sea, and many speculated that this was done to disgrace the man. Though he himself believed differently.

But it did not matter at all. The Pirate King was long dead and his words had ushered in an age of piracy that rocked the seas to this day.

Their battleship moved towards the shores of Logue Town as Bartolomeo used the time for training. He did not usually like to train on ships, given the lack of equipment, and limitations but given that he was a Marine he had resigned himself to this state.

And though most pirates of this world chased after Devil Fruits, to increase their power Bartolomeo knew the truth, that without the power of Haki, you were as good as useless on the Grand Line.

While Haki was not a secret in and of itself, using it and learning were entirely different matter. It was extremely rare for a person to have a talent for any one of the two main types of Haki, let alone two, and the Conqueror's Haki was a rarity even amongst those who could wield Armament and Observation Haki.

Bartolomeo himself was fairly talented in the art of Armament Haki, yet despite rigorous training of five years, his Observation Haki had remained an issue until last year. The year of punishment had given him the time needed to purely focus on the art.

And so he sat in his room, as a hundred balls were tapped to the wall, and moved randomly all around as he tried to avoid them all with a blindfold on his eyes. The balls were painted to leave a mark on his body if they hit, and he had been in this room since morning, making him wonder just how much time had passed.

Despite no light, no sound and no smell Haki allowed him to feel the presence of the balls, predict their paths, allowing him to move his body appropriately to avoid them, and while this task may seem simple it had taken many kicks, and headbutts for him to advance to this stage.

It was because of his Haki that he was able to raise his hand and erect a hundred barriers to stop these balls a second before a few seamen pushed open the door to the training room.

"Captain! Captain!" they screamed, as Bato took a deep breath and removed the blindfold from his eyes.

"What is it?" he asked, and his entire body was drenched in sweat, as he reached for the towel and began to dry himself.

"Sir! It's the town! A Massive storm came out of nowhere," and he raised a brow, for he had an idea just what, or more specifically, who had caused this storm.

"Show me," he said as he picked up a simple shirt and a marine coat and dropped them on as he walked out of the room and onto the deck. The entire ship was swerving as gusts of wind and waves rocked the sea.

Even from a distance, he could sense the commotion along the docks, along with a particular ship trying to come out of them amidst a shower of cannon balls and bullets.

It seems like they have begun without me.

He could step in and stop the Sunny easily, but he had someone far more interesting on the island. Someone he had always wanted to meet.

"The storm came out of nowhere captain, at this rate we cannot dock at the ports," added Nojiko, as she ran down the stairs.

"Yeah, I know," his answer surprised her as he buttoned up his shirt, dropped the coat, and began to walk forward as he formed a barrier on the floor and began to fly.

"Stay here and wait for the storm to pass, and then dock at the port. I will meet you there," and with that, he was away, as he flew towards the town which was filled with chaos, as the marines tried to capture the rowdy straw hat pirates.

But Straw Hats were but a small name in this world, and he flew past them in an instant as he saw a shadowy figure standing atop a building and landed on the side.

His body was covered by the dark cloak, which flew around in the air to reveal a broad, and tattoed face on the inside.

"I have always wanted to meet the man who makes even the World Government tremble?" and that desire was genuine, for the Revolutionaries were the only other people he had considered joining before becoming a part of the Marines.

But in the end, he had joined up with the Marines.

"You must be quite strong to have sensed me from that distance?" his voice was thick as he turned to gaze at him.

"But I have been wanting to meet you as well, Captain Bartolomeo," and as the two of them looked each other in the eye, lightning flashed in the skies as the rain grew heavier.

"Me?"

"Yes, I had heard much about you, and this meeting has confirmed my suspicion," and he smiled as he continued.

"You have the same fire in your eyes as I once did. You think you can change the Navy," and Bartolomeo was surprised that his plans reached his ears so soon.

"But as your senior, let me tell you that you will fail," he whispered, as he looked him in the eye.

"You will fail, and those at the top will use you and then simply kill you the first chance they get," and Bartolomeo crossed his fingers as he erected a prison of barriers around the most wanted man in the world.

"I won't!" But then, in an instant, the man vanished from within the barriers. His Observation haki alerted him to the attack aimed at him, but it came too late.

"AGHHH!" and he grunted as hid body was flung across the air, as it tore through walls and houses, until his back finally hit a wall as he was left flabbergasted by the sheer power of that man.

He tried to push himself back up, but a massive gust of wind pushed him back into the ground, as Dragon's voice whispered in his fear.

"If you remain true to your dreams, seek me the day you fail...."

And with that the wind's vanished as Bartolomeo, pushed his observation Haki to the maximum limit and scanned the entire island, yet found no trace of the man.

He looked down at his torn shirt and the bruise left by the impact of that attack as sweat dripped down his brow.

"What the hell was that..." he whispered, as he pushed himself back up, and saw the weather begin to shift, and soon enough another person appeared from behind the corner of the street, two polearms strapped to his back, and a massive cigar in his mouth.

"It really is you," he whispered, as Bartolomeo smiled and waved his hand, for this rugged and angry person was one of his rivals and one of the strongest individuals in East Blue.

"Hello there, Smoker," and the man ran after him, and yet he did not reply to his greeting as the bastard threw a punch at his face.

"What the hell were you thinking going after someone like Dragon....!"

.

.

.

.

And after a brief fight, the two of them lay on the ground as they would in the HQ during their training.

"You have gotten better," Barto told his friend, who simply grunted as he rubbed his rib.

"Shut up! This is the second time I have lost in a day!" and that was why he so much pissed.

"Ahh! I sensed that," and he began to laugh as Smoker glared at him.

"Shut up, you slacker! You should be chasing after him rather than resting here," and indeed, despite his injuries, he was perfectly capable of going after Luffy and his crew, but they were small fries.

"Nah! He is a small fry," and his words irked Smoker, who threw a punch at him once more, as he moved his head to the side and let it hit the wall.

"You haven't changed at all, you damn glory hog!" and he chuckled at the insult for it was not really a lie.

"I could say the same thing to you, number second!" and that was the final straw, as he punched at him once more, yet he had already erected an invisible barrier, and Smoker's face smashed against it, as Bartolomeo laughed.

"HAHAHA! This never gets old!" and Smoker was flushed with rage.

"Shut up and do your damned job!" he screamed as they both pushed themselves up.

"I will, but you know I have business in this town," and because of its location, Logue Town held the main Branch of the Barto Club in East Blue, and it had been a year since he had checked in on the things here.

"You and your damn businesses!"

"Regardless, haven't you heard?" he asked, making the bastard frown.

"Hina is coming here..."

0000

NOJIKO

For the past eight years, her life had been a hostage to Arlong and his crew. They were prisoners, little better than slaves, who toiled away each and every day just to gather money to keep their lives.

In this time Nojiko had learned to bury her dreams and the curiosity she had once had. It was a way to cope with the circumstances, but now those days were over.

Arlong and his crew were gone, and she found herself in a very unexpected place.

For the past eight years, she had kept herself oblivious to the news about the world, except for any word on Nami. She knew of Nami's struggles, knew how she was trying to save them all, and so she did not wish to sour her heart with envy and desire.

And so the world moved on, as her life on Coccoyashi Island continued. But now that she was free once more, and it was all because of the green-haired man sitting and laughing with his friends, she began to read on what she had missed, on who he was, and what about him had made her do the unthinkable as she became a Marine herself.

Nojiko had little love for the Marines and thought them to be either too corrupt or too weak and cowardly to do anything. Yet the person in front of her was different, and it was not only her opinion.

Those around him were of the same mind, and the place where she stood was one more indication of the same point. The Barto Club, she had heard a few mentions of it, but she never knew exactly what it was, and the truth was that even now, she believed that she knew the most superficial things.

'Barto Club' was famous as a massive plaza which housed several malls, shops, casinos, and so forth, and was started by the very man who had saved her life. But the truth was that it was more than just that; it was a silent empire that continued to expand its influence into nearly every facet of life.

Many called him corrupt, called the expansion of his empire unnatural, but there was no proof of any wrongdoing, and the Barto Club continued to expand as it ate off of his fame and power.

"So, what's the deal with them?" she asked, and much like the trio of 'captains', Nojiko found herself in a trio as well, one comprising the nervous girl who had become like another sister to her, Hibari, and the blue-haired swordswoman ensign Tashigi.

"What do you mean?" asked Tashigi, as they both drank the fine vintages on display. The food in the 'Taj Mahal' was quite expensive for regular customers, but select Marines enjoyed a rather steep discount on many things, only furthering the business.

Hibari, though, was allowed only juice, as their captain gave them strict instructions regarding making a drunk out of 'that man's daughter,' which made her wonder just who Hibari's father was.

"Wait!" the blue-haired girl began, in clear surprise.

"You joined his crew without knowing anything about captain Barto!" and she nodded. Nojiko had hated the marines, both for their corruption and their incompetence so she had never really had an interest in being a Marine, yet something about him had drawn her forwards, and so she had offered to join.

"Well, we didn't get much news on my island." She did not wish to sadden the atmosphere with her tragic backstory. The desolate times were over, and now she was making new friends in new places, she did not think it wise to burden them with her sadness.

"Well, that is quite a shame," added the young, blue-haired girl.

"Because the three of them are very famous," and she was becoming more and more aware of that.

"Many believe that these three are going to be the next three Admirals," and as she saw the three of them banter with one another, she could think it possible.

"And even amongst the three, Captain Bartolomeo is in a class of his own," and the girl adjusted her glasses as she eyed the green-haired man, laughing as Captain Smoker screamed at him.

"He is the student of the Marine Hero Garp, broke the Academy record for the top score, and has brought down more Pirates than any other Marine in the last fifty years, including his own teacher," and those were impressive announcements.

"Each of us in the academy wanted to serve under him and learn from him, but he likes to work alone, so he did not take any apprentices on," and then she eyed the young blonde Hibari, who withered under her gaze.

"Until you," and there was no jealousy in her tone, but there was interest.

"Hmm, then what about all this?" she asked, pointing towards the posh restaurant they sat in, the crews of all three of them were now enjoying the luxuries and the offerings of this branch of the Barto Club, and she knew of no Marine who was so involved in business.

"Well, he started this even before he was a part of the Marines," and she wondered just how young he was at the time.

"Some say that he has built this all through bribes, but the club has been investigated many times and has had no troubles passing an Audit," and it was a truly unique experience, and to imagine that this was but one of the dozen locations of the Barto Club all over the world, made her wonder just how much wealth did he have.

"Do you really think he is..." Hibari asked, and Tashigi shook his head.

"No. Never," she answered, and there was conviction in those words.

"It's just a rumor that a few Pirates and rivals propagated, Captain Bartolomeo is one of the most honest marines I have ever seen," and at that, she sighed.

"Still, I wanted to ask you about a rumor I have heard?" and the girl adjusted her glasses as Nojiko nodded.

"Sure? Ask away?" and there were stars in her eyes as she began....

"Is it true that Captain Bartolomeo treated you all at the Baratie?"

0000

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