Author's Note: That moment when you accidentally pressed [delete chapter]...
level of stress: 99%
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Have you ever heard of the Butterfly Effect?
A chaos theory, in which it is stated that even the smallest changes in the initial condition of a stable system can have tremendous effects in it's later stages through indirect means
This hypothesis had it's name due to the claim that the flapping of a butterfly's wing on one end of the world can create devastating storms on the other end through a sequence of events, either good or bad, but the result will still have a noticeable difference if given enough time
It isn't exactly impossible
An example of this would be the double-rod pendulum, where the two of them start in almost the exact same state. The difference in weight, in time, and in the speed at which they travel are microscopic at best, enough so that even the most observant eyes wouldn't be able to tell them apart
With this preparation, you dropped them at the exact same time. And now they swing, and swing, and swing. In the first swing there's not much change. They might be the same one, you'd thought, there's almost no difference
But then come the second, and the third, and there's a slight change in their position
And then the 20th, the 21st, and the two of them are now completely dissynchronized. Their movements are now, as you guess it, thrown into chaos
Have you grasped the general concept of it yet? Even the slightest, tiniest things makes the difference in the grand scale of fate
With every choice, a ripple is created
With a new ripple created, a possibility is opened
And from that possibility, comes a thousand others
In this story, you can see it being demonstrated to the utmost limit. It shows you just how a single unknown factor can change the entire equation, turned it upside down, and how the system in turn affected it. This results in an ever-expanding ripple that kept growing larger with every changes being made
The ocean is RWBY's canon universe. It's characters. It's background. It's history. Not a single thing is amiss.
And the storm?
Well...you came here for it, didn't you?
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"What could I help you?" Gangplank laughed, his laughter rumbled across the inn. The man leaned in, his face became an angry scowl
"You casually walked into this bar like you own the place, harass my men, on my turf, and you have the gall to ask me what could you help me?!" He roared, sending his spittle flying in the air
The captain's outburst made everyone in the inn becomes silent. As for my part, I'm just plain confused
I raised an eyebrow, an indication that I have no idea what's going on here. Not one single bit
Why would he yelled at me like that? Did I stole his rum or something? Or maybe his wife left him for his drinking problem and he's looking for someone to vent his anger?
"Now now, I think there's a slight misunderstanding here" I raised my hands in a gesture of peace
Come to think of it, that statement pretty much described all my trouble up until now. There's always someone who assumes something wrong about me, no matter what I tried to tell them otherwise
"First, can you tell me just who you are?" I asked him politely
The next thing I know, the barrel of a pistol is pointing straight at my face, accompanied by a click of the safety trigger being turned off
.....Well that escalated quickly
BANG
I cranked my head to the left and dodged the incoming projectile. My hands immediately reached for the Golden Randy by my side as I swung it down on him in self-defense
CRASH
Gangplank stumbled back, wine dripping from his hat. As for me I held the shattered glass bottle on my hand which was stained with blood. His blood
Shit just hit the fan real quick
"You motherfucker!" He screamed "The name Gangplank was known across the seven sea, even someone living under a rock all their life would know about me and my achievements"
"Ho?"
"I traveled the four continents, stealing, killing, recruiting. I commanded over a thousand men under my wings and hundred of armed fleets. The famed Morningstar are controlled by me as the Captain!" He sneered "My bounty is over 1 hundred million Lien, you think you really have a chance fighting against me?"
As his rambling continued, (Y/n)'s eyes lit up with excitement
Did he just say...100 Hundred Million?
Oh boy, this is hard....I was having plans for him, but it seems like some new facts just presented themselves to me
100,000,000 Lien. Now that's something I am in urgent need of
Should I choose to eat him and learn his skills, or should I captured him to earn the bounty?
The cost to unlock the [Caster] class requires 99,999,999 Lien, and this guy's bounty pretty much cover that exact same amount of Lien. It's like God had send him as a gift to me
Gangplank seems to know what I'm thinking as his eyes narrowed
"I know what you're thinking" He sneered "You ain't skilled enough to take me down, kid. Those bounty ain't for show"
"Well, you never know" I grinned and stepped up. Blitz and Pulse clicking by my side as I drew them in a swift movement and aimed it at him
There was silence in the bar, in which the waiter tried to clean the mess between us with a mop, before all hell broke loose
BANG BANG BANG BANG
Shit hit the fan, and now it just broke through the fucking ceiling
Both of us opened fire at the same time. Our bullets collided mid-air and cancelled each other out. Abandoning our weapons, we leaped at each other and engaged in combat
The waiter, for his part, is still trying to clean the floor under him
...At least this didn't turn into an all-out fight. It would have been troublesome
"Battle Royale Baby!" Some random guy in the back said as he too drew out his guns and started shooting "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!"
...Oh come on
Everybody followed him and pulled out their own guns. Soon enough this turned into a bloody stand-off as Dust bullets blazed across the tavern in all kinds of manner
BANG BANG BANG BANG
BANG BANG BANG BANG
RATATATATATATATATA
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
BOOM BOOM BOOM
"Hey, don't shoot the wine!"
While all of this is happening, the waiter is trying to do some damage control, to little effect I might add, as he ran between the hail of bullets like a panicked little rat trying to find a hiding place
Those without guns turns to their knife or the nearest wine bottle to use as weapons. A look at their face would tell you this isn't the first time it happened
Just how did it turned out like this?
Now in combat with each other, I slowly walked toward Gangplank, while he did the same. We both know we won't be able to damage the other at this distance
"Oh, you're approaching me?"
"I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer"
"Ho, then get as close as you want" He taunted
I raised my gun and shot at the criminal, but he deflected my bullet with his hand as he closed in on me with alarming speed
Weaving past Gangplank's strike, I punched the pirate in the abdomen, only to wince slightly as it hit the metal armor underneath with a dull clang
Gangplank grunted in pain and struck me across the face. I quickly retreated my arms to block his attack, just in time for it to connect with my elbow
The resulting impact sent me flying across the inn and crashing into the wall. It's as though I was hit by the force of a running train at full speed. The punch kind of hurts, actually
No wonder why this guy has such a high bounty, his physical strength is no joke
"Ha, that will teach you not to mess with me" The man taunted me as he stepped forward, his face the very definition of arrogance....
...only for his eyes to widen as he collapsed on his knees, coughing out saliva from his mouth
What?
Blood began flowing out of Gangplank's armor, exactly where the boy had struck him before. Pain ran through his body like an electric shock charging through his nervous system
The punch hadn't damaged his armor. It pierced through it and tore a hole into his stomach instead. The strike itself was so fast that Gangplank hadn't registered the pain until several seconds have passed
Impossible, he thought, only S-rank Huntsman like Jonathan Arc can possess this level of strength and speed
There's no way his opponent can be a mere bounty hunter
As if on cue, (Y/n) himself slowly walked out of the crater, looking completely unharmed except for a few scratches on his body
But that wasn't what struck fear into the man. No, it was the expression he carried that truly unnerved the criminal
On his face is a hungry grin. One resembling that of a starving beast that had found it's prey
Gangplank knew at that moment that it's too late to run
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"Matsu!" Carmine laughed "Come 'ere, there's a lot more of them in this corner!"
She flipped over the table, using the momentum gained from that to pick up a nearby bottle and slammed it into her opponent's head, sending broken shards of glass everywhere
Another one tried take her from behind with an axe, only for her to slid past his knee before quickly getting up and stabbed him from behind, then she did a flip and axe-kicked the third one beside her, using the second one as a leverage
"Oi, Matsu! You're going to miss all the fun if you're gonna stand there like that!" She yelled again over the bar, where her partner is sitting motionlessly
"I told you, I have better things to do than watching small fries fight each other" He sighed "Just let me watch this, it's bound to get interesting"
The bull Faunus focused back on the main fight on the tavern right now. The famed pirate vs a mysterious newcomer. Now that is a battle he would like to watch
Picking up a bottle of rum from a nearby dead body, he opened it and took a sip, savoring the taste in his mouth
"Ah, if only I have some popcorn right now" Matsuo paused "That and those two guys from Death Battle to narrate this fight"
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Why do hunters hunt?
That's a question I've always asked myself ever since I was little.
The act of actively going out to kill an animal in the wild instead of farming them always makes me curious as to the reason why they did that. It's inefficient, it's outdated and it's just plain stupid
Did you know, There was a time in human history when basic agriculture and farming hasn't been yet invented, way back before the first civilization, when they are just pack of wandering primates on their newly-formed continent
During that period, the male would go on tracks down stray animals to keep their family alive in the wilderness. They killed everything that came across them, as well as running from things that wants to kill them
I think it'd become an instinct at one point in time really. Rather than a necessity, the need to hunt has become rather sport-like due to the vast amount of food we already have on our hands. No matter how circumstances change, we still held that same desire. The desire to let loose and go wild, free of any consequences on our part
There's just something about returning to our origin that excites us. The need to go back to a more primitive time where we are forced to either adapt or be dead, where we have to stretch our ability to the limit to survive. The need free our minds off it's morality and focused only on the prey in front of us
It is something deeper than our instinct, something that existed inside all of us. The thrill of the hunt, the footsteps of our prey, the beat of our heart. It is there.
It is almost like an addiction that cannot be cured, stronger than any drugs known to men
Like Jack London wrote, It's a call of the wild
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG
Gangplank cursed as he was forced to dodged, block and deflected multiple bullets at the same time
The Captain tried to return a few shots of his own over the bar counter, onLy for those same bullets to be destroyed mid-air
It's like his opponent is taunting him from the other side about his superiority
In just a matter of seconds, the tables have turned on him with the captain as the one defending himself instead. Normally, he isn't that afraid of ranged projectile due to his armor, but...
These things aren't normal bullets. They homed in on him with surprising precision never heard of before. And when they hit him, it ripped through his iron protection like a 1000 degree katana through butter: Effortlessly and without difficulties at all
Even military grade weaponry would have struggled with that, yet these thing had almost no trouble piercing his armor. That alone shows just how lethal they are
And the worst part is, there's an infinite amount of them! His opponent doesn't seem to run out of ammunition any time soon given that he'd literally fired hundred of rounds at him until now
'Fuck it, I'm going to flank him' He thought, using the chance to hop over the bar and close the distance between them
'I know he's dangerous as a melee fighter, but at least I'll have a chance fighting with him then'
Unbeknownst to him, (Y/n)'s smile widened as the captain moved closer to him with his sword drawn
(Y/n)'s POV
I pulled back my guns and transformed them into sword form, before stabbing it into Gangplank's armor, sinking my blade into his flesh
The man roared as he tried to shake me off, only for me to continue climbing on his back and delivered slash after slash at his chest. Blood flowed out from his wound like streams on the rivers
Finally he'd had enough. Grabbing me by the neck, he threw me across the other side of the room to put some distance between us
I silently laughed. As if I would let go of him so easily
[Acid Web Generation]
Spiderweb shot out of my arm mid-air and hit Gangplank, allowing me to pull myself back to him within a matter of seconds. I smashed into him, sending the man skidding off several meters back
The criminal hissed, clutching his arm in pain as the acidic web wrapped around it and made contact with his skin. His flesh melted off, revealing the grisly sight underneath
Good. Now that I have him distracted with the pain, it will be easy to-
Squelch
Eh?
My eyes opened in surprise as he cut off his arm, the one which my web is connected to. The severed appendage fell to the ground, still smoking from the acid earlier
Eh?
He staggered back, before pulling out an...orange?
(Only LoL players can understand this)
What?
Ignoring my look, the captain chewed on it. As he did so the stumped beside him began to make out steam, and his arm is regenerated in a matter of seconds. The wounds on his body also began to stopped bleeding as well
Oh...so that's how it is
I get it. The orange healed him and restored his stamina. I'll have to watch out for that
No wonder why he's acting so tough earlier. This guy literally have hax potion items at his disposal which can restore him to full health anytime he want within a matter of seconds....
To which I call bullshit on that. How does eating orange heal your wounds anyway?
Before I could say anything, Gangplank disappeared on his spot and reappeared behind me with his fist raised
"!"
I dodged his strike by a hair's breadth, before being forced to duck down as his fist sailed past my head at a terrifying speed, leaving a trace of supersonic sound behind
I twisted myself, using this chance to respond with my own attack. Unfortunately, he vanished just before my palm can make contact with him, making me tumbled a bit
My eyes dashed around, trying to find even the merest of his movement trace
Left? No. Right? No. Underneath? Nope
Above
My sixth sense screamed for me, and I obeyed it
I quickly duck to the side. Not a second after that a defeaning sound reached my ears as Gangplank's fist crashed into the floor where I stood
He's much faster than before, that much is obvious . It must have been a side-effect of eating the orange. Seems like apart from healing himself, the fruit also increased his physical stats for an indefinite amount of time as well
To which I called double-bullshit on that. It's unfair. How does eating an orange increase your stats like that?
If this is a game I would have reported him to the admin already
Too bad this is real life, and there's definitely no admin here except for the author, who's probably laughing his ass off at me right now
...But...Well, you know what they say about annoying opponents
If words don't work, It's best to fight unfair with unfair
I've been experimenting on this skill for some time now. Let's just hope it won't blow up in my face this moment
Gangplank roared as he stomped the ground behind him and propelled himself forward, his fist reared back in preparation for what could be the finishing strike for me
Time seems to slow down for me as it gets closer, closer, and closer to me by the seconds....until-
[Slayer Mode] Activated!
BOOM
The shockwaves knocked everyone in the tavern toward the wall, taking the breath out of them. Those who are less unfortunate gets a whole flying table crashing into their heads instead
Carmine kicked a nearby wooden plank up to shield herself, while Matsuo stabbed his sword into the ground, using it as an anchor against the shockwaves
They all have one thought on their mind
If only the wind created by it was already this powerful, just how devastating could the actual strike be?
Victory seems to belong to Gangplank, they all thought as they witnessed it. Withholding their breath, they all waited for the eventual conclusion of the fight
As the dust finally settled down, it reveals the captain standing on one side with his fist outstretched, a shocked look on his face
Their eyes swept over to the opposite side. Matsuo took inhaled sharply, while Carmine gaped in response to what they saw
On the other end is (Y/n), who's casually holding the captain's fist with one palm
But there's something different about him
His hair is ashen white, for one, and his eyes changed from a dull red to bright crimson. It's as though he's undergone a drastic transformation from earlier
Gangplank tried to pushed his punch forward, only to find out that he can't. He's effectively trapped in a deadlock with (Y/n) still casually holding his fist
The other survivors in the room gulped, wondering what he will do next
They have watched enough anime to know that when a character's hair turned white, you know shit's about to go down pretty quickly
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Well, looks like it was a success after all
I looked at Gangplank, whose fist I was easily holding back. The fist that could have killed me moments ago if I hadn't activated the skill in time
But now that I did, it feels incredibly weak. His strongest attack only feels like a sponge to me, who just grew several times stronger due to activating Slayer Mode
What is Slayer Mode, you would ask
It's a skill I developed some times ago, during day 21. I figured it would be a nice addition to my arsenal, especially when I used it along with my [Instant Kill Mode]
You see, it's effects increases my physical stats to the limit allowed by my level, enabling me to fight opponents several times stronger than me if used right. At my current level, it offers me a 110% boost to every stats, which, suffice to say, is pretty damn powerful
I created it by combining different Grimm form into one that could utilize all their strength at the same time, and the result is this
The speed of a Sabertooth
The strength of a Ursa
The vitality of a Beowolf
....and many more unique traits owned by those races
Together, all of them turned me into an apex capable of beating anyone out there. In other words, an upper echelons of the food chain
Although I can't use any of my skill when this mode is on. No ranged weapons either, only melee ones are allowed. In the end, despite the boost in stats, my arsenal is reduced to only basic attacks and defenses like a certain warrior overlord
Thank you Ainz Ooal Gown. Your [Perfect Warrior] skill has inspired me to do this. I should probably copy more, if not all of your skills in the future
But back to the matter at hand...
I released the captain's fist as he stumbled back. His eyes narrowed at me, before he decided to go all out on offense and ended me right there
"Don't underestimate me!" He roared, taking out several more oranges from a pouch behind him as he swallowed them all in one gulp
"UNLIMITED POWWWEERRRR!" His muscle began to bulged up to an abnormal degree, cracking up some part of the armor he's wearing. Along those muscle, veins began popping up, a proof that he's approaching his power limit
Woah, even his beard is growing muscle! Just how cool is that?
The pressure created by his presence is almost enough to overwhelm everyone in the bar, some of which vomited from the sheer mental force alone
Gangplank stood in front of me, like a King showing off his dominance on the battlefield
"This is my final form!" He boasted, his Aura flaring up in powerful energy waves "You're the first one to have witnessed it in 30 years. What do you have to say about it?"
"...."
....uhm
.....It's over 9000? Is that how you supposed to say it?
Unlike some of you, I have no idea what he's referencing here
His face reddened as he closed in on me with his fist raised
He then threw out a barrage of punch at me
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
In a swift movement I threw his fist to the side and stepped closer to Gangplank
He screamed as he swung his sword at me with his other hand, only for me to sidestepped it and walked past him
There was silence as the shock settled in. For the first time, Carmine's eyes narrowed as she looked at (Y/n) with something akin to caution
That speed....she'd barely saw what happened
"Huh?" He exclaimed behind me "You're not gonna hit me, boy?"
"...."
"Hey, don't ignore me you little shit!" He raised his sword angrily, preparing to slash at me for a second time judging from the whooshing of metal slicing through air behind me
"Omae...."
"!!!"
Gangplank stiffened. His hand reaching to his rib as he felt something missing with it. His breathing become ragged as blood slowly trickled down his chest
"...Wa Mou Shindeiru"
(Y/n) turned around, with Gangplank's still beating heart still in his hand
The captain collapsed on his knees upon seeing his organs on the monster's palm. He tried to reach for his orange pouch beside him, only to find it empty
His eyes trailed down to (Y/n)'s other hand, where it was casually held between his fingers
That boy...he really did thought things out, didn't he?
The fact that he deliberately entered this town was a calculated move. That's why he walked in here fully equipped, he's already prepared for this beforehand
From the start, he'd been tricked by the kid. He let himself lost his temper and fell right into the stranger's manipulative scheme without even being aware of it
Ha, shame on him. He got bamboozled like a fool
"Ha...hah...hahaha" He wheezed, blood seeping from his mouth "Shit, I shouldn't have underestimated you"
"Whether you underestimated me or not, the result would have been the same anyway" (Y/n) replied, unaware of the hidden meaning behind the captain's words
One with a good head and a good attitude. Gangplank could tell the kid is going to get far in life
There's no doubt about it. He will one day become King of the Underworld, sooner or later he will, that he's sure
"Good...point" A pained look crossed the captain's face "You've won, I've lost, the position is yours"
....Huh?
I blinked
What position?
But I didn't get a chance to ask him more, as the man's breathing stopped. Blood began flowing out underneath his unmoving body. It's obvious that he's not alive anymore
Ding!
You have defeated [Gangplank: The Saltwater Scourge]
You have leveled up! You are now level 77!
You have received all of Gangplank's property! 2,000,000,000 Lien has been deposited into your inventory!
You now have ownership over the [Morningstar]. A warship with enough ammunition to destroy a major town!
You have learned the recipe [Healing Orange]: Restore your HP to full and remove every status effect on you!
I sighed as my hair changed back to normal
That was anti-climatic. I thought I'd finally found somebody suitable for testing all my experimental skills for a moment there
I have created at least a dozen of them, but I'm still not sure if they can be used practically or not. They're pretty much still in the development state right now
Well, at least I now know that [Slayer Mode] works completely fine when in combat thanks to him, so it was still a win for me
Looking around, I saw that there's still some survivor, although all of them seems to be unconscious except for those two Faunus at the back, who's staring at me weirdly
I'll deal with them later. For now let's just focus on the task at hand
I walked up to Gangplank's dead body and kneeled down next to him, before taking my knife out and do the work
I cut off his head for the bounty
"You there!"
Carmine jumped slightly as the boy called over to her
"Yes?" She tilted her head. Beside her, Matsuo blinked
"Can you keep this for me? I'll take it back later" I said as I threw the severed head to her despite the bunny's protest
"Eww, it's disgusting, the blood's seeping into my clothe! This is my favorite shirt too!" She whined
Ignoring her complaint, I dragged the body into another room so no one could see what I'm about to do
I then eat the rest of his body, including his armor as well, as a bunch of notifications popped up to greet me
You have learned [Job Class: Captain]: Increase the capacity of your ship's crew by 10
You have learned [Job Class: Seafarer]: +20% moving speed to your ship in shallow water
You have learned [Job Class: Navigator]: +20% moving speed to your ship in deep water
You have learned [FIRE]: Your ship's artillery deals 50% more damage
You have learned [All Men On Deck]: Increase the damage and health of your crew by 60%
You have learned [Bullet Sponge]: -20% Damage caused by bullets
What? Most of them are sea-combat skills. What about individual power skill? Don't tell me this is it
Argh. Okay. At least I managed to learn how to sail a ship now. That doesn't mean I have no rights to complain about it
Walking out from the room, I stopped in front of the two Faunus from earlier
"Sorry for that, may I ask what's your name?" I inquired
"Carmine Scarletina, at your service!" The girl cheerfully replied, still holding Gangplank's head in her arms
"Matsuo Taurus, nice to meet you" that man bowed
I blinked
Well, now that is new. The show never mentioned these two in any of their episodes
"Pardon me, you are both from Menagerie, correct?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"Do you have any relative or sibling there?"
"I have a sister. Velvet. She's entering Beacon this year!"
"I have a so- I mean a brother. He's a shy guy, my wif- I mean my mother named him Adam"
......
My brains are currently running at 1,000,000 wtf/seconds right now
Just....how?!
Velvet is entering Beacon this year. That means I'm only 1-2 years earlier from Canon
But then why is Summer still alive? Ruby mentioned in the show that her mother died when she was a kid during a mission
And Raven, I can only assume that woman already have the Maiden's power since she's currently on the run. But I still have no idea where she is right now
....At least I know Cinder has been working for Salem a long time ago. That doesn't change the fact that she's apparently a Grimm Hybrid. Something that the show definitely never mentioned
Just how can this be....did something changed?
Is this an Alternate Universe that I'm currently in? That would explain the reason why these two are here, and the presence of those unexplained factors
No, calm down. Panicking won't help you, (Y/n). Let's assess the situation and find a solution first
"...I see" I said slowly "I'm also traveling to Menagerie, could I go along with you two?"
"We, about that..." they looked at each other "We're stowaways"
I raised an eyebrow
"We're criminals, our status requires us to go on multiple landscapes. It'd be inconvenient having to bring our boat everywhere we go"
"...I see" I sighed "Are you returning to Menagerie?"
"Yeah. We're planning to hitch a ride with those bloke in the bar, but they got killed in the bar fight" Her face turned sour
"...I see" I sighed, for the second time "Let's go outside, then. I believe this is enough for today"
I took Gangplank's head from Carmine, who sighed with relief, and sealed it in my inventory
Even though I already have 2 billion Lien, it wouldn't hurt to have a couple more
I inspected the inn around me one last time. It was completely destroyed, the wooden beams have mostly collapsed, the interior are in disarray, and there's numerous holes in the wall, most likely due to explosive Dust
In addition to that, there's also multiple dead bodies lying on the floor, some of which either burned to death or was decapitated
Yeah. The waiter will have a hard time explaining this to his boss...
Not my problem though. I've had enough of this already
It's time to get out and finally get on with my vacation!
Seriously, I've learned several interesting skills and now have a ton of money in my inventory. It'd only be several hours until I can arrive in Menagerie
what could possible go wrong?
I turned around and pushed the handle to the front door wide open. Together, we walked outside
...Only to come face to face with dozens of Atlesian soldiers pointing their guns at us
[This is the Atlas Military!]
A voice boomed from behind them. Vaguely, I could see a military warship looming above the water, it's guns aimed at me
Farther than that, I could see sailors being subdued by soldiers as well
Most of the buildings around me was burning. The sounds of screaming and gunshot could be heard echoing in the distance
I blinked
...Just what the fuck happened while I was inside?
[Surrender now, or we'll open fire]
I sighed for the third time
Out of one shit hole and into the next...
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Author's Note: For some reason I just decided to add some jojo reference in this chapter. Don't know why, I just feel like it
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"It doesn't matter how old you are or what you are, as long as you love them it's okay to have sex with them lol"- Thienlibra
(I'm just joking FBI pls don't kill me)