Creating Characters in One Piece

Inside Captain Vons's cramped quarters aboard the patrol boat, the atmosphere was thick with tension. The small desk, cluttered with maps and reports, sat between the captain and the jellyfish man, who now wore a set of spare marine clothes—oversized and awkwardly draped over its translucent body. Though the clothes helped, the jellyfish's glowing head and swaying tendrils made it impossible to ignore how bizarre the situation was. 

Captain Vons sat stiffly in his chair, his eyes narrowed as he studied the creature in front of him. The other marines in the room stood at attention, shuffling awkwardly as they tried not to stare. Ray and Tim stood to the side, both silent, though Ray's nervous energy was palpable. 

Finally, Captain Vons spoke, his voice low and sharp. "So, let me get this straight." He turned his piercing gaze to Ray. "You're telling me that this… thing"—he gestured to the jellyfish man, who remained floating silently—"just happened to show up and save you from three pirates with bounties on their heads?" 

Ray coughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, y-yeah, Captain. That's... exactly what happened." 

Tim, still eager to help, chimed in. "It's true, Captain! Senior Ray was just as surprised as I was! And, uh, the jellyfish guy seems really nice? He didn't hurt any civilians or anything!" 

Vons turned his glare to Tim, who quickly shut his mouth. The captain sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're telling me this thing"—he jabbed a finger toward the jellyfish man—"isn't hostile, and it just coincidentally fought off three wanted criminals for the sake of two low-ranking marines?" 

"Yes, sir!" Tim said, saluting enthusiastically. 

Vons ignored him and shifted his attention to the marine standing to his right. "What did the witnesses say?" 

The thin marine holding the notes cleared his throat nervously as Captain Vons fixed his sharp gaze on him. "Sir, according to the witnesses, the incident began when the pirates docked their ship and approached the marketplace. They initially appeared calm, but things escalated quickly." 

"Escalated how?" Vons asked, his tone clipped. 

The marine adjusted his glasses and glanced down at his notes. "One of the stall owners, a fisherman selling dried goods, reported that the pirates began taking food from his stall without paying. When he confronted them, one of the pirates drew a blade and threatened him." 

Vons's frown deepened. "And no one intervened?" 

"No, sir. The witnesses stated that the pirates appeared dangerous, and the locals were too frightened to act." The marine hesitated before continuing. "That's when Chore Boy Tim was seen running toward the commotion. He, uh, attempted to stop the pirates by yelling at them." 

"Yelling?" Vons arched an eyebrow, turning his head slightly toward Tim, who stood stiffly at attention. 

Tim flinched under the captain's scrutiny. "I thought… I thought if I distracted them, they might back off, sir!" 

Vons let out a dry scoff and waved for the marine to continue. 

"According to the stall owner, the pirates became more aggressive after Tim's intervention. They shoved him aside and began raiding other stalls for food and supplies." The marine cleared his throat again, visibly uncomfortable. "That's when Chore Boy Ray and… the jellyfish creature arrived." 

Vons leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "So let me get this straight. Two chore boys and a glowing jellyfish stopped three pirates who were stealing food and threatening civilians." 

"That's correct, sir," the marine confirmed. "Witnesses say the creature attacked first, using lightning to incapacitate one pirate almost immediately. The other two were… neutralized shortly after." 

The room fell silent again, save for the faint scratching of the marine's pen as he added more notes. Vons finally sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "Alright. I've heard enough. Let's hope this doesn't blow up in our faces." 

Captain Vons leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he studied the jellyfish man again. "And what's its story? Did anyone bother to ask it what it's doing here?" 

The room fell silent. Ray stiffened, his eyes darting toward the jellyfish man. 'Oh crap. What do I even say?' 

After a beat, Tim blurted out, "Uh, Captain, I don't think it talks!" 

Vons raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't talk?" 

"Not a word." Tim added confidently, though his voice faltered slightly. 

Captain Vons leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes locked on the jellyfish man. "Marine," he barked, and one of the marines standing by quickly handed the creature a blank piece of paper and a pen, placing them gingerly on the desk in front of it. The jellyfish man tilted its head slightly, its glowing tendrils swaying as it examined the items with what could only be described as quiet curiosity. 

Vons folded his arms across his chest, his tone laced with both suspicion and authority. "Alright, glowing man. Let's start with the basics. Write down your background, your occupation, your name, and your motive for saving my two chore boys over there." He paused, narrowing his eyes further. "And while you're at it, explain why I've never heard of any 'jellyfish men' in all my years with the Marines." 

The room was so silent that the faint creaking of the ship could be heard as everyone waited for the jellyfish man to respond. It stared at the paper, unmoving, its tendrils occasionally brushing the desk. 

Ray, standing off to the side, felt sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. His heart pounded in his chest as panic started to set in. 'Oh, crap. Oh, crap. What's it going to do? It can't even talk, let alone write! I haven't even gave it any instructions on what to do when questioned about his background!'

The jellyfish man remained still, its glowing form unbothered by the tension in the room. Ray, meanwhile, was mentally scrambling. 'Think, Ray, think! How do I explain this without blowing everything?' 

Tim, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, leaned over and whispered loudly to Ray, "Senior Ray, do you think it even knows how to write?" 

Ray clenched his jaw, silently wishing Tim would stop talking. Vons's gaze sharpened again, his patience clearly wearing thin. 

The jellyfish man's tendrils suddenly moved, brushing over the pen and lifting it with an unnatural precision. It hovered the pen over the paper, but instead of writing, it simply… drew a small squiggly line. 

Vons's eyes twitched. "What the hell is this?" 

Ray's heart sank further as he prepared for the worst.

After several agonizing minutes of tense silence, Captain Vons finally got the jellyfish man to make some semblance of progress. The creature's tendrils manipulated the pen with slow, deliberate movements as it scratched something onto the paper. 

Ray and Tim watched nervously from the side, each second feeling like an eternity. Finally, the jellyfish man placed the pen down with a soft clatter, signaling it was done. 

Vons picked up the paper, his eyes narrowing as he read the crude, barely legible handwriting: 

---

Name: Jelly

Background: Ocean

Occupation: None

Motive: Saved. They were in trouble

Why no other jellyfish men?: Don't know. 

---

Vons blinked at the paper, then looked back at the jellyfish man, his expression a mixture of disbelief and irritation. "This is all you've got? 'Ocean'? That's your background? And 'don't know'? That's your explanation for why I've never seen one of your kind before?" 

The jellyfish man remained completely unbothered, its glowing body floating gently in place as if it didn't have a care in the world. 

Ray quickly jumped in, forcing a nervous laugh. "W-Well, Captain, you've gotta admit—it's, uh, a little impressive that it could even write at all, right? I mean, it's not exactly... human. Maybe its communication skills are, uh, underdeveloped?" 

Vons shot him a withering glare. "Underdeveloped or not, this isn't enough to satisfy me. 'Ocean'? 'Don't know'? You expect me to just accept that?" 

Ray swallowed hard, his mind racing. "I mean, sir, it's possible this jellyfish man isn't… used to interacting with humans. Maybe it's some kind of… wandering protector of the seas? Y'know, like one of those mysterious creatures the Grand Line is known for?" 

Tim, ever eager to help, chimed in, "Yeah! Maybe it's like, uh, a sea guardian or something! That'd explain why it helped us!" 

Vons rubbed his temples, clearly unimpressed. "A 'sea guardian,' huh? What next? You want me to believe it was sent here by the gods to protect chore boys and fight petty pirates?" 

Ray forced a grin, doing his best to seem convincing. "W-Well, sir, stranger things have happened on the seas, right?" 

The captain groaned, tossing the paper back onto the desk. "Fine. For now, I'll tolerate this thing's presence, but only because it saved two of my men. However,"—he pointed a stern finger at Ray—"it's your responsibility. If this thing causes *any* trouble, it's on you. Do you understand me?" 

"Yes, sir!" Ray replied, snapping to attention. 

"Dismissed," Vons growled, waving them out. 

Ray and Tim practically bolted from the room, the jellyfish man floating calmly behind them. 

Captain Vons leaned back in his chair, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. Originally, his first instinct had been to throw the strange jellyfish man into the ship's jail cell until he could figure out what to do with it. After all, bringing an unknown creature onto a Marine vessel was a recipe for disaster. But the facts couldn't be ignored—so far, the jellyfish man had done nothing wrong. 

It had killed three pirate scum, saved two of his chore boys, and hadn't shown any hostility toward the crew. Still, Vons wasn't foolish enough to fully trust it. The seas were unpredictable, and even seemingly noble creatures could hide dangerous motives. 

He sighed and rubbed his temples, staring at the piece of paper on his desk again. "For now, I'll let it stay on the ship. Better to keep an eye on it than risk letting it loose on the island," he muttered. 

His gaze shifted to the bounty posters of the three dead pirates, sitting neatly stacked on the corner of his desk. Their combined bounty amounted to 40,500 berries—a decent sum, though not game-changing. Normally, such rewards would be divided among the crew or placed into the ship's funds, but this situation was anything but normal. 

"If it's going to stay on my ship," Vons mused, "then I'll treat it like I would any Marine who's done their job. Those bounties will go to the jellyfish man. Maybe it'll give me some insight into how it thinks… if it thinks at all." 

He leaned forward, reaching for the paperwork to process the bounty exchange. In the back of his mind, he knew he was taking a risk. Allowing this creature to remain aboard was a gamble, and he wasn't one to leave anything to chance. 

"For now," he muttered, "I'll play along. But the moment it steps out of line…" His hand rested on the hilt of his saber, a glint of steel catching the fading sunlight through the window. "I'll be ready." 

He stood and walked toward the door, stepping out onto the deck where the marines were still bustling with activity. The sight of Lieutenant Himala efficiently managing the crew reassured him. 

"Himala," Vons called, catching her attention. 

"Captain," she said, saluting immediately. 

"Inform the crew. The jellyfish man stays for now, but everyone is to keep their guard up. Also…" He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Prepare the paperwork to exchange the pirates' bounties. The funds will be awarded to the jellyfish man." 

Himala raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised, but she nodded. "Understood, Captain." 

Captain Vons paused at the edge of the deck, staring out at the horizon with a grim expression. The setting sun painted the ocean in hues of orange and red, but there was no beauty in it for him tonight.

His thoughts were heavy as he considered the situation. 

The three pirates the jellyfish man had killed weren't just random no-name thugs—they were confirmed subordinates of the Nature Pirates, a notorious crew led by Captain Nikolai, a pirate with a staggering bounty of 20,000,700 berries. Known as the "Vine Devil", Nikolai was a fearsome user of the Vine Vine no Mi, a Paramecia-class Devil Fruit that allowed him to manipulate and control vines with deadly precision. 

What made matters worse was that Nikolai wasn't the only Devil Fruit user in his crew—two of his senior officers were also known to wield powers granted by the cursed fruits, making the Nature Pirates an exceptionally dangerous group. Their reputation for leaving devastation in their wake was infamous across the East Blue, and their presence in these waters was always a cause for concern. 

Vons clenched his jaw, replaying the information he'd gathered so far. "What were three of Nikolai's subordinates doing here?" he muttered under his breath. "A small island like this isn't worth their time unless they're planning something." 

He rubbed his temples, the pieces of the puzzle refusing to fall into place. This wasn't a coincidence; it couldn't be. Nikolai was far too calculating for that. 

Turning back toward Lieutenant Himala, who was still awaiting further instructions, Vons said, "One more thing. Add this to your report—the three pirates killed by the jellyfish man were confirmed subordinates of Captain Nikolai." 

Himala's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Nikolai's name. "The Nature Pirates? Here?" 

Vons nodded grimly. "I don't know why they're here, but it can't be for anything good. I want everyone on high alert until we leave this island. If Nikolai or any of his officers are nearby, we need to be prepared." 

Himala saluted sharply. "Understood, Captain. I'll make sure the crew is ready." 

As she turned to leave, Vons allowed himself a moment of reflection. The bounty exchange for the jellyfish man was a minor concern compared to the potential threat looming on the horizon. If the Nature Pirates were active in this area, it was only a matter of time before something big happened. 

He cast one last glance at the strange jellyfish man floating silently on the deck, now wearing the spare Marine uniform he'd provided. Its glowing tendrils swayed gently in the evening breeze, its expression unreadable. 

"You may have taken out three of Nikolai's men," Vons muttered under his breath, "but if their captain comes looking for revenge… we'll all be in over our heads." 

(2420)

I realized I never clarified the timeline of One Piece in which the MC lives. So, in the next chapter, I'll try to drop some hints about the timeline.