The Butterfly Effect

9.- Adaptation

Note: Remember that this is not my native language, so if you see any spelling errors, you would help me a lot by pointing them out and explaining those errors.

Peace, order, and development. The ninja world had entered a period of tranquility after so many wars until one day it all ended. Somehow, only one person managed to survive that extinction.

'How can I live with them dead?' Sakura thought in the midst of a crisis.

Her mind was disconnected from her body until, by the twists of fate, Sakura encountered Whitebeard's pirates, and her life took a 180-degree turn, entering a new chapter in her life. The last ninja has entered the great pirate era!

After Ace and Sakura's date, their relationship grew closer. Their arguments became less frequent, and sometimes Ace would involve Sakura in his pranks without her realizing it until the joke was in full swing. Late-night conversations became a routine, typically revolving around their respective childhoods. Sakura shared stories about her friends, missions in Konoha, and what life was like in her village and other ninja nations. Ace, on the other hand, talked about his life with Dadan, adventures with Sabo and Luffy, Sabo's tragic death, and his own experiences when he turned seventeen and became a pirate.

In the following days, they passed through some strange and curious islands. To Sakura's eyes, the oddities they encountered on those islands were just a glimpse of what the entire Red Line must be like. She hoped that once she was fully healed, she could find a decent enough island to live on, away from the Marines and unsavory individuals, where she could revive the ninja customs she had grown up with. Fortunately, she was beginning to adapt to the strange and ever-changing weather of those seas.

Since making amends with Whitebeard and his crew, the question had arisen as to why no one had ventured beyond the islands that formed the well-known "ninja-samurai island." In school and history books, nothing beyond the known countries was ever mentioned. There were no theories about whether the world was flat or round. Her curiosity only bred more unanswered questions, and she was sure she wouldn't get any answers now that everyone was dead.

In the present, Sakura found herself in the training area with Commanders Haruta and Vista. After repeatedly insisting, Marco allowed her to go to the gym under the condition that she wouldn't engage in intense exercises and would be supervised by Haruta and Vista, two commanders he trusted to follow his orders to the letter.

Despite the order, Sakura was not pleased. She felt like her muscles were atrophying with this gentle training pace, and she was also bored. She wanted to fight, sweat, and feel the adrenaline rush through her body. She glanced at the ring in the center of the room, where fights and training sessions were intense, and bets were common. She was a fighter too and longed for the thrill of a good fight.

On the first day, she didn't even get to finish asking the question when Vista and Haruta refused.

Today, Sakura decided she wouldn't leave the gym until she got a fight. She was so determined that she was willing to use all her skills, from Naruto and Ace-style insistent pleading to her persuasion techniques, before resorting to extortion.

"Alright," Vista said, being the first of the two to give in. "We should limit the time you spend with Ace; he's a bad influence."

Sakura was about to jump for joy like a little girl, but she held back to avoid giving an inappropriate image of her determination to fight or train with the pirates.

Vista scanned the room until his eyes landed on a person who was lifting weights and chatting with their peers.

"Paul! Come over here," Vista exclaimed.