One Piece: Honey Badger Speedruns the World

The world in the mirror.

In the bizarre and distorted space, only the black and white checkerboard-patterned ground stretches into the distance.

"Well……"

Goss, who was lying on Soton's back, groaned and suddenly opened his eyes.

The kind of severe injury that would keep an ordinary person bedridden for half a month only gave him a few minutes of deep sleep.

He shook his head, looking at the floating clocks and talking mirrors around him, without showing much surprise, only yawning: "This is the world inside the mirror..."

Just then.

"Hehehehe! Did Katakuri catch the troublemaker?"

An old witch's face, covered in wrinkles and with a hideous scar running across it, suddenly appeared in a mirror next to him, almost touching Thornton's nose.

Charlotte Brûlée, the user of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, is also the owner of this labyrinth.

"Waaaaaah!!"

Thornton was so terrified that his scales bristled, his massive body jerked back, and he screamed in a childish, wailing voice, "A ghost!! Her face is so scary!!"

The air suddenly froze.

Katakuri, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, his chin taut beneath his scarf, his eyes instantly turning gloomy.

The scar on Brulee's face... is the greatest pain of his childhood, and a guilt he can never erase no matter how strong he becomes.

However, Brulee was not angry.

She was stunned for a moment, and looking at the tall, fanged crocodile-man in front of her, she actually let out a cry like a baby who hadn't been weaned yet.

"Oh dear? It's a crying baby?"

Brulee, as if discovering a new and intriguing toy, moved her terrifying face even closer, and even poked Thorton's nose with her withered finger: "Hehehe! So fierce-looking, yet so timid? How cute, let me see what I can turn you into!"

"Don't come any closer! Waaaaah! Captain, help!"

Thornton was so frightened that he closed his eyes and flailed his claws wildly.

Seeing this, Katakuri frowned, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes. He was about to reprimand Soton for his rudeness.

Snapped!

A crisp popping sound.

Goss slapped Thornton on the forehead without hesitation, making him hold back his tears.

"Sodon, it seems you still don't understand the world of pirates!"

Goss turned around and pointed without hesitation at the gruesome scar on Bry's face:

"You think that's just a scar? Superficial! Utterly superficial!"

"Huh?"

Thornton was stunned, looking at Goss with tears in his eyes.

Brulee was stunned, and even Katakuri's eyes widened slightly.

Goss took a deep breath, his eyes burning with fervor, as if he had found a treasure in that scar:

"The marks etched on that face... weren't ugly scars at all, but proof that it had been kissed by the sea!!"

"That's the 'Signature of Death' that only the strongest can obtain by repeatedly teetering on the edge of life and death! It's the most prestigious tattoo on this cruel sea!"

"A face as smooth as a peeled egg is the most boring blank sheet of paper!"

Goss pointed at Brûlée's face and roared, "And that scar across her face! That's a masterpiece of the sea, a story told through countless tales! It's the absolute power and romance of a pirate!!"

"Haven't you heard of Crocodile?!"

Goss gestured horizontally across his face with his hand, his tone full of longing and admiration: "That guy also has a long horizontal scar on his face!"

And that golden hook hand! Plus a cigar in his mouth!

Tsk tsk tsk...that's what real pirates are like!

Goss patted Thornton's big face, looking at him with exasperation: "Look at that Sand Crocodile, and then look at you, you crocodile!"

"Is...that's how it is?"

Thornton blinked his big eyes, looked at Brûlée's face, and then imagined the scene Goss had described. Suddenly, he felt that this old witch in front of him seemed to have become... kind of handsome?

"Wow...that's amazing...So the scars on his face are proof of his strength?"

The fear in Thornton's eyes disappeared, replaced by a simple, wistful longing.

"Ahh~"

Betty, standing to the side, held her flushed face and shyly twisted her body into a pretzel shape, her whole being radiant.

"Ugh~ Death's signature and stuff~ Top-tier tattoos and stuff~ Hehehehe!"

What a discerning little devil! Since you're so good with words, I won't roast you and eat you~

Katakuri pulled his scarf tighter, covering the corner of his mouth.

But in those usually cold and ruthless red eyes, a hint of unprecedented emotion flashed as Goss's arrogant figure was reflected.

How can such painful memories be described as the signature of death and romance?

In order to protect Brulee's self-esteem, she went so far as to instill this strange set of values ​​in the crew...

This man... though rough, has a gentler heart than anyone else.

Katakuri's opinion of Goss underwent a qualitative change at this moment.

Just then, Katakuri noticed that Goss suddenly raised his hand and vigorously stroked his smooth, jade-like left cheek.

His fingers rubbed against his skin, his face showing a look of heartbroken regret, as if he had missed out on the whole world, and he even let out a deep sigh.

"well……"

Katakuri's red eyes narrowed slightly. Was he sighing? Was he lamenting the injustice of fate? Or was he feeling sorry for the scars on Brulee's face? What a sentimental man...

However, if his Observation Haki could hear his thoughts, Katakuri would probably eat the scarf on the spot.

Because beneath that seemingly heartbroken expression, Goss's heart was screaming wildly:

I'm so envious! I'm really so envious! That scar is so cool!

Goss touched his smooth, pristine face, his heart bleeding.

I want to get a slash on my face too! Like Luffy! So distinctive!

I had prepared my knife before setting sail, but then... that damn Devil Fruit power!

The healing power is incredible! A cut, and it heals before the blood even flows out! Not even a mark is left!

I should have left a scar before eating the fruit... Now it's hard to even leave a scar.

Sigh, it seems I'm destined to be an ordinary pirate with no story in this life. Damn it!

Goss kicked a pebble on the ground indignantly.

……

The once eerie and terrifying mirror maze is now filled with laughter and joy.

"Hehehehe!"

Brûlée floated in mid-air, magically producing a handful of colorful candies from her hand, and gently handed them to the big guy beside her: "Here, these are 'Reflection Candies,' a specialty of the Mirror World. Only good children can eat them~"

"Thank you, Sister Brulee!!"

Thorton carefully took the candy with his huge paw, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it with a loud crunch, a simple, happy smile spreading across his face: "So sweet!"

Now, Thornton's eyes no longer show any fear when he looks at Brûlée.

While eating candy, Thorton asked in his childish, admiring voice, "I want a scar like that too! ...I want to become a strong sea warrior like my sister!"

Brulee cupped her face in her thin hands, her body twisted into a pretzel: "These medals hurt a lot, you know~ But since you have such good taste, I'll protect you from now on! If anyone dares to bully you, I'll lock them inside the mirror!"

"Wow! That's amazing!!"

Thorton's eyes gleamed, and his tail wagged like a propeller.

Watching this terrifying crocodile-man follow Brulee around like a shadow, the two seemed to have hit it off immediately.

Goss, walking ahead, curled his lip, a sour feeling creeping over him: "Pshaw, it's just a scar! I'll definitely find a way to get one..."

Katakuri, who was walking at the front, still had a cold and aloof demeanor, but his tense shoulders had clearly relaxed.

He glanced at Brulee's long-lost, genuinely happy smile out of the corner of his eye, his gaze softening.

This was the first time since that incident that Bryn had smiled so freely at a stranger.

He stopped in front of a huge floor-length mirror decorated with intricate cream patterns.

"arrive."

Katakuri turned around, his expression turning cold and serious again, and placed his palm on the rippling mirror.

"The Cake Castle is just ahead."