Kurogeta Fuse

Fuse Kurogeta (黒下駄負背) is a swordsman hailing from an unknown island in the, and the last practitioner of the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu. He travels the world as a Bounty Hunter, operating under the alias of the Rooster.

Kenjutsu
Bakuretsuyo-ryu is a style of swordsmanship developed by an unnamed island in the East Blue, developed in a failed attempt to incorporate the the style of martial arts. Upon its initial creation years ago, there had been a sole user, one who can be said to have been the only master of this style of swordsmanship. This master, the creator of this sword style, hadn’t been able to successfully merge Hasshoken with this style of Kenjutsu, but resulted in Bakuretsuyo-ryu’s most profound ability; Shifting Explosions.

This new ability, able to be accessed by the practitioners of this Kenjutsu style, was a rather remarkable ability. It allowed them not only to create flying slashes that could explode at the practitioners whim, it allowed them to create explosions at a location a distance away from the user. These Shifting Explosions became the main catalyst for many of the techniques in the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu, using them for mainly offensive purposes. To the practitioners of this Kenjutsu style, the best defence was simply more offence. As time progressed, another swordsman of the same caliber as the creator of the Bakuretsuyo-ryu tried to incorporate the of the  style of superhuman martial arts. Unlike the first failed attempt of incorporating a martial art into Kenjutsu, this was actually successful to a certain degree. This resulted in another branch of techniques to be spawned into the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu, evolving the concept of the Shifting Explosions.

As shown with the attempts of incorporating other forms of combat into Kenjutsu, it is clear to see that practitioners of the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu are omnivorous in nature. They are quick to adapt, and will take whatever strengths they can find in others and incorporate it into the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of martial arts. This is the reason why practitioners of this Kenjutsu are occasionally referred to as Crows. This style of Kenjutsu requires the practitioners to have superhuman speed, durability and the ability to maintain their calm under anything. To trigger the Shifting Explosions, one requires great speed and the durability to easily handle and brush off the recoil from such a powerful slash.

And now, the burden of being the last practitioner of the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu has fallen on the shoulders of Fuse. The swordsman has completely mastered the concepts and actions behind the Shifting Explosions, able to quickly close in on an opponent after he has started to attack. Despite his absurd skill in this style of Kenjutsu, he is far from being a true master of it, having begun his travels not only to hone his skills against other great swordsmen, but to potentially absorb and assimilate new techniques into Bakuretsuyo-ryu.

Fuse’s speed is not only physical, it is also mental. This means that he is able to formulate plans of attacks with ease, all in the span of a few seconds. With years and years of combat under Fuse’s belt, his battle instinct has evolved into something far greater; intuition. Even without the usage of Kenbunshoku Haki, he can determine the most probable pattern of movement from his opponent by reading their body language. This goes in tandem with his Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu, as it allows him to determine where to place the explosions.

Fuse’s durability comes from his years of training, dealing with the backlash of such physically demanding style of Kenjutsu. For every time he had made a mistake, more than likely his explosions had affected him. Having to have dealt with countless of those, he is able to brush off most attacks of a similar or lower magnitude, as seen when when he ???. With many failures, came his honing of technique, always attempting to further himself. His limber yet durable body is the basis behind the actual swordsmanship behind the Bakurestsuyo-ryu, tanking strikes with his blade before moving in to strike.

And of course, Fuse is extremely strong. The speed behind each of the flying slashes in the technique come from the sheer force behind each swing, existing due to a mix of pure power and technique. Each stroke of the blade has great force put behind it, Fuse’s wrists being extremely strong from the training he has undergone and does so daily. As such, Bakuretsuyo-ryu can be called a style based around unadulterated power and technique.

Techniques
TBA
 * Baishūha, Tsuyoi Bakuhatsu: This first and most basic technique of this branch of Kenjutsu employs the usage of the Shifting Explosion. The principle behind this technique is nothing more than twin flying slashes that are able to detonate at Fuse’s whim. As with any technique utilizing the Shifting Explosions, with every slash Fuse ‘ignites’ the particles and send them flying towards the opponent, having them interlaced with the actual slash. Quite often, Fuse will have the slashes explode upon close proximity to the opponent. This not only results in a powerful attack that damages the opponent, but it also creates a smokescreen that can partially mask and hide the movements of Fuse following the usage of this technique.
 * Sanjūshūha, Tsuyoi Bakuhatsu: This following technique can be seen as an evolution of the Baishūha, Tsuyoi Bakuhatsu. It simply adds another stroke to the previous two slashes. However, all three of these slashes occur in the same timespan as it would take for Baishūha, Tsuyoi Bakuhatsu to have its two strokes created. This third stroke, however, travels faster than the other two, and at a different angle. This third stroke comes straight towards the target’s body, while the other two go for the sides/arms of the target.
 * Senshūha, Tsuyoi Bakuhatsu: The next evolution to these two techniques is this one. It’s not simply adding another stroke, it’s adding 998 more to the original attack. All one thousand strokes are created in practically an instance, at the same speed it takes to create the strokes in Baishūha, Tsuyoi Bakuhatsu. The strokes travel in a semi-sporadic flight pattern, flying around randomly, but always ending up near the opponent. The explosions resulting in this technique can occur all at once, or at a delayed rate; it all depends on Fuse’s control. In the case of having them all detonate at once, it results in a catastrophic attack, and a larger and more dense smokescreen. In the case of having them detonate at a delayed rate, it can be used to steadily wear down the opponent physically and mentally. Despite this technique being an evolution of the most basic technique, it goes to show that even the most basic of attacks can become powerful if time and effort is put into them in order to further advance them.
 * Bakuyaku Kakuri, Moyamen: This technique is used to mask Fuse’s presence in order to launch a swift and powerful attack. After creating a flying slash, Fuse sends it in a circular flight pattern, having it run rings around the target. With each ring, the slash itself ignites the particles around the target, and Fuse will eventually detonate it. The more rings in which the slash has travelled, the more powerful the setup to the true attack becomes. When the target looks into the smoke, it will seem as if there are multiple Fuse’s, all standing around the opponent. This happens due to the heat, and the thick smoke 'catching' certain movements of Fuse's body, resulting in hazy 'clones' of sorts. The clear solution to this technique would be to utilize Kenbunshoku Haki, but even that isn’t as reliable as it could be. The sheer amount of heat caused by the explosion, and especially at a close proximity, makes detecting where Fuse is difficult, as the heat not only causes Fuse’s presence to shift around, the target will often find it difficult to sense the opponent, due to the mental exhaustion caused by the heat.
 * Bakuretsuhana, Massakari: This technique was the one spawned by the semi-successful incorporation of Shigan into the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu many years ago, by the second master of this branch of Kenjutsu. A simple jab is all it takes, a jab done with the utmost speed and precision, following the technique and style idealized by the Bakuretsuyo-ryu. From the very tip of the blade, once the jab has been completed, an explosion that blossoms outwards is created. This blossoming explosion, if it does not physically harm the opponent, will more than often cause for the thick smoke created by it to rise into the opponents eyes. This renders them temporarily blind, forcing them to rely on other senses to avoid. However, they are more than often distracted by the stinging pain caused by the smoke in their eyes, which provides time for Fuse to follow up with another attack.
 * Teijō Kazan, Hakyoku Bakuhatsu:

Busoshoku Haki
Often referred to as the Haki of Armament, the foundations behind Busoshoku Haki come down to the users will. Using ones will to empower themselves, to elevate themselves to a state beyond others. With Busoshoku Haki, individuals gain a fighting chance against users of a Devil Fruit, able to even impact those who have consumed a Logia-Type Devil Fruit. Busoshoku Haki was something that came naturally to Fuse, as it did with the practitioners of Bakuretsuyo-ryu years ago. It spawned in them naturally in order to help their defence, and it eventually spawned out into letting them take control of the environment via a technique that is essentially Busoshoku: Seigyo.

Katana
Reiōka is the name of Fuse's Katana, and is classified as one of the Cursed Blades. Reiōka may be without a formal grade, but it is of great quality, and as such is of great power. Fuse is the blade's first wielder, but the blade itself has a dark past.

As with all of the Cursed Blades, Reiōka was conceptualized and forged by an evil man, a man who had no good remaining in his heart. Reiōka was their parting gift to the world, the evil persona of this man essentially being locked away into the blade. As such, when Fuse found the blade and attempted to wield it, he was unable to. The blade could not be wielded by whomever, it had to be held by someone willing to risk anything to achieve their dream. During his second attempt to wield the blade, Reiōka allowed itself to be held, and formed a blood pact with Fuse, making it so that it could only be held and wielded by the man. However, there was another cost for wielding Reiōka; it could not be sheathed until it has spilled blood. And due to Reiōka being Fuse's primary blade, Fuse has a list of murders under his belt, all a plague to aspiration to become the Greatest Swordsman in the World (世界最強の剣士).

Reiōka itself is composed out of a unique alloy, formed from a combination of materials. The alloy itself is composed of and, making the alloy one of the only successful combinations that have used Seastone. The Seastone itself is meant to help Reiōka deal with users of a Devil Fruit, allowing for it to quickly and easily subdue its opponents. However, the main danger of Reiōka comes from the Amber Lead dwelling within its alloy. Unlike Amber Lead in its raw form, which causes poisoning to happen to those that are exposed to it for prolonged periods of time, the Amber Lead within this alloy only displays those effects upon contact with the blade. Reiōka has been called the sword that kills swords, because of this. When clashing against another blade, the Amber Lead creates patches on the other blades, and with enough of these patches, the blade will simply shatter. However, Fuse, when he finds an opponent that has challenged him, will provide them with a way to cure their blade. By dipping the blade in fresh seawater within four hours from when the first patch appeared, the patches will disappear, and the opposing blade will be safe.

A Sheathed Blade
Born in the second week of August, during a blazing heatwave. The son of two low class individuals, Fuse didn’t have much growing up. All he had were his parents, his two loving parents. They lived a safe and happy lives on an unnamed island for years; it was calm and peaceful. But it all changed when Fuse was six years old, when Pirates attacked his home. They attacked their town, destroying whatever they could, killing whomever came in their way. Fuse’s parents were amongst those who died, giving their lives in exchange for their sons. And while the Pirates kept their promise to not kill Fuse, they took him as a slave.

His life as a slave didn’t last for too long, he was soon freed by a squad of Marines within a month of being taken. After working for the Marines for some time, a wealthy family took him in, adopting the boy as one of their own. These folks were the Kurogeta Family, and it was because of these kind individuals that Fuse obtained his last name. The head of the house, a man named Kurogeta Raikan, who was the head of the house, had actually taken Fuse in to pass on the art of the Bakuretsuyo-ryu branch of Kenjutsu to the young boy, as Raikan had no male children.

Raikan told Fuse what he would do, and what he would teach. Fuse, being only six years of age at the time, had no idea what that meant. But he knew that he owed Raikan his life, as Raikan had taken him in and taken on the responsibility of raising him. As such, Fuse agreed with what the man said, and thus begun Fuse’s training.

To Hold a Blade
Training had begun a day after, at the crack of dawn. Raikan told Fuse, that before the man would teach him the true techniques of the Bakuretsuyo-ryu style of Kenjutsu, he would teach Fuse how to properly use a blade in the first place. The proper stances, the proper attacks and defences of Bakuretsuyo-ryu. Fuse simply went along with it. However, it soon showed that Fuse was able to quickly understand the basics. Be it because of him being a ‘blank slate’ or him possibly being a prodigy of the blade, Fuse had truly caught the attention of Raikan now. Within a few years, Fuse had truly gotten an outstanding grip on the maneuvers of the blade, and how to use it properly.

Fuse, now a boy of twelve years, had become addicted to swordplay. It was his very spirit now, he enjoyed with every fibre of his being. And the day had finally come, the day when Fuse would be taught the true techniques behind the Bakuretsuyo-ryu branch of Kenjutsu. Raikan explained the concept of the Shifting Explosions first, and how they worked. As such, Raikan first trained Fuse into learning how to trigger these explosions. Fuse was slightly disappointed that he wouldn’t be learning the techniques right away, but Raikan’s logic made the most sense for now.

It took another year for Fuse to learn how to consistently trigger the explosions, and how to make them shift across the landscape. Now knowing how to do something like this, Fuse could finally learn how to utilize these techniques. Fuse was first told the concepts and how the techniques were designed to work, and then showed Fuse the proper forms and stance which were meant to be used for the ideal attack for each respective technique.

It took five years for Fuse to master these techniques. Three to be able to use them all, and another two to truly refine and hone his skills for each. These years of training, years of failing and years of success had built up Fuse’s character. He was not only physically stronger, but emotionally as well. Both Raikan and Fuse were proud, this called for a celebration! And a celebration they had. Rain had hosted a party for the entire family, a party that lasted hours upon hours. Near the climax of the party, tragedy struck. Tragedy that would once again change Fuse’s life.

To Have No Blade
A war had begun, with the island being the battleground. A three-way battle between Pirates, Marines, and the Revolutionaries. Their battle was tearing apart the island, and it claimed the lives of his adoptive mother and one of his adoptive sisters when a cannonball struck the house, causing a portion of the wall to crush the two. Raikan grabbed Fuse and they ran, Raikan not wanting to lose another member of his family. The pair ran out the house, running around the outskirts to avoid the main chunk of the war zone. They ran, and they ran. Until Raikan was struck down by a Pirate. Fuse brutally attacked the pirate, using the Pirate’s own blade against them. Within half a minute, Fuse had disarmed the Pirate; quite literally having chopped off their arms.

Fuse rushed over to Raikan, his adoptive father. A wound on his chest, a massive gaping hole. Fuse was in tears, there was nothing he could do. He was a fighter, not a healer, the man had no idea how to treat a wound of such a high degree. Raikan told Fuse to save himself, and only requested one thing from his adopted son.

“Become the greatest.”

And with that, Raikan had passed away, his last breath had left his body. Fuse simply stared at Raikan’s dead body, refusing to believe that the man had died. The adolescent was snapped back to reality by the voice of an angry pirate, coming his way. Fuse launched to his feet and began running, tears pouring down his face like a river. He found an empty ship, most likely belonging to a Marine squadron. He boarded the ship and set sail, the chaos of the war distracting others from seeing the fleeting ship.

To Have a Curse
Fuse docked the ship at a busy island, still heartbroken from the loss of his adoptive family. Not only was he without a family, he was without a home. He needed money, and he needed money soon. As he walked through the town, he noticed wanted posters. Posters for pirates, offering ludicrous amounts of Berries for bringing them in dead or alive. Fuse wondered if he should try to bring them in, it would spread his name across the seas, build himself a reputation as a swordsman. But before Fuse could become a Bounty Hunter, he needed a blade. And not just any blade would do, oh no. Fuse needed a blade of similar or higher quality than the one he had used during his time with Raikan.

Luck was on his side for once, as during his stay in the island, he heard of a rumour. Of a blade hidden in the mountaintop, a blade with a dark past. Fuse didn’t care for the dark past, he simply wondered about the quality of the blade. Being the young and foolish adolescent he was, he ventured to the mountain, searching for the blade. He was lost in the mountain for a week, barely surviving on animal meat and water. But he did eventually find the blade, and it was beautiful. With a hilt made of bone which was surrounded by red leather, accompanied by a blood-red blade, it was everything Fuse could have asked for. It was clearly of great quality. Fuse went to go lift the blade, but the only issue was that he couldn’t.

No matter how hard the boy tried, he couldn’t lift the blade at all. Fuse almost pulled a muscle trying to lift it, but he still couldn’t. When Fuse tried again, however, his mind went blank, and all he saw was the sword. The sword was cursed, and it had decided to ‘speak’ to Fuse. It told the boy that it would allow Fuse to lift it, as long as the boy gave it blood. It was then Fuse realized the power the blade held, and how much it could do to accomplish Raikan’s dream; Fuse’s dream. Fuse accepted, and his vision returned. Fuse’s sword hand had a cut on the palm, but Fuse grabbed ahold of the blade. An immensely sharp pain ran up the arm of Fuse, and he cursed. Eventually the pain fled, and the blade was now his. Fuse owned the katana now, naming it Reiōka.

Fuse returned back to the main island, and went to a café. He had made a plan to swindle the place for free food. He noticed that he still had his sword out, and he knew that he had to sheath it. When he went to do so, he found that he was physically unable to, the blade wouldn’t go near the sheath. Yet again, Fuse’s vision faded away and all he saw was Reiōka. Reiōka told him that it could not be sheathed until it had dug itself through the body of another. Fuse was appalled and said that he wouldn’t do it. Once he had finished that statement, his mind went completely blank.

When Fuse came through, he was on the ground, completely exhausted. He groggily stood up, and almost collapsed back down out of sheer fear. He was still in the café, but all around him were corpses, innocents that had bene hacked to pieces. Fuse looked at his blade and went to sheath it. And once it had gone into the sheath, Fuse had a panic attack. Knowing that Reiōka could only be sheathed after killing another, Fuse realized that he had killed at least one person in the café, but it was more than likely that he had killed them all.

Just then, a squadron of marines charged in, quickly detaining Fuse. Fuse screamed, telling them that it wasn’t his fault; but why would they believe him? All the signs pointed towards the fact that it was Fuse that had killed these innocent people. They took him onboard their ship, and they set sail for a Marine base.

They tried to remove Reiōka off of Fuse’s person, but they couldn’t. Each time they grabbed the blade, their skin started to turn red and steam. Instead, they decided to simply keep a close guard on him. As Fuse laid there, his arms tied to the wall, the voice of Reiōka rang through his head.

“They’ll kill you, you know?”

Fear rushed through Fuse, the boy not wanting to die. He wanted to live as long as he could, and accomplish the task that Raikan had given him. As such, Fuse knew there was only one way he could live; he had to kill everyone on board. It was easy to get out of the binds that had been placed on him. He unsheathed Reiōka, and used the Bakuretsuyo-ryu to get out of the cage. Within minutes, Fuse had killed everyone on board the ship, and strangely enough, it didn’t bother him as much anymore. During the time he had fought consciously with Reiōka, their wills had become interlaced.

After this incident, Fuse began to travel from island to island, hunting down those with bounties. He started off dealing with small ones, targeting only Pirates. But as time went on, he discovered that he could handle stronger targets, as well as discovering that Pirates would pay ridiculous amounts of money for Fuse to go kill a few Marines. Since that day, Fuse has become notorious, having taken down a few marine bases since then, one of them being a base run by a Commodore.

Trivia

 * Fuse was born on the same day that an atomic bomb was dropped on.
 * Fuse...