Chapter II: White Walls
Staring at the metallic walls surrounding her, Nami recapitulated for the tenth time how the situation managed to go from bad to worse to abysmal and utterly terrifying. When she was still doing slave labour for Arlong, at least she was granted freedom of movement, the one thing besides the thoughts of her family and fellow villagers that kept her from completely losing her frail sanity. Because she was able to – even though restlessly – work towards a goal. With this goal taken from her, there was nothing left to do. She had been imprisoned before, that was just one thing that came with the profession that was forced onto her, but she was always able to wiggle her way out of every collar they tried to put on her. Simply because she had to. If she hadn't managed to free herself, she wouldn't have been able to steal more and more money. That couldn't have happened, all the people had put their trust in her. And until the very last moment, when they stormed Arlong Park in full force, she hadn't even known.
How could life actually go on for her? Of course, she tried to break out the moment the guards had put her into the cell, but to no avail. There just simply wasn't a lock to pick, the doors were locked from the outside only and her jailers were either the most disciplined men she had ever met or they were dead inside. None of them even shot a glance at her. That one special kind of look, the lecherous glances men have been showering her with as soon as she hit her 16th birthday.
Maybe they'll warm up to me in a few days. Then I might be able to plan an escape. I need to get out of here. I'll not stand for it, having been freed from one bastard to get caught by the next. This is not going to happen. I'll fight tooth and nail and return to my people!
But what would happen if she actually managed to escape from this new prison of hers? The captain of this strange and menacing ship was very clear when he forced her to chose between a life in his servitude and the lives of everyone in Cocoyasi. He executed Arlong without a second thought, would sell all of his crew into slavery and was probably able to have a perfectly serene sleep over it.
She had known and seen coldhearted bastards and relished in stealing everything they owned. Some of them brutally abused their workers and paid them shit for it, but even these men usually were in possession of something or even someone – like a mistress - they loved or just cherished. This ship's blonde captain, though, seemed to be a different beast. He came to her in her hour of direst need and hammered light into the darkness within the cage of Arlong's tyranny and within the same breath, the saviour of her people revelead that he was as two-faced as an ancient god she once read about. It seemed as if he simply shattered one cage to free space for a new one.
She didn't know for how many hours she was incarcerated, not that it really mattered. Caught within a cell without windows, she would quickly lose her sense of time completely. Cold, electric light was nothing compared to the sun that once caressed her skin. Out of sheer desperation she actually tried to punch a hole into the walls, right after they had thrown her in here. Her bloody knuckles and the pain that came with them quickly convinced her not to do it again, so she just sat down on the equally cold floor and went back to thinking. Right now, her conviction was unbroken and she said to herself that she'd rather starve to death or die by sleep deprivation than to use the cell's bed or eat whatever they'd give her. If they actually intended to feed her, that is. Once more, she promised and swore to herself and her friends that she would escape. No matter the cost.
Just for now, there wasn't more time to think about it as she was able to hear foot steps resounding in the hallway. Maybe her captor would finally make her acquaintance or it were just some of his soldiers, bringing her food she'd throw away or buckets to piss in. She might actually use those, though. When the sound of steps came to a halt, words replaced them. And those managed to surprise the young girl.
"We'd like to enter your cell now, miss. Please refrain from showering us with bodily fluids or other nasty things you might keep in there. Also, don't try to attack us, for your own good. There's two of us and two guardsmen outside and the probability is high that you wouldn't like the repercussions of such actions. If you accept these terms, please let us know either by using your voice or simply knocking on the door once."
Is that just a sick joke? I always knew Arlong was a bloody bastard, but even he wasn't that sick. Or .. was he?
Devoid of any viable options, at least for the moment, Nami raised her left hand and knocked on the door. There seemed to be a sigh of relief on the other side as the speaking voice's tone lost a little of its stiffness.
"Your compliance is much appreciated, miss. Now, if you'd please stand back."
They gave her five seconds before she could hear the heavy steel lock being opened. As the door itself was pushed open, the first thing she could see were the silhouttes of two men, none of them particularly large or imposing, both wearing long hair. Her heart ached a bit when she caught the heavy smell of tobacco that accompanied them. It always reminded her of Belle-mère, an avid smoker throughout all her much too short life. Much to her surprise, one of them had his hands lifted as if to show her that they were unarmed, the other one carried a meal tray in his hands and a shoulder bag. The men entered her small cell and closed the door behind them, both of them wore plain black suits, white shirts under the jackets and ties of the same, deep blue colour. Nami immediately recognised that they were smiling. Not the smile of a psychotic murderer, but a casual, friendly and approachable smile, supported by round and warm brown eyes.
"You've got nothing to fear from us, miss. We're not here to hurt you. May we enter?" The smaller of the two was speaking, dark haired and displaying a friendly and amenable expression on his face. She simply nodded and silently scolded herself. Now that there was food in the nearest vicinity, her stomach was ready to immediately betray her.
"Seems like we're not a minute too early with the food." The taller of the two was speaking now, his hair being a mixture of black and white and a skin colour so pale that she thought it unhealthy. Otherwise, it was a plain face, adorned with two eyes of a very light blue and a nose that was just a little too big to seem normal.
Like a damn skunk. I don't want any of this rotten food. They probably have drugged it, so that it'll be easier to take advantage of me. I'm not going to fucking eat it.
"Wait, I know you. Weren't you trying to dissuade your captain from taking me prisoner?" The thought took her aback, maybe she wasn't surrounded just by enemies. The shorter of the two men nodded.
"That's indeed who we are. My friend's name is Avian, you can call me Stone. Again, we're not here to hurt you and I can guarantee you that the food – while it's a bit lacking in the taste department – is perfectly nutritous", when he recognised her doubtful look, he shared a quick glance with the other man.
"It's not poisoned or drugged either, if that's what you're thinking about. Nonetheless, we have a purpose here besides bringing you food. Seeing the state of your body, my colleague and I are fairly certain that you've been suffering from malnourishment for a while now, both regarding the quality and quantity of your food."
She made a face at that and, even though she wasn't yet ready to admit it, she felt a little hurt. Under normal circumstances, men were usually enchanted by her body and face, a fact that she managed to exploit all the way when she set them up to get their pockets emptied. Their minds simply weren't able to fight against the magnetic aura of her big, brown and apologetic eyes when she bumped into them by accident. Not once did their perception get the better of the sleight of her hands and when she walked away, smiling widely, it took them ages to recognise that their whole purse was gone.
"Why'd you care? I'm your prisoner, the state of my stomach means shit to you", she pouted her lips, again trying to work her usual charm on the two men.
"Might be right for some, but the circumstances are different this time. We've no interest in harming you, but in the same vein we need to protect the crew. When the body's malnourished, its ability to fend off infections and sickness gradually worsens and the last thing we need on this ship is the outbreak of an infectous desease." Nami wondered why that might even be a problem since she was being held in an isolation cell, presumably not even close to the incarcerated fishmen.
"So .. you are the ship's doctors?"
"Nope, but this ship actually has a dedicated doctor. The problem lies with the captain and his orders", the shorter man stated, shrugging his shoulders before the other one continued.
"We're advisors, but don't worry too much about that word. Both of us have rudimentary knowledge about medicine, and some people in the past were smart enough to write down the characteristics of a healthy human being. Alas, even with our limited knowledge and the equally limited instruments we have at our disposal, we'd like to run you through some standardised tests. Weight, body temperature, blood pressure, mostly. We thought about taking a sample of your blood, but decided against it, in the very least for now."
"You've mentioned the captain's orders. What did he say", she interrupted him and once again. This time, both of the men shrugged in an apologetic fashion.
"Honestly, his orders don't make an awful lot of sense. He's restricted contact with you – for the whole crew – to a bare minimum. In his mind, that's providing you food and accompany you when you're allowed to take a bath. Asked about medical attention, he told us to mind our own businesses. To be perfectly frank, he seems quite .. smitten with you."
"Or possessive .. in an obsessive way, if you ask some people." The taller man, Avian, she remembered, put down the meal tray on her plank bed and returned his gaze toward her.
"You're free to eat now or later. Or not at all, if you'd like to have it that way, but we'd strongly advise you against that. We don't .. exactly know what's coming for you, but starving yourself to death won't help just about anything that comes to mind. Well, except starving yourself to death."
He produced two cigarettes from the insides of his suit and gave one to the other man, asking her via glance if she'd have a problem with them smoking in the small room, which she declined with a short shake of her head. Their old childhood house had been rather small, too, and Belle-mère never refrained from smoking nor was she ever asked by her or Nojiko. As they both incinerated and the familiar smell of tobacco filled the air, she felt at home, even if only for a second. People all over the world smoked and sometime in the future, she had to get rid of the nostalgia that accompanied the smell. Or start smoking herself, but that was a question for another day.
"What do you mean by the captain being smitten with me?" The way they said it, it didn't sound very charming, it didn't sound like the blonde man who killed Arlong fell in love with her. Their words implied a rather much darker meaning of the word and – even if she really didn't want to hear more about it – she needed to, as to be able to steel herself for the oncoming storm.
"I .. well, he seemed to fancy your looks", Stone began, obviously trying not to make certain implications.
"You mean he lusts after my body?! He's not the first one to do so, he won't be the last. And let me tell you, none of these men ever managed to touch me without my permission and went away unscathed. NONE OF THEM!" The men were looking as if struck by lightning, but then they slowly began to nod.
"Yes, you're right. Seems to be running in his family, too." That seemed to be all they had to say about the matter and Nami felt absolutely disheartened. She initially thought that come time, she might have been able to flee make a great escape. Flirt with a few guards, steal their keys and get in one of the lifeboats and find the nearest port to get a passage home.
Would that bastard of a captain retaliate if I managed to escape? Very likely, I guess, but with Nezumi and Arlong gone, my people might be able to send a call to the Marines to get help. My life's on the clock, no matter from which angle I'm looking at it. I'll not allow that bastard to touch me. Never! Even if I have to .. to kill him?
The thought alone sent shivers down her spine. No matter how much she despised many of the people she robbed, let alone Arlong and his companions, she never would have thought that she had it in her to attempt to kill them.
And without him having betrayed me, the other villagers wouldn't have thought of it, either. Maybe that is their game plan? Give yourself the mask of invincibility and try to dissuade everyone from trying to resist. When push came to shove, the fishmen weren't able to hold their own even for a few minutes. This ship, these men would have massacred them if they wanted. Would probably have been better for the fishmen. Even after all these years, I can't wish a life of slavery on anyone.
While she sank deeply into her own thoughts, the two men did their work, took her temperature and blood pressure and lead her onto a scale.
"That's actually a little surprising. Even though you're quite dangerously underweight, your body does seem to be able to hold itself together well enough. But yes, both your blood pressure and pulse should be higher. I assume that you're feeling cold and maybe dizzy relatively often" to which she didn't respond. The fewer things they knew about her, the better. Even if these two men were putting on a masquerade of amicability, everything they found out about her could help the perverted captain to pursue her, if he really put his mind to it.
"Tell me, where is this ship from?" The men seemed a little taken by the blunt question, yet Stone quickly regained his countenance and was the one to answer.
"Apologies, miss, but we are under strict orders not to mention anything related to that topic. Some boundaries, I fear, are even binding for us", he smiled a sad and apologetic smile and shared another glance with Avian.
"Isn't there anything you could tell me? I'm desperate for some kind of perspective within this hellish journey!" She was close to shouting at them but, with some willpower, forced back both the volume of her voice and the tears that were already burning within the corners of her eyes. She swallowed heavily and let a few seconds pass until she was fairly certain that her voice was back under her control.
"You don't need to be specific, just .. please, give me something I can put my mind on to. This ship and your captain, you aren't just a ragtag bunch of mercenaries or pirates. I've never seen anything that equals it. I've never seen soldiers, not even highly trained marine troops, work and fight in such perfect unison. It just seems unnatural to me, inhuman. Please, you two weren't what I expected when your captain took me prisoner, you treated me like a human being. Help me.."
"That might not be an easy task, miss. Helping you. Neither can we put your mind at ease without lying to you, nor can we force the ship's doctor to give you drugs to calm you down. At least not without the captain knowing it. The crew is loyal to him, beyond even the faintest shadow of a doubt. Even our short visit will, most likely, yield considerable consequences. How could we possibly make your lot easier?" Stone was the one to answer again, while his colleague Avian simply sat there and finished his cigarette.
Nami was smiling inwardly. They weren't even asking why they should help her. They asked how they could do it! If they knew the implications or not wasn't all that important, but they were ready to help.
Can't ask them to free me, they'll just laugh at me. And I probably can't ask too much from them right now, anyway. First step: Gather informations. Anything might help. Anything about this ship, about the crew, about the captain. A plan without intel is doomed to fail, no matter if it's stealing from people or escaping from prison. I need to know more about these people.
"I .. I just need something I can occupy my mind with, please. Not a book or a magazine, of course, but something that's in any way related to my situation. You can't tell me where this wonderous ship is from, I understand that, but is there just anything you might be able to share with me? I've never seen something that is both just so .. terrifying and magnificent at the same time." Both men shared another glance in silence before Stone let out a sigh. When he spoke again, his voice nearly was too low to be heard.
"Can't see too much harm coming from that, right? Here's one bit: You've never seen and probably will never see another ship that's this one's equal in your whole lifetime, simply because they were designed to be the undisputed apex when it comes to military vessels that can be produced in series."
The perfect military ship? That's, in the very least, something to draw conclusions from. The captain isn't just some mercenary or pirate, he has to work with or for someone or an organisation with incredible influence, power and wealth. And he said something about them being produced in a series, so it might not just be the insane dream of an equally insane shipwright to prove anything.
"What about the crew? The captain, or yourselves? Is there something you can share with me?" This time, the other man answered.
"Afraid there's not much that we can share with you. A warning, maybe. Do not try to persuade the ship's personnel to help you, in whatever way your mind might figure worth trying. It'd just be a waste of your time. There is and never will be a doubt of where the crew's loyalty lies."
"Are the crewmen as perfect as the ship's supposed to be? Where are they from?" The informations both men were giving her were vague as all hell, but even if they denied her any further answers, she would have something to put her mind to. And she didn't lie when she spoke about how awe-inspiring and terrifying the ship was. No matter what it brought, it was a sight to behold, even to someone such as Nami, who usually didn't have the time to care much about the vessel she was riding on.
"Sorry, can't tell you where the ship's from. And about the crew, the people they hail from .. well, they're cultured, to a certain degree. A fell people, grim and serious, a little prideful, maybe. Well versed when it comes to engineering, as you might be able to see, but what really drives them on is a whole different matter. They're possessed by a sinister lust for battle and conquest and war, that's what makes them who they are. From birth to cradle to adulthood, their lust for war is nurtured, and their culture reflects it. Before a serious military engagement, they bring great horns to inspire fear in the hearts of their enemies, they hold great pride in their military equipment and all their sophistication and use of science works towards a singular goal: War. Unfortunately, that's about as much as we can tell you about them without risking our own heads. Even when you're whispering, these walls tend to have ears, if you understand." Both men lit another cigarette and shared more glances.
"The ship's enormous, even when compared with marine ships. Does that mean that it's slow", the attempt was obvious to herself and to them, yet they felt inclined to answer.
"Trust us when we say that it's a lot faster than it has any right to be. In just a day, we very nearly crossed the whole distance between the Conomi Islands and the free city of Alaran", this information managed to make her gasp. Never had she heard of a ship that would be able to reach Alaran in under three days. But that wasn't all that important to her. If she managed to escape from the ship to reach the free city, she might actually be able to evade the blonde captain's grasp for a while and find passage back to Cocoyasi, but either she wore her thoughts on her sleeves or the men could read her mind, they continued.
"If you're thinking about finding refuge in Alaran, we'd advice you to think about it again. You might not have heard about it, but the city's basically on lockdown. Ever since it became independent, both pirates, marines and the local aristocracy tried to bring them to heel again, but to no avail since their trade money enabled them to hire whole battalions of mercenaries to fight any invader off. For the longest time, it seems. A very dangerous man has put his eye on the city and there exist enough rumours to make it believable that he's sent a fearsome army to .. negotiate terms with the city council." Pushing out the smoke through his nostrils, Stone continued his exposition.
"All the mercenaries in the whole of East Blue won't be enough to repel such a force, miss. These days, they won't admit anyone they're not a hundred per cent sure they can trust into the their walls. Pity that nearly all refugees from the surrounding smaller islands don't have the council's trust. They suspect spies and agents provocateurs at every corner." He leaned back and shut his eyes for the moment so that Avian could finish.
"The truth of the matter, though, is that if even half of the rumours about the coming army are true, they won't need spies. They'll come, rip through the city's walls as if they weren't even there, kill the council and enforce favourable terms with fire and steel. The marines won't help, on one hand because the city managed to defy them for so long, on the other hand because they can't reallocate enough strong troops for such a – to them – minor matter. Nothing short of an admiral or a bunch of vice admirals would even manage to hold the invading army off if their rumoured strength is to be believed. If you don't want to be a lickspittle to the World Government, you're alone out there. Trust us, even if you'd somehow manage to be admitted into Alaran, you really don't want to be there when the invaders arrive."
There was so much more she wanted them to ask as any further information might just be what she needed to complete her escape plan, but fate had decided not give her the opportunity. Large hands hammered against the metal door and a callous voice came from the other side.
"The captain wants to see her now."
