-Night falls, gray besieges the rotten city (pt. 1)-

The good thing about being narcoleptic, I found out, was the fact little Rouge couldn't disrupt my sleep patterns. Since they were completely messed up already.

But that didn't mean I appreciated being woken up from my nightly naps (during the day, I retreated to a faraway corner to get some sleep at predetermined hours, and the boys knew better than to wake me) by her wails.

A baby's cries are tailored to instill a sense of urgency in anyone close enough to hear it—and I'm pretty sure Dadan could hear all the way from her base.

It was impossible to tell what she wanted, besides the most obvious things. Hunger ranked first in little Rouge's priorities, while hugs and cleanliness tied for second. But besides the obvious, it was anyone's guess, really.

"Rourou sleeps more than Annie!" Luffy pouted and crossed his arms.

"Hey! I don't sleep that much! I just sleep in small installments…"

"Small installments, high interest rate." Sabo quipped.

"Shush." I waved my hand dismissively.

"Were we ever that noisy?" Ace asked, rubbing his temple.

"Nope. Pretty sure we were muuuch worse. Baby Rouge is an angel in comparison."

"I guess I have to thank that old hag then." At my inquisitive glance, he elaborated, "For not smothering us."

"Haha, because that would have gone so well with grandfather."

"Oh, there's that. She was probably too afraid to do it. Still, remind me to take some booze next time we see her."

"Sure."

One morning, Ace, Sabo and I went to visit Dadan. Baby Rouge, being one month old, was too small for such a long trek, and Luffy stayed to help Makino.

"Isn't this nostalgic? Just the three of us, walking to our old home?"

"Yeah, I can already smell it." Ace mock-gagged.

"Acey! Don't be a stick in the mud!"

"Ann, look at where you're walki—"

"Kyaaah!"

"…too late."

Ace was too busy trying to balance the barrels that had been suddenly thrown at him to respond. Or laugh.

I wrung the hem of my skirt, futilely trying to blow a wet strand of hair from my eyes. Damn bridges that couldn't remain in their proper places!

"Look at the bright side," Sabo said in-between laughs, "this time, you remembered to throw the goods before they were soaked too."

"Do you want me to punch you that much?"

"You can try."

"I hate to interrupt a fight, but we don't have much time."

"Boo!" I stuck my tongue out. "Stick in the mud!"

"I'm not the one with mud on their face, though." Ace smirked.

"Wha-?"

"Look, isn't that Magra?"

"Hey, Magra!"

The man put down the axe, wiped his forehead and turned to us. "What brings you here?"

"We come bearing gifts!" Sabo announced with a flourish. While holding barrels. Show-off.

"Oh, in that case, come in. I'll make some tea for you."

"We got your favorites!" I grinned, hauling a large stack of barrels inside the wooden house.

"You brats! After so many months, I thought we'd have peace!"

I hugged the big softie. "Hey, Dadan, I'm leaving the island soon."

"Already?"

"Yeah, I wanted to see you before then, because I have no idea when I'm coming back."

"Brat, one year or ten, you'll always return to torment me." She patted my head gruffly.

"That, I will." After she released me, I opened one of the barrels. "Hey, we brought lots of food and booze! Let's party! I've even remembered to bring fruits, jams and garnishes for the drinks!"

"Idiot! You're too young to drink!" Dadan slapped my head.

"I live in a bar now. Drinking and mixing are different things. You should try Ace's One Hit KOcktail! No two doses are the same, guaranteed."

"What a lousy name."

"Dogra!" I tackled him.

"I missed you too, kid."

I watched as Sabo threw bottles and mugs to Ace, who mixed the drinks midair.

"Not going to join them, young missy?"

"Little John! I didn't see you!"

"I just came back now."

Despite all her bravado, Dadan was surprisingly generous—for an immoral bandit's standards, at least. She offered a place for those who had nothing until they could go on their own way. While under her care, the person would 'work' as a bandit to pull their weight, of course, but no one was forced to stay.

Few people remained for more than a few months, and even less so for more than a year, so the faces changed constantly. Out of the entire Family, the only ones who had been present ever since we were babies were Dadan (for obvious reasons), Dogra, Magra and Little John, although the latter was often traveling around.

"Ah, I brought some dried strawberry; it's one of your favorites, right?"

"You remembered!" The portly man smiled delightedly, showing his yellow teeth.

"I love them too, so of course I'd remember." I passed a bag of the confectioneries to him.

"You do know your grandfather expects you to serve as a marine after you graduate, right?"

I paused. "Yeah. I'll cross that bridge when the time comes."

"As long as you don't lose sight of what you truly want to do."

I looked at the boys. "Don't worry; there's only one thing I want."

'I want the smiles to outnumber the tears and frowns on your face.'

The party went on, and we ended up staying for the night.

"Any interesting news, Dogra?" I asked, sipping a mug of fresh tea.

The man flipped the newspaper. "Apparently, a few World Nobles are coming to visit Goa Kingdom."

"Cough-cough!" I put down the tea and took a deep breath. "Wh-when is that?"

"In three days."

"No!"

"Are they that horrible?" Ace poured a cup of milk and sat next to me.

"It's not that… it… it's-"

I don't want to tell them.

"Ann, what's the problem?"

But if I don't, they could find out I knew about it later, and that—

I tried to slow down my heartbeat. After a few moments, I finally said, "The Gray Terminal will disappear in a sea of fire."

"What?"

"Goa is the most pristine Kingdom in all East Blue. To keep that image, the nobles would go as far as burning all the trash."

"But the people—"

"The people won't be alive to care," Sabo muttered.

"…"

"Nobles believe the Gray Terminal dwellers are trash themselves, so burning them is only considered garbage disposal. It's their fate for not being nobles."

"How could they decide a person's fate based on their birth?!"

I bit my lip, nails digging on my fisted hands. 'This is personal for you now, isn't it?'

"We have to do something!" Sabo shouted. "Back then, I had nothing; the people in Edge Town averted their gaze, but no one ever offered even a place to stay the night. As the days passed I grew desperate, and eventually stole from a shopkeeper. He chased me, and I ended up in the gray Terminal.

"An old man found me lying unconscious, and then, not only did he save my life, he taught me how to survive in that place where no human should live. Can you believe it?" Sabo smiled sardonically. "A supposed sub-human showed more compassion than my own 'noble' parents."

"Sabo…"

"He died of the flu two months later, and I never got to repay him. But if I can help someone else, and this someone helps another, then certainly…"

I felt ashamed.

How could I run away?

Because I'm selfish.

'I want the smiles to outnumber the tears and frowns on your face.'

"Our chances of success lie in thwarting the preparations for the fire. Once the purging starts, nothing can stop the flames," I said resignedly.

"Any plans?"

"Sabo," Ace called, "we'll be close to the city, and if they did put a reward for you…"

"Any suggestions?"

"We'll dye your hair and eyebrows black. Wear a wig over that. If anyone recognizes your face, your 'true' hair color should throw them off. Also, it would be better if you wore a simple tank top instead of your usual coattails. We want you to blend in."

"Won't that take too much time?"

"One hour won't make much of a difference. They wouldn't start preparations so early in the morning." 'Probably.' "I'll ask Magra to help you with the hair dye and that guy should have a spare to lend us." I pointed to a man lying in the corner, brown wig falling over his face. "For now, eat a reinforced meal. There won't be time to eat later."

We watched as a group of men carried barrels of a foul-smelling substance 'Kerosene? Damn.' When they separated to get another load, I signaled for the boys. They readied their swords…

With the advantage of a surprise attack and bladed weapons, disposing of them was surprisingly easy. Despite their initial hesitancy, I had managed to convince the boys our only chance of winning was complete annihilation—precise movements to inflict the most damage, so that no one could get up and catch us off guard later. Compassion was a luxury that only the strongest could afford, after all.

"Let's bury the barrels for now." It may not be safe, but pouring it in the river wasn't a feasible option. And if the barrels were slowly retrieved to be used as fuel, it wouldn't be a problem.

"That was easy." Ace commented after he finished covering the ditch with a thick layer of soil.

Then, it occurred to me. "Too easy."

"Well, they were weak."

"No, that's not what I meant. The Gray Terminal is huge. While secrecy is important, that'd be worth shit if they didn't get the job done on time!"

"Oh no." Sabo's eyes widened. "They are working with a tight schedule. The stakes are too high to depend on a few criminals."

"Shit."

"We have to warn the people!"

Before Sabo could sprint, I grabbed his hand. "If someone told you they were going to burn the entire Gray Terminal along with its people, would you have believed?"

"I believed you."

"That's different! We've known each other for years! But we are just kids, and not even from Gray Terminal! They'll think it's a prank or something."

"Still…"

"We try," Ace said. "If only one out of a hundred listens, that's still one person more than if we didn't do anything."

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. "Ok. Let's separate. The part we cleared out can be our meeting point. Send people to that side, and we'll plan our next steps there. Sabo, your old hideout was in the northern side, right?" He nodded. "Go there and see if you recognize anyone. If not, just spread the word."

"Understood."

"Ace, you go west. I'll warn the people in the south."

"Got it."

I hugged them both. "If the fire starts spreading, I want you to promise me you'll do your best to escape."

"You too, Ann. Don't you die on us."

It was too quiet. Usually, there were many people walking about at all hours, but not that day. After no one answered my knocks, I entered one of the 'houses'. What I saw on the makeshift table made my blood run cold.

The inhabitants' only source of food was scavenged from the trash. People didn't throw away the kind of food I was seeing there.

Fearing the worst, I swiped at the cloth that separated the main area and what I assumed was the sleeping area. On the floor, there were a few cots, and, lying on them, a group of children.

I kneeled and checked the pulse of the closest one. My shoulders slumped in relief. "Just sleeping."

'How do you guarantee most of the population can't escape the fire?'

You put them to sleep.

Had a few people dropped dead shortly after eating, no one else would have even approached the boxes of food. But it was (relatively) fresh food! People didn't stop to question what it was doing there, as nobles did tend to discard anything remotely turned.

Knowing that, someone had laced the contents with sleeping drugs. Their delayed action gave enough time for everyone to go back to their 'homes' and fall asleep obliviously…

I couldn't carry all the adults, but the child–malnourished as they were—were much lighter.

Cost-effectiveness: one adult weighs more than two children. Thus…

"Is this the value of human life? Can I measure it, play God and decide who gets to live?"

But two lives are better than one, right?

The makeshift cart I had built from the piles of trash was practically doubling over with weight.

I had only covered a small area.

'Just how many people live in here? Anyway, I'd better take these kids to our meeting point and come back to finish later. If my cart breaks, all that effort will be meaningless.'

And so, I made trip after trip, avoiding any suspicious men, depositing more and more people in a hidden nook so they wouldn't be found in such a vulnerable state.

The smoke first appeared during my eighth trip.

It hadn't rained in a while, so all the trash was dry, which probably explained how the fire grew so fast.

I remorsefully glanced back, but quickened my pace. "I'm sorry!" I couldn't die there.

—I don't wanna die help it hurts make it stop oh god just kill me—

As the flames illuminated the night with the intensity of a thousand suns, and the temperature rose to dangerous levels, I was assaulted by uncountable voices mashed together in a dissonant choir of agony, a twisted soundtrack to a real-life horror movie.

Were it only the voices, it wouldn't be as bad.

However...

I could feel my skin dissolving in flames, the acrid scent of burning flesh, the heat, the fear, the heat, the heat the heat… oh gods—

There are no gods in this cursed land.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Through the haze of emotions, a familiar face. "Sabo… help."

He was running towards me.

"Ann! Watch out!"

Then, everything exploded in burning, excruciating agony.

Night falls, gray besieges the rotten city (pt. 1)_end

000

Hah! I've wanted to write this scene from the beginning! Hell yeah. *does happy dance*

Although my first draft was very different. In it, after they separated, Ann was stabbed by one of the Bluejam pirates.

Encontros e Despedidas (Meetings and Farewells), by Milton Nascimento.

Send news from that corner of the world
Tell me, who stayed?
Give me a hug, hold me tightly-
Incoming.
One thing I like is departing
With nary a plan.
Even better,
Returning whenever.

Hustle and bustle, every single day
Life repeats itself across stations
Some people arrive to stay,
Albeit others go to nevermore;
Some passengers turn up, but want back,
Albeit others go and wish to stay;
Some are only here to watch;
Some people laugh, as others cry.
And thus, coming and going

Are merely two sides of
A single trip
The incoming train
Is the same one you saw off.
Meetings are
Also farewells.
The platform in this train station
Is life in this place of mine,
It is life in this place of mine,

It is life.

Estação means either station or season. I'm not sure the word play was intentional, but...