A Force Against Inertia
By Dixxy Mouri
Chapter 27
It was the first time they'd felt the wind in a year.
It was cold out, and the hospital shirts that had been their wardrobe for the last year were not nearly enough. 0543 shivered, clutching herself while she looked around. She looked up at the stars and paused, marveling at the vastness of the sky. It was a crystal clear night, and the stars speckled the sky. She wanted to cry, because even though she'd seen the night sky thousands of times before, she wasn't sure when she'd last taken a good long look at it. Now it felt like she was seeing it for the first time.
"Come on – we'll have plenty of time to star gaze later," said 0544, gently touching her elbow. "It's okay – I get it. You know I do. But right now isn't the time." 0543 looked at him and nodded. If they were caught staring up at the sky, they would never see it again. She moved her hand to his, and together they started to move towards the lifeboat.
In all, the dash to the lifeboat didn't take very long, but it felt like an eternity. Moving that fast and that free was unfamiliar, yet it was something they used to do so well. Running from Marines or other pirates, or headlong after their captain into battle, or even just around the Thousand Sunny or the Going Merry to keep on top of the ship and making sure everything was all right. But now their movements were jerky and what should have been no more than a five second walk was now a thirty second scramble, ending with 0543 phasing them through the canvas covering the lifeboat and into the vessel that would bring them their long awaited freedom.
There the two of them lay, quiet and wondering, praying that no one had seem them. All they needed to do was figure out how to get the lifeboat down into the water and away from the Newton. Then . . . they didn't know where they would go. But anywhere was better than there. Anywhere. Even if they were picked up by Arlong or Crocodile or someone else who hated them . . . it would be better than here.
0544 pulled 0543 into his arms. She returned the embrace, taking a deep breath and slowly breathing out. Maybe it was best that they rested for a little bit. This whole escape would have taken minutes before, but in their weakened state it had taken hours and they were both exhausted. She'd never felt so tired in her life.
What could have been minutes or hours later, they untied the boat from the main ship, 0544 using his first power to keep the boat from changing position too quickly and making a loud splash. "It's hard," he said, gripping one of the seats. His brow was dripping with sweat and his cheeks were wet with tears. He was the only thing keeping the boat where it was, the tiny vessel free from the bigger main ship and hovering above the water. "It hurts."
"You can do this," 0543 whispered. "I know you can."
0544 started to push them away from the ship, giving the tiny lifeboat the outward appearance that it was floating or flying away. But the farther they floated, the lower they went, until they were finally several boat lengths away from the hull of the Newton. They pushed the canvas into the water and looked at the ship – it still didn't appear as if anyone had seen their escape, but that was when they felt the rain.
0543's eyes widened as old navigation skills awakened. "There's a storm coming," she said. 0544 swallowed as she continued. "It's a big one. The Newton will probably survive, but our boat . . ." She sunk down into the boat, and her companion followed her lead. "We're going to die, or Tesla is going to recapture us."
The water was getting choppy.
0544 embraced her. "Let's cherish this moment."
0543 closed her eyes. "Always."
The boat continued to rock, and little by little, exhaustion began to overtake them. They were too weak. They were too tired. And even with their lives hanging in the balance, they couldn't keep their eyes open and stay awake. And just after they passed out, someone on board their floating prison spotted their life boat and called for backup.
Over a year earlier . . .
"But the barkeeper said, 'Why, that's impossible! There's no way he saved you last night!' To which the young woman replied, 'But you see, my dear barkeep, that I am alive and well – someone must have pulled me from the burning house!' 'No, no, you don't understand – the knight you spoke of, the one whose armor bore the symbol of the moon, died fifty years ago!'"
"Aw, that wasn't so scary, Usopp! That ghost was nice!" Chopper said.
Usopp crossed his arms. Even though the crew was sometimes annoyed by the sniper's tall tales, for an occasion like this his stories were welcome. He was a better storyteller than anyone else on the ship, excluding perhaps Nami (well, if you asked Sanji at least) or Robin (although everyone agreed she had an almost clinical form that was great for relaying information but not entertainment . . . unless you asked Sanji)."Well of course! Not all ghosts are evil!"
"So they aren't all like the food that came back to life and killed the dinner party guests like in Sanji's story, or the ghosts of the men murdered by the cursed swordsman in Zoro's story, or the haunted treasure from Nami's story, or-" Robin smiled and gently put a hand over the little reindeer's mouth before he got too carried away.
"Of course not. There are hundreds of ghosts stories going back hundreds of years ago. Most reported incidents of ghosts are mere sightings – no actual harm comes to those who see it. Perhaps a face in a window, or a glowing figure walking around a grave yard at night – certainly unsettling images, but they are just that – images." Robin smiled. "The only kind of ghost that could hurt you is a poltergeist, but stories of that variety are very rare."
"What about ghost ships?" asked Luffy. "Shanks liked to tell ghost ship stories!"
"Ah, yes, ghost ships." Robin opened one of the books on ghost stories she had brought to the camping circle and began to flip through the pages. "Ghost ships are usually bad omens. They look like badly damaged, crewless ships floating across the seas at night, waiting to bring bad luck to all who come across it."
"But you said most ghosts aren't scary!" Chopper squealed, clinging to Zoro's head in terror.
"Most, not all. And I suppose the danger would depend on the ship. Perhaps a ship that was used for evil and poorly cared for by her crew would be more likely to spell doom for those she crossed paths with, but who is to say that a friendly ghost ship may not be spotted? Perhaps still showing the wear and tear of her ethereal state, but harmless, none the less."
"Do you really believe in all that, Robin?" asked Nami. "It doesn't seem like your style."
Robin smiled. "The kinds of ghost stories a culture tells – if they tell them at all – can be an important part of their history. Some cultures worship the spirits of their ancestors, while others fear the spirits of the dead. It can say a lot about a society, so it's certainly something to consider when researching a new civilization."
"Sensei used to tell lots of ghost stories to his students – mostly they were cautionary tales about respecting swordsmanship and your sword – or swords – but they were definitely a part of the culture at my dojo," said Zoro. "There are things to learn from them, even if they're about as true as one of Usopp's whoppers."
"HEY!"
"Hey Nami, can we go find a ghost ship? I wanna see one!"
"Luffy, Log Poses don't point to ghost ships," Nami said. "And why do you want to see one?"
"Because it would be cool!"
"Idiot."
"Hey, how does a ship become a ghost ship anyways?" asked Chopper.
"Well, I guess it could be one of two things. One, it could be a haunted ship – the ship itself isn't a ghost, but its crew consists of spirits – or a spirit, I guess. Or two, it could be a sunken or destroyed ship wandering the sea alone at night, waiting to find unwitting victims to join its crew on a never-ending voyage to the spirit world," said Usopp.
"WAH! THAT'S SCARY!"
"Calm down, Chopper! We're not going to let you hop onto a ghost ship and get carried off!" said Sanji. He took a drag on his cigarette. "You are a valued member of this crew, we love you, and I can't let our emergency food supply just take off because some stupid ghost ship wants to take him on a wild ride."
"WAH, DON'T EAT ME!"
"Idiot! You just made it worse!"
"Ah, Nami-san is so beautiful when she's beating me over the head!"
Luffy laughed and looked at the Going Merry's figurehead. "I wonder what kind of a ghost ship the Going Merry would be? Would we all haunt her, or would she be that other kind that Usopp was talking about?" He leaned back on his hands, looked up at the sky, and smiled. "I bet the Going Merry would be a good little ghost ship. There's no way she'd be a bad ghost ship!"
Usopp put his hands on the deck and looked down at the wood with a grin. "Of course not. She's a good ship." He lowered his eyebrows. "But even though she's in rough shape the Going Merry isn't going to be sinking anytime soon! We're going to sail her to the end of the Grand Line! So don't talk about that ghost ship nonsense, Luffy!"
"Well, it's not a ghost ship, but I believe that Marine vessel is ready to fire on us. I think it would be wise if we do something about that first," Robin said, looking over her right shoulder. The crew yelped in surprise, scrambled to their feet, and readied themselves to defend the Going Merry . . .
Deep beneath the slowly brewing storm, thousands of fish swam in the ocean. Joining them were all sorts of other undersea sights – there were sea kings and caves and sunken treasure and all sorts of strange creatures, big or small, swimming along the deep sea currents, barely affected by the maelstrom up above. Despite it all, it was quiet, and dark, and a peaceful place to rest.
And resting on the sea floor in the middle of it all was the wreck of the Going Merry.
She had been under water for more than a year now. She still bore the scorch marks from her funeral, and was still lying in two pieces. Her hull was covered in barnacles and seaweed, and the metal parts of the ship had all rusted over months ago. Her mast was was lying on its side, snapped in half. The paint on her figurehead was chipped and peeling, but the friendly smile remained.
But there was no peaceful slumber for the little ship, and her spirit wasn't smiling.
They're out there . . . but . . . they won't . . . they won't make it . . .
She could sense it. Her Sneaky Thief and Pervy Cook were outside of that horrible other ship and away from the Bad Man who was hurting them, but they were tired and weak and sick and they were in a tiny little lifeboat. Even if they were at their full strength, they were too far from land, and if a wave knocked them overboard they would be done for.
She remembered what it was like before. Sneaky Thief liked to sit on her deck and read in the sunlight, and did her best to keep her safe by telling Rubber Captain and Nose Captain and everyone else what to do to keep her from crashing or sinking. She would sleep soundly below her neck, warm and cozy in her bed.
Pervy Cook made her kitchen a warm, friendly place, even when he was trying to keep Rubber Captain from getting dinner (or lunch, or breakfast, or snacks . . . or anything, really) early and defending her from the Military Men and the Bad Pirates who tried to attack her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, either.
If she could have, she would have cried.
It's not fair . . . they tried so hard to survive . . . it can't end like this . . .
And yet there was nothing she could do. She was sunken and had been sunken for even longer than her two crewmates had been captured. She was rotting and covered in sea bottom junk and unable to do anything. All she could do was feel whenever the Bad Man sailed his ship over her resting spot, where she could sense them as they cried and the he hurt them.
I have to . . . find a way . . . to do something . . .
"I bet the Going Merry would be a good little ghost ship."
I remember that night . . . everyone was so happy . . . they all laughed and smiled . . .
Rubber Captain and Baby Sister were having trouble finding Pervy Cook and Sneaky Thief – they weren't anywhere nearby. They couldn't save them, and if she didn't do something, they were going to die. She couldn't bear the thought of any of her crew dying so horribly – not when they had cared about her so much, not when they had so much to live for and so much to find.
The Going Merry focused as hard as she could. There was only one thing she could do. She had to trust that the stories they had told that night were true, and that there was such a thing as a "good little ghost ship", just like Rubber Captain thought she could be. If she could do that, then maybe she could help them one last time . . .
This is . . . for my crewmates . . .
The sand at the bottom of the sea was shimmering.
Author's Notes
Yes, the Voice was the spirit of the Going Merry.
Remember an earlier chapter when Tesla was describing their sailing pattern? The key clue there was that he was traveling near and around both Water 7 and Enies Lobby, which is the area where the Going Merry sunk. As such, Tesla was constantly sailing over or around her resting place. And since Oda has made it clear that ships can have souls when they are loved I decided to run with this idea.
There are only two parts remaining – the final chapter and the epilogue. The whole story should be out by the end of the month, too, so stay tuned!
Dixxy
