"Land at Mokuba City! The Sky Queen and the Blue Giants!"
Mokuba City wasn't like many other islands on the West Blue. It was 100% city, no grass, trees, wilderness, or anything of the sort. Brick, stone, and cement completed the entirety of the island, a feat seen on very few islands at all. Unlike most other extravagant cities on the West Blue, like Gregor's West for example, Mokuba City wasn't a bustling metropolis filled with every possible ware imaginable. What made the place a standout city on the sea was its position. Mokuba City was the very last economical stop you'd find before reaching Reverse Mountain, making it a popular site for aspiring pirates, bounty hunters, Marines, or just any person looking to try their luck on the most dangerous sea in the world.
Ralli leapt onto the figurehead and stood proudly over the dock of the city. His smile was wide and infectious as he glanced over the area because he knew that, in less than 24 hours, they'd be setting sail for the Grand Line!
"You look excited," Taya mused stepping up casually to the figurehead and smiling when Ralli turned that beaming grin to her.
Still grinning like a fool, he hopped down from the tree figure and landed at Taya's side. "I am! I can't believe I'm so close to the Grand Line! AND I have a crew to boost! This is great! I really can't wait until we leave!"
"Well, we should hurry. Shouldn't we, captain?" Ches called from near the main mast, where he and the rest of the crew stood around in anticipation of their duties. He waved the duo down to them and then looked over everyone with a smile. "I think this is a moment we've all been waiting for, right? The Grand Line is only a three day trip from here, possibly two with how Nola's built and depending on the air currents."
"Which is why we should hurry!" Ralli groaned impatiently, earning a smile from their navigator.
"Of course, Ralli," Ches hummed and then pulled out a slip of paper from his trench coat, and studied it for a brief second. "However, before we go anywhere, we're in need of some supplies. Taya has looked through the pantry and storage to determine whatever food necessities we need. Makyo's also contributed quite a few items that are needed for any maintenance jobs that should arise with our travels. There are also some supplies that I could use for charting and mapping out coordinates. So, all in all, we've got a pretty healthy list to go through."
The rainbow's eyes looked through the list for another quick second before he looked up with a smile. "So, I imagine Taya and Makyo would like to head out for their own supplies. I won't need any assistance gathering what I need, so who's going to assist Taya and Makyo?"
Taya instantly wrapped a vice grip around Atori's arm and yanked him closer. "Ato's coming with me!" she chimed with a smile despite the scowl on the tall brunette's face.
"Oi! I'm no pack mule!" he demanded, irritably.
"You are today~!" she sang merrily and squeezed just a bit harder on Ato's arm, making him cringe in pain.
"O-okay, Ato is with Taya. What about Makyo?" Ches questioned, looking between Mary, Ralli, and Vice.
When neither their captain nor Vice said anything, Mary took the lead. "I will assist sakana-san," she chirped pleasantly, yet turned to the fishman with a thoughtful expression. "Though, I fear that I will not make a very efficient pack mule."
That earned a chuckle from Makyo as he waved away her concern. "Don't worry, Mary. I'll do all of the heavy lifting," he mused with a razor-sharp smile.
Ches nodded his head considerately and then glanced between the remaining two. "So, that just leaves Ralli and Vice to run free. Can we assume that you'll be grouped together while in the city?" he asked of them.
Ralli was ready to agree, but Vice spoke quicker. "I'll be on my own, if you all don't mind," he said, earning a scathing glare from Atori and even a curious glance from some of the others. He just shrugged. "Never been here before and I'd like to look around on my own. If that's a problem, I can follow Ralli."
"It's okay, Vice. You're free to go off on your own if you want," Ralli piped up with an affirmative nod. "I'll be fine."
Atori snorted loudly. "Like hell you will," he demanded with a roll of his eyes. "We'll be chased off this rock in no time."
"No we won't!" red eye pouted, his bottom lip poking out comically as he huffed at his first mate. "I'll be good!"
Atori didn't look convinced.
"Doesn't matter anyway," Ches piped, gaining everyone's attentions again. "We have to get this all done and leave as soon as possible. Let's not forget a certain Marine that we pissed off on Gregor's Isle." He raised a suggestive eyebrow to them all and everyone caught on instantly. "So, we should move quickly," he added and then proceeded to rip the list into three parts. He handed the list of food supplies to Taya and Atori, and the list of miscellaneous maintenance supplies to Makyo and Mary. "I think I speak for us all when I say that we shouldn't be stationed here for longer than a few hours. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can shove out."
"Right!" Ralli cheered and saluted their navigator readily before running over to the railing and leaping out onto the dock below. The second his feet slammed into the wood, he broke out into a sprint, completely ignoring the many people he nearly trampled as he headed into the city. "See you guys around!" he yelled out before disappearing into a crowd of people.
Ato just sighed. "Yeah, we should hurry. I have a feeling we'll be rushing out of this city soon enough."
Over an hour later found the Battle Bar Pirates spread out all throughout Mokuba City. Vice was casually browsing through a display of old instruments inside of an even older thrift shop, looking impassive over the set before glancing up to catch the eye of two young girls. And being the sly squire that he was, he offered them a teasing wink before moving on to another shop, pretending not to hear their giggles. Taya and Atori were rounding a corner in the busy food market of the city over at another port where all kinds of fish and meats were on display. Nearly everything on Taya's list had been checked off at this point as she glanced over all of the items the place offered. Meanwhile, Atori was grouching over just about everything that crossed his mind – from the constant smell of fish to how noisy most of the people were, making Taya's eye twitch with each whine that the man protested until she'd finally turned to punch him in the shoulder and a shouting match occurred between the two that garnered the attention of a lot of people in the area. Ches was happily walking the streets of Mokuba City, hands filled with bags of charting paper, pencils, rulers, and any other items deemed necessary for any and all charts he was sure to make during their journey, hoping to catalog every major event that befell his crew in their search for Atori's brother and the One Piece.
Ralli was standing idle in the middle of a street, looking around at the many different buildings and people walking around him as he munched on an apple that he'd swiped from a cart when the salesman wasn't looking and tried to determine where he wanted to explore next of the big city.
"Did ya hear? There's supposed to be some big show in the central courtyard soon?" he heard one of the passing citizens mention to another person as they both stepped pass red eye without even giving the boy a glance.
"Yeah. Should be all kinds of animals there, too! It's some circus act, I think, but I know that my kid has been whining about it all week!"
"Haha! Mine too!"
The rest was unheard and uncared for as the men kept walking. All Ralli had needed to know was that there was supposed to be a show. "Courtyard, here I come!" he piped confidently before stopping mid-step and scratching his head in thought. "Where's the courtyard?"
And while their crew was enjoying the outing in Mokuba City, Mary and Makyo were equally enjoying themselves. Mary walked at the fishman's side, a bag in each hand that carried a variety of lightweight tools that Makyo hadn't been able to get before their departure from Gregor's Isle. The naturist was absently humming a tune as she walked before casually looking in Makyo's direction and smiled pleasantly as he walked with a sack of much heavier equipment in a bag slung over his shoulders.
"You know, sakana-san, I am capable of carrying a few more items," she mused pleasantly and turned her attention back to their walking, but Makyo just scoffed.
"This? This is no big deal, Mary. Trust me!" he replied readily, but his attentiveness in walking and maintaining the weight on his back waivered when he spoke, leading the fishman to trip over his own feet and nearly fall face-first into the hard street with the weight of the supplies crushing him.
But, Mary was quicker.
Her vines whipped out from under her sleeve rapidly and snatched Makyo up in a tight grip, halting their handyman just about an inch away from smacking the ground with his face. "If you say so, sakana-san," she pleasantly chirped and pulled Makyo back to his feet before continuing their walk.
Makyo blushed with embarrassment upon being saved, but followed nonetheless.
They continued in a silence for a few moments before they came to a stop in front of yet another supply shop, this time to retrieve the last item on their list. "This is it, right?" the naturist asked and looked over to see Makyo nod.
"Yeah, this should have those special nails that I'm going to need. Nola's wood is pretty sturdy, you know. I can only use the best tools for her," the fishman chirped absently and pulled the bag of supplies off his shoulders. He tried his hardest not to breathe a sigh of relief upon relieving the weight, but he could tell that he failed when he caught the ghost of a smile on Mary's face. He tried – and failed miserably – to cough away the relieved sigh and then straightened up. "I'll go inside to get the hammer, Mary. Do you mind waiting with our supplies out here? I promise not to be long."
"Take as long as you need," she nodded kindly and watched Makyo walk into the tool shop.
With her companion gone, the naturist absently looked over her surroundings. Though her face remained rigidly neutral, inwardly she was saddened to not catch even the tiniest sight of greenery thus far in the city. Being without nature around her made her feel as though she was out of her element, but she supposed it was nothing to be concerned with. There'd be plenty of opportunities to enjoy nature's wonders once they reached the Grand Line.
Suddenly, though, her thoughts were tugged away by a tug at her gown. Not even realizing that she had a visitor, Mary looked down to greet the guest, only to find a brown spider monkey standing at her feet. Oddly enough, the animal was dressed in a very nice looking white dress shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbow. The naturist quirked a brow as the monkey proceeded to slick back his hair, smooth out the wrinkles in his shirt, and then take a knee to look up at her with hearts in his eyes. He then made a series of cooing noises and she then smiled as her devil fruit power kicked in and she understood that the little monkey was just then professing his undying love for her.
"How very sweet of you, little monkey!" she exclaimed with a bright smile that made the monkey lose it. The hearts in his eyes looked ready to burst as he leapt from the ground and climbed up Mary's gown in an instant to perch himself on her shoulder, the shoulder not occupying Elie. Mary looked to the love sick monkey and then giggled when he threw his long tail around her other shoulder and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.
"Poppy!" a man's voice suddenly bellowed, making the monkey's eyes lose their hearts and then glare at the incoming group of men. There looked to be about thirty men in total, and standing at the head of the group was a man who looked a great deal more imposing than the rest of them. He stood at least half a foot above Mary with orange, crew cut hair and deep, dark green eyes. He wore a pair a dark blue trouser pants and a simple plaid muscle shirt to show off his rather impressive muscular upper body. And strapped to his back was what looked to be a huge gunsen fan. "There you are!" the man hissed as he and the men behind him came to stand before Mary and the spider monkey – apparently named Poppy.
Poppy merely snorted in the man's direction and turned back to showering Mary with love and affection, earning another pleased giggle from the naturist. "Seems that he's content with staying where he is," she crooned merrily, watching as the man in front of her only shook his head in exasperation.
"Would you be mad if I told you that you're probably the fifth lady that he's done that to today?" the man questioned with a smirk that grew wide when Poppy turned to him with another glare.
Mary feigned a shocked gasp and turned to Poppy, who was blushing with embarrassment. "Is that so, Poppy?" she reprimanded as the monkey scratched at the back of his head sheepishly.
Obviously, the other man had had enough at that point. Quicker than Mary could register, the man struck out and snatched Poppy away by the tail. "Oi! You do realize that the captain would probably kill me dead if something happened to you, right?" the man demanded, holding the now furious monkey upside down by his tail. By this point, though, Mary had lost her patience with seeing the mannish monkey treated so. She offered the man a pointed glare that made him quickly right the monkey's position within his arms and offer Mary a 'there you go' smile.
"Sorry about that, miss," the man apologized hopefully. "This little crumb-snatcher just can't help himself whenever he comes in contact with a pretty lady. I hope he wasn't a bother." Then, on a second note, the man tucked Poppy snuggly up under one arm and extended the other. "The name's Ben, by the way."
Mary politely accepted the offered hand. "And I am Mary. It is very nice to meet you, Ben," she said pleasantly and looked over to Poppy, who was trying his hardest to wiggle out of the hold. "He is not yours, correct?" she asked, indicating to the spider monkey.
Ben looked over at the squirming monkey and clicked his tongue. "Not at all," he soundly said, earning yet another glare from the monkey. "He's our captain's, and speaking of which, we should really be heading to the courtyard to see him. He gets testy when he has to wait." With that, Ben, Poppy, and the other pirates moved past Mary, but not without Ben turning back to say, "Hope we see each other again sometime!"
Mary waved after the retreating crew, only for her head to turn back to the shop as Makyo reappeared. "Did you just meet someone you knew, Mary?" the fishman asked and turned to look out for anyone who could possibly know their mysterious meteorologist.
"No," was her quick answer before moving back to their items and taking a hold of the bags that she set down. "Just a new friend is all. Shall we continue?"
"Ah, the Cirque du Magnifique? That is the famous circus act performing in the courtyard this afternoon?" Ches questioned, standing amongst a gaggle of people at a fabric kiosk. He absently looked through a collection of robes, thinking of changing his outfit a bit for their new adventure, and turned back to the kind lady that he'd met.
She nodded in kind to his words and folded up a colorful blanket that she intended to purchase. "It's said to be one of the greatest spectacle shows on the West Blue, second only to Glory Island's Fight Night of course," she mused, completely missing the nervous twitch that overcame the rainbow upon mentioning that particular spectacle.
"Um, yes, of course," he mentioned before attempting to overstep that topic. "So, this circus? I'm guessing it charges admission?" he questioned instead.
The woman nodded her head at first before quickly shaking it no. "Typically, yes, but today they're trying some new exhibition and are giving the public a free preview. So, if you're interested in the show, today would be the perfect time to check it out," she said and turned to him with gracious smile. "I'm sure that you'll love it."
"Ah, yes," he answered readily before he and the lady moved up to the owner of the kiosk to pay for their items. "And I have a friend that is sure to be ecstatic upon hearing the news. So, I really must hurry. Thank you so much for telling me about it."
"It was my pleasure speaking with such a nice young man as yourself," she chimed with a bright smile.
Ches paid for his robes and gave the woman a final wave before walking away from the hectic fabric center as many other people readied to indulge themselves in the wonderful fabrics that only Mokuba City could offer. Once leaving that particular area, he turned down a series of streets on his way to the courtyard, where he was sure that Ralli was sure to be. After all, the circus – with all of its mystery and action – seemed right up Ralli's alley of interests. He only vaguely remembered the kind woman's directions to the Central Courtyard and tried his best to recall them as he walked. However, the longer he walked, the more he got the feeling that he was not at all going in the right direction. He was beginning to remotely understand how Makyo must feel when he turned down the same street twice and was greeted with the same dead end.
After a while, he decided to forsake the vague remnants of directions given to him and just trust his own navigational instincts. He walked along a variety of streets, passing many different shops along the way and even more people before he found himself at the top of a set of stone stairs that led down to an open quad of the city that sat right by the sea. Ordinarily, Ches wouldn't have thought much of the place and would've happily continued walking, but the area was filled with pirates. They were a rowdy bunch that could've rivaled Feruk's 50+ crew easily, and seated on a series of barrels downing a large mug of what Ches could only assume was alcohol was an extremely large man. He was easily over seven feet tall and looked carved out of stone. He was outfitted in a skin-tight, sleeveless black shirt with some kind of army vest sitting over it and baggy grey, camouflaged combat pants that tucked off into knee-high biker boots. He had a boorish face with slicked back, black hair and a cross-shaped scar right in the center of his forehead. Judging by how the crew seemed to hover around the large man, he was obviously their captain and upon closer observation, Ches realized exactly who the man was.
"Alexander the Juggernaut," he groaned under his breath, recalling a few of the citizens that he'd spoken with during his time of exploration. The guy was a rookie pirate that had only just appeared within the past month or so, and had already made a name for himself all across West Blue. And Ches certainly wasn't looking to incite any problems with the huge pirate, and thanked his lucky stars that no one seemed to notice his stationary form at the top of the stairs.
As quickly as he'd arrived, Ches turned on his heel, ready to find another way to the Central Courtyard when another person's call stopped him.
"'White Rage' Alexander!" the authoritative woman's voice bellowed over the quad and trailed up the stairs to Ches's ears, making the rainbow turn back around to see. About six Marines entered the area from one of the other entrances, just about all of them dressed in the typical soldier attire. However, the woman standing ahead of them was obviously of a higher rank. The only thing that even showed her affiliation with the Marines was the Justice Coat lazily slung over her shoulders. For the rest of her outfit, she simply wore a pair of black leggings, a flowery pink blouse, and black flip flops. At the angle he was, Ches couldn't really make out the woman's face, but he could clearly see her voluminous raven hair flowing past her shoulders.
The Marine woman took a few more steps ahead of her soldiers and stood right before a collection of pirates that blocked her path from their captain. She didn't seem to pay them much mind because her head still looked angled to glare right at Alexander. "By my order, you are placed under arrest!" she demanded. "Either give up willingly or I won't hesitate to bury you under this island!"
Ralli's eyes widened with excitement as he'd finally found the Central Courtyard, and the area was abuzz with excitement. It almost reminded him of the pre-fest over on Glory Island, with all of the lights, vendors, and people. But the most defining difference was that the Central Courtyard was at least twice as big as the square on Glory Island and instead of huge wrestlers, all kinds of performers filled the area. Animals – from vicious lions to innocent birds – could be found in the area, restrained perfectly by their tamers. A few acrobats practiced their routines for the show off to the side and while the performers readied themselves for the spectacle they hoped to show, there were all kinds of booths set up to entertain folks while they waited.
So far, Ralli had passed a fortune teller, a test your strength set up, and a magician that kept making articles of people's clothing disappear right before their very eyes.
And the excitement of the area was about to kill him.
"Having fun, red eye?" a voice mused, carrying perfectly over the hum of laughter and excitement in the area to Ralli's ear. The boy turned in the direction of the voice, only to be greeted with an ethereal looking man. He stood right in the midst of the excitement as if he had his own barrier surrounding him, not a single person within five feet of the man. And as Ralli watched the man step closer, the figure seemed to shine like a god, little sparkles of light shining around him as if he exuded the light himself. If that wasn't enough to make him an eye-catcher, he was also tailored in the finest of suits. Dark, pin-striped slacks and vest adorned his body with a deep violet-colored dress shirt beneath that contrasted his golden eyes perfectly. Up top, the man wore an extravagantly decorated top hat that sat at a perfect tilt over his dark blue hair that could've been mistaken for black under certain lights. The hat was embellished with a series of feathers of the black, violet, and golden variety, with two short blue ribbons hanging an inch off the side.
Ralli had heard people mention noblemen and aristocrats a few times in his life. He'd never seen one himself, but at that moment, he was sure that he finally understood why they were considered so important.
Red eye ogled the man's ethereal appearance for a few more moments before the figure came to stand directly in front of him, that invisible, yet shining barrier still seeming to encase him. The man lifted a curious brow as Ralli just stared before saying, "It's nice to finally meet you, Ralli."
Having the man refer to him once again, Ralli shook away his shock in meeting him and said, "Oh, yeah? I-I don't know why, but it's nice to meet you two. I don't know your name, though."
The man smiled pleasantly and offered a hand to Ralli, leaving red eye to readily shake it. "We'll get to know one another soon enough, Ralli. As for my name? Just call me Popper."
Atori trailed behind Taya with a grunt as he pushed the cart of food items that they'd collected so far. He had a visible pout on his face as he followed, trying his hardest to convey how much he detested his pack mule job to Taya, but the cook seemed undeterred by his whining. They turned a corner down another crowded street and Ato tried his hardest not to cringe from the flare of pain in his arm from having Taya punch it countless times throughout their time together.
He really couldn't stand her sometimes.
"I know you're still back there whining," the girl called out absently, not even giving Atori a brief glance.
"You'd whine too if you had to be a pack mule," he scowled and promptly looked away from the girl to the line of stores on the other side of the street.
Taya just sighed. "I only need to make one more stop. Then, we can drop off the supplies at the ship and then I'll treat you out to whatever you want to do." She turned to him with an attempt at smiling, only earning herself a huff and 'I guess so' from Ato. She chuckled at the man's pouting and turned back around. "If it makes you feel any better, Ato, you actually do make a good pack mule when you're not constantly complaining."
"It doesn't," he griped, earning a chuckle from the blonde.
They walked for a few seconds before finally reaching the shop Taya had been looking for, and upon finding it, she frowned. "Is this really it?" she questioned as she stared up at the old store's sign that had lost more than half of the letters. In her eyes, the place looked more abandoned than anything else.
Atori shared her skeptical glance, but nodded nonetheless. "We followed that fisherman's directions perfectly," he said. "This is the only place in Mokuba City that you'll find that special spice that you need. Are you positive that you need it?"
Taya's frown remained, but she nodded. "Yeah, I do unfortunately. If I'm not out in five minutes, make sure I haven't fallen through some trap door and became someone's hostage, okay?"
Ato just shrugged and leaned on the cart casually. "I make no promises," he offered as Taya walked up to the door.
"Bastard," she hissed before stepping inside. A bell attached to the door jingled as it swung open, announcing her entrance as she walked inside of the dingy shop. Taya's frown grew as she looked around, no sign of life here at all. The place didn't look like it had seen a customer in a while. "Maybe I can live without it," she mused and had started to turn back out.
"Can I help you?" an ornery old woman's voice called out.
Taya blinked and turned back around to see an old woman now sitting at a bar near the wall. She leveled her wrinkled eyes on Taya as if she suspected the blonde of malicious deeds, and the notion alone made Taya step deeper into the shop to address the lady. "Good afternoon," she stated in an attempt at politeness, but the woman's glare never faltered. "I've come in search of an herbal spice that I was informed only you sell."
Still, the old lady remained fixed with her glare. "Of course," she hissed with skepticism. "And what does a little tike like you need with my kind of spices? Don't you young folk prefer the newer aged items?"
Taya's patience with the woman seemed on the verge of snapping, but she sighed deeply and decided to fix the woman with a glare of her own. "I don't know what other 'young folk' do, but I know what I do. I need the spice lady. So, either let me buy it or not. I don't exactly have all day."
"You're rude," the woman demanded.
"And so are you!"
The two women shared their heated glares for another moment before the lady finally smirked. "You're a girl with fire! Reminds me of myself in my younger days," she chimed with a happy tone. "Tell me what kind you're looking for, my dear."
Taya tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment, allowing her gaze to wander as she attempted to recall that specific spice her mother found so enjoyable. "I believe it was considered a Celestial Seasoning, an orange flavoring spice?" she said/asked of the shopkeeper.
The lady was already nodding her head. "The mandarin orange spice," she mused and stood from her seat at the bar. "It's an excellent spice for tea making and can add a very special orange touch to any recipe you should make. Is that the only Celestial Seasoning that you are familiar with?"
"Yes, and actually I'm not even that familiar with it," she said, propping herself up on the bar now that her and the lady didn't seem at odds with one another. "It was a seasoning that my mother liked and I only know a handful of recipes that require it, but…well, I still like to make them often. They remind me of her."
The lady smiled kindly, not even having to ask any further. "Well, your mother must've been a fantastic chef to be able to mold the Celestial Seasonings into actual recipes. They're typically only used for teas, but can create quite the explosion of flavor when paired correctly with certain recipes. I suppose that's why a lot of people don't bother with them nowadays." She walked into the back through a curtain, yet her voice still called, "I do apologize for my rather abrasive mood when I first saw you. This place hasn't gotten much business lately, and when people do come in, they're usually looking for something to steal or to chastise me for wasting valuable shop space here in Mokuba City." The lady then reappeared with a whole rack of spices, including the Mandarin Orange spice that Taya needed. "In case you haven't noticed, Mokuba City is a hot spot for vendors and plenty of people would love to buy the shop from me, but I refuse to sell. There are still young chefs like you in the world that can still appreciate the archaic ways of flavoring dishes."
"Of course," Taya nodded and reached out for the spice that she requested, only to give the lady a skeptical look at the spices that remained. "What are these for?" she asked of the lady.
"These are the rest of the Celestial Seasonings, my dear," she happily chirped and pushed the entire rack toward Taya, much to the blonde's surprise. While Taya looked ready to disagree, the woman pointed out a purple spice. "This is the Sleepytime herb. It's very effective in enticing sleep, dulled emotions, and numbing the body. A perfect sedative and inhibitor spice." Next, she pointed to a black spice. "And this is the Fast Lane spice, useful for sparks of energy and excitement. Use this spice in meals at a party, and you will see the difference." And then a yellow spice. "This is the Lemon Chamomile. It's a comfort spice, best used to console grief or anguish. Ahh! And my favorite, the Bengal Spice! This will have you roaring like a tiger!" The lady was ready to point out nearly a dozen more, but Taya took her excited and old hands in a careful grip.
"Whoa!" she said to calm the woman. "Look, I appreciate you showing me all of this, but I only need the Mandarin Orange spice. The rest of these look great and all, but I'm on a budget. There's no way I can afford all of these." She released the woman's hand and took a step back to retrieve the beli from her pocket. "Thank you so much for showing them to me, but I simply won't have enough money for them all, so really you'll just be making me sad that I can't try them. So, how much for the Mandarin Orange?"
"1700 beli for the entire collection, my dear," the woman crooned and took her seat back at the bar with a kind smile while Taya merely gaped.
"That's not fair," she complained. "That is way too cheap for all of this, maybe for one or two spices, but not the whole set. I won't take advantage of you, old lady." She folded her arms in a huff and glared at the woman once again.
"The name is Paret and I'm not old!" she demanded with a stern glare before smirking once more. "And it's not taking advantage when I'm the one making the offer!" She took the Mandarin Spice from Taya's hand and placed it back in the tray before pushing all of it back to the blonde. "Do not argue with me," she demanded once Taya indeed looked ready to argue. "I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for a worthy chef to walk through that door and now I know that person is you. I don't keep this shop open to make money. I do it to preserve the archaic, my dear. Now, pay up and take these spices before I get angry."
Taya watched Paret for a long, long moment before finally smiling kindly to the brash woman. "Fine," she agreed with a smile and dug out the beli to pay. "I'll make sure your generosity doesn't go to waste."
"I know you will," Paret mused and reached out to accept the payment offered, watching as Taya lifted the rack of spices with a smile. Then, a thought seemed to occur to the woman. "Oh and deary, you be careful out there on these streets. We've heard word that the Blue Giants have landed and it won't be long until chaos ensues."
Taya stopped with her hand at the door handle and turned back to Paret with a questioning glance. "Blue Giants?" she questioned, earning a shocked look from the shopkeeper.
"Have you not heard the news yet?" she crooned in shock. "Dear, the Blue Giants are three of the most terrible pirates that West Blue has seen thus far. They just appeared out of nowhere and have been making a mess of things ever since."
Now this really did pique Taya's interest. She walked away from the door and back to the bar that Paret was propped up on. "A-are they really bad?" she questioned, trying to decide if they needed to put a rush on their exit from Mokuba City.
Paret nodded readily, but placed a comforting hand on her shoulder quickly. "Don't worry, though. The great Sky Queen will take care of them easily. She's the greatest Marine the West Blue has ever seen. And she's a captain, so she's even stronger than Commander Jon Jon! She's been taking care of every pirate that has landed at Mokuba City ever since being stationed here three years ago. Our Sky Queen will protect us from the Blue Giants. Between her, the Cabalistic Dragon, and Ms. Ash Cloud, we'll have nothing to worry about." Paret nodded in affirmation of her own words, completely oblivious to the tremor of worry running through Taya's mind.
So far, that made six huge threats to their crew, and since the dragon and the cloud were associated with that Sky Queen, Taya could only assume that they were all Marines. So, what about these Blue Giants? "Well, could you still tell me about these Blue Giants? I would really like to know if I'm crossing paths with any of them," she said, trying her hardest to sound innocent and weak.
The shopkeeper followed along and reached under the bar to grab something. "I'll do you one better!" she exclaimed and slapped a bounty poster onto the surface. "Here are their bounties!"
DEAD OR ALIVE
"White Rage" Alexander
aka Alexander the Juggernaut
39,000,000
Captain of the Alexander Pirates
Known to cause wide spread destruction in any area he lands
Most notable crime: The rampage and subsequential destruction of an entire island's villages
Extremely dangerous and almost unstoppable when angry
"Now, this one," Paret began, pointing out the picture of a huge man with his large arms raised over his head in anger and his pupils completely whited out as he apparently rampaged. "He reportedly wrecked an entire island over a simple dispute between one of his crew and one of the civilians. They say when he gets truly angry, his eyes turn completely white and he destroys anything and everything in his path. Some even say that he ran through a mountain as he destroyed the island."
"If that's true, he has to have a devil fruit, right?" Taya mused and looked up to see Paret nod.
"Not sure what kind of power he has, but it's destructive," she responded before reaching below the bar again to slap down another poster.
DEAD OR ALIVE
"Gold Dust" Popper
47,000,000
Captain of the Poppy Pirates
Has been witnessed killing a variety of aristocrats from Tsune City
Most notable crime: The slaying of 145 Marines in an attack on Commander Carl and his crew
Deadly pirate that kills on impulse
"Whoa!" Taya gasped, rereading the poster a second time and even a third before looking up to see Paret nodding solemnly. "Killing aristocrats and MARINES?! That's some serious stuff."
"Aye," the older woman concurred before a deep scowl settled on her face "But that's not even the worst, my dear." She reached back down under the bar as she said, "Gold Dust may have a higher bounty, but as far as I'm concerned, this one is the most dangerous of all. We thought we could breathe easy when that family of killers was extinguished, but apparently we were wrong."
Before Taya could question Paret's words, the woman slapped the final bounty onto the surface and Taya's eyes widened so that she feared they'd pop out.
DEAD OR ALIVE
TEKO C. RALLI
aka "Red Eye" Ralli
44,000,000
Last living member of the assassin clan
Known for inciting chaos wherever he goes
Has defeated two notorious pirate crews within his brief time of piracy
Most notable crime: The infiltration and rampage of Marine Branch 80
Extremely reckless and often unpredictable, but very dangerous
Taya had no words. Absolutely nothing could come from her mouth as she looked at the picture of Ralli, who looked to be in his hybrid form when he'd been fighting on Glory Island.
Paret watched the girl for a moment longer before spreading out all three bounties for Taya to see. "Take a good look, my dear," she crooned softly. "These are the West Blue's Terrible Three. These are the Blue Giants!"
This is the chapter that I've been waiting to post since chapter 8! The Blue Giants are this story's Supernovas and the Sky Queen, Ms. Ash Cloud, and the Cabalistic Dragon play huge roles in a later arc that I've been thinking about. I hope my readers enjoyed this because its only the tip of the iceberg as far as I'm concerned.