Chapter 4 – Realization

Made changes; original story did not include this dialogue. I figured that the two needed to get to know each other, but it also means the story is going to be longer than it used to.

This may take a while.

*stares at screen very hard*

Dalton almost laughed; as it was, he smiled. He thought that Marcus was being funny. But then he noticed that his companion was not smiling like him; instead, he was looking at Dalton expectantly, like he was awaiting an explanation…

"… You… don't know what a devil fruit is?" Dalton asked almost hesitantly.

"No." Marcus responded. "Should I?"

"Well – er – ," Dalton wasn't sure what to say. "What Blue is this?"

"Blue?" Marcus echoed. "Er, I dunno… Midnight blue?"

"No, I mean – what ocean are we in? – East, West, North, South or the Grand Line?"

"Pacific." He shrugged, "Or Atlantic, depending on your point of view."

"What are those?" Dalton asked, worried all of a sudden.

"Oceans." Marcus half-laughed, "What else could they be?"

The feeling of dread was suddenly weighing very heavily in Dalton's stomach. The names that Marcus was giving, Dalton had never heard before. Pacific? Atlantic? And Marcus didn't look like he even knew what Dalton was talking about.

"Where are we?" Dalton asked with a groan.

"The Plains," Marcus replied, "in America."

"America?"

"Yup." His companion confirmed cheerfully.

Dalton placed a hand over his face wearily. Where was he? With a sigh, Dalton rubbed the back of his neck and hoped the people of the Sakura Kingdom would be alright. Glancing back at Marcus, Dalton found him looking at him curiously.

"You okay, pal?"

"I'm fine." Dalton responded wearily.

"Lyin' through yer teeth," muttered the man just loud enough for Dalton to hear. "So… You weren't kidding when you said yer not from here, huh?"

"… No. But only just now did I realize just how… far I've come." He smiled slightly.

"Aw, c'mon – it can't be that bad," Marcus tried to sound optimistic.

"Truth is, right now I don't know where I am so my situation could either be worse or better than what I think it is," Dalton mused.

"That's the spirit," Marcus grinned and gave Dalton a friendly punch to his shoulder.

Again the two of them lapsed into silence. Marcus let out a sigh while Dalton's own thoughts strayed back to how he had gotten here. How had he gotten here, anyway? Dalton tried to remember what he had been doing before he had woken up here; there must have been something… But his most recent memories seemed a little foggy and vague. He frowned in concentration, racking his brain for a piece of information that would provide some sort of insight into how he had gotten here.

But the only thing that he succeeded in was giving himself a headache.

"So, big guy, where're ya from?" Marcus broke the silence.

"… I'm from an island; it used to be called Drum Kingdom but now it's known as the Sakura Kingdom." Dalton smiled as he remembered.

"Sakura?"

"Yes – Sakura – cherry blossoms, they're also called." Dalton said, "I take it they don't grow here?"

"Not to my knowledge, they don't," he shrugged. "So why'd yer home change it's name?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Dalton admitted. "But what happened was that the people didn't want the old king anymore, because he abandoned them in their greatest hour of need."

Dalton's fists clenched at the memory.

"He took the entire army when he left, and why? Because he was afraid of the pirate who turned up on our shores – and like a scared child, he ran away." Dalton paused. "I was the only one who stayed behind. The only one who was willing to sacrifice himself to save his country…"

"Why?" Marcus asked.

"Because I was the only person who could protect them." He said. "I may have been a royal guard, but that didn't mean I would leave just like that. My duty is to my people."

"That's awful noble of ya," Marcus smiled. "Makes me wish there were more people like you; especially when they're in positions of power."

"Power corrupts." Dalton shrugged, "If you're in control, you have to watch your actions. Make sure you're not turning into a tyrant."

"Is that what happened with the last king?"

"No, he was a tyrant from the very start." Dalton shook his head, "He also ate the strangest things…"

"Oh yeah? I've got a pal who swallows keys on a regular basis," snorted the man, "what'd this king of yours eat?"

"About everything, really – houses, knives, people, guns, cannonballs…"

"…Yer not pullin' my leg, are you?" Was his suspicious reaction.

"No; he was a devil fruit-eater, too." Dalton replied.

"Again with these devil fruits!" Marcus exclaimed, "What the heck are they?!"

"No one knows for certain what they are or where they came from, but devil fruit – once eaten – give a person unusual abilities that can range from manipulation of the elements, to transformation into an animal, and various other techniques as well. I met a boy who could stretch like rubber, a reindeer who could turn into a man and another pirate who could control shadows." Dalton hesitated as he remembered Blackbeard.

"Holy -! Where can I get myself one o' those, huh?!" Marcus asked excitedly.

"If you're lucky," Dalton shrugged, "you could find one – but not here, I'm afraid – I don't think they grow here."

"Oh," Marcus drooped. "Never mind."

Dalton chuckled.

"There is a catch to eating a devil fruit, though."

"What is it? Do I have ta sell my soul to the devil?!"

"No, you lose the ability to swim. The sea hates those who've eaten a devil fruit, so it turns against them; if they fall into the ocean, they can't move – much less swim – all that happens is that they sink like an anchor," said Dalton solemnly.

"And you tell that to a guy who's afraid o' drowning!" Marcus exclaimed in horror.

"Are you?"

"As a matter o' fact, yes I am!"

Dalton chuckled as his companion shook his head incredulously and grumbled about crazy people.

"Honestly, what kinda person just gives up being able to swim?!" Marcus asked.

"A lot of people have, actually." Dalton responded, "And I'm one of them."

Marcus looked at him, his expression concerned.

"So… if you – say, I don't know – fell off've a ship you'd just," he paused and looked terrified for a moment, "- just… drown?"

"Yes." Dalton affirmed.

"Well that sucks."

"Sometimes," Dalton admitted. "But most of the time, the powers I use to my advantage."

"Hah… So, er, Dalton… d'you have any idea how yer gonna get back to you're home?"

"Well..."

He had no clue, and that was the truth. Dalton had no idea and he go t the feeling that Marcus suspected as much. But he didn't want his companion to worry too much about him, so Dalton said nothing about his fears. First things first, he still had to get Marcus to a doctor.