ENJOY….
…
It was yet another morning, starting of a brand-new day. There's a saying that a new day brings new things and experiences carrying with them a lot of expectations. That said, for Hestia Familia this morning didn't bring anything new, except for maybe one person. Today, the sun was hidden behind the clouds with watery weather, this could be considered a new experience for Zoro since ever since coming over, he had either only seen sunny OR artificial bright days so this could be considered a change of pace. Talking about that, with today's count it had been exactly a week since Zoro came over to this alien new world and right now he was just bored, nothing to do.
Due to their actions of spending over 48 hours in the dungeon worrying Hestia, she had forbidden them from going anywhere near the dungeon for the same amount of time. Infact she wanted to forbid for 7 days but after a lot of convincing, she stopped at two. This from her part was considered a punishment for them. She wasn't really angry about the fact of them going OR spending time in the dungeon rather she was angry due to their inconsistency. What had they told her before leaving,
'We're just going for a light stroll'
and yet said light stroll turned out to be two days long. Many lower and even mid class familias don't spend so much time down there even in full on expedition and yet their stroll just did that. That's what she was mad about and since Zoro hid the real reason to save some face for himself along with forbidding Bell from saying anything, she naturally misunderstood and only thought that they lied to her or more like hid their real intention. Perhaps if they had gone down there and even spent a week, she wouldn't be that mad IF and only if they told her beforehand, but they didn't, breaking her trust.
Other than that, there was another reason for forbidding them and that was for rest. The boys had spent two days in that 'dark, damp, dangerous place' so it was just right for them to take it easy and rest a bit before continuing their adventure. And so, the Hestia familia had been taking it easy for yesterday along with this one. Well saying 'taking easy' wasn't appropriate since Zoro was still very much training Bell with huge intensity so there was that.
After coming out of dungeon that day, the first thing they did was to visit Miach Familia since they operate a small clinic and given the wounds of that girl, it was highly likely that the first group took her there directly to get immediate treatment and they were right. It didn't take long for Takemikazuchi and Hestia to run over as well after getting the news. Hestia didn't berate them in front of other people but once they left and got home, she chewed off their ears through a long session of lecture and interrogations and it was also during this time that the 'two days' agreement was made and accepted.
Today was the second and last day of said agreement and Zoro was simply lying on his couch since there was nothing for him to do. Bell on the other hand had gone to get himself a new Armor since his previous one was destroyed. Zoro didn't go along since even though he had a lot of knowledge about bladed weapons but none for Armor since he had never used neither was he going to use for now.
After some time of lying, he got up with a yawn and looked around. Hestia was nowhere to be seen since she had left for her job as well, so he was all alone. Although he liked this loneliness but only because it helped him sleep but right now he wasn't feeling any such urge despite trying for over an hour so,
"I should just go for a stroll", and he left.
….
….
Bell was out and about strolling the marketplace looking for a good but cheap Armor. He had once come to this marketplace with his advisor Eina and chose a very good light Armor perfectly fit for himself and right now, he was searching for the same piece. He had come yesterday as well looking for same Armor but just couldn't find one and upon asking the shop keeper got an answer of 'new stock not in yet' so he had left. Today he came once again searching for the same thing but couldn't find it. Perhaps he would need to wait for a bit more days.
As he was leaving in dejected mood,
"Hey you there, White haired!?"
He was called out by someone. It was the shop keeper he met yesterday.
"Y-Yes?" Bell stuttered and looked around. Why was the shopkeeper shouting at himself?
"Come over. You wanted to buy 'pyonkichi' right? Well, the new stock just came in"
Bell was overjoyed hearing that. The name was strange but the Armor itself was very good. He immediately went over to look.
"Have a look", shopkeeper beckoned and passed the box containing said Armor to him. The Armor was pure white, like virgin snow the colour of his hair. Along with that it had red lines running over to the sides all connecting on the centre in circular bead like shape.
Bell tried it. 'Yes. It's the same size and fits me perfectly'. The Armor was truly made for him and no one else, or at least that's how it seemed to him.
"Yes. Is the price same", he asked the shopkeeper seeing as the Armor had yet to have a price tag on it?
"Ask him. It is his piece Afterall" and with that Bell was introduced to a Red-haired man. He was tall, perhaps around 175 cm (5'9") with broad shoulders and slender overall build. He had been standing there all the time, just hadn't been noticed by Bell who was fully focused on Armor.
"Oh! Nice to meet you Mr…?"
"Welf. Welf Crozzo", said Welf pointing his thumb at himself and before Bell could say anything else
"Heard you took a liking to my piece. Come let's talk over there" pointing towards empty seats over the other side. Welf was looking at him from top to bottom as if examining him. This naturally made him nervous but,
"Yes", and they moved
….
Welf was talented and an accomplished smith or at least that's how he would have liked to introduce himself, but the truth was, his work wasn't selling all that much. He had been in the forging industry since childhood, but only recently did he introduced his own work on the shelfs only to get bad reception.
It wasn't that no one took a look or buyed his crafts, just that most who decided to buy would usually return it to him for un-fathomable reasons. Welf could confidently say that at the same level, he was perhaps the best smith out there and this wasn't due to arrogance but simply facts and results he came up by comparing his work with others of the same level and yet this was the case. That said there were those who did buy his items but didn't come a second time for more purchases. Up till now he had successfully sold three pieces and that too with great effort so once he heard yesterday that someone actually came over to specifically buy his Armor, he was overjoyed and immediately worked on his craft to an even better efficiency. He could say with confidence that this was the best piece he ever made and now was the time he got to see the one who took a liking to his work.
'He's like a rabbit', this was his first impression. The boy didn't look that outstanding. He was more like a village boy from outskirts than an adventurer especially due to the way he carried himself. That said Welf didn't look down or disregard him. Afterall appearances could be deceiving with Finn from Loki Familia being the best example.
'Wait!?' Welf exclaimed and once again looked at Bell from top to bottom. He had heard rumours of a boy defeating a minotaur at only lvl 1 and levelling up to lvl 2 in only half a year, breaking all previous records. The appearance described by those people matched his, no doubt.
'Could it really be?' and with that Welf invited Bell to empty seats. He wanted to know the validity of said rumours and also discuss some business.
….
"So, what did you like about my Armor?", this was the first question since Welf couldn't really think of anything else to talk about
"Well, it's light weight, my size, cheap and more importantly tough enough", this was a practical answer, and it also meant the boy wasn't buying simply because it matched him in appearance
"Hm… well I'm glad to hear that. So, your name was…...?"
"Oh! Sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Bell Cranel from Hestia Familia"
"Bell Cranel? So are the rumours true. I mean the stuff about you soloing a minotaur at lvl 1 and breaking previous records?"
"Records!?", Bell seemed confused. He had no idea about his speed actually surpassing everyone before. "I did defeat a minotaur, but it was very close and said minotaur wasn't exactly in its top condition so", he scratched his cheeks in embarrassment. This sounded like him boasting
"So, the rumours were true after all. Hahaha…. Who would have known the famous record holder would actually like my stuff. Hey you geezers, see. This is my moment", Welf said boasting shamelessly. Others standing around listening on sighed and left to see others. This was his original intention behind those remarks and the objective was met.
Bell simply watched on without saying anything.
"Anyway now. So, let's talk business", Welf had gotten serious and Bell too gulped and waited
"Would you like to partner up with me"
An un-expected proposal for Bell
…..
…..
Lily was humming on the road to back home. Yes, she was outside of Orario to deal with personal matters. Usually, Orario stopped powerful people from Orario from going anywhere outside since they were just too strong. A single lvl 4 or 5 could spell disaster outside if he had evil intentions.
So, how was Lily permitted to go outside?
Simple, she was just too weak to raise any flags.
Those at lvl 1 had free passes. They could go outside anytime they wished to so long as they went through proper inspections and clearly stated their objective and so Lily could go outside.
Now why did she go outside?
Simple, to take care of and pay some debts. Nothing else.
…
Lily was born to a couple in Soma Familia; they didn't hold any high positions nor any connections. On top of that they were highly addicted to Soma Wine. All in all, they were just typical Soma Familia members. They could hardly handle themselves so why give birth to a child? Simple. They just wanted someone they could trust and also someone who dealt with stuff for them. Someone who after certain age could be useful. Yes, for them, this child was less of a being and more like a tool to be used at appropriate times. BUT all that changed with her birth. Perhaps it was simply due to affection of a parent for their child or just devotion, but they did fall in love with her and through that their own personal relationship grew close as well.
Now they just wanted to have their daughter live a safe and clean life, away from all this dirt. For that they started saving money to free her from Soma Familia. In this Familia OR more like most familias in the world, a child born to two members in the familia was also part of said familia and this notion was especially strong in Soma familia, so Lily was given a falna at that infant age despite her parent's protest. They were given a choice, to have things stay as is OR pay a certain amount to free her. They worked day in and out in dungeon, constantly fighting and gathering money. They kept their daughter away from Soma Wine and familia itself, renting a small apartment to keep her in. The prices in Orario were off the roof but what else could they do?
Thus, years went by and eventually they did manage to gather and save up a lot of money, enough to free her but it got stolen. Who stole it, they had an idea, but no proof so forced to start from bottom once again? Their addiction to wine didn't went away just like that but they were able to somewhat control those impulses and now rather than making money, they worked towards having position. Authority was what truly mattered so they now went on deeper in dungeon, taking greater risks but also getting stronger to the point that only a great achievement was remained till they could breakthrough with all of their stats being in C or above.
In order to level up to next level, one needs to have at least D in ALL stats or C in one stat along with some great achievement, so they were very close to levelling up. No doubt had they succeeded the entire Soma familia would have seen a change. Not only in power but also in atmosphere but they failed or more like stopped. The captain (lvl 2) then felt extremely threatened by their presence, so he ambushed them in dungeon along with some other members. The result being, all dead.
The two of them already possessed higher than average stats so those at lvl 1 of Soma familia couldn't match them and captain himself could be dealt with if they both joined together. The battle was fierce but eventually they couldn't hold out and were struck heavy. Captain wasn't in great shape either while his partners were either all dead or gravely injured. He didn't check to see weather the two were alive and just left since dungeon was a dangerous place and he couldn't stay at the same place for too long, especially not in his current conditions. Too bad he failed halfway and was devoured alive by monsters. That was truly the most miserable way to die.
On the other hand, the two parents who were named Saffron and Rose heard a voice, as they sunk deeper into the darkness with a deep obsession.
They named their daughter Lily because they wanted her to always stay as pure && innocent as possible.
….
Alas their wish couldn't be fulfilled. After they apparently 'perished' in the dungeon, Lily was left all alone without any help. Her parents had some friends who owned a flower shop in town. They took care of Lily by using the money her parents had left behind. This money wasn't what they collected, No. After their finances were stolen, they were forced to borrow money from others and 'died' before they could pay back.
Anyway, Lily eventually came in contact with Soma Familia since only through that could she earn her living. She didn't want to rely upon the old couple, so she left after the money was spent and this way, she became the way she was, dispirited and un-trustworthy. A thief so to speak but things had changed. It had always been her wish to be free but even more than that, she wanted to pay back every penny her parents had borrowed. Even though the lenders didn't harass her, but she still wanted to pay back. This was a burden for her and now finally said burden had been lifted after she paid back everything. The money was mostly borrowed from a caravan which travelled to and fro in the world. It was quite famous and after she came out to find them, it didn't take long to get in contact with them.
"Finally, that is over with", Lily heaved a sigh of relief
"Young lady, we're here", said a human driving the wagon stopping it in front of one of Oraio's 4 main gates. Orario was called a city, but its size was truly humongous, comparable to a small country even.
"Yes. Thankyou very much", she paid the driver and got off. After stretching for some time, she went ahead and became part of a long line in front of the gate.
"I'm home" she said looking at the massive walls in joyful mood
…..
…..
Hestia was in a panic mood and why wouldn't she be. Tomorrow was a very big day, Denatus as was called. It was held every three months and was a very grand occasion.
According to common legends, this was a day when all celestials gathered to decide the fate of the world. High priority meetings were held and many issues from around the world were discussed and solved. And most importantly, it was the meeting in which the adventurers were recognized for their deeds by all celestials and given titles based on them.
These legends weren't entirely false either since important matters were truly discussed but for the most part, they devolved into dog fights and arguments. On top of that only once in a blue moon were such important matters discussed, for the most part it was comedy OR humiliation for some while relieving boredom for others. As for titles, well they were taboos for celestials to even bring up. This was especially the case for those whose children were chosen to be given a title.
Naturally all of that was alien for Hestia since she never truly went there or more like she wasn't qualified to go there. Only those who had at least one lvl 2 member in their familia could attend this meeting and only now did Hestia met this condition. She was nervous and was visiting all of her friends who had joined this meeting. From a hindsight, all of her close friends (Takemikazuchi, Miach, Hephaistos) were qualified except for her and thus all had attended at least one Denatus, so she went over to get teachings and be prepared for what was about to come.
Each one gave her a pitting look as well as giving her single word advice.
Takemikazuchi: Stay strong and fight. Never back down
Miach: Well, just do your best
Hephaistos: Get through this on your own merit
This made her even more nervous, but she could only brace herself by this point.
"Tonight, is going to be a long one", she said looking at the sinking sun and left on her way towards the broken church she called home.
…
…
"I'm back", both Hestia and Bell shouted at the same time. They had met up with each other just outside and came together
"Welcome", to their surprise it was Lili who welcomed them back. Zoro on the other hand was no where to be seen though they could guess since water flowing sound was coming from the shower room.
Bell looked over; he could see change in her. He had always felt that she was carrying some sort of burden but now she looked to be free. He didn't know of as to what happened, but he was happy for her.
"So, miss supporter, those important matters have been dealt with?", asked Hestia though she already knew the answer
"Yes, they have. Thank you for your concern"
"Humph who is concerned about you"
"Hehe…"
By that time, Zoro came out of shower room, clothed
"What is the plan for tomorrow", asked Zoro looking towards everyone in the room
"Well, I'm going to Denatus" Hestia replied first
"What is that?", Zoro didn't know anything about that, though Bell grew excited
"A meeting"
"Wait, Denatus. So does that mean I'll finally have a cool nickname?" Bell wasn't someone wanting attention but who didn't like to be called with a cool nickname. This is every man's fantasy
"Sure, sure. Cool huh!", though Hestia was clearly not very enthusiastic.
"Lili will go with whatever master Bell decides", Lily always had one stance
Now it was time for Bell
"I want to introduce someone tomorrow", Bell said thinking about a proposal
"Who?" Lily was the first one to ask
"Someone who'll be joining us from tomorrow"
"Sure. Let's get to eat something first", Zoro didn't really care so long as said person was faithful and capable and since Bell was going to introduce them, they shouldn't be bad.
…..
Everyone woke up early in the morning like always. Zoro, Bell and Lily were outside in a small court preparing to head out while Hestia was gone. It seems she wanted to make some preparations before joining Denatus.
"So, where will we be meeting?", this was Zoro's turn to ask
"In front of dungeon"
He nodded his head, "Lets pick up the pace"
On the way like always, Bell encountered the waitress from Hostess named Syr and accepted the lunch box. After some walking, the team came in front of a huge tower which was like always brimming full of people.
Bell looked around as if searching for someone until he found him
"This way", he led the way towards a red-haired young man waving at them
"Is he a smith", Zoro asked looking towards him
"Yes, Have U met him before?"
"No. I've just encountered some smiths before. They have a certain atmosphere around them so are easy to differentiate"
By this time, they had come in front of said smith. Bell introduced him to the other members
"So, let me take it clear. You got seduced by some Armor and invited a complete stranger over whose only objective is to use us to get to level 2?", asked Lily rolling her eyes
"No Lily I…"
"What?"
"Nothing. Well, you're not wrong but that's not the only reason. Mr Welf is good at smithing and is also part of Hephaistos familia who is friends with Hestia so there's that"
"Bell. Could U plz stop addressing me with so respectfully?"
"Hm… oh alright", Bell said nodding his head
"Anyway, LilLily was it? You're not wrong about what U just said. Just take it as a business transaction"
"It's 'LILY'. If U want to level up, then why not join your own familia expedition. It would be better when compared to us anyway"
"Lets' just say I don't get along with them", Welf said awkwardly scratching his cheeks
After all that, Welf introduced himself along with his profession and speciality. Lily had already introduced herself so only Zoro was left who simply gave his name and didn't pry much.
"Now that's all done with, let's go"
…..
AND CUT.
It's been quite some time. How has everyone been?
It got late due to well exams and certification preparations and more. The last chapter was longer due to this as well. Anyway, this is more of a transaction chapter from beginning to starting an arc so bear with me
Anyway, I've decided to keep Bell as the captain of Hestia Familia while Zoro would be more of an instructor/advisor etc
I'll try to keep up with weak-by-weak release but not really sure BUT I am going to complete the story I started in one way or another, so I won't be leaving it in mid part or anything.
Thanks for your support and night.
COMPARISON:
For those who have watched one piece, level by level comparison is this
Lvl 7 = Commanders (1st, 2nd and 3rd)
Lvl 8 = Admirals
Lvl 9 = Emperors
Lvl 10 = peak Roger, peak W.B, peak Luffy, peak Zoro, peak JoyBoy (in no order)