Chapter 7: Thoughts...and Lunch
I still don't own One Piece. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed.
Nami had finished drawing a map of an island in the East Blue when an overseer came to take it.
"You should be glad," the overseer said. "Navigators have to be smarter than the normal slaves, so they get special priveleges."
Nami got special priveleges when she served Arlong, as well. She wasn't glad.
"Now you can take a break while I get your next assignment" the overseer finished.
It was during that break when Nami dared to talk to the other navigators in the room. There were only nine, other than her. It was very fortunate that the woman at the desk next to her had just finished as well. She appeared to be in her forty's, an old age to be working as a slave, so maybe...
"Excuse me," Nami asked. "Do you know who or where the sages are?"
The woman looked at her with curiosity. Nami was about to repeat her question when the woman answered, "Oh, sages. I'm one of them."
"Great!" Nami replied. "Then--" she was cut off by the shouting of an overseer.
"Okay!" he yelled. "Is there anyone here named Nami?"
Hesitantly, Nami raised her hand.
"Nami! You have been assigned to lunch duty each day this week!"
In the slave camp, there are several warehouses where products are manufactured by slaves. Warehouses contain rooms for specific jobs and occupations, such as swordsmith and knitting pirate flags.
Warehouse 4, where Usopp works. There are three rooms in this building. In the blacksmithy, metal is shaped by slaves who had been trained in another life. In the largest room, the assembly room, an array of other slaves assemble products out of the pieces made in the blacksmithy. The third room is the technicians' lab, where more intelligent slaves create products out of scratch. It is this room where advanced weapons such as Krieg's battle spear are created.
With a screwdriver in his hand, Usopp began assembling the device in front of him. He was given a diagram of what it should end up like, and it appeared to be a weapon. After a while, he finished the item, which turned out to be a metal tomahawk. When he had finished, an overseer came to collect the finished product and gave Usopp new pieces for another tomahawk to be made. After continuing to make these, Usopp thought of what a brave warrior of the sea would do in this situation.
Capturing people and forcing them into slavery is wrong, and a brave warrior of the sea should do what is right! A brave warrior of the sea should right what is wrong! Then that means I should free all these people who were meant to be free! And to do that, I should...
... lead a slave rebellion to overthrow Grim Kraken and destroy his company! Perfedt! That won't be too hard, I mean, Kraken didn't seem so tough when I saw him... Then again, what if that was really an act ? Or... oh what am I saying? All these slaves here have weapons right in front of them, under their nose! Including me! All we have to do is pick them up and beat these overseers and the Land Squad and the Security pirates and Kraken himself, and maybe that Dendes guy as well as Ugama...
Aw crap, that's a lot.
But maybe the slaves would outnumber them all, even if the officials are so much more well-trained --
Usopp was having a hard time being positive.
Wait! There's still Luffy! As well as Zoro and Sanji! The rebellion would be a sure success with them! But, where are they anyway? Could Kraken have destroyed them already?
Usopp's thoughts were interrupted by the loud ringing of a gong. Then all the slaves began walking towards the door while the overseers kept guard.
Usopp was puzzled of course, so he asked a person next to him, "Hey, what is everyone leaving for?"
The person replied, "Lunch."
Meanwhile, the other three Straw Hat pirates were still being held in the cellar.
"I'm starving" Luffy said.
"So Sanji," Zoro asked. "What is it about the seven warlords?"
"Well," Sanji answered. "The seven warlords are known as the most powerful pirates of the seas, right? And if Grim Kraken is supposed to be the closest to ever finding One Piece, then --"
The door opened. The three pirates all looked up into...nothing but darkness.
"Lunch", and a paper bag was thrown onto the floor, then the door closed.
"OH BOY!" Luffy shouted with glee. "I can't wait to eat it!"
"Hey, make sure you share it with us" said Zoro in the pitch-black darkness. "Once you find it."
Then Sanji spoke, "How are you going to eat it anyway, in these straitjackets?"
Nonetheless, Luffy commenced to crawl around on the floor, hunger driving him to search for food.
I'm just gonna say this now: The people called the sages in this story are not real sages. "Sage" is just a nickname given to these people who were the first to be captured and enslaved by Grim Kraken, so they have the most knowledge from being there so long. Real sages are not in their forties, more like over a hundred years old.
Also, I'm going on a trip this week, so just wait a while for the next chapter.