Hello everyone, here is the third chapter ! As always One Piece is not mine, only Stella Star.
Thank you for reading my story ! Don't forget to leave a comment if there's a problem of translation !
See you soon !
The city stands before us in all its splendour, the port is animated. Nothing surprising for the most important island of East Blue. After docking the ship, everyone gets off. But before Nami can say anything, we see Luffy running.
"Luffy is waiting! We didn't say where we're meeting..." Says Usopp, but Luffy is already down the street.
"Never mind Usopp, we'll meet Luffy later." Says Sanji as he takes a puff of his cigarette.
"As long as he doesn't make a mess before we buy everything, he can do whatever he wants." Said Nami looking at us. "You guys take care of buying the food and supplies, me and Stella are going to go buy a Log Pose and go shopping!" She says as she grabs onto my arm. Which I gently pull away.
"Sorry Nami, but that's not going to be possible. I have to return the rental boat and get some stuff from my ship."
"It's okay, I'll go with you and help you, it'll be faster." Let Nami go on my boat? No way! She'll ask too many questions and potentially steal things from me.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but no. You're not coming with me and as far as the Log Pose goes, you're on your own. I helped you learn how to recognize it, that should be enough for you. On that note, I'll see you later." And I head for my boat. Behind me, Nami taps her foot, obviously angry.
I untie my boat and start maneuvering it between the other ships, heading for the rental site. After a few minutes I see marines arresting outlaws. With them is a muscular man with two cigars in his mouth, but what catches my attention the most is his white hair in a brush. Probably sensing my gaze, he turns towards me but sees only a young woman in a cowboy hat manoeuvring a hire boat, presumably to return it. He turns away from the woman when one of the soldiers calls out to him. Shit, I've got to stop staring at people with white hair. The likelihood of finding someone like me is impossible. I let out a sigh and continue on my way, 10 minutes later I arrive at the boathouse and moor my boat at one of the docks. A man with brown hair tied in a ponytail with a notepad approaches me.
"Hello, have you come to return a boat?" I smile at him and jump onto the dock.
"Yes, exactly! In the name of Celeste Moon, I rented it a fortnight ago." He flips through his notepad and scans the names, then frowns.
"You booked your boat for two months, I hope you know we don't refund payments already made." I shrug.
"I'm aware of that, but I have something to ask your boss." He raises an eyebrow, scrutinizing me.
"All right, follow me." He walks ahead of me towards the back of the shed. He goes up to the first floor and stops in front of a solid wooden door with a sign that says "Boss" on it. At least we won't get the wrong door. The man knocks on the door and opens it, hearing a "Come in". Inside, there are cabinets filled with files against the walls and a huge varnished wooden desk opposite the door, also filled with files. In a leather chair across from us sits a man with an imposing build, Zoro pales in comparison, his black brush hair and the scar to the right of his square jaw don't make you want to approach this man, unless you want to end up at the bottom of the water.
"Hello Boss, sorry to bother you but Miss Celeste Moon wishes to return her boat and speak with you. I should point out that she does not want a refund." The big man scans me before looking at his employee.
"Thank you Thomas, you may leave us alone now." Thomas nods and leaves, closing the door behind him, locking me in with his Boss. We look at each other for a long moment before the Boss smiles at me, leaning back in his chair.
"What can I do for you, Miss Celeste Moon?" he says, pressing my name firmly. I roll my eyes and sit nonchalantly in the chair opposite the desk.
"Stop doing that Luke, politeness is not your forte" I reply with a small mocking smile.
"Sorry if your new name isn't very original, still related to the stars. Otherwise, why did you come back earlier than expected?"
"Forgive me for my lack of originality!" I say in a falsely offended manner as I lift my chin, which makes Luke laugh. "And as for the rental, well, let's just say I'm going to continue my holiday elsewhere, so your boat is going to be a bit of a hassle."
"Okay, but you know I'm not going to pay you back."
"No problem! In fact, I want you to use that money to hold onto my boat for another two or three months. Until someone from Shanks' crew comes to pick it up." Luke raises an eyebrow and says in a surprised voice.
"You're going to let someone else pilot your boat? Normally you never let anyone touch it." I let out a sigh and sink into the chair.
"What do you expect, times change." Luke gives me a long look as he rests his elbows on the desk and puts his head in his hands.
"You didn't have a choice, did you? And I'm sure there's a promise behind it." I growl slightly, biting my lip. How did he find out?
"I don't know what your secret is, but I'll find out one day." Luke bursts out laughing at the pout I make.
"Ha ha ha! What can I say, I'm exceptional!" I roll my eyes. He really doesn't miss a beat.
"So, when you've stopped laughing at me, can we get back to the subject of my boat?
"Yes, yes, of course. And I'm happy to tell you that there's no problem keeping your boat for a few more months." He holds out his hand, which I shake, concluding our agreement.
"Cool, thanks! On that note, I'm going to go get some stuff from my boat. See you later, brat!" I say as I get up and head for the door.
"See you later, old girl." I stick my tongue out at him and walk out of the office to his laughter.
I head towards the rental boat where Thomas is waiting for me.
"You done with the Boss?" He seems quite curious about me. I guess people are running out of the office to Luke's yelling, rather than his laughter still echoing in the hangar.
"Yes, I'll get my things and we can go to my ship."
He nods and digs back into his files to see which hangar my ship is in. I don't see that he's got his eyes bulging behind my back and staring at me with wide eyes. Ignoring him completely, I retrieve my clothes from a suitcase and the vivarium of my Den Den Mochis under my arm.
"Alright, I'll follow you!" With a beautiful smile on my face. Thomas sets off ahead of me again, but his stride is a little steeper, making him look like a puppet. We leave hangar 1, dedicated to rentals, and walk for 10 minutes to hangar 7, where the VIP ships are stored. In front of the doors stand 4 imposing guards, armed with guns and sabres. Seeing us approach, they stand guard until they recognise Thomas and the customer who has one of the ships inside.
"Good morning Madam! Hello Thomas... Have you come to remove your boat?" Speaks one of the guards with blond hair pulled back.
"Good morning gentlemen! No, but I'm going to pick up some things. "They nod and open the door with a quadruple key system to be engaged at the same time and two codes to enter. The door opens and they let me through with the blonde guard following me. Thomas bows and leaves quickly, obviously uncomfortable staying with the guards. Inside, only two ships are moored. The first is a huge, richly decorated galleon, there is a lot of gold and gems all over the ship, even on the hull. Which in my opinion is a waste of money, it's the best way to see the stones fall into the sea.
The second is a small, long boat, much smaller than the Merry. The whole boat is made of black wood with a 12-pointed silver star as a figurehead, with two comet tails extending from each side of the figure for about two metres along the railing. A single mast stands amidships, made of wood and steel, giving it strength. At the back of the ship, the cabin takes up half the ship, no portholes seem to be visible, either on the hull or on the cabin. I walk over to the small ship and jump on, stroking the railing.
"I missed you my old friend". I could feel the wood vibrate under my fingers, which made me smile. This ship is extremely valuable, its price might be more than a dozen times that of the large galleon next to me. Adam's wood is hidden under the black paint, a marine granite hull is barely visible underwater, the mast is retractable to disappear into the hull. And a whole system of diffusing a mixture of Sabaody resin and other products to coat the ship so that it becomes submersible without being near Sabaody. To this you add an engine and a multitude of technologies, so much so that this ship can be piloted by one person. No windows are visible because the windows are hidden behind wooden panels that I can manipulate as I wish. The seabed is really beautiful from my bed. At the same time, many big names have worked on this boat, the latest being Vegapunk who took care of everything mechanical and technological.
I walk over to the door and open it, you can hear a mechanism kicking in and depressurising the room, inside an L-shaped room presents itself to me. In the centre of the room is a wooden table, beautifully carved with a multitude of animals and two chairs facing each other. To the left is the kitchen, separated by a wooden bar. On the left wall, between the door and the kitchen, is a huge bay window which is hidden by wooden panels. At the back, you can see several leather armchairs and sofas around a glass coffee table, forming a small living room. And on the right wall there is a huge vivarium with lush vegetation. On the ceiling of the vivarium, light bulbs illuminate the forest with as much intensity as sunlight. I am very proud of this vivarium, which is fully automated. You only have to fill the food tank every week. This is why the door is not locked, so that Luc can come and feed my little protégés every week. I put my suitcase on one of the chairs and the small vivarium on the table, which I open.
"Hi guys, we're back home, you can take a long holiday to make up for me shouting at you". The two Den Den Mochis come out of their shells and climb onto my hand. I remove their transponders, open the door to the large vivarium and slide them in. The other Den Den Mochis in the vivarium come out from under the leaves to see me and greet the two Den Den Mochis.
"Hello, I hope Luc has taken good care of you?" The Den Den Mochis nod, which reassures me.
"He'll look after you for a few more months, then it's Ray. I hope you don't get into any mischief while I'm gone? I tell them with a small smile, which widens as the Den Den Mochis nod innocently. Although some of them do like to make fun of humans.
"I'm going to accompany some rookies for a few months on their journey through Paradise and I'd like a white Den Mochi, a long-range one and two small ones to accompany me, any of you interested?". The Den Mochi look at each other and seem to consider who will come with me.
"I'll leave you to think about it while I go and get some things". I close the vivarium door, collect my suitcase and head for the wooden door that leads to the rest of the ship. I take a key out of my pocket and put it in the lock, after turning the key once, a small smooth metal panel pops out of the door. I place my hand on it and a multitude of small lasers pass under my hand before I hear the door unlock. I pull the handle and open the heavy steel door that was hidden behind the wood. I walk down the stairs into a hallway with two doors on either side. The first on the left is the storeroom, the first on the right is the library. I'm not interested in these two doors at the moment and head for the second door on the right which is my room.
In the centre of the room there is a double bed with dark blue sheets, to the right a door leads to the library and to the left a door leads to the bathroom and another to my dressing room. I put my suitcase on the bed and start to put my things away in the dressing room before taking two large suitcases and filling them with different clothes to cope with all the seasons of the Grand Line.
Once the suitcases are almost full, I take off my jacket and pack it in a bag before putting it in my suitcase. I wear this jacket all the time, it is part of my identity. If I want to be discreet, it's better to take it off, even if I feel like I'm missing something when I don't wear it. To replace it, I put on a light blue denim jacket that brings out my eyes.
Once I'm packed, I head for the library. In the centre of the room there are several armchairs surrounding a red wooden coffee table and on all the walls of the room there are several large shelves filled with books and several closed cupboards. I walk over to one of the shelves and pick up a book called "Paradise Islands, Log Pose and Dangers", which is a book I wrote during my many travels. In fact, more than half of the books in the library were written by me, some have even been edited but they are still rare. Consulting the contents, I go to one of the cupboards and open the door. In front of me are several dozen Eternal Poses, one for each island I have visited. At the bottom of the cupboard, there are several suitcases. I take one of them and open it on the table, inside there are ten notches to put an Eternal Pose. I take a look at my book. So... which islands have too long a waiting time or are too dangerous? I sort and select the most useful Eternal Poses, like Little Garden which has a one year charge time. I also take a blank Eternal Pose, you never know.
I then head to the second cupboard, inside are several wooden frames with a glass lid, containing a sheet of paper that moves in one direction. These are all the Vivre Cards I've been given, there are over a hundred of them. I look for Rayleigh's, because Sabaody can't have an Eternal Pose. I quickly find it and I take the opportunity to look at the others, just to check that everyone is all right. But my eyes fall on one of the dials which has no more paper inside, instead we can see a small pile of ashes. Shit! I grab it and read the metal plate underneath. "Thatch, Commander of the 4th Whitebeard Division." Shit, shit, shit! I check the other commanders and Whitebeard, fortunately they're all okay. I breathe a long sigh of relief and notice that Ace's Vivre Card is not pointing in the same direction as Whitebeard's and the other commanders. What's happened? Why isn't Ace with the others? Does it have anything to do with Thatch's death? Or maybe he's just on a mission and doesn't know it yet? I just hope he's not involved in Thatch's death. But I quickly push that thought away, Ace would never do that to one of his best friends. I take the dial from Ace and Whitebeard. If I ever have time, I'll pay Ace a visit and if he doesn't know about it, he can at least get home faster with the Whitebeard dial. I also see a Vivre Card pointing to the city, out of curiosity I look at the name, 'Monkey D. Dragon, Leader of the Revolutionaries'. Seeing the name, I bug for several seconds.
"BUT WHAT! Wait wait wait! What the hell is this all about! Why does he have the same name as Luffy?! Wait, that means Luffy has a connection with Garp too ! SHANKS I'M GONNA KILL YOU! "
On the other side of the ocean, a red-haired Yonko begins to shiver.
I let out a long sigh and rub my temples.
"Okay, calm down girl, it's okay. Luffy has a connection with Dragon and Garp, it's not a big deal. I just need to be more careful."
I put the three dials in a small trunk. I take the case containing the Eternal Poses and go back to my room to put them next to the other cases. I leave the room and enter the room opposite. In front of me is the armoury, on the walls are displayed firearms, daggers, swords, various equipment to withstand the extreme conditions of the Grand Line and at the back of the room is a katana under a thick glass bell. Behind this katana, four other katanas hang on the wall. I approach the glass bell and admire the sword inside. The scabbard is jade green with a golden serpentine dragon running along the hilt. The dragon's claws cling to the hilt of the weapon, giving the impression that the blade cannot be removed from the scabbard, which is the case. The hilt and pommel are also jade/gold and a red rope is attached to the scabbard.
I also look at the 4 blades above, the first one on the left is white and silver with a wild rabbit running towards the base of the scabbard. The second is red and blue with a proud rooster crowing at the top of his voice, his plumage is clearly visible with the mixture of several colours. The third is yellow and black with a tiger climbing on the scabbard, and the last is blue with a silver horse rearing up. I place my hands on the glass bell.
"Hi darlings, did you miss me?" A faint buzzing sound vibrates through the room. At the bottom of the glass is another steel plate. As with the door, I place my hand on it to open the glass bell. A multitude of padlocks open before I see the glass open slightly. I lift the heavy glass bell and pick up the katana. As soon as my fingers touch it, I feel an energy probe me before returning to the sword.
"Hello Hisui Hoshi, didn't you get too bored while I was gone? ". Hisui vibrates in my hand.
"Yes I understand you, but I'm sorry to disappoint you as you will be accompanying me to Heaven as a tourist, so we won't be fighting too much." Hisui vibrates again but I can feel him pouting, which makes me laugh.
"Come on don't pout, it'll be fun I promise." He doesn't respond, until he vibrates again and I understand that he agrees.
"Thanks Hisui, you're awesome!" He vibrates happily in response to my words. I walk over to a cupboard that contains various bags and covers. I take a large hard leather bag, lined with black velvet, and slip Hisui into it before slinging it over my shoulder. Then I turn to the other 4 katanas and glance at the sword on my hip. What should I do with it? Do I keep it for the trip or do I replace it with one of my blades? If I take one of the 4 blades, I feel that Hisui will be giving me the cold shoulder for a while. Whereas with an ordinary blade, there is less chance, because I will use this blade against weak people, which does not interest Hisui. But at the same time, I need an intermediate level weapon for Zoro's training, because if I take Hisui out during the training, the boat might sink. I let out a long sigh, then look at the four swords.
"I will take one of you, but I warn you that I will use you to train a beginner. So I want exemplary behaviour in front of his swords, that is, no insult, no damage to his blades, no significant injury to my student, is that clear? " The blades vibrate as they say different things. Obviously, Sutataiga (The Tiger) and Ondorisuta (The Rooster) do not agree. Seima (the Horse) agrees with my conditions and so does Usagisuta (the Rabbit). I look at Seima and Usagisuta.
"I want you to know that my student might have to use you, it will be rare but it is possible. Do you agree with that?" Seima agrees but Usagisuta does not, she is far too loyal to me to allow herself to be manipulated by someone else without feeling like she is betraying me and even though I agreed.
"Thank you for giving your opinion." I unhook Seima from the wall.
"Well, it looks like you'll have to come with me Seima!" She vibrates happily in my hands before I clip her to my belt, next to the regular blade, because unlike Hisui, she's much more discreet. I walk out of the armory and set Hisui's bag down with the rest of the luggage. I guess all that's missing is the money and the Den Den Mochis. I enter the storeroom, which is a room that contains a multitude of items stored in chests. One of the chests is filled with several suitcases that are full of money, each suitcase contains about 100,000,000 Berrys. One suitcase should be enough, but I'll have to find a place to hide it, so the others won't find it. I walk over to a stainless steel cabinet, inside there are several labelled bottles. They are medicines in all their forms. I take a few medicines for the most common illnesses one might have on the Paradise Islands and put them in a medicine bag. As they don't have a doctor, it's best to be careful.
I return to my room, gather my things and take them to the living room. It takes three trips to put everything back in place. I'll ask the guard to carry the suitcases to the boat, it will be easier. I lock the door, then walk over to the vivarium and open the door.
"So, who wants to come?" A white snail, one at a great distance and two small ones come towards me.
"Welcome to the adventure!" I pick them up, put on their transponder and put them in the vivarium which is still on the table. Then I go out on deck and look for the guard who came with me. He's waiting for me quietly on the dock, admiring the big flashy galleon.
"Hey blondi! I need a hand, can you come up please!" He straightens up at the sound of my voice and lifts his head to stare at me with slightly contracted eyebrows, obviously he doesn't like me calling him blondi.
"Yes of course, but please ma'am, call me Eric and not blondi." I give him a big Luffy smile.
"Yes, no problem, get on board Eric. You have my permission to come aboard for as long as I'm on this boat." He nods before walking over to the ladder I threw at him and he steps inside. He looks around, probably curious as to why this little boat is in the VIP hangar. But his curiosity is short-lived when he sees that there is nothing really interesting, except maybe the vivarium, which is certainly pretty, but it seems that there are only plants in it. The Den Den Mochis are hidden in the shadows, totally invisible.
"Here are the suitcases to carry to the ship where I am staying. Is that okay?" I say, pointing to the six suitcases with straps and the vivarium on the table.
"No, that's not a problem, ma'am. He takes five suitcases, two on his shoulders, two in his hands and one on his back. I have Hisui's bag on my shoulder, the last suitcase on the other and the vivarium in my arms.
"Let's go then, follow me so you don't get lost. I'll try not to walk too fast. "He raises an eyebrow at my statement and finally shrugs. It's not the first time he's dealt with strange customers.
We leave the hangar and walk quietly towards Luffy's boat. Twenty minutes later, the suitcases are deposited in Nami's room.
"Thank you very much! And please don't tell anyone I'm on this boat." He nods, then returns to his post. I look further into the room. There are two single beds on either side of the room with dressers and wardrobes, a desk rests against the wall, dividing the room in two. I open the wardrobes and see that Nami's clothes take up all the space, as do the other wardrobes. I let out a sigh and begin to empty the cupboard closest to my bed. Once empty, my suitcases are placed inside, I will tidy up later when we are at sea. I hide Hisui under my bed, collect some money and leave the room in the direction of the city centre. I might as well take the opportunity to go shopping.
I let my feet carry me between the streets, I buy some clothes and jewellery. I flinch at a pair of earrings while the salesman complains about a redheaded customer who has tried on all her clothes without even buying one. Probably Nami.
I continue walking towards the square but it is blocked by a huge crowd, I call out to a woman next to me.
"Excuse me, but what's going on?"
"There's a young boy who went up on the scaffold, a marine asked him to come down but he was attacked by a woman with a club, then some pirates came! I hope the navy will intervene soon!" The woman says to me, obviously worried. I thank her and leave for an alley. Once out of sight, I jump onto the roof and walk forward until I can see the whole place and indeed the boy on the scaffold is Luffy. Who has his hands and head tied, preventing him from moving and defending himself. Next to him is a guy with a clown nose and flashy blue hair. Baggy? He's grown since the last time. But what is he doing with Luffy? When I see him waving his sword while stepping on Luffy's head, I deduce that he's not there to help him. Fuck, seriously. I rub the bridge of my nose, then Luffy yells.
"I'M THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO BE THE NEXT KING OF THE PIRATES!" I can't help but smile, saying those words with such grit and conviction where Gol D. Roger is dead, it's incredible. Baggy raises his sword, ready to slice Luffy. But the clown is stopped by the screams of Zoro and Sanji. Come on guys! Show me you can save your captain. Zoro rushes forward and slashes the pirates with his 3 swords, sending them flying around him. What's this? He managed to buy two more swords, which look good, I'll have to take a look at them.
I focus on Sanji since I couldn't evaluate him earlier. He is kicking destructively at nearby pirates, sending them flying. His face is serious and he doesn't hesitate to launch himself into a group of ten enemy pirates. When there are no girls around, he knows how to be classy. But my observation stops when Luffy speaks again.
"Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, Stella! I'm sorry... I'm dead." He flashes a beautiful smile as Baggy's blade comes down on his neck. I clench my fists and watch the scene without looking away, if this is the end of this young D. then I want to burn it into my memory so I don't forget it. But just as the blade was about to take Luffy's life, lightning strikes the scaffold. Igniting and destroying it, the rain pours down, slowly extinguishing the fire. At the bottom of the destroyed scaffold, Luffy picks up his hat from the ground and says that he is still alive after all. I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the absurdity of the scene, luckily for me my laughter is covered by the arrival of the navy and the escape of Luffy, Sanji and Zoro. Run guys, run! I follow them, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, being careful to stay out of sight.
A few streets away, a young girl is blocking the way and seems to be very upset with Zoro. Well, well, well, what did you do to that girl, my little Zoro? I think I've found a subject to make fun of the swordsman. I say to myself with an amused smile on my lips.
The two of them start to fight, while Luffy and Sanji continue their way. Of course under Sanji's eternal screaming. I stay to watch the fight between Zoro and the young marine. This girl seems to have a good potential but she lets her emotions take over too much. I would like to give her some training but this is not the time.
The fight ends quickly after Zoro nails the woman to the wall. Rhooo, this is a good position to flirt with~ But Zoro doesn't seem to agree with me, much to my displeasure. He sheathes his swords and starts to leave, but the woman starts yelling at him for leaving her alive, probably because she's a weak woman. Obviously she's never met the women of the Shin Sekai. Which makes me want to train her even more.
Zoro screams with rage and I learn that this young marine looks like his best friend who died years ago and that there are stronger women than him on this sea, so saying she's weaker because she's a woman is no excuse. This last comment seemed to surprise the young woman, but she got angry again and they started arguing again.
As the situation was not going to develop any further, I go in search of Luffy and Sanji by following my haki. I can sense the presence of two other people, one of them being all too familiar. Seriously, what does this one want? I quickly find them and see that they are facing the white-haired man I saw at the port. He starts to attack them with his logia abilities. Shit! They don't have the level to face it yet. The marine quickly overcomes the two youngsters. Cook is sent into the wall and he immobilizes Luffy by tackling him to the ground, but when he goes to grab his sea granite weapon, he is stopped by a man entirely covered by a cape, hiding his face. Dragon.
"The whole world awaits our answer!" A powerful gust of wind blows, carrying everyone away. Zoro takes advantage of this to arrive and grab Luffy. Sanji gets up and they start running towards the harbour to quickly get on the boat. I would have liked to have a quick talk with Dragon to find out why he's there and if he's related to Luffy, but I probably won't have time. I run at full speed towards the ship, past the three boys. I jump off the roofs and land on the deck in a controlled skid. Nami and Usopp look at me with round eyes before turning their attention back to the others who are finally arriving.
"Hurry up and get on board! We're raising the anchor!" shouts Nami. While they are busy with the ship, I quietly return to the room to put my bags down. The ship has left the harbour thanks to the favourable wind that Dragon has caused. An eventful departure, ideal for reaching the Grand Line. In front of the ship stands the lighthouse that indicates the entrance to the Grand Line. Sanji carries a large barrel and places it in the middle of the deck.
"Hey guys! How about a baptism before heading back to the Grand Line?"
"That's a great idea Sanji!" They gather around the barrel, smiles on their faces. I lean against the wall with a soft smile and eyes full of tenderness at this scene.
"I will be the next king of the pirates!"
"I will be the best swordsman in the world!"
"I will find All Blue!"
"I'll draw all the islands in the world!"
"I... I will be a brave sea warrior!"
One by one they put their feet up on the barrel, shouting their dreams, and they turn to me.
"Are you coming?" I look at them in surprise before smiling and putting my foot down.
"I'm going to explore all the islands in the world!"
"Off to the Grand Line!" We blow up the barrel below with a loud laugh.