Chapter 14 - Where it all begins


The Day Strider had swiftly docked at Loguetown with no issue thanks to the efforts of both the dockworkers and the crew, excluding the redhead which Zarina told to sit off to the side. While reluctant he sat off on the railing waiting for the ship to come to a halt. They'd docked the ship in such a fashion that it would be easy for them to leave on short notice, it was Itzal who wanted it like that which caused his red-haired first mate to smirk, he was thinking more strategically for his ship. Rather captain like if you asked him.

Once that was done the crew all disembarked off the ship with Itzal leading them. The first thing he did was turn to the dock workers, "Thanks for helping us with our ship!" Itzal waved over to the dockworkers as he spoke. The other crew members all stood around him, each giving a small gesture their way.

The workers responded with either a nod or a small wave before turning to get back to work.

They'd made it to Loguetown! The place of beginnings and ends!

Just standing near the ship the crew witnessed the hustle and bustle of the town, people walking out and into the dock to either collect deliveries, pass out mail to postal ships or generally move supplies around. The town was so busy and focused yet the atmosphere gave off a friendly vibe, one that welcomed people to the island. Despite the fact that some of the group present, specifically Itzal, Rob and Arabella, were wanted criminals with rather high bounties. Whether the people didn't care or just didn't know it was nice to know people here weren't out to kill them. Yet.

Itzal turned back to the rest of the group, with Sherlock perched on his shoulder chirping slightly to himself, "We're finally here! We made it to Loguetown of all places!" Itzals excitement was blatantly evident for the others to see which got a smirk out of Rob and Francis seeing Itzal this way. Sure he was excited about the concept of an adventure but it was always a good thing to see him so positive.

"So!" Arabella began, throwing her arms up and behind her head, "What are we doing first? I assume you want to be here for a while since you're so excited." Arabella smiled at Itzal, one had to wonder how he was always so excited just at arriving at new places. She found Itzal to be an interesting character, the ax wielder had seen the young pirate in action and he was no joke yet he was plain and simply a nice hearted person. You don't meet too many kind-hearted pirates. Although she'd want to explore the town herself she decided to let Itzal do that while helped out Mr. Injured.

"I want to explore the town!" Itzal pumped his fist in excitement, "I bet there would be shops with all sorts of things like weapons, treasures, and books!" He smirked at the group as his thoughts went about attempting to make a plan for his adventure. Where and what he wanted to look for first.

"I'll probably check out what I can find for the ship that we might need." Rob explained to the group, "I'll see if there is anything worthwhile."

"No, you won't be!" Zarina spoke up in the group surprising the others by her tone, Zarina wasn't one to sound so assertive. She briefly pointed a finger at Rob, "You're going to get stitched up before anything else!" She told the redhead, before placing one hand on her hip and the other on her sheathed rapier.

"I have to agree with Zarina on this, we were supposed to attempt to find a doctor or surgeon that could mend your wound in the first place. That should be your main priority." Francis joined in, agreeing with the scholar. "Maybe you should ask around town to find out if there is even a doctor available for you." Francis put a hand to his chin in thought, he was wondering should he help out with the search or just finally take off on his own. In the end, he'd probably help the red-haired pirate since they were so helpful to him in his escape from the marines.

The rest of the group all turned to the wounded redhead who just shrugged at them, "I guess I should. Even if I'm not bothered by it."

Itzal let out a small sigh, "Man, I was hoping to spend our time here exploring for awhile. It's a new island after all and it's Loguetown of all places!" The excitement he had earlier was briefly stunted but that didn't last long as Itzal bounced back. Sherlock seemed to mimic Itzal has he deflated and bounced up again just as Itzal did. Monkey see monkey do, I suppose?

This time it was Arabella that intervened, "If you'd like I can take Mr. Injured here," She gestured toward Rob with her elbow before going back to her normal stance, "and we can go find out about a doctor or surgeon." She smiled at the young monk pirate awaiting his response but she suspected he'd be happy to go explore.

"Thanks Arabella! That would be a great help!" Itzal swiftly responded to the female redhead of the group. This opened up his day to check out the town.

"You know, I could just go by myself." Rob attempted to counter but was shut down by Zarina once again.

"Not a chance, if you're left alone who knows what you'd do." Zarina gave him a small glare over the top of her glasses, "Last time you were left alone look what happened to you."

To be fair she had a point, he went about Tear island alone, ended up beating some slavers in a bar, basically burning down ships in the harbor and then came back a bloody mess. All that while he was left to his own devices, one could see why Zarina was accurate in her statement.

"I'm sure it'll be fine this time!" Rob smirked at her and threw a hand onto her shoulder and slightly leaned on her. "I fuck shit up where I go!"

Francis just deadpanned at the first mates' statement, was he attempting to convince them he'd be fine on his own or the opposite?

"You can do whatever you want after you're stitched up." Zarina countered in a more calm and fair tone, "I'm sure you can handle yourself in whatever you face but at least let yourself heal for your next misadventure." A far more fair response.

Rob smirked beneath his hat, the others not catching his smile as he stopped leaning on her. "Ay but that does sound boring." Rob countered as he took one step away from her.

"Rob, seriously, you need to get that wound checked out." Francis half stated, half pleaded. Francis would much rather avoid seeing the wound reopen and watch the redhead bleed out in front of him.

Rob sighed, "Fine, guess I'm getting this treated first." The redhead said with a shrug while he waved a hand across his wounded. Guess it was up to Itzal to explore the town for both of them while they were here.

Itzal smiled at hearing them come to a conclusion, although he believed Rob could handle the wound on his own like he had been this whole time he understood the concern from the others.

Zarina and Francis deadpanned at Itzals first mate, 'He makes it sound like getting a serious wound treated is a chore.' Zarina thought to herself with Francis thinking something pretty damn similar.

Arabella, on the other hand, found the red-haired ex-bounty hunters antics rather entertaining, what kind of man ignores a wound to explore a town? One that valued a good time over safety!

"Right!" Arabella spoke gaining the groups' attention, "So we'll split up for now," She gestured to Rob and herself, "We'll go look for a doctor while the rest of you do your own business." She finished by clasping her hands together.

"Actually, Itzal and Francis can explore the town as they like, I'd rather join you two in finding and meeting this doctor or surgeon." She stated to the group as she moved closer to those two, "I have something I'd like to ask them about." She added at the end, a rather vague end but still, she had her reasons. She briefly turned to Arabella, "Are you sure you want to find a doctor with us?"

"Doesn't bother me at all," Arabella replied nonchalantly, either worked out in the end.

"Alright!" Itzal exclaimed, "You guys have fun!" He gave a small wave to the three that were about to leave in search of a doctor. Not entirely sure how you can have fun when looking for a doctor but whatever.

Arabella, Rob, and Zarina all turned to walk into town in search of a doctor but Rob turned his head back to pass a message to Itzal specifically, "I'll be ready to leave at any time." He informed his friend as he walked with his group.

He just wanted Itzal to know he could leave this island whenever he wanted, he'd leave on his orders even if his injuries weren't fully healed.

With that half of the group departed it left Itzal, Francis and their little monkey companion Sherlock. Itzal had complete freedom to explore Loguetown as he pleased.

Francis, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about it, on one hand, he had finally reached an island where he could go off on his own, finally escape the marines and disappear. At least that's what he hoped but at the same time he now had to adapt to what was here, he needed a plan. Where was he going to stay? Earn money? Eat? Where would he go from here? Would he jump aboard another ship and see where it leads? Or take his chances here and live in Loguetown. He just didn't have the answers to these questions and he didn't even have a place to begin.

Francis turned to Itzal for a moment, 'At least I have one friend with me as I investigate this place.' He thought to himself. Odd how an ex-marine thought a pirate such as Itzal to be his friend, what kind of twist was that? A pirate and a marine working together.

"Itzal," Francis spoke, gaining the pirate captains' attention, "Mind if I tag along with you? We're both new here after all, we can both search for what we need together."

A response came quick from the pirate, "Of course! If you have any ideas for places to explore tell me! I'm pretty sure I'd lose myself in the town, distracted by everything they have to offer." Itzal told his comrade as Sherlock crawled from one shoulder to the other.

Francis tilted his head down, a small smile formed across his face, "Thank, I appreciate the company." Francis gave a nod of his gratitude before gesturing toward the main entrance into the town, "Lead the way."

Itzal stepped off first to lead them both but Francis kept pace beside him, the pair were off to explore Loguetown to see what they could use for their future.


Arabella, Rob, and Zarina had covered considerable ground as they passed through the town, along the way they had gotten information that there was a clinic up in the hills out of town where there was a doctor and apprentice that could help them with whatever medical related needs they had.

Of the three is was Zarina that was leading the questioning as they had ventured through the town, she felt she was better suited to ask since she believed it would be best if Arabella remained mostly uninvolved since this really wasn't her problem to deal with and for Rob just to generally stay quiet. She knew for a fact that Rob would say something that could cause trouble, whether he tells someone why they're looking for medical attention, of his injury and how he got it or just cause trouble. He was a professional at the last one in her mind, even Rob would probably agree with her if ask and she could imagine the smirk on his face as he said it as well.

The group had asked passersby if they could point them in the direction of the nearest doctor. Oddly enough the group learned that the only doctors on the island were located in a clinic slightly out of town, apparently, they preferred their privacy, away from the busy streets. They were there for call outs if required but otherwise, if you could make it to the clinic is was recommended you go there instead of calling them down to the town.

A few details were left out though in Zarinas' mind, for one they didn't share the exact location nor did they share the names of those that resided with the clinic. Surely knowing the names of the doctors might help if they had needed to ask around for them? Isn't wasn't anything crucial but it could have been helpful to know.

Regardless the group were currently walking across the grassy, tree-covered hills in the direction they'd been given. Since they were more focused on the objective on hand they didn't get a chance to explore the town. From weapon shops that the red-haired helmswoman would like to check out, book stores and a library are what caught Zarinas' attention but she too had to ignore it. Rob probably just wanted to cause trouble somewhere and if he was left to his own devices he more than likely would.

This Arabella found rather amusing at times, there were points were the injured redhead attempt to either leave the group because he wanted to check something out or straight-up tried to convince Zarina they could search for a doctor later, however, Zarina was having none of it as she shut down every attempt he made with the help of Arabella. There was entertainment to be found in how those acted, they seemed like they knew each other so well yet from what Arabella knew they hadn't known each other very long. They looked and acted like siblings without even realizing it, this reminding her of her own family in turn.

But that was for another day.

So far everyone they'd met had been nothing but helpful and polite, people waved and smiled as they passed you by in the streets. No fighting or arguments, people just going about their lives in peace. Loguetown seemed to be a place of peace which was odd considering some of the things the group noticed.

To begin, there was no marine presence, at least not that any of them saw. No sign of a marine base, no flags, no armed patrols, nothing. While this wasn't odd considering the marine presence in the blue seas was basically non-existent, publically at least, it was surprising that the town didn't seem to have any connection to the outside world. One would think the marines would use Loguetown as a sort of lookout post, a place where they can watch and track ships that were heading to the Grandline and intercept any suspicious ships that pass through.

But that wasn't the case, the town was left to its own devices like the majority of islands in the East Blue.

However, Rob knew exactly what that meant. With no guards on the island, this island was vulnerable which meant there were bound to be some factions that caused problems here. His experience as a bounty hunter gave him insight into what kind of places criminals attack and raid and from what he'd seen thus far this town was a prime target for raids, attacks and other such things.

Although he kept that to himself at the moment, no need to share that information just yet, he considered telling Zarina at some point. He knew Zarina and Francis both wanted to jump ship and leave on their own before they reached the Grandline, since this was the last one before reaching Reverse mountain they, more than likely, planned to leave the group here. Rob would make sure to warn them of this information if they did, in fact, go their separate ways, they could use any information they could to help them survive on their own.

Rob put that thought to the side as he noticed something above the trees ahead, "Oi," He spoke aloud to get the attention of the others beside him. Both Arabella and Zarina glanced his way, "Smoke, above the treeline." He nodded in the direction he wanted them to look, both of them turning to see the smoke he was referring to.

"Looks like a small fire, I'd suspect it might be from a fireplace or a controlled bonfire." Zarina hypothesized, the smoke wasn't thick and black like that of a wildfire.

"Best place to go if we're looking for a clinic out here," Arabella said aloud, her tone and expression mostly neutral although one could tell she was rather bored at the moment which didn't go unnoticed by her two comrades. "Let's go check it out." If Arabella was honest she'd rather go check out the town, sure she'd been here before but she never actually left the ship, she'd stuck to her duty as a helmswoman and stuck with the ship, getting the job done as quickly as possible. At some point, she'd like to see what the word was around town and some places to visit.

There was a brief pause in the group before Rob spoke up, "Arabella if you want you can head back to town, explore the place and meet up with Itzal and Francis or something, I'm sure there are other ways you'd rather be spending your time." He suggested to the other redhead of their small band of crazies.

Off to his side stood Zarina who also looked toward Arabella, she was of the same mindset. She was the newest addition to their little traveling group but she needn't involve herself with their affairs if she didn't want to. Arabella herself admitted she felt like repaying them for their help on Tear island but this wasn't part of that debt.

"I agree with the troublemaker," Zarina began once Rob finished, referring him by a title as opposed by a name, "While we appreciate your help in this matter we don't want to burden you with our own issues. We both have a reason to seek out this clinic and its residents but you're only here to accompany us. We won't keep you if you don't want to be here."

Arabella merely shrugged it off, tipping back and forth on her feet slightly, "I don't mind, sure this is boring but I can deal with it."

"We'll be fine on our own from here," Zarina continued, fixing her glasses as she spoke, "To be honest, I just wanted you with us in the town so you could keep an eye on this one," Zarina hiked a thumb in Robs' direction, "while I asked around town for a doctor. Someone needed to keep him under surveillance."

"You two sure?" Arabella question, "I'll be fine either way." Arabella's eye flicked between the two for a moment before a playful smile formed on her face, "Besides, I did enjoy watching you two argue. You two are a great source of entertainment!" Arabella stated in her usual happy-go-lucky tone.

Zarina just rolled her eyes while Rob half hid a smirk between the shade of his hat, of the two it was Rob that responded first, "What can I say? I'm a real riot to be around." He joked to his two comrades.

"Or a riot starter…" Zarina muttered to herself as she gave Rob a side glance after his comment.

Arabella seemed to mull over the idea for a minute, on one hand, she'd like to stick with these two to not only make sure they got to the clinic but to also see what happens, on the other hand, she could explore the town for anything of interest to her.

"You could help out Itzal and Francis too, I'm sure they could use your expertise on anything ship related. Perhaps find anything of use for your adventure to the Grandline?" Zarina suggested to her, a true statement as well. Itzal wasn't a highly experienced sailor, while Francis was a marine he wasn't a helmsman so Arabella knew better for the sake of the ship.

"Alright!" Arabella exclaimed, throwing her arms upward before letting them fall back to her sides, "I'll head back to find what we might need for our travels and see if I can't meet up with Itzal and Francis along the way!" Her tone matching its normal self.

Rob just gave her a casual smirk while Zarina nodded in agreement, looks like it was going to be Rob and Zarina on their own for a while.

"We'll catch up with yous at some point," Rob told her as he turned his attention back to the smoke above the treeline for a brief moment.

"See yas soon!" Arabella replied before turning and heading back toward town at a calm and rhythmic pace.

Zarina turned back to the injured redhead that remained with her, a brief thought coming across her mind which caused her to sigh in disdain.

Rob didn't respond, instead just waited for her to speak her mind which she swiftly did, "On our own again, just like on the island with the marine base." She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Please let this go smoother than that time…"

Her statement only received a small chuckle from her red-haired comrade, "I make no promises." He said as he turned and began walking in the direction of the smoke.

Zarina gave him a subtle glare before mumbling to herself, "Of course you don't…" She picked up her pace and followed behind the redhead in search of the clinic.

It didn't take long for the pair to locate the source of the smoke, in a small clearing stood a rather strong and sturdy looking building with a few strange things to note such as iron bars protecting the windows and to be a reinforced door. Small patches off to the side which Zarina hypothesized were being used to grow herbs or food, possibly both. On the other side was a wood cutting log and ax with a stockpile of wood to burn. This place could take care of itself if it needed to.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and assume this is the place." Rob broke the silence of the pair, not wanting or needing a response from Zarina he made his way over to the building. Zarina following alongside him.

The pair approached the building and stopped at the front door, the closer you looked at the building the more one realized it how strong and well built it was. Odd for a house, such as this, on its own like this to be well guarded in a way, protective measures.

Rob didn't hesitate and knocked on the door, hard. A bit too hard as he slightly dented the door much to Zarinas disdain. "Hello! Anyone home!" The redhead called out alongside the knock.

"Did you really have to hit it that hard…" Zarina muttered to herself, clearly loud enough for Rob to hear. She wasn't looking for a response she just wanted him to think before doing something like that next time.

A response came rather quickly in the form of a voice above them. The pair took a step back to see a man leaning out the window looking at them.

A man that gazed upon them appeared to be between sixty-five to seventy years of age, so an older gentleman, greyed hair and soft kind eyes.

"Sorry to disturb you but we're looking for a doctor," She gestured toward the injured ex-bounty hunter, "My friend here needs medical attention." She clarified to the older gentleman, Rob giving the guy a wave of his in conjunction with what Zarina said.

His eyes darted between the two for a moment but his small, genuine smile never left his face, "Then you can both rest easy, I'm a doctor. I'll be right down." The man disappeared from the window back inside his home.

"That was easy," Zarina stated to herself, fixing herself slightly to make herself more presentable. First appearances were important after all.

"Too easy." Rob continued after Zarina, clearly finding this suspicious. Although he was grateful this wasn't going to take much effort he was very friendly to two new faces.

The door open seconds later to reveal the same old man from before, he took a step back and ushered them inside, "Please, come in."

The pair entered with Zarina giving the old man a small bow of gratitude before making their way to the center of the room.

The first room the pair found themselves in was a mixture of a waiting room and a living space, a stone fireplace providing both warmth and light to the room. It gave off a log cabin vibe on the inside yet the structure on the outside said differently.

"Now, what can I help you with?" The old man asked but before either Rob or Zarina could answer he spoke again, "Oh, where are my manners. My name is Cavaliere Raphael, I'm both the leading doctor and owner of this clinic." The man now known as Raphael introduced himself.

Without any hesitation, Rob responded, "The name's Rob, nice to meet ya old-timer." he gave Raphael a nod of his head in acknowledgment.

Zarina was far more polite in her introduction, "Arkenstone Erie Zarina, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Far more polite and formal in nature.

"So, what exactly is the problem with your friend here?" Raphael asked Zarina. He could have asked Rob directly but it was Zarina that had spoken to him first outside the window so he'd go to her to find answers.

She turned to the redhead, "Do you mind showing him?" Zarina half asked, half told Rob. It would be far easy to just show the problem then explain it. Avoid spilling the details as to how exactly this happened in the first place, if possible.

Rob wasted no time in undoing his shirt, revealing the bandages underneath however he continued by loosening some of the bandages to reveal the severe wound hidden and slowly healing.

Zarina looked away for a moment, she found herself not comfortable seeing the wound that way. It simply wasn't pleasant to look at, memories of how they found the redhead on Tear island was something Zarina would rather keep in the back of the mind, not the forefront.

Raphael stepped closer to the young, red-haired pirate, he gently moved the bandages to get a closer look at the exposed wound. "How did you manage something like that? A wound like that would kill any man." In his professional experience a wound like that is lethal, one doesn't walk away in such a state, he could only imagine what it was like fresh. "How long have you had this wound?"

"About five days," Rob replied nonchalantly before Zarina could answer, honestly not caring all that much about the state he was in. In his opinion, he would have been fine on his own.

Raphael seemed a bit worried to hear that, "If I'm to stitch this wound properly then I might have to cut the wound open in some places to make sure the wound heals evenly." He stated to the pair in front of him.

"If it must be done for the sake of his health then by all means," Zarina replied to the doctor, sure it was Rob's decision but he'd just leave if he had the choice.

Raphael turned and began to head further into the back of the building, "Please follow me." He gestured for them both to follow him.

He lead the pair to what appeared to be an operating room, sterile, clean and purely white. "Please, take a seat while I prepare for surgery."

Rob and Zarina turned to see a few seats lining the wall of the room, seeing she was given permission she took the chance to take the weight off her feet. Rob however just leaned against the doorframe leading into the room, he wasn't bothered all that much.

"Do you have many other doctors working for you?" Rob asked out of the blue as they waited for Raphael to complete his preparations. Zarina herself was interested in the conversation, the more she could learn about the doctor the better.

"I do, an apprentice of mine." Raphael replied as he prepared some surgical tools, "And if I'm honest I'd rather wait for him to return before we begin operating. He's much younger than I and he has excellent skills that would be greatly appreciated during the process." Raphael laughed for a moment, "Although he might appear a bit rough around the edges he's highly skilled and well trained."

"Are we going to be waiting long for your apprentice?" Zarina asked from her sitting position, arms crossed and one leg over the other. She wasn't in any particular rush at the moment but she'd rather have a wound treated sooner rather than later.

Raphael put a hand up in a calming manner, "Not at all, he should be arriving back shortly." He reassured them both, it would be both a good thing for the injured redhead and his apprentice to get the experience of another surgery under his belt.

"What's his name?" Rob questioned. Might as well get to know about your surgeon before you meet him right?

"His name is Schimdt Benedict," Raphael replied, a fond smile passing across the old doctors' face.


It didn't take long for Arabella to return to the main town since they didn't cross over too many hills to get to where the group had separated.

Now, here she stood in back in the town wondering what to do for a moment, she could either immediately going looking for Itzal and Francis or check out a few stores herself and maybe come across them at some point. The same result, in the end, she'd find the boys eventually.

So seeing as the result was the same she decided to explore the town herself for awhile. Which is exactly what she did. Arabella wandered the streets of Loguetown taking in all the sights and sounds around her, the chatting, the laughing, the bartering, everything around her.

A small smile crept across her face, this is why she valued her freedom. She could just wander around, doing as she pleased and enjoy life as she saw fit. Nobody can take that away from her.

A brief wander later and a store located along the main street caught her eye, a weapon store to be specific. Now Arabella was a weapons kind of girl, she did love a solid, well crafted and sturdy weapon to cause damage with. The perfect example being her Storm Breaker, her beloved and treasured ax she hardly ever let go off.

Weapons being an interest of hers she decided to take a closer look at the weapons this store might have to offer. Arabella walked toward the store and entered, a bell ringing out above the door clearly being used to indicate to the shopkeep that someone had just arrived.

Once inside Arabella quickly surveyed the store, a few points catching her attention. For one the shopkeep was not present at the moment despite the fact someone could easily hear her enter and two the store looked only half stocked and from her brief glance over some of the weapons they were of the lower quality wares.

A small pace around the store only confirmed this theory as she examined a few weapons much closer, 'I could easily break all these weapons…' The redhead thought to herself, in honestly these weapons would surely shatter or at least be damaged if they came across a superior quality weapon.

She paused her walk around, "Hello? Anyone here?" She called out in an attempt to find the shopkeep. It seemed to work as a long nose was heard in the backroom

"One second, I'll be right with you!" A voice called out to her, a male voice but from what she could tell it didn't sound soft or tired. There was a bit of life to the voice.

A few moments later a man appeared from the back room, he looked to be in his early forties. He was reasonably well built, rough face and skin and wore boots and a mechanics jumpsuit but he only stood as five foot nine. His hair had a few graces of grey but mostly retained its brown color and his eyes matched his hair.

"Sorry about that, what can I help ya with?" He asked in a polite tone, a friendly smile on his face. The usual one a person would have for a potential customer.

"I'm mostly browsing, just wanted to make sure I wasn't invading your store when it was meant to be closed." She told the man before a question came to mind. "Can I ask where all your stock might be? You haven't got much in terms of choice." Arabella asked, curious as to how a store like this might have such low-quality stock.

The man gazed her a quick once over, brows furrowed in thought, she noticed his eyes lingered longer than necessary but she didn't call him out on it.

"Are you new to Loguetown?" He asked her, crossing his arms as he spoke, "You don't look like you're from around here."

Arabella didn't see any issue in letting him know she was from out of town, "That I am, I've delivered goods to this island before but I've never spent more than a few hours at the docks before departing again." Her statement made it sound like she was just a merchant or a trader and nothing more, nobody would have expected a smuggler. Although the ax on her back might make people suspicious of her it didn't seem to bother the weapon store clerk.

"Ah," The said as he shifted on the spot, "Well, that would explain why you don't know what goes on this island then. The reason why my wares are so few and of low quality is because I'm storing all my valuable goods in the back, in a vault for safety reasons." The clerk said to her as he leaned against the doorframe leading to the back of the store.

"Safety purposes?" Arabella questioned, sure she could understand the safety of one's stock but all that was left was the low-quality stuff that wouldn't sell very well. She looked toward the clerk, a curious expression on her face. "Mind telling me safety from what?"


Itzal, Francis and, of course, Sherlock continued to explore the beautiful Loguetown streets, one wouldn't expect the town to be as pleasant and genuinely fun to wander around yet this place did it. There really was something special about this place, a sense of great history attached to its name.

Thus far the pair only checked out a few places of interest, first of which was the market stalls that littered the streets that lead toward the docks. Merchants, traders and potential customers walked about the streets, all of them going about their day like any other.

From there the pair went further into the town, they'd come across so many things in such little time. From a weapon shop to a larger restaurant and then the massive plaza at the centre of it all. Itzal, for some reason, found the plaza to be an impressive sight, there was just this gut instinct he felt that a lot of great things happened here.

Itzal had been enjoying his time in Loguetown so far, he'd seen so much here and there were still a few places he wanted to explore.

Francis as well had appreciated his time spent wandering the town, he'd gotten a brief chance to distract himself but he also got to meet a few people along the way. People that he might be able to talk to about helping him out later down the line once Itzal and the others leave.

Although they didn't have any treasure or money to really trade or purchase anything with they still enjoyed the sightseeing.

As the pair wandered another street, something caught Itzals' eye. He stopped where he stood which caused Francis to halt and turn to him. "What is it Itzal? Something wrong?" Francis asked, curious as to what caused him to stop, even their little company Sherlock watched Itzal from his shoulder, although he somewhat got his answer as he swiftly followed Itzals gaze being met with a rather old shop at a corner that lead to a back alley. Nothing amazing about it, it was dirty and rusty on the exterior in places and didn't appear to be very well lit.

The shop front didn't seem anything amazing though Francis considered the fact that the store had a jolly roger in the window and was named Treasures of the Sea. Something that quite obviously would catch the young pirates' attention.

"Francis," Itzal began gaining said comrades attention, "Mind if we check this place out?" Itzal still keeping his usual excited tone about him.

Francis gave his comrade a small smile, "Of course, lead on." Francis gestured with a swing of his hand toward the shop. As if agreeing with Francis, Sherlock chirped away happily in agreement.

Itzal nodded to Francis before walking toward the shop with Francis in toe.

The pair entered the store side by side, both of them surveyed the interior for a moment. The store was dimly lit, the only sources of light being scattered candles throughout, slightly dusty and rather cramped in places, there were a lot of goods stacked atop each other, not at all organized in some areas. One would find it hard to both move around if the store was busy and hard to locate some of the goods that were buried beneath others. Not even the shopkeep was found in here, they were alone.

It wasn't a golden sight to see, especially when some of the treasures honestly didn't seem all that valuable on the surface level but one could judge it for that alone.

Sherlock immediately dived off Itzals' shoulder onto the hanging trinkets and rope from the ceiling and began crawling around above them.

Itzal and Francis broke off to explore the strange store, Itzal broke off to the right side, examining all the dusty and some moldy books and trinkets he found such as old scrolls, letters, tore up flags and other oddities such as small ships in bottles and even some pirate-like weapons such as old flintlocks and cutlasses.

Francis examined the vast amount of books on the left side of the store, stacks going as high as the ceiling, creating this sort of small maze of stacked books and goods to walk around in.

"This is a strange place," Itzal said aloud as he examined more oddities of the store, peering through a jar filled with what he might have guessed was seawater with a variety of bones in them.

"Strange indeed, Francis agreed as he picked up a book and flicked through it, "Strange as it might be one can never just look surface level, who knows what kind of secrets some these mind hold the deeper you look."

Itzal smiled hearing that, Francis and his love of secrets and mysterious, Same sort of feeling Itzal had for his own passions.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" A voice asked out of nowhere surprising the two of them. They'd both thought they were alone in here but apparently they weren't.

They both turned to the source of the voice and saw an old small man standing on the counter, his arms behind his back.

This man appeared to be about eighty years of age, bald and wrinkled quite a bit. The man only stood at three feet tall so he was extremely short. He wore older baggier comfortable clothes and had a pair of small glasses.

"Woah, you're small," Itzal said rather bluntly causing Francis to mentally facepalm. Itzal being Itzal right there.

What a way to start off an introduction.


Bet yous are sick of the apologizes for the late chapters, sorry about that. Not much I can do when I'm busy.

Regardless, the chapter here and so begins this arc. It's hopefully going to be a solid arc that wraps up in a few chapters, nothing too long, but it should bring about some important characters and details for the future.

A brief Author Note this time.

Disclaimer, I obviously don't own One Piece (For Shame). All OC' go to their respective owners and such.

AlcatrazDGold - Peace!