"This is no good" Judal frowned when he checked out the new´s coo. It brought some interesting news, apart from the raise in Ace´s bounty. They have been a whole month in the Grand Line and that brought only troubles. The crew fought every time, all the time. And the idiot king was one of the main fighters of the crew, becoming more and more smug with each won fight. And now he had his own bounty. "This will definitely boast up his ego"
"Boast whose ego?" as if he was called by the magi, Sinbad appeared by Judal, munching on an apple. He peered over his shoulder and caught sight of the poster. The raven frowned, letting him see the price on his head. The captain and the others appeared too, apparently just fresh out of breakfast.
"Woow, Sin, congratulations!" Ace said happily when he found out what they were talking about. "Seventeen million berries! That was my first bounty too! And I was already a captain by then!"
"Yes, great!"
"Congratulations!"
"I… did great? I did great! I impressed them!" he laughed happily, not looking at Judal´s sour face. He was great, the Marines were just learning that. He was great, the First Class Singularity of this two worlds. He was… special? Then he noticed the magi stared at him. And he knew it. The man was looking at his Rukh, the black Rukh that once ruined his life, making him think that he had to cooperate with David to change the world for the greater good… but not anymore. He was not special in that way, he was… just a man.
"What, are you not happy?" asked the D. when he saw the man leaving his very own first wanted poster behind, with a sad face. "That´s your first wanted poster and it´s a great number, any pirate would want it. Why aren´t you celebrating?"
"My… I was a singularity before and that… that made me hurt the ones I love the most" he explained, vaguely. "I don´t want that live for myself again and I would pity the one that gets to see that Sinbad."
"Why? Did you hurt someone?"
"Many people" he sighed and got away, looking at the sea. He hasn´t thought of that before, just enjoyed the trip with his friends, just like when he was a teenager. The former King has been so happy that he didn´t thought that he was doing exactly what he did before and bathing in that sensation of being special again. "I´m…"
"At least you know what you did wrong and are trying to correct it, not like before" Judal appeared, sitting down next to him. Sinbad lifted his eyes, surprised. "I don´t know what I did wrong and am definitely not enjoying this trip, but… my mind is clearer now. To enjoy a bit isn´t so bad, as long as you realise when you are falling for your darkest side."
"Darkest side, eh? I think that compulsion I have for making everything perfect is not going to disappear… but I´m willing to try… because the world is not perfect for a reason" he sighed. "When I heard about the absolute justice from the marines, I realised how much they were like me. I wanted a perfect thing like them… inflexible… that wasn´t right. It was my absolute justice, forcing others to be like I wanted… and those who said otherwise had to be eliminated. I was a horrible person."
"Like I said, at least you said what you did wrong" he smiled in a wicked way. "I still don´t know what I did wrong… well, apart from Al-Tharmen. Those freaks really messed up my life and made a war loving freak… which I still am. I cursed my destiny because of them" he frowned "My family is now far away…"
"Your still miss them?"
"I will ever miss them" he sighed, getting to his feet. "Kouen always worried about us, he told I was immature and egoistical and that I should take a better care of myself. Kouha and Koumei would laugh then and told me that they agree with him, that I looked so skinny and that if I don´t eat more or exercise like them, I would never win in a fight against them. Kougyoku… damn, she was the closest person to me. She used to braid my hair for me sometimes and study with me when I was younger… we even learn Ka Koubun´s vocabulary together."
"Ohhhh, Ka Koubun taught you how to talk?" now the purple haired man was curious about his former nemesis life. "What did he taught you?"
"That´s classified, idiot king" he smiled at the other and for the first time, the ruler of Sindria realised that the dark magi looked amazing. It was such a pity that the beauty of such a creature was darkened and tainted by a foul organization such as the one that ruined his life. He tried to touch his hand, but it was retired. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing" Sinbad sighed. He should remember who was he talking to, the one that nearly destroyed his beloved country. "What do you think? Ace says that the next stop will be special or something like that. I´m looking forward to it."
"Yes? Special like Louge Town?" Judal rolled his eyes. Their escape from the city of beginning and end was everything but uneventful. The man nearly destroyed a piece of public property when someone talked about a man called Gol D. Roger… for some reason when he was mentioned the captain went enraged and started trashing everything around him with his flames, shouting out names. And when they finally managed to stop him, the marines came to arrest them. They barely managed to escape.
"No, not like Louge Town… at least that´s what he said" the purple haired man sighed. "You know, I was curious as to why the captain hates that Gol D. man so much. And who was him? All the others seem to talk so greatly of him."
"You never know" Judal walked away. "Dinner is going to be ready soon and I have a watch now. You better keep us safe too, you never know when the Marines would strike" he turned a bit. "No, idiot king?"
"Stop calling me like that, Judal" he went away again, thinking about what he just realised. He couldn´t have… developed some feelings for Judal in the time they were escaping from the past. But… he was so beautiful. Wasn´t he known for snatching up beautiful things? He never before felt something for a man. Even with the women, the only thing he managed to feel was mild attraction and desire to sex them.
"What? Are you wondering how to snatch up Judal?" Ace suddenly said, sitting down near him. Sinbad looked at him in confusion. "I see you, you always made that face when you see him, it´s obvious that you are in love with him"
"Ehhhh?! You have to be out of your mind."
"Out of my mind? You are out of your mind if you think that you are good at hiding it. Sometimes many in the crew have caught you staring at him, following him with your eyes and many other things… why don´t you just grab some flowers and ask him out? The man is not going to say no."
"You don´t know the history we have with each other" then something appeared in his mind. "Besides, I know someone that will kill me if he knows that I´m dating him."
"His older brother? Well, brothers according to what you said" he sighed. "Well, as an older brother myself, I have to say that I wouldn´t blame him. If someone got close to Luffy with those intensions, I…" his hands caught on fire. "But if that person made him happy, I would leave him the benefit of doubt. So… you only have to make Judal happy. His older brothers would have to accept that."
"I don´t think they will be as understanding as you think" yes, royalty was a dangerous territory to move around. He had to learn many things to be able to do it, to conduce Sindria… but what he learned with the incident with Kougyoku was that any slip up, even an innocent one, could end up messing up lives. And he didn´t want to make that to Judal if it wasn´t meant to be. "You aren´t royal or anything."
"Yes… we aren´t" at least in this world they weren´t. they were an unknown couple, two nobody with no place to go, just sailing in the sea… just like him when his life began. "I just… I don´t want to mess things up more than they already are."
"Hummm, you are a responsible man, eh?"
"No, I´m an irresponsible idiot, like my best friend used to say" thinking about Jafar made his heart ache. "and he was right. I used to escape my responsibility and do stupid things… he had to do a lot of things to right my mistakes."
"Yes?" Ace was curious now. "What kind of things?" he tried to pry the answers out of him. "Were they really that bad? I bet he was just exaggerating, you can´t be that irresponsible. You are always on time and…"
"There was a misunderstanding once with Judal´s sister" this made the captain look at him in horror. "Yes! I was visiting… his family and she was infatuated with me since I grabbed her hand in a fight. She accused me of sleeping with her… which I did… but we were just sleeping, I swear! I never did anything with her!"
"You didn´t?" the other looked at him in suspicious. "I can´t believe that, she was Judal´s sister. Does she look like him?"
"She? No, they… they aren´t siblings by blood" he tried to explain the situation to the man, who was listening carefully. "She is a little petite redhead with a shy attitude… sometimes. Others she can be really violent."
"Apparently they are nothing alike"
"No, I already told you that they are not related by blood" he sighed. "Judal lost his family pretty young… more like they were killed when he was just a baby. A family took him in and they raised him" more like an evil organization raised him as if he was a tool for their own gain. "He consider their children his brothers and siblings."
"Then he is just like me"
"Just like you?"
"My brothers and me aren´t related by blood" he looked down. "Lu is the grandson of the man that took me in, we really got close to each other after I spend years of my life trying to keep him away from trouble"
"Believe me, you are nothing like his siblings…"
"Really?" someone called them, interrupting their conversations. The navigator moved closer to the captain, informing him that they were about to arrive to Sabaody, whatever that meant. Judal sharpened his eyes and stared at the horizon with interest. Then he saw the big trees and bubbles coming out of them.
"What is that?"
"Judal! Come back here!" Ace called him, signalling for him to come down. "After months… this is the result of our efforts. Welcome to the middle of the Grand Line! The passage to the New World, the most dangerous and strange part of the world! And this is the door to that adventure… Sabaody Shouto!"
"It´s beautiful" said Sinbad, admiring the place. The trees were bigger than any he has ever seen and the bubbles that came out of them made a symphony when they broke. "Can´t believe this place…"
"Yes, it´s great, but we have to be careful" someone came from behind. It was the navigator. "I have to warn you before we get there" he put the map on a box. "Sabaody is a very dangerous place, specially for pirates. It´s full of other pirates, ruffians, bounty hunters… all that you want in criminal things. Besides, it´s pretty close to the holy city of Mariejois and the centre of the World Government. If we screw up in that place, getting out will be a real shit."
"Then just avoid it" Sinbad proposed, signalling the map. "We can find another way to cross the Red Line. If we need more groceries…"
"It would be great if there was a way to avoid it, but there isn´t" the navigator signalled the map again. "The only way to cross it, at least for pirates, is to go underwater, through this route, stopping on the Gyojin island" he explained. "And for that, we need an especial coating that only a qualified mechanic could make"
"Okay, so we stop there and avoid ugly places" Judal said as if it was nothing. "Or not, the captain, the idiot and me could protect you just fine."
"Judal, it´s not a good thing to show your abilities in Sabaody, you can get into some real troubles" the other looked at him in the eye. "There is a lot of slave trading there, specially because of the presence of Tenryuubito…"
"Tenryuubito?"
"They are… the world nobles" he looked uncomfortable for once. "The world nobles are the descendant of the ones that created the world government and could literally do anything they want. Even kill without remorse" the crew was now paying attention. "They can summon an admiral of the marines if they are threatened and… we can´t against an admiral" Ace opened his mouth. "Yes, you can´t"
"But…" maybe with his djinn… no, he wasn´t ready to use them again. If he did it, he would end up poisoned by the power again. "So… are you teaching us how to survive this Sabaody place?"
"Yes" he answered. "First, don´t show your special abilities, that would make you a target for the slave drivers. Believe me, devil fruit users are very wanted by the slave houses" he looked particularly at Judal, that sometimes showed his manipulation of the rukh. It wasn´t great, as his wand was broken, but it was good enough. "Second, never hurt a Tenryuubito, that would put us in jail" he looked at Ace and Sin. "And third, when they pass, you have to get to your knees until they are away. It´s the only way to survive the encounter."
"To my knees?" the magi snarled. "I have never kneeled for someone and will not start now!"
"You will" Sinbad got closer to him, whispering. "Just think that it´s Kouen trying to teach you manners and get to your knees."
"I never kneel, not even for Kouen"
"Just do it"
-A few hours later-
"And I was the one that managed to get the coating for free, you should be thanking me" Judal said, moving his hand, which held a sweet. He was eating while walking with his crew, the ones that carried his groceries in balloon like bubbles. "Maybe I should have pressed the man to freely repair the ship first…"
"Judal, you are not robing that man out of his…" suddenly the entire street became silent and the people started kneeling to the floor. Sensing the dread in the air, the crew imitated them… except the raven magi. He had to be pulled to the floor by Sinbad, who wasn´t about to engage in a fight just because of his temper tantrum. Some people with bubbles all over their heads appeared on the streets, walking as if nothing was happening. They were also carrying some big chains. "Those are…"
"Slaves" the navigator whispered to him. "Do you see their necklaces? Those have bombs on them. If one of them tries to escape, they…"
"Owwww…" he shivered.
"Yeah"
"And we really wanted to avoid getting caught in one of those, no, Judal?" he glared at the man, who pouted. He tried to keep him still until the Tenryuubito went away, releasing the magi when the group was finally away.
"Those idiots were more petulant than Dianus, Kouen, Gyokuen, Darius and Rametoto together" commented Sinbad when the street was cleared. "Why are they given so much power? It´s like… like…" he was going to say giving an idiot a djinn, but that would describe himself. "Forget it"
"It´s okay, they are away now"
"Luckily" Judal dusted his pants before getting away, a little bit annoyed. They forced him to kneel in front of those morons. "Damn stupid…"
"It´s him?" someone asked, pointing at him. By now he appeared at least once in the news, sporting his abilities. All the world believed that he was some kind of devil fruit user, so they were planning to sell him for a fortune. "One of the Devil Fruit users from the Spades Pirated, the ones that broke havoc in Paradise… great"
"Let´s go get him" they jumped, but the magi saw them first. The jumped into the air, using his magoi to use gravitational spells, suspending himself in the air. "What the…"
"Do you really thing that it will be this easy?" he pulled out his damaged wand. "I will be good with you, so… I will only hit you with a rukh shot" he signalled to them, making them run. "Yes! Run, insects!"
"Judal, stop!"
"Shut it, idiot king!"
"Don´t shut me up, you demented magi!"
"Why don´t you go to the beach to hit on the women, you perverted womanizer"
"You are…"
"Stop, the both of you!" they stopped their fights when the captain got in the middle. "We are about to enter the territory of the Yonko and this is the first thing you are doing? Fighting? I think no." he sighed. "Just end with everything and off we go, I want to be in the New World by the end of the week."
"Are we making a stop somewhere?"
"In the Gyojin island. They said that there is the best sweets factory in the entire world and I want to try some of them before I leave for the New World" Ace licked his lips. "so now we should go before the World Government finds us. I don´t want to know what they would do if they land a hand on us."
"Okay, cap… wait, you said the New World was the territory of the Yonko, who the hell are the Yonko?"
"They are… the biggest pirates in the entire world" the navigator continued from the orange hatted man. "It could be dangerous to engage them in a direct combat, so… we will have to use an indirect approach" he looked at Ace again. "You said once that you knew someone from the Yonkos, no?"
"Yes, Akagmi no Shanks… and I don´t know him, my brother did" he sighed. "He saved Luffy´s live."
