I am soooooooooooooooo SORRY! I know this chapter is super late, but life has been pretty hectic recently and I just hadn't had the time to finish editing this chapter. The good news though is that my computer has been fixed. The bad news is that school has become more stressful what with the end of the school year approaching.
Nevertheless, I am happy to announce that the new chapter is here.
So without further ado, here you guys go.
Chapter 2: Calm
~"Remain calm, serene, always in command of yourself. You will then find out how easy it is to get along."
-Paramahansa Yogananda
In the middle of the Calm Belt, one can find an island unlike any other in the Grand Line. One where women are the dominant voice and men are looked down upon by these female warriors that are as ruthless as they come.
The island is known as the Isle of Women, where the thriving Kuja Empire, Amazon Lily, lies.
It is a dreamland most of the male population in the world wishes with all their might to visit, but there is one problem…
No man has ever entered this island without facing the wrath of their pirate Empress, Shishibukai Boa Hancock, and survived. Boa Hancock, one of the strongest women in the planet, was known for her immense beauty that has given her the title as "The Most Beautiful Woman in The World", and also, for her intense, deep hatred of the Men.
It was known that Hancock did not show mercy to men who dare approach her whether the intention was ill or not. If someone did get near her, then they would get turned into stone thanks to her devil fruit power. It is for this reason that she was widely feared and respected, as well as the reason as to why not many men would ever dare venture into Amazon Lily unless they were marines strong enough to face Hancock.
But the problem lies not only with the man-hating women in the island, but with the difficulty that it is to even try to get into the island.
Amazon Lily is surrounded by vicious sea kings that—unless ships are protected with sea stone coating—would devour who ever dares venture nearby before they can even be within sights of the Isle of Women.
It is because of this that nobody has ever reached the island without the sea stone coating. And even if they did, they would not survive for long, for it is a law in Amazon Lily that nobody of the male gender shall ever enter. And if one is caught within, their fate will not be so kind, but rather ruthless and bathed in blood.
Oh, but what fortune befell a certain mage.
"Come on! You guys are way too slow!"
"Wait, Aphelandra! You're going too fast, you'll get lost!"
The only response Marguerite got from her tall friend, Aphelandra, was a cheerful laugh as she continued to energetically run through the jungle and disappear within the giant trees, leaving Marguerite and their other friend, Sweet Pea, behind.
"Seriously," Marguerite sighed in agitation, "that girl has way too much energy for her own good."
Sweet Pea nodded, "The Saga of 'The Girl Who Won't Stay Still."
Marguerite shook her head in response and chuckled as they both continued to calmly walk through the jungle in search of any game that might cross their way to bring back home for dinner.
She smiled as she admired the beautiful scenery around them: the lush, green vegetation that reached up to the skies, and the small creatures that skittered around. Amazon Lily was truly a beautiful and wonderful place that she thought of herself lucky to live in.
But she had to admit, despite the peacefulness and beauty of her home, Marguerite just wanted a little more… adventure.
Sure, she loved Amazon Lily. The food, the people, everything about it just made her feel so happy and lucky to live there. She just wished it wasn't so… boring.
Despite being trained to fight and how to use bows and arrows, it wasn't like she ever put it to the test besides using it to hunt whatever big creatures made good dinner. But even that came to be boring once the animals stopped posing a big challenge for her.
She had considered joining the Kuja Pirates: Hemihibe-sama's warriors that had the chance to explore the world outside. But, again she had been told that she has not received sufficient training and that the world outside was way too dangerous for her.
It was a statement she had begrudgingly agreed with at first, but sometimes the boredom just became too much and she trained herself silly to the point that she would pass out in the middle of doing so.
But, no matter how hard she trained, Nyon-sama, the Elder of their home and the one who acted as an advisor to their empress, still thought that she was not strong enough. "Yet" she would sometimes add.
Marguertie didn't want to sound selfish, but she just wished that for once, something interesting would actually happen in her life.
"What's that?"
Marguerite stopped in her tracks and turned to Sweet Pea in confusion, who had, unnoticed by Marguerite, stopped a few steps behind her. The big woman was staring up at the blue sky squinting in curiosity at whatever had caught her attention.
Marguerite followed her gaze up towards the sky and she, too, squinted her eyes in confusion.
"What the-? Since when do stars come out in the day time?" she wondered out loud.
There, up in the sky, was what appeared to be a small star, or light, flashing repeatedly right above their island.
"Saga of the 'Mysterious Light in The Sky'," Sweet Pea muttered absentmindedly.
As she continued to examine it, Marguerite realized that it couldn't be a star. Stars did not shine in the daylight, and it seemed to be far too close to even be considered one. Not to mention it kept twinkling and-
Suddenly, the 'star' seemed to explode and the once small light turned into a blazing sun that had both her and Sweet Pea yelp in surprise and cover their eyes so they wouldn't go blind from the light's intensity. As quick as the light came though, it was gone and the sky went back to normal as if nothing happened.
Marguerite and Sweet Pea uncovered their eyes but looked up at the now blue sky in shock.
"What-what was that?" asked Marguerite.
Not a second later after she muttered the question, the sound of an explosion nearby echoed loudly and the ground beneath their feet shook slightly.
Both girls screamed in surprise, and nearly fell to the ground, but the rumbling soon stopped and they caught themselves before their legs gave out of balance.
"Okay, what the hell was that?!" Marguerite wasn't one to normally use the word 'hell', but situations called for it.
"I don't know," answered Sweet Pea, "'Saga of The Strange Earthquake."
The sound of a terrified scream that made their blood go cold and goosebumps rise in their skin had them both react fast and running towards the direction where it originated from.
"Aphelandra!"
Both girls ran through the giant tress, ignoring the small scrapes of the branches and small bushes that managed to scratch their skin.
Marguerite could feel her gut twisting into knots as dread consumed her entire body. Something wasn't right here. There was something in the air and it felt terribly, terribly wrong. It felt like, a strange presence that polluted the air and wanted to suffocate her. And the further she ran, the more smothering that presence became.
"Aphelandra!"
The tall girl finally came into view. She was kneeling down on the ground, her back towards her two approaching friends, and checking over something that lay on the ground.
They stopped a few feet behind her and stared in shock at the area they had just entered. Whatever had crashed here, caused a small crater to form on the ground that seemed to be just a few feet in diameter as dust clouds rose up from the ground.
But it was the air around them that had Marguerite stop in her tracks before she could reach their friend who was obviously fussing over whatever lay on the ground.
The presence Marguerite had felt earlier had now rose up to levels that had her knees turn into jelly and almost give up on her due to the fear that made it almost impossible to breathe. Whatever this 'presence' was, it made her feel like a prey caught up by a predator. Like a mouse cornered by a cat that kept mocking its trapped food. Her sense kept screaming at her 'danger danger!'. She wanted to turn back on her heels and run back to the safety of her home where whatever was in the air wouldn't reach her. Almost.
But she had her friends to take care of. And that was what kept her from turning and leaving as fast and as far away as she could. But it was that fearful presence that kept her glued to the ground, preventing her from advancing any further despite the potential danger Aphelandra found herself in.
"Guys!"
Marguerite snapped out of her reverie and saw Aphelandra-who had seemingly finally noticed the arrival of her friends—looking at them with a worried, yet frightened expression.
"They need help!" she cried out.
"Who?"
It was then that Marguerite noticed Sweet Pea had already moved to stand next to Aphelandra, and her eyes widened when she leaned over to see what-who- Aphelandra was fussing over. But that wasn't what had Marguerite confused.
Weren't they feeling what she was currently feeling? The danger that seemed to be in the area? The terrifying aura that practically intoxicated the air she was breathing?
"Marguerite! Come here quick!" called Sweet Pea as she kneeled down to tend to whatever Aphelandra was tending to.
Although reluctant, Marguerite walked slowly to stand near her friends and her eyes widened over what she saw.
There, sprawled in the middle of a crater, were two girls that she had never seen before in her life. As soon as she saw the state they were in, Marguerite did the best she could to ignore the still frightening presence that seemed to come from both of these girls.
"Oh my- Are they alive?" asked a shocked Marguerite.
Aphelandra nodded, "I checked for a pulse."
"It's weak, but they're not in any danger," continued Sweet Pea.
One of them was a slim young woman with long white hair reaching her waist, wearing a slightly torn towel-like dress held up by two straps circling her neck, and most of her body was wrapped in torn bandages.
The other one had waist-length light-green hair, as well as a pair of thin strands jutting out backwards from the sides of her head, both shaped like lightning bolts. And just like her partner, her strange red clothing was ripped from a few places.
"W-who are they?" Marguerite asked as she kneeled down beside Aphelandra, analyzing both girls and trying to recognize any features that may be familiar to her, only to come up with a blank.
"I don't know. I've never seen them before in my life," replied Aphelandra.
"Perhaps they fell from the sky earlier when the light appeared. The strange saga of, 'The Girls Who Fell From the Sky,'" replied Sweet Pea.
Margerite mused over Sweet Pea's theory, "It's possible. But how could anybody survive an impact of that magnitude? Shouldn't they be dead?"
"Ah! Perhaps they're angels!" cried Aphelandra, who for a moment, seemed excited at the mere prospect of helping angels despite the serious situation.
"Angels or not, they need medical attention. And fast."
Sweet Pea moved to pick up the green-haired girl with ease and she began to make her way in the direction that led back home. Marguerite moved to pick up the girl with the silver haired, but the same aura she had felt before hit her full force and it had her freeze in her tracks.
She felt her stomach drop, the hairs of her body rose and sweat began to pour down her temples. She could feel her legs, her entire body, shaking in fear.
Every being in her body was telling her that something was… wrong with this girl. That her best bet would be to simply leave her here to die and care for the other girl instead. She almost felt ashamed of having such thoughts, had she not felt like her life depended on this decision.
"Marguerite? Are you ok?"
Marguerite had been so out of it, she hadn't realized that Aphelandra had picked up the girl instead and was currently holding her gently, but was now looking at her with worry.
Marguerite blinked and stared at the girl in Aphelandra's giant arms with slight fear. She shook her head and gave Aphelandra what she was hoping was a reassuring smile.
"I'm okay, Aphelandra. Let's get these girls treated."
Aphelandra seemed to accept this as she smiled and proceeded to walk fast to catch up with Sweet Pea.
Marguerite could see the silver haired head of the girl in Aphelandra's arms as she walked away. She felt a sense of foreboding set upon her that had her want to stop Aphelandra in her tracks and tell her to leave the girl behind. But instead, she slowly trailed after her friends, forcing herself to ignore the intense fear that had her in a tight grip.
She wished she could take back her previous wish for adventure.
It's not like she knew stars could really make wishes come true.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Moby Dick
"Glad you decided to join us, Lax-san!"
Laxus' eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the uncalled for nickname his new 'friend' had given him.
"It's not like I had a choice," he muttered as he took a sip of his mug.
A hand slapped him on his already injured back, making Laxus choke on his drink and sputter, courtesy of a man with brown hair twisted into a weird hair style Laxus found himself hating.
"Well, we're glad you didn't," the man laughed, not noticing how Laxus was currently gasping in pain over having his bruised back abused in an unintentional manner.
Once he recuperated, Laxus glared at the older man who was oblivious to the younger one's irritation.
"Oi, watch it!" he yelled at the man who had introduced himself as Thatch earlier, who simply laughed louder and went back to his food.
Shortly after Marco left him to be alone, less than an hour had passed by when the same guy he had met when he woke up, Ace, came into his room and proceeded to pester him about coming outside to eat with the rest of the crew.
Laxus, of course, was uncomfortable with the idea. Not just because he wanted to sit vigil by his grandfather's bedside and be there when he wakes up, but because the idea of eating with a pirate crew didn't exactly… appeal to him.
As a matter of fact, when he had first met Ace after waking up, Ace had revealed that Laxus was currently being treated in a pirate ship by a pirate crew, and his first reaction was to nearly punch Ace in the face. Eventually, he was stopped after his body realized that it was in a boat and should react like it does whenever he is on any type of transportation: motion sickness.
While the nurses went to go get him some medicine to calm the queasiness, Ace decided to ignore Laxus earlier attempt to knock his lights out and began to explain to him that he and Makarov had been rescued from the ocean by one of their crewmembers and were brought to the medical infirmary to have their wounds treated.
Once the nurses had given him an amazing medicine that made the sea-sickness vanish after a few minutes, Laxus apologized for his outburst, but it was evident that he still didn't trust the younger man as he refused to answer any of his questions or even converse beyond the small apology the dragon-slayer had given him.
Nevertheless, he still found it odd that pirates would actually bother rescuing strangers and even go as far as treating their injuries without asking for anything in return.
Laxus has confronted pirates before on missions. They were a ruthless bunch who pillaged villages and harmed innocent civilians for the sake of their greed.
But, from what he's seen here, these pirates were not like that.
After finally conceding with Ace and leaving his grandfather to go eat in the dining area, Ace sat him down with three of his friends, who, according to him, were division leaders of this pirate crew. And just like that, he left him there alone with his friends, much to his chagrin. His only excuse being that there was somebody he had to go talk to.
So here he was, eating in a table with three pirates who were trying their best to make Laxus converse with them despite his obvious reluctance to do so.
"So, kid," Vista, a tall man with a curled mustache and commander of the 5th division, spoke, "What's your story? How'd you and your grandfather end up in the middle of the ocean?"
Laxus stiffened slightly.
"I-It's a long story."
"We've got time," the huge man, Jozu, commander of the 3rd division, spoke.
Laxus swallowed the food in his mouth as well as a glob of saliva that had developed.
"W-well—"
"It's ok, you don't have to tell us now if you don't want to." Laxus gave Thatch a surprised look. Thatch was smiling at him in a friendly way that for some reason made Laxus feel a little nervous, as if the man had already figured out something about Laxus that he would not tell as long as Laxus didn't screw up.
He silently cursed at Thatch in his head.
"You'll have to tell Pops later anyway. So either way, we'll find out." Thatch laughed playfully.
Laxus choked, "Pops?"
"Yeah," Vista smirked, "Surely you've heard of our captain before?"
"Yeah. Edward Newgate, otherwise known as the Great Whitebeard, one of the Yonko and the Strongest Man on Earth," Thatch smiled proudly and almost cockily.
Usually, when the name Whitebeard is uttered to someone who is not a part of their crew, that person always freezes up, pales in fear, and proceeds to gape like a fish out of water. Whitebeard's name was, after all, widespread, well-known, and feared throughout all the oceans.
So, Laxus' reaction was incredibly unexpected.
"No." he deadpanned.
Thatch, who had been lifting his own mug to take a drink, froze midway. The other two reacted the same way as they stopped from eating their food and slowly turned to look at Laxus with shocked expressions.
After a while, Thatch broke the silence by laughing nervously.
"You're kidding right?" He gave Laxus a shaky smile, "You must be joking. Everybody knows who Whitebeard is. You'd have to live in a different world to not know of him."
'Oh, if only he knew.' Thought Laxus, but he could feel his own anxiety intesify as he began to wonder if he just screwed up by saying something completely wrong and will pay for it later.
Thatch's smile faltered.
"You're not kidding?"
Now, it was Laxus' turn to laugh nervously. "Uh…"
"Do not trust people easily in this world. Do not let them know who or what you are."
The words that she had told him in his dream before waking up here, repeated in his head as he looked at the confused, suspicious and shocked expressions of the three men's face. She had told him to not give away his trust so easily, even to those who helped him. And though he appreciated that these people had treated him and his grandfather with care and kindness despite being pirates, it didn't necessarily mean that he could trust them to the fullest.
They couldn't know about who he was and where he came from. And, it's not like they'd believe him anyway.
"You must live in a pretty isolated island for you to have never heard of Whitebeard," Jozu said suspiciously.
Laxus nodded briskly, "Yeah, uh, news of the outside world don't really, uh, reach us where my grandfather and I live."
"Well, that must explain it," said Vista, his previous smile slowly coming back to his face. "We have visited islands that are really isolated from the rest of the world and the Marines arms aren't long enough to reach them. So, they're pretty much a bunch of solitaires."
"Still, though," Jozu said, "those islands are practically at the edge of the Calm Belt and even in the middle of it, and others are far off in the New World, how is it that you manage to land in the middle of the Grand Line from a very far off island?" he asked Laxus.
Laxus blinked in confusion as the three men proceeded to stare at him with curious eyes and suspicion. His brain sought hard for an answer that might just sound plausible in their ears, but all he could do was open his mouth and gape like a fish out of water and no words ever formed.
It didn't matter though, because it was at that moment that somebody decided to interrupt their small conversation.
A large hand clamped on his shoulder, making him flinch in surprise. "So, these guys treating you well?"
Laxus held back a sigh of relief and mentally thanked whatever Kami existed out there for having sent Ace himself to save him from giving himself away.
"Oh, Ace! You're back" smiled Thatch. The other two men smiled widely as well at the raven haired boy who stood behind Laxus's seat and was nodding at the three in acknowledgement.
"They're not bothering you are they?" he asked Laxus with a playful smile.
"Oh, please, can't you give us a little credit, Ace?" chuckled Thatch, "It's not like we're gonna hurt the little guy."
Laxus raised an eyebrow, 'little guy?"'
"Wouldn't put it past you," Ace muttered with a smile on his face.
Thatch feigned to feel offended, "You really don't trust me! And here I thought we were friends!" he cried out as crocodile tears fell down his eyes.
"So, where'd you go, Ace?" asked Vista.
"Just went to chat with the Old Man," he said.
"Old Man?" Laxus asked.
"Yep." All of a sudden, Laxus did not like the look Ace got after answering. It was one that promised Laxus would not like what comes next, but Ace would surely enjoy it.
"The Captain of this ship would like to have a talk with you, Laxus."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
"You're going to get sick if you continue drinking like this, Cana-chan."
The young brunette ignored the older woman as she continued to drink an entire barrel of alcohol that came from Shakky's very own supply room in the bar she owned.
Shakky sighed, "I hope you at least have the money to pay for that." Because it wasn't like she was going to let the girl drink her entire alcohol for free.
It was quite obvious though, that Cana had no money whatsoever, but still she did not respond nor did she stop drinking until she was already halfway done with her drink and she had to stop to take a breath.
"I'll pay you later," she slurred. Cana's eyes were hazy and bloodshot red, her cheeks were slightly flushed due to the insane amounts of alcohol she has consumed in the short amount of time she's been in the bar. Two empty barrels laid next to her stool, completely devoid of any beer it had moments before Cana drank it all.
"Grand Line," she scoffed softly, before once again lifting the barrel of booze to her lips.
Ah, yes, the Grand Line; the reason why Cana was now here getting drunk out of sorrow.
Earlier, Shakky had explained what the Grand Line was to Cana, which had shocked Shakky since she had never once before encountered anybody who did not know what the Grand Line was.
And Cana had asked earlier if Shakky was the one who lived under a rock.
Shakky honestly could not comprehend how somebody could not know of the Grand Line. It is after all, the biggest ocean in the world. Sure, she came across a few islands far out of the reach from Marines with people living in them who had no idea of how the outside world functioned, but she doubted Cana came from one of those islands.
Those islands were located in the Calm Belt or in Skypeia, and Cana appeared here in Sabaody Archipelago as if by magic or through Kuma's devil fruit power, but Cana had no idea how she had gotten here, and it's not like she's spoken much about what happened to her to Shakky.
It was after this explanation—where Cana kept asking questions and appearing all flustered an panicky—that Cana asked where the bar was and Shakky led her downstairs where she opened her bar for the rest of the day and attended to her clientele. Meanwhile, Cana proceeded to ransack her alcohol supply and drink whatever she could lay her hands on, which was an insane amount so far.
The customers were openly gaping at her in shock, not being able to believe that such a small woman could consume such insane amounts of alcohol, and Shakky will admit even she was slightly shocked.
"Damn, how can so much alcohol fit in such small body?"
"That's waaaaaay to much booze."
"… She's pretty."
Finally, Cana finished her (third? Fourth? Who's keeping count?) barrel she carelessly threw the empty barrel behind her. A loud yelp resonated from behind as the barrel hit a customer over the head.
She moved to grab another barrel from behind the counter, only to be stopped by Shakky's hand grabbing her wrist.
Cana sent a glare her way which Shakky returned with a worried look. "Cana-chan," she spoke softly, "sometimes it's better to talk about what's bothering you instead of drowning your problems with alcohol. I know we barely met, but you can talk to me."
Cana stayed quiet. Her bangs shadowed her face and she didn't say anything. But, despite her lack of response, her mind was going haywire.
What was she supposed to say? That she was scared, worried out of her mind, confused, and absolutely terrified because she had no idea where she was and there was the slightly reasonable possibility that she landed in a completely different reality from her own where she was completely alone with no one to help her?
She didn't know what to do. Usually it was Erza, or somebody else who came up with this awesome plan that motivated everyone and made them feel like they could do anything. That was not her. She had no idea what to do in this type of situation.
Lucy, Gray, Erza… Gildarts, she didn't know where they were or even if they were all alive and that worried her the most. What if she was the only one that survived Acnologia's blast?
She would love to believe that this was all a stupid nightmare. But the feeling of drunkenness and all those negative feelings whirling inside of her were real. This was real. Shakky and her bar were real. And that terrified her.
"Hey!"
Cana was startled when her stool was suddenly turned abruptly, making her face a tall, fat, smelly, and angry man with a small bump forming at the side of his bald head. There were two other, smaller man, standing side by side to him, sneering down at her. She blinked at him in confusion when he pulled out the same empty barrel she had thrown earlier from behind.
"This yours?"
He waved the barrel which looked more like a small cup in his large hands. She stared at it impassively then glared straight into his own bloodshot eyes.
"So what if it is?"
The man snarled showing the world his yellow, corn teeth, and pulled his fist back to punch her.
"Why you little-!"
Before the fist could even land though, he was knocked back by Cana's own fist which flew faster than he could blink, sending him flying backwards and crashing into a table where two friends had been drinking.
"Hey!" they both yelled angrily. They then got up and proceeded to kick the bald man, only to be punched back by the injured man's cronies.
In just a few seconds, a full out brawl ensued and Cana stood back, dumbfounded over the events going on around her.
For a moment, her drunken mind replaced the entire scene with her guildmates fighting with each other. One of the men that had been standing next to the guy she had punched earlier came running towards her, fist cocked. Cana smiled and laughed. "Yosh! Here I come!" And she joined into the brawl, kicking the man before he could even get a few inches close to her.
Shakky stood back with a blank stare as she eyed the damage going on in her bar, something that has happened various times before. She was about to intervene and stop it before any more damage could occur, but the sound of a door opening and closing and a familiar voice shouting, stopped her.
"Shakky! I'm home!"
Despite the disaster going on in her bar that would surely have her kill someone later on, Shakky turned with a smile on her face towards to old man that entered the bar, followed by a tall friend wearing a dark torn cloak who looked awfully familiar to the woman.
"Rayleigh-san! It is a pleasure to see you again so soon. I thought you would be gone for much longer," she greeted.
The old man gave a small chuckle. "Yes, well, there was a drastic change of plans." He looked at the brawl going on behind Shakky where bodies were being thrown around and teeth were flying all over the place.
"I see the bar is busy as usual," he commented as he saw a muscular woman break a chair over a man's head before she was kicked in the head.
Shakky gave a dramatic sigh. "You don't know the half of it." Her eyes then trailed to the figure behind Rayleigh who seemed to be looking at the fight curiously. "Who's you're new friend?" she asked.
The man flinched and he turned to Shakky.
"Ah, this is Gildarts Clive. Gildarts, this is my old friend, Shakky.," Raylegh introduced.
Gildarts gave her a small smile and Shakky was surprised by how familiar his face looked to somebody she knew.
"Nice to meet you, ma'am." He extended his hand for Shakky to shake.
"Gildarts recently gave the marines a hard time; he demolished their base here in Sabaody and even knocked out a Vice-Admiral." Gildarts blushed over what he assumed was a praise from Rayleigh.
Shakky hummed in amazement as she shook Gildarts hand before pulling back. "My, my, so eager to become a wanted man I see."
Gildarts chuckled sheepishly, "Trust me, Shakky-san, that is the last thing I want."
Shakky cocked her head to the side, "you look familiar. Perhaps we've met before?"
He chuckled, "Well, I've been told that I resemble a man by the name of Shanks."
"Ah, yes! Are you related to him by any chance?" she asked.
"Nope," he shook his head, "never really met the man before."
"Hmm, strange," she muttered.
"Gildarts's story is kind of complicated," Rayleigh explained. "He's never heard of the Grand Line or the Marines-"
Shakky's eyes widened and she immediately cut him off "Wait! I met a girl like that today!"
"What?!" exclaimed a surprised Gildarts.
The next thing they knew, a barrel flying at high speeds, hit Gildarts square in the nose. But, instead of being knocked out like any other person would be after being hit by a barrel at such speeds, the barrel simply broke into smaller pieces and Gildarts blinked in confusion, unharmed, as he stared at the small splinters of wood lying on the ground.
And in the middle of the bar, a loud laugh emanated.
"Hahahahaha! I win! Losers!"
Gildarts' eyes widened. He recognized that voice anywhere. That soft, sweet voice that just a few hours ago, he was afraid he would never hear again.
His head snapped up and his eyes landed on the sole figure standing over the many bodies strewn over the wooden floor of the bar. He could feel tears prick his eyes when his brain immediately registered who it was.
His daughter, Cana, who was laughing victoriously and had both hands on her hips as she struck a pose. Her cheeks were flushed, most likely from any alcohol she had consumed earlier, and her body was covered in bandages, but overall, she was ok. She was here: breathing and alive.
Gildarts' eyes were wide with tears pooling on the eyelids which streamed down his cheeks. His mouth gaped, his disbelief preventing him from forming any coherent words.
Finally, he spoke. In a really soft tone as if scared that if he spoke any louder, the image of his daughter might disappear.
"Cana?"
The brunette stopped laughing. She blinked confusedly a couple of times before she finally looked at Gildarts, standing near the entrance of the bar with Shakky and an old man beside him watching the entire thing.
She blinked a few times, rubbed her eyes with her fists, then blinked again.
Her eyes finally widened and she seemed to completely sober up in that moment as she took the image of her father.
"Gi- Father?"
That word triggered something in the older man because not even a second later, Cana was tackled by her father, making her yelp in surprise.
"You're here." He whispered as he tightened the hug he held her in, trying to convince himself that she really was here and that this really was his daughter that he had found.
"You're really here."
Cana was equally in shock, completely frozen on the spot, trying to comprehend what was going on. Whether if it was her drunk mind creating this. Whether this was real or not. Slowly and with delicacy, she moved her arms to embrace the man hugging her back. As soon as her hands touched the torn fabric and she could feel the body beneath it, her grip tightened and her lips puckered up as tears formed in her eyes.
Just a few minutes ago, she was getting drunk feeling scared, confused, and alone in this strange place. Just a few minutes ago she was frightened at the prospect that she had no idea where she was and she didn't know what to do and she didn't know if her friends were alive… if her father was alive.
But here he was. Here was her father, the man she had tried so desperately to make proud by passing the trials and becoming an S-Class mage. Here he was, hugging her. And for once, ever since she woke up, she didn't feel so alone.
And she felt hope bloom in her heart, at the thought that she wouldn't have to go through this on her own.
They hugged for what seemed like hours. Cana and Gildarts were both sobbing softly over each others shoulders, refusing to let go of the other for fear that they might disappear on each other. And his tears were soaking her bandage-
"Oi! You're wetting me old man!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Little Garden
"Sooooo, we're in a different world, like Edolas?"
Lucy's eyebrow twitched in frustration. "Yeah, that's what I've been saying for the past thirty minutes. And why don't you seem worried!?"
Indeed, even after Lucy dragged Natsu into the cave (after he tried to pick a fight with the Giant Dorry so soon after waking up) where she explained to him the complex situation they were both in, all he did was blink and ask the question she had already answered, not seeming to be worried about the trouble they were in at all.
"I am worried," he deadpanned. "But, this isn't the first time it's happen," he gave her his usual confident smile that Lucy was not eager to share at this moment, "We'll get through it. Right, Happy?"
When the blue winged-feline didn't respond with his usual 'Aye, sir!' Natsu looked around the cave they were in, only to not find his usual companion anywhere.
"Where's Happy!?" Natsu cried out in panic.
"Well, when I woke up he was nowhere to be seen," replied Lucy as she gripped the keys hanging from her belt loop, grateful that at least her celestial spirits were here with her.
"What?!" Natsu yell. He then took an angry expression that had Lucy back away slightly, "Wait! That giant ate him, didn't he?! Why that little-"
"W-w-wait!" Lucy grabbed Natsu by the back of his shirt before he could run out of the cave to get Dorry, but even as she held the dragon-slayer back, his legs were still moving in a running motion.
"I'm sure Dorry didn't eat Happy!"
Natsu stopped his legs and he turned to look at his blond friend with an angry expression. "How can you be so sure?!"
"Because, first of all," she raised one finger, "he's a giant, and I'm pretty sure Happy would not even be a snack for him." She raised a second finger, "Second of all, Happy would've woken up and his screams would've woken us up." She then raised a third finger, "And third of all, Happy would not have tasted good."
Natsu sweatdropped at the last statement, "So mean," he muttered.
"He's simply not with us," she placed a finger under her chin and scrunched her eyebrows in thought. "As a matter of fact, it's just the two of us here."
"What?" he asked
"Well, it's strange," she explained. "I mean, there were a lot of us on Tenrou Island when Acnologia's attack hit us, and if we're alive then they should be alive, too. But, they're not here with us."
"Maybe they're somewhere around here. Or perhaps they were turned into Lacrima by an evil King like in Edolas," Natsu said looking outside of the cave and into the jungle that surrounded them.
Lucy shook her head. "I don't think so. If there was, Dorry would've found them. I don't think we had such a subtle entrance. And I doubt they were turned into Lacrima again, I doubt we even are in Edolas, Mystogan destroyed the Anima after all."
Natsu raised a brow, "So where are they?"
Lucy hummed. "We probably ended up splitting up when we entered this world. So they could be anywhere in this world by now."
"So we go find our friends," Natsu said in contemplation, he then smiled. "Yosh! I'm all fired up!" He lifted a fist into the air, "Let's go find our-!"
"Wait!"
Natsu stopped and turned to look back at Lucy. "What?"
"It's not that simple," she answered with a grim look. "From what Dorry told me, we are on an island."
Natsu blinked. Clearly not understanding what she was trying to say.
Lucy sighed, "Let me make this easier for you to understand. We have no mode of transportation. No ship, no canoe, no small little boat. We're stuck here."
"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh" Natsu said in realization. "No problem!" he smiled widely, "we'll just have to make our own boat!" he declared determinedly.
"Baka! It's not that easy!" she yelled. "We don't even know how to build one."
"Then why don't we just use ask one of your spirits to help us?" he asked innocently.
Lucy looked at the keys gripped in her hand, "I don't feel comfortable using them here. At least not for this. Calling the spirit world from a completely different dimension from our own would most likely exhaust my magic reserves and who knows if it will even work. It all depends on how good this world is connected to the spirit world. Not to mention that I'm still exhausted from the fight in Tenrou Island."
Natsu gripped his chin with his fingers and nodded. "Makes sense."
"Exactly."
"I know! Let's ask the giant-man to help us then!"
"Dorry?" Lucy raised a brow. "Well, perhaps he coul-"
KA-BOOM!
The sound of an eruption had them both jumping in the air in surprise. "What the hell was that!" Cried out a panicked Lucy, who was clutching her chest after suffering of a near heart attack.
"Ah! It's that time again!" They heard Dorry yell outside.
Natsu and Lucy looked at each other before running out to see what was going on.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky's Rip-off Bar
"So, you came up to that conclusion as well."
After throwing out the unconscious bodies that had littered Shakky's bar outside, Gildarts and Cana managed to calm down and they both sat down beside the bar counter with Shakky and Rayleigh on the other side, listening quietly to the discussion both mages were having about how they ended up here to begin with. Needless, to say, both former pirates were quite shocked at what they were hearing.
Cana nodded at her father in response. He sighed and crossed his arms over his broad chest, closing his eyes as a thoughtful look overtook his face.
"Well, I guess it is possible. And here I thought that Natsu and the others were joking about the Edolas thing…"
"It does explain why you two don't know anything about this world," Shakky chipped into the conversation.
"Still, though," Rayleigh interrupted, "A different dimension? I've heard and seen many strange oddities in the New World, but this has got to be the most unbelievable story I've ever heard."
Cana shrugged, "It's happened before in our world. Our entire guild was transported to an alternate dimension. Or so that's what our friends told us."
"What I don't understand though is how it happened," Gildarts placed his fingers on his chin in contemplation, "I don't know what that dragon's magic was, but I doubt that blast was meant to transport us here. I felt the destructive properties of that dragon's breath attack, and I've fought it before, it was going to kill us all."
"Now that you mention it, it is pretty strange," Cana said, taking a similar posture to her father's.
And strange indeed it was. That dragon was a dragon of destruction from what Gildarts told her and from what she saw at Tenrou Island… there was no reason for it to keep them alive. That blast was meant to destroy them, but for some reason, they landed here instead. With no possible explanation as to how or why. It could be the doing of some other mage. Maybe somebody from Grimoire Heart.
But what purpose would Grimoire Heart have sending them here? It wasn't even possible for them to have done it anyway. Whoever did this must've been an extremely powerful mage with the magical capabilities to transport them into a completely different dimension. Something that none of Grimoire Hearts' mages had after their intense battle and loss.
She growled in frustration and pounded her fist on the counter, making a dent and sending a few splinters of wood flying, surprising the other three people in the bar.
"This makes no sense!" she cried out in frustration.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and Cana turned to look at the soft expression of her father, staring at her with a look of worry, confusion, but also comforting. It was a father's job to comfort his daughter after all, even if he had no idea what was going on either.
"I know it doesn't Cana. I'm confused as well, but we can't let that turn into anger, otherwise our decisions will become rash and impractical, causing more harm than good."
Cana blinked at Gildarts, surprised that such a laid-back and goofy man could be wise at times, before sighing loudly and nodding. She forced her body and mind to calm down despite the stress she was under.
She nodded at her father once she fell more at ease and he nodded back with a soft smile on his face.
"Here's what we're going to do, alright? Our first priority is finding out about where we are, learn the geography, the way this world works, anything that will help us in our journey."
"We could help you with that," said a smiling Rayleigh. Gildarts smiled at him in thanks.
Cana raised a brow, "Journey?"
Gildarts nodded, "When there is a way in, there is a way out. All we have to do is find the door. And that's what we're going to do. We have to find our way back. But first, we have to find out if we're the only ones here. For all we know, the rest of our comrades are here as well."
Cana scoffed, "Come on gramps, it's Fairy Tail, wherever the action is, they're going to be there. Most likely they'll get in just as much trouble as you have right now."
0o0o0o0o0o
Amazon Lily
"What do you suppose happened to them?" questioned Marguerite as she watched the doctor continue to apply fresh new bandages on the unconscious silver haired woman. The group of warriors had brought the unconscious girls to the home of the only doctor in Amazon Lily, Belladona.
"The injuries would suggest that they were involved in some sort of battle. Strangely enough, though, despite the state of the area you found them in and your assumptions, I don't believe any other injuries were acquired from falling from the sky besides a few cuts and bruises," answered Belladona.
"Huh, that is strange," Marguerite muttered.
"How did they manage to survive the fall?" asked Aphelandra.
The doctor shook her head, "I don't know. The only logical explanation would be that one of these gals is a devil fruit user and managed to protect her and her friend from the impact." She nodded in approval upon finishing her work in the silver haired girl, and moved on to the green haired one to remove her clothing and clean her wounds.
"What should we do? Should we tell Elder Nyon?" asked Marguerite.
Belladona nodded, "Right now that would be the best thing to do since Hebihime-sama hasn't yet returned from her trip to the outside world. Perhaps, she might have a good explanation to this."
"I'll go get her!" Aphelandra ran out of the room to get Elder Nyon.
The others stayed behind, staring curiously at the bared torso of the green haired girl as Belladona proceeded to wrap it in bandages.
"Not to be mean, but, I've never seen a girl so flat-chested before," commented Sweet Pea.
"Or with such defined muscles," muttered Marguerite.
"All girls have different body types, you should know better than to comment on them," Belladona berated. The two girls flushed and nodded, but did not say anything more.
"Can you help me remove her pants?" asked Belladona.
Marguerite and Sweet Pea nodded. They each grabbed ahold of each helm of the pants' legs and pulled until they came completely right off. The girl shifted slightly and moaned, making the other three girls tense in surprise. However, she did not wake up nor showed any signs of waking up anytime soon and went back to being still. At this, the girls relaxed.
"Weird choice of underwear," Marguerite commented while she looked at the strange short-like underclothes.
Belladonna didn't say anything as she cleansed the small cuts on the girl's legs and patched them up.
"Say," Sweet Pea raised a brow, "what is that bulge there?" she pointed to the bulge between the girl's legs, hidden under her underwear.
Belladonna raised an eyebrow in question as well. "That's weird," she muttered. She gripped the hem of the cloth and pulled them down.
All three girls gathered around in curiosity.
"Is that… a mushroom?" asked Marguerite.
"Looks, like it," said Belladonna.
"Saga of 'The Strange Mushroom."
"Shouldn't we… pull it out or something?" asked Marguerite.
Belladon tapped her chin with her index finger, "I don't know. It could harm her, since I'm not so positively sure it is a mushroom."
"Well, what else could it be?" asked Marguerite.
Belladonna gave it some thought, "You're right."
"I'll remove it," declared a determined Sweet Pea. Belladonna and Marguerite stared in anticipation as Sweet Pea rubbed her hands in preparation. But, just before Sweet Pea could even place a hand on the mushroom, somebody entered the room.
"I'm back!" Aphelandra yelled cheerily as she entered Belladonna's home. "And I brought Elder Nyon with me!"
A short, elderly lady with thick lips holding a purple staff that seemed to be more of a snake with its upper body curved up, walked in.
"Elder Nyon!" With the mushroom completely forgotten, the three girls turned to the elder with Sweet Pea's body blocking Nyon's view of the green haired woman.
Elder Nyon turned to Marguerite and Sweet Pea, "I was told that you three found two mysterious girls, unconscious in the jungle, Nyo."
Marguerite and Sweet Pea nodded, "We found them while we were out hunting"
"But, we've never seen them before in the Empire," Aphelandra continued.
Nyon hummed, "May I see them, nyo?"
Belladonna nodded and she turned to the silver haired girl lying side-by-side with her green haired comrade, whom Nyon wasn't looking at yet.
Nyon stared contemplative at the silver haired girl and shook her head, "You're right, I've never seen her before in my life, nyo." She turned to Marguerite, "did you ask if any other girls have seen her?"
Marguerite nodded, "Yes, on our way here, but they all said they hadn't."
"And here's her other friend," Sweet Pea motioned to the green haired one.
Nyon turned to look at the other unconscious girl, but as soon as she did, she froze. Her eyes widened and bulged out at an impossible length. Her whole frame began to shake and sweat, and her lips parted rather widely.
"Ah… ah-ah-ah…"
"Elder Nyon, what's wrong!?" Belladonna asked worriedly as she placed a hand on the elder's shoulder.
"Ah-ah-ah-ah…IT'S A MAN!"
The eyes of the other girls in the room then widened just as much as Elder Nyon's eyes did upon hearing her statement.
"EEEEHHHHHH!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Moby Dick
"This is bad for your health, Captain!"
"Gah! Leave me alone you rascals!"
Laxus stared in awe at the imposing figure just a few meters in front of him.
Whitebeard, the Captain of the crew who helped him, was a huge man.
He stood almost the height of a giant, with a broad bare chest littered with scars of all sizes, and a white mustache that reminded Laxus of a boomerang. Though it also made him wonder why he was called Whtiebeard when he had no beard. It should be Whitestache. He gave almost smirked at the joke he made.
He also took notice of the many IVs strapped to him and the nurses surrounding him and pestering him over the sake he was drinking, which he clearly shouldn't be drinking if his health state was anything to go by.
It was quite easy to see that he was not in the best health. And yet, despite this obvious disadvantage, the man still managed to give out a presence of authority, strength, pride, command, and… kindness.
Like his grandfather.
Laxus shook his head. He couldn't think of that right now. Nope, he wouldn't go there. His grandfather was strong. A fighter. He would wake up soon.
"Ah!"
Laxus nearly collapsed towards the wooden floor when he felt a strong hand smack him harshly on his shoulder, pushing him towards the captain who was still too busy arguing with the nurses to notice Laxus. He stopped himself from falling and he turned to glare at Ace who was giving him an amused smirk.
"What was that for?!"
Ace shrugged, clearly not fazed by the older man's angry stupor. Instead, he shoved his hands into his cargo shorts' pockets and motioned to Whitebeard with his chin.
"Go ahead. He won't bite. You'll actually find yourself liking him," he said smiling.
Laxus looked back at Whitebeard and sighed heavily before stepping forward.
"And I'm telling you I feel fine, woman!"
Laxus stopped right in front of Whitebeard's seat and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He could feel Ace and a couple of the nurses stare at him, but he ignored them and focused instead on his task.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Whitebeard-san?"
"Eh?!"
Whitebeard turned his stare from the nurse to the short, young newcomer standing in front of him with a calm expression. He rose a white brow at the young man who flinched slightly at the man's hard stare.
"Who're you?" he asked.
Laxus nearly sweatdropped. He had thought that the man would've at least remembered that he was one of the two people his crew rescued from the oceans.
"My name is Laxus."
"Ah! Yes! You're that brat we rescued earlier along with the old man," he stated as he further analyzed the younger man whom Ace had talked to him about mere minutes ago. Laxus sweatdropped at the given nicknames him and his grandfather got, but didn't comment on it.
Instead, he nodded and bowed slightly, "I would like to thank you for rescuing my grandfather and I and for treating our wounds."
Whitebeard waved his hand dismissively, "No need to thank me. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had left two people die in at sea like that."
"Still, though, thanks, Whitebeard-san."
"Stop, thanking me," he muttered irritated. "And do me a favor, brat, don't call me Whitebeard-san. Simply Whitebeard is fine."
"Alright… Whitebeard," Laxus said, unsure.
The old man nodded approvingly, and smirked.
"So, tell me, what's your story. How come we found you both in the middle of the ocean with no ship in sight?"
Laxus shifted nervously on his feet. "It's a long story."
Truthfully, he had none. It's not like he could just tell him that he and his grandfather were from a different world where they were attacked by an apocalyptic dragon before waking up here. The man would think he was insane. Heck, he was sure he was insane. The reality of landing in a completely different world from his own was way too unreal for him to even consider it possible.
But then again, there was the girl that appeared in his dreams. The one who told him what was going on, where he was, what he should do, and what he shouldn't. And that included not trusting nobody. Nobody, except his friends whom he had to find.
"Go ahead, we have time."
Laxus held back the need to gulp. Honestly, he had hoped the captain wouldn't pursue this and further question him. Though now that he thought about it, it was stupid of him to even consider that older man dropping the subject. Laxus was after all, an intruder. A stranger they picked up from the waters who could possibly be planning to murder them all in their sleep.
His mind searched for a good lie that might pass as true. One believable enough to satisfy the man in front of him awaiting for a response.
He figured he could do it. Just give a simple vague lie that would keep him covered until they reached an island with a good doctor where they could drop him off.
But, as he stared at the black eyes of the man who called himself Whitebeard, he immediately felt a sense of dread and unease overcome him. Those eyes stared at him with such an intensity that Laxus felt like the man was staring through his body and into his soul where he kept his darkest secrets, and for a second, Laxus felt… invaded.
It was like facing his grandfather once again.
And that's when reality caught up with him. Here was a man that everybody on this ship respected and held in such high regard, not only because he was a kind soul or a good captain, but because he was a powerful man.
His eyes alone simply demanded respect and Laxus found himself feeling small. Like an ant coming face to face with a boot. And that's when he knew that if he said the wrong thing, Laxus' screw up is gonna end with him in a not-so-good situation. Probably at the bottom of the ocean.
So his mind searched for not just a lie, but a good cover that might just save his life.
His eyes flickered to the crystallized ocean the boat was currently floating on, and a lie formed inside his mind.
"My grandfather and I, we're the only fishermen of the small island we live in. We were on a fishing trip when we were attacked by a pirate crew. My grandfather and I fought back and managed to defeat them."
"Your grandfather?" Whitebeard rose a doubtful eyebrow.
Laxus chuckled. "Yup. He may not look like it, but the old man is as strong as he is stubborn. And trust me, he is very stubborn."
Whitebeard gave him an odd look before giving a strange laugh that surprised Laxus. "Gurararara! I'll believe that. After all, not many men his age and size can survive the wounds I saw in him when we brought him in."
Laxus nodded, and a faint smile formed on his face. "Yeah."
Once Whitebeard went silent, he took that as his cue to continue.
"But, since we were really concentrating on the fight, we didn't notice the storm coming our way. And we ended up getting caught up in it. We tried our hardest to fight back against it and get back to the island, but the last thing I remember is my grandfather calling out for me before the ship tipped over. Then everything went black, and next thing I know, I wake up here."
Once he was finished with his 'tale' Laxus stared back into the eyes of Whitebeard and he felt himself feeling no less terrified than before. Whitebeard gave him an unreadable look and he went silent for a while, probably considering whether he should believe the young man or not. He prayed to whatever powerful deity could hear him that Whitebeard would just take the lie and ignore the many flaws in it. Or at least let him be merciful enough to drop him off in a small dinghy.
"Yosh! I have decided!"
Laxus flinched. Sweat began to drip down his brow as Whitebeard gave him a small smirk. Had he bought the lie? Did he not? Was he going to drop him at the bottom of the ocean?
"There is an island near here that is one of my own personal territories. My crew can drop you and your grandfather off there where he can be treated by the local doctors there and you can find your way home from there."
Laxus sighed in relief. He didn't know if Whitebeard bought the lie or not, but at least he wouldn't be sleeping with the fish today.
"Wouldn't it be simpler if we just took him to his home island?" asked Ace, who had moved to stand right behind Laxus without him noticing.
Laxus stiffened. Nope. Nope. That was a bad idea. He had no idea, after all, what the name of his home island was, because it didn't exist. And if he gave a random name, then it was possible that it wasn't on any of the maps they had. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry further about it.
"The fact that there was no remaining wreckage of the ship they were in, shows that the island they must come from is pretty far from here, aren't I right?" he asked Laxus.
Laxus flinched again but nodded.
"Yuki Island is much closer to here. That way they won't have to remain long with us. Otherwise, if we confront marines they might take notice of Laxus here and mistake him for a crewmember of ours and give him a bounty. Therefore, the best option would be to just leave him in one of our islands." He finished.
Ace blinked, but nodded nonetheless, accepting his captain's explanation and reasoning.
"Thank you so much for helping us," bowed Laxus. And truthfully, he really was grateful and relieved.
"I told you to stop thanking me, kid," grumbled Whitebeard but with a small smile on his lips.
Laxus chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."
"The trip will take about a day, so just make sure to get rest and don't make any trouble for my crew. Other than that, you are free to roam around the Moby Dick and make friends with my children."
Laxus nearly rose an eyebrow at how Whitebeard referred to his crew as his children, but he smiled and nodded when he remembered that Makarov does the exact same thing.
Ace's hand slightly patted Laxus' injured back, making him wince slightly. "Don't worry Pops. We'll take good care of him until tomorrow." He then turned around and motioned for Laxus to follow him.
They both started to walk away when Whitebeard called out one last time.
"Oi! Kid!"
Laxus turned around to face Whitebeard once again, but he froze as soon as his eyes landed on the Captain once again. His eyes seemed to have gotten a darker look, and Laxus swallowed in fear. The atmosphere became tense and he could've sworn it was almost trying to choke him. The kind man he had talked to earlier took a more menacing look and posture and for a second, Laxus was scared for his life.
"I'm just gonna tell you one more time," he said in a threatening tone, "don't cause any trouble for my crew."
Laxus gulped again and goosebumps rose from his skin. The change in Whitebeard's attitude though, left as soon as it came. And the man gave him a small smirk that told Laxus that the older man knew more about him than he let on, and that scared the crap out of him.
"Look out after him, Ace." Ace nodded, but he didn't seem fazed by the look his Captain had adopted just a second ago. Most likely, this has happened a couple of times before.
Ace turned around to walk away again, but Laxus stayed for a few seconds longer to stare at Whitebeard's eyes and the small glint in them that spoke more to Laxus than what Whitebeard had told him during their conversation. And that's when Laxus knew and his stomach dropped in realization. This man hadn't bought his lie; Whitebeard was helping him for his own amusement, to see what would happen later on with him.
Hesitantly and slowly, he turned to follow Ace. But the words that she spoken to him before he woke up, repeated in his head.
"Do not trust anyone."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Loguetown's Marine Base
Master Chief Petty Officer, Tashigi, honestly could not comprehend how she had ended up in this type of… stupid situation.
Sure, she was known as a clumsy Marine soldier who practically tripped on her own two legs, but she was still a Master Chief Petty Officer and she managed to, at times, live up to her title. She liked to believe that she was a strong marine, as shown through her impressive sword-fighting skills that helped her overwhelm the low expectations her enemies and even fellow crew members had on her.
She had yet to confront someone who could totally overwhelm her, but then again it's not like Loguetown, or even East Blue in general, had many strong pirates or criminals emerge from here. So, it wasn't common for her to confront someone terrifyingly strong that made her more scared than her own Captain…
Until now.
She didn't even know what happened, all she knew is that it happened in the span of a few seconds.
One second she was watching a couple of doctors that operated in Loguetown's sole marine base treat a patient that her and a couple of other marines had found unconscious on the beach along with somebody else, and the next, she found herself at the end of a sword that appeared out of nowhere, coming from the previously unconscious girl who was now very much awake.
And as the doctors backed away in fear and the marine accompanying her left to go get help, Tashigi stared in confusion at the young woman who was sneering at her and demanding where she was and where her friends were. Clearly this was a woman who would rather shoot first, ask questions later.
But, despite appearances, Tashigi was no mere weakling marine soldier.
Yes, despite her clumsiness, she was a warrior who knew how to handle a sword just as well as the red haired girl she was confronting.
And, as she shivered due to her body being frozen to the ground with ice that appeared from nowhere, the only thing that comforted her, was the thought that she liked to believe that if the red-haired's friend hadn't woken up and somehow frozen her body to the ground, she would've definitely won this fight.
"W-we're n-n-not g-goi-ng t-t-t-to h-h-urt y-y-y-ou," she said through chattering teeth. The fact that she was frozen from her shoulders down without yet dying, came as a shock to her—one which she decided to ignore as long as she remained alive.
"And, yet, you pulled out your sword against me," she said motioning to Tashigi's katana which was in the hands of the red haired's friend who was standing off to the side… wearing nothing but boxers and the remaining bandages which he was removing, apparently not even realizing what he was doing.
"T-t-t-that's c-c-c-cause you at-t-t-tacked me f-f-first!" she yelled. She then turned to the man, "A-and, w-w-w-where a-are y-y-y-our clo-o-othes?"
The guy looked confused and then looked down at his body. "Aw, shit, not again!" he exclaimed in surprise as if he hadn't noticed he had taken off the spare clothing the nurses had put on him after wrapping him up in bandages, making Tashigi sweatdrop.
"Where are we? Where are our other friends? Did you capture them as well?" interrupted the red-haired.
Tashigi wanted to growl in frustration, but decided that, until that other guy these two had let run away brought help, she would answer accordingly at least to prevent her from slicing her throat with that sword.
"Y-y-y-you're in L-L-oguetown's Mar-r-rine b-b-base. A-And y-y-ou w-were t-the only t-t-wo we f-f-ound at the b-b-beach. T-t-there w-w-were no o-others. We b-b-rought y-y-ou h-h-here t-to t-t-treat your i-injuries."
"How do I know you're not lying?"
Tashigi sighed in frustration, though it came out shaky due to the cold. "W-w-we're m-marines. W-w-we can't l-l-lie to y-y-you. W-w-we p-protect c-civilians l-like y-y-yourselves."
"Loguetown? Where is that?" asked the man as he put on his borrowed shirt.
"W-w-w-well i-i-it's in the East Blue."
"And where is this, 'East Blue'?" the red-haired asked, testing out the name.
Tashigi would have responded with a shocked expression. Ask if the woman was joking or being honest, and then proceed to try and understand why this girl did not know where one of the five oceans of the world was, something which everyone in the world clearly knew.
She would have done all of those things, if help hadn't arrived at that moment in the form of her Captain.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
And when Tashigi turned to look at the scowling face of his captain, she couldn't help but think that things here were about to change.
And she doubted it would be for the better.
CHAPTER END
*Baka- idiot
HOOOOOOOOLY CRAP. Finally DONE with this chapter. I know it took some time but God, I'm so grateful I finally finished. Especially because this thing was almost 13,000 words long. I hope it wasn't too bad, like I said, I'm still improving my writing skills, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Oh my god, have all of you been keeping up with the Fairy Tail Manga? It's been so depressing with the latest chapters! Especially because it completely changed the plans that I had for this story (another reason for my long 'hiatus'). I had to change the whole story altogether, but I'd like to think that it's become more interesting.
By the way, the thing about Shakky's bar is that I had no idea if Shakky lived in the second floor of the bar or not, so I just made it that way. After all, the bar seems to be two stories from the outside, so I just assumed that maybe Shakky lives in the second floor.
I was also really uncomfortable writing the scene with Freed...
Who is the girl that Laxus kept thinking about who appeared in his dreams? Whoever guesses it gets a cookie! Well, not really, but I would like to hear what you guys have to say.
Also, I am looking for somebody who can help me with this story. A beta I guess, but also somebody who can help me with some ideas and theories. If you are interested, please PM me.
If any of you catch any mistakes in this story, tell me. Constructive criticism is also appreciated as I've said before. But no flames!
Now, to answer some reviews! Yay!:
ObsessiveFangirl08: I will continue! Thank you for the review! :)
Madam Bakunawa: Trust me, this fic will in fact get longer as I keep introducing more of the Fairy Tail mages to this world. Thanks for your review! :)
Guest: Haahaha well, they've never seen a man before, so they just assumed Freed was a girl. But thanks to this experience, you can expect the confrontation between Marguerite and Luffy to be quite different later on in the story.
matt: Here you go! Thanks for the review!
Dreamonster11: Thank you! And yeah, I'm gonna make Freed suffer, mwaahahahaha!
Daxen123: Yup, yup he will. And yes, you can expect Mira to confront the Kuja warriors. Needless to say, I'd like to believe that it will be an interesting confrontation.
Theon Azul: Thank you so much! And the chapters will get longer to the point that I think I will have to divide it into twos.
CosmosQueen: Well, here's the explanation to that question: super medicine! One that can somehow cure Dragon-slayer motion sickness.
Uthul: Thank you so much!
Mainoko: Here's chapter three! Thank you for your review!
MonsterBrush: Thank you so much for your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Transformers'BABY: Here's an update! Thank you for your review!
General Slime: You make a good point. I've already come to a decision as to what I'm going to do, and I hope you will be satisfied with it. Thanks for your review.
BlackGryphon101: Yup, haha, I always noticed that most marines would just rather shoot first and ask questions later.
Zaru: Thanks for the review! And I gotta say that I always saw the marines as the type that shoot first ask questions later. They will go to far off lengths to prevent what they would deem is a disaster waiting to happen (The prosecution of Gold. D Rogers' son and the destruction of Ohara Island are proof of that). As for how Gildarts managed to defeat a Vice-Admiral, Gildarts is one of the strongest characters in Fairy Tail and we haven't even seen his full potential yet. Not to mention, Gildarts took Momonga by surprise, so you can expect a future confrontation between the two in the future with (maybe) different results. I also use the Japanese honorifics because a lot of my favorite authors use it, and I don't know, it just feels right to me. I would answer to the rest but I've already wrote a lot. However, rest assure that I will take what you said into account, and you gave me a really good idea for the future. Thank you so much! :)
I won't be able to answer to everybody but overall, I would like to thank anyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and read this story. It really means a lot to me.
Aaaaaand here's a preview!
Chapter 3: Before
"Thatch-san, we have a problem..."
"What is it?"
"There's a marine ship docked in the island's harbor."
"There is a certain group of people that you should not mess with, though."
"And that is?"
"They call themselves, the Tenryuubito."
"Uuuuuuh..."
"He's waking up!"
"Why the hell am I naked?!"
Yeah, I decided to just use dialogue in the previews so I wouldn't give too much away.
Until next time! And remember to review, pretty please! ^-^