[Skip this comment if you don't want to read about the One Piece world]
Guest #1: I'm going to try and explain the One Piece world to you as best as I can- so, okay imagine a world map (like, the one of earth for example). On the middle to the top there's a region called the East Blue and to the bottom of that is the South Blue. We'll call this Region One. Then, to the left of the map you have half of North Blue on the top and then on the bottom left there's West Blue; and on the right side you have the other halves of North Blue and West Blue. We'll call these areas Region Two because if you'd fold the map to make a tube the left and right sides of the papers would touch and connect the two halves of the North and West Blue because the world is round(if that makes sense). Region one is separated from Region Two on both sides by thick lands of mass. Both of them are called the Red Lines but only one Red Line (it'd be the one that's on the left side of the map) has canals/openings for people from the North Blue and the West Blue to enter the Grand Line. And why is this? Well, going down the middle of the map from East to West you have the two Calm Belts (one of the top half, so North, and one on the bottom,South), however, ships can't pass through the Calm Belts because one, there's no wind, and two, it's a giant nesting ground for Sea Kings. Between those two belts you have the Grant Line and the New World. The Grand Line is essentially between East and South Blue and then the New World would be between North and West Blue. But people from the North and West Blue are unable to gain access to the New World because the only Red Line that could possibly grant them access through the Calm Belts leads straight to the Grand Line. There's no water way that leads to the New World so they'd have to go across the Grand Line to Shabaody. I don't know how much sense that made, but that's basically how the world is.
Guest 2: You are precious and thank you for letting me know this tid bit. It've been reading One Piece for more than ten years now she it's been a long time since I've come across that tidbit. I most likely won't go back and edit that bit but I'll incorporate it in a near future chapter in which Law and Lavender discuss maps and geography (but briefly so that I won't bore you all to death). I have a way to tie it in with the Occult and everything.
With the bag cradled against her chest in tight vice, Lavender ran through the jungle with a new found vigor. The temple beast trailing behind her snorted and puffed, slowly but surely gaining on her and filling Lavender's heart with dread. After each passing moment she could feel the beast's hot, rancid breath behind her neck. The seconds ticked by, as slow as molasses. She was sure that she would die tonight. Despite this, she could not bring herself to spite Law or the rest of the crew.
Would staying in Hickorytown would have prolonged her life? Of course. Hardly anything eventful happened there lest someone was misbehaving. Though was life in Hickorytown really living? They could pretend to be happy or simply turn a blind eye to what the Occult was doing to those who spoke out against their tyranny, and just follow their rules like lambs. One could hardly call it living. Leaving had been worth it, even if it meant that she would die elsewhere.
In the midst of what she thought would be her final musings, Lavender felt her foot suddenly get caught on something. There was a twingle in her ankle and she suddenly felt herself falling forward. She watched with wide eyes as the bag flew out of her hands, the contents spilling out. For a split moment she worried about the egg, but focused on the beast just as its massive shadow flew overhead, landing a yard or so away from where she lay sprawled on the ground.
The beast landed with a heavy thud, disturbing the dry earth beneath him and sending fallen leaves flying. The beast twisted around to face Lavender with black, eyeless sockets while scenting the air. It growled, and with a feline grace, prowled towards its hapless prey who was scrambling to both get up and grapple at the bag to collect its former contents.
Lavender wasn't quite sure why she was so concerned over the bag and what few items had spilled out. Perhaps she felt the need to protect the egg until the bitter end or perhaps she was holding on to the slowly fleeting idea that someone would come to save her. As she groped the ground, her fingers brushed up against something leathery yet narrow- very much like a handle. Grabbing it and pulling it towards her, she realized that Shachi must have slipped the bowie knife into the rucksack before passing the bag to her.
Her eyes flitted up to stare at the beast that was ever so inching closer and closer. With wide eyes, she unsheathed the knife and flipped onto her back to crawl away while still keeping the monster within her view. Sweat dripped down her forehead and her back was cold with perspiration. At some point Lavender had attempted to get up, only to be thrown back down as the beast pounced, knocking her back on the ground. With a startled yelp, Lavender's head hit the ground, distorting her vision. Squeezing her eyes shut as sharp pain shot through her head. Fear had grabbed hold of her, and she rolled onto her back between the beast's paws. With a cry of outrage, she swung the bowie knife with both hands. It hit- the impact startling her body, causing her to jerk. Something reverberated from the knife, down her arms and deep into her core.
The beast screeched and reared back, yanking the knife out of Lavender's blood soaked hands as the blade had been lodged in its throat. The beast thrashed in a vain attempt to remove the knife, and Lavender watched in horror with her hands held up. As her vision cleared and the deep humming in her ears disappeared and everything returned to focus, her heart clenched at the beast's cries and screams. The reality of what she had done was slow to hit her, but when it did, it had the all the force of a ship hitting rocks at full speed. Inching away from the violent jerks and flurry of clawed paws, Lavender felt her eyes prickle before gasping when the best fell with a mighty thud.
While it was no man that she had just killed, it had been the first life that she had ever claimed. Yes, she handled animal products at a daily basis and she knew where the meat in the freezer and the eggs in the refrigerator came from, but this was different. This time she had been the one to take a life instead of the local butcher or the hunters in Hickorytown. Her hands, despite their bloodiness, flew up to cover her mouth. Hot tears threatened to spill as she struggled to come to terms with her actions. As the body let out several twitches, Lavender felt her stomach churn and something extremely unpleasant rose up her throat.
But alas, she held it back and sniffled gracelessly. Using her forearms, the cook wiped away her tears before scrambling to her feet.
I'm a pirate now, she thought to herself while sniffling. I can't break down- at least not now!
With a choked swallow, Lavender stepped forward to pry the knife out of the dead body. With one boot on the beast and both hands tightly squeezed around the slippery hilt of the bowie knife, the strawberry blonde pulled. After several tries and readjustments on her hands, she managed to pull the knife free. Stumbling back, she caught herself and stared at the knife with a deep grimace. Blood dribbled down the blade and without a second thought, she wiped the blade clean on one of the pant it back into its discarded sheathe, she picked up her bag and with one last look at the body and a silent prayer for guidance and forgiveness; Lavender carted herself around and forced her mind to focus on getting back to town.
"What do you mean you lost her?" Law seethed through his teeth as Penguin shrunk back slightly.
"Bu-but captain!" the man argued, trying to present his case for he knew that Law was a just man (if not a little impolite and overly serious at times). He opened his mouth, only to snap it shut when Law raised his hand to silence him. Nervously he watched as his captain laced his fingers together and a rather thoughtful look appeared on his tanned face.
Lavender, the sweet thing that she was, was just that. Sweet. As far as Law knew, while she was fit enough to keep up with them, she possessed no combat skills. Perhaps she knew how to wield a knife properly considering that she was their chéf, but then again that could just be wishful thinking on his part. Silently the captain berated himself for his own carelessness. He'd neglected to teach her anything. While both parties, Law and Lavender, knew that at this point she was a liability in combat and they were very much well aware of what that meant for her as well as the safety of the crew. Truly, the captain had meant to address the issue and have her trained in the basics, he just hadn't expected that they (well, more so her) would be in danger this soon.
She has the egg too, he thought grimly. Standing up, he turned to address his crew that had gathered at the outskirts of the jungle:
"Listen up! We're going back to find her. Bepo, call Sam and have him send Rodney to town incase she shows up there. Also tell Sam to stay put in case she finds her way to the submarine. The rest of us- we're going back in to find her."
The egg aside, she was the best damn cook they'd have so far and he refused to go back to drinking the black tar Shachi called coffee.
Turning to face the forest, Law glanced up at the darkening sky. A frown appeared on his lips and kept deepening after each passing second. Lavender was the kind of girl who grew up in the country where nothing exciting would typically happen- quiet and mundane. Nothing like the life of a pirate. The chance that she might even be alive was growing slimmer and slimmer as the sun sank further down into the horizon. And if a beast got to her before he does- then he'll be burying one of his own. Weaklings can't choose. Not even how they die.
Picking up his nodachi, he waited for Bepo to finish his call and tuck the yellow Den Den Mushi back into his jumpsuit. Glancing at his men over his shoulder he turned to face the darkening jungle.
"Let's go get back Lavender-ya."
Behind him Shachi and Penguin cheered in unison as the crew delved back into the depths of the jungle.
Her boots slid against the muddy ground, causing her to fall forward with a startled gasp. Instinctively Lavender dropped the knife in order to place her hands in front of her in hopes of keeping her from falling into the mud completely. Her breathing came out heavy due to exhaustion and her body strained due to the exertion she'd put it through. Breathing had become uncomfortable at this point and the sharp pain on her side was killing her. With a soft whine, Lavender grabbed the knife and pushed herself upright to continue her climb up the muddy hill.
She'd been quick to forget her earlier encounter with the temple guardian and focused her energy on getting out of the jungle alive. There would be time to mourn and process her actions later, she tried convincing herself. And so far, her currently feeble mind bought it. At the top of the hill, the cook allowed herself a moment to catch her breath before straightening back up. Sucking in a deep breath, she twisted her upper body in hopes of relieving some of her discomfort. It worked, but only for a moment. The sharp pain returned and Lavender groaned before digging the palm of her hand into her side.
Lavender looked around for some more webs and moss, or anything that would signify that she was close to getting out of the jungle. A small part of her was searching for the sound of the sea, but deep down Lavender knew that would be wishful thinking. If she ever made it out she would still have quite a trek before she'd reach town let alone the ship. Dragging her feet at first, her muscles (or the lack of) protested, making them feel heavy and weak. Her knees trembled and buckled before she managed to pickier feet out and force herself to jog.
At some point she would be forced to stop for a proper rest. And Lavender knew that if she didn't do so anytime soon, there would be the possibility that she might hurt herself. She remembered some of the men in Hickorytown getting hurt while working the field or cutting down trees. Granted while it was mainly sore backs and mild injuries (thankfully), some had a rougher time recovering than others. Bennie had been fit man; strong like a bull but as nimble as a cat. However, even he suffered from stiff hands and chronic lower back pain. She vividly remembered sneaking off to his family's barn in the evening to rub the knots out on a regular basis.
Rubbing her eyes on the crook of her elbow where the skin was relatively free of blood and dirt, she slowed down before stopping. Her whole body felt heavy: beaten and battered. God, I'm so out of shape, she lamented to herself bitterly as she looked for any kind of shelter to crawl into. Dropping down on her knees, Lavender found solace under some large ferns that curled above some thick tree roots, creating a canopy of some sort. Pulling her knees to her chest, she pulled the rucksack off her back and cradled it to her chest. Curling herself around the egg, she hugged her knees and dared to close her eyes- even just for a moment.
Exhaustion came crashing down like a violent wave against rocks…
But alas, her rest felt short lived. What felt like moments later, shouting reached her ears. Lavender's head shot up from where they had been buried between her knees. Eyes wide and hand immediately gripping the hilt of her bowie knife, she peered through the leaves. Surprisingly enough, it had begun to rain. Thankfully it wasn't a downpour, but it was still coming down decently.
Straining her ears, Lavender tried to hear the voices above the rain. Her eyes slid shut and her brows furrowed as she concentrated with all her might. They sounded like men. They were shouting something, but she couldn't tell what exactly. Holding on to her bag, she crawled out from her hiding place and peered glanced around herself some more.
In the distance she could see gray figures and lanterns. Her body froze and she stood rigid with fear. It consumed her like a dark hole and for a moment she forgot how to breathe. Her nightmare from weeks ago returned. Of the hooded figures and Bennie's burnt corpse. Memories from her childhood of what she thought had seen one foggy morning when she gazed out of her bedroom window. Her arms went slack.
The bowie knife was the first thing to hit the ground. It was then that she was snapped out of her thoughts. For a fraction of a second, she scrambled to catch the bag before it hit the ground as well. Panic spiked in her; partially because she had almost dropped the egg (and quite possibly broken it), but mostly because the Occult had come for her. She had known from the get-go that it was a bad idea to leave the island. Every resident old and young knew that. If you were caught before you made it out of the port you'd be made into an example and if you were lucky enough to leave harbor you'd better change your identity and appearance because rumor has it that the Occult is like a hound.
A dark plague that follows you across all blues, into the Grand Line and even as far as the New World. Lavender thought it to be nothing but a mere myth, something to scare the rebellious youths on the island but alas- it seemed that it was true. Dread clenched her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Judging by the distance of the shouts they hadn't seen her yet and that observation alone gave her some hope. If she was good about it, perhaps she could sneak past them. The rain did muffle a decent amount of noise but… She bit her lip hesitantly. Swinging the backpack on her back as carefully and quietly as she could, the chef dropped down to a crouch and began to inch towards what she assumed was North-East while giving the figures in the distance a wide berth.
For a while it seemed that the foliage and darkness covered her and as Lavender managed to put some distance between herself and the figures in the rain. As the distance grew, she slowly eased herself out of her crouch. As she gazed behind her, she figured that they wouldn't be able to notice her and if they did- she had some wiggle room to find cover. A triumphant smile slowly began to spread upon her face. Alas, her victory was short lived as she ran into something rather solid.
In her panic, she shrieked and threw her arms out to push away whatever she'd ran into, only to have hands latch onto her wrists. Lavender shrieked, her eyes squeezing tightly shut as she attempted to fight the figure off.
"L-Lavender! Stop! It's me, Penguin-!"
