Title: Common Pieces
Summary: One-shots set in the Piece of Eight universe. These are bits of narrative in a variety of styles containing everything you never wanted to know about this crazy AU-Space melded universe of Sherlock and Once Piece. In short, this is a parking place for various tidbits of history and world building but don't let that turn you off because most of these will be more story-like than a true meta.
Parings: None yet
Disclaimer: I own no rights, I make no profit. Created solely for the amusement of myself and any readers who might happen upon it.
The History o' the Grand Line
Originally titled "Everythin' Ye Need t' Know About the History o' the Grand Line" this is a transcription of a recording made as part of the Galactic Oral History Project, New Londinium University. Aaron Galfrant made this recording in a bar on the planet known as High in the Tortuga system of the Grand Line. The transcribers have made a valiant attempt to render the patois of the original speaker in written form. We apologize if this causes difficulties.
So, ya' want to know 'bout the Grand Line do you? Now that thar's a long tale and mighty thirsty work. Oh, I see you've provided libations and t' good stuff at that. What did you have t' bribe t' barkeep with t' have him…on second thought I don't think I want t' know. Pull up a chair, pour me a drink and I'll tell you everythin' you need t' know.
This tale starts long ago, in the early days o' explorin' the galaxy. Seekin' out new planets and findin' new ways t' get places was awful expensive. That's why the only folks who were in the exploration business were governments and big bucks corporations. o' course the corps did the heavy liftin' cause the monetary rewards for them if they found a planet t' exploit far outweighed the heavy cost o' mountin' a search.
Now in them days this kind o` exploration be done by sendin` ou' a ship t` the end o` known an' mapped space. They'd sit on the edge o` whateresystem on the aft side o` beyond an' send ou' a bunch o` probes. Them probes be wee more than a jump drive an' a set o` sensors. They be programmed t` fold space a predetermined amount, look around, an' jump aft. The crew o` the exploration ship would eyeball the info returned then tweak the next batch t` eyeball whaterewas interestin`. Now jumpin` blind, which be what these probes be doin`, be a dangerous business an' nay all o` 'em survived. Between what came aft an' what didn't come aft the explorers would git a good idee o' what be ahead o' them. Once they had enough information they'd jump into the most promisin' o' the new systems, map 't an' then start the whole process all o'er again.
Now thar be a couple o' corps that be explorin' ou' in this end o' the Galaxy an' they started gettin' all sorts o' strange results from the'r probes. They'd send the'r wee darlin's off an' like usual some would come aft an' others wouldn't. But in this case some came aft nay 'ere they'd port off but from somewhere else entirely. Other times two probes sent launched from the exact same place would come aft wi' completely unique information or one would come aft but the other wouldn't.
After a large amount o' hade scratchin' an' a goodly amount o' swearin' some bstarboard thin' figured ou' what be causin' the anomalous results. This particular region o' space had a long nebula anchored between two black holes. The resultin' gravitational fluxes meant that jump points in this area did nay stay stable fer long. The nebula itself had a distinctly red coloration when viewed from afar so the area be duly marked on the star maps an' named the Red Line.
Once the reason fer the disappearance o' the probes be discovered the two main corps who be explorin' the area tookst completely different approaches t' dealin' wi' 't. One started carefully findin' the wee stable jump points in each system an' linkin' them one t' another like pearls on a strin'. The other jus' gave up the gravitational anomaly as a bad job, sailed' around 't an' started settlin' an area now controlled by the Collective Worlds.
Then the great data crash happened. The series o' colonies on the other side o' the Grand Line be suddenly on the'r own when the'r foundin' corp sailed' down. They banded together an' eventually developed into the Collective Worlds as we know them today. The other corporation be still mostly in exploration mode an' when 't collapsed 't simply port a set o' exploratory ships cut off. Most o' these ships ended up in New Britannia but one did nay. This particular ship, named the Beagle I think, had a crazy ship captain an' a very strong jump pilot. The pilot allegedly could alter a jump enough t' miss practically anythin' in the way. Anyhow, this ship strung together a series o' jumps goin' all the way t' The Red Line an' beyond. In the process they discovered a number o' habitable worlds as well as some alien races includin' the Fishmen. On accoun' o' the stable jump points be wee an' far between an' they tended t' jus' go on or aft t' the next system in line the systems in sequence became known as the Grand Line.
Now, now; don't ye go runnin' off halfcocked. That thar be only the beginnin' o' the tale. By the time the rest o' the Galaxy recovered an' found our sector again the systems on the Grand Line be settled an' the Collective Worlds be expandin'. O' course one o' the areas into which they wanted t' expand be the Grand Line. Why ye ask? Well gi'en that each world had only two, an' the rare one three, safe jump points if ye controlled a system then ye controlled the trade down the entire line.
The settlers o' the Line be nay terribly happy about the possibility o' bein' annexed into the Collective Worlds. They liked the'r homeport grown governments an' easy goin' tradin' culture. Annexation would impose a whole set o' rules, regulations an' tariffs set by strange outsiders wi' nay real understandin' o' local conditions. The shippers who sailed the Line be also nay terribly pleased an' they started obstructin' the Collective Worlds in any way they could t' protect the'r way o' life. O'er time these traders adopted an old earth symbol, the Jolly Roger, t' indicate the'r opposition. O' course the Collective Worlds retaliated an' labeled all who sailed under such a Jolly Roger as Pirates whether or nay they actively committed acts o' sweet trade in the space lanes. Fer a long time thar be a stalemate between the Collective Worlds an' the Spacefarin' heartys. Control o' specific systems would change hands now an' again but generally the Line belonged t' the Space Dogs an' the Collective Worlds controlled the'r own space.
Now this changed relatively recently an' as the result o' one man, Gol D. Roger. Roger be a buccanneer who sailed up an' down the Grand Line seemingly at will. Nay one knew how he did 't but he'd appear an' disappear seemingly like magic. He actively opposed the Collective Worlds an' be declared an outlaw wi' a high price on his hade on accoun' o' it.
Some 25 stan-yrs ago 't be when the Collective Worlds finally caught Roger. They sentenced the lad's t' Davy Jones' locker an' broadcast the execution t' all an' sundry. That proved t' be somewhat o' a mistake on accoun' o' Roger gave a speech. He spake that the reason he'd been so successful all them voyages be due t' a great booty he'd found when he be young. 't be called the One Piece an' he spake he'd hidden 't somewhere in the Grand Line. He charged all the Space dogs o' the Line t' go find 't an' t' oppose the Collective Worlds in all things.
Now from that tide t' this sea dogs an' land lubbers on the Line be lookin' fer the Once Piece. Nay one really knows what 'tis. Some say 't's a map wi' the coordinates o' all the unstable jump points an' notes on how t' use them safely; others say 't's a new type o' ship drive; still others think 't's actually an alien lifeform that looks like stuffed green spotted alligator that can pilot a ship anywhere but only says one word in common. As fer me I don't think 't's any o' them things. Nay, I think 't's old, real old, Old Earth old. I think 't's a compass. Ye know them things that be havin' a needle in 'em that points t' the magnetic pole on a planet? Aye, only this one don't point t' a magnetic pole, nay this one points t' nothin' less than the way t' yer heart's desire.
You don't b'lieve me do ye? Ah, well then let me tell ye a tale from the days 'ere mighty ships o' wood an' iron sailed on the oceans o' Old Earth. 'T's a tale o' a ship known as The Pearl…
Author's Note: Ahoy mates, here be plot bunnies and fandom referents. Some of 'em are obvious, others not. Please be making your opinions known about this here piece of word building. Comments, constructive criticism and suggestions are all welcome to dock in this here port o' call.
