The Gate to Kisho

Chapter 8

Windy Welcome

Creak! Crunch! Squeaky noises filled the library's night. A lone shadow emerged from the dogpile of ancient books, those which let up a cloud of dust that settled in the air as if meditating on the events to come. "Ugh, it was here last night!" the voice in the center hissed.

"Who's there?!" a second and loud voice roared from the entrance. Candles lit all of a sudden, catching the girl in her tracks. "Tohru, not again!" the guard shouted. "You know that the library is closed at night, and the restricted section… why else is it called the ­restricted section?!?"

"Let the girl be, Roiyaru. You yourself should know that a few simple rules will definetly not keep her from coming back. After all, she is a cartographer," the old librarian cried in his battered voice. "This library holds many secrets about West Blue… the sea is vast, Roiyaru. And so is knowledge. She seeks it, we mustn't hold her from it!"

Roiyaru took a glance at the shy girl. "Tohru…" he started. "Jii-san. You must understand, her father will not prohibit this! I've held my mouth shut for long enough, and I've been helping her! If Master Makino learns of this… all of this, then my head will surely be taken!"

"Head be taken?" Makino suddenly shouted, causing Roiyaru to squeal. "Master… Makino…! Forgive me, please! I… I only wished for the best for your daughter!"

Makino stared at his loyal servant, the man who currently sobbed at his feet. "Roiyaru…? Nothing's wrong. I won't take your head," he responded, bringing relief to Roiyaru. "As for you Tohru!" he suddenly snapped. "Sneaking in countless times, is it? I told you, I won't accept you being a cartographer! That rate, you'll meet some pirates and then go join them, get captured, and your life will be spent like the girl from Ohara! I've told you, do you want to be like Nico Robin?!?"

"Nico Robin is a good person!!" Tohru suddenly screamed back. "I don't want to laze my life here doing nothing but sitting and giving orders! I told you, I want to go out to sea!"

The doors slammed open once more, this time being Makino's watchmen. "Master, we have an emergency!!! Pirates have been spotted in the distance, and they're heading this way!" Tohru's face filled with excitement, and she attempted to back away through the secret exit. "Tohru!" Roiyaru hissed.

"Let her go for now, I'll deal with her later. Just make sure she stays away from the pirates!" Makino barked as his messengers escorted him out of the room.

\/\/-\/\/

Zato paced back and forth, not even taking the measure to identify his savior. Fuyu ignored what was going on and simply took a nap, tired after the events in Rogueport. "The grand West Blue is the perfect sea for us to journey on. With all the obstacles, the long mountainous barriers… everything! And at the end, we can take a ride up the West Knock Up Stream and reach the goal – a kingdom in the sky."

"Sounds a lot like the Grand Line. Don't tell me we're heading to Skypeia."

"Skypeia, psh, no way!" Zato exclaimed. Before any further conversation could go on, a cannonball splashed directly in front of their ship, giving Zato a bit of worry. "What's going on?!?"

The 'captain' pointed in the distance to a windmill hanging on the coast. "We've sailed to the southern tip of the Listwind Caribbean Chain – Windmill Peak."

"Windmill Peak? We're already here?" Fuyu asked, shocked that they had covered the distance in one night. "Well, where'd that cannonball come from?"

"Watch out!" Zato shouted before shooting himself into the air to block another cannonball. "Thriller Kick!" He whacked the ball downwards and prepared to make a desperate move. "Let's go Fuyu!"

"What do you mean?!?" Fuyu roared, grasping the railing on the ship. "Zato, where are you going?"

"Thanks… whoever you are!" Zato cried to the hooded person. "Unfortunately my mind wasn't set on finding out who you were!"

"Ouch…" Fuyu muttered, only to find himself being dragged into the air the next second. "What the hell!!"

"Block Block Skyscraper!" he yelled once more, and the two exploded into the air.

"Retaard!!!" Fuyu screamed as the two shot out into the sky.

Tohru watched from her balcony as the pirate ship turned around and moved away. "Why…?" she muttered. "Father, why did you scare them off? They did nothing!"

Roiyaru stood behind, relieved to see the ship disappearing in the horizon. "Be glad, Tohru. Pirates are not to be trusted."

The next second, Zato and Fuyu crash landed straight into the side of the windmill. Roiyaru gasped and ducked behind Tohru, frightened and brought to shock by the occurance.

Just as he leaned forward to hold onto her legs, Tohru dashed to the right, causing Roiyaru to fall and smack his head against the concrete balcony. "Owww… wait… Tohru! Come back!"

'Those two are pirates! This is my chance! Jii-san will understand, I'll tell him to tell everyone. If I can go now, then things will run smoothly!'

She was stopped by none other than her father. "Where do you think you're going? I told you that you are to stay away from the pirates!"

"I want to go to sea! This is my perfect opportunity! I want to have my own adventure!"

"I'm telling you this because you are my daughter, and I care for your well being! Pirates have never been good people. Female pirates are cunning vixen, they wheedle captains, they trick and they run! They're nothing but trash, trash who have committed severe crimes! Nico Robin, the destroyer of six navy ships and the keeper of information on the… Poneglyphs!"

The watchmen behind Makino suddenly gasped, shocked that their master would speak of connections to the Void Century. "Nico Robin, Nami, Alvida, all of them. They're wretched females! Joining pirates will make you nothing but another one of them! That's why you must stay! I don't want you to leave!"

Tohru slammed her fist against the stone walls and began to wail. Roiyaru rushed into the hall, sweating with nervousness. "Master… I… I apologize. The pirates… they crashed into the windmill! I… was scared… is… oh dear… Tohru, are you alright?"

Suddenly, the two watchmen collapsed. Roiyaru shrieked at the sight of Fuyu approaching Makino from behind. "Master!"

Clink! Fuyu's blade was stopped by some sort of rod. Tohru had slid past her father and blocked the swordsman's move. "Stay… back!"

Zato rushed into the hall and shouted, "Asshole, what are you doing?!?"

Fuyu shrugged his shoulders. "Simply bloodthirsty," he responded, leaving Roiyaru with a second shriek.

"Surprising how you two pirates got in here," Makino whispered, staying in his position. "Tohru, I don't know why, but I feel as though my opinion just changed. Which one of you is the captain?"

Before Fuyu could speak, Zato stepped forward. "That would be me." Fuyu rolled his eyes and lifted the two bodies of the watchmen, shaking them gently. "Come on, I know you're not dead. I hit you with the back of my swords."

The two of them sweated rapidly, though they tried to conceal their shaking. "Alright, do you want me to really kill you?" Fuyu hissed into their ears. Both immediately burst up with energy, laughing as though nothing happened.

"You would be…" Makino asked.

"Zato Alba."

"Tohru, you wanted to join these pirates?"

Tohru looked up with a smile, grinning. "It's more than just pirates. Going out to sea! I want to meet…"

"Zato, may I ask you a favor?" Makino asked once again.

\/\/-\/\/

Within an hour, Tohru had her pack set, and the new crew of three was on its way, sailing in a boat along the shoreline. Makino waved, yelling, "Be safe, Tohru! I apologize!"

"I see you learned, Makino," the old librarian whispered, appearing at his side. "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it's yours. And I truly believe Tohru shall return."

"I trust that they'll keep an eye on her. If going to sea was her dream, then I should never have held her back. This Zato Alba… I truly wonder who he is."

Fuyu yawned and stretched his arms, ready to take another rest. "How lazy can you get? It's not even noon yet and you're tired. Come on, I did more of the fighting at Rogueport!"

"Rogueport?!?" Tohru gasped. "What were you doing there?"

"Blowing up the marine base," Fuyu said before snoozing. Tohru nearly began sobbing. "They… destroyed the Marine Base?!? What sorta pirates did I get myself involved with!?"

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Zato, Fuyu, and new Tohru sail for a short time… but how can these three face a cunning gang? When Zato and Fuyu are both deceived, it's up to Tohru to turn the tide!

Next Chapter – Windmill Dash!