The Gate to Kisho
Tohru's Diary
Day 7: So close! Yet so far! We sail from Darkside Island to the mysterious Gate of Kisho! Few have dared to venture here, for there are numerous myths of disappearing ships. They give us a scare, but with Fuyu, Zato, Mike, and especially me (from now on I shan't be such a clutz and useless member!), the Star Crew is not going to be pushed back at all.
To our dismay, we floated into a heavy mist, so thick that it was like an extremely moist fog. But if the special map is correct… we should be sailing straight into… the Gate of Kisho, which exists as a massive tunnel through a series of mountains centered in this portion of West Blue… I'm iffy.
"Hehe," Evian muttered in his rowboat. The sea was rough, but he claimed he could take it. Waving goodbye to his old comrades on Darkside Island, he set out for his prize. "Those pirates think they could get rid of me so easily. I'll show them just how strong Evian Jacques is!"
A second later a massive wave crashed over his boat and dropped him below the surface level.
Chapter 15
Mistrap! The Wild Chef to the Rescue
The soft whoosh of the ship and the tumbling of the waves were all to be heard. Zato insisted on going outside to make sure they remained on track; Tohru, on the other hand, considered staying inside together a better idea.
"The Gate of Kisho," Mike whispered as he stared at the large rolled-out map. "Sure is something. I never would've thought a region like this to be geographically possible.. and I'm the one who's traveled all the way through!"
Fuyu inspected the portions of the incomplete map. "So your goal is to complete this map, huh?" Only the bottom left corner – the Listwind Sea – was completely done.
"Mhm," Tohru replied. "By the way, Zato, I do recall reading of this 'Grand Kingdom' that you seek out."
The three males positioned themselves – Mike sitting on the floor, Zato in a chair by the table looking at the map, and Fuyu at the side looking out the window – so they could listen to Tohru. "From the day I learned to read, I'd find my days in the library reading. A particular interest was the section on Mythology. As expected, the Grand Kingdom was found in that section… yeah, a whole book on it!
"According to the legend, way back in the Void Century, a paradise haven sat at the northern tip of West Range Blue – the ocean making up the center of this hemisphere. An ancient merfolk tribe known as the Poseidis lived there. They worshipped the lord of the oceans – Poseidon, and they lived in peace.
"They were the founders of beautiful arts and crafts, incredible cities and government systems, everything you could think of that put them one step ahead of others. But they were extremely protective of their wealth! They possessed magic that allowed them to seal their haven within a bubble.
"Unfortunately, a curious merman managed to sneak in with a small group of merfolk and find the blueprints to all of the island's architecture as well as crafts. The Poseidis learned quickly of his presence and worked hard to ensure that he was eliminated before he escaped. They failed, meaning that the world would have their hands upon valuable blueprints.
"The merman, Hunter D. Roth, immediately set sail for the Grand Line. His journey took seven total years to travel to Raftel, the final island in the Grand Line. Roth's plans were to create his own haven that transcended the might of the Poseidis."
A loud crash suddenly interrupted her tale, and everyone flew into the right wall. Zato gained balance quickly in the tilting ship and slammed the door open. "What the…!" he shouted.
The ship had collided straight into a massive rockwall and started to rise up along the barrier. Following this, it continued falling backwards. "Oh crud!" Zato yelped before soaring back into the room.
Mike grasped Tohru and flung her out the door which now seemed as a ceiling escape (for the ship now coasted along the rock wall vertically). "Use your navigation skills!!" Fuyu shouted.
As Tohru flew into the air, she screamed, "THESE SITUATIONS AREN'T MY AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY! AAAH!!" She managed to catch hold of the mast pole and climbed upwards through the ship.
At the bottom end of the ship, a rope caught on to the end and the treacherous Evian Jacques pulled his way up until they had completely gotten on. "Haha, it's obvious that the Star Crew was no match for Mistrap!"
A sudden gust blew him straight off the ship and right into the water. Fuyu balanced himself on a thin ledge, spinning his two swords at a rapid rate. "Stupid, the wind is going the other way!" Mike shouted. Fuyu realized and changed the direction of the wind currents. He sent them forcefully to push the ship back from the rockwall.
Zato exited the room a second time and shot himself up past Tohru, startling her and causing her to fall back. She lost her grip and dropped from her height, plummeting straight down to the now-roaring sea! "This damn mist!" she cried.
Mike gasped and nearly dived to rescue her when Fuyu grabbed his tail. "Idiot! She can swim and you can't! Go down there and you'll make things worse!"
Tohru quickly produced her weapons and attempted to fall closer to the ship. "Here goes nothing!" she shrieked before smashing the rods into the side of the vessel, hoping they would slow down her fall. They did, and allowed her to hang from the position…
Then a squeaky noise came, and she could see the rods starting to bend. Mike moved then, becoming his normal panther form and dashing down to reach the same level as her.
VISUAL
TOP/FRONT OF SHIP
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X – Zato
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F – Fuyu
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M – Mike (running down)
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…
…
…
…
…
T – Tohru (hanging and about to fall) BASE/BACK OF SHIP
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…
…
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WATER
(each .. represents six or seven yards)
Mike was too late… Tohru lost her grip again and fell from the end of the ship.
Out of nowhere, Evian zipped through and caught her. He pushed forward and managed to catch hold of the rock wall and ran directly upwards. "It is clear that the Star Crew is lacking an essential member."
Zato turned to see Evian and put up a worried look. "That guy again?? Block Block Missile!"
Evian saw Zato approaching and kicked off the rockwall, landing perfectly on the ship. "Hold it right there, Zato Alba. I'm not here to fight, and I showed that by rescuing this child."
Zato, unfortunately, couldn't hold on, and continued soaring down to the sea. "Damn!" he cried. Fortunately, he reversed the direction by exploding his body, sending him back upwards.
Evian grinned as he suddenly whipped a series of ropes out to each side, catching hold of the rockwall. "You drifted off your main course. Heading to the legendary Gate of Kisho, eh? Well, you got stuck here in Mistrap!"
"Mistrap?" Fuyu muttered. "Alright then, tell us what brought you here."
Smirking, Evian roared, "Of course I'd join this pathetic crew. Seeking out the end of West Range Blue is quite something."
Smack! Tohru slammed the back of his head with her rod, furious by the fact that he returned. "I don't care who you are or why you saved me. Or even the fact that you saved me. And you just said, you'd join this pathetic crew. I'll show you what's pathetic once I'm throw with you!"
Tohru brought her rod down a second time, but it failed to inflict damage when a coat of electricity formed around Evian. Fuyu dived to the rescue, slicing her rod in half before the static could reach Tohru. "You have some strange powers," Mike commented, keeping his distance. "Perhaps a devil fruit?"
Evian roared with laughter while getting up. "A devil fruit?? Wahahaa, you foolish pirates know nothing. A person like me would never need the power of a pathetic devil fruit. But on to business – it's time I revealed the reason I came all the way out here! First things first – destroy the rockwall that your ship hangs upon!" He produced a yellow orb and hurled it straight at the rockwall.
An incredible flash occurred, blindening all those in the scene. Then there was a loud cracking sound, like thunder right in front of them! And then… Zato, as he climbed up the side of the ship, could feel the pain of solid rock falling on him. Following the midair avalanche, wind blew directly upwards, causing Zato to lose his grip and soar. "What the hell!!" he shouted before disappearing into the sky.
A wild splash occurred as the ship made a rough landing in the ocean. Tohru opened her eyes and looked up – the rockwall had been mostly destroyed, and now the ship had come down from the height.
Followed by Zato, who had to be caught by Mike to avoid a quick death. Evian grinned and faced the crew. "Zato Alba and Fuyu Sashimi. Think where you'd be without my recent presence. This girl would've died, and you would've been stuck spending the last few moments of your life falling to death in Mistrap. The mist should've been a clear warning itself.
"Which shows you a simple thing – you can have a navigator. You can have a swordsman. You can have a tough and strong crew. But you'll get nowhere if you have not a member who knows the ocean well. I have sailed close to the end, literally, leading a now-hopeless crew from Darkside all the way to the last of West Range Blue's five seas!"
Zato gave Evian a glare, and muttered, "What do you want? What do you expect to get out of joining this crew?"
Evian chuckled in his awkward way and responded, "Well, Master Alba, I expect to be a pirate. One of your nakama. It sure is difficult for you to make the decision, isn't it? Oh, and I have a little something I left behind when I left the last island. Something so critical, I surely wouldn't be satisfied without it.
"My journey brought me there, to the final island. I knew that the Grand Kingdom indeed existed. But I just didn't know exactly where. That's when I was massacred, by a chap going by the name Warren…"
Mike immediately dived at Evian, but was held back by the electric barrier. "What's wrong, did I say something that hurt your feelings?"
"Your cocky attitude's gonna make you suffer. You may seem all tough, but you're really nothing!" Mike roared. "I'm warning you, join this crew and you may not leave alive!"
Evian sighed a relief when Mike returned to his small form and continued. "Warren… he was a strong fellow indeed. A man lost at sea, but he felt as though I was an evil being. With his mystic powers, he destroyed most of my crew… and left me to sail back with nothing. That was the first and last time I'd ever seen him. Dangerous he was, and I hope the two of us never cross paths again!"
Mike nearly choked Evian, wanting over a million questions answered, but Evian only said that Warren appeared out of nowhere, seeming in perfect condition, and claiming to have escaped from the government, giving him relief. 'Captain… you're alive… you're alright,' Mike thought to himself.
"Well anyways, shouldn't we be going off to the true destination, Miss Navigator?" asked Evian.
Tohru and Zato both responded, "When did you officially become a crew member?"
Evian grinned once more, and then laughed, "Wahahahaaa! There's no doubt of it. You'll need my help, don't worry. And if my cocky attitude's bugging you… then how 'bout we get along well from now on?"
He flung himself into the kitchen and immediately grabbed an assortment of fruits, enraging all four true crew members at once.
Within an hour, despite arguments, a nice and healthy meal was laid out for each of them. "Enjoy," Evian muttered before slipping into the sleeping quarters.