Pirates of the Grand Line
The Curse of the Thousand Sunny
Chapter 2
By Wakback
When Orange opened her eyes; she wasn't on the marine boat anymore. She was in her room in the mansion of Port Royal were both her and her father, Governor Matt Kaino, lived. Her mind traveled her dream… no, not a dream, but a past event. For the dream she had last night was all too real to her.
She got up from her bed, grabbed a nearby lantern and walked towards her dresser drawer. Pulling open the drawer on upper left corner, she pushed some papers out of the way and pulled up a false bottom to reveal the necklace and gold coin that was around U.B.'s neck when they found him in the water 10 years ago. As she put in on around her neck she heard a knock on her door. She quickly slipped the coin between her breasts then dived back under the covers as she heard the voice of her father.
"Orange? Orange, are you awake?" called Matt as he entered her room. "Still in bed at this hour?" Stated Matt as a few maids followed him in; one of the maids opened the curtain's to let in the bright sunlight fill the room. "A beautiful day isn't it? I have a gift for you." Stated Matt as one of the maids came up to them with a box in hand. Matt opened the box to reveal a beautiful dress.
"It's… It's Beautiful!" Exclaimed Orange.
"Yes it is, isn't it?" Replied Matt with a smile on his face.
"May I ask as to what the occasion is?" Asked Orange in a sly questioning grin.
"What, does a Father need a reason to please his daughter?" Stated Matt with grin of his own on his face. Orange just giggled and started to undress behind a screen with the maids following her to help her with her new dress. Matt turned around and continued to speak.
"Well, I actually had hoped to have you wear it for the ceremony today." Stated Matt.
"Ceremony?" questioned Orange.
"Captain Kaku's promotion ceremony."
"I knew it!" Stated Orange as she popped her head from behind the screen.
"Commodore Kaku, as he is about to become. A fine gentleman, don't you think? He fancies you the most." Replied Matt. However Orange wasn't listening very well as she suddenly gasped for air as the maids pulled on her corset. "Orange, how's it coming along?" Matt asked.
"I-It's hard to say." Was Orange's reply.
"I hear it's the latest fashion in Alabasta." Stated Matt.
"Well women in Alabasta mush have learned not to breathe!" Replied Orange she gasped for air again. Just then the Butler came in the door.
"Master Kaino, you have a visitor." Stated the butler, Matt nodded and walked out the room to meet this visitor.
Down in the main entrance a grown U.B. Burner stood waiting with a long box held beneath his arm. He looked closely at a wall-hanged candleholder. He slightly held one in his two fingers and it accidentally snapped off in his hand. He was startled for a second and quickly placed it in a bin for umbrellas. He then noticed Matt coming down the stairs. "Aw, Mr. Burner. It's good to see you again." Stated Matt.
"Thank you Governor. I have your order for you." Replied U.B. He then opened the box on a nearby table and laying in it was a beautiful sword. He took it out and handed it to Matt who unsheathed it.
"The blade is folded steel. And that's gold filigree laid into the handle. If I may?" he then took the sword and balanced the blade next to the handle on his finger. "Perfectly balanced. And the tang is nearly the full width of the blade." He then flipped it up in the air and caught the handle. After that, he placed it back in its sheath and back in the box.
"Impressive. Very impressive. Commodore Kaku will be very pleased with this. Please pass my compliments on to your master."
At this U.B. was a bit disappointed but quickly covered it up. How he disliked having his work assumed to be made by the drunk that was supposed to be his teacher. "…I shall. A craftsman is always pleased to be appreciated of his work." He then turned his attention to the descending Orange in her dress and was awed.
She took note of his presence. "U.B.! It's so good to see you! I had a dream about you last night." Stated Orange as she stopped in front of him. "About the day we met, remember?"
"Oh how could I forget Miss Kaino?" Replied U.B., Orange then fronded a bit at his reply.
"U.B., how many times do I have to remind you to just call me Orange?" Asked Orange in a playful/serious tone.
"As always, at lest once more, Miss Kaino." Stated U.B..
"See?" Matt spoke, "At least the boy has a sense of propriety. Now we really must be going." as he followed the butlers who were loading final things in a carriage that was to take them to the ceremony. And so with a simple good bye, both Orange and U.B. left the house, Orange to her carriage, and U.B. walked home. Both however were unknowing of what was to happen.
As the sun shined above the sea of Port Royal, A man about 27 years old in a straw-hat stood on the crow's-nest staring strait at the docks of Port Royal. Looking down at his boat, he quickly jumped down a grabbed a bucket to don't the water out of his boat and back into the sea.
As he was about to start dumping the salt water out of his boat, he noticed what remained of three pirate corpses with one having a sign around his neck that said 'Pirates ye be warned'. With that in mind, the man took off his straw-hat and saluted the three corpses.
Reaching for his bucket, quickly found in floating away in the ocean current. "…Aw Crap." Was the man's soul reply as he jumped back up into the crow's-nest. Later in the docks, people on the nearby merchant ships stopped to look at the new arriver. There, on top of the sail of a ship sticking out of the water, was an oddly dressed dress man in a straw hat in a tattered red button-up vest, a loss fitting pare of black pants and sandals, two belts that held a pistol on his right side and a cutlass sword on his left. As whatever part of the boat that was still above water reached his destination, he stepped aboard a dock from where he was. He began to walk along as if he was already there, but didn't go unnoticed by a man and a young black boy who were to keep records of the shipping.
"What, Wait! Hold it right there you!" The straw-hat man turned to face the man with a quill and a book in each of his hands. "It's 200 berries to tie up your boat at the dock." They looked at the top of the sail and crow's-nest that didn't submerge… yet. "...And I shall need to know your name."
The straw-hat man dug into his pocket to pull out some money. "How about 400 berries," poured it onto the book's open page "and we forget the name?" A moment of silence. The man then closed the book with a smile. "…Welcome to Port Royal Mr. Smith." With a smile the straw-hat man started to walk away, but not before he jingled the man's coin pouch that he stole from the desk. Satisfied with what he had done, he continued on.
As the ceremony continued on, Kaku was now being presented with the sword that U.B. Delivered the Governor. Whereas Orange, as well as all the women, were fanning themselves in the increasing heat to help them breathe.
Back to the Straw-hat man, as a set of marine soldiers walked by, the man, or "Mr. Smith" decided to see what Port Royal had to offer boat wise. As Mr. Smith continued onward, two guards that were off to the side rushed in front of Mr. Smith to block him off.
"This deck is off limits to civilians;" Stated the first and smaller of the two Guards, know as Jango.
"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't know. If I see one, I'll make sure to let him know." Mr. Smith tried once again to get on the dock, but they blocked his path again. Mr. Smith was becoming slightly annoyed with these two idiots so he came up with another plan as to distract the two "Guards". "So, I hear there's some kind of going up at the fort over there. Why are you two down here?"
"Someone has to make sure this dock stays off limits to civilians;" answered the second and larger guard, named Fullbody.
"And a marvelous job I must say, but it seems to me that a ship like that over there," Mr. Smith directed the guards eyes to the grander ship over at the other end of the port, "is a bit more important than compared to this thing over here." Mr. Smith then pointed to the ship behind them that they were guarding.
"The Dragoon is the power in these waters, sure. But there's no ship that can match the El Dorado here in speed."
"I've heard of one," Stated Mr. Smith with a finger to the side of his hat, "Said to be extremely fast, very much uncatchable. The Thousand Sunny." This got a chuckle from both of them.
"Well," Fullbody spoke, "there's no real ship that can match the El Dorado."
But Jango looked a bit uncertain. "The Thousand Sunny is a real ship."
"No. No it's not."
"Yes it is, I've seen it."
"You've seen it?"
"Yes."
"You haven't seen it."
"Yes I have."
"You've seen a ship, with black sails, that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil, that hell itself, spat him back out?"
"...No."
"No."
"But I have seen a ship with black sails."
"Oh, a no ship that's not crewed by the damned and captained by a man so that hell itself spat him back out could possibly have black sails, therefore couldn't possibly any other ship than the Thousand Sunny is that what you're saying?"
"…No."
"Like I said, there's no real ship that could match the El Dora…"
The two guards turned to were Mr. Smith was only to find that he disappeared. They both looked around only to find him at the helm of the ship. They both shouted and quickly came up to Mr. Smith with cocked, loaded, and ready rifles pointing straight at him. "Get away from there! You don't have permission to be aboard their mate!" Yelled Fullbody.
"I'm sorry but it's such a pretty boat." Stated Mr. Smith with a grin on his face.
"What's your name?" asked Jango, never taking his eyes or rifle off of the man.
"Smith, or Smithy if you will." Stated Mr. Smith.
"What your purpose here in Port Royal, Mr. Smith." Asked Fullbody in a suspicious tone.
"Yeah, and no lies!" Jango included.
"Heh, well, if that's the case then" Mr. Smith said leaving the wheel alone, "I plan to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, and plunder me filthy black guts out and anything else that comes with being a pirate."
"…I said no lies."
"…I think he's telling the truth."
"If he were telling the truth then he wouldn't have told us."
"Unless he told the truth to you knowing you wouldn't believe the truth even if he were telling it so you;" Mr. Smith said with a smile. His grin just grew as he watched their confused faces grow. He loved messing with people's heads!