Rumors and Sins
Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.
Yawning, Axe slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. After eating dinner at the diner last night, he decided to crash at the church since he had nowhere else to go. He was shown the way to the housing areas of the church and took an empty bed, going to sleep as he listened to other boarders snore.
"Well, this place has good lodging...not bad for free, I'll give it that much,"
After getting dressed and strapping his axe to his back, the young treasure hunter walked around and found himself in a large, almost empty dining hall. The only ones in the room besides him were Father Anderson, Kairi, and a man in his early twenties with long, platinum colored hair, each of them having breakfast. He didn't recognize the older man, but he had a feeling he'd know in just a bit.
Grabbing a tray and filling it with a large amount of food, Axe took a seat next to Kairi and began to shovel in his food. His gorging went on for a few minutes until he noticed that the three others were staring at him. Swallowing his bacon, he looked at them, a bit nervous.
"Uh...something wrong?"
Father Anderson cleared his throat, "Before every meal, we say Grace to thank God for his bounty,"
Oh, figures... Axe scratched his cheek, "Well, with all due respect to you and your religion, Father, I don't really say Grace. I just eat,"
"Even so, you are in a holy place, you should have some manners and say Grace,"
Axe glanced at the platinum-haired man, "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. I believe manners include introducing yourself?" he leaned over and held out his hand, smirking, "My name's Axe and you are...?"
The man looked hard at him, but didn't take his hand, "My name is Gabriel,"
"Named after the Angel of Death to some people," Axe said slowly, earning surprised looks from the others. He shrugged and sat back down, "Like I said, I read a lot,"
"You seem to be quite intelligent for a child," Gabriel said casually, taking a drink from his cup, "Father Anderson and Kairi tell me that you're searching for people here on Sanctus, Axe. Whatever for?"
Anderson shot Gabriel a look, "That's not really any of our business,"
"I'm just curious, there's no harm in asking," Gabriel shrugged, "Besides, we are all neutral in the church. We hear people confess different things everyday. It's not like we're going to tell anyone he doesn't want us to tell," he looked at Axe, "So, what are you looking for?"
"Gabriel!"
"It's okay," Axe held up a hand, "I might as well come clean and be honest with you all. Figures I should since this is a holy place," he cleared his throat, "I am on a journey to go into the Grand Line and to find the treasure of the late Pirate King, Gold Roger,"
Kairi's jaw dropped, Anderon's brows went high, but Gabriel kept his cool.
"You're a pirate,"
Axe shook his head, "Actually, I'm not. I am a treasure hunter, not a pirate. Big difference,"
"How so?" Gabriel propped his head on the table, "Please, enlighten us,"
"A pirate...most pirates, go around terrorizing people, taking hostages and killing people without mercy. Myself, I just want to go through the world and find One Piece. I have been here for a day and I haven't done anything against the law, and I haven't harmed anyone, and believe me, I've had a lot of chances to do so. If I was a cruel pirate, then I would've done harm long ago when I first arrived,"
The dining hall went quiet. Gabriel and Kairi looked at him for a bit before excusing themselves from the table and leaving the hall. Axe sighed and turned to Anderson, "Aren't you going to leave, Father?"
Anderson smiled, "Why would I? I have seen many things in my lifetime, and I know that you aren't evil. I can tell just by looking at you that you are a good soul. You're strong, for that axe of yours must weigh quite a bit, but you don't use the strength you have to do bad," he rose from his seat, "God smiles upon you, my son. Perhaps, if you were a part of our order, you could do more good for him,"
Axe shrugged, "Nice offer, but I've already got a thing going for me,"
"As you wish," Anderson bowed his head slightly, "If you'll excuse me, my son, I have a sermon to give,"
"Of course, don't let me stop you, Father,"
Thinking he'd be there awhile on the island, Axe decided to go through the church's library and take in the knowledge that they had there. Small books, big books, think books, thick books, the collection was impressive. Axe took great care in flipping through the older books, since he knew that knowledge was precious and to damage them would be a crime to certain people, including himself.
Well, despite lots of stories about God and angels, there is a lot of history here... Axe looked up at the shelves, So much to learn, so little time. I gotta find a crew and get moving!
Sighing, he put the books away and roamed through the library, watching and listening to small children who had come to read or study for lessons that were taught by the other nuns and priests of the church. He didn't pay much attention to them, since his thoughts were on what he needed for a crew to sail through the Grand Line.
I'll need a First Mate, a cook, a navigator, a gunner, a doctor, a shipwright and...oh that's right, I also need a musician! he snapped his fingers, Okay, that's the basic necessities of a crew, so once I get those guys, I'll worry about expanding-
"EVERYONE!"
Axe snapped out of his thoughts to see a boy running over to one of the tables where the children were studying.
"The Holy Knight was just spotted, fighting a group of people not too far from here!"
The young treasure hunter raised an eyebrow, Hmmm...
He walked over to the kid, "Where, exactly? Where's the Holy Knight?"
After getting some directions and some speed thanks to Soru, Axe found himself perched on a rooftop, looking down in a large square in town. There was a large group of armed men surrounding a single person. He couldn't see much, but he could tell that it was the Knight, just by looking at him.
The Knight wore pure white armor, a blue cape flowing down the back and a matching white helmet on his head. Axe had to squint, but he could make out a few feathers in the helmet and a golden cross on the chestplate.
So, this is the Holy Knight, hm? Axe looked at the large group of people that surrounded him, I don't care if this is the great Holy Knight of Sanctus Island, I don't like the odds of this... he pulled his weapon off his back and was about to leap down to help when the crowd attacked the Knight.
Dammit!
To his surprise, the Knight was fighting each of the attackers without any problems. Axe watched as the armored warrior pulled out a thin sword, a rapier by the looks of it, and defended himself from all attacks with surprising ease. Wanting to get a better look, Axe hopped down to street level and watched from behind an alley corner. He got a better look at both the Knight and his attackers. The Knight was a little shorter than he imagined (he imagined a giant, mighty warrior who cleaved anyone in his path), and the men attacking him were dressed in strange red, hooded robes with bright red crosses on the front and backs of the robes.
Axe frowned, Those look familiar...where have I seen those marks?
The Holy Knight raised his rapier, "Juuni Tenshi," (1)
To his surprise, Axe watched as the Holy Knight's rapier and the arm attached to it disappeared into a blur.
Whoa, he's fast! Axe leaned his head out more and saw that the sword was going into and out of the bodies of the assailants at a high speed, Really fast!
Seconds later, the robed attackers fell to the streets unmoving. They weren't dead, he could see that and he knew the Knight wouldn't kill them based off what he heard about him.
The guy can certainly take care of himself, that's for sure... Axe pulled back and leaned against the alley wall, rubbing his chin, He'd make a great First Mate for my crew, but he belongs to the island as it's protector, so there's a chance he won't come...but I still have to try! If I can't get him, then I'll go to another island and see what I can do there. No sense in ripping away an island's icon for my own ambitions.
He turned back to go and ask the Holy Knight, but he was no longer there! The police and Marines were picking up the wounded assailants and confiscating their weapons.
Crap, where'd he go?!
That evening at dinner, Father Anderson raised his cup and cleared his throat, making everyone in the dining hall go quiet. The orphans, nuns, priests, Gabriel, Axe and Kairi quieted down and looked at the head of the church. Anderson smiled widely, still holding his cup high.
"Today, the Holy Knight of our humble island has graced us again with his presence! He defended himself against men with evil in their hearts. Despite being attacked, he has shown mercy to the evil-doers, no doubt hoping that they can be shown the error of their ways. They have been taken into custody by the proper authorities and it's only a matter of time until they see the truth. We owe the Knight so much for saving this island again and again...a toast to our mighty protector!"
The dining hall erupted into a chorus of cheers and clapping. Axe raised his cup in agreement and turned to the other two while the clapping died down.
"Man, I can't tell you how awesome seeing him in action was!"
Gabriel looked at him, "You saw the fight?"
"Yeah, I watched from an alleyway. Man, I didn't know a swordsman can move that fast, especially in that armor!" the treasure hunter was practically shaking with excitement, "I gotta ask him to join my crew!"
Kairi smiled slightly, "I'm afraid that won't happen. He's got a mission here,"
"I know, but I have to ask at least!" he scooted over a little, "You guys wouldn't happen to know where I can find him, could you?"
The young apprentice shook her head, "Sorry,"
Gabriel sipped his drink, "Sometimes, the Knight is seen roaming the rooftops at night, looking for any injustices in the night. You can look for him there, however," he shot a hard glance at Axe, "He will not join a pirate like yourself, young one,"
"First off, it's treasure hunter. Treasure. Hunter," Axe said slowly, "Secondly, I ain't that young, I'm fourteen!"
"Nothing more than a babe,"
Axe frowned, "I don't look like a girl!"
Kairi stifled a giggle, "He means a baby,"
"Oh, like that's any better!"
Taking Gabriel's advice, Axe went from roof to roof later that night, in search of the Holy Knight. He couldn't wait to talk to the Knight about joining his crew. Using that guy's strength in his crew could be very useful in his dream of finding One Piece, and that made him even more excited.
Luck seemed to be on his side tonight, because it didn't take him long to find the Holy Knight. The armored warrior was standing on top of one of the larger buildings on the island. Axe landed nearby and slowly approached him, "Excuse me...Mr. Holy Knight?"
The savior turned his head slightly, acknowledging that he knew Axe was there.
"You don't know me, but my name is Axe and I'm a newcomer to the island. I'm a treasure hunter, though people will call me a pirate, but that's besides the point. I'm trying to find myself a crew to go through the Grand Line and achieve my dream of finding the Pirate King's treasure. I've seen you in action, I can use someone like you in my crew, and I ask you here and now...will you join my crew? Will you help me find One Piece?"
The Knight shook his head and turned to look back out at the town.
Axe's shoulders slumped, "I saw that coming, still I had to ask. Look, I know protecting the island is a big thing for you and the people itself, but if you ever think about going out into the world...I'm staying over at the church,"
Not wanting to take up anymore time and accidentally anger the Knight, Axe decided to head off and leave him alone. He spent most of the evening in the diner again, listening to random stories that wafted around the building.
Okay, so this island's a dud. I could've argued and maybe even fought with Mr. Knight to convince him to join me, but I'd look like an asshole, and I don't want a whole island coming after me...especially ones with Marines, he chewed on a thumbnail, I guess I'll check out the dock tomorrow, see if anyone's going out to another island. Maybe I can barter passage again?
A loud crash made him turn his head to see a man standing in the middle of the diner, a turned over table nearby, along with a group of startled and angry-looking customers. The man looked like he had just been through hell: his clothes were ragged, his hair was a mess, and he had a very strange look on his face.
Looks like somebody's hit Happy Hour... Axe rose up from his chair and walked over to the man, "Oi, ossan, you okay?"
The man snapped his head to the young man and grabbed him by his shoulders, "Don't go, don't listen, he tells lies! They all tell lies!"
Axe frowned and tried to back away, but the man held his grip, "Easy, ossan, easy! Who tells lies?"
"The prophet! The prophet tells lies!" the man pulled him close, making some spit land on Axe's face (which grossed the young one out), "H-H-He promises salvation a-and happiness, but it's all nothing but lies!"
Before Axe could ask what he was rambling on about, a group of police walked up behind the man and grabbed his arms, pulling him away from Axe. As soon as they touched him however, the man began to thrash wildly, screaming at the top of his lungs as they dragged him out of the building.
Axe and a handful of customers followed them out and watched as he escorted away into the night. Before he disappeared in the night, the man lunged forward and let out a final scream.
"The people who go there...they're changed forever! Don't be fooled, boy! Beware the false prophet!!"
The treasure hunter watched him go into the night and stood in the street while everyone else walked back inside.
Okay, that was weird...
The rambling lunatic was dragged along a stone hallway, lit only by a few torches. He was pushed into a bare cell, the heavy door slamming behind him. He ran to the door and started pounding on it, screaming at the top of his lungs as he did so.
"You elude us and you make so much noise when you come back...how troublesome,"
He spun around to see two men standing in the shadows on the end of the cell, "S-Stay away from me! I mean it! I won't become one like the others!"
"But God needs it's warriors," Father Anderson said calmly as he stepped out into view, a calm, yet dark look in his eyes. Gabriel stepped out, but stayed behind the preacher.
"Stay back I said!" the "lunatic" screamed, "I've warned others, they won't fall for your deceit!"
Father Anderson smiled, "Who would believe the rantings of a madman, one who has apparently lost all concepts of reality?" he tilted his head, "You poor soul...you're sick, you need healing. Gabriel,"
"Yes, sir," Gabriel began to walk towards the the man, but before he even got halfway there, the prisoner screamed again and began to bash his head into the stone wall.
Anderson sighed, "Do hurry, Gabriel, I don't want another one of them to be cremated,"
Gabriel nodded and pulled the man away from the wall, ignoring the bloody mess of a forehead he had now. As his young companion saw to the madman, Anderson walked towards the door and tapped a few times. Moments later, it opened up and he was allowed to walk through.
"I'll be upstairs, Gabriel, I'll entrust you to sort this out,"
The platinum-haired man nodded and went back to work as the door slammed shut again. Father Anderson smiled to himself as he walked down the stone corridor, placing his hands behind his back.
"Souls such as yours need to be helped. Every soul out there needs my help, and I plan to give it to them,"
Kilnorc: Uh...oh...uhm...yeah, bad mojo here.
On the next chapter of Origin...
Axe: I know I've seen that red cross symbol somewhere, but where?
Anderson: Once thought as rumors, the Templars are here on the island, attacking the Holy Knight. No doubt they wish to take out the only true protection we have on this island.
Axe: Didn't I see him all crazy and rabid just last night?
Kairi: I owe a tremendous debt to the church. I'm sorry, but I cannot.
Revelations
Anderson: I gave up that life long ago, but not my title.
(1) Juuni Tenshi - (Twelve Angels) A rapier technique in which the Holy Knight quickly jabs an enemy or enemies twelve times, dealing a surprising amount of damage with each strike.