Day 35
I finally found out what's been going on.
It was one of the Three Demons. More specifically, it was Terrence the Blackbeak. He and his crew just descended out of nowhere in the middle of the night and attacked the Marine post on this island.
I have no idea why a Demon is sailing so far away from Red Line, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I saw Blackbeak dispatched the Vice-Admirals posted all by himself. I've seen his power.
He has a Mythical Zoan, a type of Devil Fruit that's even scarcer than the coveted Logia. It allows him to transform into this dark titanic bird that seems to be made of darkness itself. I think I heard one of the Vice-Admirals scream that's it's the mythical bird called the Garuda. Anyway, all their attacks just passed through Blackbeak and then all he did was covered them with one wing...and they were just a bloody mess on the ground after that. I have no idea what happened.
What happened next was that Blackbeak ordered his men to plunder the whole island. I guess he's the complete opposite of Greybeard. His crew descended on the town and began to terrorise the population.
I stood and fought against them, but they were really strong. I managed to defeat the lower ranked subordinates but had my hands full against some of the higher ranking ones.
Until Blackbeak himself came to me.
Seeing him up close, I find it hard to believe that this is one of the three most dangerous pirates to sail the seas despite the fact that I already witnessed his power. He's tall, but really thin. His skin is dark, and he has a large nose that curved like a beak. I guess that's why they call him the Blackbeak, apart from his powers of course.
"You fight well," he said to me. "I think you will go far as a member of my crew."
"Not interested," I answered, silently gathering my powers into my right hand.
"You have great power for a child," said Blackbeak. "With the right leader, you can make this world bow to your will. Everyone will fear your name. All you need to do is to bow to me and call me Captain."
"You're not the kind of person that I'd follow," I retorted. "I don't care if you massacre Marines, but I don't approve of the killing of innocents."
Blackbeak cackled.
"Approve?" he repeated. "Do you think I need your approval? I am the Blackbeak. I do what I want, when I want, to whom I want. I can tear families apart if I wish, rape other men's wives if I want to and no one can do anything about it."
"What you do is wrong."I answered, angered at this guy's depravity.
"Wrong? I am a pirate," snapped the Demon. "There is no right or wrong. The strong stamp out the weak, that's the way of the pirate."
"Then you're just a sick, depraved old man," I snarled, really angry now.
"Naive fool," cackled Blackbeak. "Who are you to speak to me so arrogantly?"
I was silent for a moment. Normally I would answer that my name is Edward Newgate, formerly of the Nautical Pirates. But for some reason, a different name floated into my head.
One that Chip bestowed upon me in Baterilla.
"I am Edward Newgate," I answered proudly. "I am the Whitebeard."
Blackbeak and his crew just laughed at me, but I wasn't touched by their laughter. It was as though the name that Chip granted to me was a talisman that shielded me from their scorn.
"Well then, Whitebeard," said Blackbeak mockingly. "I am sure you know that I am Terrence the Blackbeak, one of the Three Demons. I am the strongest man in the world..."
"You are not," I snapped, making him scowl.
"Oh, I'm not?" he said with cold laughter. "I suppose you are then?"
The fool just doesn't get it.
"You are nothing but a coward," I said. "Only cowards attack the weak, where there is no one to challenge him. Those who are truly strong understand that there is no need to demonstrate their strength. They understand kindness, mercy and compassion. They fight only for what matters to them. That is why; the world's strongest man is not you. The world's strongest man is Greybeard."
At the mention of Greybeard, Blackbeak's face turned into an ugly shade of crimson. He hissed at me and I saw the darkness starting to flow from his arms, turning into gigantic dark wings.
"Greybeard is nothing but an old fool!" spat Blackbeak. "He's an old man who thinks it's worthwhile to look after losers! He has no wealth, no power and doesn't even have a great pirate crew like I do!"
"Yet he is the most feared and respected man in the world," I answered calmly. "He doesn't go around terrorising hapless villagers like you do."
Blackbeak snarled and leapt forward at me. I swung my fist out at him and sent a powerful shockwave at him. The attack passed through him, but it took out a lot his crewmates who were standing behind him. He turned into the massive dark bird and swung a wing at me. I tried to cut the wing with Roy's bisento, but the blade just passed through it.
When the wing engulfed me...the feeling was...terrible. I felt like I was trapped in a dark void. I felt as though I was being crushed from all sides and even though I struggled with all my might, I couldn't break free. I felt despair like I never had.
I heard Blackbeak's voice in my head, mocking me, taunting me, telling me how weak I was, how useless I was, what a fool I was for admiring Greybeard...how I would be worth nothing to anyone...
But in that despair, I realised something. I am worth something. Captain Jones, Roy, Goji, Cook and Kureha all thought I was worth something. Greybeard thought that I was worth saving. Mom and dad thought that I was worth something. Moulin, George and little Rouge though I was worth something.
That punk Roger thought I was a worthy rival.
Chip thought that I was worth something.
I remembered saying these words in that terrible darkness.
"I am worth something. Don't think that you can tell me that I'm not, you overgrown chicken...I AM WHITEBEARD!"
As I shouted the last three words, the darkness dispelled and I fell onto my knees. Sweating, my head spinning, I looked up to see Blackbeak getting up as though he had been knocked down. The look on his face was one of absolute fury...though I thought there was hint of fear in that look as well.
"How the hell did you get that power?" he snarled.
I didn't know what he was talking about.
Blackbeak got up and was about to attack again when we both noticed something odd.
Ashes were falling all around us.
I looked up and I saw an ash cloud floating above us.
Blackbeak also noticed and he was screaming in rage.
"YOU!"
He was shrieking that at the ash cloud, for a moment I thought he'd lost his marbles.
Then the ash cloud suddenly descended and turned into a ball that landed between us. It erupted on landing and I immediately covered my face to stop the ashes from choking me, but to my surprise, the ashes dispersed towards Blackbeak and his crewmates, choking them.
Blackbeak managed to break free and was glaring at the figure that had appeared from the ashes.
Greybeard.
"YOU!" shrieked Blackbeak again, turning into the bird and lunging at the old man with his beak.
The old man effortlessly blocked the hit with his broadsword. Blackbeak descended again but this time, the old man swung his sword fiercely at him.
Blackbeak shrieked and fell back, turning back into his human form. I noticed a long, bleeding cut across his chest.
"Haiirorororo!" laughed Greybeard. "You shouldn't be picking on young, promising kids, Terrence!"
"Again and again you defend these pathetic losers, Greybeard!" snarled Blackbeak.
"Pathetic losers, you say?" said Greybeard, grinning fiercely. "Maybe they are, but they are also the ones who'll carry the torch in future. We can't be the Demons forever you know."
"Again and again with your useless rhetoric!" shrieked Blackbeak, now completely beside himself with fury. "I don't know why you waste your time defending weaklings! I don't why they call you the strongest among the three of us, when you do nothing to show your strength!"
Greybeard's grin widened. "Would you like me to show you now then?"
That brought Blackbeak up short. He took a step back, glaring fiercely at the old man. His crew took up positions behind him, all getting ready to attack Greybeard.
"Trying to gang up on one frail old man?" came a voice from behind Greybeard, and I saw Lat, sitting on the shoulder of his massive puppet, coming up behind the old man.
"My, my," drawled the familiar voice of Shah the Sniper. "The Blackbeak Pirates sure have fallen far."
"Me SMASH if you touch old man," boomed the voice of Salim the Titan, his titanic form looming up from behind.
One by one, the Greybeard Pirates popped out of nowhere to confront Blackbeak and his crew.
Blackbeak only hissed in fury, but seemed reluctant to attack, even though his crew outnumbered Greybeard's.
"So, how about it, Terrence?" asked Greybeard. "Care to have a go?"
Blackbeak stared at the old man and spat at the ground before turning to leave.
After they were gone, Greybeard and his crew stayed on the island for awhile to help the villagers rebuild, though they ignored the Marines.
Anyway, what happened after that was, Greybeard asked if I would like to follow him into Grand Line since he was done touring South Blue.
I accepted.
Looks like I got my ticket into Grand Line.
So what do you guys think of Greybeard as a character?...just asking because he's going to be an important part of the plot from now on...and I'd like to develop him even further...thanks
