I own nothing.

"That's a train, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded as he looked around, making sure that everything was fine and accounted for. He knew that would be, but he double-checked just to be sure. Sasuke did not want to leave anything to chance, even if he could deal with any problem that might arise. They were going to a government-occupied island after all. "I'm aware of that."

"We're going to the Sabaody by train." Sariel stared at the open door to their carriage in clear distrust. "That is a train ride to the world's biggest slave market, and you're asking me to get on it."

Sasuke pondered on her words before he nodded, "Yes, exactly."

Beside him, Sariel was dressed up in a posh new black dress worn under a jacket and a tie that she had been wearing since they had left the island. In her hands, wrapped in black leather gloves, she gripped a small suitcase, one that he had bought for her a few days prior.

Sariel just sighed and crossed her arms. She closed her eyes as if thinking about it for a moment before nodding. "Very well, if that's the way things are, then so be it. Though out of all the possible ways I imagined I would end up reaching Sabaody, this wasn't one of them."

Finally giving her his full attention now that Sasuke had made sure everyone was accounted for, Sasuke peered at her from the corner of his eyes. He really could not understand her.

By age seven, he had been living alone in a deserted clan compound after watching his family being murdered over and over again for years thanks to his brother. He lived in isolation and there were often times he could swear by his life, that he heard a knocking on his door, and the sound of his mother's voice, asking him to come out and play, even though he knew fully well that she had been stabbed to death by Itachi's sword and he had seen her body placed six feet into the earth.

Hours after endless hours he would swing his blade and punch empty walls, till his hand bled and calluses formed and hardened, and still, he would not stop. For year after year he would carry on swinging, spurred on by dreams of vengeance and vindication born from the horrors he had been subjected to by his own brother.

It may have been a dark dream that had no place in his old world, a world where shinobi only lived serve and their name synonymous with swords of their villages, yet it was a raw dream sincere in a way that only tragedy could make.

Since he was seven, Sasuke had learned to live for himself and for no one else. He never bothered people with his issues, he never told anyone about what went through his mind. Whenever he did, when he finally let loose his thoughts and goals, they all judged him. They all saw him as a so-called flight risk and cast their gazes upon him with pity and disappointment, claiming to know what was best for him, claiming to want to set him on the right path.

They knew nothing. Nothing of his pain, nothing of his rage, nothing of his sorrow and contempt. So he never told them— he kept it all to himself and never once opened up.

And after everything, to realize that Itachi's massacre was as a result of his own father's ambition coupled with the events that Obito had placed in motion by controlling the Kyuubi, he still felt nothing but anger. He felt a slow and righteous anger that dwelled deep within him and threatened to explode to the surface. An eruption that had pushed him towards a dark revolution that might have consumed the world had it not been for Naruto.

Sasuke would never admit it, but seeing Obito die at Kaguya's hand was perhaps, one of the most satisfactory moments of his adult life. He was not Naruto. He could not just forgive him and let him carry on. An idiot who had started a war and caused the deaths of thousands of people, all for what?

His only regret was the fact that he was not the one who had gotten the chance to kill that fool.

Perhaps this was why Sasuke could not comprehend how Sariel could so nonchalantly follow him right into the organization which had caused her so much agony and sadness. He could never understand what it meant to accept and face someone who had destroyed his entire life, even when it was easier to hate and blame. It was amazing to see her stand by his side, proud and free. She had changed and grown in just a few months, becoming more than what she had been.

Deciding to simply stop thinking about it, Sasuke towards his platinum-haired companion, "So if not like this then how did you imagine you'd end up in Sabaoby?" I asked, more in hopes of taking his mind off grim thoughts than any real urge to know.

Sariel shook her head, ignoring his internal monologue. "Those men, they too were taking me to Sabaody and I thought I would be bound in chains and darkness as humans dragged me towards darkness as I screamed in terror and begged for mercy. That's pretty much how any Lunarian imagines going to Sabaody would be like." Then she turned towards him through the open carriage door, "What I didn't imagine was taking a train ride to Sabaody in what appears to be a luxury first-class carriage. Though I have to admit, if you're going to end up going to that place, this is the way to go."

She had a point there. Looking inside our designated carriage, the one reserved for the rich, the privileged, and personal guests, it was clear that this was not a typical carriage that a common man could afford. It was closely guarded, and though could not tell exactly where but Sasuke could sense marines well enough by now to know that they were nearby.

The walls of the interior were covered in expensive wood-veneered panels while the floor was coated with a rich lushes carpet that he knew from experience would sink under my weight. Swivel armchairs lined the walls with plenty of space in between them, and a small marble-topped bar was set on one end of the carriage, no doubt stocked with every kind of drink imaginable, both of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety. The place even had its own bathroom with a large shower and an even larger bathtub installed.

All in all, it looked more like a noble's lounge than a train carriage, but things like these had never actually surprised him. Nobles generally were an ostentatious bunch and he could always count on them to show off their wealth. What made it a real waste was that nobles would rarely ever bother using the train.

Normally most would travel through the seas using ships and transporters. And while it could take weeks or even months to safely complete a trip between different parts of the world depending on the conditions, once embarked the trip was enormously more efficient when compared to the preparation needed to even lay the tracks for a sea train, much less the other infrastructure required.

Which was why water trains were rarely ever used. Most nations preferred establishing sea trade lanes directly rather than investing in the creation and constant upkeep of a water train lane. Only Water 7 with its advanced engineering corps had commercially implemented such a transportation system.

This railway line, inaugurated just two weeks ago, too was little more than glorified carriages and was basically used for bureaucratic reasons more than anything, escorting nobles and businessmen on fancy journeys to important centres of trade and diplomacy such as the one they were headed towards.

From the open doors of the carriage, he could see a man with an overly large head sitting on one of the chairs, spinning around in it like a child while somehow still managing to hold a conversation with what could only the be attendant who was in the seat next to her. He shook his head, people of this world were an eccentric bunch and perhaps he was thinking too deeply about their actions.

Sariel shook her head, her bangs swaying. "Actually, the world as a whole is nothing like I pictured it to be. Take the humans for example." She nodded towards him, who stopped his eyebrows in question the very instant she mentioned him, "I had always pictured humans to as unstable individuals with delusions of grandeur and godhood and no regard for those around her."

"And now?" Sasuke asked, curious about what opinion she had formed about him, during her time traveling with him "What do you think of us now?"

"Now I realize that most humans are extremely unstable individuals yet so much more at the same time," Sariel stated frankly, the idea of lying or being less blunt probably never occurred to her. She cocked her head to the side and frowned in thought, "And I'm honestly not sure whether that makes them less or more terrifying than I originally thought them to be."

Instead of being offended, Sasuke just smirked. He could imagine why she would consider most humans to be mentally unstable. He considered himself to be the sanest of all individuals she had been acquainted with and here he was marching straight towards the heart of world government.

Sariel sighed and crossed her arms, "If someone had told me that this was how my life would turn out just six months ago, I would have asked them what they had been drinking."

"Regretting it?" Sasuke asked, though he already knew her answer.

"Never." She answered resolutely, her reply instantaneous.

He couldn't stop the edge of his lips from quirking up at that. If there was one thing he had learned about Sariel during was how unbelievably stubborn she could be. Once she got an idea into her head, there was nothing that could ever change her mind. It didn't matter if that idea was dangerous, foolhardy or even if it was right or wrong, once she made up her mind there is nothing in Heaven or Hell or anything in between that would make her change it – even if that idea happened to be a completely stupid one.

She would regret nothing, running on her chosen path even if to the bitter end.

Sasuke had the feeling that even should she someday realize he wasn't the perfect saviour she thought him to be, something that he hadn't stopped trying to convince her of, and nevertheless she wouldn't care. A part of him even suspected that she may have had a better inkling about who he really was than she let on, but for some reason went along with him regardless.

"Have you gotten used to your jacket yet?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the woman rather openly.

Sariel frowned at the question, not hiding her distaste about the subject, before answering almost reluctantly. "It's a beautiful garment and a thousand times more useful. Well crafted, comfortable, and has a function so significant that it's pretty much impossible to travel anywhere without it. But…"

"It's too restrictive." Sasuke picked up when she trailed off.

While it did not apply to him as he had long grown used to wearing cloaks and to restraining inherent parts of his self, Sasuke understood why someone would feel uncomfortable using a piece of cloth to seal away an important part of themselves.

Still, just because he understood didn't mean he could allow her to walk around openly without a specially-crafted jacket sealing away her wings. Sariel herself would never do that, apparent from the way she nodded in agreement at his words, displeasure clear on her face. Sasuke sighed. "Openly displaying your winds is extremely dangerous."

Frowning, she nodded, "I understand, I truly do. The world government would never leave us, I know that better than anyone. I know we cannot allow anyone to discover my race. But still, it just feels… wrong to seal them away like this."

Sasuke noticed how the fingers of her empty hand seemed to twitch, clenching and unclenching, as if they longed to tear away the cloth restraining her wings which were currently folded and packed inside the special compartments of her jacket.

In a way, she may have even seen her newfound freedom as proof that her choice to follow him was the right one. But that she had only just freed herself and grasped the right to live freely, only for it to be replaced by a need to hide who she was must have felt like a blow to her. So he could understand her reluctance, but it was not her reaction to the jacket that bothered him.

It was the decision to follow him regardless that had him worried. Really, out of all the men she could have chosen to follow, why did it have to be him?

Even though he had known her for less than a month at that point, it became almost painfully clear that for all of the outward confidence that she displayed, Sariel had been feeling more than a little bit insecure even after gaining freedom. From what little he understood of how the world government's agencies functioned, that was understandable.

Death was not an uncommon companion to Uchiha Sasuke.

He had witnessed the deaths of hundreds and he had also been the one to administer that same demise to hundreds more. Perhaps, some idle twisted part of him that had become embellished with theatrics believed that when he did kill someone or whenever he had witnessed someone get killed, it had always been for some greater purpose or some far-reaching abstract idea.

He believed, whether or not this was true was another matter entirely, but he believed that the deaths he had witnessed had all possessed meaning— be it honor, duty, code, or loyalty to one's village, one's cause and one's purpose. Even Orochimaru's twisted, vile experiments that had led to the deaths of hundreds, or possibly thousands had been done in an attempt to reach a goal, however twisted said goal might be.

Death was supposed to have purpose, to have meaning, it was not always supposed to be grand and theatrical, but at the very least, there should have been some sort of consolation and comfort in knowing the reason why one was dying or as to why one was dead.

Yet he remembered what he had seen in that ship when he'd rescued Sariel. Those slaves and countless others like them— they would never know why they had died, nor would they ever find any comfort in death. They had simply died, without cause, reason, or purpose.

Through the course of their journey, Sasuke had learned of Sariel and came to know her in a way few others could. He knew that she would neither waver nor regret anything once she had made her choice, that she held in her a determination he had seen in seldom few before, and knew that she had chosen to follow him in his journey knowing that it might not even end.

Sasuke had never understood it. Even in his academy days when girls flocked to him for one mysterious reason or another, he didn't understand why they'd proclaim their love for him over banal reasons. He'd never understood why they would waste their precious time and energy deluding themselves that they had some sort of feeling or affection for him.

He'd never asked them, because he'd never cared and most of them were content with simply desiring the impossible and resorting to utterly irritating measures in an attempt to win his favour.

He did not personally care about those girls or their delusions. Sasuke knew full well that half of the female populace of the academy were enamoured with him for one inane reason or another, but this girl, this one in front of him, she had been the first and the only one to approach him and make her declaration in a way that had actually meant something barring Sakura. That in itself was a can of worms he'd rather remain closed.

Perhaps if she had been the tenth or the hundredth to approach him, he'd have dismissed her without a word and without a shred of emotion. However, to possess a certain resolve and be the

A loud ringing echoed throughout the train station, signalling that it was time to depart and Sasuke had to once again drag his mind from the depths of his thoughts rather forcefully.

"Come on," Sasuke called out to Sariel as he walked forward to board the train, "We better get going. This thing has a fixed schedule and will leave with or without us inside it."

He heard footsteps from behind me as Sariel followed, "I wonder how Sabaody is like."

Kuzan entered the meeting hall room inside the large marine encampment, finding a figure sitting in a room with several maps pinned to walls, all showing locations marked red and blue. They were separated by a long table, paperwork and documents spread out all over it. All members of the marine corps have made themselves busy— war was a tedious task, and actual combat was perhaps the least of it.

"Has the busy Admiral finally found his way here? So to what do we owe this privilege?" A dark, thick voice echoed with subtle amusement.

"Cut the theatrics, Akainu." Kuzan sighed, ignoring the way his peer sneered at him from his position and placing a stack of folders on the table instead. "I don't have much time to waste. Has Kizaru done his part?"

Aokiji glanced at the incredibly tall and unusually muscular man seated at the head of the table. His pronounced facial features and short black hair were only accentuated by the shadows in the room. A standard Marine cap covered his eyes, and his arms were crossed over his crimson, double-breasted suit, decorated with what appeared to be a pink rose on his left buttonhole.

"Ah yes, Kizaru can be highly efficient, especially when he's not being lazy and delaying paperwork. His contributions to our preparations were noteworthy, he is good at detecting when something goes amiss" Akainu uncrossed his arms, "Your work is even more impeccable. Nobody would realize that you've been busy chasing after shadows for the World Nobles all this time, nor would anyone probably ever suspect anything being amiss from your side here in Marineford."

Kuzan's eyes narrowed, and his voice rose in intensity as his tall figure bristled "And what exactly are you implying?"

"That your so-called Lazy Justice is weak." Akainu bluntly stated.

"How dare you-"

"Do not even begin to feign anger. For all the strength you possess, the fact remains that as of now you have the weakest resolve out of all Admirals, especially when it comes to the eradication of evil. Even Kizaru dispenses his own form of justice with little difficulty and you are aware of it clearly."

"What you think to be a weakness is what many consider to be my strength" Kuzan's reply was simple and old; he had repeated it far more often than he'd like. It was an old argument yet he still bristled in cold anger.

"I believe those World Nobles only ordered you to leave Marineford out of curiosity, or perhaps they were in need of disposable pawns. In the grand scale of things, the only way you'll serve as a proper crusader of Justice is if you were to pause and think again your pitiful ways."

"Did you simply take time out of your day to decide to mock me or is there another reason you're here?" Aokiji painstakingly grounded out each syllable.

Akainu simply scoffed, "I am only here to do what is required of me. The higher-ups wanted me to inform you are to resume your hunt once again as soon as you finish your preparations here. Following your lead, the CP0 has already located the target. The Nobles have been kind enough to give you enough time to contribute towards our war effort."

Aokiji paused, he could disagree with Sakazuki's scathing complaints despite his personal misgivings about the man. "These orders come from Mary Geoise directly?"

"It seems to be the case. Either way, tell your grunts to keep an open eye, and finish this entire debacle soon. Don't forget that our priority right now is Whitebeard. The World Nobles can play their games later on but it is us who have to protect the world from evil." The muscular Admiral shrugged "This is an unknown factor, in which higher-ups have displayed interest in a single man personally. We do not know who he is yet, and so I've ensured that our forces are to keep out an open eye for anyone suspicious."

"The higher-ups want me to capture them alive and that gives me different options to work with." Kuzan groused even as he nodded in agreement. He closed his eyes and wondered out loud "What exactly should I do if I find them?"

"Ask them to surrender once."

"And if they refuse?" Kuzan opened one eye to glance at his colleague.

Akainu glanced downwards at the folders strewn across his desk and paused "Then they die."

Sasuke was standing close to the exit when their train entered one of the numerous port stations of Sabaody beside Sariel who was waiting eagerly to take a close look at the archipelago. His position gave him a perfect view of the entrances, allowing him to monitor those entering and leave at a moment's notice if required.

The conductors were at the front, helping everyone who needed assistance. Each one of them had been here multiple times, so they knew their way around the archipelago. The tracks were clear, and Sasuke could see the obvious marine presence in the station clearing people and making space on the platform.

As they got closer, Sasuke got a clear view of the enormous tree that spread upwards towards the sky, so tall that he had to look directly upwards at the night sky just to see the top of the tree which was barely visible thanks to the many decorations which illuminated what could only be called a town so large that it stretched as far as the eye could see.

The tree had part of its roots exposed above sea level, and parts of its striped trunk alongside the accompanying roots were covered in moss at various places creating makeshift platforms large enough to encompass entire villages which made them an apt replacement for steady ground.

The root on which their station was located was almost five times as wide as the Uchiha Compound back home had been and Sasuke had to stop himself from staring in awe when he saw countless bubbles seemingly growing out of the roots and trunk of the enormous tree, reflecting the light from the nearby lamps in hundreds of a thousand separate shades. Sariel, it seemed, could not help herself as she openly stared at everything around her with her mouth agape.

It was beautiful—a wonder to behold, and Sasuke almost questioned how people down below were just going on living their lives without just stopping and staring at it all the time. Down there, everything fit together just right and worked in tandem with one another to function, from the smallest human to the largest of these enormous mangroves. It was perfect, yet somehow it was still wrong.

Sasuke could not stop the pang of discontent from stabbing into his heart. He was disappointed and relieved at the same time— though majestic, these trees did not resemble a chakra tree in any respect. Despite the impressive size and mystifying bubbles, Sasuke could tell using his Mantra that they were just a bunch of ordinary trees in the end.

"I thought you said Sabaody was covered in mangroves?" Sariel finally questioned, head fixed upwards to get a better look up at the enormous trees that reached towards the heavens.

"It is," Sasuke answered as he led her toward their destination.

They had managed to make it to the Sabaody without anything going wrong, which was a relief when considering all of the different personalities that were crammed into a single carriage. Though naturally Sasuke still considered himself to be the worse of the lot.

He spared a glance over his shoulder to where the rest of the passengers were, no longer bothering to conceal their presence like they usually did. They were slumped over with content expressions on their faces, whether in exhaustion or relief after finally touching stable land. Seeing their defeated expression somewhat amused him. Sariel had fared much better despite traveling in a train for the first time. But then again, she was a legendary Lunarian capable of surviving all climates of this world and he was a shinobi trained since childhood.

"Then can't I see one," Sariel still had her face turned upwards, eyes scanning large trees extended towards the sky for something, "And where's the moon?"

"Above the skies where it belongs," Sasuke informed her while they made their way into the station. "Its light cannot reach the ground because of the trees but its branches absorb some of it and continue to glow high above."

There were a few people dressed in formal valet robes standing next to each other atop the root, and they approached as soon as they disembarked and stepped on the platform. It was apparent Sariel did not know what they were doing, so Sasuke took a step towards her and put a hand on her shoulder, "They work for a hotel here. This is the Hotel district of Sabaody, so they're scouting for customers."

Sariel nodded and barely had the time to compose herself before the men approached them, smiling cordially from ear to ear, "Good evening sir," spoke the scrawny man in front, the wimpy moustache on his face practically twitching. "Do you need any assistance finding a place to stay for the night?" he asked.

"Yeah please," Sasuke barely glanced at the man before replying. He would not mind having a nice place to spend the night. He had slept on stable land ages ago, and this was only his first time spending this long on the open sea. The man bowed flatteringly deep in response before he gestured towards his fellow valets who shot into motion with practiced ease.

Sasuke knew he drew the attention of the locals—an extremely attractive couple who had just disembarked from a train only the wealthy could afford without escort was eye-catching but this arrangement was the best for security purposes. He checked his watch again. Fifteen minutes later, a latest model Bon Chari pulled noiselessly up to the sidewalk and the backdoor opened to reveal a large and severe-looking man. "Please come with us. The men would take care of your luggage, have no worry about that."

Sasuke did not worry about the luggage, everything important was safely stored elsewhere. They both wordlessly followed the man into the vehicle, Sariel staying closer to him than before. Two other men, including the driver, sat up front armed with decorated rifles Sasuke knew were highly sought after by local pirates. Through the tinted exterior, he could see the pedestrians and traffic form a hole as if clearing room for an ambulance—it was clear the locals recognized the vehicle and the organization to whom it belonged.

Sasuke could see that the tall tree in the centre of the district read 'GR-72' now that he had a clearer view and in its front, it had what appeared to be a collection of large and extravagant palaces held in spherical bubbles wrapped around its trunk in a spiral which shined with trendy neon glows. Most other structures around were also made in a spherical shape. The road they were on had a lot of junk food and ice cream stalls which were also spherical. The streets were full of kids racing on bikes which were connected to large hovering bubbles and people carrying bags full of recent purchases in smaller floating bubbles. Everywhere he looked bubbles were being used in the most unusual and creative ways for even the most trivial of activities.

"People really like bubbles here, don't they?" Sariel asked out loud as she watched a few children trying to out-speed each other on their bubble bikes, laughing and shouting jovially at the same time.

"Why yes! The bubbles of Yarukimen mangrove are very convenient and are used on everything you can think of." the man with the wimpy moustache turned backward and replied with the same smile plastered on his face, his persona changing from that of an obedient valet to an experienced guide in less than a second. "Even houses are made out of bubbles here."

That surprised Sariel, who turned towards the man and slowly whispered in response. "I thought the people here just enjoyed the spherical designs."

"No, it's just convenient. You just have to take a bubble, and coat it with some sturdy metal to make a room for yourself." The man said and seemingly went on to explain everything he knew about these supposedly miraculous bubbles and their uses, growing more enthusiastic by the second.

"Sounds amazing." Sasuke dryly spoke once he finished, his eyes expertly taking in the new surroundings in a way only shinobi could. They had neared the tree by now. They passed the entrance gate and stopped before a large gate that led to an impressive property.

They disembarked quickly and the valets took their luggage with them as they left.

Others had already left for their destination as soon as they exited the train, taking their entourages with them and they too had left not long afterward, needing a bit more time than them but Sasuke could see more than a few of them here disembarking from decorated bubble carriages just like they were.

Above them a full moon hung in the cloudless night sky, surrounded by countless brightly shining stars yet enshrouded by the branches of the mangrove all the same. The night sky here had a silver hue to it compared to the dark blue he was used to and the sky shone far brighter than it should have.

Sariel once again glanced at the sky above, her brows furrowing in thought, "The sky looks very strange."

Sasuke nodded, he had wondered that himself when he first came here and it would have similarly confused him had he not known about it beforehand and properly taken the time to wrap his head around the idea.

"From what I understand it, the Sabaody Archipelago is, in actuality, a massive mangrove forest in the middle of the ocean made up of seventy-nine separate trees known as Yarukiman Mangrove." Sasuke used his hand and pointed towards the enormous tree overhead, "The Yarukiman Mangroves are one of the strongest trees in the world, durable enough to grow from the very floor of the deep ocean and reach the clouds on top. All trees are connected by their interwoven roots and each individual grove serves as an island by itself."

"As for how it glows so strangely, Yarukiman Mangroves are related to the Sunlight Tree Eve which can absorb light and transfer it throughout its body." Sasuke glanced out to either side of the road they now walked on, where grass stretched out all around them. Trimmed hedges surrounded the distant mansion up ahead. An orchard, if the ripe fruits dangling off its branches were any indication, grew a fair bit away on their right. It was hard to believe that so much greenery could grow, let alone thrive in a place like this. "Due to its close proximity to the part of the Red Line bordering the first half of the Grand Line and the New World, Sabaody has become a highly visited rest stop and one of the largest trade centres of the known world."

The entire island was like this. Bright, yet completely empty of street lights and other sources of illumination, except for those used as decorations. Who would even need them? The Mangroves provided all the light needed, anything more was unnecessary. It was why the sky shone so brightly here, it was not the moon or the stars which were brighter. It was the enormous trees around them which were growing faintly with light.

"The Sabaody Archipelago has always been this way, this place has never known the light of the sun, never felt its touch for the trees above us block all its rays. Yet life, as it always does, still found a way to survive. Plants adapted and learned to make do without the sunlight, substituting it with other more bountiful sources, like the glow of the mangrove itself which shines even brighter during the day."

Sariel just started up at the sky and then lowered her gaze to look at the surrounding greenery before she looked away and slowly shook her head. "This is not how I expected Sabaody to be."

Sasuke glanced at her, amused, "Let me guess, you imagined an island full of misery and suffering filled with hoards and rows of unfortunate slaves screaming in agony while their human torturers cackled in glee over their misery."

Sariel thought it over for a moment before slowly nodding and looking away, embarrassed. "It sounds stupid when you put it like that but a part of me was expecting something more…."

"Insidious?" Sasuke finished for her when she struggled to find words.

"To be fair, what you think of humans isn't entirely inaccurate. There are many humans like that, far more than I would have liked." Sasuke explained to her while waving an arm to indicate their surroundings, "What we are seeing is the Sabaody Archipelago – the island of mangroves covered by a mask that showed only what the occupants of this island wanted people coming into this island to see. This island has been here long before humans came and it has nothing to do with them other than the fact that they happen to live here. Just like how the natural wilderness does not represent human nature, what you have seen today doesn't reflect the nature of humans. Mankind is a strange bunch. It is capable of vicious cruelty, yet it is also capable of great kindness. Often times you would find it hard to judge them just from a single glance."

Sasuke waited a moment, allowing the slightly overwhelmed Sariel to absorb his words. He could not understand how it felt like to be in her place, overwhelmed by a new life that was nothing like my old one. "And if you think what you're taking in right now is hard then I'm afraid it's only going to get worse before it gets better. There are still a lot of things you need to learn about humans. There are still a lot of things I still need to learn. That's part of the reason why I brought you along on this trip."

Sariel had been looking more down as he explained how much harder it was going to be, slumping over a little bit more as he continued speaking and he could easily picture a frown of confusion on her face as she thought about the meaning behind his words.

But contrary to Sasuke's thoughts— Sariel was not thinking about the words Sasuke had said, she could understand his opinion even if her thoughts regarding humans remained the same, but rather she was thinking about how he had said them. Why was he speaking of humans as a separate race entirely? Why did he speak as if he were not a part of mankind himself?

But that was…

"We're finally here." Sariel was pulled out of my thoughts by Sasuke's voice. She looked to her left to discover that Sasuke had paused a step behind her and looked around before her eyes fell on a majestic building to her left. She almost gasped, "I knew this was going to be huge but this is more than I ever expected. This hotel is massive, bigger than most of the buildings I've visited."

"Sariel," Sariel called out when he saw that she had stepped into a path that had branched off the main route. His voice caused her to pause and glance back at him over her shoulder, her eyes questioning. "Where do you think you're going?"

She blinked at that before pointing down the road she stood on, at the mansion that lay at its end, "To the hotel of course, where else."

The mansion she was talking about was indeed massive. Three stories high, made from cream-colored bricks with a beautiful red-tiled roof. A good two dozen windows lined the wall of the first floor of the mansion alone, and there was a deck-sized pool not too far in front of the large double doors that were the main entrance to the place. Taking a rough estimate, Sasuke could tell that the mansion held a hundred rooms within its walls.

Unfortunately, while the place was beautiful it wasn't their destination. He might have said before that the rich and the powerful were truly an ostentatious bunch, showing off their wealth every chance they could, and this was no exception.

Sasuke raised a hand and pointed to the mansion she was walking towards. He couldn't stop the teasing smirk. "That isn't the hotel. That's the servants' quarters."

I apologize for the late update. This was somewhat of an interlude. Our protagonists have reached Sabaody, and in a sense, this is where the true story begins. Before Sasuke was certainly in the One Piece world but in a sense, he was not a part of it. He had done his best to stay low and avoid attention, but after I think he won't be able to after this arc which is part of the reason why I dedicated an entire chapter to Sasuke entering Sabaody.

I took all this time and intentionally kept the pace of the story slow because I wanted to take time in establishing characters and do some world-building. Sasuke now knows enough about the world, he has mastered the basic Observation Haki, and I think it's now time to move on and start working on the main plot.

A minor retcon- recent manga chapters have revealed that Kuma might perhaps be much stronger than what I had expected. I had placed him below Doffy but that's been proven wrong which is why I had to make this minor change to keep power levels consistent. In his clash against Sasuke and Sariel, Kuma was intentionally holding back. As for how much he was holding back- that would depend on what the manga reveals.

As for the Sea Trains- they appeared once again in non-canon movies and were used as transportation by the people living in a small archipelago where the Straw Hats landed. From what I remember, several sea train lines connect Dock Island and Secon Island as well as other surrounding islands. The rail system was far more elaborate than the one used by Water 7, employing signals and junctions for easier travel. I wanted to use them because I found the concept interesting so I did.

Finally, I'm experimenting and playing around with fanfiction so I think I might edit the photo and the title of the story at some point.

Thanks for reading.