IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE LAST CHAPTER CONVERSATIONS GO BACK AND READ IT! Ahem! Now, this chapter may or may not be longer, but it has more stuff happening in it and hopefully will not disappoint.
R&E Everybody!
The East Blue was… well, I could definitely see why it was considered the weakest of the Blues. It was just so… quaint. Not that that's a bad thing, it's actually rather nice to see a place mostly untouched by war and hardship, for there to be a place so peaceful in this otherwise chaotic world was comforting. Maybe I could scrounge myself a holiday home or something. I laughed quietly to myself at that thought; I'll probably never end up using it, considering how busy I'll be.
Again, we stopped at towns so I could gather Intel and they could resupply. Though they didn't know I was actually building up a spy network, I just said I made tea as a hobby or that I wanted to buy something or wanted to explore. The Marines also took it as a chance to gather information about those 'pirate conquerors' and to just generally make sure the towns were safe and sound. I had to admit, while the Navy was corrupted at its core, these smaller factions truly were intending to take care of others and do their duty as protectors of the sea. If only the higher-ups were as pure intentioned as their subordinates, then the world truly would be a better place.
Weeks passed by quickly, as we slowly began to stop less and picked up speed as we headed to our destination. I found myself sitting on the sails more and more as I watched the horizon, waiting for an island to appear. Waiting for the signal to prepare for battle, to fight the pirates that were attacking the peaceful islands, though it wasn't the fact that they were pirates or that they were attacking the innocent, it was the idea that this could have been The Islands that were being attacked. It could have been Maria and Boris that could have their island raided, that their peaceful home could be pillaged and burned and nothing left but bodies and ashes. That is mostly the reason why I was helping the Marines in this endeavour, waiting for a burning island at the horizon.
I didn't see the island first.
A yell woke me from the sleep I had drifted into, the night had come and gone, and a red dawn greeted my first waking moments. I had fallen asleep on the sails, it seemed, and I would have found this funny if a giant column of bulging black smoke wasn't billowing up into the sky, its source hidden by the horizon. We were finally here, and it seemed far worse than anyone had feared.
Dropping down from the high sails and landing with a loud thump on the deck, the sailors running around me in an oddly organised chaos. They were different from the islanders from before, each person knew what they had to do and where to go. I didn't have a place here.
Weaving through the crowd with ease, I made my way to the captain who was barking orders and standing tall where everyone can see him. At first I thought this was because he was posturing like a peacock or something, but then I wondered if he was acting more like a beacon of courage for his men. A fixed point, an anchor to keep them calm and determined, and as I reached the man I realised that it was probably true.
"Orders, Captain?" I asked, and the redheaded man looked to me. His gaze was cool and calculated, calm and determined. If he was an enemy I would be a bit disturbed and wary of that look, but as it was I just stood there, back straight and eyes just as steely as his.
"You'll be our first strike, break up their ranks and scatter their forces" he said, and my hard look melted into one of mischievous delight.
"Confusion and chaos" I grinned "got it" and practically hopped away to the bow. The idea of fighting was exciting, but the fact that I'll able to blast through a bunch of people and get to have as much fun as I wanted? Oh, this was a good day.
At the front, I could see better at the events that were occurring. Three pirate ships, all bearing the same Jolly Roger, were surrounding the docks. Two were actually docked and were looking mostly empty, while the last one was farther out and blasting the town with canon fire. Well, the first ship wasn't my problem, I would assume, considering that I could hear someone yelling to ready the canons.
The enemy ship noticed us, and immediately set about turning around to blast us with canon fire. I was about to yell to prepare for enemy fire, when the sound of canon-fire reached my ears, followed closely behind by a dark mass traversing at high speed right for my face.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as I ducked under the canon ball, it crashed into the elevated rooms that were near the stern, and several more accompanied it. I looked up when there was a ceasefire, and found us a lot closer than before. I could see the pirates scurrying about their ship, reloading their canons and preparing for a confrontation with the Navy vessel.
The two ships lined up, parallel to each other, I could hear everything yet nothing at the same time. I heard sounds but didn't register them, and time seemed to slow down for an agonisingly long moment.
"Fire!" the captain yelled at the top of his lungs, it was chorused by the captain of the enemy ship. Then the world resumed as normal, and a million things happened at once.
The world exploded into a chaotic mess of smoke, the flash of a canon, dust and debris practically floating in the air, the ring of swords and the crack of guns. I coughed and stumbled as the floor beneath me shook, kneeling to keep my balance; I put my sleeve to my face in an attempt to keep myself from inhaling too much, and looked through the smoke and chaos.
Both ships had boarded each other, Marines fighting on the pirate's ship and pirates fighting on the Marines ship. I looked for the captain, but couldn't catch a flash of red in this mess. I looked to the town, and through the mess I could make out tiny figures heading to the other two ships moored at the docks. There was no chance of this vessel surviving an onslaught from three ships, I had to stop them from setting sail.
How? Everyone was busy fighting for their lives, there's no way I could jump that distance, and last I checked I couldn't walk on water! How could I keep those ships from-?
Wait a Rosgobel rabbits pace!
I looked down at the water, then back up to the ships, back down at the water and up to the ships. I did this a few more times, a grin slowly spreading on my face as I did. Jumping onto the railing I looked back at the men fighting, then to the ships, and frowned. What if this didn't work?
I shrugged, at least no one could say I didn't try, and with that final thought, jumped off the edge.
Now, we all know that if you hit water at a certain speed, it's like hitting concrete because the water cannot 'move' around you that quickly. What I was trying to do is take that same logic and implement in my insane plan. What is that plan, may you ask? Yes you may, and that plan is simple.
I am going to walk on water.
Or at least push off it with amazing speed and force, whichever your preference to an explanation.
I was moving before I knew I was. My foot hit the water as hard as it could, then I was moving so fast I could barely register what went past me. Not that I could actually tell what was going past me, considering everything was just one giant blur of colour. Gritting my teeth, I slammed a foot in front of me, and came very near to a sudden stop. I kicked up an insane amount of water and continued to move for a metre or two before I slowed down enough to kick off the water again and be sent whizzing in the opposite direction.
'This is harder than originally believed' I thought, breathless and trying to keep the air in my lungs. I looked back and found myself on a one way trip towards the bow of the Marines ship. God dammit, this isn't getting any easier for me. Kicking out in a more diagonal direction, I went careening off to the side.
'Just like driving a car' I thought sarcastically, and drove my feet into the water. Once again, when I had slowly down enough, and kicked up a fantastic spray of water several of metres high, I pushed myself forward but this time moved in a zigzag pattern. I would have heaved a sigh of relief if I could breathe. It was so much easier to move and control where I was going by going zigzag, and now I was moving towards the ships almost faster than I could register.
When I got close enough to the docks, I dug my feet into the water and forced myself to slow down, and then I did a weird kick-jump thing to get onto the docks, where I stumbled forward from both the left over momentum and the sensation of being on solid ground again.
"Ha, ha, ah… phew!" I breathed, a little out of breath. Putting my hands on my knees I looked back to the ships duking it out in the distance, and then back to the docks under my feet. I looked back again, and nodded a little as I looked back down at my feet "Right" I heaved, standing straight and clapping my hands once "Back to work"
I turned to the two ships that looked just about ready to disembark and head out to aid their fellow ship. Well, that just wasn't acceptable. Oh, but how am I to stop two ships? Hm…
A grin a little on the manic side bloomed on my lips, before it turned a little more sinister as I jumped up onto the deck of the closest pirate ship. The men paused and stumbled, surprised and probably a little scared at my sudden arrival. Ignoring them completely, since I didn't have time to joke about like normal, I shot to the main mast and punched it, hard.
It exploded in a shower of splinters and larger chunks of wood flew at high speeds from the force. Huh, I feel a little over-powered… I think Death may have given me a too big of a boost, I mean, yeah, in my old world I was fit and all that and could outmatch most blokes in a fight but… eh, logic was more or less vacant in this universe, so why question it?
Never look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say.
I grabbed the mast, though it looked more like I was hugging the giant thing, and heaved. I strained from the weight, my arms tense and my legs bending under the weight of the whole thing. I pulled until I heard the ropes tethered to it snap and break. Stumbling back as most of the tension keeping this thing up and balance vanished; I gritted my teeth and planted my feet wide and steady. Dammit, this thing was heavy.
Turning a little, because it was incredibly hard to move when you had I giant mast in your arms, I saw the second ship was beginning to move from the docks. I glared at the vessel and with a strained yell of "Oh no you don't!" I twisted my body and threw the heavy mast at the departing ship.
The mast flew, and tree things happened at once.
One, the mast struck the side of the ship, causing a large crash that had the ship tip dangerously to one side and made a pretty large piece of the ships side break and fall into the ocean with the mast.
Two, the men on the ship I was on turned to me after watching as their other ship suffered damage caused by my hand, looking absolutely and understandably murderous. After all, I had just caused massive damage to their property, if someone had done that to my ship, or anything of value to me, they would be six feet under already.
And three, canon fire rained down on both ships.
I whirled around and saw that not only had the Navy vessel survived, but had taken over the third ship of the pirate crew. And was currently using both, as battered and damaged as they were, to launch a full assault on both enemy ships. One of which I was on.
'Of bloody course' I thought blithely, unable to bring myself to surprised, but a little irritated all the same. After all, I had practically saved their asses, but they probably would've been relatively fine. Just worse off if I hadn't been here.
I smiled to the panicking crew, who were quickly realising they wouldn't be winning this fight, and waved cheerfully before jumping away just as another barrage struck and all but disintegrated one side of the ship. I landed safely on the docks, and quickly began running to the town. Panic was a dangerous thing. It could make rational men irrational, and cause more trouble than intended discord.
It wasn't hard to find the pirates that had stayed in town to pillage the town, and I meticulously went through the streets to pick off the criminals and bodily throw them down to the shoreline. Whether they lived or not didn't really matter to me, and I quickly started asking about if there were any more pirates hiding in any buildings. Luckily, it seemed in the panic most of the pirates had either been running about, trying to gather their spoils and run, or head down to the docks to fight.
So instead I spent my time calming down the town, insuring its people that the Marines were here and that everything was going to be okay, and for people to go to their main square and try to make sure everyone was accounted for. Their mayor and some of the local law enforcement, that had survived the initial raiding, stepped up to the challenge and began herding people towards their plaza –again, sadly tiny compared to The Islands central plaza- and counting off families and their members. It was slow work, but by the time they got started in a more organised fashion the Navy had defeated the pirates and taken them into custody to be judged and sentenced by a court of law.
The redhead captain found me sitting on a roof, idly kicking my legs back and forth, watching over the people of the plaza. He jumped up, surprising me a little, and sat down next to me silently. He didn't say anything for a long while, and I spent that time to study him once more.
He didn't look particularly injured, just a few scrapes that were more likely from flying debris than actual strikes from an opponent. He didn't even look tired, or even ruffled, while many of his men had visible marks of a hard fight on them. It made me wonder, what was such a strong man doing in the Blues?
"Thank you, for your help" he said finally, bringing me back to the present, and I nodded before letting my eyes fall back to the crowd. I could see groups were beginning to form, families finding each other and rejoicing in the others safety. It made me ache for siblings I would likely never see again, for parents that were a world away, for friends that have most likely moved on and hopefully remember me fondly and in passing. The last thing I wanted was for them to linger in the past, when they still had a future.
"I saw what you did, with the mast" he started and I bit back a sigh "That kind of strength is uncommon in the Blues, you would be more suited to the Grand Line, helping people and-"
"What? Doing good deeds? Your idea of 'good' and my idea of 'good' are possibly very different. I told you I won't become a Marine, I am a traveller and a career like yours would only limit me, cage me, I would lose my freedom" I said, and he stared at me for a long time.
"Lose your freedom? If anything the Government would give you freedom! You wouldn't have to be stationed anywhere, I'm sure they would let you wander where you will-"
"Until I have orders" I cut in again "I would be under the command of strangers, forced to their will and their ideals. I know this seemed to be a rather dark way to look at the Government, but I have always taken the greater powers of this world with a pinch of salt and handful of cynicism" I reasoned when he looked ready to argue my words, but he was responsible enough to stay quiet after I explained my words.
"Very well…" he said eventually, unhappy with my decision not to join the Marines but respectful of my choices "what will you do now?" he asked, and I shrugged. Leaning back against my hands and looking to the blue sky.
"Probably catch a boat to Logue Town, maybe a pirate ship wouldn't mind a hitchhiker" I mused and the captain blanched, and to avoid another argument I added "I actually don't know your name"
He stopped, thought, and nodded "no" he said evenly "I haven't. My name is Ronan, I hold the rank of Captain, and have recently been commanded to look into the phenomenon of the death of an illegal fighting ring champion called 'Gutter' and, later, the pirate crew that was taken down by someone named 'Traveller'" he gave me a sidelong look that screamed 'that would be you' as though I couldn't figure it out. But it was more playful than anything, so I let it slide. That, and I wasn't in the mood to fight a Captain of the Marines, they're known for being strong –Smoker before the two year skip is proof of that- and I didn't want a bounty until I at least got into the Grand Line.
"Wow, were you stationed in the Grand Line before that?" I asked, and he nodded. I hummed in intrigue, but otherwise just lent down onto my back and tucked my hands behind my head. "Well, are you offering too take me into the Grand Line?" he smirked at my question.
"No, that's not permitted to civilians without explicit permission by the World Government, which you don't have" he said, and I looked at him sharply.
"Wait, but if I was singled out, like you said back at that village then wouldn't someone in the World Government want to meet me?" I narrowed my eyes "Unless you were lying just to get some free help" I accused, though it was well hidden by my casual tone, the glint in Ronan's eyes was unmistakable. I glared at him for a minute before sighing and rolling my eyes.
"And you wondered why I distrust the Government" I muttered, to which he laughed at and I chuckled with him "Well, looks like I'll be hitchhiking on some random ship. Better than a bus, I guess" I muttered the last part, but apparently he heard it because it made him stiffen. I looked up in confusion at the red haired man, and slowly sat up.
"A bus?" he asked, as though unsure if he heard right. My brain kicked into overdrive at his uncertain question. This world didn't have buses, at least none that I know of -and considering their technology that's a little strange but, eh, it's One Piece- and the word would be mostly foreign to anyone who heard it. So why would a word like that…
"Yeah…" I said, trying to recall something from my old world that wouldn't sound completely crazy "There's a huge bus system in Melbourne" 'smooth, Alex, real smooth' "it's pretty terrible" I said, Melbourne sounding more like mel-bin (Australian pronunciation), and waited for some sort of reaction.
"Melbourne…" he stared at me with something akin to stunned reverence, like a man discovering religion for the first time "you're from Australia then?" he asked, and I perked up at my country's name.
"Yeah, Aussie, born and bred, and you?" I asked like it didn't matter, but we both knew it was completely the opposite. We were both practically vibrating with the discovery that we weren't alone.
"UK, though I hide my accent pretty well" his accent suddenly changed as he spoke, and I blinked in surprise before I broke out in boisterous laughter. He joined me soon enough and we got a few looks from the plaza, but considering the overall mood of the crowd no one really minded. The whole island was practically oozing joy and excitement of surviving a pirate attack. People were already bringing out food and drink; it looked like an impromptu party was already beginning.
"How long-"
"Have I been here? Several years, did you meet Death?" he asked, waving to one of his men and they tossed up a barrel full of some sort of alcohol, and two mugs.
"Yeah, not really how I imagined him" I replied, accepting the cup full of frothy liquid.
"Same, and you?" he took a sip of his drink, and I copied. I cringed at the sharp taste; I had never really liked beer, though I've only ever had a mouthful. I swallowed and licked my lips, a fruity aftertaste lingered and I couldn't say I didn't like it. Taking another sip, the first taste wasn't so bad now.
"Hm? Oh, I've been here… nearly a year, I've been going from Blue to Blue. Just exploring mostly, I want to see this world properly, though in the last two Blues I had to rush it a bit" I sent a sly look to Ronan, who laughed sheepishly and apologised.
"So, you're going to take the role of a traveller, actually going by that name?" he shook his head with an incredulous smile, and took a large gulp of his drink. I continued to sip my drink, pacing myself because this was my first time actually drinking alcohol.
"Yeah, what made you join the Marines?" I asked, and he shrugged languidly, leaning back on his elbow. I noticed some of his men give him surprised or odd looks, and I could assume they don't see him this relaxed often.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time. At first I wanted to try being a pirate, but if figured if I was here then there had to be others, and that they would most likely be pirates" he gave me a smirk "though you sort of break the mould there" I giggled a little and he continued on "So I tried for the Marines. I had always wanted to go into law enforcement anyway, back home, and I rose through the ranks quickly enough. In another year or so I'll probably make Vice Admiral. But, besides that, I like how I'm doing some good in this wold, I know the World Government is corrupt, and I want to change that. From the inside" he sighed, taking another gulp and finishing his first mug, and poured himself another.
"I want this world to be protected, and while I know not all pirates are evil, they are still criminals and I am a Marine" he said his words with conviction, but I could tell he sometimes wondered how life would've been like as a pirate. I bumped him on the shoulder, and he seemed to understand what I was trying to convey, because he smiled at my little show of comfort and understanding.
"Well, your ambition is admirable, and I hope you succeed in that endeavour. Me, I'm gonna continue to see the world that has become my own and try to change things for the better" I smiled at him, which he returned, and I finished my drink. Pouring myself another one, we continued to talk about other things, simple things, like our homes and families. I was the youngest in a litter of seven, him the oldest of four. I used to live in a valley, and he used to live next to a lake. We continued to compare our lives back before we died –he died in a construction accident about three years before my own demise, so we also discovered that the timelines are warped here as well- and about things we missed and things we didn't. About how we came to be in this world, he was found on the shore of one of the islands in the Grand Line by the Marines –that explained a lot- and I told about how I had 'survived' a landslide, or mudslide, depends on your preference to terminology.
I stopped after my third mug of alcohol, since I was a bit of a light weight in my inexperience, but Ronan just kept going and seemed to be completely unaffected. I pouted when he noticed I had stopped and teased me relentlessly. He made to go for another mug, but I put my hand over the rim of his cup.
"I think you've had enough for one night" I said seriously, though it was completely ruined by the smile I had. He actually pouted, this big tough Captain was pouting like a child, how the hell was I not supposed to giggle at that? He put his cup down and we continued to talk and discuss. I never mentioned my spy network.
The next day saw us preparing to set sail for Logue Town, as a thank you for helping out with the defeat of the pirates, Ronan was going to drop me off there before he set out to the Grand Line himself. I had scoffed and called him a cheater, because the Marines had their own way to get into the Grand Line.
I had packed my bag, checked and double checked that I had everything. Then shouldered my pack and headed to the docks. As I got there, a crowd of cheering townsfolk greet my eyes and ears, I tried to slip through unnoticed but considering the circumstances that was impossible. People kept stopping me to say thank you or to congratulate me or wish me well on my journey and other such things. I kept up a smile, thanked people and moved along as quickly as I could without knocking people over.
As I reached the gangplank a small grip on the hem of my hoodie stopped me from boarding. I looked behind me, but seeing no one I looked down and saw a small raven haired girl. She was looking up at me with wide eyes filled with awe and excitement and a bit of shyness. The little girl held a small length of pink heather in one of her hands, and was offering it up to me. I blinked, before smiling and kneeling down and gently accepting the plant. The many flowered stem was only the length of my palm, and showed hints of being picked in a hurry.
"Thank you" I said gently, the girl smiled brightly, a bashful blush dusting her cheeks. I looked down at the little plant, and my smile turned soft and knowing. Ruffling the young child's hair, drawing a giggle from the girl, I stood and turned back to the gangplank. As I boarded the ship, I glanced back at the crowd and the little girl, and gave a small wave. This caused the crowd to respond in cheering, having gone oddly silent during my exchange with the girl.
They continued to cheer, even as we sailed away, and I rested my arms on the guard rails of the ship, twirling the flower in my hand around and inspecting it. A small smile made its way onto my lips unconsciously, the small pink flowers danced in the breeze and I found myself looking forward to my future. I had a good feeling I would survive my attempt at Reverse Mountain.
After all, heather was a symbol for admiration… and good luck.
So... How do you like that? The bit with Ronan finding out is a bit clumsy, I know, but it was late at night and couldn't think of anything better. Opinion? Again, sorry for the late posting, here's a cookie for your patience! Hope you enjoyed it!
I'm outta here!